08 Aug 2024
May the Lord have mercy on us and not be angry with us. May we pay attention to how we live and be keen to be intentional about doing His will every time. May we find favour with Him and may we be motivated by love in all we do. May we experience His joy and may His blessings overtake us and impact those around us. May He bless the work of our hands and give us peace. Psalm 90:12-17.
Wait for Each Other at My Table!
Note from Jesus Dear Precious Disciple, Few things have been more important to My disciples through the centuries than My Supper. The Eucharist, the Lord‘s Supper, Communion, and Holy Communion are all terms that have been used to speak of My Supper. These names are based on things said in the Scriptures about sharing in this special meal of remembrance and anticipation. I shared in the seder meal as part of Passover with My disciples before My betrayal, trials, and crucifixion. My disciples have called this the Last Supper over the years. That meal was a precious time with My disciples for many reasons. I wanted to show My love, to warn them of coming trials, and to plant seeds of hope beyond My crucifixion. In the verses below, the apostle Paul makes clear one of the key reasons this meal was so important: I passed on to you the tradition the Lord gave to me: On the same night the Lord Jesus was betrayed, He took the bread in His hands; and after giving thanks to God, He broke it and said, “This is My body, broken for you. Keep doing this so that you and all who come after will have a vivid reminder of Me.” My Supper with the disciples on that night provides you with a great foundation for your participation in Communion. Paul points to several truths that he wants the disciples to get out of this time of communion together — or as he calls it in the verses below, “the Lord‘s Supper.” If you compare his points in his letter to the Corinthians with Luke’s emphasis in the book of Acts on “breaking bread” and you look back at the passion accounts in each of the four gospels, you can develop a much richer and broader emphasis for the celebration of My Supper in your day. What Paul says in the verses below is focused on correcting the awful abuses of the Corinthians. There was a division between rich and poor (the “haves” and the “have-nots”) that included drunkenness on the part of some and being left out on the part of others. This breaking down of fellowship destroyed so much of the original intent and practice of My Supper. I shared this meal with My disciples in very close fellowship before My death. I shared honest words with them. I demonstrated love and service by washing their feet. I gave them sharp warnings about their unfaithfulness before the night would end. I also gave them reassuring teaching about the future, the sending of the Holy Spirit, and My ultimate victory. This meal was a time of intimate fellowship. However, in the Corinthians’ lust for a spiritual high, some of them had made My Supper into something they treated as almost magical (see yesterday’s devotional). From their warped and selfish perspective, they thought that the more they ate and drank, the more they honored Me and the better the celebration for them personally. For them, the concept of sharing this meal in close communion with others was forgotten. So Paul warned the Corinthians very clearly: They had to recognize two meanings of My body to celebrate My Supper correctly. He wanted them to remember Me and the price I paid on the cross with My body and My blood. In addition, he also wanted them to remember that they were My bodily presence as My church in the world. You need to recognize both meanings also! When you forget either understanding, something holy and precious is lost in My Supper! In fact, Paul made the point that, because they had lost one of these emphases on My body in My Supper, they were actually drinking damnation upon themselves. Their disregard for My body, My people, was causing some in their community to be “sick and weak” and causing some of the spiritual problems they were dealing with in their house churches in Corinth. Verses to Live I want you to pay close attention to the things that Paul teaches in these verses. Don’t forget Me and the price I paid for you in My body and with My blood. The bread and wine you take should be viewed by you as precious, as My body and blood. And, as you take the bread together, don’t forget that all who take that bread are My bodily presence in the world and what happens to one part of My body impacts all the others. So as you remember My death, also show loving care to My ongoing life in My body, the church with whom you share My meal! When we give thanks and share the cup of blessing, are we not sharing in the blood of the Anointed One? When we give thanks and break bread, are we not sharing in His body? Because there is one bread, we, though many, are also one body since we all share one bread. (1 Corinthians 10:16-17) On this next matter, I wish I could applaud you; but I can’t because your gatherings have become counterproductive, making things worse for the community rather than better. Let me start with this: I hear that your gatherings are polarizing the community; and to be honest, this doesn’t surprise me. I’ve accepted the fact that factions are sometimes useful and even necessary so that those who are authentic and those who are counterfeit may be recognized. This distinction is obvious when you come together because it is not the Lord’s Supper you are eating at all. When it’s time to eat, some hastily dig right in; but look — some have more than others: over there someone is hungry, and over here someone is drunk! What is going on? If a self-centered meal is what you want, can’t you eat and drink at home? Do you have so little respect for God’s people and this community that you shame the poor at the Lord’s table? I don’t even know
