Truth…

The high priest asked, “Are these accusations true?”

Stephen responded, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran. God told him, ‘Leave your homeland and kin, and go to the land that I will show you.’ So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After Abraham’s father died, God had him resettle in this land where you now live. God didn’t give him an inheritance here, not even a square foot of land. However, God did promise to give the land as his possession to him and to his descendants, even though Abraham had no child. God put it this way: His descendants will be strangers in a land that belongs to others, who will enslave them and abuse them for four hundred years. And I will condemn the nation they serve as slaves, God said, and afterward they will leave that land and serve me in this place. God gave him the covenant confirmed through circumcision. Accordingly, eight days after Isaac’s birth, Abraham circumcised him. Isaac did the same with Jacob, and Jacob with the twelve patriarchs. (Acts 7:1-8, CEB)

“So what I told you is true… from a certain point of view.” Ob1 Kenobi.

This was followed by, “You’re going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.“

Our point of view greatly impacts the way we see things and how we believe them. This is evident in society today, specifically the USA society, where half of the people believe the lies being told by the administration, and the other half do not believe them. Stephen here answers a request for accusations being true with a history lesson, one that those accusing knew but probably did not know or understand from Stephen’s point of view.

How can we get the world view truth to be the truth from the biblical understanding, but then we also need to define who gets to say what the biblical truth is? Truth is a fact or belief that is accepted as true. But what is accepted as true today?

And I say that Jesus died and rose from the dead is truth, but I have friends who would say that is a myth.


So what is truth?

descendants

I’m speaking the truth in Christ—I’m not lying, as my conscience assures me with the Holy Spirit: I have great sadness and constant pain in my heart. I wish I could be cursed, cut off from Christ if it helped my brothers and sisters, who are my flesh-and-blood relatives. They are Israelites. The adoption as God’s children, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the worship, and the promises belong to them. The Jewish ancestors are theirs, and the Christ descended from those ancestors. He is the one who rules over all things, who is God, and who is blessed forever. Amen. But it’s not as though God’s word has failed. Not all who are descended from Israel are part of Israel. Not all of Abraham’s children are called Abraham’s descendants, but instead your descendants will be named through Isaac. That means it isn’t the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children from the promise who are counted as descendants. The words in the promise were: A year from now I will return, and Sarah will have a son. (Romans 9:1-9, CEB)

Not all of Abraham’s children are called Abraham’s descendants. It is not enough to be a child to be included. We all know parents who disown their children. Usually for uber conservative reasons, which is completely wrong, but I digress.

Abraham’s descendants are named through his son. As God’s descendants are named through Their Son.

You are a descendant of God through the Son.

Help all of God’s children see this.

Desire

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. There is more to life than food and more to the body than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither plant nor harvest, they have no silo or barn, yet God feeds them. You are worth so much more than birds! Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life? If you can’t do such a small thing, why worry about the rest? Notice how the lilies grow. They don’t wear themselves out with work, and they don’t spin cloth. But I say to you that even Solomon in all his splendor wasn’t dressed like one of these. If God dresses grass in the field so beautifully, even though it’s alive today and tomorrow it’s thrown into the furnace, how much more will God do for you, you people of weak faith! Don’t chase after what you will eat and what you will drink. Stop worrying. All the nations of the world long for these things. Your Father knows that you need them. Instead, desire his kingdom and these things will be given to you as well. (Luke 12:22-31, CEB)

Desire is a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen.

What do you desire?

As I typed the title to this devotion, I thought of the song below. Desire by U2. Desire is something that can drive us and make us do things we would not normally do. And that is really the point of the last sentence of the reading.

Desire makes us do things we would not normally do for an outcome. When I type this, I think of doing bad things or things that might be wrong, maybe because I have been watching reruns of Criminal Minds lately, or do you do the same? We are motivated to get what we want and sometimes do things out of character, but if we desire the kingdom of God, we will also possibly do things out of character, great things. Things that bring love and mercy.

And when we desire God’s kingdom, everything will fall into place.

So what do you desire?

Pray

Keep on praying and guard your prayers with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray for us also. Pray that God would open a door for the word so we can preach the secret plan of Christ—which is why I’m in chains. Pray that I might be able to make it as clear as I ought to when I preach. Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Your speech should always be gracious and sprinkled with insight so that you may know how to respond to every person. (Colossians 4:2-6, CEB)

Pray, and guard your hearts and prayers with thanksgiving for all God has done for you. And pray for the rest of the body of Christ and the world.

We need to be in constant prayer and speak graciously to show what God has done for you and for the world.

Gracious, insightful responses to the world.

Show the world love and pray for all.

for the Lord…

Wives, submit to your husbands in a way that is appropriate in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and don’t be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, because this pleases the Lord. Parents, don’t provoke your children in a way that ends up discouraging them. Slaves, obey your masters on earth in everything. Don’t just obey like people pleasers when they are watching. Instead, obey with the single motivation of fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do it from the heart for the Lord and not for people. You know that you will receive an inheritance as a reward. You serve the Lord Christ. But evildoers will receive their reward for their evil actions. There is no discrimination. Masters, be just and fair to your slaves, knowing that you yourselves have a master in heaven. (Colossians 3:18— 4:1, CEB)

I must say I have issue with this section of this disputed letter of Paul. I do not believe Paul wrote this, and the person writing it was using Paul’s name to make sure power stayed in the hands of rich men.

Men who owned other people and this says those who are owned should follow all directions from their owners as if they are doing it for God.

Saying you are living as property and doing it for God does not make it right. Saying the bible says it does not mean it is immoral or hateful.

The word of God is not only the Bible. It is living and breathing and moving us closer to the love that God means for us to show in all of our lives every day. Do not think that a book written by and put together by men for a specific purpose is the only means of God speaking to us. The Bible was used and still is used to keep a power structure and we as followers of God need to see that and do something about it.

Morality does not come from a book and love needs to be the first and foremost reason we do something.

Love for the Lord.

greed

Someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus said to him, “Man, who appointed me as judge or referee between you and your brother?” Then Jesus said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourself against all kinds of greed. After all, one’s life isn’t determined by one’s possessions, even when someone is very wealthy.” Then he told them a parable: “A certain rich man’s land produced a bountiful crop. He said to himself, What will I do? I have no place to store my harvest! Then he thought, Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. That’s where I’ll store all my grain and goods. I’ll say to myself, You have stored up plenty of goods, enough for several years. Take it easy! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself. But God said to him, ‘Fool, tonight you will die. Now who will get the things you have prepared for yourself?’ This is the way it will be for those who hoard things for themselves and aren’t rich toward God.” (Luke 12:13-21, CEB)

What good does a bunch of stuff do anyone?

I think as I type this, and the things I collect that gather dust. Things I have that are still in boxes now because I am between calls and do not have a place to display them. And why do I need to display them?

Well, that is kind of what we are talking about here. But more than that are we determined to keep our wealth ourselves, or do we share with those around us and give to those we see in need?

Life is not about bigger barns or stuff. It should be about love and not greed.

Not keeping everything for ourselves but living in love.

Get rid of greed and show love.

Give to the poor

As Jesus continued down the road, a man ran up, knelt before him, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to obtain eternal life?” Jesus replied, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except the one God. You know the commandments: Don’t commit murder. Don’t commit adultery. Don’t steal. Don’t give false testimony. Don’t cheat. Honor your father and mother.” “Teacher,” he responded, “I’ve kept all of these things since I was a boy.” Jesus looked at him carefully and loved him. He said, “You are lacking one thing. Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me.” But the man was dismayed at this statement and went away saddened, because he had many possessions. (Mark 10:17-22, CEB)

I have done all these things:
Don’t commit murder.
Don’t commit adultery.
Don’t steal.
Don’t give false testimony.
Don’t cheat.
Honor your father and mother.

Never killed a bug or an animal? Ever thought about someone in a way that you should not have? Never taken a grape or anything? Never slipped a little lie about someone to make yourself look better? Never cheated at all, to win a game that does not really matter? And always did everything your parents said without any thoughts of I’m only doing this because I have to and not because I want to.

The letter of the law is easy, but the intent is not something any one of us can keep.

None of us will ever make it on merit. We are not good by nature. But we can love and think of others, and that is living as God created us to live.

Thinking of someone else and not doing things to make ourselves look better.

Love out loud and do not worry about the rules.

Love.

renew

So I’m telling you this, and I insist on it in the Lord: you shouldn’t live your life like the Gentiles anymore. They base their lives on pointless thinking, and they are in the dark in their reasoning. They are disconnected from God’s life because of their ignorance and their closed hearts. They are people who lack all sense of right and wrong, and who have turned themselves over to doing whatever feels good and to practicing every sort of corruption along with greed. But you didn’t learn that sort of thing from Christ. Since you really listened to him and you were taught how the truth is in Jesus, change the former way of life that was part of the person you once were, corrupted by deceitful desires. Instead, renew the thinking in your mind by the Spirit and clothe yourself with the new person created according to God’s image in justice and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:17-24, CEB)

Renew your thinking of your mind by the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit, which will lead you to love all as God loves.

We renew our lives and follow the way of God by not thinking of ourselves and what is best for us, but we see the world and the needs of those around us, and focus on those. We love and see with the eyes of God.

Renew your minds.

Mysterious

God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge are so deep! They are as mysterious as his judgments, and they are as hard to track as his paths! Who has known the Lord’s mind? Or who has been his mentor? Or who has given him a gift and has been paid back by him? All things are from him and through him and for him. May the glory be to him forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36, CEB)

God’s ways are mysterious. We do not know what God is going to do, and usually are surprised by the paths God takes us down.

Our ways are not God’s way. God does things in the way that will work for the world, not to make us happy.

Follow and be amazed.

Love!

“You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love only those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing love to everyone, so also you must be complete. (Matthew 5:43-48, CEB)

You have heard it said. This is Jesus telling you that what you are doing is not enough. Everyone loves those who love them and hate and despise those who think, look, and act differently from them. What sets followers of Jesus apart from others?

They will know we are followers of Jesus by our:

Telling others loudly that they are sinners?
Pointing out the way others live that does not fit our understanding?
Making sure people see us give to charity?
Forcing people to live the way we think they should live?

No. None of these things show that we know who God is or that God is living in our lives.

Love. Love for all.

We need to love like Jesus.