Reading 63

Revelation 11-14

I have to admit, when I signed up to blog about today’s reading, I was more than a little intimidated. I mean, come on, Revelation? The book with overt prophecy about the end times, dragons, beasts, warriors, witnesses, war, edible (but sour tasting) scrolls, and the like. I know in the end God wins, and I know before that happens there will be a lot of crazy things going on. And so, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to tackle a section smack dab in the middle of this book. But I felt God prompting me to, so here I am.

And God proved himself faithful, yet again (why am I surprised?). What I discovered as I read today’s reading was that even in this nearly sci-fi like book, there’s something for me, in my life, today: a warning. In chapter 12, John tells the story about Satan being cast out of heaven – well, hurled, actually – along with his band of angels. And then he tells us about an announcement made:

“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.

“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

“Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.’" (Revelation 12: 10-12)

John then goes on to describe how Satan pursues the woman who gave birth (earlier in the chapter) and how he tries to catch her, but she is protected by God. Then in verse 17, John says, “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God's commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.”

We’re at war. If we are trying to be obedient to God’s commands, we are at war with Satan. And he doesn’t play fair. He isn’t nice. He will kick you when you’re down (verse 15 talks about a river spewing forth from his mouth to try and overtake the woman – nice guy, huh?!). This is serious stuff… and I can’t help but think of Ephesians 6 where we’re told to “put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes” (11).

We’ve been warned – and on top of that, we’ve been given the tools to stay standing even when the days are evil. From the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, to the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, to the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, we have armor. And that armor is designed to help us stand. So let’s stand together!

Cristin

Reading #63 (audio)

Reading 62

Rev 7-10

Well, well, well…I’m not even going to try to interpret these visions or address the theology of Revelation 7-10. The best I can do is offer a couple of observations.

While we have a hard time understanding this book, we get some glimpses of the end of this world as we know it. It will be a wild time and all will suffer. In today’s reading we see two responses to that suffering.

In Rev. 7:9 we read about an uncountable number of people worshiping God. (It sounds like this is a different group from the 144,000.) It says they are the ones who are coming out of the tribulation. Whatever the tribulation entails, it won’t be yippy-skippy fun. I find this group’s example comforting. This passage would indicate that there are many believers who make it through the chaos and recognize God for who he is as they say in 7:12, “Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and forever.”

How often are we tempted to be angry with God for hard times rather than worship him? We tend to think that a loving God wouldn’t allow suffering.

Which might be why another group who survives some plagues has an opposite response. In 9:20 and 21 we read, “But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to turn from their evil deeds. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that neither see nor hear nor walk! And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their immorality or their thefts.” How much of their behavior is because they are ticked off at God?

One group suffers immensely and gratefully sees the reality that God brought them through it. Another feels offended and lashes out in hatred and rebellion.

We think that life will be peachy if we know and obey God. Have you noticed how untrue that is? I’m learning to accept that life involves hard times. I’m trying to embrace that and let God work on my character as well as basking in the joy of his presence when circumstances around me do not make sense. Then I can join my sisters and brothers in praising God…forever.

Sue

Reading #62 (audio)

Reading 61

Reading 61

Revelation 3-6

Have you ever had a vivid dream and woke up wondering if it meant anything? For the Apostle John it was not a dream but a vision and though he may not have understood everything in the vision, he did know that it was chock full of meaning.

At this point in his life John was an elderly man who had been exiled to a mining colony because of his faith in and witness to Jesus (1:9). It was a time when the early church was experiencing persecution and believers were dying for their faith. According to church tradition the Apostle Peter was crucified upside down while Paul was beheaded in Rome. John had not escaped unscathed and when he wrote that he was “your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus” (1:9) he wasn’t sympathizing from the rocking chair.

It was in the midst of these circumstances that Jesus Christ gave John this apocalyptic vision (apocalypse means “to reveal”). The primary purpose of the vision was probably to encourage the brothers and sisters to stay faithful to Jesus. To let them know that God knew they were suffering and that at the time of His choosing He would set things right.

There is much in this vision that is difficult to understand, but there are also things that clear. One of them is found in chapter 5:8

“And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (NIV)

This tells us that the prayers of God’s people are an aroma pleasing to him. They are precious to him, being brought to him in golden bowls and it lets us know that the prayers of God’s people come directly into his presence. There’s no screening process to see which prayers are “up to snuff”.

Whenever we struggle it is not uncommon to wonder if God hears our pleas. The Apostle John would want you to know that, yes indeed, God hears your prayer, they are precious to him, and at the right time in the right way he will answer.

--Nils

Reading 61 Audio

Reading 59

1 John 3- 2 John

Love. It is one of those words that are so simple and so complex. ‘Love’ can be a simple closer to a letter and ‘I Love You’ can be a declaration of strong devotion and care. It is written and said with relative ease, but to actually exercise love is sometimes complicated. Sometimes one wonders what love really looks like because it is described in so many ways throughout the bible. So, in many ways, it is easier to just say ‘I love you’ and worry about what that really means later.

John urges us in 1 John 3:18 to “not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.” Once again, God cares very little about our lip service. He cares about how we demonstrate the same love He demonstrates to us. We are shown God’s love so much in our daily lives while sometimes we say we love someone, but do not show it.

Just a simple thought: next time you tell someone that you love them, think of a way to show them in deed and truth. The word ‘love’ becomes so much stronger when it is not just a word but a declaration to act love upon someone.

Jim

Reading #59 (audio)

Reading 54

Hebrews 9 - 12

Because we are very interested in college sports at my house, ESPN is frequently on in the background. Tonight, while collecting my thoughts for this blog, there aired a clip from a press conference by the coach of the Kansas Jayhawks football team on their success this season. He said, “this is what the players that came to Kansas on faith had hoped for.” I thought, “that’s interesting…that’s exactly the topic of my blog!

In Hebrews 11:1, the author of Hebrews writes that “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see,” and then goes on to list a number of famous scriptural figures who exhibited great faith by obeying God while longing for the promises He had given them. We may think that having faith is harder today than it was for people like Abraham and Moses, citing reasons like scientific evidence of something or that God spoke directly to those people. But I’m sure they had moments of skepticism—Noah must have wondered more than once about that flood over the 100 years he was building the ark. The point of the list of faithful is to give us confidence and hope.

The author urges us in 10: 19 and 23 to be confident of our salvation and to hold onto hope, because He who promises is faithful, and our confidence will be rewarded. You see, there’s two sides to chapter 11. There’s the faithful who were obedient, and there is the faithful God, who fulfilled his promises. This is the only way we can have faith. If God did not honor his promises, there is no basis for faith. So we have a list of ways God has been faithful to those who believed and obeyed Him. They are the “cloud of witnesses” mentioned in 12: 1 that enable us to throw off hindrances, obstacles, and sin, and instead focus on Jesus so that we will not “grow weary and lose heart.”

