Category: Devotionals

Keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And convince some, who doubt; save some, by snatching them out of the fire; on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
-Jude 1:21-23 RSV

I am befuddled. The difference between the translations of Jude 1:22 are dramatic.

But this I do know, living in God’s love is the only way to be a source of harmony in the world.

I was short with my sons today. I was not fully living in God’s love.

Yet, we were productive and achieved much and now we are enjoying some puzzle time before bed.

Although I strive to live more compassionately, there is often a chance to repair mistakes.

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’
-Matthew 25:23 RSV

I’m struggling with processing the last couple devotionals. Yesterday’s is still in draft form because I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

A week ago I restarted a morning practice of breathing, meditation, prayer, and quiet. I’m communicating directly with God as many of the mediation avenues we use are not giving me clarity.

I understand this to be a call to responsibility. In this season of my faith, I am taking responsibility for my relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

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Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed; Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.
-Ruth 4:21-22

God works through the generations and we work today. It seems impossible. Both the past and future are unknowable and we can barely perceive our immediate reality.

Trust is the main action of faith. I trust that God has a plan. When I am living most presently is when I feel in line with that plan. Fighting against it or being distracted from the flow of the plan causes detachment and suffering.

Intention on the present needs constant renewal. Distractions are many and ego has devilish manner.

I spent time with friends in the woods today. We were present for each other as we each experience transitions in life.

Maybe it’s only been a week or two, but I’ve missed this connection with other parents. Renewal can come from many places. I am grateful to God for these present friends and their gifts of attention.

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The Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him. Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him.”
-Numbers 27:18, 20 NIV

Mary brought physical touch into my life in a way I had not experienced. She was a hugger and I wasn’t. I came from a physically reserved family and this was a new and awkward rhythm for me.

Having children broke apart the awkwardness. Our boys fell asleep in my arms so many times. To this day we wrestle and hug and kiss and tickle and, with the recent introduction of the Punch Buggy game into our lives, hit each other a lot.

It wasn’t until I lost Mary that I saw how much I valued touch. I’ve talked with a lot of widows and widowers and the loss of frequent, intimate touch is the most commonly felt agony.

I hug my boys more than ever. I relish the contact in soccer as much as any other aspect. Jiu-jitsu is the ultimate in physical contact in a safe environment. My romantic relationships have also taken on a greater level of attention to physical contact.

I experience God primarily through nature and people. Touching the ground and the trees and even spider webs connects me to all of God’s creation. Similarly, physical touch connects me to the whole of humanity. It is intense and can be frightening, but on the whole, I experience great love through the connection to Creation.

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You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean.
-Leviticus 11:47 NIV

Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart — and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. And even in the best of all hearts, there remains … an unuprooted small corner of evil.

Since then I have come to understand the truth of all the religions of the world: They struggle with the evil inside a human being (inside every human being). It is impossible to expel evil from the world in its entirety, but it is possible to constrict it within each person.

-Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, in ‘The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956‘

This ain’t easy business.

I can’t improve on Solzhenitsyn, but I can ruminate on the Biblical challenge to discern between good and evil.

They are mixed together in each of us. Just as the balance of good and evil moves in others, it moves in us.

Watching my internal dance between good and evil and order and chaos (different dances, yet interrelated) is key for me to discern between good and evil in the world.

I commune with my heart in the night; I meditate and search my spirit
-Psalm 77:6 RSV

I can only seek the constant good of God once I have come to know the ever changing nature of myself. Another dance. I commune with God and know myself better. I commune with myself and know God better. The journeys are intertwined.

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He got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.
-John 13:4-5

I don’t have a lot of words to share about Jesus washing the feet of his students. It is one of those examples that I struggle to follow. I love to serve others, but am I always doing it in the name of the Lord?

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When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.
-Judges 2:10 NKJV

Home education and fatherhood center around modeling. As I learn, my sons not only learn, but are shown how to learn.

My faith is grown through learning. Not only by studying the Word, but by praying openly for wisdom and guidance.

I don’t know how my boys will grow in their beliefs. That isn’t up to me. All I can do is be honest and outspoken in my faith journey.

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Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
– 1 Peter 5:8 NKJV

When I was attending Alcoholics Anonymous there was a guy who said that the devil wasn’t on his back, he was outside doing push ups, getting ready while we sat around getting fat and lazy in our sobriety.

That stuck with me. I don’t live with a devil on my back and I’m not getting fat and lazy in my sobeiety. That’s in no small part to the knowledge that the devils are always getting stronger.

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
-Hebrews 12:7 RSV

God doesn’t let us get away with sin because he loves us and wants us to let go of sin. We face consequences and confront our choices. We are made more whole through the healing.

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The Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.
-Hebrews 12:6 NLT

God as judge. God as conscience.

When God is in our hearts, it hurts to do wrong. To sin is to miss the mark and that applies to every word, thought, and action not created in love.

When you are loved, you feel a responsibility toward that love. You wish to honor it and be worthy of it.

We all fall short of that worthiness and that hurts. The hurt comes from not stepping up into God’s awesome love and projecting it into the world. That awesome love is unshakable and rallies around us when we fall.

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