Isaiah 52:13-15,53:5-12

See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man. And he will startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not been told; they will understand what they had not heard about…

But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord ’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

Isaiah 52:13-15,53:5-12

Dear God, they had no idea what this would actually look like. They couldn’t recognize Jesus in this when they saw it. And even if someone had pointed it out to them, they would probably have rejected that this was the “messenger” Isaiah mentioned. Why? Because we simply cannot see the reality happening around us in real time. We cannot see what you are doing.

I have a tricky thing to confront right now with another person, and I don’t know how to do it because I don’t know what is really going on. To quote myself from the last paragraph, I cannot see the reality that is happening around me in real time. I don’t know what’s going on in the other person’s heart. I can’t parse my concerns for them from my own ego and the things it desires. My vision is distorted by my own sinful nature. I cannot see this situation with your eyes, but I really want to.

Father, give me your eyes for just one second. Give me your eyes so I can see. And then give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

1 Timothy 2:5-6

For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.

1 Timothy 2:5-6

Dear God, I’m not sure if this goes with this passage or not, but I heard a sermon yesterday that left a couple of things resonating with me.

The first: There is a difference between being a believer in Jesus and a follower of Jesus. There are plenty of Americans who “believe” in Jesus but are not true “followers.” Unfortunately, they do not see the difference. It’s another way of putting the phrase that occurred to me several years ago: Some people have Christianity as their philosophy, but they aren’t following God. When I think about this, I think about the people who identify as Christians and yet stormed the capitol building on January 6. Those people were working through a process of self-righteous anger, but they were not following anything Jesus ever taught.

The second: Temptation will lead us in two areas–gratification and protection. Those two areas are terrible leaders and will cause us to do bad things.

I guess there was a third thing he said that caught my ear. If you have a God that will put up with you just deciding you can sin because he will forgive you later, then you have a weak God who can be hoodwinked and fooled. I’m adding this part to what he said, but when I repent later, I also need to repent and turn from that attitude as well.

So going back to this verse, I am so grateful for Jesus, my mediator. I am grateful for the love you give me, a foolish, foolish man. I am grateful for your forgiveness even when I treat you like you are a fool. I’m sorry when I follow the terrible leaders of gratification and protection. I’m sorry for sometimes acting like a believer and not a follower. I’m sorry, Father. I’m truly sorry.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

“Truth Be Told” by Matthew West

https://youtu.be/j4wYkS8Z3Io

“Truth Be Told” by Matthew West

Lie number one you’re supposed to have it all together
And when they ask how you’re doing
Just smile and tell them, “Never better”
Lie number 2 everybody’s life is perfect except yours
So keep your messes and your wounds
And your secrets safe with you behind closed doors
Truth be told
The truth is rarely told, now

I say I’m fine, yeah I’m fine oh I’m fine, hey I’m fine but I’m not
I’m broken
And when it’s out of control I say it’s under control but it’s not
And you know it
I don’t know why it’s so hard to admit it
When being honest is the only way to fix it
There’s no failure, no fall
There’s no sin you don’t already know
So let the truth be told

There’s a sign on the door, says, “Come as you are” but I doubt it
‘Cause if we lived like it was true, every Sunday morning pew would be crowded
But didn’t you say the church should look more like a hospital
A safe place for the sick, the sinner and the scarred and the prodigals
Like me
Well truth be told
The truth is rarely told
Oh am I the only one who says

I’m fine, yeah I’m fine oh I’m fine, hey I’m fine but I’m not
I’m broken
And when it’s out of control I say it’s under control but it’s not
And you know it
I don’t know why it’s so hard to admit it
When being honest is the only way to fix it
There’s no failure, no fall
There’s no sin you don’t already know
So let the truth be told

Can I really stand here unashamed
Knowin’ that you love for me won’t change?
Oh God if that’s really true
Then let the truth be told

I say I’m fine, yeah I’m fine oh I’m fine, hey I’m fine but I’m not
I’m broken
And when it’s out of control I say it’s under control but it’s not
And you know it
I don’t know why it’s so hard to admit it
When being honest is the only way to fix it
There’s no failure, no fall
There’s no sin you don’t already know
Yeah I know
There’s no failure, no fall
There’s no sin you don’t already know
So let the truth be told

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Matthew West / Andrew Pruis

Dear God, I’m going to wait a bit before I post this one. I’m writing it on Friday morning, but I won’t post it until this evening. Why? Because I have a surprise for someone today. This month marks 40 years of sobriety for someone special to me. I bought him a 40-year chip to give him when I see him later today. Something tells me that this anniversary is more important to me than it is even to him. I don’t know, that might not be true, but I do know that it’s important to me.

