Category Archives: Obedience

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

March 27, 2025

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, God's Grace & Love, God's Plan, Holidays & Holy Days, Miracles, Obedience

A MATTER OF CHOICE (Part 2)

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. [Luke 1:38 (ESV)]

When writing about the Annunciation of our Lord, I came upon some articles by women who take offense at the story of Jesus’ conception. Interpreting Mary’s response as involuntary, they picture the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary as some weird sort of supernatural rape. This is inconsistent both with Scripture and God as we know Him. The Archangel didn’t say, “Surprise, you’re pregnant!” and leave nor did he physically impregnate her. Read the words as reported by Luke; Gabriel told Mary what would happen, not what had already occurred. It was only after Mary asked how the angel’s words would be fulfilled and Gabriel explained that the Holy Spirit would make it possible that she accepted God’s invitation to motherhood. It was then that the miraculous power of God—the “Most High”—came upon her.

The God we know from Scripture is one of choice: it was He who gave us free will. Although God pursues, seeks, and invites us, it remains our choice to accept or reject Him. Jesus called the people to follow Him, but not everyone who heard His invitation did. When the people of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave, that’s exactly what He did. In Jesus’ parables about banquets to which the invited guests refused to come, the host accepted their refusals and simply invited others to the feast. God gave us free will and He will not violate this gift. No one, not even the virgin Mary, was ever forced to partake of God’s grace.

Although some would have us think that Mary was powerless in Gabriel’s presence, she was the one with the power. It was Mary who decided if she would accept God’s call. Calling God a “sovereign gentleman,” writer Mark Ballenger makes the point that, like a true gentleman, God waited for Mary’s verbal consent before the Holy Spirit came upon her!

When people object to Mary calling herself the “Lord’s servant”, they are confusing being servile (mindlessly doing what is ordered) with consciously choosing to serve. There is nothing demeaning or weak about being a servant. After all, Jesus was God but He “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” [Philippians 2:7] The One who calls us to be servants, is the same One who served us! He laid aside His majesty to wash His disciple’s filthy feet and He laid aside His divinity to suffer and die for all of mankind. If God can selflessly serve us, there is nothing demeaning about our serving Him!

Mary was far more than an incubator for God. We remember her not because she had the womb in which Jesus grew; we remember her because she freely chose to be a faithful and obedient servant to God. God could not have carried out His plan of salvation without Mary’s consent and cooperation. Let us remember that God cannot continue to carry out the plans for His Kingdom without our consent and cooperation. Like Mary, we are called to be God’s servants. Whether we accept His invitation, however, is entirely up to us.

But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. [Mark 10:43-45 (ESV)]

Copyright ©2025 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

March 10, 2025

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, Holidays & Holy Days, Love & Works, Obedience, Temptation & Sin, Wisdom & Guidance

FASTING THOUGHTS

You have heard that our ancestors were told, “You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.” But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! … You have heard the commandment that says, “You must not commit adultery.” But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. [Matthew 5:21-22a,27-28 (NLT)]

little blue heronWe tend to think of fasting during Lent as abstaining from certain foods, drinks, or activities. Several years ago, however, I was asked, “What if you fasted regret? What if your friends fasted comparison? What would be the fruit of fasting stinginess?” Those questions proposed an entirely different kind of fast than refraining from sweets or social media. In truth, fasting from things like self-righteousness, discontent, and criticism is probably harder (and more meaningful) than giving up energy drinks or dining out.

Even though we have freedom of speech, we can’t shout “Fire!” in a crowded theatre or “Bomb!” in the security line at the airport. In the silence of our minds, however, we can shout anything at anyone, anywhere, whenever we want, with no one ever knowing! We can secretly call people unpleasant names and even wish ill upon them! We can be charming and polite to the ex-spouse who abandoned us while we wreak all sorts of revenge on them in our minds. We can be civil to the false friend who betrayed us or the contractor who deceived us while, in our imaginations, we’re hitting back to even the score. We appear to have “turned the other cheek” when, in our hearts, we haven’t.

