SYNOPSIS: Like the ancients to whom the Bible was written, we, too, live in a culture that stands in stark contrast to the culture of God. Hostility and deceit are simply a way of life. Our godless culture forces its way into our lives each day through the airways and, of course, through the people with whom you must interact. Like me, you are probably sick and tired of having to endure a culture God never intended for mankind. But remember this: One day soon, you will no longer have to endure such hostility and dishonesty. One day, perhaps sooner than you think, the Son of God will break through the clouds and call you to your eternal home where truth and peace are as close as the air you will breathe. And what a day that will be!

Moments with God // Psalm 120:6-7

Perhaps you scratched your head when you read this psalm, as I did, unable to pull out much application from it other than the psalmist’s upset with the deceitful, hostile people he was forced to endure. But digging into the title of the psalm sheds some much-needed light on the rest of the psalm.

This is what is called a psalm of assent. There were fifteen of them, and they were songs to be sung by pilgrims on their way up to Jerusalem (the city had a relatively high elevation for the Promised Land, sitting at 2,700 feet above sea level). These psalms were written in a time when Israel had only one central location for corporate worship—the sanctuary of the Tabernacle/temple in Jerusalem—and they were required to go there three times each year for one of the religious festivals prescribed in the law of Moses.

As they journeyed, they were to worship—not a bad idea for you and me as we make our way to weekly worship at our church. In this particular psalm of assent, these pilgrims had to make a long journey since they lived in Meshech, way to the north in Asia Minor, and Kedar, which was in Ishmaelite territory in Arabia. (Psalm 120:5) Both places were known for violence, and in each godless location, deceit was an acceptable way of life. (Psalm 120:2-3)

So now we see how this psalm of assent is a little more applicable to our lives. We, too, live in a culture that stands in stark contrast to the culture of God. Hostility and deceit are simply a way of life, even if you don’t live all that far from the church where you worship. That godless culture forces its way into your life every day through the television, radio, or through your computer, and, of course, through the people with whom you must interact. And, like me, you are probably sick and tired of having to endure a culture God never intended for mankind.

One day, we will no longer have to endure such hostility and dishonesty. One day, perhaps sooner than we think, the Son of God will break through the clouds and call the people of God to their eternal home where truth and peace are as close as the air we will breathe. And what a day that will be!

But in the meantime, God has given us a place to which we can run and find truth and peace—the sanctuary of our church. There, God’s Truth is proclaimed, and there, through our worship, the peace of God transcends the chaos from without and guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7) And best of all, you aren’t limited to three times a year; you can go at least once each weekend to get your defense shields recharged as you gather with the rest of God’s children to offer your worship and receive his grace.

Now that the psalmist has reminded you of this stark contrast between culture and church, perhaps you should sing a song of assent on your way to worship this coming weekend.

SYNOPSIS: “A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.” (Arnold Glasgow) That was Jonathan’s relationship with David, and it was arguably the most life-enriching friendship ever. Jonathan’s love bracketed and contained his father Saul’s evil, and entered David’s soul in a way Saul’s hatred never did. That’s the power of a Jonathan-like friend—and it’s the kind of friendship you are called to offer another in this era of Covid/Culture Wars/Political Strife where friendships are far too quickly and easily discarded like yesterday’s trash. If you are to offer another a Jonathan/David friendship—which is simply what the New Testament calls  “agape love” — you don’t ghost or cancel or vent outrage on a friend. You don’t demand that they believe like you, vote like you, or live their life to please you. Listen: a friend is born for relational adversity; a friend loves at all times (even when there is disagreement over mandates or candidates); for the sake of Christ, a friend doesn’t allow temporal earthly concerns to corrode the relationship; the love of a friend never, ever demands its own way. On this day, and from here on out, be a true friend!

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Samuel 23:16-17

And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. “Don’t be afraid,’ he said. ‘My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.”

Though Jonathan was King Saul’s son and heir to the throne, he stripped himself of every symbol of royalty to show favor and friendship to one who was his rival—David. Instead of jealousy, which would have been the natural response, he gave David strength. Instead of protecting his own interests, Jonathan promoted David’s welfare. Instead of siding with his father, he defended David, even risking his own life. Instead of minimizing the damage his father was trying to inflict upon David, Jonathan openly and honestly admitted the king’s wrong. Instead of abandoning David, Jonathan became a source of encouragement.

David was at the point of breaking. I’m sure he thought about giving up. If he had, he would have ceased to be Jonathan’s rival, and Jonathan knew that. Yet Jonathan went to him and strengthened him in the Lord anyway. Jonathan was content to be second fiddle if he could help advance David to first chair. Was that because Jonathon viewed himself as unworthy? Is there some self-loathing at play here? Not at all; he is simply responding to what he saw God doing in David’s life.

How rare does a friend put himself or herself in the background for the sake of another’s God-ordained advancement! Jonathan’s relationship with David was truly an altruistic friendship. It was not based on what he could get from his friend, but what he could give. That is truly a sacrificial friendship—and it is what God values, expects, and blesses.

This leads to a very important, and challenging application: Normally at this point, we would think about how we might acquire a Jonathan-type friend in our lives. Perhaps the more important thing would be to ask ourselves how we could be a Jonathan-like friend to someone in our relational sphere.

The truth is, if you want to have the kind friendship Jonathan offered David, you need to be that kind of friend. The best vitamin for that kind of loyal, life-giving friendship: B-1! Each of us desires someone like Jonathan in our lives—and it’s appropriate to pray that way.

More than that, each of us should pray that God will make us a Jonathan to some David. That is the kind of friendship you are called to offer another in this era of Covid/Culture Wars/Political Strife where friendships are far too quickly and easily discarded like yesterday’s trash. If you are to offer another a Jonathan/David friendship—which is simply what the New Testament calls  “agape love” — you don’t ghost or cancel or vent outrage on a friend. You don’t demand that they believe like you, vote like you, or live their life to please you. Listen: a friend is born for relational adversity; a friend loves at all times (even when there is disagreement over mandates or candidates); for the sake of Christ, a friend doesn’t allow temporal earthly concerns to corrode the relationship; the love of a friend never, ever demands its own way.

On this day, and from here on out, be a true friend!

“ A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down. —ARNOLD H. GLASGOW

SYNOPSIS: Cave time—everyone gets it. The cave always reveals just how much work God still has to do to get you ready for great things. In the cave of Adullam, God revealed to David that his good looks, musical skill, and winsome personality weren’t enough for the kind of king Israel needed. Saul had that—looks, skill, charisma—but he didn’t have the kind of depth with God that the leader of God’s people needed. David needed more of God; the testing of the cave clearly revealed that. By the way, God does his best work in caves because it’s where he resurrects what is dead! That cave was where a dead Messiah became a Risen Savior…and your cave is where your dead dreams, or maybe your dead ministry, or perhaps your dead career, or even your dead marriage will take on resurrection life.

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Samuel 22:1

David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.

If you are like me, you want to live in the never-ending summer of God’s blessing—the sunshine of his grace—where you’ll flourish and enjoy a fruitful life. But to get from here to that land of spiritual fruitfulness, you will have to first endure some “cave-time”.

The cave is core curriculum in the school of spirituality. Call it whatever you want: the pit (Joseph’s “cave”), the desert (Moses’ “cave”), the prison (Paul’s “cave”), the wilderness (Jesus’ “cave”), the cave is to Christians what Camp Pendleton is to marines: Boot camp! It’s basic training for believers. Every believer gets cave-time!

The cave is the place of testing. It’s the blast furnace for moral fiber—where your mettle gets tested! Put a person in the cave of distress, discouragement, doubt, or delayed hopes and true character is revealed. The cave always reveals just how much work God still has to do to get you ready for great things. In the cave of Adullam, God revealed to David that his good looks, musical skill, and winsome personality weren’t enough for the kind of king Israel needed. Saul had that—looks, skill, charisma—but he didn’t have the kind of depth with God that the leader of God’s people needed. David needed more of God; the testing of the cave clearly revealed that.

The cave is also a place of learning. David recognized that he needed “cave time” so he could “learn what God will do for me.” (I Samuel 22:3) In the cave, David learned what it meant to fully depend on God because God stripped him of all his misplaced dependencies: his position (David went from fair-haired boy to fugitive overnight), his friends (David was separated from his best friend, Jonathon), his spiritual mentor (Samuel died while David was in the cave) and even his dignity (he actually had to feign insanity to escape the Philistines). These were all good things in David’s life, yet God knew that they were a barrier to the great things he had in store for David. So God removed them.

The cave was perhaps the most frustrating period in David’s life—but in hindsight, it turned out to be the most fruitful. That’s because the cave is also the place of forging. As an unknown poet said, the cave is where you are, “pressed into knowing no helper but God.” And that’s exactly what happened to David in the cave of Adullam. Through the discipline of that place, David came into a profound experience with God, and that is the one thing David would need to be a great king.

That’s what God does in the cave. And by the way, God does some of his best work when we are experiencing “cave time”. It was there in the cave of Adullam that David wrote three of his most moving psalms—Psalms 34, 57 & 142.

Psalm 142 shows us that David learned to talk openly and honestly with God—and that God could handle David’s raw emotion. David got brutally honest with God in the cave, and it was great therapy: “I cry aloud to the Lord…I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.” (Psalm 142:1-2)

Psalm 52 shows us that David learned to toughen up in the cave because God was training him how to “king it!” That’s why David said of his “cave time” experience, “I cry out to God, who fulfills his purpose for me.” (Psalm 57:2)

Finally, Psalm 34 shows us that David learned to look for God in the cave. It was there David found that God was his all-in-all, and out of experience he penned Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

So here’s the deal: If you are in a cave right now, I want to remind you of some good news: You are not alone—God is with you. And furthermore, God understands all about caves. He’s been there! You see, the son of David, Jesus, was stripped of everything, too. He lost his position as a spiritual leader. His own family criticized him. His friends ran away. He lost the adoration of the cheering crowds. He suffered the mockery of a trial and the humiliation of a cross. And when he died, they buried his lifeless body in a cave, and it looked like it was over!

But God does his best work in caves because it’s where he resurrects dead stuff! That cave was where a dead Messiah became a Risen Savior…and your cave is where your dead dreams, or maybe your dead ministry, or perhaps your dead career, or even your dead marriage will take on resurrection life.

Your cave may be very deep and dark and devastating, but here’s the thing you need to know: God works in caves! So stay patient, pliable, and trusting—your resurrection is coming!

“ How naturally does affliction make us Christians! —WILLIAM COWPER

SYNOPSIS: John 3:16—it’s the whole Bible in just one verse. The verse is so simple that any child can memorize it, yet it is so infinitely profound and irresistibly powerful that it can totally, radically transform your life. That’s right, this verse is not just an amazing statement about God’s universal love for all mankind, it is about God’s personal love for you! God so loved the world, but he didn’t just look at it as one big mass of nameless faces. When he looked at the world and loved it, he was looking at you. Max Lucado put it like this, “If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.” Yep—God has a crazy love for you!

Project 52—Memorize:
John 3:16

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16—it’s the whole Bible in just one verse. The verse is so simple that any child can memorize it, yet it is so infinitely profound and irresistibly powerful that it can totally, radically transform your life. That’s right, this verse is not just an amazing statement about God’s universal love for all mankind, it is about God’s personal love for you!

God so loved the world, but he didn’t just look at it as one big mass of nameless faces. When he looked at the world and loved it, he was looking at you. Max Lucado, who wrote an entire book just on John 3:16, said, “If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.”

God has a crazy love for you! He really does. St. Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo in North Africa, one of the most influential figures in church history, said: “God loves each and every one of us as if there were only one of us.” Think about that: If you were the only person on this planet, God would have loved you so much that he still would have given Jesus to die for your sins. There would still be John 3:16 if you were the sole human ever created.

One of my favorite authors, Brennan Manning, told the story of an Irish priest on a walking tour of his rural parish, and he happened upon an old peasant man kneeling by the roadside, praying. The priest was impressed: “You must be very close to God.”

The peasant looked up from his prayers, thought for a moment, and smiled, “Yes, he’s very fond of me.” This simple man had a profound sense that he was loved by God, and that was all that mattered!  From that story, Manning developed a personal declaration: “I am the one Jesus loves.”

That is in no way arrogant; it is actually quite Biblical. The Apostle John identified himself throughout his Gospel as  “the one Jesus loved.”  That came to be John’s primary identity in life. If you were to ask John, “Tell me about yourself,” he wouldn’t have said, ‘Well, I’m a disciple, an apostle, and the author of this incredible Gospel.” Rather, John would have simply said, “I’m the one Jesus loves.”

Now if John could think of himself that way, so can you. John 3:6 gives you permission. So I hope you’ll practice remembering that today: “You are the one Jesus loves!”

“We have a share in the special love of Jesus. We see evidences of that love…in the precious blood that He so freely shed for us…Behold how He loves us!” ~Charles Spurgeon

Reflect and Apply: Do you ever wonder if God really does love you? I do. The cross is a continual reminder for you and me that when he stretched out his arms on that wooden crossbeam, it was as if he were saying, “I love you this much!” Then he bowed His head, and died. And there is nothing today that can separate you from that love. Let the power of God’s love absolutely, profoundly change your life today!

SYNOPSIS: Two of the greatest heroes of the Bible—the greatest hero in the Old Testament, and the greatest hero in the New Testament—were noted for their gentleness. These two great men, Moses and Jesus, are the only two the Bible describes as being gentle. Yet they were anything but weak and wimpy, which is how our culture defines gentleness. They were incredibly powerful men. They changed their worlds. Jesus was no weakling; Moses was not a wimpy guy. They were strong, charismatic, winsome individuals, but their lives were guided by love, kindness, compassion, understanding, and patience—in a word, gentleness. Make sure yours is, too!

Project 52—Memorize:
Philippians 4:5

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”

When was the last time you prayed, “God, make me a more gentle person”?

Just what I thought!

Back in the 1830’s, George Bethune, a Dutch Reformed pastor and hymn writer, said,“Perhaps no grace is less prayed for, or less cultivated than gentleness.  Indeed it is considered rather as belonging to natural disposition or external manners, than as a Christian Virtue; and seldom do we reflect that not to be gentle is a sin.”

Did you catch that? “Seldom do we reflect that not to be gentle is a sin.”

If that’s true, and I believe it is, then we ought to pay greater attention and give greater effort to making God’s call for gentleness the prominent character feature of our lives? Now that may not be so easy to do, since we live in a culture that venerates power and promotes aggressiveness and elevates domination as much higher virtues than gentleness—by far.  Chances are, none of your heroes, and certainly none of mine, would be noted for their gentle natures.

But let me remind you that two of the greatest heroes of the Bible—the greatest hero in the Old Testament, and the greatest hero in the New Testament—were noted for their gentleness. These two great men, Moses and Jesus, are the only two men the Bible describes as being gentle. But these two were anything but weak and wimpy, which is how our culture defines gentleness. They were incredibly powerful men. They changed their worlds. Jesus was no weakling; Moses was not a wimpy guy. They were strong, charismatic, winsome individuals, but their lives were guided by love, kindness, compassion, understanding and patience—in a word, gentleness.

Biblical gentleness has nothing to do with being weak or inferior. A. W. Tozer says,

“The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather, he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God’s estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God has declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is, in the sight of God, more important than angels…He knows well that the world will never see him as God sees him and he has stopped caring.”

The secular Greeks used the word for gentleness to describe people or things that had a soothing quality about them. It was used of words that calmed a person who was agitated, bitter, angry or resentful. It also referred to an ointment that soothed the pain of a wound. It even meant to tranquilize. And it referred to a powerful leader, such as a king, who had the power and authority to harm or punish, but could be gentle and forgiving of human errors. Gentleness was power under control: It is being strong enough to be gentle.

It is gentleness, in all of these senses, that Paul says is to be evident in us for all to see. So let me suggest that your gentleness ought to be evident to the following people in your life:

• Number one, with the people who serve you. Take time to be tender with those who meet your needs.
• Number two, with the people who disappoint you. Be compassionate and gracious, refuse to be judgmental and harsh.
• Number three, with the people who disagree with you. Be tender without surrender.
• Number four, with the people who correct you. Be teachable and submissive, not stubborn and inflexible.
• Number five, with the people who hurt you. Refuse to react. Respond with acts of love.
• Number six, with people who don’t share your beliefs. Refuse to be critical.
• Number seven, with the people that live under your roof and in your own home. Be the embodiment of Biblical gentleness with your own flesh and blood.

The God to whom you belong is by nature gentle. He has given you his Holy Spirit to produce the fruit or character of gentleness within you. Now the only question that remains is, will you clothe yourself with his gentleness?

“Mildness in dealing with others…it is to display a sensitive regard for others and is careful never to be unfeeling for the rights of others.”  ~Billy Graham

Reflect and Apply: Here are a few ideas for putting on gentleness: One, reflect on the gentleness of God toward you. Two, ask God to produce gentleness in your life. And three, pray for a specific person on whom you can bestow gentleness.

SYNOPSIS: Our culture increasingly rejects transcendent authority. That’s why people do whatever seems right in their own eyes. Even Christians have unthinkingly drifted into life without a controlling moral authority. They are more focused on what they prefer, insisting on their rights, and seeking what is best for them rather than discerning and doing God’s will! But “doing what seems right in your own eyes” never results in a good outcome. It might sound philosophically enlightened, but in the end, it is disastrous. Whenever there is no “king in Israel”—no transcendent authority—personal piety will decline, social chaos will rise, and spiritual anarchy will result. Now we could rage against the cultural forces that reject God in America, and insist that we get back to the Bible as the governing standard for our society, but perhaps the best cure for the loss of personal piety, social chaos, and spiritual anarchy in America would be for you and me to make sure that God’s Word is king in our lives.

The Journey // Focus: Judges 17:1-3

There was a man named Micah, who lived in the hill country of Ephraim. One day he said to his mother, “I heard you place a curse on the person who stole 1,100 pieces of silver from you. Well, I have the money. I was the one who took it.” His mother replied, “The Lord bless you for admitting it,” He returned the money to her, and she said, “I now dedicate these silver coins to the Lord. In honor of my son, I will have an image carved and an idol cast.” … In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

If we were to hold a vote on the weirdest stories in the Bible, this one would be in my top ten—maybe even in my top five. You read this story and it leaves you scratching your head. A man named Micah has admitted to his mother that he stole money from her, she praises the Lord for his “honesty” in returning the loot, then turns around and celebrates by commissioning a family idol and declaring that it is in honor of her wonderful son and of the Lord.

What…wait…what? She somehow twists stealing into honoring God by carving an image and casting an idol! What in the name of sanity is going on here? Simple explanation: this is spiritual anarchy, plain and simple. Anarchy is defined as “a state of disorder due to non-recognition of authority.” That is exactly what Judges 17: 6 describes:

In those days Israel had no king, so everyone did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

Israel had no controlling moral authority—or at least they chose not to follow a controlling moral authority. They had the law of God, which should have been their constant guide, but over time, they moved God to the margins, ignored his word, and devolved into spiritual anarchy. As a result, a lot of really weird stuff happened in a nation that God had called to be his own holy people; stuff that the people actually justified as acceptable and pleasing to God.

Twisted, right? Yet is it all that different than what we see today among people who claim to follow God? When the rate of divorce is as high among so-called Christians as it is in the secular society, you have spiritual anarchy. When you have so-called Christians celebrating lifestyles and philosophies that are clearly opposed to what they are called to in God’s Word, you have spiritual anarchy. When you have so-called Christians whose way of living is clearly rooted in this present world and not in the kingdom to come—“believers” who are addicted to money, pleasure, and power—there you have spiritual anarchy. Where you find spiritual communities who make their worship about what they prefer, who employ entertainment techniques to attract new members, who move the Holy Spirit to the edge of their services in order to employ more relevant styles, who focus more on a cool café in the lobby rather than the call to seek God at the altar, there you find an inexorable rush toward spiritual anarchy—a state of disorder due to non-recognition of authority.

In our day, too many,  believers and unbelievers alike, have set aside any controlling moral authority, so they do whatever seems right in their own eyes. The problem with that kind of personal and societal philosophy is that it never results in a good outcome. It might sound like it’s a fair and enlightened way to do life—as long as it doesn’t hurt anybody else—but it always hurts somebody else. Whenever there is no “king in Israel”—no controlling moral authority—personal piety will decline and social chaos will rise, which is exactly what we’re witnessing in our society today.

It would be easy for me at this point to rage against any number of cultural forces that are presently at work in America, and insist that we get back to the Bible as the standard by which our society must be governed. And of course, I would be right and you would agree, but perhaps the best cure for the social chaos and loss of piety in America would be for you and me to make sure that God’s Word is king in our lives on a personal basis.

SYNOPSIS: What is faithfulness? Simply put, it is to follow through with a commitment regardless of difficulty. It is to be steadfast, especially under duress. It is to have convictions—and then to live them out no matter what. It is to exhibit relational fidelity—stick-to-it-iveness in relationship—which is arguably the most practical and meaningful faithfulness of all. It is to say, “I will not quit. There may be misunderstandings, there may be disappointments, there may be inconveniences, but I will not quit. I will do what love and faith require of me.”

Project 52—Memorize:
Proverbs 2:7-8

“He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.”

Jamwa Sizoo writes, 

Let it never be forgotten that glamour is not greatness; applause is not fame; prominence is not eminence. The man of the hour is not apt to be the man of the ages. A stone may sparkle, but that does not make it a diamond; people may have money, but that does not make them a success. It is what the unimportant people do that really counts and determines the course of history. The greatest forces in the universe are never spectacular. Summer showers are more effective than hurricanes, but they get no publicity. The world would soon die but for the fidelity, loyalty, and consecration of those whose names are unhonored and unsung.

As we yield to the Holy Spirit, this same fruit of faithfulness that is at the core of God’s character will be evident in our lives, too. The more we are led by the Spirit, the less fickle, the less vulnerable to discouragement, the less easily distracted by temptation and the less prone to inconsistency we will become.

Plus, the more others will find in us reliability, trustworthiness, and staying power through both good times and bad—a faithfulness the world doesn’t witness all that often. As serious followers of Jesus, we have been called to faithfulness!

What is faithfulness? Simply put, it is to follow through with a commitment regardless of difficulty. It is to be steadfast, especially under duress. It is to have convictions—and then to live them out no matter what. It is to exhibit relational fidelity—stick-to-it-iveness in friendship—which is arguably the most practical and meaningful faithfulness of all. It is to say, “I will not quit. There may be misunderstandings, there may be disappointments, there may be inconveniences, but I will not quit. I will do what love and faith require of me.”

Faithfulness is simply, sticking to it, especially when it would be easier not to.

Here are some of the ways the Bible says God has called us to faithfulness:

• 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 challenges us to be faithful in stewardship.
• 1 Timothy 5:9 speaks of being faithful in our marriage.
• Revelation 2:15 speaks of being a faithful witness.
• Romans 12:12 says we are to be faithful in prayer.
• Colossians 1:7 speaks of being faithful in ministry.
• Revelation 17:14 says we are to be faithful in following Christ.
• 3 John 3 says we are to be faithful to the truth.
• Revelation 13:10 speaks of faithfulness in times of persecution.
• Revelation 2:10 says we are even to be faithful unto death.

God, who is faithful and true, wants to cultivate in you his very own faithfulness.  I hope you are ready for that, because the world is perishing for want of those who are mostly un-honored and unsung, nevertheless are faithful, loyal and consecrated.

“I have known many happy marriages, but never a compatible one. The whole aim of marriage is to fight through and survive the instant when incompatibility becomes unquestionable.” ~G.K. Chesterton

Reflect and Apply: How is your relational faithfulness? If you were somebody else, would you want to have you as a spouse or friend or a partner?  Ask the Lord to develop you into a faithful person.

SYNOPSIS: Why doesn’t God completely vaporize your every spiritual enemy? He is testing you and he is teaching you. He allows you to be in strenuous situations to test and temper your faith, and then in those moments, he forces you to learn the art of spiritual warfare. The argument could be made that you wouldn’t really need the testing and teaching if you were sinlessly perfect, but you are not. So God does you a favor by getting you battle ready through testing and teaching.

The Journey// Focus: Judges 3:1-2,4

These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had no previous battle experience)….These enemy nations were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses.

Do you ever wish God would just annihilate sin in your life? Wouldn’t it be nice it he removed everything that troubles your soul? How wonderful it would be if the Christian’s voyage from salvation to eternity was nothing but smooth sailing!

Yes, that would be nice. But God’s doesn’t’ work that way. He could have given Abraham and Sarah, whom he called the parents of many nations, an heir long before they were in their nineties and well past the years of bearing a son. He didn’t have to leave Joseph languishing in a prison cell for fifteen years training him in how to be a faithful leader in small matters and under great duress when a weekend stay would have sufficed. The Lord didn’t have to teach Moses how to shepherd Israel over a forty year illustrious career by first burying him in ignominy and isolation during a forty year stint as a goat herder on the backside of the Sinai desert. And God didn’t have to take the Israelites on a forty-year meandering journey through that same desert when two years would have gotten them from Egypt to Canaan and more than sufficed to mold them into a nation.

The thing is, God takes his time in preparing his people. He does it apart from our sense of time because God is God. And God knows more than we do. And God can do what he wants. And God knows that it takes us a long time to learn. So he uses the sharpest edged tool, discomfort, to test us and to train us for glorious purposes.

After Joshua died and the Israelites settled into Canaan, there were more than a few enemy nations still left in the land. Moses had commanded that Israel wipe them out because they would ultimately lead God’s people astray by enticing them to tolerate, then accept, then actually worship their gods. Israel had failed to remove these nations, and sure enough, Israel began to intermarry with some of them and live alongside others as if it was no big deal. But it was a big deal indeed, because what Moses predicted was exactly what happened: Israel began to embrace the unspeakable pagan practices of these Canaanite nations. So God punished them.

Punishment came in the form of subjugation—the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites defeated Israel and put onerous demands and taxation upon them. Finally, in desperation, Israel cried out to God, who in turn raised up judges to deliver his people. This is the story of Judges: judge after judge is raised up to lead Israel into repentance, unite and inspire them, then lead them into battle and throw off the oppressive yoke of their masters. This vicious cycle of subjugation, desperation, repentance and deliverance took place over a period of 400 years.

But there was something else going on during this time. God was testing the loyalty of his people by leaving these pagan nations that Israel had failed to remove; he wanted to show them how easy and quickly they would surrender to the enticement of false gods. Which they did! And he not only tested them, but he had to teach them how to battle their way back to holiness and freedom by throwing off the yoke of their oppressors. They had to suffer the consequences of the pain that always came after enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season; they had to relearn the power of holiness; and they had to learn literal fighting skills that it would take to decimate these enemy nations.

Why doesn’t God completely vaporize your every spiritual enemy? Same reasons! He is testing you and he is teaching you. He allows you to be in strenuous situations to test and temper your faith, and then in those moments, he forces you to learn the art of spiritual warfare. The argument could be made that you wouldn’t really need the testing and teaching if you were sinlessly perfect, but you are not. So God does you a favor by testing you and teaching you.

So until you are sinlessly perfect—which means you will have died and are firmly in heaven—then praise God that in the meantime he is getting you battle ready!

Synopsis: Pursuing peace always leaves us disappointed when turmoil still rules the day.  But pursuing the Prince of Peace, according to Colossians 3:15, keeps the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts. Isaiah 26:3 says it so beautifully, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is staid on thee…” 

Project 52—Memorize:
Isaiah 26:3

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

Perfect peace!  Is there really a way to cultivate that kind of peace?  Let me suggest 3 or 4 things.

First, you’ve got to recognize that God is the only source of true and lasting peace.  You and I cannot produce and sustain that kind of peace on our own.  It only comes from God…and from being in right standing with him.

