12 Days of Christmas: Day 7...Explore

Happy Seventh Day of Christmas!! Today's challenge is to get out into nature. (Bundle up if necessary.) Then notice the splendor of God's creation. St. Francis was a godly man who preached the Gospel to all of creation, animals included. He lived a simple life, in what we would consider voluntary poverty. Many times, we feel awkward and stilted if we try to bring up God to strangers. One way we can combat this is to practice talking about God to the animals we see in nature. As we practice and become more comfortable with that, it will sound more natural when we talk to people. 

How can you bring the conversation to God when discussing everyday matters? 

12 Days of Christmas: Day 6...Share

Happy Sixth Day of Christmas!! On this day, we remember St. Egwin, the patron saint of widows and orphans. It is fitting that we look for those struggling to get by and do something to help them on this day. James addresses our need to DO SOMETHING about the pain around us when he wrote about faith and deeds in James 2:14-17. He directly questioned what good it was to wish someone well without doing something about their needs. John also writes on this theme in 1 John 3:17-18 when he questions if God's love is really in us when we see someone in need and do not have pity on them. When we can help, we should help. 

What opportunities to do good to those in need are around you? 

12 Days of Christmas: Day 5...Worship

Happy Fifth Day of Christmas!! Worship seems a fitting topic as we remember St. Thomas Becket, a religious man who was killed when he challenged his king's authority over the church. We worship God, not a man, not a nation, not a political party. None of these things can came before God. Before we are <national identity> or <political identity> or <relationship>, we are Christians. Anything that we put ahead of God or put on the same level as God is an idol. On this 5th day of Christmas, may we focus on God and His glory. 

How can you exalt Him, worship Him, and praise Him today and every day?  

12 Days of Christmas: Day 4...Remember

Happy Fourth Day of Christmas!! Some of the 12 days of Christmas are sad days. Today is the feast of the Holy Innocents, where we remember the massacre that happened in Bethlehem when Herod tried to kill the perceived threat to his throne by killing all boys under the age of two. Yet, this massacre would not mark the end of senseless killing and genocides. So let us learn today about what genocides are, genocides in history, and genocides that are happening today. We can research massacres, ethnic cleansings, and lynchings, both in our country of origin and around the world. Why is it important to learn about massacres and genocides? Because they are still happening today. If we choose to remain ignorant about them, we are crippling our ability to pray for both the persecuted and the people persecuting them. 

What did you learn today? 

How can you remember this? 

How does this knowledge impact your prayers? 

12 Days of Christmas: Day 3...Volunteer

Happy Third Day of Christmas!! Christmas is not meant to be a season where we GET as much as we can; it's supposed to be a season where we GIVE (of our time, resources, and money) to help others. Our temptation is to volunteer with and serve those who are similar to us, but this is a day to love and listen to those who are different from us. A lot of places get an influx of eager volunteers during the month of December, but there is a need for volunteers January-November too. Our culture preaches that our interests, our comfort level, and our preferences should dictate our actions, but I would challenge us to volunteer where the need is greatest instead of based on what WE are interested in. 

Where can you volunteer? 

Where can you continue to volunteer throughout the coming year?

12 Days of Christmas: Day 2...Fellowship

Happy Second Day of Christmas!! It may seem odd to focus on fellowshipping, on a day where we remember the martyrs and the persecuted, starting with Stephen. Yet, what is fellowshipping? In short, it is joining in a relationship and communing together. It is a community joined through a common interest or feeling. Our primary identity should be our faith, not our nationality, job, family ties, or any other description of who we are. This day, we are remembering and fellowshipping with our Christians brothers and sisters around the world. We are joining with our brothers and sisters in Africa, Asia, Central America, Europe, North America, South America, and all other places. 

Who do you know who is a fellow believer in Christ, but who doesn't share our nationality? 

Who can you invite over and invest in? Many international students at colleges and universities would LOVE to be invited into a local home for local holidays and events. 

Who can you invite over to join in your celebration and remembrance? 

12 Days of Christmas: Overview and Day 1...Give to Jesus

Welcome to Christmastide!! After the fasting of Advent, we are ready to celebrate for all 12 days of Christmas. 

Last year, I did a series on the 12 Days of Christmas, looking at the person of note, theme, song, and verse for each day. This year, we will look at the person of note and last year's theme, through the lens of 12 actions we can take during the 12 Days of Christmas. 

Date	Person or People of Note	2020 Theme	2021 Theme
12/25	Jesus	Celebrate Jesus’ Birth	-Giving to Jesus
12/26	St. Stephen	Christian martyrs and the persecuted	-Fellowshipping
12/27	St. John the Apostle	Loving and listening to those who are different from you	-Volunteering
12/28	The Holy Innocents (the children killed in Herod’s Genocide)	Those killed by governments. Refugees in our midst	-Remembering
12/29	St. Thomas Becket	Obeying God rather than man	-Worshipping
12/30	St. Egwin	Caring for widows and orphans	-Sharing (with those struggling to get by)
12/31	St. Francis of Assisi (in lieu of Pope Sylvester I)	Sharing the Gospel	-Exploring (in nature)
1/1	Mary	God’s response to the powerful and powerless	-Feasting
1/2	St. Basil and St. Gregory	The Trinity and Sharing the Gospel	-Giving (to people)
1/3	Holy Name of Jesus	The Names of Jesus	-Creating (Food/Treats)
1/4	St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (in lieu of St. Simon)	The way the persecuted church is supposed to act	-Rejoicing
1/5	St. John Neumann	As citizens of heaven, we are immigrants	-Sojourning
1/6	The Wise Men/Magi	Identifying biblical stories and commands instead of our culture's version	Have we realized what Epiphany means for Gentiles?

Happy First Day of Christmas!! Today, we are celebrating Jesus' birth, which begs the question: "What did you get for Jesus to celebrate His birth?" We normally are good at giving gifts to family members, friends, and coworkers, but what do we give to Jesus? There are many gifts which seem up His alley. We can make a donation in His honor to a Christian organization. We can buy something to help a struggling family, such as an animal or supplies for a steady livelihood through a group such as Heifer International.  We can do something for "the least of these" (the hungry, the homeless, the stranger, the prisoner), since Jesus said in Matthew 25 that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for Him. 

So what did you get for Jesus for His birthday? 

Waiting/Listening/Leaning into Silence/Darkness: A Fourth Sunday Advent Devotional

We have navigated another Advent today. We have just 6 days left in this season. 

Our culture struggles to delay gratification as we overindulge for a solid 4-6 weeks, but Advent is a time of fasting as we anticipate the feasting to come. Which better reflects the Christian walk: overindulgence and gluttony or fasting and moderation? 

Our culture pushes consumerism, even to the point of going into debt, as a sign of our love for others; Advent is about reflecting on the gift God gave us. Have we written God a thank you note for His gift? What have we gotten for Jesus on His birthday? 

Our culture has a great Fear Of Missing Out (sometimes called FOMO), but Advent is a season of paring down to the essentials, such as focusing on the Christ Child. How does a simplified Advent schedule allow us to focus on Jesus? 

Our culture encourages us to rush to the next "picture-perfect" activity with our family, yet Advent is a season of waiting for Christmas Day. Are we tempted to skip this season of waiting? 

Our culture cranks up the volume to maximize "holiday cheer"; Advent is a period of silence and listening for God's still, small voice. How can we expect to hear from God if we refuse to turn off the radio, the TV, the noise of the season? 

Our culture tries to chase away the dark of winter by cranking up the lights, yet Advent is about focusing on the Light of the World in the midst of the darkness. What can we learn about the Light of the World from a candle burning in a dark room? 

Making Room for the Christ Child: A Third Sunday Advent Devotional

Advent is a time of fasting. Advent is a season to reflect on receiving God's gift of reconciliation through Jesus and preparing to give Him a gift from us as well. This week, we will look at ways we can make (and keep) room for Jesus in our Advent schedules. Every year, despite our best intentions, our calendars fill up in the Advent season until we are rushing around too much to be full participants in Advent. Yet, many of our activities are secular instead of sacred, as we chase after the nostalgia of past Christmases. 

Advent is a season that starts 4 Sundays before Christmas. What would our Advent be like if we refrained from rushing from celebration to celebration? What if we kept the celebrations for the 12 days of Christmas and we more intentional about our season of waiting and watching? This year (2021), Advent starts November 28th and runs through December 24th. 

Many of us are tempted to fill empty spaces on our calendars, so why don't we pencil in the Advent activities that center around the Christ Child? Before we overcrowd our schedules with things unrelated to Jesus' birth, we can instead reserve space for Him in our calendars and our lives. So let us schedule time for the Advent devotional and the Christmas Eve service. Let us set aside time for contemplating what we can learn about Christ in Advent and reserve time for listening to Advent songs. Let us challenge ourselves to differentiate between Advent and Christmas songs, and choose to listen to them in their proper season. 

One of my new favorite Advent traditions is the burning of a Danish Christmas Candle. It has 24 marks on it, meant to be burned an hour each day leading up to Christmas. It is a daily time of stillness and pausing as the candle needs to be lit for a continuous hour to properly burn down. It encourages me to minimize my travel and trips, because it shouldn't be burned in hotel rooms or borrowed spaces. While the candle is burning, it's a good time to wrap up in a blanket, drinking a hot cup of tea, and listen to Advent songs. By burning this candle throughout Advent, I find myself making room and preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus. 

How can we make room for the Christ Child this Advent season?

Approaching Gifts Differently: A Second Sunday Advent Devotional

Last week, we considered how Advent has been a time of fasting. This week, we take a drastically different approach to the concept of gifts: Christmas isn't about the gifts we give to other people or the gifts we receive from them. Christmas should be a time to reflect on the gift God has given us and that we are giving Jesus for His birthday. 

Let us reflect on the greatest gift ever given: Jesus becoming flesh to reconcile us with God. But we have turned Advent into a frenzy of list-making, shopping, and wrapping. Why? Tradition? Vanity? We mouth the words that Christmas is about the gift God gave us in Jesus, but we spend the bulk of our time, energy, and money on gifts for each other. We rush through reading the Christmas story (if we read it at all) so we can get to the gift opening. Instead of drifting along on the cultural current of consumerism, we can shift our focus to God's gift to us, and consider what gift Jesus would like from us this year. 

How can we represent the gift that God gave us in the person of Jesus? Let us brainstorm ways that we can make this into a tangible and meaningful gift on Christmas Day.

• Wrap up your "baby Jesus in the manger" from your nativity set to open on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Open that gift first and take time to reflect on what this gift means for us. Write a thank you note to God for His gift. Pause before getting to the other presents and consider how this gift has impacted our lives. 
• Design a gift voucher about God's gift. Take time to look up Scripture verses and add them to the certificate. When God gave us Jesus, what impact does it have on our lives? What is He carting off from us? What does He add into our lives? What changes can we expect? 
• Take a spiritual gift survey to learn about the spiritual gift(s) God has given you. Consider ways to use this gift in the coming year. 
• We could reserve Christmas Day for opening God's gift and giving Him our own gift in return. We have 11 other days of Christmas where we can open the gifts from humans and give our own gifts to them. 

