Christian daily devotionals

Answered in Thunder

Posted on by Betsy

The master bedroom of my house is situated on a corner of the third floor, which faces due west. There is almost nothing but water between our room and the Albemarle Sound. There is nothing to block the winds except a tiny sand hill at the other side of the harbor, and then it’s just water. This means that we are treated to incredible sunsets, but whenever a storm comes across the sound, there is no protection to this side of the house. There have been many nights when the thunder and lightning wake me up and keep me awake until the storm finally heads out. A recent storm was so strong, the thunder shook the windows in their casings and rattled pictures on the wall. It was nerve-wracking, to say the least!

Can you imagine camping in the wilderness and suddenly hearing thunder so loud that it makes your teeth rattle? And then on top of that, smoke begins spewing out of the nearby mountain, followed by a very loud horn? That conjures up scenes of science fiction movies for me. I think the visions and sounds of fire, wind, smoke, lightening, and thunder would at least have some grounding in natural phenomena. but then to hear a trumpet sound that kept getting louder and more insistent would surely signal the super-natural.

And indeed, that is exactly what happened to the Israelites during their third month of wilderness wandering.

Exodus 19 (Common English Bible)

16 When morning dawned on the third day, there was thunder, lightning, and a thick cloud on the mountain, and a very loud blast of a horn. All the people in the camp shook with fear. 17 Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their place at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord had come down on it with lightning. The smoke went up like the smoke of a hot furnace, while the whole mountain shook violently. 19 The blasts of the horn grew louder and louder. Moses would speak, and God would answer him with thunder.

God’s presence had been with them throughout this entire journey. He had been with them from the miraculous deliverance from Egypt, the mind-boggling parting of the Red Sea and subsequent destruction of Pharaoh and his army, the outpouring of sustenance in the form of food and water, and even a defeat of the Amalekites. The nation knew that God was leading them through every moment, and so coming to them in smoke, fire, and thunder was yet another demonstration of God’s power.

But did you notice that even in this incredible display, Moses spoke, and God answered. God’s voice was audible and discernible in the midst of the thunder, and in a double moment of power and grace, he had conversation with Moses.

Moses went up the mountain and God came down. This truly is a foretelling of Jesus’ coming to earth to have a conversation with humanity. We, too, are called out of thunder to experience the power of forgiveness, grace, and the authority of God-on-the-mountain. But you have to be willing to climb. God will meet you there, as soon as you turn away from the world and take the first step toward the holy mountain. So don’t get too rattled! An answer in thunder is still an answer from a loving, mighty God.

Peace Before the Storm by Peggy Bryson

Why Are You Standing Here?

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever been seated on an airplane next to a person who turned out to be the chattiest, most loquacious passenger ever to travel in the history of air travel? Like, since 1903 when the Wright brothers talked through the first flight? How did you handle it? I enjoy a brief friendly conversation with my fellow passengers when I sit down, but relish the opportunity to travel quietly with my book or a movie and just experience some downtime. Being a mother, grandmother of six, and a church pastor, I feel like all I do is talk to people. One of my running partner’s husbands labeled us “Toggers” since we talk and jog through all those miles. Even as an extreme extrovert, too much talking can wear me out, so I take deliberate efforts to signal to my seat-mates that I am going to be quiet for the flight. Earphones go in, eye contact stops, book or iPad opens, and I’m off in my own world.

Except that one time when my seat mate just wouldn’t stop talking. And talking. And talking. I resigned myself to a five-hour talkfest and prayed that either the gentleman would eventually shut up, or God would use that time for His good. Sure enough, as soon as I opened up to the possibility, God turned it into an opportunity to witness to this man. He was returning from his brother’s funeral, and he shared a lifetime of family dysfunction and regret with me. By the end, we had thoroughly explored the nature of Christ’s forgiveness and said a prayer together before we deplaned. As he expressed his thanks for my attentive listening, I explained that God had deliberately seated us together, as I was a pastor. That was a moment of discovering God’s prevenient grace, and I believe his eyes were opened up to how much God loves him.

Our Scripture today is a solid reminder of our responsibility to bear witness to what we know about God’s love every time we get the chance. Luke wrote to Theophilus about Jesus’ resurrection and his promise of his Second Coming. He recounted what happened at Jesus’ ascension. Take note of what the two angels said to the disciples as Jesus was taken up into heaven:

Acts 1 (Common English Bible)

1 Theophilus, the first scroll I wrote concerned everything Jesus did and taught from the beginning, 2 right up to the day when he was taken up into heaven. Before he was taken up, working in the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus instructed the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he showed them that he was alive with many convincing proofs. He appeared to them over a period of forty days, speaking to them about God’s kingdom.4 While they were eating together, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised. He said, “This is what you heard from me: 5 John baptized with water, but in only a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

6 As a result, those who had gathered together asked Jesus, “Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now?”

7 Jesus replied, “It isn’t for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 Rather, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

9 After Jesus said these things, as they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going away and as they were staring toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood next to them. 11 They said, “Galileans, why are you standing here, looking toward heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you saw him go into heaven.”

“Why are you just standing here?” Why, indeed? Why do we go about our daily routines, overlooking the opportunities to share the Good News with our friends and neighbors? Why do we look heavenward instead of looking around our communities to see the needs and hurts that sharing Jesus could alleviate? Why do we put in our earphones and ignore people around us?

The next time you are tempted to avoid conversation, take a minute and pray. See if God is actually sending that person to you for help and hope. May we bear witness to the good things God has provided and share his goodness with the world. Even on a long flight.

Long Night

The Permanent Rule

Posted on by Betsy

Do you ever wonder why priests and pastors lift certain things up during worship? You’ve probably watched as the chalice, the paten, the bread, the offering plates, etc. are lifted up as words of blessing are spoken. Many of these traditions are hand-me-downs from ancient rituals observed by our desert fore-parents, who were sometimes following Levitical laws. We remember that the tribe of Levi were the ones who were the designated priests for the nation of Israel, so the book of Leviticus is chock-full of priestly knowledge and instruction.

In today’s passage, instructions are given for the observance of the Feast of Weeks, also known as the Pentecost. You will remember that it was this same festival that was being observed in Acts when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples gathered there and empowered them to speak and understand each other’s languages. It is understood that the church began that day. The festival of Pentecost was so named as it fell 50 days after the Feast of the First Fruits. The other two festivals that were prescribed in this chapter are the Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread.

Leviticus 23:15-21

15 You must count off seven weeks starting with the day after the Sabbath, the day you bring the bundle for the uplifted offering; these must be complete. 16 You will count off fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you must present a new grain offering to the Lord. 17 From wherever you live, you will bring two loaves of bread as an uplifted offering. These must be made of two-tenths of an ephah of choice flour, baked with leaven, as early produce  to the Lord. 

The precision with which these instructions were given seems almost daunting.

18 Along with the bread you must present seven flawless one-year-old lambs, one bull from the herd, and two rams. These will be an entirely burned offering to the Lord, along with their grain offerings and drink offerings, as a food gift of soothing smell to the Lord. 19 You must also offer one male goat as a purification offering and two one-year-old lambs as a communal sacrifice of well-being. 20 The priest will lift up the two sheep, along with the bread of the early produce, as an uplifted offering before the Lord. These will be holy to the Lord and will belong to the priest. 

The image of the priest lifting up two sheep is an impressive one. I have trouble lifting up two metal offering plates on Sundays … and that’s not because they are full! But imagine the power of this image to the worshippers. As we lift things up in worship, we are reminding ourselves of the One who provided those gifts in the first place. By lifting them up to heaven, we consecrate our gifts back to God, our Provider. So while we aren’t required to bring our goats, lambs, and sheep to the altar any longer (thank heavens) we are invited to lift up our hearts to the Lord at every holy occasion and give generously of our means..

21 On that very same day you must make a proclamation; it will be a holy occasion for you. You must not do any job-related work. This is a permanent rule wherever you live throughout your future generations.

Do you observe the Sabbath? Do you avoid work on that day? Is Sunday a holy occasion?

God deserves an offering of our hearts and minds at least one day a week. May we make that our permanent rule.

