Beware . . .

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Pray | God is great, God is good. Let us thank him for this food. By his hands we are fed, give us Lord our daily bread. Amen

Many of us say some sort of prayer before a meal – sometimes deeply meaningful, occasionally uttered in a rush, at times with no real heart. I confess in our mealtime prayer my heart sometimes drifts, is distracted or disrupted. But in reading the scripture for today I might just try having a post-meal prayer once in a while – after I have eaten and am satisfied, praising God for the goodness he has given.

Read | Deuteronomy 8:10-14; James 1:17-18

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

James 1:17-18
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Reflect | Spend some time reflecting on the following:

When it’s all going well, when we snag the apartment we wanted, the house, the camper, the new couch, job, the 401K, the land, the car or whatever else you can think of to insert, when we are satisfied, when the cupboards are full – we need to be careful. Blessing, oddly enough, can be our downfall. It is in plenty that our thoughts might more easily slip into places of pride, independence, selfishness.

If you are living in plenty, if your herds and flocks and bank account are growing, be happy, absolutely enjoy it! But enjoy it and beware. Maybe we are indeed smart, hardworking, wise, diligent, and responsible, but let’s not let that lead us to pride, opening even a slight separation from God. I have, and likely you have, people I love who are suffering, and I am watching them seek the Lord and lean in in ways that leave no doubt of their need of, and trust in, the Lord. Being aware of the circumstances and posture of these friends is both difficult and beautiful.

In Nothing to Prove, author Jennie Allen says, “When we get comfortable for too long, we start to miss our need for God.” I absolutely need the Lord as much as my suffering friends, but am I as aware of that need when I’m comfortable? Engaging in the discipline of thanking and praising God, maybe even especially when we are satisfied would close that gap.

What season are you currently in? Do you find yourself inclined more toward what you’ve been given or toward the giver of what you have?

Written for Five Oaks Church Daily Life Devotional

Get Ready . . .

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Pray | Thank you, God, for reminders to be prepared for plenty, not just burnout, for abundance as well as sparse

When our kids were little, I sometimes took them on the weekly grocery run. Before we got out of the car I would turn around and give some instructions: we’re sticking to our list, stay near, hang onto the cart, and such. These expectations were given to help them navigate aisles filled with items that looked good (but weren’t necessarily healthy), always placed on shelves where little eyes could see and small hands could reach. Those trips always went better when I took the time to prepare them for what was ahead. And so it is with Moses and the Israelites, they’re about to enter a very good and plentiful land, carts to be filled to overflowing, but before they go in, Moses begins with a reminder about commands, obedience and reverence.

Read | Deuteronomy 8:6-9

Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land0 where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

We understand preparing for difficult or lean seasons, and we grasp leaning deeply into the Lord and his Word when times are very hard, when grief, confusion, heartache, and darkness seem all around. But in Deuteronomy 8:6-9 Moses says to observe the commands, walk in obedience and revere God, not because a tough season or darkness is coming, but because so much goodness is about to be in front of the people. Figs to capture eyes and pomegranates for hands to grasp, so much so that they are about to lack nothing; the cupboards and more are about to be filled to beyond overflowing. But first comes the instruction so that it will go well for them: observe the commands, walk in obedience, and revere God. It was time to gird up not for hard, but for good.

Have you seen a season of plenty before you? If so, did you prepare for it in any deliberate or disciplined way?

Written for Five Oaks Church Daily Life Devotional

Don’t bother, she’s dead.

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Pray | God, with a grateful heart I thank you that you are the giver and source of restoration of life.

Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell the story of a synagogue leader coming to plead for his young daughter’s life, and in each account it’s proclaimed that her life is over. A father is desperate, there is wailing and mourning, hope has ended. But in all three gospels Jesus takes the girl by the hand and life is restored. 

Read |Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26; Mark 5:35-42

Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26
While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.”  Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.  

When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him.  After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region.

Mark 5:35-42
While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jarius, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said, “Why bother the teacher anymore?” Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him.

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him and went in where the child was.  He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).  Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.

