Youth Group Devotions

He Walks On Water - John 6:16-24

2012-02-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

All throughout the Gospel of John, we are reminded time and time again that John's purpose is to let us know who exactly is Jesus. We see who he is in his encounters with people like Nicodemus, the Woman at the Well, and the invalid at the pool of Bethesda. We are introduced to his purpose, his person, and his compassion. But more than anything we are reminded throughout this Gospel that Jesus is God. Whereas the Gospel of Mark focuses on Jesus' humanity, the Gospel of John focuses on his divinity.

Read John 6:16-24

What an encounter with Jesus! The disciples are rowing across the Sea of Galilee and in the middle of a storm, they see a man walking on water. Can you imagine what was going through their heads when they saw him? I imagine they were saying something like..."G-g-g-ggggggghost???" Perhaps one of the disciples peed in their pants out of fear. Sometimes our English translations don't do justice to the scene. If I had to guess, the disciples were terrified! But what does Jesus do? He calls out to them even when he's not yet in the boat. In the midst of their fear, Jesus reaches out to them and says "It is I; do not be afraid." In the midst of this divine encounter, which the disciples clearly do not understand, Jesus' presence is enough to calm the storm, both the one in their minds and the one they were in. This is the Jesus that John is encouraging us to get to know. He's the Son of God who has the power to walk on water. Who else can make that claim? And yet he's also the one who knows and cares for his disciples. He loves them enough to reassure them in the midst of the storm. They might have gotten caught up in their circumstance and missed who Jesus was because all they could see was the storm. But Jesus is right there, calling out to them to know him.

Re-read John 6:16-24

Is the Jesus you know the same Jesus that the disciples encountered? He's the Son of God! Let's not down play the fact that he did something incredible in walking on water. But at the same time, he's the one who calls out to his disciples to calm their fears and remind them of his presence. Spend some time reflecting on who Jesus is to you. He walks on water. He calms the storm. He calls to you.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand - John 6:1-15

2012-02-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

My guess is that you’ve heard this story before. I think there might even be a Veggie Tales version of this Bible story. You may think that you’ve heard this story enough or that you know all there is to know, but take a moment and ask God to empty you. Ask him to empty you of what you think you already know, and ask him to fill you up with the knowledge and wisdom he wants you to gain from this devotional.

Take in your in doing this, and once you have done this, Read John 6:1-15

The first thing to note is in verses 1-4. It says that people were following Jesus because they saw what he had done. The same is true in today’s world. When people see God at work, they believe. At the same time, many non-believers argue that God isn’t at work because of all the violence, suffering, poverty, and problems in this world. The amazing thing is that in the midst of all this chaos, God is at work everywhere. Non-believers for the most part don’t see this world in the same way Christians, and no non-believer is going to believe in Christ unless they see the fruits of his work. This is why we as Christians should be abiding and walking with Christ daily so that our lives show the work God is doing in our life and our lives are a light to those around us in a dark world.

In verses 5-7, Jesus asks Philip where they’re going to buy bread to eat. Philip replies in verse 7 (NIV), “Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Why did Jesus ask Philip when verse 5 tells us that he already knew what was going to happen? Verse 6 answers that question: he wanted to test him. Jesus wanted to test Philip’s faith in him. Jesus had already healed the sick and performed many miracles, so I don’t think feeding five thousand people is a problem for him. Philip’s answer shows a lack of faith in Jesus and also shows his insufficiency. He could work for eight months and still not have enough money to buy food for all of these people. His works and efforts are nothing compared to what Christ can do, and the same is true for us. When we don’t trust and have faith in God, we may try to do things on our own, but the truth is that anything we do doesn’t even come close to what God can do. Take this time to surrender your life to God. Confess to him if you’ve tried to handle things on your own. Ask that he would humble you and allow you to completely surrender your life because you want him to work in you. Pray for faith and trust in who he is and how great he is.

The last thing I want you to see is how great God’s provision is. The little boy offered up his lunch to God. Imagine you handing over your PB&J sandwich, an apple, some chips, and milk over to Jesus and thinking “he can feed all the people with this!” It takes a lot of faith, right? The amazing thing is that Jesus takes this small offering, and he multiplies it. He feeds all the people and then some; they all leave stuffed and leave behind twelve baskets full of food. How awesome! The point here is that God can use any offering no matter how big or small. If our heart is in the right place, like the boy who offered his lunch, God can take what we give him, multiply it, and do so much more with it. God doesn’t care about how much we do for him because he doesn’t need us to do anything, but God cares about having faith in him and having the right heart.

What is it that God wants you to learn today? Is your life clearly reflecting the work of God? Do you lack faith in who God is and what he can do? Do you have the right heart when you offer or do things for God? Reread John 6:1-15, and then take time to stop, reflect, and pray. Ask God to reveal to you what he wants to fix. Allow him to mold and to work in you so that you can love him more and deepen your faith.

Bearing Witness - John 5:30-47

2012-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Oftentimes, we know that we are going to eventually go to Heaven, but we don't realize the many signs in our lives that God has placed for us to act upon His word in the present. Throughout our agendas and daily lives, God wants us to not bear witness to ourselves, but to Him.

Read John 5:30-47

After Jesus healed a lame man during a Jewish feast, the leader establishment was outraged at him for upsetting the status quo. They believed he was doing good works for his personal image and gain, rather than for the Father. Jesus chastised the leader establishment for not being genuine. Rather than having God in their hearts, there was only pride and ego, their traditions, and no real belief in God. He said to them, “I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain that praise that comes from the only God? Bud do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?" (vs. 42-47, NIV). God knows the condition of our hearts and where our faith is. We can try and hide it and glorify ourselves and say we’re glorifying God, but ultimately God knows where we stand. Take this time to confess to God when you’ve been taking the glory when he should be receiving it.

Through verses 30-32, Jesus says that if he alone bears witness to himself, it doesn't count. But if there is another who bears witness to him, the testimony is true.

Through this, God wants us to realize the stark-- yet inconvenient truth that we are not to live for others. Sometimes we want to impress others, such as parents to get that perfect ACT score, or peers with shiny gadgets, brand names, and music collections. There is not much fault in that, until those earthly things become our priorities and life goals. God desires for us to impress Him-- to make endeavors in His glory. Even Jesus said in John 5:41: "I do not receive glory from people". Even Jesus Christ says this-- and compared to him, we are soiled with sin. He doesn’t need our worship or glory, but he loves us enough to allow us to be in a relationship with him and to enter his presence by what Jesus did on the Christ. Because of this, we should be witnesses for Christ to reflect what he has done for us.

He calls for us to be consistent, unchanging, and faithful through this passage. We shouldn't forget that God will bear witness until we draw our last breath. When we do good works, God should be the first thing on our minds. His reward is the gift of eternal life and the empowerment of living now. This implies that our belief should lead to good works. Our works show our commitment, confidence, and solid identification that we have been transformed. The Bible is His word in printed form, but it must also echo through our hearts with our daily actions. We can obey His word and principles by doing this.

Take a moment to pray for God's word and ask Him to let it dwell in us. Pray that we can realize that God is the only one who can give us righteousness-- and that our lives bear testimony as to who he is.

Jesus is God - John 5:16-29

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Take some time to stop and reflect. Take a deep breath. Think about what God has done in your life. Prepare your heart. Pray to him. Ask God for insight from this devotional.

Read John 5:16-29

Here, in the first two verses, we see the Jews persecuting Jesus. As a bystander reading, it is terribly easy for us to scoff at the “Jews who were persecuting Jesus” and see how wrong that is. The Jews were clearly putting religious “rituals” or “traditions” in front of what God truly desires. That’s a clear message. Sometimes, we are like the Jews; we get caught up in going through the “rituals” of Christianity, like reading our Bibles, praying, or going to church. These are all good things, but often we care more about just doing it rather than having the right heart for it. When we do our quiet times or go to church or pray, God wants to work in us and grow us. Just doing these things because “it’s what Christians do” isn’t what God intends for us. Pause for a moment to reflect on where your heart is when it comes to doing these things. Ask God to give you a passion for Him and to not just go through the motions of being a Christian.

In the next couple verses, Jesus asserts his divinity. Jesus establishes that he is God, but that he is also separate from the Father. He asserts that he has a right to be worshipped and that “the son also gives life”. This is surely comforting because it gives us a glimpse of what’s in store for us in heaven and it shows how awesome of a being we are worshipping. Furthermore, Jesus talks about eternal life. How awesome is that? Hell? What? We have God on our side and have been given eternal life. I don’t know about you, but I find peace knowing that one day I’ll be in heaven with God because of what Jesus has done for me.

Towards the end of this passage, Jesus once again asserts that he is fully God. He speaks of being the Son of Man (fully human and fully God). Then verse 29 ends with “those who have done good…. And those who have done evil…” That may seem confusing at first, for, after all, is not the way to gain eternal life through belief, not works? Jesus isn’t trying to say that our salvation is based on works. Jesus is trying to say that good works are a light, a symbol of a strong faith. If one were to be reborn in Christ, he is a changed man. Those who believe are able to enjoy the resurrection of life and so their works and deeds should reflect that. Read that line over again, and chew on it. It’s very important to be clear that good work does not bring salvation, but faith alone does. Thus, our faith should lead to good works in order to reflect the good work that God has done.

There is a lot to reflect on and be in awe of. Jesus truly is supreme, and it was this very same person who came, died for us, and gave us the chance at eternal life. There’s also a lesson to be learned in faith and to have love and compassion on others. Don’t be caught up in rituals, and remember to keep your eyes on Jesus. Additionally, in the previous devotional, you read about how Jesus healed the man at the pool. The man wanted to get into the pool to feel better. That’s how we are without God. We struggle to find him. Yet, Jesus, in all his grace, came to us, came to that man, and healed him. How ridiculously awesome is that. Think about that, and then think about this passage. How much more in awe should we be of the fact that The Lion of the tribe of Judah, Emmanuel, The Messiah, came to us fickle human beings, and offered us the promise of eternal life.

Take some time to just sit there, and meditate.

A Spiritual Healing - John 5:1-15

2012-02-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

Too often we only go as far as making sure that those around us are physically well. Once we see that they appear to be well, we are often satisfied; however, Jesus calls us to go deeper and to focus on one’s spiritual health. Take a moment and pray with God; ask him to show you ways in which you haven’t gone deep enough with others, that he would transform us to become followers of Christ who truly care for others, and that we would yearn to take after the example that God sets.

Now read John 5: 1-15, The Healing at the Pool on the Sabbath.

In Jerusalem, Jesus is at the pool called Bethesda. It was believed to have waters that were stirred by angels, and that the first person to enter the waters would be healed; thus, sick men would gather by this pool. When Jesus sees a man who has been an invalid for 38 years, Jesus tells him to take up his bed and walk, and the man does. The invalid does not argue with Jesus or claim his words to be preposterous, but he puts his faith in this man whom he does not even know. For us today, it is extremely hard to put our absolute faith in God; though we know how great he is, we still often express doubt. James 2:14-26 talks about how faith alone will die out, and in verse 26, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Faith is alive, and cannot stand-alone. How have you been doubtful of God recently? Take some time and pray with God that he would fill you with the Holy Spirit and an alive and unwavering faith in him, but that you would also seek him out.

Later on in this passage, Jesus meets with the healed man in private and informs him that it was he, Jesus, who healed him. He doesn’t only do that though, he also says in verse 14, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man was physically well, but was still hurting spiritually. He didn’t have God’s forgiveness. But Jesus cares for him spiritually, and calls him to sin no more and to proclaim the truth.

It is interesting to note that Jesus doesn’t make a spectacle of his healing of the man. He does it discretely. We see this throughout the bible in Matthew 9:27-31 (Jesus Heals the Blind and the Mute), and in Mark 2:40-45 (Jesus Heals a man with Leprosy). Instead of appealing to the people and their idea of a strong leader, Jesus follows God’s plan, and lives to bring glory to the Father, and not himself.

Now meditate on how your spiritual well being. Is it alive and well, as God wants it to be? Spend some time in prayer asking God to guide you towards becoming more alive spiritually and for consistency. Also, reflect on how you can become more of a support for others spiritually more so than physically. Finally, ask God to show you how he is calling you to live as Jesus lived a life that he was called to by the Father, and not by man.

Faith in Miracles - John 4:43-54

2012-02-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

Read John 4:43-54

In the previous passages before this, John writes about what Jesus had done in Samaria. Throughout the journey, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman and tells her about the living water that only He provides. The Samaritan woman proclaimed to the town of who this man is and what He had done. Many people had believed on that day in the Son of God. It was time for Jesus to head towards Galilee after His work in Samaria.

This is where the passage begins. In verse 44, it states that Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his hometown. Jesus does not stay around in the Samaritan town for long because in order to make the gospel known, He must go to places that have not seen His works. Tie this into your own life. Ask yourself, “Am I only being a light to those who I know well or are my friends?” Take note and act on how Jesus did. He didn’t stay in one place that was comfortable to Him. He moved around and shared the good news to people that haven’t heard about Him.

As we come into the main point of the passage, verse 46 says that he came again to Cana in Galilee where he made water into wine. Jesus has already been here before and has come again to work wonders. This time there was an official whose son was ill. In this story, Jesus heals the official’s son, people believe, and this is the second sign that Jesus did when he was in Galilee. That’s the gist of this passage.

But as we look deeper, the underlying message is found before, during, and after, the events that take place. Before, Jesus had been doing many miracles, healing the sick and needy, etc. Even before the official’s son was healed, the official himself had been seeking Jesus, to ask Him to heal his son. Think. People were seeking Jesus not for what His teachings were, but for what He could do to help themselves (the people seeking Jesus). Are you looking for Jesus only for what He can do for you? Or are you looking for the truth and messages that Jesus brings? Which one is vital to you?

During the event of the official asking Jesus to heal his son, Jesus says, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe”. The Lord is sort of challenging not only the official but also the Galilean people not to rely on the miracles and wonders that Jesus does. Although, throughout the gospels, Jesus does many miracles to show the world that He is the Son of Man, He does not want us to have faith because of the things we see. Jesus wants us to have faith in God, not because of the material possessions He can give us or the healings that He can make happen. Jesus wants us to have faith in God because He is the only true joy and the only thing that will satisfy our soul for eternity.

Finally, after we see that Jesus had healed the official’s son, we see that the whole household believed in the Son of Man. Jesus uses these signs and wonders to show that he really is the Lord. Jesus himself had healed the child after He had said, “Your son will live”. Although the Lord doesn’t want us to have faith in Him only because of the works He does, Jesus healed the sick, was comforting to the needy, and shared with the poor, and performed many miracles. He showed us many signs that He was the Son of Man.

Reflect on this passage more and listen to what God has to say to you. What are some ways you can strengthen your faith in Christ? Don’t just seek Jesus for the works and miracles He can give, but seek Him for the truth. Be a light to everyone as well, not just those you’re comfortable with. Bring the good news to everyone.

Reaping the Harvest - John 4:27-42

2012-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Read John 4:27-42

After the Samaritan woman goes back to town to tell the people of her meeting with Jesus, Jesus and his disciples have a discussion about food. Food to us, is a daily need that helps us sustain our energy, and in many cases, may become a kind of pleasure we overindulge in. The disciples see food exactly as we do. Jesus, however, has a different view. In verse 34, Jesus says that “[His] food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” Here, Jesus is saying that his food, or daily necessity, is doing God’s will. In other words, to survive, Jesus must carry out and finish the work God has sent him to do. This is the kind of mind set we as God’s children should have. Take some time to reflect on your own actions and evaluate yourself on how high doing God’s will is on your priority list.

Re-read verses 35-38

In these verses, Jesus is comparing his teaching to something the disciples will understand. He is telling the disciples that even though on earth, there is time until the harvest is ready to be reaped, The harvest in terms of God’s kingdom is always ready to be reaped. Jesus says, “Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest… For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ At this point in time, the “fields [that] are white for harvest” is pertaining to the group of Samaritans that are coming from town to see and hear Jesus speak. After telling his disciples that, Jesus continues to say in verse 37 that it doesn’t matter whether you are a sower (one who sows the word in a person’s life) or a reaper (one who helps a person become a follower of Christ), as long as the will of the Lord is being done, there should be rejoicing.

Re-read verses 39-42

These verses state that because of the woman’s testimony, many Samaritans were led to Christ on that day, BUT after they met Jesus, the Samaritans knew that Jesus was the Savior from what they themselves saw. In our own lives, I think many of us could relate to being the Samaritan woman. We are the ones that give testimonies that lead unbelievers to know who Christ is, and after that step, the Holy Spirit takes over to grow and mature the once unbelievers in Christ. Take some time now to think about your daily life. Are you a vessel that is willing to be used by God? Would you be willing to share your testimony to nonbelievers that might judge or criticize you? And if you are willing to, then what could possibly be holding you back? After thinking about these questions, pray that God would show you how He wants you to be apart of His plans; pray for Him to show you the harvest in your life that is ready to be reaped.

Woman at the Well - John 4:1-36

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

Read John 4:1-36

In John 3 we met the Pharisee Nicodemus who was a part of a group that devoted themselves to strictly obeying God’s law. (However, by the time Jesus came, the order had set up thousands of rules that actually weren’t in the Torah.) We know in verse one that Jesus’s disciples were baptizing more than John the Baptist did during his ministry. (At this time John was in prison.) Once the Pharisees heard of this, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. Galilee is on the north part of Israel, while Judea was on the part of Israel. In between was the land of Samaria. Samaritans were kind of Jews, but kind of not. They descended from Israel’s fathers (e.g. Jacob), however they were not full-blood Jews. They also didn’t keep many of the commandments in the Torah, such as worshipping in the temple. Samaritans worshipped on mountains, or “high places”. Prophets and good kings in the Old Testament detested worship in the high places, and even tore them down, since that was where pagans worshipped. This, among many other things, was the reason why Jews LOATHED Samaritans. They hated them so much, when they traveled between north and south Israel, they would go the long way around Samaria, even though it took a lot longer, and traveling in those days was slow and abysmal.

This passage contains many points, but I’m going to focus on one aspect of the passage. The woman at the well is eager to know of the water Jesus gives, which will leave the person no longer thirsty. This water, as the Scripture says, “will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit, who He talks about later in the passage. “A time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem”. Because of the Holy Spirit, we don’t have to meet God in the temple. That’s because all of us Christians are temples that the Holy Spirit dwells in. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” (1 Corinthians 6:19). We don’t have to go anywhere special to worship Him. We can worship Him, not just at church, but anywhere. That means in school, at home, or like Tim Tebow, on the football field. As long as we are worshipping God in spirit and in truth.

It's All About Jesus - John 3:22-36

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

Before you start anything, take some time to be still and to pray. Let go of any distractions, worries, or stresses you have. Offer them up to God. Ask him to help you focus and to learn from his word. Take your time. Prepare yourself to hear from God.

Once you have done that, Read John 3:22-36

In this passage, we encounter John the Baptist a second time. We first saw John the Baptist in chapter 1 when the Pharisees asked him who he is and what he was doing. In chapter 1, John was baptizing people but in doing so he proclaimed Jesus’ name and not his own (like in John 1:26-27). Here in chapter 3, he again glorifies Jesus and not himself. In verse 29, he talks about how we are like the friends of the bridegroom. Imagine for a second that you’re a best man at a wedding. You dress up in your best tuxedo, you come up with an awesome speech, and you make a big toast. Wouldn’t it be ridiculous if the best man made a speech about himself and toasted to himself? Of course. It’d be ridiculous because the wedding isn’t about the best man; it’s about the bride and bridegroom. The best man should rejoice in the bridegroom, and not rejoice in himself. John uses this example to illustrate how we Christians should live. It’s ridiculous for us to try and draw attention to ourselves because our lives should be about Jesus. That is why in chapters 1 and 3 John the Baptist gives the glory to God and not himself. John captures the whole idea in verse 30 when he says, “He must become greater; I must become less”. Our lives must be more about God and less about ourselves. Are you giving God the glory and recognition that he deserves? Take some time to think about areas in your life that should point to God and not to yourself.

In verse 27, John says “A person cannot receive even on thing unless it is given him from heaven” (ESV). Think about that for a second. We can have nothing unless God gives it to us: no life, no salvation, no family, no friends, no love, no talents, no nothing. The list goes on and on. This shows us how awesome and loving God is because he has given us everything we have even when we deserve none of it. We often forget and take all the things God has given us for granted, but his grace and provision should lead us to thanksgiving. Take some time to reflect and thank God for all that he has given you.

John ends with telling us why our lives should point to him and why we should be thankful. Verse 35 says, “The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands”. When Jesus died on the cross, the weight of all of mankind’s sin was in his hands and he took the punishment for us. Christians who believe and accept Christ’s receive eternal life and certify that God is true. We can rejoice because we are free from the penalty of sin, we will be in heaven one day, and we can have a personal relationship with God. God’s salvation is a gift to mankind, a gift from heaven (verse 27). Because God has given us salvation and so much more, we should be thankful and our lives should point to him, just like the best man at a wedding.

As you finish your time in the Word, take some more time to reflect and pray. What are you going to get out of this devotional? Is it to be reminded that your life should be about God and not yourself? Do you need to be more thankful and not take God’s provision and grace for granted? Do you need to be reminded of the cross? Ask God to make it clear to you what he wants you to get out of these passages and to remind you of it daily.

Born Again - John 3:1-21

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

Can you imagine what it was like to have met Jesus face to face during his earthly ministry? What kind of questions would you have asked him? How might he have answered? The interesting thing is there's a good chance he wouldn't have answered your question directly, but responded with the truth. We're going to see that in the encounter that Jesus has in John 3.

Read John 3:1-21

Perhaps one of the most famous encounters that Jesus has with people in the gospel of John. Nicodemus. A member of the Pharisees, a ruling member of the Jewish religious class. He comes to Jesus by night. Maybe he wasn't supposed to be there, but he wanted answers, he wanted to know: who is this Jesus?? So fittingly, a man in darkness, comes during darkness, to the true Light. Nicodemus starts off with a pretty obvious statement. Something that he and all the Pharisees agree on (even if later they insist it can't be true), Jesus is sent by God. But Jesus doesn't wait for him to go with circles with their questions, he cuts right to the point. Nicodemus comes wanting to know about the Kingdom of God, the kingdom that Jesus has been preaching and teaching, the kingdom that has come. He wants to know how to get in. Jesus says very simply in John 3:3, "unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." You must be born again.

Nicodemus is obviously confused, and maybe rightly so. Born again? That sounds like crazy talk. How is a person supposed to be born a second time? But Jesus isn't talking about re-birth, he's talking about new birth. He's saying that you have to be born not physically but spiritually. He's saying, If you want to see the Kingdom of God, you've got to have new life in me! That's the simple truth about Jesus' message: God sent His son to restore us to the life God intended for us. That means a new birth and a new life in Him. Have you been born again? In 1 Peter 1:3, Peter says we have been "born again into a living hope." Spend some time reflecting on the new birth we have in Jesus.

Read John 3:16-21

Jesus hammers it home for Nicodemus. He's not just there to teach about God. Jesus is there to save the world. The amazing thing is that Jesus came to save the world because of God's great love for us. His mission is rooted in compassion. Jesus came to rescue us from the darkness and bring us into the light. Have you thanked God for that today? That He sent Jesus to die on for you? His death means we no longer live in darkness but now we walk in the light. That's what an encounter with Jesus does! We may come to him in the darkness a la Nicodemus, but we leave Him walking in the freedom of the light. How will you walk in the light today? Give your day to God, ask Him how He wants you to walk in the light, and ask Him to help you do that.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:16-17).

Keeping the Temple Holy - John 2:12-25

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

Read John 2:12-25. Now re-read it and focus on what Jesus is do and the message that he is trying to send.

When Jesus arrived at the temple, he saw, according to verse 14, “those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons and the money-changers.” Now what was going on in the temple wasn’t necessarily bad; the selling of the animals may have started off with the intention of supplying them to Passover guests, and a place to collect the temple tax. Why would Jesus drive them out? Somewhere along the way, the good service that the merchants may have intended to provide degenerated into a lucrative money making business; they abused the temple, and Jesus drives them out. Notice how everyone’s property is still intact—none of it is destroyed.

In verse 17, “His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The disciples are recalling, “For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me, ” Psalm 69:9. Jesus is the most zealous in the cause for God. How have you been zealous in your own life for God?

After Jesus cleanses the temple, the Jews sought justification for how Jesus, one man, had the power to drive out numerous merchants, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” (verse 18). Jesus answers with, “destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” In the following verse; however, he is not literally talking about the temple, he is talking about his body. One man raising up a temple that took from 20 B.C. to 64 A.D. to finish, is a ridiculous task, though God could accomplish it. However, the disciples are quick to assume that Jesus is talking about it literally and they ignore the spiritual and true meaning of what Jesus is saying.

The Jews believed that Jesus had no authority to take temple-abuse matters into his own hands, unless he is the Messiah. Now we, and they probably knew as well that Jesus is the Messiah, but they still sought verification, and needed more than faith alone to believe. Jesus indicates that his resurrection though will be the sign that will justify that Jesus is the Messiah. Many individuals believed in Jesus when he performed miracles, but didn’t believe in him with their faith. Reflect in your life when you doubt God, and remember that God wants us to place our full trust in him—we shouldn’t be looking for miracles to verify that God is sovereign.

Jesus cleansing the temple teaches something about the standard of holiness that he wants us to have. Think about how you have failed to meet the standards of holiness that God wants us to have for our temple, our body and life; pray with God about what God has placed on your heart through this passage.

Leave a comment with prayers you have, key verses, or key ideas you want to remember.

Water Into Wine - John 2:1-11

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

Before you begin this devotional, take a moment to pause, and just quiet your hearts. Don’t think about school, friends, or any other anxiety you may have in your life. This is your time with God. As you finish preparing your heart, start to read John 2:1-11.

From these verses alone, we are able to see some of the coolest things ever within the Bible. We see Jesus turn water into wine. Not only is that a miracle, it’s his FIRST miracle. Thus, from this, we can derive many things. However, first off, let us focus on the background a bit more, to a feel for what’s happening at the time.

Previously in chapter 1, Jesus has just encountered Nathanael and this is only a mere two days after that. It is still very early in his ministry, and in verse 4, we see Jesus say “my hour has not yet come”. As the audience, we all know Jesus is our saving grace, the Messiah. However, back then, a lot of people had many mistaken beliefs about the Messiah. Therefore, we can see that the time just isn’t ripe for Jesus to reveal himself. In fact, only the servants know about the miracle, and no one else. The miracle is done very subtly, but shows us many things.

Now to the miracle itself. John tells us that this was the first ever miracle, and as a result, his disciples believed in him. We see that Jesus turns water into wine yes, but even the wine is of high quality. I don’t know about you, but to me that’s amazing. I mean, God’s power is so awesome, so great, that he can just snap his fingers, and bam, water turned into win. Beyond that, we can also see how God provides for us. There was a wedding, and a lack of wine, but God, as merciful as he is, chooses to provide for it. It’s a bit mind blowing to just see these little aspects of God together, that he is so powerful, but at the same time so merciful to us.

Take some time to reread John 2:1-11

Then reflect. Take some time to praise God for everything he has done for you, and for his greatness. Worship him.

Leave a comment with prayers you have, key verses, or key ideas you want to remember.

The Good News - John 1:35-51

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

I’m pretty sure you all have had a time when you received really good news. At first you go through a short period of disbelief thinking, “No way! That just happened!” You try to wake yourself up because it’s too good to be true. Then after this period of disbelief, you finally accept this awesome truth and start celebrating. If you’re watching a sports game and your team just won the championship, you go absolutely nuts! You start screaming, jumping, and hugging strangers. You’re so happy that you don’t even care what other people think about you. What happens next? You call up your friends, classmates, and random contacts on your phone and you spread the word of the good news. You’re going like, “Hey! Guess what? My team just won! Isn’t that pretty legit? Do you want to know how it all went down? You should watch the replays!” You just keep going and going until they find out for themselves and confirm the good news.

