Devotions For The Reconciled Life

"As you come to him, a living stone ​— ​rejected by people but chosen and honored by God ​— ​ you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:4-5 The stone the builders rejected was used by Peter in Acts 4:11 also, and Peter was quoting Psalms 118:22 "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." The house I grew up in had two stairs from the living room up to the rest of the house.  The stairs were made of rock and were laid by my Dad.  When I was about 5 the mortar started to crumble. Since my Dad wasn't a stone mason it took him some time to find all the right stones and place them correctly.  Replacing the mortar was not something he wanted to do.  To make sure that he placed all the stones where they were needed, he numbered each one with a marker.  Marker doesn't come off stone very well, s

"He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 "So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God." Matthew 5:23-24 I have had several, many, uncountable arguments with my wife.  In almost 23 years, I am ashamed to admit the number and variety of topics of arguments.  Not one of them should have happened.  None of the them were over important topics.  Thankfully (as of this writing) all have been resolved.  We have had reconciliation from the disagreements.   Reconciliation is not easy.  It is a gut check.  I have had to admit my error, to face m

The shark is one of the most popular aquarium animals. A shark confined while small will stay a size proportionate to the aquarium. Sharks can be six inches long and yet fully matured.  If you turn them loose in the ocean, they grow to their normal length of eight feet or longer. That also happens to Christians. I’ve seen some of the cutest little six-inch Christians who swim around in a little puddle.  If you put the sharks into a larger arena--into the whole of creation--only then can they become great.  I personally want to raise my children to become great.  I want to encourage those around me to become great.  Six inch Christians aren’t what I think of as great.   Making disciples leads others to become great.  It moves others from six inch Christians to eight feet long Christians.  In Matthew 28, we are commanded to go and make disciples.   Who are we to disciple one might ask?   --We disciple our family. "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God.” He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 My passport has only one stamp.  My senior year of college I got a grant to study in Norway for two months.  It was very clear on the plane from Oslo to Tromsø that I wasn’t in my home country.  When we disembarked at the small airport, there was one baggage claim area, one “shoot”, and one baggage carousel.  While waiting on my suitcase, a woman next to me was struggling to get her large suitcase off the carousel.  I reached over and helped her get her rather heavy suitcase off the carousel and sat it beside her.  I still remember clearly her response of “Tusen takk! Tusen takk!” I didn’t know much Norwegian, but that phrase I knew and it is thank you.  Not much language school is needed to understand t

NEWS FLASH--we are never disqualified from serving Jesus.  The ways in which we serve may change but if we are a follower of Jesus then we are commanded to share the gospel with others and to love others.  Go into the world and preach the gospel. ( Matthew 28:19-20 )  Love God.  ( Matthew 22:37 ) Love others.  ( Matthew 22:39 )  These are commands we see in Scripture.  They do not say when you're life is perfect then preach the gospel,  when your home is organized and clean then love God, when you have a beautiful prayer journal and spend hours in the Word everyday then you can love others.  No!!!!  They are commands for us to follow in the present moment. I used to be a good girl and have life all put together nicely.  I went to church every Sunday.  I read my Bible everyday and kept a prayer journal.  I taught Sunday School.  I volunteered in my kids classes.  I took meals to hurting people.  I volunteered at every event possible.  My home was clean and organized.  We had m

"Working together with him, we also appeal to you, “Don’t receive the grace of God in vain.” For he says: ( Isaiah 49:8 )     At an acceptable time I listened to you,     and in the day of salvation I helped you. See, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation!" 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 NPS Photo Have you ever moved a large piece of furniture, equipment, lumber, etc?  I mean, one that takes at least 4 people.  Having grown up on a farm, I have many times.  Coming from a very connected extended family there were always plenty of people to share the load.  It always seemed to me that there was a cousin or uncle that wasn’t carrying their load due to age, physical size, or strength.  Not a very synergistic team. If you are over 30, the word synergy has been over used.  A great team has synergy.  A good cast for a play develops synergy.  The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  Synergy.  Our word synergy is right out of the Greek συνεργός, or synergos.

