Devotions For The Reconciled Life

Good Friday begins at about 1:30 in the morning, with Jesus being sold out by Judas Iscariot, and seized by soldiers, not just a few armed guards. The Greek word for commander used in John 18:12 is “chiliarchos” which means “the leader of a thousand men.” There was a definite fear that Jesus and the disciples would resist violently. Even the disciples responded as though there would be war, with Peter removing the ear of the high priest’s servant. Then Jesus commanded his disciples put away their weapons. This was not the mighty, conquering king The Twelve had hoped for. Jesus was not playing the part of the war hero who would free the Jews from Roman occupation. Instead, when faced with an opposing army, this King peacefully complied. Like a lamb led to the slaughter, The Savior followed these men to his trials. Two of Jesus’ trials were conducted illegally, and in the dark, by men who hated him. The men who cared so much about the letter of the Jewish law also were the ones who for...

© 2013 Mahieu Summer. Licensed under  CC-BY . The Friday of Holy Week is known as Good Friday.  Why "Good" Friday?  The worst crime ever committed by humanity on a Friday denoted as "Good."  That seems wrong.  "Evil" or "Bad" Friday seems more appropriate.  Some Christian traditions do this: in German, the day is called Karfreitag, or “Sorrowful Friday.” In English the origin of the term “Good” is debated: some believe it developed from an older name, “God’s Friday.” Regardless of the origin, the name Good Friday is appropriate because the suffering and death of Jesus, as terrible as it was, marked the dramatic culmination of God’s plan to save his people from their sins. Good Friday is a crucial day in the history of the world.  Jesus' death and resurrection is the turning point for all creation.  Paul considered it to be “of first importance” that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day, all ...

The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word “mandatum.” This Latin word is also where the English word “mandate” originates.  Mandates are considered non-optional. Maundy is an entirely separate English word though. Maundy is the ceremony of washing the feet of the poor.  Two words, from the same origin point, have two entirely distinct meanings. This occasionally happens in English, but it still is rare. Usually, it happens because a word has a cultural definition that has changed over time. This is true of these two words. Maundy used to mean “commandment-like” and was fitting given as the adjective to Thursday of Holy Week. The church kept this title and started observing a ritual of cleansing each other’s feet, and mainly washing the feet of the poor or lower class. This ceremony follows in Jesus’ actions, gracefully humbled the members of the church, and served the members of the community who would not usually receive service. Over time, Maundy Thursday became synonymo...

Matthew 26:6-16 Wednesday went quietly. Too quietly. With the previous three days awash in drama — Sunday’s triumphal entry, Monday’s temple cleansing, and Tuesday’s temple controversies — now Wednesday, April 1, A.D. 33, comes like the calm before the storm. Out of sight, lurking in the shadows, evil is afoot. The Wednesday of Holy Week is called “Spy Wednesday.”  Spy Wednesday?  Why "Spy"?  After Palm Sunday, the Sanhedrin gathered and plotted to kill Jesus before the feast of Passover. On the Wednesday before his death, Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the Leper. As he sat at the supper table with his disciples, a woman anointed Jesus' head and feet with a costly oil of nard . The disciples were indignant, asking why the oil was not sold and the money given to the poor. But Judas Iscariot wanted to keep the money for himself. Then Judas went to the Sanhedrin and offered to deliver Jesus to them in exchange for money. From this moment on, Judas sought a...

Mark 11:27-33 ; 12:1-44 Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24, 2010. Law & Order was the longest-running crime drama on American primetime television. Its record of 20 seasons ranks as the longest-running hour-long primetime TV series.  The show makes courtroom discourse seem exciting when in reality it is not.  As anyone that has been on a jury can tell you, the courtroom can be very tedious.  Jesus spent much of the Tuesday before His death and resurrection debating in the Temple. Jesus answered the Pharisees, the Herodians, the Sadducees, and the scribes (lawyers) as each tried to trap Him in a debate of Scripture.  Throughout His ministry, they had each wanted to catch Him with their arguments.  This final week they all gathered in one day.  He answered them all and destroyed their traps.  The Word used the Scripture to destroy their arguments ( 2 ...

One week.  Only one week.  That is all that remains to complete the work.  There is so much to teach.  So much for the apostles to grasp; to remember as they lead the Church.  After about three years it all comes down to one week.  The last week. Yesterday we celebrated Palm Sunday.  The day of the triumphant entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.  Today is known as Holy Monday of Easter week.  The Gospels tell us of some of the events that occurred on this day of the Passion week.  Some of the most recognizable of these are the cursing of the fig tree  ( Matthew 21:18-22 ,  Mark 11:20-26 ),  the questioning of Jesus' authority  ( Matthew 21:23-27 ) , the c leansing of the Temple  ( Mark 11:15-18 )  and the teaching of some parables ( Matthew 21:28-46 ) .  Quite a bit for one day, and those are just the highlights! Giuseppe Passeri [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons We see in the ...

