Monday March 14, 2011
Theme: Love Redeems
Weekend Music links on iTunes: Let the Praises Ring - Lincoln Brewster, The Time Has Come - Hillsong, From the Inside Out, Before the Throne of God - arr. Shane & Shane
Read: Matthew 2:16-18
Think: A visitor to Bethlehem today may find a place of bitterness. Traveling just the few miles from Jerusalem requires passing through a solid wall some 25’ high, built by the state of Israel to control movement between Palestinian areas (including Bethlehem) and Israel proper. The wall means that Palestinians can no longer find work in Israel and return to Bethlehem. Tourists, whose euros and dollars once fueled the local economy, are hesitant to sign the waivers tour operators require. There is reason to see bitterness in Bethlehem.
A visitor to Bethlehem today may find a place of hope. Two thousand years after the birth of Christ, there is some reason to believe the actual place of that miracle has been identified and honored through the millennia. In the ancient Basilica of the Nativity in Manger Square, mosaics accented with gold leaf project a warming glow as our visitor advances through the Door of Humility to the stairs leading down to the Grotto of the Nativity, believed to be the place where Jesus was born. There is reason to see hope in Bethlehem.
As Pastor Dave spoke about Ruth this weekend, I thought of the tension between bitterness and hope displayed in Bethlehem. Returning to her hometown of Bethlehem, Naomi told the women there to call her by the name ‘Mara’, meaning bitterness. Yet, not long thereafter, she found tremendous hope as a distant relative reached out to save her and her daughter-in-law.
So, what made the difference? Love. Love changes the human heart. Ruth’s love, expressed in her deep and selfless loyalty to Naomi turned bitterness to hope. Boaz’ love, expressed in his generosity and kindness, turned bitterness to hope.
We, too, can choose between bitterness and hope in our lives today. It is tempting to allow the bad things that have happened in our lives make us angry and bitter. But the better choice is to allow God’s love, expressed through others, into our lives.
Do: Suck on a lemon slice today, or take a shot of espresso with nothing added. Bitter, isn’t it? Given the choice, would you choose bitterness as the only flavor in your life?
Pray: Father, bitterness comes easily when I think of the disappointments in my life. When I am tempted to accept the bitterness, bring your love into my life. I want to see the hope of redemption your love brings. Amen.
The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.