Week 50 Day 4 – On Your Face!
The key word for today is “sovereignty.” The dictionary defines the word “sovereign” as “a person exercising supreme authority, esp. a monarch”, and “sovereignty” as “supreme and unrestricted power.” When reading Revelation, we must keep in mind that this is a letter, written to the seven churches in Asia Minor. The churches at this time were experiencing extreme persecution. To be a Christian was to choose between safety and truth. Many believers were turning away from the faith, or selling out to the worship of the emperor in order to save their lives and property. Those who desired to cling to the gospel of Jesus were confused and appalled by the sell-outs. They were afraid, and, as they watched their property be taken away and their loved ones mercilessly tortured and killed they undoubtedly asked the question, “Where is God in all this?”
John’s answer to that question is found in chapter 4-5. God is where He always is. He is seated on the throne of the universe and is in control of everything. Let’s look at the imagery of the throne for a moment. (Please note that the following interpretation is very abbreviated and that many scholars throughout the centuries have debated the meaning of these images. I am just a mere mortal, giving it my best shot.) In front of the throne are four “living creatures”. As we discovered in Ezekiel’s vision, the imagery of these cherubim were common in the Persian religion that had so heavily influenced the Jews’ view of God. These creatures represent all life on Earth, and in the Persian tradition, were the guardians of the Temple of God. The twenty four elders represent the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles, demonstrating that the rulers of God’s people are present, both prior to Jesus and following Jesus. The glass sea represents the multitudes of people in the earth.
There are three major points to focus on from this passage:
- God is over everything, so don’t worry.
- Everything exists for the purpose of giving glory to God.
- Jesus, the lion who became the lamb who was slain, is on the throne and is “opening God’s scroll,” making all things right in the world.
Rather than enter into a lengthy explanation of all three points, I challenge you to meditate on them as they stand. Read them over in your mind a few times. Do you really believe them? In what ways does your lifestyle demonstrate that you believe them? How would your perspective on things change if you truly believed these statements with every fiber of your being?
The bottom line for John’s churches was this: No matter how bad things get, God is in control and justice will be served, so don’t worry, just stay focused.
Week 50 Day 3 – What’s in Your Letter?
Revelation 2-3
Fill in the charts:
To the church in ____________
What you do well:
What I hold against you:
Promise to him who overcomes:
To the church in ____________
What you do well:
What I hold against you:
Promise to him who overcomes:
To the church in ____________
What you do well:
What I hold against you:
Promise to him who overcomes:
To the church in ____________
What you do well:
What I hold against you:
Promise to him who overcomes:
To the church in ____________
What you do well:
What I hold against you:
Promise to him who overcomes:
To the church in ____________
What you do well:
What I hold against you:
Promise to him who overcomes:
To the church in ____________
What you do well:
What I hold against you:
Promise to him who overcomes:
Food for thought:
Now do this exercise two more times. First, fill in your church’s name in the blank. What would Jesus say to your church if he wrote you a letter? What do you do well. What would he hold against you? In what ways could you try to rectify the deficiency found in your church?
To the church in ____________
What you do well:
What I hold against you:
Promise to him who overcomes:
Second, fill your own name in the blank. What would Jesus say if He wrote a letter to you? What are you doing well? What would He hold against you? How might you rectify this?
To the church in ____________
What you do well:
What I hold against you:
Promise to him who overcomes:
Now, to the overcomer... That is really the point of these letters. John wrote these letters (as Jesus’ scribe) to encourage a group of people who were being severely persecuted. To be a follower of Jesus is to be engaged in a spiritual battle. Paul told us that we do not fight against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil. We are called to put on the armor of God. We are called to overcome the patterns of this world and walk in the Kingdom of God. To him who overcomes will be given eternal life. Remember a core truth of the New Testament: Jesus has already overcome. This is not a call to muster up your own strength and storm the gates of Heaven with your own righteousness. This is a call to die to yourself and cling to the grace and authority of Jesus, drawing upon His strength to stand firm, even in the face of extreme persecution. Through Him who has overcome, will we be able to overcome. Jesus has given us eternal life, let’s live in its power today and always!
Week 50 Day 2 – No Fear!
