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Coming Together Around What Matters Most

A Six-Week Devotional Journey

Abingdon Press

Week One

GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER

I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

(Ephesians 3:18-21)

Spiritual problems require intensive doses of prayer, study, reflection, and conversation in order to find the renewal that is needed and desired. Spiritual problems require confession and a willingness to be wrong. ... I believe that at the heart of all the issues we are debating as a church is a spiritual problem.

Though it is tempting to seek instant answers to complex problems, it is important for us to begin at the heart of the matter and work our way to discover carefully discerned answers to complex issues. Information in the twenty-first century may be just a Google search away, but the renewal and revival of the church will require much more intentionality if we are to determine what we are fighting for while avoiding the temptation to fight for things that are peripheral or nonessential to our core purpose or mission....

In the midst of all the prognosticating that is taking place in church, I believe we are missing the one element key to the whole conversation: the need for confession and a renewed desire to seek the heart of God.

— Thomas J. Bickerton, What Are We Fighting For?

1. Inspired to Do Our Part

For God will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

(Psalm 91:11)

In our family, there is a prized possession that sits on a shelf in my parents' home. It is a plain green teapot.

This simple ceramic antique once belonged to my grandparents. Back in the days when work was scarce and it was difficult to make ends meet, they would store extra money in the old green teapot. It was their tithe money. Believing completely in the biblical model of stewardship, my grandparents would faithfully place their tithe in the green teapot after each payday.

Each Sunday they would place money from the teapot in the offering plate at church. But on other occasions, opportunities for ministry would knock at the door of their home. A neighbor would drop by and, in the course of the conversation, would confess that she didn't have any money for groceries. Before the conversation ended, there was money placed in her hands for some potatoes and a gallon of milk. It came from the teapot.

My grandfather was a Korean War veteran. While stationed in Korea as a part of the Occupational Forces, he fell in love with the people there. Wanting to return as a missionary but never finding the way to make it happen, my grandfather instead sponsored a Korean orphan each year. The money came from the teapot.

One year a family friend was abandoned by her husband. She was left alone to care for their five children. My grandparents helped her go to nursing school so she could provide for her family. Their support came from the teapot.

For years no one in our family knew about the teapot. My grandparents humbly went about living out their faith without the need for recognition. They were simply being faithful. In recent years, however, the story of the teapot has been shared as a way of carrying on our rich family heritage.

In speaking about his parents my father says, "No matter what my parents had, they believed that God would take care of them. The teapot became a great lesson for me. God will take care of you if you only believe." That old green antique serves as a vivid reminder for our family about setting priorities and trusting in God's care.

As you seek to do your part in your church and community, remember that God will take care of you even when you wonder how you will make it through. Pause today and say a word of thanks for the gift of grace and God's abiding care.

Thank you, God, for providing for me in ways that I cannot even understand or comprehend. Amen.

2. Integrating God into Our Actions

Now, during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God.

(Luke 6:12)

I long to find right answers in the midst of difficult issues. Desperate to find just the right thing to say, I often find myself resorting to knee-jerk reactions rather than well-thought-out responses. I am tempted to fire off an immediate answer when I should have taken the time to ponder and pray. Sometimes immediacy is not wisdom and a quick response is not good leadership.

In his book The View from a Hearse, Joseph Bayly shares an experience of comfort he received when one of his children died suddenly:

I was sitting, torn by grief. Someone came and talked to me of God's dealings, of why it happened, of hope beyond the grave. He talked constantly; he said things I knew were true. I was unmoved, except to wish he'd go away. He finally did. Another came and sat beside me. He didn't talk. He didn't ask leading questions. He just sat beside me for an hour and more, listening when I said something, answered briefly, prayed simply, left. I was moved. I was comforted. I hated to see him go.

We long for easy answers to difficult questions and situations. While quick fixes are often desired, they can cause more harm than good. Taking the long view of things means taking extra care to pray when there are no quick answers and listen when silence feels awkward.

