04.06.09
“ON THE RIGHT ROAD”
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ON THE RIGHT ROAD
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Matthew 5:10-12 NIV
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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Psalm 119:156-157 NIV
156 Your compassion is great, O LORD; preserve my life according to your laws.
157 Many are the foes who persecute me, but I have not turned from your statutes.
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Navigating through a complex system of foreign highways is a challenging feat, even with a GPS. It is important to know that you are on the right road. Pastor Earl Palmer used to use that very phrase, i.e. on the right road, to translate the idea of Matthew’s beatitudes. You are on the right road when one hungers and thirsts for righteousness; when they are poor in spirit; when they choose to be meek, etc.
When the terrain becomes difficult to traverse, it is even more important to know that you are on the right road. When others come to accuse, threaten, and persecute for choices made in and for Christ, the temptation is to ask oneself…did I do the right thing? The writer of the book of Hebrews unpacks his whole letter in response to that very situation. Jesus, knowing what it means to walk through persecution, reminds his disciples that this is part of the all inclusive package deal of discipleship.
Those who find the fist of persecution coming their way must run to some kind of refuge. Those who have stood up for Christ in the midst of impending persecution, that refuge is God’s compassion and God’s statutes. For God will not sit idly by; but will comfort and vindicate those step up to affirm His Word and ways.
We who have chosen the road of discipleship will find that the net result of the persecution will amount to rejoicing. But not a flippant celebration, clueless to the circumstances. Rather a tearful praise, knowing the cost of faithfulness to God’s revealed statutes. When we find that we are paying the discipleship cost of persecution, we find that we are on the right road; the very road of our Lord and Savior.
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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
- This morning, will you praise and rejoice in the amazing humility of Christ? That the Holy One Himself would willingly suffer persecution at the hands wicked men for the sake of God’s word and will? Will you praise God Father for the consummate vindication of His Son and His Word?
- Will you resolve to trek on the right road; even if it means encountering insult and injury for His names’ sake? Will you ask for a strengthened and purified discipleship?
- Will you pray for those who accuse and throw stones at you? Will you ask God to guard your heart from any bitterness or retributive rage? Will you pray for deep comfort and perfect peace?\
This devotional was written by Pastor Martin
03.21.09
“MUTUAL INHABITATION”
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MUTUAL INHABITATION
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Ps 48:12-14 NIV
12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,
13 consider well her ramparts,
view her citadels,
that you may tell of them to the next generation.
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide even to the end.
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1 Cor 3:16-17 NIV
16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?
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Despite a short national history, a visit to our capital, Washington D.C. yields constant reminders of our history and values. Monuments to great leaders, as well as transformative events bring home a deep appreciation of where our country has come from, and what will sustain us into our future.
In much the same way, the very structures of the temple and Jerusalem evoked strong awareness of the history of the people of God, and ultimately a profound attachment with the
God who had chosen to abide there.
Psalm 46 is a celebration of Jerusalem and the temple, but ultimately a connected praise to the God who establishes the city and the people. Pilgrims are encouraged to meditate in the temple of God’s character [vs. 9], and let all the physical features [e.g. lofty mountains vs. 2] evoke praise and adoration of God. For intimate knowledge of the structures and the history is intertwined with knowing the God who inhabits the city.
The format of the city itself is like an open invitation to come and know Yahweh. T Toward the end of the psalm, there is a call to reflect on the intricacies of the military fortifications; to count the towers and investigate the citadel. For God inhabits Zion’s citadels, and has demonstrated that He will be her fortress [vs. 3].
Paul dovetails on this theme of inhabitation when he declares to the church in Corinth that they themselves are God’s temple, and that His Presence is living within them! That they ought to celebrate and cherish God’s inhabitation within their community. Could it be that as we inhabit all the more the relationships God has provided within the body, that God would be all the more revealed in our midst? Would we not become all the more an open invitation to the world to come and know Yahweh Jesus, and be all the more equipped to tell of His mercy and might to the coming generation? How significant is the call to mutual inhabitation.
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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
- This morning, will you worship afresh the Great High King who lovingly chooses to inhabit such an unworthy people? Will you praise Him for His might and mercy demonstrated to and for us?
- How intimate are your relationships in the body of Christ? How might you be called all the more to know your brothers and sisters in Christ, that you might grow in your knowledge of God?
- Will you pray for your church, asking God to reveal His love and power even more; and that the body of Christ would be a gateway for the nations and generations near and far to know God?
This devotional was written by Pastor Martin
03.20.09
“FORTRESS MENTALITY”
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“FORTRESS MENTALITY”
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2 Sam 22:2-4 NIV
“The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation.
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior-
from violent men you save me.
4 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.
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Ps 59:16-17 NIV
16 But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
17 O my Strength, I sing praise to you;
you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.
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In the game of chess, a sweeping defensive move can be engaged whereby a threatened king can cross over positions with a rook. This move whereby an exposed king can move into a position of safety is called castling. As the game of chess seeks to echo in some ways the dynamics of the battlefield, seeking protection behind the walls of a well designed fortress can be a wise strategic move to counter the rush of the violent.
King David engaged in many a battle, and suffered the barbs of many a violent man. Whether it was literal spears hurled to pin him to a wall, or verbal ones; David always knew where to run for safety. He repeatedly declares that Yahweh is his fortress, and institutes a “castling” move through intentional worship. For David, this wasn’t a move born of mere cowardice; rather of strategic import. Safe in the tower, he is presumably able to assess and outlast the threat. And ultimately, it becomes God who fights and wins the battle.
In many cases, a fortress mentality actually restricts one from managing the field properly. But when it comes to spiritual battle, there is no better move than to “castle”; to nestle in the protection and favor of our loving God.
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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
- This morning, will you choose to sing to, and call upon the Mighty Fortress who delights in being your shield and salvation? Will you delight in His unbreakable, unshakeable love for you?
- Will you call to Him, for specific threats; to release you from fear of the violence of man and even spiritual opposition?
- What would it mean to adopt this “fortress mentality” in your life right now? How might your choice of words and actions change given a heart secure in God?
This devotional was written by Pastor Martin
03.16.09
SHEPHERD’S BOND
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SHEPHERD’S BOND
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Ps 80:1-2
Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock;
you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth
2 before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might;
come and save us.
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John 10:11-16
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me- 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father-and I lay down my life for the sheep.
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Even at the moment of birth, every child knows his/her mother’s voice (and according to T. Berry Brazelton, 85% recognize their father’s voice too). The parental bond with children in some ways is echoed in that of the shepherd’s with his sheep. Ancient Near East shepherding patterns reveal that shepherds knew their sheep so intimately, that despite caring for a whole flock; they knew them each distinctively, and even by name. This relational intimacy was reciprocated by the sheep, for even the dim witted sheep recognized and hearkened unto the voice of the shepherd whom they had embraced and learned to trust.
Somehow instinctively knowing that they are not self-sufficient, both children and sheep are sensitized to the presence of the one who has come forward to protect and provide. And in response, a loving parent or shepherd is all the more dialed in to the fear and need of ones they’ve covenanted to guide and guard. In a time of danger, the shepherd’s heart finds resonance far more with a mama bear defending her cub, than even a policeman upholding his sworn duty.
It is with this confidence that the Psalmist cries out to the Shepherd of Israel to come and save. And it is with this driving passion that Jesus, the Good Shepherd lays his life down on the cross. With cords of love and trust are we bound to the voice of our Shepherd Jesus.
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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
- This morning, will you cherish and delight in your Shepherd’s love for you; expressing thanks and worship in prayers of adoration and trust?
- Will you reflect: in your response to your crises, how have you hearkened to the voice of Jesus your sworn Shepherd? Will you take time to attend to His voice, and the nudgings of his staff, and the comfort of His rod?
- Will you ask for a deeper heart of trust, as you take steps to follow the path of the Shepherd who leads you through the valley of the shadow of death, to green pastures and quiet waters?
This devotional was written by Pastor Martin
03.11.09
“POWER OF THE MEEK”
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POWER OF THE MEEK
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Ps 37:7-11 NIV
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret–it leads only to evil.
9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace
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Matt 5:5 NIV
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
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Few fathers would tell their sons that the best way to deal with troublesome bullies on the playground would be to be meek. In our day and age, the word is synonymous with being spineless, docile, weak. For the perception is, on the playground might makes right. In a competitive environment, goods and rights must be grasped; for there are only winners and losers…decided by use of mental, fiscal, and physical force. When even the gentle of heart finally surrender to this belief, they lash out unrestrained violence.
And so is Jesus clueless or irresponsible in declaring that in response to persecution and hatred, that the route of victory is that of meekness? Is he genuinely aware of the world in which we live, or is he just spouting off nice platitudes to appease church ladies in their Sunday best? Or does He know something we do not? Has He bought into a different operating system for the way the world really works? Could it be that He is echoing something that was known by the people of God all along?
In Psalm 37, the Psalmist is profoundly aware of the violence all around. Surrounded by godless, unspeakably violent nations; as well as the wicked within their borders; the question of how to live in the violent land was of meaningful concern. In response, the Psalmist charts out a path which includes trust, reticence, and peace. For the playground is not a free for all; there is a Sovereign God watching and operating as Judge. We are called to trust in His justice and mercy; and not take vengeance into our own hands. The twin demons of anxiety and anger, worry and wrath are to be abandoned for the sake of an all encompassing peace: an already great shalom which awaits full consolation by the Sovereign Judge.
Being meek does not mean being weak. It means that restraining a violent strength that clamors to be unrestrained. In a way, meekness reflects a greater strength. Jesus who has legions of angels who must have been spoiling to join the fray, instead submits to the weak and violent authorities (Pilate, Herod, Caiaphas) who believe themselves to be in power. It is Jesus who exhibits the greater power, one which is able to hold heart and hand in check because it hasn’t surrendered to the belief that it’s only a free for all on the playground.
The meek don’t stand by cowering in fear when others are being oppressed. The meek don’t shy away from confronting evil out of sheer timidity. They face it down with faith and moral force; even to the point of taking up a cross. For in order for the meek to be meek, they have tapped the strength of the Father in Heaven. And instead of the violent wicked who will have earned themselves but retributive justice, the meek are guaranteed to inherit heaven and earth; even the fullness of the Kingdom.
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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
- This morning, will you bow before the Judge of all the all the earth; who watches every word, deed, and intention of the heart? Will you subscribe to His sovereign rule over your life, and over the “playground”?
- In reflection, where have you grasped for your agenda with force and violence vs. trust and obedience? Will you repent: turning away from wrath and worry, will you ask for God’s redeeming touch?
- Will you pray for a greater strength to bubble up from within? One which doesn’t cry out for vengeance, but that is able to outlast and outheal the wicked , through great peace?
This devotional was written by Pastor Martin
03.10.09
“HOUSE OF CRAVE”
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“HOUSE OF CRAVE”
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Psalm 84 NIV
84:1 For the director of music. According to gittith. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young–a place near your altar , O LORD Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you ,who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
8 Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob. Selah 9 Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one.
10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.
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The marketing plan of the fast food hamburger chain White Castle aims to convince you that their product is “What you crave.” This craving is so strong, that it is portrayed as overpowering even the lazy and shiftless to get up out of their couch to make a pilgrimage to the house of crave. Competing desires, and confronting obstacles are no match for those who crave and quest to arrive at the house of what they’ve craved (ala Harold and Kumar).
The Psalmist in this passage here also espouses a consuming longing, a crave so to speak. But his desire is for God’s presence, and his eye on house of God in Jerusalem. More specifically the temple which sits on Mt. Zion in the city where God chose to “reside.” It is the epicenter of life in that it is where they go to be close to Him. Earlier in the Psalm, longing to be close to God causes the Psalmist to envy the sparrow & swallow which make their nests by the temple.
This longing sets his heart to pilgrimage; to intentionally close the distance between him and God’s house. This pilgrimage is a transforming one, turning the Valley of Weeping (gloss for “Baca”) into a place of blessing (cognate for “pools”). Tears of pain shed from the difficulty of life, and the journey turning into tears of joy from the encountering of His blessing on the journey.
Despite the arduous path, those who are on this journey go from strength to strength, i.e. find refreshment repeatedly; at the just the right moments, all along the way until they reach their destination.
For the Psalmist, it’s better to spend even one day nearer to God than a thousand distanced; even to serve at the door of the temple, than have full access within the residence of the wicked. And so his heart, and his feet are set to pilgrimage.
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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
- This morning, will come before God who is sun and shield, bestower of favor and honor; and tell him that He is completely worthy of your magnificent obsession?
- As you reflect on the difficulties of this pilgrimage, will you ask that God would transform weeping to blessing, weakness to strength? Will you reset your eyes on God and ask him to renew your heart this morning to pursue Him?
- Is there anything that has dulled your desire, sidetracked your quest to know and be near God? Will you put them in your rear view mirror as you set your heart and feet to pilgrimage?
This devotion was written by Pastor Martin
03.07.09
“HUMILITY AND HOPE”
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“HUMILITY & HOPE”
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Psalms 130 NIV
1 A song of ascents.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
2 O Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.
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In this hustle and bustle world, few would confess that they like to wait. But whether by necessity or choice, the practice of waiting is ubiquitous and unavoidable. Whether it is waiting in line, in traffic, on hold to speak to someone, or waiting to hear from God, how much of our day could be classified under the category of waiting?
Yet waiting isn’t all waste; it isn’t always a curse. For the very submission to wait on someone or something poses a discipline of healthy humility. Humility, because waiting means that you are at the mercy of someone else’s time frame, and you relinquished heavy handed control. It acts as a siege weapon upon the walls of the myth that we are God, and that we are self sufficient in every way.
In this Psalm, waiting is embraced as a way of putting all the onus for deliverance on God; on His compassion and His power.
Furthermore, waiting can be positive in that it reveals what is truly of worth. How many times have we been in line for an extended time to hear someone exclaim, “this just isn’t worth it,” and storm off? In order for the President of the Star Wars fan club to demonstrate his estimation of worth for the franchise per se, he and a friend camped out for three months in front of the historic Cinerama in Seattle to be the first one in line to see the long awaited movie, “The Phantom Menace.” As Jacob waited seven, then fourteen years for his beloved Rachel; what or who we wait for clearly reveals that which we love and long for.
Lent is a season whereby we are challenged to engage the positive fruits of waiting. As the people of God waited four hundred years for the first coming of the Messiah, we continue to wait for the full redemption of our bodies, souls, and world in Christ. As we wait, we will find that God will make our waiting time productive; distilling our hearts of humility and worship.
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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
- This morning, will you attend to the God of justice and mercy; will you fear and revere Him all the more because with Him there is forgiveness and not just punishment?
- Will you reflect on your heart attitude regarding the process of waiting? How can you all the more radically embrace what God desires to do in you through the very calls to wait in your life?
- As you wait, will you pray in hope and longing? Will you take on the posture of a watchman who waits for the dawn which is patently inevitable; knowing that God will redeem fully and bring His Kingdom?
This devotional was written by Pastor Martin
03.06.09
“SPIRITUAL EDUCATION”
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SPIRITUAL EDUCATION
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Ps 25:4-10 NIV
4 Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;
5 guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you are good, O LORD.
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8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful
for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
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Adult illiteracy is a bane on a persons’ future, much less any civilization striving for growth and progress. But what of spiritual illiteracy? Would not ignorance due to a lack of learning serve to bring similar negative results; truncating potential and offering fruits of frustration and confusion?
What then is the cure for the spiritually uneducated, the “formula” so to speak for developing spiritual understanding? According to this Psalm, first it is a humble heart that is longing to be taught. As Mark Twain rightfully quipped, “the key to education is appetite”. But appetite alone can only go so far. For spiritual education to be successful, the hungry heart of a student must be coupled with a loving and faithful teacher in God. Neither a hungry heart, nor a devoted teacher are disposable in this process.
Looking carefully at Psalm 25, the structure is revealed in the form of a modified acrostic. Each verse begins with a new letter of the alphabet along the pattern of a-b-c and so on. However, it is modified in that the Psalmist adds a an additional letter “p” to the end of the Psalm; resulting in the first letter, middle and last letters spelling out “a-l-p.” These three consonants form the root word in Hebrew for “to learn” or “to teach.”
Psalm 25, in both form and content emphasize the importance of the learner’s desire for God’s teaching, and God’s passion for teaching the humble. Even if the learning is done late in life (the Psalmist appeals to his Teacher to dis-remember the sins of his youth); significant learning can happen. Not limited to that of the classroom, or manifest in the form of degrees; profound spiritual education is the inheritance of all who belong to God in covenant.
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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
- This morning, as you approach the all wise, and loving Teacher, will you come as an eager student? As you imagine how grand the depth and scope of God’s understanding is, will you step out in worship? For you are not only privy to a library of knowledge, but personal tutoring from the Creator and Redeemer of the universe .
- Will you ask Him for wisdom and understanding; the ability to grasp the lessons He is wanting to teach you today? Ask for sober judgment to know where your are in the learning curve.
- Will you pray for a society and culture of spiritual learning to pervade your home, community of friends, and church? That spiritual learning would become contagious and that we would all the more reflect the grace and truth found in Christ Jesus?
This devotional was written by Pastor Martin
03.05.09
“PROTECTED PILGRIMAGE”
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PROTECTED PILGRIMAGE
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Psalms 121 NIV
121:1 A song of ascents.
I lift up my eyes to the hills–
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip–
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you–
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm–
he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
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The concept of pilgrimage is a foreign one to many of us. A pilgrimage is loosely defined as a long journey or search taken on for religious/spiritual reasons. The people of God in the Old Testament occupied territory relatively far from the spiritual nexus of Israel, i.e. the temple in Jerusalem. They were commanded to present themselves for holy feasts (Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot) throughout the year; and so pilgrimage was a common practice.
This “song of ascent” i.e. Psalm 121 possibly finds it context in that of pilgrimage, where one trekking toward Jerusalem nestled in the hills approaches with anticipation, and some anxiety. But despite the prospect of bandits ready to ambush travelers from hiding places in the hills, the travelers en-courage each other with the knowledge of the one for whom they are on the move.
The God of Israel is not just a minor deity in the cluttered pantheon of the worlds’ gods; rather He is the Creator of all that is. Not just a “clock maker” god as the deists would imagine, He is actively watching and guarding over His beloved. Unlike the god Baal, Yahweh doesn’t fall asleep and need dramatic demonstrations of personal sacrifice and bloodshed to awaken him (cf. 1Kgs 18:26-29). For Yahweh doesn’t zone out or nod off; 24/7/365 he provides active protection for lifelong pilgrimage.
We who have taken to the spiritual roads in quest of a land, a Kingdom that we have been promised by right of inheritance must know and sing to each other of the God who watches over us. He will not fail to shepherd us home, to Himself; empowering our every step along the long journey.
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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
- This morning, will you bow in worship before the Mighty Creator; whose power shaped all things seen and unseen by the power of His directive will and word. Will you prize and cherish your God who humbles Himself to attend to you and your personal pilgrimage with such care and attention.
- Will you reflect on some of the fears which present themselves as you go out of your comfort zone to pursue God? Will you bring them before Him, asking for faith and for His mighty hand of deliverance.
- Given that this Psalm is spoken/sung to others for encouragement as well, can you think of someone who might need courage and comfort during their perilous pilgrimage? Will you pray for and connect them with the unfailing Shepherd?
This devotional was written by Pastor Martin
02.23.09
“BEING OVER APPEARING”
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From Wisdom from the Psalms, February 21
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BEING OVER APPEARING
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Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
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Paula put up a good front. Though she couldn’t stand Beth, she never said anything bad to her. She kept quiet until she was alone with her other friends. At odd times, she would think of Beth, and resentment and contempt would rise up within her heart. Still, Paula was quite pleased with herself that she never let Beth know how she truly felt.
It is not enough that we try to put on a good front when we are around people we don’t like. We need to search our hearts for reconciliation and forgiveness. We need to tap Christ, which heals all hurts and is the source of all patience and tolerance. God is interested in both the words of our mouths and the deepest ponderings of our hearts. To appear Christlike on the surface is never enough. To be Christlike at the core of our being, that is the key.
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Prayer:
Creator, God, I want to be a Christian to the very depths of my being. Search my heart, and transform it. Let love reign. Amen.