1 John 4:7-21; 5:11-12
The key to this passage is found in v. 7. We are commanded to love one another. Let’s stop right there. Have you ever struggled with that command? Is there someone in your church that you find very difficult to love? Is there someone in your family or your workplace that just drives you nuts? If there is and you read this passage, then you may start beating yourself up and thinking, “I must not be a very good Christian because I’m having such a hard time with this person. I just can’t love them.” Here’s the truth of the situation. You can’t love that person.
The reason we struggle so much with loving someone is because we are trying to use human, self-generated love to do it. In the 1960’s the motto of the youth culture was “all we really need is love.” That sounds really good, doesn’t it. The problem is that the kind of love that was advocated then was a “what-can-I-get-out-of-it-love.” We still have that mentality in our culture today. We are willing to love as long as 1) it doesn’t hurt me, and 2) I will get something out of it. That is not God’s kind of love, that is human love.
Now let’s continue in the verse. John goes on to say, “For love comes from God.” Here again is the key to living in the Kingdom of God. You are not the source of goodness. You can’t work really hard to become better at loving. You have to die to it, and acknowledge the fact that you can’t do it and that God is the source of love, not you.
Once you have died, then you can stop and really analyze why you struggle loving that person. You probably struggle with them because they threaten to take something from you. They either take away your time, because they are constantly wanting to talk to you about things you don’t want to talk about. Or, they take away your image, because they are not the sort of people that either meet your standard of living or that you feel comfortable associating with (you know, the wrong side of the tracks kind of thing). Or, they take away your power, because they are better at something than you (that’s called jealousy, by the way). Or, they take away your sense of safety (perhaps they gossip, or have predatory tendencies).
Everyone takes something from you, but if they give something back, then it doesn’t feel like they are taking something; it’s more of an exchange. So, if the person you struggle to love seems to be taking from you, it’s because you don’t perceive that they can give anything back to you. On a human level this logic makes sense. Why would you spend time loving someone who can’t or won’t give anything back to you, right?
In vv. 9-10, God exposes the truth of His economy. God loved us, even when we could give nothing back to Him. We were His enemies. We were the ones who rebelled against Him and have been wallowing around in filth. Yet, He loved us so much that He gave up everything for us. That is the key. God’s love is other-focused. When we die to our self we stop looking through the world’s love-lens, asking, “what can I get out of this love-relationship,” and start looking through God’s love lens and start asking, “how can God use me to be a channel of His love to this person today.”
Every one of us needs to be loved. We were created to be involved in loving community. That is true. Yet, until we can come to the place where we realize that 100% of our love need comes from God and God alone, we will not be able to truly love our neighbor. As long as we look to be filled by the love of another human, including our spouses, we will always be disappointed and hurt and unable to truly love one another.
Here is where the heart of the passage lies. Read v. 18 again. “Perfect love drives out fear.” A person who looks through the world’s love lens is always afraid of being hurt. They are afraid of being used and abused and abandoned. But, the person who is completely reliant on the love of God to fill her soul will realize that there is nothing that anyone can do to her that could truly harm her. Even if she was killed, she would not be separated from the love of God.
As God-lovers, we have nothing to fear. God loves us. He paid for our sins. We have been given the seal of His Spirit. He is working in us to bring about His righteousness. To be in this life is to be a vessel of the mysterious treasure of Christ. To depart from this life is to be fully in the presence of the unveiled glory of Christ. We are in a win-win situation and, therefore, have nothing to fear.
Now, look at that person you struggle with again. Is whatever bugs you about that person really something worth getting in the way of the riches of knowing God and being filled with His love. Ask God to help you die to whatever is blocking your love arteries and let your channels of His love begin to flow freely through you.
Week 50 Day 1 – Walk in the Light
1 John 1:5-2:6
Have you ever noticed that when you borrow another person’s car you are much more careful with it than your own? You don’t want to eat in it so that you don’t spill anything. You tend to take a little extra time looking for oncoming traffic. Why is that? When someone lends you something, you realize that they are doing it out of the kindness of their heart and that they didn’t really have to do it in the first place. Out of consideration for that person you would never think of abusing their property the way you do your own.
