Month: July 2024

1 Samuel 16:6-7 NIV When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”  ⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 MSG Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.”

“Authentic spirituality is to follow Jesus and become wholistically human! One look at Jesus’s life reveals the intense humanity of authentic spirituality. Jesus is a carpenter’s son; He eats and drinks with sinners; He laughs and weeps. He teaches, tells stories, observes the seasons, prays, worships, and experiences love, joy, strength, friendship, weakness, and sorrow. How refreshing to realize that God has created us and redeemed us to be authentically human.”  Mark Slomka, Western District Supervisor, International Church of the Foursquare Gospel

Observation

We were created to be human by God.  As humans, we have the capacity to be fickle or faithful, false or true, unwise or wise, emotional or rational, and all the other roller coaster emotions and responses built into our human nature.  These are molded and shaped from childhood by our community and family values, culture and ethics.   We either embrace or rebel against the human expectations placed upon us by our upbringing.  If we are raised from childhood in a church, there will be standards which judge our level of spirituality and make you a “somebody” or “nobody” in the congregation.

When Samuel was sent to the house of Jesse to anoint the next king of Israel, God told him that it was not the outward appearance that moved God.  None of the big strong sons of Jesse were to be the next king. The one God chose as the future king was the youngest and smallest son, David, who was called “a man after God’s own heart.”  God is looking for character, not achievement.

Paul, who certainly had been a “somebody” in the Jewish faith, is telling the Corinthians (and us) that Jesus does not judge by compliance with outside standards of spirituality or achievement (the brightest and the best, the influential, the rich, the rigid rule follower) but looks on and chooses whom He uses by the heart (those who are faithfully rooted and grounded in God’s grace, mercy and love). Just as Jesus was wholly human – experienced joys and sorrows, considered of low birth, judged a friend of sinners – we, too, can honor and praise God with our lives. “How refreshing to realize that God has created us and redeemed us to be authentically human.”

Impact on Me

“Authentic spirituality is to follow Jesus and become wholistically human!”  How do I become whole in my humanity – fully loving and serving God and loving and serving others?  How do I avoid the shallow spirituality of judging by outward appearances and achievements? How can I truly be a person after God’s own heart? How do I – without shame and withholding areas – allow the Holy Spirit to truly search me, know my heart, and remodel and remake me?  How do I freely and fully submit to Him the taming of my roller coaster of human emotions, remaking the values and cultures imprinted on my soul from childhood, and healing the pain, sorrow and wounds inflicted upon me?  How can I emotionally survive the exposure of all of that?  Will He still love me after He sees my darkest secrets?

This seems to me to be a wholly heart (soul) choice.  It began with choosing Jesus by embracing the salvation He provided and changing my position from in and of the world to in and of Christ.  I then began the lifelong process of sanctification – the searching, knowing and remodeling by the Holy Spirit.  Every move, every change, every healing He makes requires my submission, my willingness to give over to Him permission to open and clean out the closets hiding the shame, guilt and pain of my past.  When I am tempted to say no because I do not want Him to see what is in there, I am reminded that He already knows and will graciously forgive whatever is exposed.  How do I deserve such a God Who loves and treasures me to such extent?  I am forever grateful.

PRAYER

Father God, Savior, Precious Holy Spirit, I worship You.  You are Love too vast to understand.  I pray that You will give me the courage to say yes and strength to endure in that yes when my darkest moments are exposed for You to see.  You will not be surprised, but I will be ashamed.  Forgive me.  Help me to be authentic in my response to Your love, grace and mercy as You make me into the best human I can be – one that reflects and represents You in all my ways and words.  Make it so, in Jesus’ name.

1 Thessalonians 4:1-5 NASB Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. ² For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. ³ For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; ⁴ that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, ⁵ not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;

1 Thessalonians 4:1-5 MSG. One final word, friends. We ask you— urge is more like it—that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. God wants you to live a pure life. Keep yourselves from sexual promiscuity.  Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God.

Observation

Like Ephesis and Corinth, Thessalonika (now known as Saloniki) was an important seaport on a major trade route between Rome and the East. The culture of the city was characterized by its location, its importance, its influence, its cosmopolitan population, its Roman occupiers.  There was a synagogue in the city, but the great majority of the people  would have practiced a pagan religion, such as adopting and worshipping the Roman pantheon of gods.  Christianity was seen as heretical by religious Jews, often seditious by Rome and foolishly priggish by the secular culture.  Many pagan religions either overlooked and condoned promiscuity or actually included sex acts in their worship practices. 