Daily Prayer for August 8
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:3–5, NIV Lord our God, we come before you in the great name of Jesus Christ. We thank you that while we are still living on earth you give us hope and joy in this great name. May something be born in us through your Spirit to make us of one mind with Jesus Christ. In all our relationships with others may we learn that it is better to submit in patience than to dominate, better to serve than to rule, better to be the weakest than to bring pressure to bear on others. Give us this attitude. Let this attitude arise in many so that they may be Christians not only in their words and thoughts, but Christians at heart, loving their neighbors and at one with the Savior on every step of the way. Amen. Recent articles on Plough A Shared Path to Healing Scott Kellermann In Uganda, a Christian doctor from the United States must learn to cooperate with traditional healers. Read now Christians Refuse to Fight Ian M. Randall When Britain introduced military conscription in 1939, tens of thousands of Christians declared they were conscientious objectors. Read now Confessions of a Music User Peter Biles When we use music as a background mood enhancer or distraction, it negates its greater power. Read now Birding Can Change You Ragan Sutterfield In Birding to Change the World, Trish O’Kane describes how birding changed her life following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Read now Tethering Parental Ambition Michelle Van Loon Healthy ambition and competition can motivate, but how can one avoid their darker side? Read now
Today’s Verse – John 8:7
When they kept on questioning [Jesus about the woman caught in the act of adultery, Jesus] straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” —John 8:7 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… When we find it easy to identify the sins of others, God wants us to be reminded of how important it is for us to take a rigorously honest inventory of our own sinfulness. He wants us to deal with our sins before we evaluate anyone else. My responsibility before God is not to condemn others but to condemn the sins and sinful desires I find in me, then live differently, wholly and holy, to honor the LORD God! My Prayer… Forgive me, please, dear God, for my sins. Forgive me, especially dear Father, for the sins arising from a critical and judgmental spirit. Deliver me from such hurtful and evil habits. Forgive of my sins, and please bless me as I seek to live for you with faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Beyond Magic: Supernatural!
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, On the night I was betrayed, I shared in what you call The Last Supper. I gathered with My closest disciples around a table to share the Passover meal. And I used this setting as the background to institute a regular meal for disciples to use to remember Me and to be joined together as My body. This meal became a centerpiece of early Christian gatherings on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). This special meal is known to you by several names — The Supper, The Lord‘s Supper, Communion, Holy Communion, The Eucharist, and The Feast. No matter what you call this meal, it has been practiced by Christians from the beginning of My church. From the beginning, My followers had a tendency to drift from My original intentions. I wanted them to share together in loving unity, to proclaim My story, to examine their hearts, to remember My death, to celebrate My resurrection, to give thanks for the gift I gave them, and to anticipate My return. Some looked at taking the bread and wine as almost magical. Some felt if they could just eat the bread and drink the wine in this special feast, then some supernatural power was at work in them to make them holy. I warned about this misconception when I taught the crowds after I had fed the 5,000 and walked on the water to My disciples (see the second set of verses below). More than just eating My body and drinking My blood metaphorically in communion, they needed to eat Me — My “flesh.” They needed to take My teaching, lifestyle, and love for others into their lives and let Me sustain them. I wanted My early disciples, and you today as My disciple, to realize that The Supper is not magical but transforming. I am present in The Supper to give you life through the sacrifice of My life. You must commit to taking Me in and letting Me reign over all your heart as your example, teacher, and Lord. Paul (in the first set of verses) warns the Corinthians that there was nothing magical in communion. Instead, the meaning and significance of communion come from a disciple’s faith to receive Me and his or her commitment to follow Me. The Israelites shared in spiritual food and drink in the wilderness, but that supernatural food did not keep them from sinning or from being judged: They [the Israelites] were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. (1 Corinthians 10:2-5 NIV) The goal of My Supper is not to see who can eat the most magical food and drink the most supernatural drink! On the other hand, those who come to My Table committed to live for Me will find supernatural sustenance in My holy meal. So Paul warns the Corinthians not to