Reflect | Spend some time reflecting on the following:

Have you ever heard someone say, or even thought to yourself, “Why bother, there’s no hope for her.” Or something along the lines of “He’s so far off track, don’t waste your breath.” How often might we deem a life over, that there’s no coming back from something. Do we push through the voices around us to get in front of Jesus and earnestly plead for a life? Do believe he is the one who can change it all?

Jesus didn’t turn away when the crowd declared the daughter dead and  the woman unclean. He went toward them. They were both dead to their community, but he took one by the hand and she came to life and the other he healed. We may not always see an immediate turnaround in a life, or the healing we craved, but we can take heart at the words of Jesus, to not be afraid; to still believe.

Is there someone coming to mind for which you could earnestly plead to Jesus for life to be restored? It’s possible they’re not dead, but asleep. Bring them before the giver of life.

Written for Five Oaks Church Daily Life Devotional

He Said, She Whispered

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Pray |Father God, thank you for stopping for those confident to come before you, and for those who quietly reach for just a touch of your robe.

The verses we’re looking at this week tell the story of Jesus restoring a girl to life. However, that story is  interrupted by the healing of a woman while on his way to that girl. A synagogue leader comes out of a crowd and kneels before Jesus asking for his hand of life upon his twelve-year-old daughter. While Jesus is on his way to her, a woman, who has suffered bleeding for twelve years, comes up behind him whispering to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

Read | Matthew 9:18-26
While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.”  Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.  

Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.  She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him.  After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region.

Reflect | Spend some time reflecting on the following:
There’s an interesting contrast here: the man, the father of the daughter, is a man of high standing in the community. He’s a leader with many responsibilities. He has a family and a home for Jesus to go to, and we discover in Mark 5:22 and Luke 8:41 that he has a name, Jairus. The woman, who remains unnamed, has been bleeding for 12 years, which at that time meant she was unclean, and anyone who touched her was unclean. She likely led a  solitary and lonely life in addition to her suffering. We learn through Mark that she has been seen by many doctors but has only grown worse. Oh, and that she was broke; she had spent all she had trying to be healed. It’s possible the status in which she saw herself allowed her not to come before Jesus and request like Jairus, but only to come quietly behind him and touch just his cloak. But one thing that is absolutely the same is this: both Jarius and the woman were desperate, both believed, and had absolute faith that Jesus could bring healing and life, and so they went to him.

Have you been in a place of such desperation? Whom did you turn to in your time of such need?

Written for Five Oaks Church Daily Life Devotional

Faith and Work ~ Work Can Destroy You

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Pray | Lord, give us insight on how my faith should shape our work, because our work matters to you and to others.

This week in looking at work and its relationship to the fall in the Garden, we’ve seen that we’ve been working from the very beginning, and that work became more difficult after listening to the serpent. Limitations set by God are for our good, and brokenness causes us to ignore those boundaries creating difficulties in and between us. Today we’re considering how our faith can influence our work, and that if faith doesn’t, our work has the potential to destroy us.
Read | Psalm 119:30; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; Micah 6:8 

Psalm 119:30
I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws.

1 Thessalonians 1:3
We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. 
Reflect | Spend some time reflecting on one or more of the following:

Pastor and theologian, Tim Keller, in speaking on faith and work, offers four ways faith can serve us in our vocation. The first is faith gives an inner stability without which work can destroy us. 
If our self-worth, importance, identity or competence comes from work, our successes go to our head and our failures go to our heart. If we are not absolutely certain of our worth, we’ll be whipped back and forth but faith can keep us grounded in the stormiest of times.

Faith reminds us of the dignity of all work.
With this truth central in our hearts, we won’t have a belittling attitude toward others’ work. The shutdowns during the pandemic revealed and reminded us of some of the unsung heroes in our midst. Our uplifting of them showed we valued their dedication and work, that their work very much mattered.

Faith gives us a moral compass without which work could corrupt us.
With so much pressure for profitability, and with culture leaning toward moral relativity, leaving our faith at the door may cause our clarity and conviction to become soggy and soupy.

