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  Genesis 27:41-45 Click here to listen to today’s devotional Time heals all wounds. At least, that's what we're told. But does it? In the book of Genesis, Jacob steals his older brother Esau's blessing. Siblings know how frustrating it can be when a brother or sister messes with their things. Well, this was much more than that. Esau's rage builds, and he vows to kill his brother. The boys' mother, Rebekah, orchestrated this whole scenario. And when she hears what Esau plans to do, she tells Jacob to run away to an uncle for a while. A literal translation of the text could be to tarry for a few days. Rebekah assumes Esau's fury and anger will cool down in a few days. It almost sounds reasonable to give him time to cool his temper. Except Jacob doesn't stay away for a few days. He stays away for about twenty years. And as far as Genesis tells us, Rebekah never sees her son again. Sometimes, we assume time will do the work that only truth, repentance, forgiven...

  John 13:21-32 Listen to today’s devotional On his last night with his disciples, Jesus says some unsettling things. For one, he tells his disciples that“One of you will betray me.” Now, no one in the room seems to get upset or demand that the one fess up. Instead, the disciples look at each other, uncertain. Not one of them stands up and says, “I know exactly who it is.” Which is strange, isn’t it? Because you would think by now, after all the walking and talking and watching, they’d have it figured out. But they don’t. Maybe that's because betrayal doesn’t announce itself. It hides in plain sight, even at the table of grace, which is part of what makes it so hurtful. So the disciples start wondering. “Is it him?” “Could it be you know who?” And if we’re honest, we do the same thing. When we hear Jesus talk about brokenness, failure, or turning away, our instinct is to scan the room rather than search our own hearts. We’d rather point out Judas than acknowledge the places within ...

  Isaiah 50:7-9 Click here to listen to today's devotional Shame is a heavy thing that doesn’t just simply lie over your life. Shame settles deep in your spirit. It will make you rethink every choice you have ever made, even convince you that you are too far away from God. Let me assure you. If you ever hear that, it's not God's voice. Shame doesn't say you did something wrong. It says you  are  something wrong. Thankfully, that is not what God tells us in scripture. The prophet Isaiah once affirmed to God's people that the Lord would not let them be put to shame because God was their help. Now, notice the prophet didn't say their wouldn't be appropriate criticisms or even difficulties that come from living in a broken world. Faith promises us that our deepest identity is not found within our weakest or worst moments. Your greatest failures do not define you. God won’t shame you because God has already redeemed you and has no desire to humiliate you. To be r...

  Hebrews 10:1-4 Listen to today's devotional Hebrews 10 tells us that the law of God was a shadow of what was coming. In that system, year after year, the people of Israel offered sacrifices for their sins. But no matter how often they prayed, prepared their offerings, or followed the rules, the cycle of guilt and imperfection continued. The Hebrews preacher sees that the system was designed to point forward, not to fix the problem. In the same way, we sometimes try to patch up our spiritual lives with “good deeds” or by checking the right boxes. We pray, serve, or even go to church, but our hearts still wrestle with doubt, fear, and guilt. Now, praying, serving, or worshiping are not wrong in themselves. As a Methodist Christian, my tradition sees these as means of experiencing God's grace. But they are like the temple sacrifices. They show that we recognize the problem, but they cannot remove it. They weren't designed to! Enter Jesus. Christ is not a spiritual band-aid o...

  Psalm 2 Listen to today's devotional The first week of football season didn’t disappoint. My favorite team faced  that other team , and the rivalry was alive before kickoff. Sparks flew when one of our star players was ejected for spitting. As a loyal fan, I jumped to his defense. If I say, “Dak spit first,” you know exactly what I mean. But let me step back from fandom for a moment. I remember a teacher who did not put up with our excuses growing up. We had a tendency to blame other people for our misbehavior. We'd say, “He made me do it.” Our teacher's answer was always the same: “No one can make you do anything you don’t want to do.” She was teaching us something powerful, that we always have a choice. We decide how we respond, no matter what someone else does to us or says--or even the direction they spit. Psalm 2 says that in a different way. First, the psalmist acknowledged that “the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain.” People have always schemed, ...

