daily spiritual reflection - apr. 14

BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY: 

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "It would take almost a year's wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

--John 6:7-13

THOUGHT: This is one of Jesus' more famous miracles: feeding the five thousand. I can just imagine Jesus, looking at the situation, smiling as he asks Philip, "well, what are we gonna do with this?" amused at Philip's horror at the impossibility of the situation in human eyes. To have thousands of people hungry at our hands-- they need dinner, so what are we gonna do? While Jesus, all along, is unconcerned and excited to do his version of the dinner-table card trick... well, more like give several thousand people one of the coolest, most amazing gifts ever. He has the excitement of a best friend at your birthday or a parent at christmas...

But the coolest thing about this miracle, I think, is hidden in the middle. Did you see it? The little boy. The little boy had offered up the food he had brought-- just a small insignificant boy, with a small insignificant amount of food, offering to help the situation. Jesus always loved the small people-- the children, the elderly, the lonely. And think of how excited this boy must have been to be such a big part of one of Jesus' greatest miracles!

Jesus accepted help from a little boy, and then took what the boy offered and multiplied it-- until it overflowed into so much plenty that there were 12 baskets of leftovers!

CHALLENGE:  What if we were like the little boy? What if we could offer God small gifts of our own? What if he took and multiplied anything we gave him, and then those things could bless and help all the people around us? Think of the things you could offer God that he could multiply. Maybe it's service in a small capacity where you live, or in your city. Maybe it's a spirit of grace, or love, or joy, or peace that you offer to a friend with God's blessing, and then see that friend offer it to others, and let it multiply over and over again. Maybe it is a real miracle that God's going to work!

I think one of the forms where it's easy to see this sort of God-multiplication is in what we do with our money... I've found that when I spend my money selfishly, or hoard money, it seems to disappear. But when I give away my money freely or spend it on the things of God, it multiplies-- it seems like the money comes back to me, multiplied, and that whatever the money was spent on just multiplies God's goodness in the world over and over again... until what seemed like a lack comes to seem like plenty, with generosity everywhere.

So give a shot at God's math sometimes this week. Try offering something to God-- no matter how insignificant and small, and ask to see it multiplied. See what happens!

daily spiritual reflection - apr. 13

** Our prayers go out to the friends and family of Michele Dufault, who passed away last night. If only there were words for such a shocking tragedy that I could offer. For those of you who knew her or who find her passing particularly upsetting, please be sure you talk to someone (and feel free to email me or any of the other YCF leaders). May your grief lead you to peace.

Blessings and prayers to Michele and her family.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."  --Matthew 5:4

BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY: 

You who are the hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress, 

why are you like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays only a night?

Why are you like someone taken by surprise, like a warrior powerless to save?

You are among us, Lord, and we bear your name;

do not forsake us!...

Have you rejected Judah completely? Do you despise Zion?

Why have you afflicted us so that we cannot be healed?

We hoped for peace, but not good has come,

for a time of healing, but there is only terror.

We acknowledge our wickedness, Lord, and the guilt of our ancestors;

we have indeed sinned against you. 

For the sake of your name do not despise us;

do not dishonor your glorious throne

Remember your covenant with us, and do not break it.

Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain?

Do the skies themselves send down showers?

No, it is you, Lord our God.

Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this.

-- Jeremiah 14:8-9, 19-22

THOUGHT: This passage is about a time of drought in Israel-- in the rest of the chapter it describes the thirst of the people, the weariness of all the animals, the desolation in the land... it's really sad. 

Yet I love the passion of this passage-- the writer who looks up and faces the Lord-- and demands God's presence, who honestly cries out for him to save and help. I think there's something beautiful in taking right up to God all our anger, our frustration, our desperation, our honest ideas of what is fair and just, what we want, what we need, what we hope for. This is prayer!

Most-- if not all-- of us struggle at times with having faith in our idea of God. At some point, we might be frustrated with the way things are, or we might feel abandoned or forsaken, we might feel like God isn't as loving or as great as he's been made out to be. Or we might struggle with how to reconcile the hard things of the world-- things like drought and hunger and injustice-- with who God supposedly is. We might feel hurt or doubt or confusion or any number of questions.

