Still in the Wilderness…

This will be the last post about the transition.  You’re probably sick of it by now.  Can’t blame you after all it’s not you that’s moving.  But as I wrote in the last post, you may not be physically moving your place of residence but you’re probably in transition yourself.  Embrace the journey and seek to grow.  In the meantime, for all those who loved and supported me and my family through this leg of the journey, here’s a song from Michael W. Smith… again.  I’m not really a fan, but I think this is appropriate.

Friends

Packing up the dreams God planted in the fertile soil of you
Can’t believe the hopes He’s granted, means a chapter in your life is through
But we’ll keep you close as always, it won’t even seem you’ve gone
‘Cause our hearts in big and small ways will keep the love that keeps us strong

With the faith and love God’s given springing from the hope we know
We will pray the joy you’ll live in, is the strength that now you show
But we’ll keep you close as always, it won’t even seem you’ve gone
‘Cause our hearts in big and small ways, will keep the love that keeps us strong

And friends are friends forever if the Lord’s the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never ’cause the welcome will not end
Though it’s hard to let you go in the Father’s hands we know
That a lifetime’s not too long to live as friends.

Now, I need your help.  We just finished 1 Corinthians and I’m now searching for a book to continue with.  If you would send me your suggestions, I will take on the most requested.  So far we’ve finished James, Romans, 1 Corinthians.  There are 63 other books left.  Help me choose one.

Forty Days and Forty Nights

The Bible describes the period of transition as forty days and forty nights; the rain fell on Noah and the ark for forty days and nights, Moses went up to the mountain to receive the commandments for forty days and nights, the promised land scouting team scouted for forty days, the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty… years!!  Jesus fasted for forty days and nights.  Whenever there is a significant event about to happen, the time of preparation was forty days and nights, usually in the wilderness.

We don’t like transitions and wandering.  We like to know exactly where we are and where we’re going at all times.  We don’t like surprises, not that kind anyway.  We don’t like not knowing because we don’t like not being in control.  Ironic when you think about it because 1. we’re not in control of anything, we just think we are, and 2. spirituality is about letting go of what limited control we might have.  Faith is about trust, trust requires that we relinquish control.

The time of transition is a period when there is no solid home base.  You know that where you are is not where you will be for long, but you’re not exactly sure where you’ll end up.  This is the ultimate test of trust and faith, this is where our spirituality really pays off.  And it has nothing to do with locations but everything to do with identity.  There is no period like a transition to remind us of our vulnerabilities.  We are often alone as we go through them because it is a journey that we must make alone.  But if we endure, we will see ourselves through new eyes of understanding and wisdom.  The faith part come in to this to remind us that, just like God led the Israelites through the desert for forty years, He is also with us, He will never leave us nor forsake us.

We are in transition.  If we really understand this, we know that we’re constantly in transition.  The journey never ends.  And we should be thankful for that.  For when we finally have all the answers about life, ourselves, and the world around us, there is nothing left to live for.  It’s the mysteries, the unanswered questions and the quest for deeper understanding that keeps us alive.  Our faith in God sustains us.

Don’t fret the wilderness or the wandering through the transitions in your life.  Whether your transition is professional, personal, relational, emotional, mental, spiritual, embrace it and invest in it.  Learn and deepen, to know more about who you are, what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.  Enjoy the ride!

Oops!! Typo…

I left out a key word in a sentence on the post “Rock the Boat!! Part Deux…”  Toward the end of the post the part about religion and relationships should read…

“God has not created us for the purposes of religion, but relationships.”

Rock That Boat!! Part Deux…

“What does the Resurrection mean for us today?”  For that matter, what does anything in the Bible, most of which was written close to, if not over two millennia ago, mean for us in the 21^st century?  We cannot ignore this question and continue to believe as though the Bible is the final word on our present reality.  Clarification: We can read the Bible like it’s a letter written ‘for’ us, but it was most definitely not written ‘to’ us.  And as such it needs to be read through the eyes of the people to whom it was written and ‘reinterpreted’ for our context today.  We are not the same people that the ancient texts were written to.  Furthermore, we are witnesses of how significantly people change from generation to generation, just in our own lifetime!  Along with the way people change, our culture changes as well.  Now multiply that by the factor of two thousand or more years.  How can we continue to read the ancient text as though nothing has changed in understanding and interpretation?  To ignore this fact is just plain ignorance and obstinance.

Yet, the Bible offers us insights and wisdom that if we adopted and lived by (hence, living according to God’s will) can give us our ultimate prize; Peace… spiritual, mental, physical, emotional, relational, psychological, Peace.  I believe the Bible hold for us timeless truths about who we are, what we are called to do and why we should do it.  But in order get to the nut of truth, we must crack the shell and reinterpret what it says to fit our context.

Another problem that arises is the question, ‘why do you believe what you believe?’ This question is not meant in a consequential sense exemplified in the answer, “I believe in Jesus, because if I do not, then I will go to hell.” (a.k.a. Pascal’s wager)  Ultimately, ‘what convinced you to believe?”  For some, the cause may be the fear of consequences (of judgment), for others it’s personal experience, or the need and desire to believe, but for many, especially when it comes to religious belief, they believe simply because they were told to believe.  And usually, they do not question because it’s discouraged and the penalties are sometimes severe for those who do.  There is little, if any, contextualizing going on in that setting.  The problem with such beliefs is that they lack passion.  They are not fought, nor struggled for.  Therefore they have no backbone.  Their only power over us is the threat of punishment, ridicule or marginalization if we question them.

Faith has power, as long as it is followed by convicted passion manifest in what we DO.  The power of the resurrection is not in simply believing that it happened.  Millions of Christians believe and proudly proclaim their convictions that it must be a real historical event.  But they watch in silence and do nothing as people around them are dying.  What good is the resurrection then?  If you believe that the resurrection is a historical event, that’s great!  The question is, how is the resurrection manifested in your life?  Is the resurrected Christ living through you to raise the dying souls in your midst?  Someone who truly believes in the resurrection, whether literally or symbolically cannot help but display its power in his or her life.  This applies for anything we believe.  The power of these events is not in the events themselves but in the faith we place in them.

People are uncomfortable when their beliefs are challenged because it shakes the foundations of who they are.  But even the staunchest traditionalist among us cannot hold onto something they were told to believe and sacrifice sound thought and reason.  We live on the planet earth, a spherical ball of dust and elements that revolves around a minor star in a minor branch of a minor galaxy among trillions of galaxies in a universe that spans 13.7 billion light years from end to end.  The fact that we know this is not enough.  In light of this, we have to re-evaluate our faith according to what we know and reconstruct what we believe and why we should believe it.  In other words, what does this mean for us?

To be relevant Christians in this world today, we must make sense of the word of God for our context so that when we share our faith, it may have the power to change and transform the world.  We cannot ignore nor live in denial of our present reality for one that may or may not have existed in the past.  Our task is to take what has been written and properly understand it, again, whether literally or symbolically, in order that our faith may manifest itself as hope, healing and wholeness for someone who needs a resurrection in their life.  The problem that I see is the Christian church choosing its principles over the people God has called us to love.  We exclude people who don’t believe the right things nor believe the way we believe.  There is no resurrection power in that at all.  God has not created us for the purposes of religion, but relationships.

The journey to understanding takes us from the beaten path to the thick of the woods where creepy crawly things lurk in the dark.  There are no simple answers and things are rarely, if ever, black and white.  So remember, whether we’re talking about the resurrection, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny or the Lochness Monster, the question is not ‘is it real?’ the question is, ‘is it true?’  And if it is, the more significant question follows, ‘What does it mean for us today?’  God bless you on your journey.

Another Blogger Exclusive!! I Love the Dialogue!!!

Here is a sample of a response to the devotional titled “Rock That Boat!!”  I wanted to share it with you for our mutual edification.  First the response from a reader, followed by my response.  Feel free to comment below.

“I don’t understand how we  can believe in Jesus’ birth, or death, or miracles, or him as the son of God if we ( who are not divinely inspired) start disbelieving in what the bible teaches us about the life and mission of Jesus..  If I am to start picking and choosing which scriptures I don’t personally believe, I may as well throw out the whole bible, and start following Buddha, or Mohammad, or Allah. The trinity is the core belief of Christianity, as is the resurrection. Maybe that’s not ‘real’ either. I would seriously question someone’s belief in Christianity if they didn’t have those beliefs.”

This is a difficult topic to absorb.  There are so many things we believe as Christians rooted in traditions more than actual truth, things that over time have been accepted as doctrine and authority.  For example, the doctrine of the trinity was never taught in the Bible, like say, the sacrament of communion.  The beings of father, Jesus and the holy spirit were mentioned, even references of Jesus saying things like ‘the Father and I are one,’ but the concept of the trinity, three ‘gods’ in one was a theological concept formulated and adopted later as a response to the growing need to specifically articulate what Christians were to believe in the second century (specifically against the Gnostic movement).  This situation really became significant when emperor Constantine became a Christian and wanted to unite the Roman empire under the cross (325 C.E).  That’s when Christianity became the state religion, and everybody was forced to abandon their religion for Constantine’s new found faith.  In the process, the Christian church assimilated many pagan beliefs and traditions, reinterpreting the Bible to suit the new context.  Some of what we practice in the church today like Christmas, Easter, are pagan practices absorbed by around that time because they couldn’t convince their new ‘converts’ to abandon them.  So many of our beliefs today are rooted in the decisions made about what Christianity is or isn’t at the Council of Nicea back in the fourth century.  (BTW, did you know that at the time of this Council, there were hundreds of other writings; gospels and letters, some supposedly written by the original disciples of Jesus, in wide circulation at the time and accepted as the authoritative word of God by the Christian community across the Mediterranean but were rejected by the Council because they didn’t conform to the intended design.  Most of these writings are lost forever, but what little remains is known to us as the ‘New Testament Apocryphal writings.’  Think of all that we’re missing out on!!)

But practically speaking, It’s not a question of picking and choosing what to believe.  My point is, ALL of scripture has power, just not in the literal sense.  In fact, as I always preach, the ‘word of God’ has the power to change lives by setting people free.  Unfortunately, the way the Bible was read and taught historically has done nothing but ‘imprison’ people in cells of misinterpretations and understandings.  Concepts that were once relevant to people in the first or fourth century but does not apply to people living in the 21st Century.  Theology even changed so much in the fourth century from the first.   For example, the imminent return of Christ, which Paul (especially) and his contemporaries believed so strongly was a point of hot contention even when Paul was alive.  The first century Christians didn’t even agree on what was going to happen.  Paul said Jesus was coming back tomorrow, John and other disciples said it was ridiculous.  By even as early as the second century, the Christian movement had to reinterpret Paul’s writings to fit their context because clearly Paul was wrong and Jesus had not returned as Paul said he would.  To be clear, Paul was wrong.  In fact, he was wrong about a lot of things.

What it comes down to for me, is this: We do not need to believe in everything literally, whether it’s the bible we’re talking about or science, but especially the bible and other ancient texts.  Most Christians today don’t believe that Adam and Eve were real historical people, nor that a man named Noah built a boat to house animals.  But at one point nearly, if not ALL Christians did believe it literally, just like they ALL believed that the earth was flat and was at the center of the Universe.  They were all sincere in what they believed, and they were ALL wrong.  So if we can understand the story of creation and the flood as allegories or metaphors for something more profound about the human nature, then what else are we taking literally today, in the 21st century that we should be taking symbolically?  That, is the question I am raising.  I am not suggesting that anyone ‘disbelieve’ anything in the Bible but rather, to REALLY believe it for what it means for us today.  Just as a side note, I hold no belief in Christianity, I believe in Christ.  Extending that further, I don’t believe in doctrines or religion, I believe in people, and in relationships.

Having God moments is great.  But do we need to suspend our intellect to have them?  I don’t think so but maybe I’m wrong and Paul was right.  And maybe the world IS flat and the universe as we observe it doesn’t even exist.  I don’t view faith and reason in conflict but in concert.  They do not have to be enemies as so many have tried to make them out to be.  Faith is a subjective reality, but we still have senses and sensibility to observe and think objectively to inform our subjective faith.  That is what I’m saying.

I hope this helps the dialogue.  Thank you again for your response, I know that what I’m proposing is difficult to accept.  But in the world we live today, this kind of analysis and questioning is so important because so many people need God, the ‘right’ God, the TRUE God, not our fabrication of him.  We need to introduce people to the God of Presence, the God of Peace.

Rock that Boat!!

1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. 2 It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.
3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. 9 For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.
10 But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. 11 So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed.

Let’s talk about one of the most basic tenets of the Christian faith; the Resurrection.  This has been a pillar of the faith for nearly 2,000 years.  To question this is almost blasphemous.  I want to point out that in history, there were other tenets strongly held that were questioned and reinterpreted for our context.  For example, that God created the world in six days was a basic tenet of the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian faiths until recently.  For thousands of years, a geo-centric universe, the belief that the earth was at the center of the universe, was at the heart of all cosmology.  In fact, Galileo found himself in hot water with Pope Urban VIII for questioning this very belief.  What I am suggesting to you is that there are still many beliefs we accept today with little to no critical thought in spite of what more we know about the nature of reality and cosmology.  The resurrection is one of those things.

When something is touted as being true, its meaning is not always literal.  There are truths we accept that we know is not literal so we search for its meaning in other ways.  Was there really a Garden of Eden?  A tree of life?  Of knowledge of good and evil?  Don’t be silly.  How about a giant boat with two of each kind of animals floating on the open seas for forty days and forty nights?  Please.  Did Mary really have a little lamb with fleece as white as snow?  YES!  And I don’t care what you say, she did!  So shut up or I’m gonna tell on you!! (This is the position that Pope Urban VIII took)  If we can readily accept that these things mentioned need not be taken literally, which for hundreds, thousands of years, were, then perhaps we need to look at other things we believe and question them to uncover their TRUE meaning.

The fact is we don’t know whether anything in the Bible took place as it records.  Apart from the writings themselves, and some archaeological evidences pointing to possibilities, we believe most things not because we must (at least not anymore), but because we choose.  So, if you’re like so many people who struggle with your faith, believing that you’re a bad Christian because you just can’t believe that things happened the way the Bible says it did, 1. You’re not alone, and 2. You’re not necessarily wrong in your position.  So now, it’s time to search for the meaning of the events rather than its facts.  I’m also thinking about those of you who find this appalling.  I know what you believe gives you strength as it is supposed to.  Just keep in mind that some of the most important things we believe lack evidence of any kind, such as love and joy.  You can’t prove it or present it in literal ways.  They’re expressed symbolically.  Like so, there are many other things that should be understood symbolically rather than literally

As far as the resurrection goes, the four gospel accounts don’t even agree on what exactly happened on that morning, just that something happened.  Paul and his contemporaries believed in it so strongly that they were willing to die for their belief.  In fact as Paul goes on to say in this chapter, it is the very core of his faith.  They banked everything they had on it and waited eagerly for the Lord’s imminent return that didn’t happened, that we’re still waiting for today.

My point is this, what Paul believed gave him strength in his context, but it does not fit ours.  So every thinking, reasonable, rational, and intelligent Christian today needs to be asking him or herself, ‘what does this means for me today?’  We’ll get to that in the next and final devotional. (for email devotionals only! The blog ain’t going nowhere)

Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

1 Corinthians 14:26-40
26 Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.
27 No more than two or three should speak in tongues. They must speak one at a time, and someone must interpret what they say. 28 But if no one is present who can interpret, they must be silent in your church meeting and speak in tongues to God privately.
29 Let two or three people prophesy, and let the others evaluate what is said. 30 But if someone is prophesying and another person receives a revelation from the Lord, the one who is speaking must stop. 31 In this way, all who prophesy will have a turn to speak, one after the other, so that everyone will learn and be encouraged. 32 Remember that people who prophesy are in control of their spirit and can take turns. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.
34 Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says. 35 If they have any questions, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings.
36 Or do you think God’s word originated with you Corinthians? Are you the only ones to whom it was given? 37 If you claim to be a prophet or think you are spiritual, you should recognize that what I am saying is a command from the Lord himself. 38 But if you do not recognize this, you yourself will not be recognized.
39 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and don’t forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But be sure that everything is done properly and in order.

I went ahead a skipped a few verses.  I hope you’ll forgive me.  Verses 10-25 is more on speaking on tongues and the importance of speaking clearly in gatherings and worship.  Paul moves to a summary in verse 26 which is where we will pick him up. At this point, Paul is giving some general guidelines for proper conduct at worship gatherings, of order not chaos.  

But the part that I’m sure many of you are having trouble with is the role of women in the church. Now, before you charge like an angry mob, understand that what was written for the people of Corinth, or anyone other ancient people for that matter, is not necessarily applicable today.  Having said that, there are women today who believe willingly that a woman’s place is behind, not beside, her husband.  We don’t have to agree with that, but those who choose this are happy with their choices and while we may not actively support their philosophy or beliefs, we support their right to make such choices.

So with regard to the progressive thinking of the Corinthians Paul asks “or do you think God’s word originated with the Corinthians?”  Apparently, the Corinthians allowed women to speak in their church meetings whereas other churches did not.  If you pause a moment to think about this, the Corinthians’ attitude was very similar to Jesus’.  Jesus valued women highly and honored them through out his ministry.  In fact, there is some belief that some of the earliest disciples and leaders of the early church were women.  Why aren’t they mentioned as such in the Bible?  Unfortunately, if there were in fact women apostles, disciples, and leaders in the early church, the belief is that the dominant male culture all but squashed them. The Corinthians were if anything, holding fast to the character of Jesus’ ministry, whether intentionally or unintentionally.  Paul puts the kibosh on that right quick.

Where should we stand on this issue as Christians today?  I say put the women in the back and keep ‘em quiet!!!  Just kidding!!!  Haha!!  No, really.  I was just kidding. A few devotionals back, we were talking about the body of Christ, many parts one body.  Surely, Paul didn’t mean that all those parts of the body were constituted by men alone?  But to suggest that only men assume the ‘important’ roles while women were relegated to the minor, submissive roles is ridiculous.  Our culture allows for more than that and by all means we should strive to attain the full potential of every man, woman, and child.

Personally, I do not agree with the position of many churches that hold the attitude that women are inferior and practice things that demean them (It’s not just the men, but in some cases, women are more insistent on this).  I am wary of this attitude of privilege because ultimately it’s not about how to handle women.  It’s really about power and control.  Today it’s gender, tomorrow it’s race, the following day it’s age, and so on. Privilege knows no bounds, and that’s dangerous and unhealthy to the body of Christ.

I subscribe to the old fashioned notion of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves, honoring each person as the child of God she is.  It obviously goes beyond the bounds of gender to include the aforementioned elements of race, ethnicities, and age.  I will take that even further to include economic status, culture, and sexual orientation.  If we are to BE the body of Christ, we must not only include everyone but also be proactive in honoring everyone as the children of God that they, as we, are.  Sorry Paul.

The End is Just Another Beginning

This is an exclusive to all who ‘follow’ the Morning Devotions Blog, (aren’t you lucky?).

These days everybody at church and people in the community who know I’m moving asks me the same question, “are you excited about the change?”  Why just today, I was asked this thrice.  I don’t quite know how to answer this.

Here’s where I am… I think.

I. Don’t. Know.

Maybe I should just say ‘yes,’ or ‘no’ and shut the hell up.  But my mind won’t stop spinning when I’m asked.  I know, I know… it’s just a simple question.  But is it?

The question for me really is, how do I honor the people with whom I have relationships while acknowledging that I have a future somewhere else?  How do I delicate express that while it is ‘sad’ to rotate relationships from the front to the back burner, that I have no choice if I am to be useful where I am going?  This ain’t no teenage break up.  It’s more like a parent who is adopting new children, except that he’s leaving the children he already has to go live with the ones he’s adopting.  You get what I’m trying to say here?  It’s not so simple is it now?

A pastor is a parent in many ways, like it or not.  And any parent should be questioned of their worthiness if they place his needs before the children’s.  Even when the child is ready to become an adult, the parent reluctantly relinquishes the role of guardian and teacher.  Any parent who refuses to do so must be brought up on charges of smothering.  I reluctantly relinquish my role of shepherd, guardian, teacher, and friend to release my children for new and exciting opportunities for continued growth and maturation.  That’s what this transition means to me, as of this moment…

I am fulfilled in most ways.  Are there things I wish to have experienced in Vernon?  Yeah…  But do I have regrets?  Definitely not.  I have grown, deepened, & broadened in the essence of who I am.  The greatness in that is, it is done and finished.  It is mine forever.  What I have gained can never be taken from me.  But it’s just the foundation for future stories and lessons to be written and learned.  So it would be an epic failure for me to stay where I am, in comfort, and slowly become mediocre and lukewarm.  Blech!!!

I believe that’s where I am.  But people don’t want to hear all that when they’re just looking for a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no.’  I guess in that light, I’m just thinking way too much about all of this.  So the answer is… ‘maybe.’

You Can Prophesy!!

1 Corinthians 14:1-9
Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—especially the ability to prophesy. 2 For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious. 3 But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them. 4 A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church.
5 I wish you could all speak in tongues, but even more I wish you could all prophesy. For prophecy is greater than speaking in tongues, unless someone interprets what you are saying so that the whole church will be strengthened.
6 Dear brothers and sisters, if I should come to you speaking in an unknown language, how would that help you? But if I bring you a revelation or some special knowledge or prophecy or teaching, that will be helpful. 7 Even lifeless instruments like the flute or the harp must play the notes clearly, or no one will recognize the melody. 8 And if the bugler doesn’t sound a clear call, how will the soldiers know they are being called to battle?
9 It’s the same for you. If you speak to people in words they don’t understand, how will they know what you are saying? You might as well be talking into empty space.

‘Speaking in tongues’ and ‘prophesying’ was a common practice in the early church.  We read about them in other books of the New Testament as well.  How they were practiced, what they looked like, and what impact they had on the everyday life of the early church is a complete mystery to us.  Having said that, I do not mean to imply that these do not have a place in our spirituality today as some do.  I do believe there’s a place for them in our churches and relationships.  We just have to figure out how they fit.

They might be placed in the same frame of thinking as snake handling and walking on hot coals by modern standards.  They’re not commonly understood, and therefore are easily associated with the fanaticism and the back-wooded, bible thumping, ‘southun’ twang preaching of overweight, sweaty preachers who think ‘God’ is a two-syllable word.  Even Christians, who attend worship and have a good understanding of their relationship with God and others, find these practices to be a complete mystery.  But they need not be.

‘Speaking in tongues’ in seems was a huge mystery for Paul and his contemporaries too, and given the choice between ‘speaking in tongues’ or ‘prophesying,’ Paul has made his choice very clear.  In simple terms, ‘tongues’ benefits one person, but ‘prophesying’ benefits everyone.

When you comfort someone who is grieving with healing, soothing words of God’s promises, you are prophesying.  When you reprove someone in love with words that resound God’s instructions for his people, you are prophesying.  When you bless someone in God’s name, and they didn’t even sneeze, you are prophesying.  ‘Prophecy’ is simply another word for ‘sharing the word of God.’  There’s nothing fancy or complicated about it.  The reason we view it as a mystery is because of the word itself and its association with ‘prophets’ and ancient practices.  But in reality, there is nothing mysterious about it.  We all do it.  We just don’t know we’re doing it.

In that vein, ‘speaking in tongues’ may look something like words that are spoken above everyone else’s ability to understand.  When we say things deliberately mysteriously so that no one will understand, we are speaking in tongues.  When we use our words to build barriers around us that no one can penetrate, we are speaking in tongues.  This happens all the time doesn’t it?  That meeting where your boss was making everyone scratch their heads in sync, she was speaking in tongues.   That sermon delivered with a lot of screaming and jumping, but left you wondering what that was all about?  He was speaking in tongues.  Paul asks simply, ‘what good is it?’  Answer: it’s not.

I hope what you get from today’s devotional is a clear message:  You’re already practicing these things.  You just don’t know that you are.  Now that you do know, go prophesy and stop speaking in tongues.  One benefits everyone, the other only benefits you.  Simple, no?  Speak words of encouragement and peace.  Correct, reprove, and instruct in love letting God’s words come alive in you, and through you.  But if you choose to speak in tongues anyway, I pray that God’s words will come alive in spite of you.