There is a simple first step: allow yourself to be in the moment and invite the presence of God to direct your words and actions. The simple prayer "God direct my path in this situation" can create just enough pause to allow God to do what God does best.

The perfect answer to a big problem may not be found quickly. Today, start with a few simple, intentional steps. Stop and speak a sentence prayer at the top of every hour. Memorize a verse of Scripture each day. Speak a word of encouragement to a coworker or a kind word to a stranger. Get into the habit of letting God use you to be a blessing to someone else.

When you do, you might just find that the big answers will start to be revealed in surprising and exciting ways.

What have you got to lose?

God, bless me with your presence today. Direct my path so that I may be a blessing to others. Amen.

3. Isolation or Integration?

So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.

(Romans 12:5)

Building and maintaining community is a challenge in today's world. For as much connectivity as there is in our culture, there is so much that isolates us from one another. To find a way to be together and stay together is at the heart of what it means to be the body of Christ.

Dr. Eugene Brice tells the story about a minister who returned to visit a church he had once served. He ran into Bill, who had been an elder and leader in the church, but who wasn't around anymore.

The pastor asked, "Bill, what happened? You used to be there every time the doors opened."

"Well, Pastor," said Bill, "a difference of opinion arose in the church. Some of us couldn't accept the final decision and we established a church of our own."

"Is that where you worship now?" asked the pastor.

"No," answered Bill, "we found that there, too, the people were not faithful, and a small group of us began meeting in a rented hall at night."

"Has that proven satisfactory?" asked the minister.

"No, I can't say that it has," Bill responded. "Satan was active even in that fellowship, so my wife and I withdrew and began to worship on Sunday at home by ourselves."

"Then at last you have found inner peace?" asked the pastor.

"No, I'm afraid we haven't," said Bill. "Even my wife began to develop ideas I was not comfortable with, so now she worships in the northeast corner of the living room, and I am in the southwest."

This humorous story has a definite thread of truth in it. If you want to find fault with someone or something, you will most likely succeed. There are no perfect people, churches, or organizations to be found. But if you want to find community in the midst of good people who sometimes make mistakes, you will be blessed to discover that the Holy Spirit is at work shaping and molding communities of faith into the likeness of Jesus. If you look for perfection, you will be searching forever. If you look for a community of faith filled with people just like you who are searching for meaning and what matters most in their lives, you won't have to look very far.

What are you looking for?

O God, help me not fall victim to those things that isolate me from others. Guide me as I seek a deeper sense of community with others. Amen.

4. Depending on One Another

"I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him."

(Acts 10:34)

One of my best friends is a person with whom I share very little in common. He was raised in the city. I was raised in a small town. He has a passion for soccer. I have a passion for baseball. He works in a secular field. I work in the church. The list goes on and on.

We can argue with one another over the smallest subjects. Yet there is a deep-seated respect between us. As they say, we have each other's back. We know that we can depend on one another in spite of the differences between us. If someone comes after my friend, first they will have to come through me.

In East Africa, there are two animals that share very little in common. The mighty rhinoceros is feared by most creatures in the wild except for one, the buffalo bird. Watching rhinos in their natural environment, you often see birds perched on their backs. From time to time these birds begin pecking at the back of the rhino similar to the way a woodpecker works away at an old tree. Others fly around the head of the rhino. If I were a rhino, I would be terribly annoyed! Yet the rhino does not attack the buffalo bird. The two of them have an understanding.

From birth, a rhinoceros has very poor eyesight. In addition, the rhino's body is covered with uncontrollable parasites. The buffalo bird loves parasites and does the rhino a great favor by eating them. Likewise, when there is danger in the area, the buffalo bird lets out a shrill call, warning the rhino. In return for this service, the buffalo birds are protected from their natural enemies by one of Africa's largest mammals. This arrangement is mutuality at its best — two very different creatures looking out for each other.