Since our thoughts are far less easy to control than our actions, we’d like to think of them as less important. When we entertain wicked, vengeful, or hurtful thoughts, we think we’re not sinning because we’d never actually do the terrible things we’re picturing. Since we won’t burn down the house of the man who deceived us or climb in bed with the sexy hunk at work, we think we’re innocent of wrongdoing by thinking about them. But are we? Remember the words of Jimmy Carter that nearly cost him the 1976 election: “I’ve looked on a lot of women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.” Upon reading Jesus’ words in Matthew 5, Carter’s confession, while ill-advised politically, was true! While thoughts and actions can have vastly different results, our Lord made it quite clear that our thoughts are as important as our actions. Jesus knew the evil thoughts of the Scribes and he knows ours.

Fortunately for Jimmy Carter and the rest of us sinners, when Jesus told us to cut off our hands or gouge out our eyes if they cause us to lust, He was using hyperbole; otherwise, we all would be missing both hands and eyes. Nevertheless, Jesus was stressing the importance of avoiding sin. Sin is not a matter of the eyes and hands; it is a matter of the heart!

While we can’t control the temptations of this fallen world, we can control our evil thoughts. We can renounce every one of them and replace them with godly thoughts. Max Lucado describes it this way: ”You can be the air traffic controller of your mental airport. You occupy the control tower and can direct the mental traffic of your world.” Lucado explains that, when we keep the runway filled with godly thoughts, the bad ones circling around have no place to land. Our thoughts about other people are as much a part of love for them as are our actions.

Instead of fasting from caffeine or social media during Lent, what if we deliberately and prayerfully fasted from things like anger, lust, envy, animosity, conceit, disdain, spite, and impatience? How would our lives change if, instead of only forty days, we fasted from them all the time?

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. [2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NLT)]

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. [Philippians 4:8 (NLT)]

Copyright ©2025 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

March 6, 2025

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, Church & Worship, Holidays & Holy Days, Obedience, Prayer, Salvation: A New You

OBSERVING LENT

‘We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’ “I will tell you why!” I respond. “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers. What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?” [Isaiah 58:3-5 (NLT)]

grey catbirdEvery evening, a man went to the local pub and ordered three beers. When asked why three, he explained that he ordered the two extra beers in honor of his two dear brothers who lived far away. One evening, when the man ordered only two beers, the bartender assumed the worst and extended sympathy for the loss of a brother. Correcting the bartender, the man said his brothers were both fit as fiddles and the beers were for them. “It’s me that’s not drinking tonight,” he explained. “You see, I’ve given up beer for Lent!”

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, a period of forty days (not counting Sundays) that commemorate Jesus’ forty days of fasting and temptation in the desert. Originally, Lent was a time of fasting, penitence, and reflection in preparation for an Easter baptism. Today, many people continue to observe this tradition with some sort of fast or spiritual discipline before Easter. While they tend to “give up” something in the way of food, entertainment, or pleasure, the most common fasts usually have to do with desserts, alcohol, chocolate, social media, television, or coffee from Starbucks or Dunkin’. Since Lent’s observation isn’t founded in Scripture, the choice to observe this season in some way is a personal one.

What we must never do is err in thinking that God will love us more for our Lenten sacrifice or that giving up something like gum, candy, beer, eating out, or YouTube has any bearing on our salvation. Jesus took care of our salvation on the cross and God’s love could never be greater than it is right now. No amount of sacrifice can earn God’s free gift of grace.

If we do choose to give up something for Lent, we make a mistake if we focus only on our sacrifice. After all, fasting from carbs or alcohol without prayer and Scripture are nothing more than a diet or “dry January.” Rather than focusing on ourselves, Lent is a time to focus on Christ and the sacrifice He made to give us the gift of salvation.

Although Jesus fasted, He never commanded us to do so. His words on fasting tend to focus on people’s hypocrisy when fasting—they often fasted to impress people with their holiness rather than grow closer to God. Self-sacrifice is not to be done ostentatiously but humbly, quietly, and privately. Regardless of how we choose to observe Lent, unlike the man at the bar, it should be done sincerely. God sees into our hearts and knows when we’re repentant and genuinely seeking Him or just going through the motions!

