Lenten Reading and Devotion - 3/3/23

John 5:1-47

The Healing at the Pool

Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gatea pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

The Authority of the Son

So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.  “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

Testimonies About Jesus

“If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true. “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. “I do not accept glory from human beings, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

This first full week of Lent, we have journeyed from Chapter 2 to Chapter 5. We have seen Jesus turn water into wine, cleanse the temple, talk to Nicodemus, heal a paralytic, and much more! A great title for this section would be “Power and Authority” because Jesus clearly has it! Yet not only does He have it, but He also uses it in a unique way…He brings joy to a wedding, justice to the temple, offers eternal life to Nicodemus, and physically heals those in need. The way Jesus uses His sovereign world creating power, is amazing! It is so different from how we see the Jewish leaders using their power in the gospels. They tend to use it to stay in power and position by oppressing others. And honestly, it is not so different from how many people in our current culture use power and authority. Throughout history, power and authority have been used to reign over and oppress people. Jesus uses His power and authority to change people and the world for the better. Jesus uses His Kingdom power to bring healing, peace, and restoration. 

That is what Jesus does over and over again in the Gospels. And why does He do this? Because of His overwhelming love for His creation. He loved us so much that He chose not to exercise His full power and authority. He chose to limit Himself to a human body and its frailty for us. He chose to forego so many options to use His power selfishly due to His love for us. He willingly gave His life on the cross for us because He loved us. If you want to know the true power to change the world, look to Jesus and how He exercised it. He used it to love as only He could do.

As we move toward the crucifixion, we should remember Jesus chose us and gave all He had for us. We should daily seek to do the same for Him. We should give our lives to the purpose of following Him. We should live out the power of His Kingdom by loving Him and loving our neighbor. We should seek to make a difference in the world not for self but for the Kingdom of God. Abiding in and sharing His love is where the true power to change the world lies.

 - Where have you seen power abused and misused for evil?
 - Where have you seen the power of God’s love change the world?
 - Where in your life have you experienced the power of God’s love?
 - How can you share God’s love this week to make the world a better place?

Grace and peace,
Brother Chip

Lenten Reading, 3/2/23

John 4:4-54
 

Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the townto buy food.)

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of waterwelling up to eternal life.”

The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

“I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
 

The Disciples Rejoin Jesus

Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
 

Many Samaritans Believe

 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.

They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
 

Jesus Heals an Official’s Son

After the two days he left for Galilee. (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there.

Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

“Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”

The man took Jesus at his word and departed. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”

Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.

This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.

Lenten Reading, 3/1/23

John 3:22 - 4:3
 

John Testifies Again About Jesus

After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. (This was before John was put in prison.) An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven.  You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.”

The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
 

Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman

Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judeaand went back once more to Galilee.

Lenten Reading, 2/28/23

John 2:13 - 3:21

Jesus Clears the Temple Courts

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.
 

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Lenten Reading, 2/27/23

John 2:1-12

Jesus Changes Water Into Wine

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,  and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.  When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

Lenten Reading and Devotion - February 23, 2023

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”  When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.  Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter.) The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.“Come and see,” said Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”  “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”  Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” Jesus said, “You believe[h] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

In our reading today we see Jesus calling the Disciples to follow Him. Notice they are the last part of the domino effect in the chapter. The first section gives us an amazing testimony of who Jesus is...The One was before all creation, the one who created all, the one who is the living Word of God, the Light of the world! Then John comes to confirm all that has been said in the opening proclamation and to speak the revealed truth. And finally we come to the disciples, who one after the other, hear about, encounter, believe, and begin to follow Jesus! Even skeptical Nathaniel, who presents a doubting contrast to the sure hearted opening statements of proclamation about Jesus.

Here are a few questions I have asked myself after reflecting on the chapter.

1. What do we believe about Jesus? That really is the central question here and throughout the book. Who is Jesus to you?

2. Are you proclaiming who you believe and know Jesus to be...Like John the Baptist? Does your life word, deed and attitude point to and proclaim Jesus? If not, why not?

3. And lastly, when have you felt Jesus calling  you to follow Him? To trust Him? To step out in faith? How during Lent can you add a spiritual discipline to help you hear and trust God more daily?

Prayer:

God of all grace, help us to remain humble and open to the leading of Your Spirit during the season of Lent. Give us ears to hear and hearts to listen for what you desire to do in us. May we learn to set aside all our doubts, fears, and distractions so we may wholeheartedly follow you. In the name of the One who gave His life for ours, Amen.

Grace and Peace,

Chip

Lent, 2022

Lent is the forty-day period, not counting Sundays, between Ash Wednesday and Easter. The standard text associated with Lent is Matthew 4: 1 - 11. In the text, Jesus is led into the wilderness alone for 40 days and then tempted by the Devil at His weakest moment. This is the season of loneliness and sacrifice Jesus goes through right before He is baptized and enters ministry. During this time, there is searching, tempting, persevering, and coming out the other side into what God has planned. Notice the order of events?