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?"   Job 38:1-2 "Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it." Job 40:2 So, what’s the problem? How did I get to this place of doubt?  I became self-reliant, isolated, and even began to question His very existence as yesterday's devotion covered.   This is the real problem: I think the problem lies with God, but the actual problem lies with me.  The Problem lies with us and the assumptions that we have projected on to God.  We then allow ourselves to become offended when God doesn’t perform according to our expectations.  We want God to function according to our sense of fairness.  We want God to stop being God. We want  God to do what we say. We want what we want, and we want Him to be what we expect Him to be.  This isn't God!  This is Daddy War...

When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" Matthew 11:1-3 "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps."  I really don't know if this is possible, but I've heard it my whole life.  It is the means that should be taken first.  Don't ask for help.  Don't look to anyone other than yourself.  That is what the world says. Self-reliance is an essential quality in the United States. What we fail to realize is that we are barefooted.  Our self-reliance is often an expression of our doubting.  Doubting His authority, power, and His ability to care for us and our needs.  In our doubt, w e often develop our own source for peace, comforted, and joy outside of God, or w e live in a state of anxie...

When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" Matthew 11:1-3 Have you ever run into a problem that has "pulled the rug out from under you"? A boss that you have liked at a job you have enjoyed and received awards at comes in on Friday and says, "Clean out your desk. Security is here to escort you out." At a regular physical, your doctor in a very calm and reassuring voices tells you, "I would like for you to see a specialist about something." Or, a spouse that you have been married to for over 20 years comes over on Friday afternoon and says, "I don't love you anymore. I'll be moving out tomorrow. I'm going to a hotel tonight." I would call any of these as struggles. T...

'You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. ' John 15:14-16 This vision is key to the success of being God’s Church. The success comes from pursuing the vision and not from the pursuit of success. The vision for the New Testament Church today comes from the most fruitful man, who was also at the beginning of creation, and clearly knows God’s vision, is God made flesh, Jesus. A man of no natural birth but has exemplified the vision of fruitfulness. This is the re-establishment and fruition of the original vision. Redeeming Adam and Eve’s epic fail & the consequences of casting off vision...

'And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. ' Genesis 3:8-10,21 (U.S. Army photo illustration) The advice of the US Army and likely optometrists and ophthalmologists is to follow a 20-20-20 rule to ward off digital eye strain by taking a 20-second break every 20 minutes and view something 20 feet away.  Adam and Eve had the opposite problem.  They took their eyes off the truth and the vision God had given them.  When they had done that their entire view was flawed.  They began to see the world through the world's eyes, not God'...

'Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." ' Genesis 1:26-28 'And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You ...

' Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man]–blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he.' Proverbs 29:18 A vision statement is a one-sentence statement describing the clear and inspirational long-term desired change resulting from an organization or program’s work. Great.  So what does that look like?  I need examples.  So, I went out and looked at some respectable organizations vision statements. Habitat for Humanity : A world where everyone has a decent place to live. Alzheimer’s Association : A world without Alzheimer’s In Touch Ministries : proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people in every country of the world. And the longest that I couldn't leave out, International Mission Board : to partner with churches to empower limitless missionary teams who are making disciples and multiplying churches among unreached peoples and places for the glory ...

Without revelation, people run wild, but one who follows divine instruction will be happy. Proverbs 29:18 I have had excellent vision for most of my life.  My sight was better than 20/20.  When I was in late high school, I was told by my optometrist that I was going to have a hard time as I got older.  I asked, "Why?"  He said, "Your eyesight is going to get worse as everyone's does.  You're going to think you need glasses, but no optometrist is going to give you eyeglasses for 20/20 sight."  My vision didn't last as long as I would have liked due to MS.  I now see an ophthalmologist annually which I visited this past week.  They have the worst games!  "One or two?"  "Which line can you read?"  "Better or worse?"  Augh!  If I could see well I would tell them?  Isn't that why I went to the eye doctor?  To correct my vision that I know is flawed?  And my eyes are fine.  My eye shape and lense...

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 I have been in a broken season lately.  There are no medical crises in my life, just a real working of God in me.  I sincerely desire God to work His beauty in my brokenness.  However, I have trust and control issues.  For me, allowing God to work in my brokenness is hard.  It leaves me weary.  Often, I find myself questioning God with questions like: "Are you sure God you know what you're doing?" "God, this doesn't feel good, can you assure me you are using it for good?" "God, could you write on the wall for me what you are doing in my life?" "God, could you work quicker?" "God, can I learn faster?" In the middle of these seasons, God gently reminds me of Hi...

'The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: "Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words." So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the Lord came to me: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. ' Jeremiah 18:1-6 An artist takes shattered pieces of glass and arranges them into a beautiful masterpiece.  Mosaics have been around since the ancient period in history.  Artists have been creating beauty from broken parts for centuries.  There are some beautiful mosaics out there to see.  However, they were all constructed from broken pieces of glass and stone.  An artist didn't st...