persecuted without cause

My soul languishes for your salvation;
I hope in your word.
My eyes fail with watching for your promise;
I ask, “When will you comfort me?”
For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
yet I have not forgotten your statutes.
How long must your servant endure?
When will you judge those who persecute me?
The arrogant have dug pitfalls for me;
they flout your law.
All your commandments are enduring;
I am persecuted without cause; help me!
They have almost made an end of me on earth;
but I have not forsaken your precepts.
In your steadfast love spare my life,
so that I may keep the decrees of your mouth.

It is funny that I saw this Coffee With Jesus cartoon the same day I went to read this passage and write this devotion.

You see it is said there is always 2 sides to every story. Well I think that there are 3 or more sides. There is the side of one person, and the side of the other person and the truth of the matter which is probably somewhere in between the 2 of the sides…

But we all think we are on the side of God. We see our point of view and we look in the scriptures, and we pray to God and ask for guidance, and sometimes we walk away with the answer we knew we would get. And when we get a different answer we look again or ask again.

We feel like we are persecuted without cause, but someone has a cause, and that just might be that they think they are on the side of God.

I can say this from past personal experience. I was persecuted without cause in my mind. I believed that I was right and those who opposed me thought that they were right, and who was right.

I would venture to guess that neither of us were totally right. We needed to meet somewhere in the middle, but neither of us were willing to bend.

Sometimes we have to give up what we think is right to actually get to the truth, but that is always easier said than done.

So know that even when you are persecuted without cause, there is a cause, and be willing to bend to see if the truth will be revealed!

come to bring peace?

“So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. “Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:26-39, NRSV)

Do not think I have come to bring peace…

Jesus is our prince of Peace, but here He tells us that he came not to bring peace but a sword.

You see when Jesus enters our lives and we allow Him to have space and our lives are changed, we can be turned against our family. We will see life differently than they do and we may have strife. This is why Jesus comes first, before mother, father, daughter,son,wife, husband. Jesus takes control of our lives and we are changed in ways the world may not get.

And because of that there may be battles.

Jesus does not mean for us to be set against our families, but when He enters and we are changed, sometimes strife is an outcome.

If we take up our cross and follow, He will be with us and even in the midst of strife we will have peace.

Even with the sword we will have peace.

instructed

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.(Matthew 10:5-16, NRSV)

This passage is interesting. Jesus sends out the disciples only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Do not go to the Gentiles or to towns of Samaria, but only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.

But we have to understand the community to which Matthew was written. This was a very Jewish community, and there for they would see this as the mission of the Messiah. To go to the house of Israel.

And once the house of Israel is in order we can go out further, but first we get our house in order.

So go and declare my message to all of our house, and help them to see that God is with them…

And I am sending you out like sheep among wolves… For they should be ready for this, but probably will not be.

But always go and know that I go with you.

sent

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” (Luke 10:1-17, NRSV)

So how many disciples were there?

12?

Well maybe, but here Jesus sends out 70 others. And sent is the meaning of apostle, one who is sent…

So there were at least 82 apostles. And I would say there are many more. And those other 70 that were sent I am sure were disciples in that they learned from Jesus, at least they did a little before He sent them. Do this and not this. So disciples we are all learners from the teaching that Jesus gives.

So know that there were more than 12 apostles, or disciples, and know if you believe that Jesus died for you and calls you, He also expects you to be a disciple (a learner) and an apostle (one who is sent).

He is calling you to go and tell about Him, are you ready to be sent?

a voice

“Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight; and as he approached to look, there came the voice of the Lord: ‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have surely seen the mistreatment of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Come now, I will send you to Egypt.’ “It was this Moses whom they rejected when they said, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ and whom God now sent as both ruler and liberator through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. He led them out, having performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years. This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up a prophet for you from your own people as he raised me up.’ He is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living oracles to give to us. (Acts 7:30-38, NRSV)

The bush burned but wa snot consumed by the fire.

It was a miracle that would draw any of us to it.

But then the voice comes…

A voice comes from the burning bush. And it says, “I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

I am, not I was…

God is the God of all time, but that also implies that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are with God. God is still their God, as well as Moses’ as well as ours.

And that voice that called to Moses from the bush, calls to you today!

Listen, and follow where He is leading you to go.

called and sent

Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you, Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.”
Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, “Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, tilted away from the north.” Then the LORD said to me: Out of the north disaster shall break out on all the inhabitants of the land. For now I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, says the LORD; and they shall come and all of them shall set their thrones at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its surrounding walls and against all the cities of Judah. And I will utter my judgments against them, for all their wickedness in forsaking me; they have made offerings to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands. But you, gird up your loins; stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not break down before them, or I will break you before them. And I for my part have made you today a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall, against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you; but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the LORD, to deliver you. (Jeremiah 1:4-19, NRSV)

I love this verse “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Problem is do we all believe it and hold it to be true for our lives?