Throughout the Bible, God is referred to as the God of peace.  Peace is what identifies and defines God, even though he is never isolated from conflict.  God is in the middle of a cosmic battle with Satan for control of the created order…and yet he is completely unruffled by it. God is peace! And the Apostle Paul gives us this wonderful promise in II Thessalonians 3:16:

“The Lord himself will give you peace always by all means.”

Peace originates in the character of God and comes from him. You can pursue peace apart from the work of the Holy Spirit until you are blue in the face. You can’t achieve it!  The only sustainable peace in life comes from the God of peace through the Prince of Peace, who will produce through the Holy Spirit the fruit of peace in your life.  So recognize the Source of true peace—God!

Second, don’t pursue peace; pursue the Source of peace. The peace of God will come as a natural result of the relationship we nurture with God. So our focus needs to be on the Source and not the by-product. Paul said in Ephesians 2:14 that Jesus himself is our peace, who has broken down every wall of hostility.

Pursuing peace always leaves us disappointed when turmoil still rules the day.  But pursuing the Prince of Peace, according to Colossians 3:15, keeps the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts. Isaiah 26:3 says it so beautifully,

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is staid on thee…” 

The word staid in the Hebrew meant to prop yourself up by or to put your full weight upon God for protection and security.  When you are leaning on God, you don’t have to stay awake at night worrying about tomorrow; you can literally say to God, “There’s no sense in both of us staying awake tonight…since you’re going to be up all night anyway running the universe, why don’t you handle this while I sleep.” Pursue peace and you’ll never attain it; pursue God and you’ll get peace!

Third, develop a world-view that is dominated by an eternal perspective.  In other words, discipline yourself to look at everything that has happened and everything you are facing through the lens of God’s sovereignty, power, love and his inexorable plan for the ages—which includes all the details of your life. God is control! Therefore, nothing can rob you of your peace.  Jesus said in John 14:27,  

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your heart be trouble and do not be afraid.”

Living with heaven in view in your everyday life will create the necessary conditions needed for inner peace. It will force you to see everything from an eternal perspective. It will remind you that God is in control of everything and has a purpose in all things. It will allow you to see things that once destroyed peace as opportunities to trust that God’s plan is being worked out in your life. That is the best recipe for peace.

Finally, refuse to wrestle with the peace-destroying issues that are threatening to disrupt your world. Release them to God in gratitude-laced prayer. The best-known passage on this is Philippians 4:6-7—and it is perhaps the greatest peace-thereapy there is:

“Don’t be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.”  

When we practice that kind of praying, here is what we will get out of that deal: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

When things are causing turmoil in our lives, Paul says take them to God in prayer. But notice what kind of prayer: Prayer that is dominated by thanksgiving. Why is thanksgiving so important? It releases truth into your spirit: The truth that God is sovereign, that he is the source of provision and that he has a plan in the particular things we’re praying about. That is what thanksgiving does—that is why it produces peace. It reminds you that God is still running the universe—and he’s perfectly capable of taking care of you!

When you are in right relation with God, when you are fixing your thoughts on him and looking at all of life with heaven in view, when you are practicing gratitude, then you can live daily, hourly, minute-by-minute with this powerful and wonderful gift: The transcendent peace of God.

“Peace is the settled assurance that because of God’s care and God’s competence, this world is a perfectly safe place for me to be…although it doesn’t always look like it.”  ~Dallas Willard

Reflect & Apply: What are the things that are robbing you of peace today? The Apostle Peter encourages you to cast them upon God (I Peter 5:7).  How about practicing your casting today!

SYNOPSIS: When the Bible commands you to be strong and courageous, what does that mean for your life today, practically speaking? Simply put, it means that you would just “act as if” God is in charge. Now that sounds great, but how do you bring that out of the vague clouds of theological agreement and into the real world of what is assigned to you today? Well, on this particular day, it will be fear, not problems, that will keep you in the wilderness of spiritual paralysis and out of the promised land of measurable progress! So don’t let that happen. Act as if God is with you—because he is. Now with that in mind, what action steps do you need to take with God at your side to move from good intentions into ruthless obedience? Write out those steps … then boldly take them!

As you read Joshua 1:1-9—the setting for this verse—you can’t help but notice the repetition of the phrase, “Be bold and courageous.”  My guess is that Joshua has a bit of a fear problem going on as a result of the overwhelming leadership challenge that had been thrust upon him.  That’s why four times God reminded him to just “act as if God were with him”—which he was, of course.

Isn’t that really what being bold and courageous is? To just “act as if” God is in charge.

Like Joshua, you may have a pretty big task in front of you, and what typically happens in those cases is that you begin to doubt. You begin to question: “Is it really God’s will that I do this? Will he be with me? What if I fail?” Doubt sets in. And when doubt sets in, fear is not far behind. And when doubt and fear team up, you’ve got a recipe for spiritual paralysis.

That’s like the Peanuts cartoon where Charlie Brown was standing there waiting to catch a baseball, and he says, “A pop fly!  I’ve got it!  It’s all mine.”  Then he says, “If I catch this ball, we’ll win our first game of the season.”  Then he starts praying, “Please! Please let me catch it. Please let me be the hero.  Please let me catch it. Please!” 

In the next frame, Charlie says, “On the other hand, do I think I deserve to be the hero? The kid who hit it doesn’t want to be the goat. Is baseball, a game, really that important? Lots of kids all over the world have never even heard of baseball. Lots of kids don’t even get a place to play at all or have a place to sleep or…”

And just about that time the ball drops right in front of him—bonk! Linus comes out and says, “Charlie Brown! How could you miss such an easy pop fly?”

Charlie says, “I prayed myself out of it.”

We do that sometimes, too. We start doubting the opportunities that God places before us, and pretty soon we talk—or pray—ourselves out of them. But like Joshua, God says to us, “Have confidence in the fact that I want to bless your life and give you success.” 

A. B. Simpson once said, “Our God has boundless resources. The only limit is in us. Our asking, our thinking, our praying are too small; our expectations too limited.” Four times God said to Joshua, “Don’t you get it? You can do it! Go for it! I’ve got you covered.”  In other words, “Be determined and confident. Act as if I will be with you and help you out—because I will!”

God said that to Joshua, and made sure that it was included in his Holy Book, because he foresaw that today, fear, not problems, will keep you in the wilderness of spiritual paralysis and out of the promised land of victory!

So don’t let that happen. Act as if God is with you—because he is. He promises!

“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.”  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reflect & Apply: What is the task that is before you today? Take a moment to envision tackling it as if God were right in front of you. Then, act as if!

SYNOPSIS: “Praise the Lord, O My soul, and forgot not his benefits.” Forgiveness, healing, redemption, love, compassion … just to name a few. Now what soul wouldn’t pour forth unfettered praise at the realization of all the undeserved and life sustaining blessings that God graciously gives! So what don’t you offer up some unfettered praise today!

Project 52 – Weekly Scripture Memory // Psalm 103:11-12

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

I love this psalm—it’s my favorite. It is probably right up there with the Twenty-Third Psalm for most people, and I suspect it has made your Top Ten, too!

David is on his game in this psalm; he’s in the sweet-spot of Divine favor, the blessing zone, if you will, as he calls up from his memory banks his Top Ten list of why it is so good to belong to God:

1. Forgiveness—Psalm 103:3
2. Healing—Psalm 103:3
3. Redemption—Psalm 103:4
4. Compassion—Psalm 103:4
5. Satisfaction—Psalm 103:5
6. Justice—Psalm 103:6
7. Revelation—Psalm 103:7
8. Patience—Psalm 103:8
9. Mercy—Psalm 103:9-14
10. Love—Psalm 103:17

No wonder David “bookends” this psalm with “praise the Lord, O my soul.” (Psalm 103:1, 22) What soul wouldn’t pour forth unfettered praise at the realization of all the undeserved and life sustaining blessings that God graciously gives!

Of course, these benefits aren’t given to just anybody—although they are available to everybody. There is a critical caveat found in Psalm 103:18:

To live under these Divine blessings requires covenant keeping.

God keeps his covenantal promises to bless only those who keep their covenantal promise to obey his laws. Still, though this is a conditional covenant, we get the far better deal, by miles. Even when we don’t always live up to our end of the bargain, God looks upon us through his eyes of compassion, sustains us by his mercy, forgives our repentance and patiently, lovingly, enduringly keeps us in his family.

All I can say to that is “praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits!” (Psalm 103:2)

So take some time to remember the benefits of belonging to God. My guess is, like David, you, too, will be singing a little soul music!

“He rides pleasantly enough whom the grace of God carries.” ~Thomas A` Kempis

Reflect & Apply: One of the greatest benefits of belonging to God is the removal of our sins when we confess them and repent of our sinful ways.  Psalm 103:11-12 says God pardons our sins and removes them as far as the east is from the west.  Last time I looked, that was a long way.  How great is the love of a God who would do that.  How about taking some time to express your thanks to God that he is in the sin removal business.

SYNOPSIS: Do you feel bogged down in life’s journey? You are not! In reality, you are in marching in Christ’s victory parade. So don’t allow your faith to rise and fall on the empirical evidence of right now. Patiently trust on those days when you are slogging through life, because soon enough, the procession will take you by the final grandstand. Others have already finished the parade, they’ve stood in the winner’s circle, they’ve received the victor’s crown. Now they are waiting for you in the cheering section at the finish, urging you on to victory. So is the Victor!

Project 52 – Weekly Scripture Memory // 2 Corinthians 2:14

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

What a great promise: God always leads us in triumphal procession! In other words, we are marching in Christ’s victory parade. He has taken us captive and we are happily his trophies of grace in the Victor’s procession. Wherever the parade leads, we are giving off the smell of victory!

That sounds a bit ethereal, but in reality, what that means for you is that in every turn of the path, good or bad, smooth cruising or rough road, not only have you already won, even better, your winning is a witness to the triumph of Jesus Christ. Whatever comes your way—it doesn’t matter—in the end, you win. Since you are in Christ’s victory parade, you are a victor!

Now in reality, the road you are on may seem like anything but a parade. But if what the Apostle Paul wrote is true—which we confidently accept by faith—then in a practical sense, we never need to be discouraged in this journey by unknown outcomes. Perhaps you can’t see the twists and turns in the road ahead, but God knows them, and that’s all that matters. He is steering you to the finish. So travel with confidence! It is really a victory parade you are in, and Christ is leading it.

Moreover, don’t be intimidated by the either the impossibility or the length of the journey. It could be the road you are traveling is difficult, even treacherous, and with no end in sight. In truth, the path to victory always is, so get used it. You are only walking where the greats have trod! And since the path is really the parade route, take courage, Christ is leading you to victory.

Finally, don’t get disturbed by delays. Perhaps you feel like you have bogged down in the journey, but remember, you are in a victory parade. Don’t allow your faith to rise and fall on the empirical evidence of right now. Patiently trust in spite of delays, because soon enough, the procession will take you by the final grandstand. Others have already finished the parade, they’ve stood in the winner’s circle, they’ve received the victor’s crown. Now they are waiting for you in the cheering section at the finish, urging you on to victory.

And best of all, so is the One who has led you in this triumphal procession all this way. Once you see him, what seems like a difficult journey now will appear in reality then as nothing more than a victory parade.

So let me say it again: this journey you are on is really a victory procession, and Christ is leading you in triumph.  So act like it is a victory lap—soon enough it will be!

“To choose what is difficult all one’s days, as if it were easy, that is faith.” ~W. H. Auden

Reflect & Apply: Is there a fear or discouragement impeding your faith journey at the moment? Rethink it—Christ has already won your victory and is leading you in triumphal procession. Allow that truth to make a difference in how you walk.

SYNOPSIS: You may not see what God is up to, but he is up to good. He is fulfilling his purposes for his own glory, and he is working out the details of your life for your own good. Don’t let circumstances tell you otherwise, because he has promised to perfect everything that concerns you. And even though God’s enemies may be fighting mad—and taking it out on you—never forget, behind the scenes, he is repurposing even the most unlikely sources as instruments to accomplish his good, pleasing and perfect will for you.

The Journey// Focus: Joshua 2:7-11

So the king’s men went looking for the spies along the road leading to the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. And as soon as the king’s men had left, the gate of Jericho was shut. Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.

God is always at work, even when we cannot see it. God is always fulfilling his glorious purposes, which includes perfecting everything that concerns you and me.

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me. (Psalm 138:8)

At times, God is working in visible, dramatic, undeniable ways. We will see an example of that very thing a few chapters later when the walls of the city of Jericho miraculously fall. Those kinds of stories are strategically placed throughout scripture to build our confidence in God. But between those faith stories, which are long stretches of time—weeks, months, even years—God’s work is not so visible. He is not inactive, mind you; his work is just invisible. You see, most of the time God is behind the scenes, working in unseen ways, as is the case here in Joshua 2. The Israelite spies that Joshua sent out to size up Jericho have made their way into the city, but word has gotten out and now the authorities are looking for them. Their lives are at risk. They don’t see that God is at work—yet. For all they know, they’re toast!

Then Rahab rescues the day. Yes, Rahab—an idol worshipping, street walking, “lady of the night.” At great risk to her own life, and that of her family, she hides the spies and tricks the authorities, making it possible for the two deep cover Israelites to make it out alive. What the two spies didn’t know at the time was that God was working on their behalf by working on a prostitute, whom he would use in such a significant act of faith that her bravery would land her in God’s Great Hall of Faith. (Hebrews 11:30-31)

As she spoke with the spies, this lady of questionable character was laying down some unquestionable theology: the work of God on Israel’s behalf was striking fear in the hearts of Israel’s enemies. The mighty acts of deliverance forty years prior in Egypt and over the decades of Israel’s wandering out in the desert had been sending shock waves into the unseen realm, and the principalities and powers that opposed God, and everything of God, were quaking in their boots. God had been at work all along on Israel’s behalf, and they didn’t even know it.

What is interesting here is how the different actors respond. The enemies of God are fighting mad. The men of God are fleeing in fear. The woman of the night is responding in faith. And over it all, God is at work, fulfilling his purposes and perfecting everything that concerns his people—redeeming a prostitute, rescuing the spies, and redirecting the bounty hunters.

That is true for you too. You may not see what God is up to, but he is up to good. He is fulfilling his purposes for his own glory, and he is working out the details of your life for your good. Don’t let circumstances tell you otherwise. You may be tempted to flee in fear and God’s enemies may be fighting mad—at you. But at the same time, God will be repurposing even the most unlikely sources, the Rahabs in your world, as instruments of faith.

What you see isn’t all that is going on. Never forget that. And learn to trust God’s unseen but unstoppable work on your behalf.

“ It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye. —ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPERY

SYNOPSIS: It may sound harsh to say we are commanded to serve, but it is what we were created, and recreated, to do. Christians serve! Like fish swim and birds fly, Christians serve. Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God shaped us to serve him. God was there at the moment you and I were conceived, even before, deliberately engineering us to fulfill that purpose. And when we do, his joy will flow into our souls. We will be hilariously happy.

Project 52 – Weekly Scripture Memory // Acts 20:35

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Jesus was a different kind of leader than the world had ever known.   Instead of taking, he gave—even giving up his very life. Instead of seeking power, fortune and fame, he came to glorify the Father. Instead of insisting his rights as the Son of God, he came to incarnate a God who touched lepers, ate with sinners and healed on the Sabbath. Instead of being served, his very purpose in coming to earth was to serve.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

So when Jesus—or his apostles who led the early church and formulated the New Testament theology by which we now order our lives—calls us to serve and to give our lives away, we are not being asked to do anything that wasn’t authentically modeled for us. Paul writes in Philippians 2:5-7, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God…took on the very nature of a servant.”

Jesus did that—now he asks us to do the same. We are called to serve, and quite frankly, the call is even stronger than that: it is a command. Jesus said, “I have set an example for you…now do as I have done.” (John 13:13-17)  Paul commanded in Galatians 5:13, “Serve one another in love.”

Now it may sound a little harsh to say we are commanded to serve, but it is what we were created, and recreated, to do. Christians serve! Like fish swim and birds fly, Christians serve! Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God shaped us to serve him. God was there at the moment you and I were conceived, even before, deliberately engineering us to fulfill his purposes.

Now there are a couple of very important results that occur when we begin to serve our God-shaped purpose. First, we will begin to capture the world’s attention.  Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16, NLT) Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this will all men know that you are my disciples: That you have love for one another.”  By our authentic servanthood and sacrificial giving, we become living proof of a loving God to a lost world.

Roy Hattersley, a columnist for the Guardian (U.K.) and an outspoken atheist, laments, “It ought to be possible to live a Christian life without being a Christian.” But after watching the Salvation Army lead several other faith-based organizations in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort, he wrote,

“Notable by their absence were teams from rationalist societies, free thinkers’ clubs, and atheists’ associations—the sort of people who scoff at religion’s intellectual absurdity… [Christians] are the people most likely to take the risks and make the sacrifices involved in helping others.  Civilized people do not believe that drug addiction and male prostitution offend against divine ordinance. But those who do are the men and women most willing to change the fetid bandages, replace the sodden sleeping bags, and—probably most difficult of all—argue, without a trace of impatience, that the time has come for some serious medical treatment.  The only possible conclusion is that faith comes with a packet of moral imperatives that, while they do not condition the attitude of all believers, influence enough of them to make [Christians] morally superior to atheists like me.”

The truth is, the spotlight never shines more brightly on Jesus than when Christians serve.  “By this, all will know…”

Second, when we begin to serve our God-shaped purpose, happiness is produced in our soul. When we serve we find it is indeed more blessed to give than receive. The word “blessed” here means “hilariously happy.” We are really serving ourselves when we serve others, because health and happiness gets produced in our inner core. You see, there is just something ennobling about serving others—and therefore joy-producing.

Karl Menninger, founder of the famed psychiatric clinic in Topeka, Kansas that bears his name, was once asked, “what would you do if you thought you were going crazy?” Without even having to think about it, he said, “I’d go out and find someone less fortunate to serve.”

Jesus said, “I’ve washed your feet…now go do that for one another.”  Did he mean that literally?  Probably not.  Washing someone’s “barking dogs” back then was akin to getting treated to a hour-long massage in our day. It is the spirit of the foot-washing that Jesus is wanting us to capture. He is wanting us to follow his lead, take the posture of a servant, give our lives away and allow his love to flow to others by doing so.

In return, his joy will flow into our souls.  And we will be hilariously happy.

“Serve God by doing common actions in a heavenly spirit, and then, if your daily calling only leaves you cracks and crevices of time, fill them up with holy service.” ~Charles Spurgeon

Reflect & Apply: Christians serve! Do you? If you want to experience the “hilarious happiness” that Jesus spoke about, find a need and serve in his spirit and in his name.

SYNOPSIS: Don’t treat your body like a rental house from which you’re about to be evicted. If there is momentary remorse as you stand before the judgment seat of Christ in eternity, it will likely be how for you treated your body while you were on earth. The Apostle Paul called our physical being, “the temple of the Holy Spirit.” That itself should alert us to pay better attention to how we care for them! Do you treat proper “temple care” as optional; opting instead for excess eating, under-exercising, and over-indulging your selfish desires? Have you  nurtured your spirit, pampered your emotions, and fed your intellect while neglecting your body? However you may answer those questions, from this day forward, as a way to honor the Creator of you, make a commitment to care of the holy bod!

Project 52 – Weekly Scripture Memory // 2 Corinthians 6:19-20

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

I don’t quite understand how things will play out when we as believers stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Maybe it will have nothing to do with the negative image the word “judgment” conjures in our mind. Perhaps the judgment will only be a positive experience, as when an arbitrator renders a favorable judgment on our behalf.

However, the Apostle Paul speaks of the believer having to give account at that moment for the deeds done while living in the body—whether good or bad. (See 2Corinthians 5:9-11) It is hard to imagine feeling any remorse when you’ve permanently planted your foot in heaven for the first time, but it could be that we will feel some momentary remorse at that moment over wasted opportunity to grow into Christlikeness or failure to trust God to a greater degree or the lack of effort to extend his kingdom while we were on Planet Earth. I say “momentary remorse” because I can’t imagine anything but sheer joy that we, unworthy sinners saved only by grace, will get to spend eternity in God’s heaven.

If there is momentary remorse, one of the areas of disappointment for many Christians in our day will surely be how we have treated our physical bodies. The Apostle Paul called them “the temple of the Holy Spirit”, which should have alerted us to pay better attention to how we cared for them. Yet we have treated proper “temple care” as optional; opting instead for excess eating, under-exercising, and over-indulging our own selfish desires. We have loved on our spirits, pampered our emotions, and fed our intellect, but our bodies—we have treated them like a rental house from which we are about to be evicted.

However, Paul says that we are to honor God with our bodies. Why? They are not ours—they really belong to God. We are driving his car, so to speak, and it is not a Yugo, it is a Lamborghini. He created our physical bodies, designed them in his very own image, put the Breath of Life into them, then after we had irreparably corrupted them through sin, he redeemed them at a very costly price to himself. Our bodies belong to God, and one day we are going to turn them back in to him. So we really ought to give careful thought to how we treat them between now and then.

So what should be we doing with these “holy bod’s” that have been loaned out to us? Let me suggest three things:

First, treat them physically as if God himself were living inside—which he is. Watch what you eat—and how much, get the proper amount of rest and exercise, give them the best appearance you can—without over indulging, and keep them untainted by immorality and other kinds of impurity.

Second, use them to serve God. The Holy Spirit inhabits your body, and he has placed within certain of his gifts, unique to you. Make sure you are exercising those gifts to his glory by serving others.

Third, offer them as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. After all, in light of his creation—and recreation—of them, it is the least you can do. As Paul urged in Romans 12:1 (The Message), “Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.”

Yeah, you’re walking around at the moment in a holy bod! So remember, you’re going to turn it back in some day!

“The body is a sacred garment.” ~Martha Graham

Reflect & Apply: Write out an improvement plan for your use of “the temple” in the following three areas: 1) Your physical habits—how you can eat, rest and exercise more consistently. 2) Your spiritual gifts—how and where you can serve in the Body of Christ. 3) Your sacrificial worship—how you can turn your physical life into a daily offering to God.

SYNOPSIS: A.W. Tozer said, “We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God.” An everlasting preoccupation—that’s what worship is. That’s your highest purpose, your very reason for being. The Westminster Confession and Catechisms, written in the mid 1600’s as a tool for studying doctrine, asks and answers 196 theological questions. The very first question is this: What is the chief and highest end of man? And the answer: Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever. That is why you exist:  To worship God and enjoy him forever! Today, and each day hereafter, make sure you are fulling your rai·son d’ê·tre—you reason for being!

Project 52 – Weekly Scripture Memory // Romans 12:1

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Isaac Watts was a prolific author, writing over 50 books, more than half on theology. He is best remembered, however, for his hymns, writing over 700. Even today, three centuries after he died, most hymnals have at least twenty of his songs.  It is said that as Watts was dying he was reciting one of his favorites: “I’ll Praise My Maker While I Breathe.”  Isaac Watts was captivated by the worship of God.

God has created us with a tremendous capacity, as well as a duty, to worship him. He wants—and deserves—that we, too, would praise our Maker while we breathe.

Victor Hugo said of his pastor: “He didn’t just study God, he was dazzled by him.” That is want God wants—and deserves—from us: To be dazzled by him.

A.W. Tozer said, “We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God.”  An everlasting preoccupation—that’s what worship is. That’s our highest purpose, our very reason for being. The Westminster Confession and Catechisms, written in the mid 1600’s as a tool for studying doctrine, asks and answers 196 theological questions. The very first question is this: What is the chief and highest end of man? And the answer: Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.

That is why we were created:  To worship God and enjoy him forever…

To be agents of praise…
To be dazzled by his being…
To be captivated by his presence…
To be everlastingly preoccupied with worship!

That’s why you and I must fight to maintain, or perhaps reclaim, a Biblical understanding and a right experience of worship as God wants—and deserves—in our lives and our church. Paul is urging that in Romans 12:1,

“I appeal to you therefore, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.”  (Amplified)

Did you catch that?  You and I must purpose to offer our whole life to God. Not just lip service, but life service. God-pleasing worship is more than inspired music and enthusiastic singing; it means bringing everything we are and everything we have to God in a joyful recognition of his mercy. William Barclay gave one of the best definitions of worship I’ve ever come across when he wrote,

True worship is the offering to God of one’s body, and all that one does every day with it. Real worship is not the offering to God of a liturgy, however noble, and a ritual, however magnificent. Real worship is the offering of everyday life to him, not something transacted in a church, but something which sees the whole world as the temple of the living God. As Whittier wrote: ‘“For he whom Jesus loved hath truly spoken: The holier worship which he deigns to bless, Restores the lost, and binds the spirit broken, And feeds the widow and the fatherless.” A man may say, “I am going to church to worship God,” but he should also be able to say, “I am going to the factory, the shop, the office, the school, the garage, the locomotive shed, the mine, the shipyard, the field, the byre, the garden, to worship God.”

We are not just to honor and worship God with our words on Sundays only, but also with our entire existence in all we do from Monday through Saturday. Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

That means how we rest, play, handle money, feed our minds, care for our bodies and engage relationally is all worship! Whether it’s the fruit of our lips on Sunday or the fruit of our lives on Monday, the kind of worship that pleases God means we must always bring our “A game” and place it before God “… as a living sacrifice…” It’s the least—and best—we can do. It’s what God wants—and deserves!

That’s what God wants—and deserves—the sacrificial surrender of our everyday lives to him in worship.

We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the psalms, and that the habit of celebrating the greatness and graciousness of God yields an endless flow of thankfulness, joy, and zeal. (J.I. Packer)

Reflect & Apply: Stop at the very first word of chapter 12: “Therefore”.  Whenever you come to a “therefore” in the Bible, you ought to ask yourself, “what is it there for?” What Paul goes on to say in these first two verses comprises what is arguably the most important duty of all true Christ-followers: The offering of our everyday life to God as our only and reasonable act of worship. “Therefore” …what is the basis of this call to Christian duty? Hint: Go back to the previous verse, Romans 11:36.  Read and reflect on what that verse means for your life.

SYNOPSIS: Jesus is our access card to the very throne room of the Father, where we can boldly and confidently use the authority of his name to let God know our needs. And when we ask in his name, Jesus promises both answers to our requests and a complete sense of satisfaction in gaining the Father’s provision (“and your joy will be complete”). But asking in his name implies two interconnected things: First, it implies that we are living under his authority. By that I mean we are giving his rule first place in our lives. Second, it implies we are asking in his authority. That is, we are under his rule, we are serving his cause, and we are acting as agents of his Kingdom interests. Asking in that sense is both the believer’s highest privilege and most powerful resource. With that in mind, let’s start asking!

Project 52 – Weekly Scripture Memory // John 16:24

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

What Jesus revealed to his disciples about prayer was a completely new thing in Israel. Under the old “house rules,” people had to go through a priest to contact the Almighty. They had to bring a sacrifice—depending on the need, there were a variety of sacrifices required—which had to be offered in a proscribed way. There was no direct contact between God and people.

But a new day had dawned, and by Jesus’ once-for-all sacrificial death on the cross, complete, free, unlimited, direct and easy access had been opened up between people and God.  The writer of Hebrews so beautifully described it this way:

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22)

Jesus is our access card to the very throne room of the Father, where we can boldly and confidently use the authority of Jesus’ name to let God know our needs.  And when we ask in his name, Jesus promises both answers to our requests (“ask and you will receive”) and a complete sense of satisfaction in gaining the Father’s provision (“your joy will be complete”).

Now asking in his name implies two interconnected things.  First, it implies that we are living under his authority. By that I mean we are giving his rule first place in our lives, we are learning to look at things through his perspective and we are considering our needs and wants in the light of their relationship to the Kingdom life. Truly living under his authority is the best guard against the selfish asking some would take this verse to legitimize.

