Mountain leveling, valley filling, life changing good news

I gave up on the Daily Bread Christmas devotion because their scripture selection had nothing to do with Christmas. I have no idea why they called their devotion a "Christmas devotional". It was totally random. Changed to a 5 day Advent plan, which I'm sure will stretch into 10+ days.

Rest

"Slow down, you move too fast. You've got to make the morning last.." 

It doesn't take a lot of time to slow down, just a conscious decision to quiet your heart. Sometimes when my heart and mind race it helps me to write down the things I'm thinking about. I jot them down, so I can rest assured that I won't forget them, then I lay them aside. "This time is for me and God." 

It's okay to have fun as you relax.

Read & Reflect

Today's reading from the Advent devotion is from Isaiah 40 

“Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned. Yes, the lord has punished her twice over for all her sins." 

1. Comfort: "Prophets of doom" is a phrase in the English language. Prophets are known for pronouncing judgement and calling people to "Repent!" This section begins with a command to "comfort". If I were the prophet Isaiah I would breathe a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you Lord!"  
2. When was the last time you delivered "good news" to someone? Isn't sharing the goodnews about Jesus the same as telling someone "your sad days are gone. your sins are pardoned"?
3. "punished her twice" - I think this is just an expression to say "the days of discipline are over." If God punished me for all my sin even once, all that would be left would be a pile of ash. 

"Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the lord ! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. Then the glory of the lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The lord has spoken!” 

1. Listen! - Someone is shouting and God still needs to say to us "listen". OMG, turn off your phone. Shut your mouth. Quiet your heart and listen. Why does God have to shout at us? Because we are so "thick-headed", dumb, Low SQ (spiritual quotient). Thank you God for being so patient. Thank you for shouting. I need it.
2. Clear the way, make a straight highway, fill in, level, straighten, smooth out - Wow, I have some roadwork to do. 
3. Why do I have to do anything? I thought salvation is 100% God. What is my part? 
4. How am I supposed to do this? Am I to reform my life before I can know God? I don't think so. I know this passage is a prophecy about the coming of John the Baptist. He told people to "repent". 
5. OMG - Repent. Think about how powerful repentance is: mountain leveling, valley filling, curve straightening, Lord preparing! When you repent - you simply turn around and face the Lord. That is what the word means. I'm heading one way and I realize my mistake, turn around, face the Lord, and say "from now on, I'm following you and walking your path".
6. "Then" - this is just too much. When I am prepared - THEN the glory of the Lord will be revealed." 
7. Before the birth of Christ, God sent John to "SHOUT" at them and to tell them to get ready. Some of them repented and got ready. How about me? How about you? Are you ready for some glory in your life? 

"A voice said, “Shout!” I asked, “What should I shout?” “Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field. The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the lord . And so it is with people. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” 

1. "grass" - I'm like grass. Well at least he didn't call me a weed. You're right. My life is already mostly over. It went soooooo fast. In another 30 years no one will remember me. I'll be a faded picture on my kid's bookshelf. That is really depressing, sobering, unless there is some eternal hope for us. 
2. I remember scripture says that "it is appointed for man to die once, then comes judgement." What hope is there for us? Only this - Jesus died for my sins and rose again. He promises that the one who trusts in him will have eternal life and not perish.  

"O Zion, messenger of good news, shout from the mountaintops! Shout it louder, O Jerusalem. Shout, and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah, “Your God is coming!” Yes, the Sovereign lord is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes. He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. "Isaiah 40:1-11

1.  "the sovereign Lord is coming in power" - When Jesus came at Christmas 2000 years ago, he didn't come in power. This sounds like it refers to his 2nd coming when he will come as ruler and King. I can understand how the people of Jerusalem and Judah were confused by the events of Christmas. There was no mistaking John the Baptist as the prophet who would come to prepare for the Lord. They all agreed on that even though they didn't repent and get ready. Then Jesus, this carpenter's son came, gentle like a shepherd, teaching, healing, restoring. They expected, they wanted a conquering king to throw off the yoke of the Romans. 
2. "carry lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart" - such gentleness. Angry men from the middle east, don't want that. They want a God who will tell them to strap on bombs and kill their enemies. They want jihad, not a gentle shepherd. So they crucified Jesus. What would I have done? It was my sins that put him there, not their anger.

Respond

Lord, thank you for "shouting" the good news to me. Thank you for showing me what a "wasteland" my life was and bringing me to a place of repentance.  Life is so very short. Thank you for the gift of eternal life. Thank you for the hope of eternity. Jesus, thank you for your gentleness towards us. I know you will come again as a conquering ruler with a powerful arm, yet you will always treat your children with gentleness and love. Give me boldness to "shout" the good news of Christmas to those around me. Amen

Christmas 3: the 4 R's: Do you want God to treat you as a baby or a grown child of God? part two Reflection on Gal 3:26-27

Do you want God to treat you as a baby or a grown child of God?

