Scripture Nugget 2.4.2017

Scripture Nugget 2.4.2017

Scripture Read Matthew 11-13

Nugget Matthew 12:25, 30

“He knew what they were thinking and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. …. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.’”

Devotional thought: Another opportunity to assess my/our relationship with God. We are created by God in God’s image to participate in and be relational beings. “Being in right relationship with God, the world, others, and oneself is not only the will of God but also the essence of holiness.” (Wesleyan Core Term, Humanity, pg 1177, Wesley Study Bible) Am I “all in” as some say in games of chance. Or am I withholding a part of myself? This line, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” jumped off the page this morning. So many fall away, distracted by other interests. In Acts 1 we read the story of Matthias, the one prayerfully chosen to replace Judas. “‘Let another take his position of overseer.’ So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us – one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection. … And they casts lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles. (Acts 1:20d-22, 26) And we never hear anything else about Matthias. How often do we allow this to happen in our local congregations? Within our circle of friends? Yesterday a man who was a few years behind me in High School, took his own life. Successful business man, husband, father, gifted athlete who played college and pro football. He and older brother were my friends, back in the day. Hadn’t seen either one in years, though ate at Benny’s restaurant in August 2015. What separated him so totally that he made this decision? Take a moment, reach out to someone who hasn’t gathered in a while, keep another from becoming permanently  scattered.

Scripture Nugget 2.3.2017

Scripture Nugget 2.3.2017

Scripture Read Isaiah 23-28

Nugget Isaiah 25:6-10

“On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all people, the sheet that is spread of all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.”

Devotional thought: This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice, be thankful and receive the grace God offers. In the place and time of his choosing God offers to humanity the opportunity to feast at the banquet table. The invitation is God’s to offer and ours to respond to. While there is a place at the table for all, remarkably there will be those who refuse to attend. Jesus tells us this story in Matthew 22:1-14. God invites us to participate in an eternal life giving meal, why do we refuse, why do we choose to be on a diet and miss out on the feast. Jesus rolled the rock away, unsealing the tomb, defeating death forever, then invites to the table all who recognize the need of grace in their lives, yet many do respond. How tragic. Keep telling your story of feasting at the Lord’s table, encourage others to join you. That’s part of being and making disciples.

Scripture Nugget2.2.2017

Scripture Nugget2.2.2017

Scripture Read Job 9-10

Nugget Job 9:20-24, 33, 10:2-9

“Though I am innocent, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse. I am blameless; I do not know myself; I loathe my life. It is all one; therefore, I say, he destroys both the blameless and the wicked. When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the calamity of the innocent. The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; he covers the eyes of its judges – if it is not he, who then is it? …. There is no (if only there were an) umpire between us, who might lay his hand on us both. …. I will say to God, Do not condemn me; let me know why you contend against me. Does it seem good to you to oppress, to despise the work of your hands and favor the schemes of the wicked? Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as humans see? Are your days like the days of mortals, or your years like human years, that you seek out my iniquity and search for my sin, although you know that I am not guilty, and there is no one to deliver out of your hand? Your hands fashioned and made me; and now you turn and destroy me. Remember that you fashioned me like clay; and will you turn me to dust again?’

Devotional thought: Remembering, “There once was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. …. The LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like hi on earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil.’ (Job 1:1,8) So Job’s calling himself blameless isn’t false pride, but does help set up and fuel the struggle, the internal battle he is wrestling with as he sorts out what in the world has happened to him and his family and why? Simultaneously Job is discussing/arguing with and conversing with himself, God and his friends who have come to “help”. It is a multi-dimensional conversation, obviously a hard one to keep up with. Let’s be honest with ourselves, we’ve all been there as we grow in our relationship with God; and if we haven’t, we ought to. Job lives on a different side of the cross of crucifixion than we do. This contributes to his struggle. We have the blessed opportunity to know Jesus, the Son of God, who lived and breathed a fully human life, just as we do, we know he was tempted to sin, but never did and that he is the umpire Job wishes existed in v 9:33. Job knows God, and is highly regarded by God as seen in the very first chapter. But his experience with God is as Father; Job hasn’t encountered the Son (not on the scale of those of us blessed to live on this Resurrection side of the cross) and so lacks an ability to be shown sin in his life and know assuredly that forgiveness is available. The struggle of being a blameless sinner is real. It is only by allowing/asking God to revealing sin in our life, that we may then admit, confess, turn from and be corrected of our sin. In the process so we learn what it means to become the holy people that God created us to be. Having Jesus, the Son of God, as a mediator makes this process much easier to comprehend. Jesus was with Job too, Job just lived on a different side of the cross than we. Now today, take a look around at the people you encounter, how many of them don’t know about life on this side of the cross? Who among them struggles with self-esteem issues because they don’t know the Umpire, the Mediator, the Forgiver of sins?   