Read John 1:35-51

Now note that the Jews have been waiting for a Messiah for over 400 years. They’ve been waiting for somebody to save them for so long. They’ve been subjected under foreign rulers and in fact they’re under the Roman rule currently. So when two disciples of John hear that Jesus is the Lamb of God, they’re in disbelief. Then they start stalking Jesus (or just following). And when Jesus dispels their doubt, they tell others about him. They’ve just found the Messiah! This is great news! For example, Andrew told his brother Simon about how they found the Messiah and he brings Simon to meet him. Philip also discovers the Messiah and goes to tell Nathanael. But Nathanael doubted Philip’s words a little bit saying, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Since Nazareth was a small and somewhat forgotten town in the land of Israel. Then when Jesus proves himself in verse 48, Nathanael believes and starts worshiping him!

I just wanted you all to see that when Jesus came, this was great news. And you know what? It still is great news that we should be excited to share with others. Jesus came, clothed himself in humanity and lived among us, died on the cross for our sins, and then rose again in three days! He conquered death and sin! Share the good news and truth and then they will see for themselves that the news really is good.

Leave a comment with prayers you have, key verses, or key ideas you want to remember.

Prepare the Way - John 1:19-34

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Unlike the other three gospels written by Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which primarily focus on a historical-narrative of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus but with differing target audiences, John's gospel is definitely written from a theological perspective. While the first three are answering the question "What did Jesus do and why did he do it?" John's gospel answers the question "Who is Jesus and why does that make what he did unique?" John is very clear in John 20:31 "but [this book] was written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. So as we begin our study of the gospel of John, we have to keep this question at the forefront of our minds, "What does John want us to know about who Jesus is?"

Read John 1:19-34

John focuses his gospel on various encounters that Jesus has with different people. The first encounter we see is him meeting his cousin John the Baptist [I'll refer to him as J.B.], not to be confused with John the author of this gospel. We see J.B. as he has been preaching repentance in the wilderness for all of Judea and baptizing people in the water. He was preparing the people for the one who was to come, that is Jesus. Over and over people are confused and mistaking J.B. for someone he's not. They think he's the Messiah, or one of the prophets of old. But J.B. is absolutely certain of his place in God's salvation plan. He is NOT the Messiah. He's the one preparing the way for the Messiah. Not only that, but J.B. is quick to make sure people know he should not be elevated, but that the one to come is so great, J.B. is not even worthy to untie the strap of his sandal.

So eventually, all the preparing that J.B. is doing in the wilderness leads to his encounter with Jesus. Jesus comes and shows just how worthy he is. Remember, J.B. has been baptizing tons of people in the Jordan river, so there is something about this encounter that is significantly different than all the others he's been baptizing. J.B. recognizes it immediately, because when he see's Jesus he says, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" This sounds normal to us because we understand all that Jesus did for us, but to the people who heard J.B. say this, it would have made no sense! But J.B. was fully aware of who Jesus was. But if you were there and you didn't believe J.B. was right or telling the truth, there was no denying there was something special about Jesus, because immediately after Jesus is baptized, we see the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. This is an amazing encounter, and just the beginning of an entire gospel of encounters that tell us one thing. This Jesus, he IS the Son of God.

Amazing. Jesus. The Messiah. The anointed one. Savior of the World. That's who we're going to encounter as we continue to study our way through the gospel of John. Spend some time this morning reflecting on who Jesus is to you. Do you have a right grasp of who he is? If you're not sure, that's ok, ask God to help you fully understand who Jesus is as you read through the gospel of John. If you are fully aware of who Jesus is awesome! The question for you is, what are you doing to prepare the way for him? What are you doing to proclaim him out in the wilderness to all the people you yourself encounter? Do you see him as "the one who's sandals I am not worthy to untie" or is he just a secondary part of your life?

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Leave a comment with prayers you have, key verses, or key ideas you want to remember.

The Word Has Come - John 1:1-18

2012-01-23T06:00:00.001-08:00

Read: John 1: 1-18

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” begins the Gospel of John. Often times we gloss over this introductory statement in John, but this is a very important passage! In the original Greek, the Word was logos, which means a way, a philosophy, the singular truth around which the world revolves. This is the same root from which we get our term “logic.” All those “-ology” classes have a basis in logos. Bio-logy, for example, seeks to ascertain the truth behind life. For me, however, the Chinese word dao would be a superior translation because dao also involves a way of life, an ethic. Thus, in one word, logos, we see already the undeniable attributes of God. God is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No truth is ever separated from God. No life is ever far from God. Even the most degenerate criminals are never far away from God – you always can see God weeping not far behind them. Indeed, all life on earth, all truths on earth, all things on earth exist and mean something because God made it so. At school, in math, science, literature, or whatever classes, I encourage you all to pause and just admire how everything you learn exists only because God spoke, and it was so. It’s easy for us to complain about how school sucks and how math, chemistry, literature, etc. is boring, and whatnot. But what if we regarded the course material not as drudgery, but as gifts of God, as learning about how God has organized the world?

But the significance of this passage is that this Word became flesh (v. 14) and dwelled among us, breathing our air, walking our roads. Truth is no longer some abstract concept, some unreachable ideal. Many Buddhists seek to find ultimate truth in enlightenment, and meditate in order to get to that ideal. But for us Christians we don’t need to meditate our way to Truth. Truth has come to us, and his name is Jesus! That is why the way of Jesus is the way of Truth; the life of Jesus is the life of Truth. In this season of Advent, we remember the expectant waiting of this Truth. Maybe some of you remember your younger days when you were expectantly waiting for Christmas Day because that is the day when the presents underneath the Christmas tree is truly yours. Let us, therefore, have this attitude of expectation as we remember the day God blessed us with Jesus. For on Christmas Day, the Way, the Truth, and the Life is opened and extends his inviting hand out to us, inviting us to follow him.

Leave a comment with prayers you have, key verses, or key ideas you want to remember.

Reflection Day: 2 Thessalonians

2011-11-11T03:00:00.000-08:00

After going back through 1 Thessalonians, take this day to go back through 2 Thessalonians.

Read 2 Thessalonians

Does this all seem way too familiar? It’s probably because you’ve already gone through these passages in the past week or two. Today’s a day for you to go back and to review what you’ve already learned and maybe even learn new things. You could just coast through this devotional because you “already know everything” and “it is just review”, but there is always more to learn about our faith and our God.

In chapter 1, Paul talks about Christ’s Second Coming. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul also talks about the Second Coming and focuses on the joy and the hope we have because of our salvation. In 2 Thessalonians, Paul talks about the other aspect of this day: God’s wrath. God is a fair and just God, and those who do not follow Him cannot take part in the kingdom of heaven. A life without salvation results in a life in hell, but the good news is that Jesus died for all to be saved so that no one will perish.

In chapter 2 verses 1-12, Paul encourages the church not to be afraid or worried about Christ’s Second Coming. He references the lawless one, one who will try and deceive and mislead the people and pull them away from God. However, Paul reminds them that they are saved and that followers of Christ will endure. None of us can endure on our own, but God is always with us and He gives us the Bible so that we can be rooted in what is true. As Christ followers, we have to constantly root ourselves deeper in knowledge of God, through prayer, scripture reading, and experience, so that we can stand firm.

In verses 13-17 of chapter 2, Paul reminds the church that God will sustain them. Despite the adversity that will come in the times of the Second Coming and that will from each day,, God is omnipresent and God is at work. He fights for us day in and day out and will never let us go. We do not have to be afraid or worry about anything because God is on our side. We should be eternally thankful of what God has done and continues to do for us, so much so that He deserves thanks through every aspect of our lives.

In chapter 3 verses 1-5, Paul talks about evangelism. When evangelizing, we often leave out parts of the Gospel so that it will be more appealing to those around us who are unsaved so that they will become “saved”. But are they really saved through this this? Yes, more people accepting Christ is a good thing, but evangelism does not stop at the numbers. Like in the parable of the sower, spreading the Gospel is more than just scattering the seeds; those seeds need to grow roots. True evangelism takes spreading the seeds one step further and takes the time and work needed to help people grow roots and build their faith.

In verses 6-18 of chapter 3, Paul talks about busyness. Some of us have plenty of time but choose not to use that time for God. Others of us are busy and “don’t have time for God” or don’t honor God with what we do. God should be our number one priority and deserves honor in every part of our lives, whether we think we have time or not.

What sticks out to you the most in 2 Thessalonians? Are you unsaved and still need Jesus in your life? Are you worried about temptations and trials and need to stand firm? Are you unthankful for everything that God has done for you? Do you spread the Gospel but don’t help others build their roots? Do you busy yourself and only give God time when its convenient?
Take some time to pray and to ask God how you can better honor Him in your life. Ask Him to open your eyes to what you didn’t see before so that you can continue to grow in your faith.

Reflection Day: 1 Thessalonians

2011-11-10T03:00:00.000-08:00

Now that you’ve finished going through 1 & 2 Thessalonians, take this day to go back and review what you’ve learned. Take this first of two reflection days to look back at 1 Thessalonians.

Read 1 Thessalonians

You’ve read all these passages before and looked into each of them in detail to discover what messages and big ideas God wanted Paul to convey. Now the question remains: Why did Paul write this letter? He is not just writing because he has nothing else to do; he has a purpose for writing. He is not just writing to the church in Thessalonica, but he writes to all followers of Christ back then, now, and in the future.

In chapter 1, you learned about a genuine, costly grace. Salvation leads to discipleship, and discipleship has a cost. Following Christ is no easy task; as true Christians, we are called to give up our entire lives to Christ. So often we give up only parts of our lives: the parts that are easy to give up, the ones that don’t hurt. This is not what Paul writes about. God intends for us to not to be lukewarm and half-hearted, but to wholly and completely devote our lives to God.

In chapter 2, you read about Paul’s ministry and reflected on your motives for service and for Christ. Why do you come to youth group? Why do you read these devotionals? Why do you play in the worship band? Paul sets an example of why we should serve God: not for ourselves, but to glorify God and to declare the Gospel.

In chapter 3, Paul talks about endurance and steadfastness. Through the struggles and adversities we face in life, God is with us. We are lost and weak, but God guides and strengthens us. Paul does not tell us to turn to worldly things or to ourselves for sustenance; only God can carry us through.

In chapter 4 verses 1-12, Paul talks about living a life pleasing to God. We please God when we live in a way that aligns with His will. What is His will for us? To honor and glorify Him in any and every part of our lives: actions, deeds, thoughts, words, relationships, everything. A life pleasing to God does not come from good works because good works without purpose are useful. A life pleasing to God comes through accepting Christ and giving up every aspect of our lives to glorify Him.

In verses 13-18 for chapter 4, we read about the second coming of Christ. Many people in the world have misconceptions about this day and fear this day, but this day gives us hope for those who follow Christ. Through all the thick and thin of this world we do not have to be dismayed because we are saved and will one day enter into heaven. The day when Christ comes again will be one full of joy and jubilee.

In chapter 5, Paul again talks about the second coming of Christ. He tells us to be awake and ready and not to be afraid. We are not destined for God’s wrath and hell, but we are destined for new life in heaven. God gives us eternal live! We are alive! Rejoice and be glad!

What is God trying to say to you through 1 Thessalonians? Is there one message Paul has for us that really sticks out to you? Take this time to pray and to honestly ask God how He wants to mold you and guide you as you continue to grow in your faith.

Working for God - 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18

2011-11-09T03:00:00.000-08:00

Do you feel busy? As things begin to crowd towards the holidays, it seems like there are more and more demands of time everywhere you look, school, work, homework/projects. family events, fun holiday festivities. Sometimes I feel like everywhere I look is another thing waiting to claim my time. So how do we make the most of the time that we have?

Read 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18

2 Thessalonians 3:6-18 (NIV)
6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching[a] you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” 11 We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. 13 And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good. 14 Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them, in order that they may feel ashamed. 15 Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer.

In many ways the Thessalonian church didn’t have a problem with having enough time, but with doing things that were worthwhile. Some had a problem with spending their time being busybodies, into other peoples business. Paul wasn’t talking to people who couldn’t work and contribute to their community, he was talking to people whose priorities were being misspent. Whatever they were doing, they weren’t doing the important things. Let’s step back and think about this personally for a moment. What do you do to procrastinate? Internet? Games? I know for me its reading. These things are not necessarily bad of themselves, but the way we use them can be wrong. Likewise, this doesn’t just apply for procrastination from school work, in this case it was a spiritual and secular problem for the Thessalonians. It was such a problem that Paul told the church to warn their brothers and sisters and distance themselves if they don’t pay attention. What are we doing to procrastinate from what God has for us in our lives? Is our procrastination potentially getting in the way of other peoples’ growth and development in Christ? From what Paul is saying, it would definitely seem so. Paul also writes here to encourage those who are working hard in both their life and their faith. It’s a difficult thing sometimes for us to see that when we give Christ our life, it’s our whole life. It’s school and church. It’s friends from school, from extracurriculars, and from church. God wants to be our Lord in every aspect of our lives, and that includes how we work, when we work, and where we work.

Dear God,

Be LORD of how we work, and the quality of work that we do. Let it speak and show you to whoever we come in contact with. Help us to do it faithfully, and reveal to us whatever is getting in the way of giving our best work to you. Thank you for giving us the ability to serve and reflect you in what we do. Amen.

Not Just About Speeding Ahead - 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

2011-11-08T03:00:00.000-08:00

Read: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

In Christianity, there is a difference between discipleship and “marketing Jesus.” What is marketing? It is the task of persuading consumers that a certain good or service is desirable, and possessing that good or service will make one’s life easier, or at least, cooler. Do we all really “need” an iPhone? No. But Apple’s marketing has persuaded many of us that it is cool and useful to have one. And thus many of us are hungrily awaiting the near-apocalyptic Fifth Coming of the holy iPhone. Discipleship is vastly different. It is, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer has put it, a radical following of Jesus, even at the expense of what or whom we hold dear. The goal of evangelism is to persuade others that not only is following Jesus good, but it is right. The relationship between discipleship and evangelism is something we will investigate today.

In his closing, St. Paul closes with a prayer request. Note that he begins by asking that the word of the Lord may “spread rapidly” and “be honored.” The “and” is important, because we need to remember that evangelism and discipleship are not separate issues. To tell others about Jesus is not the raison d’etre, the reason of existence for the Church – discipleship is. True evangelism must lead to discipleship, otherwise all we’re doing is marketing the Jesus brand. That’s why Paul desires that the spreading of the Gospel will be accompanied quickly by its honoring.

Many churches today operate on an evangelism-only basis, which is quite a shame because if we all we do is evangelize, we face the temptation to water down the Gospel in order to make Jesus palatable to others. We tell others about how Jesus loves you, John 3:16, but we don’t tell them about Mark 8:34-35, for example. Some take it much further by lying to them that if they believed in Jesus, everything will be okay. We need to understand that Jesus did not come to this world to be “cool” or “acceptable.” Nor did Jesus come to be the solution to all of the world’s problems or the answer key to all the blank philosophical questions we may have. We don’t worship the “God of the Gaps.” We worship Jesus the Christ, not Jesus the Cool. This is the Jesus who died on the cross, and taught all who follow him that we must take up our own crosses. Evangelism is the task of telling people that this is the Jesus whom it is good and right to follow.

“But Henry,” you might say, “this is utterly impossible!” You’re absolutely right. Any right-thinking American would never follow Jesus if we tell them that following Jesus means taking up our crosses. What if we tell them that following Jesus meant selling our possessions (See Mark 10:17-31)? What if it meant loving God above our careers, our money, our jobs, our family? But to hide these things is to tell a false gospel. So what shall we do? Are we just going to tell the Gospel as it is, and wait for rejections or maybe even face gun-pointing from everyone?
Perhaps. Indeed, Paul constantly faced such adversities when preaching the Gospel… minus the guns. Thus, he asks the Thessalonians to pray that they may be “delivered from wicked and evil people”, for not all believe (vs. 2). Indeed, when we present the true Gospel to the world, not all will believe, and many will react violently against it. But more importantly, this telling of the Gospel needs to be met with a living out of the Gospel. Evangelism must be accompanied by discipleship. That’s why in vs. 4-5, Paul praises, but encourages them to “continue to do the things we command.” It’s not a matter of believing, but also a matter of living what we believe.
The challenge of the church is to live out the Gospel we claim to accept. Only by living it out can we tell others what it means to receive the Gospel, what it means to have faith in Jesus. In my seven years at WCAC, it was a joy to see many youth group alumni graduate and serve God’s kingdom in many capacities. But there were some who have left the faith. Accepting the Gospel in its entirety is not an easy task. It requires great courage and faith. That is why why it is right for Paul to pray that the Gospel spread rapidly and be honored.

Saving God, free us from hardness of heart. Take from us all pride and pretension. Strip us clean of all that makes us incapable of being witnesses of your gentle love. Make us worthy agents of your peace, so that even as we contend with one another, the world may say, “But see how they love one another.” Amen.

(the prayer above was written by Stanley Hauerwas)

Thanksgiving and Encouragement - 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

2011-11-07T16:10:00.000-08:00

Before you read the passage, take some time to reflect, and just be with God. Pray Psalms 119:18. Pray that God will let you see how this devotional applies to you.

Psalms 119:18 (NIV)
18 Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

Read 2: Thessalonians 2: 13-17

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 (NIV)
13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits[b] to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings[c] we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. 16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

Here, we see that in verses 13-15, the author is telling the people to stand firm in their faith and in Jesus. We can see that there is an abundance of things to give thanks for: that God chose us, that he sanctifies us. Take some time and really reflect on this. A lot of times it’s really easy to just “be a Christian” but not really thank God for what He has truly done for us. We should all be in awe of the mere fact that God did choose us and chose to die for us. When I read this verse, I realized my own faults for not really giving glory to God. Personally, I know I’m neglecting to thank God for his amazing grace, so much so that when I die, God doesn’t see me, but instead sees the image of Jesus. What can you thank God for? The possibilities are endless.

In verses 15-17, though, we can see a shift. The author is now encouraging the believer. He asks of the Lord, who comforts us eternally to comfort our own hearts. Has anything been on your mind lately? Too much worrying? Just ask God to help you lift your worries for him. I believe that true comfort can only come with God.

Just take some time to reflect on all of this. The author has told us to give thanks, and also written to encourage all of us. Take the time to build that relationship with God, whether it be through prayer, or just sitting there in awe of him.

The Man of Lawlessness – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

2011-11-04T01:00:00.000-07:00

Just a few months ago, people were predicting the end of the world on May 21st, 2011. When that didn’t happen, they pushed the start date for the end times to October 21st, 2011. That too has passed, and so now the latest reports have the big day coming December 12, 2012. I don’t know when the world will end. We’re reminded in Matthew 4:36 that not even the Son of God knows that, but only God the Father. So even if the world ends on December 12, 2012, whoever predicted it will have gotten it right for all the wrong reasons. It seems that we as a society have a preoccupation with what is coming. Some people worry because they want to get all their affairs in order. Others want to know what’s coming next. Indeed its easy for us to fall into the trap of be overly preoccupied with the end of the world. The truth is, Jesus IS coming again someday. Could be tomorrow, could be 1000 years from now. We need to be less preoccupied with the end of the world, and solely focused on the coming of the King. In Paul’s second letter to the church in Thessalonica, it was clear that they also struggled with having their focus on the wrong thing.

Read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

The Thessalonicans were worried. They were worried they had already missed the coming of the King. For some reason, this church was being easily deceived into believing that end of the world had come and they had missed it. Paul reminds them that this is not what they had heard preached from him when he had last been at this church. Paul’s reminder to them was that their primary defense against false teaching and being misled by others was to remember the Word that God had spoken to them. The moment they forgot these things, they quickly filled their hearts and minds with misleading theories. Take a moment to think about the things we fill our heads and hearts with. Are we easily misled by whatever new fad or teaching the word has to offer? Perhaps it’s because we have not rooted ourselves in the anchor that is the Word of God.

Paul also reminded them that the coming of the King would be accompanied by signs. Paul spends quite a few verses describing the man of lawlessness. This is a reference to the antichrist who will try to do his best to overthrow the kingdom of God. He is the embodiment of rebellion and all he does is in opposition to God and His kingdom. Now, Paul doesn’t tell us and the Thessalonicans this so that they will be afraid, but rather so they will be watchful. Paul wants them to be vigilant so they aren’t misled into believing what the Deceiver would have them believe. Again, their vigilance had to be rooted in their understanding of the Word of God. They had to guard that deposit. Are you guarding the deposit entrusted to you? Are you clinging to the Word of God and growing in your knowledge of them daily so that you can walk worthy?

Paul gives a sobering reminder that those who have been led astray by this man of lawlessness did so because they did not “believe the truth and had delighted in wickedness.” As you re-read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 spend some time asking God to help you be lovers of Him and lovers of the truth.

Dear God, help me to love you more each day. I want to grow in my knowledge of you both intellectually and experientially. Keep me from being led astray by whatever the world is telling me. Give me a thirst for your Word, that I might know you and make you known to the world that is in desperate need of you. Amen.

A Growing Faith - 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

2011-11-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

Read 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Take a moment to read this passage and meditate on it.

Paul acknowledges the perseverance and faith of his brothers, but it is not because of the hard times that they are going through, but because their faith is still strong. Their “faith is growing more and more” and their “love…is increasing.” This growth is coming from persevering through trials. How often we dread trials and the difficulties in life, when in fact they are opportunities to grow and to strengthen our spiritual lives!

In verses 5-12, Paul talks about the judgment at Christ’s coming and the idea of revenge. When he says, “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you” (v.6) he does not say to take it into your own hands to exact revenge; God has reserved that right. God has made justice necessary, and that makes revenge necessary, but we are not the ones to carry it out; Paul is indicating that because of this, we are to endure without compromise, but also to look to God for justice.

In verse 8, Paul says “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” We are called to spread the gospel, and if we go about idling our way through life, then those who do not know God will never come to know God. Of course we aren’t all to pack our bags and go to a far away country to preach the gospel. Take some time to pray on what God is calling you to do, now and in the future.

At the end of this passage, Paul says “To this end we always pray for you, that our god may make you worthy of his calling…” (v.11). Staying faithful and being a light to everyone around us is one of our greatest challenges, impossible to do alone. And Paul informs his brothers that they are being prayed for, to continue to grow in their spiritual lives and to stay on the right track. Now take some time to meditate on those that God has placed on your heart, and pray for them and yourself to stay strong in God.

Caring For Leaders - 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

2011-11-02T01:00:00.000-07:00

Take a moment to pray to God and ask him to allow you to see what this passage really means in your life.

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

As Paul is wrapping up his letter here, we see an emphasis on many things- Kindness to others, respect, humbleness etc. These things all end up wrapping into one main thing, community. As seen in verse 12-13, Paul is telling the people to respect those “who are laboring among and are over you in the Lord”, which is basically the leaders of the Church. We can see that it is not a respect simply because of a position, but because of what they do, and how much they care for their work for God. Paul then goes on to urge the people to “admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted…” (verse 14). At the start of the sentence, it seems to be all about telling people off. One person is too lazy and not doing something and so on. Yet, at the end of the passage, Paul tacks on the phrase “be patient with them all” to show that its not simply about telling people off, but there is a manner in doing so, one of respect. Paul’s main underlying theme in this is slowly becoming clearer. We see in verses 15-21 of how our life isn’t truly one lived for ourselves, but for others. Not only should we stop people from doing evil, but also, we should do good onto others. We should rejoice, pray constantly, abstain from evil. There’s one story going on, and it’s definitely not yourself as the main character. Paul is giving a call to just do good onto others, and in doing removing ourselves from the pedestal and putting God on there instead. Then again, easier said then done. What Paul says sounds so simple, but in practice is much, much harder. However, there is hope at the end of the tunnel! Paul ends on an inspiring note. In verses 23-28 we see that this is a process, in which God is slowly making us more and more holy. We can see that in the end, because we are so faithful, God has our backs.

In the end, it’s a process. As you go about your daily lives, just try to be a bit more conscious about what is happening around you and humble yourself enough to show respect to everyone.

Side note: Interestingly enough, every chapter of Thessalonians has some mention of the second coming. Though surprising at first, I guess it makes sense, because of what’s happening. We know that Paul is writing to a church suffering from persecution etc. and he writes to encourage them, to tell them to hold on strong, and do good with others and so on. Therefore, it serves to help us, the reader, understand that earth is but a temporary home, and there is so much in store for us elsewhere. All the riches in the world mean nothing in the face of Christ. To me, it’s a great comfort, to know that eventually, we will have endless joy, not temporary happiness, but real joy to be with God.

Take some time to pray with God. Talk with him, have a relationship. Prayer is your time to spend with God, and enjoy it for what it is.

Peace & Safety! - 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

2011-10-31T22:15:00.000-07:00

Please read and meditate on 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 for a bit before reading this devotional.

I park cars for a hotel’s guests. In addition to people who are staying at the hotel, many people come to eat at a famous restaurant on the first floor. Last week, a man eating at the restaurant rode his bike to the hotel and locked it up about a block away. Roughly two feet long with a link more than twice as thick as a man’s finger, the padlock that secured the bike made it appear that it was safe.

Just after nightfall, the man finished his dinner and went to retrieve his bike. However, the padlock did not protect the bike. The perpetrator came like a thief in the night—though the bike was probably stolen in broad daylight. The padlock cried “Peace and Safety”, but alas destruction came anyways.

Like the bicycle-reader, many people gather defenses all about them in order to feel safe: Padlocks, fences, high-tech security features for their house and car, and the list is endless. Yet, things are still stolen. The violence of our world walks right through our fortifications. They will also be surprised when God ends the world. While everything they accumulated on earth cries “Peace and safety! There is no harm that will befall you,” sudden destruction will come.

This is what Paul was telling the Thessalonians. Only he reminds them that they are “sons of light and sons of day”, capable of being fully aware that the world will end, or at least be catastrophically changed when Jesus comes to earth for the second time. This event is often referred to as “The Day of the Lord” in Scripture, as it is in our passage. Notice Paul doesn’t tell them that they will know when, only that they know that it’s coming.

We as Christians, like Paul’s Thessalonian audience, do not need to be afraid of Jesus’ second coming. Instead, “having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation,” (1st Thess 5:8) we can trust in God’s immense grace and love to save us, by-way of Jesus’ death on the cross. As reflected by their frantic accumulation of defenses, the world is profoundly terrified by death. Yet Paul says that Christians shouldn’t be. Hope in the salvation of Jesus is like a helmet should guard our minds from such fears and anxieties.

“God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that…we will live together with Him” (1 Thess 5:9-10). Both now, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and after Jesus’ second coming, we are together with Him because of His saving blood.

We Christians should a live a life proclaiming this peace and togetherness with Jesus Christ. Empowered by the Holy Spirit and Jesus’ redemption, it should be evident to the world that we are not afraid of the end. A great deal of sin is the result of fears associated with fear. Such sin should not mark the church. If it doesn’t, the world will notice.

Hope in Grieving - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

2011-10-31T12:49:00.000-07:00

I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a funeral before, but there’s this heavy feeling of sadness over the death of somebody. Everybody is dressed in black, people are crying, and for many there’s a sense of hopelessness. In a sense they are right, because we’re all going to die.

“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” and because of our sins, “the wages of sin is death…”
But what’s the second part of that verse?
“… But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
In Christ, we have hope. A hope of an eternal future spent in the presence of God. So there no longer is this hopelessness for Christians. There is hope in Jesus Christ.

So the big question for the Thessalonians in this next passage asks the question, “What’s going to happen when the second coming of Christ happens?”

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV) which is printed on the next page. These are the words of God written through Paul in this letter. And I’m going to emphasizing a few parts of the passage. But read it and then re-read it. Look up in a dictionary the words that you don’t know so that you can fully understand what is written.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV)
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

There you go, a little bit of eschatology (study of the end times). When you guys close your Bibles and do your closing prayers, don’t turn your minds off and be insensitive to the Holy Spirit and the moving of God. A thought to meditate on for the rest of the day or night: Think about the hope we have in God. What are we supposed to do with that hope? How are we supposed to act as hopeful people? And why do Christians decide to live in a way that they hope in Jesus Christ? Of course there are so many other questions that deal with our hope in Jesus Christ and I want to challenge you all to address those questions and seek answers for them in God’s Word.

Walk Worthy - 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

2011-10-28T05:21:00.000-07:00

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

The Christian life is both an inward and outward transformation; Jesus takes control of everything about us. In the first three chapters of this letter, Paul talks heavily about how God works in our hearts and inside of us. In chapter 4, Paul begins to discuss how the work that is doing inside of us should reflect on the outside through the way we live our lives.

In verse 1, Paul tells the Thessalonians to continue to walk and please God and to do so more and more. Paul also mentioned this in Colossians 1:9-10: “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God”. The fact that Paul tells people to walk worthy in two different letters should strike you as significant. Why should we walk worthy? Well in verse 2, Paul tells us that they are to walk worthy because Jesus instructed them to.

Imagine for a second that you are sentenced to die because of a crime, but someone else came in and willingly paid that debt for you. What would your natural reaction be? Mine would probably involve being extremely thankful and asking if there was anything I could ever do to repay that person. Now, stop imagining because that scenario is real. All of us have committed crimes and sins and so we are sentenced to die, but Jesus took that penalty on the cross because He loved us so much. When we ask Jesus what we could do to repay Him, He instructs us to walk worthy and to live in a way that reflects the love He gave us and continues to give us everyday.

So now we know why we are to walk worthy, and in verses 3-8, Paul tells the Thessalonians that the sin in their lives is not worthy of the calling God has given us. He tells the Thessalonians to abstain from sexual immorality, to control their bodies, to have no lust, and to not wrong their brothers. Do you struggle with these things? If not, what things do you struggle with that prevent you from walking worthy? Confess them to God, and ask for His forgiveness.

In verses 9-12, Paul talks about brotherly love. Why does he include the word “brotherly”? Why doesn’t he just say “love” by itself? The word love has a lot of different meanings. For example, I often say that I love cheeseburgers. Is this the same kind of love Paul is talking about? Of course not. He’s talking about loving each other like brothers, like family. The church is one giant family. We have all been adopted by God into his family which is why we are often referred to as children of God. Paul tells us here that we are to love each other as family. Who do you need to love more? Is it your biological family? A classmate? Someone in youth group? Someone you pass by a few times a week but don’t talk to? Take some time to pray and to ask God who He wants you to love more.

Not Just a One Way Street - 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

2011-10-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

Read 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

We turn to God during times of struggle and when we feel that we need him the most. But it’s also during the times when God is most visibly working in our lives and when we think that we can get by ourselves that God wants us to come to him, and we should. Take a moment to read 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13 and reflect on what Timothy is saying and how Paul reacts.

Verse 6 is Timothy’s report; the Thessalonians are growing healthily, and that they want to see Paul as much as Paul wants to see the Thessalonians again. This is how our relationship with God should be. God wants us to come to him and have a growing relationship with him. That isn’t going to change. But it’s not just a one-way relationship. In this good time that the Thessalonians are in, they have the desire to see Paul, and vice-versa. Our lives should reflect this desire that the Thessalonians have, in a healthy relationship with God, we need to have the desire to seek him and to spend time with him.

From hearing how the Thessalonians are, Paul is encouraged and uplifted, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith” (verse 7). Likewise, we as Christians should be spending time in community and fellowship, sharing with one another how our spiritual lives are. Doing this, we will be encouraged. Take a moment and reflect on your spiritual life. Are you trying to walk this journey alone? Do you have someone to keep you accountable, and if so, is it just something shallow?

In verses 8-13, Paul thanks God and prays for the Thessalonians. He isn’t praying for them as if they have cancer, but because they are doing well and Paul is thankful and encouraged by that. Reread these 5 verses, and take verses 11-13 as a prayer for yourself and others that you have on your mind.

Paul isn’t just giving up his thanks to God though, but he also prays that the Thessalonians’ faith will continue to grow, and that “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else” (verse 12). How important prayer is in Paul’s life should also be how important it is in ours. Now take a moment to pray for those in your life, even those who are doing well, and that prayer would grow or continue to be a big part of your life.

The Church in Spiritual Warfare

2011-10-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Read Acts 17:1-9

It seems really interesting to me that Paul preached Christ’s suffering more among the Thessaonian church. There was certainly more open persecution in for Paul, Silas, and Timothy during their time there, and even after they left, those who hated them followed them seeking to make trouble for them in Berea as well. This is certainly not the situation anyone sharing the good news of Jesus Christ ever wants to walk into. Paul however, seemed to expect this type of reaction both for him and for the church there.

Read 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5

There are a couple of things that we should look at in regards to what we already know now about Paul’s time in Thessalonica. 1) Paul mentions at least five times in that short passage that him and his co-workers tried to go see the church there and were stopped numerable times. Only Timothy ended up making it back to Thesssalonica to encourage the new believers there. What exactly was is that kept them from going back to visit the new church there? Their persecutors? You might think so. However, Paul said it was Satan. I think this is important for us as believers to realize. When you come under attack for your faith and there are other people involved who are criticizing you, the problem isn’t always them. There is a bigger battle at stake that we may not even be physically able to see. God was using Paul to bring the gospel to places it had never gone before and Satan was trying his best to make sure that those churches don’t persevere. How do we fight against things that aren’t flesh and blood? Prayer, prayer, and always prayer. We’ve been talking in youth group about the Lord’s prayer and part of the prayer is that God’s kingdom come and his will be done, and that happens through prayer, and Jesus even demonstrated that our prayers should reflect this.

The other thing we should note is that Paul was concerned for the perseverance of the church at Thessalonica. They didn’t have all that much time before people threw the city into an uproar over Paul and Silas and they had to leave. They were new and they were quickly left on their own and Paul and his co-workers were prevented from coming to them. They were a church born in suffering. Paul even preached suffering with the gospel there, in his letter he mentions it as well, that they should expect it. All of it makes for a really difficult situation for anything to thrive, including a church and Paul is trying to make it back so they are encouraged and their faith and persevering. We, like Paul, need to be in prayer and looking for ways to encourage and uplift the parts of the church that suffer, whether they are near us or in other places. Faith is not a game, we can’t just put it on hold and come back later when we have the time. Our brothers and sisters are facing things that we may never face, and they need us to pray on their behalf. Someday it may be you who is called, and when it is your time, you will need the prayers of others to cover you.

Dear God,
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Be with our brothers and sisters who are bringing your good news into difficult places. God before them and open the way for them to share you with others. Be with our brothers and sisters who live in difficult places, help us to know how to encourage them, and protect their faith. Provide for them. Amen

Service - 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

2011-10-24T22:51:00.000-07:00

Read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

In chapter two of this short letter, we read the Apostle Paul defending his ministry to the church of the Thessalonians. His past presence and teaching there was under attack and the local church continued to suffer through persecution. So Paul addresses the accusations directed at him head-on and asserts that his motives for sharing the gospel with them were pure and blameless. He even went out of his way not to be a burden, by working on the side to pay for his living expenses instead of depending on the young church for support. And he affirms them for responding to the gospel and following Christ even though they were enduring great suffering because of it; God would deal with their persecutors.

What resonates as you reflect on this passage? Are you suffering intense persecution in order to follow Christ? Probably not. Do you feel like you’re having to defend yourself from malicious or misguided accusations? Hopefully not. But what about your motivations for serving or even just for coming to youth group? Are they as righteous and selfless as the Apostle Paul’s? Or are they more mixed and messy?

Paul sets a clear example for why and how we should serve and belong in the church. We’re to please God above one another. We’re to be sincere in our interactions and not flatter others to be liked or get ahead. We’re to be honest and not wear masks that hide our real selves, motives, and struggles. We should do nothing out of greed or jealousy. The list could go on….

So why do you come to youth group, and why do you serve? (If you’re not serving in some way then talk to a Doulos member, counselor, or Pastor Jon and we’d be happy to help you plug in!) Our hearts are often deceitful and it can be hard to discern our true motivations for serving. Sometimes we want attention, we want to be liked and praised, we want to attain a special status, we want friends, we think we can get something out of it, etc. It’s easy to serve for selfish reasons—instead of selfless reasons—and we can be good at hiding these impure motives. But nothing is hidden from God, who sees all, and whose son is our ultimate example of a suffering servant.

Take some focused time to intentionally search your heart and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any impure motives within you. Think about what makes you angry when you are serving, and why—that’s one good way to reveal our true motivations. Confess your sins here and receive the grace and strength from God to repent and serve instead out of selfless love for Christ and all He has placed in your care.

Read Psalm 139 as a concluding prayer.

Discipleship - 1 Thessalonians 1

2011-10-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

Read: 1 Thessalonians 1

This semester I’m taking a class entitled “The Ethics and Theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.” For those of you who have not yet heard of him, Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor-theologian who lived during the Third Reich in Nazi Germany. He was perhaps best known as the only pastor who was involved with a plot to assassinate Hitler, and for that reason he was sent to the Flossenburg Concentration Camp and was executed a few weeks before the end of World War II. Dietrich Bonhoeffer visited America twice. In 1930, he came to New York City’s Union Theological Seminary for a postgraduate year. There he met with a fellow friend: Paul Lehmann. My professor, who herself was a close friend of the Lehmanns, would share often of Paul’s stories concerning Bonhoeffer, about the strength and vitality of his faith. Much of this vitality can be sensed in one of Bonhoeffer’s famous books: Discipleship. I recommend it to all of you.

We often think of discipleship as a “mentorship” sort of relationship. Indeed, at WCAC we have a very strong discipleship program that I think all of you should be involved in if you have not yet. But why do we have that program? Why is this discipleship important? For Bonhoeffer, discipleship is ultimately about following Christ, no matter the cost. In his famous first chapter, Bonhoeffer talks about “cheap grace.” The idea of forgiveness without repentance, Christian living without suffering, etc. is cheap grace because it is, to put it differently, cherry-picking the Gospel, picking out what you like about it, and leaving out what you don’t like. We see this all the time. People talk about loving God, but not giving up the things that enslave us, like other gods, money, etc. People talk about following God, but not repenting of sins from our old selves. That is cheap grace.

Bonhoeffer argues that Christianity is about “costly grace,” a grace so costly it costs us our very lives. We see this in the passage we read today. It’s great that God has graciously made Godself known among the Thessalonians (vs. 4-5), but is that enough? What makes the Thessalonian church so much different than just any church that claimed to have received Jesus? We see it in verse 6: they imitated the apostles, who themselves imitated the example set forth by Jesus. And they did that despite “severe suffering”. And in doing so, they preached the Gospel without words, with the Gospel making inroads into Macedonia and Achaia. Paul concludes thusly: “We do not need to say anything about it (v. 8).” Why? The fruits of their witness were plain enough for everyone to see.

Discipleship is fundamentally about imitation. In Jesus’ times, the rabbis would’ve understood what that meant. To be a rabbi begins with becoming a disciple of a famous rabbi. Whatever your master did, you do too. You want to be like your master. If he drank Earl Grey Tea, you’d drink Earl Grey Tea as well, even if you hate it. In our day and age, it’s easy to water down what discipleship is about. Oh, Jesus could not possibly be against homosexuality. Oh, Jesus couldn’t possibly be against having wealth. Oh, Jesus couldn’t possibly be against war. What’s wrong with living in the suburbs? What’s wrong with being patriotic? And by watering down what discipleship is about, we move closer and closer towards cheap grace. Before long, our discipleship becomes a “Denny’s Discipleship.” You meet at Denny’s (McDonald’s or Chik-Fil-A), get your meal, sit together, pray, eat, and then address the most pressing theological and ethical issue of our time: “What do you think of Theo Epstein?” And the rest of the “Denny’s Discipleship” is not so much about Christ as it is about the Cubs and whether this will be the year they’ll experience World Series Resurrection. So much for discipleship.

The challenge for our time today is not liberalism, conservatism, secularism, or whatever “-ism” you can come up with as you try to find a way to fall asleep. No – the challenge for our time today is cheap grace. The challenge for our time today consists of Christians who don’t wish to follow Christ completely, who are unwilling to give up their old idols to serve the one true God; Christians who want to follow Jesus without letting go of their pleasures and possessions. Christians who want to follow Jesus while staying employed. I’m not saying, by the way, that the Cubs, TV, iPods, or a job are bad per se. But so often, they become something we cannot give up.

All the more reason, therefore, that we make authentic discipleship an important part of our fellowship. Let us pray that God will teach us to accept “costly grace” and reject “cheap grace”. May we learn from our disciplers who embody what it means to be saved by costly grace – grace so costly it cost Jesus his dignity and life.

The Gift of Hope

2011-05-05T21:52:00.001-07:00

Read Ephesians 2:11-3:13

Take a moment to stop here and reflect on who you were before Christ saved you. What were the motives and desires of your heart? What paths were you going down? Were you at peace with yourself? What was your hope?

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:32

Paul talks about this being a great mystery of the faith that Gentiles and Jews are reconciled in the kingdom of Christ and together reconciled to God. This side of the resurrection it’s sometimes easy to forget what a mystery it is. Did you ever realize that before Christ was crucified there was a dividing wall of hostility? Not just between you and God (which I hope we emphasize), but even between you and being one of the chosen people of God. For Gentile believers in Yaweh at that time one would need look no further than the massive wall blocking off the court of the Gentiles from the Jewish courts in the temple at Jerusalem, where it would literally mean death if you were to try to cross. Gentiles were considered lesser in value than even women in Jewish culture; and women we know were not considered to have any great value, slightly above beasts. We were without hope, without God, and without the possibility of entering into fellowship. Then along comes Jesus abolishing in his own flesh the dividing wall of hostility. When Christ was hung on the cross with his arms spread wide, did his very posture of suffering and death display his call for all to come to him? God with his arms spread and even nailed wide for all to be received into the new kingdom. Paul says his purpose was to “create a new humanity from the two”. Christ by his blood and death made us equal, made us human in a new humanity of peace, with the Holy Spirit of God being the seal of its veracity. The Gentiles who could not even enter the old temple, by Christ’s sacrifice are a physical part of the new temple. We not only can approach God, we together are the very place he now dwells.

Devotional Singing is the practice of filling your mind with God’s word through song. This can be done alone or with others, but you should allow yourself space enough to connect yourself in your mind and your heart to the words you sing to God, think of it kind of like singing prayer. If you aren’t sure which words you should use, you can start with your favorite passage of scripture or a psalm and begin to sing it back to God.

Dear God, give us the words and melody that we may sing back to you the hope you have given us. Amen.

Father Into Your Hands...

2011-05-04T21:47:00.001-07:00

Let’s start by taking a step back to look at the time line of Jesus’ last day. It’s the middle of the night and Jesus is in the garden praying. He is arrested in the dark and taken to the house of the high priest where he is waits (and also beaten) until day break and brought before the elders for a few questions. They then take him to Pilate (just after daybreak), who sends him to Herod. Then he is sent back to Pilate, and in the next few hours he is flogged befoe carrying the cross through the city and outside the gate to be crucified. He is place on the cross and left there to die which is where our scripture for today starts. Read Luke 23:44-49

The first thing we learn is it was about the 6th hour, which according to the notes at the bottom of my bible informs me that it is noon. Jesus on limited or no sleep has been taken various places, beaten, flogged, carried the cross, and put up on the cross by noon.

The second thing we learn is there is darkness… for three hours in the middle of the day! Then at the 9th hour four major things happen: 1. There is an earthquake (Matt 27:51) 2. Bodies are being raised (Matt 27:52) 3. The curtain is torn 4. Jesus, gives up his spirit and dies (Jn 19:30, Lk 23:46). Had I seen all this happen I think my automatic reaction would be to freak out a bit. Most likely there was a bunch of chaos, fear, terror, screams and people running around frantic. The earthquake is bad enough to be splitting rocks and the curtain being torn was probably one of worst things that could happen to the temple. I don’t even know what to say about bodies being raised…

With everything going on needless to say things were loud, people were upset, and things were looking a little hopeless. So what should people do? Pray? Cry out to God for help? Something else? In Isaiah 53:6-7 Jesus sets the example, he is silent and doesn’t open his mouth. While sometime we need to tell God what is on our hearts, other times we need to be silent and trust and give ourselves over to his hands. Jesus commits his spirit into the Father’s hands (Lk 23:45) because he trusts him and knows it is the only thing to do.

We should come before God in the same way, trusting Him and knowing there is no other way. In the amidst of chaos, a busy week, a stressful moment, temptation, whatever it is to be still and know that he is God so He will be exalted (Ps 46:10). Take the focus off your suffering for a moment and put it back on God. David gives us the same advice in Psalm 4:4-5 (take a quick look… Ps 51:16-17 defines sacrifices of the righteous). We are to search our hearts and remain silent. Many times in our lives when things seem overwhelming God is usually trying to get our attention to say something that were not listening to. So why not stay silent and listen so we know how to pray and don’t fall into sin and hardness of heart?

The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him. (Hab 2:20) Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your mist? (1Cor 3:16) Let us therefore, as God’s temple, be silent before him so that He may be exalted and glorified through the Spirit alive and dwelling within us.

It Is Finished

2011-05-03T20:51:00.001-07:00

“Woman, here is your son…”
“Here is your mother….”
“I am thirsty…”
“It is finished.”

Read: John 19.28-30

Death.

The very mention of the word stirs the souls of Chinese people. It is the “evil word”, the word the utterance of which evokes bad joo-joo. Before my dad passed away, our family never talked about him dying. We always said that things might “change”. As our grandfather approaches 80 years old, we never talk about him dying, but of “things that might happen.” Death indeed is scary. It means something is ending. Whether our efforts and labor were worth it becomes apparent the day we meet our maker. The scariest part is that you never know when it’s going to come.

When I was in high school, I was a part of our school’s NHS. Minnesota has a predominately Lutheran/Congregationalist population, so not surprisingly, our NHS has many committees. I was placed on the Casino Night committee where we organized a night of gambling to raise money for charity. No, it was not my idea. On the committee was Sara. She was an ordinary athletic person with well-combed shoulder-length hair who wore a simple sweater (it was in the middle of winter) and jeans. We talked about our physics teacher who was known for his dry humor. And then we went home. A few days later, she died in her sleep.

Most of you reading this have no idea of death, because you have not seen someone die in front of you. You think that death is at least 50+ years away. You have not been in a situation where the heart monitor of a loved one flatlines as you hold his or her hand. There’s nothing to make you realize that one day, you will face the same fate. The question is always the same: have you wasted your life?

Sometimes we think that a well-lived life means getting lots of stuff done. But that’s not true. Adolf Hitler got a lot of stuff done. And so did Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, and other tyrants. But we would rather that they got nothing done! Sometimes, we go through life so fast that we just do stuff, do this, do that, all without thinking. And in the end, when we reflect on that stuff, we realize that all we’ve done so far is just stuff. No lives changed. No living well. Nothing done well. Nothing learned. Just stuff.

As you read the passage above, note the slowness of the reading. This is not a passage you can read in 10-15 seconds. It is a weighty passage, with every pace moving slowly because Jesus’ work is drawing to a close. Everything he did was in fulfillment of the Scriptures, in taking the Law and raising the bar so high that obeying it in its fullness can only be done through the Spirit, from the drinking of the sour wine to the hyssop plant (cf. the Passover in Exodus). It builds up to Jesus’ last words: “it is finished.”

So let us slow down in reflection. As we go approach Good Friday, let us slow down and take some time in reflecting on the Cross. Let this Holy Week not just be something you “do” just for the sake of “doing”, but something that reorients you towards Christ once again. And let this Holy Week touch upon all you do. May every part of your life, from homework to hanging out with friends to youth group to driving to whatnot be not just any other humdrum event, but an opportunity to live out well.

May we, the day death arrives at our doorstep, greet it with joy saying, “It’s all finished!”.

JESUS IS LORD AND SAVIOR OF THE WORLD

2011-05-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

Please read Col 1:15-20.

The Apostle Paul is very clear as lays out the supremacy of Jesus Christ: the same “all things” that Jesus Christ created and sustains are the very same “all things” that Jesus Christ is reconciling back to himself through his blood, shed on the cross. In other words, Jesus Christ died because of our sin, but he did not die just to save us; all of creation is groaning because of our sin (Romans 8), and he died to save his whole creation. Amen!

Sometimes we make the gospel all about us and only for us. We should correct this. Two points from Colossians apply here. First—the gospel is ultimately about God, not us. Second—the gospel is for us AND for all the rest of creation. It is God’s good news about the reconciliation of ALL THINGS by Jesus Christ, through his blood that was shed on the cross.

Consider the unified voice of the global evangelical church through the official statement from the Lausanne Congress last year (aka the Cape Town Commitments):
“We remind ourselves that the Bible declared God’s redemptive purpose for creation itself. Integral mission means discerning, proclaiming, and living out, the biblical truth that the gospel is God’s good news, through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, for individual persons, and for society, and for creation. All three are broken and suffering because of sin; all three are included in the redeeming love and mission of God; all three must be part of the comprehensive mission of God’s people.”

What a big vision God has! And what an inexpressible privilege that he invites us to join him on this divine mission! I’ll unpack the implications of this more in future devotions. But for now let us simply be in awe of God’s matchless mercy and grace, which covers all our sin and heals the deep brokenness of the world we share. We worship him as our personal Lord and Savior, and we worship him as Lord and Savior of the whole world. God is good!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise him all creatures here below, praise him above ye heavenly hosts, praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

“My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?”

2011-05-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

Have you ever gone through an intense period of suffering and thought that maybe God had abandoned you? Maybe it was the death of a loved one. Or maybe some sort of extreme trial in school. Often we are faced with situations and life’s difficulties and it feels like God has abandoned us. Or worse yet, that He’s punishing us by withdrawing His presence from us. That’s not the case; God hasn’t abandoned or forsaken us. But there was a point in salvation history when God had hidden His face from Jesus. And it was in that moment of suffering that Jesus underwent the intensely just and righteous wrath of God, separate from relationship for the first time since eternity past. It was in his brokenness that Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” the fourth of his seven cries from the cross.

Read Mark 15:33-41

For the first time ever, as a result of taking on the sin of the world and trading his righteousness for our sinfulness, Jesus experienced separation from the Father. God poured out His wrath on Jesus in that moment and Jesus echoes one of David’s psalms in his cry to God. It wasn’t that Jesus didn’t understand why God poured out His wrath on him, he knew full well that God’s plan from the beginning of time was for Jesus to give his life for the world. Instead, Jesus was expressing what he was feeling in that moment of suffering, the fact that God had abandoned him. The significant thing about the Psalm that Jesus quoted from was that in it, while David acknowledges his feelings of hopelessness, the Psalm is largely about God’s ability to save.

Read Psalm 22

In the same way that David knew God’s plan for salvation, Jesus knew that death could not hold him, and the Father would act in divine intervention for him, raising him from the dead. Not only raising him from physical death, but restoring Jesus to relationship within the Godhead. All that from four words in the original language, translated “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Spend some time this morning reflecting on the immensity of what Jesus did for you on the cross. It wasn’t just a physical death that Christ experienced for you, but it was the complete abandonment by God, something he’d never felt before. It was in that moment that God poured out all of His righteous wrath on Jesus. The justice necessary for every sin. Every lie. Every murder. Every rape. Every gossip. Every moment of selfishness and pride. For everything in between the Fall and the day he comes again, Jesus bore it. That moment, he satisfied the wrath of God. For you.

On the cross, Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” so that you would never have to.

Sacrifice

2011-04-29T12:25:00.001-07:00

Read John 19:24-27

So I want you to picture this scene with me: Here’s Jesus, hanging on the cross, all bloody and exhausted beyond words. Soldiers had already had their share of mocking him, beating him, and now they divided his undergarments. Near the cross were Jesus’ mother, Mary, Mary Magdalene, and John (“the disciple whom he loved.” They stood next to hanging Jesus filled with pity and sorrow. What could they do? Then suddenly, Jesus speaks.
He tells his mother, probably in painful, broken words, “Mother, here is your son.”
And then to John he says, “Here is your mother.”
The crowd stays silent as they process what Jesus just said.

I’m sure you know of this passage. But it’s important that you grasp and visualize what exactly is happening in this passage. Remember, Jesus isn’t just saying these words lightly. He’s on the cross! He’s suffering unbearable pain, and here, you can almost see him gasping these words out to his mother and John. And what did he say? Well, simply stated, he told his mother that John was now her son, and to John, that my mother is now your mother as well. The passage finishes with stating that “from that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”

What Jesus did was sacrifice. Yes, his crucifixion was also sacrifice, but this act of compassion towards his beloved mother and disciple was equally as sacrificial. You have to understand this. Jesus was dying. Yet he still took what air was left in his lungs to make certain of the welfare of his family. Now expand that, and you have the crucifixion. He suffered all the pain and humiliation all for the welfare of God’s family, His children. Do you get the picture? This is true sacrifice. Jesus is the true sacrifice.

Now you get it, but let’s connect it to your life. If Jesus sacrificed his all for us, and even sacrificed precious breaths to care for his family, how do we measure to that? I’m sure we sacrificed meat, Facebook, fast food, or any other distractions in life all for lent, but what does that act of sacrifice even mean for us? We’re so quick to sacrifice things all for the sake of “religion,” but do we even bother to sacrifice our time – our, oh so precious, time – for God’s people? For the ones we truly care for? Jesus cared for his mother and John when he was nailed to the cross, dying for our sins. Think about that. How should we respond to such sacrifice? As followers of Jesus, how can we be shine the light just how Jesus did? Pray that God would transform you into a “living sacrifice,” void of the old, and bursting with newfound light.

The Real Jesus - Sabbath

2011-04-27T18:48:00.001-07:00

When I was dating Joanne, I was impressed by her calm, gracious, cheerful personality – a big contrast to my anxious, self-centered, gloomy personality. She seemed too good to be for real. Maybe she was faking it, just acting when I was around? How could I find out what she was really like? I got a chance to find out when she had a huge project to complete at the end of the school term. She worked on it day and night, finally going without sleep for several nights in a row to finish it. In that state of complete exhaustion, under grinding pressure, the real Joanne was sure to surface. Would I discover that she was actually crabby, self-pitying, and prone to fits of temper?

In the same way, we have all these stories about Jesus – he seems so kind and caring. Really? Or was all that just a show? How can we find out what God is really like inside? Today’s passage shows us God stripped naked, completely vulnerable, in agonizing pain. Here is where we meet the real Jesus and find out how he really feels about us.

Read Luke 23:32-43.

Question: Look again at how Jesus treats the people around him. Listen to the words that come out of His heart. If you were in His place, what would your heart have said?

Consider the second of Jesus’ last words to people, “Truly, I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise. They were addressed to a criminal, and Jesus in his suffering could still speak with so much compassion and forgiveness while he was suffering himself. In the last moments of this criminals’ life he had nothing to look forward to but condemnation from everyone around him, but Christ, because he looks at him and sees his faith, gives him the hope of paradise over the pit. Christ draws near to relate to this condemned man in his suffering to offer him the hope of salvation. Now think about how Christ has done that for you, how he is doing that for you even today, even now. How has Christ drawn near to you when you felt overwhelmed by the judgment of others?

Pray: Tell Jesus what you see in the real Him.

The spiritual discipline for today is Sabbath. When was the last time you had a real Sabbath? When was the last time you took a day to rest and reflect on God? Separate yourself today from the business and give yourself time to work on your relationship with God. Tell God about the moments when you have seen him moving in your life. Give God some time when you are just listening and he can speak with you. What is he saying?

Father, forgive…

2011-04-26T20:03:00.001-07:00

Read: Luke 23.26-43

Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord.
Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord.
For He will lift you up
higher and higher
and He will lift you up.

