Divided

Monday, October 16, 2023

But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted.  They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires.  These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.  But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life.  In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.  Jude 17-21

Jude warns that divisions in the church would be a constant threat to the spiritual health of Christians because war-like conditions are brought about when selfish ambition takes over.  If you have followed Christ, and been part of the church, you understand; despite the smiles on Sunday, there are spiritually shell-shocked believers in every pew.  And, the truth is coming to the surface, no matter how much we learn about interpersonal relationships and personally-toxic behavior, and no matter how many sermons are delivered on unity and kindness, the division in humanity is growing deeper, breaking-up more homes, closing the doors of more churches, and spewing hatred into every seam of life’s fabric.  

According to Jude there are two characteristics that are present in a human being who causes division of any kind:

1.    Selfish ambition – people who honor their personal desires above any person or sense of morality.  They only care about themselves.

2.    Ichabod – the Hebrew word which describes the absence of God’s Spirit.

These two telltale signs are related and always bound in the heart of the ungodly.

Jude says the antidote, or immunization from this condition is to build each other up in [our] most holy faith.  This is the open door to patience in prayer, the willingness to let the lesser things of personal ambition fall by the wayside, in favor of progress in God’s Kingdom.  That, says Jude, is the only way to remain spiritually-safe, living-into God’s love.  So then, what does it mean to live-into God’s love?  Glad you asked.  I grew-up in the 1950’s-60’s.  It was the heyday of Billy Graham’s crusades.  The whole emphasis on church growth was personal salvation…the revivalist mode.  We cannot in good faith deny the need for that; it is the entry door to God’s house and family.  However, being born-again presents the picture of a new infant.  In matters of the Spirit that is good, and it can be disastrous.  It’s necessary and wonderful to be born, but to stay an infant means a lifetime of dependency.  Arrested growth is not desirable; it is a death sentence to God’s blessing of maturing in your relationship with Christ and others.  Infants have a milk diet, but not forever; they graduate to adult food…with good reason:

Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation….You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple.  He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.  And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.  1 Peter 2:2-5

The grown-up baby stones, gathered, and strategically-placed together by the Master Builder, become stronger by the support and strength of communal effort.  A common slogan you’ll hear these days is Together We are Stronger.  That’s true in any sense, but it is critically-vital for the church, and God’s Kingdom.  Without denying-self and personal ambition, in favor of taking-up Calvary’s cross, the church will be as empty as more promises from Washington, D.C.

For You Today 

Discipleship – growing into a mature relationship with Christ and other believers, is what’s on the agenda today, and every moment until God calls us home.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

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Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

When Life Disappears

Friday, July 21, 2023

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  James 1:2

Phrases such as troubles of any kind, and opportunity for great joy hardly seem to mesh.  Some words strung together take you by surprise; they can be unnerving, and gnaw at your mind for days, weeks, or a lifetime.  You’re hearing it for the first time, yet you’re amazed at how common the thought is to many other people.  It’s something akin to that strange thing that happens when you buy a new car and suddenly notice how many of the same kind are now on the road; did you never notice, or is there a new virus making people buy that brand?

The words that took me by storm were:  an unbroken heart is sterile.  Since reading that thought I’ve seen it in a number of unrelated quotes…and a lot more quotes, courtesy of Google, most of which were connected with the approaching darkening and disappearance of the mind…Alzheimer’s.[1]  A disclaimer about searching that topic…you will not have an unbroken heart when you’re done.  Your heart will be pulled apart at the seams, and what leaks out will be every last shred of defense against a compassion-less life; you’ll need to get involved!

My bride, Elizabeth, and I binge-watched the third season of The Chosen this week.  It is the most powerfully-stirring presentation of the Gospel accounts I’ve ever seen.  It faithfully retells the events of Jesus’ ministry, and the effect it had on those who experienced it firsthand.  More than just words on a book’s page, you are drawn as a participant in the presence of the God-man, Heaven come down to dwell among us. 

In one of the episodes a man possessed by a demon[2] is healed by Jesus.  By definition, to be possessed by an evil spirit is to lose one’s mind, and therefore any control over your actions, or even thought life.  This pretty much describes the downward spiral of Alzheimers…a slow-death by disappearance.  In healing the man Jesus restores his memory, his thoughts, and returns joy, the great joy Apostle James mentions.  The demon was thought to be unconquerable; that is, until it was introduced to He who has power over the darkness of evil and death.