This week we have been talking about death preceding life in the economy of God. We must die so we may truly live. Die to self, die to selfish ambition, die to be freed from enslavement to sin, even sometimes die to preconceptions we may have regarding God’s person and God’s will for our lives. As we wrap up this week looking at the miraculous raising of Lazarus and the lessons Jesus taught regarding the belief of those witnessing the event, let’s take a moment to look one more time at the end of this encounter. One of the key statements that Jesus makes to Martha is found in 11:40, “Did I not tell by Lyman Green Sr you that if you believed you would see the glory of God.” Moments later, Jesus calls out and the previously dead Lazarus emerges from the tomb, with grave-clothes still covering him. The instinctual understanding is that Jesus’ statement from 11:40 has been fulfilled—they have seen the glory of God—displayed not only in the authority of the Son of God to comma

Remember the sense of joy you felt as a child in school when it was finally time for recess? Or in college when you completed the final exam of the semester?  Five o’clock on Friday afternoon? Stop and think about that feeling for a second…Ah, freedom. As an elementary educator, I get to witness that kind of exuberance on a regular basis.  When the doors leading to the playground burst open, bright smiles overtake small faces and excitement permeates the air. Don’t get me wrong, the kids love their school and their teachers, but there is just something about being ‘set free’–released from a place of restriction and confinement, to one of liberty. It’s springtime, and I think most of us, no matter our ages, are feeling just a little restless… Last week, we joyfully celebrated the resurrection of Jesus, the event that is the very essence of our Christian faith. When Jesus rose from the dead, it changed everything. Our Savior was crucified, died, and was buried. But the grave cou

"But when Jesus heard about it he said,“Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days." John 11:4-6 I don't know what kind of sickness Lazarus had.  I don't know what his condition Den syge pige by Michael Ancher was.  I image though him awake and wondering why it was taking Jesus so long to get to Bethany.  He wasn't far.  He was a dear friend who Lazarus knew well.  Lazarus knew that Jesus was the answer to his illness; to his hurt.  He called for Jesus. Jesus explains clearly to his disciples why He was delaying his travel, "so that the Son of God will receive glory."  Lazarus was a man that Jesus would receive glory through.  What an honor.  A means for Jesus to receive glory.  Lazarus is not alone in the gospels in being labeled as a means of glory. "“Ra

"Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her," Your brother will rise again. " Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her," I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? "" John 11:21-26 Martha is often viewed as the lesser of the two sisters.  In an attempt to perform needed duties, Martha requested that Jesus instruct her sister to aid in the task.  She was rebuked and culturally she is viewed as lesser than Mary.  Martha did nothing less than what any one of us in a similar situation would do.  I think Martha speaks and acts as many of us in the church would.  Martha, in mourning speaks her troubled thoughts to Jes

"So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.” But when Jesus heard about it he said,“Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days." John 11:3-6   Author Henry James said, "Life is a predicament that precedes death." The caterpillar appears to be a full animal. It eats on leaves. It crawls around and tries to avoid being eaten by birds and other predators. From a passing glance, the caterpillar appears complete. From an anthropomorphized view, the caterpillar thinks itself complete. We know that the caterpillar is but a butterfly pupae; an immature form. It is nothing like what it will be. The caterpillar must go through a metamorphosis that resembles death. The outer-layer dies forming a chrysalis that inside the butterfl

"Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus away. There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it. And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”" John 19:16,18-20 Good Friday is a difficult day to write a devotional for.  We remember today the passion of Jesus. His beating, ridicule, suffering and death by crucifixion.  I am without words.  Jesus, the God Man, Maker of all of creation, chooses to be tortured for my sin.  I cannot comprehend it.  Charles Wesley wrote a hymn where in the first verse it ends,     "Amazing love! how can it be       That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?" That is where I find myself tonight as I consider the cross and the physical pain that