Love Overcomes Daily Devotion #8 2/18/16

Day 8

Larry Trotter

Words of Love

There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother.

There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.

“For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless—a miserable business!

Ecclesiastes 4:8 NIV

Overcoming the Barrier

We’re going to take a detour from Luke’s gospel today to get another perspective on isolation as a barrier to the deeper life God plans for us. Ecclesiastes is considered one of the wisdom books found in the Old Testament and is attributed to Solomon in the first verse of chapter one. Most scholars think this is a literary device to lend credibility to an unknown author. We’ll let others take up that debate. The wisdom found in Ecclesiastes stands on its own merit, not to mention found its way into a classic rock (rock to us baby boomers) standard by the Byrds. If Ecclesiastes had a headline it would be, “Live Hard, Work Hard, Life’s Short.” For those willing to do some digging there are nuggets of practical wisdom throughout the book. The verse above sets the tone for a longer passage speaking to the virtues of collaborative living. The man in the verse apparently has no family or friends (all alone), spends all his time working, and yet receives no satisfaction from the fruits of his labor rendering his life “meaningless.” It’s a reminder that working and earning at the expense of relationships has been going on since humankind left the Garden of Eden. It’s a leading cause of self-inflicted isolation and is completely preventable.

Jesus may have had a similar scenario in mind when he said, “Do no worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:22, 34 NIV) His words were in response to a man who was fighting with his brother over their inheritance. I want to be careful not to make this about money, but instead about separating ourselves from family and friends because of a lust for money and possessions. As a pastor I have talked with many people who were dealing with the collateral damage of a life lived for money at the expense of the people who were most important to them. It’s hard to see when we’re trying to make our way in the world. That’s why turning to Jesus for perspective is crucial. As the old saying goes, no one ever lies on their death bed and wishes they had worked more and spent less time with their family. Compensation is little consolation for isolation. Yes?

Prayer

God of life, give me the grace to see where my ambition may be alienating me from my family and friends. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Love Overcomes Devotion #7 2/17/16

Day #7

Larry Trotter

Words of Love

26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. Luke 8:26-27 NIV

Overcoming the Barrier

Passages such as this can easily leave us confused if not a little creeped out. Let’s face it; the scene sounds more like something from a Wes Craven movie than the Bible. A demon-possessed man lurking in a cemetery is the stuff of nightmares. His condition is attributed to demon possession and has resulted in behavior that has driven him out of his community and into isolation. Medicine in the first century was more advanced than you might suspect, but behavior that 21-century doctors associate with some type of mental illness was, in Jesus’ day, considered to be the presence of an evil spirit. However we understand the situation, this type of behavior can be frightening for everyone, which contributes to the sick person retreating from community or being shunned by that community both resulting in isolation. Moreover, it is important not to summarily dismiss the idea of demon-possession because we find it incompatible with post-enlightenment thought. For Luke, the idea of Jesus ordering the demons to flee reinforces Jesus’ authority over all creation, even that which dwells on the dark side. It also underscores his willingness to engage any threat to the people he came to save.

Perhaps somewhat less dramatic but none-the-less traumatizing is the nightmare of isolation that can accompany sickness, today. Both mental and physical illnesses have the potential to limit our capacity to engage the world around us. Physical pain related to chronic illness and emotional pain from depression and other related mental issues can drive us inward and away from a caring community, even family and friends. Jesus is not afraid of anything that threatens our well-being and is always ready to engage any issue that isolates us from life with him or with others. If we find ourselves struggling with this kind of inner pain that seems to be separating us from our life with God or the relationships we treasure it’s time to reach out. If someone we love is drifting away due to illness of any kind we can carefully, lovingly engage them with the healing love of Christ which may begin with a simple visit or call. Jesus is eager to share the authority of his love to help them back into community and wholeness.

Prayer

Tender Savior, please come near and tend to my broken heart (to the broken heart of my loved one) and help me (them) find the strength of community once again. In your name, amen.

Love Overcomes Daily Devotion #6 2/16/16

Day #6

Larry Trotter

Words of Love 

3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

Luke 4:3-4 NIV

Overcoming the Barrier

As we saw yesterday, Jesus is wrapping up a 40-day, solo spiritual retreat including a fast. The devil hopes to leverage Jesus’ physical hunger into spiritual vulnerability by striking directly at his weakness. Jesus is in that gray area between the clarity that intentional solitude can bring and the blurriness that comes with unintended isolation. First, in the above verses the devil tries to entice Jesus to compromise his integrity by coopting the considerable resources at his disposal for his own personal gain. Further, in verses 5-7 the devil offers his own considerable resources to infiltrate Jesus’ mission and undoubtedly redirect it toward his own purposes. Finally, in verses 9-11 he flat-out dares Jesus to make a public spectacle of himself and, thus, create confusion about the nature of his identity and the purpose of his mission. It’s crucial not to miss the fact that none of these three offers seem problematic on the surface. Food, political clout, and a publicity stunt could all have, at some level, bolstered Jesus’ early campaign. But, at what price?

Where solitude on our terms can make us stronger, isolation on its own terms can create vulnerability, which becomes a barrier to integrity. When we begin to withdraw we loose perspective and allow at least self-serving or at worst dangerous ideas to enter the internal narrative. But, Jesus halted the attack before it ever gained momentum by allowing his Father to provide perspective by recalling Scripture. Remember, Jesus was filled with the Spirit and allowed that indwelling Presence to interpret the devil’s offers and formulate a response. Faith in Christ brings that very same indwelling Presence to advocate on our behalf as well. Before we compromise from a position of vulnerability, why not collaborate from a position of viability. Having a few life verses from Scripture can be the power we need in our moment of temptation. It worked for Jesus.

Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, and give me words of life in the face of temptation so that I may remain in your strength and not my own. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Love Overcomes Daily Devotion #5 2/15/16

Day #5

Larry Trotter

Words of Love

1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. Luke 4:1-2 NIV

Overcoming the Barrier

The passage describes the first of many of Jesus' retreats for prayer, fasting, and discernment. When I say first, it's the first that is recorded in Scripture. One would think that at 30 years old he had slipped away on many occasions to connect with the Father and reflect on the mission ahead. Who's to say that the devil didn't follow him on other occasions? But this time, the stakes are much higher. Jesus has now claimed his place in the mission to renew all creation and has gone public. Perhaps still damp from his baptism and with his Father's affirming voice still resonating in his soul Jesus sought the refuge of solitude to think and pray. A close reading of the passage indicates that the devil had been with him the whole time perhaps suggesting alternate plans that would get Jesus off topic and circumvent his sacrifice that would start the clock ticking on the devil's potential to wreak havoc on humankind. But the devil saved his "A" material until Jesus was most likely in a weakened position. He was hungry. After 40 days, no doubt he was hungry and weak. The spirit-enriching solitude of his retreat was possibly teetering precariously close to spirit-exhausting isolation that could have been a barrier to fulfillment of his mission.

This week's devotions will continue to explore isolation, the barrier to fullness of life addressed this past Sunday. There is a fine line between solitude, which can be instructive, and isolation, which can be destructive. The fact that the Scripture even mentions that Jesus was hungry implies that his humanity was subject the same demands as ours. It's a physiological reality that isolation impacts our bodies, which exacerbates its impact on our minds and spirits. Prolonged isolation, understood as being removed from relationships, causes stress that can, over time, impact the body to the same degree and result as smoking and obesity. As the soul breaks down, so does the body, which impacts the soul, and the spiral continues. The devil was counting on that with Jesus. What he didn't count on was how Jesus would respond. We'll continue with the passage and explore that, tomorrow.

Prayer

Caring Father, touch my spirit and alert me when I am about to move from helpful solitude to hurtful isolation, and use me to help someone else who may be struggling to discern that fine line. In Jesus' name, amen.

Love Overcomes Daily Devotion 2/13/16

Words of Love

2…during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Luke 3: 2-3 NIV

Overcoming the Barrier

Yesterday we looked at the possibility that someone could have such a low opinion of their spiritual life that he or she might not even set out on a Lenten journey. They shrug and declare that they just aren’t “spiritual” enough to follow Jesus from the Judean wilderness to Jerusalem and, thus, just aren’t fit for the journey. My prayer is that you were convinced to reconsider that position based upon the reality that much of Jesus’ own preparation was simply growing up like most people do, balancing a life of work, play, and worship. Today, I want to slide over to the other end of continuum and consider how we might think that because of our family church tradition, our own current participation in church, our general goodness as a person, or other contributing factors that we feel like we have no need for the journey. That particular barrier to the deeper life can be hard to see. Think of it as an ‘I’m okay – you’re okay” spirituality. Enter John the Baptist. He may have been Jesus’ warm-up act, but John the Baptist was serious and his routine was intense. In this season of political waffling and flip-flopping John the Baptist’s unequivocal call to repentance stands in sharp relief. And his main audience was the people of Israel, the regular churchgoers, the folks with the righteousness of God practically in their DNA. And the bull’s-eye of that target audience were the leaders of the faithful. (Don’t think that doesn’t weight heavily on this preacher.) He called them a “brood of vipers,” which in that religious culture was worse than calling a Vol fan a Gator or an Alabama fan a War Eagle. He accused them of leaning on their Jewish lineage as their ticket to righteousness yet living as though they never heard of the God of their ancestors. His message was to repent of their sins and get ready to follow Jesus.

That’s the message I hear in my own spirit. I am under no illusion that just because I’m a preacher means wherever I wander is automatically following Jesus. I am painfully aware of my stumbling journey and misguided side trips. In fact, as I have settled into my new role at the church I have a heightened awareness of my need to follow Jesus more closely. That’s one of reasons I’m writing these devotions, which I am approaching as a spiritual discipline. I am praying that if I even begin to think in terms of having some sort of privileged spiritual position because of a seminary degree or a title from the United Methodist Church John the Baptist’s words will ring loudly in my already ringing ears. I need Jesus, every minute, every day. I can’t make it without him and neither can you, But, thanks be to God, we don’t have to. Now, let’s hit the trail.

Prayer

Dear God of mercy, thank you for your patient attitude toward me and please correct me when I start to think I’ve got this. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Love Overcomes Daily Devotion

Words of Love

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:52 NIV

Overcoming the Barrier

As we continue these first steps on our devotional journey through the season of Lent I’m remembering a conversation with a young dad at one of the churches I have been blessed to serve. He was in a Bible study I was leading and the topic on that particular evening was Paul’s description of spiritual gifts and, more largely, living in the Spirit. When the class was over he came up to me looking something between dejected and defeated and sighed, “I guess I’m not very spiritual. I mostly just work and take care of my family.” We spent the next half-hour or so reflecting on all the work he did around the church, how he quietly modeled his faith to his boys, and other hallmarks of a godly life that seemed hidden behind a tragically misguided perception of what it means to be “spiritual.” I reminded him that our spirituality is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit that is utterly unique with each person. The Spirit works through our personalities and experiences to produce fruit for the kingdom and God controls the metrics that determine how we’re doing, not us, and certainly not anyone else.

I love the passage above because in one verse it sums up Jesus’ life for the 18 or so years that preceded his three-and-a-half years of ministry. The verses prior to this one indicate that Jesus and his family regularly attended church. Granted, it was an activity of which he couldn’t seem to get enough, but that’s all we know about the spiritual life of Jesus and his family for 18 years. And your point is, preacher? Simple: Jesus prepared for his journey of preaching, teaching, healing, and saving humankind from sin and death by simply growing up with his family and participating in their traditions. He worked, he played, and he worshipped like most of the other Jewish boys and girls in his community. How “spiritual” does that sound? How similar is that to our lives right now? How easy could that be to begin? We work, we play, we worship. Granted, he seemed to take the worship part very seriously and undoubtedly made the most of his opportunities to study the Scriptures. But we can do that, too. Don’t let some preconceived notion that you’re not “spiritual” become a barrier to growing in wisdom and stature during your journey. Our life with Christ is not a competition; it’s an expedition. And while we all may have the same ultimate destination, our routes will vary. Our journey may take us through some breathtaking landscape, or we may spend most of our time close to home. Regardless, God will use whatever path we’re on to lead us near to his heart. It took Jesus 18 years. What’s your hurry?

Prayer

God of real life, please invade my everyday things and create holy things so that in everything I see you and path you have in mind for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.