Stacey

Reading #54 (audio)

Reading 58

2 Peter 2 – 1 John 2

As some of you know, I’m a word nerd (self-proclaimed). And I have to admit that as I read today’s reading, I was enthralled by a word – I know, go figure. It was a small word. This time, the word that caught my attention was “if.”

Eight times, John uses the word “if” in the span of twelve verses (1 John 1:5-2:6).

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world.

“We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Those who say, “I know him,” but do not do what he commands are liars, and the truth is not in them. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”

When I started looking at the “ifs” themselves, I noticed that a number of them are paired up in contrast each other. The first pairing especially stood out to me: “if we claim to have fellowship with him, and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and don’t live out the truth. But, if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin….”

What I take away from this is that I need to walk in the light to have fellowship with God and by doing that in turn enables me to have fellowship with others around me as well as God. We are told that if we walk with him, we will have fellowship with one another and that Christ’s blood purifies us from sin, which means we can then have fellowship with God because we’ve been justified before him.

All of that leads me to look at the last “if” which says, “if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them.” When we’re in fellowship with God, when we’re walking with him, when we’re confessing our sins and keeping his commands, it all comes together and our love for God is made complete.

Cristin

Reading #58 (audio)

Reading 55

Hebrews 13; James 1-3

Self-Imposed Speech Restriction

Imagine what your life might be like with a speech impediment. What if you stuttered? If you got ‘stuck’ on certain consonants or vowels and couldn’t stop repeating them, even while the people around you stared, or laughed. What if you felt like other people really were listening to every word?

The conclusion of Hebrews and first three chapters of James focus on ‘faith in action’. We are encouraged to love one another as brothers and sisters, especially those that are disenfranchised, poor, and suffering. We are asked to show Christ’s love in abundance to anyone he puts in our path – not just to those people we might choose as friends.

Then, James chapter 3 warns us about the dangers of imagining ourselves as teachers, the dangers of speaking. I think it is natural to want to tell others about our faith and our worldview – especially when they come to us in the midst of difficult times. I’ve spent a great deal of effort trying to explain how I really feel, especially when writing to someone who has experienced a death or difficulty in their family.

When I watch a particularly disturbing documentary on genocide or starvation in the world, I feel compelled to talk about it, to find words to explain it, to answer the questions it raises. This reality stuck out to me as I read this section. Why is it that I don’t feel compelled to do something first? Even praying? Seeing chapter 3 in the midst of all this rhetoric about the importance of deeds and actions made me realize how much time I spend talking, and how little of my time is spent doing.

Then, on TV I saw a 20 year old young man talking about his lifelong struggle with stuttering. “I didn’t really talk much from the time I went to school until I was about 14 years old. I stuttered, and didn’t know how to control it, and I would get stuck on words and people made fun of me. I couldn’t stop stuttering, so I just stopped talking. But during that whole time period I listened and watched the kids around me intently and I use everything I learned to help these kids today.”

The young man went on to describe how his mother encouraged him to write, because he could never talk about his feelings easily. He expressed himself through poetry and art and music, and eventually he began to master his stuttering and then all of a sudden, it just stopped bothering him. He still stutters, but he also teaches in an after school program for at-risk children, and uses creative expression like art and dance to teach children how to communicate their feelings. He described how easy he found it to identify children that need someone to speak for them, and the joy he took in filling that role because someone had done the same for him. He became a shepherd for others because a few people led him through a difficult disability by responding to his needs.

Lots of things about this story moved me, but what I saw most was how the boy was met where he was. He had a speech disorder that he couldn’t control, and his mother didn’t just talk to him about it. She showed him that her love was bigger than words. The boy became a man that could say, “My mother showed me there are lots of ways for a family to express love that don’t require words.” A boy that was shy, sad, and below average in every way grew up to stand in front of a room of 30 kids encouraging them day after day to face their fears, and confront their emotions through expression. Wow.

Hebrews and James are both good at reminding me that a humble heart is a good thing. I need to talk less, because in my life I have noticed a direct correlation: The more I talk, the more I only see myself. This young man’s story helped me see the value in listening for God, and watching for opportunities to serve.

I also can see my own ‘stutters’ – the things that come out of my mouth, as if I can’t control them, when I am tired, over-anxious, or exasperated. The people around me don’t make fun of me when I begin to worry or let off steam, but as Christians we are called to lift those things up in faith. I wonder if I would give in to those stutters less if I admitted to God how destructive and unproductive they really are.

Melanie

Reading #55 (audio)

Reading 57

1 Peter 3-2 Peter 1

There’s a lot in today’s reading…I wouldn’t want to tackle the authority of husbands…can’t stomach meditating on suffering…I guess I’m left with some true confessions…

I had what would be considered a “typical freshman year” as a Cougar. There was a lot of beer involved and I can only imagine how hard my guardian angel worked to prevent drug use and promiscuity. It could have been extremely damaging and I’m so thankful it wasn’t.

During the summer after that year, I did a lot of reflection and made the decision to quit drinking and pursue Christ. Well, my party friends were not impressed.

So, I can relate to 1 Peter 4:3 and 4 when it says, “You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols. Of course, your former friends are very surprised when you no longer join them in the wicked things they do, and they say evil things about you.”

I had indeed had enough…hangovers get old, feeling like a hypocrite is not pretty. For me drinking and going to parties weren’t out of a desire to rebel. It was more about the idol of “gotta have a man”…and men were at parties.

And then there were the evil things that were said and done when I quit partying…being called a “Jesus Freak” and part of the “God Squad”…true statements but they were meant as slams. I received phone calls in the middle of the night from drunk guys asking if their friend was in my room…when he was probably sitting in the room with them.

I suspect I’m not the only one who has suffered the sting of ridicule over poor choices and their natural consequences. Also in today’s reading is 1 Peter 3:9, “Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God wants you to do, and he will bless you for it.”

I’ve forgiven my former friends and myself. I can even chuckle about our stupidity. Now to bless them and embrace God’s blessing for me too.

Sue

Reading #57 (audio)

Reading 56

James 4-1 Peter 2

In the movie “Hardball” Keanu Reeves plays a man (Bob) who has made some bad life decisions. As the result of gambling debt he turns to a friend for a loan and the friend gives it to him on a condition—that Bob take over for him as coach of an inner-city baseball team. Bob does and as the movie unfolds he learns some important life lessons. One of the key lessons is also pretty simple, that 90% of life is “just showing up.”

In some ways this is true for Christ followers, too. It is not very inspirational or glorious, but it is a fundamental necessity. In his letter, James writes to people who are in the midst of life, trying to be faithful while at the same time struggling with hardship. In chapter 5 verse 7 he writes “Be patient, then, brothers and sisters until the Lord’s coming.” He goes on to cite the patience of farmers as an example and then he turns to the prophets of old as examples of patience in the face of suffering.

The farmer was patient knowing that a crop was coming, while the prophet was patient knowing that the Lord would bring about what he had promised. In both cases they continued to show up because they knew, in the end, it would pay off.