Now that we have taken steps to ensure that we will give proper time and attention to God's gift, let us consider what we should give to the birthday boy Himself: Jesus. There are poems and songs aplenty, referencing that Christmas is Jesus' birthday and we shouldn't leave Him off our lists, but this begs the question: What have we given to Jesus for His birthday? I view Matthew 25 as Jesus' wish list. When we are in doubt about what to get for the Creator who made everything, we can feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, donate clothes to those lacking, visit the sick and the imprisoned, and so on. 

• We can give to a charity in Jesus' honor. 
• We can give of our time to volunteer serving those marginalized by society. 
• We can look for things in our house to pass on to those who are in need.
• We can decrease our splurges and overindulgences this season to have more to give to others. 
• We can make Jesus a coupon book of things we will give up or take on for Him. Schedule times over the next year to use up the coupon book. 

How can we prepare to receive God's gift this Advent season? What are we giving Jesus for His birthday? 

Fasting in Advent: A First Sunday Advent Devotional

Introducing Advent

Welcome to Advent! This is separate and distinct from the Christmas season. So even though our culture tries to rush into the celebration, we first participate in the season of Advent, a season of waiting, preparing, and fasting. Fasting!?!? Yes, fasting. In the Church Year, Advent has traditionally been a time to fast as we prepare for the celebration of Jesus's birth. But before diving into today's topic of fasting during Advent, we will first look at the big picture plan for this season. Advent covers the period of time of the 4 Sundays before Christmas. So each Sunday of Advent, there will be a new blogpost in this series, looking at one of the aspects of Advent. This week, we will cover fasting, next week, we will consider gifts from a new light. The third week, we will look at how to make room for the Christ Child in a season that is chronically overbooked and stuffed with activities that are meant to be fun, but tend to add to our stress. Finally we will discuss how the waiting, listening, silence, and even darkness of Advent prepares us for the celebration of Christmastide. 

Fasting in Advent

Last year I learned that Advent, in the Church Year, has traditionally been a time of fasting, just like Lent is. Some people fast for the 40 days before Christmas (discounting Sundays of course), whereby others might fast from All Saint's Day (November 1st) until Christmas Eve (December 24th). 

Why should we consider fasting during Advent? It fits with the theme of waiting and anticipating, for one. We aren't celebrating in Advent, we celebrate during Christmastide (aka the 12 days of Christmas). So instead of a month of feasting, cramming our schedules full of secular traditions, or otherwise rushing into Christmas, we wait, fast, and pray. 

Fasting in the Bible has traditionally been food. There are plenty of resources on the internet about the biblical examples of fasting and how to fast. I will recommend this fasting guideline that outlines a 9 step process to fasting. So instead of going from "never" to "fully fasting", we can gradually adjust our fasting levels as we cut out different foods. (FYI, the fully fasting means "no meat, fish, dairy products, wine or oil during the entirety of Great Lent" so I'm not talking about not eating for 40 days, but I'm talking about restricting what I eat while still getting all of the vital nutrients). 

I personally do a blend of Wesleyan fasting and Greek Orthodox fasting. During Lent and Advent, I A) reduce the types of food that I eat and B) wait until the afternoon to eat. So I am still eating during the times of fasting, but the non-essential foods are set aside for this season and I delay when I break my fast for the day. For those who must eat meals on a regular schedule for their health, then still eat all 3 meals, but consider cutting out non-essential snacks and non-essential dishes)

How can we fast this Advent season? 

Thanksgiving in the Bible

This season of Ordinary Time has drawn to a close. I was debating whether to dive into Christ the King Sunday or a theme of Thanksgiving. Since I had written posts in 2013 and 2018 on Christ the King Sunday and posts in 2012 and 2020 on Thanksgiving, I don't feel a need to "reinvent the wheel" for the sake of publishing a post today. I considered discussing Pollyanna's Rejoicing Texts, but once more, I did that in 2013. 

So this year, let's take a step back from the American holiday of Thanksgiving and consider the biblical side of thanksgiving (30), giving thanks (6), and give thanks (48).

 

As we look at summaries of these verses, let us consider: 

-What verses are presented as historical examples? (i.e. They dedicated the wall with songs of thanksgiving)

-What verses are presented as commands/instructions? (i.e. Sing to the Lord with praise and thanksgiving)

-What verses are future-oriented/prophecies? (i.e. There will be future thanksgiving)

-What are the outlier verses about? How would you categorize them? 

-What can we learn from the historical examples? 

-How can we summarize the commands and instructions? (There are 13 command bullet points. Can we reduce them down further?)

-What WILL cause future thanksgiving of God? 

-When can we expect future thanksgiving? 

-What can we learn about the outlier verses? 

-Would you sort these in a different manner? How would you sort them? 

-What can we learn about thanksgiving, giving thanks, and give thanks from our blitz through the Bible? 