think of The Supper as magical. My Supper is to be a supernatural meal that sustains those who seek to avoid idolatry, who care for each other in My church, who recognize My Supper as a recommitment to live for Me, and who not only give thanks for the Father’s grace in sending Me but also share that grace with others. Verses to Live My resurrection from the dead has great power, yet simply taking the Lord’s Supper won’t do things for you. You must live by My wisdom and truth. I [Paul] wouldn’t want you to be ignorant of our history, brothers and sisters. Our ancestors [the Israelites] were once safeguarded under a miraculous cloud in the wilderness and brought safely through the sea. Enveloped in water by cloud and by sea, they were, you might say, ritually cleansed into Moses through baptism. Together they were sustained supernaturally: they all ate the same spiritual food, manna; and they all drank the same spiritual water, flowing from a spiritual rock that was always with them, for the rock was the Anointed One, our Liberating King. Despite all of this, they were punished in the wilderness because God was unhappy with most of them. Look at what happened to them as an example; it’s right there in the Scriptures so that we won’t make the same mistakes and hunger after evil as they did. So here’s my advice: don’t degrade yourselves by worshiping anything less than the living God as some of them did. Remember it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and then rose up in dance and play.” We must be careful not to engage in sexual sins as some of them did. In one day, 23,000 died because of sin. None of us must test the limits of the Lord’s patience. Some of the Israelites did, and serpents bit them and killed them. You need to stop your groaning and whining. Remember the story. Some of them complained, and the messenger of death came for them and destroyed them. All these things happened for a reason: to sound a warning. They were written down and passed down to us to teach us. They were meant especially for us because the beginning of the end is happening in our time. So let even the most confident believers remember their examples and be very careful not to fall as some of them did. Any temptation you face will be nothing new. But God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can handle. But He always provides a way of escape so that you will be able to endure and keep moving forward. So then, my beloved friends, run from idolatry in any form. As wise as I know you are, understand clearly what
07 Aug 2024
According to Moses in Psalm 90:10, the average lifespan of a human being is 70-80 years. In verses 1-4, he depicts God as eternal and the brevity of the life of humans. In verses 5-10, Moses laments about the life of the Israelites who were wandering in the wilderness for 40 years without entering the promised land. Have I accomplished God’s will thus far? How much longer do I have on earth? What does the Lord still want me to do?
Daily Prayer for August 7
Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light. John 12:36, NIV Dear Father in heaven, as your children we come into your presence so that you may lead us with the light that streams out from you. We come to your light seeking an inner birth to make us what your children ought to be. Bless us as we thank you for all your goodness and for the powerful help you have given many among us. Accept the thanks we offer you, and grant that we never forget the good you are doing for us. Help us to go forward, always forward, until your kingdom is completed. May it not be in vain that we live in the Lord Jesus and in love to you, the God and Father of all. May it not be in vain that we bring you our requests and prayers for your kingdom to come soon. Yes, Lord Jesus, come! Come soon to this earth so that all people may acknowledge the true God and may love you. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Christians Refuse to Fight Ian M. Randall When Britain introduced military conscription in 1939, tens of thousands of Christians declared they were conscientious objectors. Read now Confessions of a Music User Peter Biles When we use music as a background mood enhancer or distraction, it negates its greater power. Read now Birding Can Change You Ragan Sutterfield In Birding to Change the World, Trish O’Kane describes how birding changed her life following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Read now Tethering Parental Ambition Michelle Van Loon Healthy ambition and competition can motivate, but how can one avoid their darker side? Read now A Cat Spoke to Me of God Martin Buber In this passage from his classic work I and Thou, a philosopher shares a transcendent moment of communication with another of God’s creatures. Read now
Today’s Verse – Hebrews 8:6
But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to [those who served as priests in Old Testament times,] as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. —Hebrews 8:6 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… The Old Testament is a beautiful covenant of love, as God redeems fallen humanity and sets in motion his promises and plans for grace to bring to us Jesus through the descendants of Abraham. But as powerful as that old covenant was, we have come to a superior covenant. It is far superior to theirs. Why? The mediator of this new covenant is Jesus, who is a better priest and the perfect sacrifice and guarantor of God’s great promises coming to his people and the lost world! My Prayer… Thank you, Almighty God, for sending Jesus to fulfill the promises and carry out the plan you set in place so long ago and revealed by your prophets of old. I thank you and praise you in the name of Jesus Christ, my LORD, the guarantor of a better covenant and hope. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