It is axiomatic that as a follower of Jesus we are not exempt from the hardships of life or from those stretches where life is monotonous and mundane. But as Christ followers we have a promise that Jesus will return, he will set things right and he will finish the good work he has begun in us. In other words patience, or if you will, showing up, will one day pay off.

--Nils

Reading #56 (audio)

Reading 52

Reading 52

Hebrews 1-4

One of my favorite passages of assurance is in today’s reading:

“Therefore since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)

The author of Hebrews tells us that since we have a great high priest, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence. Now for me, I realize I don’t have a complete understanding of what it meant to the Hebrews to have a high priest. I know that the high priest once a year would enter the Holy of Holies and I know that when Christ conquered death on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn in two in a sign that the high priests were no longer necessary as intermediaries between God and us.

But it doesn’t end there! We are told to approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. What a promise! Not only can we approach without fear, but rather we can approach with certainty and we do so trusting we will receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

I love this promise God has given us regarding his grace and mercy. For the longest time, I had a hard time keeping the definitions straight between grace and mercy. The simplified way for me to remember the difference between mercy and grace is the following: mercy is not getting what you do deserve; grace is getting what you don’t deserve. And this verse tells us when we approach the throne we receive mercy and find grace.

One last thought: the final phrase of this passage – “in our time of need” – is significant to me. That God gives us grace to help us in our time of need is empowering. It’s comforting. It’s assuring. And it’s given to us.

--Cristin

Reading 52 Audio

Reading 51

Reading 51

Titus – Philemon

Evangelism has gotten a bad rap. From both Christians and non-Christians alike, there’s agreement: nobody likes it! There are as many reasons why it’s disliked as there are people engaged in or who encounter evangelism. But it’s too bad, especially when Christians steer away from sharing their faith. In Paul’s short letter to Philemon he writes something interesting in regards to why sharing your faith is important. In verse 6 he says,

^“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” (NIV)

Did you catch that? Paul did not say he prays that Philemon may actively share his faith so that many will meet Jesus (although Paul does express that desire elsewhere). He does say to Philemon that actively sharing his faith will help him to have a “full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” Now that is a little different take on evangelism, isn’t it? Yet on reflection it makes sense. Have you ever tried to explain how something works to a friend only to discover that in the teaching you have actually learned more? It requires you to think it through better in order to be able to communicate it. The same is true with the Gospel.

Have you ever felt stagnant in your faith? The solution may be as simple as beginning to share your faith with others. Ask God for an opportunity to talk about your faith with someone today and see what happens. You just might find your walk with God invigorated!

--Nils

Reading 51 Audio

Reading 49

1 Timothy 3-6

Most people I talk to indicate that they are too busy and stressed. Why do we live that way? What puts us on a gerbil wheel, running in circles?

At this time of year the holiday catalogs clog our mailboxes and advertising on tv and elsewhere tells us all about the new gadgets, fragrances and toys. If we’re honest, most of us have to admit that it all pulls on us. I know I want some of that stuff.

In order to buy those items, we must have money. Most of us look to earning a sizable income to pay for the basics and so much more. How much of our stress and exhaustion is related to that pursuit of money and things?

Today’s reading in 1 Timothy 3-6 addresses this in some ways. In 1Timothy 6:8 we read, “So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.” Let’s pause there a moment…feels uncomfortable doesn’t it? I feel it too.

And then he goes on in verses 9 and 10 to say, “…people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil.”

Most of us say that we don’t want to be rich nor do we love money. However, we are already are rich by world standards… even the poorest student among us.

Many people in the world earn less than $2 a day. In addition, I recently read an article in Christianity Today stating that most people in Africa consider the equivalent of “enough food and clothing” to be prosperity. That makes me squirm.

I don’t mean to put a damper on our holiday gift-giving plans. Then again, it is a good time to reflect on God’s gifts to us, including his promise to provide and his generous track record in doing so in the past.

If I can meditate on that, I hope to find more peace and less stress. Then I just might have the clarity to step out of that gerbil wheel.

Sue

Reading # 49 (audio)

Reading 48

2 Thessalonians 2-1 Timothy 2

I am in a leadership class at Nursing school in Spokane. In this leadership class we talk about how nurses interact with each other. I have to admit, more times than not, I am totally convicted by what I learn in this class! Nurses talk behind each others back, they criticize each other, always comparing themselves to those around them. I don’t think it’s just nurses though. We all like to compare ourselves, don’t we? We justify our actions by what others have done.

Usually, within the Christian world especially, this is seen as entirely negative. We are not to judge, not to gossip, not to compare ourselves with others. Listen to this…

1 Timothy 1:13-16 “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

It’s as if Paul’s purpose in life was to give us something to compare others to. I love this. If we had lived during the time of Saul, we probably would’ve dubbed him as “unsaveable, a hopeless cause.” He was out to destroy the Church, who would’ve thought that he would become one of the foundations of the early church? NO ONE! No one. Paul is using his testimony of God transforming his life to show us that we need to compare others to this. Who do you label as “too far off the deep end, or hopeless”? What are they like compared to Paul? If God is all powerful, can’t he rescue and transform anyone? Paul is evidence of this, don’t discount people. God used Paul’s salvation as a testimony that no one is ever too far gone to be rescued. God does not give up on people. He loves everyone, regardless of sin in their life and actions in their past.

There is a similar thing with the nation of Israel in the Old Testament. They strayed from the Lord so many times throughout the Old Testament. Their unfaithfulness is disgusting. They would build idols and bow down to them time after time even though God continued to remind them that He alone is God. I am so thankful that the Lord used the nation of Israel to show us a picture of his patience and forgiveness and faithfulness. There have been times when I am so annoyed by my unfaithfulness and neglect of the Lord that I can believe that God must not want me back. All it takes is for me to compare myself to the nation of Israel and realize that if God is patient with them, he will be faithful to me.

Sometimes comparison isn’t all bad. I think that Paul, and the nation of Israel were strategically used by the Lord to show us that no one is ever too far lost to be rescued, nor is any unfaithfulness too much for the Lord to forgive.

Andrea

Reading #48 (audio)

Reading 47

1 Thessalonians 3 – 2 Thessalonians 1:

Lately, I think I’ve been in need of encouragement. Maybe it’s that time in the semester, or maybe it’s the change in the weather, but circumstances have just been getting to me. I’m not going to bore you with the details because everyone has different stressors, but for empathy’s sake, I’ll just say that I’ve got a lot on my mind. So it was nice for me to read First Thessalonians 5:11-24 where Paul gives some specific examples of how we can be encouraged and can encourage others. For me, verses 16 through 18 stood out: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances.” Praying continually is not a problem when I’m stressed or feeling down. It’s about all that I can do to keep from losing my mind. But the other two…not so much. How can I be joyful when I feel completely overwhelmed? How can I be thankful working in a job that I’m never very excited about? That’s where my encouragers come in: my husband, my small group, my friends, my family, Paul, and God. In small ways every day through words or actions, they help lift my spirit and help me see a new perspective.

Stacey

Reading #47 (audio)

Reading 46

Reading 46

Colossians 3-1 Thessalonians 2

As I read the selection one thing stood out to me, thankfulness. In Colossians 3:15-17 Paul mentions it three times. In verse 15 he says “be thankful”. In verse 16 he says to “sing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” And then in verse 17 he speaks of “giving thanks to God the Father.”

On one hand it seems a little funny that Paul would need to encourage the Colossians to be thankful to God, considering all that he has done for them. Yet, when I look at my own life, I realize why Paul needed to say this. It can be really easy to let the molehills of life pile up into the mountains of despair. It seems that wherever one looks there are reasons for stress. Whether it’s bills that need to be paid, a conflict with a friend, or that your favorite show has been canceled, there are numerous things that can weigh a person down.

That’s why we need to be reminded to be thankful. Just as we often look for things that cause stress, we can also learn to look for things to be thankful for. For example, as I am a caregiver for an aging parent I have struggled with things that are stressful. Yet I can be thankful that my mother is usually in a pleasant mood, especially when I hear how dementia can affect someone’s temperament.

For me the choice becomes one of choosing to look for what I can give thanks for. It doesn’t mean that I deny the hard things in life but that I make it a point to give thanks when and where I can. After all, “attitude” makes up 90% of “gratitude.”

--Nils

Reading 46 Audio

Reading 45

Philippians 3 – Colossians 2

It’s November and Thanksgiving is nearly upon us. Ahh, the changing of the seasons and the holidays are on their way. There’s no stopping them. The briskness in the air takes my breath away when I step outside early in the morning. The pumpkins and gourds are abundant; I’m craving turkey, stuffing, and all the trimmings.

As I read today’s passage, I saw much to be thankful for. One section that caught my eye especially was in the first chapter of Colossians where Paul writes,

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation…”

Lately, God has been teaching me about being versus doing. Years ago my sister made the comment that God created us human beings, not human doings. She has a point. It’s the idea that what I do does not constitute who I am. They are separate. If I fail, make a mistake, etc., that action does not make me (who I am) a failure, or a mistake, etc. They are different. Being (essence) versus doing (action).

What stuck out to me in this verse is that God makes it very clear that our behavior (our doing), alienated us from God and made us his enemies. But (!), we have been reconciled through Christ’s death and now we are (our essence) presented holy, without blemish, and free from accusation. It’s not the things we do, but rather who we are.

While I realize I still don’t fully comprehend this idea, on multiple occasions lately, God has shown me where I was seeing my actions as equal to who I am. And he has gently reminded me that my actions don’t have that much control. My identity is in Christ and what he has done. That shows me just a glimpse of how much I have to be thankful for: Christ’s death reconciled me, so that I am holy in his sight. I am without blemish. I am free from accusation.

Cristin

Reading #45 (audio)

Reading 43

Ephesians 1-4

I spend most of my days in hopes and worries. I get to class and think about how I can impress my instructor, my peers. I go to the classes I teach and wish for some really important insight to come out of mouth and impact my students minds. I go work and hope that I can fix all the problems that arise, eager to impress my co-workers. Additionally, in all these blogs, I have looked into the scriptures and anticipated that I can find some bit of wisdom to give to you. But when I read the first part of Ephesians, all that desire to be clever and impress you with my critical thinking skills vanished. Simply, I was struck by Chapter 3: 13-21. It has been said over and over again, but it is worth pausing and thinking about the fact that God is great.

This isn’t the first time these verses struck me. About five years ago, I was on a short day hike in Northern California with just me and God. I hiked to the top of hill overlooking Mount Shasta. I just happened to be reading Ephesians and I stumbled upon these verses in chapter 3. I remember looking over the lush valley and jutting mountain and reading about how I “may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and height and length and depth and to know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge, that [I] may be filled up with all the fullness of God (Ch.3 v.18-19). As I sit and write this blog, I feel the same way: in awe of God and desiring to be simply engulfed in His greatness.

When I read verses like these, I am able to shed my impetuous aspirations and my unfounded insecurities. For a quiet moment, I think on the greatness of God and everything else just seems to disappear.

Jim

Reading #43 (audio)

Reading 42

Galatians 3-6

Today’s reading in Galatians 3-6 reminds me of my last blog, so let’s pick up where I left off…I ever so sweetly stated that hierarchy is not God’s idea.

As I looked at several definitions of hierarchy, I noticed that they had a lot to do with ranking people one above another, calling those in subordination to others inferior, and talking about controlling people with some form of authority. Some definitions were specifically about religious hierarchy.

We have probably all seen hierarchy at work in church settings. I have even heard so-called pastors say things like they are better than those under them or sheep/people are dumb and need to be told what to do. With attitudes like that it’s not surprising that we see people controlling people. While I agree that chaos is destructive, does it take controlling systems to achieve order?

Galatians 5:18 reminds us that living by the old nature does produce evil results. However, Galatians 5:16 exhorts, “So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit.”

And then in 5:22 and 23 it says, “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

If we treat each other with the above qualities, won’t we have order? The key is the Holy Spirit…controlling us. I’ve found that when the Holy Spirit is in control, I am willingly on board, partly because I can see the wisdom of being gentle rather than being harsh…or having peace over flipping out. I want to love and choose self-control. With God’s powerful Spirit at work in me, I have the desire and ability to live like God wants.

In that situation there is no need for other humans to control me. It’s my relationship with God that makes the difference. And thus hierarchy is unnecessary.

So let’s point people to a transforming relationship with God, encourage hierarchy to die, and live a new life in the Holy Spirit.

Sue

Reading #42 (audio)

Reading 41

2 Cor 12 – Gal 2

As a ski patroller I hear of various situations other patrollers have responded to. One situation involved a patroller witnessing a skier take a nasty fall, so he immediately went to check on the man. The man was adamant that he was okay and did not need any help. The patroller had to take him at his word, but he was not convinced, so from a distance he followed the man down the hill. Both got onto the chair-lift, separated by several chairs, and when the patroller got to the top the other man had been there for several minutes already. Plenty of time to have skied off, but he had not done so.

As the patroller watched the man he could tell something was wrong and went over to him. This time the man described some symptoms he was experiencing and decided to accept the patroller’s help. The patroller, having seen the fall and heard the symptoms, immobilized the man’s neck and with the help of others from the patrol they put him onto a backboard and sent him to the hospital. It was learned later that the man had indeed fractured his neck and it had not yet displaced, but was on the verge of doing so. He was fortunate.

This is one of those stories that illustrates that sincerity, while important, must also be coupled with truth. Or else a person might be sincere, yet sincerely wrong. The skier was sincere that he was okay, but he was sincerely wrong and it nearly cost him a great deal.

When it comes to faith, sincerity is important. The word comes from the Latin meaning whole, pure or genuine. Faith does need these qualities, but faith must also be coupled with the Truth. This is why Paul speaks so strongly to the Galatians in chapter 1.

