by Bruce Hanson

Fasting

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:16-18

While this week’s scripture is specifically about fasting, my job for the week is to step back and examine just how the passage above fits in with the entirety of Matthew Chapter 6. To do so, we need to back up and take a look at Matthew 6:1.

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” 

Jesus is attempting to turn around a world that is entirely saturated with legalisms. Consider the rich young man who approached Jesus with
the following question.

“Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life ?” Matthew 19:16

This was a world caught up in doing. What must I DO to receive eternal life? The moment it becomes all about us and the things we do, our world gravitates to one that is highly concerned with comparing ourselves to others. We must measure up. We want to look good, so we put on a show. Create a scene.
When we give bread to our needy neighbors, we do so with much pomp and circumstance. It’s not so much about them as about us. The same is true of prayer. Jesus warns of praying publicly in order to be seen. Using big words and long sentences. All about our heads. Not about our hearts. How do we look?
And this week, Jesus emphasizes the same perspective in regards to fasting. The purpose of fasting was/is to separate oneself from the things of the world
in order to draw closer to God. It is not about sacrifice. No tit for tat. That’s a head thing. It’s about mercy. That’s a heart thing. What is our purpose?

Let me finish by hearkening back to one of my favorite Old Testament verses.

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

Jesse didn’t even consider David when he paraded his sons before Samuel, extolling their virtues and achievements. It was about what they’d done and
how they looked. God set both Jesse and Samuel straight. 

If our hearts are right, our actions will follow. And we will be seen by God. Seen and rewarded.

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by Bruce Hanson

“And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13

I know my high school English teacher probably wouldn’t like my use of But, But as a title, but let me explain. The first “but” refers to my writing assignment concerning the passage above. The second “but” was hand-delivered by the librarian at the Heavenly Public Library as I sat down to write. She reminded me of something we ought to “Post-It” in our brains. And yes, I was being noisy!! 

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

Living  and Active

What the librarian whispered in my ear was that I needed to slow down and ruminate. If you are like me, the Lord’s Prayer is something I memorized not long after I learned to talk. I have likely recited it many thousands of times. If I am not careful, it can simply slide off my tongue without making an impact on my mind or my heart. God’s Word is LIVING and ACTIVE. Every time I read it and all the rest of scripture, I should endeavor to read it as though I have never seen it before. It has the potential to be new every time. Now to the first “but” from the passage above.

What could possibly be the purpose of tying the two portions of the sentence above with the conjunction“but”.  If we flesh it out as is implied, it would say,
“But if He does”. The thing is, God doesn’t tempt. Numerous scriptures tell us that. Never. Never. So why did Jesus use the word “but”?

Let me start by saying that this is what God is telling me about Jesus’ use of the word “but”. He may have something else for you. The Greek word used here for temptation is the word peirasmos. If you look that word up in Strong’s Concordance, you will find three potential meanings that might be used in translation:  trial, testing, temptation. 

For me, if I employ the meaning of peirasmos as temptation, then that seems to contradict what I know about God’s character. But if I use it in the sense of testing, then things suddenly make sense to me. Not only do they make sense, but they also give me reassurance as I face the challenges of aging.
The GPB, the Grandpa Bruce Paraphrased edition of scripture would look like this:

“God, if I had my choice, I might choose to avoid all trials. Trials aren’t much fun, but if you do allow me down a path fraught with trials, please help me out the other side. I KNOW you will!!”

But, But 

“Testing, Testing”

Thank You Jesus

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by Bruce Hanson

“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Matthew 6:12, 14

As the devotional team met to talk about the verses above, we discussed the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. We only truly have control over the first. The second may or may not ever occur. But forgiveness is something we fervently seek because of its impact on our own hearts. Forgiveness led me to consider another significant verse.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

For too many, wrongs done to them render the heaviest of burdens. How can I possibly forgive? I was hurt so badly!! Bitterness seems the natural outcome, but it eats at our hearts and dims the Holy Spirit’s light as He tries to shine through our lives. The following is not the answer.

Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him,
“I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21-22

Before going further, I want to give Peter a little pass. Peter ALWAYS speaks his mind. Trouble is, that speaking his mind sometimes leads Peter to place both feet in his mouth. But he is honest and seems to always repent when he missteps. Reading between the lines, Peter has likely just forgiven someone he has already forgiven more than once, and he is seeking kudos from Jesus. He needs to justify his actions, but there are no formulas here.

