Daily Dose of Hope

November 28, 2024

Day 5 of Week 35

28Scripture: 2 Chronicles 28; 2 Kings 17; Psalm 66; 1 Corinthians 7

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Let me share some of my favorite Scripture in Philippians 4:4-7, Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

In 2 Chronicles 28 and 2 Kings 17, the kings of Judah and Israel have run amok. The kings are once again leading the people astray. In the north and the south, they are worshiping other gods, committing child sacrifice, and they have set up altars in the high places. Both nations are depending on the protection of the pagan nations around them. They are paying tribute to some and not others, and the political consequences are bad. God allows Aram and Israel to conquer Judah, and the casualties are significant, although God doesn’t allow them to be totally decimated.

But decimation does occur in Israel. We read about this in 2 Kings 17. All the disobedience, the years of pushing God away, the horrific kings over generations, and the constant warnings that were not heeded, it has all come to a head. The Assyrians have taken over. While there is priest allowed to stay to teach the people about their God, it’s a warped Judaism mixed with pagan influences. This is the end of the Northern Kingdom.

Our New Testament passage is 1 Corinthians 7. This whole discussion on marriage is interesting. Paul is not opposed to marriage but there is a certain tension in this chapter. He is genuinely concerned about those who marry and have families. There is the whole issue of not being totally and completely dedicated to God (because they are also dedicated to their spouse and children) but there is also a present distress that exists and may get worse.

At that time in Corinth, there was definite pressure being put on the Jews and increasing pressure on the new Christians. We know from reading history that intense persecution is on the horizon. Living in stable societies, rarely do we think much about the effect of persecution, warfare, and oppression on families. Paul was very right; those who were married with children would in fact suffer more. They would worry more about the safety and welfare of their children and it would be more difficult for them to pick up their lives and flee.

It was only fifteen years after Paul wrote this letter that Jerusalem was destroyed. What did the families do in such circumstances? I can't help but think about the fate of families in more recent conflicts-Rwanda, Bosnia, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Israel.

I do wish you many blessings today. No matter our circumstances, we have much to be thankful for as followers of Jesus. And please know, I am thankful for all of you.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

November 27, 2024

Day 4 of Week 35

Scripture: Isaiah 33-35; 1 Corinthians 6

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan. Just a reminder, there is no Recharge tonight.

Our Old Testament passage for today is Isaiah 33-35. Not unlike yesterday’s chapters, today’s readings continue on the themes of judgement and redemption. While there will be destruction, God will also offer future righteousness for those who believe. That we know will come through Jesus Christ. There is also emphasis on God’s sovereignty. He is bigger and more powerful than any earthly nation. Woe to other natures for God will prevail. His people will experience the consequences of their sin, but redemption is always possible.

The New Testament Scripture is 1 Corinthians 6. Paul continues to press this issue: Jesus-followers should look different than the culture around them. Why were they allowing secular courts to decide issues that should have been worked out in the church? Why were they getting pulled into disputes that distracted them from the mission in the first place? And then Paul presents a list of wrongdoings which have no place in the church. He is imploring them, "You know better!" You've been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ. You are different now, new creations, so behave like it.

I read this and it feels like Paul is in parent-mode. He is telling the Corinthians to remember who and whose they are! Two thousand years is a long time and yet people are still people. We aren't any better today; I do hope everyone realizes that. Yes, we think we are quite sophisticated. We think we are quite knowledgeable. But, just like the Corinthians, we still forget what it means to belong to Jesus. We still allow the values and temptations of the world to seep into our lives. How often we blend so neatly into the world around us! Do our neighbors and coworkers even know that there is something different about us? Let's just leave it there and let it soak in a bit.

I'll close with some more words from the apostle Paul in Romans 12:1-2 (the Message), So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

November 26, 2024

Day 3 of Week 35

Scripture: Isaiah 30-32; 1 Corinthians 5

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan.

Our Old Testament passage for today is from Isaiah. Chapters 30 and 31 discuss how Israel is disobedient for not trusting in the Lord. Rather, they trust in the nations around them, including Egypt. God, through Isaiah, calls the Jews to repentance. God is willing to show mercy and compassion if they are willing to come back to him.

By chapter 32, Isaiah is back to prophesying both long-term application and short-term application. The first few verses speak to a Messiah who will rule with righteousness and justice. He will provide protection and refreshment. But then as the chapter progresses, there is prophecy about upcoming judgment because they have walked far away from God.

Our New Testament passage is 1 Corinthians 5. A significant problem in the church of Corinth was both sexual immorality and sexual deviancy, which simply underscored their shallow discipleship. Corinth was a port town that was home to the Temple of Aphrodite, a pagan temple with many, many prostitutes. Sexual immorality was rampant and almost a way of life in the city. It is in this context that the apostle Paul was trying to develop a holy church, based on commitment to Jesus rather than the pagan gods and ways of being. We see the struggles over these first few chapters.

In chapter five, Paul addresses a case of incest in the church, specifically a man sleeping with his father’s wife (presumably his stepmother).While this might have been acceptable in Corinthian society, it is absolutely deplorable among God's people. This kind of behavior was forbidden in the Torah and that translated into the church. The people of Jesus were also supposed to seek holiness and sexual morality was part of that. They are the body of Christ. Paul seems to be less concerned about the specific act and more concerned about the attitude of the Corinthian church. Why does this not bother them? It is their arrogance and general complacency that really put Paul over the edge.

Let’s be real. This is just as much as issue in today's church as it was 2000 years ago in Corinth. Why don't we behave like the body of Christ, holy and blameless? We tolerate all kinds of stuff! Do we demonstrate the same kind of arrogance and complacency? Certainly something to think about.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki