#dailydevotionals

Start your day with morning coffee and a devotional.

Jesus, Take the Wheel

Posted on by Betsy

A few months ago I found myself back in Atlanta traffic after an absence and it was a huge culture shock for me. In just 48 hours I received a hellfire-and-brimstone, full-immersion baptism of cars slamming on brakes, tires screeching, angry commuters, speedy lead-foots, impatient workers running late … it is a vehicular nightmare. Then add road construction to the mix, and you will change your mind about going anywhere and decide to just sit in your back yard and stare at the trees.

In Atlanta and the surrounding communities, the culture responds to traffic, which controls the daily flow of life. In just two days, I saw people altering their lives to accommodate it. One hurried through a task because she needed to “beat the traffic”. Another couldn’t come until rush hour is over. Plans are made around which roads will be congested, stop-and-go, or overcrowded at certain hours. And by all means, avoid the parking lot known as 85 North unless you happen to be traveling at 3AM. Then it’s only a slow crawl.

The reason that traffic is so egregious is because people become egregious once they get behind the wheel. Everyone feels entitled to be first in line. People push to be first in the lane as you merge onto the highway. Cars zip and zoom around others so they can pass and get in front. Every day you can watch drivers switching lanes without warning like it’s the Indy 500.

Think of it! If everyone would just be content to stay in their lane, wait their turn, and God forbid, even let someone else go first, traffic would be tolerable and accidents would be greatly reduced. But instead, we cut one another off and risk causing an accident just to get one car-length ahead.

James 4 The Message (MSG)

Get Serious

4 1-2 Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.

2-3 You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way.

4-6 You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find.

It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.”

Humility is the act of letting others go first. Humility is the practice of putting someone else’s need ahead of your own. The willing humble ones wave people in, slow down, look out for others, and give way. Humility is not thinking more highly of yourself than you ought.

Where are you pushing when you should be stepping back? Who needs to be waved into your lane while you slow down and allow it? Where are you acting like a spoiled child, wanting first place at the expense of the other travelers in your life? Are you driving your life like the willful proud, determined to get your own way at any cost, or the willing humble, reflecting the image of Christ in what you say and do?

God gives grace to the willing humble. So slow down. Be gracious. Let somebody in. Show generosity. And please don’t cut someone off today … especially if you have an ichthus on your car.

Lord, Have Mercy

Buy the Green Bananas

Posted on by Betsy

A friend who is undergoing cancer treatment is finally having a good week. He feels good, he can walk without a cane, and he actually drove a car for the first time in three months. So he went out and bought green bananas.

I love that last part. It is a glorious sign of recovery. It is an act of hope. It’s what people do when they realize they will indeed live to see another day.

I wonder how many of us are leading our lives as though tomorrow won’t come. There are times when life can beat us down so hard we don’t have the energy, resolve, or desire to even lift our head off the pillow. Sometimes this feeling is situational, and eventually gets easier.

I’m sure we can recall a very hard break up with someone we thought we would be ours forever. Relationships ending can leave us feeling tremendously defeated. If you’ve ever been fired, you might recall a moment of sitting in the car with your hands on the wheel, unable to imagine a tomorrow. At the moment when the doctor came out of the operating room and told us that our daughter had cancer when she was a college junior, I could not see her tomorrows for a moment. Not seeing hers made me not see mine. Losing your parents, a spouse, or God forbid, a child, can leave you not even wanting tomorrows.

Hebrews 11 The Message (MSG)

Faith in What We Don’t See

11 1-2 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.

3 By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see.

When tomorrows seem hazy and possibly unattainable, it is good to remember what this verse is telling us. We have the firm foundation of a trustworthy God, which gives us a handle on what we can’t see. We can fix our feet firmly in a world called into existence by God. How amazing is it to know that God creates what we see, and what we don’t see. He is the creator of all of the tomorrows yet to come. We don’t need to see it…God does, and that is enough.

The ancestors of our faith were content to allow their tomorrows unfold according to God’s design and will for their lives. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah…they all bought green bananas.

32-36 There are so many more—Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. . . . Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead.

There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection.

Our ultimate tomorrow is found in the resurrection. There is something better. There is hope. There is a reason to get up, get moving, and get on with it. In truth, tomorrow never comes, for each tomorrow turns into today, and each day brings new mercies.

Faith is the reality of what we hope for and the proof of what we don’t see. So let us walk by faith and not by sight, and go forth to buy the green bananas.

Threre is Hope

The Price of a Pet Canary

Posted on by Betsy

According to scientists, the average human head has approximately 100,000 hairs and about as many follicles. You are born with all your follicles and do not develop more as you age. Hair grows at a rate of half an inch per month, and we lose between 50-100 strands of hair each day … unless you are the parent of a teenager, in which case you can double that.

If you are wondering why we are talking about hair today, our Scripture makes the wonderful statement that God numbers the very count of hairs on your head. Isn’t that amazing? Granted he gets to skip over the baldies, but still, to think that he can know us in such finite detail is something to marvel.

Matthew 10 records Jesus’ instructions, encouragement, and admonitions to the disciples when they encountered great resistance to their public proclamations that Jesus is Lord. They were being bullied and persecuted for their faith and they struggled to stand up for their beliefs among all the nay-sayers around them. Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever been put down for being a Christian? Take heart and read on.

Matthew 10 (The Message)

29-31 “What’s the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries.

God loves the tiny canary but he loves you even more. Read that again. He is the author of all creation and gave his only Son for our salvation, which proves his love for us. He pays attention to what we do and knows us down to the last detail. Does that encourage you or intimidate you? If intimidation is your answer, what are you trying to hide?

32-33 “Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn tail and run, do you think I’ll cover for you?

34-37 “Don’t think I’ve come to make life cozy. I’ve come to cut—make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. If you prefer father or mother over me, you don’t deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don’t deserve me.

This part of the Scripture takes a sudden turn. We’ve gone from the gentleness of being reassured of our worth to what feels suddenly threatening, as Jesus makes it clear that however we have treated him in our lifetime on earth will determine how he will treat us in eternity. Do you pretend you don’t know him when the going gets tough? Do you remain silent when your beliefs are ridiculed and disparaged by a secular society that has turned its back on God?

Are you in or are you out?

38-39 “If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.

It is important to note that this section of Scripture is peppered with an instruction to not be intimated by the world. In fact, in the passages that surround it, Jesus says “do not fear” three times in six verses. If we chose him over every other relationship on earth, there will be nothing to fear. The sharp knife that divides earthly relationships is Jesus’ way of helping us understand that we are called to make a radical commitment to him and learn to die to self so that we might live with him. Devotion to Christ must come before devotion to any person, place, or thing.

Where are you on this spectrum of public belief? Is God calling you to make your faith known?

Pick up your cross, and follow him.

Priceless by Becca Ziegler

Room to Spare

Posted on by Betsy

In just a few weeks, my household will expand to include four more adults, six children, two dogs, and a tortoise named Bob. I have been getting rooms ready for this onslaught of family fun, and have enjoyed turning my upstairs office into a puppy palace for grandchild #4 to sleep in. I was just a little embarrassed recently when I looked at myself in a ZOOM call with my District Superintendent and other committee members and realized that you could see puppy decor hanging from the ceiling fan. Nobody mentioned it but I’m sure they were wondering why there were corgis and lab puppies dangling over my head. I’m just trying to make room for one more!

In our passage today, Jesus told his disciples about the things yet to come.  We join them in the Upper Room on the night before the crucifixion. He had just washed his disciple’s feet and was getting them ready for his trial and crucifixion. Even with such horrors on the horizon, Jesus’ words were meant to comfort them. He had just told them that he will soon die but reminded them of his promise to return for them. He is going ahead to get things ready and assures them that there will be a reunion where they will be with him again. “Where I am, you will be, too,” he promised (verse 3b).    

John 14:1-6

 “Don’t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me. 2 My Father’s house has room to spare. If that weren’t the case, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you? 3 When I go to prepare a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me so that where I am you will be too. 4 You know the way to the place I’m going.”