The purpose of Lent is not to force on us a few formal obligations, but to ‘soften’ our heart so it may open itself to the realities of the spirit, to experience the hidden ‘thirst and hunger’ for communion with God. [Alexander Schmemann]

“No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.” [Isaiah 58:6-7 (NLT)]

Copyright ©2025 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

January 13, 2025

Posted under

Bible Stories, Church & Worship, Fruit of the Spirit, Miracles, Obedience

THE FIG TREE (Part 1)

He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it. …  The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!” [Mark 11:13-14, 20-21 (NLT)]

Mark tells of a time when a hungry Jesus cursed a fig tree and caused it to wither and die simply because it had no figs. As the only destructive miracle done by the Lord, His action is difficult to understand, especially since we’re told “it was too early in the season for fruit.” The same power that brought Lazarus back to life and turned water into wine easily could have given the tree ripe figs, so why did Jesus kill the fruitless tree?

Jesus never acted haphazardly and what seems at first to be a pointless act of power becomes a living parable when we put it in context. Taking place during Jesus’ last week of earthly life, Jesus and the disciples were walking from Bethany up to Jerusalem. After cursing the tree (11:13-14), Jesus went into Jerusalem and cleansed the temple of money-changers and merchants (11:15-17). That evening, while the chief priests and scribes plotted Jesus’ death, He and the disciples returned to Bethany (11:18-19). It is the next morning that the withered tree is discovered (11:20-21). The timing of these events was no accident.

Not living in 1st century Judea, we find our figs at the grocery and know nothing about their cultivation. Because both wild and cultivated fig trees were plentiful in Palestine, Jesus and the disciples knew that a fig tree produces edible small fig knobs before its leaves ever appear. Called taqsh, these knobs are the precursors of figs and often were eaten by travelers and the poor. Even though it wasn’t the season for mature fruit, any fig tree “in full leaf” would have displayed a crop of taqsh. The absence of taqsh meant the tree never would never produce fruit. Jesus wouldn’t have cursed an immature tree or one without leaves and He didn’t curse the tree simply because it had no figs. He cursed that leaf-filled tree because it was guilty of false advertising! While its leaves promised knob-like figlets (taqsh) there were none.

Both the cleansing of the temple and the cursing of the unfruitful fig tree have to do with judgment. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, the fig tree is symbolic of Israel and the tree’s condition often represented the people’s spiritual fruitfulness, peace, prosperity, and well-being. The fig tree died in judgment but flourished when Israel was righteous and holy.

With its rituals and sacrifices, Israel looked fruitful but, like the fig tree, it lacked fruit—the fruit of righteousness that God demanded. His house of prayer and worship had been turned into a marketplace filled with thieves while Israel’s empty worship was a fruitless sham. With their sacrifices, tzitzit and tefillin, public prayers, adherence to the oral Law, and concern about spiritual cleanliness, they had the trappings of religion but, like the leafy fig, they were all show without substance. Both Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree and His cleansing of the Temple signify God’s impending judgment for religious hypocrisy. Moreover, the dead tree even points to the Temple’s destruction in 70 AD (predicted by Jesus in Matthew 23:38 and 24:2).

The message found in the destruction of this fig tree is not limited to the 1st century Israel; it is meant for us all. The cursing of that tree tells us that God expects His people to bear fruit. It is a warning that fruitlessness leads to judgment. Like that fruitless tree, could we be more show than substance—all leaves but no fruit?

A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. [Matthew 7:17-19 (NLT)]

Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. [John 15:5-6 (NLT)]

Copyright ©2025 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

January 6, 2025

Posted under

Bible Stories, God's Plan, Holidays & Holy Days, Obedience, Trusting God

MARY’S HUSBAND

And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” [Matthew 1:19-20 (ESV)]

JosephWhile putting away our nativity, I looked at the figure of Joseph. For the man who played a pivotal role in the Christmas story, once Christmas is packed away, Mary’s husband rarely gets a second thought until the next December. Neither Mark nor John mention the man who served as step-father to Jesus and the author of Hebrews didn’t even list him in its “Hall of Faith.”