Scripture Nugget 2.1.2017

Scripture Nugget 2.1.2017

Scripture Read Psalms 12-14

Nugget Psalm 14:1-2

“Fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven o humankind to see if ther ware any who are wise, who seek after God.”

Devotional thought: The opening sentence of this passage, “Fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’” Is an example of all the rhetoric, opinion, alternative facts etc. we hear from politicians, reporters, and social media posters. Someone may say, “look here, the Bible says, ‘there is no God.’ So it must be true, all you Christians and Bible thumpers out there, do you not belive what your own Bible says?” Then the story line gets picked up by ignorant persons who don’t even check the veracity of the statement. All of a sudden there is a firestorm of activity. Check the source, check the facts, discover that is it is fools who say in their hearts there is no God. O God that I not be found a fool, that I embrace your love of me, that I love you in return. That I share your love with others and hold accountable fools who misspeak. That I trust in your steadfast love; rejoice in your salivation and sing to you for your bountiful dealing with me. (Ps 13:6)

Scripture Nugget 1.31.2017

Scripture Nugget 1.31.2017

Scripture Read – Joshua 21-24

Nugget Joshua 23:5-6, 9-11, 14-16

“The LORD your God will push them back before you, and drive them out of your sight; and you shall possess their land, as the LORD your God promised you. Therefore be very steadfast to observe and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right or to the left, …. For the LORD has driven out before you great and strong nations; and as for you, no one has been able to withstand you to this day. One of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the LORD your God who fights for you, as he promised you. Be very careful, therefore, to love the LORD your God. …. And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one thing has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you; all have come to pass for you, not one of them has failed. But just as all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the LORD will bring upon you all the bad things, until he has destroyed you from this good land that the LORD your God has given you. If you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which he enjoined on you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land that he has given to you.”

Devotional thought: God Over-the-Horizon Promises require me/us to respond with Over-the-Horizon Faith. Here at the end of Joshua’s life, the Israelites have accomplished much in regards to occupying the Promised Land. The work isn’t totally finished; God’s work with humanity never is. But God’s promises stand and will be carried out. Our response is critical. Just as Israel’s devotion or lack thereof determines whether or not they realize the Lord’s promise, we must choose to love God first, our response is critical. “We love because God first loved us.” God gives us a genuine choice – the freedom to say “no” is what makes our choice to say “yes” so powerful. But if/when we choose “no”, even temporarily there is a consequence – God’s promise to punish. As we see in Lot (yesterday’s devotion) a propensity to stop short, we also see in the two and half tribes that stayed on the other side of the Jordan – they stopped short. Joshua exhorts the people to go all the way, or they will “perish quickly from the good land that he has given to you.” O God, that I not stop short of that which you are calling me to!

Scripture Nugget 1.30.2017

Scripture Nugget 1.30.2017

Scripture Read – Genesis 16-19

Nugget: Genesis 19: 17-21

“When they had brought them outside they said, ‘Flee for your life; do not look back or stop anywhere in the Plain; flee to the hills, or else you will be consumed.’ And Lot said to them, ‘Oh, no, my lords; your servant had favor with you, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life; but I cannot flee to the hills, for fear the disaster will overtake me and I die. Look, that city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there – is it not a little one? – and my life will be saved!’”

Devotional thought: Lot has a faith problem. Yet again Lot’s lack of “Over-the-Horizon” Faith limits his ability to comply with instructions and he forgoes future opportunity by limiting himself to that which is in plain sight. His inability to hope is a lesson learned well by his wife and daughters. It cost his wife her life and caused his daughters to make sinful choices. (Keep reading the rest of the chapter) God calls us to the hills where there is life, God will certainly get us there, even while destroying what lays behind. Do I trust God, do I continue over-the-horizon to things unseen or settle for what looks good right in front of my eyes?

Scripture Nugget 1.29.2017

Scripture Nugget 1.29.2017

Scripture Read – Romans 7-8

Nugget Romans 8:24-25

“For in hope we are saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Devotional thought: The Over-the-Horizon Promises of God give us hope. Our waiting on those promises, hoping in them, is Over-the-Horizon Faith, which is the proper response to “things” not seen…… Life with God is the life of ongoing salvation (I have been saved, I am being saved, I will be saved some more) it is a life of ongoing transformation, a journey to perfection – completeness in Christ. We believe, through God’s grace that becoming like Christ, being formed in Christ likeness is possible in this life time. Over-the-Horizon Faith leads us to hope in and pursue God’s Over-the-Horizon promises – “things” not seen.