Second, it implies we are asking in his authority. That is, we are under his rule, we are serving his cause and we are acting as agents of his Kingdom’s interests. We know who we are and who he is, which leads to a bold and unabashed confidence in coming before the Father to request the release of Divine resources to fulfill the needs of his ever-expanding Kingdom.

No wonder Jesus assured us that this kind of praying works, for in essence, as C.S. Lewis so cleverly wrote,

“Our prayers are really His prayers;
He speaks to himself through us.”

Asking in that sense is both the believer’s highest privilege and most powerful resource.  With that in mind, let’s start asking!

Reflect & Apply:  If you are like me, understanding prayer this way calls me to evaluate my life to see if I am living under his authority—and all that implies, and asking in his authority—that is, acting as an agent of his Kingdom’s interests. And, if you are like me, there is usually some realigning needed to bring my life—my thoughts, attitudes and practices—back into Kingdom alignment.

SYNOPSIS: It has been called “The Great Commandment.” Within it you will discover the bottom line to what God wants from his people. It is a job description, if you will, that succinctly describes what must occupy the attitudes, thoughts and actions of every true disciple. It is the gold standard of a growing spirituality, the truest measurement of a salvation that has taken root, the surest sign of transformation into Christ-likeness. It is also a brilliant one-word summation of the entire Bible.  In a word, here is what Jesus said: LOVE! Love—not the noun, but the verb. Love—that’s it. Just love, and everything else will take care of itself.

Project 52 – Weekly Scripture Memory // Matthew 22:37-40

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

Jesus’ response to a question asking him to identify the most important law in Scripture has been called, “The Great Commandment”, and truly, it is a great one!

Within it you will discover the bottom line to what God wants from his people. It is a job description, if you will, that succinctly describes what must occupy the attitudes, thoughts and actions of every true disciple.  It is the gold standard of a growing spirituality, the truest measurement of a salvation that has taken root, the surest sign of transformation into Christ-likeness.

It is also a brilliant one-word summation of the entire Bible.  In a word, here is what Jesus said:

LOVE!

Love—not the noun, but the verb. Love—that’s it. Do that, and everything else will take care of itself. Simply love God with every fiber of your being, and your religion will be pure, your faith will be authentic and your Christianity will be true to plumb. For when you love God wholeheartedly, then you will love his Word, obey his commands, testify of his greatness, steward his resources, serve his purposes, worship his name, care for his creation—and you will store up treasure in heaven, to boot! Just love God, and everything will be alright with you!

And if you really are loving God with your whole heart, then you will also love your neighbor as yourself. If you are not loving people in that manner, then you have a love problem; your love for God is anemic. The truest sign that God’s love is transforming your own heart is a demonstrable love for the people around you.  Likewise, the most effective love for the people around you is rooted in and issues from your love for God. Love for God and love for people are inseparable; you can’t have one without the other.

That’s right: Love is the thing. All else pales in comparison; nothing else matters!

So the burning question is, how do you love God like he wants to be loved?  How do you fulfill this first and greatest commandment?

To begin with, let me encourage you not to limit your understanding of love to the feelings and emotions of love that we have come to expect.  Just as you don’t always “feel” love for another person, you won’t always feel the warm sensation of love for God.  At times you will—and that’s wonderful—but don’t depend just on your feelings.  They are way overrated!

Rather, look at love for God this way:  Start with a decision to love—purpose in your heart that you will love God. Then make a commitment to love—make loving God the highest and most fiercely guarded priority of your life.  Follow that with the action of love—do the things that demonstrate your love for God: Spend time with him, talk to him—and listen, tangibly care for the things he cares for, align your life around the things that matter to him. Finally, never take your love for God, or his love for you, for granted. One of the best ways to keep love fresh is by expressing gratitude for what his love has done for you.

Though it seems crazy and is actually quite impossible, make it your life’s ambition to outdo the love God has for you by your love for him.  It’ll never work, but you’ll be amazed at the kind of life that results from trying.  Henry Martyn, an Anglican mission from the early nineteenth century wrote,

“With thee, O my God, there is no disappointment; I shall never have to regret that I loved thee too well.”

Make love the thing—love for God, love for people—and you will never, ever regret it!

Reflect & Apply:  If you are worried that your love for God is waning, I would recommend that you pray what I once heard someone offer as a heartfelt cry to God: “Lord, I want to love you.  Help me to want to want to love you more!” That may sound a little strange, but I somehow sense that your Father would be moved by that kind of request.

Project 52 – Weekly Scripture Memory // Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to the dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

I’m starting a new project today. It’s Project 52. For the next 52 weeks, I am going to memorize key verses from God’s Word to the tune of one per week. And since you’re reading this, I’m assuming you are going to join me in this project. If that assumption is premature, I hope that at least you’ll consider it.

The reason I’m doing this is two-fold:  First, as I’ve prayed about my personal walk with Christ, I sense the Holy Spirit urging from me a greater dedication to God’s Word. Second, I know of no single greater resource for a closer walk with Christ than reading, reflecting on, and obeying God’s Word.

And what better instrument for reading, absorbing and living out God’s Word than committing it to memory. That’s why I’m doing this—and I am excited about the potential Project 52 holds, both for you and for me.

I appreciate what Chuck Swindoll said about Scripture memory:

I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture…No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified.

Think about it: There is no more powerful, transformative tool that we have been given than the Word of God. The words of God are why we exist in the first place—for he spoke and the worlds came into being. The words of God, spoken through and recorded by both Old and New Testament prophets, reveal what we are to do, direct where we are to go and show how we will get there. The words of God—both recorded in the written Word and revealed in the living Word, Jesus—unfolds who God is and how we can be in right standing with him.

For those reasons, the Word of God is unlike any other word, spoken or written. As the writer of Hebrews says, God’s Word is living—even if we’re only viewing it on the pages of an ancient book. Moreover, God’s Word is active—it doesn’t just provide us with more information about God, it catalyzes transformation within us. And thankfully, God’s Word not only comforts us, it discomforts us, too.  When we read it and hear it, because it is living and active, it penetrates right to the core of our being, and like a surgical implement, exposes our selfish, sinful flesh to the cleansing, healing, restoring light of God’s eternal truth.

Yes, God has spoken through his Word—thank God for that!

So I think it’s pretty obvious why, among other practices we ought to engage in as it relates to God’s Word, we ought to make committing it to memory a top priority.

I’m going to.  I hope you will, too!

Reflect and Apply:  Are there any “thoughts and attitudes” that you need to confess to God and allow him to cleanse in your heart by the washing of his Word?  Now would be a good time to do that.  And while you’re at it, reflect on the last few verses of this chapter, Hebrews 4:14-16. I think you will be encouraged.

The underlying spirit in all complaints is that we don’t trust the sovereign plan of God that has allowed us to be in the undesirable state about which we are complaining. Likewise, our complaint indicates that we don’t trust that his power will see us through it and accomplish his purposes by it. That is why all complaints, even if they are directed at another person or a situation, is really a complaint, a sin, against the Sovereign Lord. And what makes it worse, complaining spreads like a wildfire, leaving the ashes of doubt and distrust in its aftermath. We must reject our spiritual temper-tantrums for tempered trust in the One who does all things well.

A Simple Prayer To Not Be A Whiner:

It used to be, not more than a mere generation ago, that “thou shalt not drink alcohol” along with a few other inviolable “shalt not’s”, was on a corollary set of Ten Commandments that my family and most other families in our brand of Christianity fiercely observed. These days it has gone so far the other way that you may be handed a brewski when you show up for your small group Bible study. Praise the Lord and pass the Coors Light!

Enduring Truth // Proverbs 20:1

Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

So who’s right: our tee-totaling grandparents or the beer-swilling hipster Christians of this present generation?

How about somewhere right down the middle. In my humble opinion, the Bible doesn’t condemn the moderate consumption and enjoyment of alcohol (I read somewhere that Jesus once turned water into the best wine ever tasted by man), but it does give us some pretty clear guidance on the matter:

• It comes down pretty hard on those who use alcohol in a way that leads to drunkenness: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (Eph 5:18)
• It issues a clear admonition against alcohol’s mind-altering effects: “Whose heart is filled with anguish and sorrow? Who is always fighting and quarreling? Who is the man with bloodshot eyes and many wounds? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new mixtures. Don’t let the sparkle and the smooth taste of strong wine deceive you. For in the end it bites like a poisonous serpent; it stings like an adder. You will see hallucinations and have delirium tremens, and you will say foolish, silly things that would embarrass you no end when sober. You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. And afterwards you will say, ‘I didn’t even know it when they beat me up. . . . Let’s go and have another drink!’” (Prov. 23:29-35)
• It strongly warns again the false bravado and the negative personality change often associated with drinking: “Wine makes you mean, beer makes you quarrelsome—a staggering drunk is not much fun.” (Prov. 20:1)
• It prohibits the believer’s use of alcohol when it causes another believer struggle in their faith: “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” (1 Cor. 8:9)

As it relates to whether you should drink “adult beverages” or not, I would simply suggest that you consider the following:

First, consult what the “whole counsel of Scripture” has to say about wine, drinking and drunkenness. There’s a lot there, by the way. When it comes to alcohol, or any other questionable issue, let Scripture interpret Scripture as you form a Biblical opinion on the matter at hand.

Second, as a New Testament believer you have been set free from a long list of religious “do’s and don’t’s”. So don’t let any legalist draw you back into spiritual bondage. On the other hand, however, remember that just because God permits something doesn’t mean he will bless it.

Third, whenever there is an occasion where you will be offered a drink, ask yourself, “what would Jesus do in this situation?” Seriously, WWJD? I know that might sound hackneyed, but I truly believe it would be a good way to approach this whole matter.

Fourth, there is probably a very good reason why no one ever has said, “beer makes me a better Christian.” Nor has any ever said, “that guy’s drinking habits makes me want to follow Christ.” Maybe for that reason alone—for the health of our disciples and our witness—we ought to step away from the tap. Just saying!

But whether you and I agree on this matter or not, how about we extend each other a little grace? Or a lot!

“ I like liquor — its taste and its effects — and that is just the reason why I never drink it. —THOMAS JACKSON

If you are going to be a fully devoted follower of Christ, you will have to think, do and live like Jesus thought, did and lived—not the least of which is to take on the attitude, exhibit the actions, and live the lifestyle of a servant. Yes—you will have to serve your way to the top!

Enduring Truth // John 13:14

Since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.

If you are going to be a fully devoted follower of Christ, you will have to think, do and live like Jesus thought, did and lived—not the least of which is to take on the attitude, exhibit the actions, and live the lifestyle of a servant. Yes—you will have to serve as Jesus served!

Serving is what Jesus did because servanthood was at the very core of who Jesus was and why Jesus came. The Gospel of Mark, the first written biographical account of Jesus, sums up the life and ministry of Jesus with this simple, clear and compelling mission statement:

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

Fleshing out this mission statement, John 13 presents the servanthood of Jesus in action in the most unusual and unforgettable way: He washed his disciples’ feet. Then, as he completed this humbling task, he said to them, “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” (John 13:15, NLT)

It is abundantly clear from this passage, along with other scripture, that serving is an unmistakable, unavoidable demand of discipleship. Not only is serving a demand, but when we look at Jesus’ example, we find that serving is also a delight. It is what makes us bless-able: “Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.” (John 13:17, NLT)

Think about it: Serving like Jesus is what puts you at your Christ-like best!

You are called to serve! Paul writes in Philippians 2:5-7, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God…took on the very nature of a servant.” Galatians 5:13 says, “Serve one another in love.” If you are serving, you are fulfilling your basic Christian calling. If you are not, then you are not!

You were created to serve! Like a fish swims and a bird flies, a Christian serves. Ephesians 2:20 states, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Before you were even conceived, God laid out specific plans just for you. You are not an after-thought; you do not just exist; you are on this earth not just to be a potted plant, you were born not just to consume, but to contribute. God deliberately shaped you to serve his purposes, which means that he has placed an important responsibility on your shoulders that only you can fulfill.

You contribute to the Body of Christ when you serve! God specifically created you, converted you, and called you to contribute to the life, health and mission of a local church. Paul taught in I Corinthians 12:27, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” Verse 12 says, “The body is a unit, though it’s made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” Verse 18 says, “God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” Why? Verse 7 tells us it is “for the common good.” I Peter 4:10 says, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” Perhaps you didn’t realize this, but you serving in your church is the primary means of other people receiving God’s grace.

You capture the world’s attention when you serve! Our humble, authentic acts of service put God in a good light. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:16, NLT) Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this will all men know that you are my disciples: That you have love for one another.” It’s by authentic servanthood that you become living proof of a loving God.

Jesus ended the washing of his disciples’ feet by issuing this very simple challenge: Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.” (John 13:17, NLT) It doesn’t get any clearer than that!

Being in the world but not of it is perhaps the Christian’s greatest challenge. But that is our calling, and the Holy Spirit indwells us for the precise reason of giving us the wisdom and power to live as God’s distinct people—redemptively different. And when we resolve to stand out for God, God will stand up for us!

A Simple Prayer for a Distinct Life:

God, make me different from the world. You have called me to come out from the unbelievers and be separate from them. You have also said that while I am in the world, I am not to be of it. That gets fuzzy for me sometimes, and because of the strong pull of this present age, it is always a hard thing. Please give me the boldness and resolve to be distinctly yours, and the wisdom to know when and how I should do that. Through the way I live my life, cause me to attract attention to you.

Fear is an ever-present enemy that is constantly yammering in your ear that you will lose, you will get hurt, you will fail, and you will die if you take that step of faith. Fear is telling you to shrink back, play it safe, and stay in your comfort zone. Yet God has pre-determined victory for his people, and that includes you. So whom are you going to believe: Fear or God? The answer to that will determine whether you will achieve victory over the enemies in your life and attain the promises that God has made to you, or if you will shrink back into a life of mediocrity.

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Chronicles 19:13

Be courageous! Let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord’s will be done.

If we are truly committed to the will of the Lord being done, then the only thing left to do is to show courage and move forward with resolution.

That was Joab’s philosophy in leading the Israelite troops against two formidable armies that had ganged up on Israel. The Arameans and the Ammonites presented a sizable danger to Israel, and they were desperate: they knew of David’s growing military dominance and they didn’t want to be yet two more of his many vassal nations. So they came to fight; they threw all they had at Israel in a do-or-die effort.

So when Joab realized their divide and conquer strategy—they would split their forces and attack Israel from the front and from the rear—he repurposed part of his troops under the capable leadership of his brother Abishai while he led the other part. He met their strategy with his own, along with this bold faith declaration calling for courageous leadership, and at the end of the day, his troops routed their enemy while securing the promise of God for a prosperous Israel.

But it wasn’t just a great strategy that won the day for Israel. That was a significant part to the victory. It wasn’t just well trained troops, previous experience and the skillful leadership of Joab and Abishai. Those were important pieces to the story as well. What won the day for God’s people was God’s will. God had willed that Israel would prosper, and because Joab was convinced of the will of God, he was able to marshal his strategic thinking, military experience and well trained troops to win the day. Since he knew in his “knower” that God’s will was to give him victory, the only thing left for the general to do at this point was to demonstrate courageous leadership and move his troops resolutely into battle.

Think about that in terms of your own life. If you are truly convinced of God’s good will for you, as you say you are, then the only thing left for you to do is to act courageously. If you resist steps of faith in response to God’s will, then you really don’t trust that God will perform his purposes. Now I am not mocking your lack of faith or belittling you because of fear. Fear and emotional paralysis are natural emotions that attack our resolve every step of the way. That is why “do not fear” and “be bold and courageous” are the number one commands given to us in scripture. Fear is an ever-present enemy that we must overcome at each step where faith is required of us.

Fear is an ever-present enemy that is constantly yammering in your ear that you will lose, you will get hurt, you will fail, and you will die if you take that step of faith. Fear is telling you to shrink back, play it safe, and stay in your comfort zone. Yet God has pre-determined victory for his people, and that includes you. So whom are you going to believe: Fear or God? The answer to that will determine whether you will achieve victory over the enemies in your life and attain the promises that God has made to you, or if you will shrink back into a life of mediocrity.

My friend, the will of God shall be accomplished. So my encouragement to you is to step out courageously and resolutely into the victory that the Lord has predetermined to give you.

“ All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination. —EARL NIGHTINGALE

Let’s hear it for the gatekeepers! Today we probably call them church custodians. They are the unsung heroes who don’t get much recognition—unless something goes wrong. They guard the house of God. They prepare it for worship. They unlock the doors for services and batten down the hatches when everybody else abandons ship and heads for home at the end of the day. They make sure the temperature is just right—although in my experience, the gatekeepers will never achieve that lofty ideal. They make sure the restrooms are presentable and keep all the light bulbs working. Their work really never ends. Thank God for them!

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Chronicles 9:26-27

The four chief gatekeepers, all Levites, were trusted officials, for they were responsible for the rooms and the treasuries at the house of God. They would spend the night around the house of God, since it was their duty to guard it and to open the gates every morning.

Let’s hear it for the gatekeepers! Today we probably call them church custodians. They are the unsung heroes who don’t get much recognition—unless something goes wrong. They guard the house of God. They prepare it for worship. They unlock the doors for services and batten down the hatches when everybody else abandons ship and heads for home at the end of the day. They make sure the temperature is just right—although in my experience, the gatekeepers will never achieve that lofty ideal. They make sure the restrooms are presentable and keep all the light bulbs working. Their work really never ends.

They are truly heroes of the faith—but they don’t get credit for it. They are mostly unnoticed, underappreciated, and probably underpaid. But they did make it into God’s bulletin—they got listed in 1 Chronicles 9 along with the star quarterback and the wide-receivers—i.e., the priests and tribal leaders. They were the gatekeepers, and they were “trusted officials.”

I’ve been in church all my life—I cut my teeth on the backs of the pews, even carved my initials in one—and all my adult life has been in vocational ministry. And in each of the churches that I have been a part of, the “gatekeepers” played a significant but underappreciated roll in the ministry of those houses of God. And I have to confess, I don’t think I did a proper job of appreciating them.

So here’s what I’d suggest: This week, write a note to the “gatekeeper” of your church, and tell him or her how much you appreciate them and value the work they do to prepare God’s house so that you might enjoy worship. Perhaps you can take it a step further and take them out to lunch or buy them an appreciation gift.

And make it a regular practice—they deserve it.

Oh, and one more thing: Encourage others in your fellowship to do the same. And by all means, teach your children to show respect for them.

There is nothing quite like the unleashed power of nature to remind you of how small, insignificant and truly powerless you are. Same is true for a personal storm—an unbelievably huge financial crisis, an untreatable physical ailment, an unrelenting relational disaster, an unyielding emotional trauma. Storms happen—but so does God!

Read: Psalm 104 // Focus: Psalm 104:7-9, 31-32

There is nothing quite like the unleashed power of nature to remind you of how small, insignificant and truly powerless you are.

Then there are personal storms! You may be going through one right now. In many respects, the fury of nature is nothing compared to the devastating power of a personal storm. Within any given week, a half-dozen friends will described to me their own personal storms—everything from an unbelievably huge financial crisis to an untreatable physical ailment to an unrelenting relational disaster to an unyielding emotional trauma—and they are truly big, hairy, audacious personal gale-force storms. And for the most part, their respective tales of storms are not of their own doing.

You see, storms happen!

I would rather face nature than to go through what many people are forced to go through. At least a tornado, or an earthquake or a hailstorm comes to an end—and then you can pick up the pieces and begin to rebuild. Most of the time, a personal storm has no end in sight. And when you are in one, you are constantly reminded of how small, insignificant and truly powerless you are.

But there is One who is bigger than the storm. And the psalmist reminds us that, “He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.” (Psalm 104:3-4) If you are in a personal storm, I don’t know how long or how devastating it will be, but I do know that God will make your storm his servant—which means that since you belong to God, he will make your storm servant to you as well. God will work the storm for your good—his promise, not mine!

I don’t mean to minimize the sense of desperation your storm has brought you—I think I understand a little of what you are going through. But as surely as the storm reminds you of how small, insignificant and powerless you are, I want to remind you that your God is bigger than your storm, and he is going to see you through it.

Storms happen—but so does God!

“ “God is not a deceiver, that He should offer to support us, and then, when we lean upon Him, should slip away from us.” —AUGUSTINE

What are you facing today? A demanding boss at work? An impenetrable clique at school? A depleting ailment in your body? An unsolvable problem in your finances? A looming disaster in your family?

What is the gathering storm in your life right now? It is pretty intimidating, I would imagine. Storms are like that. They rise up as if to consume you—“The seas have lifted up”; they dominate your world and color your entire view of life—“the seas have lifted up their voice”; they batter every fiber of your existence—“the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.” (Psalm 93:3)

But here’s the deal: God was there before your storm got started. He will be there long after your storm blows itself back into oblivion. It follows, therefore, that he will be with you as you ride out the storm. So look for him in the winds and the waves. Listen for his voice above the chaos. He is “mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the LORD on high is mighty.” (Psalm 93:4)

No matter what the storm—small or big, you are not alone. There is One with you who is higher and mightier than your storm—so high and mighty that he makes your worst hurricane nothing more than a tempest in a teapot!

No matter if your storm is small or big—a demanding boss, a demeaning clique, a discouraging ailment, a depleted account, a disastrous family—you are not alone. There is One with you who is higher and mightier than your storm; so high and mighty that he makes your worst hurricane nothing more than a tempest in a teapot! So why not make yourself a cup of tea just to remind the storm of Who’s in charge!

Since that is true, why not make yourself a cup of tea just to remind the storm of Who’s in charge!

“ There is a God in heaven who over-rules all things for the best; and this is the comfort of my soul. —DAVID BRAINERD

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 56
Focus: Psalm 56:8

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”

Aren’t tears a mysterious part of what it means to be human? It is strange that we have the capacity to cry—to expel water from our eyes when we are sad. It seems to serve no real purpose—although science can explain the physiological “why” and mental health experts can explain the psychological “why”.

That still leaves the question of “why” tears—why were we created with that capacity?

Perhaps this psalm provides a clue. Maybe they are to remind us that God cares about the things that make us sad enough to shed tears. So much does he bear our sorrow that he collects our tears in a bottle, as the New Living Translation says, or as other versions put it, “he records them in his ledger.” In other words, God takes note—implying that he is not only aware of our sadness, but he will not forget it.

What is it that is making you cry today? A heart broken by a fractured relationship? A dashed hope or the death of a dream? A failed family? A personal sin? The consequences of a past mistake that continues to haunt you? What is it that you feel such deep sadness over?

It is likely that no one truly knows the depth of what you are feeling right now. Maybe no one will ever see those tears that have rolled down your cheek—and the intense hurt that caused them. Even if they do see your tears, how sad it is that long before your pain is healed, people will forget and move on.

But there is One who sees…and One who cares…and One who never forgets…and One who will never move on! And He wants you to know that, my friend. And that One, your Heavenly Father, simply asks you to take comfort in His compassion for you:

“The Lord is like a father to his children,
Tender and compassionate to those who fear him.” 
(Psalm 103:13)

And that compassionate, loving Heavenly Father likewise asks you to place your trust in him. In fact, so strongly does he desire your trust, that he extends the invitation twice in Psalm 56 just to make sure you really know his heart for you:

“In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?
(Psalm 56:4,10-11)

I hope you will do that. Entrust those tears to God. And let the very next tear that fills your eyes and spills down your cheek be a reminder that your tears never really just dry up and fade into a painful memory, they go right into the bottle of that One who truly cares!

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“A child’s tear rends the heavens.” (Yiddish Proverb)

Making Life Work: What is it that is making you cry? In the midst of your pain, through your tears, lift a prayer of thanksgiving to your Heavenly Father. It may be hard to do, but do it anyway, in faith, as a way of declaring to your emotions as well as to the unseen realm, that you are investing your trust in the One who has promised never forget your tears…not even a single one.

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 47
Focus: Psalm 47:6-8

Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.
God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.

From your current view of the world, there may not be much to sing about. The global economy could implode at any moment, and no one seems to know how to prevent it. The prospect of lasting peace in the Middle East seems next to impossible, and no one seems to know how to fix it. Terrorism threatens to encircle the planet, and no one seems to know how to stop it. People are scared, confused and directionless, and no one has an answer.

And the things you had counted on for stability, security and satisfaction in your own life may seem, at best, tenuous. So why not sing! I mean, God is still the King! He still rules over the nations. Nothing that is going on in our world, or in your life, for that matter, has unseated him from his holy throne. The upheaval we’re facing on earth hasn’t caused worry, fear, and instability in heaven. Things are going according to plan—so why not sing!

You might think I joking—but I’m not. Singing songs of praise is not meant just as a response to God for his goodness in the good times. Singing is an act of faith in challenging times that recognizes a higher reality than the one you see in your horizontal view-finder: That God is King—he always was, and always shall be.

Go vertical with your gaze once in a while, and you’ll see that God is still in control. Do that as the regular practice of your life, and you will find that you have much to sing about. This is not whistling past the graveyard, but an act that not only expresses faith, that not only builds faith, it’s an act that actually releases even more faith into your life.

Want more faith for these troubling times? Need more strength to face your challenges? Want to feel more confident about your future? Sing! Sing! Sing!

That’s what I’m going to do as soon as I end this devotional blog. It is 6:00 AM in the morning; I’m in my study; no one is here but God and me, so here goes:

“Our God, is an awesome God;
He reigns, from heaven above with wisdom, power and love.
Our God is an awesome God…”

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“I don’t sing because I’m happy; I’m happy because I sing.” (William James)

Making Life Work: Go ahead—sing out your praise to the Lord. Suddenly, the world won’t seem so big and bad after all!

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 38:1-22
Focus: Psalm 38:3

Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin.

Is sickness the result of sin? My definitive answer is, maybe!

That question has been on the minds of people for ages. And for a good portion of human history, there was a perceived connection between bad behavior and the disfavor of the local god. Even in the history of the Old Testament Israelites, as well as in Christian history over the last two thousand years, the belief was that personal and corporate sin led to Divine punishment, including sickness.

It wasn’t until the last fifty years or so that we in the western world have come to the point of view that there is no spiritual-physical link between sin and sickness. And to be sure, the fact that I catch a cold, come down with the flu, or contract a disease does not imply that some egregious sin has been committed.

On the other hand, in a very real sense, all sickness is the result of sin—original sin. Romans 5:12 reminds us that because of one man’s sin—Adam—death entered the human race. And since by virtue of Adam’s sin we are all sinners—guess what? We will all experience death. And the dying process, which begins at birth, by the way, includes bouts with sickness along the way.

Having said all that, there is truth that sickness is sometimes the result of specific sin in our life. David understood that, and reading this psalm makes it pretty clear that he was associating unbearable physical pain, the symptoms of a debilitating illness, and excruciating emotional distress with the things he had done that had violated the laws of God.

I think we ought to be open to that possibility, too. I am not talking about living under a load of paralyzing guilt and spiritual paranoia—hopefully you know me well enough to realize I would never suggest that. God wants us to live in the blessed freedom of forgiveness, the delight of his unmerited favor, and incredible joy of the abundant life.

At the same time, we ought to be willing to live the examined life. We need to check in with God a lot, with trusted believers, too, and open our heart to the things that may be not only blocking the favor of God, but actively inviting his punishment. In Psalm 139:23-24, David invited the Divine searchlight to scrutinize the inner recesses of his life:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

By the way, there is no downside to letting God shine his light into your life!

__________________

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” (Socrates)

Making Life Work: There really is great freedom by taking an open and honest posture before both God and man. And not only that, it may just prove to be one of the best preventions for both physical and mental illness you will ever run into. Perhaps you should try it.

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 37:1-40
Focus: Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

I love this verse. It’s one of my favorites. Here is the key to success in life—to fruitfulness and fulfillment in all you do. Not just to make things happen for yourself, but to actually have God working on your behalf to give you what you have set your heart to do.

But this is no automatic formula to riches, power and fame that David is talking about. In this verse itself is essential context that we must grasp and apply if we are to enter into the blessed life the psalmist goes on to describe. Furthermore, the entire chapter of Psalm 37 provided valuable insight that further explains verse 4. You and I would do well to read and absorb this whole psalm in context.

So let me give you a heads up on some of David’s caveats to the success he promises:

First, you’ve got to put God first and make him foremost in your life. Another way of putting it is that God must be both the center and circumference of your existence. I think that’s what David had in mind when he said, “Delight yourself in the Lord.”

God will not grant you willi nilli any old desire—that would be irresponsible of God and dangerous for you. But when you delight in God above all else, that in itself will shape the desires that arise in your heart and guard you from foolish, selfish, sinful and harmful wishes.

Second, you’ve got to delay gratification and practice patience. You will find in the rest of this psalm that over and over again David speaks of not getting in a rush to see the plan of God unfold in your life, and not getting caught up in the false success of those who are far from God. In due time, God will bring about his promised blessings. Here is how David sees it in verse 7:

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

And third, you must refuse to cut corners and commit to a consistent walk of uprightness before God. If your life is characterized by incongruent living—saying one thing but doing another—don’t expect God’s deep and abiding favor. Though much of Psalm 37 is dedicated to this truth, notice in particular how David puts it in verses 18, 34 and 37:

The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,
and their inheritance will endure forever…
Wait for the LORD and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are cut off, you will see it….
Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
there is a future for the man of peace.

God wants to grant you success. And success as he defines it is far greater, longer lasting, and more satisfying that what the world offers. So delight yourself in the Lord, and you will find that the Lord delights himself in you!

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“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”—John Piper

Making Life Work: At some point, defining “the win” is a critical part to where we’re headed in life—and how we’re going to get there. Why not compose that definition right now? As you perceive it, define success; put your thoughts down on paper. Once you have done that, do it again, but this time, write out how you see the Bible defining success.  Include Scripture. Now, throw you definition away and begin to use God’s.  How can you possibly go wrong doing that?

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 27
Focus: Psalm 27:4

“One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.”

I’ve often heard preachers say that they would rather be in church than the best hospital in the world. Not much of a choice, I suppose, but there is truth to that sentiment. The house of the Lord is truly the best place in the world to be—in good times and bad. It is truly our safe-house.

It is there in the house of God that we find shelter in the time of storm. David understood that. That’s why when calamity was all around him, he asked God for just one thing: To dwell in the Lord’s house, for there, “in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.” (v. 5)

What is it about the house of the Lord that is so healing? Obviously, God’s presence is magnified in the place of worship and in the collective praise of his people. Likewise, the house of God is full of faithful friends—people who will encourage you, pray for your, help you in tangible ways, and if nothing else, put an arm around you and walk empathically with you through your valley of the shadow of death.

That is why the Scripture tells us that especially when the going gets tough, we should get going to church. Hebrews 10:25 exhorts us, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

I’ve noticed that some people don’t do that. When things go bad, they go south. They pull away from the one place they ought to lean into—the church. Can I encourage you: Don’t be one of those types. Whether in good times or in bad—especially in bad times—lean into God and get vitally connected to his people. As the writer of Hebrews envisioned, in life’s difficulties, you cannot live without the encouragement of God that comes vis–à–vis the people of God in community.

Now I recognize in saying that there will be some who accuse me of legalistically tying church attendance to divine protection. I stand guilty on that one. The Word of God never separates personal relationship with God (with all its benefits) from participation in the community of God. God saves us as individuals to become a part of the family of God, and when we unlink from spiritual community, we become vulnerable—we have voluntarily checked out of the safe house.

My sincere prayer for you is that you will so fall in love with the house of the Lord that like the psalmist, you too can joyfully sing, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 122:1)

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“If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” (African Proverb)

Making Life Work: Build your life around the church. Make his house your house. I’m telling you, from my experience in life, that is the safest place on earth. Oh, and if you don’t believe me, just ask David!

Making Life Work
Read: Psalm 1
Focus: Psalm 1:1-2

“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.”

Every human being who has ever walked this planet has this in common: The desire to be happy. In fact, our most revered national document, the Declaration of Independence, proclaims that the pursuit of happiness is our inalienable right, universally endowed by the Creator himself.

Now we can pursue happiness until we are blue in the face, and most of us do, but there is just one way we will ever attain true and lasting happiness: By following God’s “roadmap”. The Psalmist called it “the law of the Lord,” Today, we would call it “the Bible.”

In this opening song from the songbook for the human race, the Psalms, we are told that happiness comes by completely, deliberately and consistently ordering our life according to the full counsel of God’s Word. Not just a favorite verse here and there, mind you, or a Bible reading when it strikes our fancy, but through a “day and night” absorption of the whole “law of God.” Furthermore, true blessedness and lasting joy comes by completely, deliberately and consistently rejecting the humanistic definition of and path to happiness.

The Psalmist calls for a complete ordering of our life around the Word of God—“meditating on it day and night.” So here is the most important question you will be asked this year: Are you? Are you reading it regularly, and not just reading it, but absorbing it? Are you not just absorbing it, but are you figuring out ways to apply it to your daily life—your situations, your responses, your decisions, your planning?

May I suggest that before you do anything else—listen to the news, read the paper, look over your email, have coffee with your posse, which is perhaps the modern equivalent of “walking,” “standing” and “sitting” with anyone else before you get counsel from God—that you carve out time and then ruthlessly guard that time to read, absorb and apply God’s Word. And then discipline yourself to bring what you have read back to mind at various parts of the day, to make sure your thoughts, actions, interactions, responses and accomplishments have been true to the plumbline of God’s Word.

By the way, when “meditating day and night” on Scripture becomes the “organic” practice of your life, the discipline of daily Bible reading will have turned into the delight of practicing the presence of God. And when you practice the presence of God, you will experience the presence of God.

Being in God’s presence—that is truly what the joyful, blessed and happy life is all about.

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“The Bible redirects my will, cleanses my emotions, enlightens my mind, and quickens my total being.” (E. Stanley Jones)

 Doing Life Well: Set an appointment with God on your calendar—literally—to read and reflect on his Word. Add it to whatever type of calendar you use, then ruthlessly keep it. Set if for the first thing in the morning (before you read the news, use social media, make your to-do list, etc.) or for the last thing you do before you go to sleep. Or do both. I would recommend the first, since it centers you on the Word and will of God at the very first part of your day. I would also recommend you join me this year in reading through the Wisdom books of the Bible—Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon. Then, again, commit to keeping this regular time with God throughout this year. And for extra credit (not with God, mind you, but just for helping to remember what you have read), jot down in one paragraph the best thing you read in your session with God’s Word.

Being With Jesus:
John 18:10-11

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”

Responding to the mass shooting—apparently targeting Christians—at a community college in Roseburg where nine people were murdered and scores were injured, Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey encouraged fellow Christians who are serious about their faith to consider getting a gun.^[1]

Is it time for believers to arm themselves? After all, Jesus said that increasingly the world will hate us because of our faith in him. Just read John 15:18-25 as well as all of John 16 for that bit of cheery news. Things are going to get rough for believers as the time for the Lord’s return draws close (which, by the way, Christians around the world have known all along. We in America are just discovering, much to our dismay, that this may include us, too!)

But when Jesus predicted this rise in hostility—and even violence—against his people, did he anticipate that they arm themselves to the teeth to push back against the persecution? Did he foresee the Second Amendment would be our Constitutional right, and therefore we should use every legal means to defend ourselves as American Christians? For the Christian, does the Second Amendment trump the Second Commandment (Matthew 22:37)…or does the call to lay down our lives override the right to take up arms? Is this an either/or conundrum or can the believer in Jesus grasp the one without letting go of the other (Ecclesiastes 7:18)?

Seriously, these are questions American Christians need to grapple with. Now I say “American” because for Christians in other countries, these options aren’t even in the realm of possibility—which is probably both a blessing and a curse. In our nation, as citizens we have constitutional rights, and as Christians, we have Kingdom values. Most of the time these rights and values peacefully coexist, but at times, the earthly and the heavenly kingdoms are in conflict. Sometimes, what may be constitutionally legal may not be eternally blessable. At those times, to be both a good citizen and a good Christian, the believer must be willing to do the hard work of “thinking Christianly” about such matters. That is, the follower of Jesus must be completely open to the original meaning and full intent of God’s word, allowing Scripture to impose its unfettered rule over everything in the believer’s life.

Having said that, I think it is fairly clear here that Jesus wasn’t thinking his followers would lock and load in the face of opposition and hostility. In fact, he says as much: “Put away your AK-47 Peter. Do you think for a minute I’m not going to drink this cup of suffering the Father has assigned to me for the redemption of the world?” Later in the chapter (John 18:36) as Jesus is standing at trial before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, he said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

So back to the issue at hand in our modern American culture: Should a Christian take up arms to defend themselves against the coming hostility? I will leave that to you to come up with your own answer—but I would ask you to allow what Jesus says here in John 18 to inform your opinion. Do the hard work of thinking Christianly about this matter. And at some point, as believers, we all need to remember that we have been called as citizens of another Kingdom to surrender our human rights—just as our leader did—for his eternal cause.

Yes, as citizens of the United States we have the right to bear arms. But as citizens of God’s Kingdom, our calling is to lay down our lives!

[1] http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2015/10/02/lt-gov-ramsey-christians-serious-faith-should-consider-handgun-permits/73203888/

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“The whole point of the kingdom of God is Jesus has come to bear witness to the true truth, which is nonviolent. When God wants to take charge of the world, he doesn’t send in the tanks. He sends in the poor and the meek.” (N.T. Wright)

Getting To Know Jesus: Your assignment this week is to think Christianly about your right to bear arms. Theologian Walter Wink offered this thought: “Jesus did not advocate non-violence merely as a technique for outwitting the enemy, but as a just means of opposing the enemy in such a way as to hold open the possibility of the enemy’s becoming just as well. Both sides must win. We are summoned to pray for our enemies’ transformation, and to respond to ill-treatment with a love that not only is godly but also, I am convinced, can only be found in God.” Agree or disagree with him, how will you balance the Second Amendment with the Great Commandment?

Being With Jesus:
John 11:4

But when Jesus heard about [Lazarus’ deathly illness] he said, “The purpose of his illness is not death, but for the glory of God. I, the Son of God, will recleive glory from this situation.”

When I was a kid, there was a Gospel chorus that my little country church regularly sang. In fact, to my recollection, we sang that song most every time we gathered for a service—Sunday morning, Sunday night and for Wednesday evening Bible study. It was called, “I Surrender All.” I can still hear the melody and feel the emotions that went with it as we belted out our commitment to the Lord.

Though it is currently not used too much, once in a while it gets dusted off and sung in churches today when attenders are being urged to some sort of higher commitment. The words go like this:

All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

I surrender all,
I surrender all.
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

I surrender all! Really? Here’s the question I have for you: How committed are you that God’s glory would be displayed in your life through by whatever means, even unpleasant events? How surrendered are you—not willing to be surrendered, but actually are surrendered—to God’s purpose being worked out through all of your circumstances, especially the painfull ones? I’m not sure how you will answer that, but I know that when I honestly consider the implications of total surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in my life—not in theory, but right now, in the gritty reality of my current world—I have to nervously gulp a little bit.

You see, to be truthful, although I say I am surrendered to God’s glory and totally committed to his divine plan for me, I have some expectations about how I want him to work that out. I have some investments I’ve made, some relationships I cherish, some possessions I like, and some plans that I want him to protect and prosper. I want unchallenged, guaranteed wins in my life. No bumps in the road, please!

Of course, you and I realize that God doesn’t operate that way. Sometimes he allows challenges, losses and bumps; sometimes even the death of an investment, a dream or even a loved one. Don’t like my theology on that? Just talk to Mary and Martha; they’ll set you straight. They discovered here in John 11 when their brother was on his deathbed that Jesus doesn’t always operate according to our timeline. He can’t be rushed, coerced, manipulated or diverted down our preferred path when he knows there is a better road leading to the glory of God that we must trod.

The truth of the matter is, Jesus is committed to the glory of God—period. And he knows that the greatest glory comes to God when people place total trust in him through unconditional belief. Furthermore, he knows that the greatest and strongest trust is developed in the toughest trials of life. That is why he told his disciples that he was going to let Lazarus’ illness end in death so that he could raise him up so that they could believe in him so that God would be glorified:

“Our friend Lazarus has gone to sleep, but now I will go and waken him!” The disciples, thinking Jesus meant Lazarus was having a good night’s rest, said, “That means he is getting better!” But Jesus meant Lazarus had died. Then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And for your sake, I am glad I wasn’t there, for this will give you another opportunity to believe in me.” (John 11:11-15)

In his book, Place of Immunity, Francis Frangipane wrote that God made the Old Testament Joseph fruitful in the very things that afflicted him. He goes on to say that “in the land of your affliction, in your battle, is the place where God will make you fruitful. Consider, even now, the area of greatest affliction in your life. In that area, God will make you fruitful in such a way that your heart will be fully satisfied, and God’s heart fully glorified. God has not promised to keep us from valleys and sufferings, but to make us fruitful in them.”

That is a great truth, my friend. In the place of your affliction, not only will God make you fruitful—and I would add, he can’t make you fruitful apart from the painful pruning that takes place there—and not only will he fully satisfy your heart, but he will fully glorify God’s heart. And for our sake, I am glad that is what he does!

That is why you and I should willingly and joyfully say, “I surrender all—really!”

________________

“Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation.” (Elton Trueblood)

Getting To Know Jesus: As an affirmation of your complete trust in Jesus’ Lordship over you, sing the chorus, “I Surrender All.” If you don’t know it, find it on the Internet and listen to it. Then ask the Lord to give you the grace, courage and resolve to live like you believe it.

Being With Jesus:
Ephesians 1:18

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.

By Bill Rasmussen
Editor, raynoah.com

I recently went through open heart surgery for a double bypass.

I’m sharing these thoughts in the hopes that they will be an encouragement to someone. Two to three years ago I began to feel a lack of energy when I started to do tasks that required exertion. I didn’t think much about the cause other than “maybe it’s because I’m getting older.”

Then two to three weeks ago I began to experience chest pains, otherwise known as “Angina”. Upon a visit to my primary care physician, he immediately referred me to a cardiologist and prescribed nitroglycerin. After a visit to the cardiologist, he informed me that I needed to undergo some additional tests. An echocardiogram was scheduled and it showed some possible blockage of two heart arteries. The pain continued and the “nitro” worked its magic BUT the Doc said the next test would be an angiogram. The angiogram was immediately scheduled at St. Vincent hospital and the results of the angiogram showed 100, 98 & 87% blockages in the main arteries supplying blood to the heart itself. The test was performed on a Wednesday morning and the results given to us immediately with instructions to contact our cardiologist.

Now watch the Lord and his angels swing into action! He takes care of every detail.

Upon returning home from the hospital, I called the cardiologist’s office for an appointment and was told that they could see me in a week. I told the receptionist, I don’t think I can wait that long as there is 100% blockage. She responded with there has been a cancellation today and we can see you at noon. After that visit, the cardiologist called the cardiac surgeon and I was scheduled to visit him the next day at 10am. He had already scheduled surgery for Monday morning after reviewing the test results before I even visited him. At 4pm after the visit with my surgeon, I was scheduled for a visit to the heart unit at the hospital for surgery indoctrination in preparation for Monday morning surgery. Here an angel in the personage of a nurse, told us you don’t have to go home today and wait for surgery over the weekend, we can admit you right now if you ask us to. We agreed and she called the surgeon and they scheduled emergency surgery for Saturday morning at 7am.

Again in the way the Lord works out details, my surgeon was the senior cardiac surgeon, Dr. Storm Floten, from the world renowned “Starr Heart Clinic” and the anesthesiologist was the Director of Anesthesiology at St Vincent Hospital. All for emergency surgery on a Saturday morning. I am so blessed. I woke up some time Saturday night/Sunday morning in CICU and they told me my “rabbi’s” had already been by to see me. Thank you Pastors Ray & Ron. I spent 4 more days in the hospital and then they sent me home. God is so good because even after open heart surgery I have experienced no pain and the healing is coming along nicely. And thank you to everyone who has prayed, visited, or called. Most of all, thank you to Jesus.

I don’t know how close I was to Eternity’s door but there wasn’t much margin with 100% blockage. I have to believe there must be some assignments to still complete and maybe writing this blog is my first assignment since I have never done anything like this before!!!

Two lessons here: First, listen to your body and take good care of it. It is the temple of the Lord.

Secondly, this is a good segue to talking more about an “Open heart”. Let’s look at Ephesians 1:18. In the New International Version, it says,

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.”

Jesus has a wonderful plan all laid out for us to benefit from an eternity with him. But we must accept this plan of grace. Confess your sin, tell him you are sorry, ask for forgiveness and accept his grace for your life.

As your brother and friend, I encourage you, just as I accepted the surgeon’s gift of restoring my health by totally putting my life in his hands with open heart surgery, to “OPEN YOUR HEART” to our Living Savior, know the hope to which he has called you, and in effect totally put your life in his hands. You must open your heart and accept his gift. It will be the best decision you will ever make and it is so easy. An open heart and a softened spirit. An eternity with God.

Thank you Pastor Ray, for letting me share my heart with your readers.

Being With Jesus:
John 8:2-5

At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”

In one of my favorite books, What’s So Amazing About Grace, Philip Yancey writes,

“Grace means there’s nothing we can do to make God love us more—no amount of spiritual calisthenics and renunciations, no amount of knowledge gained from seminaries, no amount of crusading on behalf of righteous causes. And grace means there’s nothing we can do to make God love us less—no amount of racism, pride, pornography, adultery or even murder. Grace means that God already loves us as much as an infinite God can possibly love.”

That’s why I love this story of the adulterous woman’s life-transforming encounter with Jesus; it just exudes grace! And it reminds me of how God looks right into what Lewis Smedes called this, “glob of unworthiness that is me and offers to accept me, own me, hold me, affirm me, and never let go of me even if he’s not too impressed with what he has on his hands.”

A glob of unworthiness—that’s me…you, too! And that’s God—loving us, without limit—because of his incredibly great grace! King David, who knew a lot about personal failure and unworthiness, wrote in Psalm 103:8-14,

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love…he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we’re formed, he remembers that we’re dust.”

That theology of unconditional love, undeserved mercy and unlimited grace is what’s fleshed out here in this story in John 8. And it’s not only the message Jesus wrote with his finger as he stooped to scribble in the dirt, he wrote it with his blood as it dripped to the dirt from the cross. Grace is his life-message! Amazing grace, how sweet the sound! It’s the one thing that’ll touch your core need today; it’s the only thing that’ll transform our lost world.

In 1988, a concert was held in London’s Wembley Stadium, and throughout the day, bands blasted the crowd high on booze and drugs with their ear-splitting music. But for some reason, the promoters scheduled an opera singer as the closing act, Jessye Norman. At the finale, she walked out with no band or singers —unknown to the crowd, which was shouting for more Guns ‘n Roses. Jessye began to sing, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me!” And remark-ably, 70,000 fans got quiet.

By the second verse, “Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved”, they were putty; by the third verse they were digging into their memories to sing along, “and grace will lead me home”. As she sang, “When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun; We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise, than when we first begun” a transcendent reverence had enveloped the stadium.

What on earth wields that kind of power over a beleaguered psalmist, or an adulterous woman, or a stadium full of drug-addled rock-n-rollers? Grace!

Now don’t miss the point of this story: The adulterous woman reminds us that every sinner has a future, but every saint has a past. We’re all born broken, and we become whole only by the mending of grace, God’s glue. And no matter how bad, how unworthy, how disqualified you think you are, you are not beyond the renewing reach of God’s grace. That’s why prostitutes, publicans, and other sinners responded to Jesus so readily—still do. They knew their sin; that’s why forgiveness was so appealing.

And no matter how good, worthy and qualified you think you are, apart from grace, there’s no good in you. In fact, on your best day, apart from grace, Isaiah said your righteousness is as filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6) That’s why, as C.S. Lewis said, “[Adulterous women] are in no danger of finding their present life so satisfactory that they cannot turn to God; [it’s] the proud …the self-righteous [that] are in that danger.”

So wherever you fall on the continuum—from super-saint to seedy sinner—just remember: every saint has a past, but every sinner has a future. And grace is there waiting for you! Grace! It’s only by grace that the brokenness we’re born with, and live with, is mended.

________________

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”
(C.S. Lewis)

Getting To Know Jesus: Take a moment today to simply and gratefully reflect on God’s grace.

Being With Jesus:
John 6:5-6

Jesus went up into the hills and sat down with his disciples around him. Soon he saw a great multitude of people climbing the hill, looking for him. Turning to Philip he asked, “Philip, where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” (He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.)

I’m not sure who first said it (its origin has been attributed to several different authors), but I think it offers some sage advice for people who follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Rules for living, we could rightly call them.  It simply goes like this:

Rule # 1: Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Rule #2: It’s all small stuff.

That is true! You see, with God, nothing is impossible; it’s all small stuff to him. That is not just my theology, that comes from God’s own mouth. God told a perplexed Abraham and a cynical Sarah when he announced to them that they would have a son well into their 90’s (and beyond, actually, for Abraham):

“Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” (Genesis 18:13-14)

Is anything too hard for the Lord? No—it’s all small stuff! Even giving barren, octogenarian couples their first child.

When Jeremiah the prophet was crying out to God over the devastation of Israel and the insurmountable problems the nation was facing, the Holy Spirit inspired him to prayerfully pour out this affirmation in his appeal to the Almighty for help:

“O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” (Jeremiah 32:17)

Later in that same chapter, God himself sent this word to the prophet:

“I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:26-27)

Is anything too hard for the Lord? No—it’s all small stuff! Even taking a shattered, scattered nation and reconstituting them for his glory and purpose.

Do you get the point? Nothing is above God’s pay grade. That’s because the created order in its entirety was conceived and perfectly engineered in the mind of God before it came into being. God created everything that exists by the breath of his mouth. God hung the stars by flicking them into space with his finger. He holds everything that we see and don’t see perfectly in place by his powerful and caring hand. There is nothing—absolutely nothing—that escapes his watchful eye.

And therefore, there is nothing—absolutely nothing—that’s too big or too hard for him. Nothing is impossible to God, and therefore, all things are possible for his people.

That’s why Jesus, who is God the Son, the agent of creation, said to Phillip, “what shall we do with this gigantic crowd of seekers? They’re hungry, and we’ve got to feed them. Where can we get that much food?” Of course, we know how the massive crowd would get miraculously fed because John clearly states that Jesus already knew what he was going to do. His question was just to test Phillip for the purpose of stretching his faith.

And Jesus will do that with us, too. Even though he already knows what he’s going to do, he doesn’t automatically do it without first stretching, tempering, testing and strengthening our faith, which is of greater value than any miraculous intervention we could hope for.

But don’t miss the whole point of this: Jesus already knows what he needs to do. And if that is true, then Rule #1 for you as his follower would be, “Don’t’ sweat the small stuff!”  Why? It is a wasted use of energy, and it’s dishonoring to the One who already knows what to do. Therefore, as his follower, Rule #2 is certainly true, too: “It’s all small stuff!”

Since that is true, why not relax a little bit today, and let God be God. Exercise your trust and let God take care of your big stuff, since it’s all small stuff to him.

________________

“All things are possible until they are proved impossible and even the impossible may only be so, as of now.” (Pearl S. Buck)

Getting To Know Jesus: What are you sweating today? Visualize holding it in the palms of your hands. Walk outside and lift your hands heavenward and release it to the Lord with these words, “Father, this is too big for me, but not for you. Here, you take it and do with it according to your purpose.” Then thank God that he has just given you the greatest gift: He has stretched your faith!

Being With Jesus:
John 1:1-5 (NLT)

“Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God. He has always been alive and is himself God. He created everything there is—nothing exists that he didn’t make. Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind. His life is the light that shines through the darkness—and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

Think for a moment about the significance of John’s words in verse 3:

“Jesus created everything there is—nothing exists that he didn’t make.”

Now if you hold the Bible to be true—that it is God’s authentic, inspired, authoritative Word—then there is no more significant chapter in the Bible than John 1. And there are no greater words that bear upon your life than what you find in verse 3.

If nothing exists that Jesus didn’t make, including you, then what does that mean for you? Simply, yet most profoundly, this: You are not your own; rather, you are owned. God created you, and as your Creator, he has a right to rule over you. You are not the god of your life. You are not the king of you. You have no rights of godship, no authority to sit on the throne of your kingdom, no grounds for demanding your way, getting what you want, fulfilling your wishes, achieving your dreams or tickling your fancy.

Jesus has moved in and your life is under new ownership. Therefore, self must be dethroned; it must actually be obliterated!

Since God created you, along with everything else that you see and don’t see, he therefore owns everything. And since he designed everything in the universe, then everything exists for his pleasure and his purpose. And by the way, John 1 tells us, since Jesus was with God from the beginning, and actually is God, and in fact was the agent of creation, then it is actually Jesus who holds the deed of ownership over you—ownership that is only honored through his Lordship over your life. Abraham Kuyper said it well:

“There is not an inch of any sphere of life of which
Jesus Christ the Lord does not say, ‘Mine.’”

And by the way, that is a very good thing! You see, the good news is that his ownership is not grievous or burdensome. God is no tyrant, even though he has every right to be. In fact, it is just the opposite with God. It is an ownership that is loving, generous and gracious. John says this is clearly demonstrated in the life of Jesus, who came to earth in human form to reveal in living color the God who is full of glory, grace and truth (John 1:14). Furthermore, to all who surrender and reorder their lives to God’s rightful ownership, God himself invites them into a personal relationship  in the same way that Jesus lived in relationship with God: as child with Father (John 1:12).

Yes, you are under new ownership. And as self is dethroned, even obliterated, ownership becomes relationship. Then, through relationship, you will witness his glory, you will discover his truth and you will experience his grace. You will now be living in the loving care of the eternal Father as his dearly loved child.

Abraham Kuyper was right: “There is not an inch of any sphere of life of which Jesus Christ the Lord does not say, ‘Mine.’” If you claim Jesus as Lord of your life, then he holds the deed of ownership over you. But this is no grievous ownership. Rather, as you take the step to dethrone self and enthrone Jesus as your sole owner, you will personally and powerfully experience this beautiful reality declared throughout the Gospel of John: the light of life; a light that can never be extinguished—the abundant life now and eternal life forever.

Following Christ you must dethrone self in order to enthrone him as Lord of your life. But his ownership is not grievous. Rather, ownership becomes relationship through which you are empowered to witness his glory, discover his truth and experience his grace. When Jesus takes sole ownership of you, you are privileged to now live in the loving care of the eternal Father as his dearly loved child.

With that in mind, it is imperative that you realign everything about your life—words, relationships, thoughts, wishes, plans, actions, patterns—to the fact that Jesus is Lord of you. Everything else must become a distant second to that. Truly, since he created you, anything that doesn’t fall under his absolute Lordship over your life doesn’t deserve to exist at all. As William Barclay said,

“The essence of Christianity is not the enthronement
but the obliteration of self.”

Now obviously, you will need the help of the Holy Spirit to achieve complete surrender to his utter ownership—which is a subject that much of the rest of Scripture fleshes out. But as you take the step to dethrone self and enthrone Jesus as the owner of you, you will experience this beautiful reality of John’s Gospel: a light that can never be extinguished—the abundant life now (John 10:10) and eternal life forever (John 3:16).

