Cynthia's Devotional

Caring Enough to Confront

2012-02-08T23:55:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Lev. 7, 8, 9; Acts 15

SCRIPTURE: Acts 15:1-21
¹ Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. ³ The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. ⁴ When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

⁵ Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.”

⁶ The apostles and elders met to consider this question. ⁷ After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸ God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. ⁹ He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? ¹¹ No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

¹² The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. ¹³ When they finished, James spoke up: “Brothers, listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. ¹⁵ The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

¹⁶ “‘After this I will return
and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
and I will restore it,
¹⁷ that the remnant of men may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’
¹⁸ that have been known for ages.

¹⁹ “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. ²¹ For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

OBSERVATION: The leaders of the Church had some serious disagreements with each other about doctrine. These differences of opinion weren't over trivial matters; they involved issues of how to live the Christian life and what constituted being saved. They wrestled over the meaning of scriptures and how to apply them. It took quite awhile for them to come to a satisfactory agreement about how the new gentile believers should behave and what they should be taught. They were not afraid to confront each other with their convictions of what they thought was right and they did not shy away from dealing with difficult issues. They stayed with it until there was an answer they could all stand behind. I'm sure not everyone was completely satisfied, but at least they came to an understanding with each other.

APPLICATION: I'm so glad this story is in the Word. It is an example of what we should be doing today in the Church. But all too often no one wants to go through the discomfort of confrontive discussions over areas of disagreement. No, we just tend to split churches and start new ones with people who agree with our point of view. There are precious few who will take the time necessary to work out their problems with each other so that community and fellowship are maintained. I think God is much more pleased when we don't allow our flesh to rule our decisions by avoiding anything uncomfortable. The Church would have a much more effective witness to the world if we engaged with each other so as to maintain a unity (not necessarily total agreement) with each other. This principle not only would help churches stay together but families too! Care enough to confront. It doesn't take any strength of character to walk away from someone you disagree with and simply cut off the relationship. It does not honor God to do so either.

PRAYER: Father, I have certainly done my share of cutting off relationship with others for all the wrong reasons in my lifetime. But I thank you for teaching me that this is not the right way to do things. Help me to be a peacemaker while still not compromising the truths in your Word. May I be one who deals with issues in a positive way and helps others to do likewise. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Problem with Prayer

2012-02-05T23:55:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Ex. 39, 40; Ps. 15; Acts 12

SCRIPTURE: Acts 1-17
¹ It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. ² He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. ³ When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

⁶ The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. ⁷ Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

⁸ Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. ⁹ Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

¹¹ Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”

¹² When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. ¹³ Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. ¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

¹⁵ “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

¹⁶ But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. ¹⁷ Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the brothers about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

OBSERVATION: There are a lot of great lessons in this story but it is also a story that brings up many questions in my mind. Why was James, one of the most important of the twelve disciples, put to death while Peter experienced divine intervention to prevent his death? It would almost seem like God liked Peter better. I don't believe that, but it is hard to explain why God acted to save one and did nothing to save the other. Some may think it is because the church didn't pray for James, but the text does not say that. It only says that they did pray for Peter, not that they did not pray for James. In fact, I think they may have had doubt that God wouldn't answer their prayers for Peter's deliverance because they had prayed for James to be saved from death but that prayer was not answered. There's nothing like unanswered prayer to create doubt about the effectiveness of one's prayers to do much of anything. It's very discouraging. The believers were clearly amazed that Peter had been set free in answer to their prayers. God tells us to pray about everything and to not give up. These Christians were obedient to that but they obviously had little faith that it would "work". So what can I learn from this?

APPLICATION: I have to trust God even when I don't understand why he allows certain things and not others. I need to have faith that he knows the reasons for things even when it makes no sense to me. And I must keep praying, regardless of how many answers to prayer I get. I have heard many pastors say that sometimes God's answer to our prayers is "no". That is true. But it is not a satisfactory answer. There have been many times I have had a "yes" from the Lord and many times I have had a "no". The problem is not getting a "no", the problem is that there have been plenty of times when I got no response whatsoever; when I did not sense a "no", I sensed nothing at all. I may not like a "no" answer, but it doesn't discourage me. The discouraging thing is to pray and hear nothing from God. I cannot answer why some very godly people have had to endure much suffering or death in their lives while others seem to be blessed at every turn. But it is in times like these that I need to have faith in God and trust that he sees and knows more than I do and will work all thing together for good. I do know that when I trust God and cling to him even when I don't understand why things are happening as they are I have always been able to look back after some time and see that God used even bad and horribly hurtful situations to grow something in me that was good. Going through painful trials without trusting God to do something good through it simply is succumbing to the destructive nature of suffering. Only in God's hands does suffering become a tool for positive transformative change.

PRAYER: Thank you, Lord, for recording such events in the early church for us. It is encouraging to me to read that the early believers prayed and sometimes had results and sometimes did not. It is wonderful to have a record of how you worked miracles through people who did not always pray with the greatest of faith. It lets me know that you can work through me, with all my imperfections, just as you did with them. I will stay faithful to you and trust you to work, even when I don't understand why things are happening as they are. You are my only hope and my trust is in you. Help to hear your voice better and better all the time. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Perfect Picture of Man

2012-01-31T11:35:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Ex. 28, 29; Acts 7

SCRIPTURE: Ex. 29:4-9; 21
⁴ Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. ⁵ Take the garments and dress Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself and the breastpiece. Fasten the ephod on him by its skillfully woven waistband. ⁶ Put the turban on his head and attach the sacred diadem to the turban. ⁷ Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head. ⁸ Bring his sons and dress them in tunics ⁹ and put headbands on them. Then tie sashes on Aaron and his sons. The priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance. In this way you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.

²¹ And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Then he and his sons and their garments will be consecrated.

OBSERVATION: Here is Aaron and his sons being anointed as priests before God. God himself tells what to do in specific detail. The robes that they were to wear were spectacular in their magnificence. Gold thread, blue, purple and scarlet linen, beautiful embroidery and precious stones in gold settings were all a part of their robes and were for the purpose of giving them "dignity and honor" when they ministered before the people. Yet, as part of the ordination process, these intricately designed and rather ostentatious robes were to be stained. First with oil, which represented the Holy Spirit, then with the sprinkling of blood from the sin offering. I have written on this before, but it is still such a striking picture that it captures my attention each time I read it. It is such a complete picture of man; created in the image of a glorious God and yet stained with a sin nature.

APPLICATION: How appropriate that God gave such glorious robes to Aaron and his sons to remind him (and all the people) of their inherent value and glory as the pinnacle of God's creation and creatures made in his image. And so they would not get too arrogant and puffed up in their self-image because of that they also had to constantly view the blood stains on these beautiful garments. Likewise, we need to keep a balance in our attitude toward ourselves. We need to remember our sin nature and have humility as a result, but we also need to remember our value and the glory we have in being created in the image of God. It is sin to think too little of ourselves and wallow in a sense of worthlessness when God himself has given us such a high place and calling. We are the ones he has chosen to carry his message and to bring his kingdom here on earth. But we also need to have the humility to realize we need the Holy Spirit's power in us to show us the right way to live. We have a sin nature that requires that we rely on God instead of our own wisdom.

PRAYER: Father, it is not always easy for me to maintain this balance in my life. I tend to be one who is too hard on myself and forgets the innate value you have given me as a human being. May I always be reminded of that. Also, even though I often suffer with too low of a self-esteem, I can also fall into the sin of arrogance. Keep me from that too! Let Aaron's robes be a picture for me of the proper balance I should have as it relates to how I view myself. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Common Sense Laws

2012-01-29T07:46:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Ex. 23, 24; Ps. 14; Acts 5

SCRIPTURE: Ex. 23:1-9
¹ “Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness.

² “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, ³ and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.

⁴ “If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him. ⁵ If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it.

⁶ “Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. ⁷ Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty.

⁸ “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.

⁹ “Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.

OBSERVATION: The heading in my Bible that precedes these verses says, "Laws of Justice and Mercy". They certainly are that, but I think these laws are just common sense for anyone with a decent moral compass. You don't even need to be a Christian to see that all of these laws would make for a better, happier society if they were followed. God knows that some people are prejudiced against the rich and will favor the poor in court even if they don't deserve it while others would favor the rich simply to curry their favor. These scriptures address both those tendencies. We are to do the right thing regardless of a person's wealth. In fact, these laws are based on justice, respect and kindness toward everyone, regardless of station in life or ethnicity.

APPLICATION: Simple. Just do it! Live like God wants me to. If everyone did this and these were the only scriptures that were known by the world were these few, the world would be a much better place to live in.

PRAYER: Father, I love you! You are so good and kind and righteous. I get to go to church this morning and I am so looking forward to worshiping you! You deserve all my praise and devotion. How I wish everyone knew you and loved you! Heaven will be a wonderful place because everyone there will willingly live in accordance with your wisdom and love. Thank you for your Word that reveals to us how great and wonderful you are so that we can look forward to that day. Until then, help all of us who call ourselves believers to demonstrate your love by our behavior. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Christian "Communism"

2012-01-28T09:40:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Ex. 21, 22; Ps. 12; Acts 4

SCRIPTURE: Acts 4:32-35
³² All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. ³³ With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. ³⁴ There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales ³⁵ and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

OBSERVATION: These verses stuck out to me because the sharing of everything by the believers so that none of them were needy echoes the political protests of many of the "Occupy Wall Street " crowds that have been in the news lately. They are upset at the "1%-ers" who are rich. They want the government to redistribute the wealth so that everyone has enough. What they are espousing are the ideals of communism. Communism sounds beautiful. When I read about the goals of the communist philosophy it actually sounds like a lot of what I read in the New Testament. But we have seen what happens when that philosophy is put into practice by humans without any God-consciousness. When morality is forced on people by the government it just doesn't work. First of all, man is sinful and corrupt by nature. Taking money by force from people through taxes provides way too much temptation for misuse by those in authority. The Bible is clear that the love of money is a root for all kinds of evil. How can we expect officials to be immune to this? The other reason communism doesn't work is that people who have worked hard for their money are forced to give it up and they do not see the people it may help. They have no relational connection to the people who take their money or those who receive it. What makes the verses in this passage so beautiful is that the giving and receiving of money and resources was motivated by the love of God. God had placed his love in the hearts of the people, they had repented of their sinful ways, and they had deep personal connections with those they were helping with their gifts.

APPLICATION: I understand those that want "fairness". It all sounds so good and right. It is right to help those who need it. But it cannot be forced. The only way the justice and care we all want to see in the world can happen is if the love of God changes the selfish motivations in all of us and motivates us to love those around us. When it happens that way, and with people we are in relationship with, there is the added benefit of accountability. Those who are being helped are in relationship with those who are helping them and therefore they are kept responsible. They do not become "bums" who live off of the generosity of others, but contributing members of the community. God's answers for human suffering are so much superior to ours. The sinful nature of mankind messes up all of our attempts at fixing societal ills. Without God, none of them will ever reach their full potential for good.

PRAYER: Father, I have compassion for all of these protesters I see in the news. Some of them are insincere and just want anarchy so they can shake up the status quo and grab power for themselves. But others are truly frustrated at the injustice and suffering that they see. They don't see that their anger and rage will not fix anything. Help them all to find you. May all those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and justice and mercy find it in you, for you are the only source of all that their hearts long for. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Key to Victory

2012-01-27T15:59:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Ex. 17, 18, 19 20; Acts 3

SCRIPTURE: Ex. 17:8-13
⁸ The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. ⁹ Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”

¹⁰ So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. ¹¹ As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. ¹² When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. ¹³ So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

OBSERVATION: The nation of Israel are under attack. They have been slaves for 400 years and used to taking orders, not fighting. This is the first battle the Hebrews are involved in and the attack was not expected. As long as Moses had his hand raised in worship to God, Israel prevailed. When Moses got tired and lowered his arms, the enemy prevailed. So Moses had helpers that came alongside him to help hold up his arms when his own strength was gone.

APPLICATION: Sometimes we face "battles" in our lives that weary us. We may stay strong in God and prevail against the enemy of our souls for awhile bu then grow tired and discouraged and start losing focus and victory. Just like Moses, we need helpers during those times. It is one of the main functions of the Church. We are part of a Body so that we have others around who can lift us up and support us when we are unable, for whatever reason, to stand and fight Satan. In order for this to work, we need to be open with others and cultivate close relationship with them. We need to admit when we are weak and struggling to others so that we may receive help. Our culture reveres self-reliance so much that we are often too proud to ask others for help. We see it as a sign of weakness. That is a lie that Satan wants us to buy into. It makes it easier for him to "pick us off".

PRAYER: Father, help us as the Church to function the way you have called us to; in love, preference, and support for one another. Help me to be open with others when I need their help and let me be sensitive to when others need mine. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Grumble, Grumble, Toil and Trouble

2012-01-26T10:15:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Ex. 14, 15, 16; Acts 2

SCRIPTURE: Ex. 16:1-8
¹ The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. ² In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. ³ The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

⁴ Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. ⁵ On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

⁶ So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of Egypt, ⁷ and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” ⁸ Moses also said, “You will know that it was the LORD when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD.”

OBSERVATION: I can so relate to Moses! After being in pastoral ministry for 20+ years I understand the frustration of doing your best to give the people God's instructions and having them complain and grumble about you when they are actually mad at God. Yes, people do get mad at God. Many times when a leader is giving people God's truth and it is something they don't want to hear, they react against the leader with charges of being too controlling, spiritually abusive, legalistic and judgmental... the list of accusations is endless. What makes these accusations so hard to bear is that a they are so often completely false, yet it is almost impossible to combat them because then the leader comes off as defensive and insecure. Moses does defend himself by pointing out that they are really grumbling against God, not against him or Aaron. God vindicates Moses, but this will be a problem that crops up again and again, just as it does with leaders today. It is one of the biggest frustrations of ministry and one that makes a lot of pastors quit and do something else. Enduring constant complaint is a frustration that becomes almost unbearable and makes ministry leadership a rather thankless job.

APPLICATION: It is so easy to complain and find fault! It is one of the tools that the enemy uses to diminish the effectiveness of the church. Satan knows our natural, fleshly tendency toward this sin and exploits it to the max. We have to recognize this and control our attitudes and words. I am not now in pastoral ministry and I still have to remind myself not to engage in complaint and grumbling when I see the leadership of my church doing things in a way that I think is less effective than how we used to do it. Complaining does nothing to advance the kingdom of God.

PRAYER: Father, teach us to stop playing into Satan's hands by complaining and grumbling about our leaders! May we speak our minds in love to try to improve our churches, but if the decisions don't go as we would want them to, may we join in and function with others with an attitude of cooperation and gratitude. Let us make the task of our leaders easy by being a people that functions in grace. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Having Eyes to See

2012-01-24T16:35:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Ex. 9, 10, 11; Luke 24

SCRIPTURE: Luke 24:18-32
¹³ Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. ¹⁵ As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; ¹⁶ but they were kept from recognizing him.

¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast. ¹⁸ One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

¹⁹ “What things?” he asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. ²⁰ The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; ²¹ but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. ²² In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning ²³ but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. ²⁴ Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”

²⁵ He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

²⁸ As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. ²⁹ But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.

³⁰ When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. ³² They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

OBSERVATION: I can relate to these two disciples. They had heard the prophecies about Jesus. The Lord had clearly stated that he would have to suffer, die, and then that he would be raised from the dead. They had the testimony of the women who had gone to the empty tomb and had angels tell them that Jesus was risen. Then Jesus actually comes and walks and talks with them but they don't recognize him! It isn't until he breaks bread and prays with them that they recognize Jesus. Despite all the evidence, they just could not see what was right in front of them. Because they had never seen someone coming back from the dead, it was inconceivable to them. It did not fit in with their experience and so they had no eyes to see it. In the passage above it says "they were kept from recognizing him". This could mean that God kept them from recognizing him for some reason but I think it was their own lack of expectation that he could possibly be alive that kept them from seeing him.

APPLICATION: Why do I act too often like these disciples? If I haven't seen God move in a particular way before, I tend to be skeptical. This, in spite of the fact that I have the written evidence in the Word that God is creative and delights in doing things in new and different ways. I think he has fun doing the unexpected. I like to think of myself as a person of great faith. I do have faith, but I also waver sometimes and hold my acceptance of new "workings" of God in check. I should do this if anything doesn't line up with biblical principles, but there is a lot of room for God to do new things in his Church inside those parameters. I think this story is in the Word to help us be open to have "eyes to see" when God does things outside of our comfort zone and traditions.

PRAYER: Father, I want to be large in faith and to have great spiritual vision. Help me remove any blindness I have so that I can see when you are walking next to me doing new things in my life or in the lives of others. May I be open to your creativity as you express it according to your wisdom in any way you choose. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Use Your Brain!

2012-01-21T11:42:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Ex. 1, 2; Ps. 88; Luke 21

SCRIPTURE: Ex. 1:15-21
¹⁵ The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, ¹⁶ “When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” ¹⁷ The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. ¹⁸ Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”

¹⁹ The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”

²⁰ So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. ²¹ And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

OBSERVATION: So here we go again with a story where principles and values in the Word of God conflict with each other. The Bible has many scriptures which clearly state that lying and deception are wrong. In fact, wrong is too light of a word. Lying and deception are sin. We are also taught in the Bible that we should submit to those in authority over us (although Peter does make it clear in the N.T. that when our authorities tell us to do things that are in conflict with God's will, we obey God rather than men). In this passage the Hebrew midwives are disobeying the civil authority (Pharoah) and they are lying to and deceiving him. Yet God blesses them for doing that. Does that mean that God approves of lying and disobeying authority? The answer is NO and YES. No, in general, God abhors a deceptive and rebellious heart. But God also has a very high value on LIFE. People are created in his image and so the harshest judgment is reserved for those who kill, harm or maim other human beings. The midwives correctly discerned what was most important to God and took actions in accordance with what they knew to be true of him. And so they were blessed!

APPLICATION: The Bible is a difficult book. It bugs me to no end when Christians are taught to live according to rules from the Bible and not to think critically about what they read in the Word. Living non-critically makes passages like this one difficult to assimilate because it contains biblical values that are in conflict with each other. We must do as the midwives did and "discern and learn". God gave us brains and we are supposed to use them! Too many believers stand stupefied when non-believers confront them with legitimate questions stemming from reading the Bible with a critical eye. They resort to some lame platitudes that just don't cut it for people who think. Let us "study to show ourselves approved" and be able to give answers to those who are truly seeking to understand the seeming conflicting truth in the Bible.

PRAYER: Father, I know there is much more I don't know than what I do know about you, even after years of studying and reading your Word. I know I won't have answers to everyone's questions, but I do not want to be guilty of laziness in trying to seek out truth. I am fine with telling someone "I don't know" when I haven't figured something out myself, but I want to keep learning as much as I can. Continue to take me on a journey of learning and growing. I seek understanding and wisdom from you. Thank you that you promise to give both of those to all who seek and ask for them. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

These Are Blessings?

2012-01-20T22:48:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Gen. 49, 50; Ps. 8; Luke 20

SCRIPTURE: Gen. 49:1-28 (emphasis added)
¹ Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

² “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel.

³ “Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might, the first sign of my strength,
excelling in honor, excelling in power.
⁴ Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father’s bed,
onto my couch and defiled it.

⁵ “Simeon and Levi are brothers—
their swords are weapons of violence.
⁶ Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,
for they have killed men in their anger
and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.
⁷ Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury, so cruel!
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.

⁸ “Judah, your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.
⁹ You are a lion’s cub, O Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs
and the obedience of the nations is his.
¹¹ He will tether his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
¹² His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.

¹³ “Zebulun will live by the seashore
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend toward Sidon.

¹⁴ “Issachar is a rawboned donkey
lying down between two saddlebags.
¹⁵ When he sees how good is his resting place
and how pleasant is his land,
he will bend his shoulder to the burden
and submit to forced labor.

¹⁶ “Dan will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
¹⁷ Dan will be a serpent by the roadside,
a viper along the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider tumbles backward.

¹⁸ “I look for your deliverance, O LORD.

¹⁹ “Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders,
but he will attack them at their heels.

²⁰ “Asher’s food will be rich;
he will provide delicacies fit for a king.

²¹ “Naphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns.

²² “Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches climb over a wall.
²³ With bitterness archers attacked him;
they shot at him with hostility.
²⁴ But his bow remained steady,
his strong arms stayed limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
²⁵ because of your father’s God, who helps you,
because of the Almighty, who blesses you
with blessings of the heavens above,
blessings of the deep that lies below,
blessings of the breast and womb.
²⁶ Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than the bounty of the age-old hills.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

²⁷ “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours the prey,
in the evening he divides the plunder.”

²⁸ All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.

OBSERVATIONS: Jacob is about to die and summons all his sons before him to receive his final parental "blessing". I put "blessing" in quotes because a couple of them seem to be more of a parental curse than a blessing. And yet at the end of Jacob's pronouncements the Word says that each son received the blessing appropriate to him. I would especially not have been happy to be Reuben, Levi, or Simeon, who received the harshest words from their dying father. Jacob's words seem so foreign to our cultural mindset today. We are raised in a culture that tells us we should never favor one child over another, that we should be tolerant of our children's choices, especially when they are adults, and that it is wrong to "judge" others in any way. Our culture also does not stress honoring parents (or for that matter, any authority) the way it used to. It is actually seen as a noble intellectual exercise to question authority. So the negative words of Jacob to some of his children assaults our sense of love, justice, and family values.