To Win Some
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, Disciple-makers live to do one thing: they live to make other disciples! I gave the Great Commission to My original disciples, and I also told them to teach all the new disciples to obey the same commission. My primary command in this commission was to “make disciples of all the nations.” My disciples are to do it by going to people of all nations, baptizing them in Our name, and teaching these new believers to obey what I had commanded My original disciples to obey. Few have done the going-to-all-nations part of My Great Commission as passionately as Paul. He realized the importance and urgency of this call: This urgency, this necessity has been laid on me. … God chose me and entrusted me with this mission. Paul’s passion didn’t involve just going to other places, people, and cultures. Paul realized that going to other cultures included giving up his rights as he entered into that culture, shared in that culture, and spoke to people in the context of that culture. He made himself a “slave” to the people of the culture he was trying to reach. Here is how he expressed this truth: And, even though no one (except Jesus) owns me, I have become a slave by my own free will to everyone in hopes that I would gather more believers. … I’m flexible, adaptable, and able to do and be whatever is needed for all kinds of people so that in the end I can use every means at my disposal to offer them salvation. What Paul did could be called incarnational ministry — entering into the world and culture of the people you are trying to reach, living authentically in that cultural world, and learning to speak My truth in the language and lifestyle of that cultural world. Incarnational ministry is what I lived when I came to earth (John 1:9-14), and Paul followed My example. This entering into the cultural world of others is what I am calling you to do as well. Love people enough to live with them and know their world. Grow to understand their hopes, their dreams, their fears, and their brokenness. As one who has entered their world, you then have the opportunity to speak My truth, share My love, and invite them to know My grace. This process is costly, but as Paul makes clear, it is more than worth the effort: I do it all for the gospel and for the hope that I may participate with everyone who is blessed by the proclamation of the good news. Entering into and adapting to other people’s world to share My grace with them can apply to your neighbors, co-workers, fellow students, etc. as well as people in other countries and other regions. Verses to Live Far from trying to force someone to accept your culture as you proclaim My good news, please learn from My example and learn from the words Paul shares in the second set of verses below. All authentic ministry is incarnational ministry. That means it is costly, yet it is worth every sacrifice! As I promised immediately after I gave you the Great Commission, I will be with you always. Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him — but some of them doubted! Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20 NLT) Despite what I’ve said here, I [Paul] have never staked a claim for such things [that is, financial support from the Corinthian church], and I have no intention to start now; that’s not why I’m writing. I would rather die than have anyone (including me) invalidate my right to boast. You see, if I preach the good news, it’s nothing to brag about. This urgency, this necessity has been laid on me. In fact, if I were to stop sharing this good news, I’d be in big trouble. You see, my story is different. I didn’t volunteer for this. Had I volunteered to preach the good news, then I would deserve a wage, a reward, or something. But I didn’t choose this. God chose me and entrusted me with this mission. You’re looking for the catch. I know you’re wondering, “What reward is he talking about?” My reward, besides being with you and knowing you, is sharing the good news of the Anointed One with you free and clear. That means I don’t insist on all my rights for support in the good news; that also means that I am free of obligations to all people. And, even though no one (except Jesus) owns me, I have become a slave by my own free will to everyone in hopes that I would gather more believers. When around Jews, I emphasize my Jewishness in order to win them over. When around those who live strictly under the law, I live by its regulations — even though I have a different perspective on the law now — in order to win them over. In the same way, I’ve made a life outside the law to gather those who live outside the law (although I personally abide by and live under the Anointed One’s law). I’ve been broken, lost, depressed, oppressed, and weak that I might find favor and gain the weak. I’m flexible, adaptable, and able to do and be whatever is needed for all kinds of people so that in the end I can use every means at my disposal to offer them salvation. I
06 Aug 2024
And the Lord goes on to prepare and equip Moses. As He informs Moses on what to do, He also paints a picture of what will happen and what to expect. He also addresses fears and doubts that Moses has and provides solutions. Nothing that happens to us catches God by surprise. Exodus 3:11-4:17.