Lastly, faith gives us a world view that shapes the character of our work, and without faith, our work could master and use us.
We might find ourselves giving more to our jobs than to our families, which in turn causes us to prioritize in a disordered manner, putting our best effort, energy and position toward work. Our work has the potential to shape us if we walk unaware of if we are shaping or being shaped by our work environment.

Though people can be difficult, and work is harder and slower due to a ground cursed with thorns and thistles, that’s not all we’re left with, we have faith. Faith gives us hope in all circumstances, so let us not leave it at the door as we finish our prayers, begin our day and enter our work.

Does my faith shape my work, or am I being shaped by my work? If so, how? Am I certain of my self-worth and identity outside of my job or role?

Written for Five Oaks Church Daily Life Devotional
Link here to the second message in a four part series on Faith and Work
Pastor Jonathan Haage // (message The Curse of Work begins at 16:12)

Your Work Matters ~ Embracing Limits

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Pray | Lord, help me see the limits you have in place for my daily life.

“Should babies have maple syrup?” my daughter-in-law asked as I dipped a piece of pancake into syrup before plopping it in my granddaughter’s mouth as she murmured “Mmmmmm.” Turns out, they should not.

Just because the taste is sweet, or something looks appealing, doesn’t mean it’s good for us. Sometimes it’s as simple as syrup for a baby, but it can be as complicated as the fruit on a forbidden tree. 

Read |  Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-5 

Genesis 2:15-17
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” 

Genesis 3:1-5
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

Reflect | Spend some time reflecting on one or more of the following

In the Garden, God forbid Adam and Eve the fruit of one tree. Enter the serpent, who out points out to Eve the prohibition of one tree, neglecting God’s provision of the rest of the trees, implication — God is restrictive. While living within the limit God set for them, Adam and Eve lived harmoniously and uninhibited with God and one another. But once they broke that boundary, they suddenly felt naked, ashamed, covering themselves and even hiding from God. When asked what they had done Adam blamed Eve (and kind of blamed God, “The woman you put here with me . . . “) and Eve blamed the serpent and they became fragmented. That decision to take the forbidden fruit still affects work environments and relationships today; we can be difficult with each other, have a hard time taking ownership of our actions, we can be disagreeable and prideful . . . fragmented.

Interestingly while living within God’s limitations in the garden, work was fulfilling and good, yielding much. But with disregarded limitations, work became harder, there were thorns and thistles to contend with. Those thorns and thistles are still present in our work today, they can pop up as tedium, exhaustion, blaming, difficult deadlines, co-workers, clients, bosses and such. But we still have the option to embrace God’s limits today, and when we do, we live with each other much more harmoniously, and work is good and fulfilling.

How might the brokenness back in the Garden affect your relationships and work life? Do you have a sense of God’s limits for you? What are some limitations that have yielded fruit in your home and work life?

Written for Five Oaks Church Daily Life Devotional
 

Your Work Matters

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Work, whether paid or unpaid, includes all meaningful and moral activity apart from leisure and rest. Work is fundamentally about contribution, not compensation, adding value to others. (Tom Nelson)

Pray |Lord, may my hands, mind and heart work as if working for you.

When babies are born and grow we see personalities, strengths, gifts, talents and preferences emerge. We watch them pretend to be explorers, builders, dancers, scientists, moms, dads and so much more. Before we know it they are coming alongside us to wipe up spills, pound nails, wash cars, plant gardens and whatever else we do; it simply seems to be in our nature to want to help. 

Read |  Genesis 1:28; 2:15; 3:17-19

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Genesis 2:15
 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Genesis 3:17-19
To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you;
    through painful toil you will eat food from it
    all the days of your life.
It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
    and you will eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your brow
    you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
    since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
    and to dust you will return.”

Reflect | Spend some time reflecting on one or more of the following:

It’s ironic to consider the toddler happily going back and forth across the lawn with his or her play mower, and then years later that same teen grumbling about having to mow the lawn. As adults, roles, jobs and careers that at one time were new and exciting many times become riddled with difficulties and frustrations. Though created to contribute, we see that work was made difficult through the fall in the Garden. Whether it’s a demanding boss or customer, an annoying co-worker, a deadline or budget that seems impossible to meet, power lines that need to be fixed despite the cold or heat, endless meals to plan and prepare, the umpteenth diaper change of the day, and on, and on, and on ~ in all work inevitably there will be difficulties.

Whether it’s outside or within the home, discipline, perseverance, growth, character and more can be developed through our work. Each of us absolutely has some level of influence in our work, is it my children, client, co-worker, neighbor, boss, or subordinate? How might I be influencing those I come in contact with on the daily? It can be easy to slip into believing that we work for the weekend, retirement, or to pay the bills, but as Christians we are called to work as if for the Lord, and to do it with all our hearts (Col. 3:23-24), despite the sometimes painful labor and toil.

Are you aware of your influence through your work? Have you considered your work as a part of kingdom work? If not, would your perspective and purpose shift if you did?

Written for Five Oaks Church Daily Life Devotional
Link to the first message in a four part series on Faith and Work ~
Why Your Work Matters to God and Why God Matters to Your Work
by Pastor Henry Williams
(message begins at 19:21)

The Book of Job ~ Day 3 of 3

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Pray | Lord, may I turn to you, your Word, your Truth, and your promises when I am confused.

I JUST NEED TO TALK TO GOD

As we read through Job we see that he holds on to what he knows is true, he has done no wrong. After the ongoing, sometimes long winded (hello Elihu), monologues of friends, Job really just wants to talk to God. He wants to hear what God has to say, he begs to plead his case directly to the Judge, while also realizing God’s wisdom is so profound that Job couldn’t actually dispute him, but what he could do is plead for mercy. The wisdom in Job is this – I just need to talk to God. After loss, grief, pain, standing in integrity, then questioning, blaming, shaming and careless words, I love how chapter 38 begins, “Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm.” For what a storm it had been.

Read |  Job 38-42

Reflect | 

God gives this tour of the universe, asking if Job was there at the earth’s foundation, asking if he had given orders to the morning, entered the storehouses of snow, and on and on. God speaks in incredible detail about land, sea, animals, birth and more, showing Job (and us) It’s just not all about you. When God says to Job – Ok you do it, you run this universe, unleash your fury, crush the wicked where they stand, it creates a moment of deep humbling. I can’t think of one person who would truly believe they could run the universe; some of us might think we could run our universe, but given that power we’d see that so many other people and events are tied to ours that it would be beyond overwhelming to our eyes, hearts and minds and we would immediately realize our limitations.

The Bible Project’s podcast on Job points out God is displaying that the world is in order, but there can still be suffering because in many ways “it’s still got wild in it, and it’s still dangerous.” Not to mention the free will part and also the evil that exists. In the end Job’s response boils down to, I thought I knew, but now I know I don’t. I thought too highly of my abilities to understand how things work, and his mind, heart and posture changed.  I love when God points out that Job did speak this truth – he didn’t deserve what happened to him, it wasn’t anything he did.

We are so very intelligent, sending rockets to space – for science and now even for pleasure. We have learned incredible secrets of the universe, and can do more and know more than ever before, and what we don’t know we Google! We want to know and understand everything, and when we don’t, when things just don’t make any sense, when it seems there cannot be sense made of some things, what do we do? Do we write off God? Do we silently tell him, If I don’t see any good in this then you’re not good? Do we possibly want a God we are equal to?

Our true best hope in dark and confusing times is in humility before God. I don’t get this, it makes no sense, I am sure this grieves even your heart Lord. but I trust you still. To some this will make no sense, you have to know God to trust him. Understanding God’s character and deep love is a path to trusting him; and the truth is we can’t humble ourselves before someone we don’t trust.

Do you know and trust God? Where does your mind tend to go when you can’t make sense of things or events? When it seems God isn’t intervening, do you trust him still? What storm do you need God to speak out of?

The Book of Job ~ Day 2 of 3

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Pray | Lord, you are good and trustworthy; by your Holy Spirit, help me to believe that when I’m confused by the difficult and tragic things of this world.

BUT IS HE REALLY RIGHTEOUS?

In the book of Job, in a counsel meeting of sorts, Satan tells God that Job, a man the Lord Himself called blameless and upright, is only that way because God has blessed him over and over, of course Job is a good man because he’s rewarded for it. And so begins the loss, suffering and responses of this man of integrity, this man who fears God and shuns evil.

Read |  Job 1 – 2

Reflect | 
In the Bible Project Podcast’s on Job they submit that the question of Job is “If God is just shouldn’t the world always be run by the principle of just compensation?” They surmise that what Satan might be saying to God is that if righteous people are always rewarded doesn’t that have potential to corrupt their righteousness? Will we maintain a posture of righteousness if, or really when, we suffer?

This question has had my mind busy this week; suddenly the book of Job wasn’t just about this man who was experiencing unexpected tragedy, but about me and my beliefs, which I now realize might sometimes fall under the just compensation theory. How many times has my heart whispered up to God, But they’re such good people, please, please fix this. Is it possible some of us accidentally, maybe sometimes believe that because God is good and just that he would, or even should, make sure that good begets good?

When situations don’t seem fair, that is a critical time to lean into God, to ask ourselves if we really believe and trust God. Could we pause to acknowledge I’m feeling like this seems not okay from my vantage point, but then also consider and trust that it has passed through the hands of God, taking in that his complexity and perspective is so much wider and deeper than ours – much more than our brains can even conceive. And that sometimes things and people grieve even his heart too.

In the podcast when speaking of our own limitations, they mention that dogs can’t learn algebra. In talking this through with my daughter Erin, she added, “And dogs don’t need to know algebra. We’re like that too, we don’t need to know everything; that to know everything is actually beyond our brains and capacity.” This is wisdom, to know we can’t know it all . . . but we can know the One who does.

Can you think of a situation where you maybe believed that good begets good? When was the last time you were confused by a suffering that hit you or someone you love? How did you, or do you, manage your confusion when that happens?

Feel free to comment, we can all learn from each other.

Written originally for Five Oaks Church Daily Life Devotional

The Book of Job ~ Day 1 of 3

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Pray | Lord, by your Holy Spirit, help me to seek and value wisdom as I walk in this day, and then day by day, for all of my days.

THE MAN WHO LOST SO MUCH

This week we’re looking at wisdom in the book of Job. When I consider the book of Job my first thoughts are of a righteous and good man who suffers horrific loss through no fault of his own. There’s an example of friendship ~ friends who travel to sympathize and comfort Job, who are so pained to see their friend’s great suffering that they simply sit in silence with him for seven days and nights (I want to be that friend). At some point though they do begin speaking their many thoughts and sharing their beliefs about how God works and about what Job must have done to be on the receiving end of this tragedy. But Job knows what he knows – he is innocent and he clings to that truth. Eventually confusion enters, Why, God, why? If God is just, why am I suffering so? Eventually the Lord speaks, not answering Job’s question directly, but giving an answer nonetheless. We’ll begin in chapter 28, which is about where wisdom is found.

Read |  Job 28

Reflect | 

In this chapter the search is on for silver, copper, gold, onyx, crystal, topaz and even more precious gems. The author describes how we tunnel through rock, lay bare the roots of mountains, and search rivers to find what is valuable. While we aren’t out mining for what we believe is valuable, maybe we’re expending much time and energy seeking other things we believe matter most – personal satisfaction, financial gain, comfort, the best job, status, relationships, distraction or even reaching the end of our to do list. Not that these things are bad or wrong, but the question may be about how much time and energy we also invest in seeking God’s wisdom. And by the way, where does wisdom dwell? Where can we find it? Job reveals that it is with God, who views everything, to the ends of the earth. While we, like viewing a parade, just see the portion in front of us and have recollections of what has already passed. But to view and consider everything to the ends of the earth is not ours to have. Wisdom is with the One who knows and has seen it all.

Today let’s consider if we truly see wisdom as something to be valued. And if it is, do we seek it as such? Do you believe wisdom lies with God?

Written originally for Five Oaks Church Daily Life Devotional