Holy Rambo

 Philippians 3:1-11 I love dogs. We had some when I was little. I have one now. They were calm, friendly, happy animals. My current dog, Mister Boots, is a mostly-blind Shih Poo who doesn’t have an aggressive bone in his body. For thirteen years, though, I owned a Jack Russel Terrier who, while mostly wonderful, had a habit of turning on me unanticipatedly and biting me. I have the scars to prove it. I find it interesting that Paul begins this section of Philippians with the warning…” Beware of the dogs., beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision…” (Phil 3:2 NASB) The Daily Devotional Guide goes into some detail about Paul’s use of a dog to describe those people who are false and dangerous. They weren’t seen as beloved pets and family members. They were curs who ate garbage and harassed people. And, what made these people that way? They trusted in their own accomplishments. Their confidence before God was in the things they had done and the kind of people they ha...

Monday, June 28, 2021 Philippians 1-2 Okay, neighbors, I know two whole chapters sounds like a lot to read in a day, but I read at a conversational pace, and this took me a little less than seven minutes. There can be a lot to unpack in these two chapters, but it is worth taking the time to do a quick read-through, then go back and meditate on the ideas that the Holy Spirit speaks to you about. For those following the Gospel Project Daily Study, we’re on page 43, and there is a pretty good setup of quick ideas to ponder but let me add a few observations of my own. Some of Christians’ favorite passages come from these two chapters, but we tend to consider them out of a promise box, or a short devotional. Take the time to understand the context. Paul is writing from prison. While his tone seems to indicate hope that he may be released from prison, I don’t think he really expects to. This especially hits me when in 1:18b-20, Paul writes:  “Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that thro...

2 Corinthians 11: 5-11 It seems Paul was considered to be a less than desirable teacher. He was not a polished orator. He was not up on the latest styles. He just taught. He let his "superior knowledge" shine rather than his oratory. The Corinthians seemed to have been caught up in the fashion of the day, however. Paul calls these special people "eminent apostles" (NASB), or "super-apostles" (CSB). Whatever these folks were teaching, it was not the gospel Paul had spent 18 months teaching them! Imagine investing a year and a half in a group of people and having them follow someone else because they're just more charismatic! It's interesting to observe how we decide who is worth investing our time in. When I was in High School, I was in the band (yep, full-on band geek). Our band director charged a whopping one dollar for admission to our concerts. He didn't want the ticket to get in the way of family coming to hear us perform, but people viewed...

 2 Corinthians 11:1-4 I am especially struck by the image of the church in this passage. Verse two says "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin." (NASB) In our human relationships, purity is seen as something that must be preserved and protected, for once it is lost, it is gone forever. The church, however, is populated by people who were born impure and are purified and continue to be purified by the Holy Spirit by the power of the blood of Christ.  Paul's concern here is that silver-tongued preachers of a different gospel have captured the imaginations of the church at Corinth. Though he spent a year and a half with them, grounding them in the one true gospel, they followed ideas that sounded good to them, but which represented a different message than the one Paul had presented.  We, today, have an advantage over the folks at Corinth. We have the benefit of the collected ...

November 16, 2020 DDG, Unit 26, Session 4, Day 1 -  Mark 14:27-31 I sometimes wonder how we would respond if Jesus were to make some prophetic announcement about my own life or ministry that indicated a failure of this magnitude. Or, to be more realistic, if my supervisor or my pastor came and said, "I know I gave you this task, but you are going to fail." We spoke yesterday about how God is constant and reliable. We talked about how Jesus demonstrated that, even when faced with a cross...even when He desired another path, He chose obedience. In today's Day 1 devotional, We are presented with some common examples of how we may fail Christ, and a poignant question:  "In what areas of life will you be a witness to the gospel rather than abandoning your allegiance to Jesus?"  It's a hard question, but one deserving an answer. What do you see coming up in your day today? How can you anticipate a Christ-honoring response? How will you take time to prepare for the...

  Luke 15:1-7 Is there someone who really gets under your skin with bad behavior, or a lousy attitude? Do they strike you as being beyond "saving?" Can you imagine yourself sitting next to them at church? Can you imagine them coming because you invited them? In today's reading, Jesus is being criticized for making friends and hanging out with "sinners." In today's reading, Jesus responds in typical fashion. He tells a story. In the first of three parables He tells in answer to the Pharisee's complaints, he talks about who leaves everything to go looking for one lost sheep. The thing is, we are "those people." At least we were, and some of us still are, even if you've been going to church your whole life. The simple truth is, there is no one beyond the reach of God's love, and we do not have the luxury of deciding they are.  Lord, help us to see "those people" the same way You do. Help us to remember that we were once them, and...

DDG, Unit 25,  Session 1, Day 2 - Matthew 13:10-17 Well, I don't necessarily agree with Travis Tritt about what that looks like, but it truly is a great day to be alive. Go back and read verses 16-17 again. Moses wanted to hear what Jesus would teach. So did Abraham, David, Elijah. Heck, even John the Baptist wanted to hear it. I know people sometimes get frustrated with this passage. It somehow seems unfair that Jesus should teach and not make his meaning clear. Well, beyond fulfilling prophecy, I don't really know what that was all about. This I do know. We came along after that, and Jesus wants us to understand. We are servants of a Kingdom, with a capital "K." He is in control He stands before the Father who created it all, and rules over it all. How are we processing that into our thinking and feeling? What distracts us from the Kingdom and its work. Are we trusting people to accomplish the things only God can accomplish? More importantly, are we giving allegianc...