The Doctor We Need
Sunday, November 16
Mark 2:13-22
In today’s text, Jesus invites an unexpected individual to follow him—Levi, the tax collector. Both a tax collector and Jewish, Levi would be seen in his community not only as a thief but a traitor. Jesus’s association with Levi raises the eyebrows of the religious leaders. He responds to their queries saying, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (v. 17, NIV).
Jesus doesn’t say that because the Pharisees were spiritually “healthy” unlike the tax collector. Rather, Jesus’s statement is an invitation for us to examine our own hearts. Each of us is sick. That includes Levi, the Pharisees, you, and me. Yet the good news in this passage is that Jesus is not here for those who think they have it all together; rather, he is here to be intimately close to all who recognize their need for him.
Lord Jesus, thank you for your radical compassion that meets us where we are. Amen.
The Only Credential Necessary
Monday, November 17
2 Corinthians 3:1-6
Credentials can be a useful tool to help us identify experts in a particular field. An MD, JD, or PhD knows much more about their respective field than I know about medicine, the law, or an academic subject like history. But spiritual authority and influence are different. While theological education is important, it is rendered useless without the indwelling and power of the Holy Spirit.
In Corinth, some were flashing their credentials in order to gain influence in the early church. However, Paul pushed back, saying the evidence of true spiritual leadership comes in transformed hearts. Through his ministry, people encountered the living God through the Holy Spirit. In other words, the sign that Paul’s ministry is true is that it’s not his ministry at all but that all of his power and authority come from God himself.
We, too, are invited to be consciously dependent on the Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit we can be messengers of the good news. That is the only credential we need.
Holy Spirit, give me the confidence to live into the calling you have for me. Amen.
Consuming Fire
Tuesday, November 18
2 Corinthians 3:7-18
Imagine sitting around a bonfire. The fire is powerful, untamable, and glorious. It is this image of fire that we see associated with God’s glory throughout Scripture. God’s presence is described as a glorious blaze, too strong for us to get close without burning up.
When Moses encounters the Lord on Mount Sinai, he is given a veil to cover his face from his glory. Yet as Paul describes in today’s text, we can face the glorious presence of God with unveiled faces because we are people indwelled with the Spirit. God has come near to us and invites us to experience his power and glory, which does not leave us the same but transforms us in ever increasing glory. Our mighty and powerful God has come near to you and me.
Lord, we are so thankful that you have come near to us and that we may experience you face to face. Consume me with a desire to be with you. Amen.
Life In The Pit
Wednesday, November 19
Psalm 103:1-5
Each of us has experienced the “pit.” Maybe your pit experience is your own brokenness, the sin in your life that continues to entangle, trap, and trip you up. Or maybe your pit is in the brokenness of our world. Sickness, poverty, physical limitations, violence, abuse, hunger, loneliness, depression, anxiety, and broken relationships can all be pits we fall into.
David reflects upon his own experiences in the pit in today’s psalm, proclaiming and praising our God “who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion” (vv. 3–4). There is no pit so great that God’s love and compassion cannot reach. Let us be diligent praying for rescue from the pit and trusting that through God’s faithfulness renewal is right around the corner.
God, you are my rescuer. Save me from the pits of my own making as well as the pits the world throws me in. Help me to experience your tender love and compassion exactly where I am. Amen.
Wilderness
Thursday, November 20
Psalm 103:6-12
In reflecting on these verses, I am reminded of the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness. Having just experienced a miracle as God led them out of Egypt toward the promised land, the Israelites’ gratitude quickly faded into grumbling. Their old lives of slavery became a nostalgia they hungered for. At the very least, it seemed easier than the wilderness.
The psalmist reflects on what God said to Moses and the Israelites, that “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love” (v. 8). While God’s people were unfaithful, confused, disobedient, and complaining, God was still showing abundant love and compassion toward them.
I think too of God’s intimate compassion toward me. Sometimes, like the Israelites, I forget the blessings God has just worked in my own life. Or worse, I become nostalgic for my old self. Yet in the midst of my wilderness, God’s love is at work forgiving, transforming, and making all things new.
Gracious God, help me to sit in your compassion with confidence and gratitude. Amen.
Everlasting Love
Friday, November 21
Psalm 103:13-22
Long before any of us was born, the earth was making its orbit around the sun. There were countless numbers of sunrises and sunsets. Billions of people lived with their own hopes, dreams, pains, and heartbreaks. We exist for but a moment in the story of our universe. When we put our existence into perspective, we can feel awfully small.
In today’s text, the psalmist contrasts two realities: our own temporal existence and the everlasting love of God. We are but grass that is blown away in the wind, but God’s love is with those who fear him from “everlasting to everlasting” (v. 17), continuing from generation to generation. We may feel small, but God invites us to experience his love that is so much larger and more vast than we could ever comprehend. We are but a blip in the timeline of our world, yet we are personally invited into a covenant relationship with the God of the universe.
God, I thank you for your everlasting love. Help me to follow your ways. Amen.
The God Who Delights In Mercy
Saturday, November 22
Micah 7:18-20
What do you delight in? Maybe your delight is in your friends or family. Maybe you delight in your accomplishments and successes. Maybe you delight in a good meal with your favorite food. What we delight in reveals something about who we are and what we value.
In today’s passage, Micah identifies God in someone who delights in showing mercy. Showing mercy might not be something we are quick to delight in. If someone has wronged us, our first instinct is usually not to show mercy. Yet that is exactly who our God is. He does not stay angry forever but delights in showing us mercy, throwing all of our sin into the sea. He is faithful to his word, not giving up on his people. That is the character of our God.
We come to you humbly this day, God, desperate for your mercy. We praise you for your faithfulness and for who you are. Amen.