Unfamiliar with 1st century Jewish marriage customs, we probably take Joseph’s presence at the nativity too lightly. Rather than an agreement between two people, marriage at the time was an agreement between two families. Before the prospective bride was consulted, the groom (or his father) approached her father and the men would negotiate the price [mohar] to be paid for the girl. Once the mohar had been paid, the first of two ceremonies, the betrothal, was held and the couple were legally married. Following the betrothal, the bride remained in her father’s house, gathered her trousseau, and prepared for married life while the groom prepared living accommodations for his wife and arranged for the wedding feast. Although married, the couple were prohibited from having sex. It wasn’t until about a year after the betrothal that a colorful procession led the woman to the house of her groom, more vows were made, and the marriage finally was consummated.

During her betrothal, the bride could not belong to another man. Should the groom learn that she lied about her virginity, he could dissolve the marriage contract through a certificate of divorce and, if caught in the act of adultery, she could be killed.

Matthew tells us Joseph was dikaios, meaning righteous and just. Expressing a righteousness rooted in a covenant relationship with God, dikaios emphasizes moral integrity and obedience to the Law. Can you imagine this honorable man’s reaction to his bride’s pregnancy? Remember, within days of Gabriel’s visit to her, Mary hurried to the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth where she stayed for three months. When she told Joseph of her pregnancy, did he wonder what his bride had been up to while away in the hill country? Consider his distress at what seemed a betrayal. Imagine his disappointment at Mary’s preposterous explanation that probably seemed like an outlandish lie. Knowing he wasn’t the father, Joseph had every legal right to divorce her and demand the mohar’s return; in fact, Mary’s infidelity could cause her to be stoned!

Although an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream to reassure him that Mary’s baby was, indeed, conceived by the Holy Spirit, Joseph was an ordinary builder—not a priest like Zachariah or a prominent rabbi like Shammai. I suspect this was his first angelic visit and he must have questioned the validity of his dream. Imagine his confusion and consider his torment as he struggled with his choice. If he divorced Mary, Joseph could deny responsibility for her shameful pregnancy and maintain his good reputation but, if he stayed with Mary, he assumed responsibility for the pregnancy and took on her disgrace. His choice regarding Mary’s scandalous pregnancy affected both of their families, as well.

Nevertheless, Joseph valued God’s call over his reputation and remained betrothed to Mary. Moreover, despite everyone else assuming they had sex, both Matthew and Luke tell us that Joseph refrained from intercourse with Mary before Jesus’ birth. The young man honored God’s plan over his own wants and needs. It was not until after Jesus’ birth that their marriage finally was consummated.

Right after the Magi’s departure, the new father had a second visit from an angel. Told to flee to Egypt because the child’s life was in danger from Herod, Joseph immediately obeyed. Although he must have had misgivings about leaving his homeland, Joseph kept Mary and Jesus safe and they became refugees in a pagan country. They only returned when, once again, an angel of the Lord directed his way.

While Joseph seems to disappear after the second chapters of both Matthew and Luke, his role in Jesus’ life certainly didn’t stop. It was in his home that “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” [Luke 2:52]

Can you imagine what it was like for this righteous (but ordinary) man to be tasked by God with the responsibility of being guardian to the Messiah—the one who would “save his people from their sins”? What was it like to hold the Son of God in his calloused hands or to teach Him to walk, handle tools, and read the Torah? Consider the weight of responsibility upon Joseph’s shoulders. The last we hear of him is when he and Mary temporarily “lost” the twelve-year-old Jesus on their return from celebrating the Passover in Jerusalem. I can’t imagine his panic at having lost the Messiah! Although Joseph almost certainly died before the Lord’s crucifixion, we don’t know when, where, or how. What we do know is that Joseph was, indeed, a dikaios man—a man who was willing to follow God’s guidance and do His will regardless of the consequences.

Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation. [Pope Francis]

An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. [Matthew 2:13-15 (ESV)]

Copyright ©2025 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.
Standard

Posted by

Posted on

November 25, 2024

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, Church & Worship, God's Word: The Bible, Holidays & Holy Days, Obedience, Salvation: A New You

CHRIST THE KING

“My kingdom isn’t the sort that grows in this world,” replied Jesus. “If my kingdom were from this world, my supporters would have fought, to stop me being handed over to the Judaeans. So then, my kingdom is not the sort that comes from here.” [John 18:36 (NTE)]

God’s kingdom, you see, isn’t about food and drink, but about justice, peace, and joy in the holy spirit. [Romans 14:17 (NTE)]

For those of us who attend liturgical churches, yesterday was the last Sunday of the liturgical (or church) year: Christ the King Sunday. A kind of liturgical “New Year’s Eve,” it is the climax and conclusion of the Church’s year.

Starting with Advent, the first half of the church year focuses on the events of Jesus’ life: His incarnation, birth, manifestation, temptation, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension. The second half of the church year begins on Pentecost (with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit) and, depending on Easter’s date, lasts 23 to 28 Sundays. Sometimes called Ordinary Time, this season focuses on the teachings of Jesus. Next Sunday, we start a new year with the first Sunday in Advent and begin another journey through Scripture to remind us of who we are and to whom we belong.

Like the rest of the liturgical church calendar, Christ the King Sunday is man-made rather than ordained by God. Nevertheless, having attended a liturgical church most of my life, I find comfort in regularly celebrating not just Christmas and Easter but the entire mystery of Jesus—from His incarnation through His death, resurrection, and ascension, to the gifting of the Holy Spirit and the expectation of His glorious return.

When I first saw the words “Christ the King” on the church hymn board years ago, I didn’t know that this observance is a modern addition to the church year. It was instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI in response to the growth of communism, fascism, atheism, and secular ultra-nationalism in Europe at that time. Although first observed by the Roman Catholic church, Protestant denominations such as the Lutheran, Anglican, Moravian, Methodist, Nazarene, and Presbyterian churches have joined in observing this day as a reminder that Christ reigns above all earthly rulers.

In the past, cults of personality have formed around leaders like Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Mao Zedong, and they continue to form around some world leaders today. Christ the King Sunday is a vivid reminder that our allegiance belongs to our spiritual ruler in heaven as opposed to any earthly political “messiah.” While temporal powers will fade away, Christ’s reign and His kingdom remain eternal. Whether Roman Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant, observing Christ the King helps to move us from the politics of people to the politics of heaven.

Indeed, Jesus is unlike any other head of state in history. While most leaders are concerned with gaining, increasing, and maintaining power, Jesus gave up His divine power to live as a man among the poor and humble and to die a criminal’s death. While the world’s “kings” strive to amass wealth; King Jesus deliberately left the grandeur of Heaven to be born in a stable and live in a small village as a carpenter’s son. Believing that might makes right, the world’s leaders use economic and military might to enforce their will but Jesus chose to love and forgive his enemies. Jesus’ kingly degrees are unlike those of any earthly ruler: love God, love our neighbors, do unto others as we would have them do to us, pray for our enemies, turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, live in peace with one another, and invite the poor, crippled, lame and blind to our banquets—hardly the typical political platform!

The Kingdom of God is a present reality in our lives and yet, at the same time, the completed Kingdom is yet to come. Theologians describe it as our living in the already—what Christ has done—and the not yet—what He is yet to do when He returns in majesty and glory. Until that day, however, there will be a struggle between the kingdoms of this world and God’s Kingdom. We might want to ask ourselves to which kingdom we owe our allegiance and evaluate whether our actions, attitudes, and words reflect that allegiance. May we always remember that Jesus is our only king; indeed, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Then I heard something like the sound of a great crowd, like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of strong thunder, saying, “Alleluia! The Lord our God, the Almighty, has become king! Let us celebrate and rejoice and give him the glory, because the marriage of the lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself. … On his robe, and on his thigh, is written a name: King of kings, and Lord of lords. [Revelation 19:6-7,19 (NTE)]

Copyright ©2024 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.