Believe Week 8: The Lord IS Compassionate!
Devotions this week based on the Message: “BELIEVE: Week 8: Compassion”
(NOTE: This sermon series and devotional series is based on a book by Randy Frazee entitled, “BELIEVE.”
You may choose to download or purchase the book as a supplement to your worship and devotional emails.)
Did you know that “compassion” was one of the first adjectives God used to describe himself?
Exodus 34:5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”
What is ironic about this statement is it follows immediately on the heels of the people of Israel turning to Aaron to make a golden calf in the absence of Moses who was with the Lord receiving the commands and directives from the Lord.
Moses heads back up the mountain with a second set of stones as he broke the original ones when he saw the people worshipping a calf. You would think that God would forget about mercy, forget about love, forget about compassion to a people who was outright rebelling against him.
Yet that is at the heart of God’s heart: compassion – mercy for those who haven’t merited it and a willingness to show it even though the recipients haven’t deserved it.
Yesterday during the message I showed this video. For the rest of your devotion today, I invite you to watch it. It’s a wonderful summary of what it means that your God is compassionate…to you! Simply reflect on how you have benefitted from the compassion of God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJEtyAiAQik
Apply: When you reflect on God being a compassionate God, how have you been the recipient of his compassion?
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for being compassionate and merciful. My actions deserve your scorn and judgment, yet you have chosen to show me your love and forgiveness because of your Son Jesus. Let me soak in your compassion and learn to show the same to others in my life. AMEN.
Believe Week 7: Your Needs Are Met!
Devotions this week based on the Message: “BELIEVE: Week 7: Humanity”
(NOTE: This sermon series and devotional series is based on a book by Randy Frazee entitled, “BELIEVE.”
You may choose to download or purchase the book as a supplement to your worship and devotional emails.)
What is humanity’s biggest need?
If you know a little bit about psychology you may have run across “Maslov’s Hierarchy of Needs.”
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.
From the bottom of the hierarchy upwards, the needs are: physiological (food and clothing), safety (job security), love and belonging needs (friendship), esteem, and self-actualization.
Needs lower down in the hierarchy must be satisfied before individuals can attend to needs higher up.
As you look at this list of needs, you probably can quickly relate.
What is always interesting to me is when secular scientists, or in this case psychologists, observe components of nature or humanity that reflect the very creation God put together. Remember we have been reflecting on different worldviews this week. A humanistic worldview can recognize these basic needs of humanity. A biblical worldview would agree, but take it one step deeper.
Ultimately all of these needs are filled by the Almighty God who loves every member of humanity.
Remember Wednesday’s devotion on the First Article? Consider our need for food and clothing and safety…Luther wrote:
He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy,… (Explanation to the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed)
So what about the need for love? We looked at that yesterday in God’s love that sent Jesus as well as our key verse for this week:
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
So what about the need for “belonging, esteem, and self-actualization”?
Consider the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
What does this mean? I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.
Belonging? The work of the Holy Spirit through the message of the Gospel has brought me into “the holy Christian church, the communion of saints.” I belong to God and fit in with all other believers around the world of all time. What greater belonging could one ask for!
Esteem? I am forgiven. I have been made a saint! I have value because God valued me enough to call me into his kingdom!
Self-actualization? If left on my own “self” my actualization will only be what I can accomplish on this earth. But when I realize that God created me for his purpose, I grasp he desires my “actualization” to be fully realized with him in eternity. What greater “actualization” reality do we have to look forward to: On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. The eternal life that sin lost is restored. Just as Jesus rose from the tomb, I too will rise and experience the full reality God had in store for me for eternity.
In the Lord, all my needs – great and small are met!
This is most certainly true.
Apply: So reflect on the devotions this week. How would you like to view humanity? A product of chance with no other purpose than to survive? Or would you embrace the view of humanity God gives? You are loved, created, priceless, and have a God who fills all your needs in every way…including our biggest need for forgiveness and grace. How can you embrace this view of you and others every day?