________________

“In order for any to have Christ as their Saviour they must first have received Him as their “Lord”, as their King to rule over them, for God saves none in their rebellion against Him. We must cease our rebellion against Him and His authority and give Him the throne of our hearts as our ruler or He is not our Saviour no matter what our profession.” (I.C. Herendeen)

Getting To Know Jesus: Perhaps you may want to join me in offering this heartfelt prayer, “Jesus, you are the rightful ruler of me. I surrender everything I am and trying to become to your Lordship. Take me over, clean me up, set me on a course that will only and always bring glory to you and demonstrate your ownership of me to the world. I cannot do this on my own—obviously—so thank you for making this a reality by the same power that created me. In Jesus name, amen!”

Being With Jesus:
John 21:1

Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee.

John 21 is a rather strange chapter. In a sense, it almost seems unnecessary. John 20 could have easily been the conclusion of this amazing Gospel, for it more than adequately tells the resurrection story (John 20:1-10), more than adequately offers proof that Jesus was alive (he visibly appears four times to his disciples in John 20:11-29), and more than adequately summarizes the purpose of John’s account along with the core of salvation (John 20:30-31).  The End!

But then, like a man who wears both belts and suspenders, as if we really needed any more, here comes chapter 21, and John feels as if he needs to offer even more stories that Jesus is alive indeed. Yet these stories are a bit strange in that they are not so much on the level of the grand appearances of the Resurrected Lord in all his empty tomb splendor, a la chapter 20, they are more of the garden variety insertions of Jesus into the common moments of his disciples’ everyday life :

• Jesus shows up at work during the graveyard shift to offer some helpful advice: “Hey fellas, try throwing your nets on the other side of the boat. I betcha there’s a bunch of fish over there!” (John 21:6)
• After work, he has breakfast with his team: “Hey guys, I got a fire going, so bring some of those fish you just caught. Let’s eat before you head home.” (John 21:9-14)
• Before they leave, he offers some challenging but encouraging professional direction to Peter, discouraged from failing the Lord in his moment of need: “Hey Peter, I know you denied knowing me at my trial, and you probably think that’s a deal breaker for me using you as team leader to this band of disciples, but chin up, I’ve got a big job for you.” (John 21:15-23)

This story has a very common, average, everyday feel to it that is easy to miss.  You see, much has been made in this chapter about the disciples going back to what they previously knew—the fishing business—as if they were giving up on their call to ministry. But I say that is highly unlikely. After the grand appearances of the Resurrected Lord in chapter 20, certainly these guys weren’t giving up on Jesus—they were more than convinced he was alive, and therefore Lord over death and Author of life. No, they were simply doing what good men did in those days—work. They were bi-vocational pastors, so perhaps they were just being responsible.

Likewise, much has been made about the miraculous haul of fish—153 large ones, to be exact. But was it a really a miracle, or was it simply the result of Jesus seeing from the shore what the disciples a hundred yards into the water couldn’t—a school of fish on the opposite side from where they were looking.  In commentary on John, William Barclay offers this interesting insight into this incident, quoting H.V. Morton, a well-known nineteenth century travel writer who extensively wrote on the Holy Land,

“‘It happens very often that the man with the hand-net must rely on the advice of someone on shore, who tells him to cast either to the left or the right, because in the clear water he can often see a shoal of fish invisible to the man in the water.’ Jesus was acting as guide to his fishermen friends, just as people still do today.”

Furthermore, much has been made about Jesus’ interaction with Peter—a difficult conversation where the Lord presses him on the depth and strength of this disciple’s love. Many preachers have highlighted the different Greek words for love used by Jesus (agape) and Peter (philos), as if there were some veiled secondary conversation going on between the two. But perhaps this was nothing more than the Lord showing a struggling disciple, embarrassed and discouraged that he had failed the Lord, feeling unworthy of even being around Jesus, that there were indeed  big plans for a future of ministry impact.

For certain, John 20 is about the spectacular, undeniable miracle of the Resurrected Lord walking out of an empty tomb, but chapter 21 brings to us the spectacular, undeniable miracle of a Resurrected Lord waking into our ordinary moments. As I ponder the purpose of this addendum to the resurrection, it seems to me that more than anything, this chapter is simply yet thankfully showing us how Jesus goes out of his way to come to us in our mundane moments—the difficult slog of our daily work, the banal details of our daily breakfast, the harsh reality of redirecting our failure into building blocks of a future usefulness in service to him. John 21 is the ongoing miracle of the Lord in the details of our dull dailyness.

Thank God John included this postscript of a Risen Savior who goes out of his way be the Resurrected Lord for my real life!

“The whole life of a Christian should be nothing but praises and thanks to God; we should neither eat nor sleep, but eat to God and sleep to God and work to God and talk to God, do all to His glory and praise.” (Richard Sibbes)

Getting To Know Jesus: Write down three ordinary moments of the day that is ahead of you—a stop for coffee on the way to work, a trip to the post office, taking out the trash when you come home, etc. Now, thank God in advance that Jesus will be with you in those moments, and anticipate how he will help, encourage and direct you as you go about your ordinary day.

Being With Jesus:
John 14.1 (NLT)

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”

In his book, Ruthless Trust, Brennan Manning tells the story of ethicist John Kavanaugh, who traveled to India to work with Mother Teresa in “the house of the dying”. Kavanaugh was searching for what to do with the rest of his life, so he asked Mother Teresa to pray for him that God would grant him clarity. She refused, saying, “Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of.” When Kavanaugh protested that Mother Teresa seemed to have such great clarity, she responded, “I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust.”

Manning goes on to say that it is trust—the simple but ruthless childlike trust that we place in God—that is the defining spirit of authentic discipleship. I agree. That is what Jesus called his disciples to in the first century—to trust in God, to trust in him—and that is the challenge that Jesus lays down for his would be followers in our age.

No matter how you slice it, the basic minimum requirement for following Jesus always comes down to this: Will you give him your total trust? If you will, you are on your way to the most exciting and rewarding experience of life a person will ever have—walking with Jesus. And from what Jesus said in John 14:1, we can deduce that one of the basic blessings of placing our trust in God is trouble-free heart. Not a trouble free life, mind you, but a heart (and a mind, Paul adds in Philippians 4:7) that is guarded by Jesus himself.

However, if you won’t give God your total trust, your Christian experience will never get out of the harbor and set sail on the rewarding voyage of risky discipleship. You will find yourself nursing a troubled heart and travelling a less than satisfying journey with God.

“Trust in God,” Jesus says, “and trust in me.” So are you? When your faith is boiled down to its basic elements, will we find there, in spite of life’s circumstances and in scorn of the consequences of living out your faith, a simple but ruthless childlike trust in God? Or is trust something that merely gets talked about but never fleshed out?

A lot of people talk about trusting God, fewer people actually place the totality of their lives in the Father’s hands and unequivocally say, “into your hands, I commit my spirit. May your will be done.” If you are one of the courageous and committed few who do, you have given the greatest gift a human being can place before the God who has everything—the rare trifecta of extreme dependence, radical faith and resolute obedience. Nothing brings a smile to the Father’s heart like that.

One of the best examples of this kind of ruthless trust came from the life of the famous tightrope walker, George Blondin. In the 1850’s, for a publicity stunt, Goerge decided he would walk across Niagara Falls on a rope that had been stretched from one side of the falls to the other. Crowds lined up on both the Canadian and American sides to watch this unbelievable feat. Blondin began to walk across, inch-by-inch, step-by-step, and everybody knew that if he’d make one mistake he was a goner. He got to the other side and the crowd went wild. Blondin said, “I’m going to do it again.” And to the crowd’s delight, he did. Then, to everybody’s amazement, he crossed again, this time pushing a wheel-barrow full of dirt. He actually did this several times, and as he started to go across one last time, someone in the crowd said, “I believe you could do that all day.” Blondin dumped out the dirt and said, “Get into the wheelbarrow.”

In a very real sense that is what God is saying to you and me. Our talk alone is cheap. At some point, we need to get in the wheelbarrow of trust and prove that our discipleship is real.

“Trust is our gift back to God, and he finds it so enchanting that Jesus died for love of it. … Unwavering trust is a rare and precious thing because it often demands a degree of courage that borders on the heroic.” (Brennan Manning)

Getting To Know Jesus: Pray this honest and humble prayer: “God, I trust in you. Help my lack of trust!”

Being With Jesus:
John 13:2,38 (NLT)

Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus… “Very truly I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!”

It is hard to fully fathom and completely embrace God’s immeasurable, inexplicable, crazy love that is revealed in this moment as Jesus washed his disciple’s feet. The story, which connects us to Jesus’ final hours before his sacrificial death on the cross, begins with this shocking statement in verses 1-2: “Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that the time had come to leave this world to go to the Father. Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end.”

What makes that so shocking is that Jesus knew full well that not only would his love for these disciples not be reciprocated, there were two in that group who would publically deny him and actually betray his love: Judas and Peter. Verse 2 goes on to say, “It was suppertime. The Devil by now had Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, firmly in his grip, all set for the betrayal.” Verse three adds, “Jesus knew…” what the Father had put before him. In verse 38, Jesus responds to Peter’s promise to stand with him through thick and thin, “Actually Peter, the truth is that before the rooster crows, you’ll deny me three times.”

Now with that in mind, let’s go back and explore what “full extent of Jesus’ love” looks like in what Jesus did in that intimate setting for his disciples—and more importantly, by extension what he did for you.

For one thing, the full extent of his love means you are fully loved, when from a human perspective, you aren’t fully lovable. Verse 2 says, “It was time for supper, and the devil had already enticed Judas to carry out his plan to betray Jesus.” Verse 11 adds, “Jesus knew who’d betray him”; that Judas would hand him over to the Jews later that night. I don’t suppose we could think of anyone any more unlovable and unworthy than Judas—yet Jesus loved him nonetheless.

He humbly knelt as Judas’ servant to wash his feet, knowing everything in his past, present and future, yet Jesus still showed him the full extent of his love! What that means is that if Jesus loved Judas, then knowing everything about you—past failures, present junk, future sin—he’ll still stubbornly love you. If Judas was worthy of love, then certainly you’ll always be the object of Christ’s unstoppable love. In fact, you don’t have enough sin or darkness to even slow his love down! You are fully loved!

That leads to another thing that you ought to know about the full extent of Jesus’ love for you: It is a love that is rooted in his nature, and is not dependent on yours. Verses 4-5 say, “Jesus got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him.”

Now think for a moment about those whose feet he washed. Of course, there was Judas, whose betrayal Jesus knew was just moments away. But there was also one he knew would deny him—in spite of that one’s insistence otherwise. And of course, there were ten others around that room he knew would desert him in his hour of greatest need before the night was out.

Not their character—nor yours—motivated his love; no, it flowed out of his. That’s why you can always depend on being the recipient of the full extent of his love.

Finally, what you ought to know about the full extent of Jesus’ love is that it will transform your worst nature so radically that you, yourself, will become a conduit of his love. Jesus said in verses 34-35, “So now I’m giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I’ve loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you’re my disciples.”

That’s what the “full extent of his love” will do—if you let it! Again, that love flows from his character, not yours, but when you surrender to it, you can then enter what will be your most satisfying experience in life—to yourself becoming a conduit of his full love to others.

And that is the answer to the deepest longing of your innermost heart: To know the full extent of God’s unconditional love and become the conduit of that inexhaustible love to others!

If nothing could stop Jesus from loving Judas and Peter, certainly nothing will prevent Jesus from showing you the full extent of his unconditional love.

“We should be astonished at the goodness of God, stunned that He should bother to call us by name, our mouths wide open at His love, bewildered that at this very moment we are standing on holy ground.” (Brennan Manning)

Getting To Know Jesus: Take some time today to enjoy God’s love. And if that is hard to imagine, just visualize in your mind Jesus, arms stretched wide as he hangs on the cross, saying to you, “I love you this much!”

Being With Jesus:
John 10:28-29 (NLT)

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.”

Once you have committed your life to Jesus Christ, can you ever lose your salvation? For hundreds of year, very smart people have debated that question—with great and convincing arguments on both sides of the equation. So I am not going to resolve the question in this blog—I am not even going to try.

With absolute certainly, however, I can say this: If—and “if” is what is in question, so it is a very big “if”—if a Christian can lose their salvation, then to somehow manage to lose it would have to be the most difficult achievement in entire universe. Why? Because, according to John 10:28, Jesus is the one who gave you your salvation, and according to his own words, once he has given it, you will never perish. Furthermore, he said that no one can snatch you away from him. That is because, according to John 10:29, the Father is the one who gave you to Jesus. Now since no one and nothing is more powerful than God—not by miles; not even close—tell me, who is going to pry you and your salvation from the grip of God’s unrelenting grace?

Now that is security!

I love how other New Testament writers got in on the discussion about your salvation. The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 1:6,

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

Now that is some security you’ve got there!

And what about Jude? Here is what he said about the matters as he closed out his letter,

“Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.”

You see, if your salvation was all up to you, you would have good reason to be insecure about it. But your salvation is riding on some pretty big shoulders. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are at work right now to perfect what they have begun in you, and will exert the full power of their Divine Being to bring your eternal life to completion. Yes, as much as that seems impossible right now, one day, you will stand without a single fault because a joyful Trinity—they will make sure of it.

Now that is security!

I love the story of the flea who was riding on an elephant’s ear when they came to an old wooden bridge. And as they crossed the bridge wobbled badly and almost collapsed. When they got the other side the flea said to the elephant, “Boy, we shook that bridge, didn’t we!”

No, “we” didn’t! The truth is, you and I have crossed over the bridge of faith ridding on Someone else’s efforts. And as long as we put the emphasis on our role in both prompting and preserving our salvation, we will be eternally insecure. But when we lean into—or more appropriately, lean on the unassailable efforts of Jesus to save us—and keep us saved—we will live with unshakeable confidence in the God who saves.

Now that is some security!

“God’s decree is the very pillar and basis on which the saint’s perseverance depends. That decree ties the knot of adoption so fast, that neither sin, death, nor hell, can break it asunder.” (Thomas Watson)

Getting To Know Jesus: In light of all that God has done to save you, and all that he is doing to keep you saved, doesn’t that make you want to offer yourself to him in even greater consecration? Perhaps you ought to tell him that.

Being With Jesus:
John 5:39-40 (NLT)

You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.

I can think of no simpler yet more powerful practice for greater spiritual growth and intimacy with God than daily Bible study. The truth is, if you don’t have a regular quiet time with God—which would include not just reading, but meditation as well as incorporating the Scripture in prayer—you will be stunted in your spiritual vitality. It is a simple as that.

Yet Bible reading, journaling, Scripture memory and all the other wonderful disciplines that involve the Word of God are not enough. In fact, there is a very real danger lurking in the practice of daily quiet time that will lead to even greater distance from God than not reading at all: Love of the Word of God more than love of the God of the Word. That is what we might call bibliolatry.

Bibliolatry occurs when we acquire biblical knowledge without spiritual discernment; when our study of the Word is not commensurate to our obedience of the Word; when our love for Scripture exceeds our love for God, and correspondingly, love for our fellow man; when pride in our practice of Bible reading leads to a false sense of righteousness; and when the spiritual discipline of quiet time becomes a work of law rather than an experience of grace. When that occurs, in effect, we are worshiping the Bible rather than the God of the Bible.

There are far too many “Christians” who read the Bible little, if at all. That is an unfortunate blight on the modern church. Yet there is another segment of believers, much smaller, but in deeper spiritual danger, who have been lulled into a sort of spiritual smugness because they fancy themselves as “people of the Word” or because, as they happily proclaim, the church they attend really “teaches” the Word.

Knowing the Bible isn’t enough. Satan knows the Bible as well as anyone. He can quote it at will. Daily reading and Scripture memory aren’t enough. Nicodemus (see John 3) had that down pat. Going to a church that teaches the Word verse-by-verse isn’t enough. The Pharisees had that down pat, yet they were far from God.

The devil knows the Bible as well as anyone, yet he’s still the devil. Nicodemus knew Scripture too, yet he still needed to be born again. The Pharisees knew the Word inside and out, yet they were still far from God. Knowing the Bible isn’t enough; believing in Jesus is! Jesus said, “Scripture points to me!” He also said, “When you find me, you find eternal life.” The ultimate goal of your devotional life should not be to attain greater Bible knowledge or even just to grow spiritually. The best goal—the only goal, in fact—of being in the Word should be to know God and his Son, Jesus Christ. That is life—now and for all eternity!

Hearing, reading, and believing the Bible aren’t enough. Believing in Jesus is. Jesus said, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” (John 3:36)

The ultimate goal of Bible study should not be to gain greater knowledge of Scripture, or to grow spiritually, or to simply be able to check off that item on your daily list of things to do. The best goal—the only goal, in fact—should be to know God and his Son, Jesus Christ. By “knowing”, I am not referring to an intellectual event, but the intimate exchange of one’s life with the Almighty whereby love is deepened, obedience is practiced, and faith is expanded.

That is when searching the Scripture leads to eternal life.

“Christ is the Word of God. It is not in certain texts written in the New Testament, valuable as they are; it is not in certain words which Jesus spoke, vast as is their preciousness; it is in the Word, which Jesus is, that the great manifestation of God is made.” ~Phillips Brooks

Getting To Know Jesus: Honestly evaluate your study of God’s Word. Is it leading you to greater intimacy, obedience and love, or is it simply growing your knowledge of the Bible with growth in the aforementioned? Ask God to show you, and make adjustments immediately.

Being With Jesus:
John 20:31

These things are written so that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in His name.

The holidays are over, the New Year is here, and I want to invite you into a 2015 Bible reading plan in the writings of the Apostle John that I am praying and believing will be nothing less than life-altering for you and me.  We will begin with the Gospel of John, using this reading schedule: 2015 Bible Reading Plan.

The theme of John’s Gospel revolves around knowing Jesus—the most noble and fruitful pursuit in all of life!  To know Jesus is eternal life—the abundant life as we walk this planet and life forever in the eternal world.  The goal of this devotional journey in John will be to create an unquenchable thirst and a clear path for pursuing, knowing and enjoying Jesus in a way that transforms every aspect of our lives, making us more useful for this world and more ready for the next.

There are several reasons I believe a thorough saturation in John’s Gospel will be a worthy pursuit:

1) The Gospel of John, at the most fundamental level, is the Word of God. And the internal witness of the Bible promises us that a faithful reading and diligent obedience of it will lead to wisdom and Divine favor now and ceaseless blessings for all eternity.

2) The Gospel of John brings to us the most sustained and compelling portrait of the exalted Christ we will ever find. Andreas Köstenberger has written that “John’s Gospel, together with the Book of Romans, may well be considered the enduring ‘twin towers’ of [our] theology.”

3) The Gospel of John was written by one who, arguably, had the most intimate relationship with Jesus of any human being in history. John self-identified as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” throughout his book. There is a depth of affection, friendship and intimacy between this disciple and his Lord that is both stunning and inviting.

4) The Gospel of John, read and grasped, will be a profitable challenge. For me, John is the most difficult Gospel to get my brain around on a holistic level, though I find individual verses and passage as some of the most meaningful and beautiful in Scripture. I am looking forward to mastering it—at least attempting to do so.

5) The Gospel of John will satiate our hunger to know and follow Christ at a deeper level as well as, if not better, than any other devotional endeavor.

In what better way can we be drawn closer to Christ, made useful for this world and readied for the next than to give our best meditation and passionate worship to the glory of Christ that is revealed the Gospel of John? As the Apostle wrote in John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” And we have been invited to immerse ourselves in his glory!

I am looking forward to this glorious journey—and I hope you will come with me!

“I know of no greater spiritual discipline than Bible study—reading, meditating, journaling, praying the Scriptures—that will contribute to your health and growth as a believer. It’s as simple as that. If you want to mature in your faith, morph into greater Christlikeness, deepen your knowledge of God, insulate your life from sin, prepare you for eternity, enlarge your Kingdom effectiveness, increase your spiritual power, develop life skills for the daily challenges you face, and in general, live in the blessing zone of God’s favor, you’ve got to be in God’s Holy Word on a regular, if not daily, basis.” (Ray Noah)

Being With Jesus:
John 17:3

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

More than anything, we were created for an intimate relationship with God. Now there are certainly other things that will please God and bring glory to him through our lives, but nothing is more honoring to the Creator than to walk in a close, personal and loving relationship with him.

According to the Bible, the only way that gets expressed is by knowing Jesus: by being in an all-consuming, life-altering journey that comes from persistently hanging out with Jesus as his devotee. In fact, the Apostle John, the one who knew and loved Jesus as much as any human being ever, said this was, in itself, eternal life.

Acts 4:13 shows us the inevitable outcome of being in that kind of intimate, persistent, loving relationship: “When the Jewish council saw Peter and John’s courage and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

Peter and John had simply “been with Jesus” until they looked and acted increasingly like him—they had assumed his mindset, absorbed his characteristics and expressed his behavior. They had hung out so closely in such an intense way with Jesus that they had absorbed him to the point of now exuding him without even thinking about it. They had not only been transformed through their relationship, they had been conformed to that relationship! They had been changed by Christ.  But changed into what?  Into “little Christs”!

That is what you and I were created to experience: A relationship with Jesus whereby his life gets transmitted to us, and through us, so that we begin to transmit the infectious DNA of Jesus Christ.

You may not have a religious pedigree or be well-versed in theology. You may not be naturally winsome, or articulate, or even all that likeable. Your “cool factor” may be pretty much non-existent. Maybe you lack more than you have. That doesn’t matter! What you do have trumps all you don’t have: You have every possibility that Peter and John had to “be with Jesus”.

That is the greatest goal you can have—that at the end of the day, the only thing people can do with you is to take note that you have been with Jesus. They may not like you or be impressed with you and they may wish you would just go away. But when it is all said and done, all they can do with you is to admit, “obviously, you have been hanging with Jesus!”

Make that your goal today. And then start hanging with Jesus. Pure and simple—that is eternal life!

You were made for that! The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:29, “From the beginning God decided that those who came to Him should become like His Son.” That is God’s inexorable plan: to make you like Jesus! He is orchestrating everything in your life right now for that purpose—circumstances, disappointments, temptations, opportunities, blessings. At this very moment, God is leveraging heaven’s resources to conform your character to Christ’s. That ought to give you confidence. As A.W. Tozer noted, “When I understand that everything happening to me is to make me more Christlike, it resolves a great deal of anxiety.”

So your journey into Christlikeness is not all up to you! God is rearranging heaven and moving earth to give you opportunity to be with Jesus—and to become like Jesus.

Yet divine transformation needs human collaboration. In a way, being with Jesus is on you! It is not just a mindset or a good intention. It is an intentional posture. As much as anything, to get intentional with your growth toward Christlikeness will require of you the daily practice of being with Jesus.

Divine transformation requires human collaboration!

I would simply suggest that each day—and throughout the day—you literally invite Jesus to join you in what is in front of you. Literally ask Jesus, “How would you handle this situation? What do you think about this opportunity? What should I do about this challenge? How would you respond to this person?” Just practice being with Jesus in the ordinary moments of your daily life.

To get practical with this, think about it this way: If you were to literally spend time with Jesus, what three attributes, attitudes and or actions would you witness in him?

For me, when I think of what Jesus would be doing in any of his ordinary days, one, he would be unbendingly truthful yet incredibly gracious with people; two, he would serve people—especially those we would consider the least worthy of his service; and three, even when he was treated unfairly, he would never retaliate; he would only offer love and grace in return.

Gracious, serving, forgiving—there are thousands of descriptives I could come up with—you too. So take a moment and write down the first three qualities of Jesus that come to your mind. Then your assignment this week will be to intentionally hang out with Jesus, consciously and consistently doing those three things you believe Jesus would do. Give that your best shot, and most likely, you will look a little more like Christ by this time next week!

And maybe people will take note that you have been with Jesus.

“‘Putting on Christ’…is not one among many jobs a Christian has to do; and it is not a sort of special exercise for the top class. It is the whole of Christianity. Christianity offers nothing else at all.” (C.S. Lewis)

Getting To Know Jesus: There are some spiritual disciplines that are obvious and essential to being with and becoming like Jesus: Consistent quiet times, Bible reading, Scripture memory, prayer, church attend-ance. I can’t encourage you enough to commit to those spiritual routines! One of the things I will be doing in 2015—and I would like to invite you to join me—is to read through the writings of the Apostle John, the one who knew and loved Jesus as much as anyone. So start with me on January 1 in the Gospel of John, and let the journey toward Christlikeness begin. Here is the link to the Bible reading plan I will be using. Enjoy the journey!

Reflect:
Acts 10:1-11:18

“The angel answered, ‘Cornelius, your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.’” (Acts 10:4)

No one knows how long Cornelius had faithfully prayed to God and regularly demonstrated kindness to people before he experienced this dramatic moment of divine visitation. The flavor of the story seems to indicate that day after day Cornelius simply offered up a life of quiet piety with no real or visible acknowledgement from God.

Maybe that is your story. It could be that you have faithfully trusted God, consistently served his cause and patiently waited for his favor over the years with seemingly nothing to show for it. Perhaps you are wondering if you really matter to God or if he even notices your faithful life.

It is not uncommon at times for Christians to feel as if their prayers are nothing more than an exercise in futility and their acts of kindness simply go unnoticed. Honestly, there have been times where we all have felt that our faithfulness just doesn’t matter. According to this verse, however, and others like it, every act of faith, whether reaching out to God in prayer or touching someone with the love of God, matters greatly to a watching Heavenly Father.

According to Revelation 5:8, every prayer you offer in faith to God rises up to heaven and is offered as precious and pleasing incense before his very throne:

“The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”

And according to Hebrews 6:10, your every act of kindness toward people counts in God’s book, and will one day result in his kindness being turned back to you.

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

Cornelius simply, consistently, faithfully set his course for a long obedience in the same direction, and one day there was a spiritual breakthrough. He didn’t know it would happen that day—but the God who watches and remembers had other plans.

This may or may not be your day of spiritual breakthrough—you just don’t know. But here is what you do know: God is watching, he remembers, and he has plans for you!

“The reward of being ‘faithful over a few things’ is just the same as being ‘faithful over many things’; for the emphasis falls upon the same word; it is the ‘faithful’ who will enter ‘into the joy of their Lord.’” ~Charles S. Robinson

Reflect and Apply: Ask the Lord to strengthen you today for a long, consistent, determined and practical faithfulness. Perhaps this day will be the day of breakthrough into a deeper realm of God’s favor for you—you just never know when, not if, but when it will happen.

Reflect:
John 20:1-21:25

“Jesus replied, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.’” (John 21:22, NLT)

Mind your own business! That’s the gist of what Jesus was saying to Peter.

Jesus had been drilling down to some issues that needed to be resolved in this rough fisherman-turned disciple. It was a difficult conversation that needed to happen before Peter could become the apostle Jesus had in mind, and Peter did what so many of us do: When the spotlight got focused on him a little too brightly, he tried to shed some light on John’s flaws.

Jesus kept the focus right where it needed to be: “Peter, quit worrying about what will happen to John and just focus on what I’ve called you to do. If I allow him to stay alive until I return, that is none of your business. You’ve got enough to worry about just taking care of your own junk let alone John’s. Just take care of you and you’ll be fine!”

Not bad advice! Wouldn’t we save ourselves a whole lot of wasted energy by just minding our own spiritual business? I know that’s true for me. The time and emotional drain I spend worrying whether someone else is walking with Jesus the way I think they should takes away from the spiritual energy that could be focused on growing me up in Christ.

Now that is not to say that we should never express loving concern for another believer’s spiritual progress. Sometimes the people we care deeply about frankly need to step it up in their growth as a disciple of Jesus—and we need to call them out on that. However, since spiritual formation is an ongoing process that will not conclude until the day we die and reach heaven, you and I need to remember that we, too, need to step it up!

