The Joy of Glory

Zechariah 7:9-10 (click here)
Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, [10] do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” (Zechariah 7:9-10)

Reflection
I’ve lived in the South my entire life. This is home

And, there are a great many things I love about the South… there are also things I could do without… and then there are some things that kinda fall in the middle… things like “southern courtesy.”

On the one hand, I love it that we all (mostly) treat each other with respect and kindness. It does my should good every time a waitress I’ve never met calls me hon’ or baby.

But…

On the other hand, I’m never quite sure if people actually mean what they say… sometimes I doubt if I mean what I say! We even have phrases that are specifically known for being externally nice while meaning something completely different… phrases like “Bless his heart!”

God is not after a people who possess southern courtesy, but who love sacrificially. He doesn’t want a people who hide behind words like “bless her heart,” but a people who live out of a transformed heart!

The prophet Zechariah reveals the heart of God as he calls the people to mere surface level kindness, but to action rooted in heartfelt affection… “let none of you devise evil against another IN YOUR HEART.”

This is a call away from surface action while still having a heart centered on oneself. This is even clearer just a few verses earlier… in Zechariah 7:5-6 God says, “When you… was it for me that you fasted? And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?” These people went through “worship” actions of fasting and feasting, but it was all for themselves, for their own reputation.

These people need transformed hearts… and so do we.

If we are going to be a cruciform community that shows true kindness, mercy, and justice… we cannot do this on our own… we must humble ourselves and ask the Lord to give us these things by the power of his Holy Spirit, through his Son Jesus. We can only be a cruciform community when we are empowered by the one who was crucified.

 
*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

Micah 6:8 
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?

Reflection
On January 24^th, 2004 my life changed forever. It was on that day that Holly and I were united in marriage.

This union changed everything.

It literally affected every aspect, every moment of my life. And I’m not just talking about the big things being affected… like my living arrangement, my priorities, my love, etc… I knew that marriage would bring about a huge shift, but I didn’t realize it would work itself out to the point that nothing about me was left unchanged.

I mean the way I cooked, the way I slept, and even the way I sneezed changed! Ok… that last one didn’t actually change, but I am constantly told that it needs to!

This union changed everything.

In truth, marriage is a mere picture, a shadow or a deeper union… the union of Christ with his people, the Church. When you came to faith in Jesus Christ, you became a part of his people and as a part of his people you were united to him… like a bride is united to her groom.

This union should change everything.

This is what the Lord says to through the prophet Micah. He is the God who redeemed them out of slavery and made them his people… and that union should change everything about them. Because they have been united to a God of justice they should be a people of justice. Because they have been united to a God of loving kindness they should be a people of loving kindness. Because they have been united to a God of humble faithfulness they should be a people of humble faithfulness.

Notice that doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly is not what makes them the people of God. No… they do these things BECAUSE they ARE a people who HAVE BEEN united to God.

I don’t act like I’m married to Holly in order to be married to her. No. I act like I am married to Holly because I AM married to her.

In my marriage and in the church’s union with God through Christ… we find ourselves in a union that changes everything!

1 Peter 1:15, “…as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct…”

2 Timothy 1:9, “[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace…”

1 Thessalonians 4:7-8, “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.”

As we talk about being a people who mirror the Christ to whom we have been united… a people who reflect the cross… a cruciform community… as we talk about this, we must know that we do not seek to reflect the holiness of God in order to be his people, but because we are his people!

He has given us the Holy Spirit to empower us to live holy lives that show the world that our union with Jesus is real! As we continue to put sin to death by the Spirit’s power, we know that we will not be perfectly holy, but we can be truly holy, truly live as the Saints we are!

This is what the Lord requires of his people… to be just that… to live as just that… HIS PEOPLE.

 
*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

Amos 5:10-15 (click here)
They hate him who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor him who speaks the truth.
Therefore because you trample on the poor
and you exact taxes of grain from him,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not dwell in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine. (Amos 5:10-11)

Reflection
It’s hard to read the prophets sometimes… isn’t it? I mean, all our passages for the past few days have just felt heavy as they have exposed some extremely negative images of community.

However…

We need this don’t we? The Bible is true to life, and not all of life is pretty, easy, and light. There are dark, broken difficulties… even in community. And, God specifically raised up prophets to call his rebellious people back to himself. Amos is no different.

Amos calls out with warnings to a community that hates “justice for all” because they love “just all for me.” They are willing to oppress, abuse, and harm anyone as long as it means gain for themselves, and they will silence anyone who tells them differently.

In ancient cities, the older men of the city often spent much of their day seated at the city gates to observe the comings and goings of the people. From this vantage point, they served as judges in the city. People brought their disagreements and grievances to them in hopes that their wisdom would render a just judgment.

Yet… Amos says that many in the community hate those old men specifically because they speak the truth and reprove them for their abuse of others.

This is a massive sign that cruciform community is breaking down and that people are no longer sacrificing themselves for others, but rather sacrificing others for themselves… the community hates correction.

The despising of wisdom, accountability, and correction is evidence that we consider ourselves our own supreme judges. We are unwilling to hear correction because we believe that we are always correct.

The warning from Amos is that even if we reject the justice of a wise community, justice will ultimately be served by an all-wise God. These people may find success in oppressing others so that they can build fine houses and plant great vineyards, but they won’t get to live in their mansions and drink their wine. In other words, even if they get their way for a little while, they will ultimately lose everything. Justice will be done… and the things they thought would bring them lasting satisfaction will pass away, and they will find themselves not in community with the only one who truly satisfies forever… God.

The question we need to ask ourselves is how do we receive correction from our community? Do we love the faithful wounds of a friend, leader, or church who are after our eternal good? Or, do we reject all correction because we believe that we are always correct?

Correction in community is a gracious gift from God that teaches all of us how to live cruciform lives where we give up sacrificing others for the good of ourselves, and become a people who sacrifice ourselves for the good of others.

*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.