As humans, we tend to like formulas. If we do this (x), we get this (y). The trouble is that forgiveness is a condition of our hearts, not of our heads. It is seldom as simple as 2 + 2 = 4. More often than not, the need for forgiveness reflects a serious internal wound. We can’t come up with an answer and end up carrying that burden around with us everywhere we go. It is literally back-breaking. It interferes with everything we do. 

I am reminded of these words from Hebrews:

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily
entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, Hebrews 12:1-2a

More often than not, forgiveness is not so much about the other person. It is about our own letting go. We have the perfect example in Hosea.

He was a godly man with an ungodly wife, Gomer. Gomer was repeatedly involved in extramarital promiscuity. In our culture that would be bad. In Hosea’s,
it was beyond despicable. But Hosea loved his wife, so his willingness to forgive her changed everything.

I am well aware that forgiveness is not always easily acquired. It may take days and days, even years of talking with God. But in the end it is a fruit worth seeking, and a fruit you may share with everyone else who crosses your path. Lay your burdens down.

Seek those smiles!! The world needs yours!!

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by Bruce Hanson

“Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10

When we met to discuss our devotionals for this week, Pastor Aaron told us that in regards to the Kingdom in the passage above, more than truly anything else, he wanted to be a part of a kingdom where Jesus reigned supreme, dominating the landscape wherever anyone looked. The words above don’t say your kingdom, or my kingdom. They are about the manifestation of God’s Kingdom here on earth. And in that Kingdom, Jesus Wins!!

Now that will be awesome, but that isn’t actually going to be complete until there is a new heaven and a new earth, Revelation 21. There is a temporary fix though.

When I was a midgie, my neighborhood didn’t yet have a local library. We would go to the strip mall by our house, the Brentwood Shopping Center, and the Bookmobile would bring books to us. It was the highlight of my week. I wore out every single Nancy Drew book.

So back to our story. Gathered all over that hill where Jesus was delivering the Sermon on the Mount was a hodgepodge of needy people. For the most part,
they weren’t the Richie Riches of the world. It was people whose lives had not measured up to their dreams. They were desperate for a new kingdom: one that held promise; one that wasn’t based on possessions they would never have. Jesus offered the one thing they were all desperate for — hope!! Whatever their backgrounds, all needed hope, as do you and I.

Corporately, we won’t see God’s Kingdom here on earth until Revelation 20 becomes our reality. But for the time being, we can take Jesus’ Kingdom to our world, just like the librarian who drove the Bookmobile brought books to me. And I can tell you that those I meet will get more than they need of the Kingdom of Jesus if the kingdom I carry wherever I go looks like this:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

If I carry that to those around me, they will be blessed with a glimpse of the kingdom.  And guess what?

Jesus Wins!!!

Where’s My Library Card??

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by Bruce Hanson

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Matthew 6:5-8

When you find yourself in the position I am in, writing a devotional, and praying that it might be impactful for someone, your point of departure must always begin with serious contemplation. My assignment for this week was to address the purpose of prayer. That’s a big task!! And it led me here.

Dialogue?

Or Monologue?

My immediate response to the question above would be Dialogue. But far too often, I fear that not to be the case. It tends to be me delivering a soliloquy.
We all want to hear from God, but the truth is, I was not sure what that looks like. As I researched the concept, I discovered a book — not necessarily one I’m suggesting you read, but the book’s backstory piqued my interest.

Mark Virkler has written a book called Dialogue with God: Opening the Door to Two Way Prayer. It has been his life’s desire to hear the voice of God.
He memorized all the passages that reflected someone speaking audibly with God. He studied scripture endlessly. He attended and graduated from seminary.
He spent the largest part of his life trying unsuccessfully to hear God’s voice. It was always a monologue. And then this, (Mark’s words):

“The first key to hearing God’s voice, then, is learning what His voice spoken within sounds like. Rather than being an inner audible voice, I discovered that God’s voice in our hearts generally sounds like a flow of spontaneous thoughts. Yes, God graciously spoke to me in an audible voice once, but that is certainly not the norm. In fact, it is more likely an indication that I was too thick or too stubborn to get His message any other way! Like Paul on the road to Damascus, I had to be “hit upside the head” in order to hear what He had to say to me. The Lord will take drastic measures if necessary, but He would rather we learn to discern Him speaking as spontaneous thoughts from within our hearts.”

What I realized is this: When I speak with God, I need to enter the dialogue with the real expectation that I WILL hear from Him. Mostly, I don’t — is it a wrong mindset? Secondly, and more importantly, I need to give Him time to answer. This isn’t a task to be accomplished. It is a conversation with my Father. Give Him time. And if I do, I have a feeling I may just experience that spontaneous flowing of thoughts a lot more often. 

I pray the same for you!!

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