I have had some brush with the effects of the disappearing mind.  In 2007 my Mom and Dad came to live with us.  In the early stages of dementia, Mom was still a sweet, quiet person.  But she was troubled with very disturbing dreams, and struggling at times to have even simple conversations.  I did not fully realize or admit to myself that we were losing her slowly, until one time she answered my knock at the door with a puzzled look that confirmed she did not recognize me.  She had known me for 60 years…and we were starting to say “goodbye”.

James tells us that troubles of any kind are opportunities of great joy.  It’s hard to frame that in any positive way to:

·       those who have had to repeat their names to family…often

·       or those who have no recollection, or explanation why they cannot see, or speak, or hear, or breathe well…or who this one is sleeping next to her

·       or those who stand helpless on the sidelines watching their loved one suffering, disappearing one forgotten word at a time

·       or those who have nowhere to sleep tonight, no food to eat this week

For You Today 

You may be on that list somewhere, hurting in the wake of life’s inevitable and unavoidable losses.  To you, James’ words may sound like Ronald Reagan’s favorite cartoon of a cowboy digging in a huge pile of manure.  The caption has the cowboy thinking:  There must be a pony in here somewhere.  The “pony” in all of life’s troubles is the opportunity to know the great Giver of all joy.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  

 

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

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[1] See a representative article:  An Unbroken Heart Is a Lifeless Thing: An Alzheimer Odyssey Nears Its End

[2] If you have some time read Matthew’s Gospel, chapters 4-17 which are filled with such healings

 

Heaven's Promise

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”  Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say.  My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.  Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me.  And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.  I am telling you these things now while I am still with you.  But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.  

John 14:22-26

There is a lot of stuff, even in everyday living, which must be taken by faith.  Start with that chair you sat in…you exercised faith, trusting that the chair would not crumble when you sat on it.  And since you’re still reading, we know you didn’t die in the fall, when the chair violated your trust.  It takes faith (of a sort) to bite into an apple, trusting you will not find half-a-worm afterwards.  It takes faith to turn the key on your car.  You hopefully anticipate the engine will start without an explosion (especially after you watched that mob-violence movie last night)!

For the disciples of Jesus, it wasn’t a business-as-usual, everyday piece of faith Jesus was laying on the table.  They all wanted to know a lot about the way things were going to procede; they wanted to know what the future held for them.  They had all seen people hanging on crosses…they knew talk of Jewish kingdoms meant you were going to get beaten (at least) and Roman nails in your hands and feet at worst.  They’d already seen angry mobs and other followers leaving the pack.  They needed to know.  And Jesus clearly told them…you’ll have to wait…and trust.

You know what that sounds like.  As a kid you asked for a pony; Mom or Dad said ask Santa Claus.  You asked if we were going to the county fair; they said maybe.  You had questions; they said:  Someday you’ll understand.  And didn’t your parent doing the driving growl when you asked that other question from the back seat of the family bus…Are we there yet? 

That (other) Judas, the good one, had that kind of question – WHY?  For the disciples, Jesus’ answer was framed around two faith realities:

1.    If you really want to follow me, you’ll have to trust the promise I’ve told you is from Heaven’s throne.

2.    I’m promising you Heaven’s promise is sealed tighter than a Roman legion of soldiers racing to the battle.  If you trust me, do what I’m asking, and nothing will keep God from sending the One who will be on your side…the only side left after the spiritual war has been decided.

For You Today 

Jesus said:  He (the Holy Spirit) will teach you everything you need to know to receive Heaven’s promise, and serve Heaven’s Kingdom.  You can trust.

And that is still the promise.  He’ll be with you today, so open your heart, ears, and life to His leading.  Have faith in God’s promise!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper explore some of these:   Final Huddle  and  Table Talk

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Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Lord? Savior? King? Just Who Are You?

Thursday, February 9, 2023

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!  Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!  For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”  (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him.  But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)  When the crowds heard him say this, some of them declared, “Surely this man is the Prophet we’ve been expecting.”  Others said, “He is the Messiah.”  Still others said, “But he can’t be!  Will the Messiah come from Galilee?  For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born.”  So the crowd was divided about him.  Some even wanted him arrested, but no one laid a hand on him.  John 7:37-43

Jesus’ teaching in the temple was not clouded.  The people who heard him could not have mistaken what he meant when he offered “living water” – it was Messiah-talk.  But they got divided over Jesus’ pedigree…and thus it goes, day after day, century upon century.