He tells them that they are turning away from the gospel of Christ and that it has such immense ramifications that “if anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let that person be under God’s curse!” (:9) If the person who preaches a different gospel is under God’s curse, what about those who put their faith in that false gospel? Like the skier with the broken neck, sincerity is nice, but if it’s wrong it can come at a great price.

Make no mistake, faith matters. But what matters more is what one’s faith is in. Or more to the point Who your faith is in. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life. NO one comes to the father but by me (John 14:6)”. These are words we can count on.

Nils

Reading #41 (audio)

Reading 40

2 Corinthians 8-11

Have you ever met someone who exuded the presence of God? For me, one such person in my life was Mother Wonder. A number of years ago I had the opportunity to serve at an after-school ministry in Compton, California called the S.A.Y. Yes Center, which was based out of a local church. I was in college at the time and a group of us would go for a week usually at Spring Break to help out as we could. We’d do projects around the church during the day, painting or small “fix-it” projects and then work with the children when they arrived after school.

The first time I was there, I met Mother Wonder, a beautiful soul, incredibly in tune with God. I remember attending prayer times with Mother Wonder in the church’s prayer closet (literally!). This woman of God was amazing. She had such a gift for prayer and for entering as well as leading others into the presence of God. Time spent in prayer flew by when she was there. Her faith and her passion for God and his people moved me to tears.

I can only imagine the hard life that she had. And yet out of her years of experiences and trials, she had come to know the grace of God personally, regardless of her situation. At the end of the week before we left to come home, she gave each one of us a small gift: a piece candy wrapped with a Bible verse. I kept that candy and Bible verse for years. Each time I saw it, I would think of her and it reminded me to pray. I know she did not have much in the way of money. I know she did not have much period. But she found it in her heart to give and give generously.

As I read today’s reading, I could not help but think of Mother Wonder and her joy and generosity. One thing that struck me so clearly is she didn’t allow her situation to dictate her attitude. Just because she didn’t have much, didn’t mean she didn’t have joy.

In 2 Corinthians 8:1 we’re told about the grace God gave to the Macedonian churches and I couldn’t help but think that nearly two thousand years later, our God is still giving grace that enables us to be in our situation, severe trial or not, poverty or not, and have overwhelming joy that wells up into rich generosity.

As I continued to think about Mother Wonder and her generosity, I started to ask myself, “What is God asking me to give? Is it my time, my efforts, my creativity, my thoughts? What can I share with those around me?” In my life, Mother Wonder has been and continues to be an inspiration of generosity even in the midst of not having much physically or monetarily. But from her heart, she gave generously and I want to, too.

Cristin

Reading # 40 (audio)

Reading 39

2 Cor 4-7

As I’ve been reading through these New Testament passages, one theme that has stuck with me is starting over, starting fresh, and starting new. When the disciples received the Holy Spirit, their sudden boldness when it came to Jesus made them seem like completely different people. And the same thing happened with Paul. His acceptance of Jesus completely transformed his life, and he had to start over on a daily basis at first, telling people about what had happened to him until his story spread. This reminds me of a question posed by one of my favorite literary characters, Anne Shirley, or Anne of Green Gables, who asked, “Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?" Those of you who know Anne know that she made a lot of silly mistakes and was always very distressed about them, but she was still able to be positive and hope that she could make the best of the next day.

Back in Romans 7, Paul explains that because Jesus died for us, and we accepted him as Lord, we have died to what once bound us. We have been given a chance to start over, and we made that choice. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul called this the ministry of reconciliation. God does not count our past sins against us, and the grace we have received gives us an opportunity to start over, even on a daily basis, when we confess and repent our sins. He says in verse 17, “therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” This verse has always filled me with joy. It’s exciting to think that we are completely brand new creations when we accept Jesus, like nothing ever seen before. My past is dead and gone—only useful for storytelling, and my future is fresh every day, with no mistakes.

Stacey

Reading #39 (audio)

Reading 38

1 Cor. 16- 2 Cor. 3

One of the difficulties followers of Christ face is suffering. It is a question that people have wrestled with throughout the ages. C.S. Lewis captures it succinctly in the title of his book, The Problem of Pain.

We won’t get into that today other than to acknowledge it. Our starting point will be simply the fact that suffering and troubles are part and parcel of life in a fallen World. And followers of Jesus are not immune. In fact, in some ways, it would appear that those who follow Jesus are likely to see more troubles than those who do not.

In the opening of his second letter to the church in Corinth Paul acknowledges all this. He acknowledges that there are troubles, sufferings and distress. He even speaks of some personal struggles saying that “We were under great pressure” and that “we felt we had received the sentence of death.” But in the midst of this he gives us some insights regarding hard times.

First, Paul says that the troubles they went through happened for a reason, “that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead (:9).” Second, Paul writes of God as “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles (:3, 4). Not only are troubles one way of helping us rely on God, but they also help us discover the source of our comfort, too.

But that’s not all. Paul then says that God comforts us “so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Our troubles teach us to rely on God and his comfort which then enables us to be God’s instruments of comfort to others. Maybe there really is a silver lining to every cloud.

--Nils

Reading #38 (audio)

Reading 37

1 Cor. 12-15

Hi, this is Sue and I just might get in trouble with this blog on 1 Cor. 12-15.

There’s a lot in this passage about the structure of the church. We’re baptized into Christ’s body and we all receive the same Spirit, we’re all given a spiritual gift, we’re all a part of the body of Christ, we’re all needed, we are to care for each other equally and our highest goal is to be love…No kings or high muckymucks or privileged ones. This is a picture of equality.

It is amazing that there were Gentiles and slaves in the early church. Jews accepting that God would save Gentiles was big! Accepting the equality of slaves was mind boggling!

If I’m reading this correctly, the Christians who were slaves were given the same Spirit as the free people, were given at least one spiritual gift, were needed in the body and were to be cared for as much as others.

And some of the slaves were given the gifts of leadership, teaching, prophecy, wisdom and others. Their social status as slaves meant nothing in the church. Now--some would say that God wouldn’t give those gifts to slaves…as well as other groups of people. However, it doesn’t say that here…or anywhere else.

Hierarchy, including slavery, is not God’s idea. Love and equality are his ways. From what we read here, we can conclude that God calls and gifts people without regard to social status, gender, race and often times even age. Some of the apostles were quite young.

The early church doesn’t appear to be called to a big public civil rights campaign but the structure of the body was a huge blow to hierarchy, including slavery. And today we are called to continue the shift to love and equality.

Sue

Reading #37 (audio)

Reading 36

1 Corinthians 8-11

When I was a freshman in high school I decided to turn out for track. The event I chose was the javelin, mainly because I did not have to work very hard and I got to throw something dangerous! Anyway, a few days before a meet my coach told me the 800 relay was in need of someone to run a leg. He wanted to know if I would be willing to do so. Not being good at saying no, I said I would and since I had 3 or 4 days to train I figured I would be okay.

When meet day came it was not long before I was ardently wishing I had not agreed to run the race. It was pretty much all I could do to jog 200 meters, let alone sprint, and the result was that the other team pretty much finished the race before I finished my leg. It was humiliating! (Especially so when I noticed some cute girls in the stands)

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Paul uses running and boxing as metaphors for the Christian life. In this section he makes it clear that discipline and self-sacrifice are necessary for living as a Christ follower. In drawing this analogy Paul anticipated that the Corinthians would think of the major games the city of Corinth hosted every two years and also of the Olympic games held every four years. It was known that those athletes wishing to participate in the Olympic games had to swear (by Zeus, no less!) to follow ten months of strict training prior to the games, and if they didn’t they would be disqualified.

Paul’s point is that if those who ran for a temporal prize were willing to be disciplined and to sacrifice, what about those whose race involves an eternal prize? The training required for the Olympic games likely had to do with honoring the games themselves. Even today we understand that. Could you imagine a coach asking a young man a few days before the competition if he would run a race in the Olympics even though he had never trained? Of course not! That would be an affront to the Olympics.

Should not followers of Jesus want to honor him in how they live and in what they give themselves too, as well? To finish well in life and to hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your master!” What better prize to win than that?

Nils

Reading #36 (audio)

Reading 35

1 Corinthians 4-7

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?” (v.19) As a kid growing up in the church, I didn’t particularly like this passage. My parents would use this passage to enforce some sort of rule to restrict my behavior; for instance, this was the principle verse they used to discourage me from getting tattoos or dying my hair. I thought of it as one of those ‘kill joy’ passages that made the Christian life boring.

It was unfortunate that I thought of this verse as God’s restrictive voice. Like many other times throughout my life, I have mistaken God’s compassion and care for a harsh ruling judge. When I do this, I forget that Paul is making an important point here: that we should not separate the actions of our body from our spirituality; and that actions of the body can harm our spiritual life. In these chapters, Paul especially notes that sexual immortality harms our spiritual life. The action of uniting our bodies with anything that pulls us away from God is detrimental to our relationship with God, and it shows a dependence on something that God wants to free us from: sex, food, drugs, body image, etc.

Our bodies do strange things: they try to control us in many ways. Our bodies command us to eat and sleep and desire all sorts self-fulfillment. Our bodies are also amazing creations. They are the homes that God has given us for this life. In these past chapters, I get the sense that we should not devalue these bodies that God has given us, no matter how weak or strong we feel in them. For the life that God has given us is both physical and spiritual, and God intends for us to glorify Him in both realms.

Jim

Reading #35 (audio)

Reading 34

Romans 16-1 Cor. 3

I’ve been thinking about “purpose” lately. Specifically, I’ve been wondering about my purpose in this life and God’s kingdom. I know, I’m middle aged and have been a Christian for a long time. I guess I could have figured this out by now. Let’s just say I’m doing some review and evaluation.

Maybe I’ve been thinking about this because of reading about Jesus’ life in the gospels recently. Now there’s someone who knew his purpose! He came to show us who the Father was, announce the coming of the Kingdom of God, die for our sins and come back to life so we can have eternal life.

Then when I read 1 Cor. 1: 17, the apostle Paul caught my attention when he said, “For Christ didn’t send me to baptize but to preach the Good News.” He knew what he was called to and what he wasn’t called to.

Paul is sometimes seen as egotistical. However, if that was true he would likely think he could do everything. And yet we hear him being clear about what he didn’t need to do. He had a huge job in preaching the Good News, could move forward in that and leave other work to other people.

So, I have been pondering that, especially since I often take on too much. I have even wondered if I have at times missed my assigned tasks from God because I’m doing so many other things…that might be better done by others. Sigh…

Then I read Acts 20:24 where Paul says, “But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love.” I may not be called to full time preaching but aren’t we all called to communicate “God’s wonderful kindness and love?” “Lord, how does that look for me?”

Once again, I’ve been pondering and even asking God some specific questions. Then just today someone told me that some time we had together recently had really been helpful to her walk with God.

Hmmm…sounds like answered prayer to me. Maybe part of my purpose is to keep loving people as the need arises. As usual, God is at work…and I get to join him.

Sue

Reading #34 (audio)

Reading 33

Romans 12-15

If you had asked me as a 3rd grader how someone was saved, and able to go to heaven. I would've told you "it's by grace." I have known for a long time that it is impossible to get to heaven by being a good person. However, there was a misconception in my mind. I knew it was by God's grace that I was saved, but I thought I deserved God's grace. It wasn't my good works that got me to heaven, but it was my good works that got me grace to get to heaven. Isn't that funny how things can get twisted in our minds?
Just in the last few years have I been broken over how UNDESERVING I am. It is HARD to accept grace. I can think of specific instances where I have been unkind, just downright mean to my friends and family, and they have responded with patience and love. They are showing me pictures of God's grace, and I usually reject those pictures. I feel so horrible over how I treated them, that the last thing I want is for them to respond to my meanness with kindness. I think it would be easier for me if they yelled at me or something. Then I wouldn't feel so guilty. Grace is hard to accept because it requires humility, because grace is undeserved. Pastor Nils told a story at church where Cornerstone had put on a free car wash, and they ended up making like $200. People do not like free gifts, we like to think that we "earned or deserved" whatever we receive.

Can you think of a time where you had difficulty receiving grace? In Romans 12 vs.20 Paul says "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Paul is quoting a verse in Proverbs 25:21-22 in that passage. Think about that...

I like to think that I don't have enemies. Nope, I like everyone, I get along everyone (hopefully you can hear the sarcasm in that statement). Although enemy is a harsh term, there are people that I find it difficult to treat with love. People who I struggle to have patience with. There are times in my life where I am the one that people have a hard time loving. I'm the one who tests people's patience. When those people respond to me by feeding me, or giving me something to drink...I am broken.

I don't think this verse is telling us to take revenge by doing the action that will hurt our "enemy" the most, I think it's telling us to learn to give grace. Grace humbles and breaks people. As we show them grace, we are being pictures of Jesus. My prayer is that we can all learn to give AND RECEIVE grace.

Andrea

Reading #33 (audio)

Reading 32

Romans 8-11

In Romans 9:32, Paul explains that Israel has not attained righteousness because they pursue it as though it can be achieved by works, and not by faith. I feel as though this is something I can identify with. You see, I was raised in a Christian household, and gave my life to Christ when I was 10 years old. My family was very supportive and loving, and I was always encouraged to do my best. Being the perfectionist oldest child that I am, I translated “doing my best” to “doing the best.” And for me, it wasn’t hard to be the good little Christian girl I was supposed to be. I was a model Christian girl, and I was good at it. And while outwardly displaying humility, I was secretly satisfied and very proud of all my achievements.

My big secret was that I had everyone fooled. I almost never cracked open my Bible, even though I knew all the stories and a lot of verses. I memorized them because I had to memorize them. It was what good Christian girls did. I only knew the stories because they were told to me, not because I read them and investigated for myself. Though Paul was writing about the Israelites in Romans, I definitely would have been included on the list of people pursuing righteousness and salvation by works and the law, not by faith. And I was actually proud of myself and felt superior to all the others in my youth group, because I was a better Christian than they were.

My façade persisted even after I moved to Pullman to attend WSU. I had a Christian roommate, so I went to church and a weekly campus Christian group meeting. I also volunteered to help with a Sunday school program. But during the spring of my freshman year, my life of works started to feel empty and meaningless. I was living my life to please others’ expectations, not living to please God. I knew this, and still, my Bible remained shut. Continuing to live a lie seemed to be an easier path than confronting and repenting my pride and arrogance.

Until one day when God confronted me. I was taking an English Lit class about the archetypal hero’s journey and saw that the next text we would be studying were selections from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I was stunned. In that moment it hit me that God loved me so much and knew me so well that he was meeting me at the one place He knew I wouldn’t be able to ignore him: my homework. As I read, a huge burden lifted and I was able to confess that I hadn’t actually read my Bible in three years. After I finished the gospels, I continued to read, and broke down when I read in Romans 8:1 that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. I made the connection that nothing I could ever do would make me good enough to be saved. I felt comfort and relief. Like Paul writes in 8: 15-16, I am a child of God. The pressure was off to live up to people’s expectations. Now my motivation to be a good Christian girl could come from pursuing righteousness by faith and living for God.

Stacey

Reading #32 (audio)

Reading 31

Romans 4-7

I love Romans 4. I find myself encouraged by Paul’s comments about Abraham and his faith. The language of promise, grace and faith resonates within me and lifts me up. When Paul describes Abraham believing in “the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not” I find myself in awe, quietly pondering the description: “God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not!”

Even so Abraham could have chosen to not trust God. The text says that it was “Against all hope” of ever having a child that “Abraham, in hope believed and so became the father of many nations.” I like how Paul says that Abraham faced the fact that his body was as good as dead and that Sarah was beyond her childbearing years.

Faith does not ignore or hide from “the facts”. Faith is just careful to remember the most important fact—God. I suspect that had you told Abraham the fact that he was too old to have a child, he would have agreed with you. Had you expressed the fact that no woman in her 90’s and post-menopausal had given birth before, he would have said “Yes, that’s true.” Perhaps then he would have said that there is one more fact that must be considered, the fact that God had promised him a child.

You see, faith does not hide from the facts. Faith simply helps us to remember the fact above all others: That there is a God and he does not lie.

Nils

Reading 30

Acts 28 – Romans 3

Lately music has been a huge part of my life. Not in the “oh!-I-just-heard-the-best-new-artist” way and not even in the “I-just-can’t-get-through-a-day-without-my-iPod” way. I’m hearing songs that speak into my life on a level that I am connecting with deeply. There’s truth spoken in these songs that I can identify with what is happening in my life. I don’t always recognize the connection until something else reminds me of it.

For example, after reading Romans 2:4 which says “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” a song popped into my head. Have you already guessed which song I’m thinking of? It’s a song by Chris Tomlin called Kindness. Here are the words:

Kindness

Open up the skies of mercy
Rain down your cleansing flood
Healing waters rise around us
Hear our cries, Lord Let 'em rise

It's Your kindness Lord that leads us to repentance
Your favor, Lord, is our desire
It's Your beauty, Lord, that makes us stand in silence
Your love, Your love is better than life

We can feel Your mercy falling
You are turning our hearts back again
Hear our praises rise to heaven
Draw us near, Lord, meet us here

It's Your kindness Lord that leads us to repentance
Your favor, Lord, is our desire
It's Your beauty, Lord, that makes us stand in silence
Your love, Your love is better than life

Your love is Better than life
Your grace and Your mercy Is better than life
Your kindness, Lord Is better than life

I have to admit, I was never a big fan of rain, even though I grew up on the western side of the state. However, lately in my life, God has repeatedly brought to mind the idea of his grace and his mercy falling like rain. (I love how God uses things we can wrap our minds around to teach us.) If you’ve ever been caught outside during a heavy rain, you know how the rain can permeate everything. Any significant amount of time without shelter or Gore-Tex and you begin to feel like even your skin has been saturated with the rain. That’s how much I want God’s grace and mercy to be in my life. And God wants to be a downpour in our lives!

My prayer today is that we know the rain of his cleansing flood. That we feel the healing waters rise. That we cry out to Jesus. That his kindness in fact does lead us to repentance. That he meets us, wherever we are. And that we can say his love, grace, mercy, and kindness are better than life.

Let it rain!

Cristin

Reading #30 (audio)

Reading 29

Acts 24-27

In Acts chapters 21 through 24, Luke describes events surrounding Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem and trials in both Jerusalem and Caesarea. At the end of chapter 20, Paul tells the Ephesian elders that the Holy Spirit has compelled him to travel to Jerusalem and has warned him of hardship once he arrives there. Drama is nothing new to Paul. The Spirit warns him whenever he travels from city to city that times will be rough because of his dedication to spreading the gospel, and we might be tempted to think that the primary purpose of Luke’s writings is to chronicle the difficulties and persecution faced by Paul and the other early believers because of what they are preaching—something we may also face in our daily lives. But Luke also shows us, through Paul’s actions, some practical tools that aide him in spreading the gospel.

First, he goes the extra mile to make sure he doesn’t offend the Jews by dispelling a rumor about his teachings and participating in purification rites that he didn’t have to participate in. This shows he was not only dedicated to keeping the peace in the Jerusalem church, but willing to compromise on minor details that were non-essential to faith so that, as he later writes to the Corinthians, he can become all things to all people in order to save some (1 Cor. 9:19). This example can help us keep perspective on the important things in faith and not let our personal preferences about small details divide a church body and hinder God’s work.

Then, he demonstrated an ability to meet people where they are by speaking their language. Paul did this literally after his arrest by impressing the Roman commander and speaking Greek, which showed that he was an educated and cultured man, earning him protection and permission to address the crowd. When he spoke to the Jews, he used their native Aramaic, which let them know that he was a devout Jew himself and had utmost respect for the laws and customs. Like Paul, we can speak different languages to connect with people, but we can also modify our English vocabulary to relate to all the unique personalities around us.

When Paul did address the crowd, before diving into his testimony, he established common ground with the Jews so that they would listen to him. He let them know where he was from and who he was trained by in the law, and explained that he was such a zealous Pharisee that he persecuted Christians to their death. He also named names so that people could investigate this truth for themselves. He did all this so that they could then hear what God had done in his life and how he had been changed forever.

These three examples can be very useful to us in spreading the gospel, but the one thing that captured me most and that was present throughout these four chapters is Paul’s awareness of and obedience to the Holy Spirit. Before traveling to Jerusalem, many believers prophesied that Paul would be in danger there. They thought that the warnings they received from the Spirit meant that he shouldn’t travel there, and so they urged him not to go. They were fearful for his safety and perhaps fearful of losing someone in a leadership role, just as they had lost Jesus. But Paul knew that he had to be obedient, even in the face of hardship, opposition, and pain. He truly wanted to please God just as Jesus had done, and as a result the Spirit enabled him to be a witness to the Jews who wanted to kill him as well as powerful people in the Roman government. By being sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leadings, we too can know God’s will, be obedient, and then be confident that in times of trial and trouble, we will never be alone.

Stacey

Reading 29 (audio)

Reading 28

Acts 20-23

In Acts 20-23, Paul continues his travels to see the believers. He makes his way to Jerusalem, where he is seized by angry crowds and beaten. When Roman soldiers stop the crowd, Paul seeks permission to speak to the people who had just tried to kill him. He uses the opportunity to tell the crowds how he came to Jesus. Although he must have been bruised and bloody, Paul chose to focus his attention on teaching the people. He reminded the crowd that he had been a leader, had persecuted Christians—had even been a Pharisee. The crowd listened for a time, until Paul told how he had been sent to the Gentiles to spread the good news. The people could not accept this. Their own prejudice against the Gentiles deafened them to what Paul was trying to say. In fact, the very mention of Gentiles stirred the crowd into a frenzy, until they were “shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air”—throwing a tantrum.

This passage reminded me of the times I have thrown “tantrums” with God. I listen to him up to a point, until he says something that I have a problem with, a prejudice against. Then I stop listening—refuse to listen, actually. But when I set aside the obstacle, and focus instead on what God is telling me, I often realize that the thing that most concerns me isn’t really that important. Instead, God’s “big picture” is far more important. If I focus on that, I find that I no longer need to hold on to my objections. The crowd that listened to Paul had the same problem. They were so upset that Paul brought the good news to the Gentiles that they didn’t even consider the good news. The important point wasn’t the Gentiles, it was the gospel.

It is easy in our lives to forget to take off our blinders. We become so intent on the things that are “important” to us that we can’t focus on what is truly important. But if we were to really listen to what God is saying, and set aside, even briefly, our objections and tantrums, how might our lives change? Might we also see that what God is trying to tell us is far more valuable than our own prejudices and desires?

Kerry

Reading #28 (audio)

Reading 27

Acts 16-19

In Chapter 16 of Acts, Luke recounts the story of Paul and Silas being arrested and put into jail in Philipi. It’s quite a story, beginning with casting a demon out of a female slave, a riot, severe beatings and imprisonment. It ends with prayer and singing hymns, an earthquake, prison doors being thrown open and a jailer (along with his family) becoming a follower of Christ and being baptized into the faith. Oh my gosh! Can you imagine being a child and listening to grandpa Silas recount that story around the table or at bedtime?

What caught my eye this time was what precipitated these events. In verse 16 Luke tells us that a slave woman with a future-predicting demon had followed them around for days shouting “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” What she was saying was true, but apparently it was how she was doing it that caused problems, because of what Luke says next: “Finally, Paul became so annoyed that he turned around” and commanded the spirit to come out of her. Which it did.

I found myself chuckling atthe thought that the Apostle Paul acted because he was “annoyed”. It doesn’t sound very spiritual. I can see him in my minds eye, putting his hand to his forhead, then rubbing his eyes as he sighs and says, “I am so sick and tired of this. Demon, in Jesus’ name, get out of here!”

Now his acting from his irritation led to some rather unfortunate events, like getting beaten. But the end result was the salvation of a number of people and a story that inspires. How in the world could that be? I grew up with a brand of Christianity that touted self-control in all things, that irritation and annoyance weren’t spiritual because the truly spiritual were always unruffled. But not the Apostle.

I thank God for Luke including this statement that Paul “became so annoyed” because it reminds me that it is okay to be human, to be real. It does not excuse things that I might do, but it doesn’t diminish who I am, either. In fact, because Paul became so annoyed the events were set in motion that resulted in such amazing things. Had he kept everything tightly reigned in, it would never have occurred.

My point is this, God made Paul who he was with his strengths and weaknesses. He knew Paul’s temperament and his inclinations, good and bad, and even so God used Paul. God even worked through his failings. And that gives me hope that God is big enough to work through me when I follow Jesus. Even with my shortcomings and failings.

--Nils

Reading 27 (audio)

Reading 26

Acts 12-15

These four chapters in Acts are filled with miraculous accounts of God’s hand. Peter is rescued from prison by an angel of the Lord. Almost the whole city of Pisidian Antioch “gathered to hear the word of the Lord” (Acts 13:44). Paul heals a man who was lame from birth (Acts 14), and the crowd calls Paul and Barnabas “gods” which breaks their hearts. In Chapter 15, Paul and Barnabas get into a disagreement. With so many topics to think about, it is amazing to me that one line of one verse is what captured my attention.

For the last two years, I’ve prayed “Lord, teach me to fear you.” I’m sure we can all think of times in our lives where we’ve prayed things, not knowing fully what we were asking for, or what the process would entail. Such is the case with this prayer. I moved to Spokane for Nursing school 1 ½ years ago, and little did I know that God would use my time in Spokane to teach me a lot of what it means to fear Him. Fear of the Lord has been described as “reverence”, or “awe.” I wasn’t sure what that would look like in my life. What does it look like for me to Fear the Lord? To come before him with reverence for his character?

I found a powerful picture of fearing the Lord in Acts chapter 13. In the Old Testament, Israel was God’s chosen nation. God blessed his people, often using other nations (Gentiles) to teach his people lessons. God’s regard for the Gentiles seemed harsh. He used them, but they were not his people. I would be bold as to say that Gentiles did not experience God’s blessing or love as the nation of Israel did.

With that in mind, I want to share with you Acts 13:16. In this passage, Paul and his companions have sailed to Pisidian Antioch where they entered the synagogue. Paul stands up in the synagogue and says “Men of Israel and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me!” WHOA! Did you catch it? Let me say it again, “Men of Israel, and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me!” Gentiles who worship God?! At this point, Paul has not yet shared the gospel of salvation through Jesus. The Gentiles didn’t yet know that God loved them too, that Jesus came for them too! No, at this point, they still thought of God as the God of the Israelites. Yet, this passages says, you Gentiles who worship God. These men, who were not receiving the love and blessing of the Lord, were still choosing to be in the synagogue, hearing about the God of the Israelites! Why? Because they knew this God was right. He was God of all gods, King of all kings, worthy of their worship. Regardless of how they felt, of how God related to them, simply because God was worthy, powerful, strong, true, they worshiped him. That is a picture of fear of the Lord that we all need more of.

To worship the Lord even when we aren’t experiencing blessings, to worship God even when life isn’t fair…that is fear of the Lord. Lord, teach us to fear you. Give us a more accurate picture of who you are, how strong, powerful, true, worthy and righteous.

Andrea

Reading 26 (audio)