That is why Lent is so important. So often, we find ourselves wanting all the good God has for us without the soul-shaping moments of the desert. We want Easter Morning without Good Friday. The last thing we want to do is spend time in the desert. But here is something worth remembering, some of God’s best work is done in the desert. That is why Lent is so meaningful; it is our time in the desert. 

During Lent, we take time to wait, although we are tempted to rush forward. We set aside time to contemplate our humanity amidst our business. We reflect on our broken and sinful nature. We see our deficiencies; we confess our sins; we fast, pray, and let God work on our souls.

As our time in the desert passes, God does His timely work, and we come to understand we are nothing without Him. We are dust, and without His breath, we would still only be dust. So as we journey through Lent, moving toward Good Friday, be sure to give God time to work each day. We should never forget we are the reason for what is to come. We are but a hopeless people, stuck in the desert of our sin, and we definitely need a savior! 

Brother Chip

Lent - Let’s Be Quiet

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

John 10:27

Before the automation of refrigeration, families kept food cold in icehouses. These structures had no windows, often partially underground, with tight-fitting doors, where ice could be stored for months. As such, big blocks of ice were collected in the winter months and covered in sawdust so the ice would last through the summer.

There’s an old story of a father working in his family’s icehouse to prepare it for summer. After bringing in blocks of ice and distributing sawdust, he realized his prized watch had fallen off somewhere in the icehouse. He searched and searched but ultimately gave up looking. Knowing how much this watch meant to her father, his young daughter decided to sneak into the icehouse to look for the watch herself. After just a short time, she emerged from the icehouse with the watch and presented it to her grateful and astonished father. Of course, he wanted to know where it had been found and how she had managed to find it. She said, “I went into the icehouse, closed the door, lay down in the sawdust, and was very still - and I listened. Very quickly, I could hear the watch ticking.”

Lent begins this week with Ash Wednesday. Christians acknowledge and celebrate forty days of reflection, prayer, fasting, and serving others. We do this in preparation for the beautiful season of Easter. An integral part of Lent is a call for quiet, stillness, and reflective time with the Lord. Calling ourselves to be still and quiet in this noisy world is a challenge. Lent is a time to cease searching for the external gratifications this world offers, like material success and fulfillment. May we be able to settle in to be quiet and listen for God’s voice, even in a whisper, to direct our lives and hearts.

The noise of our lives comes at us from every direction. We have noisy television, radios, social media, email…all the media sources. But the noise also comes from all the “things” that require attention from us each day - family, friends, co-workers. We know our God is in all these things, but Lent is a time to take a step back and re-order.

Lent calls us to a quiet place to order the priorities in our lives. Perhaps it’s an extra minute or two of prayer before going in to work. Maybe you find time to experience the natural sounds of a quiet walk in the woods. You see, we need to close the door, lay it all down, and be quiet to hear the soft voice of God, ticking…waiting for us to find Him. He’s calling us to return, calling us to faithfulness, calling us back home to Him. There is no greater treasure.

I hope to embrace this Lenten season as a time to seek God’s voice in my life and turn off worldly noise that makes no eternal difference in my life.

Tammy

"We the imperfect seeking the perfect" - Brother Mike Densmore

A Follower's Thought

1 Kings 19: 11-13 says, "The Lord said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.' Then a great wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'"
When I read this scripture in 1 Kings, I imagine myself in Elijah's shoes. God had called him out to be in his presence. Does God call you out to be in his presence? He calls me out daily to read his word. He calls me out to take walks with him, whether it be in the woods, on a hiking trail, in my own yard, or walking around doing my daily work. The point is that God calls. We must hear that call and respond. I will admit, there are times when I don't respond. I've come to know that usually, when I don't respond is when the noises of life drown out the quiet whisper of God, saying, "come be in my presence." Just like the scripture is describing. Elijah could not hear God in the wind, in the earthquake, nor in the fire. He heard him in the whisper. I find myself more and more seeking God's gentle whisper, especially when life's winds, earthquakes, and fires are drowning out God's voice. I hope each one of you will find the time this Holy Week to come into God's presence and hear His gentle whisper. Read your Bible, take that walk, find a quiet place to be in God's presence. You will be glad you did. God Bless.

Correll

Practicing the Presence All Day, Everyday

"You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you want." John 39-40 (MSG)

Carrying the Presence of God With You

Brother Mike begins Holy Week with a word on Practicing the Presence.

Generosity, It's More Than That - Tammy Wendling

After working in the non-profit world for a few years, talking about generosity is about as uncomfortable as “hearing” someone speak on the subject. Our minds immediately refer to dollar figures. For today, I’d like to wander down the road to suggest we view the spiritual discipline of generosity as a beautiful and transformative gift that enriches our lives well beyond those receiving our generosity. Putting aside the obvious and much-needed financial offerings to charities, groups, or individuals, let’s consider how we become more generous in new ways in our everyday lives.

     -With each day, we have the opportunity to share and show love to everyone we meet. A kind word, a smile, a head nod are undoubtedly lovely, but how do we elevate our offering of love to a generous offering?

Think about it; generously offer love.

