February 6, 2015
Bible in a year: Judges 1-6
Devotional passage:
Judges 6:10
"I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not pay reverence to the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not given heed to my voice.”
The Book of Judges contains a repeating pattern of the Israelites turning away from God toward other gods. Each time, at their pleading, God would take pity on them and send a judge, a leader or commander, to bring them back to the Lord.
Here in the priveleged West we live in a land of many gods. There are, of course, the gods of other faith traditions. Some of these traditions also worship the God of Abraham and some do not. But beyond the obvious gods, we face the gods of materialsm, acquisition, recognition, and self-indulgence. Can we turn away from these gods of modern society as we do the gods of other faiths?
As I prepare for the lenten season I am called to recognize areas in my life that need to be strengthened. Simplicity, generosity, hospitality, humility, and self-sacrifice are welcome opponents to the modern gods.
In Deuteronomy 5:7, the very first of the Ten Commandments, God tells us, "you shall have no other gods before me." Now, instead of recognizing a judge or leader of some kind who can get us back on the righteous track of worshiping God alone, we recognize our Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the ultimate leader, sent to lead us eternally on the right path.
So, ask yourself, what are the personal "gods" in your life and are you willing to turn away from them as God commands? This is not a change we mus make alone since we know that Jesus is the way past this modern idolatry.
Prayer: Precious Lord, we come before you knowing we have put gods of this world before you. Help us recognize what they are and turn away from them forever for You are our saving grace, amen.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Trust in God's Provision
February 5, 2015
Bible in a year: Genesis 20-23
Devotional passage: Genesis 22:8
Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together. NRSV
This verse is part of the passage where Abraham is called to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as a burnt offering to the Lord. He hasn't yet told Isaac of his fate and the child wants to know where the lamb for the sacrifice is. There is a deeper meaning to Abraham's response to his son. After all, God gave Isaac to Abraham through his wife Sarah, late in their life. At the time, Abraham never expected that Isaac would be taken from him at such a young age, and yet he showed complete trust in the Lord.
It is not always easy to trust in God so completely. In our everyday lives we often hold ourselves back from unrestrained obedience, tending to be reasonable in our choice of actions. Recently, I was compelled to take just such a leap of faith in my life and, in spite of my complete belief in God's provision, I still faced incredible anxiety.
As a seminary student, mother of two primary school-aged children, and full-time Director of Children, Youth, and Young Adult Ministries, I faced the prodding of the Holy Spirit to make a change in order to better follow my call to ordained ministry. In response I quit a full-time church position and moved away from my family for three and a half months in order to serve as a part-time intern for a new congregation. I am in a position of trusting that my family will be cared for sufficiently and that when they join me after my internship I will find a new job that can help support them.
While Abraham's thoughts may have echoed those of Job (1:21) which said, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away," we must remember that, ultimately, God spared Isaac and provided the ram for sacrifice. Let us instead remember Paul's teaching in 2 Corinthians 9:8, "And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work."
God of abundance, help us trust in you completely. Let us know that your provision will sustain us so that we may follow you always, amen.
Bible in a year: Genesis 20-23
Devotional passage: Genesis 22:8
Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together. NRSV
This verse is part of the passage where Abraham is called to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as a burnt offering to the Lord. He hasn't yet told Isaac of his fate and the child wants to know where the lamb for the sacrifice is. There is a deeper meaning to Abraham's response to his son. After all, God gave Isaac to Abraham through his wife Sarah, late in their life. At the time, Abraham never expected that Isaac would be taken from him at such a young age, and yet he showed complete trust in the Lord.
It is not always easy to trust in God so completely. In our everyday lives we often hold ourselves back from unrestrained obedience, tending to be reasonable in our choice of actions. Recently, I was compelled to take just such a leap of faith in my life and, in spite of my complete belief in God's provision, I still faced incredible anxiety.
As a seminary student, mother of two primary school-aged children, and full-time Director of Children, Youth, and Young Adult Ministries, I faced the prodding of the Holy Spirit to make a change in order to better follow my call to ordained ministry. In response I quit a full-time church position and moved away from my family for three and a half months in order to serve as a part-time intern for a new congregation. I am in a position of trusting that my family will be cared for sufficiently and that when they join me after my internship I will find a new job that can help support them.
While Abraham's thoughts may have echoed those of Job (1:21) which said, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away," we must remember that, ultimately, God spared Isaac and provided the ram for sacrifice. Let us instead remember Paul's teaching in 2 Corinthians 9:8, "And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work."
God of abundance, help us trust in you completely. Let us know that your provision will sustain us so that we may follow you always, amen.
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