Living in God's community and His company

Thursday, April 3, 2014 Devotions: Ps 69, 73; Ex 1:6-22; 1 Cor 12:12-26; Mk 8:27-9:1 God, save me: the waters have come up to my neck; I'm sinking in slime, and have no foothold. My grief has exhausted me. I'm opposed by throngs, and You know my sins—I have no virtue that I might claim Your favor. But Lord, please, don't let my troubles and sins keep others from receiving Your blessing. I am zealous, if inconsistent; when anyone insults You, it damages me. I'm a storm crow, solitary and discontent. At an acceptable time, God, answer me from the abundance of Your steadfast love. Rescue me from this pismire; God Is good all the time; don't hide Your face from Your servant; draw near and redeem me. You know all about my shame, dishonor and reproach. Insults have broken my heart, so that I am sunk in despair. They give me poison and vinegar as food and drink. So let those who do harm face Your judgment; and let Your salvation set me on high. I will praise YHWH with song, and magnify Him with thanksgiving. God does not despise His own who are in bonds. Let all creation praise our God; rebuild Your cities and Your kingdom, O Lord, and let Your servants dwell there in peace as generations roll. God is utterly good to the upright; but I had almost stumbled: I envied the arrogant, I lusted after the wanton, I grumbled as I perceived the success of the prosperous. They wear pride like a necklace; they have no qualms, no troubled spirits. They are praised and honored in the community; at ease, they increase in riches. Meanwhile, though faulty, I struggle to be honest and faithful. All this burdened me until I dragged myself into God's sanctuary. Then I perceived their end: they are on a slippery slope, bound for ruin. When I'm jealous or envious, I am stupid and ignorant; yet, God persists in caring for me and protecting me. Lord, I have only You; G is the Strength of my heart, my Portion for ever. It is good to abide near God, to tell of all Your works, great Lord! Joseph and all his brothers, all their generation, died; but the descendants of Israel were fruitful and multiplied and became very strong; and the land was filled with them. Eventually, a new king ruled Egypt, who knew nothing of Joseph. He said to his people: 'Look! These Israelites are too many and too mighty for us. We must deal shrewdly with them, to prevent them from allying themselves with our enemies, helping to defeat us, and escaping from our sovereignty.' So he set harsh taskmasters over the Israelites, and forced them to build cities for Pharaoh—Pithom and Rameses. And even as they were oppressed, the descendants of Israel continued to multiply and spread abroad. Seeing this, the Egyptians increased oppression, with hard service in brick and mortar and fieldwork. Pharaoh summoned the two main midwives of the Israelites and commanded them to kill every male baby, letting the female infants live. But Shiphrah and Puah were God-fearing women, and they disobeyed the king. Learning that the boys were surviving, Pharaoh summoned and confronted the midwives. They told him, 'The Hebrew women are not like Egyptian mothers; they are vigorous, and deliver their children before the midwives arrive.' God rewarded the midwives' faithfulness, and His people continued to thrive and expand. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, 'Every son born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile; but let every daughter live.' Paul continues his discussion of the body of Christ, the community of saints: Just as the body is one and has many members, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body: Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—all imbibed one Spirit. The body consists of many members, and each is unique and necessary to the proper, healthy function of the entire body. God has arranged the various organs in the body just as He chose. There are many parts, but one body. All are essential. Moreover, the parts that seem weaker are especially essential; and we treat those parts we perceive as less honorable with the greater modesty and protection, giving greater honor to the inferior part. Why? So that there may be no discord in the body, but so that all the members should care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. As Jesus and His disciples went among the villages near Caesarea Philippi, the Lord asked His disciples, 'Who do people say that I Am?' They answered: Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah or another of the ancient prophets. And He replied, 'And Who do you say that I Am?' Peter answered first, as he often did: 'You are the Messiah.' And Jesus charged them all to tell no one about Him. He began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes, and be killed—and after three days, rise again from death. Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him; but Jesus in turn rebuked Peter: 'Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but that of mortals.' And Jesus called the multitude of His followers and told them, 'Those who would come after Me must deny themselves; each must take up his own cross and follow Me. Whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever chooses to lose his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it. It profits a person nothing to gain the world and forfeit their own life. Anyone who is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous generation—I will be ashamed of that person when I come in the glory of My Father with the holy angels. And Jesus concluded: 'Truly I tell you: some standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.'