As we read 2:1-2, we get this same sense with Jesus; realizing that He has loaned us something special. First of all, John said that the point of his letter was that he didn’t want Christians to sin. That’s the standard. That’s the expectation. Now, for most of us, we look at that and think, “Well, forget it. I’m out. I sin all the time, even when I don’t want to. If the standard is no sin, then God’s just going to throw me on the scrap heap.” Read v. 2 again. Here we see the loan from Jesus. John says, “BUT”, if anybody does sin (whew) Jesus is our defense attorney in the court of God. Here’s where the car analogy comes into play. Does Jesus have to be our defense attorney? Do we deserve to have Jesus standing there, claiming
His own blood as our defense against the wrath of the holy and righteous God? No, absolutely not. Jesus, out of the kindness of His heart is standing before the Father; He has lent us his car, so to speak. This is the grace of God. It is on loan to us. Do we treat it like that?
Many people have taken this passage as a license to live however they please. They look at 1 John 1:9 as a ticket to “party” because they believe, based on this verse, that God must forgive them if they sin. The self-speak, rationalization goes like this, “I know that what I am about to do is wrong, but I’m going to do it anyway, then ask for forgiveness, and, because of 1 John 1:9, God has to forgive me. I can have my cake and eat it, too.” Whoa! Time Out! Read on my friend. John throws the yellow flag on that kind of thinking and rebuts it with vv. 4-5. If a person truly is in Christ, that kind of thinking would not be present in their mind. If someone knows God, then they are being transformed from the inside out and are attempting with every ounce of strength they have, to walk as Jesus walked.
Perhaps the key to this passage is to understand what it means to know God. John said that if anyone says, “I know God” then he would behave as Jesus did. Many people know about God, but they do not know Him. To know God, in this context, is not the possession of factual data regarding proper theology, rather, it is the relational interchange between two persons. It’s like the difference between knowing George Washington and knowing your spouse. You can read about Washington and appreciate him from a distance, but you can know your spouse experientially; involving the mind, body, and spirit. That is how we are called to know God. We need to step into His light, to be permeated by His life-giving presence, so that our mind, spirit, and body can be transformed from the inside out.
This is the expectation of every follower of Christ. So, walk in God’s light today and give thanks that Jesus has given you a wonderful gift of advocacy before the throne of God. May we never treat this grace with contempt, but, rather, throw ourselves into the life of Jesus and be made into His image!
Week 49 Day 4 – Walk the Talk
James 2:14-3:18
Hopefully the point of this devotional was obvious through the study of the passage. Simply put, the message for today is this (to quote an overused cliché) “If you can’t walk the walk, don’t talk the talk.”
A great reformer of his day, Francis of Assisi, once said “we must preach always, and, when necessary, use words.”
If an invisible person were to watch your life in every moment, even when you were alone (especially behind the wheel of your car!) would the behaviors of your life and the speech of your mouth spoken in the heat of the moment, reflect the “spiritual confessions” that you make to your Christian friends? Once again, simply put, does your walk match your talk?
If you are like most Christians, you will probably be forced to answer, “No” to that question. Why is that? Why are most Christians, when pressed against the wall, not that much different than their pagan neighbors? One reason may be that our cultural Christianity has made it very easy to be a Christian. We just have to go to church, read our Bible, and say nice things to people, and viola! we are Christians. How sad that is. That is not the good news or the hope that Jesus brought when He introduced the Kingdom of God to the world. A relationship with Jesus is an inside out transformation. A Christian should be a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). The reason most of us don’t walk the talk is because the talk is just talk to us. It has no power, it has no substance. We want to believe it, but, in comparison to the “real world” it just doesn’t seem to be all that important. When we can break free of that type of “inside the city” thinking (refer to yesterday’s devotional) we will realize that a relationship with Jesus should and will produce a total overhaul of our attitudes and actions. If you are clean inside, then you will love even when you are not loved back. If you are clean inside, then you will praise God, even when you are persecuted.
This is not meant to be a shaming session, saying “shame on you, you bad person.” It is meant to be a guilt trip though. If you are guilty of buying into the world’s lies that Jesus has no power to change your attitudes, then all you need to do is say, “Guilty as charged.” I confess it, and I repent from it. Jesus, I am your humble servant, make me clean.” Then, through the power of the Spirit, you will start making right choices when you are pressed against the wall.
