Dear
Fellow Children of God,
In my daily devotions on Tuesday,
May 16, I was reading through Joshua 22 and rediscovered a strange
account. (There are many surprising stories
in Scripture which can cause one to wonder, or to react in sorrow, or in joy.) When the Israelites had finished taking
possession of the land of Canaan, the tribes living on the east side of the
Jordan River returned to their homes.
But, these tribes on the east had fears that the Jordan, which separated
the tribes geographically, might also separate them in other ways from the rest
of Israel, and perhaps hinder their worship of the Lord. So, in Joshua 22:10 we read, “the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of
Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan.” However, these tribes in the east had not
shared their concerns with the Israelites living in the west. When the tribes on the west side of the
Jordan River found out about the altar, they gathered to wage war against their
brothers in the east. The tribes on the
west side of the Jordan River suspected idolatry, and did not want to suffer
for the sins of their fellow Israelites.
You see, they were not talking with one another. Ultimately, the tribes on the west sent
messengers to the tribes on the east and discovered their fears, and their
intent to remain true to the Lord. This
last minute communication prevented a terrible war between God’s children. Do you
see how dangerous it is when people do not communicate their concerns, their
faith, their hopes with others?
Our country is divided todays in
ways I have never previously seen in my lifetime. People hold deeply divided ideas about what
is right and wrong, about how we should live, about what it means to be a
citizen of this nation. A big part of
this is disagreement about who God is, and what that means in our lives. But, part of that division is that people are
simply unwilling to talk with others who have different opinions. We are often willing to talk ABOUT others,
but not willing to have a discussion and talk WITH them. You see, communicating is first of all . . . listening.
The Biblical writer, James,
inspired by the Lord, wrote these words.
“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be
quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19) In
conversation with another, how often are we “quick to LISTEN?” For example,
a few months ago I read a report on the internet about a situation in our local
schools. It turns out that the report
did include some facts, but the
conclusions were extremely slanted. I
was concerned, as a Christian, by what I read and discussed it with some people
who knew the situation. By listening to
the whole story I came away with a totally different perspective. But, perhaps you were also taught as I was, that
“a half a truth is really a lie.”
In many pastoral classes on counseling I was taught about
‘active listening.’ That means paying attention when another speaks, and
repeating back their message before speaking ourselves. Perhaps such communicating honors what God
meant when He led James to write about being “quick to listen.”
Unfortunately, when people refuse to listen, they often
do what James warned against; they are quick to become angry, and share that
anger in their speech. Angry words lead
to angry actions. Usually an act of
violence is first preceded by harsh words.
That is why another directive from God tells us that we should be “speaking the truth in love.”
(Ephesians 4:15)
I could write a book on what God
says in Scripture about healthy communication.
Jesus teaches that the one to whom we should ultimately listen is God
Himself. When communicating truths of
God’s kingdom in parables, Jesus often repeated the phrase, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
(Mark 4:9, Luke 8:8, Luke 14:35)
Are we listening to God? By the
way, Jesus Himself is “The Word of
God,” (John 1:1-14) our Lord’s greatest message!
If people in our country communicated in healthy ways,
“being quick to listen”, and “speaking the truth in love,” there would still be
areas of disagreement, but I am convinced that there would be somewhat less
division. But, before we can speak truth, we need to hear the truth, by
listening to our Lord.
Are you listening first of all to God? Do you listen to others, even those with whom
you may have differences? When you
speak, are you speaking the truth in love?
Our world and your life will be a better place if we listen well and
communicate the true love of God’s love. God’s truth, by the way, is Jesus.
A Child of God, Seeking to Listen to God, Listen
to Others, and to Speak in God’s Truth in Love,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. We are still
getting settled in Alaska after 3+ months in Florida.
·
Since we arrived home on May 5 we have had multiple
issues, including with WATER.
o I
replaced a shower head which was not working well.
o Our
dishwasher stopped working after 17 years.
We replaced the dishwasher.
o As
I was washing dishes after my birthday party, all water stopped flowing in our
house. Jake Griffiin, of Griffin Water, Well,
and Pumps found that the points on our pressure tank were corroded. He cleaned the points. I feared a large repair and bill!
o When the 5 gallon jug was placed on the water dispenser in our cabin, the dispenser had a leak, and the jug mostly emptied onto the floor. We replaced the water dispenser.
- · On Wednesday, May 10, we celebrated my 70th birthday. Kathy cooked, and about 50 people showed up to visit. It was a good time. Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZgCwjoL4Mwe7Hnmp8
·
We traveled to the Kenai Peninsula Thursday, May
11 to Saturday, May 13. We watched our
grandson play baseball, we picked up our dog - Mat, we visited with friends,
and we opened our cabin.
o Here
is a baseball picture, from a game in Palmer. https://photos.app.goo.gl/E6Jhvxw6DdyjkA1x9
o Here
is a picture from our cabin. https://photos.app.goo.gl/jj9NjLGojpFvcXok9
P.P.S. Maybe next
week I’ll get to go fishing. J
*****
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I retired at the end of August 2019
from serving as senior pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer, AK. I was writing a weekly devotion previously
entitled, "Thoughts from the Pastor."
When I retired many asked me to continue writing these devotions. So I have continued writing. However, with life's changes I now call this
weekly devotion "Journeys Through Life as a Child of God." Since I am no longer senior pastor at St.
John, I felt it right to only send this message to those who asked to receive
it.
So, if you
stopped receiving these devotions and wondered why, now you understand. And, if you are now receiving these devotions
and do not wish to receive them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove
your name from my distribution list. My
e-mail address is jonrock53@mtaonline.net.
My prayer
is that these devotions help each of you in your daily walk with our Lord,
Jesus.
*******
Jonathan Rockey
Child of God
Husband, Father, Son, Grandfather
Pastor Emeritus, St. John Lutheran Church
E-Mail: jonrock53@mtaonline.net
“1 John 3:1 How great is the love the
Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that
is what we are!” (1 John 3:1 a)
No comments:
Post a Comment