I have found that, at times, very different people come into our lives to broaden our horizons and reveal the magnitude of God's creation. We can easily reject them because they are so different from us. Or, we can see them as a gift from God. Eventually we might even discover that they have our backs.

Pray today that God might reveal to you someone who will broaden your perspective and complement your life, even if you don't agree with them.

God, move me today from independence to dependence. Help me to see the value in those with whom I do not always agree. Amen.

5. Sharing the Gift Within Us

For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you.

(Romans 1:11)

I believe that there is a longing in every soul for purpose and meaning. That longing, when realized, can open an individual to a world previously unknown and unseen. We who embrace the Christian faith have been given a precious gift. None of us acquired it on our own. It was, in one form or another, given to us as a gift. The invitation to receive that gift changed our lives. The invitation we offer to others can and does have the same effect.

The story is told of a wise woman who was traveling in the mountains and found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. "I've been thinking," he said. "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone."

The presence of Christ within us is that which enables us to do, at times, the extraordinary. It takes us where we are and lifts us to a place where we can, with confidence, see possibilities that we could not see before. The real gift is not what we have in our possession. The real gift is the ability to give ourselves away to others. That gift is only possible when we invite the presence of Christ to dwell deep within us.

Today, invite Jesus to come and bless your life again. Today, consider how you might invite someone else into the heart of God's love.

O God, give me what you have that will enable me to give what I have to others. Amen.

Week Two

THREE REMINDERS FOR THE JOURNEY

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:35, 37-39)

We are so eager to arrive at the answers that we often fail to remind ourselves of the simple yet significant principles required to create an atmosphere of genuine spiritual discernment. ... The end result or destination is attainable only if we have prepared for the journey that will get us there....

In the midst of these uneasy and uncertain times of discernment, it is important to remember that we have not yet arrived and that there are many more discoveries to be made along the way. You and I are a work in progress, created by God and shaped by others whom God prepares, equips, and sends to bless us each step of the way. They are the ones who remind us that God is not through with us yet. They are the ones who reassure us that we are loved and that they will never let us go.

— Thomas J. Bickerton, What Are We Fighting For?

1. Lighten Up, Loosen Up, and Have a Little Fun

If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise.

(1 Corinthians 3:18)

A few years ago two of my children joined me in a month-long driving adventure. I carefully mapped out our route and selected all of the spectacular sights that we were going to experience. Many represented some of the most famous places in the United States. I was sure they would provide for us a long-lasting series of "memory makers."

On one particular day we found our planned destination, parked the car, and began walking. On the way we came across a street fair. At one display there were a series of plywood panels painted with goofy looking characters: cowboys, animals, and body builders. In each of the scenes, the heads of the characters were cut out, providing a spot for someone to insert their head and assume the posture of the character on the panel. We stopped at each one and took turns inserting our heads. We laughed and took pictures of one another assuming these various positions. It was a good day in the midst of a great trip.

To this day, when we reflect upon this well-planned trip, one of the first things my kids say is, "Do you remember that day when we stopped in Kansas and took pictures in those goofy panels?" They encourage me to pull out the photographs and we laugh all over again. They thought the national parks were beautiful. But their best memory was what we did on an impulsive day of spontaneity when we veered from the schedule and got silly together!

We work very hard to plan out our lives and our schedules. We give ourselves just enough time to get between point A and point B. We determine what we think will bring us the best inspiration and blessing. Yet some of the most meaningful experiences we have are the ones we cannot plan or predetermine. They happen when we loosen up just enough to experience them.

What is something you have wanted to do but haven't found a way to do it? How open are you to having your well-laid-out plans changed in a moment of inspiration or spontaneity? God has given us a great world, even in our own backyards, where we can lighten up, loosen up, and have a little fun. Grab hold of those spontaneous moments in life when you put everything on pause and let yourself experience something new, fresh, and unexpected.

Go ahead. I know you can do it!

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Excerpted from Coming Together Around What Matters Most by Thomas J. Bickerton. Copyright © 2016 Abingdon Press. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press.
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