APPLICATION: Wherever my values that I have grown up with are challenged by what I read in the Word, I need to first evaluate carefully to see if I am understanding the Word correctly and then if there is discrepancy between the two, it is my values that need to be brought into conformity with the Bible, not the other way around. This passage speaks to me of several values that are different from those of our current society:

1) Honoring parents is a theme in many scriptures. It is actually one of the 10 commandments. It is obviously very important to God that children do this, even as adults.

2) Judging your children's behavior when it does not conform to the values in the Word of God is a good thing. It means you are putting God first in your life above your kids. It also does not mean you don't love your children. In fact, in God's economy, judgment of wrong behavior and choices can be an act of love. The hope is that it motivates your kids to question what they are doing and to repent where necessary.

3) Equality of treatment is not a high value with God. Justice is much more important and those two are not the same thing.

4) God abhors actions taken in rash anger (Simeon and Levi)

It is interesting to me that none of the sons who received the harsh words from their father objected to what was said. They seemed to accept it as their due. This causes me to ask myself certain questions in light of this passage of scripture. Am I living my life in such a way as to receive the blessing of my heavenly Father or would his words to me be more of a curse? Is there anything in my life I need to repent of so that I can be sure I am living in a way that honors him instead of bringing him sorrow or shame?

PRAYER: Father, you are the most important person in my life. More than the approval of my husband, children, or other family and friends, I want to hear that I have pleased you with my life when I am face to face with you. Help me to discern where I need to change and give me the power to do so by your Spirit. I know you promise me that that power is available to me and I thank you for it. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

God is Good; Life is Hard

2012-01-19T10:38:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Gen. 47, 48; Ps. 10; Luke 19

SCRIPTURE: Gen. 47:9, 10
⁹ And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.” ¹⁰ Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.

OBSERVATION: Jacob is one of the three patriarchs mentioned over and over again in the Old Testament. The phrase, "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" is used frequently to identify the God of Israel. Jacob was a blessed man whose significance far exceeded his lifetime. Yet, in his own words, his years on earth were difficult. This man, who had great promises given to him by God, who lived worshiping God his whole life, did not have it easy. He suffered much injustice, was cheated and lied to, betrayed by his own children, and suffered the grief of losing the wife he loved most dearly and the son she first bore to him (he later found that son was alive, but that did not diminish the grief he suffered or the loss of his son's company for the years he thought him dead). A hard, hard life. So why is it that we think if we know God and serve him faithfully that we should have a relatively problem-free existence? Every promise God made to Jacob came true, but it didn't change the fact that he suffered much during his lifetime. Also, the fullness of some of the promises he received from God didn't come to pass until after he was dead. He never got to experience them. So what does this mean for us?

APPLICATION: God, the blessed controller of all things, right? In the face of such suffering, is that really good news if he allows bad things to happen to us? Jacob's life is an example to us of a man who held on to his faith even through much difficulty. Some of his troubles were brought on him by his own actions and some by others over whom he had no control. That is true in the lives of all of us. Pain is still pain whether self-inflicted or not. Shouldn't serving God make a difference in all that? The answer is yes! And faith does make all the difference. Pain is a part of life because Adam and Eve both allowed sin to come into this world. God decided to give us free will and it comes with consequences. The question is not whether or not we will have pain, the question is whether we will allow it to be productive or destructive in our lives. The only way for pain to become productive is to trust God and let him teach us through it. Since suffering is inevitable, I would rather it have some value in my life instead of none.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for the example of Jacob and others in the Bible who were imperfect and had lives just like ours, and yet trusted you. They are such a comfort and inspiration when our own lives have trouble in them. May I cling to you all the harder when things are not going well, and trust you to work through any suffering that comes my way. I also thank you for the good times for they are all too short-lived. I will rejoice in you and your goodness to me, whether the times are evil or good, for you alone are worthy and you alone can make sense of it all. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Inscrutable Answers

2012-01-17T08:12:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Gen. 42, 43; Ps. 5; Luke 17

SCRIPTURE: Luke 17:26-37
²⁶ “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷ People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

²⁸ “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. ²⁹ But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

³⁰ “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹ On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. ³² Remember Lot’s wife! ³³ Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. ³⁴ I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. ³⁵ Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”

³⁷ “Where, Lord?” they asked.

He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

OBSERVATION: Jesus is talking to his disciples about the future and the time right before his second coming. When he gets done, his disciples have a question, "Where, Lord?". The question itself is somewhat ambiguous but, in context, I think what they are asking is, "Where will these things happen?". Where will there be people working or sleeping and one be taken away while the other is left? Jesus answers them with a very cryptic and inscrutable response that does not even seem to be an answer to the question. He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.” Really? This is an answer to that question? Jesus often gave answers that left the disciples scratching their heads in confusion. I often have the same response when I read these accounts. This particular answer from Jesus is one of those I have never really understood, but as I was reading it today, I had a thought that helped it make sense to me. I think Jesus may have been communicating to his disciples that there was no one particular place this was going to happen. Just as the vultures gather over a dead body anywhere in the world, so wherever there are spiritually "dead" people on earth, they will be left behind for judgment while those with faith are taken to be with God. I haven't pulled out my study texts to do research on this, and I could certainly be mistaken in my thought about this, but it at least makes some sense of a very hermetic response by Jesus.

APPLICATION: Whatever the particular meaning of this answer given by Jesus, the entire passage speaks to me of living in a way that honors God. I am to keep in mind that he is returning and live my life in accordance with my calling to be "light" and "salt" in this world until he comes.

PRAYER: Father, I do want to live up to the calling you have given me. May I be someone who demonstrates your love, grace, forgiveness, and righteousness to others by my words and actions. It's a very high calling and one that I cannot hope to fulfill without the constant activity of your Spirit in my life. Help me to be instantly responsive to your Spirit so that I bring you pleasure and the world hope. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?

2012-01-15T22:02:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Gen. 37, 38; Ps. 7; Luke

SCRIPTURE: Gen. 37:3-28
³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. ⁴ When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

⁵ Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. ⁶ He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: ⁷ We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”

⁸ His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.

⁹ Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

¹⁰ When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” ¹¹ His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Joseph Sold by His Brothers

¹² Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, ¹³ and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.”

“Very well,” he replied.

¹⁴ So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.

When Joseph arrived at Shechem, ¹⁵ a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

¹⁶ He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”

¹⁷ “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’”

So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. ¹⁸ But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.

¹⁹ “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. ²⁰ “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”

²¹ When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. ²² “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.

²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the richly ornamented robe he was wearing— ²⁴ and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

²⁵ As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

²⁶ Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? ²⁷ Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.

²⁸ So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: The other day I had a conversation with my son. He was moving and had his truck conk out on him after he loaded up. He did everything he could to fix it on his own because he had no money and had 3 of his young kids with him but nothing he did worked. He prayed, and asked the kids to pray and it sputtered to life for a few minutes, then conked out again. He asked me, why, if God is real, does he let things like this happen? Doesn't God care about his reputation? Is he so capricious as to abandon those who believe in and count on him to come through for them when they are in trouble? He had a lot of other good questions too. It does seem at times that God is indeed capricious in his dealings with man. The entire story of Joseph's life is very instructive in trying to find answers to such honest queries. Joseph was given dreams of greatness by God, he had faith in God, and yet he was treated abominably by his own brothers and sold into slavery. What happened to him after that was even worse. He was accused of a crime he didn't commit and spent 17 years of his life (the prime of his life at that) in prison! If anyone had reason to believe that God was unjust and unfair it was Joseph. But somehow, he maintained his faith in God through all of it. He was 30 when his circumstances finally started to get better. He actually said that everything, even all the evil events, that had happened to him God meant for good! Now that is an amazing statement! I believe that the only way that Joseph could have made that statement was to have been processing all the events in his life through his relationship with God. If he had not been a praying man, seeking understanding about his life from God, I think he would have been disillusioned, bitter, and wallowing in "victimhood". It is human nature to do so. Without God, that is the only way we process all the "crap" of life that happens to us. It is only God that can give us a different, more positive perspective. It is only he who can use trouble to improve our character and make us better people. Without God, trouble an injustice only make us worse people; more cynical, faithless, bitter, angry, suspicious and mistrustful of others and more self-absorbed and self-protective. I don't have all the answers as to why God chooses to let so many bad things happen as a means of testing us or improving us. I would like him to use different means myself. But Joseph's story at least gives us some insight into how to handle trouble. We simply must keep in contact with God through prayer and trust that he will at some point make clear to us the purpose for what happens to us.

PRAYER: Father, I trust you. I have had years of experience that have proven to me that I can trust you even when horrible, unfair and unjust things happen to me. Everything evil in my life, you have turned to good eventually. I still don't understand why things have to work this way but I am glad that I can trust you through it all. I pray you will help my son, and others, to come to a trusting faith in you as well, especially through difficult times. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Two Lessons

2012-01-13T16:19:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Gen. 31, 32, 33; Luke 13

SCRIPTURE: Luke 13:1-9
¹ Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. ² Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? ³ I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

⁶ Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. ⁷ So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

⁸ “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

OBSERVATION: There are two important concepts I get from this passage. The first is that we cannot judge a person's spiritual condition by what he or she suffers. Jesus makes it clear that the people that suffered great torture and humiliation at the hand of Pilate were not worse sinners than other people. No reason is given for the fact that they suffered such a fate, but God makes it clear it was not because they were more evil than anyone else and had some sort of "spiritual karma" happen to them as a result of their own actions. The second lesson is in the parable Jesus tells after he talks about the Galileans that had suffered and died. He says everyone must repent or perish and then tells this parable about a fruitless fig tree. The owner is ready to have the worthless tree cut down but the gardener who cared for the plants made a case for giving the tree extra care and giving it one more chance to bear fruit. I believe that Jesus is telling us that God will give each of us every possible chance to come to him and to repent so that they can be saved. No one will come to judgment with an excuse that "if only you had..." God will make sure that every possible care was given to let them be produce the fruit of repentance that leads to life.

APPLICATION: I think it is a human tendency to look at the situations others are in and to make judgments about them based on their circumstances. The lesson for me from this is that I would be much better off not doing this. I can have no possible knowledge of why things are happening to others the way they are or what God may be working in their lives as a result. Suffering does not necessarily connote that a person is under a curse from God. Neither does success necessarily mean a person is under God's blessing. My job is to focus on whether I am being humble before the Lord and repenting of anything I see in myself that does not match up with his character.

PRAYER: Father, I do find myself judging others too often. I thank you for words like these in the Bible that remind me that my focus needs to be on my own spiritual condition and that I do not possess the wisdom to judge the reasons for events in others' lives. May I have a humble heart before you and when I see others that are suffering, instead of judging, may I pray for them and place them in your loving and righteous hands. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Destruction of Deception

2012-01-11T10:02:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Gen. 27, 28; Ps. 4; Luke 11

SCRIPTURE: Gen. 27:2-12

² Isaac said, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death. ³ Now then, get your weapons—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. ⁴ Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.”

⁵ Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, ⁶ Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, ⁷ ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the LORD before I die.’ ⁸ Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: ⁹ Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. ¹⁰ Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.”

¹¹ Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I’m a man with smooth skin. ¹² What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.”

OBSERVATION: When Rebekah comes to her son Jacob with a plan to deceive his father, Jacob objects. But he doesn't object because deceiving his father was a wrong and immoral thing to do. His objection is based solely on the fear of getting caught and of the negative consequences that would result if that happened. Once his mother comes up with a plan to avoid that, Jacob is all in. The results were devastating. This created a rift in the family that never completely healed. God had promised to bless Jacob in particular when he was born, but Rebekah and Jacob together took it upon themselves to bring about a blessing for Jacob without trusting God to do it. And what a mess they created by depending on themselves and their own schemes instead of trusting in God! Jacob had to flee his home as a result. He also later reaped what he had sown. His father-in-law later deceived him many times and Jacob got to experience the hurt, frustration and anger that happens when someone habitually deceives you. It reminds me of a scripture in the Bible that says evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived (2 Tim. 3:13). I believe the two go together. You cannot practice deceit without also being more susceptible to deceit yourself. I had a family member who was a habitual liar and deceiver. He prided himself on his ability to detect when other people were lying because he was so good at it himself. What he was blind to was the fact that he fell prey to spiritual deception very easily and he was totally unaware of it. You cannot be a deceiver without having a propensity to be vulnerable to deception as well.

APPLICATION: Rooting out deception and lying in my life is of vital importance if I want to have all God has for me. I must trust him to bring about his will in my life without laying my own plans to "make it happen" like Jacob did. I must speak truthfully. The more I walk in truth, the more able I will be to discern deception and lies. I will also protect myself and my family from the destruction (at least, as far as it lies with me) that comes when people engage in lying and deception with those they love. This story is a lesson that should give all of us warning that we risk destruction of our family relationships and friendships when we practice deception.

PRAYER: Father, I have experienced destruction in my own family because of others who have lied and deceived with regularity. It has caused me much grief. I know I have caused myself and others grief at times in my life when I sinned by lying or deceiving in a vain attempt to protect my own interests. I have confessed, and I know you forgive me Lord, but I pray that you keep me from such behavior ever again. I want to walk in truth completely. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Grace in Times of Failure

2012-01-10T17:06:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Gen. 25, 26; Ps. 6; Luke 10

SCRIPTURE: Gen. 26:2-11
² The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. ³ Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. ⁴ I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, ⁵ because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws.” ⁶ So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

⁷ When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”

⁸ When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. ⁹ So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?”

Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.”

¹⁰ Then Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”

¹¹ So Abimelech gave orders to all the people: “Anyone who molests this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

OBSERVATION: Isaac hears directly from the Lord and receives from him a promise of blessing that will extend way past his own lifetime. Yet just after such a momentous spiritual encounter with God, he asks his wife to lie to the people around them about who she is in relation to him because he fears for his life. Isn't that amazing? He doesn't have the faith to believe that the same God who gave this great promise is able to protect him in his immediate circumstances. Yet despite his lack of faith, God protects him anyway. The Lord exposes the lie Isaac tries to use to protect himself and moves the king of the land to issue an edict that will ensure Isaac will remain unmolested by the people of the land.

APPLICATION: This is a real encouragement to me. Although I strive to always trust the Lord, I, like Isaac, fall short of that goal at times. I am reassured by this passage that even when I fall short, God is looking out for me. He will protect me even when I am imperfect in my devotion to and faith in him.

PRAYER: Thank you, Lord, for your great grace! Thank you that you take care of me even when I fail you. I pray that my faith does not fail and that it will continue to grow. But it is so reassuring that you do not require perfection from me and that I need not fear that you will abandon me when I falter. You are patient with me. Thank you so much! I love you, Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Our Humorous Side

2012-01-09T19:39:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Gen. 23,24; Luke 9

SCRIPTURE: Gen. 24:12-21 (emphasis added)
¹² Then he prayed, “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. ¹³ See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴ May it be that when I say to a girl, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”

¹⁵ Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. ¹⁶ The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

¹⁷ The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”

¹⁸ “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

¹⁹ After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking.” ²⁰ So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. ²¹ Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful.

OBSERVATION: This cracks me up. The servant prays and God answers him with the exact sign he prays for but he still has to watch closely to see if God had answered his prayer!

APPLICATION: I think God put this story in the Bible to show us how we all are. I can think of many times I have done the same thing. Why are we so thick? How clear does God have to be? I need to learn to take a "yes" from God without questioning whether I've got a "yes" (or a "no" for that matter). We must give God quite a chuckle sometimes with our silly little doubts and questions.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for answering my prayers so faithfully. May I learn to not question as much as I do and to trust your word and your faithfulness to answer when I call and ask for wisdom. You have never failed me. Why would I ever think you would? In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Extraordinary Living

2012-01-06T08:32:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Gen. 15, 16, 17; Luke 6

SCRIPTURE: LUKE 6:27-36
²⁷ “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. ³¹ Do to others as you would have them do to you.

³² “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

OBSERVATION: When I became a Christian and started reading the Bible this passage was the first one that struck me like a ton of bricks. It still catches my attention every time I read it. Jesus makes it clear in his words that we are to live extra-ordinary lives. No one forgives his enemies and blesses those who wrong him. But that is what Jesus calls us to. We have to live differently from sinners. He makes the point that sinners love those who love them and lend to others when they expect to get repaid. Christ is glorified only when we avail ourselves of his power to live a completely different quality of life from those who don't have relationship with him.

APPLICATION: The application is simple: Forgive those who hurt you and those who purposely do you harm. We really aren't "allowed" as Christians to hold grudges.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to live the extraordinary Christian life. I need your Holy Spirit to do it. May I bring glory to you by causing others to note the difference between how I respond to offenses created by others and how most people respond. Thank you so much for the amazing grace and forgiveness that you pour out on me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Parental Pain and Mercy

2012-01-03T08:43:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Gen. 6, 7, 8; Luke 3

SCRIPTURE: Gen. 6:5-8 (emphasis added)
⁵ The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. ⁶ The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. ⁷ So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

OBSERVATION: God is love. We are told this over and over again in the Word. Yet here God says he is grieved that he has made man because of all the evil in their hearts and actions. God is described as having a broken heart. He was a Father who loved his children deeply and yet was filled with grief as he saw the suffering they brought on themselves and others because of their refusal to listen to and obey him. As a parent, I can understand this. It is possible to love your children with all your heart and yet be so grieved by their actions that you think it would have been better if they had never been born. That extremity of emotion does not mean you stop loving them. In fact, someone you don't love deeply has very little power to hurt you. I think of the parents of the young man who shot Congresswoman Gabby Giffords nearly killing her and killing nine other innocent bystanders. His parents are suffering the worst kind of pain. They love their child but realize that he has irreparably harmed others by murdering their loved ones. How does one handle that? I think it is perfectly logical that even with all the love they feel for their son that they would think it better if he had never been born. The two emotions are not inconsistent with one another. In this example, God searches for anyone who hasn't gone completely "dark" inside. He finds Noah. Though Noah wasn't perfect, he still had a heart that honored God and desired to obey him. God has mercy on him and finds a way to save even one family on the earth while having to destroy the rest before the world was completely destroyed by wickedness.

APPLICATION: It is a comfort to me that God has experienced what it is like to love and lose those you love. He is able to comfort the brokenhearted in ways no one else can because he understands completely what it is like to have a heart full of pain. From him, I can not only receive comfort when I have a broken heart but I can learn mercy and forgiveness, and when it is time to cut off relationships. He did all of that and it compromised neither his love nor his mercy.

PRAYER: Father, you understand the times when I am brokenhearted. I am so imperfect. Teach me how to respond in each situation. My I be full of love and forgiveness while still having discernment as to when it is time to cease fellowship with those who have rejected you or who would cause me to compromise my commitment to you in any way. I also thank you that you have the power to speak to the heart of any profligate person and to bring back and heal the prodigal. Heal your people, Lord. Heal me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

THE PATHOLOGY OF SIN

2012-01-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Gen. 3, 4, 5; Luke 2

SCRIPTURE: Gen. 3:8-13; Gen. 4:2-15
⁸ Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”¹⁰ He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” ¹¹ And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” ¹² The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” ¹³ Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. ³ In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. ⁴ But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, ⁵ but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. ⁶ Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”⁸ Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. ⁹ Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” ¹⁰ The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. ¹¹ Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”¹³ Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than I can bear. ¹⁴ Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” ¹⁵ But the LORD said to him, “Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. ¹⁶ So Cain went out from the LORD’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

OBSERVATION: Every disease has it's own particular pathology and sin is no different. These passages present a good deal of the typical pathology that humans fall prey to when they engage in sin. In the first example we see "the blame game". When God asks Adam how he know he was naked, he takes no responsibility for his own choice to disobey God. He blames the woman and he also in a roundabout way blames God (the woman you put here with me, Lord; in other words, it's your fault for giving her to me), the woman then blames the serpent. Neither of them wants to take personal responsibility for their bad choices. They both have excuses for their sin. In the second story Cain and Abel both bring an offering to God and Cain's offering is not accepted. He is bitter, resentful, and jealous of his brother Abel because his offering was accepted by God. The Lord even warns Cain that he is in danger of being overcome by sin and tells him he needs to master it by simply doing what is right so that he will be accepted too. As with Adam, Cain finds fault with God for "playing favorites". He adopts the identity of a victim. God was unfair to him and he is angry at Abel for getting a better deal. He ends up murdering his own brother to assuage his anger and when God brings his actions to light and decrees a punishment, does Cain have sorrow for his sin and confess his wrong? No! He complains that his punishment is too harsh! He still has a "victim" mentality and is upset with God for what he considers to be unfair consequences of his actions. We hear not one word of remorse from Cain.