     5 Thomas asked, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

     6 Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus’ first words about not being troubled are followed by his invitation to trust, which he said twice. Jesus knew how frightened they were. He wanted to leave them with hope as they faced the fearful situation of his departure. Regardless of what they may think heaven is like, Jesus gave them this concrete hope; heaven is wherever I am. Heaven is where God and I dwell. So do not let your hearts be troubled. Jesus’ death and resurrection are the “preparing” of this dwelling. Jesus’ promise to “come and get you” is the Second Coming. 

What a blessing it is to read this today in the Common English Bible, the assigned text for all of my Cokesbury writing assignments. The phrase “room to spare” opens up an entirely new promise for us. You may be more familiar with the phrase “My father’s mansion has many rooms,” but that imposes an image in our minds of a static house built with a set number of rooms. But “room to spare” implies an open-ended invitation to anyone who wants to come in. Like Hermione’s tent in The Goblet of Fire, God’s eternal presence will just keep expanding and adding space for everyone to fit in.      

This phrase also provides a beautiful counterpoint to Jesus’ first night on earth when there was no room to spare for him and his parents at the Inn. The majesty of an endless eternal dwelling place replaces the harsh lowliness of Jesus’ first night in a feed trough. This place with plenty of room to spare will be a function of our relationship with God, where God dwells in us and we dwell in God.

So let us be untroubled. Let us trust in God and his Son. Let us make ourselves ready for that place with room to spare. And let us be sure to invite others in, too.

Who Let the Dogs In??

Keep Love Warm

Posted on by Betsy

In Matthew 24, Jesus was being grilled by the disciples about his promise to return after his death. Like hungry children, they demanded to know the signs and the timing of his Second Coming. We can’t fault them for being anxious. If we’re honest, we’re anxious too. We’re confused by the many depictions of what the End Times will look like and we want reassurances. And we want them now.

Jesus wasn’t interested in describing the signs. He was more invested in making sure his followers were prepared spiritually for the parousia. He was much more interested in the condition of their love and encouraged them to endure to the end and continue to proclaim his Gospel.

Matthew 24 (Common English Bible)

4 Jesus replied, “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I’m the Christ.’ They will deceive many people. 6 You will hear about wars and reports of wars. Don’t be alarmed. These things must happen, but this isn’t the end yet.7 Nations and kingdoms will fight against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in all sorts of places. 8 But all these things are just the beginning of the sufferings associated with the end. 9 They will arrest you, abuse you, and they will kill you. All nations will hate you on account of my name. 10 At that time many will fall away. They will betray each other and hate each other.11 Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.

12 Because disobedience will expand, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.14 This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a testimony to all the nations. Then the end will come.

I believe it is incumbent on us, too, to be ready to meet our returning Savior whenever that happens. This passage demands two questions of us today. First, verse 12 speaks of “love growing cold.” How can we prevent that from happening? 

Cold love will not convert the world, and that is our task. When we realize that our light brings no heat, our preaching brings no conviction, our music has become performative rather than soul-stirring, our prayers have devolved into repetitive, empty ritual, and our worship focuses on outward appearance rather than inward transformation, we know we are in jeopardy of being exactly what Jesus cautions against. True, deep, and honest self-examination and reflection are needed to right this wrong from the preacher and the pews. We remember what Paul said to Timothy: “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:6-7, New International Version). Love stays warm when you fan the flame with God’s power, with acts of love, and with self-discipline that keeps Jesus the focus in all aspects of living. After all, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.This passage begs the question: Has your love for God gone cold? How can the church reignite its passion for God?

Proclaim the Gospel

The second question comes out of the 14th verse where Jesus says, “This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a testimony to all the nations.” Even through all the hardship, distress, natural catastrophes, and everything else that is present during these times, Jesus contended that the Gospel will still go out to the world. 

This is our job, friends. This is the only thing we need to concern ourselves with as we contemplate Jesus’ return. You see, it’s not just about being ready ourselves, but helping all of humanity get ready. As individuals and as the church, we need to continue to preach Christ crucified to a disbelieving world. 

It can start as simply as an invitation to a church event. It can be as easy as calling on a neighbor with a casserole in your hand. (We’re Methodist. Casseroles are our love language.) It can be as small as offering to pray for a stranger that you notice is in distress. It can be a little gesture of comfort to a colleague who is having a bad day. Anything done in the name of Jesus advances the kingdom. When our actions speak louder than our words, people notice.

