Mission Faithwalk

               For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. (Galatians 5:17)   I’ve heard that it takes 3 days to break a habit, and 21 days to establish one.  I’m not sure those are right, and I think attitude has a lot to do with it if they’re wrong. And what today’s verse suggests is that even if we build a good, spiritual habit, the flesh will continue to fight against it. This morning, I sense myself falling to a good/bad habit. It’s the end of Ja nuary. I haven’t done all I’d like to have done in January but it’s really time to set goals for February. At the same time, why set them for February if I haven’t managed January’s? And, while I could easily set a bunch of goals that would require that I accomplish a lot, what goals would make me a better person? And the problems with goals that would make me a better person are ego and definit

                      Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. (Ecclesiasts 5:1-2)   It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one’s vows  (Proverbs 20:25)   We mean well. We want to do good. We are full of good intentions. A leader in the church calls for promises of some behavior or the donation of money, and our hand stretches above our heads. Yes, we’ll do it! Or, seeing no other hands raised, we raise ours to inspire others or because, well, someone has to do it. And then either someone gets mad at us for volunteering faster than they could, because they don’t like what you’re doing or how we’re doing it, or because we really aren’t the right person for the job. Whatever the reason, i

                                God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.                (John 4:24.)   What are your requirements for worship? What must be happening for you to worship? What must you do? Don’t be shy. We all have them even if we’re not aware of them in a sense that lets us put them into words. Some are obvious for some people. There are those who say that if you don’t speak in tongues you’re not worshipping. Others say it’s lifting hands. For some, it’s about the music. It has to be the Old Hymns. It must be upbeat and modern. It must be sung by a choir – or by a worship team that knows how to perform and sings like professionals. For the woman at the well (from which this verse is taken), it’s location, location, location. The Samaritans worshipped in one physical place. The Jews worshipped in Jerusalem. Today, for some it’s out in nature, in a prayer closet, or only in a church. Others have a worship language. It has to be Ki

                 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.   When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. “Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that perso

                 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:10)   C. S. Lewis wrote that humility is not thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less. I both agree and disagree with this. I agree that thinking less of yourself is still focusing on yourself, so it’s not being humble. However, I’ve heard a story about some men who were so determined not to look at a woman and lust that they blindfolded themselves or closed their eyes rather than looking – and walked into walls or fell downstairs. If you don’t think of yourself at least a little, you will likely do yourself harm. So, one can be humble and consider the fact that it’s been some time since breakfast, and lunch might be a good idea. One can be humble and recognize that the cut on one’s arm needs attention. One can also recognize these same things in someone else, and one is humble if one thinks of both in the same manner. Someone can also consider one’s own ability to hit a series

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)   In the name of honesty, I’ll tell you that I’m coming to this verse with frustration, and I’ll admit that I may be guilty of hypocrisy. I don’t think I am, but it’s possible. And the more I think about it, the more I see a sad truth all around me. People don’t want to think about what’s true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. For some, it might be that they just don’t want to think. For others – and this might be the largest group – it’s because they imagine that what fits all those characteristics requires that we live in a world of “Let’s pretend.” Let’s pretend that someone is whatever they want to be. Let’s pretend that our audience is filled with people who haven’t a clue, and therefore we can

````           I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.   I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Ephesians 4:12-13 NIV)   The last sentence is one of those that we like to take out of context. Most of the English translations I saw put it this way: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me/gives me strength.” All things . We can be faster than a speeding train, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, stop a bullet, walk on water, know the future… And, yes, God could make us able to do those things if those things suited His purposes, but chances are, they won’t suit His purposes. Restoring the verse to its place after verse twelve, the “all” we can do is be content in any situation. If you don’t want to limit  all to being content in every situation, that’s fine – but in this passage

                 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5)   BibleGateway.com seems to be picking a lot of favorites recently, and my reaction to this one is a meltdown of begging and pleading, “Oh God, please, please, pretty please give me wisdom.” Of course, Solomon’s request for wisdom was related to his doing his job as king. My desire for wisdom might be said either to be for wisdom for wisdom’s sake, or so that others look at me in wonder at my great wisdom. Where there is a specific question, I may fuss, but at least I have the security of knowing God will work on it. When one seeks wisdom as – effectively – a figment of one’s imagination about an apparition, God seems to have enough wisdom of His own to make the lesson in wisdom He teaches about waiting and patience. There’s another condition under which God seems reluctant to provide. If one says one wants wisdom, and God r

  God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalm 46:1-3)   Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. (Habakkuk 3:17-19)     One of the devotionals I’m working my way through quoted this passage     and pointed out that we’re not supposed to put our trust into our perceptions of our circumstances – even if those perceptions are right. We are to put our trust in God, that in, through, because of, or despite our circumstances, He shall accomplish Hi

                 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life . (Galatians 6:7-8)   If you do a search online for “mocked, Biblical definition,” you’ll get some interesting reading, but the definition that caught my attention was “to engage in verbal abuse.” This brings comedy to mind. Have you paid attention to what is considered funny? Nine times out of ten, or maybe ninety-nine times out of one hundred, it involves saying things that put someone down or otherwise portray that person in a way that leads others to think less or badly of them. Whether it’s “Let me show you what a failure my dog is at catching balls” or “let me show you that this idiot woman can’t walk ten feet without half-killing herself,” or “let me tell you what my worthless husband did this week…” it’s all designed to make the speaker look goo

                                     C onsider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. (James 1:2-3)   I’m leaning Tunisian crochet. I think I have the basic stitch down, but yesterday, I tried what’s called the Bamboo stitch. In the video, it doesn’t look hard. As far as I can tell, I’m doing what I’m supposed to do, but it’s not turning out the way I think it’s supposed to turn out. Admittedly, this is not a life-threatening situation. At best, it’s a minor thing. If this were the worst thing that ever happened in my life, people would seek me out by the millions, offering me everything they had in order to be told how to live like me (which would ruin my life!) Like pain and anger, however, the world can shrink down to our perception of what frustrates us. I don’t think I’ve lost my sense of perspective, but I could. After all, isn’t that what we do? We say the things ar

                 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)   This issue has come to mind a few times, and I generally run away.” To do to others what we would have them to do us, we have to figure out what we would have them do to us. It seems to me that I’m all over the map about what I would have others do to me (or for me.) One day, my mother came home from work and had me get out some paper. We pasted clippings of the words good and news from newspapers and magazines onto a sheet of paper and wrote it in a variety of ways. She explained that she’d seen someone at work who grew up near Mom’s home town, and had asked if she’d had any good news from home. Mom signed the page, “A. Nony Moose” and managed to deliver it without being discovered.  I want to be A. Nony Moose. I want to be invisible and do things to or for people without their knowing it’s me. I want to say things that make them th

                 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (I Corinthians 10:13)   “But you don’t understand.” “It’s different for me.” (Or “It’s different for you.”) “Everyone else is doing it.” Sometimes, we long to be “normal,” and sometimes, we want to be the exception. Sometimes, we try to excuse ourselves using both ideas at the same time. Every time I hear myself telling God that He doesn’t understand, I have to laugh. The fact is that God understands. Other people very likely understand much more than we give them credit for. And we aren’t different. We’re just as weak as other people are – though the exact level of weakness changes from moment to moment and temptation to temptation. Some things don’t tempt me all, and things that do tempt me that you’d think ridiculous. We are ev

                 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (I Corinthians 6:20) Honor (Biblical definition) Showing esteem for one deserving of respect, attention, or obedience. Let’s skip the “God” part for just a moment. Do you honor yourself with your body? Do you treat it with respect and attention, or do you stagger drunkenly among ignoring it, caving to its every whim, and making the Nazis seem lax in their discipline? I am one of the “drunks.” No one would look at me and recognize that I do a good job of respecting myself. And, I suffer as a result because I’m not able to do things I want to do. Now, let’s bring God back into it. Some might begin by saying that honoring God with our bodies means not sinning, and they’d start their list of sins with extramarital sex, revealing clothing, and the use of drugs (including alcohol.) Eventually, they’d probably get to gluttony and maybe to high stress, abuse, and lack of sleep.  Ultimate, honoring God inv

                 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done,     on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,     as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,     but deliver us from the evil one.’           Matthew 6:9-13   The first note for today’s passage is that Jesus doesn’t say that this is what we should pray, but how we should pray. I’ve had some people criticize me because I tend to pray in my life as it is in heaven  instead of on earth as it is in heaven . It’s not that I don’t want God’s will to be done on earth, but I want to do God’s will in my life, which is part of things on earth being done according to His will. But this morning, an idea came to mind as I walked and prayed this prayer. We have the words  of the lesson He taught, but we don’t have the vocal dynamic, the gestures, or the facial expressions.