Thanksgiving in the Bible

• Fellowship offering of thanksgiving (Leviticus 7:13, Leviticus 7:15)
• Sing to the Lord with praise and thanksgiving (Ezra 3:11)
• There was a (music) director and associates who led in thanksgiving and prayer (Nehemiah 11:17, Nehemiah 12:8, Nehemiah 12:46)
• One service had people standing to give praise and thanksgiving, and one section responded to the other (Nehemiah 12:24)
• The newly rebuilt wall of Jerusalem was dedicated with songs of thanksgiving (Nehemiah 12:27)
• A psalmist praises God’s name in song and glorifies Him with thanksgiving (Psalm 69:30)
• A psalmist urges the people to come before God with thanksgiving and to extol Him with music and song (Psalm 95:2)
• A psalmist urges the people to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. We are to give thanks to Him and praise Him (Ps. 100:4) 
• The prophets prophesied future thanksgiving (Isaiah 51:3, Jeremiah 30:19)
• In our modern Bibles, “thanksgiving” shows up as the heading of multiple passages of Scripture. So these would be good passages to expand out into the complete passage. (1 Corinthians 1:4, Ephesians 1:15, Philippians 1:13, Colossians 1:3, 1 Thessalonians 1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:3, 2 Timothy 1:3, Philippians 1:4)
• Paul talks about the cup of thanksgiving in regards to communion/the Lord’s supper. (1 Corinthians 10:16)
• Paul notes that people cannot agree with our thanksgiving if we aren’t speaking the common language (1 Corinthians 14:16)
• Paul wants thanksgiving to overflow, so God may be glorified (2 Corinthians 4:15)
• Paul notes that when we are generous and empower workers to carry out God’s calling, then this will result in thanksgiving to God (2 Corinthians 9:11)
• We should have thanksgiving instead of improper topics of conversation (Ephesians 5:4)
• We should pray and petition in every situation with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6)
• We should pray, petition, intercede, and offer thanksgiving for all people (1 Timothy 2:1)
• God created food to be received with thanksgiving and so we shouldn’t reject any food if we receive it with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:3-4)

Giving Thanks in the Bible

• Daniel continued praying and giving thanks to God, even after a law was passed that made it illegal (Daniel 6:10)
• Paul notes that giving thanks while speaking in tongues works for us, but doesn’t edify others. (1 Corinthians 14:17)
• Paul was giving thanks for the Ephesians as he remembered them in his prayers (Ephesians 1:16)
• Paul was giving (joyful) thanks to the Father (Ephesians 5:20, Colossians 1:12, Colossians 3:17)

Give Thanks in the Bible

• Command: Give thanks to the Lord (1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 100:4, Psalm 106:1, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 118:1/29, Psalm 136:1-3/26, 1 Thessalonians 5:18)
• Petition: Save us, so that we may give thanks to You (1 Chronicles 16:35, Psalm 106:47
• Someone's Job: People were chosen and designated to give thanks to the Lord (1 Chronicles 16:41, 2 Chronicles 20:21, 2 Chronicles 31:2, Nehemiah 12:24, Nehemiah 12:31)
• Prayer: we give thanks to You (1 Chronicles 29:13) 
• Musicians gave praise and thanks to God (2 Chronicles 5:13)
• Plan: I will give thanks to You/the Lord (Psalm 7:17, Psalm 9:1, Psalm 35:18, Psalm 118:19/21, Psalm 119:62)
• Instructions: Let them give thanks to God (Psalm 107:8/15/21/31)
• Prophecy: There will be people calling for others to give thanks to God (Jeremiah 33:11)
• Jesus’ example: Jesus had given thanks before eating and drinking (Matthew 15:36, Matthew 26:26-27, Mark 8:6, Mark 14:22-23, Luke 22:19, Luke 24:30, John 6:23, 1 Corinthians 11:24) 
• We should give thanks to God when we eat or abstain (Romans 14:6)
• Paul thanks God because of His grace given to us (1 Corinthians 1:4) *this one has “thank” and “give”, but doesn’t quite fit in the theme. 
• We give thanks for the cup of thanksgiving (1 Corinthians 10:16)
• Thank God; He gives us victory through Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:57) *this one has “thank” and “give”, but doesn’t quite fit in the theme. 
• Many will give thanks for the successes of the missionaries because of the prayers of the church (2 Corinthians 1:11)
• We will give glory, honor, and thanks to God (Revelation 4:9)
• We will tell God that we give thanks to Him (Revelation 11:17)

Romans 12: Part 23

Romans 12: Part 23

After instructing us to let God handle the avenging and to treat our enemies humanely, Paul finishes this chapter with the command "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

The evil in the world wants to win. It wants to overwhelm and overpower God's people. It wants to drag us down to its level, where we make poor choices in the name of "the ends justify the means". If it can get us to lie, cheat, and steal under the guise of "winning a victory for Christ", then we have tarnished our witness as Christians and dragged Jesus' name through the mud. We must resist copying evil's ways to get our own way. How we achieve our goals matter just as much as the actual achievement. 

Instead of being overcome by evil, we should instead overcome evil with good. When we are hurt, we should not retaliate in anger and lash out. When we are wronged, we should forgive. When we are mocked and persecuted, we should pray for the people persecuting us. When someone strikes us on one cheek, we should turn the other cheek. (If you are in an abusive relationship, please seek help and refuge at a shelter. This verse does not justify ongoing abuse that we must continue to take because the abuser has twisted Scripture in an attempt to spiritualize their abuse.) Instead of sinking to their level and copying their tactics, we choose to obey Jesus' commands in how we treat them.

Questions to Wrestle With

Take time this week to consider: 

-How has evil tried to overcome you? 

-How have you tried to overcome evil with good? 

The End of Ordinary Time

For 23 weeks we have looked at and studied Romans 12. Yet, each season in the Church Year must draw to a close and make room for the next one. Next Sunday is the last Sunday before the season of Advent begins (the 4 Sundays before Christmas Day). In the Church Year, this Sunday is traditionally Christ the King Sunday, where we acknowledge His authority as the King of the Universe. Since this Sunday falls right before Thanksgiving (this year), we will be studying what the Bible says about "thanksgiving", "giving thanks", and "give thanks". 