What one small gospel-sharing thing will you do today? Let’s get ready together.

Fan Into Flame the Gift of God by Michelle Robertson

Overpowered and Enslaved

Posted on by Betsy

One of the most fun songs to come out of the Broadway show and movie “Wicked” was a tune called “Popular.” Written to be a light, bubbly piece that signals a turn in the story arc between Elphaba, the Wicked Witch, and Galinda, the Good Witch, this song highlights what it means to be admired and sought after. In the story, Galinda was overpowered and enslaved by her need to be popular, which informed her decisions. After setting up Elphaba for humiliation by convincing her to wear a very unfortunate hat to the school dance, Galinda takes pity on her green-skinned roommate and decides to give her a complete make-over. Empty and self-important, Galinda boastfully sings her song from her privileged position. The message is “conform or be excluded.”

One verse foreshadows the political conflict that is about to happen in Oz and alludes to the character of those who pursue influence over the people. Galinda states she is reminded of “celebrated heads of state or especially great communicators” and asks the question, “Do they have brains or knowledge?” She then snorts out her response: “Don’t make me laugh! They were popular!” In the land of Oz, power and status do not go to morally qualified leaders. No indeed, leadership is given to those whose popularity lures people in with their false messaging about so-called freedom … much like the false teachers that Peter warned about in our reading today. 

2 Peter 2 (Common English Bible)

But false prophets also arose among the people. In the same way, false teachers will come among you. They will introduce destructive opinions and deny the master who bought them, bringing quick destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow them in their unrestrained immorality, and because of these false teachers the way of truth will be slandered. 3 In their greed they will take advantage of you with lies. 

In our continuation of 2 Peter this week, we remember that this letter is a charge and an encouragement to become strong, godly, and virtuous followers of Christ. It was written to the undesignated churches addressed in 1 Peter, including churches in Asia Minor, Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia (1 Peter 1:1). Paul’s letters were also known to many of those churches.

Today’s reading opens up with a stern warning to these churches about the “false teachers among you,” indicating that the problem was not just coming from outside pagan influences. False teachers work in secrecy as they bring in destructive heresies and lies. We see echoes of Peter’s warning in other New Testament writings found in Mark 13:22, 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 1 Timothy 4:1-3 and 2 Timothy 3:1-5. 

Their motive was greed. Their method was exploitation through false propaganda. The effect was that many people were lured away from the truth. The result was followers who walked away from their faith and embraced this new popular immorality. 

The presumptive delay of Jesus’ Second Coming created quite a challenge for the early church. When it became obvious that Jesus wasn’t coming back anytime soon, wicked operatives saw a small gap of eschatological skepticism start to grow in the confused people’s expectations, and they squeezed through it like a big rat in a city apartment building.

The death of the first Christian generation created a crisis of faith. Living in this diminishing hope, it was easy for false teachers to emerge on the scene with their enticing promises of freedom and moral laxity. Their claim that the Judgment that had been associated with Jesus’ return was now suspended was received with acceptance. Freed from the apostolic demand of living a holy life, this false teaching encouraged new and weak believers to pursue pleasure and self-gratification without penalty or restraint.

Peter’s words were harsh. He pulled no punches in confronting the dangers of this way of thinking. He is not so much being judgmental as he was expressing deep concern for the spiritual wellbeing of the people. Following the false teaching would leave them spiritually bereft and indeed would not protect them from the Judgment to come. He was attempting to persuade his readers to uphold their righteousness in spite of the challenge posed by the wicked false teachers. Peter was literally fighting for their souls.

We also live in an era of false teaching, freedom that enslaves, self aggrandizement, and false propaganda filled with lies. We would be wise to heed Peter’s words and focus on the Truth of Jesus Christ. In order to do that, we must be students of God’s Word every day.

16These false teachers promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of immorality; whatever overpowers you, enslaves you.

What enslaves you? Have you been overpowered? Are your addictions, cravings, and desires distracting you from your call to holy living?

Be honest. Are you enslaved to your phone and electronic devices?

God can use his power to help you get out from underneath the things that have overpowered you. You don’t have to be a slave anymore.

Free Roaming Iguana

Clean and Unclean

Posted on by Betsy

In Acts 10, we read a remarkable account of a vision Peter had regarding clean and unclean foods. In that vision, God told him to kill and eat of any of the animals that were presented on a sheet, which included those considered unclean by Levitical Law. A pious Jew like Peter could not do this, but God commanded him to obey.

Immediately a delegation from Joppa was at his door, inviting him to come to with them to speak with their leader Cornelius, a well-respected centurion and righteous Gentile. When Peter arrived at the house, he told the large gathering that had assembled, “You all realize that it is forbidden for a Jew to associate or visit with outsiders. However, God has shown me that I should never call a person impure or unclean” (Acts 10:28). 

Acts 10 (Common English Bible)

 25 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in order to honor him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Get up! Like you, I’m just a human.” 27 As they continued to talk, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28 He said to them, “You all realize that it is forbidden for a Jew to associate or visit with outsiders. However, God has shown me that I should never call a person impure or unclean. 29 For this reason, when you sent for me, I came without objection. I want to know, then, why you sent for me.”

30 Cornelius answered, “Four days ago at this same time, three o’clock in the afternoon, I was praying at home. Suddenly a man in radiant clothing stood before me. 31 He said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayers, and your compassionate acts are like a memorial offering to him. 32 Therefore, send someone to Joppa and summon Simon, who is known as Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, located near the seacoast.’ 33 I sent for you right away, and you were kind enough to come. Now, here we are, gathered in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has directed you to say.”

34 Peter said, “I really am learning that God doesn’t show partiality to one group of people over another. 35 Rather, in every nation, whoever worships him and does what is right is acceptable to him.36 This is the message of peace he sent to the Israelites by proclaiming the good news through Jesus Christ: He is Lord of all!

Peter demonstrated incredible growth in his understanding and knowledge of the truth of God’s inclusive call to righteousness. It was a huge departure from his previous way of thinking and helps us understand his passion for instructing people of faith on righteous behaviors and attributes in 2 Peter, as we read in our last devotional.

When he acknowledged that God accepts anyone who “does what is right,” the centuries-old wall between Jews and Gentiles was shattered and replaced with a bridge built of grace, love, and acceptance. Peter followed his own outline from faith to knowledge to affection for others to love. By the way, it always ends with love.

How deep and wide is your love? Do you still consider some groups of people to be “unclean”? This Scripture clearly states that God doesn’t show partiality to one group of people over another.

If God doesn’t, how dare we?

This is my neighbor’s cat, Lola. She loves everybody.

An Outline for Living

Posted on by Betsy

Do you use outlines to help you organize your thoughts when you write? I always tape an outline of my sermons inside my bible so that I have something to refer to if I get lost. I dislike preaching from a manuscript, so this is the perfect compromise. Outlines give direction!

See if you can spot the outline in our Scripture passage today. It gives direction for a righteous and holy life:

2 Peter 1:1-11 (Common English Bible)

1From Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. To those who received a faith equal to ours through the justice of our God and savior Jesus Christ.2 May you have more and more grace and peace through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.

3 By his divine power the Lord has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of the one who called us by his own honor and glory. 4 Through his honor and glory he has given us his precious and wonderful promises, that you may share the divine nature and escape from the world’s immorality that sinful craving produces.

5 This is why you must make every effort to add moral excellence to your faith; and to moral excellence, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, endurance; and to endurance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, affection for others; and to affection for others, love. 8 If all these are yours and they are growing in you, they’ll keep you from becoming inactive and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 Whoever lacks these things is shortsighted and blind, forgetting that they were cleansed from their past sins.

10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be eager to confirm your call and election. Do this and you will never ever be lost. 11 In this way you will receive a rich welcome into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

Let’s unpack that.

Faith. Peter begins with faith, just as someone who was called “The Rock” would do. Faith is the strong foundation for the rest of our learning. We understand faith to be the “reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see “ (Hebrews 11:1).

Moral Excellence. Added to faith is virtue, an attribute of following moral practices and behaviors that are above reproach. As we grow in our knowledge of Christ, we can only be a witness to his power in our lives if those lives are morally sound and Christ-like.

Knowledge. Not to be confused with intellectual understanding or instinct, knowledge is the product of our conversion. It increases through study of the Word, prayer, and community interaction. Knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ was and is essential to the future of the church as it wrestles with false teachings.

Self-control. Both Peter and Paul include self-control as a necessary ingredient of a godly life (Galatians 5:23, 2 Timothy 1:7). It makes sense. How could we attain righteousness with a disordered and out-of-control life? We couldn’t. Neither could those who followed false teaching.

Endurance. Perseverance in all of these things on Peter’s outline will win the day. Being steadfast, intentional, and consistent in practicing these habits will increase our knowledge of God and keep us strong in the face of temptation, suffering, and evil.

Godliness. Godliness is both the goal and a necessary step. Godliness is a state of piety where we walk in God’s precepts and strive to be obedient to God’s will. Godliness includes looking and interacting with the world in the way that God would. Asking ourselves if a thought, word, or deed is what Jesus would think, say, or do gives us a daily insight into godly living. 

Affection for others. Did you notice that the early parts of the outline are inward-focused while these later parts focus our faith outwardly? Displaying acts of neighborly love is the result of knowing God at a deeper level and feeling the impulse to share God’s love with others around us.

Love. Love is the pinnacle of all of God’s work in us. Love completes the outline of demonstrable godliness and proves that we have learned how to apply Peter’s teachings to our lives. Love is the beginning, the middle, and the end of the lesson. It is by our love that we are known.

It is important at this juncture to note that this is not a check list of abstract rules of a moral code that must be obeyed. No, indeed, this a statement of what living in Christ and living for Christ looks like. Peter outlined behaviors that are rooted in our relationship with Christ and are an expression of what comes out of that relationship, as opposed to what must be put in to gain that relationship. Grace makes it impossible to work hard enough to gain Christ. Freely given, all we need to do is accept him and then continue to grow in these things. 

How do you measure up to Peter’s list? Are there areas in your life that could use some improvement? Are your inner and outer faith worthy of Christ?

May we strive to grow in our righteous living, especially in love.

Colington Sunset

Testing, Testing

Posted on by Betsy

For 36 years my husband flew commercial airplanes for a living. Prior to that he flew jets in the Navy. The pace of that life had a certain rhythm to it. We never knew his schedule until the 15th of the month prior. That was tricky to say the least! But another part of the schedule involved recurrent training. Every nine months he had to return to Delta’s training center in Atlanta for full flight simulator training and ground school. I always knew it was coming when the big black aircraft manuals come out for study sessions. In addition, every quarter pilots have to complete an online training module and are subject to in-person line checks with trained observers. Very few industries regularly test their employees to this extent. Does it give you comfort to know that your pilot has passed so many tests?

In our passage today, James talks about the positive aspects of being tested. James was the half-brother of Jesus, who led the church in Jerusalem. While not a believer in Jesus’ lifetime, (is that a sibling thing?) James converted after a post resurrection appearance recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:7. His letter was written to the early Jewish Christians who were scattered beyond the borders of Isreal. It focuses on maintaining a living faith during trials and temptations. 

James 1 (Common English Bible)

2 My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy. 3 After all, you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 Let this endurance complete its work so that you may be fully mature, complete, and lacking in nothing.5 But anyone who needs wisdom should ask God, whose very nature is to give to everyone without a second thought, without keeping score. Wisdom will certainly be given to those who ask.6 Whoever asks shouldn’t hesitate. They should ask in faith, without doubting. Whoever doubts is like the surf of the sea, tossed and turned by the wind. 7 People like that should never imagine that they will receive anything from the Lord. 8 They are double-minded, unstable in all their ways.

9 Brothers and sisters who are poor should find satisfaction in their high status. 10 Those who are wealthy should find satisfaction in their low status, because they will die off like wildflowers. 11 The sun rises with its scorching heat and dries up the grass so that its flowers fall and its beauty is lost. Just like that, in the midst of their daily lives, the wealthy will waste away. 12 Those who stand firm during testing are blessed. They are tried and true. They will receive the life God has promised to those who love him as their reward.

We notice that James started by affirming that tests happen to all of us and moves quickly into language about finding the joy in those tests. This is an amazing concept for anyone who has ever endured a test of any kind, yet it accurately pinpoints the reality of the Christian walk. Endurance leads to our maturity of faith. Faith is tested by trials, not produced by them. In that way, trials reveal the actual depth of our faith. James encouraged us to seek wisdom when tested, reminding us that God is happy to give wisdom to those wise enough to ask. We don’t seek knowledge in these moments, as knowledge is understood to be simply raw information and dry facts. Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge in appropriate and life-giving ways.

James’ words about doubt may sound harsh, especially to those who appreciate the kind of questioning that Thomas went through to deepen his own faith. But in James’ case, it is a matter of intention. The unbelief of doubters meant that they asked God for things with no foundation, trust, or belief, as though God was a Magic 8 Ball. Such double-mindedness quickly passes away like the flower in the fields. 

Are you being tested right now? Find joy in knowing that God is producing the patience and wisdom of mature faith in you. Stand firm!

Tried and Tested

Wise Guys

Posted on by Betsy

Early in my ministry I did prison ministry for about five years. It was eye-opening, important, and terrifying at the same time. I visited a state prison with a death row one time and had to pass through metal detectors, metal doors, and intense security. Guards ushered me into a large open waiting area that spoked off into many different wings. Wide-eyed, I waited for hours to be called. Suddenly I spotted a SWAT team member go through an entryway that hadn’t opened before. Behind the door I could see a large chair with foot rests. Did I just see the electric chair? Why would it be in such a visible place? I couldn’t breathe. In a few minutes he returned in his newly polished boots. The “electric chair” was a shoe-shine perch. Foolish me!

The horror I felt at the very idea of the electric chair is exactly the idea that the Greeks and Jews had of the cross. Public executions by hanging a man on the cross were horrific. The cross became a symbol of deep shame, humiliation, and indecency. 

Paul understood that when he wrote these words to his church in Corinth. Corinth was one of the largest cities of the ancient world and was known for its wealth, prosperity, and growing business sector. It was also known for its debauchery, drunkenness, and loose sexual morals. Paul’s letter in 1 Corinthians is a response to reports he had received regarding some of the behavior in the church. 

In a series of contrasts, Paul draws out an argument to settle their disputes. God chose the foolish over the wise. God chose the weak over the strong. God chose the low class nothings over the affluent somethings. God chose life over death. So preaching Christ crucified is an act of foolishness that has to overcome people’s aversion to the cross. 

1 Corinthians 1 (Common English Bible)

18 The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are being destroyed. But it is the power of God for those of us who are being saved. 19 It is written in scripture: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will reject the intelligence of the intelligent. 20 Where are the wise? Where are the legal experts? Where are today’s debaters? Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world foolish? 21 In God’s wisdom, he determined that the world wouldn’t come to know him through its wisdom. Instead, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching. 22 Jews ask for signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, which is a scandal to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.24 But to those who are called—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom. 25 This is because the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

26 Look at your situation when you were called, brothers and sisters! By ordinary human standards not many were wise, not many were powerful, not many were from the upper class. 27 But God chose what the world considers foolish to shame the wise. God chose what the world considers weak to shame the strong.28 And God chose what the world considers low-class and low-life—what is considered to be nothing—to reduce what is considered to be something to nothing. 29 So no human being can brag in God’s presence. 30 It is because of God that you are in Christ Jesus. He became wisdom from God for us. This means that he made us righteous and holy, and he delivered us. 31 This is consistent with what was written: The one who brags should brag in the Lord!

Paul once thought the cross was foolish. Nobody hated the cross more than Saul, until that glorious moment when God struck him down and struck him blind on the road to Damascus in Acts 9. Three days later he could see the glory of the cross and began preaching “foolishness” from that day. No wise scribe or debater could do what Jesus did on the cross. Paul preached that salvation is not the achievement of human cleverness or wisdom but is the eternal embrace of God’s great love and incomprehensible action at Calvary.

Are you foolish or wise? Are you willing to preach Christ crucified to a generation that wants signs and wisdom? Be a wise guy; people are dying to hear the good news.

Its a Sign