You see God is speaking to Jeremiah, whom He has called and is sending out to be a prophet to tell nations what God is saying to them. When God calls and sends us, He will not give up on us until we go. And when we go it is not always a great job to be doing.

But God tells us He knew us before He formed us in our mother’s womb. He formed us there and has a plan for us. Sometimes that plan will make us be the person no one wants to see coming. The Lord will be with us as He was with Jeremiah. As God tells Jeremiah, “They will fight against you; but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the LORD, to deliver you.”

We are all called and sent by God, and sometimes it will not be easy, but we need to follow where He is sending us knowing He is always with us.

so that

He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. (Mark 6:1-13, NRSV)

Jesus had no honor in His home town. They thought they knew who He was. And rather than be moved and changed by what was happening before their eyes, they mocked Him and would not change their minds.

So He sent the disciples out. He sent them out to be messengers, and dependent on the hospitality of those they will meet. Even in the face of the inhospitable town He grew up in.

He sent them out to go where they were welcome and to shake dust off their feet where they were not.

“So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent.”

Can you see them? Men walking down the road, 2 by 2, shouting “All should repent!”

That is what verse 12 tells us. They went out proclaiming, “All should repent!”

Everyone needs to repent. You are going to burn if you do not turn!

Now don’t get me wrong, we all need to repent! But does some one yelling at you, or even politely telling you you need to repent really have an effect on you?

You see verse 12 is not the best translation of the original language.

Καὶ ἐξελθόντες ἐκήρυξαν ἵνα μετανοῶσιν,

And all y’all went out, they proclaimed, so that they might repent.

So that they might repent. They went out preaching, or proclaiming all they had seen, so that, in order that, they might repent.

They were not shouting “all should repent!” They were sharing the good news of the Messiah and telling all they had seen and all of the changes in their lives, so that they might repent.

Those who were hearing and the disciples themselves, might repent. It’s not a command it is the effect of the hearing of the story of life, mercy, grace and love!

So go into all the world and proclaim the good news, so that they might repent!

Out of the depths

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.
(Psalm 130, NRSV)

Have you ever felt like you were separated from God?

In a deep dark valley?

In a place that God would never go…

God is always attentive to your cries!

He will always hear your voice.

He will forgive your wrongs and hold on to you.

He will forgive your iniquities and bring you back into the fold.

Just cry out to Him and He will raise you out of the depths!

repentance

For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted in every way—disputes without and fears within. But God, who consoles the downcast, consoled us by the arrival of Titus, and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was consoled about you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it (though I did regret it, for I see that I grieved you with that letter, though only briefly). Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance; for you felt a godly grief, so that you were not harmed in any way by us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves guiltless in the matter. So although I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong, nor on account of the one who was wronged, but in order that your zeal for us might be made known to you before God. In this we find comfort. In addition to our own consolation, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his mind has been set at rest by all of you. (2 Corinthians 7:5-13, NRSV)

Did you ever hear something or read something that made you question something you were doing in your life?

Paul writes to the church in Corinth, and makes them grieve they way they are acting.

He is not worried about this, he is not happy that he upset them, but he is moved to joy because they moved from what they were doing to what they should be doing as followers of Christ. They had things in their lives that kept them from being with Christ.

They had wedges in their relationships with Christ. Paul’s letter(s) offered them a different view and helped them to turn from what was keeping them from Christ.

Repentance is a physical action, a physical turning around. Jesus allows us to make U turns, but more than U turns, they are Holy Spirit turns.

Jesus works in us through things we read, the people around us, the people in our families, our congregations, our community,and through His written word.

So listen to those around you who are linked with God and to the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart, and He will move you to do things for Him.

greater

Now as Peter went here and there among all the believers, he came down also to the saints living in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years, for he was paralyzed. Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed!” And immediately he got up. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. (Acts 9:32-42, NRSV)

A man was bedridden for eight years, and Peter told him to walk and he did.

And Peter raised Dorcus from death in the name of Jesus!

Jesus told the disciples they would do greater deeds than Him, if they believed!

Do you believe you can do these things?

Jesus is working through us to do many wonderful things everyday.

So know there is power in you with the Holy Spirit living in you and allow Him to shine through your life so that they may see the good works of His hand through you and give Him glory!