APPLICATION: What does this teach me? If I see any of the following symptoms I can be sure that I must somewhere have an infection of sin in my life that I need to confess and repent of:
1) Making excuses for my choices; blaming others
2) bitterness toward God or others
3) feeling others are getting a "better deal" from God than I am
4) lack of remorse when someone confronts me with a wrong I have done
5) feeling like a victim in life

PRAYER: Father, it's so much easier to see the symptoms of sin in others than it is to see them in myself. I am often blind to the beginnings of the sin infection in me. I pray you would reveal to me by your Spirit when the first signs of any such infection show up in my life so that I may go through a cleansing process before it gets a strong hold on me. I so want to have a clear conscience and a clean heart before you. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, my Lord and my God. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Yes, Lord

2012-01-01T08:10:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Gen. 1, 2; Luke 1

SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:38
³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

OBSERVATION: The Lord spoke to Mary through an angel of his plan for her life. It would entail both glory and whispered salacious gossip and slander. She would become pregnant through the Holy Spirit and still claim to be a virgin! This was not an easy calling, but she said "yes" to it without reservation.

APPLICATION: Oh, how I want to be like Mary! I want my answer to be "yes" whenever God reveals his will to me. No hesitation; just "yes", even if there is difficulty and some personal humiliation involved. If I truly trust in Him that answer should be no problem.

PRAYER: I know my answer to you has not always been "yes", Lord. Forgive me for that. I want to be an obedient servant, always trusting that you know what is best for me even if I don't always understand the "whys" of every situation. I know that if I submit to your will for my life that whatever else may come along with it, I will be fulfilled and full of joy at the wonder of being used by you to advance your kingdom. Use me, send me, my answer will be "yes". In Jesus' Name, Amen.

No More Curse!

2011-12-31T11:49:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Rev. 19, 20, 21, 22

SCRIPTURE: Rev. 22:3
³ No longer will there be any curse.

OBSERVATION: This one simple verse sums up for me the hope and joy of the book of Revelation. There will no longer be any curse of sin, sickness, sorrow or pain; no cruelty or selfishness that hurts others. How incredibly marvelous! That promise is worth striving for and something worth the "sacrifices" I have to make here on earth to obtain. Of course, the sacrifices I have to make are simply learning to crucify my sinful nature and live according to the power God gives me to live a holy life. It's practice for the kind of living I will be doing in heaven. But there, I will no longer have the struggle I have here, because my sin nature will be taken out of me. Oh, hallelujah!!! That will be glorious! No more struggle. Peace at long last.

APPLICATION: I need these scriptures. I need to be reminded of the goal of my faith and the reward at the end of this life. God gives me plenty of rewards right now: I certainly experience joy in his presence, as well as his peace, comfort, wisdom and fellowship. But there is also strife, injustice, pain caused by others and pain caused by my own sin that I have to endure. Sometimes these negatives almost overwhelm me. But there will be a time when all that is over and done with. And I will be with others who have had their sin natures removed as well. I can't even really imagine an existence where there will be no pain in relationships but I am looking forward to it. The idea of that motivates me to work on becoming totally submissive to God now so that I am as close to helping bring heaven to earth for myself and others as possible.

PRAYER: Help me, Father, to become more like you. May I forgive with ease, turn from every temptation that is evil, and love others with abandon. I know I often fall short of that, and I ask your forgiveness. Thank you for your promise of a true utopia. I look forward to it. Come quickly, Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Thoughts About the Future

2011-12-30T13:50:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Rev. 15, 16, 17, 18

OBSERVATIONS: I'm not following my typical format today. I just want to make some general observations about the entire reading in these 4 chapters. Revelation is a confusing book. It has confused theologians through the centuries and many still disagree about issues such as: Will there be a Rapture? If so, when will it happen; pre-tribulation, mid-trib, or post-trib? I just don't know and I don't think those are the most important ideas to be concerned with in the book. The main point is that God has set a time when Satan and his demons will be judged, sin will be judged and done away with, Jesus will return as the triumphant ruler of all heaven and earth, and those who have been faithful to him will be with him forever in a place where there will be no more sorrow or pain. Hallelujah! There are warnings to the people of God in these chapters that need to be heeded though. We are warned to come out from worldly people and not engage in their sins. What are some of the specific sins mentioned? Idolatry, materialism, sexual sin, and an arrogance that refuses to submit to God. We are also told that the world leader during this time, and his prophet, will be able to do miraculous signs and wonders through the power of demon spirits. So we should never equate the miraculous with godliness. The two are not necessarily connected. God performs miracles but so does the devil. So, what does all this mean?

APPLICATION: 1) We need to be aware of what is happening and the "signs of the times". 2) We need to commit ourselves to holy living and rid ourselves of sin. 3) Be humble and teachable before God 4) Discern between works of the devil and works of God; don't be fooled by counterfeit miracles.

PRAYER: Father, There are many times that I am too caught up in the desire for more "stuff". There is only one thing I really need in life, and that is to stay close to You and become more and more like you. Teach me your ways, O Lord, and lead me in paths of righteousness for your Name's sake. See if there be any wicked way in me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. And come quickly, Lord. The world is getting darker all the time. Help me to be a bright light in it to lead as many out of the dark as possible. In Jesus' Name, Amen

Hard Times Ahead

2011-12-29T08:16:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Rev. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

SCRIPTURE: Rev. 13:5-10

⁵ The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. ⁶ He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. ⁷ He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. ⁸ All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

⁹ He who has an ear, let him hear.

¹⁰ If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity he will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
with the sword he will be killed.

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.

OBSERVATION: I am always rather amazed at Christian pastors and leaders that I hear who proclaim a "prosperity" gospel. These scriptures make it very clear that in the end times, Satan and his earthly lackeys will be given power to "make war against the saints and to conquer them". It goes on to say that some will be destined to go into captivity and some will be killed for their faith. Not a pretty picture for believers! I like comfort and pain-free living. But the Word is clear that I need to be strong in my faith and realize that I may have to suffer, even to the point of death, for my convictions. Some Bible scholars hold that many believers will already be gone from earth at the time when this persecution takes place (the "rapture") but others do not. No one knows for sure, as there are scriptures that support both theories. Whatever the case, I need to be prepared to endure through anything. Whether those that knew the Lord before these events have been taken out of the world or not, it is clear there will be saints on the earth when this world-wide persecution happens. How shall we then live?

APPLICATION: The last verse I listed here says that we Christians need to have patient endurance and faithfulness to get through this. I may suffer physically by being jailed, raped, tortured, or murdered. Whatever I suffer here, I need to remember that the forces of evil triumph for only a short time. Satan is doomed, as are all who follow him, and their suffering will be eternal. Once I die here, I will live forever in God's kingdom of love, health, and security, never again to suffer pain of any kind. I need to keep my eyes upon Jesus and the prize of eternal life. There are also practical ways I can prepare. I can get out and stay out of debt. I can plant food in my yard so that I have my own supply. (Scripture makes it clear that food will be pricey and hard to come by in the end times). I need to heed the scripture which says to be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove. And we better learn to like each other a lot more than we do now. It could be that enclaves of Christians will have to live together in order to survive. It's a depressing scenario but we must remember that it is short-lived and God conquers in the end forever!

PRAYER: Father, pour out financial blessing to your people now before all this evil comes, but let us not use the wealth you give us to get more "stuff". May we use it to get out of debt and to plan wisely for our futures so that we have resource to help ourselves and the greatest number of other believers as well. Keep me faithful an give me patient endurance through all things. Speak to the hearts of those I love who are far from you right now. Do whatever it takes to bring them close to you. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Identity and a Servant Spirit

2011-12-22T08:52:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: John 12, 13, 14

SCRIPTURE: John 13:3-5 (emphasis added)
³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

OBSERVATION: The word "so" in these verses links two key thoughts: 1) Jesus knew who he was and the authority he had so 2) he got up and served his disciples. It was his firm sense of identity that allowed Jesus to put himself in the position of a servant to those who were his students and followers. He was the Master, yet he served those who were under him. I believe it is very difficult to put oneself in a position of serving others without a firm sense of identity and self-worth. It is important to note how Jesus served his disciples in this passage. He served them in the role of a house slave; the lowest form of servant. We have all seen people who serve others from a sense of the superior condescending to give of themselves to "the little people". They maintain an air of superiority while they are among those they are helping. This was not what Jesus did. He stripped down to his undergarments and took on the rather gross job of washing all the dirt and grime off of his disciples feet. This was a job for a lowly house slave. This was one of the reasons that Peter objected to being washed by Jesus. Peter thought this was an improper role for Jesus to take on. But Jesus said he was doing this as an example to us of how we should be with each other. We should be willing to do the lowest of jobs to serve one another, and we should do it without airs of superiority. We can do this only if we are very secure in our identity as sons and daughters of God.

APPLICATION: My mother-in-law has a saying written in the fly-leaf of her Bible that says, "You never know what kind of servant you are until someone treats you like one". How true! In fact, without a very strong sense of identity, we bristle at anyone who would treat us as "less than" and act superior to us. Being treated like a servant is a test of how strong our sense of identity as a child of God really is. A servant spirit is really only born out of knowing who we are in the Lord. If I get angry when someone treats me like a servant it is a sign that I need to work on my understanding of my identity with Jesus. This is not to say that it is ok for others to treat us as if we are less worthy than they are. In fact, if the other person is a believer, we should lovingly confront that attitude in them; but not from a place of being offended by it. We confront only to help them become more like Christ. If we get offended, we know we need to work on our identity so that we can grow in being the kind of servant to others that Jesus was.

PRAYER: Father, help me to grow in my understanding of all that it means to be your child. I need to continually be understanding more about the authority I have and the standing I have in the kingdom because I belong to you. You said that a servant is not above his master and that the things you did are the same things I should do. Rid me of the vestiges of the sense of unworthiness I have from my childhood and from the hurt caused by others even as an adult. I want to be fully identified with you so that I can love others and serve others as you did. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

True Words; False Conclusion

2011-12-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: John 9, 10, 11

SCRIPTURE: John 11:49-53

⁴⁹ Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! ⁵⁰ You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

⁵¹ He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, ⁵² and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. ⁵³ So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

OBSERVATION: This scripture is very interesting because it is one of the few places where a person prophesies truth but comes to the completely wrong conclusion. Caiaphas prophesied earlier in the year that Jesus would die for the nation of Israel and for all "the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one". This was a true prophecy. However, Caiaphas believed Jesus was a blasphemer and an evil person. He believed it was right for the Jewish religious leaders to plot to kill Jesus because he believed Jesus' death would bring about unity among the Jews that were in Israel and those that lived abroad. His prophecy was true but his interpretation was not; it was from the pit of hell.

APPLICATION: Why is it that we are so completely enamored with those who give prophecies or move in the other gifts of the Spirit? Jesus makes it clear that there are those who will prophesy and even perform miracles in his name who do not have a relationship with him (see Matt. 7:21-23). It is the character of a person we need to look at in order to assess whether they are godly or not. A person who is not living in relationship with God can prophesy or pray for the sick and have them recover, but without the Spirit speaking to them the conclusions they come to may be very false. If we listen to someone because they can move in the miraculous but they do not have communion with God, we risk being deceived. Satan uses anyone he can to deceive, including religious people who are not following God. He will take truth and twist the interpretation into something false and misleading. We need to look for the fruit of the Spirit in others and keep our spiritual "antennae" attuned to the Spirit.

PRAYER: Father, may I recognize and discern immediately when someone who seems to be spiritual and moving in the gifts is being used by the enemy to mislead and deceive. And help your people to have the awareness to recognize truth from error as well. Keep your Church healthy and holy, circumspect and cautious. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Wrong Focus

2011-12-19T07:48:00.000-08:00

TODAY' READING: John 5, 6

SCRIPTURE: John 5:6-15
⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

⁷ “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

⁸ Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” ⁹ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, ¹⁰ and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”

¹¹ But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”

¹² So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”

¹³ The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.

¹⁴ Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” ¹⁵ The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

OBSERVATION: Jesus sees a disabled man, heals him, and tells him to go on his way. Then the religious leaders come along and berate the man for daring to carry his mat on a Sabbath day. They are focused on the wrong things. Are they amazed that an incredible miracle has occurred? No. In fact, they are offended that anyone would heal on the holy Sabbath day. They interrogate the man to find out who would do such a thing. After the man leaves them, Jesus finds him again, in church, and warns him against willfully disobeying God anymore in his life. The man has a wrong focus also. The Pharisees have left him but he goes and seeks them out to tell them that it is Jesus who healed him. So the man wants the blessings of God but he does not want to be told what to do or to change his lifestyle. He is rebellious and cares more about currying favor with human authorities than he does about pleasing God.

APPLICATION: We humans have an uncanny tendency toward missing the point. We still tend to focus on the wrong things. We, like the Pharisees, still tend to like "formulaic" Christianity (eg., raise your hand, say a certain prayer and your "in" with God). We don't like it when God does things that don't fit in with our idea of how things ought to be done. And we also tend to be rebellious like the man who was healed was. We want God to bless us but we don't want to submit to his will. We are often offended when God puts constraints on us that we don't like or understand.

PRAYER: Father, I see when other Christians fall into this trap of having the wrong focus but I don't often see it when I do the same thing. I need your Spirit to reveal my waywardness to me. Keep me focused on the right things and on my own issues. It is so easy to sit in judgment of others. I do not want to do that. It is enough for me to discover and repent of my own folly. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Two Extremes

2011-12-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: James 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

SCRIPTURE: James 3:14-18 (emphasis added)
¹⁴ But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵ Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. ¹⁶ For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

OBSERVATIONS: Two kinds of wisdom are being contrasted here, one is earthly and the other is from heaven. The contrast is interesting but what caught my attention more than the contrast was the typical responses we humans have to earthly wisdom. Verse 14 says we tend to either boast about it or deny it. These are about as opposite as you can get. First of all, I don't think we often see the evil motivations behind "earthly wisdom". James says the motivations are typically envy or selfish ambition. Envy motivates us to do whatever we have to do to get the same stuff that we see others have or to do nothing and simply resent those that have it, feeling that we are "owed" the same things. Selfish ambition really motivates every other response we have in life. It is wanting what we want, when we want it without thought to anyone's well-being but our own. And James says we should neither boast about this type of wisdom nor deny that it is in us. We seem to have no "middle ground" response. We either brag about our own accomplishments and whatever "wisdom" we have or we deny that we have any negative motivations in our life. If we live in denial then we don't have to deal with any of the sin in ourselves. All the blame is focused outward to others or to bad luck and difficult circumstances that we have no power over. We then have no responsibility to change.

APPLICATION: I have to watch myself and catch my thoughts and examine them in the light of these scriptures. If I find myself taking credit for and being boastful about any of the good in my life or, conversely, if I find myself denying any personal responsibility for sin in my life, I can be assured that I have started to engage in earthly wisdom. I need to be aware of and on the lookout for these two extremes. They are warning flags that I need to watch for so that I will keep on the path of pursuing heavenly wisdom.

PRAYER: Father, how prone I am to extremes! Help me to maintain balance in my life and to appropriate your wisdom in all things. I neither want to be in denial about my sins and personal failings nor do I want to be arrogant and take credit for the good things in my life. You are the one who works good into me as I submit to you. Thank you for your grace that allows the Spirit to transform me from one degree of glory to the next. Continue that good work in me, Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Wrong Kind of License

2011-12-14T09:56:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Heb. 12, 13; Titus 1:4

SCRIPTURE: Titus 1:4
⁴ For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

OBSERVATION: How true this is today! Obviously, this has been a long-standing problem in the Church. It was happening in Titus' day and it is still happening now. This grieves me to no end because I believe it is one of the biggest reason that the Church in America is so powerless! We have lots of people who go to church regularly but who see no reason to change their sinful behavior because, after all, our God forgives sin. They conveniently forget all the scriptures that speak of judgment and of the grace of God being given to us to give us the power to overcome sin and to live a holy life. It is not to be used as an excuse to live as we please. There was another verse in today's reading that relates to this ideas as well. It speaks of a need to "worship God acceptably" (Heb. 12:28). If there is an acceptable way to worship God then that implies that there is also an unacceptable way to worship God. The idea that there are any "unacceptable ways" to worship is anathema to most people today. Since God is love, he would never judge someone's worship, would he? Apparently, the answer is yes. That verse ends by saying that our God is a consuming fire. That carries that problematic reference to a God who judges again. What do we do about that?

APPLICATION: I need to accept what the whole Bible teaches about God. Both old and new testaments speak about God judging people and judging sin. There are so many who try to twist the Word to get rid of a God who judges but the idea is clearly there. I need to appropriate the grace of God to live a holy life, free from sin. His grace is there to forgive me when I fall (if I repent) but it is mainly given so that I will receive power to overcome sin instead of living in a moral morass. Hallelujah! I can be victorious! The other application of these scriptures is that I need to pray for the Church to become aware of false teachers and to do what I can to turn others from their false doctrines.

PRAYER: Father, I want to live my life in a way that is pleasing to you. I want to worship you in ways that are acceptable to you. Help me to do that. And cleanse your Church from those who would slip in and undermine the power of the Church by teaching that our sin does not matter because Jesus' death provides forgiveness for all we do. What a terrible twisting of truth! I thank you that you forgive, and I praise you that your grace provides the power to overcome sinful thoughts and behaviors. May I avail myself of that grace and teach others to do the same. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The True Test

2011-12-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: 2 Tim. 1, 2, 3, 4

SCRIPTURE: 2 Tim. 2:19
¹⁹ Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

OBSERVATION: The entire book of 2 Timothy speaks often of what constitutes truth and error and genuine and false religion. The conclusion of the matter is fairly well summed up in the above scripture. The Lord is the one who knows those who truly belong to him; we cannot always tell. But we are given a big clue in the second statement, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness." We hardly ever hear this talked about in church. In fact, it is a rather unpopular idea. It is much more acceptable to talk about the unconditional love and forgiveness of God than it is to suggest that we are required as Christians to turn away from wickedness. But Paul stresses to Timothy throughout the book that behavior is the true test of faith. Does our belief change how we behave? Do we repent when we realize we have sinned? Or are we comfortable in harboring bitterness, lust, greed, resentments and the like in our hearts? Do we look for teachers who make us comfortable with our lack of holiness? We are told in this letter that people will come to love pleasure more than they will love God, yet they will want to have a form of godliness in order to look holy without wanting to engage God's power to change any behavior of theirs that might not conform to his revealed expectations. I must see to it that I do not become one of those people.

APPLICATION: It is my responsibility to guard my heart and mind and to examine myself to see if I am in the faith. I have to invite the Holy Spirit into this process because it is so easy for us to deceive ourselves. If I am not immediately uncomfortable when I sin (even in my thoughts) I am in danger spiritually. The cost of freedom is eternal vigilance. Spiritual growth, authority and power do not come by accident. It takes intentional submission to God.

PRAYER: Father, you are holy and I want to be wholly like you. Convict me of sin when it is still a thought in my mind so that I may repent before it hurts anyone else. May I cease to engage in any godless chatter which corrupts me and anyone listening to me. My the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Unusual Tool

2011-12-08T16:45:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: 1 Timothy 1, 2, 3, 4

SCRIPTURE: 1 Timothy 1:18-20 (emphasis added)
¹⁸ Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, ¹⁹ holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. ²⁰ Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.

OBSERVATION: So God uses Satan as a tool to teach people not to blaspheme? Hmm... Interesting to say the least! This scripture has flummoxed many a Christian. I've heard several explanations from theologians and pastors over the years as to the meaning of this. The one that makes the most sense to me is, "I'm not sure what this means, or the implications of this, but I would be careful about turning anyone over to Satan." I thought that was the most honest teaching on it. However, I think it may mean that if someone has known the Lord, and then goes astray, it is better to let them experience the full effects of their sin without trying to mitigate or rescue them from the consequences of it so that they will learn that serving and obeying the Lord is a much better way to live. The hope is restoration, not punishment. Sometimes, when people refuse to repent when confronted with their sin, experiencing the consequences of their sin is the only hope for bringing them to their senses.

APPLICATION: Whatever the meaning of this verse, I agree with whoever it was that I heard say that this is an extreme measure and one we should be extremely careful about employing. While my life experience has taught me that it is often true that rescuing someone from a bad situation that is a direct result of their own disobedience is a sure way of interfering with what God wants to do in them, it is also true that God often wants us to help people who have problems, even of their own making, in order to show them the love and forgiveness of Christ. So, what are we to do? PRAY! Each situation needs to be brought before God and we need to listen for his instruction.

PRAYER: Father, give me wisdom! I want to be obedient to you in every situation. I do not know what each individual needs and how you have been dealing with them in their lives. Give me insight and let me function fully in the gifts of the Spirit. Make me an agent of reconciliation and restoration in your kingdom. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

IF...

2011-12-07T07:58:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Col. 1, 2, 3, 4

SCRIPTURE: Col. 1:22, 23 (emphasis added)
²² But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ²³ if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.

OBSERVATION: There are a lot of "if's" in the Bible. They are there for a reason and we need to pay attention to them. These verses contain an incredible and wonderful promise made to us by God. We are reconciled to God and are free from all unholiness. No accusation can be made against us --- then there's that word if. If we continue and establish ourselves firmly in our faith and are not moved from the hope we have in the Lord. Such a little word with such weighty meaning. I hear so many Christians glibly claim the promises of God, stating that God's love is "unconditional". There are very few promises of God that are unconditional. Most all of them (including salvation) have an if attached to them. If you repent; if you obey; if you hold on to; if you continue --- all these are examples of phrases attached to God's promises in the Word. We cannot weary the grace of God for his love is unfailing (not unconditional). He will not tire of us returning to him and restoration is always available if...