Paul is exhorting the new Christians to revolutionize their understanding of how to please God, even in the face of cultural or religious persecution – whether they are converted Jews or pagans, whether they previously worshipped religion, gods or culture.  Paul exhorts them to live a pure life in order “to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance.”  In the face of persecution and regardless of appearances or immediate results, their faithfulness to a living, spirited dance, planted the seed for worldwide generations of redemptions to follow.

Impact on Me

Paul’s exhortation to the believers in Thessalonika rings as true to me today as it did to the believers in the 1st century. San Diego is also “an important seaport on a major trade route” and home to many nationalities, cultures, religions, people brought here on military orders, for research, study, education, some as refugees seeking an environment for freedom, success, a warmer climate or ??  Is it any surprise that Paul’s words of so long ago seem to also describe this seaport of today?  Times may change, but people who don’t know Jesus will always be the same.  They all need to be invited into that “living, spirited dance” in Christ.

The secular culture in which I live worships status, possessions, winning, “Mother Nature”, created things, physical pleasures, expediency and convenience. How are these challenges (idols, false gods) any different than the ones faced by those early Christians?  How do I need to examine myself and consider how I may have been influenced by these cultural and religious practices?  Like Jesus, how do I look past the person on the outside to see the anguished soul needing salvation?  Where does my life need to be purified and am I willing to face persecution or disfavor to do so?  The great and glorious news is that the Holy Spirit is not discouraged by my failures or fears regarding opposition or persecution (He has dealt with humans like me then and now), so I can be encouraged and choose in Christ a living spirited dance of following, loving, and serving Him expecting the same results in my spiritual brothers and sisters of so long ago.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, Savior, My Joy and Spiritual Dance Master, I submit myself to You. Take me in Your arms and teach me that spirited dance of joyful worship to You. May my heart and soul hunger to draw others into the same dance, even if they are currently dancing to the Enemy’s tune or they have allowed all music and light to fade away into the darkness of “a dogged religious plod,” hopelessness, anger, bitterness, or apostasy.  When I  become distracted or discouraged by the current circumstances, my inadequacies, or the immensity of the task, turn up Your music and draw my eyes back to Yours so my hope and faith will rise as I return the lead to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 MSG  God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful:  wise counsel [Word of Wisdom], clear understanding [Word of Knowledge], simple trust [Faith], healing the sick, miraculous acts, proclamation [Prophecy], distinguishing between spirits [Discernment of Spirits], tongues, and interpretation of tongues.  All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when.

“The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal power, and His gifts do not spring from a human source; it is the work of God.  Gifts are from the great gift, the Holy Spirit; ministries are modeled by the main minister, Christ the Lord; and the works of the Spirit come from the chief worker, God the Father.”  Donald Pickerill, Spirit-Filled Life Bible, 1 Corinthian notes

Observation

Corinth was a bustling seaport with a reputation for licentious living.  Their pagan religion had many gods, but Venus, the goddess of lustful love, was its patron.  So, when the Corinthians worshipped, their services were often wild and reckless, full of debauchery.  They were used to gods (demons) who would possess and take control of them.   So, the new converts in Corinth struggled with a new concept of God living within while working His power in and through them, empowering rather than controlling.  Paul in this letter is helping them to change a paradigm, shifting from being controlled to freely, consciously, moving in the power of God. 

God in the person of the Holy Spirit is in charge, in control, of choosing the what is given and who receives of gift-giving, but we remain in control of how the supernatural gift works in and through us.  We can say “no” at any time.  The Holy Spirit is not like the destructive demons of pagan religions who possess and control a life. Holy Spirit gifts are not the exercise of a heightened human ability but rather the vesting with God’s power by the Holy Spirit to do the work of God and fulfill His purpose.  There is no competition here, no winner of any prize, no ladder of status to climb.  These supernatural giftings are to be used to grow us individually and as a church so that we can then evangelize the world around us.  The work of Holy Spirit is to reproduce the dynamic ministry of Jesus in and through us.  We are in complete control regarding whether we partner with Him or not.