So the next time you have an urge to voice a “concern” about what another sister has said or how another brother is living or what another local shepherd is doing or the kind of theology a prominent Tele-evangelist is espousing, just remember what Jesus said to Peter: “What is that to you? Just worry about you and make sure you are following me!”

You see, those people you are worried about will have to answer to God for their lives one day, but so will you. And since it is highly unlikely that you will be able to change them one bit by all the energy you spend worrying about their spiritual condition anyway, try devoting that same energy to your own obedience. Besides, if you really want to see them change, the better focus of your efforts would be to pray for them. Spend at least as much time bringing them before the Father in prayer as you do thinking and talking about how upsetting they are to you.

Do that and change will happen all right—but it will be you that changes! So mind our own business today—it is not such a bad thing to do!

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” ~Carl Gustav Jung

Reflect and Apply: Offer this prayer today: “Lord, there is so much work yet to do in me, so keep me focused on my own spiritual development. Help me to mind my own business, working on the things that I can change and leaving the things I can’t change up to you.”

Reflect:
Galatians 6:10

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Ultimately, you will be known for your goodness—before both the world and the Creator of the world. It will be your good character, not your great personality, that eternally defines you. Of course, I am not talking about your moral goodness saving you—only grace can do that. But your goodness matters. In the final analysis, it won’t be how gifted you were, how much you accomplished, how good-looking, how smart or rich or powerful you were; what matters to God and impacts a world is simply the external expression of the Biblical goodness God has worked in your life through Jesus Christ as it freely flows from the internal core of your Christian character.

Goodness comes from the Greek word, agathos. It referred to a moral and spiritual excellence that was identified by its authentic gentleness and active kindness. Goodness is not moral and spiritual excellence alone; it is married to gentleness and kindness. Biblical goodness has to do with our character. It is both internal—who we are, and external—what we do. We could just as easily substitute for goodness the word integrity: The outer expression of our inner core.

It is this kind of goodness—our integrity of character—that makes you living proof of a loving God to a lost world. As Paul says in Philippians 2:14-15, “Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night…”

So how can you cultivate integrity of character or Biblical goodness in your life?

To begin with, be firm in your commitments. Goodness begins with resolving in your heart that you will live by your values. Integrity of character doesn’t happen just because you can articulate a set of core values, you have to follow through by making a commitment that those values will drive both your private life and your public behavior.

Next, be as flawless in your work. Followers of Christ ought to be the most excellent workers in the work force—wherever your work is, at home, school or in the marketplace. Nothing harms the reputation of Christ like Christians who are chronically late, sloppy, cut corners, and produce an inferior product. Biblical goodness means you are doing your work as if Jesus were your boss or your client.

Then, be faultless in your behavior. Wouldn’t it be a badge of honor if the only criticism people could make about you is that you were a Christian? Someone once said, “if you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” If you are criticized, let it be because of Christ in you.

Finally, be as fervent in your faith. Make sure your faith isn’t just a concept; make it a reality in your daily life. Make walking with God number one in your life, with everything else coming in a distant second. When you truly put God first in all that you do, being good and living a life of integrity will naturally, you might even say, supernaturally, follow.

That’s how you cultivate goodness of character: You make a decision, then you live it out in your work before the world and in your walk before God, and you passionately pursue Christ above all else.

Your goodness of character, fleshed out in the real world of your daily life, is the kind of example your world desperately needs. And your Father takes great delight in it, too!

“Every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character … what one has done in the secret chamber [will one day] cry aloud from the house-top.” ~Oscar Wilde

Reflect and Apply: Firm commitments, excellence in your work, passionate pursuit of God—do any of those need to be shored up in your life? I know Someone who said he would help if we asked.

Reflect:
John 18:1-40

“Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, ‘You’re not one of his disciples, are you?’ He denied it, saying, ‘No, I am not.’” (John 18:25, NLT)

Peter usually takes a beating when evaluated alongside the eleven disciples. He gets labeled as the stumbling, bumbling, think-before-you-speak, foot-in-the mouth, inconsistent goofball from Galilee, who for reasons God only knew, got chosen to be one of Jesus’ first disciples. Good old Peter—the first century version of Gomer Pyle in the Lord’s little band of foot soldiers.

But let’s give Peter some credit. He may not have been perfect—by a long shot—but he sure was passionate! And he was there—at least give him that. In John 18, as Jesus was arrested and brought to trial, when everyone else but John had fled, Peter figured prominently. He was like a bull in a china shop—passionate, yes; perfect, no—but he was there:

• He whacked off the ear of one who came to arrest Jesus. (John 18:10-11, NLT) Passionate—but misguided!
• He surreptitiously followed as the High Priest’s SWAT team took Jesus to jail. (John 18:15-17, NLT) Passionate—but fearful!
• He stood among the soldiers as they warmed themselves by the fire. (John 18:18, NLT) Passionate—but silent!
• He denied knowing Jesus when questioned, but at least he was there to be questioned. (John 18:25, NLT) Passionate—but weak!
• He doubled down on his denial when questioned again. (John 18:26-27, NLT) Passionate—but fundamentally flawed!

Yes, Peter was all of those things we’ve said—there is no doubt about it—but passionate? You bet—imperfect, but passionate to the core! Perhaps that is why Jesus gave Peter so much public attention and placed him so prominently on his leadership team. Like the very flawed King David, Peter had a heart after God.

God can use people like that. In fact, I suspect God prefers them over the perfect. Oh, and just a little hint: There are no perfect people, only those who think and act like they are. Of course, I am not excusing Peter’s imperfection; only explaining it. But I think the reason the Gospel writers included Peter’s gaffes with regularity was not to put him down as the dunderhead we often think he is, but to remind us that God uses imperfect people, especially the passionate ones!

“Passion, though a bad regulator, is a powerful spring. ” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reflect and Apply: Ask God to give you greater passion. Pray for self-control and wisdom, too—but if you are like me, you probably need more passion than the other two.

Reflect:
I Corinthians 10:13

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Did you catch that? Your battle with temptation is winnable. The last part of the verse says so: “When you are tempted, he will also provide a way out.”

That’s good news. There’s always an escape route—always—when you are being enticed to break God’s law. And not only is there a way out when you are tempted, but it is God himself who will provide that way of escape; he will make a way. God has provided the door, but here’s the deal: You and I must look for it; we must walk through it!

Are those escape routes mysterious, accessible only to the spiritually elite, hard to grasp and even harder to enter? Not at all—they are very clear, quite simple, and easy to access.

One way of escape is to immerse yourself in Scripture. Psalm 119:9 & 11 says, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word…I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

That’s how Jesus battled temptation in the wilderness. Every time the tempter came at him with something that would tear him away from his Father, Jesus came back at Satan with the truth of Scripture. There is no more potent weapon against temptation in your life than in reading systematically, meditating daily, and memorizing strategically God’s Word.

Another escape route from temptation is to become accountable to another believer, especially for your particular weakness. Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” We need to bring our temptation into the light of accountability to other people—as difficult as that may be.

Proverbs 27:5-6 says, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” You would do yourself a huge favor by finding someone with whom you can be accountable for your weakness.

And yet another way out is to ask God to deliver you daily from the tempter. Jesus taught us to pray a daily prayer that acknowledges both our weakness and our need for divine power in this area: “Deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:13)

As simple as that sounds, the amazing thing is, God hears those prayers. And he always provides a way out.

“Temptations, of course, cannot be avoided, but because we cannot prevent the birds from flying over our heads, there is no need that we should let them nest in our hair.” ~Martin Luther

Reflect & Apply: As you are meditating on I Corinthians 10:1-13, look more closely at the ways we have identified as God’s way out for you. Can you connect them in specific ways to the common temptations you are facing? Can you identify some other “ways out” the Bible teaches that God has given you in every temptation? Today, look for those divine exits—and take them.

Reflect:
Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

As you read Joshua 1:1-9—the setting for this verse—you can’t help but notice the repetition of the phrase, “Be bold and courageous.” My guess is that Joshua has a bit of a fear problem going on as a result of the overwhelming leadership challenge that had been thrust upon him. That’s why four times God reminded him to just “act as if God were with him”—which he was, of course.

Isn’t that really what being bold and courageous is? To just “act as if” God is in charge.

Like Joshua, you may have a pretty big task in front of you, and what typically happens in those cases is that you begin to doubt. You begin to question: “Is it really God’s will that I do this? Will he be with me? What if I fail?” Doubt sets in. And when doubt sets in, fear is not far behind. And when doubt and fear team up, you’ve got a recipe for spiritual paralysis.

That’s like the Peanuts cartoon where Charlie Brown was standing there waiting to catch a baseball, and he says, “A pop fly! I’ve got it! It’s all mine.” Then he says, “If I catch this ball, we’ll win our first game of the season.” Then he starts praying, “Please! Please let me catch it. Please let me be the hero. Please let me catch it. Please!”

In the next frame, Charlie says, “On the other hand, do I think I deserve to be the hero? The kid who hit it doesn’t want to be the goat. Is baseball, a game, really that important? Lots of kids all over the world have never even heard of baseball. Lots of kids don’t even get a place to play at all or have a place to sleep or…”

And just about that time the ball drops right in front of him—bonk! Linus comes out and says, “Charlie Brown! How could you miss such an easy pop fly?”

Charlie says, “I prayed myself out of it.”

We do that sometimes, too. We start doubting the opportunities that God places before us, and pretty soon we talk—or pray—ourselves out of them. But like Joshua, God says to us, “Have confidence in the fact that I want to bless your life and give you success.”

A. B. Simpson once said, “Our God has boundless resources. The only limit is in us. Our asking, our thinking, our praying are too small; our expectations too limited.” Four times God said to Joshua, “Don’t you get it? You can do it! Go for it! I’ve got you covered.” In other words, “Be determined and confident. Act as if I will be with you and help you out—because I will!”

God said that to Joshua, and made sure that it was included in his Holy Book, because he foresaw that today, fear, not problems, will keep you in the wilderness of spiritual paralysis and out of the promised land of victory!

So don’t let that happen. Act as if God is with you—because he is. He promises!

“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reflect & Apply: What is the task that is before you today? Take a moment to envision tackling it as if God were right in front of you. Then, act as if!

Reflect:
Psalm 90

The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away…[so] teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:10,12)

True story: Kermit the frog was once heard saying, “Time’s fun when your having flies.” Okay, not true, but you get the point. Kermit got his idiom a bit garbled, but that is quite understandable when Miss Piggy is stalking you!

Kermit was on to something! The truth is, time does fly—whether you are having fun or not. Moses was reflecting on how relatively brief life was when he said in Psalm 90:10,

The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty, if we have the strength;
yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

How true that is! Are you as amazed as I am with the speed of time? What once seemed interminable when I was a kid—school, chores, the preacher’s sermon, winter, life—now seems to rush by like a speeding locomotive. I blinked and suddenly this fifteen year-old kid panting to get his driver’s permit is now in his fifties and panting just walking up the stairs.

Sometimes we forget that our aging parents were once vibrant young adults.

And time keeps on rolling. Watching my wife-to-be walk down the aisle has turned into the new adventure of empty nesting—overnight! Staring in amazement at the mystery of life as our daughters were born seems like only yesterday. Witnessing them go through college and contemplating their own careers, places to live, the kind of impact they want to have in this world seems like a lifetime ago.  Now adding sons-in-law and grandkids and happily adjusting to life as grandparents occupies our world. Walking with my parents as they age and face difficult senior care transitions and having “end of life” discussions with them is something I never contemplated.

Wow, time flies!

You could certainly add your own experience to the narrative. And those of you who are older can definitely add an urgent witness to the speed of life even more than I can at this stage of life: Suddenly, the grandkids are getting married; great grandchildren are arriving; the body is not working quite like it used to even though the mind still thinks of yourself as a youngster, full of vim and vigor; you are facing life without your soul-mate—and something you never dreamed possible is now a gritty reality.

Time flies!

Yes, time flies, and I need to add a twist. As the poet said, “Tis one life will soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” That is the truth, my friend. Time flies, so use it wisely. Make the most of it. Time is a gift from God, that’s why it’s called the present.

So perhaps it would be a good idea to follow Moses’ lead and pray that prayer today—and every day: “Lord, teach me to number my days soberly, so that I might live each of them wisely.”

“As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.” ~Henry David Thoreau

Your Assignment Today:  Stop and smell the roses!

Reflect:
Psalm 128:1-2

“Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.”

Fear! The word doesn’t conjure up very positive images does it? These days in our cultural context, parents don’t usually teach their kids to live in fear of anything and teachers don’t instruct their students to be afraid. So why should preachers stand in pulpits and preach the “fear of the Lord” to their congregations? That seems a bit incongruent with our image of a loving and gracious God.

The problem is that we misunderstand what the Bible means when it talks about this kind of fear. A better way to think of it is the old term used a generation or two ago: God fearing. That simply meant to have a deep reverence for God and a healthy respect for his laws. It did not mean to cower in terror because a capricious and vengeful Deity was fixing to squash you like a bug if you displeased him in the least. Rather, while acknowledging that disobeying God’s law would bring painful consequences (just try ignoring his universal law of gravity and see how that works for you), it recognized that obeying that very same law would bring life-giving benefits.

To live with a healthy and holy fear of God provided the foundation for a prosperous journey through this life as well as preparation for entering into the joy of the eternal kingdom in the life to come. The fear of the Lord was what enabled people to navigate daily challenges with good judgment and grace. And the icing on the cake for a fear-of-the-Lord approach to living was the promise that God would add fruit, blessings and prosperity to our lives. That’s not a bad exchange: Fear of the Lord for fruitfulness in life.

Too many people today are trying to live a God-blessed life without a God-fearing life. It can’t be done! Living without deep reverence for God and healthy respect for his laws, including awareness of the consequences of breaking them—will only produce the other kind of fear: fear that our past will catch up to us, high anxiety because of what we’re going through today, and terror of what might happen tomorrow.

But those who fear the Lord have nothing to fear! In fact, they have every good and perfect thing to gain. If you can wrap your life around what it means to be God-fearing, this gracious God himself will give you the life you’ve only dreamed of—and even beyond that.

“Shame arises from the fear of man, conscience from the fear of God.” ~Samuel Johnson

Reflect & Apply: What kind of fear is your fear of the Lord? A healthy and holy fear, or one that is unhealthy and unholy? Spend some time today thinking about what it means to be a God-fearing person—and what changes you may need to make to be one.

Reflect:
Judges 4:1-5:31

“Then Deborah said to Barak, ‘Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?’” ~Judges 4:14

The inclusion of Deborah’s story in Judges raises all kinds of interesting discussion points about the role of women as spiritual leaders. As tempted as I am to weigh in on this, I won’t at this point, except to say that the very fact the Holy Spirit saw fit to include the account of Deborah’s heroic leadership over Israel ought to open our hearts to the legitimacy of God’s call upon uniquely gifted women in the church today. But I am not going to talk about that…

Easy to miss in her dramatic story is this one little line Deborah delivers to Barak, a very nervous and reluctant man God had chosen to be military leader over Israel at this time. Her words are fraught with all kinds of encouraging spiritual implications for believers today:

“Get ready! This is the day the LORD will give you victory over Sisera, for the LORD is marching ahead of you.” (NLT)

Don’t overlook that line: “The Lord is marching ahead of you.” If that be the case for Barak, and by extension, for you and me, then why would Christians ever need to be worried, anxious, fearful or reluctant to step out on God’s behalf? If that be the case, no wonder Scripture commands us not to fear, but to always be courageous more than any other command.

You see, when God calls a Christian to step out in faith and obedience, in reality, the Lord himself has already gone before them and is there waiting where the step of faith will take them. Yes, he goes before them (Isaiah 52:12), prepares the way for them (Exodus 23:20), he gives them safety and protection on the journey (Deuteronomy 23:14), he guarantees their success (Joshua 1:7-8) and he ensures they end the journey of faith with an outstanding testimony (Deuteronomy 26:19).

“The Lord is marching ahead of you.” When God calls you to a step of faith, in reality, he has already gone before you and is waiting where the step of faith will take you. Yes, he goes before you (“the Lord is going before you, and the God of Israel is your rear guard.” Isa. 52:12), he prepares the way for you (“I am going to send an angel before you to protect you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared.” Ex. 23:20), he gives you safety and protection on the journey (“For the Lord your God walks throughout your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to you.” Deut. 23:14), he guarantees your success (“if you are careful to obey each of his laws, then you will be successful in everything you do.” Jos. 1:7) and he ensures the journey of faith will leave you with an outstanding testimony (“If you do, he will make you greater than any other nation, allowing you to receive praise, honor, and renown.” Deut. 26:19). So wherever God calls, step out, you are only walking where he already is.

That is the winning strategy the prophetess Deborah gave to Barak, and there is a reason it was included in the Holy Scriptures. It was not just for a reluctant nervous leader then, it is for God’s people today. God has given you the same winning strategy: Where God calls, step out, for he has already gone before you—and he is waiting for you at the finish line.

“A man with God is always in the majority.” ~John Knox

Reflect and Apply: Where are you being called to take a step of faith? If you are at all nervous about what is before you, go back and reflect on these verses: Isaiah 52:12, Exodus 23:20, Deuteronomy 23:14, Joshua 1:7-8, Deuteronomy 26:19 and Hebrews 13:5

Reflect:
Hebrews 4:15-16

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

What a difference it makes just knowing you have someone in high authority who has got your back! When you know that—not just intellectually, but experientially—you will live more confidently, act more courageously, risk faith more often, let go of your failures more easily, seek forgiveness more readily, sleep more peacefully, worry a whole lot less and wake up ready to face the day with more energy than you’ve ever known before.

That’s the privilege Christ-followers enjoy—or should—and that includes you! After paying the price for your sins by dying on the cross, Jesus entered eternity to begin his heavenly ministry as your very own personal high priest. Now, he stands before the Father night and day to represent you. He intercedes on your behalf. He is praying for you. He is rooting you on. He is ready to help!

He understands your fears—he faced some pretty overwhelming stuff when he was here. He understands your temptations—all of them. He faced them, too. He knows your weaknesses—he had to overcome them one by one. He knows what it is like to be rejected, disappointed, persecuted, to go without, to have no place to call home and to be misunderstood. He even knows the heaviest weight a human being carries—the reality of one’s own death. Jesus has been there, done that.

But he did all that for you! That’s why he is a faithful, empathetic high priest. And that is why you can come into the very throne room of Father God with complete confidence, walk right up to that throne and ask him for what you need: Help, provision, healing, forgiveness—whatever.

You can do that because of what Jesus has already done—he paid the price for you to do that. That is now your right, your privilege, and your responsibility. You can also do that because of what Jesus is doing right now—he is standing alongside you with his arm around your shoulder before the Father bringing your case before the only One who has the power and authority to do anything about it.

With Jesus standing by your side, you will be glad to know that help wanted means help received. Now that ought to make a difference in how you approach life today.

“If you took the love of all the best mothers and fathers who ever lived—all the goodness, kindness, patience, fidelity, wisdom, tenderness, strength and love—and united all those virtues in one person, that person would only be a faint shadow of the love and mercy in the heart of God for you and me.” ~Brennan Manning

Reflect & Apply: Try offering this prayer: “Father, I stand before you in the righteousness of Jesus Christ and ask you to meet all of my needs today. I pray that you would keep me pure, give me power, ensure my success, and make me useful to your kingdom. Work in me and through me today, and when I lay my head down on the pillow tonight, may I know the joy of having been totally pleasing to you.”

Reflect:
Matthew 14:22-36

“So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.” ~Matthew 14:29

No matter where you go in the Bible, you’ll find that memorable stories of faith always involved risky steps of daring obedience. So it is in this story where Peter leaves the other disciples sitting in the relative safety and comfort of their boat, takes a few steps of faith on the water in the middle of a storm, and walks out to meet Jesus, becoming the first person—and only human being that I know of—to literally walk on the water. Peter, a mere mortal, just a common Galilean fisherman, joined Jesus in a very elite club of which there were only two members: The Water Walker Club.

Now this is more than just another one of those incredible Bible stories we read as kids about the superheroes of the faith. This is a story meant to inspire water-walking faith in common, ordinary, garden-variety believers. And within this particular story are several important lessons that Peter’s adventure can teach other mere mortals like you and me that we will need to keep in mind when we finally get up the courage to step out of our boat of comfort to take those bold and daring steps of faith to obey God:

First, the wind won’t stop blowing just because you take a step of faith. In fact, the storm may pick up a little. The truth is, faith needs a storm to be faith, or it is not faith. But the great thing about storms is that although Jesus doesn’t promise to keep you from them, he does promise to be with you in them. And in fact, it is the very resistance of the wind in those storms that provides the lift needed for faith to soar. So take that step of faith into the storm and watch what happens.

Second, when you take your step of faith into the raging storm, you will need to remember the one command that God most often gives his people: “Fear not!” Did you know that there are 366 “fear not’s” in the Bible? That is one for every day of the year (including an extra one for leap year). I don’t think that number is by mistake—I think God knew that you and I would need to be reminded every single day not to give into fear. Every single day, including today, God is reminding you to choose faith instead, because fear and faith cannot coexist in those who would be water walkers.

Three, when the storm is raging, your assignment is simply to keep your eyes on Jesus—and just keep walking toward him. “Don’t give up” is another repeated command in the Bible. To join Peter in the water walker club, you will have to make the determination to stay focused on the One who is the Master over the storm—because it is Jesus alone who will see us through.

Is there an area of faith where you are being tempted to give up because you have come into some unexpected and impossible circumstances? That is the perfect condition, my friend, to exercise water walking faith. So don’t give into fear and keep your focus on Jesus, because yet another heroic faith story is about to be written!

In the 1950’s, the name Florence Chadwick was synonymous with women’s championship swimming. She was the first woman to swim the English Channel–both ways. In fact, she did it three times, each time going against the tide.

But one of her distance swims was not so successful. She failed to reach her goal, all because she lost sight of it. Florence had set out on July 4, 1952 to swim the 21 miles from Santa Catalina Island to the California mainland. But on this particular morning, the 34-year-old found the water to be numbingly cold, and the fog was so thick she could hardly see the boats in her envoy, which were along side her to scare away the sharks.

As the hours ticked off, she swam on. Fatigue was never a serious problem…it was the bone-chilling coldness of the icy waters that threatened her. Finally, more than fifteen hours after she started, numbed by the cold, Florence asked to be taken out of the water, unable to go on.

Her mother, in a boat beside her, urged her to go on, as did her trainer. They both knew that the mainland had to be close, very close. Yet Florence quit. She got into the boat and fell short of her goal. The boat traveled just a short distance until the coastline could be seen. Florence had stopped only a half-mile short of the finish. Upon realizing how close she had come, she dejectedly cried, “If I could have seen the shore I would have made it.”

If you are going to be a faith walker…or a water walker…

…Get ready for the storm

…Choose faith over fear

…Keep your eyes on Jesus

…And above all, never give up!

“Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessings if we don’t get discouraged and give up.” ~Galatians 6:9 (Living Bible)

Reflect and Apply: Pray this prayer today: “Lord, bless me with water-walking faith. Enlarge my capacity to trust you, even in the storms. And let me be used of you in ways I never though possible. In Jesus name, amen.”

Reflect:
Job 38:1-4

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth…?”

God has been silent for thirty-five chapters as Job and his friends have presumed to speak for the Almighty (Job 3-37). During their conversation, Job, understandably, has posed some serious questions about his unspeakable pain and suffering, wanting to know why these tragedies have happened and where God has been during it all.

Finally, God breaks his silence (Job 38-40) and gives Job what he has requested: A personal hearing. Job has finally secured a session with the Almighty to defend his innocence and interrogate the One who should have kept him, such a worthy man, from this hardship and heartache. But, it doesn’t go quite the way Job has imagined, and all he can do is retreat into stunned silence.

Why? The reason becomes quickly apparent as God asks Job a series of questions about the creation of the universe that stunningly reveals not only God’s incomparable wisdom but also Job’s utter ignorance. By the time God gets through with Job, the only response this suddenly exposed man can offer is “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers? I will cover my mouth with my hand.” (Job 40:4)

Barely into the conversation,  through God’s scalpel-like questions, Job, his friends, and each reader listening in on this story reaches the same conclusion: In light of God’s indescribable power, unfathomable wisdom and absolute sovereignty over the universe, what right does the created have to question the Creator?

In light of God’s indescribable power, unfathomable wisdom and absolute sovereignty over the universe, what right does the created have to question the Creator?

Job got what he wanted: an audience with God and a chance to get some answers. In Job’s mind, God had some “splainin” to do. But five minutes into it, Job turned from being a self-righteous victim into a self-effaced worshiper. He quickly understood his own smallness and sinfulness next to God’s vastness and holiness.

So what is the lesson from Job for you? I think it’s pretty obvious: Like all human beings, you will face Job-like pain and loss in your life at some point for which you will feel the Almighty owes you an explanation. But because of the vast and uncontainable nature of the Almighty and because of your own inability to grasp the ways and wisdom of God due to your sin-flawed DNA, for the most part, satisfactory answers will not come. Therefore, your best and most healing response is to simply and worshipfully hang on to your trust in the sovereignty and goodness of Father God.

Given the vast and uncontainable nature of Almighty God and because of our own inability to grasp the ways and wisdom of God due to our sin-flawed DNA, for the most part, satisfactory answers will not come. Therefore, our best and most healing response to hardship of any kind is to simply and worshipfully hang on to our trust in the sovereignty and goodness of Father God.

You and I would do well to decide in advance that God is always good and righteous in all his ways, although he is too powerful, holy and deep to always explain himself. A predetermined commitment to this truth will enable us to journey through those times of pain and disappointment with our trust intact and our hand in the hand of the One who has promised to see us through and at the end of the day, bring us into a safe harbor of indescribable restoration.

Prayer… Father, like a short-sighted child, I often question your goodness and wisdom when I don’t get what I want; I throw a tantrum when my comfort gets disrupted. Forgive me!  At those moments in life when you don’t offer an explanation for my disappointment, help me to offer my full trust in your immutable goodness, infinite wisdom and unassailable sovereignty.

Reflect:
Job 4:4-5

Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded to Job: “…Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees. But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you, and you are dismayed.”

The book of Job can be simply outlined as follows:

I.    Introduction To Job’s Suffering—The Historical Setting
II.   Interaction Between Job and His Friends—The Human Perspective
III.  Interruption of God—The Heavenly Perspective
IV.  Epilogue—The Restoration of Job

The Interaction between Job and his friends is the longest section of the book. This is the back-and-forth conversation that takes place between the devastated Job and his so called “comforters.”  As you read these interactions, keep in mind that you are listening to their analysis of life from a human point of view.  Their perspective is not necessarily right, nor is it necessarily wrong; it’s just human.

Eliphaz, the first of Job’s friends to speak, immediately points out to this suffering man that it is much easier to talk about suffering than to go through it. Point well taken. For the most part, that is an accurate perspective on suffering.  Eliphaz acknowledges that Job has in the past been a comfort and an encouragement to so many others who have gone through challenges in life, but now that the shoe is on the other foot, now that suffering has touched him, it is a whole different matter.

How true that is. We should have a theological framework for pain and suffering, and that enables us to compassionately discharge our calling as God’s children to comfort and encourage others who are going through suffering. But how rare it is to find the person who ministers to the pain of others who himself doesn’t become discouraged, who doesn’t question God’s goodness and who doesn’t feel like giving up when immense suffering touches his own life.

Another common human perspective from Job, again, perhaps true, but maybe false, is that it is the sufferer’s sin that has opened the door to the pain and devastation he is now forced to endure. Eliphaz says to Job, “As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it.” (Job 4:8)

Of course, sin is at the heart of suffering.  But to assume that it is the result of the sufferer’s sin is to tread on dangerous ground.  It could be true, but it also could be true that suffering has touched him simply because he, like you and I, are living in a world broken by human sin, and as a result, there is sickness, loss and death.