APPLICATION: I must be careful to read and apply the promises of God rightly in my life. I have responsibilities in order to receive all that God has for me. The "if's" tell me what those responsibilities are. I had better pay attention.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for all the great and precious promises you have made to me in your Word. I want them all! Help me to see and understand what my part is in obtaining them. May I be humble, repentant and dependent on you. I'm so grateful that I cannot "out-sin" your forgiveness and that your supply of patience with me is inexhaustible. You are wonderful! I love you and praise you. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Be a Star!

2011-12-06T21:58:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Philippians 1, 2, 3, 4

SCRIPTURE: Phil. 2:14-16 (emphasis added)
¹⁴ Do everything without complaining or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe ¹⁶ as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

OBSERVATION: Do everything without complaining or arguing. WOW! That's a tall order. Complaining and arguing is "native language" to most of us. Actually, it is the language of our sin nature, and therefore, when we speak that language, we are participating in Satan's plans and kingdom. My husband said once that Satan inhabits his praises the same way that God inhabits the praises of his people. Could it be that when we complain and argue that we are inviting Satan's presence into our lives and situations with others? Yes, I think so. Paul tells us to stop this behavior so that we can become blameless and pure and without fault. Apparently, stopping complaining and arguing is a prerequisite to being able to maintain purity in a perverse world system.

APPLICATION: This is such simple and practical admonition. Like so much that is in the Bible, it is simple, but not easy. I need to really watch my thoughts and my words. I do not want to allow Satan a foothold into any part of my life, nor do I want to give him entry into my church or other social situations by engaging in negative complaining or arguing.

PRAYER: Father, keep me from negative speech! May I be one who brings your life wherever I go by how I speak and act. I want to be faultless in a crooked and perverse generation and to shine your light to others. May I be a star for you! Empower me to do that. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Finding What Pleases God

2011-12-05T09:39:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Eph. 5, 6, Ps. 119:1-80

SCRIPTURE: Eph. 5:1-10 (emphasis added)

¹ Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children ² and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

³ But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. ⁴ Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. ⁵ For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. ⁷ Therefore do not be partners with them.

⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord.

OBSERVATION: We don't tend to think of people who are immoral, impure or greedy as idolators but what they all worship is pleasure, power, fame or fortune. I think the most common of all these idols is pleasure. Even those who seek are greedy for money usually want to have it to spend on pleasures for themselves. Our society as a whole envies those who can obtain all the pleasures they want. It is the driving force behind most advertising. This whole section of scripture contrasts light and dark, good and evil, and choosing to live like God wants us to instead of living to please ourselves.

APPLICATION: In the cesspool of moral decay and idolatry that we have to live in, it is essential that we take the responsibility to find out what pleases the Lord and embrace living according to what we discover. We cannot hope to withstand the constant barrage of worldliness and temptation around us without the disciplines of prayer, reading the Word, and fellowship with others who are striving to be like Christ. But these disciplines do more for us than just help us to withstand temptation; they allow us to advance the Kingdom and be victorious overcomers who are also able to help set others free from the grip of Satan. They are the way to personal healing from the effects of sin but also to becoming warriors who snatch those who are held captive by the enemy and set them free.

PRAYER: Father, help the Church here in America and Europe to not fall into the trap of not making time to engage with you personally on a daily basis. I know we are marching toward the end of the age and your return, but I so long to see all of us who call you Lord be much more full of your power and authority. Move in your Church and bring us to repentance for our idolatries. I want to make more room for you in my life and I know that is necessary for others as well. May we be used by you to set others free. May we set ourselves to the task of finding out what pleases you and then living that out in our lives. I love you, Lord. Cleanse me from all unrighteousness and everything that is unworthy of you. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Innocence is Better than Penitence

2011-12-03T12:37:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Rom. 13, 14, 15, 16

SCRIPTURE: Rom. 16:19
¹⁹ Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

OBSERVATION: This verse caught my attention because it is so counter-culture to our current societal values. It is not considered "cool" to be innocent today. In fact, if you are innocent you are likely to be considered socially inept, a nerd, and to be put down and teased unmercifully. Kids are pressured by each other to become sexually active before they are out of high school (if not junior high), to drink alcohol and smoke weed, shoplift for fun, be disrespectful of authority figures, and it is definitely NOT cool to be kind to others. Even friends are expected to poke fun at each other with denigrating comments. I have a quote in the fly-leaf of my Bible that says, "Innocence is better than penitence". So true! God loves innocence. He desires to spare us the pain that inevitably follows the pleasure of sin. He forgives us when we are penitent, but how much better would it be to be innocent and not have to suffer the effects of sin? Oh, how God loves us and wants to keep us free from the cynicism and jaded view of life we get when we become "worldly-wise".

APPLICATION: We need to be obedient to God ourselves, knowing that the restrictions he gives us are not to keep us from good fun but to spare us personal pain and destruction. We also need to encourage others, especially young people, that innocence is "cool", good and wise. They need our encouragement because they get none of it when they are among others in their peer groups at school.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you that you have given us the keys to living a happy, fulfilled life. Help me to live in obedience for my own good and also for the purpose of being a good example to those who are coming behind me. May I encourage others to live innocent lives and to avoid evil. In Jesus
Name, Amen.

It's a Difficult Book

2011-12-02T11:18:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Rom. 9, 10, 11, 12

SCRIPTURE: Rom. 9:10-24
¹⁰ Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. ¹¹ Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: ¹² not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” ¹³ Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

¹⁴ What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! ¹⁵ For he says to Moses,

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

¹⁶ It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. ¹⁷ For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” ¹⁸ Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

¹⁹ One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?” ²⁰ But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” ²¹ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?

²² What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? ²³ What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— ²⁴ even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

OBSERVATIONS: This section is one of my least favorite in all the Bible. It is hard to reconcile with other parts of the Bible and has been the subject of argument and division between differing schools of theology for centuries. I am not a Greek scholar. When I read these verses I wish I were. I have to depend on others who are and the commentaries that they have written. Even they do not agree, so I am left somewhat flummoxed by the task of trying to integrate these verses into my theology. Does God actually choose to hate some people before they are born and have done anything good or bad? The commentaries I read either conveniently didn't really deal with that and skirted the question or they said the original language means more "I have not chosen Esau" than "Esau have I hated". That is a little more palatable and makes it somewhat (though not totally) easier to accept. But I am left unsatisfied.

APPLICATION: The Bible is NOT an easy book! Unfortunately, many Christians try to make it one and come up with pat answers and platitudes that do not do the scriptures justice. I think we are not, as a group, willing enough to struggle with the scriptures and to, at times, leave certain questions hanging without an answer. It is better, I think, to leave something unanswered and simply admit we cannot at the moment understand how it fits with other verses in the Bible than to force it into our theology just for our own comfort. It is okay to be uncomfortable with portions of scripture and not to have all the answers. It is important to be able to say to ourselves and others, "I don't know". Some of my questions won't be answered until I am face to face with God. I don't like that, but I have come to be at peace with that fact. That doesn't mean I won't keep seeking to understand and study. It simply means that I won't always succeed in that endeavor. I have enough experience with God to trust him and believe, even if there are things I don't understand about him. I have to stay humble in my approach to God's Word.

PRAYER: Father, help me to understand your Word and to adequately communicate it to others. But keep me from feeling like I have to have an answer for everyone about everything you have said. Some of it I don't really like; it just doesn't seem to fit what I know about you. But I trust that the problem is with my weak understanding and not with you. You have always been faithful to me even when I have suffered unjustly or have gone through difficult times. I love you, Lord. Lead me in your truth. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

When the Wicked Rule

2011-11-27T07:32:00.000-08:00

READING: Ps. 125; Matt. 26, 27

SCRIPTURE: Ps. 125
¹ Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
² As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people
both now and forevermore.

³ The scepter of the wicked will not remain
over the land allotted to the righteous,
for then the righteous might use
their hands to do evil.

⁴ Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
to those who are upright in heart.
⁵ But those who turn to crooked ways
the LORD will banish with the evildoers.

Peace be upon Israel.

OBSERVATION: This psalm starts with a declaration that the Lord blesses and protects the righteous. Then the next section has some very interesting verses. They speak of the necessity to have righteous rulers over a people. The statement is made that if unrighteous rulers (leaders) remain too long in power then those who are righteous in the land may turn to doing evil themselves. In other words, corrupt leadership can lead those committed to moral living astray. When I look around my own country and see the changes that have happened in the moral landscape, I have to say I agree with these words. When I was younger, even non-Christians spoke against lewdness, pornography, having sex before marriage, "shacking up", abortion, greed, etc. After the drug and political revolution of the 1960's, those standards all started to change very rapidly. The results are evident today. We have a weak church where people are afraid to confront sin because people could leave their congregations if they do. There is almost as much sex before marriage among "Christians" as among non-believers. Child molestation is at an all-time high, corporate and individual greed is causing great suffering and has ruined our economy, materialism is the new religious idol and much evil of every kind abounds. It is hard for Christians to maintain their personal commitment to righteousness when they live in a moral cesspool. It seems there is no reward for living according to the Word. But there is! The psalm ends by saying God will bless the righteous and judge the wicked.

APPLICATION: It is important to pray for righteous leadership in our country and in our churches. This psalm stresses the reasons for that. We will be tempted to do evil much more if we live in a world with unrighteous people in places of authority. In any case, whether we have righteous leaders or not, we ourselves need to keep in mind that in the end, all wicked people will be judged by God, so we must maintain our commitment to obedience to the Lord.

PRAYER: Oh Lord, deliver us from those who do not have their hearts set on you! Speak to those who rule over us in any capacity. Remove leaders who do not believe in you and walk in your ways. Give us righteous leadership so that it is easier for us to walk in obedience to you. Keep us from being tempted to do wrong. Bring peace to our land and to our world. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Masquerade

2011-11-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Ps. 124, 2 Cor. 11, 12, 13

SCRIPTURE: 2 Cor. 11:13-15
¹³ For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵ It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

OBSERVATION: In my 43 years of living as a Christian I have seen way too many of these men and women who have an air of spirituality lead people into gross sin and error. One of the first men we worked for in ministry was a false pastor with a church in the thousands. He could preach up a storm, keeping people on the edge of their seats so nobody was watching the clock. We were taken in for awhile ourselves. But as we rose in leadership, we discovered this man was sleeping with a number of women in the church. He would perform a private "marriage" ceremony with them in his car or home so that they would feel it was blessed by the Lord before he fornicated with them. These leaders, be they men or women, usually have charismatic personalities and an ability to fool people with a holy demeanor and great speaking ability. They can function in the gifts of the Spirit but have no fruit of the Spirit in their lives. Jesus warned that there would be those who could even do miracles in his name but who would have no relationship with him personally. Why is it that so many people can be fooled by false leaders? Mostly, it is due to a lack of knowledge of the scriptures. Another reason is that we tend to look at the wrong things in judging an individual. We look on the outward appearance, intelligence, an ability to speak well, etc. Rarely do we examine character and integrity. What concerns me is that the Lord said as the end of the age approaches, more and more will be drawn aside to such leaders.

APPLICATION: Just because something looks good doesn't mean it is good. As these verses state so well, evil can masquerade as holy and righteous. What then are we to do to avoid being taken in? Study the Word regularly and pray for discernment! God teaches us what to look for in others but if we don't read the Word and are not attentive to the leading of the Holy Spirit we can be taken in. It is our responsibility to use the tools the Lord has given us so that we do not fall into error ourselves and so that we do not follow others who do.

PRAYER: Father, teach us to discern from your Word and from your Spirit between truth and error. There is such a vacuum of leadership in the world today that people will easily follow those who say they know the right way to go. Help me to be a leader who is humble and can show others the way to you so that their hearts are transformed by you. Uncover those who are masquerading as something they are not. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

I'm Confused

2011-11-15T09:46:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Job 41, 42; 2 Cor. 1, 2

SCRIPTURE: Job 42:1-9
¹ Then Job replied to the LORD:

² “I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.
³ You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.

⁴ “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’
⁵ My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
⁶ Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.”

Epilogue

⁷ After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. ⁸ So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” ⁹ So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer.

OBSERVATION: I like the book of Job because it debunks Christian myths that are still circulated today; such as, if bad things are happening to you, you must have sinned. Or its converse, if you obey the Lord, you will prosper in all you do and not suffer. Not true! Clearly, not true! However, the last part of Job has always confused me. I have studied it, have sought answers from other pastors and Bible scholars, and no one has given me a satisfactory answer. After God responds to Job and rebukes him as one who had obscured God's counsel without knowledge, Job repents of what he has said about God. Then God goes after the three friends (but not the fourth young guy who was there) and tells them that they didn't speak what was right about him as Job had done. God says they better ask Job to pray for them so that they don't get judged by God. Interesting that the Lord has them ask Job to pray instead of letting them repent to Him directly. It was an extra measure of humility they had to swallow to have Job, against whom they had been railing, pray for them. I liked that part. But what I don't understand is the total absence of anything said to Elijhu, the young, arrogant punk who was the last to speak to Job. He said he wouldn't use any of the same arguments to prove Job wrong that the others had used, and yet, though he did bring up a few new points, his arguments were much the same as the others. Why didn't the Lord say Job needed to pray for him too? Was it just his young age that excused him? I don't get it! The Lord also says to the three that they have not spoken what was right about Him as Job had done. What? Didn't Job just get rebuked by God for speaking without knowledge? Was God simply being understanding of Job because he had suffered so much for no good reason? These are questions that have never been resolved to my satisfaction. I have had Bible scholars try to explain it with convoluted reasoning that really doesn't fit with the facts, leading me to believe that they really don't have a good answer to these questions either.

APPLICATION: This leads me to the "So what?" question. What does it matter if I don't understand it fully? Does that mean it loses validity? No, it does not. I have learned much from Job. I have learned that sometimes suffering has no good explanation. I have learned I should not judge why another person is suffering. I have learned that humility and righteousness are important and that God is pleased with those attributes in my life. I have learned it is worth serving God and not denying him no matter what kind of injustice and undeserved calamity I may be going through. So Job has taught me many valuable lessons, and I am looking forward to meeting him in heaven. I am also looking forward to God explaining to me things that I do not understand now and that no one has been able to adequately explain to me. Who knows? I may not understand God's answer either. But this I do know: God loves me and has my best interest at heart. Serving anyone or anything other than Him leads to destruction. I choose the Lord!

PRAYER: Father, I really don't like it when I read things that I can't fully grasp. You made me a curious person, and I hate it when I can't figure things out. But I trust you to lead me and guide me into all the truth that I need to live as you want me to. The rest I leave in your hands. But I will ask you to give me revelation and understanding where I don't have it. I don't know when I will have my questions about Job answered, but I trust you to lead me even when I lack the understanding that I so desire. You are a good God. I love you and hope that you are as pleased with me as you were with Job. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Knowledge is Good; Love is Better

2011-11-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Job 35, 36; 1 Cor. 7, 8

SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 8
¹ Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. ² The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. ³ But the man who loves God is known by God.

⁴ So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. ⁵ For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), ⁶ yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

⁷ But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. ⁸ But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

⁹ Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. ¹⁰ For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? ¹¹ So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. ¹² When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. ¹³ Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Although there is one specific issue that Paul is dealing with here, the principle he espouses applies to many different issues that have relevance in today's churches. I may possess the knowledge that the Bible does not forbid drinking wine or other alcoholic drinks as long as a person doesn't get drunk. However, if I insist on my right to imbibe whenever I want to, I am not acting out of love. What about if I am in the presence of someone struggling with an addiction to alcohol? What if there are under-age young people near me? My knowledge of the truth can actually harm them by giving them "permission" to do something that a sin for them. (Yes, there are some things that are sin for one person and not for another. If you have an addiction to overspending, a shopping spree with friends can be sin for you and not for others who do not overspend). Paul makes it clear that we are to be motivated by love for one another. I must be willing to limit my freedoms in order to protect the consciences of others who do not possess the same level of knowledge that I have. Therefore, if I am with a friend who has a problem with gluttony, I choose not to order dessert when we are out for a meal together. I choose, out of love, to not engage in anything that could be a problem for them, even if it is not one for me. I must not be puffed up in my knowledge, insisting that others embrace my understanding of holiness. The passage is very clear that if we are insistent on our rights to do as we please based on our knowledge of the Word and it harms another person, we have sinned against Jesus. Those are strong words that we must heed.

PRAYER: Father, there is such wisdom in your Word. Help me to always treat my fellow believers with respect and dignity. I never want to sin against you by insisting on my own way. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

To Judge or Not to Judge

2011-11-09T07:48:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Job 34; 1 Corinthians 4,5,6

SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 4:3-5; 1 Cor. 5:12, 13; 1 Cor. 6:1-8
³ I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. ⁴ My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. ⁵ Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

¹² What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? ¹³ God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

¹ If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? ² Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? ³ Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! ⁴ Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church! ⁵ I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? ⁶ But instead, one brother goes to law against another—and this in front of unbelievers! ⁷ The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? ⁸ Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers.

OBSERVATION: The Bible is not an easy book and a person must be willing to "wrestle" with it to try to glean the correct understanding of its ideas. The seemingly opposite instructions in the verses above are what drive some people to distraction. In 1 Cor. 4, Paul says not to judge anything; wait for the Lord to judge in his time. Then, in the later verses in chapters 5 and 6, he clearly says that believers are to judge each other. So which is it? Are we to judge or not to judge? The point Paul makes in chapter 4 is that we cannot judge the intentions of other peoples' hearts. We can't even judge our own hearts without the insight of the Holy Spirit. So we leave that judgment to God. However, in the later chapters Paul is speaking about judging behaviors. He makes it clear that certain behaviors are inconsistent with having a Christian testimony and that we can even bring reproach to Christ in the eyes of unbelievers if ungodly ac tions are tolerated and not renounced. The Church is weak and ineffective today because we have bought into the cultural lie that we should be tolerant and non-judgmental toward everyone. The world sees little difference between believers and unbelievers. Living together before marriage, divorce, greed, unkindness, etc. are just as prevalent in the Church as outside of it. Isn't Christ supposed to make a difference in us? Shouldn't we have power to overcome our sinful nature? Yes!

APPLICATION: We cannot allow our culture to dictate our attitudes toward sin. The Church is the one place where sin should be called what it is and people should be instructed that they cannot have the power and fellowship of God and live in disobedience. They will reap a bitter harvest if they do. We have so much more heartache and suffering in Christians than we need to because they are not warned by leadership to stop sinning and obey the Lord! I have seen many pastors afraid to speak up and confront sin when they see it because it could cause them to lose people and the income they bring to the church. Are we engaged in a worldly business or in kingdom work? Ought we to turn a blind eye to sin and let people suffer the consequences they will surely reap if they don't repent? Shouldn't we care enough about their welfare that we are willing to risk their being offended with us in order to spare them from spiritual and emotional harm? Don't we care that others may see them sinning without any challenge from church leadership and be emboldened to succumb to temptation and become trapped themselves? We must not let our culture dictate to us. We must be willing to lovingly confront our fellow Christians with the view to restoring them to living in obedience. Until we do this consistently, the Church in America will be weak and ineffective.

PRAYER: Oh Father, how we need you to cleanse us all! Forgive us for caring more about not offending each other more than we care about offending you. Help me to be true to the instructions in your Word even if others are not. But I pray you would place a hunger for righteousness in your Church. May we not fear being hated by the world but may the fear of the Lord lead us to wisdom. This I pray in the blessed and strong Name of Jesus. Amen.

SHAKING A FIST AT GOD

2011-11-07T07:29:00.000-08:00

TODAY'S READING: Job 31, 32; Galations 5, 6

SCRIPTURE: Job 31:35-37; Gal. 6: 7-9

³⁵ (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!
I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
let my accuser put his indictment in writing.
³⁶ Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,
I would put it on like a crown.
³⁷ I would give him an account of my every step;
like a prince I would approach him.)—

⁷ Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸ The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

OBSERVATION: Job is a righteous man who is committed to social justice. He recounts how he does not worship his money but uses it to help those who are less fortunate. He has humility born out of his understanding that the same God who made him made the poor people and that it is really just an accident of birth that he has been fortunate enough to have wealth. There- fore he uses it to help others. He is counting on the fact that because he has lived a righteous life, God will protect him and keep him from harm. He "shakes his fist at God" when he demands to be able to state his case before him and get an answer as to why he is having to endure such miserable suffering. Based on what I read today in Gal. 6, Job has a reason to feel this way, for that scripture says that if we do right and don't give up, we shall reap a good harvest. Conversely, that same scripture also says that if we purposely sow to our sinful nature, we shall reap destruction. I have seen many people over the years shake a fist at God and declare him to be unrighteous because they reaped heartache, pain, or some other form of destruction as a result of their own actions of sowing to their sinful natures. They felt that simply believing in God and even going to church to worship him entitled them to skip the consequences of their behavior because, after all, God is a God of grace that forgives sin. Why should they receive the consequences of their own actions when they worship a God of love? I can understand why Job shook a fist at God. He was living righteously. But I think the reason why so many get mad at God when they reap the consequences of their disobedience is because the Church has focused on the grace and forgiveness of God and has not taught the balancing truth that God also judges sin and that his grace is given to us so that we can overcome and be victorious over sin and have the power to live righteously.