It’s hard for someone like me to look critically on those who had questions in their hearts about just who (or what) Jesus was going to be in their lives.  After all, I’m a logic-driven male child; I live to divide my own thoughts.  I like to think things through until the box is all well-defined; then I want to seal it and preserve what I’ve discovered forever!  (Why do you think I write a blog?)

There are those who live on the other side of the brain; they intuitively feel and sense their way through stuff in a manner totally-alien to my brain.  The difference between us is much like the difference between a foot-soldier with a rifle who thinks:  ready-aim-fire, versus a technician getting ready to shoot a guided missile who is trained to ready-fire-aim.  That tech guy launches the missile, then steers it all the way to the target.

Whether you’re a cautious-stepper or a freestyle-leaper, Jesus has always caused division.  Life’s journey and the Kingdom of God have always had (and needed) both. 

For You Today  

My word today is to the cautious.  Like me, you tend to want to know it all before you do anything.  If you question Jesus like a prosecuting attorney, with the purpose of removing every last doubt before taking the leap of faith with him, you’ll find it’s still a leap of faith at the end.

Point from one who has been there – take the leap – he’s ready to catch you.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

What Do You Think?  and  Rivers of Living Water 

This is an updated version of “Division in the Crowd published on Rocky Road Devotions May 8, 2013

Images:  Title Pixabay.com   Images without citation are either personal property of the author, or in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

When Demons Pray

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him.  They came out of the tombs and were so violent that no one could go through that area.  They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God?  Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?”  There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding in the distance.  So the demons begged, “If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs.”  “All right, go!” Jesus commanded them.  So the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.  The herdsmen fled to the nearby town, telling everyone what happened to the demon-possessed men.  Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.  Matthew 8:28-34

There is a question here, screaming to be posed to anyone who reads this Gospel account:  Which is a better outcome…two men tortured and driven to hell, or two men healed of their madness, the consequence being a herd of pigs sacrificed?

So often I’ve heard the argument turn towards compassion for a herd of pigs (which were being raised for food), and ignoring the tormented men, possessed by demons.  The evidence of our sinful nature is seen in the epilogue to Jesus healing the men.  The whole town agrees, the pigs were more important to them than the healing of the possessed men.  By begging Jesus to leave, the entire town takes a stance against the liberating compassion of Christ, choosing instead the company of evil.  And thus it has always been.

If you take a closer look at the tortured men, the demons reveal everything that drives their decision.  Their whole activity has one purpose…to bring misery, pain, and death.  All their actions drove the men to violence and disruption.  This has been the game plan of Lucifer since being kicked out of heaven for opposing God.  Apostle Peter warned the flock about Satan’s ways:

Stay alert!  Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.  He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  1 Peter 5:8

Why is this account in Scripture?  It holds up a mirror to today’s culture…anger, violence, murder, deceit, all of which turns upside-down that which God planned for us, His creation.  He designed the fruit of the Spirit as our dwelling:

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!  Galatians 5:22-23

Ever opposing the good work of God, demons are under orders from Hell to destroy our peace, and every other work of Heaven, take us by the hand, and lead us to death’s doorstep.

For You Today  

The question of the day (always) requires choosing whom you will serve.  So let’s ask it:  What if it were YOUR herd?

Spiritual warfare is not a choice…the battle is already raging.  And in any war, the choice of which side you’ll take must be settled long before the battle begins.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

   Faith That's BAD for Business and Ears Open - Heart Straight - Eyes on the Road - Sure Foot

Images:  Title Pixabay.com   Images without citation are either personal property of the author, or in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Of Prophecy and Partying

Monday, December 5, 2022

Look!  The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland.  He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people.  Priests and laypeople, servants and masters, maids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors—none will be spared.  The earth will be completely emptied and looted.  The Lord has spoken!  The earth mourns and dries up, and the land wastes away and withers.  Even the greatest people on earth waste away.  The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted God’s instructions, violated his laws, and broken his everlasting covenant.  Therefore, a curse consumes the earth.  Its people must pay the price for their sin.  They are destroyed by fire, and only a few are left alive.  The grapevines waste away, and there is no new wine.  All the merrymakers sigh and mourn.  The cheerful sound of tambourines is stilled; the happy cries of celebration are heard no more.  The melodious chords of the harp are silent.  Gone are the joys of wine and song; alcoholic drink turns bitter in the mouth.  The city writhes in chaos; every home is locked to keep out intruders.  Mobs gather in the streets, crying out for wine.  Joy has turned to gloom.  Gladness has been banished from the land.  The city is left in ruins, its gates battered down.  Throughout the earth the story is the same—only a remnant is left, like the stray olives left on the tree or the few grapes left on the vine after harvest.  But all who are left shout and sing for joy.  Those in the west praise the Lord’s majesty.  In eastern lands, give glory to the Lord.  In the lands beyond the sea, praise the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.  We hear songs of praise from the ends of the earth, songs that give glory to the Righteous One!  But my heart is heavy with grief.  Weep for me, for I wither away.  Deceit still prevails, and treachery is everywhere.  Isaiah 24:1-16

Isaiah gave himself to God as a prophet, committing to tell God’s truth, whether anyone listened or liked what God was saying.  Every preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ must make the same commitment, if there is to be truth combatting the evils of treachery, deceit, and debauchery.

The prophet spoke a word to two generations.  The first was his own, with the looming peril of Babylon, poised like a cobra, ready to strike Jerusalem down.  Like all true prophecy, the destruction of the city happened (in AD 587), and with that enemy siege came the residual horrors of brokenness, mobs, violence, ruin, famine, disease, and gloom of the total collapse of hope.

The second generation to which the prophet speaks is to those who came after, every generation since the destruction of Israel’s glory, down to this day, and until the very moment Jesus returns.  That’s where prophecy is inescapably pointing; we are headed for the conclusion of God’s plan for humanity.  That plan is destruction of all that is this world’s system of values, deceit, greed, anger, violence, and selfishness.  In the wake of that obliteration, will rise the city of hope, New Jerusalem, and a thousand-year (eternal) reign of Christ.

With his final words, Isaiah gives away his heart’s heaviness.  His ministry was in Jerusalem, a prophet to the movers and shakers of that generation, purveyors of a greedy lot, steeped in deceit and treachery.  It’s enough to make one envision the halls of today’s seats of worldly power.

For You Today  

For now, those who reject God’s Word and God’s Son, refusing to hear the prophecy, choose a party of emptiness.  When Christ comes, those who have received and obeyed the prophecy will see the real party begin…joy, unspeakable, and full of glory.[1]  So…heed the prophecy; don’t miss the party.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

       No More Tambourines   and   Of State Dinners and Spies

Images:  Title Pixabay.com   Images without citation are either personal property of the author, or in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] 1 Peter 1:8

Moving Shadows

 

Monday, March 21, 2022

I said to myself, “I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say.  I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me.”  But as I stood there in silence—not even speaking of good things—the turmoil within me grew worse.  The more I thought about it, the hotter I got, igniting a fire of words:  “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.  Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is.  You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.  My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.” Interlude

We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.  We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.  And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?  My only hope is in you.  Rescue me from my rebellion.  Do not let fools mock me.  I am silent before you; I won’t say a word, for my punishment is from you.  But please stop striking me!  I am exhausted by the blows from your hand.  When you discipline us for our sins, you consume like a moth what is precious to us.  Each of us is but a breath. Interlude

Hear my prayer, O Lord!  Listen to my cries for help!  Don’t ignore my tears.  For I am your guest—a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me.  Leave me alone so I can smile again before I am gone and exist no more.  Psalm 39:1-13

A shadow has little substance.  Now that is  more than an obvious truth; it opens a host of cans of worms for us humans.  Our shadow is a subtle reminder of where we go, and what we do.  And when the track of the shadow moves away from God, or without connected relevance to God, it is rebellion unmasked; our deeds give us away.  When we prefer the shadows we give traction to what Apostle John wrote about the incarnation of Godly substance:

And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.  John 3:19

The Psalmist admitted this well before John wrote about it:

 Darkness is my closest friend.  Psalm 88:18b

Both the Old Testament Psalmist, and New Testament Apostle give rise to the shadow David wrote about in the beloved 23^rd Psalm, a valley of shadows, announcing death like a foreboding spectre.

The point of bringing the shadows into the light for our examination is not a morose elevation of gloom, but rather the warning intended by Scripture’s overwhelming juxtaposition of light and darkness.  God’s Word shows us the difference between rebellion’s darkness, and the purpose of God’s light of truth.  God’s desire is to bring us out of the darkness, into His marvellous light.

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people.  You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.  As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.  1 Peter 2:9

For You Today

We understand darkness because we are fallen creatures, living in a fallen, twisted, rebellious-towards-God-world.  But we cannot come up with one sound reason as to why we are fascinated-by, and pulled towards the darkness.

But we also understand the call of God (as C.S. Lewis put it) to leave the Shadowlands of darkness behind.  We are called to walk in His light; there is no blind stumbling there.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©