Then yet another human perspective is that our suffering is meaningless and hopeless. Of course, we don’t think that theoretically about suffering. But in practice, in the blast furnace of affliction, we steer into that mindset. Job thought that:  “What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient?”  (Job 6:11)

So what is the lesson here?  Simply keep in mind that when either we, or the people we love, are suffering, our perspectives on that suffering are human. We see our trials as through a glass darkly. Therefore don’t be quick to assign that misfortune to specific sin or a lack of faith—it is very likely that the suffering is just part and parcel of a world system that is still waiting to be redeemed.

Likewise, in the midst of doubt, discouragement and the temptation to give up on God, don’t! Offer him your trust.

In the midst of doubt, discouragement and the temptation to give up on God, don’t! Offer him your trust. In the end, God’s ways are always wise and loving—always!

Even when you can’t see the end from the beginning, you’ve read stories like Job, and what you know is that in the end, God’s ways are always wise and loving—always.  And that would be true of your suffering, too.

Prayer… Father, you created it all, you own it all and you have the right to rule it all—including my life. Therefore, in good times and in bad, I will honor you, offer my life as living proof of your love and lift my response to life as an offering of praise to your righteous Name. You are a ruthlessly faithful God and I will be your ruthlessly faithful child.

Reflect:
Genesis 11:4

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

You might read this story about the Tower of Babel and wonder, like I did, what’s so bad about Babel? I mean, was God just having a bad day or something? After all, it’s not often you see unity of purpose and effort achieved among human beings like this. The United Nations could learn a lesson here!

So why did God look upon what these folks were doing and say, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” (Genesis 11:6-7) And with that, he put an end to their efforts, confused their language, and scattered them across the face of the earth. (Genesis 11:8-9)

The problem was not the tower they were trying to build, nor their effort to achieve unity among the nations. In large part, public work projects and united efforts are a good thing. But in this case, good was the enemy of best. You see, after the great flood of Genesis 7-8, God had told these nations to scatter across the earth, repopulate it and establish human civilization wherever they went. (Genesis 9:1,7) In fact, this was a critical piece of the covenant God made with Noah and his descendants (Genesis 9:8-9), and was likely the reestablishment of the original covenant God had made with but had been forfeited by Adam. (Genesis 1:26-30)

What was wrong with Babel? Simply this: Disobedience, pride and independence from God. Instead of fully devoting themselves to God’s command, they thought they could do it better. They chose to go it alone. And God put a stop to it!

Babel represents any good of humankind divorced from obedience, humility and dependence upon God!

That’s always the problem with human beings, including you and me, isn’t it? Every single day, we wrestle with who is going to be God in our lives. Rather than seeking and doing what God says, we seek and do what we want to do. Of course, we acknowledge God to a degree, but then we pursue what we want. With regularity, we twist Jesus’ well known prayer of submission into, “God, not your will but mine be done!”

Stop and think about that today. Is there a Tower of Babel in your life—something that seems so good; something that makes sense to those around you; something that would advance your comfort, security and name? Remember, what looks good to you may in fact be the enemy of God’s best for you! Maybe it’s a purchase you are considering, a plan you are making, a relationship you are considering, or…you fill in the blanks.

Peter Marshall, the venerable Chaplain of the U.S. Senate in the mid-twentieth century, once prayed, “Save Thy servants from the tyranny of the nonessential. Give them the courage to say ‘No’ to everything that makes it more difficult to say ‘Yes’ to Thee.”

Revolt from the tyranny of the nonessential. Have the courage to say ‘No’ to everything that makes it more difficult to say ‘Yes’ to God!

That’s a great prayer: saying no to the good and yes to the Best!  Why don’t you join me in praying that prayer all this week?

Prayer: “Dear God, Your will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Amen!”  

Reflect: Genesis 1:1

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

If you accept the Bible to be true, that it was inspired by the Holy Spirit and that it is the authoritative Word of God, then this opening sentence in Genesis 1:1 is nothing less than explosive—the most important statement ever uttered in human language! Think about it:

“In the beginning, God created…”

That is more than just a good opening line to a great novel. It is the fulcrum by which everything moves in your life.  Or at least it should be!

What do those words tell us? Simply, yet profoundly, this: It all starts with God (by the way, go to the end of the book and you will see that it all ends with God too!) He created everything that exists—all the planets, all the systems that bring order to the universe, all the life that exists in the created order. He designed it, built it, owns it, sustains it (a fact invisible to all but the spiritually aware) and therefore—get this—has a right to rule over it as he chooses.

The Creator gets to set the rules—it is his work, after all! And that includes ruling over you. Your very existence, every breath, abilities, accomplishments and aspirations for the future are from him and therefore should be for him. Remember, he is the Creator.

So the question every person, including you, must ask is, “does he truly own me? Am I living for him—which is only fair, since he created both me and everything at my disposal—or am I living for my own pleasure and to accomplish my own purposes?”

Remember, if you accept the fact that it all starts with God, there is no other logical conclusion than to recognize his total rulership over all the details of your life. If you don’t recognize his ownership of you, then you can go your own way—the Creator made you with that choice. But that does not lessen the truth that he is the Creator and still has right of rule over you (a reality that will come home to roost some day).

Now if you accept God’s rulership, then here is something else you would do well to remember; it is repeated throughout Genesis 1: What he created, including what he had in mind when he created you, is “good.”

“And God saw that it was good.”

And what you can conclude from that oft repeated analysis is that his plans for those who honor his right to rule will also experience his good rule over their existence—present and future.

The Creator owns you—and that is good!  So honor his right to lovingly rule your life, and let the good times roll.

Prayer… Creator God, you rule. You rule over this world and you rule over my life. Forgive me when I live in ignorance of, or even in complete disregard of that truth. Today, I acknowledge and surrender control to you and your purposes. Fulfill your good plan through me, I pray.

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: John 8
Meditation: John 8:11

“Jesus said to [the adulterous woman], ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’”

Shift Your Focus… If I were writing this story instead of John, I would have had Jesus calling down fire from heaven to fry these mean-spirited Pharisees. At the very least, he would have snatched this poor woman from their grasp and beamed over to Galilee to set her free. That would have made a great story.

But as we’ve come to expect of Jesus, he does the unexpected. Instead of special effects and edge-of-your-seat drama, he simply stoops over and writes in the sand.

Do you ever wonder what he wrote? “Jesus was here!” or perhaps the Ten Commandments, or better yet, a list of the Pharisees’ secret sins or the names of their mistresses?

These religious Nazis kept pressing him until finally he said, “Look, if any of you are without sin, you can be the first one to throw a stone at her.” Then he began to scribble again. And with those words, Jesus lobbed a grenade into their midst, exploding their self-righteousness, and one-by-one, from the oldest to the youngest, the Pharisees walked away, leaving only Jesus and this sinful woman.

I wonder what she expected next: A sermon, condemnation, more humiliation and rejection? Instead, Jesus gently asks, “Where are your accusers? Has no one judged you guilty?”

She replied, “Sir, they’re gone…they didn’t judge me guilty.”

Then Jesus lobbed another grenade—this one a grace-grenade that utterly exploded this sinful woman’s self-condemnation and turned her sad world right-side up: “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

So just what was it that Jesus wrote in the sand? I think it is highly likely that he bent over and with his finger, etched these words:

“Not guilty!”

A few weeks later, Jesus again wrote those very same words in the sand. This time it was not with his finger, but with blood that dripped from his nail-pierced hands and feet, leaving an eternal stain on the ground at the foot of the cross. This time it wasn’t just meant for an adulterous woman, it was meant for you and me:

“Not Guilty. Paid in full. Completely forgiven.”

I don’t know what that grace-grenade does for you, but it makes me want to “go and sin no more.”

“This is the mystery of the riches of divine grace for sinners, for by a wonderful exchange our sins are now not ours but Christ’s, and Christ’s righteousness is not Christ’s, but ours.” ~Martin Luther

Prayer… Lord, I am overwhelmed and undone by your grace. It is more than enough to cover my worst sins and bring eternal life to this undeserving sinner. I will be forever grateful!

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: I Timothy 5
Meditation: ITimothy 5:8

“Those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.”

Shift Your Focus… If you were to go on just the last few years, you would have to conclude that we now live in the era of perpetual government bailouts of financial institutions and gargantuan corporations. However—and unfortunately—these financial crises on Wall Street are only indicative of a society that has even bigger troubles all the way down on Main Street. Most observers of our culture would readily agree that the American family is in serious crisis—and that’s the real problem for our nation!

As family structures are weakened, greater and greater pressure is put on the government, the school system, various social institutions, and even the church to meet the needs of people that God intended families to meet. Just within the last decade or two in American society, we have witnessed a growing and alarming dependency on institutions to meet our needs. What our parents and grandparents understood to be their personal responsibility, we now expect someone or something else to provide.

The truth of the matter is, nowhere in the U.S. Constitution is our government required to provide universal health care or retirement benefits or low interest loans to high-risk endeavors or in general, a pain-free life. Our founding fathers did not guarantee our happiness, only the right for us to pursue it.

Likewise, the school system is not the answer to producing brighter and better citizens. Schools work best in educating their students when parents are heavily and intricately involved with their children in the learning process. When parents take the lead in their child’s education, the school can come alongside the parent’s efforts in a supportive role and be far more effective in producing young people who are ready to enter into society as well prepared and responsible citizens.

Furthermore, the Bible, our spiritual constitution, does not say that the institutional church is obligated to take care of every financial need its members may have. It was very specific about who should be helped, and who should not. The list of qualifying candidates was very slim, as you can read in I Timothy 5. Paul was very clear that believers ought to be reluctant in burdening the church by requiring resources that should be directed to other, more legitimately needy people.

The fact of the matter is, the government, the school and the church cannot meet every single need and every single want of its citizenry. Nor should it. But the family can and should be the place where needs are met and wants are vetted. God intended for families—both the nuclear family and the extended family—to be the place where the physical, emotional, educational and financial needs of the individual were addressed.

The breakdown of the family in today’s world explains why God’s family plan isn’t working very well—but it doesn’t excuse it. And it certainly doesn’t remove the responsibility we as individuals have to provide for our families.

So while social security threatens to implode, national health care is being hotly debated, welfare programs—individual and corporate—are being resurrected and ever-present socialism is peaking around the corner, the church needs to step in and lead the way in showing the world how God’s family plan is the real answer to these societal challenges.

God wants you to be sensitive and responsive to the needs of your family. Are you? If you are not, begin to reestablish and strengthen your family ties so that when the time comes, you can step in and help meet the needs of your loved ones. To rephrase Paul’s words, when you care for your relatives, especially those in your own household, you have affirmed the true faith, and in so doing, you have exemplified authentic Christianity.

“The family fireside is the best of schools.” ~Arnold Glasow

Prayer…  Dear God, I pray that you will help me to lead my family in such a way that we will demonstrate to a watching world how your family plan is the answer to what ills our society.

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: I Timothy 1
Meditation: I Timothy 1:15-16

“‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.”

Shift Your Focus… If God could save Paul, God can save anyone.  He was a super-pious religious zealot who thought he was doing God a favor each time he imprisoned, persecuted, or killed a Christian.  He was intolerant, close-minded, bigoted, and arrogant—on a good day.

And yet God reached him. Actually God slapped him up side the head on the Damascus Road one day. You can read that dramatic story in Acts 9.  Paul was radically and completely transformed by his encounter with the risen Savior.  He had met Jesus, and in that meeting, he didn’t stand a chance. He became a trophy of God’s grace.

Now the truth is, you weren’t any better off that the pre-converted Paul before God found you. Neither was I. We were dirty rotten sinners, too, but now we are trophies of God’s grace. We were messed up, sin prone, hell bound sinners who deserved nothing but eternal punishment. But we were just the kind of people that Jesus came into this world to redeem. And for that, you and I will give thanks before the throne of God for all eternity.

So here’s the deal: If God could save dirty, rotten sinners like Paul, you and me, he can save that resistant sinner who lives in the same house as you, or who lives next door, or who goes to your school, or works in the office next to you. You have been praying for them, but there seems to be no response, no interest, not even the slightest crack in their spiritual armor.

Don’t give up!  They may be just a persistent prayer or a kind act or a verbal witness away from getting totally messed up through a radically transforming encounter with Jesus. That’s why he came: To save sinners just like them. He saved Paul, didn’t he?  He saved you, didn’t he?

Maybe that dirty rotten sinner you’re praying for is next!

“Either sin is with you, lying on your shoulders, or it is lying on Christ, the Lamb of God.  Now if it is lying on your back, you are lost; but if it is resting on Christ, you are free, and you will be saved.  Now choose what you want.” ~Martin Luther

Prayer… Dear Father, thank you for your redeeming grace in my life.  I will never get over that.  Throughout eternity I will fall before your throne in humble gratitude for saving me, the worst of sinners.  Now Lord, release your saving grace to those dear people in my life who do not know you.  Confront them with your love—today.  Make them the newest trophies of your grace.

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Ephesians 6
Meditation: Ephesians 6:7-8

“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.”

Shift Your Focus… What is your attitude toward work?  What does your attitude tell your co-workers, your supervisor, or if you are a boss, your employees about you?  Do you go about your job as if Jesus were your boss?

If who we are as God’s chosen people is to show up in our work—and it should—then there are some important qualities that ought to characterize how we go about our jobs.  Paul speaks to 4 of these qualities.

The very first thing that must characterize you is that you’ve got to consistently demonstrate right actions. Verse 5 says, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters…

The operative word here in this verse is obey.  Grammatically, it’s in the present tense, indicating uninterrupted action.  What’s the point?  Obedience isn’t only to occur when the desire is there or when an employer is fair, generous and reasonable.  Believers are to obey their earthly masters in everything and at all times, except when they’re told to do something that would violate God’s higher law.

When Paul wrote these words, one-third of the Roman Empire was enslaved.  It was a social and economic way of life.  There were doctors, lawyers, teachers and musicians who were slaves.  But most were menial laborers who were nothing more than human tools.  They had no standing or rights. As the Gospel reached many of these slaves, they began to question if they needed to be subject to a cruel, unfair earthly master now that they had been freed by Christ and were submitted to God.  Paul’s answer was that through the message of grace being lived out through these slaves, the pure love of God would begin to transform Roman society…and it ultimately did.  Authentic Christianity killed slavery with love, respect, honor and dignity.  In the upside-down logic of God’s kingdom, obedience always rules the day!

So whether the boss is kind or cruel, believer or pagan, we are to be obedient because it is God’s will.  When you submit to your boss’ authority, it’s a literal and powerful witness of your submission to a higher authority and it releases God’s power to work on your behalf.

Second, you’ve got to display a right attitude.  Verse 5 continues by challenging us to do our work, “…with respect and fear, and sincerity of heart…”

It’s one thing to grit our teeth and obey.  God wants it to come from the heart.  The idea of fear is not of cowering fright and intimidation, but the honor for the position, if not the person you work for. The attitude of sincerity refers to genuineness and thoroughness.  Attitude shows up in reverence, authenticity and diligence.

Third, you are to work with the right motives.  The last part of verse 5 says, “Just as you would obey Christ.” Verses 7-8 go on to say, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.”

What should motivate your work?  In truth, you are serving the Lord.  You don’t work for Intel or Boeing or McDonalds.  You work for Jesus. That in itself should be motivation to make you the best employee around.

What motivates you?  Pay?  Recognition? Position?  As a Christian, it should be love, gratitude and obedience to Christ!

Fourth, you are to display right character in your work.  Verse 6 tells us, “Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.”

Someone has said character is who you are in the dark.  It is who you are when no one’s looking.

Howard A. Stein wrote in Reader’s Digest of a retired friend who became interested in the construction of an addition to a shopping mall.  Everyday he’d watch its progress, and he was especially impressed by the conscientiousness of a heavy equipment operator. One day he had a chance to tell this worker how much he’d enjoyed watching his scrupulous and skilled work.  The worker was astonished and said, “You’re mean you’re not the supervisor?” 

Character—especially Christian character—is who are you when no one’s watching. Yet Someone is always watching!  And He is depending on you to represent Him well. In a companion passage, Paul wrote in Colossians 3:22-24,

“Obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

In truth, Jesus is your boss!  And He is watching.  And He cares.  And someday, He will reward you for the kind of work you are doing today.  So what difference is that going make in your work from here on out?

“There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. This is where the respect and the love and the devotion come in—that we do it to God, to Christ, and that’s why we try to do it as beautifully as possible.”  ~Mother Teresa

Prayer… Lord, I pray that the people I work with will see the Lord I work for in the way that I work today…and for the rest of my life.

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Romans 15
Meditation: Romans 15:20-21

“My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else.  I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘Those who have never been told about him will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand.’”

Shift Your Focus… Are you a missions-minded Christian?

I thought I was. I grew up in the church where the occasional missionary would come, and if we were lucky, show slides of his work in Africa, or some other far off place that I’d only heard about in geography lessons at school. Then I grew up and became a pastor, and again, the occasional missionary would come and tell the church of what God was doing somewhere far away, and I would feel good that we were a missions church. I would even give occasionally to support the church’s missions effort around the world. I thought I was a missions-minded Christian.

But that began to change. Periodically, I was sent oversees for short-term missions projects by the various churches I served, and my heart begin to get reshaped by what I saw God doing among people who had never heard the name of Jesus before. The signs, wonders and miracles in the missions context (Paul talks about that in this missions context in Romans 15:19) blew my mind. I had never seen such things in the U.S, and experiencing it abroad, I longed to see the supernatural back home in my church, too. God was shaking and reshaping my heart for missions.

Then a few years ago, God completely dislocated my heart, and gave me a passion for missions, for reaching people who’d never heard the Gospel of Christ. I have a notion now that I have become a missions-minded Christian.

It all happened when I reluctantly got involved in a church-planting project in a remote, unreached region in Africa. I was reluctant because I knew that my involvement would require a lot of my own personal resources, and to be successful, would require significant resources from my church. Figuring our resource pie was stretched, and limited, I secretly feared that the finances we dedicated to this project would flow away from other worthy projects; that we would simply be “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

Then, as I was stressing over this likely outcome, something wonderful happened. God spoke to me. Not in an audible voice or through writing on the wall or some other sensational sort of way (wouldn’t that be cool!). He simply and clearly spoke to me through an undeniable and unmistakable inner impression in my spirit. Addressing my stressing, he simply said, “Ray, if you will take care of the things I care about, then I will take care of the things you care about. I care about a lost world. I care about people who have never heard my name. And I want you to care about them too!”

That was good enough for me. I jumped into this project up to my eye-balls, and true to his word, God turned on a miraculous flow of resources, not only for the church planting project, but for those other projects I had been so concerned about as well. Best of all, our obedience keyed a revival in this region of Africa that was beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. In a region where only a few believers attended a handful of churches before this missions effort, 10 years later nearly thousands of churches have been planted and hundreds of thousands of believers have been added to those churches. And the revival is showing no signs of slowing.

What God has done in Africa through the obedience of that church changed my heart forever, and has given me a growing, if not consuming passion for missions. I still have a passion for my local church (that’s missions, too), but I have an added ambition now: To keep God’s people focused on reaching people who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ.

That was Paul’s ambition, according to Romans 15:20. That is God’s ambition, according to Romans 15:21. I hope that you will open your heart and let God make it your ambition as well. I hope that you will travel with me down the path to becoming a missions-minded Christian. If you will, I will make you the same promise God made me:

“If you will take care of the things God cares about—a lost world, God will take care of the things you care about—your world.”

What a deal! That’s an offer you can’t refuse.

“The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.” ~Henry Martyn

Prayer… God, you so love the world that you went on a missions trip to it, giving your very best to save it by giving your Son to die for it. Love was the root of your mission, and sacrifice was its fruit. I am the beneficiary of such extravagant love and costly sacrifice.  In truth, I am a product of missions.  Today, make me a loving and sacrificial extension of your mission to reach a lost world.

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Romans 14
Meditation: Romans 14:17

“The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or what we drink, but of living a life of goodness, and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Shift Your Focus… So much of what Christians get uptight about, particularly as it relates to how others are living out their faith, really doesn’t matter in the larger scheme of how the Kingdom of God is to be fleshed out.  It just doesn’t matter if some believers drink wine or play cards or put a dollar down on the lottery, or go to movies or dance socially, or you name it.  It doesn’t matter if some Christians run around, jump up and down and wave flags when they worship, or go to church on Friday night rather than Sunday morning, or give their offerings online rather than in the plate, or whatever, whatever…

That’s what Paul is really teaching here in Romans 14. Certain of the Roman Christians in Paul’s day were getting uptight with other believers, because they weren’t living out their faith the way these Roman church members were.  In that day, the issue had to do with certain foods that some believers felt was inappropriate to eat.  The big deal about meat was that before it had been purchased, it had likely been sacrificed to an idol prior to its arrival at the market. That was a concern to the non-meat eating believers, because they believed that to now eat that meat was to give tacit worship to idols.

Another issue had to do with what day they believed was the correct day to gather for worship.  Some thought that Saturday, the Sabbath, was the correct day, while others preferred Sunday worship service.  And as people chose sides over these issues, hard feelings and disharmony was the result in the church.

So Paul says, “look gang, what foods you eat or don’t eat and what day you choose to worship just doesn’t matter in the bigger picture of what the Kingdom of God is all about.  You are free to do what you want so long as your bottom line motivation in life is to bring honor to the Lord.”  Notice these words,

“For we don’t live for ourselves of die for ourselves.  If we live, it is to honor the Lord.  And if we die, it is to honor the Lord.  So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.  (Romans 14:7-8)

That is a great rule of life to live by.  If your motive is to bring honor to the Lord, then nothing else really matters.  Do what you want, eat what you want, drink what you want, worship when you want and in the way you want—as long as your sole purpose is to glorify the Lord.  That’s why Paul went on to remind these believers, “the Kingdom of God is not a matter of meat or drink, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Now Paul gives a couple of caveats to this principle.  One, if you cause a weaker brother or sister to stumble by deliberately doing certain things that offend their conscience, then you’ve missed the point.  You are not glorifying God.  You are unnecessarily creating disharmony, and harmony in the family of God is a big deal, a very big deal, to the Lord.  And two, if you take advantage of this liberty in Christ to do something that your own conscience tells you not to do, then you have crossed over into sin.  So be careful in the exercise of your Christian freedom.

Here is what really matters in our Christian faith:  Just do everything to honor God, and you will be okay.

“To many, total abstinence is easier than perfect moderation.”  ~St. Augustine

Prayer… Lord, thank you for the amazing freedom you have given me to enjoy life.  Since you have blessed me with such a gift—the gift of Christian liberty—I want to dedicate it back to you in the form of a life lived to glorify you, even in the minute details. I want that to be the rule of my life—to glorify you in all things.  May that be the one and only thing that matters.

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Romans 12
Meditation: Romans 12:2

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God change you into a new person by changing the way you think.”

Shift Your Focus… We have a calling as Christians to right thinking. Right thinking is the key to everything—to godly living, to significance and satisfaction, to relational wholeness, to the abundant life, to spiritual growth, to joy—everything!

Paul writes that we are to let God change us by changing the way we think.  In Philippians 4:8, he describes the kind of thinking that will lead to the changed life:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

When Paul says to “think about such things”, he intentionally chose the Greek term logizomai, which means to compute, to calculate—to think deliberately, proactively and strategically.  It speaks of an exercise in mental reflection that affects one’s conduct.

Now herein lies an important truth about the human mind:  What we do—our behavior—and what is done to us—our circumstances—do not produce what we think.  Rather, what we think produces our behavior in any given set of circumstances.

Psychiatrist William Glasser, the father of reality therapy, discovered in his study of how the brain works that man isn’t controlled by external factors, but by internal desires. Furthermore, our desires are predetermined by our thinking.  So he concludes that the mind is the command center determining conduct. Therefore the critical issue for man is how he thinks.

Glasser had only discovered what the Bible had already said long ago—that we are the product of our thinking. Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinks within himself, so he is.” That’s why Proverbs 4:23 also says, “Above all else, guard your heart (the heart in Hebrew thought was the center of thinking) for it is the wellspring of life.”

If you want to improve your experience of life, deliberately and strategically change your thinking.  So when Paul says, “think about,” he doesn’t mean to leave it up to whatever pops into your brain.  He’s saying to intentionally and rigidly allow only certain things into your mind.  He is referring to the spiritual discipline of setting godly virtues and Biblical values as the gatekeeper of your mind.

He’s not suggesting silly mind-games, positive thinking, mere optimism or some type of self-hypnosis, he’s calling us to think deeply, rationally and habitually about the things of God.  He is calling us to think first, think early, think often, think deeply, think always.  Think first, act second, feel third! Then your feelings will be managed by your thinking and your actions will be sound.

God created us with a mind, and he commands us to think.  Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, let us reason together.” And the primary path for our reasoning is God’s Word. When God gave us his revelation, he didn’t give us a movie…or a series of music videos…not even a book on tape with background organ music.  He gave us the written Word…which by nature calls us and causes us to think.

In his book, “Your Mind Matters, John Stott wrote, “Sin has more dangerous effects on our feeling than our thinking, because our opinions are more easily checked and regulated by revealed truth than are experiences.”  Right thinking is the key to Godly character.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones pointed out that our worry and anxiety is “a failure to think” that God is close and in control, and that he cares about us.  Most people assume worry comes from thinking too much.  But in reality we get anxious for not thinking enough in the right direction.  Right thinking is thinking rightly about God’s purposes, promises, and plans. Right thinking is thinking reasonably about God’s revealed truth. Right thinking is the key to Spirit-controlled emotions.

A.W. Tozer wrote in his book, Knowledge of the Holy, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Right thinking is the key to your experience of God.

Thinking rightly is the catalyst for a great life.  So watch your input; it becomes thought. Watch your thoughts; they become attitudes. Watch your attitudes; they become actions.  Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Now go think rightly.  It’s the key to everything!

“Let the mind of the Master become the master of your mind.”

Prayer… Father, today I will choose to think about you.  I will think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, excellent and praiseworthy.  I will think rightly.  I will let the mind of the Master be the master of my mind.  Now I pray that you will transform my character by changing the way I think, and make me an offering that is holy, pleasing and acceptable to you.

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Romans 8
Meditation: Romans 8:11

“If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

Shift Your Focus… I have heard this particular verse quoted most of my life—usually in the context of praying for the healing power of the Holy Spirit for a physical malady. I have received prayers, and I have offered prayers using this verse as a faith builder—that the same Spirit of God who raised the body of Jesus from death is dwelling in us, and we can expect that same resurrection power to bring divine life to our physical bodies as well.  And to be sure, I believe that to be true.

What never hit me until this moment is the larger context in which we find this verse. Up to this point in Romans, Paul has been extensively contrasting the bondage to sin we experienced while living under the law with the freedom from sin we have living under the lordship of the resurrected Christ. He has shared his own struggle with sin—of doing what he shouldn’t and not doing what he should. He has been quite realistic about this back-and-forth wrestling match that goes on in our lives between sin-bondage and Spirit-freedom.

And then he drops this truth on us: We are not alone in this struggle with sin. We do not have to be disheartened by the overwhelming nature of the spiritual contest we are in. For sure, we experience a strong pull back into the slavery from which our sinful natures were freed. But praise God, we have an infinitely stronger, incomparably more powerful, indefatigable Person who is dwelling within us and is fighting for us, helping us to overcome sin—and that Person is the Holy Spirit. With him in us and for us, we cannot lose—if we will cooperate with him.