In his letter to Christians at Galatia Paul says "you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus." In the NLT version there was a footnote that said "sons", i.e., the word they translated as children means "sons" in the original Greek. In my last post I wrote a few questions:

• What is the difference between "son" and "child"? 
• "united with Christ in baptism" - What is the role of baptism in my union with Jesus? It sounds like baptism is where I take off the old me and put on Jesus, where I take on my new identity in Christ and become one with other Christians. 
• "true children (sons) of Abraham: What is a true son of Abraham? a false son?
• What does any of this have to do with Christmas? Why did the Daily Bread include this in their Christmas devotional? (not an important question)

When you write questions you are beginning to Reflect on what you've read. Asking questions is the BEST way to Reflect on scripture. 

Today I want to try and answer at least the first question. How do you find answers to questions like this? 

• Poll the audience?
• Call a lifeline? 
• 50/50? 

There are commentaries and Bible dictionaries that you can access online. You could wait til Sunday and ask your pastor, Rev. Knows Everything Abot the Bible, or you could try reading around. I like to search for the answer myself by reading around the paragraph to better understand what was going on. Then if I'm not sure about my conclusions I can read some online commentaries, dictionaries to see if anyone else agrees with my thinking. 

There is no way to answer most of these questions without reading around. Read the paragraphs before and after this passage. What if I don't have time? Then slow down, save it for tomorrow. Let the question cook like "long soup". Pray about it off and on during the day and at the next opportunity read around to find the answer. 

Here is what I found when I began reading around  Galatians 3:26-27. Verses 23-24 say

Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.

"For you are all children  of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.    There is no longer Jew or Gentile,  slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children  of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you."  Galatians 3:26-27

The paragraph that follows 3:26-27 says this:

Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children (babes) are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world. But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children (sons), God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child (son). And since you are his child (son), God has made you his heir.

 Paul talks about children of God in two different ways: young children and grown-up children. He's angry at the Christians in Galatia because they have gone backwards. They are trying to follow the law, but the law was meant as a guardian or nanny, a child-minder. Until Jesus came, Paul says that people needed a nanny, a guardian, a child-minder to keep us in line, but now that Jesus has come Christians have the Holy Spirit inside them to guide them. Now we are treated as adult children of God, not babies.

So when I cry out "Abba Father" it is not the whining cry of a little child "Taytay", but the cry of a grown man, "Dad, Father!" The old movie Ben Hur depicts the ceremony of adopting a full grown man as one's son. BTW, the word son can refer to a female. The meaning is referring to an adult child vs. a minor child. Here is a clip:

So what? I'm American, so I'm thinking "Can I have the car keys please?" Grown children have a whole different set of responsibilities and privileges. If I am a grown child of God, then I don't need bedtimes, curfews, rules and regulations, etc. If the Spirit of God inside of me can help me say "Abba, Father" then he can also lead me to walk in the way of Jesus. 

So what does any of this have to do with Christmas? I can't claim to know what was in the mind of the Daily Bread editors when they included this in their Christmas devotion, but 4:4 says,

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 

The right time: the first Christmas was the right time. I have all the privileges and responsibilities of an adult heir of God, child of God, because Jesus was born of Mary. He came to earth, lived under the law, and through his death on the cross, freed me from the child-minder, and adopted me as an adult son. I can now access my inheritance. The Spirit lives within me and will lead me in the way everlasting. That's what I call freedom. 

Christmas 2: the 4 R's: Galatians 3:26-27 little kid or grown up child of God?

Child of God is Child of God, right? Not so fast. Turns out that adult children have more privileges than young children. What about you?

I'm following the Daily Bread's 10 day devotional for Christmas. If you are using the Daily Bread for your devotions please READ the scriptures they suggest. The Daily Bread's 
devotional material is well written and helpful, but it is NO substitute for the Word of God. If you have to choose, then spend your time reading the suggested Scripture passage and bypass the devotional.

REST: Take a few minutes and quiet your heart before God. Prepare yourself to hear from him. Here are some rain sounds to help you relax. If you live in HK or the Philippines, you can open your window a bit and you'll have a good chance of hearing rain. :-)

READ: Today's reading is Galatians 3:26-27

"For you are all children  of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.    There is no longer Jew or Gentile,  slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children  of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you."  Galatians 3:26-27

In my version there was a footnote icon next to the words "children", so I clicked on it. It said "Greek  'sons'". That means that in the original the writer used the word "sons" instead of "children. So one of my questions is:

• What is the difference between "son" and "child"? 
• "united with Christ in baptism" - What is the role of baptism in my union with Jesus? It sounds like baptism is where I take off the old me and put on Jesus, where I take on my new identity in Christ and become one with other Christians. 
• "true children (sons) of Abraham: What is a true son of Abraham? a false son?
• What does any of this have to do with Christmas? Why did the Daily Bread include this in their Christmas devotional? (not an important question)

There is no way to answer most of these questions without reading around. Read the paragraphs before and after this passage. What if I don't have time? Then slow down, save it for tomorrow. Let the question cook like "long soup". Pray about it off and on during the day and at the next opportunity read around to find the answer. 

Christmas 1: Practicing 4Rs: meet the first evangelists

Yesterday, we had our first class on how to read the Bible. Most of those attending struggle with Bible reading. We live in a day when people don't read in depth, instead we skim read. Our fingers flick through facebook posts, looking the next interesting cat video to watch. We rarely read slowly. The Bible is meant to be read slowly. It is like an expensive chocolate. Rochere chocolates are a favorite in Hong Kong. Grocery stores have stacks of them and during Chinese New Year thousands and thousands of them are purchased to be given away as gifts. Hong Kong people know how to eat a good chocolate. They peel back the golden aluminum wrapper carefully and slowly nibble on the chocolate. They can make one piece of chocolate last for 1/2 hour. I'm American. I unwrap the chocolate, pop the whole thing in my mouth and reach for another one before I've even finished the first. I've got it wrong. You don't treat a good chocolate that way. You shouldn't read the Bible that way either. 

Most of those who attended the class on how to read the Bible use the Daily Bread as their devotional guide, so I thought I would follow the Daily Bread's Advent reading plan. You can find it on bible.com. It has 10 days of reading to help you get prepared for Christmas. I'll probably stretch it into 20 days. If you use Bible.com Bible app on your cell phone it has a useful "catch me up" feature for when you fall behind. It will move the readings forward giving you a fresh start.

Before you read, REST. Quiet your heart before God. Listen to a Christmas carol if that will help you settle your heart and prepare to hear from God.

"Lord, help me discover anew the Christ of Christmas. I want to remember and experience again the wonder of Immanuel, God in the midst of us. Here I am. I'm listening." 

READ: Here is the reading for Day 1, part A: Luke 2.8-14

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 

Reading this takes less than 30 secs, so you can read and re-read it and still have time to savor the richness.

Here are some questions to get you started:

• What were the shepherds doing? Imagine the scene. Are they awake? sleeping? 
• How does the angel show up? 
• How did they react?
• What do you think the angel looked like?
• What does he say to them?
• When do the other angels show up? What do they do? How are they described?
• How do armies sound?
• What is the announcement?
• What words does the angel use to describe Jesus?
• Where & how can the shepherds find him? 
• What is the message "shouted" out by the army of angel warriors?

One of practices we learned was to "Read around". The Daily Bread doesn't include the end of the story. Here it is:

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.  After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.  All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,  but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.  The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

Reflect:

• If the the shepherds were terrified by the appearance of 1 angel, how do you think they reacted to the appearance of an army of angels?
• After recovering from their "shock" what did the Shepherds do? List their actions. 
• What was their manner or attitude as they did the things they did? 
• What do the shepherds actions reveal about their heart attitudes?
• How did Mary, Jesus' mother respond to the story of the Shepherds?
• Think about the titles and words used to describe this newborn baby. Who is he? What does "Savior" mean? "Messiah"? 
• What purposes did the angel army say God was achieving? When you read the end of the story, do you think that these goals, glory to God, & peace to men were achieved in the lives of the shepherds?

Respond: 

• Who is this baby to you? Still a baby in a manger? Savior? Ruler (Messiah)? Lord?
• When the Shepherds heard about Jesus what did they experience? What did they do? How has meeting Jesus effected you? How will it effect your work and attitude today?
• Write a prayer. Below is mine.

"Lord, you are so amazing. A baby born in a cattle shed is Savior, Messiah, Lord of all. Wrapped in scraps of cloth and put in a feeding trough to keep him warm - could you find a more humble way to enter our world? I don't think so. Who would suspect that this child would be King of Kings and Lord of Lords? The army of angels that appeared to the Shepherds were his to command. Lord, this is crazy and wonderful. You are amazing. No wonder the shepherds went away glorify and praising God for all they had experienced. These first evangelists preached a message of praise to you. It flowed out of the joy and wonder they had experienced. Lord, I want to be like them - to share the story of Jesus from a heart of praise and wonder. I know some people will be "astonished" - doesn't say if they believed or not, but at least they heard the good news that brings great joy to all peoples. I want to be part of that. Praise God!

Learning to listen to God using the SOAP method, part 2

I'm practicing the SOAP method of Bible Study and listening to God. We Christians have turned Bible Study into such an academic scientific thing - it's a bit scary. I'm assuming the acronym SOAP is also meant to convey that by spending time listening to God and conversing with him, we will also wash and refresh our souls - like a good shower. I woke up grumpy today. Too much pressure in preparing for our anniversary celebration at Arrow. I need some time to be quiet, listen to my own heart and then to listen to God. I'm sure he'll help me align my heart to his. I hope so. To review, SOAP stands for:

• Scripture: Choose a passage of scripture to read. Read the sections before and after the scripture to be sure you understand the context. Read and Reread it over and over slowly. Read it outloud. 
• Observe: Notice what is going on? Look carefully at the words used. Write down any questions and observations you have? Notice things like repetitions, emotion words, action words, etc.
• Apply: Ask God "How does this apply to me? In this step you need to allow the Holy Spirit apply the truth to your life. Don't be a hearer only, who goes away unchanged by the truth.
• Prayer: Talk to God about what He just said to you. 

Here is a long youtube video to help you quiet your heart. You don't have to watch the whole thing. Just watch it long enough until your heart begins to quiet down. You might also want to play it at night and fall asleep to it. Before you read the Bible, prepare your heart to listen.

"Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father." Col.3.16-17 

S - For my SOAP practice I am going to use Col 3:16-17. I will return to this scripture everyday for a while and I believe God will speak to me.

O-A: Today I notice that there is an order to these commands (admonitions?). He first says "Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives" THEN he says "teach and counsel each other". For many years I taught others, but the message about Christ did not fill my life. I wasn't full of the message, I was full of self .  As my wife would say "let's just call it what it is."  I cannot count the times when I prayed to God for a message to share with others. I was like the man has guests arrive in the middle of the night and has no food to feed them. I banged on God's door crying out "this congregration is hungry and I have nothing to feed them, please help me." He did, but I was sharing truth that I wasn't experiencing. What a shame!

"in all its richness" - Wow. I love that phrase - richness. God wants to fill me with all the richness of the message about Christ. If I am filled with ALL the richness of this message then I will be prepared to teach and counsel others. That teaching will flow from an abundant life. It will have power because I am experiencing and living that which I tell others.

"Let" - that seems a bit passive. Let, allow, permit.

P- Father, I want the message of Christ, in all its richness, to fill me today. I offer myself to you - please fill me with the message. I actively yield to you. I trust you, by your Holy Spirit, to fill me with the richness of the message, the good news about Jesus. Forgive me for the many times I have tried to teach others without first experiencing your touch and filling.

SOAP Intro

"Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father."  Col.3.16-17 

 I'm going to spend some time practicing the SOAP method of Bible Study. Last week Pastor Jorge reminded me of this tool (thank you, Pastor Jorge) and it will be a good tool for those who want to learn to study, live and teach the Word to others. SOAP stands for:

• Scripture: Choose a passage of scripture to read. Read the sections before and after the scripture to be sure you understand the context. Read and Reread it over and over slowly. Read it outloud. 
• Observe: Notice what is going on? Look carefully at the words used. Write down any questions and observations you have? Notice things like repetitions, emotion words, action words, etc.
• Apply: Ask God "How does this apply to me? In this step you need to allow the Holy Spirit apply the truth to your life. Don't be a hearer only, who goes away unchanged by the truth.
• Prayer: Talk to God about what He just said to you. 

Before you open your Bible: Before you open your Bible you need to quiet your heart. Sit quietly or take a walk. Take off your headset, turn your phone onto silent and be still. Listen to your breathing and your heart beat. What tapes are playing over and over in your mind? What are you worrying about? What are you feeling? What are you afraid of? You've stayed busy and avoided these things, but you can't run or hide from them. Name the things that are screaming for your attention, write them down "I am afraid that ... " . Put a name on it. "I am feeling angry, lonely, hateful toward, happy, relieved, etc." Acknowledge what is going on in your soul. God already knows. You are the one avoiding facing this inner reality. Face your "ghosts" and then decide to focus on God. Below is a good video to help you get started. Do not be afraid of silence and stillness. God usually speaks in a "still small voice". 

If you would like to participate, and practice this method together, please leave your comments below so we can learn from each other.