We Lift Up Our Hearts by Kitty Hawk United Methodist Church

Grow in Grace

Posted on by Betsy

Did your high school require you to study a foreign language? Mine did. I took four years of French with Madame Viola, a lovely, bubbly, cheerful teacher who loved the French language and its people. She was one of my favorite teachers, and in my junior year, eleven of us traveled with her to France for a week of full language immersion. It was an incredible experience, and one of my best friends from band was on the trip and was my roommate. She ended up becoming a French teacher herself.

We studied and practiced the language daily. In our fourth year, the class was quite small and so we were able to read novels in French together and really advance our skills. When I entered Penn State the following fall, I tested out of (and received credit for) the first two levels of college French, all thanks to our incredible high school experience.

Do you think I can speak much French today? Not a chance. Non, mon ami. Je ne parle pas Francais maitenant. And oui, I had to Google that in French to get it right. When I stopped studying and growing in my ability to speak French, my language skill diminished.

Our passage from 2 Peter today is a reminder that we need to be growing in our understanding and knowledge of God every day. He warned of the end times, when heaven and earth will pass away, and cautioned the people to make every effort to be found pure and faultless as they waited for the end.

2 Peter 3 (Common English Bible)

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be? You must live holy and godly lives, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming day of God. Because of that day, the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

14 Therefore, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found by him in peace—pure and faultless.15 Consider the patience of our Lord to be salvation, just as our dear friend and brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him,16 speaking of these things in all his letters. Some of his remarks are hard to understand, and people who are ignorant and whose faith is weak twist them to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures.

I believe we are living in the times Peter wrote about in verse 16. God’s word is constantly being twisted by ignorance and a lack of Biblical scholarship. That is why it is imperative for us to be serious about our daily Bible study routines. Like learning a foreign language, it takes diligence, practice, and serious study to understand God’s Word.

17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been warned in advance, be on guard so that you aren’t led off course into the error of sinful people, and lose your own safe position. 18 Instead, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. To him belongs glory now and forever. Amen.

May our daily devotional work allow us to grow in grace together! Thank you for coming along on this journey with me.

Growing into Nana’s Shoes

Leave

Posted on by Betsy

The first week of July marks the departures and arrivals of itinerate pastors in The United Methodist Church. Many of our clergy sisters and brothers have left their familiar pulpit for a new one this week. This is how our system of pastoral appointments works, and while it is what clergy signed on for, it is extremely disruptive, disheartening, terrifying, and strangely wonderful all in the same moment. A minister friend of mine was packing her U-Haul this week and she wore a t-shirt that read, “War is hell, but moving is a close second.” We hear you, sister! We pray for all those uprooted pastor-families and the churches who will receive them.

Today’s passage is a reminder to those folks and to us as well that sometimes you have to leave in order to do God’s will. Abram became the “father of all nations” but only after he obeyed God and left everything that was comfortable to pursue an unknown destiny. It took a lot of faith, hope, and trust for him to uproot his entire household and leave his land. Eventually, he even left the name given to him at his birth and became Abraham. His name is still revered among Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

Genesis 12 (Common English Bible)

The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your land, your family, and your father’s household for the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation and will bless you. I will make your name respected, and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you,
    those who curse you I will curse;
        all the families of the earth
            will be blessed because of you.”

When Abram obediently left Haran for the land of Canaan, he set into motion a missionary seed that would bless “all the families of the earth.” Jesus was born of that same family lineage, and you and I can count ourselves as part of the many descendants of Abraham.

Galatians 3 (Common English Bible)

8 But when it saw ahead of time that God would make the Gentiles righteous on the basis of faith, scripture preached the gospel in advance to Abraham: All the Gentiles will be blessed in you. 9 Therefore, those who believe are blessed together with Abraham who believed.

Do you remember the VBS song about Father Abraham?

“Father Abraham had many sons. Many sons had Father Abraham! I am one of them, and so are you. So let’s all praise the Lord!”

The challenge for us today is to consider what God is asking us to leave in order to follow our destiny. The many children of Abraham are promised a life of freedom in Christ. What do you need to leave in order to be free? Is an addiction blunting your joy? Are you so angry you can’t feel God’s hope? What bad habit or behavior is preventing you from entering God’s promised future?

Whatever it is, just leave it all behind. And then let’s all praise the Lord.

You Will be a Blessing by Mary Anne Mong

Burned

Posted on by Betsy

If you’ve ever had a campfire, you know that the drier the wood, the better the blaze. Indeed, keeping logs dry in rainy weather is a constant challenge in the woods. When the wood gets wet, there will be no lovely evening fire to warm the hands and feet.

The metaphor of dry, dead things being burned up and tossed away occurs several times in the Bible. This word picture would have been very relevant for a nomadic people who depended on fire for cooking and warmth. In Jesus’ great “I am the True Vine” statement, he warns that the vineyard’s branches that have dried up and are useless for producing fruit will be gathered up and burned. Likewise, in today’s passage from Luke, John the Baptizer explains that the true messiah will come and bring a baptism of the Holy Spirit that will consist of a fire that will burn the useless husks so that the wheat might be spared. John said this in response to the people wondering if he himself was the Christ. In a spirit of humility, he tells the people that he isn’t even worthy enough to untie the true Christ’s sandals.

Luke 3 (Common English Bible)

15 The people were filled with expectation, and everyone wondered whether John might be the Christ. 16 John replied to them all, “I baptize you with water, but the one who is more powerful than me is coming. I’m not worthy to loosen the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 The shovel he uses to sift the wheat from the husks is in his hands. He will clean out his threshing area and bring the wheat into his barn. But he will burn the husks with a fire that can’t be put out.”

John’s humility was admirable. He had a huge following, was born of a miraculous birth himself, was a powerful preacher, and was fulfilling God’s prophetic destiny for his life. But he recognized the power that was yet to come in the true messiah. This outpouring of the Holy Spirt through baptism would purify and destroy in a way that his baptism of repentance never could. Jesus’ baptism would bring a transforming power that would burn away all falsehoods and divide the sheep from the goats. It was a baptism that would endure from generation to generation as a function of the New Covenant through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus warned about the chaff and dead wood that will be burned. God can’t use dead wood. Scripture tells us, “If you don’t remain in me you will be like a branch that is thrown out and dried up. Those branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire and burned” (John 15:6). This Scripture reveals the standard by which the Vineyard Keeper judges the viability of the branch. Can it, or can it not, produce the fruit of love?

That is the standard by which the church is held. Are we a people who grow love, or are we dead weight? Are we good wheat that can produce a bread of life that sustains people, or are we dried up chaff? Good wheat and fruit are the things that God can use for his glory. As a church, and as individuals, may we guard our hearts and minds against becoming dried out and useless for the kingdom.

Dead Wood by Dave Mong


Nicknamed

Posted on by Betsy

Do you have a nickname? I go by Betsy, but that is not my real name. Born Elizabeth Ann, my mother nicknamed me Betsy for several reasons. First, it is a common derivative of Elizabeth, along with Liz, Beth, Eliza, etc. It was also the name of Betsy Palmer, an actress she admired. But the selling point was that my sister, who is four years older, had developed an imaginary friend whom she called Betsy. Parental wisdom suggested that naming me for her friend would ease the transition of a new baby in the house. Unfortunately, it did not.

The name and names of God is a fascinating subject. By understanding the origin of these names, we tap into the different aspects of God’s character. God is our Elohim, our Strength and Power. God is YWYH, the great “I AM.” He is Yeshua and Emmanuel, God with us in the form of Jesus. He is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord Who Provides.

Who is God to you?

In today’s psalm, David wrote that God’s name is “majestic.” Think about that for a moment. Merriam-Webster defines majestic as “an impressive largeness proportionate to scale, without sacrifice of dignity or good taste.” It’s the reference to largeness and scale that piques my attention. David described God’s glory as being higher than the heavens and reminded us that the moon and stars were set in place by God. With the vastness of these images firmly planted in our minds, David then writes “what are human beings that you pay attention to them?” (verse 4). What, indeed?

That God would create the universes and still be mindful of us is nothing short of miraculous.

Psalm 8 (Common English Bible)
Lord, our Lord, how majestic
    is your name throughout the earth!
    You made your glory higher than heaven!
2 From the mouths of nursing babies
    you have laid a strong foundation
    because of your foes,
    in order to stop vengeful enemies.
3 When I look up at your skies,
    at what your fingers made—
    the moon and the stars
    that you set firmly in place—
4         what are human beings
            that you think about them;
        what are human beings
            that you pay attention to them?

God’s care and consideration of human beings comes with the responsibility of caring for all of his handiwork. Indeed, the beasts of the field as well as the field itself are under our supervision. As we look at our policies and practices concerning the meat processing industry, the effects of pollution on our waters, and the increasing threat of climate change due to carbon emission, how well are we doing with the stewardship of God’s gift?
5 You’ve made them only slightly less than divine,
    crowning them with glory and grandeur.
6 You’ve let them rule over your handiwork,
    putting everything under their feet—
7         all sheep and all cattle,
        the wild animals too,
8         the birds in the sky,
        the fish of the ocean,
        everything that travels the pathways of the sea.

Our challenge today is to make one small change that could have a majestic effect on God’s creation. Can you choose paper over plastic bags, or better yet, carry canvas bags for your groceries? Can you refuse a plastic straw? Can you commit to eating a vegetarian meal once a week? Can you bike to work tomorrow instead of drive? How about getting into a carpool so that fewer cars are on the road?

God trusts us with the majesty of creation. May we be worthy of that trust.
9 Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!

Majesty in Flight by Michelle Robertson

The Mind of Christ

Posted on by Betsy

Contact lenses are a wonderful thing … when they work. They free us up from wearing/losing/finding our glasses, they often work better than glasses, and they are able to bring our eyes up to 20/20 vision. From hard to soft to disposable, there are a lot of choices.

Wish you had blue eyes? Buy them! Need trifocals? We can do that! Have a condition known as “mono vision,” where one eye sees distance well and the other reads well? Lenses of different strengths can balance that out. Just don’t fall asleep with them in or you will wake up thinking that someone put Vaseline on your eyeballs. And don’t wear them on a long airplane ride … the dry air turns them into see-through hockey pucks.

Do you ever wish you could apply 20/20 vision to your spiritual, emotional, or relational vision? In times of confusion, emotional manipulation, distraction, or when you realize you are in a cloud of deception, wouldn’t it be lovely to pop in clarifying contacts and be able to actually see things for what they are?

Fortunately for us, we can access the mind of Christ.

2 Corinthians (NIV)

10 The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for,“Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.

Using Christ as a lens through which we see the world brings a wonderful clarity which we could never achieve on our own. The triune nature of God allows us to receive the Holy Spirit in real time. God’s active, alive, and attentive Spirit stays in tune with our spirits and is ready to lead, guide, direct, and correct our vision no matter what we are doing.

We just need to remember to apply it. Like lenses that sit in the box in the medicine cabinet, all the clarifying power of God through the Holy Spirit is useless until we intentionally look for it and look through it. Discernment comes through prayer, Scripture reading, talking with friends and mentors, and sitting quietly in the presence of God and listening.

So open your eyes. Open your mind. Open your heart and invite the Holy Spirit in to show you what is truth. We have received the Spirit of God so that we may understand what God has freely given us. We have the mind of Christ, if we just look for it. The Spirit of God never fogs over or dries out.

You can always count on God’s perfect 20/20 vision for your life.

Open Your Eyes by Kathy Schumacher

The One Who Knows

Posted on by Betsy

Think for a moment about every relationship you have. Your parents, siblings, extended family, spouse, children, friends … who in this group would you say knows you the best? If you have a good relationship with your parents, you may have said one of them. If you are blessed by a good marriage, perhaps you named your spouse. For some of us, it’s a sibling who has known us all our lives. I took a walk with an old friend last week and told her I was relieved to have just submitted a completed assignment to the Cokesbury Publishing House, where I am an Adult Bible Study writer. She looked at me and said, “Yes, and when is it due? How many months early did you finish it?” I was tickled that she knows me so well. I like to get writing assignments wrapped up and off my desk early so that I can move on to the next thing. It blessed me to have a friend who has listened to me so carefully. I felt known.

And she was right. It’s not due until October.

No matter how strong your earthly relationships are, there is One who knows you better than anyone else. Psalm 33: 15 makes this clear: “God is the one who made all their hearts, the one who knows everything they do.” This unattributed psalm makes the case that God is both interested and observant in every aspect of our lives. God made all the hearts of humanity and watches over all who honor the Lord. Kings and warrior horses cannot save us: only God can deliver us from death.

God knows everything we do. How does that make you feel today, to be so fully known by the Creator of the Universe? Does it fill you with awe or shame?

Psalm 33 (Common English Bible)

The Lord looks down from heaven;
    he sees every human being.
14 From his dwelling place God observes
    all who live on earth.
15 God is the one who made all their hearts,
    the one who knows everything they do.

16 Kings aren’t saved by the strength of their armies;
    warriors aren’t rescued by how much power they have.
17 A warhorse is a bad bet for victory;
    it can’t save despite its great strength.
18 But look here: the Lord’s eyes watch all who honor him,
    all who wait for his faithful love,
19     to deliver their lives from death
    and keep them alive during a famine.

20 We put our hope in the Lord.
    He is our help and our shield.
21 Our heart rejoices in God
    because we trust his holy name.
22 Lord, let your faithful love surround us
    because we wait for you.

The sheer beauty of this last portion needs to be read again. We do, indeed, put our hope in the Lord who is our help and our shield! No matter what you are going through today, God’s faithful love goes through it with you. Do you trust that? Do you feel that faithful love surrounding you today?

We wait for God … and God never disappoints.

Getting To Know You by Michelle Robertson

The Backbone

Posted on by Betsy

Let’s talk about your backbone today. Your spine contains over 120 muscles, around 220 individual ligaments, and 100 joints. The spinal cord that runs inside your backbone weighs around 35 grams. The length of the spinal column in the average man is 70cm, and in the average woman it’s 60cm. This system of muscle, bone, ligament and joints supports your entire body. It holds up your head and powers your hips and legs to move. Can you imagine what your body would be without your backbone? I’m thinking jellyfish.

If you’ve ever had any kind of back issues, you know how important good back strength is to your overall health. My husband pulled a back muscle trying to load our 100 lb. Labrador retriever into the car, and he was down for the count for days. I have had lower back spasms that have landed me on the couch for hours. Have you ever struggled with this? It is amazing how much we need and use our backs.

Our Scripture today talks about the church being the backbone and support of the truth. This is a profound statement. We indeed are the church of the living God. Paul encouraged Timothy in this passage, after Timothy had been sent to the church in Ephesus to sort out their struggle with an assault of false teaching. Ever the thoughtful mentor, Paul sought to equip Timothy in his leadership of this church. Remember that “church” in this context is not a place of worship with four walls, but a gathering of like-minded people.

1 Timothy 3:14-16 (Common English Bible)

14 I hope to come to you quickly. But I’m writing these things to you so that15 if I’m delayed, you’ll know how you should behave in God’s household. It is the church of the living God and the backbone and support of the truth.16 Without question, the mystery of godliness is great: he was revealed as a human, declared righteous by the Spirit, seen by angels, preached throughout the nations, believed in around the world, and taken up in glory.

Paul reminded Timothy that the church is the recipient of the truth of the incarnation. When God chose to reveal himself in Jesus as a human, which was declared righteous by the Holy Spirit, the truth became known. Angels confirmed the revelation and thus the church at Ephesus was challenged to continue to preach Christ as the Son of God throughout the nations. They were responsible for taking the Good News to the known world.

Think about your own “backbone.” Do you stand up for truth? Are you strong in your commitment to be the church of the living God? Do you declare the mystery of godliness to the world?

Jesus calls each one of us to stand up, straight and tall, for the Truth that he came to bring. May we never shirk this responsibility.

Stand Tall (Cape Henry Lighthouse) by Kathy Schumacher