The City

Readings for today: Jeremiah 29-32

“Pursue the well-being of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when it thrives, you will thrive.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭7‬ ‭CSB)

I have reflected on this verse for many years. It is one of the main reasons I am so passionate about local missions. I love where I live. I believe God planted me here to make a difference. I believe our church should be a blessing to our city. It’s why we work so hard to partner with community organizations like the Parker Task Force, Douglas County School District, Parker Town Council, Parker Chamber of Commerce, etc. In fact, our church is the only church I’ve ever even heard of who got the “Business of the Year” award from our local chamber! Not only that but we were the only church to help sponsor the celebrations around the inauguration of our mayor this past year and we are routinely the church our chamber invites to host a city-wide worship center during the annual Parker Days Festival. I don’t share these things to boast but simply to illustrate our heart to serve. We love Parker, CO. We consider it a privilege to serve. And we want to do all we can to seek the good of our town because we believe our welfare is bound up with her welfare.

Jeremiah believed much the same though his circumstances were much different. He was writing to exiles. He was writing to those who had been taken captive and carted off to captivity. He was writing to those who lived as strangers and aliens in a foreign land. His words most likely would not have been received well. God’s people were living in enemy territory. Why in the world would they seek the welfare of those who had destroyed their homes, cities, and nation? Why would they pray to the Lord for those who built their empire off of conquest and violence and war and suffering? They were God’s chosen people, how could their welfare be wrapped up with the welfare of their pagan neighbors? Surely Jeremiah’s letter would have been met with suspicion and yet, when cast against the backdrop of God’s great salvation plan, it does seem to make sense. God had called Israel to be a light to the nations. He had called her a chosen race, a holy nation, and a royal priesthood. God’s expectation is that Israel would intercede for the nations. Teach the nations. Bless the nations. In fact, one of the main reasons Israel found herself in exile is because she had forgotten that call. Jeremiah reminds her yet again of why she was chosen in the first place.

The same holds true for us. We are blessed to be a blessing. God gives to us so that we might give to others. God is generous with us so we might be generous to others. God is gracious to us so we might be gracious to others. God has forgiven us so we might forgive others. The gospel call is not just about what God wants to do to us, it also includes what He wants to do through us. And one of the major reasons God plants a church in a city is to bring about blessing. Bring about hope. Bring about joy and peace. Every church should seek the well-being of the city where she is located. Every church should pray regularly and faithfully for the city where she is located. Every church should understand the intrinsic tie between her welfare and her city’s welfare and respond accordingly. This is God’s call on our lives.

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 33-36

Kingdom Values

Readings for today: Luke 6-7, Psalms 115

God bless you. God bless America. God bless this nation, this land, this people, this tribe, this family. All of us want the blessing of God on our lives. All of us want to experience the blessing of God. All of us want to live in a country that is blessed by God. But how do we get from here to there? How must we live so the blessing will come? What must we value? What must we treasure? What must we prioritize in order to make ourselves “blessable?”

Jesus makes it very clear. Blessed are those who are poor, hungry, grieving, and hated because of the “Son of Man.” That last point is key. It is the critical qualifier that governs everything that comes before it. As Christians, we walk by faith not by sight. We are called to give all we have unto the Lord. We are to dedicate every single dollar, even to the point of impoverishing ourselves, to the work of the Lord. We are called to give regularly and cheerfully and sacrificially. And when we do this, Jesus tells us we are blessed because what we will receive in return is nothing less than the Kingdom of Heaven. We are called to share our food and resources with those around us. To the point where we ourselves may go hungry. And if we do, Jesus says, we will be filled. Fulfilled in ways we cannot begin to imagine. We are called to grieve over the state of the world. Grieve over the lostness of our friends and family and neighbors. Grieve over the injustice and oppression and violence and hatred and rage. Grieve over the rampant sin and immorality. And if we find our hearts breaking, Jesus says we will begin to see beyond the horizons of this world to the world to come and we will rejoice. We should expect persecution. We will be hated. We will excluded. We will be insulted. We will be slandered. We will be called evil as we seek to follow Jesus. But those are simply signs that we stand in good company. The company of the ancient prophets of Israel. The company of the saints who have gone before us. And we can rejoice and leap for joy on that day even in the midst of all we are suffering for we know the reward waiting for us in heaven will make it all worth it.

So…is this the blessing you seek? Is this the blessing you desire? Are you willing to live a life that is blessable? A life of daily sacrifice? A life of service? A life of humility and compassion and grace and love? A life of radical generosity? A life of radical faith? Or, have you chosen a different way? Do you want to have it both ways? Do you want to be rich in this world while still trying to follow Jesus? Then you have received your comfort already and small comfort it is! Do you want to be full in this world and never in need? Then you will find yourself hungry. Hungry for more out of life. Do you find yourself laughing, without a care in the world? Then you will find yourself grieving as the eternal consequences of your decisions start to set in, both for yourself and those around you. Do you enjoy a good reputation? Do you make it a point never to rock the boat or stand up for the truth of Christ? Then you most likely have compromised in some way and “gone along to get along” and will not find yourself in the company of the prophets and saints who gave everything to pass along the faith you now enjoy. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you might repent and make the turn back to Jesus.

Readings for tomorrow: Luke 8-9, Psalms 116

Be the Blessing

Readings for today: Zechariah 5-8, Psalms 61

I love these words from Zechariah today, “The Lord of Armies says this: “In those days, ten men from nations of every language will grab the robe of a Jewish man tightly, urging: Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” (Zechariah‬ ‭8‬:‭23‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Can you imagine? Can you imagine a day where God’s people are so marked by His grace and peace and steadfast love and righteousness and holiness that people from every tribe, tongue, and nation on the earth would lay hold of them just to be in God’s presence? Can you imagine a day when the culture wars cease and the perpetual outrage cycle ends and people turn in exhaustion to those who walk humbly before their God? Can you imagine a day when we lay aside all our selfishness, greed, lust for power, and love of deception and instead cling to those who follow Jesus?

The Apostle Paul says, “All creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God.” (Romans 8:19) The whole world is looking forward to a day when the people of God, filled with the Spirit of God, will answer the call of God and walk in the ways of God to fulfill the mission of God. Read that sentence again to yourself. Read it slowly. Read it carefully. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the message is clear. The world is waiting for you! The world is waiting for me! The world is groaning under the weight of sin, longing for release! Longing for freedom! Longing for the day when the people of God will take up their mandate once again to care for and steward all God has made, especially the creatures made in His image.

This is God’s plan. He reveals it clearly to His prophet. Over and over again, Zechariah declares the truth of God. Over and over again, Zechariah proclaims the promises of God. The Lord is jealous for Zion. (Zech. 8:2) The Lord will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. (Zech. 8:3) The Lord will save His people and gather them from the east and the west to live with Him in Jerusalem. (Zech. 8:7-8) I will save you and you will be a blessing. (Zech. 8:13) You will sow in peace and the vine will yield its fruit, the land its produce, and the skies their rain. I will give the remnant of My people all these things as an inheritance. (Zech. 8:12) Friends, the message to us could not be more clear. We are to live as citizens of heaven here on earth. The church is created to be a community of life in the midst of a culture of death. We are called to be salt and light in the world. We must live and love and serve and speak in such a way that those around us who do not yet know God will sense His Spirit within us.

Readings for tomorrow: Zechariah 9-14, Psalms 62 (No devotionals on Sundays)