APPLICATION: There are a couple of things we can learn from these scriptures. First, shaking a fist at God for any reason doesn't really do any good. We don't get answers to the "why?" questions often. If we are suffering when we have been living righteously, like Job, we have to learn to trust that God is working something in us that will benefit us down the road, even if we do not understand it now. Trust is the key. Second, we need to examine our own hearts, with help from the Holy Spirit, to see if we are reaping consequences of our own actions because we have not submitted to God in some area of our life. Third, we should not judge why someone else is going through trouble. Job's friends told him he had to have sinned pretty grossly if this trouble was happening to him. They were wrong. Suffering does not always come because someone "earned" it.

PRAYER: Father, help me to live righteously and to lead others to do so. It is not at all comfortable to confront another person and warn them that their behavior is going to cause some sort of destruction to be unleashed in their lives. But you tell us that doing so is part of loving our brothers and sisters. It is part of our responsibility to one another. Help me do it with love, gentleness and humility, understanding that I am subject to the same temptations as anyone else is. And also, help me to trust you when I suffer for righteousness' sake. I know I am not above my Master, who did the same. You have told us that we will suffer persecution simply for being followers of Jesus. Let me handle that with grace and trust. May your Bride, the Church, be cleansed from all unrighteousness and may we abstain from injuring one another with our actions or words. Make us all clean, without spot or wrinkle, ready for your return. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Watching and Waiting

2011-11-03T21:36:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Mark 13:32-37; Mark 14:37,38 (italics added)
³² “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. ³⁴ It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

³⁵ “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. ³⁶ If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. ³⁷ What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

³⁷ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? ³⁸ Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

OBSERVATION: It struck me as I was reading that Jesus, in consecutive chapters, tells his disciples to keep "watch". The situations are different, but they are both related to something that is ending. In Chapter 13, Jesus is telling his disciples about what the signs of the end of the age are. He then says it will be like when a master leaves his property and puts his servants in charge of it and gives each one of them a job and one to stand watch at the door (to guard the property but also to watch for the master's return). Then he says all the servants should watch for the master's return and warns them not to let him find them sleeping. Now we switch to Chapter 14. Jesus is in an agony of travail before God knowing his life is about to end, and asks his closest disciples to watch and pray with him. Guess what they do? They fall asleep. Their master finds them sleeping. Though obviously disappointed, he isn't too tough with them. He understands that they are tired, that their "flesh" is weak even though he also knows they do love him (because their spirit is willing). However, he does warn them that they need to be able to watch and pray or they will fall into temptation.

APPLICATION: Jesus makes it clear that we all have work to do for him until he returns. Some people have a special task to watch at the door. I believe these are pastors, teachers, prophets and apostles. But all of us have a duty to watch and pray so that we keep on doing our job and don't fall into temptation. One of those temptations is to slack off and take it easy when we are tired or discouraged at the long wait for our Master. Both of these passages have a warning attached to them. That is because watching and praying are not easy things to do. They are simple, but not easy. We need to encourage each other to be those who watch and those who pray. We need to remind each other to be about the tasks the Father has given us to do. If we do not, we run the risk of being found to be asleep when our Master comes for us.

PRAYER: Father, I am weak. I admit it. I give in to the demands of my body too often. I also am unwise in caring for my body and so I get weary more than I should. Forgive me, Lord. I need to discipline myself to engage in better sleep, exercise and eating habits so that I am at my very best to be able to serve you. My spirit is willing to do this, but my body is weak, just like Peter was. I am glad for your grace, but I want to be an overcomer by listening to your Spirit! Please help me to do better and to also encourage my fellow believers to do the same. I don't want you to come and find any of us asleep! I ask this in the powerful Name of Jesus. Amen.

My Goal

2011-11-02T05:43:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Job :10-13
¹⁰ But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
¹¹ My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.
¹² I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

OBSERVATION: These verses caught my attention. Job makes this declaration about himself in the face of the worst kind of suffering. His kids have all been killed, his wife has turned away from him, his health and wealth have been stripped from him, and his friends are insisting that he has done evil and turned from God or all this tragedy would not be happening to him. I have such admiration for Job. In the midst of all this, he still considers it important to follow God and to treasure and obey his words. He does give voice to his complaint of not understanding why he is going through this and his wish to state his case to God and ask "why?". But I do not fault him for that. It is certainly understandable that he did so. He was still committed to obedience to God even though he was stupefied by what was happening to him.

APPLICATION: I so want to have Job's declaration about himself be true of me! I think it is a laudable goal to have for my life. I want to be able to say that I have been steadfast in devotion to God in spite of any loss or unjust accusations or betrayals by friends and to know that when God has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

PRAYER: Take my heart and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee! This is my goal; to always serve you in spite of anything I may be going through. I trust you to keep me and to work out the pain in my life in a redemptive fashion that will be for my ultimate good. You suffered unjustly too, and because you stayed obedient, I have redemption, a future and a hope! May I be more and more like you. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

He Keeps Me From All Harm?

2011-11-01T06:04:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Ps. 121

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

OBSERVATION: I love this Psalm. It declares that my help comes from the Lord and if I look to him for help he will always protect me. Nothing will harm me and that is guaranteed 24/7; all day, all night without fail. He will watch over me without losing interest or getting weary. But as great as these promises are, I still have to square them with other things I read in the Bible. Take Job, for instance. That book opens by saying that Job did look to the Lord for his help. He was righteous and a man of integrity and yet it seems to me that he suffered quite a bit of harm, for no good reason. Where was God's promise of keeping Job from all harm? What does this Psalm mean when it says the Lord will keep us from all harm? This psalm was probably penned by David, who certainly did not have an easy life. He was driven from his home and had to constantly be on the run from king Saul who wanted to kill him for no other reason than being jealous him without cause. How could David write such words when he had suffered such injustice? By the way, I have suffered harm from some people who I have not wronged in any way. I have also suffered harm because of disobedience to God. But there are definitely times I was serving God with my whole heart and with integrity and have suffered cruel words and actions at the hands of others. Where was God then? Well, I think I have learned, like Job did, that God is faithful even when we are going through immense injustice or pain that is not due to our own disobedience or poor judgment. There is not one event in my life that God has not used to bring me some kind of benefit. That would not happen if I had not trusted him in spite of suffering. Processing pain while trusting God allows him to turn those ashes into beauty and turn mourning into joy. Going through pain without God just leaves scars, bitterness, regrets, anger, hopelessness, and other negatives which continue to haunt a person. So what is the conclusion of the matter?

APPLICATION: I can rejoice in the words of this psalm! God does indeed protect me and keep me from all harm. That statement does not mean I won't ever have problems or unjust suffering. It means that if I look to God as my help, even the hardest and most painful events in my life will not have a destructive effect on me.

PRAYER: Thank you, Lord, for being constantly vigilant in your watchcare over me! I rejoice in your protection and that I never have to fear coming to any harm. You will turn my mourning into dancing and every sorrow will turn to joy when I look to you as my Help. I love you and ask you to fulfill your Word in my life. May all those I love look to you as well. Keep us all in your tender care. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Truth or Traditon?

2011-10-31T23:59:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Mark 7:1-13
¹ The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and ² saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were “unclean,” that is, unwashed. ³ (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)

⁵ So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?”

⁶ He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
⁷ They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.’

⁸ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”

⁹ And he said to them: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! ¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ ¹¹ But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God), ¹² then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. ¹³ Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

OBSERVATION: Jesus is rebuking the leaders of the Jewish religion and telling them that they are hypocrites who honor God with their lips but have hearts that are far from God. He also states that because their hearts are far from God they have perverted the commands of God and have substituted their own religious traditions for them. These are religious leaders Jesus is talking to! They are the ones who have studied the Old Testament since childhood. Pharisees had to memorize, word for word, the first five books of the Bible. How could these men who knew the scriptures so well turn them into religious traditions that actually changed the behavior of people into something that ended up being contrary to what the Lord commanded? Do we do the same thing in our churches today?

APPLICATION: I am afraid we also may engage in this. Have we turned salvation into a religious tradition? Is telling a person that if they raise their hand in church and pray to receive Jesus in their heart to forgive their sins such a tradition? Probably not always. But if it is accompanied by teaching that their behavior no longer matters because they are now guaranteed entry into heaven by having followed this pattern, I think maybe so. Salvation, as I read the Bible, necessarily involves transformation. We are changed from glory to glory as we learn about and obey God. Salvation begins by an act of repentance and accepting the gift of forgiveness from God but it does not end there. If our "tradition" of telling people how to get saved leads them to believe they can sin all they want and still come to church and praise God as if there is nothing wrong in their relationship with Him then we have led them into a life of hypocrisy. There may be other areas besides salvation that we need to examine to see if we have been guilty of having "let go of the commands of God" to hold on to the traditions of men.

PRAYER: Father, I look back at the way I have led some people and I feel I have misrepresented both you and your Word. I have not always understood your ways. I am still learning. Keep me from perverting your truth in any way, in my own life and in how I teach others. My heart has always been to try to be faithful in how I present your truth but I know there have been times I have failed. Forgive me for that, Lord, and help me to lead others on the narrow way instead of the wide path. May I be filled with your Spirit and function in the divine gifts you have given to us. Help me to discern any areas where I have put aside the commands of God in favor of religious rituals and traditions. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Discounting Greatness

2011-10-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Mark 5:1-6
¹ Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. ² When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! ³ Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

⁴ Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” ⁵ He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. ⁶ And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

OBSERVATION: The people of Jesus' hometown were amazed at him, but not for the right reason. They were offended that he taught with wisdom and did miracles. What right did he have to speak with authority and do impossible miracles? After all, wasn't he just a carpenter's son? Wasn't he from a family that everyone knew to be from humble circumstances? And after all, wasn't there even some question about the legitimacy of his birth? How dare he presume to do or be anything great! How dare he be greater than those whose families were of a more noble and educated pedigree!

APPLICATION: It's easy to see the fault of the people in Jesus' hometown. But I think we need to ask ourselves if we do the same thing they did. Do we look down on others that don't have a particular amount of education? Would we be surprised if a plumber prayed for our healing and it actually happened? Would we give credence to a maid who spoke a deep spiritual truth to us or would we discount it because she had a low socio-economic position? Would we let a person who was a ranch hand come and speak in our church even if he had a track record of effectiveness in prayer? I'm not so sure. Maybe we better look into our hearts and let the Holy Spirit shine the light of truth to see if we need to repent of condescension toward others who have not achieved our level of "success".

PRAYER: Father, search me and try me and see if there be any wicked way in me. I do not want to consider myself better than anyone else due to education, economics, language skill or anything else by which we judge and separate ourselves from others. May I be open to all your servants no matter who they are or where they come from. I want to learn from anyone who has your wisdom to share with me. Keep us as a Body open to all the gifts you have placed among us. May we not be guilty of thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought and may we give others the honor they are due. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Sighted Blind

2011-10-29T08:06:00.001-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Mark 3:1-6
1 Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”
4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.
5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Some in the synagogue came to hear Jesus but not to understand what he was saying. They had already determined their purpose before he opened his mouth to speak. It was to catch Jesus breaking the Sabbath Law by doing the "work" of healing a man. They were self-righteous, very religious people who thought they were doing the right thing by trying to discredit this heretic, Jesus, who didn't value the Law like they did. They were completely blind to the fact that the miracles Jesus did testified to his connection to the Lord who they were all supposed to be worshiping! I heard a quote once from a pastor Steve Brown that was brilliant in its insight: "The degree of spiritual blindness in a person is directly proportional to an inordinate concern over trivial matters". The opponents of Jesus totally missed the significance of the miracle because their focus was on following the minutia of the law. We need to be careful we don't fall in the same trap. Churches have suffered splits because they couldn't agree on the color of paint to go into a new sanctuary or because the new pastor doesn't want a formal choir anymore! Such focuses miss the point of gathering together as a Body completely. Let us be about the business of seeking to understand our Lord better and better instead of focusing on forms of worship, style or traditions. May we not be the sighted who are really blind to spiritual truth.

PRAYER: Father, help all your people who name you as their Lord to walk in love and unity as you prayed they would. And help us all to seek you and your ways above all else. May we engage with you to accomplish your will on earth and to be about the business of bringing sight to those who are in darkness. Help me to see when I am getting off track and focusing on the wrong things. I want to see life through your eyes. I love you Lord. May all I do and say be pleasing in your sight, O Lord. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

A Good Question

2011-10-26T23:36:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Acts 26:15
¹⁵ “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?'

OBSERVATION: Paul is retelling the story of how he was introduced to Jesus. He was on his way to persecute Christians for there faith and gets knocked off his horse by a bright light then hears a voice asking, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" The above quote is his response. I always chuckle when I get to this part of the story. Paul is persecuting Jesus-followers but he is so sure Jesus can't be the Christ that he still has to ask the question to be sure that this Voice from heaven is Jesus. He finds it is and so begins the conversion of the greatest church planter of all time.

APPLICATION: Today when I read this I didn't chuckle. The thought struck me that Paul's question is one we should be asking all the time. There is so much to know about the Lord, yet we often get so familiar with what we already know (or think we know) that we neglect to ask him to show us new aspects of himself that we are not yet familiar with. Couples that have been married many years have better marriages if they keep exploring their partner and asking questions. "Why do you feel that way?" "What formed your opinion on that subject?" "Who do you admire?" and other probing questions allow us to learn more about our mates. It works in our relationship to God as well. There are things I do not understand about God. I need to ask the same question Paul did much more often.

PRAYER: Who are you, Lord? Teach me your ways and show me your thoughts. I do want to know you more and more all the time. I desire to be intimately acquainted with you. I love you, Lord. Make me to understand and to be more like you. I ask this for the sake of your glory. Amen.

Protesting Properly

2011-10-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Acts 23:2-5
² At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”

⁴ Those who were standing near Paul said, “You dare to insult God’s high priest?”

⁵ Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’”

OBSERVATION: Paul gets angry when he is slapped. He turns to the man who ordered the guard to slap him and gives him a fairly sharp rebuke. After he is made aware that it is the high priest who ordered his humiliation Paul apologizes and quotes a scripture that says, "Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people." What the high priest did was wrong, regardless of his position, but Paul, while not approving of what the high priest did, admits his wrong in denigrating the man because of the authority he bears.

APPLICATION: In this country we have the freedom to elect our officials and sometimes a candidate wins who is not to our liking. We are used to hearing derisive remarks and jokes about our leaders from comedians as well as bumper stickers decrying any politicians that we do not like. It is standard fare and something we actually take pride in as a country. We have freedom of speech to denounce anything and everything we want. While this is a precious right given to us in our constitution, I think we need to be careful about personal insults hurled at leaders that we do not agree with. We are told in the Bible to pray for those who have authority over us. I don't believe it is wrong to state why I disagree with policies of any particular leader, but I must resist insulting jokes and derogatory remarks of any leader (be it political, church or civil authority).

PRAYER: Father, I know I have engaged in making rude remarks about politicians and others in positions of authority before, but I want to follow your ways and to pray for them instead. I know you want me to speak up against wrong ideas, and I will continue to do so, but I do not want to be snide in speaking of those you have placed over me in every area of my life. Your word says that you can turn the heart of the king, and the most effective thing I can do is to pray that human authorities submit to you and seek wisdom from above. Help me to follow this always. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

It's Who Knows You!

2011-10-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Acts 19:13-16
¹³ Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” ¹⁴ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: The seven sons of Sceva are doing (or trying to do) good work. They are going around casting out demons "in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches". They were obviously intrigued by Paul's teaching and with the spiritual power he exuded but for some reason had failed to become disciples who had their own relationship with God. Even so, apparently they had some success with doing this until they came to a man who had several demons in him. The demons declare that they know Jesus and they know Paul, but they don't know these seven sons and they refuse to obey their command to leave. Instead, they wallop these men so severely that they run off bleeding and naked. This is a great example of how we cannot have a vicarious relationship with God. We cannot live and grow spiritually off of another person's God-connection. We must engage with him ourselves. There is an old proverb that says, "It's not what you know, it's who you know". While there is some truth to that statement when it comes to conducting business or getting a foot in the door for opportunities, it does not apply in spiritual matters. When it comes to God, it's not who we know, it's who knows us! Even Jesus said it was possible for people to know who he was and to even do miracles in his name but who will not have a relationship with him. When they stand before him in heaven, he will say to them, "Depart from me; I never knew you" (Matt. 7:21-23). These words should give us pause and cause us to engage in sober thinking. I believe that it is vital that I know God, but it is even more vital that God knows me. I want to know him so well that I become known even to demons as a mighty servant of God. Do demons know your name because of Who knows you?

PRAYER: Father, I long to know you more and more. But I also want you to know me more and more. May demons tremble because I know the One who can make them submit to His will! May the Church be full of believers whose identity is established in you, Lord! This I pray in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Suffering for Jesus

2011-10-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Acts 5:40-42

⁴⁰ His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

⁴¹ The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. ⁴² Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

OBSERVATION: The apostles have been called before the Sanhedrin and are ordered not to speak in the name of Jesus. When they refused to comply they were flogged and then released. They leave rejoicing that they have considered worthy to suffer for the Lord! Far from deterring the disciples, the threats against them spurred them on to continue proclaiming the gospel.

APPLICATION: I do not like pain. I really don't know anyone who does. I will do almost anything to avoid it. Yet these disciples were rejoicing after being placed in prison for a night and then flogged the next morning. They have received a public rebuke by the leaders of the Jewish community and they find joy in their humiliation. I have been ridiculed at times for being a Christian, but rarely. And I have never been threatened with bodily harm for my faith. I have, at times, been a complainer and have questioned God with "why me" type questions. When I read this passage I wondered if I would have responded in the same way as these disciples. I certainly hope so. But it does put my little problems into perspective. I have suffered nothing compared to these men. I need to grow in my thankfulness to God for all he has done for me. The joy of the Lord is my strength!

PRAYER: Father, may I have the same spirit in me that was in these first Christians. You have done so much for me in this life that I should be forever grateful without any complaint. Forgive me for the times I have complained and build in me the attitude of these dear brothers, who considered it a privilege to suffer disgrace and pain for speaking in your Name. I love you.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Finding Balance

2011-10-15T10:11:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Malachi 2:17
¹⁷ You have wearied the LORD with your words.

“How have we wearied him?” you ask.

By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?”

OBSERVATION: There are two distinct things that the Israelites are saying that weary God. First, they are communicating to each other that it doesn't really matter if you live a holy life because God is pleased with you no matter what you do. This is blatantly false. Second, some are questioning the justice of God. It reminds me of questions I hear today from some who query, "If God is love then how could he let these earthquakes and tsunamis happen?" or, "If God is real how could he let this guy come into a business and mow down people with a gun?". Apparently, God is none too pleased with anyone questioning his justice. I think in most cases that people with such questions are not asking them sincerely. Most of the time these type of questions are posed by non-believers to justify their unbelief to themselves. I have always found God to be very open to genuine questioning that springs from a desire to increase one's understanding.

APPLICATION: I am most concerned with the first statement that God says wearies him. When I read it this morning it immediately arrested my attention because I believe it is a statement of sentiment that is taught from many pulpits today. I don't think any pastor that I know would say that he is telling people who do evil that they are good in the eyes of the Lord? But isn't that the effect of telling people that it doesn't matter how much they sin because God's love and mercy always extend to them automatically? We seem to be reticent to preach anymore about holiness because we are under the New Covenant of grace. As an example, why do "Christian" singles move in with someone they are dating and still attend church as if God is ok with their decision? And how can their pastors not confront this? I have seen that situation a lot. Pastors seem to be more afraid of losing congregants for telling the truth than they are of displeasing the Lord. I believe this is one of the reasons our society is failing morally and why the Church in America is spiritually anemic. How do we balance the truth of God's marvelous grace and forgiveness with the truth that he gives us grace to be holy? Romans 6-8 deals with this question in depth. Paul makes it clear that God gives us power to be holy. I believe we need to re-examine our message to each other. There is a balance of truth that is not always easy to find, especially since our sin nature is prone to extremes. Our sin nature actually works against us finding balance in spiritual truth. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory!

PRAYER: Father, help me to wrestle with questions of faith and holiness so that I may be a workman approved by how I handle the Word. Give me insight and wisdom and balance in all areas of my understanding. And I also pray for the Church for whom you died and rose victorious. Keep us on the right path. Help us to commit ourselves to holy living. Let us not compromise any truth but to contend for transformation from glory to glory. In Jesus' Name, Amen

Various and Sundry Thoughts

2011-10-14T07:14:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Ps. 1:1,2; Acts 3:19-21
¹ Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
² But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

¹⁹ Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, ²⁰ and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. ²¹ He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.

OBSERVATION: The first two verses in Ps. 1 are all about fellowship. If one associates himself with the ungodly he will not be blessed. As I read this again I thought about the "keeping" power of fellowship. I know the Word contains many scriptures about the fellowship of the saints. For example, in yesterday's reading (Acts 2) the breaking of bread together with other believers was stress as one of the main pursuits of the newly formed church. But I never really pondered deeply about the connection between community and holiness. If I want to grow and become more godly, I must spend significant time with others who have the same goal.
My second observation is from Acts 3. Peter is speaking to non-believers about how they crucified the Christ (my husband commented that he did so in a very non "seeker-sensitive" manner as we read together). He then goes on to tell them that they need to repent. As many times as I have read this I never really noticed that Peter connects repentance to "times of refreshing" and the second coming of Jesus. Could it be that the Church engaging in the regular act of repentance could speed the return of Jesus to earth? It would seem so from this passage. I have always focused on the world becoming more engulfed in sin and the apostasy of many in the Church as the primary events that would bring about the second coming. But these are not mutually exclusive. There can be a part of the Church that becomes apostate and some that seek God in prayer and repentance for themselves and the societies in which they live. I really think that repentance may be one of the ways that the Church becomes that Bride that is without spot or wrinkle that is spoken of in the Bible.

APPLICATION: The relevance of these two passages to my life is obvious. First, I must treasure and make a priority of spending time with fellow believers who desire to have a closer walk with the Lord. It will help keep me on the narrow way that leads to life. Second, I have a responsibility to regular come before the Lord and repent for my own sins and the sins of my nation so that the Church may be refreshed and that the Lord may come all the sooner.

PRAYER: Father, right now I repent. I have sinned many times in my life and I know I still sin from time to time. I know you cover my sins. Thank you for doing so. I also repent for the sins of my society. We have become a people that looks to ourselves instead of to you for the solutions of our social ills. And we who are in the Church have not been quick to speak up against evils such as abortion, greed and materialism, injustice, disrespect of authority, etc. Please cleanse us! Help me, and my fellow believers, to shine your light in this dark world and bring many to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Bring times of refreshing to your Bride. Make us pure and holy. And come quickly, Lord. We desire to be with you and to have all things restored. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Leadership Lessons from Nehemiah

2011-10-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Neh. 5:6,7; 14-16; Neh. 6:12-16
⁶ When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. ⁷ I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!” So I called together a large meeting to deal with them.

¹⁴ Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. ¹⁵ But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. ¹⁶ Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land.

¹² I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. ¹³ He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.

¹⁴ Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me.

¹⁵ So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. ¹⁶ When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.

OBSERVATION: There are several important leadership qualities displayed by Nehemiah in these verses. 1) He was willing to stand up for the people who had no power and confront the other leaders who were oppressing them. This isn't easy to do, but Nehemiah was willing to take a stand based on principles in spite of what it might cost him. 2) He did not enrich himself at the cost of others. As a leader, he was entitled to have more than he took. No one would have blinked an eye if he had used what was allotted to him as governor, but because the people were hard pressed, he voluntarily limited his financial support. The welfare of the people was more important to him than his own welfare. 3) He worked alongside the people and did not have an attitude of superiority over those he led. 4) He recognized attacks from others, even when they were coming from within the community of the Jews. He refused to be stopped by these attacks. 5) He motivated the people to keep going until the task was finished.

APPLICATION: I need to make sure I continue to develop these qualities in my life. The humility demonstrated by Nehemiah was exemplary. He was obviously a man of prayer, which allowed him to recognize when the enemy was trying to intimidate him, even through people who he should have been able to trust. Paul warned in Acts that there would be people who would arise from church leadership that would behave as "wolves" to devour the sheep. It is so important for leaders to have discernment from God in these matters. My weakest area is the area of motivation. I need to work on developing that skill to a much greater degree.

PRAYER: Father, I am humbled that you have chosen me to lead others in the family of God. I know I fall short of my calling very often. I need your help so much! Give me a humble and discerning heart that is always looking out for the welfare of others above my own. And help me to do a much better job of being a person who motivates others to "finish the race" well. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

A Time To Be Silent

2011-10-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Neh. 2:11-18
¹¹ I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days ¹² I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.

¹³ By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. ¹⁴ Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; ¹⁵ so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. ¹⁶ The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.

¹⁷ Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” ¹⁸ I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me.

OBSERVATION: Nehemiah had received letters from the king authorizing him to rebuild Jerusalem and even to be given the supplies to do the job. But he does not ride into town and immediately tell everyone what he is there to do. He examines what needs to be done in secret. It is not until he personally has a firm grasp of the situation that he goes to his people and explains his task and informs the people that he has secured the king's blessing as well. Immediately he faces opposition from the enemies of God's people.

APPLICATION: There is a time to talk and a time to keep silent. I often do not get this right. I need to learn from this passage to pray about timing. Even when God speaks something to me, or gives me instruction for a task, I need to wait before blurting it out to others. Timing is important. Just like Nehemiah, I think I have sometimes let myself in for trouble by speaking up too soon. I can remember times of sharing a vision I know the Lord gave me and having others mock it because I had not waited and prayed that God would prepare them to hear it, or I had not waited for God to reveal the plan of how and when to carry it out. Jesus was also sometimes completely silent, especially in the presence of his enemies. It's a good lesson to keep in mind.

PRAYER: Father, teach me to be patient and wise. I want to learn from my errors and not repeat them. Teach me when to keep my mouth shut and wait upon you and when to speak. There is a time for both. Help me to get it right. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

How Shall We Then Live?

2011-10-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Luke 21:25-28; 34-36
²⁵ “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. ²⁶ Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. ²⁷ At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

³⁴ “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. ³⁵ For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

OBSERVATION: Certainly I see more of the signs of Jesus' return in the last decade than in the previous decades of my remembrance. I think of the earthquakes around the world that seem to be increasing in frequency and intensity and the tsunamis that have devastated and killed people in the Indian Ocean and Japan. Even the increase in terror attacks are, in my opinion, related to the end times. And what does Jesus say should be our response to seeing these things? He starts with a warning. Be careful! Do not let yourself be weighed down with either dissipation (the pleasures of life) or anxieties (the worries of this life) or the day of his return will close on you like a trap. Then he goes on to say we should watch (keep alert) and pray for two specific things. We should pray that we escape the great trouble that will come at the end of the world and that we will be able to stand before Jesus in his role as Ruler and Judge.

APPLICATION: I think we Christians take our salvation much too glibly. I am so grateful that Jesus paid the penalty for my sin so that I could spend eternity with him, but that does not mean I can take his grace for granted. We focus so much on grace and forgiveness in the Church that I think we forget that we are supposed to be continually growing in holiness and purity. If Jesus, who is the one who sacrificed his life to buy my forgiveness, tells me I need to pray that I will be able to stand before him at the end of the age, then I had better not just assume that it is a "given" that I will be able to do so. I must be intentional in my pursuit of becoming like him and not be distracted by the temptations of this life. He does promise that "all these things" will be added to me if I seek first the kingdom of God. But if I choose to pursue them on my own, I am in trouble.

PRAYER: Father, I do want to seek first the kingdom of God. Help me to maintain my focus on the right things and not to worry about this life so much. My hope and my trust is in you. May I grasp the full measure of your grace to be an overcomer, and may I lead others in doing the same. Thank you, thank you, for your enduring grace that enables me to do your will. I pray this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later

2011-10-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Luke 20:18
¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”

OBSERVATION: In context, the stone referred to in this scripture is Jesus. This is not one of those "feel good" verses from the Bible. However, I am glad Jesus spoke the truth and didn't sugar-coat what it would be like to be his follower. The truth from this scripture is that everyone will at some point have to deal with Jesus. There are two groups of people; those who choose to voluntarily come to him and "fall on the stone" and those who do not want to have anything to do with the stone, but it will fall on them anyway. The first group is broken to pieces. And a true follower does have his sinful nature broken to pieces. It is a painful process. But those who do not choose to go through this process will have the stone fall on them and crush them. Broken bones can heal; crushed ones cannot. There will be pain in this life. There is no getting out of that. But we get to choose if it will be productive pain by falling on the stone ourselves or if it will be unproductive and fatal pain by ignoring the stone and having it fall on us.

APPLICATION: I don't like being broken. I don't like pain. It seems I have no choice in the matter. So I choose to fall on the rock of Jesus and be broken. He is the Healer, and I will live on after I experience the "breaking" to be a better, more godly person.

PRAYER: Father in heaven, holy is your Name. Bring about your kingdom in my life, the lives of my family members and friends, and in my world. I choose to fall on the Stone. Break away my sin nature and heal and restore me to be like you. May I submit to the process even when it is painful, knowing that when I am in your hands I am in the most loving place I can be. Teach me to choose rightly so that I avoid what pain I can. I do not want to be crushed by the weight of sin. Thank you for taking that from me, Lord. Help me to help others to choose wisely as well. Blessed be your Name! It is in your Name I pray, Amen.

What You See is What You Get

2011-10-06T07:14:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Luke 19:11-27
¹¹ While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. ¹² He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. ¹³ So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’

¹⁴ “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

¹⁵ “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.

¹⁶ “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’

¹⁷ “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’

¹⁸ “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’

¹⁹ “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’

²⁰ “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. ²¹ I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’

²² “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? ²³ Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’

²⁴ “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’

²⁵ “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’

²⁶ “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. ²⁷ But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”

OBSERVATION: I have always thought this is an interesting parable. I have heard it taught may times, always as a lesson on stewardship, which it is. But it is also about how a person views God and what they get from the relationship as a result. There is no negative view of God expressed by the first two servants who were entrusted with the master's money. Only the last servant saw his master as a "hard man" who took things that didn't belong to him. As a result, he got from his master exactly what he thought he would get; nothing.

APPLICATION: I read an article by an atheist once which called Jesus a horse-thief and a dictatorial megalomaniac who thought he could just take what ever he wanted from people. It was reading the story of the triumphal entry that gave him these ideas. He said he had read through the gospel accounts and that is the picture of Jesus that he came up with. In my view, that is about the most twisted way of interpreting those stories you could possibly have. What about all the miracles of healing, setting people free from demonic possession, raising people from the dead, etc.? I have a view of Jesus as a benevolent, loving man who would not abide lies, deception or oppression by authorities who did not have the interest of the people they ruled at heart. As a result, I expect, and get, good things from God. When bad things do happen to me, I don't blame God, I examine myself to see where I might have been at fault. If I can't see anything I did wrong, I just take it as a lesson in trusting God even when I don't understand all the "whys" of a situation. But others, like the atheist whose article I read, have a negative paradigm of God. They will get nothing from God, and in fact, will face judgment at the end time. These are the type of people who have a rebellious heart, think they are "owed" by God, and tend to have either a totally defiant attitude toward all authority or they have a perpetual "victim" mentality. Sometimes they have both. The point is, our view of God has everything to do with what we get from him in our relationship with him.

PRAYER: Father, continue to teach me your ways and to show me more about yourself. I want to have a correct paradigm through which I interpret your Word and your character. And help me to be a discerning person when it comes to sharing you with others. Help me to see from their viewpoint and to have wisdom in navigating around any idealogical roadblocks they may have so they may see your beauty and your truth. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

What Has Died?

2011-10-04T21:36:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Luke 17: 26-37 (emphasis added)
²⁶ “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷ People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

³⁷ “Where, Lord?” they asked.

He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

OBSERVATION: The Lord is speaking of his second coming to earth and what things will be like when that happens. He talks of how some will be taken to heaven and others left here on earth. All this will happen in the twinkling of an eye. Then the disciples ask an odd question. They ask where this will happen, not when. I would think that when would be the more obvious question. Jesus' response is just as strange. I have never really understood it. He says that where there is a dead body, vultures will gather. What? In all the westerns I have ever watched, vultures in the sky mean something has died, but what is he saying has died?

APPLICATION: I'm not really sure. I have no definite answer that God gave me as I pondered and asked him about this. There are a couple of possibilities that came to me. One is that the Church has died. Not that there are no Christians on earth when this happens; if that were true no one would be taken while others are left, as Jesus clearly says will happen. But maybe the organized Church is gone from the scene and those that are taken are those that have come to faith after what many call the rapture has taken place. Or, it could mean that when society has rejected God to the point that Christians go into hiding and the values that have always made society a civil place to live are "dead", that will be the time when God calls an end to the madness and takes those that still trust him out of this mess so that evil will face the final judgment of God before the Kingdom of God is established forever. In any case, it means I have a responsibility to try to persuade as many as possible to receive the love of Jesus before the vultures gather and time is up. I also have a responsibility to live a holy life before others. My life is short. Jesus may come before I die or he may not. But the most I have is a few more decades, and they go by fast. Is there any issue that surpasses this in importance? I think not.

PRAYER: Father, sometimes I feel so impotent in living my life in a way that will make ay difference in anyone's life. I have this physical weakness and pain that limits me (I continue to pray for your healing) and I am not around as many unbelievers as I used to be. I pray you will give me effectiveness in reaching others while there is still time. Make my life count for you. That is all I really have when all this life is over. I love you with all my heart. May I help others to do the same. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Do I Value the Things God Values?

2011-10-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Luke 16:1-15
¹ Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. ² So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
³ “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— ⁴ I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’⁵ “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’⁶ “‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’⁷ “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
⁸ “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. ⁹ I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. ¹⁰ “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. ¹¹ So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? ¹² And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? ¹³ “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”¹⁴ The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. ¹⁵ He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.

OBSERVATION: This parable has always been perplexing to me. Why would the owner of the property commend the dishonest steward for giving away some of what was owed to him? Jesus is certainly not suggesting that we be shrewd in the same way the steward was. In fact, he draws a contrast between the people of this world and the people of God. I think that the answer to my query is that the people of this world have a certain admiration for others who use the system to their own advantage, even if it hurts them. Jesus goes on to say that we need to use our money in ways that line up with kingdom purposes. He also makes the point that how we handle money says a lot about how we will handle "true riches", which is spiritual insight and knowledge. If we can't be trusted to use money in ways which honor God, how can we be trusted with spiritual riches? The Pharisees reacted to this because they loved money yet considered themselves to be spiritually superior to most people. There are still those in the church today who are like these Pharisees. They act spiritual but are trying to serve two masters. It's why many people don't tithe. It's also why some pastors don't cut their salaries even when the church is going through a rough time financially. The last statement of Jesus sums up the matter, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight." God's values are not the same as those of men. When my husband and I were discussing this passage he said, "Isn't it interesting that we take surveys of people to find out what we can do that would make them want to come into our churches more when what we really should be asking is, 'God, what things do we need to do here that would lift up and reflect what you value?'. It's a great question.

APPLICATION: I need to examine my heart and make sure I am serving only one Master. I want to know what is detestable to God and what is highly valued by him and be in alignment with the latter. It is easy to get off track, even slightly, and miss doing the will of God because of the constant pull of the world system on us and our ability to find ways to justify ourselves that sound spiritual. I need the Holy Spirit to reveal to me anything that is amiss in my motivations.

PRAYER: Father, teach me your ways, your values and what I ought to do. I am so capable of justifying what I want to believe and do and make it seem like a spiritual endeavor. Search my heart and know my thoughts. See if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the everlasting way. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

A Hard Saying

2011-10-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Luke 14:25-27
²⁵ Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

OBSERVATION: This is one of the most difficult sayings of Jesus. There is not one important relationship left out; parents, spouses, siblings, and children, even our own lives are all included. We cannot truly be a disciple of Jesus unless the Lord means more to us than all of these. Our allegiance to God must be greater than to our own self-interest. Our love for family must be subservient to our love for him.

APPLICATION: There is a high cost for being a disciple of Jesus. Following God sometimes entails some difficult choices. I am reminded of some scenes from "Fiddler on the Roof". When the oldest daughter does not want to let her parents choose her husband and use the services of a matchmaker, as is the custom, the father struggles with the idea, but is brought around to accept it. His second daughter, likewise, makes some choices that challenge their cultural tradition. Again, he is brought around to acceptance. But when the third daughter makes the choice of marrying a man outside their faith, the father cannot accept it. This does not just challenge a cultural tradition but a tenet of his faith. Likewise, I must obey God rather than compromise any of his principles to keep peace with my family. I have had to make that choice and it is more painful than I could possibly have imagined. But I have this hope; that God loves my children (and others in my family) even more than I do and that through prayer, I can work with him to bring them back to God. I trust him in and through all things. He comforts my heart as I commit myself to him and pray for those I love who do not have God as first place in their lives. When I read the words of Jesus in this passage, I know I have made the right choice. My obedience is what gives me boldness to approach his throne and ask for the return of the prodigal.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for working in the lives of those I love. Bring them back to you. Convict them of their sin and bring them to repentance and restore them completely. Give back the years the locust has eaten. I mourn for them and long for our relationship to be restored. I look for them to come down the road, just as the father of the prodigal did. Do whatever is necessary to bring them back. In the meantime, I praise you and lean on you for comfort. I take joy in your presence and will enjoy the fruitfulness you give me. There is nothing, and no one I desire more than you. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Are we listening?

2011-09-30T22:51:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Zech. 7:8-13; Zech. 8:16,17
⁸ And the word of the LORD came again to Zechariah: ⁹ “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. ¹⁰ Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.’

¹¹ “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears. ¹² They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the LORD Almighty was very angry.

¹³ “‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the LORD Almighty.
¹⁶ These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; ¹⁷ do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the LORD.

OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: I was sad when I read these verses today. The ones from chapter 7 speak of the Lord's expectations of his people. They are words that indicate we are to treat each other with respect, kindness and justice. But the people disobeyed, and as a result, God turned his ear and his blessing away from them. In chapter 8, the Father again tells them to speak truth to one another, not to plot evil against others and not to swear falsely. These are good things that God wants us to do. This makes for wonderful living and a pleasant society where the Lord's blessing is experienced. But I see God's people (the Church) behaving with a lack of integrity just like the Israelites did long ago. I have personally seen leaders in my denomination lie (or "shade") the truth to the entire body of pastors that they are supposed to be serving. There has been deception, graft, greed, arrogance, lack of justice, on the part of denominational leaders as well as lack of submission, grumbling, and lack of integrity in those pastors whom they lead. Both are wrong. Does everyone do this? Of course not, thank God! But enough of it occurs that I am concerned that if repentance does not happen, we will lose much of the effectiveness and blessing God intends for us. I believe we have already suffered much because we do not follow Biblical principles with intensity of purpose as we ought to do. I know I need to fully commit myself to walk in his ways even if others don't. But I love my people, my denomination, and I so desire to see us marked by truth-telling. I believe the prophet's words are for us today. I believe they carry a warning that we need to heed. It applies to us as individuals and as a corporate body. I am afraid of what the Lord will do if we do not change our ways.

PRAYER: Father, I know you love the Church. I know the Church (all of it, not just our denomination) faces the same temptations of the flesh that your people Israel did. Please help us to listen to prophets today who warn us as your prophets did back then. Help us to listen to the written Word you gave us as a guide. Unfortunately, we marginalize those who aren't encouraging in every way. It is seen almost as a sin to be negative or to point out problems. I pray for a spirit of repentance to be upon us all. May we heed what you say. May our greatest desire be to obey you in all things instead of to succeed in the eyes of our peers. Oh, may we learn to speak the truth to one another in love! It is something that is so little done in the Body. I know I have sinned myself in this in the past. I have repented, but I am not above falling again. Keep my heart and conscience clear, Lord. Thank you for forgiving and cleansing me. Your grace is magnificent. May we all experience it in increasing measure. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

What Is My Source?

2011-09-29T23:19:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Zech.4:6
⁶ So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.

OBSERVATION: Zerubbabel was one of the leaders charged with the rebuilding of the temple. It was a daunting assignment and task from God. The Jews had few resources and constant opposition and threats from the people surrounding them. I am sure Zerubbabel felt overwhelmed by the call the Lord had given him to fulfill, like many leaders do. The word of the Lord comes to him from the prophet and tells him that it is not by any might or power that he has that the task will be accomplished, but by the Spirit of God.

APPLICATION: Why do I so often forget that I can accomplish nothing significant for God on my own? Why do I feel the need to prove my worth to him in any way? Why can't I just fully accept his grace working through me and relax in the knowledge that he magnificently chooses to show his power through my weaknesses? Oh, how I need this reminder often! It is by the power of the Spirit that God will accomplish his will in my life and no striving on my part will bring it about. My only work is to stay focused on seeking him and glorifying his Name. He will exalt me when he wants to for his glory, and if he chooses humble ways for me to serve in his kingdom, I will be privileged to do that as well.

PRAYER: Father, I have to admit to sometimes being frustrated in not being able to point to something good and say to you, "Look what I did for you? Aren't you proud of me?" But you love me without any work on my part (in fact my work is like the chaff that blows away). What you are proud of is when I let you show yourself strong through me. So do that Lord, for I am a weak vessel, and you could bring much glory to yourself through me. It would be obvious that I was not the source of any spiritually worthwhile accomplishment. And I do so desire to serve you and bring you glory. You are worthy of all praise. I give myself to you with a spirit of gratitude for however you choose to use me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

A Picture of Redemption

2011-09-28T23:09:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Zech. 3:1-3
¹ Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. ² The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”

³ Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. ⁴ The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”

Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.”

OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: What a beautiful picture of what our Redeemer does for us. Here is the high priest, Joshua, before God, with Satan standing next to him and accusing him. Joshua is in the throne room of heaven in dirty priestly garments! That is shocking! Would anyone even think of showing up to see the President of the U.S. in dirty clothes, let alone the King of all creation? Not only was he a sinner, but his priestly garments (the best he had or could give) were a mess. He deserved to be accused. But Satan is rebuked by God and Joshua's dirty vestments are exchanged for rich garments. And like Joshua, my best is but filthy rags to God. I cannot do anything to impress him. Yet, Jesus, my Redeemer, steps in to give me robes of righteousness that Satan cannot take away, and he stops the mouth of my accuser.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord, for saving me, cleansing me, and then giving me rich garments to wear. You treat me like royalty when I have earned none of it. In fact, all I have earned is shame and judgement. But you took all my punishment and shame and made me an heir with you! How indescribably marvelous! When I am feeling like a failure, help me to remember the identity you have given me and help me to live up to it. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Giving Distractions the Cold Shoulder

2011-09-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Luke 10:3,4
³ Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: I think of Jesus as a friendly, warm person. So the injunction to "not greet anyone on the road" seems a bit strange. But the message is a clear one. We are not to get distracted by anything or anyone whe we have been given an assignment by God. We are to maintain our focus on the task at hand. This is such an appropriate word for me! I have a real tendency to get distracted, especially by people. I tell myself (and others) that people are more important than things. This is true, but nothing is more important than doing the Lord's will and I should let nothing distract me from that. Maintaining focus for me includes letting nothing interfere with my quiet time with God and making a priority of whatever instructions he gives me during the time I spend with him.

PRAYER: Father, I know I have often been distracted and have lost focus on doing what you have given me to do. I repent. Help me to have discernment from your Spirit whenever I begin to lose my focus. I want to order my life according to your direction. Speak to me Lord, and tell me what you want me to do. Keep me on that narrow path you have for me.I want to walk in your way for me at all times. Thank you for loving and caring for me and allowing me to participate in your kingdom. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Tactics of Our Enemy

2011-09-26T06:50:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Ezra 4:1-4; 8, 11-16
¹ When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, ² they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”

³ But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”

⁴ Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.^[a] ⁵ They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

⁸ Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:

11 To King Artaxerxes,

From your servants, the men of Trans-Euphrates:

¹² The king should know that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations.

¹³ Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty will be paid, and the royal revenues will suffer. ¹⁴ Now since we are under obligation to the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending this message to inform the king, ¹⁵ so that a search may be made in the archives of your predecessors. In these records you will find that this city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place of rebellion from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed. ¹⁶ We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates.

OBSERVATION: This book is full of tactics that Satan uses against us to make us ineffective in the kingdom. In vss. 1-4, the people living in the land pretended to want to help the Jews rebuild the temple. But the leaders recognized the duplicity of those coming and would not let them participate in the work. When that tactic didn't work, they wrote a letter to the king accusing the Jews of being seditious and rebellious to the king. They told the truth about the past of the people but included an erroneous interpretation of the facts.

APPLICATION: One of the most successful strategies of Satan to defeat the work of God is to destroy the Church from within by getting its members to grumble, complain and sow discord among each other. The devil has been quite successful at joining the church! I must guard my heart and my mouth by NOT gossiping, complaining, grumbling or causing factions in any way. And I must resist the other very effective weapon used by Satan. It is his oldest recorded weapon; taking truth and giving it just enough of a twist that it is believable but will lead to deception. The Word of God and prayer are my most effective tools to give me protection against this ploy of the enemy. Keeping in mind the redemptive work of Jesus will guard my mind against the accusations of the "accuser of the brethren". The Spirit will reveal deception if I ask for His wisdom and discernment.

PRAYER: Father, I pray for the Church. Keep us all from listening to the voice of our foe and from letting our flesh triumph over our spirit. Give us the discernment to realize when we are being served a cocktail of truth that has been spiked with a twist of deception. May we gain the victory that you have already purchased for us by your blood. In Jesus' Name, Amen

Peace Through the Storm

2011-09-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Luke 8:22-25
²² One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. ²³ As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

²⁴ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ²⁵ “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

OBSERVATION: The disciples have Jesus in the boat with them when a dangerous storm suddenly overtakes their boat. They are furiously working to try to keep from being swamped and going down. Meanwhile, Jesus is asleep. They wake him because they are afraid they are all doomed to die. Jesus remains calm and can't understand why they are so fearful. "Where's your faith?", he asks.

APPLICATION: I have been where the disciples were. Heart pounding out of my chest and my mind consumed with worry over what seemed an impossible crisis that could destroy us or our family. I need to remember what the disciples learned here; that when God is with us, we have nothing to fear. No matter what the circumstances look like, if I stay in the boat with Jesus, nothing can touch me unless it is his will. If he allows it, then it is for my instruction and I need to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. I can have peace during the midst of turmoil knowing that he is the captain of my ship.

PRAYER: Thank you Father, for loving me and being my protection against and through every storm. You will give me perfect peace when my mind is staid on you. Oh, how I need to keep this in mind at all times. Help me to call on you in every situation and to trust you even when I see waves that are higher than my head. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Poetic Companions

2011-09-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Ps. 85:10-13
¹⁰ Love and faithfulness meet together;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
¹¹ Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
¹² The LORD will indeed give what is good,
and our land will yield its harvest.
¹³ Righteousness goes before him
and prepares the way for his steps.

OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: I was rushed today. I had to catch an early plane and was eating breakfast with my husband at the Corner Bakery before he took me to the airport. We were reading today's devotional verses together on the computer while we were eating, as we usually do. The beautiful poetry of these verses arrested my attention and caused me to stop and take a moment to appreciate the truths contained in them. The writer of the psalm used poetic devise to talk about things that go together; companions that walk together in our lives. Love and faithfulness; can you really have one without the other? I think not. If you truly love someone or something, you will be faithful to it. They really can't be separated. Then righteousness and peace "kiss" each other. How true! Right living causes us to have peace because we have no guilt to rob us of it. We have confidence with God when we live rightly. How skilled was the author in using these words to paint a picture of such a wondrous truth.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for the gift of wisdom given to us in such lovely language. Words themselves are gifts from you. Thank you for speech and the written word. May I live by the truths revealed here, and may they be evident in my life to others who know me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

How to Lose Your Sight; topic: Spiritual Blindness

2011-09-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Luke 6:1-10
¹ One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. ² Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

³ Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴ He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” ⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

⁶ On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. ⁷ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. ⁸ But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there.

⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”

¹⁰ He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored. ¹¹ But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.

OBSERVATION: Both of these incidences have to do with spiritual blindness. The Pharisees and their ilk were concerned with following rules, the letter of the law, without any thought given to the reasons (or spirit) behind them. No consideration was given to the "whys" or the heart of what God said. They simply had a check list of "dos and don'ts". Jesus made them angry with his flaunting of the regulations. It did not matter that he was healing a man who had suffered for years from a debilitating deformity. They completely dismissed the possibility that God was showing his approval of Jesus by performing a miracle through him. They were blind to God's work because their focus had shifted from a personal relationship with God to one of feeling spiritually justified by their own "works" of adherence to a set of rules.

APPLICATION: There are many in our churches today who have a "Pharisaical spirit". They are dismissive of those who don't behave in ways they approve of even in the face of evidence of God's approval. I once heard a quote by Rev. Steve Brown that expresses this truth very succinctly,"The degree of spiritual blindness of a person is in direct proportion to their inordinate concern over trivial matters". The trouble is, it's easy to see this trait in others and much more difficult to see it in ourselves. It is easier to have rules of behavior to follow than to seek the heart of God in a matter. If we don't keep current in our relationship with God, any one of us can become a pharisaical person. We all need daily Bread.

PRAYER: Father, keep me from focusing on the minor matters, and convict me by your Spirit if I start to be off track in this regard. I want to learn your heart in increasing measure; to understand the "whys" of your ways without getting prideful in reaching some level of personal holiness in my behavior and then getting stuck there. I always have more to learn and can only credit your grace with any maturity I may have achieved. None of it is my doing. I thank you for your grace in leading and teaching me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Effective Intercession

2011-09-22T06:37:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Dan. 9:3-19
³ So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

⁴ I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed:

“O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, ⁵ we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. ⁶ We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

⁷ “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. ⁸ O LORD, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. ⁹ The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; ¹⁰ we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. ¹¹ All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.

“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. ¹² You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. ¹³ Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. ¹⁴ The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.

¹⁵ “Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. ¹⁶ O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our fathers have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.

¹⁷ “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. ¹⁸ Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. ¹⁹ O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”

OBSERVATION: It has always been a source of fascination to me that Daniel, who was spoken of in the scriptures as a man obedient to, and highly favored and esteemed by the Lord, speaks of his nation's sins as if they were his own. He repents for the people and for himself in the same breath. He does not separate himself from the actions of the nation as a whole but includes himself in all they have done. I think this is an amazing example of intercession. Daniel then pleads for mercy on behalf of the nation, imploring the Lord for restoration. He does this with intensity, even fasting and putting on sackcloth and ashes, which was an outward sign of humiliation.

APPLICATION: I want to learn from this example to be a better intercessor. There are people I care about who have turned from God just like Daniel's people had. Though I have endeavored to obey and honor God in my life, I have certainly been a sinner, saved by grace, and can relate to those who are still in sin. But this passage seems to call for me to "take on" the sin of others and pray as if I need to repent and turn as much as they do (in a similar way to what a sinless Jesus did for us; taking on our sins as his own). If doing so, and humbling myself to fast and pray with intensity can cause the grace of God to come to those who need it, it is certainly worth the effort.

PRAYER: Father, give me a heart and a burning desire to discomfort myself enough to truly intercede like Daniel did so that I may see others saved and brought back to you. Answer my prayers for these other precious souls that I love so much. Restore them to yourself and restore them to sweet fellowship with me as well. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Who Is In Control?

2011-09-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Luke :3-13
³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’”

⁵ The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. ⁷ So if you worship me, it will all be yours.”

⁸ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

⁹ The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. ¹⁰ For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
¹¹ they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

¹² Jesus answered, “It says: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

¹³ When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

OBSERVATION: I have heard this passage taught and have taught it myself many times, and I have always heard it divided into the different temptations and discussed. The first area of temptation was physical needs and appetites, the second was desires of the mind and heart (power, riches, fame), the third was in the area of identity. All true. But what struck me as I was thinking about this just a few days ago was that there is a common thread through all the temptations that I had never really noticed before. It is the issue of control. Was Jesus going to control his own destiny in any way or was he going to surrender control to God, his Father, in everything.

APPLICATION: I think this is still the central question that all of us humans struggle with. It is the crux of what being a Christian is all about. Who has control of my life? I have the right to take control or to give it to anyone or anything else. It is a daily decision to give control of my life to God. And I can learn from this passage how to be successful in doing that. Jesus used one weapon to defeat Satan's deceptions and enticements. He used the Word of God. That is a primary weapon that I need to be skilled in using. Jesus went before us and did everything to give us all we need to defeat the devil in our own lives. He overcame the worst the devil could do---kill him; and he lives to help us overcome our adversary. Hallelujah!!

PRAYER: Thank you, Lord, for going before us in everything an for doing all that is necessary for us to gain victory over all the wiles of the enemy! Teach me to rely on every promise in your Word and to pray in the Spirit, using all the defensive and offensive tools you have given me to defeat my adversary. I give you control of my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Even When It's My Fault

2011-09-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Ps. 130

¹ Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
² O Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.

³ If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.

⁵ I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
⁶ My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

⁷ O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
⁸ He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.

OBVSERVATION: What a comforting psalm! David is in the depths of despair and the innocent life of his son hangs in the balance. God has told him his son will die as punishment for his sin with Bathsheba. David committed adultery with the wife of a close friend who had been with him through all his trials with Saul and when she got pregnant as a result, he had her husband murdered to cover up his sin. He is in despair, calling on God's mercy and unfailing love to change the situation that he himself created. And he is waiting anxiously for God's reply. He ends by affirming that he is trusting in God's unfailing love. (By the way, God does not change his mind in this case, and the child dies. But David accepts the answer without blaming God).

APPLICATION: I have counted on, and continue to count on God to hear me and give me comfort, even when I have been the cause of my own trouble and grief. He is faithful, and I can trust that whatever his decision is, it is for my best.

PRAYER: Father in heaven, holy is your Name, your kingdom come and your will be done here on earth, just like it is in heaven. Teach me to trust always in your unfailing love, your forgiveness, and your healing hand to touch me in the deepest recesses of my heart. Those pains are as bad as any that I have in the physical realm. I am so glad that you heal and answer prayer, even when I am the cause of my own suffering. I love you, Lord. Thank you for your grace. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

What Kind of a Servant Are You?

2011-09-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Luke 2:6-12
⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ^[a] the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

OBSERVATION: The King and Creator of all the earth came and was born in the most humble of circumstances. There was no room for him at the inn. He was born in a smelly stable with a hay box for a bed.

APPLICATION: We have adages that somewhat communicate that the value of a thing cannot be judged by outward appearances, such as, "You can't judge a book by it's cover". The coming of Jesus is just such a case. His value certainly was not reflected in the manner of his coming nor his subsequent living conditions. I have had cause to reflect on this from a personal point of view. When we were pastoring a church, most people accorded us a fair amount of respect (especially others in pastoral ministry). Now that my husband is functioning at our Bible college as Director of Facilities (not a pastor or a professor) it is amazing to see how some people pass him over as a person of little worth. My respect for him has grown as I have seen his response to those who treat him like a hired hand and a servant. He has kept a gracious attitude and his response has been to serve with a smile in return. Now I must also say that many treat him with much respect and express gratitude for his prompt attention to their needs, so the previous statement is not reflective of everybody. But you can tell a lot about a person's heart from both sides of this equation. My husband has shown me what a true servant heart is. His mother has a statement in the fly-leaf of her Bible that says, "You never know what kind of a servant you are until someone treats you like one". Michael has shown me that he has a true servant's heart because he responds to those who obviously have little regard for him with equal effort and grace as he does to those who do show him respect. I have also observed that those who treat him like he is "less than" are usually insecure and have their own sense of value wrapped up in their positions. I have been more like them and less like my husband. Sometimes I feel like pointing out to these people that my husband graduated summa cum laud and had his IQ tested at 165 in junior high and that he missed only one problem in math on his college entrance exam, etc. I am repenting of that. My value is based in Who I know and His opinion of my worth. I need to endeavor to have grace with those who do not treat me in accordance with my value. Jesus was not treated by others in accordance with His value either; and a servant is not above his master. This time in my life is a time to grow in an attitude of true servanthood and to find my joy in Jesus' acceptance of me.

PRAYER: Father, help me to be more like Jesus and more like my husband when it comes to serving others. I am so happy to serve when I am appreciated, but not so happy when I am not. You served those who despised you, died for those who mocked you. I want to be like that! Help me to grow and to not need the accolades of others. All I need is to hear you say to me, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant". Thank you for a wonderful husband who loves me and is such a great example in this area. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Uniqueness of Leadership

2011-09-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Ezek. 44:1-3
¹ Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east, and it was shut. ² The LORD said to me, “This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it. It is to remain shut because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered through it. ³ The prince himself is the only one who may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence of the LORD. He is to enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way.”

OBSERVATION: Leadership has its privileges. No one except the prince is allowed to go through the east gate, but the prince alone can sit in the gateway to eat in the presence of the Lord (this is a special picture of unique fellowship with the Lord). He does not go through the gate, but enters the portico of the gate and then leaves the same way.

APPLICATION: There is a special anointing that comes from God upon leadership. I have felt it. When we were assistant pastors, I thought we experienced it, but what we experienced then was nothing compared to what we felt when we were the lead pastors of a church. It is a kind of weight of authority and a special insight that comes from God so that you can minister to people with the Lord's mind and the Lord's power. It's not that God loves leaders more, it is that they have been given a unique task to accomplish for the good of all God's flock that are under their care. I have seen pastors lose this through disobedience, but it is definitely there for those called to serve as leaders. Now that we are not lead pastors, that weight of authority is gone. I know that if we step back into that kind of a position, it will come upon us again. It is a comfort to know that God equips for whatever task he calls us to. There is a special burden that comes with leadership, special responsibilities; and it is a good thing that God gives with those burdens and extra measure of insight and ability to call upon his divine anointing. Having experienced this, I now give pastors and other leaders my full attention and cooperation when they lead me and teach me. I also give them an extra measure of grace when they fall short in some way, knowing the difficulty of the task and how many people try to pull them in different directions.

PRAYER: Father, I pray for my pastors and those over me in any leadership capacity. I know the difficulty of their task and I know how much they need to hear from you. Give them an extra measure of your grace and let them hear the voice of your Spirit above all the others screaming for their attention. Give them the strength to make the hard calls and to go where you are leading, even if it is unpopular with the people under their care. May they not be swayed by the need for approval from humans but be only needing your approval. Provide for them as you have promised to do, and give them wise counselors. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Impressions from Revelation 21

2011-09-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Rev. 21:3,4; 8; 19-21; 24
³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

⁸ But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

¹⁹ The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, ²⁰ the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.^[d] ²¹ The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.

²⁴ The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.

OBSERVATIONS: I was struck by various verses from this chapter. Here are my abbreviated observations: 1) vs. 3,4: The preciousness of the promise given to us as believers that one day there will be no more sorrow, no sin to mar the sweetness of life, no pain of any kind is something I count on, marvel at, and am comforted by. 2) vs. 8: The fact that God lists being cowardly as one of the sins in the same list with sexual immorality, idolatry, lying, and occult practices is rather amazing to me. But when I consider that fear (and by extension, the cowardice it produces if we let ourselves be controlled by it) is the opposite of faith, it becomes more understandable. Cowardice is, viewed that way, a form of idolatry, since it is a lack of trust in the Lord. 3) vs. 19-21: This description of heaven really appeals to me since I am a lover of jewels. I know what most of these are and have had the privilege of viewing these gemstones under a high-powered microscope. They are as fascinating and beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside. The inclusions in most stones actually look like a beautiful universe of stars and galaxies when you look at the inside of them. I am looking forward to being there in heaven! A woman can never have too much beautiful jewelry to look at. There, I will be living in it! 4) vs. 24: We are made in God's image, and because of that, we bring "splendor" into the holy City that we will be a part of. How incredible is that! We who are fallen humans will receive the fullness of our redemption and will actually add to the splendor of heaven. Given the ornate description preceding this verse, that is astounding and wonderful.

APPLICATION: No matter what happens to me here on earth, whatever pain and sorrow or suffering I must endure, the surety of what I will receive in heaven is reward and comfort enough for me to not give up and to praise God through it all. He has indeed made "great and precious" promises to me. Jesus told us that he goes to "prepare a place for us", and my, what a place it is! I must keep my "eyes on the prize" and meditate on these things with regularity.

PRAYER: Oh my dear Lord, how great is your destiny for me! How wonderful that you have lavished on us such beauty and such richness. But the greatest thing of all is your promise that when we are with you in heaven there will be no more pain or sorrow. I am so grateful that you will make all things new! May I keep these things in mind always; especially when life here on earth gets difficult. I love you, Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Spirit of Resurrection

2011-09-14T23:18:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Ezek. 37:11-14
¹¹ Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. ¹⁴ I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’”

OBSERVATION: What an awesome vision to show the resurrection power of the Lord! Ezekiel is taken to a valley full of dead, dry bones. They weren't even connected together in full skeletons. Yet God puts them back together with skin, muscles, organs, and then brings breath back into them so that they live. There is no greater miracle than bringing something long dead back to life.

APPLICATION: The message here is so important for me to remember. There is nothing that God cannot resurrect. Hope that has died, dreams that have remained unfulfilled, health that has been taken away; nothing is beyond the Lord's power to change and bring back to life. I need to keep the resurrection power of God in mind as I pray for situations that seem hopeless. Though I see no way of change, nothing is beyond the power of God. It gives me hope.

PRAYER: Father, I do get discouraged sometimes when I don't see immediate answers to my prayers. This scripture is so encouraging to me. I know you hear and answer. Teach me to listen carefully to your Spirit and to pray in accordance with your will. Then I can have confidence that all will be done as it should be. You will prevail over every enemy and will bring to life things that are now dead. Thank you. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Justice of God

2011-09-13T08:12:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Ezek. 33:11-20
¹¹ Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’

¹² “Therefore, son of man, say to your countrymen, ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not save him when he disobeys, and the wickedness of the wicked man will not cause him to fall when he turns from it. The righteous man, if he sins, will not be allowed to live because of his former righteousness.’ ¹³ If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done. ¹⁴ And if I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but he then turns away from his sin and does what is just and right— ¹⁵ if he gives back what he took in pledge for a loan, returns what he has stolen, follows the decrees that give life, and does no evil, he will surely live; he will not die. ¹⁶ None of the sins he has committed will be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live.

¹⁷ “Yet your countrymen say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. ¹⁸ If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, he will die for it. ¹⁹ And if a wicked man turns away from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live by doing so. ²⁰ Yet, O house of Israel, you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to his own ways.”

OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: People haven't changed much since the time of Ezekiel. I think most of us still do not understand the way God thinks about forgiveness and judgement. We tend to make judgements of others on the basis of comparison and intent. "If I do less wrong than another person, I don't deserve the same punishment" is the thinking of most. If I look around and can find people a lot "worse" than me, I deserve kudos for living a good life. Also, if my intention is to be a decent person, the wrong I do should not be counted against me. But God does not think like that. We are told we cannot trust in our own righteousness to cover over any sins we may commit. Our trust has to be in God. He is the only one who can forgive; and his heart is to do that. As it says, he takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. His desire is that we turn from our sinful ways. And we cannot justify ourselves by comparing our righteousness to others who are more sinful than we are. Our standard is to be what God says is just and right. We are to compare ourselves only to that standard. The key is to remember that my relationship with the Lord has to be daily and stay current "in the moment". I must not depend on what I have done in the past. I need daily grace to obey and serve my Lord.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank you for loving me so much that you desire daily communion with me. I ask that you continue to teach me your ways and show me your will for my life. Help me to understand how you view things and give me your wisdom. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Amazing Grace

2011-09-12T07:38:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Daniel 2,3,4
These 3 chapters contain stories that cumulatively spoke to me.

OBSERVATION: Nebuchadnezzar was a ruthless man who gained power by killing, starving and mutilating many people, including women and children. He ruled through fear and intimidation. Yet God shows him incredible mercy. In these 3 chapters are stories of incredible miracles and signs given to this wicked king to show him that God is the only true deity and is worthy of praise and honor. In Dan. 2, Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that terrifies him and Daniel prays to receive from God the content and meaning of the dream. The king is so impressed that he prostrates himself before Daniel and tells everyone to honor Daniel's God. In chapter 3, the king has forgotten the lesson and sentences 3 Hebrew men to death in a fiery furnace for refusing to worship a giant golden idol he has made. When the men are protected by God from death, Nebuchadnezzar again recognizes the greatness of God. Then in chapter 4, Daniel again interprets a dream that warns Nebuchadnezzar about the arrogance in his heart and tells him of a judgement God will pronounce against him for continuing in pride. This takes place and the king finally gives God praise as ultimate sovereign of the earth.

APPLICATION: It amazes me the lengths the Lord goes to to reach this king who has committed such evil. It shows the wonder of God's truly amazing grace and love. It should give us confidence that there is no one who will not have ample revelation of God's holiness, love, and forgiveness if we pray for them. If they do not choose God after that, we can be confident that all judgement of God is just and right. Also, this should teach us that if God will go to such lengths for an evil man, we have no right to hold grudges and harbor unforgiveness toward anyone. God loves them, and so must we. After all, we have been recipients of his grace and forgiveness when we didn't deserve it. And God himself says we must forgive as we have been forgiven.

PRAYER: How awesome is your love, Lord! That you would go to such lengths for a man such as Nebuchadnezzar was is simply amazing! How can I ever possibly doubt your love for me after reading stories like these? And yet, sometimes when things are happening in my life that I don't understand I have doubted your love for me. I never want to doubt again, Lord. Bring these things to my mind whenever I am tempted to question your love for me. I trust you with my life and know you will make all things beautiful in their time. I love you, Lord. Thank you for your love and grace. Make me as loving and gracious as you are. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Spirit of Control and its Consequences

2011-09-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Rev. 16:8-11

⁸ The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. ⁹ They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.

¹⁰ The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony ¹¹ and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.

OBSERVATION: I am always amazed when I read these verses. The people know it is God judging them. They know He has control over what is happening and yet they willfully refuse to repent and glorify God. Instead they curse Him. They would rather suffer torment than submit to God. It is the height of hubris and stubbornness.

APPLICATION: More and more often I am running into people like this. It used to be a rare thing to meet people who hated God. But there are people around who worship their own ability to control their lives more than anything else. The idea of a God, even if He proves Himself real, that would demand submission is hateful to them. They would rather suffer than give up control of their lives. I think many of them don't realize that they are under the control of Satan. They think themselves free, but they have believed a lie. Satan is very willing to give people what they want in order to gain ultimate control. (Remember he offered Jesus the whole world when he tempted Him in the desert; Jesus only had to bow to Satan to obtain anything man could ever dream of having. The thread that ran through every temptation was the question of whether He would take control of His own life from His Father). The spirit of control is a dangerous thing and I must fight it. I must freely choose to let God be in control of my life.

PRAYER: Father, sin really boils down to taking control of my life from You and handling it all myself. You gave us the power to choose to serve You or to go our own way. I give You my life; all of it. I know that when I control things, I mess them up. My old nature still fights to rule and reign, but I have chosen to give You the control of my life. I must make that choice daily in order to live it out. You love me and have my best interest at heart. Have Your way in me, Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen

Unfailing Love

2011-09-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Lam. 3:19-33
¹⁹ I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
²⁰ I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
²¹ Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

²² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵ The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
²⁶ it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.
²⁷ It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.

²⁸ Let him sit alone in silence,
for the LORD has laid it on him.
²⁹ Let him bury his face in the dust—
there may yet be hope.
³⁰ Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
and let him be filled with disgrace.

³¹ For men are not cast off
by the Lord forever.
³² Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
³³ For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to the children of men.

OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Jeremiah is overwhelmed with grief and pouring out his heart to the Lord. He feels he will die from grief, yet he brings to mind the faithfulness of the Lord in some of the most oft quoted verses of the Bible. The Lord's mercies are new every morning; great is His faithfulness. Those who suffer are not left hopeless for He will show compassion. His love is unfailing. He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to any of His children. We often suffer from our own sin, though Jeremiah is suffering from seeing the intense judgment God is bringing on the people of Judah for their sin. Jeremiah lets us know that whatever the "yoke" God has put on us to bear, we should do it with patience and humility and wait for the Lord's deliverance.

PRAYER: Father, thank You for Your Word. There is such comfort in it. I so relate to Jeremiah. I tend to be one who battles depression for a number of reasons, but like Jeremiah, I have found You to be faithful. Even when I don't understand why things are happening the way they are, whenever I wait on You, I find peace and comfort and discover that Your ways are perfect. So perfect, and so much better than my own ways. I pray that I will learn to rest in You quickly when things go wrong in my view. I praise You for Your love and care for me. Thank You so much. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Law of Christian "Karma"

2011-09-09T06:53:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Obadiah 1:15
“The day of the LORD is near
for all nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
your deeds will return upon your own head.

OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: If the day of the Lord was near when Obadiah wrote these words hundreds of years ago, it is much nearer now. I also read in Revelation chapter 14 today and was struck with the similarity between this verse and one in Rev. which says that when God is judging the nations that those who serve the Lord and escape will do so because "their deeds will follow them". Here in Obadiah God says that the evil deeds of those being judged will come back on them. All the evil they have done to others will befall them as well. Apparently our actions are very important! The Bible makes it clear that our words are important too ("The power of life and death is in the tongue") but both of these passages focus on our actions. The idea of "karma" in the eastern religions contain this truth also, which leads me to believe that this principle of God, that what we do comes back on us, has been observable since creation. So, I must consider my actions very carefully. What I do to others, how I treat them, what I say about them matters to God. I can expect to get back what I give.

PRAYER: Father, so often I speak or act impulsively, without giving careful thought to what I say and do. Help me to stop and think, to act and speak in a much ore deliberate manner. I want the words and actions that follow me to be good ones and to reflect Your character and values. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

THE MIND OF THE REBELLIOUS

2011-09-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Jer.43:1-3; Jer. 44:15-18
¹ When Jeremiah finished telling the people all the words of the LORD their God—everything the LORD had sent him to tell them— ² Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’ ³ But Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians, so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.”

¹⁵ Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, along with all the women who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt, said to Jeremiah, ¹⁶ “We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD! ¹⁷ We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our fathers, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm. ¹⁸ But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.”

OBSERVATION: It's amazing how even though the Lord has had extreme patience with His people in warning them of the consequences of their idolatry and disobedience, they still persist in their rebellion. They had sworn to obey what Jeremiah the prophet told them the word of the Lord was in their current crisis, yet when they hear it, they immediately justify what they want to do. They refuse to believe Jeremiah is telling them the truth and call him a liar, even though his track record is perfect. Though they profess loyalty to God with their lips, they reject obedience the moment the Lord tells them something they don't want to hear. And they justify their sin by ascribing their good times to their idolatrous actions rather than to God's patience.

APPLICATION: This is so typical of those Christians who love to come to church and worship but do not want to change their lifestyle to line up with God's Word. They either twist or ignore the Word so that they can justify their continuing to choose their own way. They are Christians in name but not in deed. The Word has no effect on their choices. They do not deny themselves any pleasure they want to enjoy and yet deceive themselves that they are a part of the people of God. They have no faith to believe that God's ways are best, and that to receive God's best, they may have to deny getting what they want through their own efforts and wait patiently for Him.

PRAYER: Father, the Church has been so harmed by people who call themselves by Your Name and yet willfully disobey You. I admit that at times I have fallen into that category myself. I repent! Cleanse Your Body, The Church, and make us a Bride prepared for You that is without spot or wrinkle. May we take Your call to holiness seriously and in so doing, glorify You in the eyes of the world so that many would be drawn to You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Trouble with Rose-Colored Glasses

2011-09-07T05:44:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Jer. 40:13-16
¹³ Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah ¹⁴ and said to him, “Don’t you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.

¹⁵ Then Johanan son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, “Let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be scattered and the remnant of Judah to perish?”

¹⁶ But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, “Don’t do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true.”

OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Johanan warns Gedaliah that someone he trusts has duplicitous intent and is planning on assassinating him. But Gedaliah refuses to believe it. He is an optimist. His "rose-colored glasses" cost him his life. In general, I believe God wants us to believe the best about people and to be optimistic. But when good people warn about the ill intent of others, I should at least be on my guard and watch them carefully. There are those who for various reasons want to cause division or curry favor with some who are in authority. They think the way to get what they want is to "depose" any who are in their way through character assassination. It is wise to listen to the warning of others who come to tell you that a particular person does not have your back.

PRAYER: Father, help me to have wisdom and discernment with others. May I heed Your warnings about others who would cause destruction to the Body of Christ. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

Oh, How the Mighty Have Fallen

2011-09-05T05:50:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 28:11-19

¹¹ The word of the LORD came to me: ¹² “Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:

“‘You were the model of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
¹³ You were in Eden,
the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you:
ruby, topaz and emerald,
chrysolite, onyx and jasper,
sapphire,^[b] turquoise and beryl.^[c]
Your settings and mountings^[d] were made of gold;
on the day you were created they were prepared.
¹⁴ You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
¹⁵ You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you.
¹⁶ Through your widespread trade
you were filled with violence,
and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
and I expelled you, O guardian cherub,
from among the fiery stones.
¹⁷ Your heart became proud
on account of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom
because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth;
I made a spectacle of you before kings.
¹⁸ By your many sins and dishonest trade
you have desecrated your sanctuaries.
So I made a fire come out from you,
and it consumed you,
and I reduced you to ashes on the ground
in the sight of all who were watching.
¹⁹ All the nations who knew you
are appalled at you;
you have come to a horrible end
and will be no more.’”

OBSERVATION: So often in prophecy God switches between the now, the future, and the distant future without clear separation. These verses seem to clearly be speaking of Satan. We must remember that their are spiritual principalities and powers (demon spirits) that rule over geographical locations on earth. It seems that Tyre had Satan himself as its spiritual principality. God speaks of Satan's creation and his fall. Verses 18, 19 seem to switch back to talking of the earthly ruler of Tyre again; although God makes it clear in other scriptures that Satan will finally be defeated once and for all as well.

APPLICATION: If Satan, the guardian cherub and worship leader of heaven could fall, why do we sometimes allow ourselves to get lifted up in pride and think it impossible that we could ever reject the Lord completely? And why do we think that others we meet who are spiritually mature are beyond failure? It is possible for any of us to fall away from God. The only prevention for that is to stay close to Jesus. If we start to make small compromises, it can lead us down a slippery slope very fast.

PRAYER: Father, I know I need You all the time. Speak to me by Your Spirit whenever I start to compromise in the least. Search me and know my heart, see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. I echo the prayer of David, and seek Your grace in my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Trusting God When Things Are Unfair

2011-09-04T07:50:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Ezek. 24:15-24
¹⁵ The word of the LORD came to me: ¹⁶ “Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears. ¹⁷ Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food of mourners.”

¹⁸ So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.

¹⁹ Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things have to do with us?”

²⁰ So I said to them, “The word of the LORD came to me: ²¹ Say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary—the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword. ²² And you will do as I have done. You will not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food of mourners. ²³ You will keep your turbans on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep but will waste away because of your sins and groan among yourselves. ²⁴ Ezekiel will be a sign to you; you will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.’

OBSERVATIONS: This has always seemed so harsh to me. Ezekiel has to suffer the loss of his beloved wife and not mourn for her in the customary way just to be a sign to the rebellious Israelites of the kind of judgment coming their way. Yet Ezekiel does not question the Lord about this. He simply obeys what he is told to do.

APPLICATION: All of the prophets had to suffer somewhat to be obedient to the Lord. Ridicule was common; threats from authorities were also to be expected. But I admire Ezekiel most of all. He was asked to do the most bizarre things of any of the prophets (lie on his sides for over a year while cutting his hair up and cooking his food over cow dung for example). This would have been the hardest thing he was ever asked to do. To lose the love of his life, his support through all his trials, not for anything wrong he had done, but as an example of what God was going through in losing His people and what the people were going to go through when judgement came upon them. I have to ask myself when I read this, "Would I be as obedient as Ezekiel was?" I hope I would, but honestly, I don't know. God has never asked anything so difficult from me. How God's heart longs for such obedient servants. His promise to them is to care for them and protect them through everything. Ezekiel had the joy of intimate fellowship with God, but it came at a high price.

PRAYER: Lord, I have tasted and seen that You are good. You have sustained me and been my comfort through many tough trials, persecutions, and even the consequences of my own disobedience. I want to be a servant like Ezekiel. Hearing Your Word and obeying every command, no matter how difficult. I know it is the only way to live a joyful and happy life. Trouble and pain come whether a person serves You or not. So help me to have only the pain that comes from serving You because that is the only productive pain. You give life through every trouble if I am obedient to You. Strengthen me to be like Ezekiel, my hero. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Lord Works on Our Behalf

2011-09-03T22:52:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Ps. 111
¹ Praise the LORD.^[b]

I will extol the LORD with all my heart
in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

² Great are the works of the LORD;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
³ Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
and his righteousness endures forever.
⁴ He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
⁵ He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
⁶ He has shown his people the power of his works,
giving them the lands of other nations.
⁷ The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
⁸ They are steadfast for ever and ever,
done in faithfulness and uprightness.
⁹ He provided redemption for his people;
he ordained his covenant forever—
holy and awesome is his name.

¹⁰ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.

OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: I love this psalm. It speaks for itself, but a couple of things stood out to me. He provides faithfully for those who fear Him. He provides not just what they need, but goes beyond that in showing His power by giving them the lands of other nations. This has a two-fold meaning I think. He gives the riches of the ungodly to those who serve Him and He works to give His people the "lands of other nations" through evangelism. By blessing His people and showing His power through them, we win the world to Jesus.

PRAYER: Thank You for all Your blessings, Lord. May I always live in praise and worship and the fear of the Lord so that I will be under Your protection and provision. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Utopia at Last

2011-09-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Rev. 7:14-17
And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ Therefore,

“they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.
¹⁶ Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them,
nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷ For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

OBSERVATION: I love these verses! They declare the final victory of the Lamb of God. Here are people who suffered through the tribulation and stayed true to God. There reward is eternal LIFE in heaven. And look at the benefits! They will never be hungry, thirsty, scorched with heat or sorrowful, for God Himself will wipe away all their tears. No ill health, no trouble of any kind; only praise to a wonderful God and fellowship forever with our faithful Husband, Jesus Christ.

APPLICATION: Whenever I am going through trials here on earth, whether they be of health, money issues, relationship woes, or anything else, it is such a comfort to think on these verses. There will be a time when all that will be over. All I need to do is stay close to Jesus. He told me, even with Him in my life (and sometimes because of Him in my life) that I would suffer here on earth. But suffering here on earth happens to everyone, Christian or not. In fact, I think those without Him suffer more. So, I hold on to Him here and receive His comfort, wisdom and love while undergoing whatever trials I am destined to face, and then in heaven have eternal freedom from strife.

PRAYER: Thank You, Lord! What a fantastic promise! I am so blessed even through all the trouble I face here to experience Your love, grace and sustaining power through it all. No wonder when we get to heaven and experience the fullness of Your redemption that we will be always overflowing with praise to You. Keep me mindful of my future with You whenever I am going through trouble here on earth. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

HELP!

2011-08-31T20:31:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Ps. 70

¹ Hasten, O God, to save me;
O LORD, come quickly to help me.
² May those who seek my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
³ May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
turn back because of their shame.
⁴ But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
“Let God be exalted!”

⁵ Yet I am poor and needy;
come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O LORD, do not delay.

OBSERVATION: The writer of the psalm asks for help; help from his enemies who seek to shame him. He must have been at his wit's end too, for he makes it clear that he needs help NOW! He feels he cannot wait but needs God to show up immediately, without delay. He acknowledges that God is his only source of deliverance and safety. He also recognizes his state before God by saying, "Yet I am poor and needy". Though David, the psalmist, was not a poor man as far as material wealth, he knows that in himself, he has nothing to offer God. In comparison, he will always be poor and needy. It is a statement of humility.

APPLICATION: Though I am a co-heir with Christ, and He has given me all I need for life and godliness; though I have all of heaven's riches and God's resources at my disposal because of the sacrifice of Christ, yet I know that before Him, I am poor and needy. I have to depend on Him for all my needs, and I am, indeed, a very needy person. Without His help, I would certainly live a life of quiet desperation, at best. But I have confidence, as the psalmist did, that when I call on God He will hear me. When I am at the end of my rope, He will come quickly and not delay.

PRAYER: I need You now, Lord. I am getting older and do not know how much longer I have on this earth. But I so want You to restore my soul, my precious sons, my grandchildren that You have given me. My heart aches for them. I am poor and needy. Come quickly, Lord, and do not delay. Bring my sons from afar and also renew my strength to serve You with my whole heart. I am counting on the promises You gave us years ago. Fulfill them that I may rejoice and be glad in You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Then, Face to Face

2011-08-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Rev. 5:13
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”

OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Every time I read this verse (and a few others in Revelation) I am reminded of a time I attended a church in Spain with my daughter, who had been studying there. She was a linguistics major in college and had explained to me that there are ideas in each language that cannot be translated exactly into any other language because the meaning of the term doesn't really exist in the language it's being translated into. Each culture has some ideas that are unique to it; a different paradigm, or view, on life. So here I was, listening to worship and a sermon in a language I did not know. I sat there, bored, and decided to pray, "Lord, Your Spirit can speak to me anytime. Please speak something to me now that is revelatory so that I can be built up in my faith." No sooner had I finished that prayer than God brought to mind this scripture and others from Revelation that say people from every tribe, kindred, tongue and nation will be in heaven praising Him. The Lord spoke to my heart that day and said to me, "Even though you don't understand what is being said here today; on that day, each of my people will understand every language on earth. The praise that you hear from your brothers and sisters around the globe will reveal to you new aspects of My person and My glory that you had not previously understood. The revelations will cause your heart to swell with more and more praise as you finally get a full-orbed understanding of My Being and Nature. Through your praise, others will learn more of Me. My glory is greater than can be expressed in the words of any one language; but on that day, My glory will be expressed through every language and it will cause all to marvel." As the Spirit spoke this to my heart, I wept for joy. My daughter, sitting next to me, turned and whispered,"What's wrong, Mom; are you alright?" Of course, I was more than alright. God had preached to my heart the only sermon I needed that day. If we are willing and open, He can speak to us at anytime.

PRAYER: Father, I have never forgotten that beautiful truth You spoke to my heart that day. It makes me long for the day when all the saints will be together praising You forever. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. May I be productive for you in the meantime. Speak to me daily, as I seek to learn more of my beautiful, glorious Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

God's Heart Transplant

2011-08-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

SCRIPTURE: Ezek. 11:18-21
¹⁸ “They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. ¹⁹ I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. ²⁰ Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. ²¹ But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD.”

OBSERVATION: The Lord is speaking about His people, who He has punished for their sinful stubbornness in refusing to turn their hearts back to Him, even after years of warning. The wonderful news here is that He promises to turn their hearts toward Him and give them "hearts of flesh", hearts that will yield and not be hard and stubborn. Notice that they have to take an action first before this happens. They have to choose to rid themselves of idols. Then the Lord promises to change their hearts. He makes a declaration, though, that those who are devoted to their idols will still be punished. He will not change their hearts.

APPLICATION: God will not override the freedom to choose that He created us with. But once we choose Him, we can come to Him and ask that He change our hearts and do the work in us that we cannot do for ourselves. We can ask Him to give us an undivided heart. He can give us a new spirit. What a phenomenal promise! I can rely on God to give me the grace to choose His ways and to obey His Word so that my struggle is lessened.

PRAYER: Father in heaven, Thank you for the great and precious promises in Your Word. Thank You for the grace to live in obedience to You. I have chosen You above all else, and You cover my sins and help me to stay on the narrow path that leads to life everlasting. I also want to pray for those I love who are not now on Your path. Lord, do whatever it takes to cause them to turn, repent, and receive the new heart and new spirit that You have promised. I love You, Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen.