Mid-Life Crisis

Don’t Be a Stumbling Block

When I was in middle school and high school, I remember hearing a lot about peer pressure. I learned to be aware when others were pressuring me to do things I knew weren’t right or that I wasn’t comfortable with. I also learned how important it was to respect other people’s boundaries, and not encourage them to participate in things they were uncomfortable with.

As we look at Paul’s writings, we recognize that he also cares about peer pressure and our actions as Christians toward others. Paul has a large heart and deep concern not only for those who know the Lord but also for the community as a whole, including those who are not living as Christians.

In 1 Corinthians 8:9, Paul writes, “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” During the time of this letter, people were dealing with a dilemma when it came to  eating meat offered to idols, even those who didn’t practice sacrificing animals as a form of worship. Those who practiced their faith knew they had freedom through Jesus’ crucifixion to eat anything; however, eating the meat could have been a stumbling block or created an atmosphere of pressure for those who did not have the same faith.

As Christians, we are called to love and respect one another, even those who may disagree with us and have different beliefs. It is not out of law or duty that Paul says not to eat meat, but out of respect for our brothers and sisters, because we do not desire to lead them astray or put them in a position of guilt or shame in their lives.

In 21st century Western culture, I think it may be fair to say we don’t have the experience or pressure of eating meat of sacrificed animals, but we do have our own dilemmas we face every single day that not only affect us but the people around us.

One that comes to mind in my life is my relationship with alcohol. I have family members who have struggled with alcohol abuse in their lives and faced severe consequences for their actions. I celebrate with joy and love one family member who has more than 10 years of sobriety. Although this looks different for everyone and different situations, I am very aware of my alcohol intake around family members or friends who have struggled with alcohol abuse … not because I feel the same conviction but out of love and respect for my neighbor, because Paul tells us this love looks like not being a stumbling block for others.

Although my primary experience with not being a stumbling block relates to alcohol, it could be many other things for other people. For example, it could be screen time or even gambling. It’s not that these things are inherently wrong, but if someone in your life struggles with setting boundaries, loving them looks like not leading them into temptation.

I Know that Person

In Luke 24:49 (TLB) Jesus said, “And now I will send the Holy Spirit upon you, just as my Father promised.” Who is the Holy Spirit? God as Father? We comprehend that image. God as Jesus, the Son? That idea is manageable as well. But God as Spirit? That word itself is mystical.

One day, I read the words Jesus used to describe the Holy Spirit: comforter and friend. I know that Person. That was three decades ago. I no longer think of the Holy Spirit as “the Holy Who?” I now call him our Heaven-Sent Helper.  He is our champion, our advocate, our guide. He comforts and directs us. He indwells, transforms, sustains, and will someday deliver us into our heavenly home.

Read more Help Is Here

This devotion pairs with this weekend’s Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lhm.org.

Job 1:21 – And he [Job] said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the Name of the Lord.”

It’s what Job says initially when he hears the news and later sees his burnt-up property and children dead in the aftermath of some out-of-the-blue “act of God.” “The Lord gave. The Lord took away. Let the Lord’s Name be blessed.” For some, this is the summary of the whole book. But the story is just getting started. It’s a story about how Job’s way of relating to God is transformed. It’s not a transformation from guilt to forgiveness, because we’re told throughout that Job is innocent (see Job 2:3; 42:7-8). Instead, Job’s transformation is in how he talks. Job goes from proper, pious talk about God to raw and honest talk to God.

Imagine yourself in Job’s situation. People look up to you because your faith is so strong. And you know that you have to be strong for them. You have to say the right thing. So, that’s what Job does. He grins and bears it. But there is more going on inside him. And after seven days of silence, he lets it out. His friends try to “shush” him. They want him to stick to the script, but Job isn’t having it. He lets out a torrent of questions, complaints, and accusations straight to God’s face.

But maybe he went too far? The traditional translation near the end of the book leads us to that conclusion. God answers Job in a storm. God challenges Job: “Who are you to question Me?” And what’s Job’s response? The traditional translation has Job saying that he went too far. Job says, “I despise myself and I repent in dust and ashes” (see Job 42:5-6). But some Bible scholars argue for a different translation. They read the ancient Hebrew script and hear Job say something like, “I have heard about You, God, and now my eyes have seen You. Therefore, I am fed up, and I have pity on dust and ashes.” In this reading, Job is not backing off. He is doubling down because he knows he doesn’t need to be guarded with God because he’s already right with God. So, he can be honest with God.

It may be that the traditional translation is right. It may be that Job repents. But it’s also possible the other translation is right, that Job doesn’t back down. Not that he’s trying to be God, but that he’s being honest to God. And if that’s the case, what comes next tells us something about God’s heart, because God doesn’t condemn Job for his honesty. Instead, God condemns Job’s friends for their scripted pious phrases. God says that they haven’t talked rightly about Him, but Job has. However you understand Job, it’s clear from the rest of Scripture that God does not simply want your pious talk. God wants your heart. He wants to hear what’s on your heart. He already knows everything in there anyway. And in Jesus, you’re already in the right with Him. So, you can talk to Him. You can be honest with Him.

Let’s do that now.

WE PRAY: Dear Father, help me to talk with You, even, at times, like Job did, so that we can be closer. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler, Speaker for The Lutheran Hour.

By Name

Psalm 46:1-3 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

During a natural disaster or a personal crisis, even faithful believers may cry out in prayer, “Where are you, God? Why don’t you stop all of this from happening?” The people of God have been asking questions like that for a very long time. David asks in a psalm, “How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?” (Psalm 13:1a). Jesus’ disciples, crossing the Sea of Galilee in a storm-tossed boat, woke Jesus with their frantic plea, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38b). Martha confronted Jesus with a grief-stricken accusation, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21b). Jesus Himself cried out from the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46b).

Our psalm describes a series of disasters. The earth gives way. Entire mountain ranges slide into the sea. The ocean roars and foams, so much so that the mountains tremble at the sound. The psalmist’s world is collapsing around him. These disasters are far greater than personal troubles and inward fears—or are they? When we endure endless grief, a frightening diagnosis, the loss of employment, family strife, and so much more, it feels very much like our world is collapsing. We endure these things with faith, but the questions may still come. Does God care? Where is He in all of this?

The psalmist knows the answer: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” When the world is collapsing or when our own personal worlds are crumbling, God is our very present help. In these circumstances He is where He has always been and where He will remain. He is right beside us, reliably, certainly, truly present. He is our refuge and strength, our only Source of peace when solid earth gives way beneath our feet. He was present for the psalmist who longed to know when his troubles would end. The Son of God was present in the boat with His frightened disciples. The Lord was present for Mary and Martha as He called their brother Lazarus out of the tomb. God the Father was present even as He abandoned His Son to the suffering of the cross for the sake of our salvation. God was present in strength and power on the first Easter morning, raising His Son to life in triumph over death. The Lord is present in His Word. Jesus is present in His body and blood in His holy Supper. Wherever we are, whatever we must endure, even when the world collapses around us, God is our very present help. He loves us. Where else would He be?

WE PRAY: Lord, whatever happens, I know that You will be present with me. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.