It is interesting that of all the major religions, only within Christianity is forgiveness such a big deal. Indeed, we have in our reading above the best example – Jesus, dying on the cross, watching his created beings crucify and accuse the God they profess to worship. He, of course, has all the right to breathe fire on them. He has the right to destroy his enemies, the Roman soldiers, the teachers of the law and chief priests who sneered at him. But he did not. He only responded with “Father… forgive them…”
We live in a world, unfortunately, where forgiveness is foreign. Just watch the news. Not long ago, Tiger Woods revealed that he had several mistresses. Lindsey Lohan was in court again for stealing. And just today (4/5/2011) Justin Bieber’s cake burned his mom’s hair. The news reports them as if they were not supposed to make mistakes! Tiger Woods may be a sports idol and many respect him and see him as a role model, but one thing I know – Woods was not perfect. Lindsey Lohan, who is very wealthy, was in and out of the courtrooms and rehab. The news made it sound like she’s this “bad girl” who used to be good. The problem is that something is terribly wrong with Lohan, and she needs help, not more media attention gawking at her problems. As my ethics professor put it, “Americans are so finicky. One day their idols and celebrities are extolled as heroes, and when they make one mistake, everyone tries to kill them as quickly as possible.”
We’d be dreaming if we claim that the Church is above and beyond such finicky-ness. A few years ago, the chairman of the National Association of Evangelicals, Ted Haggard, who preached vehemently against homosexuality, was caught with a male prostitute. In my opinion, the response was more interesting than Haggard’s sin itself. Most notable, I think, was Dr. James Dobson’s. Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, who used to publicly support Haggard, quickly became silent and withdrew all contact from him. Apparently, “tainted” people such as Ted Haggard are to be avoided from holier people such as Dobson. At least that’s how many of my liberal seminarians interpreted the situation.
Why is forgiveness so hard? Why is following Jesus in this respect so difficult?
Part of the problem, I think, is because we think we’re right. We’re conservative evangelicals; we believe X, Y, and Z; therefore, we must be right. We have to be right. And God must be on our side, because we are conservative evangelicals. We think we’re somehow higher, better, more righteous than others who are not like us. Dr. Duane Litfin, former president of Wheaton College, once said that Wheaton College is “militantly evangelical.” But if Jesus were militantly evangelical, he first words would not have been “Father, forgive…” Thus, forgiveness and humility always go hand in hand. When we truly see ourselves honestly, we will be more willing to forgive others readily. When we dethrone ourselves and put Christ in the throne of our hearts, maybe we can see others with the same eyes as God. When we humble ourselves, we might just see others with the eyes of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who were against Jesus, but with the eyes of our God who saw people in need of healing, in need of love.
Let us spend some time in quiet reflection on the virtue of humility. Are we judgmental people? Just think about our youth group for a second. Maybe you know a few people who have issues. Some might have issues reining in their words. Some might have issues of lust. What’s your first reaction? Eww! They’re not as holy as I am!
Think about school. There, you definitely know a few people who you despise, if you’re honest with yourself. Those inner city kids who are head-over-heels if they get a B-?
Those kids who swear across the hallway?
Those kids who don’t understand the Pythagorean Theorem?
Those kids who have GPAs less than 3.5?
Those kids who are gay?
Those people who had sex before getting married?

Whatever categories and labels you use for them, we are called to be different, to not judge. Think about some of the words we use to hurt. Merely not using those words is not enough. We’re called to eliminate those categories that are intended to cut down and destroy and replace them with the love and mercy that comes from Christ. If our call is for Christ likeness, consider how Jesus see’s these individuals. Not as a label, but as someone in need of compassion.

Origin of all righteousness,
Confronted by You we confess our unworthiness, even our sin. It is a terrible thing to be so found by You. We want You to like us, and so we try to hide who we are. We play at being faithful. Alas, such play only becomes an occasion for more sin. Yet You forgive us in a way that does not destroy. You make us Your own and in the process free us from our enjoyment of our sin. It is good to be forgiven by You.
Amen.

The Response of Sorrow

2011-04-25T21:34:00.001-07:00

Read Luke 23:44-56.

Sorrow and grief take many forms. For those of you who are more familiar with death and tragedy this will not be anything new to you, but let’s take a look for a moment at the sorrow surrounding Jesus’ death:

“Surely this was a righteous man.”
What an interesting thing for a man who had literally presided over the death of Jesus to say. What was it, I wonder, that made him make such an exclamation? Was it the death itself? Was it everything leading up to the death? Had he inadvertently been paying attention to this condemned man’s last words? Was it the reaction of God through nature around him when the sky turned dark and the earth shook? What does it say about his regret? Does he seem to regret that he just killed a man who didn’t deserve it?

“When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away.”
The very people who, a moment before, had been the mocking passersby upon his death become the wailing mourners. The practice of wailing in the Middle East is still commonly done today upon death. However it was not commonly done by men either back them or today, and yet here and in the original language there is everything to suggest that there were both men and women who were wailing at the time of Christ’s death. Why? Was it because they too had the clarity of the Centurion? Were some of these people also among the faithful followers? If they weren’t with Jesus’ family were they all there to mock Jesus? Whatever their reason for being there, at seeing his death there was a sudden realization of who he was that equally affected men and women standing nearby.

“Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. . . Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body.”
Joseph always seemed to me a pretty decent man. It’s not clear here that he believes in the resurrection of Jesus, and presumably no one expected it; but having just witnessed the death of the man he hoped would be Messiah bringing the kingdom of God, he still goes out of his way to make provision for his burial. Was it out of guilt or shame? The gospel of Luke states that he didn’t agree with the Sanhedrin’s actions or decisions. Was it because he realized who Jesus was and loved him? Was it because it was the last thing he could do for the man whom he had hoped in as Messiah?

“The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph . . . then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes.”
Was it the job only of the women to make themselves ceremonially unclean in order to preserve the dead with the spices and perfumes? No. Yet they are the only ones recorded who are making further preparations to give Jesus a proper Jewish burial.

Looking at some of these examples of grief and sorrow you may see your own reaction, you may not. How is it that you relate to the sorrow of the Cross? How do you connect with Jesus on the level of grief? What does your sorrow have to say about your relationship with Christ?

Today’s spiritual discipline is seeking Guidance. For most of us we like to seek guidance from God in big decisions like college, careers, relationships, missions, or moving. This is something different. Seeking guidance from God in these areas is important, but the discipline of seeking Guidance revolves being open to what God wants to do through your life daily and being obedient, not just in the decisions you consider big. Take some time out today to actively listen for God’s will without pushing forth your own desires, is there something God is putting on your heart that you didn’t see before?

God, quiet our hearts and our souls so we may listen to you. Speak to us of the things that are close to your heart. Give us willing spirits that are obedient to your will, so that in all things you may be given glory. Amen.

The Response of Faith - Prayer

2011-04-24T05:17:00.001-07:00

Before we begin today, let’s just recap what has happened so far:
Jesus has been brutally and unjustly tried, found guilty, beaten, beaten some more, spit on, and suffered through all sorts of other things too. In a nutshell, Jesus was tortured physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
I think that most of us might be able to understand the physical and emotional torture to a miniscule degree. Perhaps you’ve been severely injured physically at some point playing a sport. Perhaps you’ve experienced extreme pain at the death of a family member. But I think that none of us can really, truly comprehend the spiritual pain that Jesus went through. Having always been intimately connected to God in a perfectly harmonious relationship, Jesus never knew separation from Him. So when he was forced to endure that separation, even if only for mere minutes on that cross, it must have felt devastating. What does Jesus do though?

Read Luke 23:39-49

I think what strikes me in this passage above anything else is Jesus’ response to all this pain and suffering: prayer. He cries out to the Father, amidst all of his hurt, amidst all of his disfigurement (how many of us could handle that even?). He does not blame God for all of his struggles, for the mere humans who are essentially treating God’s one and only Son like a common criminal; instead he prays. And what does he say? “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” What an image: a perfectly obedient and humble son who would do his father’s will, even if it meant temporary death (separation from God) and the shame and humiliation heaped on him as the perfect sacrifice. God the Father allows all of this to happen yet it is to this very same God to whom Jesus commits his spirit into. What this screams to me is this: “I TRUST YOU! Even if it seems that, at the current time, things seem to be going crazy and out of control and nothing is going right, I WILL TRUST IN YOU. I will trust that you have a greater plan.”
So what is holding you back from responding to God amidst trials and hardships as Jesus did? Is it a lack of trust in Him? Distractions? The belief that you can count on other things or people to pull you up out of the depths of your problems? Whatever it is, other than God, it doesn’t work. Even up to today, I still personally struggle with trusting God and praying to Him amidst my struggles and the craziness of my life. But I know that God is calling me to turn to Him more and more everyday for strength and comfort just as He is calling you to turn to Him in prayer. As we continue approaching Easter, how can we learn to imitate Christ’s example of prayer more and more each day?

Father, forgive us of the times when we’ve sinned by not turning to you first when we are faced with challenges. But transform our hearts; renew them daily that we may learn to trust you and build our foundation upon You and your Word.

The Response of Mourning – Confession

2011-04-15T21:15:00.001-07:00

Matthew 27: 45-56

Take some time to read this passage, and then reread it. Jesus could have chosen to take upon our sins all alone, he cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Through this experience, Jesus doesn’t choose to take a different route, but follows through with what God has planned for him, and dies for our sins. He chose to continue to obey God despite knowing how much pain and suffering he would have to endure. As we look at this passage, there are two mourners. One is God mourning the death of his son, symbolized by nature’s response.

The landscape reacts to God mourning, darkness passes over the land, and the earthquake shakes the ground. The curtain of the temple is torn, symbolizing a chetonet, which is something that people in ancient times would rip off from their clothes to mourn for someone who has passed away. And when Adam and Eve sinned, they were closed by God; they were wrapped in a chetonet, a veil separating them from God and each other. The chetonet being ripped into two shows how we can now be in community with God and that we are no longer separated from God. The mourning of God is shown through nature, and the significance of it is even noticed by the non-Christians, the centurion and the others watching of Jesus said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” Take some time to reflect on Christ’s sacrifice for us, and what it means for us.

The other mourners of Jesus were the women, specifically the Marys. The women were with Jesus through the whole crucifixion, and were there after it; they helped bury him, and were the mourners of Jesus on Earth.

Just as how Jesus was mourned for, take some time to reflect on how you have mourned for Christ’s sacrifice for us.

Now take some time to pray:
Dear God, we confess that we don’t always live for Jesus and don’t always show that we love him. We get distracted and stray away from you sometimes. We pray that you would continue to remind us of Christ’s sacrifice for us and that you would instill in us a desire to continue following you. Amen.

The Response of Forgiveness - Worship

2011-04-15T21:14:00.002-07:00

Read Luke 23: 26-43

We’ve all heard the story before; this is the crucifixion of Jesus. It may take you back to younger days in Sunday School when the teacher would show a picture of a cross and all the little kids would ooh and ahh before asking for some more goldfish to snack on. We know the story, now how can we reflect on its meaning?

What does it mean for us to read about how Jesus was led to the hill to take on your sin? Maybe think of it through the eyes of a soldier or one of the other men being crucified as they watched him being beaten and mocked. How would it have looked through their eyes? Was it just another man being nailed to a cross or was it something that affected the lives of all those living and even not yet living through to this present day?

Reread the passage now through the eyes of whom you pick. Think of how it affected them and what it looked like as they watched it all unfold.

Think about worship- how you worship. When you are singing through words on a screen and when you are praying do you remember that you are praising the God who sent his son to take on the shame and sin of the entire world? Are those just words on a screen that you’ve come to memorize and recite like machines, or are they words that you are meditating on and consciously thinking of what you are saying? Think about how you pray, do you say the same things every time you talk with the Lord? Have those become words that you’ve grown so used to praying for that you don’t even realize it?

Spend time in prayer reflecting on how you can worship in a way that truly gives God the glory he deserves. Meditate on each and every line that you are singing, pray in a way that it does not become a structured checklist of things to pray for, but think of it like a conversation with your closest friend where you aren’t rushing to carry on with the rest of your day but you are there to spend time with them and to speak and listen while letting whatever comes to your mind and thoughts be lifted up to the God who is there listening. What little things can you do to make your “worship time” more of a lifestyle? What things are you doing during your day that aren’t letting God speak to you without you realizing it, what can you change to fill your life and mind with that will benefit you and your walk with Christ each and everyday?

Meditation: The Response of Indifference

2011-04-15T21:14:00.001-07:00

Read Mark 15:21-32

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes, it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

You may not recognize the hymn above, but for the black church in America, this hymn was no ordinary hymn. Along with other famous songs such as “Amazing Grace”, these songs were reminders of faith despite being enslaved in the 19th century. The white slaveowners – many Christian – did not permit the slaves to worship in a way that they’re comfortable with, so the slaves held secret services where they could sing praise songs that incorporated African rhythms, cadences, etc. And from such squalid and unjust conditions came some of the deepest hymns that, despite their simplicity, still speak to us today.

The passage we read above sounds familiar. After all, we read it yesterday. But for most – if not all – of us, the crucifixion story is just another story. We read it, and maybe just think, “oh, how tragic,” and then maybe utter a prayer or two. On Good Friday, we hear the story, maybe shed a tear or two. But then, maybe two weeks after Holy Week, we’re no different. It’s almost as if we’ve never heard of the crucifixion story at all.

But such a lackadaisical indifference to the story of Christ’s death is not unique to just many Christians today – it’s happening across the world. Just this past week, Newt Gingrich, who is campaigning for the Republican nomination for the 2012 Presidential race, talked about how he fears that America is growing more and more atheist. But where does that atheism come from? Does it just appear from nowhere? Of course not. When people see Jesus’ crucifixion as just another historical event, coupled with the hypocrisy within the Church, the power of the Gospel becomes muddied. Elie Wiesel wrote once that “because of indifference, one dies before one actually dies.”

What, then, could be done? In a world that is all about getting things done quickly, expediently, in a world about becoming “bigger, faster, better, stronger” we need to slow down. When we think of “meditation”, we often think of Buddhist meditation, which involves trying to rid our minds of gobble-dy-gook. Those math equations, chemical formulas, all those things – just forget about them. But in Christian meditation, we’re more… realistic, shall we say? Instead of just clearing our minds of everything, let us refocus our minds on the cross. Let us focus on the image of our God who died for our sins. Let us focus our minds, our lives, on that image.

For tonight, let’s re-read Mark 15:21-32. I realize it’s a Wednesday, and it might not be the best day to do this, but if you have the time, re-read it a few times. Each time you read it, put yourselves in the shoes of the different people involved.

Picture yourself as one of “those who passed by”. How would you ridicule him? What a loony Jesus was! Destroying the temple and rebuilding it in 3 days? You’ve lost your mind! Might as well be crucified – the world is better of without you!

Picture yourself as one of “the chief priests and the teachers of the law”, the “evangelical conservatives” of Jesus’ time! This Jesus is delusional, liberal, Marxist! This is the Jesus who hung out with the tax collectors (think: liberal Christians), the Samaritans (think: illegal immigrants). This is the Jesus who even extended kindness to a Roman official (think: Arabs). Here is a Jesus who claimed that it is harder for the wealthy to go to Heaven! (think: socialist). Who needs a liberal, illegal, Arab, and socialist Jesus? Oh, and since he talked about “saving others”, let’s see if he can do that too!

Picture yourself as one of the Roman soldiers who crucified him. Who cares, right? He’s just one of those rag-tag Judeans, not one of us noble Romans. Those Judeans have no culture; they’re crass and uneducated compared to us glorious and refined Romans. Might as well crucify one more, right? One less Judean means one less crude barbarian on this planet.

Picture yourself as a slave in America singing the hymn above while remembering the cross. Your white masters whip you, yell derogatory comments at you, raping your heart and soul with every racist epithet, tearing down every shred of humanity you ever have. And then, after a day of enduring the scorn and evil heaped upon you, you sing the beautiful hymn of praise… were you there when they crucified my Lord?

And now, picture yourself as a teenage Asian-American man/woman getting ready to go to school tomorrow, probably staying up a little too late because of this long devotional. What is the cross to you?

The Response of Mockery

2011-04-15T21:13:00.000-07:00

Read Mark 15:16-32

A number of people responded to the cross with open mockery. In the last moments of Jesus’ life he received scorn from every sector around him. Let’s take a moment and reflect on the types of scorn that Jesus received.
The Roman Soldiers and Jesus vs. 16-20. It’s almost ironic to me that crouched within this scenario of the soldiers denigration of someone they presumed to be a religious/political Jewish upstart is the tragic reality that their brutality is directed at the only Son of God, and the true King.
Pilate Mocks Jesus vs. 26 The sign of his charge was written not just in Hebrew but in multiple languages so that any local or traveler could read the invectively sarcastic remark from Pilate that this is what Rome did with kings of other nations; whether or not he had washed his hands of Jesus’ death.
The passersby mocked Jesus vs. 29-30. From the account in Mark’s gospel Golgotha must have been packed that day because there are the soldiers, the other thieves, Jesus’ friends and family, the chief religious leaders and also just people passing by. Whoever they were though, the must have been familiar with Jesus’ teaching or overheard it from others because they’re scorn is directed at an argument about the temple. Ironically, they were looking at the very God whose presence the temple was built to demonstrate among the people.
The religious leaders mock Jesus vs. 31-32 I find it very odd that the religious leaders claim that Jesus had saved others. If indeed they knew he had saved others and that salvation is only found through God then they must’ve known he was God. Why then would they need to see to believe? The hardened heart looks but doesn’t recognize.
The criminals mock Jesus vs. 32. Even those in the same situation as Jesus apparently were mocking him amidst their own suffering. If the shame of social rejection and humiliation of the bloody, naked, crucifixion were not enough he endured hours of ridicule from everyone around him before he died. What do we learn from this?
Today’s Spiritual discipline is reflection. Take some time to remember the crucifixion of Christ and how you have responded in the past. What types of response have you made? What happens to the image of the cross when we sin and harden our hearts toward God?
God, grant us humble hearts to look and see the sacrifice of Jesus, your Beloved Only Son, and help us to remember. Amen.

The Response of Silence

2011-04-10T19:14:00.001-07:00

It’s funny that as I’m writing this devotional, I also happen to be watching the movie The Passion of the Christ. And even as I was reading the passage for today, I was watching it unfold on screen. A coincidence? Maybe. But even with the understanding that The Passion of the Christ is just one man’s depiction of scripture and not scripture itself, I was struck by how accurately it portrays what was happening as Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin. If you have the chance, I’d watch the movie. Or better yet. Read the story the movie was based on.

Read Mark 14:53-15:5

Try to picture what is going on as Jesus stands before the high priest. He’s surrounded by an angry mob, and person after person comes forth to accuse him. He hasn’t done anything wrong, and yet he doesn’t speak in his own defense. His response to his accusers is silence. Why do you think that is? I think that when Jesus said “Not my will but yours be done” to the Father, he meant, I will take whatever abuse they heap on me. Jesus bore both the wrath of God on the cross, but also the shame of being accused, beaten, and crucified like a common criminal. His response to his accusers? Silence. Full acceptance that God’s will was going to happen.

Spend sometime this day reflecting on Jesus and his response as he stood before the high priest. Yes, his silence spoke volumes about his character and his submission to the Father’s plan. But the few words he spoke before the high priest speak immensely about his person. He is God. “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Death couldn’t hold him in the grave. While the Sanhedrin accused him of threatening the temple, Jesus was only telling everyone that he was the perfect sacrifice.

Take some time to reflect on the Easter story and journal. What emotions spring up in you when you hear the story of the crucifixion? What thoughts has God put in your mind as you reflect on Him and all that He’s done for us through his Son?

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” Isaiah 53:7

The Way of the Cross

2011-04-07T14:16:00.002-07:00

Luke 9:18-27

Recently, I have been student teaching at Wheaton North with ESL students. This week several teachers have been observing me teach the students (very humbling for me!) After every class I teach I have to submit myself to listening to their critiques about my teaching and then try to improve the next class. As you can imagine it creates a lot of pressure, frustration, and discouragement to see all your weaknesses so closely. However, I submit myself to these critiques knowing that it is a refining process and the end goal of teaching well is what will glorify God and open doors when I’m in China. For some reason, when we talk about submission we feel negatively about it (probably because we are selfish beings…) but I hope you keep an open mind and it is more positive at the end of this. Take a moment to pray, then start by reading Luke 9:18-27

Here Jesus is praying with his disciples nearby and He asks them two important questions. First, He wants to know who people think He is. Their response included John the Baptist, Elijah, and the prophets of old. Take a moment to think about what these three answers have in common. After reflecting on it you might have realized that they are all humans that have had special anointing or used by God for something important. Next, Jesus wants to know what the disciples think and Peter answers “The Christ of God” (ESV) or “God’s Messiah” (NIV). Think a moment about Peter’s response. What does ‘Christ’ or ‘Messiah’ actually mean? ‘Christ’ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word ‘Messiah’ so both mean the same thing: Anointed.

Peter said ‘Anointed one of God’ or ‘God’s Anointed’. So what does the word anointed mean? Usually it means that you are rubbing oil on something to prepare it for holy use. In Jesus’ case he was anointed with the Holy Spirit (Isa 61:1, Luke 3:21-22). Peter was repeating what he knew mentally of Jesus and what he had seen as a disciple. But perhaps he didn’t really understand what it meant to label Jesus as the ‘Christ’ because Jesus then explains what is coming and we also know what happens to Peter in Luke 22:54-62. Jesus was much more than just a prophet anointed for God’s use. He wanted to make sure the disciples knew that before He told them what was coming, even if they didn’t fully understand, so they would be ready when they finally did understand.

Jesus explains what is coming in verse 22. He knew that the only hope for humanity was in His death and resurrection. He had to submit to death, God submitted himself so that we could gain life! Jesus, so perfect, did not deserve the pain and difficulty of the cross/death BUT He submitted to it anyway because there was no other way we could know life in communion with Him. His only request is that we deny our selfishness and pick up the cross He places before us knowing that He will strengthen us (1 Cor 10:13).

Now ask God what are you doing out of selfishness that you should deny and what is the cross placed before you. Stop and listen! This takes time! This is something to ask God daily and moment by moment… it’s a discipline you must learn. Most of the time it can be painful and fearful, but just like I am being refined in my teaching through submission to critique (or Peter in Lk 22) so you are being refined in your submission to ASKING what you need to deny and CHOOSING to pick up that cross. We submit because He submitted first for us. The wonderful thing is you will find more joy and freedom in submission to God than anywhere else because He created us that way…for submission!

The Simple Cross

2011-04-07T14:16:00.001-07:00

Read: Luke 23:26-43

When President Ronald Reagan passed away in 2004, the funeral at the Washington National Cathedral was packed with people we read in history books. Of course, there were presidents Carter, H.W. Bush, Clinton, and W. Bush. There was Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, prime ministers of the United Kingdom, former Soviet chairman Mikhail Gorbachev, French president Jacques Chirac. The body in the coffin was then escorted on an elaborate carriage to Air Force One, where it was flown to California and finally buried in large tomb. It was a fitting tribute to one of the most popular – if not the most popular – presidents in recent decades.

Jesus, on the other hand, had no funeral. His “funeral service” comprised of religious leaders going, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” He was escorted along the Via Dolorosa on the way to Golgotha. The soldiers drafted an unwilling Simon the Cyrene to carry Jesus’ cross for him. And then, on Golgotha, they crucified him. Crucifixion was a terrible punishment. The physical pain and suffering victims of crucifixion endured was only the tip of the iceberg. Crucifixion was reserved for the most deranged criminals, for those who deserved to be put up in the public for parents to take their kids to and say, “That’s what you get for being a baaaad person!” And to rub salt into the wound, Jesus was crucified between two thieves. The thieves must have robbed someone incredibly wealthy or committed some additional crime on top of their theft, because a pickpocket doesn’t get crucified.

This was no fitting death for “The King of the Jews”. Even St. Paul had a much more dignified execution (he was beheaded alone). But even so, wouldn’t it be better if Jesus were crucified in between two political prisoners or two social justice campaigners or even two overzealous Jews (there was a militaristic faction of Judaism back in Jesus’ day)? But Jesus’ death was an ordinary execution; shockingly ordinary for a king.

The story of Jesus’ crucifixion is simple, and its simplicity magnifies the power and the significance of this story. So let us spend some time reading the story again and again. Put yourself in the shoes of someone witnessing the crucifixion. As Jesus was mounted on the cross, ask yourself: “Is this who I want to follow first in my life?” And as he died on the cross, ask yourself this: “Is this the kind of God I want to worship?”

What does it mean for us to worship this crucified God?

Great God, humble us so that we will be capable of hearing your Word. We thank you for the gift of yourself in the Scripture. We rejoice in its complexity. Give us the simplicity to be confounded by your Word. Amen.
- Stanley Hauerwas

Jesus Takes Our Shame

2011-04-07T14:15:00.002-07:00

“Living Out the Lyrics: What Does That Even Look Like?”

During youth group and on Sunday mornings we sometimes sing Judson W. Van Deventer’s, “I Surrender All.” The refrain is repeated throughout the song and goes…

“I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.”

Whenever I sing this song I get a little scared inside. I’m hesitant to commit to my words. Surrendering ALL is an extreme statement. When we sing praise to and worship God we want to mean the words we say and offer them up from the bottom of our hearts, but how can we make such a big commitment without knowing what it means or looks like?

Slowly Read Colossians 2:6-15
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

When you think about Christ’s physical suffering and death on the cross, do you see a triumph? Honestly, it’s easy for me to see the shame, the pain and suffering, and the degradation. Yet here the Bible tells us that the powers and authorities of this world were paraded around in humiliation by the cross. I think deep down it’s easy for most of us to look away from the sight of Christ on the cross; a suffering and bleeding savior makes us uncomfortable, so we only think of it when we have to. What should really make us uncomfortable is that Christ’s body reflects our sin and brokenness. Take a good look inside and you don’t have to go very far before you see your own humiliation and degenerateness apart from Christ. However, Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf turned the world upside down. Those of us in Christ understand the triumph that Christ has over sin, over the powers that bound us. We can look at the cross and see that Jesus in being humbled to death absorbed our humiliation and brokenness. Is there any brokenness that you still need to surrender?

In versus 6-10, Paul starts off by reminding us that accepting Christ is no one time spoken proclamation, but a process to be lived out. We forget so often that we are living to glorify God, and in the large scheme of things, nothing else matters. The world might be saying otherwise, but we need to kill the selfish mindset and pointless stress, look heaven-wards, and become alive in Christ. We know that HE is the ruler of everything, and already has great plans for us. HE is the one who loves us and died for us. Take Christ off the back burner, and give everything else to Him, the one who controls everything. What is holding you back?

In versus 11-12, Paul again reminds us of the past when we accepted Christ into our hearts. He gets metaphor heavy and throws two big ones at us; “circumcised” and “buried with Christ.” In the NLT, it does a great job of telling you straight up what he’s talking about, “When you came to Christ, you were ‘circumcised,’ but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.” Also, not all of us have been literally been baptized, but when we accepted Jesus into our hearts, we surrendered our sinful nature and were raised to new life. In 12-15, he stresses the importance of the cutting away, and in verse 14, he explains why we can be alive in Christ. “He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.” We’ve all sinned plenty in our lives but we don’t need to be fixated on it because Jesus took it to the cross and wiped us clean. He loves us and wants to be with us; we shouldn’t be ashamed to go to him. Surrendering shouldn’t be a mundane task we’re hesitant to perform but a joyous one that we are more than willing to do in order to have a closer relationship with Christ.