                 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32) Soon after COVID hit, I began reciting a mantra: You aren’t my parents, my masters, or my gods. It wasn’t so much that I felt threatened by the people who thought they had a right to dictate my life to me. It was more to try to make them aware of what they were doing, as it ran counter to what they claimed they valued. It didn’t work. But there was a small sense of wanting to be free and having someone think they had a right to simply take that freedom from me. I’m not alone in that. Members of the LGBTQ+ community want to be free of any restrictions on them whatsoever. Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, and Asians want to be free. The Palestinians want to be free, and so do the Israelites. The Ukrainians want to be free. The Democrats and Republicans both want to be free. I doubt anyone in t

                 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. (I John 4:20-21) “I’ll show them. I’ll show them all. I’ll be dead and then they’ll all be sorry for what they did to me.” The other day, a friend and I were talking about depression, and I shared that this idea was one that I had when I suffered from a bout of that ailment. Those may not have been the exact words, but the idea was there. She shared about a time when the same sort of idea came to her mind when she was angry. A variation I’ve heard recently is, “…I’ll leave and then they’ll all be sorry…” It’s an example of the sort of bad thinking we can fall into when we’re too caught up in negative emotions: too angry, too depressed, too hurt…. The good news is that neither I nor she died

                 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (II Corinthians 5:19-20) Reconciliation comes from Latin terms meaning “again” and “to make friendly.” But since we’re talking about being reconciled to God, that’s just the same-old, same-old. God doesn’t hold our sins against us. He forgives our sins. He gives us new life. It’s good, of course, but what more can be said? The first thing is that it was written to the church at Corinth. Why would they need to be reconciled to God? Paul wasn’t writing about the past. He told the Corinthians to be reconciled to God. Why? One good reason is that while God doesn’t hold our sins against us, that doesn’t mean we don’t stop sinning. As we repeatedly rebel, we have to be repe

  Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Matthew 14:25-27) We should keep in mind that the disciples had been awake all night in a storm on the middle of the lake. They were scared, stressed, and tired, so it’s not entirely unexpected for them to not be thinking clearly when a figure approached them. And, I have to wonder how they even saw Him. It was storming, and it was “shortly before dawn,” so there wasn’t a lot of light. Did He glow? Was He close before they saw Him? For whatever reason, in their fear and exhaustion, they mistook Him for a ghost, and their heightened fear suggests that they didn’t consider ghosts to be benign spirits. More to the point, they took what was meant for their benefit and aid as something else, something dangerous. That lead

                 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: (Ecclesiastes 1:3) In the devotional  Jesus Always by Sarah Young, yesterday’s discussion was about the possibility that God might reveal to us what we are to do without revealing to us when we are to do it. The problem is that we may automatically think that the revelation means we are to do today what we should do tomorrow or a year from now. In other words, we suffer from HUNY: Hurry up! Not Yet! Syndrome. A writer friend invited us to share with her how we deal with procrastination. The problem with procrastination is that we put off what we should do today until tomorrow or a year from now. In other words, we suffer from Later syndrome. You might think that a person who does one would not do the other, but in my rush to do now what has become my current task, tasks that I should take care of now get shoved aside. In my busyness and in my poor sense of priorities, important t

                 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (I Peter 1:15-16) The Fall occurred because Adam and Eve wanted to be like God, “knowing good and evil.” The rest of us have that same desire, though we may not use “like God” in our discussion. There are some ways we simply can’t be like God, but there are others in which we can. The extent of the likeness may be less than God, but we were made in the image of God, so at least some likeness is unavoidable. Ironically, the things in which God calls us to be like Him are the ones in which we have no interest. Today’s passage is a great example. What does “Be holy” mean to you? The ancient idea was that being holy meant being given to God for His use. While it still has that meaning, the world has added to it the ideas that holiness is arrogance, presumption, and hypocrisy. The world maintains that what is “holy” is useless, but those who are holy see th

         Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first .   (Revelation 2:4 ) How often do you think that something other than God has any importance? Ministry      Spouse        Ministry      Citizenship  Books          Self-improvement Job              Children      Charity       Politics        TV shows   Food Activities    Parents        Friends        Community Internet       Pets Sports          Siblings       Neighbors   Reputation  Education    Something else If asked, of course, you would say that God is most important, but if you examine your life, is there evidence? If you were put on trial, is there any evidence beyond your confession that God is a significant part of your life? And, if there is evidence that might lead others to that conclusion, is it merely a reality in your life, or is your reputation as a “good Christian” involved? This is one of the problems we face. All of the things listed above and more are validly important.

  …Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. (II Corinthians 6:10) Sorry, I can’t resist the urge to include the visual pun because today, we’re talking about paradoxes and Sunday’s walk in the park resulted in several pictures of “pairs.” For the one who walks with God, there is the real possibility of hurting or fearing while simultaneously finding comfort, relaxing, and having joy. We can know that God will take care of us. We can even rejoice that a loved one is now with God. At the same time, we may feel the pain and fear of want or grief over being separated from that loved one. In fact, that may be precisely what is happening in the beloved Psalm 23. David doesn’t say, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I do not want.” He says, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” There’s another translation that says, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing,” but is this a statement of fact, or something of which David wa

                 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2) Yesterday’s blog was about God’s love for us. Often, love is described as a desire and commitment to do someone good, but it is also the desire and commitment to a relationship with someone without making that person nothing more than an extension of oneself. It’s one of those two sides of the same coin things. Today’s passage turns the focus from God to us and challenges us to experience God’s love for us and live out love for God and one another. How are we to accomplish this? After all, God is good at this because God is God, but we aren’t. Different people experience love in different ways. While one person wants to spend hours walking, working, and being together, another would find that smothering. Someone else may want to give gifts that may make the person re

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39) One of my struggles with this passage is that it doesn’t explicitly include “us” or sin in the list of things that can’t separate us from the love of God. Implicitly, we and sin are part of “anything else in all creation,” but if I’d written it, I would have wanted to be more explicit on those points. The problem with thinking that anything can separate us from the love of God is that whatever can separate us from His love is more powerful than He is. A second preliminary remark is a response to the “How could a loving God send people to hell or make them suffer in this life?” Dallas Willard said that Hell is the best God can do for some people. After all, if they want nothing to do with Him, they w

                 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (II Corinthians 1:3-4) This passage was one of several mentioned in Jesus Always . The idea for the day is that when we are anxious, we should seek God and pour out our troubles to Him, then listen as He comforts us and shows us His perspective. As  usual, when the word comfort is mentioned, I feel morally obligated to point out that the term doesn’t come from the idea of patting someone on the shoulder and saying, “There, there…” It comes from Latin terms meaning with and strength.           When it comes to children, we tend to comfort them by addressing the problem, whether it’s a dirty diaper or a cut finger, then changing the child’s perspective from “It’s all wrong” to “It’ll be all right.” As they grow, the responsibil