But what do we do with those questions? Do we think them to ourselves and mumble under our breath and complain, and then turn and walk away and distract ourselves instead of dealing with them and actually asking them to someone who could answer? Or do we follow the footsteps of Jeremiah here and walk right up to God, telling him what we think, what we need, and asking him why, why why?

CHALLENGE:  I am convinced, more from personal experience than anything, that God loves this kind of communication, that he wants us to be honest and to bring all of our emotions and questions right up to him. I have been angry with God before over broken relationships, life mishaps, and over injustices in the world. I have felt unreasonably sad, lonely, and even seriously depressed and asked him "why???", bringing my tears and hurting heart right up to him. I have been really confused and had to wrestle with things I've read in the Bible that don't seem to make sense with the God I know. Faith is not always a picnic! 

But each time, when I make the choice for all of that honesty to get poured out in a conversation with God, something hopeful happens. A sense of expectation grows, a hope that there will be change, or that there will be answers, and a knowledge (however cheesy it sounds) that I'm not alone, and that God can be counted on to be listening and to love, even when I don't understand. And in my experience, that change comes! Sometimes as part of a long and complex story that God slowly reveals, sometimes through work that God leads us to be a part of so we can work with him to effect change. Sometimes the answers come through various experiences and conversations and random coincidences that are a little too coincidental to be random... and sometimes the answers come in being led-- in thought, prayer, and reflection-- to better questions, or to better understanding. Often, getting there requires trusting God (faith) and certain aspects of his character as being true. But finally, the process-- which can take anything from a few minutes to a few years-- always grows me into some sort of new peace and new sort of maturity/freedom.

That is my experience, but the challenge this week is for you to use Jeremiah as a model for a conversation of your own with God. What would you like to 'be talking to God about' for the next few weeks or months? What are your questions? What makes you angry? What makes you doubt? What do you not understand? What makes you upset or sad? What do you want to see change? You might even start the conversation at the most basic point, "I don't even know if you're real, but..." and go from there. Be completely and utterly honest-- not insulting or arrogant, but vulnerable and open, admitting where you are. But go into the conversation with high expectations for God, just like Jeremiah. Expect him to answer you, or to guide you to better questions, or to change things that you're talking about. And be ready to be challenged into trusting God in new ways.

daily spiritual reflection - apr. 12

BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY: 

  

¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³ Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:12-14)

 

THOUGHT: We often think of sin as a single offense - a wrong action.  This can mean many things given our faith and church background.  Sometimes, we play a game of asking what is or what is not wrong. As you might imagine, it can get messy.  This is the tough reality of living by the law.  In Romans, Paul suggests sin is more than an offense; instead, it's a power.  Sin is a force in the universe that can enslave and become one's master.  An example is addiction: the desire to act in a way that destroys the wholeness in your life (i.e. alcoholism).  Here, Paul says God is a power and person full of life and right relationship.  It's not about knowing all the right ways to be or even doing good actions (especially right away).  Instead, the spiritual life involves accepting a new master - one who frees us through grace. 

CHALLENGE: Have you ever thought of sin as a power?  Can you identify a personality of sin that you engage with regularly?  Jealousy?  Joylessness?  Self-importance?  Ask yourself if you want this personality to be a master of yourself or anyone?  In prayer, ask God to reveal God's leadership in your life.  Is it clear? Blurry?  Take a step of courage and ask God to let God's grace lead you into life in a specific area where, otherwise, you feel led by a personality of sin.  Share this decision with a friend. 

Also, ruminate on these lyrics and enjoy this song.  "Love it will not betray you, Dismay or enslave you, it will set you free, Be more like the [person] you were made to be "   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7TrU4_-JTY

 

Peace,

Josh

daily spiritual reflection - apr. 11

BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY: 

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

-- John 8:31-32

THOUGHT: I think that truth is a fascinating concept. Just speaking from a personal level, the idea of truth (which, I think is different than the idea of 'being right'), has had a huge impact on my life. Maybe some of you can resonate. Truth is rooted in the same word as 'trust', something which some of us probably find really hard, but which is absolutely essential to loving relationships. We trust that people love us and want the best for us, we trust that we are liked and that we matter, we trust the people we are in relationships with as a way of loving them and receiving love from them. But in a competitive world, it's so easy to get sucked into untruths about ourselves-- untruths that make us feel lonely, neglected, hurt, insignificant, powerless, discouraged, or despairing. These false things can be really oppressive to live with. It's as if lies can come to have authority in our lives-- dictating the way we think, talk, and act, and pushing us further and further away from life, with all of its joy and love and freedom.

I think that right here, Jesus gets this. He gets that living with lies is oppressing, and that truth is necessary, that trust is necessary. And that trust is hard-- when we feel beat down, our first reaction is to curl up in defeat, not to stand up and insist on hoping, trusting, etc. He understands this feeling of hurt ad has compassion for it, which is why he teaches us to step, one step at a time, into love, and grace, and forgiveness. So he tells the people who are trusting him to follow his teachings, gently encouraging them to stand up strong against whatever lies they've been told in their lives in this world. He wants to love people into being empowered and totally free.

The cool thing is that when we defeat lies and decide to stand up even when everything inside us is telling us to stay in a position of defeat, we grow stronger, and we become empowered, and we stand up and step into that freedom of knowing true things about ourselves. We take back authority over our lives from whatever false things were keeping us down. And we can win that fight. YOU can win that fight. You can stand up!

CHALLENGE:  This week, the challenge is to stand up for truths in your lives and in the people you love. Choose to trust truth.

This might mean making a mental decision to stand up and shove off any voices you might have that are telling you discouraging, unloving, despairing things. Be encouraged now, you can silence those voices, and you can discern what is actually true about you and just how loved and wonderful and not alone you are. Here are two songs I've found helpful for this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf7wtB1TGV0 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFNHmA9a2gI

This might mean reflecting on your actions, thoughts, and words, and searching out any patterns of thought that aren't based on truth, and pulling out one main lesson that you want to work, then posting this in an obvious place in your life: writing it on a mirror, making it your desktop background, posting it above your bed. Make it something encouraging, that reminds you to hope, or to love, or to trust, or that you are loved (and even liked!).

Or, it might mean making a decision in a relationship that is based on a trust that you might think you feel too hurt to give. Trust that there is love, that God creates possibilities for reconciliation, forgiveness, and restoration even when it feels impossible. Insist on hope, and love those whom it feels hard to love.

daily spiritual reflection - apr. 9

BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY: 

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. 

And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

-- Romans 5:1-5

THOUGHT: One of the main tenets of the Christian faith is the idea of "grace" through "faith" in Jesus Christ. It's kind of a complicated concept, but this passage has a lot of really beautiful ideas in it, so I thought it might be worth wading through. Whether you consider yourself a Christian or not, let me just explain this excerpt as I best understand it, so that you can have a better idea of the concept.

1. We are justified through faith... don't think of justification so much as an excuse, instead think when you justify your typesetting on a paper-- you make it right, you make it fit well where it's supposed to go. By trusting in God (having faith), we fit well into his love.

2. This gives us peace, specifically peace in relationship with God-- there is nothing between us.

3. Jesus Christ is the person who-- if we have faith in his teachings and in his sacrifice*-- can provide a new place for us to stand in grace, where we don't have to live in constant fear of making mistakes, striving to do right or trying to be good, we can just rest that all of our mistakes are covered for in redemption, that even if we'll never be 'good enough' by our own actions, God calls us perfect by covering for everything else with love. We can make choices out of love, not trying to earn love or fear punishment.

4. "We boast in the hope of the glory of God... and hope does not put us to shame..."

The rest of this passage talks about hope-- a hope that doesn't put us to shame (I know we've all experienced that sense of disappointment when we are hoping for something and then it doesn't go well, or it doesn't happen... this author makes it clear that this hope doesn't lead to disappointment or shame, so we don't have to be afraid in hoping in it. It's an interesting clarification). We gain that hope by going through hard things and challenges. In other words, because of our faith, our suffering doesn't have to be meaningless... it can actually be redeemed as perseverance, character, and hope. 

And the hope is connected to the glory of God. Many of you all go to Yale and see the glory of man in academia every day... or maybe you don't see it, because now that you've been in it for a while, you see that the symbols of man-made glory-- fancy buildings and awards and riches-- seem to fade as you get closer. God's glory though, if we can hope in it forever without being disappointed, never loses its wonderfulness and awesomeness. There is no diminishing marginal utility =)

CHALLENGE:  I really love the last verse of this passage: "And this hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." This 'pouring' metaphor is so key to understanding how all this love, faith, grace stuff all works. Imagine that you are a cup, and some great metaphysical being takes you and holds you in a body of water for a second to fill you up, then puts you into your daily life where you get 'poured out.' In your interactions and in your work, it's like you tip yourself over and give away the love and the joy and those things that you have, and when it's over, you feel tired, empty, maybe lonely-- your cup is empty. Then you go through the same process again, looking for places to fill up your cup wherever you are.

But imagine that there is a spiritual being with you everywhere you are, a pitcher of love that-- no matter where you go or who you interact with-- pours love into you. And he (note that the passage says "who"-- the Holy Spirit here is a person) doesn't just keep filling you up to the top like a busboy at a restaurant. In fact, he'd be a really bad busboy, because what he does is fill you up to overflowing. He's like a never-ending pitcher, infinity himself, and so when he's hanging out with you, you don't even have to do anything to be pouring out the love he's giving you... it's just overflowing out of you all the time because he's constantly pouring more into you, over the rim of your cup. And you never have to be drained or empty... on the contrary, you're always full to overflowing.

Try praying this weekend a prayer to ask the Holy Spirit (God's person, dwelling and working in the world) to pour into your life and give you rest from the exhausting process of being drained out. Here's one of my favorite repetitive prayers (you just say it over and over again for a little while, meditating on what each word or phrase means for you):

" Spirit of the living God, rest on me, fill me, pour out of me,

reveal yourself to me, in truth and love. Amen."

daily spiritual reflection - apr. 8

BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY: ³⁷ On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ³⁹ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

 ⁴⁰ On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”

 ⁴¹ Others said, “He is the Messiah.”

  Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? ⁴² Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” ⁴³Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. ⁴⁴ Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

-John 7:37-44

THOUGHT: In this passage Jesus is extending an invitation. Though his invitation is met with many different reactions and assumptions, his invitation still stands. Jesus called people to himself then, and he still does now. The Pharisees (Jewish religious leaders) and others in the crowd did not have the Bible to see the full story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Luckily, we do!

   In my journey of faith I recently noticed how little I have studied and meditated on the whole life of Jesus. I have talked much about Jesus, and studied isolated passages and parables, but there is something to be said about picking one of the accounts of Jesus' life (a.k.a. the "Gospels") and reading it in it's entirety. What new themes and ideas could I find that will affect the way I understand God and the way he works?

 

 

CHALLENGE:  Read through one of the Gospels (Mathew, Mark, Luke, or John). Ask God to show you something new about Jesus. Pay attention to any thoughts, ideas, or themes that are new and spend some time thinking and/or journaling about those things. If you have never done this before, a good book to start with could be Mark.  May a fuller understanding of the life of Christ bring you to a fuller understanding of his love for you! 

daily spiritual reflection - apr. 7

BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY: 

2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."**
Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them."***
Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
- Romans 4:2-12

Footnotes:
** (Romans 4:3) - Gen. 15:6; also in verse 22
*** (Romans 4:8) - Psalm 32:1,2

THOUGHT: I have to take my time when reading through Romans; otherwise, it goes right over my head. Allow me to break down this passage (for my sake): Was Abraham justified by his good works? | Abraham believed God = righteousness | Workers receive obligated wages | Those people who don't work but who instead trust God receive righteousness as a wage | David (the Psalmist and King) talks about this God who gives righteousness without requiring work. | Do both the circumcised and the uncircumcised receive God's blessing? | Well, did Abraham receive God's blessing before or after circumcision? | Before. | Circumcision was a sign or seal of the righteousness that Abraham received from God. Abraham placed his faith in God before his circumcision. | Therefore, Abraham is the father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised, so that these uncircumcised may receive righteousness as an inheritance. | Abraham is also the ancestor of the circumcised, who both carry the sign and seal of faith (circumcision) and believe in God, something that Abraham did before receiving the seal of circumcision.

Phew! Thanks for bearing with me! I feel as if I understand Paul's words a whole lot better than I did before. Perhaps you do too?

CHALLENGE: Do you perform good works? Are you circumcised? Are you relying on these exterior manifestations as the currency with which to receive righteousness from God? Or are these simply signs or seals of the righteousness that God offers you for simply placing your faith in him? Think about some or all of these questions. Consider transferring your ideas to paper. Talk it over with a friend, and take it to God in prayer.

Looking for more? Continue reading in Romans; try putting Paul's ideas into your own words. 

Peace,
Alan