New International Version (NIV)

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Romans 12: Part 22

 Romans 12: Part 22

After telling us in verse 18 to "live at peace with everyone" with the qualifiers "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you," Paul goes on in verses 19 and 20 to tell us "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”"

Don't Take Revenge

We should not take revenge. We should not take revenge. We should not take revenge. 

If someone hurts us with their words, we should not take revenge. 

If someone cheats us or steals from us, we should not take revenge. 

If someone mistreats us, we should not take revenge. 

If someone persecutes us, we should not take revenge. 

We should not take revenge. We should not take revenge. We should not take revenge. 

Let God (the Avenger) Handle It

God handles the avenging. God will repay each person according to their deeds. (He said that He would in Deut. 32:35) If we are mistreated because of the Gospel (not our political affiliations or our own failures to live out the Scriptures), then God will handle it. To those who disobey His commands, they will face His wrath. But before we think we are safe, we need to remember that sin is not just "doing bad things", but is also "not doing good things". So if we are dehumanizing the people at our borders, the people on the other side of the political aisle, the people marginalized by society (the widow, orphan, stranger, poor, etc.), then we will be facing God's wrath. God cares for those on the margins of society and when we neglect them, Jesus counts it as we are neglecting HIM (see the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31-46). The way we treat other people and the way we talk about other people, even if they are not there (which is gossip), can earn us our own share of God's wrath. He will avenge His people's mistreatment, so let us carefully consider if our actions are wracking up His wrath. 

How to Treat Your Enemy

Instead of taking revenge, we should treat our enemy like, well, like we want to be treated. If our enemy is hungry, we should feed them. If our enemy is thirsty, we should give them something to drink. The quote from the Old Testament (Prov. 25:21-22) continues to say that treating our enemy well will "heap burning coals on his head". When someone treats us poorly and we respond by treating them well, then it will bother and perplex them. They might even want to know why we are helping them after the way they treated us. And that opens the door to sharing the Good News of Jesus, who commands us (in Matthew 5) to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors. 

Questions to Wrestle With

Take time this week to consider: 

-When are you often tempted to take revenge? 

-How do you tend to avenge yourself? 

-When do you leave the avenging to God? 

-Which of your actions have earned your own share of God's wrath? 

-Which of God's people do you tend to mistreat? 

-When have you fed your enemy? 

-When have you given your enemy something to drink? 

-When has treating your enemy well confused them? 

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Romans 12: Part 21

 Romans 12: Part 21

After telling us to "be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone", Paul goes on to write "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" in verse 18.

After all this time of giving reminders that Paul (or Jesus or whoever was speaking) did NOT give qualifiers to their command, we have qualifiers with this command! The base command is "live at peace with everyone", but it is preceded by two qualifiers, "If it is possible," and "as far as it depends on you,".

Paul knows that sometimes we will try to live at peace with everyone, but we can't control other people. We can only control ourselves and our responses. We can't make another person happy or sad, but we can treat them well or poorly. We are responsible for our emotions and our responses, and other people are responsible for their emotions and their responses. 

Yet, we shouldn't be hasty in writing off large groups of people as "impossible to live at peace with". Paul didn't say "live at peace with everyone from your nation". Everyone is broader than that. Paul didn't say "live at peace with everyone who shares your religion or political affiliations". Everyone is broader than that. It is our human nature, not our spiritual nature, that tries to limit our definition of "everyone". 

But throughout the Bible, God has been broadening our definition of a neighbor, of those we care for, of those we love. So instead of just loving those we like, those who look like us, those who share similar religious or political ties, let us love everyone. Let us love the foreigner just as well as we love the native-born. Let us live at peace with people of different religions and political parties, just as well as we live at peace within our own clique. Let us pray for those who mistreat us and mock us, just as much as we pray for those we like and love. 

But if we can, if it is in our power to do so, we should live at peace with everyone. This verse doesn't come with a promise. Paul doesn't add "and I guarantee you won't be hurt, mocked, killed, or taken advantage of". But we can choose to love our enemies, even when we are being mocked. We can pray for our persecutors, even when we are being threatened. We can pray for those asking for help, even when we doubt their sincerity. 

Questions to Wrestle With

Take time this week to consider: 

-How do you do with the base command "live at peace with everyone"?

-How often do you think it is impossible to live at peace with a group of people? 

-How much does living at peace with everyone depend on you? What is in your control when it comes to living at peace with everyone? 

-How do you tend to narrow down "everyone" so you just live at peace with those you like, who look like you, or who believe like you? 

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Romans 12: Part 20

Romans 12: Part 20

After telling us that we should "not repay anyone evil for evil", Paul goes on to write that we should "be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone" in the second part of verse 17. 

This is a harder passage today, because my initial interpretation is "we need to do what everyone sees as right", but everyone has a different version of what they think is right. So it seems impossible to live this out in our divided, polarized, and argumentative country and world. There are people with diametrically opposed views of what is right, so for us to do what is right in Person A's eyes, we are doing what is wrong in Person B's eyes. 

 It would be easier if Paul merely wrote "be careful to do what is right in the eyes of God". That is at least clear cut and definable. God has made it clear in His word that He wants us to love Him and love each other. Then He gave 613 examples (commandments) in the Old Testament to break this down further. Additionally, we have the commands of the New Testament to guide us as well. 

When a passage confuses us, we can look through different translations to shed new light on a confusing passage. On the Bible app on my phone, I can click "compare" and see the verse in every English translation. Yet for many commentaries, it is useful to go a bit old school in our translations. In the King James, this verse is translated as "Provide things honest in the sight of all men." and the New King James translates this verse as "Have regard for good things in the sight of all men".

We can also look into a few Bible commentaries on this verse (here and here). The first commentary (here), using the NKJV, interprets this passage as instructions to live by praising the good in the world. The commentator goes further and states that people should be able to tell what is good (and what is not good), based on our conduct. The second commentary (here), using the KJV, interprets this passage as we should do, study, plan to do, and intentionally do things that are good so that our actions will recommend our religion to everyone we interact with. 

After reading these commentaries, I can see where an alternative interpretation is possible. Instead of being "we need to do what everyone sees as right", it could be interpreted as "we need to do what is right in sight/view of everyone we meet". When we are confused with a passage, we shouldn't just shrug our shoulders and move on. We have resources available to us that can clarify, shed light, and widen our perspectives. 

Questions to Wrestle With

Take time this week to consider: 

-How have you been careful to do what is right in the sight of everyone? 

-Which translation of this verse makes the most sense for you? 

-How do the Bible commentaries shed additional light on this passage? 

-How can you apply this verse to your life? 

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Romans 12: Part 19

 Romans 12: Part 19

After Paul writes that we are NOT supposed to be conceited, he goes on, in the first part of verse 17, to tell us that we should "not repay anyone evil for evil." 

This is hard. It is human nature to lash out and attack when we are hurt. If someone wrongs us, either through their actions, words, or some other means, then we want to hurt them back. However, merely getting them back is too light of a retribution. We want to escalate things and get our revenge. 

Yet we are commanded here not to repay anyone evil for evil. Parts 22 and 23 will return to this theme as we finish up this series. If someone wrongs us, we aren't to treat them poorly too. If someone hurts us, we aren't to hurt them back. If someone gossips about us, we aren't to spread lies and rumors about them. 

Jesus teaches us in the Sermon on the Mount, that we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. If we insist on repaying people evil for evil, then we are not following Paul's or Jesus' commands. In this case, our human nature is fully opposite of how we are called to respond to those who do us harm. We can either respond as Jesus commands us to, or we can respond according to our human nature. We can't obey Jesus AND get our revenge. 

Questions to Wrestle With

Take time this week to consider: 

-When have you been tempted to repay someone evil for evil? 

-Do you want to repay evil for evil when someone's actions harm you? Their words? Something else? 

-How does your human nature resist Jesus' and Paul's teaching? 

-Do you normally give in to your human nature or follow your spiritual nature? 

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Romans 12: Part 18

Romans 12: Part 18

After telling us to not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position, Paul goes on to tell us to "not be conceited" in the third part of verse 16. Conceited, essentially, means to have an excessively favorable opinion of oneself, according to dictionary.com . We are not to be vain or have an inaccurately positively opinion of ourselves.

Paul also discussed this in Philippians 2:3-4 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

Sometimes, we can identify where we hold a conceited opinion of ourselves, by observing when we expect praise for our work and how we react when we don't get it. We can also identify when we try to show off and get people to notice our accomplishments. 

Conceit is the opposite of humility and God calls us to be humble. (See what the Bible says about being HUMBLE and having HUMILITY). God is the source of everything good in our lives AND the Holy Spirit gave us our spiritual gifts. When we are conceited, we are at risk of blaspheming God by claiming credit for what HE has done in our lives. (Blasphemy is more than just cursing God, it is also not showing the reverence God deserves.) 

Questions to Wrestle With

Take time this week to consider: 

-How have you been conceited? 

-What areas do you have an excessively favorable opinion of yourself? 

-What do you do so well that you expect thanks and praise for your effort? 

-How do you react when you don't receive the thanks and praise you expect? 

-What tasks/achievements do you try to show off? 

-In what ways do you give God the credit for the good and gifts in your lives? 

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Romans 12: Part 17

Romans 12: Part 17 

Paul just told us that we are to live in harmony with one another. He went on to command us to "not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position" in verse 16b. 

Pride or humility? Which do we lean towards? It's a tricky thing, because if we identify ourselves with the humble, we might be at risk of being proud of that!

We are commanded "do not be proud", yet many of us are proud: of our nationality, our family members, our own achievements. In short, pride is satisfaction in our own accomplishments or other things that make us look good. Whereas God tells us in Jeremiah 9:24 that if we boast, we should boast that we know Him, the God who is kind, just, and righteous. 

Far too often, we make our faith and religion about us: the music we like, the sermon style we prefer, the small group where we're comfortable, etc. We even make salvation and our testimony about ourselves as well! Yet, I would challenge us to learn to shift the focus from ourselves to God, going from "I accepted Jesus as my personal savior. I turned from my sins. I have been practicing the fruit of the Spirit" to "God reached out to me when I was lost. God saved me from my sins. The Holy Spirit has been cultivating these virtues in my life." We cannot save ourselves. We cannot do enough, obey well enough, or purify ourselves enough to be holy. We are holy because GOD made us holy. We are saved because GOD saved us. When we take the credit for our righteousness, we are forgetting who really has been doing the work in our lives. 

There are those who are too proud to do certain types of work or be friends with those workers. Paul is calling out this attitude. We should not avoid rubbing shoulders with the poor or those are the margins of society (the stranger, the widow, the orphan). These are the people that society draws back from, tries to ignore, yet we should not be proud and stand-offish, but should treat them humanely, as we want to be treated (see Matthew 7:12). 

Paul didn't add "if it's convenient" here. Most likely it won't be. Things aren't as neat and tidy as we'd like when we're dealing with real people facing real problems. So once again, we are left with the choice: will we obey or will we disobey this command? 

Questions to Wrestle With

Take time this week to consider: 

-Do you struggle with pride and being prideful? 

-When have you been proud of your humility? 

-What do you take pride in? 

-How have your made your faith about you and your preferences? 

-How can you shift the focus back to God? 

-Are you too proud to do certain types of jobs? 

-Do you tend to avoid certain groups of people because of their social status? 

-When has your willingness to associate with people of low position been inconvenient? Was it still worth it? 

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Romans 12: Part 16

Romans 12: Part 16

After covering when to mourn and when to rejoice, Paul goes on to tell us to "live in harmony with one another" in verse 16a. 

Harmony

When I first hear the word "harmony", I think of music, but the other definition is more fitting here. Dictionary.com says that harmony means to be in agreement and to be in accord with each other. It involves a consistent, orderly, and/or pleasing arrangement of parts. It is congruity. 

We like for people to agree WITH US and to arrange things according to OUR OPINIONS, but when we live in harmony, sometimes we are the ones yielding and sacrificing. In our society today, we have so many lines drawn in the sand and so many hills that people will die on. Yet, throughout the whole of Scripture, we have the theme of selflessness, sacrifice, and yielding our desires to others. 

Living in harmony does not mean that one side always capitulates and the other side always gets their way. That is a recipe to create a tyrant. But it involves both sides, holding loosely to what they want, and willing to put someone else's preference before our own. Sometimes, we yield, sometimes we "get our way", and sometimes we compromise where both sides bend and find a mutually beneficial arrangement. 

One Another

Examining the "one another" verses of the Bible is a delightful course of study. If we are unsure of how to treat our fellow believers, then we should dive into this subject. 

This isn't a command just for others as in "this is how they should treat you", but this is a command to both parties reading this passage. As human beings, we are often highly concerned with what others are doing. Many people are unwilling to follow a command like this out of fear that they will be the only one obeying and therefore will be taken advantage of. Yet, we can only control ourselves and our obedience. If we obey this verse and someone else disobeys it (therefore refusing to live in harmony with us), then they will answer for their deeds before God, just as we will answer for our deeds as well.

Living in harmony with others is not easy. We will mess up. We will need to ask forgiveness and to forgive others. But we must keep working on living out this command.  

Questions to Wrestle With

Take time this week to consider: 

-What does living in harmony look like to you? 

-When was the last time you compromised for the sake of harmony? 

-When was the last time you yielded your preference for the sake of harmony? 

-When have you gone along with someone else's preferences for the sake of harmony? 

-How familiar are you with the one another verses? 

-Do you often get hung up on "but what about them obeying this command?"? 

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Romans 12: Part 15

 Romans 12: Part 15

After Paul tells us to bless (NOT CURSE) our persecutors, he goes out to tell us to "rejoice with those who rejoice" and to "mourn with those who mourn". It's interesting that these are written in the command form. Paul didn't say "it might be a good idea to..." or "it's fabulous if you can manage to...". As Christians, we are commanded to rejoice and mourn with people who rejoice and mourn respectively. This isn't presented as a side quest or an optional addition to our day, but something that we are supposed to live out as we come across people rejoicing and mourning. When a command is given in the Bible (without a specific recipient, such as the Levites, priests, or king), we don't get to decide if we like it or want to do it; we can either obey God or choose to disobey. There isn't a middle ground where we can opt out because it really isn't our thing. 

Rejoicing with Those Rejoicing

There are plenty of people in the world who are wet blankets, pessimists, and otherwise negative people. Don't be like them. When someone tells us good news, let us rejoice with them! They are excited about it! They are telling it to us so that we can be excited with them. It is so hurtful when we tell someone good news, only to have them poke holes in it under the guise of being "realistic". 

Even though we, as a society, are pretty determined to "pop people's bubbles", "poke holes in their excitement", and otherwise bring down someone who is too joyful, we still like the concept of rejoicing with those who rejoice. So it's easy to encourage people to rejoice with those who rejoice, because we like to think of ourselves as positive people who do this effortlessly. It's a lot harder to mourn with those who mourn. 

Mourning with Mourners

When someone is having a bad day or is feeling blue, they don't always need to be told why they should be happy. Sometimes in our rush to make people feel better, we end up trying to minimize their pain instead of acknowledging it and mourning with them. Telling a person "other people have it worse" doesn't make them feel better; it makes them feel guilty! Refuting a person's description of their bad day with "you have so much to be thankful for!" shows that we are unwilling to mourn with them as we try to force them to "cheer up".

Sometimes, a person just needs to be heard without being told that they shouldn't feel that way. There is a time and a place to lovingly push back on a person's complaining, but there also is a time and a place to just listen to someone vent and assure them that they are having a normal reaction and the situation stinks. 

Our society is really bad at mourning with the mourners. We are uncomfortable with tears and other expressions of sorrow, so we either hightail it out of there or try to get them to "look on the bright side". But when dreams or people are laid to rest, sometimes we just need someone to mourn with us for a bit before life moves on. 

It is hard to sit with someone in their pain. When your words can't fix things. When you can't do anything to improve their situation. When the only words you have to offer are "I'm sorry you're experiencing that. It sounds painful/frustrating/disappointing/hurtful. This whole situation stinks." When we sit with someone who is hurting, they don't have to "put on a happy face" or endure well-meaning (yet still painful) platitudes and clichés. They can acknowledge their pain and be affirmed that their feelings are normal, valid, and human. They can lower their guard and be real with another person without being judged or condemned. They can feel heard, understood, and acknowledged. We can't always pull someone from the darkness or pit they are experiencing, but we can join them in their pain, so they know they aren't alone. 

Questions to Wrestle With

Take time this week to consider: 

-Do you prefer to rejoice with those who rejoice or to mourn with those who mourn? 

-When has someone shared good news with you and you responded by bringing them down? 

-When have you rejoiced with someone who rejoiced? 

-When has someone shared bad news with you and you responded by rushing to cheer them up? 

-When have you mourned with someone who mourned? 

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Romans 12: Part 14

Romans 12: Part 14

After Paul tells us to practice hospitality, he goes on to instruct us to bless our persecutors and further clarifies that by bless, he means that we shouldn't curse them. 

Bless

There are many definitions of the word "bless", but the best one in this context according to dictionary.com is "to bestow good of any kind upon". When we bless someone, we are actively doing good, whether we are talking about a financial, material, or emotional blessing.

We are blessed so that we may bless others (see Genesis 12:2). Now some of us might need this reminder: God might be using other people to bless us and we need to accept that help and assistance from others. Yet others of us need to hear the opposite: God wants to bless other people through us and we need to be obedient so that they can be blessed. One way to tell which we need is to see which of these situations make us more uncomfortable. 

Bless Our Persecutors

Paul specified the recipient of our blessing. We are to bless those who persecute us. It is interesting to note some of the things Paul didn't say here. He didn't say "bless those who are fellow believers" or "bless those who treat you like you want to be treated" or even "bless those who are fellow citizens in your nation". Now to be fair, these are good groups to also bless, but honestly, blessing members of our faith family, kind people, or fellow citizens isn't something that is radical to the Christian faith; lots of non-Christians do that too. 

But blessing our persecutors?!?! That is radical in our society, nation, and world. Paul is building on what Jesus commanded in Matthew 5:44 (namely to pray for those who persecute us). We are clearly commanded here that we should be blessing those who persecute us. 

When someone has it out for us, we are to bless them.

When someone tries to beat or kill us, we are to bless them.

When someone changes (or tries to change) a law to restrict our ability to worship, we are to bless them. 

When someone disowns, fires, or evicts us because of our faith, we are to bless them.

I highly recommend visiting The Open Door to learn about the persecution the global church is facing. The Church in the United States is quick to cry "I'm being persecuted", but we cheapen the word when we throw it around so readily. To be perfectly blunt: Wearing masks in a global pandemic is not persecution. Being ordered to reduce singing because it's a high risk activity is not persecution. Being told to find safer alternatives to crowded services is not persecution. Facing backlash for our poor treatment of marginalized people is not persecution. 

Bless, Don't Curse

Paul finishes, just in case we were uncertain of what he meant by "bless those who persecutes us", by adding that he means BLESS and not CURSE. It is not a blessing to wish an abudance of lice on a person; that's a curse. It is not a blessing to wish harm, punishment, or judgment on a person; that's still a curse. 

How can we bless our persecutors in the coming weeks, months, and years?

Questions to Wrestle With

Take time this week to consider: 

Who has the Spirit led you to bless? Did you obey?

Who has the Spirit used to bless you? 

Which makes you more uncomfortable: giving blessings or receiving blessings? Why is that?

Who do you typically prefer to bless?

How has the Spirit led you to bless someone who has persecuted you? Did you obey?

After reading about the Persecuted Church on The Open Door, what persecution from their stories have you also faced?

How have you been tempted to curse your persecutors?

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Romans 12: Part 13

Romans 12: Part 13

After Paul talked about the importance of sharing with those in the Lord's family who are in need, he went on to give (yet another) command. We are to "practice hospitality" according to verse 13b.

This will be a shorter devotional post this week, in part because we are looking at two words in Scripture. They do form a complete sentence and a whole thought, but there is only so much to glean from such a brief passage.

The use of the word "Practice" is interesting. In my mind, we practice things we have not perfected. So even if we aren't perfect at offering hospitality, we are to practice it. We can do this by inviting people over, probably in small groups of people we trust to take appropriate precautions in this season of Pandemic-Tide. We can consider our guests to be honored test subjects or guinea pigs as we learn how to offer hospitality. 

Now, there is a difference between showing hospitality and entertaining. Entertaining is a lot more formal and a lot more rigid. When someone entertains, they are a host or hostess with the appetizers ready to go, spends their time in the kitchen while someone else chats with the guests, and it can become more about showing off one's hosting skills than spending time with their guests. 

Hospitality has a long history, both in the Bible and elsewhere. When we show hospitality, we welcome people into our lives without fanfare or stress. Our guests can join us in our work, whether preparing food or cleaning up. We sit down and visit instead of hovering to make sure everything is perfect. Our guests might even get their own refills, like a member of the family.

There is a tendency to want to invite over people who we know and already like, but in Luke 14:12-14, Jesus instructs us to invite over people who are poor, people have disabilities, people who limp, and people who are blind. In other words, people who can't repay us for our hospitality, but who are in desperate need of some love and positive human interaction. 

Questions to Wrestle With

Take time this week to consider: 

-What does "practice hospitality" mean to you? 

-How does the concept of inviting people over as you learn how to show hospitality sit with you? 

-Do you tend to show hospitality or entertain? 

-Who do you show hospitality to? 

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.