Christ Takes Our Debt

2011-04-07T14:15:00.001-07:00

Read Luke 7:36-50

The woman, labeled as a “sinner” by the Pharisee, was probably looked down on by her whole community. However, not only did the woman receive forgiveness from Jesus, but He used her as an example of how we should respond to God taking our debts.
Her sins were not forgiven as a result of her sacrificing expensive perfume or wetting Jesus’ feet with her tears. As Jesus said, “her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown”. No human “good works” we do can gain forgiveness. The woman’s faith in God saved her, and her grateful actions reflect this.
The Pharisee, high in rank and in “religiousness”, is represented by the person in Jesus’ story that borrowed fifty denarii. He borrowed less, was forgiven for less, and thus loved Jesus less. Jesus makes it clear that this response is erroneous, and rebukes him for it. I read the sentence “but whoever has been forgiven little loves little” almost as a sarcastic statement—does Jesus ever forgive “little”? According to God’s standards, no sin is little. God is perfect and just; even as His heart breaks as His sheep sin against Him, He extends endless mercy for the world’s endless waywardness.
Jesus ungrudgingly forgave both the woman and the Pharisee, and Jesus loves both the woman and the Pharisee—regardless of how much they love Him. God sent His only begotten son to die on the cross; He not only endured tremendous physical pain but also shouldered for us the burden of our sins and absorbed for us God’s wrath. His sacrifice extends past Bible times and into our daily lives. Our appropriate response should be a constant outpouring of gratitude, a lifestyle of worship.
Being sinful human beings, living a lifestyle of worship is not easy. Jesus says, “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Mathew 16:25). The spiritual discipline of stewardship means realizing that everything we have, including time, money, abilities, relationships, etc. is a gift from God and should be used for God’s glory and God’s kingdom. I have learned from my failures, and am still learning, that I cannot always make the right choices by myself. True strength and comfort always comes from God. We must pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit first, before the Fruit of the Spirit blossoms in us.
Spend some time in thanksgiving for God’s endless and unconditional mercy and friendship.

Christ Takes the Wrath

2011-04-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

The very first time I spoke at youth group, I remember Pastor Ben gave me the topic of “God’s Wrath.” I remember thinking, “That’s so hard! How am I going to speak to a bunch of youth on the subject of God’s wrath.” But as I prepared the message, it became increasingly clear that the sermon wasn’t so much about God’s wrath as it was about God’s righteousness, with His wrath being an exceedingly important aspect of His righteousness.

Read Romans 4:13-5:11

Just a quick synopsis from Romans 4:13-25. Abraham and his descendents (Israel) were not justified (or declared righteous) because of obedience to the law. The law doesn’t bring righteousness rather, it demonstrates with certain clarity that we are sinners. Rather, our righteousness is based on faith as was Abraham’s. Faith in God’s promise to accept the death of Christ as a fully sufficient atoning sacrifice for our sins.

So where does this idea of wrath fit into this? Because of our sinful nature, made clear by the law, we know that we’re objects of wrath (Eph 2:3). God’s wrath exists because it is the perfect reaction to His righteous judgment. God’s wrath is what we deserve, and His perfect justice demands His wrath be poured out against sin. The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus bore the wrath for us. He took the punishment, bore the full weight of God’s righteous fury against sin and its complete opposition to His holiness.

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (Romans 5:8-9)

Jesus took it for us. If there’s no sacrifice by his death on the cross, once for all for our sin, then we stand with nowhere to hide from God’s wrath. But if there’s no wrath, if we eliminate God’s righteous anger from the conversation (as some would misleadingly have you believe) then we empty the cross of its power. Jesus’ death is meaningless if there’s no wrath for Him to bear. No wrath means no need for a Savior.

But the reality is this: God’s wrath is real. It is the perfect outpouring of His holiness on sin. But His love is also real. And it’s His great love for us that sent His son to die on the cross to bear the wrath and condemnation for us. That’s what we’re looking forward to at Easter, the reminder that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

As we continue through this Lenten devotional series, the spiritual discipline we want to highlight today is Bible Study. Why is it important to study the Bible? Psalm 1 says that the blessed man’s “delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does prospers.” The knowledge of God’s Word produces transformation in us and draws us into deeper relationship with Him. Take some time this week to really commit to studying God’s word. Keep in mind that God’s word was made to be communicated to us in community. Meet up with some friends this week and talk about what God has been teaching you through His word.

Gethsemane – Solitude

2011-03-28T13:29:00.001-07:00

Read Mark 14:32-52

V 32-52 Jesus is troubled – His heart is heavy so he goes off to pray. What do you do when you are sad or upset? Bring your troubles to God first, and ask Him to bring you peace.

V35-36 Jesus calls out to God, in full faith that God is sovereign. Jesus doesn’t ask God to give him what he wants, but he asks what God wants for him. Ask God for His will to be done in you, and have faith that God will take care of you if you trust in Him.

V 37-42 When Jesus returns, He finds his disciples sleeping – 3 times! Verse 38 says, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Be honest now; do you fall asleep during your quiet times with God? I remember last fall, my discipleship group met in the evening, and at every meeting, one of us would fall asleep. The evil one was trying to distract us from seeking God, the same way he interferes with your devotional time when you find yourself dozing off. But ask the Spirit to fill you with energy and passion for Christ so you don’t become weary throughout your walks with God.

V 43-52 So even in Jesus’ final hour, he was…alone. He had asked his disciples to stay awake and pray while he spent time with God, but when he returned, he found that they had fallen asleep. And then, one of his disciples betrayed him! Think of how Jesus felt during his last hour. Maybe he was alone in this world, but he was with the Father. In our lives, we often get caught up in doing things with others. Don’t take for granted the time you can spend with God alone, in solitude. Plan out times during the upcoming week when you can turn off your phone, computer, and all connections to the outside world in order to sanctify your time with God.

We All Crucified Jesus

2011-03-25T10:15:00.001-07:00

Read Mark 15:21-32, John 19:16b-30
When I was little and I did something wrong (lie, get in fights with my siblings, etc), my mom would sometimes say that I was “nailing Jesus to the cross all over again.” She had a valid point that I understood back then, but she might have been more right than she realized. On reading different accounts of the crucifixion in the gospels, I see a plethora of different people and they all were involved in the crucifixion of Christ. Let’s take a brief look at where they all were:
Disciples Herod Pilate Mob
Simon of Cyrene Pilate’s Wife Women Soldiers (Roman)
Guards ( temple) Criminals Joseph Nicodemas
Scribes Pharisees Barabas Sanhedrin council
And brief list is not even including Judas, the high priest’s servant, the girl accusing Peter, or the random guy in Mark that ran away naked. It’s a lot of people and quite varied at that. Some of their roles were more passive, while some had a direct hand in his death. Are they any different from us? If Christ were “crucified” today would you be a passive onlooker watching from the convenience of your tv or youtube? Would you have been the follower who ran away and hid so people wouldn’t link you two together? Would you be the helpless committed that watched on the side as he died? Would you be the unconcerned trying to nab a piece of Jesus memorabilia while you still could? Would you be the mob crying out for his death because your leaders told you to? Or would you be the one watching on the side secretly congratulating yourself that you’d rid the world of a menace to the social order? Sometimes I think we can judge those involved a little too harshly, we expect them to somehow act differently or better than us, when it comes down to the fact that everyone involved in Christ’s death was fallen, as are we without Christ. While we were not actually there, our sin did put him there, each and every one of them; and not just the ones that we have already committed, but the ones we will do today and every other day until we die. Everyone of those is another nail, another thorn, another splinter in the already marred flesh.
Fellowship
So how do we respond? All of us are involved in Christ’s death, but those of us who find our life in Christ are also involved in the body of Christ and our new life in him. I remember Michael Card saying something at a meeting where I heard him speak that has stayed with me, “When God gives a gift, he wraps it in a person.” God’s gift to us for salvation was wrapped in Christ. God’s gifts through the Holy Spirit to the body of Christ are each wrapped in Christians. People are created for community, and when we get together we can either do something terrible, or as Christians we can accomplish the will of God. Reflect today on how you’re working communally with the body of Christ. Are you allowing God to give his gifts to the body of Christ through you? Are you accepting the gifts he is sharing through others?

O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Saviour, the Prince of Peace:
give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions.
Take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may henceforth be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jesus Lifted on the Cross

2011-03-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

If you were asked to summarize Jesus’ death on the cross, explaining its complete significance, and put it into a nice, concise, and understandable paragraph or so, could you do that? That was a rhetorical question by the way. As much as we know of Jesus’ sufferings for all of us, I don’t think we can ever write a summary as well worded and packed with imagery as the prophet Isaiah did. So let’s read what exactly did this prophet say about Jesus.

Read Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12

Whoa. That was my initial reaction to reading this. Now the words used in this “servant song” may seem familiar to you – and they should – because many are quoted in the New Testament. In fact, by reading this entire passage, you essentially have the whole gospel of Jesus. Isaiah walks the audience through the rut of Jesus’ mission to the eventual glorification of it. I know you probably already know the majority of this passage so let’s focus on some key aspects of Jesus’ death.

Look at verse 15: “so will he sprinkle many nations…” The word sprinkling is often used to describe ceremonial cleansing and/or consecration seen in the Old Testament. Okay, so what? The significant part of this verse is the “many nations” part. So put those two together and you get Jesus cleansing many nations. Many times, people take for granted that Jesus died for everyone. We say it so often, but do we really grasp that concept? Jesus purified all nations, which means everyone is included – even the looked-down-upon gentiles in the old days. Gentiles, during this time, were basically segregated from the Jews. They weren’t the “chosen ones,” so they had less rights to worship God than the Jews. But with Jesus’ sprinkling death, everyone is included. The arms that were spread wide upon that cross covered all nations.

So what does this mean to me? Well, simply stated, Jesus died for everyone. Yes, I know that’s extremely general, but can you put those words into action? Are you kingdom-minded, in that you seek to grow God’s kingdom with everyone and not just the people you like? Remember, Jesus’ death welcomed the nations, regardless of who the inhabitants were.

Pray and ask God to be help you be kingdom-minded. Pray that you would make disciples of all nations. The more genuine our prayers are in wanting to be kingdom-minded, the clearer God’s kingdom here will be shown.

The Contradiction of the Cross

2011-03-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

Read: John 12:20-32
Also read: John 19:1-2, 13-15.

John’s gospel is a very murky gospel for Jesus often says things that aren’t clear. But the great thing about John is that the murkiness clears away eventually, revealing the glory of Christ in the process! An example of this is Jesus’ trial before Pilate. In John 19:13, we read that Pilate brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat (the bema). But in the original Greek, the word for “sat down” could mean that Pilate sat Jesus down on the judgment seat. Can you imagine the supreme irony of the situation? Here is Jesus, crowned with thorns and wearing a purple robe, sitting on the judgment seat before the chief priests and all. The chief priests think that they’re the ones casting judgment on Jesus, when in reality it was Jesus who is judging them at that very moment. Any king with a crown and purple robe on a judgment seat gets accolades of “Hail to the King!” but Jesus gets (in 19:15), “Crucify him!” What a strange contradiction! The King of all Universe sits in judgment of those He created, and the response was not praise, but an angry call for his crucifixion.

But we see the greatest contradiction in the Cross, the instrument of execution reserved only for traitors and enemies of the Roman empire. It’s interesting to note that only in John’s gospel did he not record Jesus as having taken off his purple robe. Thus, the Cross was not a mere execution instrument, but Jesus’ throne; his crucifixion was not his execution, but his coronation. At the Cross will the world know who Christ is!

Crucifixions – or, executions in general – are public events. Parents bring their children to crucifixions to tell them not to be like the people who are on the cross. But Jesus’ crucifixion was different. The Cross no longer was a place where people come to shame the crucified, but the Cross became a place where people come to experience forgiveness and grace from the Crucified One. It is a place where we – we, who have put Jesus on the Cross – come on our knees and beckon to our Crucified Christ because we know that no matter our estate, only Jesus will never turn us away. It is a place where we are reconciled to God, not because we want it to happen, but because He wants it for us. What a King! What a Savior! What a Friend, who desires nothing more than to wipe the tears of shame away from our faces so we can look towards the sun and glorify God!

And, having all our shames washed away, we can honestly look at our neighbors in the eye and truly love them as God taught us to. That is why the Cross is a place of reconciliation. That is why we cannot truly love God and love our neighbors unless we are kneeling at the foot of the Cross.

Spend some time in thought. Imagine that you and your youth groupies are kneeling at the foot of a huge cross with Jesus on it, with his purple robe and crown of thorns. This is a holy place where God reconciles all to Him and to each other. Maybe we feel little compared to our brothers and sisters because they get all A’s, and we only get A-‘s. Maybe we feel distant from God because we feel cast aside, alone. Maybe we feel that our sins are so manifold, God can’t possibly accept us. Or maybe we feel like we don’t need to be at the foot of the cross because we’ve got our stuff together. May God reveal to all of us the utter depravity of our natures, but at the same time show us that the unfathomable nature of his love and grace covers a multitude of sins. May He wipe our tears of pride or shame which cloud our eyes, so that we can see and behold His glory.

Darkness, Death, and a Shattered Door

2011-03-22T13:54:00.001-07:00

Read Luke 23:44-49 and Mark 15:33-41.

These are parallel accounts of the same scene. They are written like a movie – you can see the whole scene in your mind: the lighting, Jesus at the center, the people close by and those standing farther away. Now, did you notice that there is one verse that is obviously designed to stand out? It says, “The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”

This verse stands out because it does not fit the “movie scene.” It jumps us away from the scene for a moment to a completely different location. It seems like this verse shouldn’t be there, but it is. Why?

This verse is designed to explain the meaning of the whole scene. It’s very significant. It explains why this scene matters – to us.

Until that moment in history, you could never be close to God. You might even go to the temple where God was present, but you still could not go into His presence. There was a curtain that separated the place where God was present and the place where you were allowed to come. Only one person was allowed inside that curtain and that person was not you. Ever. So, you and I – even if we had gone to the temple – would still have been outsiders to God.

But the passages we are reading today say that when Jesus died, God ripped that curtain open. He literally ripped it apart, from his side in heaven down to earth. This is a demonstration that through Jesus’ death, God removed the barrier that stands between Him and us. There’s no more curtain. We are potentially no longer outsiders to God.

Now, if you are standing outside a locked door without a key, it makes sense that you don’t step inside. But if the owner of the building comes up next to you, says “Excuse me,” and proceeds to rip the door off its hinges and toss it aside, that seems like a pretty clear invitation to step inside. God is saying in this passage: “I’ve ripped the door open for you. What’s stopping you from being with me?”

The centurion – remember that he was there in the scene to kill Jesus – stepped through that open doorway when he put his faith in Jesus and said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

Pray: Think of yourself as having a conversation with God. God has initiated the conversation by saying to you the things in Luke and Mark. Now he’s finished talking (for now) and there’s an awkward pause while He waits to see if you’ll say anything in response. So, say something. Tell Him what you heard Him saying. Tell Him what you think it means and how you feel about it.

Jesus’ Death for Eternal Life

2011-03-20T18:53:00.001-07:00

Read John 10:1-22

Sheeps. They’re fluffly and cute, they make funny noises and look really silly when they run. They’re also about as sharp as mashed potatoes. I guess so are we since God sees fit to mention that people are like sheep repeatedly in scripture. I think it interesting to note in this passage Jesus makes reference to himself in two different ways. One primary way we see Jesus is as the Good Shepherd. Jesus as the Good Shepherd lays down his life for a bunch of sheep. These sheep, by the way, might not even comprehend the significance of the sacrifice of the Shepherd; because they’re so busy going about their business of being sheep. Only the Shepherd is wise enough to find the good pastures for the sheep, find the places of quiet waters for their drinking, keep predators away, save them if they foolishly run off or fall in a pit and break a leg. Sheep don’t see this, they just see each other and the things right in front of their face, and yet Christ, the Good Shepherd with all authority lays down his life on behalf of his sheep. This implies that there was something so deadly coming at the sheep they didn’t even see, and the Shepherd in his wisdom realized the significance and in an act of sheer love lost his own life to save the herd. The other way Jesus speaks of himself in this passage is as the Gate. The Shepherd is the one who uses the Gate, it is his field, his sheep. The sheep don’t typically leave the pen by jumping over the fence though I’m sure a few silly sheep try. No, they generally leave by the gate when it’s opened for them. Likewise, Jesus is the one who leads us, and he is the only way through. If we try to go hop over the fence by ourselves we get lost without our Shepherd, we are isolated from our fellow sheep, and an easy target for any predator looking for a meal. The pasture is Eternal life, and only through the sacrifice of Jesus can we as sheep be lead by the Shepherd safely into sharing in it. As a person, I may not like the implications of this kind of reference, but in a very real way we are often the same as these sheep, and our Shepherd has used his authority as Shepherd to sacrifice himself on our behalf so that we with him might shared in the redemption of Eternal life which he has come to lead us into. Are you hearing the Shepherd as He’s calling you?

Reflection on the Discipline of Chastity
You might be asking yourself what any of this has to do with the spiritual discipline of Chastity? We as believers participate in the Eternal Life through Christ; because we live in Christ and he also lives in us. While some view this as a largely spiritual connection, I think that many times we overlook the physical connection of our bodies with Christ. When God says that we are one body as the church, it is very physical words he uses.
My Mom, who grew up Catholic, was able to give me a better perspective on this, since Catholics tend to have a longer tradition and richer understanding of the practice of Celibacy. As a result of these talks with my Mom, at an early age (middle school) I began to fantasize about becoming a nun. In my mind I would be like St. Clare of Assisi forsaking the promise of a wealthy future for a life of devotion to God. Now, I realize this concept might sound quite foreign to a number of you, but follow me here. What I realized from these dreams is there is a whole lifetime full of the Divine romance in whatever capacity you serve. Being single allows us to participate in the Divine romance in a way we are not capable of doing if we are married. Likewise our perception of the Divine romance changes if God brings us into a marital relationship. Wherever you find yourself now, remember that we are all called to purity in Christ. This purity is one of the thought life and the body. It’s a purity that is internal and interpersonal. Since through Christ we are made pure, let us not defile one another by the way we treat and view them.

Prayer
God, to you I come at this hour. I earnestly wish to be pure in thought, word, and deed in imitation of your own holy purity. Obtain for me, then, a deep sense of modesty which will be reflected in my external conduct. Protect my eyes, the windows of my soul, from anything that might dim the luster of a heart that must mirror only Christlike purity. Help me to understand the nature of the Divine romance in Eternal Life through Christ. Amen.

Jesus' Death for Human Sin – Fasting

2011-03-17T15:15:00.000-07:00

Let’s take a trip back to the time of Jesus, imagine yourself standing over one of your sheep. You’ve been waiting for it to give birth for a while now and the moment has finally come. A young lamb is born before you and over the next few weeks you watch it struggle to walk and grow. It is beautiful and wonderful display of God’s creation and life; the best of your livestock. One day you get up and lead your little lamb down to the temple. You must hand this young beauty over to the hands of the priest. Before your eyes the life is taken from this world, slaughtered upon the alter, its blood taken for your sin and impurity. You watch the death of this little lamb you’ve raised knowing that your sin is the cause of it. A vicious cycle that never ends: a life for your sin.
Read Hebrews 7:18-28

The priests were responsible for interceding between God and His people. One day a year the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies, the place in the temple where God’s presence dwelled. A rope would be tied around their ankle, if they were found impure before God they would die and have to be dragged out. Priests were still human and subject to the law of death and sin. (Look at verses 23 and 27-28 again). In their weakness they served God but it was never enough for they were humans bound in their impurity and unable to save the people. All they could do was offer sacrifice, perform rituals, and pray on the people’s behalf.

Hebrews 7 reminds us that the priests could not ultimately save people, but because our God is merciful he provided a priest that was free from the law of death and sin. In Jesus we find no weakness that He should be unable to save us. Read verse 24-25 again. He stands before God interceding for us now at this very moment! But perhaps the key verse is verse 27: No more daily sacrifices but one death removes all sin past, present, and future! We no longer bring a lamb to be slaughtered because Jesus was slaughtered on the cross. Read Jn 1:29, 36; Mark 14:22-24. Take a few moments to reflect on these verses.

Although we no longer offer sacrifices and God does not require them (because they don’t save us, only Jesus) we must remember that which is said in Heb 12:28-13:17, Romans 6:12-15 and Ps 51:16-17. Many of you may know that Lent started last week (if you don’t know it Google it), a season of fasting. Fasting is an important spiritual discipline, not to give something up as a sacrifice to God, but instead to keep our focus on Him and our hearts broken and contrite. This is the time when we join our brothers and sisters in preparing our hearts for Easter, for remembering what Jesus’ death really was. Fasting is not just for the few weeks before Easter but anytime when you want to humble yourself and refocus on God by removing something in your life (not just food!) that is distracting or more important to you than God. I encourage you to look at verses related to fasting and let God teach you more about fasting from his Word. (http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=fasting&version1=31&searchtype=all)

Dear God, I humble myself before you knowing you are a wonderful merciful God who first humbled yourself on the cross and became my High Priest, forever interceding on my behalf. Help me now to have a broken and contrite heart before you and bring to my mind anything that I desire more than you. Help me set those aside and if necessary enter a time of fasting to refocus on you. Amen.

Jesus: the Fulfillment of God's Purpose – Celebration!

2011-03-16T12:54:00.001-07:00

We’re nearing the middle of the week, which has probably been filled with its ups and downs and twists and turns. Perhaps you’ve been under a lot of stress, or just collapsing under the weight of this world. However, take heart! God reminds us that He always fulfills his promises and that He will surely deliver us from this world.
Read Isaiah 61.
Even in this relatively short chapter, there’s a lot to take in. This passage focuses on how Jesus fulfills God’s promise to us. The first three verses details the Annointed One’s mission aka Jesus’ ministry: to preach good news, proclaim freedom for the captives, proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance, and to comfort those who mourn.
In fact, Jesus even read a part of this passage in Luke 4:18-19. It’s interesting that He stopped reading in the middle of the sentence, after the word “favor”. Why would He only quote half of it? By doing this, Jesus was showing that His work would be divided into two parts: He has already fulfilled the things mentioned in verses 1-2a during His time on earth.
In His second coming, He will do the things mentioned in verses 2b-3. When the Messiah comes, He will bring judgment on unbelievers, which is the “day of God’s vengeance”. However, the Messiah will also comfort Israel. When He returns, He will change Israel’s sadness to joy! There are a lot of shifts in imagery in this passage, such as wearing a crown instead of ashes, which is usually placed upon one’s head as a sign of mourning. The remaining eight verses of this chapter talks about God’s promises of restoration, glory and prosperity for Israel in the future. During this time, Jews and Gentiles will live together in harmony and peace. Well, what does this mean for us?
God truly cares about the broken, the lonely, the weak, the depressed, the outcasts, the prisoners, etc. These are not just empty words: God restores and then sends out those who have been redeemed to rebuild the ruins–other lives that are also broken. He sent Jesus to rescue us and demonstrate His love, kindness, and grace. Just as Christ has restored us, we should go out and be lights in the world, rejoicing and proclaiming to all what He has done for us.
In verses 10-11, the author speaks for the redeemed people who will rejoice in response to God’s blessings! He praises God for His message, His active presence, and His faithfulness to His chosen people. He is just overflowing with praise and thanksgiving!
Should we not rejoice as well? God has clothed us in garments of salvation and in robes of righteousness. This picture of joy is also shown in the jewels the bride wears and the bridegroom’s fancy clothes. We are no longer shackled by sin; rather, we have been set free in Christ! Take comfort in what God’s plan, and what is to come in the future. God has kept His promise by sending His Son to complete His mission on earth, and surely, God will continue to fulfill all of His promises.
Take a few moments to reflect on this passage. Remember that the Lord is our comfort and salvation. He can create beauty out of ashes, and joy out of our sorrow and mourning!

Jesus: The Fulfillment of Propecy - Servanthood

2011-03-16T12:53:00.001-07:00

Within Isaiah are four mysterious “Servant Songs”, passages that speak of an unnamed Servant of God who simply defies expectations. The passage, the last and most famous of the Servant Songs (Isaiah 52:13-53:12), is often claimed to describe Christ. But Isaiah was not written for a Christian audience – it was written for a Jewish one. They, of course, do not see the Suffering Servant as Jesus. But if we read it from their eyes, perhaps we can learn something not just about Christ, but also about us in the process. There are two speakers in the Servant Song, but we will only read the words of one of them. The speaker here consists of pagan observers who are witnesses to the Suffering Servant.

Read: Isaiah 53:1-10

The speaker’s response to the Suffering Servant was at first that of incredulity. This guy was essentially a nobody, coming from seemingly nowhere. But then in verse 4-5, they noticed that this Suffering Servant took up a suffering that was not his to bear. And soon, the pagan observers realize in verse 6 the cold, hard truth: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray.” And as you read the testimony of these pagan observers, you realize in the end (vs. 10) that in seeing how the Suffering Servant suffered for transgressions not of his own, these pagan observers learned who the LORD is.

My favorite theologian is Stanley Hauerwas, and one of his claims was that Christianity in America has forgotten what it means to be Christian. I agree. So often, we think of ourselves as superior over others. To have Jesus means that we are more righteous, more powerful, more authoritative, and – in some churches – wealthier than those without Jesus. One of the great temptations of leadership is exactly that: because we are doulos people, counselors, Sunday school teachers, worship leaders, pastors, district superintendents, etc., we are somehow bigger, faster, better, stronger Christians than those who were not in positions of spiritual leadership. But if the passage today tells us anything, it is that God’s servant does not lord it over everyone. Indeed, Jesus said in Luke 22:25 that the greatest must be like the ones who serve.

And what does it mean to serve? Verses 7 gives a hint. Oppressed and afflicted, “yet he did not open his mouth”. He was led “like a lamb before the slaughter”. Imagine if you were in an argument with someone else at school and you simply shut up. That is the picture Isaiah was painting of the Suffering Servant – a Servant bullied for sins not of his own. Indeed, servanthood in the Bible cannot be separated from humility, from sacrifice, and from suffering. Yes – servanthood might mean that you will need to stay up late tonight talking on the phone with someone instead of doing your homework. Yes – servanthood might mean that you will need to shut up and take verbal abuse from someone who doesn’t know what he or she is doing (remember the Cross?). Yes – servanthood might mean that you will have to sacrifice your time, your schedule, prom night, etc.

Spend some time in reflection. What does it mean to serve? Maybe some of you are leaders in the church. What does it mean to serve for you? Maybe it means to spend less time with your friends in youth group and spend more time with those whom you don’t know as well? Perhaps it means praying for each other, or simply listening. Perhaps it means less time in the limelight on stage, more time in the pews worshipping together with everybody. In our reflection, let us look to the cross and remember the Christ who fulfills Isaiah’s vision of the Suffering Servant, and realize that ultimately, servanthood flows out of love.

Jesus’ Sacrifice: An Out Pouring of God’s Love – Availibility

2011-03-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

As we draw nearer to Easter, let’s take the next few weeks to focus on Jesus and what He did for us on the cross. Today, we turn to perhaps the most well known passage in the Bible.

Read John 3:16-21

Spend time this morning reflecting on the simple truth found in John 3:16-17. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.” What an incredible love that God has for us that He would send his Son to die for us! Sometimes we fail to grasp the depth of God’s love for us. This is the Good News, that while we were sinners and stuck in the condemnation we’d brought upon ourselves, Jesus died for us to set us free and give us life with Him.

Read Philippians 2:5-8

In coming to die for us, Jesus emptied himself and took on human form. He set aside his divine right to the power and position as God of the universe to be just like us. He made himself available to do what God the Father wanted him to do. Only He could choose to set aside his own glory in exchange for such a frail humanity. As we continue to remember and focus on what God has done for us, think of how you can practice the spiritual discipline of availability. Just as Jesus made himself available to do whatever God would have him do, make yourself available to do whatever God may be calling you to do. Write down one thing God is putting on your heart today, then do it.

Today God is calling me to make myself available to…

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son for it. Not that he was unable to save us in another way, but in this way it was possible to show us his abundant love abundantly, namely, by bringing us near to him by the death of his Son. If he had anything more dear to him, he would have given it to us, in order that by it our race might be his. And out of his great love he did not even choose to urge our freedom by compulsion, though he was able to do so. But aim was that we should come near to him by the love of our mind. And, our Lord obeyed his Father out of love for us.”
-Isaac of Ninevah

Full of Fruity Goodness!

2011-03-05T17:32:00.002-08:00

Full of Fruity Goodness
By: Jon Mann, Intern and Youth Director (2007-Present)

Writing a devo based on something I’ve learned from Pastor Ben was possibly the most difficult devo that I’ve ever written. This wasn’t because I hadn’t learned anything in my four years as Intern -> Sidekick -> Youth Director. Rather, I’ve learned so much from Ben it was really hard for me to zero in on one particular lesson to write a devotional on. After much thought, I decided to write on one of the most difficult lessons I learned from Ben.

Read Galatians 5:16-26

Now you might be thinking, “Jon didn’t know about the Fruit of the Spirit until he started interning under Pastor Ben?? What are they teaching at that Moody Bible Institute???” I want to assure everyone Moody Bible Institute is a quality institution of learning and in so many ways prepared me for the rigors of full time ministry. But what I learned from Pastor Ben was that the fruit of the Spirit wasn’t something that magically appeared in my life, but it rather it was something I had to actively pursue and remind myself to produce. Paul gives this incredible list of the “works of the flesh” and let me tell you, it is a daily struggle not to produce that in my life. Yes, I am saved by the grace of God through faith and freed the chains of sin, but every day I seem to be fighting the urge to give in and just produce the works of the flesh. The fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of the flesh can’t come from the same tree. So Ben was reminding me that every day I had to decide what kind of harvest I wanted to produce. But deciding to produce fruit in my life daily is not enough. It’s called the Fruit of the Spirit because it’s the Holy Spirit that does the growing and producing in us. Our decision is whether we want to be yielded so that the fruit has good soil to grow in.

Another thing that Ben constantly reminded me of was that Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Spirit, not fruits plural, but the singular fruit. That means you’re not producing fruit if you you’re not producing all the things Paul lists there. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. Sure on any given day, I might be producing one of those. But producing the singular fruit of the Spirit means having all of these things present in my life. I remember one particular day that Ben came in to my office after a particularly rough weekend. I was upset and frustrated by circumstance and the difficulties of ministry. Ben walked in and handed me a sheet of paper. On it was printed part of this passage with Galatians 5:22-23 bolded. Ben just simply reminded me, “Jon, ministry will not be easy and dealing with difficult people and situations will test us. But we are called to produce the Fruit of the Spirit.” And then he made me tape that sheet of paper to my wall as a daily reminder to let the Holy Spirit be producing the right fruit in me. Not just the easy ones (for me) like joy and faithfulness. But the ones that didn’t always come naturally for me, like patience, gentleness, and self-control.

Take sometime to reflect on the fruit of the Spirit. Is it evident in your life? Are all these characteristics evident or just some? Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit so you can be producing this fruit daily. And if necessary, maybe print them out and stick it on your wall as a reminder.

On Men in Ministry

2011-03-05T17:32:00.001-08:00

On Men in Ministry
By: Jenn Carver, YG counselor (2003-Present)

Read: John 13:34-35

Ben has done a lot of things in the past decade as youth pastor at WCAC. One of the most important lessons I learned from him he probably doesn’t even know he taught me. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it to him, though I’ve told others. Ben was really instrumental in redeeming my view on men in ministry. How you ask? By being a living example of God’s love as a male leader in the church.

To put it very mildly, up until I first came to WCAC and started helping in the youth group back in 2003 I had never had a good experience working with men in ministry. Over the last several years it’s probably been a combination of things that God did through him to change my perspective. He’s been very encouraging: as a leader he’s been encouraging us to bring up new ideas for ministry, he’s good at giving feedback, and he’s been flexible enough to allow other leaders freedom to pursue new activities within the youth group when they felt God was leading them. As a pastor I knew that he really loved and cared about the youth in our church. He cares about their growth and development as Christian young people, as future leaders in the church, and it shows in the time that he spends on a weekly basis, in all the little details of ministry, and in the lives of the youth. For me, I could always tell that Ben’s faith was legit because of the love he showed to others which overflowed from his love for Christ.

One of the other ways God used him to change my view of men in ministry was his openness to the leading of God as a visionary. Watching him in the last several years I see that God has used him to put a lot of new things into the way youth ministry is done at WCAC, things that I think have really helped benefit the youth. Stuff like from the way we do Coffeehouse, to our focus on in depth Bible discussion in BDG’s to his push for discipleship in the youth group, to mission trips and retreats. I’ve seen God do a lot of work through Ben’s willingness to listen to Him.

Read 1 Timothy 4:12

One of the most influential things about Ben that God has used to teach me this lesson is through Ben’s integrity. I almost can’t say how important this has been in words, because it’s just that important. Ben is a righteous man who loves God and cares for others. Until coming to WCAC I didn’t think that combination was possible in men on a continual basis. I’m glad to say that God showed me I was wrong; and I’m glad that he used such a good older brother in the faith to show me this. To say that working with Ben over the last several years is a privilege would be diminishing the significance of his impact on my life. Working with Ben has been a redeeming blessing that has shaped and will continue to shape my life and my views on ministry. Thanks God for Ben!

More Than God: Our Responsibility as Children

2011-03-05T17:31:00.001-08:00

More than God: Our Responsibility as Children.
By: Henry Kuo, former YG counselor (2002-2009)

Read: Matthew 10: 34-49

Recently, on BBC.com, there was a news article about China making it required by law for children to visit their parents. Elderly parents can now go to court to require their children to take care of them! Apparently, children have been moving far away from their parents to pursue work in metropolitan areas like Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, but have often been too busy to visit parents regularly, especially those living in interior cities such as Lanzhou, Wuhan, or Harbin. This seems quite unseemly to those of us Chinese who live in America, but in today’s passage, we seem to see Jesus endorsing such behavior! Look at verse 37: “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me [Jesus] is not worthy of me!” And Jesus goes on: “Any parent who loves their children more than me [Jesus] is not worthy of me!” Wha… wha… isn’t Christianity all about the family? How could Jesus say something like that?

But if we read carefully, we notice that Jesus was not advocating anti-parentalism, or advocating child abandonment – something practiced in ancient cities such as Sparta. No - Jesus was saying, essentially, that children should love their parents, but they should also love God even more so! This is not about choosing between your parents and God – this is about loving both your parents and God. And not just your biological parents. In the Church, biology does not matter. This is loving your biological parents and the church parents who were important in instructing you in spiritual truths. And the same applies to parents – they should love their children, but they should love God even more than them! And they should not just teach their own biological children, but not be afraid to instruct other children of the Church on Christian truths. As I’ve said before, in Christianity, theology trumps biology.

Not long before I moved to Singapore (this was probably August 2009, if not July), Pastor Ben shared with me the possibility of leaving. He was indecisive at the time; he felt God calling him to a different church, but WCAC was going through a lot of exciting changes which he would very much love to be around to witness. I should remind all of you that Ben loved WCAC, the church he grew up in. Furthermore, his parents lived in the area. All of you know as well as I do that Ben took great pains to take care of his parents, and moving to St. Louis was particularly a worrying step of faith. After all, doing so would put him 5-6 hours away from his parents. But I think it is a testimony to the above passage that he willingly decided to take the plunge and accept God’s calling for him St. Louis, even if it meant a 5-6 hour drive away from his parents. Indeed, he loved his parents very much and wanted to be nearby to ensure their well-being, but he loved God even more so.

Most of us are young – and by “young”, I mean, below 25 – and perhaps we have better things to worry about, such as PSATs, SATs, GREs, college applications, job searches, grad school applications, getting married, etc. But this passage teaches us that there are two groups of people we should always love – our parents (church and biological), but on top of that, we should love God even more so. The BBC.com article reveals that children are often preoccupied with their own goals and dreams that they’ve left their parents behind; that is an example that we Christians cannot follow. Indeed, this is what the famous Fifth Commandment to honor our parents was about – that we take care of them in whatever way we can, even if from a distance. But we are called to go beyond that. We are called to love God even more without sacrificing our love for our parents. Such is the responsibility all of us have as children of our parents, and as children of God.

To Be Filled With the Spirit!

2011-03-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

To Be Filled with the Spirit!
By: Cheryl - YG Counselor and Intern (2009-Present)

In my life there are days I wake up and wonder if it is worth getting out of bed because the temptation to roll over and go back to sleep sounds much better than facing what I know will be a difficult day. Instead I opt for a compromise of hitting the snooze three times before coming to terms with the inevitable realization that I’m late and it actually is time to get up. Sometimes the day ends up just as terrible as I thought it would with the seeming endless list of things to do, but other days I find a little of that promised peace and joy from the Holy Spirit.

Do you ever feel like that? Generally if I can pull my attention off myself and what I want for a few minutes then I can look around and really see and hear people. I can see the heartache, the brokenness, busyness, and fatigue which overwhelm the people standing right next to me. It is at these moments I feel the Spirit cry out within me, filled with love and compassion.

Read Ephesians 5:15-20. Now read it again and take some time to reflect.

Paul calls us to be filled with the Spirit. To speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Not only that but to sing and make music in your heart to the Lord while always giving thanks to God the Father for everything! Take a moment to think about what it means to be filled with the Spirit. Have you ever felt it? Can you describe it?

For me, when I am truly filled with the Spirit the fruit of the Spirit can barely be contained. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control rush out of me like a whirlwind consuming anyone or anything in my path. I feel like singing, dancing, weeping with joy, and hugging everyone around me. That is my response to the love of God as His Spirit fills me. No wonder we are called to filled with the Spirit! I just wish I could get out of the way more often so God would fill me. But much of the time I do live unwisely, filling my life with so much busyness and noise that I just let the Spirit fill me when it seems convenient or when I can’t seem to control what is going on in life.

It was in one of these moments of brokenness, where I felt like everything was overwhelming me and falling apart, that I found myself talking to Pastor Ben after a staff meeting, but He did much more than just listen. He went and got his guitar and we spent a few wonderful moments worshiping God together with spiritual songs. I will never forget that moment. You see, it was much more than just listening to everything and saying ‘I’ll pray for you’, he helped me turn towards God and be filled with the Spirit.

God gave us many wonderful ways to worship Him. How often do we sing and make music in our hearts to the Lord? How often do we speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs? What our brothers and sisters need is not for us to just listen and say they’ll be praying but for us to direct them to God, to be filled with His Spirit. So I ask you: how do you do this? What are ways you can encourage those around you or even allow yourself to be so filled with His Spirit you can’t help but lead others into His presence? It is only when we are filled with the Spirit that we will always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Shining For God

2011-03-05T17:29:00.000-08:00

Shining for God
By: Ben Lowe, former Youth Group Counselor (2003-2008)

Read Matthew 5:14-16

What do people see when they look in you? I’m not asking about what people see when they look at you (many of us obsess far too much about this already), but what they see when they look in you; not just your physical appearance, but the whole witness of your life.

My brother has been in Haiti for almost a week now, but before that he was living the American Dream. He landed a well paying engineering job right out of college and, while the work wasn’t meaningful to him, he enjoyed having all the money to buy fancy toys like a fully loaded Mazda 6 and a big plasma TV. But God recently got to my brother in a big way and transformed his life. He began spending his free time serving the youth at church and building relationships with homeless folks in Boston. Then he quit his nice job to live in an orphanage in Haiti for the next six months, with few comforts and a sprawling refugee camp out back. On returning he plans to study urban youth ministry in seminary.

In the past, when I looked at my brother, I used to see someone who liked to party and was focused on making himself happy. Now I see someone who serves those around him and is living all out for God. When I think of him, my heart is full of praise to God.

This is how we are created to live. Not necessarily in an orphanage in Haiti, but in complete devotion to our Father, whatever that looks like for us. [Who knows, it may even compel you to run for Congress someday ;)] Simply put, there is no lukewarm compromise (see Rev 3:15-17). In Matthew 5, Jesus teaches that God has made us to shine like lights, illuminating the darkness, so that by our lives others may see and praise Him. Remember, our lives or “good works” are not the focus and shouldn’t call attention to us; they should point to God.

Pastor Ben points me to God. It has been a joy and privilege to serve with and learn from him over the last seven years. I have seen his devotion to Christ shine through his life, and one manifestation of this was his decision to leave a well-paying career for seminary and full-time ministry. When it comes to Pastor Ben’s many strengths and gifts, I know other people who are more dynamic preachers, more creative teachers, more professional worship leaders, more connected advocates, and so on. But I know few others who shine for God (and not themselves) as devotedly and authentically as Pastor Ben does. When I see Pastor Ben, I see God alive and moving, and my heart is full of praise.

So what do people see when they look in you? Do they see yet another person living for themselves and blending into the darkness? Or do they see someone filled with the light of God and shining brightly for Him? Is there anything holding you back from living more fully for God right now? We have only one life. Give it all to the one who gave all for us, and may our lives shine ever brightly for Him each day.

“Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favorites wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fiber of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ, and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”
- C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

On Being A Biological Tour-de-Freak

2011-02-25T20:54:00.000-08:00

By: Victoria Han, former Doulos member (Class of 2010)

Read: Matthew 6:25-34

Technically I’m a biological failure. Oh, I’ve had a bit of success in school. I’ve managed to worm my way into college. I don’t drink or do drugs. I don’t face severe depression nor am I on any medication for any reason. I’ve never gotten a ticket for driving which is more than most licensed people can say. I suppose one of the worst things I’ve done in my life is the occasional failure to pay my library fines. However, in the unfeeling eyes of biology, I am a failure because I have not reproduced and have thus failed to secure any future bloodlines. Suffice to say that as of now, I will soon cease to exist entirely.

The drive to reproduce is so ingrained into us that society’s expectation for many of us is to marry and have children. The “happily ever after” is the white strapless dress, the tiered cake, and the beautiful moment of “I do.” Of course the next logical step is the baby (or babies as the case may be). Some couples may wait for a few years while some may get to it right away. However in our society, a childless couple is either pitied or held as an anomaly. After all, isn’t the “American Dream” the quaint house and the white picket fence holding children playing on the lawn?

As I’ve slowly grown up and gone through youth group, I’ve seen the pressure put onto Ben in his BA (“before Annie”) days by the numerous adults in the church. From the hinting jokes to the outright questions of “Ben, when are you getting married?” there was always an underlying pressure for Ben to find a wife. While Ben has found one of the most incredible woman in the world and has successfully made her his wife, his journey of faith to get there was a long one.

Faith is defined as “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Heb 11:1). I feel faith is one of the hardest things to have, especially in such a self-reliant society. Raised by parents who wanted me to major in something that would earn me money, I often wondered why I couldn’t simply major in something that didn’t guarantee a comfortable salary and instead rely on God to provide for me. After all, didn’t God promise that he would look after us in the passage we’ve read for today?

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. While I was arguing semantics with my parents for the sake of being a rebellious child, I often lost my focus on what mattered. People often say that “God has a plan for us” and for awhile, I thought it meant that God has planned my life for me and that I would eventually meander my way into where He wanted me to be when He wanted me to be there. However, I don’t think this is the case. God has provided us with free will and choice. I think as long as we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, all else by default will fall into place, no matter which path we choose. “Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld.” (2 Chr. 20:20)

Loving the Downtrodden

2011-02-24T13:08:00.000-08:00

By: Stephanie Cheng, former Doulos member (Class of 2010)

Read: Luke 19: 1-9

As I begin to write this devotional, I’m finding it very hard to choose what to write about. Ben was the one who was leading prayer when I realized that Jesus had died on the cross for me and made the decision to give my life for Him. Ben was the one who encouraged my involvement in the youth group and outreach to my friends and families. Ben was also the one who baptized me last year. But, the one thing about Ben that sticks out to me the most is his compassion. During his time at WCAC, he would invest his time and prayers for each and everyone one of us. Ben realized the potential in all of us and would become involved in our lives not simply because he is called to but because he cares.

I remember last year on a ridiculously cold day, a few of us went to Chicago to hand out sandwiches to homeless people. After giving someone a sandwich, we would ask them if there was anything they would like us to pray for. We would then pray for them. But Ben took it one step further. With each person, he would talk to them, getting to know them. Ben’s compassion carries over from the people he has formed relationships with to these strangers that he probably will never see again.

This reminds me of the parable in Luke 19: 1-9. Similarly, to how Jesus sought out Zacchaeus who everyone else viewed as an outcast, Ben sought to form relationships with these downtrodden people. Ben too, saw beyond the superficial and societal labels, and saw these people through God’s eyes. We should follow this example that Ben has set for us. I encourage you to try this out next time you see someone. Don’t start judging them by worldly standards and their appearances. But, instead see them for the person that God sees them as and loves.

The Art of Rebuking

2011-02-24T13:01:00.000-08:00

By: Priscilla Liu, former Doulos member (Class of 2010)

Read: 2 Timothy 4:1-2

While I was in youth group, I was (in)famous for three major things: invading people’s personal space, being super touchy all the time and being the one always cracking down on people to make sure they were getting work done. If you need a clearer idea, go to . Some underclassmen made a video about it this past summer for Senior Celebration. Even though people love to make fun of me because of it, at the moment, it was not that pleasant...for me or for the people I was trying to keep “in line.”

When I called people out on wasting time, not being productive and not taking initiative to do their jobs, I knew that I was doing what was necessary to make sure Youth Group events were planned and logistics were figured out. But most of the time, I was not communicating it in a way that was encouraging and loving toward my brothers and sisters in Christ. In these verses, Paul calls Timothy to “correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction,” something I started to learn after Pastor Ben continually encouraged me to continue rebuking (because it is valuable and needed in the church) but in love. He always emphasized the last two words because that is the most important part.

In the years I was in youth group, Pastor Ben has shown me what it looks like to minister, encourage, teach, have fun and discipline in love. His gentleness and patience toward everyone in the youth group through all circumstances has been a phenomenal example for me, and I hope that it will continue to impact the youth group and leadership even after he leaves.

The Virtues of God’s Chosen People

2011-02-22T05:18:00.000-08:00

By: Nichole Stratton, former Doulos member (Class of 2010)

Read: Colossians 3:12

In this passage, Paul is imploring the church in Colossae to treat each other the way children of God should and exhibit the kind of love and care for one another that God shows to us. Paul served as a messenger of God for the people of Colossae, and while we can still read what he wrote today, I think that Pastor Ben has served as an excellent real-life role model for the youth at WCAC. Because even though his actions outside of work (the church) were honorable, I think we could see Ben’s true commitment to being a servant of Christ through how he treated everyone in church on a daily/weekly basis. He certainly showed a great amount of patience in dealing with a group of roughly 50 kids every Saturday night. And when he asked us to leave after youth group was over so he could go home, or every time he asked us to clean something up, or write something for the youth group, he would exhibit enormous patience in receiving our cooperation.

I think oftentimes this patience was taken advantage of, but I think that ultimately, Ben gave us space in completing our tasks to teach us that we should do inconvenient things for others; that we should want to sacrifice our time to be more like the Savior who sacrificed everything for us. Pastor Ben sacrificed so much for us, but– learning from Jesus– did so humbly. In all the time, effort, and money he spent on WCAC’s youth group, he never once mentioned what he was giving up. He admitted his mistakes to his students– like how at one point he was impatient to meet a future wife, and how he felt he wasn’t friendly enough towards strangers– and made it so that we knew he wasn’t perfect, but that he was trying to make himself the best he could be.
He made himself approachable and made it clear that he cared about us– our walks with Christ, our families, and our school lives. Before I was baptized, Ben asked me if we could meet and talk about my life. I was inspired by the compassion he had for family members I told him about, the patience he had to listen to basically my whole life story, and the kindness he had to pray for me.

One of Ben’s best qualities, though, is his ability to forgive– he always maintained a caring relationship with every student, no matter if they had turned something in way past a deadline, were sleeping during Sunday School, or didn’t clean what he had asked them to clean. Just as Paul instructed, Ben forgave whatever grievances he had against us, and I think there’s something to be learned from that. And over all these virtues, I see Ben’s capacity for love as the greatest, and the love he shows for Annie, Emmaus, his parents, and the rest of the congregation is a great example for all of us. Let us not forget what a huge blessing Ben Tzeng has been for us, and let us pray for his successful continuation of God’s work in St. Louis.

Trust and Faith in Him Alone

2011-02-21T21:25:00.000-08:00

By: Ariel Fang, former Doulos member (Class of 2010)

Read: Jeremiah 17:7

This is a story on how God used Ben to teach me the importance of trust and faith in your leaders and ultimately in Him alone.

I remember feeling incredibly frustrated while my parents lectured me on how so-and-so youth group event clashed with some other group’s event or how the planning of some youth group thing was atrocious and we should not be allowed to do such thing ever again. Then they would tell me to go tell Ben. And then it sucked more. I felt that I needed to “fix” the youth group program so I wouldn’t have to deal with anymore uncomfortable car rides home on Sunday. And justified my frustration by agreeing with my parent’s perspective.

So when I finally joined Doulos I knew that the perfect opportunity to subtly complain had arrived. But no matter how I phrased my (parents’) discontent with how youth group was run, Ben would always stand firm with how things were going to happen. The conversations usually went something like this:

“Hey Ben, I think we should check to see whether or not we’ll be in the other service’s program tonight. We should work something so we don’t bother them.”
“Yea, but they should know that youth group always have this space every Saturday, and if they have a problem they should talk to me.”
“Oh…okay…”

And that would basically settle it. Now, this is not to say that my parents suddenly were happy with how things were run in youth group. Nor is this story meant to portray my parents in a habitually angry light (because they are awesome). But through these attempts to “fix” youth group I came to see something very simple. I was putting my parent’s desires above that of furthering the kingdom of God. I was taught to trust Ben; that even though youth group events may not be the most well planned that I needed to understand that he knows what to do. Most importantly though I was taught through Ben’s actions that it was not a perfect youth group event that is considered a successful event. But rather youth group was most successful when the leaders trusted in God and were faithful to His will. I'm not saying that Ben is 100% like Jesus; that would be crazy-talk. But rather, we should not only trust the Lord but also trust our leaders to be in-line with the Lord as well. If we do not have confidence in the leaders that God has placed in our lives are we really faithful in God?

Being Emo and Keeping it Real

2011-02-18T00:51:00.000-08:00

By Peter Huang, former Doulos (Class 2008)

Read: Psalm 27 (then read it again)

I never realized how amazing the psalms were until I thought about them in terms of music. For me, music is not simply aural pitches arranged in an organized manner. Rather, it can be corridor into someone’s soul or liberation from one’s mind. I find the greatest music ever written to be drawn out of a composer’s heart; from the very depths of his/her emotions.

In this psalm, King David cries out to God from his very core. His feelings involve: a confidence in God (v. 1-3), delighted meditation (v. 4-6), fearful desire for God (v. 7-12), and renewed confidence in God (v. 13-14). It is through this journey of realization that David comes to the ultimate conclusion of “…seeing the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

But how does this relate to us? Hopefully, you do not have evil men trying to devour your flesh and I never heard anyone say, “My enemies and foes will stumble and fall.” What I have gained from this passage is an understanding that being real with God involves being true to our emotions. This idea was hard for me to grasp especially growing up in the Asian culture where I always thought it was normal to hide my emotions. I sometimes thought it was a weakness if someone was depressed, agitated, or even joyous. But God did not make us robots. He did not intend for us to put on a fake image. He wants all of us in our entirety; the good, the bad, and the ugly. How are we to really know God’s goodness if we hide our true feelings from God?

I find Pastor Ben a good example of keeping it real. He has been in a position where being a good leader can be mixed up with looking good; where emotions are sometimes judged as weaknesses, Pastor Ben has always been genuine with the Youth Group. I remember going with a group to Taiwan for a short term mission trip summer 2008. We were going to teach English and hold a Vacation Bible School for children. Prior to leaving, we all felt prepared and we expected to have a great time. However, our first day teaching did not go as planned for a lot of us including Pastor Ben. As we gathered to meet at the end of the day, Ben did not hide anything from the group. He did not pretend that the day went well and that he was “happy”. Instead, he brought himself before God with all his emotions and sought His goodness. Observing Ben’s example, the rest of the group did the same. I believe that this is one of the most important aspects of a holy leader: that he/she can humble themselves and “wait for the Lord.”

Friends, being real with God involves being true to our emotions. At the same time we must not let our emotions control us. Rather, we must lay them before God and be confident in his goodness.

Take some time to reflect on your emotional state. What are you feeling? Exhausted? Agitated? Worried? Are there any feelings you are hiding from God? An exercise that may be helpful is writing a letter God. Honestly tell Him how you are feeling and why you are feeling this way.

Biblical Relationships

2011-02-17T07:55:00.000-08:00

By: Joshua Chang, former YG Doulos member (Class of 2010)

Read: 2 Corinthians 6: 13-15

We were guys and we were stupid. Girls are so complicated and hard to figure out. We had questions for our discipleship leader such as how we should be gentlemen or if we should even date. Of course, Ben did not always have the answers we were looking for. But we still received some great wisdom from him.

What is dating? Dating in my eyes is intentionally spending time with somebody. The general consensus of what dating means is something that happens between a boyfriend and a girlfriend. So let’s broaden our view of dating. We can date our parents and we can date our friends. We can also be dating by spending time with a group of friends. Then you would say, that’s just spending time with a group of friends. I would say yes, but there was the intention of growing closer together. Friends cannot grow closer together without spending significant time together. So, the basis of a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship should have a basis of a friendship first. That is me saying don’t go through to the advanced stuff before you have covered the basics. It is the same for anything such as learning an instrument or a sport. You learn the basics first before going on to advanced techniques. In the sense of advice, do not become boyfriend-girlfriend unless you have already spent enough time in group settings as well as private settings.

All that stuff was like, “Yeah, I knew that.” But I want to emphasize the most important part of having a relationship with the opposite gender. This is the focus of your relationship. First of all, I’m safely assuming that all of are planning to or are in a serious relationship with a Christian. It’s not wise if you aren’t or weren’t planning on it. Ask Ben or Jon. The best explanation that I can give you is that a believer and a non-believer are not supposed to be yoked together. More times than not, we end up compromising our beliefs and morals. If you are in a relationship with a Christian, that’s great. The only thing I would make sure is that God is in the center of your relationship. Well, God should be the center of everything we do and think. But God should most importantly be in the center of all the relationships that we have and make. If he isn’t your sole focus while you are in the relationship, you are making that person more important than God.

My point is this: being in a relationship is not for everybody. People become ready at different times, and both sides of the relationship must be ready when the relationship begins. Your expectations should be the same. Most importantly, your relationship should not distract you from worshipping God. This was one of many important things that Ben had taught me (Meaning he taught me a lot more than just about dating). He was a great example of a normal guy living a godly life, which has inspired me.

A Life of Humble Submission

2011-02-16T06:48:00.000-08:00

By: Jeffrey Huang, former YG Doulos member (Class of 2010)

For the past seven years, Benjamin Tzeng has served as my youth group director, youth pastor, counselor, discipler, mentor, Bible study teacher, Bible Quizzing coach, friend, tennis hitting buddy, love guru, and much more. However, what I have concluded to be one of the most important lessons Ben has taught me was not one that was learned directly. If you ever had the honor of hearing Pastor Ben’s testimony, you would know that it is one of great submission to God.

I first found myself hearing Ben’s testimony at Teen Camp. Long story short, this is a guy who had it all and gave it all away to Jesus Christ. He had a prestigious electrical engineering degree from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), and a lucrative consulting career at Accenture. But he left both to pursue God’s calling for him to serve in youth ministry. He trusted the health of his family, both the spiritual and physical aspects, into God’s hands, praying fervently that his sisters would come to Christ and that his dad would recover from his stroke. And while all of this was going on, he prayed patiently for nearly a decade after college for God to provide him with the right spouse, when ironically his friends thought he would be amongst the first to get married.

Read: James 4:1-12.

