Comforting?

So what are we going to say? Isn’t this unfair on God’s part? Absolutely not! He says to Moses, I’ll have mercy on whomever I choose to have mercy, and I’ll show compassion to whomever I choose to show compassion. So then, it doesn’t depend on a person’s desire or effort. It depends entirely on God, who shows mercy. Scripture says to Pharaoh, I have put you in this position for this very thing: so I can show my power in you and so that my name can be spread through the entire earth. So then, God has mercy on whomever he wants to, but he makes resistant whomever he wants to. So you are going to say to me, “Then why does he still blame people? Who has ever resisted his will?” You are only a human being. Who do you think you are to talk back to God? Does the clay say to the potter, “Why did you make me like this?” Doesn’t the potter have the power over the clay to make one pot for special purposes and another for garbage from the same lump of clay? What if God very patiently puts up with pots made for wrath that were designed for destruction, because he wanted to show his wrath and to make his power known? What if he did this to make the wealth of his glory known toward pots made for mercy, which he prepared in advance for glory? We are the ones God has called. We don’t come only from the Jews but we also come from the Gentiles. As it says also in Hosea, I will call “my people” those who aren’t my people, and the one who isn’t well loved, I will call “loved one.” And in the place where it was said to them, “You aren’t my people,” there they will be called “the living God’s children.” But Isaiah cries out for Israel, Though the number of Israel’s children will be like the sand of the sea, only a remaining part will be saved, because the Lord does what he says completely and quickly. As Isaiah prophesied, If the Lord of the heavenly forces had not left descendants for us, we would have been like Sodom, and we would have become like Gomorrah. (Romans 9:14-29, CEB)

Is this comforting? When I read it and the answer is this comforting, my answer is yes and no.

Yes, it is comforting because I do not have to worry about doing the right things to get in. It is God’s choice on who receives mercy and who doesn’t. And that is also not comforting, because what if I am like Pharoah and am one that doesn’t get mercy, but is used to show mercy to the rest of the world?

How do we know if we are in or out? Only God knows. So how do we live in the mean time?

By loving all. God loves us even when we are separated by our thinking only about ourselves, so we love others.

And we remember that God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and God’s time is not our time.

Loving People. Loving God.

What?

God didn’t spare the angels when they sinned but cast them into the lowest level of the underworld and committed them to chains of darkness, keeping them there until the judgment. And he didn’t spare the ancient world when he brought a flood on the world of ungodly people, even though he protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, along with seven others. God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to total destruction, reducing them to ashes as a warning to ungodly people. And he rescued righteous Lot, who was made miserable by the unrestrained immorality of unruly people. (While that righteous man lived among them he felt deep distress every day on account of the immoral actions he saw and heard.) These things show that the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials, and how to keep the unrighteous for punishment on the Judgment Day. This is especially true for those who follow after the corrupt cravings of the sinful nature and defy the Lord’s authority. These reckless, brash people aren’t afraid to insult the glorious ones, (2 Peter 2:4-10, CEB)

Ok, I have to say that as I read this passage to write this devotion I was thinking, “make sure you stay in line because God knows how to punish you if you step out of line.” Now I know what the author meant was that God knows how to keep us from going to death, but it just highlights the things God did to those who got it wrong.

Paul told the Romans, we all fall short and none of us will get it right, so then aren’t all of us destined for the pit and damnation?

If we love as we are loved are we destined to be held apart from God for all eternity?

How will we know if we have done enough or followed the right things?

We won’t except just love.

Jesus said, Love God and Love Neighbor. Do that. Plain and simple.

Loving People. Loving God.

Hesitate

Right then, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead to the other side of the lake while he dismissed the crowds. When he sent them away, he went up onto a mountain by himself to pray. Evening came and he was alone. Meanwhile, the boat, fighting a strong headwind, was being battered by the waves and was already far away from land. Very early in the morning he came to his disciples, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified and said, “It’s a ghost!” They were so frightened they screamed. Just then Jesus spoke to them, “Be encouraged! It’s me. Don’t be afraid.” Peter replied, “Lord, if it’s you, order me to come to you on the water.” And Jesus said, “Come.” Then Peter got out of the boat and was walking on the water toward Jesus. But when Peter saw the strong wind, he became frightened. As he began to sink, he shouted, “Lord, rescue me!” Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him, saying, “You man of weak faith! Why did you begin to have doubts?” When they got into the boat, the wind settled down. Then those in the boat worshipped Jesus and said, “You must be God’s Son!” (Matthew 14:22-33, CEB)

We all give Peter a hard time for sinking in the water, but would you have asked Jesus to call you out and step out of the boat?

If you want to walk on water, you have to step out of the boat. This is not a moment for hesitation. One of the best lines in a movie is from National Treasure, the Declaration of Independence was just stollen and the FBI is talking about it and on of the agents says, “Uhm.” To which the head agent says, “This is not a day for uhms.” The first agent says, “We got a tip last week that the Declaration was going to be stolen.” The head agent says, “What is the name of the tipster?” The first agent responds, “We don’t know the name a file wasn’t opened because we didn’t find the information credible.” The head agent says, “How about now?” We all hesitate in life. We get hung up on what we think we understand and what we believe and we let it taint our understandings.

But would you have stepped out of the boat?

We can do anything through Christ who gives us strength, and yes that verse is used out of context all the time, but if Jesus calls you out of the boat, if you remain focused you will walk on water. When we look at us instead of Jesus we falter.

Focus on Jesus, and love like he loves you.

Loving People. Loving God.

here’s your sign…

The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus. In order to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. But he replied, “At evening you say, ‘It will be nice weather because the sky is bright red.’ And in the morning you say, ‘There will be bad weather today because the sky is cloudy.’ You know how to make sense of the sky’s appearance. But you are unable to recognize the signs that point to what the time is. An evil and unfaithful generation searches for a sign. But it won’t receive any sign except Jonah’s sign.” Then he left them and went away. (Matthew 16:1-4, CEB)

Why do we always ask for a sign from God?

Why do we want God to prove themselves?

Can we not see the signs around us? We can tell the weather by the way things look. Red at night, sailors delight, red in the morning, sailors warning. We see signs all around us but always ask God to prove themself.

Do you need a sign from God?

If you do, why?

Loving People. Loving God.

How well do you know…

Meanwhile, a certain Jew named Apollos arrived in Ephesus. He was a native of Alexandria and was well-educated and effective in his use of the scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and spoke as one stirred up by the Spirit. He taught accurately the things about Jesus, even though he was aware only of the baptism John proclaimed and practiced. He began speaking with confidence in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they received him into their circle of friends and explained to him God’s way more accurately. When he wanted to travel to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples so they would open their homes to him. Once he arrived, he was of great help to those who had come to believe through grace. He would vigorously defeat Jewish arguments in public debate, using the scriptures to prove that Jesus was the Christ. (Acts 18:24-28, CEB)

Apollos was one educated in the scriptures. He knew them well and after receiving more knowledge from Priscilla and Aquilla who were instructed by Paul, Apollos went on to use the scripture to argue that Jesus was the Messiah. Debating and defeating Jewish arguments in public debate.

How well do you know the scripture?

Do you back down from a debate because you don’t know what to say, or where to find the material you need to counter an argument? I will say I have. It is daunting to face someone who seems to know more than you, but at one point they were just like you. You can learn the things the Bible says and then rely on the Spirit to speak for you. Be like Apollos, learn and grow, to help others learn and grow too.

Loving People. Loving God.

eager

As soon as it was dark, the brothers and sisters sent Paul and Silas on to Beroea. When they arrived, they went to the Jewish synagogue. The Beroean Jews were more honorable than those in Thessalonica. This was evident in the great eagerness with which they accepted the word and examined the scriptures each day to see whether Paul and Silas’ teaching was true. Many came to believe, including a number of reputable Greek women and many Greek men. The Jews from Thessalonica learned that Paul also proclaimed God’s word in Beroea, so they went there too and were upsetting and disturbing the crowds. The brothers and sisters sent Paul away to the seacoast at once, but Silas and Timothy remained at Beroea. Those who escorted Paul led him as far as Athens, then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible. (Acts 17:10-15, CEB)

Do we examine the scriptures with eagerness?

Do we see something and dive into what it means for us today or do we take it at face value for what we were told it says and means?

The Bible is a living breathing word that points us to God. It is not a stagnate thing that keeps us from living life the way God intended.

Eagerly dive into the scripture and share what you find so others may know God.

Loving People. Loving God.

