daily spiritual reflection - mar. 12

daily spiritual reflection

BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY: 

I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. Since many are boasting in the way the world, does, I too will boast. You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that.

Whatever anyone else dares to boat about-- I am speaking as a fool-- I also dare to boast about. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashed minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? 

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying.

  - 2 Corinthians 11:16-31

THOUGHT: We've all seen those really epic movies when the leader of a group of people has been convinced into following the 'bad guy', or when the good guys are set against each other by a conspiring 'bad guy.' In these cases, a people stop trusting their true leaders and instead start following a false leader, blindly, to their own ruin. And it is only in trust, and returning to unity and truth, that they finally conquer and win. And usually there's some great hero who comes in with an amazing speech to turn the tide around, to rally the troops again to his leadership or to gain trust one more time. This passage is kind of like that great hero's speech.

Paul, one of the main leaders of the early church-- he planted churches all over the mediterranean and wrote a number of the letters that make up the New Testament of the Bible, is on the good side of just such a situation right now. The Corinthian church has been taken by some cunning, false apostles, who are turning the Corinthian Church against Paul and guiding them away from Jesus. Known as a gentle and soft-spoken man in person, Paul's letters showed a strength and conviction that surprised many. This excerpt is one such passage of strength. He is calling out the church, and making a last stand to show them that they were wrong to turn away from him and follow false leaders and that they should turn back to him and trust him. Not one to boast, necessarily, he gives the church a full account of all the things he has suffered, as a last resort to prove to the church that he is true to them, that he is worth following, as he follows Christ.

Though we may not wish to ever be in a situation where we must emulate this kind of boasting (indeed, Paul probably would discourage such a foolish way of speaking), his forceful confession of hardship gives us an amazing record of a man who spent his life fighting with all he had for the cause closest to his heart-- seeing the love of God change peoples lives, and the church growing and preparing for Christ's eventual return. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that "No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his well-being, to risk his body, to risk his life, in a great cause." It is this kind of risk and struggle that gives our lives meaning. What we fight for, and the hard things we do, these are what grow our character and determine who we become.

CHALLENGE:  Do you have a God-given cause to die for? Or, in better terms, a cause to live for? The comforts of a modern life surround most of us, and the idea of giving our lives or risking our bodies for some great cause (note: not just in foolishness) may be a bit of a stretch as far as we can see right now. But spend today reflecting on the power of doing hard things, the power of sacrificing, the power of taking risks for some something greater than ourselves. How have you done this in the past and how have you grown and strengthened as a result? What are the reasons you avoid these risks or avoid doing the hard thing? What sacrifices, challenges, or risks, would a God like the one we've been talking about possibly be calling you into in the future? Reflect on why choosing sacrifice and struggle can change things. 

Lastly, take a chance, sometime this weekend, to choose the inconvenient, uncomfortable, sacrificial, or risky way. Ask God to give you guidance in this choice that it be for a good reason/cause, and reflect on your choice afterwards. Let's see what happens.

daily spiritual reflection - mar. 11

daily spiritual reflection

BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY: 

He is the Maker of Heaven and Earth,

    the sea, and everything in them--

    he remains faithful forever.

He upholds the cause of the oppressed 

    and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets prisoners free,

    the Lord gives sight to the blind,

    the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,

    the Lord loves the righteous.

The Lord watches over the foreigner

    and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

- Psalm 146:6-9

THOUGHT: Imagine a God, powerful enough to have made the entire earth. Imagine a God who is on the side of the oppressed, lonely, outcast, and disabled. Imagine that he actually acts on their behalf in their lives, sustaining them, protecting them, making things right in their lives. Imagine a God who is perfectly just, and whose faithfulness never fails (he always keeps his promises, his truth never changes, he never lets down the people he is in relationship with). What if this God were real and acting in our world?

One of the huge parts of God's plan is to bring justice to the world, in other words, to 'make things right.' This passage gives us a really strong sense of what God's justice means. It may not necessarily mean 'fairness' (If he gets something, then I should get something), but it does mean that those who have been brought low by the world are lifted up.

Justice is a really important thing to God, and one of the things declared in this passage is that "the Lord loves the righteous." Righteousness is another word, in the bible, for justice-seeking, or 'making things right.' Based on this passage, we have the choice to be 'righteous', to join God in his fight for justice.

CHALLENGE:   Today, take your local newspaper, and as you open it to read it, ask God to show you the injustices that make him sad, the places where he is doing work to bring change and justice. Let yourself understand how sorry God is for the people caught in those injustices, and then lift those things up to him and ask him to do his work, to uphold the cause of the oppressed. Then, ask for a specific way you could be a part of bringing his justice to a small situation close to your heart-- maybe it is donating your time/money to something, maybe it is committing to pray, maybe simply being in relationship with someone different than you.

daily spiritual reflection - mar. 10

daily spiritual reflection

BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY:

 This then, is how you should pray:

'Our father in Heaven,

hallowed by your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.'

-Jesus, in Matthew 6:7-15

THOUGHT: In the 5th and 6th chapters of the book of Matthew (one of the accounts of Jesus' life found in the Bible), Jesus gives a bunch of lessons on life. This passage is Jesus' "How to pray" guide-- he offers this as a model to work from. Whether you have never heard it before, never even prayed before, or you recited it in church every Sunday growing up, read it again, carefully, and try reading with the expectation that you can find something new in it.

This model teaches us a lot about how we could structure our prayers, when we want to try approaching God. Especially note Jesus' humble and reverent attitude. This is not the 'wish-fairy' or 'Santa Claus' God, that Jesus is carelessly rattling off his wish-list to. Rather, Jesus is speaking to the King of Heaven and Earth, and it's the king's will that matters. The prayer is a practice of submission, praise, confession, and reverent request. It is also to the point, and from the heart.

The prayer teaches us a lot about God himself as well. It speaks to this God as holy and worthy of praise. It speaks of God as good, wise, and powerful-- having a will that we want to be done on Earth. It speaks to God as our provider for our needs. It speaks to his forgiveness and grace. And it teaches us that God is strong, and can protect us from evil forces. The prayer is as much a way of speaking to God as a way of centering ourselves on God's qualities, helping us find truths to trust in this life.

CHALLENGE:  Write your own version of this prayer (known as "The Lord's Prayer" in some churches), following this model. 

1. Start by declaring some of the qualities that make God who he is, whether these come from your own experiences or what the Bible/others have told you. 

2. Then ask what God wants to do in a situation in your life or in the world. Seek 'His will' before asking your own.

3. Then request those things that you think you need in order to have a full life. 

4. Look for ways you might do something God would ask of you (for example, 'we have also forgiven our debtors'). 

5. Lastly, ask for God's protection as you close up the prayer and go out into the world.

Take the time to try praying the prayer that you write for a few days in a row. See if it centers you and helps you as you start your days off. And see if God shows up in these different ways in your life.

daily spiritual reflection - mar. 9

daily spiritual reflection

BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY: "See I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, "Surely this is a great nation with a wise and understanding people." What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today? Only, be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them."

-Moses

-Deuteronomy 4:5-9 

THOUGHT: This passage is drawn from a time in history right after Moses had led the Israelite people out of Egypt (where they were enslaved) to freedom, when he was giving the people a new set of laws, passed on from God. These laws would distinguish the Hebrew people from other nations, setting them apart as God's own. But the laws were also an amazing tribute to God's sense of justice and how much he cared about his people. He gave them rules that would benefit their health, prevent corruption, protect the poor & lowly, and much more. God's sense of authority was one of a caring heart, of wisdom, of relationship, of stewardship. He was not power-hungry, exploitative, dictatorial, or any other quality that other nations associated with leaders. He was good.

This goodness is what brings Moses to his amazing sense of wonder as he speaks about the laws of the Lord. He describes how they bring wisdom and understanding. He expresses amazing gratitude that God is near and listens to prayers. He loves the laws of the Lord. Maybe you've read the Bible since you were a kid, or maybe you've never even picked one up, but try to imagine associating Moses' attitude with your own thoughts about reading Holy Scripture. Do you feel merely obligated to pick it up, or do you feel grateful and awestruck, like Moses? Do you feel like you gain wisdom and understanding by practicing obedience (to God's laws), or do you feel confused? Do you feel like you are a part of a wise and understanding people, or do you feel like God's laws make you seem only foolish?  Does God to you seem like a distant dictator, or a benevolent leader who listens to prayers, is always present and interacting with you? Think about where these ideas come from.

Lastly, Moses cautions his listeners to 'be careful... and do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart..." It is so easy to experience something worth believing in, in our world today, and then be convinced out of it afterward, and to forget where that sense of faith came from. This is nothing new-- even the Israelites did this: God brought them across the Red Sea and freed them from slavery, and they still sometimes denied his existence, turned away from him, and seemed to forget all the things he had done for them. Can you think of times when you believed in something and then let it fade away, because you got disheartened in believing? It's so easy to lose faith or hope or meaning in our world-- these are things we have to fight for in life. Is there anything now that you believe that you are worried will just fade away?

CHALLENGE:  This passage gives a clear command: do not forget. Spend some time today thinking about the things worth believing in, that life seems to have convinced you out of. One good way to practice this command is to write things down.  If you haven't yet experienced something in your life that looks like the work of God, ask God to do something memorable in your life and keep an eye out for what he might be up to-- in your family, friendships, work, gifts, attitude, etc. If you have experienced something that seems like God's work in your life before, write it down-- even if you're not sure, just say "maybe" and write it anyhow. If you have a particular question that seems to be working against your beliefs or cause more confusion, write that down, and ask God to teach you more in that area-- ask him to show you what He thinks. Perhaps write in a journal so that you can write things down more regularly-- see if more things come up even this week. 

daily spiritual reflection - mar. 8

daily spiritual reflection

BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY: 

I have seen you in the sanctuary

and beheld your power and your glory.

Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

-Psalm 63:2-5

THOUGHT: I feel like our generation doesn't have a very good understanding of what glory is. In a world where we are desensitized to almost everything, that sense of deep awe and wonder at something completely magnificent seems to be lost. Reverence sometimes feels like a lost value. I always think of that scene in Gladiator when Maximus arrives at Rome and sees the Coliseum for the first time... all the gladiators with him are struck speechless, overwhelmed. And the Coliseum is merely a man-made thing; the glory of Rome was fleeting compared to God!

The glory of God is all around, though! Try letting yourself be open to being amazed and see what he shows you. Maybe you will be overwhelmed by his love-- the psalmist here is at a place where he feels the love of God "is better than life" itself! Maybe you will be overwhelmed by the beauty of his creation-- nature, the outdoors. Maybe you will be overwhelmed by how God comes through in response to your prayers, or maybe by some aspect of his character that explains the world in a new way. Don't hesitate to freely attribute those moments of revelation and being awestruck to God. You may find yourself overwhelmingly thankful or desiring to praise God out of your heart just because it seems like he deserves to be praised and thanked, like the psalmist here describes.

CHALLENGE:  Take some time today or this week to get out of doors. Take the time to marvel at the intricacy of nature, the phenomenal love and care and the unfathomable vision and intelligence that God must have used as he was dreaming up the world we live in. If you aren't sure what you think of God creating the world or if you've never envisioned it before, then try imagining it. Think of God as the artist who painted the sky, the gardener who tenderly planted all the plants, the gentle and joyful creator who molded the mountains, the powerful God who spoke the sun and stars into being. Take some time to really just soak in that sense of awe at the magnificence you experience.

daily spiritual reflection - mar. 7

daily spiritual reflection

BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY: You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 

(- Jesus)

- Matthew 5:38-42

THOUGHT: Jesus was a big fan of 'the third way.' In ancient Jewish law, the unlawful response to being offended by someone was to give them payback even greater than how they had offended you (i.e. they punch your eye, you punch both their eyes and kick them in the stomach). The lawful response was to return no more than what they had originally dealt you (hence the eye for eye or tooth for tooth). But in human hearts, this desire to reign in evil by limiting 'payback,' the sense of revenge and vengefulness still seemed to be ruling. So Jesus offered a third way, a completely unheard of response. If someone hits you in the face on one side, do not play their game. Instead, position yourself to be hit again, but this time, look them in the eye. Turn the other cheek.

Shane Claiborne writes, about this remarkable move: "In the orderly Jewish culture, a person would hit someone only with the right hand... In some Jewish communities, if you hit someone with the left hand, you could be banished for ten days. So a person would have to use a backslap to hit someone on the right cheek with the right hand. It's clear that Jesus described a backhand, like an abusive husband to his wife or a master to a slave. It was a slap to insult, degrade, and humiliate, a slap meant not for an equal, but for an inferior, to put someone in their place. But by turning the cheek, the person made the abuser look them in the eye, and the abuser could now only hit them with a fist, as an equal. By turning the cheek, the other person said, "I am a human being, made in the image of God, and you cannot destroy that." Do not cower and do not punch back. Make sure the person looks into your eyes and sees your sacred humanity, and it will become harder for that person to hurt you."

  Claiborne goes on to explain how the poor could be sued for their clothing, but by removing even more than asked, they would be exposing the greed of the repo man. And people were commonly required to accompany a soldier for a designated amount of time and carry their things-- but only that amount of time. Accompanying a soldier in friendship and love was unheard of-- plus, it was an infraction of military code. So go the extra mile, and you may find yourself -- instead of having lost the time and energy it took to fulfill your obligation--- rather having gained a new friendship.

  In other words, in your heart, do not challenge evil by trying to wield evil in return-- it won't work-- it'll only make evil grow more in the world. And do not simply submit to evil, letting it trample over all in its way. Instead, choose a 'third way.' Challenge evil with your humanity, with generosity, and with love.

CHALLENGE:  This week, watch out for places where you can choose 'the third way.' Where do you feel provoked to return evil for evil? How could you return love instead? What have you been asked to give that you could give generously? What inconvenience has been asked of you where you could 'go the extra mile'? Especially keep an eye out for potential relationships of equal humanity with the people society may want you to not speak to-- the people who serve your food & coffee, clean your buildings, fix your elevators, drive your taxis, handle your mail, etc. Try asking God to help you point out these people and situations to you, and try asking him to help reveal to you new ways to relate and respond. 

daily reflection - mar. 5

daily spiritual reflection

BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY:   "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call on me, and I will answer him;  I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.  With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation."  Psalm 91:14-16

THOUGHT: "Relationship with God" is a difficult concept.  First, God is invisible.  Second, his voice and presence works in myriad ways making it hard for us to discern how he speaks (this is usually a problem of him speaking a lot and our confusion turns it into him speaking scarcely).  Lastly, God is often wrapped up in the societal context of religion instantly making any relationship we have with God inadvertently political, controversial, and potentially taboo.  So why relate to God?  From today's passage, it seems the benefits far outweigh the consequences. Not only would we be living out an inner ache to know our Creator, but we would also receive a friend who relates to us based on love. 

This passage from the Psalms is probably from David, one of the earliest kings of Israel.  One thing that sets apart David from his Old Testament counterparts is his relentless pursuit of a God who loves him.  Even when David messed up (Psalm 51; 2 Sam:11-12), he was able to appeal to God through a relationship grounded and cultivated in love.  It seems, this changes everything.  Out of love and acknowledgement, God will rescue us.  When we call, God answers.  God will not only answer, but he will rescue us from our problems and honor us for simply reaching out to him.  It's almost as if God acts like a loving parent that answers a 3am hardship-related phone call with grace and mercy, not punishment.  In fact, God often does not even need that phone call to be laced with apologies as much as the phone call itself represents a humbling act that God recognizes.  We have a God who answers us when we recognize his true identity as Love.  So why not take risks using that truth as our shield?  In this love, we can be broken without shame and we can be transformed without manipulation.  It's a love that frees us and sets us on a right path.

CHALLENGE:  Try to relate to God through prayer.  If this is something new or if you're a bit rusty, then pick an amount of time that you will pray so you do not get overly anxious with how the time is passing.  Anticipate for the first 2 minutes to be a bit loud as "alarm bells" go off about unfulfilled to dos or relational struggles.  Keep at it until you reach a bit of a stillness.  Talk to God about the moment you have felt most loved in your life.  Then ask God where he was in that moment and how that experience of love relates to his love.  Try different modes of talking.  Journal, speak out loud, speak internally, draw.  Don't be afraid to write down or conceive of God's response to your questions or comments.  No one is about to publish your journal (just yet). With that freedom, explore a few ways we can talk to God.