In high school, like many of my peers, I wanted to fit in. This desire to conform was publicly manifested in the clothes I wore, the catch phrases I threw around, and especially in having a girlfriend. I also found pride in my academic and athletic achievements. Those were the things that I based found my identity on. James warns us specifically against these mundane “needs” and their potential dangers. If you stop to think about it, James is absolutely right in the first verse. Why is there so much violence, jealousy, hatred, anger, etc. in the world? It all stems from worldly desires that we possess and that we quarrel over to an unfortunate extent.

I’m sure that you’ve at least once in your lifetime asked God for something you desperately wanted - perhaps an Xbox 360, a boy/girl friend, an A on a test, a car, you name it – and didn’t receive what you asked for. James says in v.3 that a reason God may not have given us these things is because we asked for them with the wrong intentions. When we try to satisfy our worldly needs by asking God to help, we are essentially treating him like a vending machine and we are taking our relationship with Him for granted. It’s pretty clear to God that when we selfishly request Him, who is supposed to be first in our lives, to give us what we want, we are putting our wants, our desires, and our plans before His.

What we cannot forget is that, as Christians, we are not of this world, nor do we have a place in it. Our home is with God in His heavenly kingdom. Our job here is merely to be ambassadors of God’s kingdom and to be a light to this world. James goes as far to say that if we embrace the values of this world, then we are showing hatred towards God and becoming His enemy. However, our God is a merciful god that never fails to show us grace. If we choose to submit ourselves to Him, however, we will find that He has more in store for us than we could have ever imagined. Our God loves us very dearly, and I’m sure He finds great joy in seeing us happy. However, He also knows and wants what’s best for each one of us. It’s difficult for us to surrender our individual needs for His ultimate plan, but if we choose to submit, it shows that we not only trust and have faith in Him, but also that we love Him. On top of that, if what we ask for aligns with his purpose for us and is not for our own personal pleasure, He has no problem in answering our prayers.

Knowing that we must submit ourselves to Christ, what does that look like in our lives? James says in v.8-9 that we must first do two things. First, we must purify ourselves from sin. This means that we must come before God, knowing that we are sinners and are completely helpless without Jesus, and repent. Remember, repenting doesn’t mean just saying sorry and then continuing on with our normal lifestyles. There must be a change from within – a change responsible by only the Holy Spirit, who gives us discernment in reading God’s word and directs us daily to live more fruitfully. Next, we must humble ourselves before God. We are lost and helpless sheep with Christ and so we must be willing to hand over 100% of our lives to Him, not just certain parts of it. To do this, we have to swallow our pride and accept that His way will always be better than ours.

Pastor Ben’s life is a clear reflection of this humble submission. It is truly amazing to see how God works in each person’s life, and I am positive that God has a plan that is just as awesome in store for you. All you have to do is submit and surrender control of your life over to God. Take your hand off the wheel and let him do the steering for you. After all, He knows the route better than you do.

Diverting Our Eyes from the Past to the Future

2011-02-15T03:09:00.000-08:00

By: Darren Kwee, former YG Doulos (Class of 2008)

Read: 1 Samuel 16

My time during Youth Group could be described with a single word: Sports. Upon my arrival to WCAC, I would always encounter youth playing basketball or badminton. When it was time to hang out or play in the field, we would set our teams and play football. During the Summer or Winter BDG Olympics, we would have a sense of pride in our Bible Discussion Groups as we competed against others. Like any team-selection protocol, it would involve assigning two captains for each team followed by taking turns choosing players for their respective teams.

Now, how do these captains choose the players for their team? Did they choose the players who were the looked as good as Stephen Norregaard? Did they choose the ones who dressed stylishly like Dustin Kwée? Did they choose the ones who were most popular with other kids in their class at school? No. They chose players with skill. Do they stack skilled players like Jonathan Mann? Sometimes. They chose players who could think quickly and make good decisions. They chose players that could get the job done when the game was on the line. None of the others mattered.

Yet, as assuring as the player-selection criteria may sound to you, they could potentially exclude participants like myself. I’ll admit – I wasn’t the best at football or basketball. I didn’t really fit in with the “popular” clique who would always stand in a circle during conversations, enjoying each other and laughing with one another. During sports competitions, I still vividly remember standing there and being afraid that I would be the last to be chosen – or that I would not be chosen at all. You see, I wasn’t the strongest. I wasn’t the fastest. I wasn’t the best. But I had a lot of heart, and I knew I would always try my hardest if someone had chosen me.

Now God had decided to choose a new king for Israel. He told Samuel to go to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse, because He had chosen one of Jesse's sons to be the next king of Israel. When Samuel arrived in Jerusalem, he went to Jesse's house and told him to bring his sons so that God could tell him which one He had chosen. As each of Jesse's sons passed by, God told Samuel that he was not the one. Samuel could not understand it. They were all such handsome men and very strong. Surely one of them must be the one. But God said to Samuel, "Don't consider his looks. I have rejected him. Man looks at outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7).

Has the Youth Group upheld that command of God? Not always. Yet amongst our failures, we are not alone. A flock is not without its leader. The WCAC Youth group is not without Benjamin Tzeng. During team selections, Ben would be one of the first to notice when the timid are tossed around from team to team. He was often among the people to call out uneven teams. In football games, when one team is lacking in skill, he would aid them with his presence. On Sunday services, he would aid the congregation in setting our true goals and remind us to stick to them even during the fog of distractions.

Yet, despite his capability to serve as a people’s advocate, he does not sit contently – he listens daily to God’s calling for his future. Should we, as friends and family of Ben Tzeng, dwell on his seemingly fitting role as the WCAC Youth Pastor? Just as God clearly sees David’s heart to serve as the King, He sees Ben Tzeng’s heart to serve as the English Pastor of the St. Louis Chinese Gospel Church. Let us not become like Samuel and set our eyes on what position our flesh deems to be fitting for our brother in Christ. Let us learn from Samuel’s mistake and clear our vision to see His ultimate plans. Let us “take the horn of oil and anoint him in the presence of his brothers” so that the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon Ben Tzeng (1 Samuel 16:13). Pray that God will divert our tendency to look back at Ben’s seemingly fitting past as our Youth Pastor and set our eyes solely on encouraging Ben for his new chapter as God’s humble servant. Pray for Ben’s ministry, that it will be fruitful and a pleasant offering to Him. I encourage you to keep Ben in your prayers, just as you have been in his for many years.

Light of the World, Salt of the Earth

2011-02-14T14:40:00.000-08:00

By: Alex Wang, former YG member (Class of 2010)

Read: Matthew 25:31-46

So Ben’s leaving. Obviously this is hard to grasp. What Ben has done for this Youth Group can’t really be summed up in one devotional. And I have to be honest here. By not being a full-time member of WCAC and not being able to go to YG on I have not been able to hear a lot of his messages. But despite that there is one thing about Ben that I have seen, and that his simply his love and willingness to serve one another. And that is what Christ has called us to do. He has called us to reach out to the broken, the lost, the lonely in this world. What comes to mind is the song “God of Justice” by Tim Hughes. The chorus goes along something like this:

We must go live to feed the hungry, stand beside the broken!
We must go!
Stepping forward, keep us from just singing. Move us into action!
We must go!

God has called us to be salt of this earth. This doesn’t mean that we live entirely within our own cliques and bubbles; when someone is in need, God calls us to help. It goes along with the passage from Matthew 25:31-46. This passage ultimately sums it up. In verse 40 it says, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (ESV). We glorify God by reaching out to those who might not have been as fortunate as us in Naperthrill, Wheaton or wherever we live. We can also bring up James 2:17, which states that “…faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (ESV). Despite not being able to really talk with Ben that much or hear his speak many times, but what I have seen in him is just a loving heart and such a willingness to help others who are in need. I pray that we would follow in his footsteps.

Some people may say to themselves, “Man, this is tough! It’s tough to reach out to the newcomers. I’d much rather just hang out with people that I already know.” But this compassion and helping out that we talk about isn’t directed only at those who we don’t know. Christ showed unconditional love for EVERYONE, not just those who are strangers. When we think about it, sometimes the hardest people to love are those who we take for granted, like our parents. Personally, there are times where people close to me are not feeling their best, yet I choose to ignore them. I encourage you guys to truly love those who are close to you, who care about you through all times. Be an example, be a witness. Let your life speak out how much Christ has loved us, to those that we know and those that we have never met.

Heal my heart and make me clean, open up my eyes to the things unseen!
Show me how to love like You have loved me!
Break my heart for what breaks Yours; everything I am for Your kingdom’s cause
As I go from earth into eternity!
- “Hosanna”, Hillsong United

Obedience to God

2011-02-11T06:12:00.000-08:00

By: Spencer Chang, former YG member (Class of 2004)
I am one of the few people who have had the pleasure of both serving with Ben and having him as a youth group leader. As Ben prepares to leave for St. Louis, I want to reflect on what I remember thinking about when he made the decision to do ministry full time.
One thing that sticks out in my mind was Ben’s decision to enter full time ministry. This is a vivid example to me (and certainly my first) of Godly obedience and faith, a characteristic and discipline that I often question in my own walk with Christ. While faith and obedience to God in your life might not lead to big decisions like Ben’s, the ability to listen, decide, and be obedient to God comes from a repeated history of obedience. Read these verses on obedience and reflect on your obedience to God.
Read: I Sam. 15:22, Deut. 11:13, I Pet. 1:2

Write down, three areas where your obedience is evident, and pray thanking God.

Write 3 areas where you are not obedient, and pray for discipline and help in trusting and following him.

True Commitment

2011-02-10T06:37:00.000-08:00

By: Leslie Ng, former Doulos member (Class of 2003)

Read: Matthew 16:24

Pastor Ben's ministry among youth began in 1999 during my freshman year in high school. The Youth Director had just stepped down and although Pastor Ben was working a full-time job at that time, he and a few young adults that had grown up in the church took up the reins of leadership. Pastor Ben continued to serve as a youth counselor when the church hired a Youth Director the following year and even when his job required him to work in Houston, he still remained devoted to the youth ministry at WCAC, flying back and serving faithfully at Youth Group each weekend.

His job eventually called him to Hong Kong for an extended period of time. While there he quickly found an opportunity to be a part of the youth ministry at a church and became very actively involved there. After some time, he returned to the States. The Youth Director at that time was called away from WCAC and Pastor Ben again decided to step into the role as youth leader during my senior year of high school. He eventually quit his job to attend seminary and pursue a full-time calling to his ministry at WCAC, where he has served so faithfully for so many years.

It has truly been a blessing to see how the Lord has led Pastor Ben on this journey and a privilege to serve under his guidance during these past 11 years. Throughout these years at WCAC, Pastor Ben has especially challenged me with his example of what it means to be a follower of Jesus whose life is marked by his deep commitment to serving the Lord. Following God's call requires us to be committed to a lifetime of service and this is a commitment that requires sacrifice and surrender--the surrender of our time, our possessions, our comfort, our future plans and careers, and our pride, among all else.

Are you truly committed to following Jesus and serving the Lord? If not, what is preventing you from full commitment? What aspects in your life still need to be sacrificed and surrendered to the Lord? Reflect and ask God to help you surrender these things.

Let the Gospel Sink In

2011-02-09T04:42:00.000-08:00

By: Jack Xu, former YG member (Class of 2005)

Read Galatians 5

Introduction to Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians:
This letter was directed not to a church or a city, but to an entire region. It is evident that Paul has a history with this region, either planting the Christian movement, and/or helping it mature and grow. Recently, some false teachers have been leading the people astray. They stressed an observance for the Law of Moses with the help of Christ. They also were trying to undermine Paul’s authority in order to become more powerful themselves. Paul has harsh words for the false teachers. In verse 12, he says that he wishes the people who are preaching circumcision would not stop at circumcision, but continue on and emasculate (cut it off, mutilate) themselves. This is the seriousness of the heresy.

Reflections:
1) Romans 4:13 says, “It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.” Even before the Law of Moses was given, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:3). In other words, righteousness was loaned to Abraham because he had faith. In his holy bank account, it read ‘righteous’. Verse 4 says that “you who are trying to be justified by the law have been aliened from Christ”. Maybe by doing this devotional you are one step closer to holiness… silly right? But we seriously do believe that our holy bank accounts are lacking in funds, and but depositing good works we can make it read ‘righteous’. What are you trying to deposit? What is your motivation?

2) Verse 6 says the only thing that counts is faith, expressing itself through love! We feel like we can’t love all the time; we feel like we have to make up by doing more. Romans 3:24 says “all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” If you have faith in Jesus Christ, you are now considered holy. Even during the times of your worst sin and depravity, at that very moment, God looks at you and considers you blameless. You were once a sinner that was saved by grace, and now you are a saint who struggles with sin. Realize the new life that you have with Christ Jesus and reflect on that.

3) In Romans 7:4 Paul says that we believed in Christ and died to the law, “that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.” The end of Galatians 5 tells us that the fruits of the spirit have no law against them, that it is completely separate from the law. Fruits take time and grow, on plants that are well watered and in the light. Paul tells us that if we walk by the Spirit and keep close to God, we will be well watered and well lit. The truth is the more we let the message of the gospel sink in, the more we will walk by the Spirit. Remember the gospel and let it sink in. Take time to pray and to get closer to our God.

Simply Gracious

2011-02-08T20:10:00.000-08:00

By: Ezra Chang, former Doulos member (Class of 2006)

The question presented to me was this: "What has God taught you through Pastor Ben?" This is, thankfully, not the same question as "What have you learned from God through Pastor Ben?" Teaching is the transmission of knowledge, whereas learning is the reception and internalization of the same. The two do not necessarily come hand-in-hand; I need only look at my life to see that truth.

Ben has taught me much over the years; in fact, I've known him for eleven and a half years - fully half of my life. It's all still here, in my head; but you wouldn't know it, looking at my life. I remain a deeply flawed individual; I am undisciplined and lack self control, I am missing good judgment and say things I shouldn't, and to top it off I have a Baal-worshipper's knack for trying to straddle the fence when it comes my allegiance to Christ and the opposing inclination to serve myself to another helping of the world's pleasures. Within our culture, teachers are often judged based on their students. I implore you not to, in this case.

In my humble opinion, it is to Ben's credit that he has stayed with me, as well as others, seeing us as charges from God to lead along the path to righteousness. Even though most of the things he taught me, pursuant to that goal, haven't stuck, he
displayed the fruit of the Spirit in the way he continued to pour into us. Through his example, I understand a little bit more what it is to follow Christ. I have glimpsed a shadow of God's love in the way Ben goes out of his way to mentor us.
Ben has mirrored Christ in the way he extends grace to me, and it is this concept of grace that I am most taken with. Grace is a concept so foreign to me, yet is the one thing I need and want most. Even as I go through an extremely dry season of my life, thinking back on all those years brings to mind one of the first passages I ever memorized, even before I became a Christan, Romans 3:23. With some of the surrounding text, it reads:

"But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption by Christ Jesus."
- Romans 3:21-24

The context to which this passage was directed was, partially, an incorrect understanding of salvation on the part of Jews in the Roman church. Paul needed to explain to them that they were no better than their non-Jewish brethren for all their rituals and the history those rituals supposedly represented. He makes clear that salvation comes not from our own actions, but from the sacrifice of Christ alone, given freely by God.

It is in this spirit (and in the Spirit) that I perceive Ben to have acted, in all our interactions. It is through grace that I must relearn to reinterpret my life right now, a lesson I have only recently perceived after so many years, and I am grateful to God for having taught it through Ben.

A Daily Sacrifice

2011-02-07T20:09:00.000-08:00

By: Becky Chen, former Doulos member (Class of 2005)

Read: Psalm 51: 16-17

This was a Psalm proclaimed by David after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba and was confronted by the prophet Nathan. I thought David's reaction to God was interesting after having committed such a great sin.

Often times in my own life, when I do something wrong, I want to immediately correct it. This applies to school work, spelling errors, even in relationships with family or friends. I don't know about you, but I'm a "doer" and I find that I always need something to do to feel better about situations I can't control.

From David's perspective, he obviously realizes there is nothing in his power (no donkey, chicken or cow) he can offer up to God that can please Him. However, David knows that God is only pleased by his broken spirit and contrite (repentant or remorseful) heart.

This is something I always need reminding of. Our God is not about empty sacrifices, but of sacrificing our will for the sake of His. When we are broken in spirit and come to Him with a repenting heart, it's an attitude of humility and acknowledging that God is able.

Hopefully this is an encouragement to you all. Let us come before our God daily sacrificing to him a broken spirit and contrite heart; always confessing that we are in need of Him in every hour.

February Special Devotional Series

2011-02-06T20:08:00.000-08:00

Youth Group Devotionals
February Special Devotional Series
College and Career Group

Introduction to the February Special Devotional Series

A new year is always a harbinger of all things new. It brings new mercies and graces of God, but it also brings changes. Of course, within the life of WCAC, this year will be a year of great change. We speak, of course, of Pastor Ben’s new calling as the English Pastor of the St. Louis Chinese Gospel Church (SLCGC). Indeed, our loss will be to SLCGC’s great gain. Yet, we must always remember that the church never revolves around certain individuals. God’s church is always God-centered, not pastor-centered. WCAC will continue to move on and maintain her ministry to all people in the community with new people in leadership who will continue the story of how God continues to work through his people at the church.

Notwithstanding, Pastor Ben’s departure to his new calling will not feel good to all of us. For all of us he has been such a great blessing, a faithful pastor, and awesome friend. Many college and even post-college students still come to him for advice regularly. No doubt, Pastor Ben has been an indelible participant in so many of our lives, having witnessed during his tenure as Youth Director and then as Youth Pastor the graduation of 8 high school senior classes. As a possible testament to the efficacy of his ministry, many of those who have graduated are now serving in various capacities not just in our church, but in churches across the country and, in some cases, outside the country. Thus, we think it’d be especially fitting to commission a special devotional series in thanksgiving to what God has revealed about Himself through Ben.

This month’s devotional series, therefore, features many of us who have been with Pastor Ben in different seasons of his ministry life. It is important to remember, however, that the devotionals are not about Ben. They are not about how amazing Ben is – even though he is amazing. They are not about how important Ben is – even though he played important roles in our church and lives. They’re not even about Ben himself, even though it is a special devotional series in thanksgiving to his service. They’re about Christian truths that we read about in the Bible, which we have witnessed in Ben’s life and ministry. It is our hope that when you read the Scriptures, reflect on it, and see how it has been lived out in Ben’s life, you may be empowered to live the Scriptures out even more within your life, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Thus, we commend this month’s special devotional series to you.

With blessings,

The WCAC Youth Group Teaching Ministry

I Am the Lord’s Servant

2010-12-20T06:26:00.001-08:00

Nancy Guthrie’s Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room:

It’s hard to imagine how frightening it must have been for teenage Mary to see an angel and hear him speaking to her. The Bible says that “Gabriel appeared to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored women! The Lord is with you!’ Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. ‘Don’t be afraid, Mary,’ the angel told her, ‘for you have found favor with God!’” (Luke 1:28-30). We can’t help but wonder what the angel looked like and what he sounded like.

As frightening as it must have been to see and hear an angel speaking to her, it must have been even more frightening for Mary to process what the angel was telling her–that she was going to become pregnant, even though she had never been intimate with a man. This would be a scandal in her village. Everyone would whisper about her. She would be shunned and perhaps sent away by her fiance, Joseph, because he would think she had been unfaithful to him. And yet, even though she probably had a million questions and concerns, Mary responded to the angel by welcoming whatever God wanted to do. She said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true” (Luke 1:38). In a sense she said to God, “I’m yours. You can do anything you want with me,” even though she must have known that this situation would be very hard for her, for Joseph, and for her whole family.

It’s easy to label what we consider “good things” in our lives as gifts from God and to welcome them with gratitude. But when difficult things happen, we don’t look at them as part of God’s good plan for us. Mary’s example shows us we can also welcome those things we would not necessarily label “good,” confident that God’s gifts sometimes come in perplexing and even painful packages. When we belong to God, we know he will use whatever he allows into our lives for good. Somehow, in God’s hands, these things also become gifts of his grace toward us.

It takes faith—faith to rest in who God is and his love for us; faith to be confident that he is doing something good in and through our difficult circumstances—to see the hard things in our lives as gifts of God’s grace.

GOD IS ON OUR SIDE

2010-12-17T04:08:00.000-08:00

It was a gracious revelation to my human spirit when I discovered that the Word of God was actually on my side, operating in my behalf! I was reading Psalm 71 and I came to this amazing statement: "Thou hast given commandment to save me!" My heart has been warmed with that realization ever since. I believe that the Word of the living God has gone throughout all the earth to save me and keep me! Let the theological experts raise their eyebrow -- I do not care! The living Word has charged Himself with responsibility to forgive, to cleanse and to keep me! Let us not be guilty of under rating the Word of God operating on our behalf I dare to say that there is not an uncontrolled stroke or force anywhere in all of God's mighty universe that can take eternal life away from a trusting, believing, obedient child of God. Let us thank God for the Word! It is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword!

Verse
Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul. Psalm 71:13
Thought
I dare to say that there is not an uncontrolled stroke or force anywhere in all of God's mighty universe that can take eternal life away from a trusting, believing, obedient child of God.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for being infinitely more constant than any foe I could ever face.

BROTHERHOOD OF THE REDEEMED

2010-12-16T04:51:00.001-08:00

Anyone making even a quick review of Genesis will discover that God has told us more about His presence in creation and in history than about the details of human civilization. We believe that eternity dwells in the Person of God and that the material universe came into being through God's creation. The first man and woman in the human race were created. They failed in their initial encounter with Satan, our archenemy. Following that, the Genesis record becomes a narrative of human failure against the abiding backdrop of God's faithfulness. God Himself, through the Holy Spirit, points out a universal problem: the natural brotherhood of human beings is a sinful brotherhood. It is the brotherhood of all who are spiritually lost. But the Bible has good news. It is the revelation of a new brotherhood, the brotherhood of the redeemed! We know it in our time as the believing church of our Lord Jesus Christ in all nations. It is a new brotherhood among men based on regeneration-and restoration!

Verse
To them gave he power to become the sons of God. John 1:12

Thought
We believe that eternity dwells in the Person of God and that the material universe came into being through God's creation.

Prayer
Lord, thank for taking me from the brotherhood of the lost to the brotherhood of the redeemed.

CHEAP RELIGION

2010-12-15T15:03:00.001-08:00

What passes for Christianity in our day is cheap religion! To listen to the current concepts of Christianity, we would conclude it is little more than bits of beautiful poetry, a man-made bouquet of fragrant flowers, a kindly smile for our neighbor and a couple of good deeds on behalf of a brother or sister. When I consider some of the elements now offered in Christianity as acceptable religion, I have to restrain myself lest I speak too disapprovingly. I fear my words would be so strong that I would have to repent of them! And I read in the Scriptures that there are some things God does not want us to say even about the devil. What do we find surfacing in much of our Christian fellowship? The complaint that God takes a long time to work out His will. We do not want to take the time to plow and cultivate. We want the fruit and the harvest right away. We do not want to be engaged in any spiritual battle that takes us into the long night. We want the morning light right now! We do not want the cross-we are more interested in the crown!

Verse
Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. 2 Samuel 24:24

Thought
We want the fruit and the harvest right away. We do not want to be engaged in any spiritual battle that takes us into the long night.

Prayer
Lord, Thank you for the reminder that I have a job to do, and I pray for the grace to complete it.

HUMANS JUDGE THE LORD?

2010-12-14T01:32:00.000-08:00

It is a fact that God made us to worship Him, and if we had not fallen with Adam and Eve, worship would have been the most natural thing for us. Sinning was not the natural thing for Adam and Eve, but they disobeyed and fell, losing their privilege of perfect fellowship with God, the Creator. Sin is the unnatural thing; it was never intended by God to be our nature. Men and women who are out of fellowship with God, the Creator, still have an instinct towards some practice of worship. In most of our "civilized" circles, the practice of picking out what we like to worship and rejecting what we do not like is widespread. This has opened up an entire new field for applied psychology and humanism under a variety of religious disguises. Thus men and women set themselves as judges of what the Lord has said-and so they stand with pride and judge the Lord. In the Bible, God takes the matter of worship out of the hands of men and puts it in the hands of the Holy Spirit. It is impossible to worship God without the impartation of the Holy Spirit!

Verse
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:9

Thought
In the Bible, God takes the matter of worship out of the hands of men and puts it in the hands of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer
Lord, thank you for the fact that you have given me the Holy Spirit so that I can worship you in spirit and in truth.

POSTPONING OBEDIENCE

2010-12-13T06:27:00.000-08:00

A notable heresy has come into being throughout our evangelical Christian circle-the widely accepted concept that we humans can choose to accept Christ only because we need Him as Savior, and that we have the right to postpone our obedience to Him as long as we want to! The truth is that salvation apart from obedience is unknown in the sacred Scriptures. Peter makes it plain that we are "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience." It seems most important to me that Peter speaks of his fellow Christians as "obedient children." He knew their spirituality-he was not just giving them an exhortation to be obedient. The entire Bible teaches that true obedience to God and His Christ is one of the toughest requirements in the Christian life. Actually, salvation without obedience is a self-contradicting impossibility! Humans do not want to admit it, but the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans long ago that "by one man's disobedience" came the downfall of the human race!

Verse
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Acts 16:31

Thought
The entire Bible teaches that true obedience to God and His Christ is one of the toughest requirements in the Christian life.

Prayer
Lord, let me always remember that odedience to your will is not just sanctioned, but manditory.

Mercy When Justice Is Deserved

2010-12-10T05:09:00.001-08:00

A few weeks back, the junior and senior Sunday school class was discussing the story of Philemon. Philemon was a good man, who most likely treated most of his slaves very well. Thus, when one of his slaves, Onesimus, ran away from him, Philemon—who neither mistreated nor hurt Onesimus unnecessarily—was justifiably frustrated and mad. Once found, a runaway slave was returned to his master who would normally scold and punish his slave as he saw fit. Yet, the letter to Philemon centered on Paul’s pleading on Onesimus’s behalf for Philemon’s mercy where justice was deserved. Philemon was fully justified if he punished Onesimus—that’s what was just—yet Paul entreats him to remember the mercy Philemon received when he received the gospel and treat Onesimus with likewise mercy.

Now read Genesis 50:15-26

Like Philemon, Joseph would have been fully justified if he had chosen to punish his brothers. His brothers sold him into slavery after all; you can’t do much worse than that. His brothers deserved punishment for their actions. Yet, instead of choosing to do what was just, Joseph chose mercy. He knew that he had the right to hurt his brothers as he was hurt (an eye for an eye) but he gave up this right in order to show compassion on his brothers—and by extension, the love and forgiveness of God.
So now we come back to the present. To you. To your specific situation. Have you recently been wronged? Maybe it was really (because most of the time it isn’t) ALL THEIR FAULT. Maybe you truly did absolutely nothing to deserve how your friend, family member, or acquaintance treated you. And you probably have a right to be mad and frustrated. But it is far too easy for us humans to jump to judgment. After all, who are we to judge? We make mistakes all the time; besides, God declares in the Bible that vengeance is His and His alone. Not yours, not mine. His. And before our human nature begins coming up with excuses about how we should STILL have the right to be mad at least, let us look no farther than the ultimate act of mercy: Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. After all, all of Genesis is simply a signpost pointing us to Jesus, is it not? And Joseph is just an example of the mercy that was to be for all humanity. Jesus—God Himself—deserved to punish humankind for our rebellion against our Creator, yet chose to embody humility in his humiliating death on the cross, to save us from our sins.

How can we not be moved? How can we still adamantly declare that we deserve to pay someone back for how they’ve wronged us, when, in fact, this passage, all of Genesis, the whole Bible even points us to the ultimate act of mercy? Forgive my Star Wars allusion, but honestly, let go of your hate. Pray that God will teach you to love as He has loved. And show His mercy and His desire for restoration to your friends today. Who is God putting on your heart that you need—I repeat, NEED—to forgive? I encourage you to prayerfully approach that person today with full forgiveness, keeping in mind that we have already all received the ultimate mercy ourselves.

The Good Death

2010-12-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

Read Genesis 49:28-50:14
Part of living a godly life is finishing it in a godly death. Maybe you’ve been to a funeral before; maybe several, so you might have the ability of a comparison, or maybe not. Personally, I’ve been to a number of funerals, probably more than is good for someone my age, but the experiences have left me with an understanding of what it means to have a godly death. The death and mourning may not always look the same, but the focus is the same; God. The life and death of a person who has lived in pursuit of God can be so powerful that even non-believers feel presence of God’s peace and hope during the period of grief and mourning. It was the same at Jacob’s death.

After blessing his sons we see that Jacob gave specific instructions to his sons about where to bury him. This is important because for Jacob it’s not just about being buried in the promised land; there is a spiritual significance about being buried in the same place with his forefathers who also lived under the covenantal promise. It is Jacob identifying himself by his relationship to God even after his death.

How are you living in such a way that those who come after you will identify you by your relationship to God?

Another thing to note about this passage is how the Egyptians mourned Jacob for seventy days. Israel and his descendents were foreigners and shepherds. Yet, the nation mourns for Jacob. Jacob must’ve had a tremendous influence by the life that he lived in Egypt in order to have that kind of national effect as a foreigner. I don’t know about you, but seventy days for actual ceremonial mourning is a long time. How is it that Jacob came to such recognition in Egypt in such a short time? Not only that but after the official mourning time in Egypt Pharaoh granted Joseph’s request to let him return and bury Jacob with his forefathers . . . along with the all of Pharaoh’s officials and dignitaries where they continued in mourning and caused such a stir even among the Canaanites that they renamed Jacob’s place of burial based on this one funeral! I think in a way it makes Jacob’s burial place much more poignant for this ; since the members of Pharaoh’s court could have no doubt of the significance of this burial place to both Jacob and his family, and for the promise of the covenant under which they lived. At the same time it’s a vivid reminder to Jacob’s son through all of this about the purpose of their lives. They may be living in Egypt, but they are pilgrims looking forward to the fulfillment of the promise and the promised land. It’s a moment that Jacob arranges in his death for his sons to come to terms with their own relationship with God and their place in the covenant.

Take some time to consider the ultimate goals that you are pursuing and align yourself with God and his plans for you. Ask for a willing spirit to help you be obedient to the things God desires for you. Ask God to help you understand how to live godly life, and to help you with the love, courage, humility you need to live it.

In Praise of Nobody.

2010-12-08T04:14:00.000-08:00

Read: Genesis 49: 1-27

We are now entering the last verses of the book of Genesis. It is important to bear in mind that Genesis was not written to describe where we all came from. It was written as the beginning to the story of God’s chosen people – the nation of Israel. Thus, when we read today’s passage, we need to keep in mind that Jacob’s blessing of his sons tell, at the same time, what will come to pass.

If you note carefully, each of Jacob’s sons will be forerunners to each tribe of Israel. Some of the prophecies were interesting. Keep in mind that Jacob’s favorite sons were Joseph and Benjamin. While Joseph certainly had a reassuring prophecy, Benjamin’s was simply terrible – “ravenous wolf” is not a compliment. Furthermore, Reuben, Simeon and Levi are the oldest three sons, all of whom – especially Reuben- should receive the choicest blessings from Jacob, which is ancient Jewish custom. However, note that Reuben has committed adultery once (Gen. 35); and Simeon and Levi were responsible for massacring the Canaanites in Shechem (Gen. 34). Thus, it seems that the blessings now fall upon Judah.

Judah is really a nobody. He’s not first, but he wasn’t last. Nobody cares so much for him. But note: “the scepter will not depart from Judah,” indicating the possibility that one day, the nation of Israel will have a king. He will, furthermore, be respected among all nations, he’ll get the royal treatment. To top it all off, he’s dashing. Indeed, hundreds of years after, the nation of Judah will arise. King David, when he was selected, was a nobody too, the youngest of the sons of Jesse (who’s he?). We, as Christians, also know that Jesus is often referred to as the “Lion of Judah”, but to his fellow Nazarene neighbors, “wasn’t he the son of Joseph?”

And isn’t this how God works throughout history, choosing the insignificant to do great things? If you read the New Testament, note that Paul is the only author who had a prestigious background – everyone else were nobodies. Paul is interesting, because he was from the tribe of Benjamin, whom Jacob would describe as “a ravenous wolf; in the morning devouring the prey, and at evening dividing the spoil.” This doesn’t sound good, does it? How interesting, then, that Paul, with the same ravenous attitude, went throughout the Mediterranean sharing the Gospel with all people, and in the end, “dividing the spoils” to all? Yes, my friends, our God is a redeeming God.

Maybe you feel like a nobody. You’re not the one with the perfect GPA. Others seem to have thought the exams were easy-peasy, but you thought it was impossible. Some of you seniors are applying to schools. All your friends got into prestigious programs at prestigious schools, and you feel you might not… measure up. This is a relentless world we live in. We all prize status, qualifications, etc. But God doesn’t play human games. Jesus did not play human games. He certainly could’ve gone through school and become a teacher of the law – a very prestigious position in Jewish society. But no, he went into carpentry. He could’ve bossed people around since he’s God, but no – he served us on bended knee. Not only do nobodies matter to God, but He uses them all the time. So if you think you are a nobody relative to your peers, don’t play human games, for God sees you very differently.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

2010-12-07T10:56:00.000-08:00

Having been reunited with his father, we see an astounding interaction between Jacob and his favored son Joseph. Despite all of the suffering both of these men have gone through, the idea that God is the source of blessing and the necessary recipient of praise is evident throughout their conversation. Jacob has a great blessing in store for his sons in Genesis 49, but it is evident that Joseph is still the favored son. Among his brothers, he receives double portion, one for Ephraim and one for Manasseh. It is here in Genesis 48 that we see Jacob giving the blessing to his grandsons, whom he adopts for his own. Its important to note that whoever Jacob blesses, God also blesses, consistent with God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

Read Genesis 48

Jacob is sick and knows he doesn't have much time left. He brings his son Joseph and his now adopted sons Ephraim and Manasseh into his room to give them a blessing. But over the course of the encounter, Jacob reminds the boys of God's hand in Jacob's life and ultimately theirs. He begins by reminding them in Genesis 48:3-4 of how God has kept the promises He made to Jacob. Its both Jacob praising God for what he's done but also reminding Joseph of what God is still doing in the lives of His people. Perhaps there is fear that Joseph will forget the blessing to come and want to stay in Egypt forever, but that is not where God intended them to be.

Again in Genesis 48:15-16 Jacob makes God the center of attention in his encounter with his son. Jacob blesses the boys, the way God wants them to be blessed. Like Jacob over Esau, Jacob also blesses Ephraim, the younger, over Manasseh the first born. Again, Jacob is praising God for how He chose Jacob not based on merit, but by His grace. He is also reminding Joseph that God had much in store for His people, emphasis on the fact that they will at no point deserve it. He reminds Joseph and the boys that it was God who went before Him and led Him as a shepherd, not his own wit or guile.

Finally, in Genesis 48:20-21, Jacob looks to the future for what God will do. He is completely confident that God will follow through with the blessing in their lives so much so that all of Israel (which didn't even exist as a nation yet) would know that it was God at work to bless rather than Ephraim or Manasseh or Joseph working to gain blessing. Once again, Jacob reminds Joseph and the boys that the real blessing is coming. Its not in Egypt, as good as things are now, its in Canaan.

So what then for us? Spend some time reflecting on the blessings that God has given you. We often make the mistake of assuming that God's blessing has to look a certain way. Jacob recognized that the blessing didn't take the form he wanted but rather what God wanted. Remember that the God who led Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph from Ur to Canaan to Egypt and back, is the same God that cares for and leads you now, and the greater blessing is still to come.

Principles Pertaining to Prosperity and Poverty

2010-12-06T08:41:00.000-08:00

The material for this devo is borrowed from an article I read by Bob Deffinbaugh called “A Proper Perspective of Poverty and Prosperity”. This is an extremely important as we continue to see the ways our lives are set up with so many opportunities for us to do well in society and earn a good living. At the same time, we have been challenged as a church to see the poverty around us and in the world and how we are suppose to respond as Christians. Let’s see what God is going to share with us in today’s text.

Read Genesis 47:13-31

Here it is important to understand the whole story of Joseph. I hope that you have been following with us in this whole series of Genesis devotions and have come along with us in the narrative. If you haven’t, I hope that you have time to do that. We get to the point of the story where Joseph is in charge and administering food for Pharaoh. This is an extremely important job as there is a severe famine in the land.
As you read this passage, we see that the verses describe the prosperity of Pharaoh and the people of God in amidst poverty and famine. It is important for us to see several principles which help us to more precisely define the relationship between prosperity and poverty. I have selected just two principles from his article:

1) Prosperity is not a right, but a privilege and a responsibility. In the Old Testament God promised Israel prosperity if they would faithfully obey Him and keep His commandments as described in Deuteronomy 15:4-6. But God also made it clear that while this was His promise, this ideal would never be fully realized – “For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, “You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land” Deuteronomy 15:11. In the book of Proverbs it is oft repeated that prosperity is the result of diligence, while poverty is the result of idleness. Paul in Philippians challenges us to learn the secret of contentment which he has in both poverty and prosperity. Wealth is to be employed in ministry to others. Poverty does not prohibit a genuine desire to minister, while prosperity provides greater opportunity and greater responsibility.

2) The problem of poverty cannot be solved simplistically. The simple solution to the problem of the famine in Egypt, we suppose, would have been for Joseph to open up the granaries of Egypt and give the grain to the Egyptians. The question then becomes, “On what basis should the grain be given out?” How would you feel about the fellow who drove up in his new Rolls Royce and asked you to “fill er up” with grain? Welfare is never quite so simple as it first seems. In some scriptures we are told to give to those in need: He who is generous will be blessed, For he gives some of his food to the poor as stated in Proverbs 22:9. Then we see in 2 Thess. 3:10 – “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: If anyone will not work, neither let him eat.”

We have a wide range of responsibilities to the poor because there are a wide variety of reasons for poverty. To those who are willfully poor, that is, those who will not work, we have no obligation but to rebuke them. We must allow their hunger to prod them into activity. For those who are temporarily without funds, we should loan them money with the expectation of being paid back, but not with interest. Others who are completely helpless should be given what they need with no thought of repayment.

Two primary goals should be fixed in our mind regarding charity that really benefits the recipient: First, it should seek to preserve the dignity of the needy; and second, it should promote the diligence of the needy. In Old Testament times the able-bodied who were in need were provided for by leaving sufficient food for them to glean.

I hope that we reflect on the passage and also these principles to allow God shape our hearts, minds and understanding of how God wants us to live as His disciples. It is important for us to see the ways God continues to lead us and gives us wisdom from Him to be able to handle all of life’s complexities.

Lord You are Good and Your Mercy Endures Forever

2010-12-03T14:29:00.000-08:00

Read Genesis 46:28-47:12

Let me bring you back to only a few chapters ago when Joseph’s family was scraping around just to come up with enough food for them and their families. They were desperate, willing to do anything—prostrating themselves at the feet of a foreigner—to beg that they be sold grain to nourish their loved ones. Everything seemed utterly dismal, especially as Joseph’s brothers were tested by God through Joseph: everything from being accused of being spies to being forced to bring Benjamin to Egypt to finding the silver cup in Benjamin’s bag to having to choose whether or not to give up on Benjamin to Judah offering his life in exchange for Benjamin’s. Yet, as we look at the passage for today, we see God’s faithfulness coming to pass. All the seemingly terrible things that happen to Joseph’s family are shown to be all a part of God’s plan: if Joseph hadn’t been sold, then all of them would have been begging for grain from Pharaoh—who probably wouldn’t have any without Joseph’s help! So all of the craziness leading up to this point has been a part of God’s plan; and God’s plan is GOOD! Just look at what begins to happen towards the end of this story (aka today’s passage): Jacob and Joseph are tearfully reunited, Joseph and his entire family are looked upon extraordinarily favorably by Pharaoh, Joseph’s family is allowed to settle in the best part of Egypt in Goshen…what more can one ask for? Jeremiah 29:11 says this: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” How true is this statement! Maybe you’re at that stage where God is still testing you or being strangely silent and you still can’t see God’s mercy being poured out. But rest assured, that time will come. God WILL come, drenching you in his rains of mercy.

Where are you today? Do you feel like you’re in the midst of a famine right now, that you cannot feel God at all? Maybe on a journey to seek food, to try to find nourishment for your soul? Or feeling convicted of your past wrongs, when you haven’t lived as God desired? Perhaps astonishment and a little fear at God’s unexpected blessings in your life? Possibly inadequacy or anxiety about returning to God because you’ve already gone to Him seemingly one-too-many times? Maybe you’re feeling condemned for the things you have or haven’t done? Or having to sacrifice so much for someone you’re supposed to love? Perhaps joy finally as you look back and realize that everything that God has brought you through has been according to His perfect plan for your life? Whatever the case, I believe that you will one day—sooner or later—come out of the darkness of the seemingly endless tunnel you’re in now and be bowled over by God’s great love for you. What that looks like, how that will come about, all those details…only God knows all that. But if you’re in a tough place right now, look at Joseph and his family’s story and be encouraged. God knows about your needs and He will provide for you in abundantly good ways. So don’t give up right now. Keep running the good race and you will see God’s mercy being dumped all over your life in fantastic ways soon. Because our God is good and His mercy endures FOREVER!

Taking the Lead

2010-12-02T06:54:00.000-08:00

The last week or so we've been looking at the life of Joseph and seeing the transformation that God is doing in his life. Despite the suffering of being sold into slavery, falsely accused, imprisoned and forgotten, God used Joseph to be a blessing to an entire nation. However, we are again reminded that this narrative is not a story about Joseph but about what God is doing in Israel's redemptive history. In fact, Joseph is not the only one who has gone through a transformation since the start of his story. Today's focus will be on a different brother. Judah.

Read Genesis 44

Judah will ultimately be the chosen line, not Joseph. From Judah's family comes a line of kings and eventually the Messiah. Big shoes to fill. And from the start, Judah is clearly not the man Joseph has become. In Genesis 37, Judah is the one who puts for the plan to sell Joseph in the first place. Genesis 38, Judah's actions are a direct contrast to Joseph resisting the temptation of Potiphar's wife. But somewhere along the way, that changes. Judah begins to take the responsibility that comes with being the leader of the brothers, and the tribe from which many kings would eventually come. We see him make the claim to it in Genesis 43 when he tells Jacob he will take personal responsibility for Benjamin's safety promising his own life. This is in sharp contrast to Reuben's response in Genesis 42 where he promises the lives of his own sons in exchange for Benjamin's. Judah takes ownership and responsibility. Reuben does not. That's why Judah is the spokesman for the brothers, not Reuben, despite Reuben's status as the first born.

Its here in Genesis 44 that we finally see Judah's new status as the leader in action. When faced with the accusation against Benjamin, Judah puts his own life on the line. He goes out of his way to protect not only Benjamin but his father. Genesis 44:33, "Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers." Though he's done nothing wrong, he offers himself as a sacrifice in order to protect Benjamin and Jacob.

This morning, consider how God might be calling you to be transformed in your attitude. Are you taking responsibility for your actions? Are you being living sacrificially and protecting those who can't protect themselves? Its not until Judah figures this out that he begins to shape up into the leader of the tribe of Kings he's supposed to be. What might God be calling you to do that will require you to be transformed just like Judah?

The First Move

2010-12-01T07:05:00.000-08:00

Read: Genesis 45

Before I begin, Genesis 45 seems to be about repentance and reconciliation. In the past, Judah sold Joseph to slave traders with impunity, but now he confesses his mistake and offers to sacrifice himself so that Benjamin can return to Jacob. It is a touching story, but it must be read with Genesis 44 in mind. Nonetheless, we are drawing near to the end of Genesis, and it’s important to realize something that’s going on.

In the movie The Return of the King, Gandalf the White and Peregrin Took were at the balcony of their guest house in Minas Tirith. Gandalf was frustrated at the Steward’s lack of care for the city as Sauron was gearing up for war. Sauron has his pieces in order, and Gandalf, to the best of his ability, has his. He famously remarked, “The board is set, the pieces are moving, the War of our Time has come at last.” As we draw near to the end of Genesis, we need to understand that the board is set for the next great episode of God’s story. The pieces will soon be moved. What is the board being set for?

Joseph is now the regent of all Egypt and has revealed his identity to his brothers, who were afraid that Joseph would retaliate and send them to be executed. Then Joseph told them not to be afraid and not distressed for their sin of selling Joseph to slavery, “for God sent me before you to preserve life… God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.” (vs. 5 and 7) Pharaoh’s exuberant hospitality and encouragement led Jacob, who was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing his former favorite son, to move the family to Egypt. Thus, the pieces are coming together for Exodus.

As we live in a world that is quickly shifting, it sometimes feels disorienting. The last famous musical artist I knew when I was in high school was the Backstreet Boys and Ricky Martin. Some of you have no idea who Ricky Martin is. “Heart of Worship” was a relatively new song. Now it’s almost a hymn. Technology is moving at breakneck speed. Only a mere 10 years (10!) ago, the fastest speed you can access the internet with was 56K. Some of you don’t know what that means (cable is now at a few MB’s a second). Despite this disorientation, we know God is always in control, that his chess boards and his strategies are all never beyond him. What Satan, what this world can throw at him will never destabilize God. And that is an amazing assurance. Perhaps you feel like this world is just relentless and that you’re always a step behind. You still don’t know how to calculate Riemann sums. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness seems to be explaining your predicament pretty well. ATP phosphorylation seems to be draining the ATPs out of you. And, worst of all, all that will give your GPA a beating.

But God is never lost. God is always master of the situation. I took a midterm for Old Testament three weeks ago. You know it was bad when an annual tradition has evolved where second-year seminarians hold a breakfast and write encouraging notes on the white board to keep us from becoming frazzled. But what helped entirely was when our professor came in. “I know many of you probably have prayed 1,001 times before this exam, but one more prayer, can’t hurt, right? Let’s pray.” Her first sentence was this: “Holy God, may we understand why we are here [at seminary] and that regardless of how this exam goes, we still belong to you.” Dr. Sakenfeld can pray such a prayer, because she knows well – she’s an Old Testament scholar after all – that God is always in control. His pieces are always in order.

Taking the Lead

2010-11-30T13:16:00.000-08:00

God Change Me

2010-11-29T07:11:00.000-08:00

Read Genesis 43

I hope you have been able to follow this series as we have been going through the narrative of Joseph’s story. We have now arrived at the point of the story where the famine is still very severe in Israel so they must go back to Egypt to get more food. However, the brothers know that they cannot go back without bringing Benjamin as Joseph has requested his brothers (who do not recognize him) to bring Benjamin if they want to face him.

Genesis 43:14 says “And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved! Jacob has finally reluctantly says to God, “If I lose my son, I lose my son.” The way Jacob addresses God is by using “El Shaddai” which means God Almighty or God who is sufficient. God will supply all of one’s needs and therefore Jacob calls us to God in this way.

The desperation that has been brought about because of the severe famine and the lost of his favorite son Joseph has forced him to allow God to be God. Jacob however has no idea that the man in Egypt requiring him to send his youngest son ahead is in fact the son that he had lost, Joseph. God is just about to do an amazing work in restoring everything that Jacob had lost and more, but he is in such a state of depression that he can’t see God’s blessing coming towards him. Even though Jacob has known the LORD for over 100 years, Jacob was a man who had a a lot of trouble walking by faith as we have seen from the other stories before this.

We can quickly judge Jacob and wonder how he just can’t just trust God. However, we know the outcome and we know what will happen if he just trusts God to take care of his son Benjamin. But let’s just take a moment to really understand Jacob’s point of view because he already lost one son. He doesn’t want to lose anymore. What would we do in this situation? Have we faced times when we feel like things get worse and worse? We know that God will take care of us and all God’s promises for us, but do we get to points where we just say we can’t do it anymore God. I mean if we truly feel like it is easy for Jacob to place his faith in God, why didn’t we trust Him last week? Why did I get so stressed out over that little crisis last month? Or why am I not trusting him in really important decisions now? As we live our lives in this world we find out that life brings unexpected changes all the time and our first reaction is to fight them. Most of us like for things to remain the same because change messes with our carefully constructed routines. One of the toughest things to do is to change a habit. The habit of pessimism, cynicism, doubt, distrust and negative thinking is perhaps the most difficult habit to change.

Here we see God was in the process of forcing change on Jacob through his circumstances. God does this because he knows that we can’t become what He wants us to become by just remaining as we are. God wants to teach us to be careful when we find ourselves resisting change in our life because we might just be resisting God. Take some time to reflect because God might be allowing that particular situation that’s bothering you to occur in your life in order to bring about the change He requires? I found this prayer and think we should all pray this way - “Lord, change me because I can’t seem to be able to change myself. I give you permission, no in fact, I beg You to change me to be more like You this day.”

God amidst the chaos and confusion

2010-11-26T04:18:00.000-08:00

As we dive into God’s word today, I ask that you don’t immediately look for the application because as Henry put it a week or two ago, there’s sometimes simply isn’t a clear-cut, immediately applicable application. Also, whether you had the privilege of hearing Dr. Gallagher speak repeatedly on focusing on the big picture or not, that’s exactly what we want to do here. As you read Genesis 42, try to put yourself in that situation: how did Jacob and his sons feel as their food dwindled and disappeared? How did the brothers feel as they remembered what they had done to Joseph? How did the brothers feel as they returned and there was all this “supernatural” stuff going on?

Read Genesis 42

Put yourself in the 10 brothers’ shoes. You’ve betrayed your baby brother, sold him to slavers, and finally realize what goes around comes around. You recognize that what you did was wrong but you know there’s no way for you to redeem yourself. Feeling hopeless? Because honestly what can you do about that, especially now as it seems you are being punished for your past actions? And now the head honcho wants you to bring your other baby brother down to Egypt, whom your dad WILL NOT let out of his sight because of what happened when he let Joseph out of his sight. So now you’re stuck: you’re a liar and a spy if you don’t return with your baby brother to Egypt (not to mention Simeon being imprisoned there) but your dad doesn’t trust you at all, let alone with the life of your little brother.

And then there’s Joseph. Imagine being in Joseph’s sandals. You have been sold by your brothers into slavery. Yet God is faithful and helps you to rise from the dirt, eventually becoming second in power in all of Egypt! Praise the Lord! And you are charged with the task of selling food to everyone who comes to Egypt to buy grain. And then one day, your broskis come. Those brothers who loved you so much, who cared for you so deeply that they sold you as an animal to slavers. And now they are prostrating themselves before you, begging you to sustain their lives by selling them food. How the tables have turned. Now I get to exact my revenge on these heartless people right? Right? But God placed me here; he blessed me and allowed me to rise to power and become a blessing to so many by giving me the ability to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and save so many people through our preparations. It was all God’s work. But they were so cruel. But it was God’s plan…

I hope that you were able to see the jumbled variety of emotions that Joseph, his brothers, Jacob, and everyone else in this story were inevitably feeling. And where is God in all of this craziness? Well, remember those dreams that Joseph had last week, a few chapters ago? Well, they sure came to pass in this passage didn’t they? And, as we will see in the next few chapters, that is only the beginning of God fulfilling His words and plans for Joseph and the people around him. Even amidst all the chaos of life, God is still in control. That’s a cool thought. Another cool thought: God enabled Joseph to forgive his brothers; it is no natural thing to forgive people who have wronged you in any small way, let alone sold you to slave traders. Everything eventually points to God in this story. Funny how that seems to work for so much in our lives.

How’s God pointing you to Him today?

Maintaining Focus

2010-11-25T00:32:00.000-08:00

Read Genesis 41

A word on dreams: In the Bible it is not uncommon for people to have spiritual dreams. These dreams can be in plain simply understood words, or they can have rich symbolic meaning and need interpretation. The purpose of these dreams, however, is the same; God is trying to communicate with us while we’re in an open and vulnerable state. This can happen even to a person who is a not a follower of God. As we see in this chapter God is communicating to Pharaoh, who is not a believer, in just such a spiritual dream for the benefit of his kingdom, to make himself known to Pharaoh who may never have been aware of him other wise, and also because he had plans for Joseph.
In a relatively short amount of time -1 day- God elevates Joseph from a prisoner to the highest official in the land aside from Pharaoh himself. You will note however, that this came after another two and a half years of waiting in prison for God to help him. Still, God works mightily through Joseph enough to where Pharaoh not only sees that he is blessed by God in interpreting dreams, but also that he has been endowed with wisdom for authority in ruling. All of this, the leadership, fame, recognition, power, and wealth could easily go to a persons head, and quite frequently does, but I think it’s important to note how Joseph reacts to it all. When Pharaoh asks Joseph if he can interpret dreams, Joseph immediately responds that he cannot do it, but that it is God who gives the dreams and the interpretations to the dreams. Joseph retains humility even though he probably realized that this would be his only chance in coming before Pharaoh to be justified. He also consistently redirects attention back to God throughout his interpretation. God is the one who speaks to leaders. God is the one who is concerned about the welfare of Egypt. God is the one who gives advanced warning to leaders so they can be prepared. Pharaoh by the end of it begins to see this as well when he replies that Spirit of God is with Joseph to give him wisdom and discernment. The fact that Joseph has the correct perspective of God and the humility to acknowledge him enables God to use him in great ways to help even the leaders of the nation of Egypt.

Take a moment right now to reflect on your life and your priorities. Are you maintaining your focus on him? The holiday season tends to be one of the busiest times of year and a time to easily lose focus. Ask God to help you keep things in his perspective with humility. How is he speaking to you?

The Trustworthy God

2010-11-24T01:28:00.000-08:00

Read: Genesis 40. Daniel 2, if you have time.

Do you know that the interpretation of dreams is a gift from God?

It sounds very “new age” and so abstract, but it’s true: the God who gives us dreams often provides those with a gift to interpret them. Joseph is one of those. The chief cupbearer and the chief baker both have similar dreams that are related to their work. They shared the dreams with Joseph. Note his response: “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Please tell me.” (vs. 8b).

Joseph trusted in God. He was confident that God will reveal to him the meaning of the dreams, since they were God’s to begin with. Oftentimes, don’t we mistake God’s gifts with natural talent? The baker made such a mistake. Joseph gave the cupbearer a very nice interpretation, and he thought, “Wow… maybe if I asked, Joseph would give me a good interpretation too!” But what he forgot was that the interpretations were not Joseph’s. Joseph doesn’t go, “Oh, because the cupbearer is such a nice guy, I’ll give him a good interpretation.” So, you can imagine the surprise he had when his dream, which was quite similar to the cupbearer’s, turned out to be an omen.

You might be tempted to think that Joseph was a prophet, since he could foretell future events. It’s important to know that prophecy in the Bible does not concern far-off-distant events. It is an interpretation of immediate world events in light of God’s commands. Dreams, on the other hand, don’t have to be about near-future events. In Daniel 2, we have another story of a dream. Nebuchadnezzar had a weird dream of a great statue made of four materials, with the strongest and most durable (gold) at the top of the statue, and the weakest (iron and clay) at the bottom. All it took was a stone to topple the statue, but the stone itself became a huge infallible mountain! Daniel proceeded to tell Nebuchadnezzar the dream, and he closed by saying “The great God has informed the king what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain, and the interpretation trustworthy.” (vs. 45) How did Daniel know it was trustworthy? Because it was not his interpretation, but God’s. And God is trustworthy.

I’m not saying you should go out and tell everybody your dreams so that someone can tell you how well you did on last week’s pre-calculus exam. What I am saying is that this God whom we worship is entirely trustworthy. Joseph and Daniel had no way of knowing that their interpretations were on the mark when they told it. They had to trust that God knew what he was saying. So let us place our trust in our trustworthy God.

Maybe some of you are reading this when it’s late in the night. Devotions are probably the last thing you do to close the day. Let us fall into his arms of trust then, as we rest in his safety and security.