  Jeremiah 3:6-14 Listen to today's devotional It's important to remember the infidelity of God's people in the Bible. God made covenant with them, but time and again they turned away from their part in that union. Repeatedly! It makes you wonder what we'd have left in the Bible if they didn't. Time and time again, the people chose their way of living life over God's wisdom. Scripture also tells of the consequences of those choices. You get what you get when you turn from God. There's no blaming God for letting us face the consequences of our choices. That's on us. And yet, time and time again God pursues God's beloved. In Jeremiah 3, for example, the Lord describes a vision of an adulterous people. They have taken "many lovers." Still, God says, "Return." To make sure they understood God knew exactly who they were, God says, "Return, faithless Israel." Faithless. Stubborn. Greedy. Prideful. Spiteful. Petty. Arrogant. Wh...

  2 Kings 1:9-12 Listen to today's devotional I assume James and John had Elijah on their minds. In Luke 9, Jesus sends messengers ahead of him into a Samaritan village. It probably didn't surprise the disciples when the people do not welcome him. To them, those were Samaritans, after all. Their rejection stirred a memory of how others rejected God's word and power. "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" That's something Elijah did. Twice. Now, they wanted to defend Jesus with that same divine force they thought they could control. But Jesus rebuked the brothers. In scripture, fire coming down from heaven is a sign of God's power and approval. Fire came down on Elijah's drenched offering to show that "you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all things at your word" (I Kings 18). Later, the Lord directed Elijah to speak against King Ahaziah. The king sent men up to Elijah and comma...

  Listen on Spotify Watch on YouTube Monday: Introduction to Grace Main Passage: Luke 15:11-32 (Parable of the Prodigal Son) Reflection: Today, we begin our journey into understanding the depth of God's grace through the Parable of the Prodigal Son. This story is essential for comprehending the infinite love of God and how it calls each of us, regardless of where we find ourselves. By reflecting on the themes of "come home," we see how these two simple words encapsulate God's invitation to us. Reflection Questions: What does "come home" mean to you in your current spiritual season? How do you typically respond to God's invitation of grace? In what ways have you experienced the love of God calling you back to God? Additional Scripture: Isaiah 55:7 Psalm 103:8-12 Tuesday: The Younger Son's Journey Main Passage: Luke 15:11-32 Reflection: The younger son represents the story of many of us who have wandered away and experienced the cons...

  Zechariah 3:1-10 In today's reading, the courtroom has become the laundry room as it becomes the sanctuary. The prophet Zechariah sees a vision of the high priest Joshua standing before God. Think of God as judge and Joshua as defendant. To the priest's right is the accuser, the prosecutor, so to speak. The accuser has a case against Joshua. Taking this vision to stand for the people of Israel, the accuser has a case against the people. They are dirty. There is no question because Joshua stands wearing filthy clothes. This should be a slam dunk case for the accuser. Instead, God rebukes him. Then Joshua's dirty clothes get replaced by party clothes. Maybe even royal clothes. Again, there's no denying what the right verdict against Joshua should be. The Lord, however, doesn't take delight in condemning our obvious guilt. Instead, God promises Joshua redemption. Rome wasn't built in a day, says the old adage. Oh, but God's grace can work wonders in a day. Th...

 Listen on Spotify Watch on YouTube **Monday: The Wrong Train** **Reflection:**   Consider the proverb mentioned: "If you get in a train and realize you're in a wrong train, get off at the nearest station." Reflect on areas in your life where you may be on the "wrong train." Are there paths you're pursuing that lead you away from God’s purpose? **Scripture:** Proverbs 14:12 - "There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death." **Questions:** 1. What are some signs that you might be on the wrong path? 2. Have you ever rationalized staying on a wrong path? Why? 3. What steps can you take to 'get off at the nearest station'? --- **Tuesday: Facing Temptation** **Reflection:**   Temptation isn't just for the wayward; it visits everyone. Recognize the subtle ways temptation presents itself in your life. **Scripture:** 1 Corinthians 10:13 - "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And Go...

  Luke 17:1-5 There's a back and forth strain within the conversation of faith. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is a personal, strong conviction in what you believe about who God is and what God has done through Jesus. Your faith is what you believe. But it is also more than what you believe. Faith is also what you do with what you believe. Jesus prepared his disciples to lead those who chose to follow him. Those people would come to believe Jesus to be the way and also live in the way of Jesus--a well-rounded faith. The Lord said that you'd rather experience a deep sea plunge with a stone hung around your neck than deal with God after causing a "little one" to sin. Jesus continued his leadership lesson with a word on forgiveness. That if someone repents of their sin against you, you must respond with forgiveness. Not once. Not even twice. Seven times a day, if need be. The disciples' response is ...

  Genesis 33:1-17 In worship this weekend, I referred to the story of Joseph reuniting with his brothers. It had been years since they sold him into slavery. A lot had happened in Joseph's life. The highest of highs and the lowest of lows fill his story. When he could no longer contain himself, the trap he designed turned into a family reunion. My comment was that our weekly gatherings are somewhat of a reunion as well. We've had ups and downs during the week. Sometimes, we even hurt each other. But God still draws us together. I kept thinking about the line in the hymn  Come, Share the Lord : Finding our forgiveness here, we, in turn, forgive all wrong. Forgiveness is hard, isn't it? We aren't always sure we can offer forgiveness to someone who has betrayed us. And we don't know if those we've wronged want to forgive us. There's another family reunion in the Bible worth remembering. Jacob meeting Esau is one of my favorite stories in scripture. Some of thos...

  Jeremiah 3:19-25 Here's how The Message translates Jeremiah 3:23: "All that popular religion was a cheap lie, duped crowds buying up the latest in gods." People often criticize translations like The Message Bible. I suppose paraphrasing scripture doesn't sit well for some. But I appreciate the attempt to connect our modern understandings to ancient hearts and struggles. What we discover is that we're not all that different. People are people and people will be people. The NRSV translates the same verse like this: "Truly the hills are a delusion." And the NKJV says, "Truly, in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills." Would you have picked up on the idea of popular religion from those readings? Without further study, I wouldn't have. So, what is the point of the text? The people, seemingly, recognized they had turned from God's way. They understood what God wanted from them and even for them. But they sought another way of being. It...

  Psalm 106 Psalm 106 offers a national confession of sin. "Both we and our ancestors have sinned" (106:6). Reaching through his peoples' history, the psalmist acknowledges what we read in scripture. Israel is full of contradiction. Saved by God only to turn from God. For about thirty verses, the psalmist recounts various episodes of this. It's a reminder that Israel's faithful memory was always short. The psalmist also includes God's faithfulness in this confession. Even though the nation proved unfaithful, "for their sake he remembered his covenant (100:45). God will always show compassion. What is missing, though, is a telling of the psalmist's sin. Yes, he includes himself and the people he knows now among those who have sinned. But he only reminds us of Israel's past sin. He never fills us in on how he and his people have sinned today. Or has he? We don't need his record of wrongs laid out before us to know they're probably in line wi...

  Luke 11:29-32 Whales pop into our imagination when we first think of Jonah. The biblical text doesn't say it was a whale that swallowed the prophet, but a big or great fish. Our collective big fish knowledge limits us, perhaps. So, a whale it must've been. Of course, a man consumed by a sea creature is an interesting plot. But it is not the highlight of Jonah's story. It's a part of the absurdity of how far he was willing to go away from God's direction. The real intriguing part happens later. After Jonah washes up on the shore, he heads to Nineveh. That's where God told him to go in the first place. When he arrived, he offered an eight-word proclamation: Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown (Jonah 3:4)! After that, the most illogical thing happened. Every Ninevite repented, from the least to the greatest. Now, what God did wouldn't have surprised Jonah. His anger got the best of him when God acted like God and forgave the repentant people. But...

  Deuteronomy 15:1-11 It's unclear whether ancient Israelites observed any of the sabbatical year commandments. Resting every seven days is one thing. One thing many of us still struggle to do today. Deuteronomy 15 highlights another kind of rest. A rest Israel was to give each other. The seventh year remission of debts was a way to ensure no one would accumulate too much land, money and power. Especially at the ongoing expense of others. Every seven years, your debtors forgive your debts. And you forgive the debts you have against others. What kind of banker was God? Of course, none of my credit card companies have fulfilled that commandment. So, what can we take from this ancient tradition? Especially knowing there's a real chance no one's ever made it happen? I have an idea for today. Can we give each other a break? Give some of the contemptuous attitudes a rest?  As a nation, we've muddled through another (another!) contentious election. That didn't bring out th...

  The same boat Romans 2:1-11 It's helpful to distinguish the difference between judging and making judgement calls. Judging mandates a future only God can control. Judgment calls see current circumstances for what they are. Christians often get accused of being judgmental. To be fair, we've both probably known those kinds of Christians. They're always sure of what's in everyone else's heart. They know what God wants to do to every other person. Of course, the Lord is overwhelmingly gracious with them. That grace, though, finds its limits, apparently, in who other people are. Judging, then, is placing yourself in God's chair, so to speak. Only God is judge over our lives. And God judges according to truth (Romans 2:2). When we live to point out everyone's flaws and determine their eternal destinies, we, eventually, lose sight that we're in the same boat. We have the same kinds of attitudes in our hearts. It's an easy task to overly concern yourself w...