     -Perhaps we consider how to be generous in how we judge others. Ouch! While we typically value our thoughts, decisions, understandings greatly, what happens when we broaden our judgment of others’ thoughts and decisions more generously? Instead of snap judgments confined to our own points of reference and context of understanding, we pause to consider something larger than ourselves.

   “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38

Think about it; consider generosity before quickly judging others.

     -This thought is challenging and difficult to consider. What if we commit to generous forgiveness? Forgiveness is a challenge with the best of intentions. How our relationships, spiritual health, and our world would benefit if we committed to abundant forgiveness.

Think about it; generous forgiveness.

     -What about our time and how we spend it? Do we have the ability to give more generously of our time to the Lord and in service to others? We are indeed an incredibly “busy” society, but are we “busy” with things that matter eternally?

Think about it; generously offering our time to the Lord.

     -And our talents, each of us has a spiritual gift God wants us to share to glorify His kingdom. The difference we would make in this world if we confidently identified our spiritual gifts and chose to share them with others is hard to imagine. Do we view this gift from God as an opportunity or burden?

Think about it; sharing our spiritual gifts to glorify God’s Kingdom.

     The list could go on. Overall, in considering the spiritual discipline of generosity, it’s my goal to view it in a larger frame than mere financial means. There’s so much more to giving generously. It’s essential to commit to becoming generous in all aspects of our lives. 

Dear Lord, help me commit to becoming a more all-around generous believer.

Tammy

A Follower's Thoughts on Generosity

A Followers Thought - Correll Pritchard

Almsgiving and Generosity

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 says, "The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work." Doesn't it make you feel good to help someone in need? It does me good. And guess what? It makes God feel good too. After all, didn't he say so himself in 2 Corinthians 9:7? Almsgiving and generosity are about giving of ourselves to help others. Whether it's giving our money to the church, charities, or the homeless person down the street, or whether it's giving our time and talents on missions trips, community projects, or as simple as saying a kind word to a stranger.

The point is it's about giving. You see, it's not about us. It's about others, thinking of others before ourselves. Jesus was the greatest example of giving. He gave his life for us on a cross so that we may have eternal life! Now that's the ultimate definition of almsgiving and generosity! As we go through these 40 days of Lent leading up to Easter and the resurrection of Jesus, may we reflect on what Christ did for us and give our money, time, and talents to others in need. And remember, do it with a cheerful heart because God loves a cheerful giver. God Bless.

Correll

David shares his thoughts on generosity.

Brother Barry begins our week with a word on Generosity.

Scripture and meditation offers each of us a meeting with the greatest author of all time. - Correll Pritchard

Scripture and Meditation - Tammy Wendling

SCRIPTURE AND MEDITATION

Soooo, the spiritual discipline, meditation, conjures up for me, a calm, peaceful, intentional quiet time where incredibly abled believers sit in prayer and thought. The same thought gives me a panicked feeling of suffocation at my own inabilities with regards to meditation. It’s why I’m terrible at contemplative yoga and why I still haven’t signed up for a silent retreat. It’s just not how I process thoughts, and thankfully, I’ve come to understand - IT’S OKAY!

It’s taken many years of prayer and study to realize meditating on God’s Word and presence in my life is personal to me and my walk with Him, as is yours. I’ve come to appreciate how I process and celebrate how God’s word reverberates in my heart and soul continually. I believe it’s imperative we read, hear, and experience scripture every day to meditate/process His voice in our lives. Thankfully, we have many options today to receive the Word of God. We can read and study the Bible and other books. We have the ability to listen and watch online, hear podcasts, or even via CDs and tapes. The key, beyond experiencing scripture, is to think, ponder, converse, pray. Meditation happens within ourselves as we reflect, consider, and contemplate God’s Word. It’s an active response to engage our minds and hearts centered on what God intends for us to know.

Anyone that knows me knows I want the “how-to’s.” Below are a few practical ways to experience and meditate on scripture and its meaning in our lives.

1. Study God’s Word! Take the time to put scripture in front of you. Slow down your reading; re-listen to the scripture. Highlight, circle, underline points that stand out to you. Read it again. Listen again.

2. Memorize scripture or even memorize what it means to you. Think on it; pray over the words for God to make them clear to you as you need them this day.

3. Remember the spiritual discipline, adoration. Adore and admire God’s creation all around you. Breathe in the immense beauty in every piece of nature and being, and this includes yourself. Smile in the knowledge you belong to Him, and he’s taken the time to speak to you through the scripture you read today. The omnipotent, omniscient God of our universe loves you and speaks to you!

Overall, meditating on God’s Word doesn’t necessarily mean you must be in a yoga pose on  a mountaintop, although I surely think it would be a beautiful way to meditate. What’s important is that we constantly seek communion with our loving God, where we are, in whatever form that takes. Get His Word front and center every day and contemplate, think, pray, reflect, repeat.

Thank you, Lord.
Tammy

Scripture and Meditation - David Hand

I sit down alone,
Only God is Here;
In his presence I open,
I Read His Books;
And what I thus Learn,
I teach.
John Wesley