Impact on Me

When I accepted Christ as my personal savior, I became a supernatural person in Christ.  The work of the Holy Spirit began in me to reshape, mold and make my life into one that is representative of Jesus Christ on earth.  This is a lifelong process.  Just like remodeling a house might require tearing down some walls, tearing up some floors, repairing the plumbing, electrical and HVAC, so does the Holy Spirit need to remodel me so that Jesus can make Himself at home in me.  I need to leave the fixtures and furnishings (gifts and ministries) in His hands rather than being discontent with how He would “decorate” the home I want Him to make in me.

All this tearing and repairing will certainly be uncomfortable, emotionally painful and humbling as He exposes my sin and fleshly habits that keep me captive to my past.  I am in control of what I allow Him to do.  Am I willing to be part of cleaning out what I have hoarded in life before I accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior?  Am I willing to look upon and deal with the shameful, hidden thoughts, actions and words I have hidden away in locked closets within me?  Am I open to being transparent and welcoming (tearing down walls to become an open concept home) if it will serve His will and purpose?   Am I willing to give the home of me into Jesus’ possession? I pray it is so!

Prayer

Lord God, Helper, Teacher, Perfect General Contractor of My Life, I worship You and thank You for accepting the job of remodeling me.  Lord, I pray that You will give me the courage and determination to agree to undergo whatever it takes to make me that open concept space where others can come to meet You in me.  Help me to let go of my possessions so You can replace them with Your own. Teach me how to allow Your empowerment to thrive and flow out of all my doors and windows to invite others to invite you into the homes of their lives.  Keep me from becoming prideful – impressed with the fixtures and furnishings You have installed in me – and taking credit for any of the work You have done and will do.  Make it so, in Jesus’ name.

1 Kings 22:51-53 (MSG) Ahaziah son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. He ruled Israel for two years. As far as God was concerned, he lived an evil life, reproducing the bad life of his father and mother, repeating the pattern set down by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into a life of sin. Worshiping at the Baal shrines, he made God, the God of Israel, angry, oh, so angry. If anything, he was worse than his father.

2 Kings 3:1-3 (MSG) Joram son of Ahab began his rule over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. He was king for twelve years. In God’s sight he was a bad king. But he wasn’t as bad as his father and mother—to his credit he destroyed the obscene Baal stone that his father had made. But he hung on to the sinful practices of Jeroboam son of Nebat, the ones that had corrupted Israel for so long. He wasn’t about to give them up.

Daniel 2:20-22 (MSG). “Blessed be the name of God, forever and ever. He knows all, does all: He changes the seasons and guides history.  He raises up kings and also brings them down. He provides both intelligence and discernment.  He opens up the depths, tells secrets, sees in the dark—light spills out of Him!”

Observation

The recurring question in my mind is why God would allow all these bad kings in succession. He has the power to anoint and appoint any ruler He chooses.  God could have raised up good kings. Why didn’t He? Is this a case of reaping what you sow – people who have deserted God being ruled by those like them? Or the result of people feeling helpless/powerless to bring about change so they disengage?  Or a result of the weight of culture (“everyone is doing it”) outweighing courage to stand up for what is right and God-honoring? 

There must have been righteous and innocent people in Israel and Judah because the worship and training in godliness survived even these dark times.  There was a good king here and there as evidence.  Some people were keeping the faith, teaching their children the truth and choosing to honor God in the face of opposition.  These regular everyday faithful people are the unsung heroes here – the ones who faithfully, consistently and purposefully lived Godly lives despite pressure, persecution, injustice and ridicule.

Impact on Me

I listen to people complain in anger and frustration about those who rule over us – whether in disagreement with party policies and personalities, the inefficiencies and wastefulness of government or about corruption. God has not given up His authority to anoint and appoint rulers. Perhaps we should ask ourselves the questions above.  Are we reaping what we sow as a people who have forgotten, abandoned or diluted God?  Do we feel helpless/powerless to bring about change and have therefore disengaged from the process?  Have we lost faith that there are good rulers who honor God and the people they serve? Have we surrendered to culture and lack the courage to stand up for what is right because we see the cost as too great? Are we willing to forgo blessings, profits, visible victories and trust that God is still in control if it serves God’s purpose to have us suffer the same consequences as the wicked and faithless? 

I admit that every new exposure of power-hungry manipulation, lawlessness, and fraud, deception or misconduct perpetrated by a politician, government agency or individual taking advantage of the system adds another stone to the pile that can seem mountainous  and overwhelming. Jesus faced the same – an oppressive Roman rule and rigid religious one – and died to allow us to choose Him as King. So, despite what it may look like in my life and circumstances – or yours, God is still God Who can change circumstances, situations and government and its rulers in an instant. Paul commanded us to pray for our leaders without qualifying whether they are good or bad – that is not really for me to judge anyway – because as we pray, the Holy Spirit can work to change their hearts and the way they rule on this earth. I just need to remember that I am only an ambassador here and first a citizen of the Kingdom of God.  I need to live in a way under this earthly government that makes others want to change their eternal citizenship.

Prayer

Father God, You are all-powerful, all-knowing, and working the same eternal plan since the beginning of our time.  You do not owe me an explanation for the government, condition and circumstances under which You have assigned me to serve as ambassador of Heaven.  I am where I am to hear and obey You in representing and revealing Jesus in and through my life.  Lord, don’t let me forget the true purpose of my life is not to walk in blessing, but rather to walk in obedience letting You count the cost to me and the benefit to Your Kingdom.  In Jesus’ name, I pray.

Galatians 5:22-24 MSG But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others (love), exuberance about life (joy), serenity (peace). We develop a willingness to stick with things (patience), a sense of compassion in the heart (kindness), and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people (goodness). We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments (faithfulness), not needing to force our way in life (meekness/gentleness), able to marshal and direct our energies wisely (self-control). ^23b-24 Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

Observation

This passage is the very well-known Fruit of the Spirit passage.  Unlike all the shepherd and sheep references in the New Testament, I can understand what is being said about fruit!   A fruit tree draws nurture from sun, soil, water and the care given by the gardener.  If the soil is rich with what the fruit tree needs, the sun is just right to keep it healthy, the watering is enough but not too much, and the gardener has done a good job of pruning, fertilizing and tending the tree, the fruit harvested will be sweet and plentiful.  The fruit will get all the kudos, but the sun, soil, water and care make it so.

So is the story of the fruit in this passage.  “But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard….”  Abundant fruit is the natural product of a well-tended fruit tree.  Just as the young tree  must grow, be pruned and mature until it is ready to bear fruit, so must we be so that the fruit we produce will nourish those who come to it for food.  If we allow the Holy Spirit to be our gardener – to tend and, when necessary, prune us; to deepen our roots in Christ; to nourish us with the water of the Word – our lives will also have abundant low-hanging fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, meekness, faithfulness and self-control.  Just as the orange tree produces oranges, so we will produce these fruits as the natural harvest of our growing maturity in Christ.

Impact on Me

So, what is my responsibility in this?  I am required to provide the good soil, soil turned, softened, and enriched by the Holy Spirit as I study His Word and put it into practice in my life.  I need to give Him permission to disturb my comfort, my cultural values, my pride, my selfishness – all those things that make soil rocky, hard or shallow.  I need to give Him permission to prune the superfluous branches in me that only draw me away from being abundantly fruitful.  I need to be patient to be pruned, allow the new growth to strengthen my trunk and expand my reach, allow the leaves to come, then the flowers, and finally the fruit.  Personally, I want all of these fruits working in my life, evident in my ministry, and available to others as low-hanging (easily accessible) fruit for whosever will come by.

All of the fruit is important and equally available to me.  I have always had a slight preference for meekness – often translated as gentleness – translated here as “not needing to force our way in life.”  This may appear to be the most passive of the passive list above, however, I believe this fruit demonstrates strength and faith in the plan that God has set and is working out – even when I don’t understand the why or what of my circumstances.  Am I being pruned?  Is my ground being broken up?  Has all my fruit been harvested?  Am I resisting the Gardener?  To me, meekness is the strength and faith to rest in the Lord and His Word, wait upon His instruction, and respond according to the Word and the Spirit of Christ in me rather than reacting according to my flesh.  This is my lesson from the fruit tree.

Prayer

Lord God Almighty, All-Wise, All-Loving Father, I submit myself to You, put myself in Your care, trust Your plan, path and purpose for me.  Help me to be a tree that is willing to be pruned in order to develop the strength, the foundation, to hold a large canopy that can be abundantly fruitful.  Help me to embrace “not needing to force our way in life” – regardless of what my culture teaches – but, rather, to allow Your life to flow freely in and through me to produce love, joy, peace, faithfulness, goodness, kindness, meekness and self-control.  Make it so, in Jesus’ name.