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for loving us, creating us, valuing us, and providing for all our basic needs of life and our most important need for eternal life – the forgiveness of our sins. AMEN.
Believe Week 7: You are priceless!
Devotions this week based on the Message: “BELIEVE: Week 7: Humanity”
(NOTE: This sermon series and devotional series is based on a book by Randy Frazee entitled, “BELIEVE.”
You may choose to download or purchase the book as a supplement to your worship and devotional emails.)
How valuable is a life?
According to https://medicalfuturist.com/how-much-is-life-worth/:
If you could harvest every organ and chemical in your body, you could make a $45 million. But in reality, Medical Transcription estimates, the average price of a human dead body is more likely to fetch around $550,000 (with a few key body parts driving up the price). If you want to legally sell your heart in the U.S., it can be purchased for about $1 million. Livers come in second, worth about $557,000 and kidneys cost about $262,000 each. Not to speak about human skin ($10/inch), stomach ($500) and eyeballs ($1,500 each).
Or if you would just sell the elements in your body…( https://www.thoughtco.com/worth-of-your-elements-3976054)
Have you ever wondered how much the elements in your body are worth? This is a breakdown of the elements from which you are made, by percent. Your Body Is made of:
65, oxygen
18, carbon
10, hydrogen
3, nitrogen
1.5, calcium
1, phosphorous
0.35, potassium
0.25, sulfur
0.15, sodium
0.15, chlorine
0.05, magnesium
0.0004, iron
0.00004, iodine
Your body contains trace amounts of other elements, such as silicon, manganese, fluorine, copper, zinc, arsenic, and aluminum. The going rate for a body’s worth of these elements: just $1.
The range is $1 to $45 million.
$45 million is a lot of money and shows extreme value. But even that pales in comparison to the value that God placed on you. Although “the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” it was not enough to pay for the salvation of any one soul. The price that was needed was his Son, sent from heaven to earth to pay the price of sin with his “holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.” The second article of the Apostles’ Creed tells us how valuable we and all humanity are to the Lord. He was willing to give up his Son to gain us forever.
[I believe} in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
What does this mean? I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.
The value God places on us gives us a purpose that is invaluable. God was willing to pay the price of his Son to ensure we might “be his own and live under Him and His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.”
There is no question you are worth far more than $1 and valued at far greater than even $45 million.
You are priceless.
This is most certainly true.
Apply: Reread Luther’s explanation to the 2nd Article. What word or phrase stands out to you that helps you appreciate the value God has placed on you?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for spending your precious blood so I might spend an eternity with you. AMEN.
Believe Week 7: Humanity is a Creation of God!
Devotions this week based on the Message: “BELIEVE: Week 7: Humanity”
(NOTE: This sermon series and devotional series is based on a book by Randy Frazee entitled, “BELIEVE.”
You may choose to download or purchase the book as a supplement to your worship and devotional emails.)
Want a different perspective?
Yesterday’s outlook on humanity wasn’t all that great. It is sad that much of our culture has bought into this subconscious view of who they are and who the people around them are.
But what does the Bible say? How does a biblical worldview of humanity stand in glorious difference to the humanistic mindset? Today through Friday, I’d like to use Martin Luther’s explanations to the Apostle’s Creed to reflect on biblical truth that makes more sense, gives more value, and exemplifies a glorious purpose for humanity.
A key start is our origin. We were not a product of chance, but the design of the imagination of the almighty God.
Without any apologies, the Bible begins with the reality of God:
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
There is no need for billions of years, random mutations, and goo to become you. In the matter of 7, 24 hour days (evolution and creation don’t mix…days were not long period of time…but another discussion for another time!) God’s intricate engineering and design came to reality in perfect form, balance and precision.
Including you.
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
So which would you rather believe about you and humanity? Product of random chance or product of a divine Creator?
Our Christian confession put it this way:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
Martin Luther expanded on what this statement means about us and all humanity.
What does this mean? I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.
The amazing thing is that not only did God design and initiate your being and that of all humanity, he is the one behind preserving it. He takes care of it. He provides what I need. He didn’t abandon me to fend for myself, but put around me plants to eat, put in me a mind to think, put on me hands to work so that life may continue. (Consider how this contrasts with the culture around that believes it is the sole force controlling climate, growing, scientific discovery, and the like.)
Notice Luther also highlights the Lord’s willingness to defend us. You only defend what you find valuable.
A biblical belief of humanity tells us we are special creations of the Almighty God who loves you so much he provides you and willing to defend you…all because he loves you.
This is most certainly true.
Apply: How do these truths about humanity change how you interact with people today?
Prayer: Lord God thank you for your love for me and all humanity to create us in your image, provide for us daily, and protect us from harm and evil. AMEN.
Believe Week 7: What is your view of humanity?
Devotions this week based on the Message: “BELIEVE: Week 7: Humanity”
(NOTE: This sermon series and devotional series is based on a book by Randy Frazee entitled, “BELIEVE.”
You may choose to download or purchase the book as a supplement to your worship and devotional emails.)
What do you believe about humanity?
Perhaps this is a question that you really haven’t paused to reflect on. Yet, underneath some of the prominent issues of our day is really a belief about humanity. Consider some of issues that come up often in the news:
Racism…Abortion…Gender issues…Class “warfare” and more.
Do these issues all have an underlying belief system? I propose they do.
My belief about humanity is a key indicator of my worldview. How do I view people and their value are dependent on what set of worldview glasses through which I am looking. In general, there are two worldviews: Humanistic and Biblical. A humanistic worldview sees the world without God. A Biblical worldview sees a world with God. A humanistic worldview allows humanity to define their world. A Biblical worldview allows God to define our humanity. The differences are stark and the impact large.
Perhaps you have never considered the underlying cause of the above issues. However, consider what happens when a culture embraces a humanistic view of humanity versus a biblical view of humanity.
Again, perhaps over simplifying, but a humanistic worldview perpetuates these three tenets about humanity.
- All humanity is a product of random chance. Billions of years of random reactions have brought from goo (primordial slime and energy), you (a highly evolved animal). This instills the reality that humanity is an accident, perhaps even an invasion on other parts of nature. Their value is equal to that of a tree or a frog.
- The purpose of humanity is to survive. Charles Darwin made popular the evolutionary theory and natural selection. This perspective inherently says that death is a good thing because it cleanses the weak and allows the strong to prevail. Survival of the fittest is the purpose of life. You must (in the words of “Survivor”) outwit, outlast, out play everyone else.
- Every other person is your competition. If the strong must survive, I must inherently feel threatened by every other human being. Some will be victors and others will be victims.
Again, perhaps over simplified, but can you begin to see themes that are playing out in our world today? Racism promotes one group of people is better than others. Life is random and cheap. An unborn child is competition to the life I want to live or simply a reality that the weak will not survive. Nature issues become more important than human life issues. Gross atrocities such as the Holocaust come in an evil struggle to be the superior race.
The list can go on.
The reality is the sinful nature…our sinful nature desires to live apart from God. We think that life apart from the constraints of the divine is better than with the order of the Lord. The apostle Paul recognized that this was a conscious decision that mankind makes. It is not that God is absent, it is that sinful minds choose to try to explain life and humanity apart from God. (Romans 1:18-21; 28-31)
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
We see this reality in humanity…but is it the way to see humanity? Tomorrow through Friday we will explore humanity as God sees it…it presents a much brighter outlook!
Apply: What results of a humanistic worldview do you notice in the world around us?
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for making your perspective on humanity plain in the pages of the Bible. Lead us to embrace and live your view of life and not a humanistic view. AMEN.