Scripture Nugget 1.28.2017

Scripture Nugget 1.28.2017

Scripture Read – Matthew 8-10

Nugget 8:2-3, 5b-8, 13, 9:18b-c, 25b, 9:20-22, 10:1, 7-8a

“and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, ’Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.’ He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” … “a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.’ And he said to him, ‘I will come and cure him.’ The centurion answered, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. … And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go, let it be done for you according to your faith.’ And the servant was healed in that hour.” … “suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, ‘My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.’ …. He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.” … “The suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.’ Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ’Take heart, daughter; you faith has made you well.’ And instantly the woman was made well.” ... “Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. … As you go proclaim the good news, ‘the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.”

Devotional thought: The healing power of Jesus is powerful stuff for me today. I have been sick most of the week with a horrible cough (which I’ve been plagued with since November) and a sinus headache (starting the 3d week of a 3 week round of antibiotics), so physical healing in the immediate sense is something I would like to happen. Long term truth is I’ve been afflicted with sinus stuff for years, nothing gets rid of the crud – I can identify with the woman afflicted for twelve years. Who else? Here’s the thing, Jesus chooses to heal, it is in his nature to respond, regardless of the request; to come and touch, to say the word, or a faith-filled stolen touch of his garment. Not only is Jesus willing to and choosing to heal; he shares that power and ability with his disciples. Now, I ask you, his disciples, how do you respond to the command, “go proclaim the good news, ‘the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.” This is a basic question of faith. How we respond matters! Are we willing to ask for physical healing? Are we willing to ask for great moves of the spirit within ourselves, our families, our local congregations, our communities, our states, our country and beyond? Have we asked? Jesus chooses to heal, it’s in His nature. There is so much brokenness in and around, why wouldn’t we ask for something really huge to happen? 

Scripture Nugget 1.27.2017

Scripture Nugget1.27.2017

Scripture Read – Isaiah 18-22

Nugget Isaiah 22:12-14

“In that day the Lord GOD of hosts called to weeping and mourning, to baldness and putting on sackcloth; but instead there was joy and festivity, killing oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating meat and drinking wine. ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’ The LORD of hosts has revealed himself in my ears: Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you until you die, says the Lord GOD of hosts.”

Devotional thought: “‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’ (Isa 22:13b). Sometimes we live in the midst of self-centered, self-seeking navel gazing. We can become so focused on ourselves that we lose sight of the wants and needs of others or a kingdom agenda. We put aside the more significant life questions (who we are and how we relate to God) for the base creature comforts that grab our attention today. We miss the fullness of what God had for us. We are not created to live today or tomorrow alone – we are created for eternity.” Wesleyan, Life Application Topic, Self-Seeking, pg 838, Wesley Study Bible.

Living for eternity, living eternally, instep with God our out of synch with God. Eternity is a long, long time – I can’t imagine an eternity continually fighting against God, The Creator, who has an ideal plan for creation. When God calls us to weep and mourn, to humble ourselves in worship before him, then that is what we should do. God calls us to love Him first, love others and love ourselves the way He loves us, then that is what we should do. Much of what I’ve seen I the news lately is a bunch of self-centered, self -important people caring for themselves over God and others. God’s kingdom agenda, is about life and life abundant, being fruitful and multiplying, keeping and tilling, having dominion over creation for the good of creation – not one’s selfish desires. The command to go and make disciples of Jesus Christ- assumes being a disciple of Jesus Christ- constantly learning about, transforming to be like and sharing with others. Eternal kingdom self, what is your focus?  

Scripture Nugget 1.26.2017

Scripture Nugget 1.26.2017

Scripture Read – Job 7-8

Nugget Job 7:17-20a

“What are human beings, that you make so much of them, that you set your mind on them, visit them every morning, test them every moment? Will you not look away from me for a while, let me alone until I swallow my spittle? If I son, what do I do to you, you watcher of humanity? Why have you made me your target?”

Devotional thought: Yesterday’s nugget started with, “Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1) Last week, part of the nugget we read said, “what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet.” (Psalm 8:5-6) Can’t we make up our mind? Is God far off or does He crowd our space? Why does God care? It’s because the responsibility God gives humanity, gives to each – crowned with glory and honor, made a little lower than God, but above all else, God gives a huge responsibility – to have dominion over creation, to be fruitful and multiply, to till and keep. Paul addressed his letter to the church in Corinth to those “called to be saints.” He opened the meat of this letter saying: “Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” (1 Cor 1:10) God’s focus is on humanity because of the responsibility God gives us, God visits and checks up just as God came to walk with Adam and Eve, to solidify relationship and chart course for the next day. O God that I would be standing in the wide-open spaces waiting for you to walk with me; not behind the foliage attempting to hide my sins……. Praise be to God that grace goes before us, tracks us done, makes us whole and increasingly holy as we walk with God.