I was there 40 years ago when he brought his addiction to alcohol to you. He admitted his life had become unmanageable, he was powerless over alcohol and he need you to restore him to sanity. And while I’m grateful that he has bee free from the perils of alcohol and what it does to your mind and body over the last 40 years, I think the real gift it gave me was an 11-year-old boy seeing a man being willing to admit he was powerless. A man being willing to be vulnerable. A man who purposefully displayed his weakness that day and then the subsequent 40 years. He has been able to minister to countless people over the years because he admitted his weakness to himself, to you, and to the public.

This song is a more generic version of that idea. Of course, humility applies to more than addiction. I applies to every sin because all of us have committed every sin. By the standard Jesus set, we have all murdered, committed adultery, stolen, etc. But it’s the person who admits their failures to others who has a chance to be a blessing.

I was talking with a friend this morning who is a recovering alcoholic. He talked about a disappointing thing that work that made him want to justify having a drink. I think his last drink was about 15 months ago, but he knows he’s only one drink away from a real problem. He asked me to pray for him.

Then I have myself. I certainly have my insecurities. I have the things I covet. I was listening to a Christian podcast this week that talked about the young man who killed the women at the Asian spas. One of the topics was how Christian men carry around a lot of shame about their sexual desires. In this case, the young man claimed he was trying to rid himself and other men of the sexual temptation the Asian women are. Of course, that is sick and absolutely wrong. I can’t help but wonder if a church culture that was more open to discussing these things would have helped him a little more. As it is, his home church has now disowned him as someone who is not in good standing with them. Obviously, he will spend the rest of his life in jail (as he should), but isn’t this when he needs them the most?

Father, I want to start by thanking you for the earthly father you gave to me. Thank you for his example of humility. Thank you for his sobriety. Thank you for his failed humanness. If he was perfect then I would be miserable trying to live up to him. But he is flawed, just like me. Thank you that he can admit that. I hope my children see that I’m willing to admit my failings as well. Then I want to pray for my friend from this morning. Guide him through this day, moment by moment. Help him to cling to you. And for your church, use messages like this song to convict us and bring us to repentance before you.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Ephesians 5:21-27

Out of your reverence for Christ, be supportive of each other in love. For wives, this means being devoted to your husbands like you are tenderly devoted to our Lord, for the husband provides leadership for the wife, just as Christ provides leadership for his church, as the Savior and Reviver of the body. In the same way, the church is devoted to Christ, let wives be devoted to their husband in everything.

And to husband, you are to demonstrate love for your wives with the same tender devotion that Christ demonstrated to us, his bride. For he died for us, sacrificing himself to make us holly and pure, cleansing us through the showering of the pure water of the Word of God. All that he does in us is designed to make us a mature church for his pleasure, until we become a source of praise to him–glorious and radiant, beautiful and holy, without fault or flaw.

Ephesians 5:21-27 (Passion Translation)

Dear God, I’ll be reading these verses in front of those gathered on Saturday to see my niece marry her fiancé. On the one hand, these are incredibly beautiful verses about the love between a husband and a wife as well as our love relationship with you. On the other, those who are paranoid can see this as dangerous, un-woke propaganda.

The part about husbands leading wives can be very controversial. What is often missed by those people, however, is the commands for the husbands. It’s a tall ask.

• Live up to the standard of Jesus himself.
• Sacrifice yourself completely to make your wife holy and pure.
• Cleanse her through showering her with your Word.

If I can live up to that, there is probably not much my wife wouldn’t want to do for me. But it has to be done in humility as well. Done in a showy or demonstrative way will only serve to make her feel condemned and inferior. The opposite of what Jesus did was make those who loved him feel condemned.

Father, even this evening, help me to be exactly what you need me to be for my wife. Each couple who brings their marriage before you gets to figure out how they will live out these verses. For me, I think what you keep getting me to learn just a little more each day is that my life as a husband and as a father is more about what my wife needs from her husband and my children need from their father than about what I need from them. I’m still not there. There are still things I tend to think I deserve from the relationships I have with them, but there is nothing I deserve. You have already given me more than I deserve. I just pray that my actions will lead those I love into closer relationship with you regardless of what it costs me.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

James 1:12-15

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

James 1:12-15

Dear God, what does it look like to patiently endure testing and temptation? In think, in this context, James isn’t talking about gluttony, lust, drunkenness, etc. I think the context here is extreme religious persecution. Being patient as people who persecute me test my faith. Being strong as they tempt me to reject you. So it’s a marathon and not a sprint. Settle in. Be patient.

Then, verse 15 brings a whole different bit of insight: “And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.” Sin being allowed to grow is an incredibly insidious thing. It can ultimately destroy me and those I love. My life is a garden that must be constantly tended and weeded. It is spring time right now. The grass is coming out, but so are the weeds. I I allow them to grow unfettered, they will completely mess up the landscaping we are trying to cultivate.

I was thinking on the way home about the balance of worship/meditation/studying/contemplation. A life full of just one or two of any of these things will not be full. If I study about you, but never worship you, will I really know the God I’m studying. If I worship, but never study, will I know the God I’m worshiping? There is a balance that involves my heart, mind, body and soul. All four must touch you if I’m going to have a shot at knowing you.

Father, this has been a little disjointed, but I want you to know I love you, I’m grateful for you, and I want to know you more. Please guide me on this path, and please heal the wounds on my heart so that I can let go of my self-pity and completely worship you without getting my own selfishness and insecurity in the way.

In Jesus’s name pray,

Amen

 

Ephesians 6:10-12

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:10-12

Dear God, when I read this passage this morning it reminded me of a line in the Hunger Games: Catching Fire when they told the main character to “remember who the real enemy is” while she is in the arena. In this case, the real enemy isn’t the people she is fighting in the arena, but the person (the system) who put her in the arena. That makes the strategy from moment to moment different. That calls for a totally different calculus.

In our case, the one who put me here (you) is not my enemy, but there are forces unseen who want my destruction. If none of that were true and all of reality was what I can interpret with my five senses then the calculus would be to achieve everything I can for myself and for those I love. However, that is not the reality. The reality is that none of this is about me. It’s all about you and the more I give of myself–the more I die to myself and take up your cross–the happier I am.

I read through an article today about a hospice chaplain who was sharing the top three regrets people had at the end of their lives. Here they are:

1. I did not live the life of my dreams.
2. I did not share my love.
3. I did not forgive.

While Satan might want us to focus on the first one and have us look back on our lives with regrets in not chasing down all of our personal dreams, I believe it is part of how you designed us that leads to the second two. You didn’t tell us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves because you need us to, but because it is what is best for us and how we are built. You didn’t say we should pray that you would forgive us as we forgive others because you were holding your forgiveness hostage, but because you know we need to extend forgiveness in order to live.

Father, help me to see what is of you in this world and what is of Satan. I know I believe his lies all of the time. I believe them because I want them to be true. I want to be able to indulge my selfishness. I want to be able to chase my own dreams and protect what I have. I want so many things for myself. But You didn’t design me that way. You designed me to worship you and love others. That’s how my life is complete. Help me to live that complete life.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Psalm 23:1-3

The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For the sake of His name.

Psalm 23:1-3

Dear God, I’ve just kind of felt like I’m slogging through mud lately. Low-grade depression? Maybe. I’ve been fortunate to not have experienced true depression often. I guess it just feels like there are so many little fires with which I have to deal in my life right now that maybe the cumulative effect is that they are getting to me a bit. And it’s not the kind of thing a vacation can help. I don’t think it’s burnout. I’ve been burned out before too. This is different. This is just fatigue. As I sit here and prepare to go to work, I have trouble summoning the enthusiasm the job requires.

But isn’t it interesting. Just saying that explicitly through typing these words to you helps to lift that feeling. There is so much power for Satan over our lives through our secrets. The secret struggle that we don’t want to admit out loud–not even to you. In my case, it’s just the fatigue. And at a macro level you have been so good to me. But on a micro one, I just see all of these little problems to solve. But this is where you stretch me and help me grow. This is where you train me to live beyond myself and live for you. And, according to David in this psalm (who obviously wrote it when he was feeling similarly to how I am feeling now), you will provide for what you need me to have when you need me to have it.

Father, help me to take my eyes off of everything and find the joy in serving you with each individual task ahead of me. Come alongside me and work with me. Love through me. Support the efforts you need me to take for your kingdom’s sake. Love through me. Grow me into the man you need me to be. Help men to take your presence and share it with those around me.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Acts 4:5-12

On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “ Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead— by this name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief cornerstone . And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:5-12

Dear God, the Jewish rulers, elders and scribes were the “builders,” but they used the wrong materials to build. They got the cornerstone wrong. Little did they know you were going to make Jesus the cornerstone anyway.

I just keep coming back to today’s church in America. How many pastors are using the wrong stones to build? How many are focusing on the wrong things? How many are placating their congregations or their own pride and vanity instead of submitting to you?

And now that I am throwing stones, let me aim them at myself. Where is my head right now? Am I doing what I can to point people to you through Jesus? Am I building with the wrong materials? Am I pointing to my own “wisdom” and “ability” as the cause for success instead of you.? Am I trying to solve others’ problems or my own problems with my own intellect instead of leaning on you? Are you my personal cornerstone?

Father, it seems that repentance is always the order of the day for me. I am sorry. I am sorry for so many things. Help me to see my own sin clearly, repent of it, and then take up my cross and follow you. Help me to pray for others. I have a friend right now who is particularly on my mind. I have relatives as well. There are so many who need your help. Please help. And help me to not only have you as my cornerstone, but to build the world I can influence by using you as the cornerstone in all my my work.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

52 Weeks Later

No verse.

Dear God, it’s been 52 weeks to the day that I was in a high state of alert with the pandemic. I took on on Thursday, March 12, to attend a court hearing with a relative, and that was the day a lot of national organizations such as the NCAA started to shut things down, realizing the COVID-19 was serious and was worthy of draconian measures to stop it. I knew that the staff at work was of two minds. Some were insisting that this was all overblown and some were insisting that we weren’t taking this seriously enough. I felt like my job was to find the correct path–your path–forward. We had a fundraising dinner coming up. We had patients, volunteers, and staff who needed to be protected. We had a role to play in our community’s response to the new pandemic. What did you want us to do? What did you want me to do?

My response was to take this Sunday one year ago to fast and pray. I actually went down to the clinic where I work and went to the chapel. After praying for a little while, I got my laptop and typed an email to our medical director, dentist, and therapist, outlining my thinking and what I heard the Holy Spirit telling me. I won’t go into the details of everything we decided, but I can tell you it was a time of pressure that pushed me into a state of desiring to be as close to you as possible. I wanted to get this right under your blessing and leadership. Looking back, I think that happened. I think you really provided for us.

So now I sit here one year later, and I can see that you’ve done some amazing things. But there are still some decisions to be made. What do we do about loosening up any restrictions? How far do we go in opening up our facility at work to anyone who wants to come in the door? What do we do with our fundraising events for the rest of the year? How should we work with our donors? What role do we have to play in our community’s continued response? How do I bless the staff and balance between making their lives easier/safer, and ensuring we help every single person you bring to us? Then there are the personal things. What kinds of precautions do my wife and I still need to take? Church? Eating out? Shopping? Visiting family. We’ve both been fortunate enough to be vaccinated, but there is still so much that is unknown about the variants of COVID-19. What do you have for us to do?

Father, I want to take this day as well to fast and pray. I’ll admit that I’m not as much looking for guidance and I am wanting to center myself on you. Selfishly, I am hoping you will see this pious act on my part and reward it. Hmm, that is an interesting thing to admit to myself. What is my motivation? It’s actually pretty selfish. I’m sorry. No, what I want is your insight into this situation. I do want your guidance. Please help me as I go through this day to use this as worship of you and draw me closer to your still small voice through the Holy Spirit.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

1 Peter 3:14-15

But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be in dread, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect;

1 Peter 3:14-15

Dear God, I was having lunch with someone last week and the subject of persecution of Christians in America came up. When he complained about it, I was able to push back a little and challenge the idea that we are really persecuted. I think we call the wrong what is happening “persecution,” when reality is that we are losing our influence because our sheer numbers are declining, and, therefore, people are not as apt to go along with our opinions and do things there way. As Christians in American society, we have been in the dominant position for so long that we have a visceral reaction to the society doing things differently that we do.

So, if, on a scale of 1-10 we call this a persecution at a stage 1 or 2, what should be our response? It seems that our temptation is to try to grasp onto that power and influence and not lose it. We make it our idol and start to ignore relationship with you. We start to look to you as more our philosophy and as something to defend. Then we look to political leaders who tell us they will defend us/you. And we start to buy into the idea that you are a God that needs defended. Peter tells us here what we are defending. We aren’t defending you to society. We aren’t trying to claim societal power and influence in your name. He tells us we need to be prepared to defend the hope that is in us. We need to be ready to explain it, share it, and then let the chips fall where they may. And when we do this, we need to do it with gentleness and respect.

Father, I have been convicted lately that I am just not good at this. I am better at talking to others about the virtual cycling program I use than I am about you. Even the words I use are words I should be using for you. Words like “changed my life,” “I do it almost every day,” and “best thing I ever did.” How backwards is that. So help me to share my story of joy and peace in you more bluntly and proudly because you are the hope in me. But help me to do it with gentleness and respect. And do it all for your glory.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen