Everyday Devotionals

Everyday Devotionals is my effort to more purposefully translate my time in the Scriptures into personal and corporate blessing. I find that the more I attempt to communicate what I read, the more deeply I appreciate it.

The choice of passages generally just relates to my daily readings. I hope these are a blessing to others as well!

God bless,

Jason

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The New Trilemma

Beknownst to many, I dread the idea of going to a karaoke bar. Unbeknownst to many, I have regular covert karaoke sessions on my commute to work. I drive an SUV with no tint on the windows, which means I'm afforded about as much cover as a fishbowl. Moreover, I possess none of the externally obvious signs that would indicate that I deserve to be rocking out like it's nobody's business (e.g. I don't care what you think musician outfit, “cool” ethnicity, etc.). Therefore I must daily find a way to perform my latest hits without the hundreds of people I see in traffic noticing.
So I improvise. At the stop light, if I pull up in between the two cars in the next lane over, neither of them can really tell what I'm doing. Rock on my friend. If I can't hit one of those sweet spots between cars, I might just do every other line ...wishin they was dancin a jig... ciga-cigar right from Cuba-Cu-ba ... They might think they saw something, do a double take, but look…

What is social media doing to you?

Imagine this commercial:
Our product will give you access to the most stressful, anxiety-inducing, anger-arousing events going on both near and far! You will know more than you ever wanted to know and be powerless to do anything about it!
Sign up for free today so that we can stalk and monetize your online behavior!
Who wants to sign up? Apparently 2.6 billion of us. This is the basic experience and business model of social media. Why do we do this? Humanity is an utter mystery sometimes.
I’m not going to do some deep dive on how social media works, I want to do an ultra-practical exercise together. Let’s examine what social media is doing to us. Examining the FruitHow often are the following characteristics produced in your heart based on your use of social media? Answer each item with this simple scale: Rarely, Sometimes, Often Good FruitLoveJoyPeacePatienceKindnessGoodnessFaithfulnessGentlenessSelf-control Bad FruitNow let’s do that again but with a second set of characteristics. IdolatryE…

What's preaching worth?

In some areas of the world, Christians still risk their lives and/or possessions for their faith. They fear angry mobs who will burn their churches, vigilantes who will punish them for believing and authorities who will either aid the locals or persecute the Christians themselves.
For these Christians, church is not a social function. Church is a risk to life and livelihood. For the preacher, he risks not just his own life but he also endangers those who come to listen. For this preacher, every sermon must be worth prison, every sermon must be worth provoking the wrath of this world. He must ask himself every time, "Is this worth my life? Is this worth my congregation's life?"
Why should our sermons be any different? I fear no angry mob, does it mean my sermons can be cheap? I fear no persecution, so does that mean I can spend my time giving anecdotes instead of the word of God? Just being called to be heralds of the king should sober and embolden us on its own. But recogn…

Personal Theology

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