"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." James 3:17
I love verses that are so dynamically charged with meaning in every word. This is quite a checklist from the half-brother of Jesus about how to tell if wisdom is from God or not. Let's go word by word with a little reflection on each one.
Our Monday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Ray:
"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God." Isaiah 40:1
On May 12, 2011, I visited the Vietnam Memorial Wall ceremony held in Dana Point. If you have never seen this moving tribute to the men & women who served our country in Vietnam, and died doing it, it is one of the most stirring tributes I have ever seen. From the singing, the talks, and the ceremonial portions of the event, to the Wall itself, was enlightening and highly emotional.
Our Friday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Charlotte:
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23
When I have the privilege of preparing devotionals in the Council rotation, I like to share those things that are found displayed in my own home, which bring me a feeling of comfort and peace as I have an opportunity to see them every day. What came to mind for this week's devotional was on the subject of "Kindness". I don't know what it is about the concept of kindness that seems to resonate with us (me and hopefully you also) as we get older. It's just one of those things that seems to give as much, if not more, pleasure to the one doing the kind act than the one receiving it. I've displayed for years in my guest bathroom a framed print which I can't even remember now where I got it, but I placed it here hoping that it would plant "the seed of kindness" for all who read it on their brief stay in there. It's entitled "Kindness Is One Of The Great Blessings Of Life", which is so true because I read "somewhere" that "Love is patient, Love is "Kind" 1 Corinthians 13:4 and that it is one of the nine Fruits of the Spirit Galatians 5:22.
"This is a trustworthy saying; If we died with Him we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we disown Him; He will also disown us; If we are faithless, He will remain faithful." 2 Timothy 2:11-13
The Bible is of course completely trustworthy. Every word. It is after all, His Word and true. Therefore, when Paul gives Timothy a trustworthy statement and sets it apart like this, it must be something especially pertinent. When we share The Word with people, we try to do so in such a way that the Spirit can use it in the life of the individual. The Bible was inspired by God for all the ages, for everyone, but it also is specifically applied to each of us individually too. I believe this was a saying that Paul expected Timothy to teach with, and use to help clarify the misunderstandings in the early church.
"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" 1 Timothy 6:6-10
Wow!! You go Paul!! What an indicting treatise on our credit addictions. We want it, whatever it is, and we want it now!! I have been a fool in this manner. Have you? I once took a necessary pay reduction a couple years back and presumed it would hopefully be able to be returned soon and did not adjust my lifestyle accordingly and used credit to live beyond my means. With the creeping debt I already had and a few surprises and BOOM!!! I was way upside down. The pay reduction continued and I still had the credit debt, with rising interest costs. Not the first time either. I had done this twice before without the noble justifications and here I was in the same pickle, just not wondering why. The third time really was a charm. I have adjusted the lifestyle, stopped the credit spending and am midway through a sacrificial repayment program. The new austerity and sensibility has been rewarding. One of the keys to my grief relief has been my total commitment to tithing, frugality and good stewardship. I can't say I can really tell that anything is so terribly different, but combining responsibility with restraint, without changing my heart for generosity has somehow blessed me immeasurably. I have peace and contentment and even with my heavy payment obligation I seem to be doing better month to month than ever. Who would have ever thought that self-control and discipline could solve anything? Needless to say I am feeling just a little self-conscious about my transparency here and will try to be a better example from now on. How about you? Are you convicted about this? Are you out of control? Are you in denial? Are you willing to let God be the Lord of your Almighty Money? I have attached an email that I read regularly; "Matt about Money" for your consideration. You can subscribe if you want to if you want Biblical advice about all things financial.
"Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity." 1Timothy 5:1
Even though these are Paul's sage words of advice for the young Pastor Timothy, they are sound counsel for all of us. Our relationships with different age groups in The Body of Christ, which is The Church, (including Grace Harbor of course), should be appropriate and respectful. There are a handful of scriptures that address this issue and we should keep in mind that if Paul is talking about it, it probably was an early church problem too. I say 'too' because we can easily write off younger’s or olders, men or women in broad sweeping generalizations when we should keep all relationships both Biblical and personal. Whether you are 9 or 90 the principles apply. You are never too old or too young to be expected to be respectful to everybody.
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone---- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth." 1Timothy 2:1-4
I have been praying for our President, Barak Obama, especially since the National Day of Prayer. Why? Because it is a good and right thing to do, and pleases God our Savior. It also promotes peace and quiet in my mind and helps keep me focused on godliness and holiness. During the event held at the Salvation Army Church and Headquarters, a small group of men and women seated near me got circled up at one juncture and a woman who was an officer of the Salvation Army gave a beautiful prayer for our leaders. From the Tustin City Council to the President of the United States, she very clearly, respectfully and passionately presented each one to the Lord for their blessing, His guidance and their protection and inspiration. This really touched my heart. It wasn't about politics; it was about doing what the Word of God asks us to do. Nothing more or less.
"For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left." Luke 17:24-36
Have you heard the recent hype about the end of the world taking place tomorrow, May 21, 2011? There are people driving with big banners on the sides of their vans, or walking around with t-shirts that say in big bold letters: “Judgment Day, May 21, 2011”. I even read today that the Center for Disease Control CDC issued a statement yesterday promoting emergency kits and strategies under the umbrella of a future zombie apocalypse (I’m pretty sure they were jokingly taking advantage of the latest news headlines but also addressing emergency preparedness in general….). At first I thought this was all a joke until I watched the news last night and saw a whole section devoted to this movement promoting the end of the world this weekend. Wow. As Christians, what should we think about such things? How are we to respond to such claims that are grabbing national attention and sending people scurrying to find answers? We must not let this sensationalism detract from the reality of the Rapture occurring at some time in the future so how do we respond to our friends, co workers and family members who come to us with questions? We must turn to the BIBLE for the answers, my friends!
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [His] purpose." Romans 8:28
Have you ever had one of those mornings when you are at your wit's end with your children and it isn’t 8:00a.m. yet? In the span of a couple hours this morning, I have argued, yelled, threatened, begged and finally retreated to the shower where I sobbed to the Lord. It went something like, “Lord, I am at the end of my wits and I don’t even know what to ask for… please just fix this mess. You know what is best… tell me what to do… and please fix the mess.” Not the most graceful of prayers and now comes the hard part, waiting for an answer. The Lord is always so faithful and a few short hours later, I came across today’s devotional (written by Rick and Sandy) and my answer.
"Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory." 1Timothy 3:16
This passage of Scripture has always fascinated me. Usually when I run into a verse or chapter that mystifies me a bit, I first try to put it into the context of the verses before and after it. Sometimes that helps to understand what is being communicated. That doesn't help much here because it is kind of a 'stand alone' concept and contextualizing isn't very revealing. Obviously, we can tell readily, that Paul is talking about Jesus. He was the one who took on human form and invaded reality, subsequently changing everything. He has a completely different relationship with the Spirit and angels. He alone has been preached to the nations and He alone is glorified. So, what does it mean to us?
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