Feeding

Now Jesus called his disciples and said, “I feel sorry for the crowd because they have been with me for three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry for fear they won’t have enough strength to travel.” His disciples replied, “Where are we going to get enough food in this wilderness to satisfy such a big crowd?” Jesus said, “How much bread do you have?” They responded, “Seven loaves and a few fish.” He told the crowd to sit on the ground. He took the seven loaves of bread and the fish. After he gave thanks, he broke them into pieces and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. Everyone ate until they were full. The disciples collected seven baskets full of leftovers. Four thousand men ate, plus women and children. After dismissing the crowds, Jesus got into the boat and came to the region of Magadan. (Matthew 15:32-39, CEB)

A lot of the miracles that happen in the Bible are around physical healing or feeding.

There is a lot to say about food and the need humanity has for it.

Food is what brings us together. It is a huge selling point for campus ministry. If a person is fed and not hungry they will listen better.

Food is important. Remember to eat. And help make sure others are fed.

Loving People. Loving God.

devoted

When the crowd heard this, they were deeply troubled. They said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Change your hearts and lives. Each of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you, your children, and for all who are far away—as many as the Lord our God invites.” With many other words he testified to them and encouraged them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Those who accepted Peter’s message were baptized. God brought about three thousand people into the community on that day. The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. All the believers were united and shared everything. They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity. They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved. (Acts 2:37-47, CEB)

The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers.

The people devoted their lives to what they were taught by the ones who had walked with Jesus.

They devoted their lives to the community.

They devoted their lives to the sharing of food together.

They devoted their lives to prayer.

Gather weekly, eat together, learn together, and pray together.

And God added to their numbers daily.

They were devoted to each other and building their understanding and life together and God brought in new people.

Live your life out loud so others see it and wonder how to have what you have.

Live your life out loud so the love of God spills into the world.

Loving People. Loving God.

Best laid plans

First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because the news about your faithfulness is being spread throughout the whole world. I serve God in my spirit by preaching the good news about God’s Son, and God is my witness that I continually mention you in all my prayers. I’m always asking that somehow, by God’s will, I might succeed in visiting you at last. I really want to see you to pass along some spiritual gift to you so that you can be strengthened. What I mean is that we can mutually encourage each other while I am with you. We can be encouraged by the faithfulness we find in each other, both your faithfulness and mine. I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I planned to visit you many times, although I have been prevented from coming until now. I want to harvest some fruit among you, just as I have done among the other Gentiles. I have a responsibility both to Greeks and to those who don’t speak Greek, both to the wise and to the foolish. That’s why I’m ready to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. (Romans 1:8-15, CEB)

Best laid plans…

Sometimes we think we know what we need to do and how it needs to get done.

Paul here tells the Romans he had wanted to come and be with them many times, but it never seemed to work out.

What do you want to do that has never actually worked out.

Maybe there is a reason for that.

Sometimes our plans and God’s plans don’t align, and we need to succumb to the understanding that God’s plans are the best way to go.

If things don’t work out, maybe there is something better about to happen.

Loving People. Loving God.

How many?

When Jesus heard about John, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. When the crowds learned this, they followed him on foot from the cities. When Jesus arrived and saw a large crowd, he had compassion for them and healed those who were sick. That evening his disciples came and said to him, “This is an isolated place and it’s getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said to them, “There’s no need to send them away. You give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here except five loaves of bread and two fish.” He said, “Bring them here to me.” He ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves of bread and the two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed them and broke the loaves apart and gave them to his disciples. Then the disciples gave them to the crowds. Everyone ate until they were full, and they filled twelve baskets with the leftovers. About five thousand men plus women and children had eaten. (Matthew 14:13-21, CEB)

The feeding of the five thousand is the name most of us know this story by, but is that the right number?

At the end, it says, “About five thousand men plus women and children had eaten.”

So five thousand men, plus women and children. If we say seventy-five percent of the men were married that is another three thousand seven hundred and fifty women, assuming they only had one wife. and if fifty percent of them had two children, that is another three thousand seven hundred and fifty. That is a total of twelve thousand five hundred people. From 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.

Feeding five thousand people from 5 loaves and 2 fish is a huge miracle. Something people have obviously talked about for centuries, but when you sit for a moment and actually ponder the total number of people that were present and fed, it becomes even greater. And the twelve thousand five hundred isn’t all either. Were the disciples and Jesus included in the number of men? If not that is at least 13 more, plus the people that were with them.

We get hung up on things and don’t really see the immensity of what God is doing.

Don’t lose the miracle for the details, but realize how big God is and how much God will do for you.

Loving People. Loving God.