May we give up our need to be “right” and surrender control of our lives to the Holy Spirit today. May we be transformed from the inside out so that our actions and our speech will flow from the heart of God, and not our own sinful desires.
Week 49 Day 3 – Outside the Camp
Hebrews 13:7-16
At first glance this may seem to be a strange passage to choose for a devotional. As with many things, the second or third glance will uncover a deep and practical truth.
Take a pencil and circle the phrase “go to him outside the camp” in v. 11. Here is a paraphrase of what this passage is saying.
“The world you live in wants to teach you all kinds of crazy things about the nature of God. They are going to tell you that you must do this or you have to do that in order to be accepted by God. They will try to suck you into their system of thought that will ultimately kill you. That is what life is like “inside the city;” inside the accepted ways of doing things. They want you to “go with the flow” and not make trouble. Jesus calls you to go outside the camp. Jesus came to set the institutions and traditions of the kingdom of man upside down. To follow Jesus is to risk being ridiculed by the world -- both the secular and the religious -- in order to find the heart of God in the realm of truth. To follow Him is to go outside the safety of the familiar and risk the unpredictability of the unknown. Jesus suffered disgrace and was thrown out with the trash. Are you willing to do that? It is only there that you will find true meaning and the road that leads to the true city, the true Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God has never changed; it has always been available to those who would receive it. Unfortunately, most people choose to build their own cities, with their own laws, and throw the true King out with the garbage. So, go outside the city walls, be considered trash in the world’s eyes, and really start living. Only out there will you be free to love God and love others. Only there will you be truly free.”
May this loose and much embellished paraphrase spark a thought upon which you can meditate today. We are called to a higher standard, to march to the beat of a different rhythm. If we will focus our energy on being transformed by the presence of God, outside the camp, then we will be able to shine like beautiful lighthouses of hope in the world around us.
Have fun on the trash heap today!
Week 49 Day 5 – Marching Orders
We spent a lot of time this week discussing some fairly esoteric concepts. Today we will get nice and practical. In Peter’s first letter, he is speaking to a group of Christians who were experiencing severe persecution for their faith. They were being attacked politically by the civil authorities and they were also being attacked theologically by many false teachers. This last chapter of his letter gives some “marching orders” for how Christians should live under a time of spiritual battle. Since the battle has not let up in our own day, these words will be good for us to hear.
In 1 Peter 5:1-11 Peter addresses some specific groups of people. Make a chart that lists the specific groups to whom he was speaking and then list his instructions to those groups.
Why should Christians live this way? (v. 
How can we defeat this enemy? (v. 9)
What are some practical ways that you could “resist the devil” today?
What promise is made to the persevering believer? (v. 10)
Spend some time asking God how you can live a victorious life in this time of spiritual warfare. Thank Him for the fact that He has supplied the power that you need to stand firm and be strong in the fight.
Week 49 Day 2 – Tossed Salad Spirituality
Hebrews 10:19-26
Don’t be misled by the title of today’s devotional. We are not going to discuss some esoteric hodge-podge or potpouri of spiritualities. No, this title has a much simpler and sillier origin. I like to call Hebrews a salad letter because there are so many “let us” statements in it. (get it -- lettuce = let us .... I know, its pretty lame)
A fun study is to go through the entire letter to the Hebrews and mark all the “let us” phrases and make a list of all the things that the church is encouraged to do. These let us sections could also be titled the “so what?” sections of the letter. Let’s face it; much of this letter is dealing with some pretty intense theological propositions about the identity and role of Christ. It’s a meat and potatoes kind of letter. (Note: in Hebrews 5:11-14 the writer calls the church a bunch of babies who are choking on the meat they were being served.) Knowing that the talk of Jesus as a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek and the eternal Tabernacle of the heavens could be viewed by some as so “out there” that it had little value “down here” the writer throws some lettuce into the bowl to give the people something to chew on.
Now that we have all our mixed metaphors out of the way, spend some time looking at this particular passage, paying special attention to the “let us” phrases.
Make a list of all the phrases that begin with Let us. What is the church being challenged to do?
Now study that list and rate yourself. How well are you doing in these things?
Now rate your church. How well are you doing in these things collectively?
In what ways could you improve in these areas?
