Be Still: Daily Devotional Vineyard Columbus

Today is May 17th.    
   
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit.     
   
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
 
Today’s reading is from the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3.  
 

There is a time for everything, 
    and a season for every activity under the heavens: 
      a time to be born and a time to die, 
    a time to plant and a time to uproot, 
      a time to kill and a time to heal, 
    a time to tear down and a time to build, 
      a time to weep and a time to laugh, 
    a time to mourn and a time to dance, 
      a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, 
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 
      a time to search and a time to give up, 
    a time to keep and a time to throw away, 
      a time to tear and a time to mend, 
    a time to be silent and a time to speak, 
      a time to love and a time to hate, 
    a time for war and a time for peace. 
  What do workers gain from their toil?  I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.  He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.  
 

The writer of Ecclesiastes is well versed in reflecting on the breadth of experiences of life that life brings to us. We now commonly refer to seasons of our own life. We may say it’s a hard season or a good season. Try and be more specific about the season you are in. Is it a time of planting or uprooting? Weeping or laughing? Silence or speaking? Loving or hating? Keeping something or throwing it away? Embracing or refraining from embracing?  
 
The writer does a lot of reflecting on what he calls the “meaningless of life” on earth. That the seasons of life, our experiences of the here and now, don’t fulfill us, no matter how good. In response to that the author says that god has set eternity in the human heart. As you hear the passage again, can you feel the longing for eternity? 
  
He has made everything beautiful in its time. No matter what season you are in, can you turn to God in prayer? Can you ask him to make everything beautiful... in it’s time?  
 
Music: All Things - Heaven and Earth - (YouTube) 

Today is May 16th.   
   
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you. 
   
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
 
Today’s reading is from Psalm 32.

 
Blessed is the one 
    whose transgressions are forgiven, 
    whose sins are covered.
 Blessed is the one 
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them 
    and in whose spirit is no deceit. 
 When I kept silent, 
    my bones wasted away 
    through my groaning all day long. 
 For day and night 
    your hand was heavy on me; 
my strength was sapped 
    as in the heat of summer.  
 Then I acknowledged my sin to you 
    and did not cover up my iniquity. 
I said, “I will confess 
    my transgressions to the Lord.” 
And you forgave 
    the guilt of my sin.


It’s been said that the keys to Christian wholeness are repentance and forgiveness. Turning from our sin and receiving God’s forgiveness. This psalm is all about the gift of confession, which is the act of putting words to the wrong we’ve done, before God and others. Think back to something that you know you’ve done wrong at some point in your life. How did you feel about the possibility of that sin being exposed before God or other people?  
 
Our human tendency is to minimize our sin, to deny our sin, to deflect our sin onto others. But the psalmist reminds us of what our unconfessed sin does to us—it makes us sick. Spiritually, and sometimes also physically. But when we confess, we find health and wholeness. As you hear the psalm again, listen to the freedom of confession.  

Take a moment and think about a sin that you are carrying with you—something that you haven’t confessed and released before God and with another brother or sister in Christ. Can you turn from and ask God to forgive you of that sin? Can you ask someone to pray a prayer of forgiveness over you today?  
 
Music: Kyrie Eleison - Vineyard Worship - (YouTube)

Today is May 15th.
   
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.   
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
 
Today’s reading is from 1 John chapter 3.  
 

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 
 

The first Jewish rabbi to address God as Father was Jesus. There is not one reference to God as Father in all the biblical and extra-biblical literature before Jesus. It was Jesus who introduced this radical notion, first by calling God his Father. But also by teaching his disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven, holy is your name.” How do you feel about the Christian practice of calling God, Father?  
 
It was world shattering at the time to call God Father because God was not this reachable, this close, this loving. God was and always is holy, but now he is also here with us, caring for us like a parent cares for a child. As you listen to the passage again, listen for holiness of God—purify yourself, just as he is pure. But also for the tenderness of God—what great love the Father lavished on us.  
 
We know that when Christ appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Today’s passage is a contrast to what it was like to live under the first covenant. Under that covenant, nobody could see God because of his holiness. Now, under the new, when we see God in Christ, we will become like him. As you continue through your day, consider what great love the Father has lavished on us.

Lord God, Almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do, direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.    
 
Music: "Sons and Daughters" - Vineyard Worship - (YouTube)

Today is May 14.


The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.  
 
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
   
Today’s reading is from the book of Titus, chapter 1.  
 

An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. 
 

Christian leaders are called to live principled lives that reflect the model of Christ. Amongst our pastors, we talk often about our principles of integrity, humility, pastoral professionalism, accountability, and being above reproach. Consider spaces where you have influence—at home, at work, among your family, or church community. Ask the Lord for grace to search your heart to see if there are places where you are not ‘holding firmly’ to the way of Jesus. 
   
King David, scripture tells us, shepherded God’s people with integrity of heart and skill of hand. If you are a leader in any way, as a Christian, that’s your aspiration too: to be skilled at what you do, and to do it with spiritual integrity. Listen again to these words from Titus, and allow them to draw your attention to any areas of your own life or leadership that may need strengthened or encouraged.  
   
It’s impossible to ‘hold firmly’ to God’s message without regular confession, repentance, and prayer with other believers. If you haven’t practiced these disciplines with someone recently, could you make a commitment to bring these practices into a current spiritual friendship? It’s so easy to keep our relationships shallow. As we close our time of prayer, ask God to show you a person in your life – perhaps a friend, a small group leader, or a pastor—you can talk with so you can continue to ‘hold firmly’ to the way of Christ.  

Lord God, Almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do, direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.   

Music: Prayer of Consecration - Vineyard Columbus - (YouTube)

Today is May 13.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.  
 
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
   
Today’s reading is from the book of Exodus, chapter 28.  
 

“Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the LORD. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD.   
“Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar around this opening, so that it will not tear. Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the LORD and when he comes out, so that he will not die. “Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD. Fasten a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and he will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually so that they will be acceptable to the LORD.
 

Alright, I know what you are thinking: this is a strange passage! It’s instructions to Aaron with regard to the temple. It’s so detailed: instructions about the cloth, about the designs, about the colors, and about the religious ritual Aaron was to be a part of. And in the middle of it, one very significant line: “the sound of the bells will be heard when he enters and comes out... so that he will not die.” You might not understand all of the other details, but that’s pretty stark. How do you think Aaron felt about that?  
   
How does that differ from what we read in Hebrews: Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. In the Old Testament, approaching God’s throne was fearful. In the New Testament, because of Jesus, we can approach him in confidence, knowing we will find mercy and grace in our time of need. How does this make you feel? Listen again and pay attention to the difference in ‘approaches to God’ we see between the old and New Testament.   
   
Take time as we end prayer today to ask God to give you the gift of confidence in His mercy and grace. Again: we’re not called to be only ‘self-confident’ the way so many understand it. Any self-confidence we have stands on our confidence in the character of God, and His availability to us through Jesus. Invite God to grow an understanding of this confidence in you.

Lord God, Almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do, direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.   

Music: No One Like You - Vineyard Columbus - (YouTube)

This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced.

1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.