Week 49 Day 1 – The Soul’s Anchor
Hebrews 6:13-20
In the first chapters of this letter, the writer of Hebrews builds a strong case to demonstrate that Jesus is the eternal High Priest that has made the atoning sacrifice for sin, once and for all. Remember, in the Old Testament, the only way the people of Israel could be in right standing before God was to offer regular blood sacrifices. These sacrifices could only be made by the priests themselves. And then, only one day a year, the High Priest was allowed to enter into the Holy of Holies in order to make a blood sacrifice for the sins of the whole nation. Now a new priest has come and has made it possible for all of us to enter into the “Holy of Holies” on our own, without a human priest.
What makes the promise of Jesus’ saving work a promise that we can count on? (vv. 13-17)
What affect should this promise have in our hearts? (v. 18)
What metaphor is used to describe this hope? (vv. 19-20)
Spend some time meditating on this metaphor. In what ways can it relate to your current situation?
Food for thought:
In his book Aqua Church, Leonard Sweet has described our current culture as being like a ship at sea. We are caught in a storm and the wind and waves are blowing at us full force. With the cover of clouds and the rising and falling of the waves, we have begun to lose our bearings and feel that we are truly adrift, at the mercy of the sea.
Do you ever feel that way? Do you feel that the world around you and the world inside you are out of control? How can you keep up with everything that swirls around you? You have bills to pay, relationships (fragile as they are) to maintain, images to preserve, deadlines to meet, children to raise. Then, when you perhaps have a moment to sit in a quiet spot and think a deep thought, you become overwhelmed by the amount of information that is available to you. There are billions of people in the world, scurrying around like so many ants, all trying to get something done. It can feel overwhelming, like a crashing of waves and a blowing of the wind.
Is there hope? Yes. Look at the picture attached to today’s devotional. Beneath the surface of this chaotic world, there is a place of peace and stability. That place is the very heart of God. In the Old Testament that place was symbolized in the Holy of Holies. Few people were able to find it. But now, because of the grace of God, Jesus has made it possible for us to go deep sea diving into the peace of the presence of God. Not only has He made it possible, He has anchored us into the presence of God. So now, while our souls are rocking and shifting in the maelstrom of modern existence, we can rest assured that we, through Jesus, are firmly anchored in the heart of God. The Greek word translated “firmly” has the connotation of the root system of a tree. Our souls are deeply rooted, firmly anchored in the presence of God.
Knowing that we are not at the mercy of the blowing wind, we can be encouraged and put our face into the wind. We have nothing to fear, no matter how strong the winds of change or conflict or persecution may blow, we can rest assured that our soul is eternally secure in the heart of God! Bring it on!
Week 48 Day 5 – The Process of Transformation
Titus 3:3-8
Food for thought:
There are two basic, yet profound thoughts to dwell on for today. They are ideas we have repeatedly visited in these devotionals, but they are worth saying every day, for they are the core of our belief. In these verses we see the hope and purpose for today and the hope and purpose for the future.
For today, as we struggle against the constant bombardment of the world’s values and are being tempted at every turn to take the low road, we have a simple truth to claim. Our salvation was, and is, a process of washing, rebirth, and renewal. God did not re-create us in order for us to stay just as we are. God saved us from the pits of despair and sin in order that we could be transformed into His image. We have the power of the Holy Spirit within us so that we can be scrubbed clean from the inside out. We don’t have to wallow in the sins that seem to cling to us like grease. The Holy Spirit is the grease-cutting detergent that is active in our soul to loosen and even repel the grime. Let’s claim this cleansing power and hold each other accountable to a holy life, which is pleasing to God.
Secondly, this passage reminds us of the true power in our salvation; the motivating power that infuses purpose into everything we do. We are heirs of God, inheritors of all His glory. Our hope is in the fact that we will have eternal life in the glory of God the Father! I don’t know what that means, exactly. I only know that it will be incredible! Notice that we have hope in the fact. We do not hope that it might happen. No. We have hope because of the fact that God has given this to us. We don’t earn it, He has given it. We are heirs, and in that we have hope that, even if this life is difficult, our destiny is in the eternal Kingdom of God. Do you believe that? If you do, if your eyes are fixed on that hope, then the seemingly technicolor problems of this life will fade into the black and white, shadowy images that they really are. May we live in the hope of our salvation today!
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