If we work with and walk with the Holy Spirit, we then can tap into the same force he exerted in the lifeless body of Jesus to reconstitute each dead cell and catalyze his breathless spirit to produce something that had never happened before, something that the master of sin, the devil, never counted on: The first fully resurrected man.

Not only that, this first fully resurrected man was just the beginning. Now, all who accept Jesus by faith enter into that same resurrection life by that same indwelling resurrection Spirit. And the indwelling Spirit enables them to live in that same resurrection power that will not only heal their sick bodies, and not only guarantee their immortality, but will empower them each and every day to resist the pull of sin and live the victorious, overcoming Christian life.

Think about that! On this day, at this very moment, the same Holy Spirit that coursed through the body of our Lord and brought him back to life again is coursing through you.

Wow! Suffering, sickness and sin—especially sin—doesn’t stand a chance!

“We are to be re-made. All the rabbit in us is to disappear—the worried, conscientious, ethical rabbit as well as the cowardly and sensual rabbit. We shall bleed and squeal as the handfuls of fur come out; and then, surprisingly, we shall find underneath it all a thing we have never yet imagined: a real Man, an ageless god, a son of God, strong, radiant, wise, beautiful, and drenched in joy.” ~C.S. Lewis

Prayer… Holy Spirit, quicken my mortal body today so that I may live above sin, be healed from all my diseases, and face every circumstance, good or bad, with the knowledge that victory is mine through the resurrection reality of my risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Matthew 14
Meditation: Matthew 14:13-14

“As soon as Jesus heard the news [of John’s death], he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” (Matthew 14:13-14)

Shift Your Focus… Karl Menninger, founder of the famed psychiatric clinic in Topeka, Kansas that bears his name, was once asked, “What would you do if you thought you were going crazy?”  Without even having to think about it, he said, “I’d go out and find someone less fortunate to serve.”

There is just something therapeutic about serving somebody else—especially if they are worse off than you. When you are going through your own hardship, whatever that may be—sickness, loss, disappointment, depression—God’s therapy is to find those who cannot help themselves, who cannot pay back your kindness, and minister God’s love to them.

That is not to deny or avoid your own hurt. Not at all! To love, serve, and bless the less fortunate is to activate a spiritual law that we find in Acts 20:35, “And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Jesus said it another way in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

In other words, when you are the conduit of God’s love and grace, and when heaven’s generosity is being poured through you to those in need, on the way through you, that flood of love, grace and generosity will leave the Divine touch in your own life.

Jesus is practicing his own preaching here in Matthew 14. His cousin, John the Baptist, had just been beheaded by Herod. When Jesus heard the news, he was deeply affected, as any human being would be. He felt tremendous sorrow and grief over the loss of a loved one. And he did what most of us would do: He got away from the crowd to spend some time alone and pour out his grief.

But Jesus didn’t stay there long. He didn’t succumb to self-pity; he didn’t retreat into isolation; he didn’t get paralyzed by grief. He found other people who were hurting for different reasons than his own, and out of compassion for them, he began to minister to their needs.

Jesus was setting a pattern for us, don’t you think? Not to minimize the hurt and grief that we experience from loss, discouragement and disappointment, but to turn it into a productive force that initiates God’s healing therapy in our own lives by becoming the conduit of Divine love and grace to hurting people.

Perhaps you are licking your wounds today from the loss of something dear and near to your heart—maybe even the death of a loved one. If that is the case, try doing what Jesus did. See the needs of other hurting people around you and love them.

You probably won’t feel like doing it, but do it anyway. It won’t take away your own pain, but it will unleash God’s healing therapy for you. And at the end of the day, you will find that your journey through grief will be a lot healthier and a whole lot more productive.

“By compassion we make others’ misery our own, and so, by relieving them, we relieve ourselves also.”  ~Sir Thomas Browne

Prayer… Lord, place someone in plain view who is hurting today, and I will serve that one in your love.

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Acts 28
Meditation: Acts 28:30-31

Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

Shift Your Focus… If you take the time to read this last chapter of Acts in its entirety, which is the culmination of a story that began back in Acts 21, you will notice a curious thing:  It has no ending.

Other historical accounts in the Bible bring the story they tell to an obvious conclusion.  Not Acts.  The author, Luke, adds no “the end” or “that’s all folks” to this history of Christianity in the first century.  He simply leaves Paul in Rome, performing miracles along the way, trying to convince the Jews that Jesus was the fulfillment of Old Testament promise, and preaching the Good News to the Gentile world.

I think Luke was intentional and strategic in leaving us hanging in Acts 28.  Rather, I think the Holy Spirit, who inspired him to write this account, had a specific reason for preventing Luke from bringing this ship into the harbor.  He wanted us to realize that we, the church, the people of God, are the continuing story of the Acts of the Holy Spirit.

You see, there are still miracle stories waiting to be recorded.  God is still working among his people, Israel, through the likes of you and me.  The world is still waiting to hear the Good News of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  The Kingdom of God is still waiting to advance and reclaim territory now held by Satan that rightfully belongs to the Creator God.

We are the story! We are the next chapter—Acts 29!  We are to take up Paul’s mantle and do the stuff of the Kingdom wherever we are. This is a story that is to be continued.

So give it your all. Your testimony will not be recorded in the Bible, but it will be written down in heaven’s record, and celebrated by God himself, along with heaven’s hosts for all eternity.

You are the story!

“Every story ends…and that is just the beginning!”

Prayer… Father, I want my part of the story to bring great glory and pleasure to you!

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Acts 1
Meditation: Acts 1:6-8

When they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Shift Your Focus…  One of the most popular songs in 1965 was Burt Bacharach’s, “What The Word Needs Now Is Love.” If you were alive and interested in music at that time, the syrupy music and lyrics are probably running through your head right now. You might even find yourself quietly singing the song throughout the day: “What the world needs now is love, sweet love…” Sorry about that!

It seems to me that many in the modern American church would change those lyrics to, “what the world needs now…is a political party that represents our Christian values.” It doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, but that’s the way a lot of believers think these days. That is unfortunate!

The disciples were thinking that way too. After Jesus rose from the tomb as the victor over death, these followers were thinking that the Roman Empire was next in line for conquest. Perhaps the current Jewish religious regime could be dealt with at the same time. Finally, the kingdom of God would rule the earth in power and glory!

Did you notice how Jesus distanced himself from that line of thought? He pointed out that political domination was not high on his list. What the world needed, Jesus said, was not political power, but a good dose of spiritual power being exercised through his God’s people. The kingdom of God was coming, all right, but it wouldn’t be through political persuasion or military conquest or social reformation. It would come when the Holy Spirit baptized believers with power, enabling them to do the works, speak the words and live the witness of Jesus before a watching world.

Things haven’t changed, you know. Two thousand years later, that is still Christ’s plan for world domination. Christians don’t need the House, Senate and Presidency—they need the Holy Spirit’s power! And the good news is the Holy Spirit is still available to all believers (Acts 2:38-39). He will fill those who yield, empowering ready vessels to extend the kingdom of God to a lost world, not in their own strength, but in the glorious might and supernatural power of God himself.

What the world needs now is power—sweet Holy Spirit power.

The Father’s gift of the Holy Spirit is still available. All you’ve got to do is ask and receive. I think I am going to ask today! Want to join me?

“There is no better evangelist in the world than the Holy Spirit.” ~D.L. Moody 

Prayer… Father, baptize me in the Holy Spirit at this moment! Cause a fresh wave of the Spirit’s presence and power to wash over me. Enable me to do your works, speak your words, and live your witness before a watching world.

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Mark 16
Meditation: Mark 16:15

Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Shift Your Focus… You may recall the television show from years ago called Mission Impossible. It always began with a scene in which Mr. Phelps, leader of a team of government spooks, would receive a tape describing his next mission. The tape usually began with the line, “Your mission, should you choose to accept it…” Then, after describing the mission, the tape would self-destruct in a puff of smoke.

For the believer, Jesus’ command here at the end of Mark’s Gospel is our “mission possible.” But unlike Mr. Phelps, we don’t have the option of accepting it. If you desire to be a Christ-follower, you will do this.

The mission is very clear and quite simple: Take the Good News with you wherever you go and share it. That is the mission of the Christian.

Don’t let the word “preach” trip you up. For sure, the Gospel is to be formally preached by preachers from pulpits in church services and by evangelists to great crowds of listeners. But the word “preach” has a simpler application as well. It simply means “to proclaim.”

Proclamation can happen in both formal presentations as well as informal conversations. I think the church has done a pretty good job in the formal aspect of this mission. It is the informal, everyday part of the mission to be carried out by the individual believer where we have not done so well.

The mission of the Christian is proclamation. You and I are tasked to go and tell the story of Jesus. That is our business.

So that begs the question: How’s business? When was the last time you talked about your faith in Christ in a casual conversation with a friend or a co-worker? In the last six month? This past year? In the last five years? Have you ever shared Christ with another?

Don’t you think it’s time we get back to business? I do!

What do you say you and I look for opportunities today to carry out the mission! Jesus is counting on us.

“Evangelism is not a professional job for a few trained men, but is instead the unrelenting responsibility of every person who belongs to the company of Jesus.”  ~Elton Trueblood 

Prayer… Lord, keep me acutely sensitive to the opportunities that will come my way today to share what you have done in my life with others.  Help me to lead someone to faith in you.

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Mark 10
Meditation: Mark 10:13-14

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.”

Shift Your Focus… What is God like? No human has ever seen him, so we are left to wonder.

A little girl was drawing a picture, and her mom said, “Honey, what are you drawing?” Quite confidently, the little girl said, “I’m drawing a picture of God!” The mother reminded her that no one really knows what God looks like. To which the little girl said, “they will when I get done.”

People in Jesus’ day had never seen God. They only knew of him from their wooden laws, their vacuous traditions and from their misguided theologies. No one had ever seen God, but Jesus came along and said, “they will when I get done.”

So what does God looks like? Just look at Jesus. The Apostle Paul tells us in Colossians 1:15, “Jesus is the image of the invisible God.” Verse 19 says, “For in Jesus all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”  In other words, when you see Jesus, you’re seeing God himself. Jesus is the perfect picture of God; the absolutely accurate image of the Father. Jesus is the invisible God made visible.

So what does watching Jesus tell us about God in this chapter? Well, how does God feel about your marriage? Just look at Jesus tell the Pharisees, “What God has joined together let not man separate.” (Verse 9)

How does God feel about your children? Just look at Jesus gathering up kids and saying, “Let the little children to come to me…” (Verse 14)

How does God feel about your struggle to let go of earthly dependencies? Just look at Jesus’ interaction with the rich young ruler: “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” (Verse 21)

How does God feel about your competitiveness with others? Just look at Jesus saying to his disciples, “Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.” (Verse 44)

How does God feel about the things you care about? Just look at Jesus asking blind Bartimaeus, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Verse 51)

What is God like? What does he look like? How does he feel about you? Just look at Jesus.  Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.”

In Jesus, God has identified with us so we can identify with him. In Jesus, God has come near to us so we can come near to God. In Jesus, God has made a way for us to live before him with complete confidence and daring prayerfulness.

Therefore, as Hebrew 4:16 goes on to say, “let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

“If New Testament Christianity is to reappear today with its power and joy and courage, men must recapture the basic conviction that this is a Visited planet.  … the great Mystery, Whom we call God, has visited our planet in Person. It is from this conviction that there springs unconquerable certainty and unquenchable faith and hope.  … as a sober matter of history, [in Jesus] God became one of us.” —J.B. Phillips

Prayer… Father, thank you for making yourself known to me in Jesus.  And thank you for making a way through Jesus for me to come into your presence to receive the mercy and find the grace that I need to make it through this day.

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Mark 7
Meditation: Mark 7:6-8

Jesus answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men…”

Shift Your Focus… As Jesus began to preach and minister the Kingdom of God, conflict with the Pharisees, religious leaders and other “stakeholders” in traditional Judaism increased dramatically. They didn’t like the fact that Jesus wasn’t holding to their traditions at all—and Jesus wasn’t intimidated by their pressure to conform.

In this particular conflict, they were upset that his disciples didn’t go through ritual washing before eating. This was just one of many “violations” that upset them. When they questioned Jesus about it, he let loose a holy tirade against their ridiculous traditions. In dressing down these leaders, we see something of what is truly irksome to God: Shallow, hypocritical, spiritually incongruent religiosity. Jeremy Taylor writes,

“The Pharisees minded what God spoke, but not what He intended…They were busy in the outward work of the hand, but incurious of the affections and choice of the heart. So God was served in the letter, they did not much inquire into His purpose; and therefore they were curious to wash their hands, but cared not to purify their hearts.”

God wasn’t impressed with the Pharisees, nor is he impressed with your rituals; he wants to be in relationship with you. Holding onto tradition for the sake of tradition is meaningless to God; he wants your acts of worship to be authentic. Lips that affirm one thing but a heart that holds to something else is completely odious to God—be very alert to that.

God desires integrity in our behavior, intimacy in our walk with him, and authenticity in our worship practices. Spirituality devoid of integrity, intimacy, and authenticity is even more repulsive to God than people who know they are sinners and don’t try to hide the fact.

Now there is an obvious application to this particular reading: God wants your heart. And he wants the heart you offer him to be pure. But let me suggest a riskier application of this text, as well as all the other accounts of Jesus’ confrontations with the Pharisees: Rather than reading them and feeling a sense of spiritual justification, why not read yourself into the story as one of the Pharisees. You see, the longer you are in the faith, the greater the likelihood that you will slip into some of the very practices God found so odious in the religious establishment of Jesus’ day.

Whatever it takes, keep your relationship with God fresh and vital!

“The Pharisees are not all dead yet, and are not all Jews.”  —John McClintock

Prayer… Lord, keep me close to you.  Don’t let my heart ever grow insensitive.  Keep me tender and constantly, passionately pursuing a loving relationship with you.

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Mark 6
Meditation: Mark 6:5-6

Jesus could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief.

Shift Your Focus… This is one of the most amazing texts in the entire Bible. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, the visible image of the invisible God; the one who existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation; the one through whom God created everything in the heaven and on earth, the things we can see and the things we can’t see—thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world; the one by whom all creation is held together (Colossians 1:15-17)…

This Jesus who had raised the dead, healed the sick, delivered the demonized, fed the five thousand, and walked on water, could do no mighty works in his own town because of the unbelief of the people who knew him.

And even he—the one who had seen it all—was amazed by their unbelief. I would dare say it must take an awful lot to stump Jesus!

What is the one thing Jesus can’t do? Violate a person’s willful unbelief, that’s what. He will help a person’s humble admission of unbelief (Mark 9:14-25), but he will not impose his Lordship on someone’s refusal to give him a chance.

Now before we get all huffy about Jesus’ neighbors, do you think we sometimes do that with Jesus, too? Haven’t we seen his glory; haven’t we tasted his goodness; haven’t we been touched by his love and grace and power, yet we still question his right of Lordship over our lives?  You might say, “but I don’t do that!” Yes you do—so do I!  How? We do that when we give in to doubt, worry, fear, depression, anger—or engage in any number of other self-medicating, self-destructive acts—overspending, overeating, oversleeping, over-talking, over-sharing, over-indulging, sexually addictive behaviors, substance abuse…

Why would we surrender to any of those harmful and deceptive things when we have seen and touched the power and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ? Truthfully, I don’t know why we would. Sometimes my own propensity to resist Christ’s loving Lordship amazes me.

Here’s what I do know: If we will take an honest look at where we are resisting Jesus’ right to rule over us—both passively and willfully—and come to him with a humble request that he help our unbelief, even that crack in the door will be enough for him to do his mighty works in our lives.

Otherwise, you will be tying God’s hands. And that will amaze even him—and not in a good way. So offer him instead your humble, simple faith, and Jesus will likewise be amazed—and I mean in the best way possible. (Luke 7:9)

“Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things, ‘above all that we ask or think’. Each time, before you intercede, be quiet first, and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people. Think of your place and privilege in Christ, and expect great things!” ~Andrew Murray

Prayer… Jesus, there are still areas of my life where I resist your Lordship. Help my unbelief. I open the door of my heart to you, and invite you to burst through it to accomplish your mighty works in me.

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Mark 3
Meditation: Mark 3:28-29

“Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”

Shift Your Focus… Jesus revealed unlimited forgiveness through his death by which God’s great grace covers all our sin. All our sin, with the exception of one: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—the unforgivable sin as it has been called.

These three words—the unforgivable sin—have caused untold anguish for many who have misunderstood their meaning and thought they had committed this grievous sin of sins. Maybe they had become angry in a time of bitter disappointment or loss and let their rage fly, cursing God. Perhaps they fell into a sin they had vowed to God never to commit again. Maybe they had toyed with something Satanic, or mocked the work of the Spirit in a church service only then to be hit with the terrifying thought that they had insulted and blasphemed the Holy Spirit and so, based on this passage, were hopelessly and eternally damned.

Prayer… Father, create in me a tender heart.  Keep me sensitive to the convicting work of your Spirit and cause me to be quick to repent.

Essential 100—Read:
Revelation 4:1-7:17

“And when he took the scroll, the four living beings fell down before the Lamb.  Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.” (Revelation 5:8)

It is not uncommon for us to feel as if prayer is an exercise in futility; that either our payers are unheard, or if they are heard, that they don’t really matter. We don’t always feel this way, or else we would never pray. But sometimes we do sense that the heavens are brass and our prayers simply disappear like a puff of smoke into the atmosphere.

According to this verse, however, all of our prayers matter to God. They rise up to heaven and are offered as precious and pleasing incense before his very throne. God will not answer every prayer according to our desires—thankfully. I share this observation with Jean Ingelow: “I have lived to thank God that all my prayers have not been answered.” As Mother Teresa rightfully observed, “More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.” Yes, thankfully not all of our prayers are answered in the way we want, but each prayer is an act of worship offered in faith that blesses the very heart of God.

Now there is nothing wrong in hoping for the answer to your prayer. God’s Word is clear in that our Father desires to give us those things we ask for in prayer. So don’t quit expecting your answer. But pray with this added dimension: The greatest answer to prayer is the act of prayer itself.

You see, prayer is practicing the presence of God. It is entering his very throne room in the great court of heaven. It is exercising faith in the One who rewards those who believe that he exists and diligently seek him. It is placing your needs, concerns and hopes into the hands of a loving Father who delights in your dependence and is pleased to provide for your needs according to his gracious will.

Hopefully, the answer you are expecting will be in line with his will to act. But if not, your act of prayer does far more in the unseen realm that you will ever realize this side of eternity.

So keep praying!

“If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, He will give you the first sign of His intimacy—silence.” ~Oswald Chambers

Reflect and Apply: Offer this prayer today: “Father, I lift my prayer to you simply as an act of worship. May I, and this prayer, please and glorify you. You know my heart, you know my needs, you know your will for my life. Fulfill your perfect plan for me—whether it come in the form of some great and miraculous intervention, or simply through the intimacy of your silent presence.”

Essential 100—Read:
Revelation 1:1-20

“Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3)

John promised God’s blessings upon those who read and acted upon the words of his prophetic revelation. The same double blessing applies to all of God’s Word—both Old and New Testaments alike.

Today, when you read the Bible, there is a blessing that will be upon you.  You are not just reading another book, you are reading God’s Book. You hold in your hand the very revelation of God himself, inspired by God, revealing God’s nature, God’s will for all of mankind—which includes you—and God’s plan for the ages.

To all who read with an open heart and a humble spirit, God’s favor will rest.  But there is another, even greater blessing: It is for those who not only read the Word of God; it is for those who act upon it. Divine blessing awaits those who translate their belief into behavior.

As you read this portion of Scripture, the Revelation of John, what behavior is required of you? Simply this: Since this prophecy concerns God’s plan for the end of days, you must seek to apply it in readying yourself for Christ’s return.

So then, how do you actually live such a ready life? First, you must live with an end-time perspective. Verse 7 says, “Look, he is coming with the clouds…”  Jesus is coming soon, and everything you think, say or do ought to be lived in the light of his return.

Second, you must realize that you have been redeemed to be both a king and a priest in God’s eternal reign. Verses 5-6 remind us, “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priest to serve his God and Father…” You are going to rule and reign with Jesus in the eternal kingdom soon, so you ought to act like a king and priest now!

And third, until then, you must patiently endure trial and tribulation. In verse 9, John reveals himself as “your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus…” John was able to endure great hardship—harder than you will ever face, most likely, because he knew what was coming. When you know the end of the story—that you win—you can put up with anything in your present circumstances.

Reading and receiving the blessing promised in this book requires you to adjust your beliefs and your behaviors to it. So develop an eternal perspective, act like the priest of God’s kingdom that you are, and patiently endure difficulty, and you will be handsomely rewarded for it!

“Looking forward to the eternal world is not…a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do.”  ~C.S. Lewis

Reflect and Apply: What adjustments do you need to make in your life to be ready for Christ’s return? Write down five things you would stop doing and five things you would start doing if you knew Jesus would return a week from now.

Essential 100—Read:
I Thessalonians 4:13-18 & 5:1-11

“For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.” (I Thessalonians 5:2)

Both of the Apostle Paul’s letters to the Thessalonian church devote a great deal of space to Christ’s return. Paul concludes his first letter by reminding his readers that this great event will happen when people least expect it—“like a thief in the night.” So as believers, we must therefore live each and every moment expecting the unexpected. We are to live with our bags packed, so to speak, ready to leave for our true home—heaven—at a moment’s notice.

What does it mean to live in such a way? Paul gives a checklist of sorts in the final verses of this letter. Perhaps you’ve used a checklist to make sure you have the right things packed in your suitcase before going on an extended trip. As you prepare for the journey home—which by the way, will be an extended trip with no return—here is your spiritual checklist:

• I Thessalonians 5:6—Be alert! Be on the lookout; remain on guard as to Christ’s return and the evil conditions of the time in which it will take place.
• I Thessalonians 5:6 & 8—Be self-controlled! Keep your life, your passions, your desires and fleshly drives in check.
• I Thessalonians 5:8—Be armed! Put on the armor of faith (conviction), love (self-sacrifice) and hope (the assurance of your salvation).
• I Thessalonians 5:11—Be encouraging! Instead of finding flaws in others, build them up and help them to be ready for Christ’s return.
• I Thessalonians 5:12-13—Be respectful! Treat your spiritual leaders—ministers and lay leaders—with high regard and love.  Give them respect not because of their position, educational achievements or popularity, but because of the nature of their work.
• I Thessalonians 5:13—Be at peace! Seek peace actively, not passively, with fellow believers.
• I Thessalonians 5:14-15—Be active! Get involved with others by warning the idle, motivating the timid, helping the weak, being patient with everyone, and exhibiting kindness rather than retaliation toward those who’ve hurt you.
• I Thessalonians 5:16—Be joyful! Maintain an attitude of joy no matter what.
• I Thessalonians 5:17—Be prayerful! Stay in God’s presence continually.
• I Thessalonians 5:18—Be thankful! Not only in good times, but even in bad times exhibit an attitude of gratitude.
• I Thessalonians 5:19-20—Be sensitive! Develop a sensitivity and an appreciation for the work of the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ; especially as it relates to prophecy.
• I Thessalonians 5:21—Be discerning! Gain knowledge of the Bible so that everything can be tested against it.
• I Thessalonians 5:21—Be obedient! Understand what the Word of God says, and be quick to obey it.
• I Thessalonians 5:22—Be pure! Moral purity should continually characterize your life.
• I Thessalonians 5:23-24—Be dependent! Fully depend on God and cooperate with the Holy Spirit to bring about sanctification and blamelessness in your life—body, soul and spirit.
• I Thessalonians 5:25—Be prayerful! Regularly intercede for others before the throne of God.
• I Thessalonians 5:26—Be friendly! Love and affection must be demonstrable, and an outward expression of your inner affection for fellow believers.
• I Thessalonians 5:27—Be unselfish! Take responsibility to share with other believers the truth of God’s Word.
• I Thessalonians 5:28—Be gracious! Live in the light and reality of God’s grace, personally and relationally.

Are you ready to go, or do you need to do some more packing? Jesus may come today, so make sure you’re ready for the journey.

“Our deepest calling is not to grow in our knowledge of God. It is to make disciples. Our knowledge will grow—the Holy Spirit, Jesus promised, will guide us into all truth. But that’s not our calling, it is His. Our calling is to prepare the world for Christ’s return. The world is not ready yet. And so, we go about introducing a dying world to the Savior of Life. Anything we do toward our own growth must be toward that end.” ~Jeffery Bryant

Reflect and Apply: Offer yourself to God: “Lord, I long to see you. Perhaps it will be today!  But whether it is today or a hundred years from now, empower me through the Holy Spirit to live in a state of readiness, ready to go home at a moment’s notice.”

Essential 100—Read:
II Timothy 2:1-26

“Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” (II Timothy 2:3)

I admire Paul’s attitude toward discomfort. Whether he was being thrown in prison, beaten with rods, drifting at sea on a plank from the ship that had just wrecked, being kicked out of the city for preaching the Gospel, abandoned by his so-called friends, told he was crazy by government officials, or many of the other various things he had suffered, he treated them as just being part of the job. Suffering was just all in a days work for Paul.

Maybe those city officials were right—Paul was a little crazy. (Acts 26:24)  Who in their right mind has such a lackadaisical attitude about hardship? The answer: One who sees their role in life as a soldier for Jesus Christ.

Soldiers are tough. They endure suffering. They undergo discipline to make them stronger, more battle-ready. They serve at the pleasure of their commander and fight for king and country. And those of us who are citizens of that country are glad for that.

Paul says that we, too, are soldiers. And what is true of a real soldier ought to be true of spiritual soldiers as well. We should expect discomfort—it toughens us. We should leverage hardship to make us battle-ready—we’re in a very real spiritual war, after all. We ought to embrace the suffering that comes as a part of what serving at the pleasure of the Commander means. We need to reframe our thinking so as to see all of life, including persecution, rejection, and any sort of pain, along with all the wonderful benefits and blessings that outweigh them all (II Corinthians 4:17), as the privilege of soldiers fighting for another Kingdom.

And there’s one more thing Paul understood about suffering that made it endurable: The reward at the end of the battle. He knew that he, and everyone else who suffered as a Christian, would also reign with Christ.  It takes a “long view” of life to see it that way, but what a great motivation we have.  If we suffer with Christ, and if we endure for Christ, if we persevere and overcome as soldiers for Christ, we will live with Christ forever and reign in his eternal kingdom.

Reframe your thinking—your suffering now will pay off later in ways that I cannot even begin to describe.  It will be worth it all.

So buck up, soldier!

Carry on.

“When a man has quietly made up his mind that there is nothing he cannot endure, his fears leave him.” ~Grove Patterson

Reflect and Apply: Here is a prayer you may want to offer today: “Dear Lord, you suffered so much for me, and for that I am eternally grateful.  Now Lord, strengthen me to suffer redemptively—without so much as a complaint.  What a privilege to be in discomfort for your sake.  It is such a small price to pay to be a good soldier for you.”

Essential 100—Read:
Colossians 1:1-23

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 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.” (Colossians 1:21-22)

My arch-enemy in the second grade was a kid named Delmer. He was the biggest, meanest, scariest guy in our class…a real bully. And I had the brains to get into a fight with him one day at recess.  No damage was done, really, we were only eight-years-old.

After school that day Delmer and two of his no-good lackeys, Stephen and Jay, confronted me as I walked on my way home. Words were exchanged, and we went our separate ways. Then I made the critical error of heaving a rock, along with some choice words, at Delmer and his buddies as they were walking away. That caused a barrage of rocks to come back my way. One of those rocks, about the size of a baseball, caught me right on the chin. It caused a great deal of pain and discomfort, along with a fair amount of blood. I ran home, bloodied and bawling, and told my mom the whole story (from my point of view of course). My mom then took me right back to school and into the headmaster’s office where I again gave my account of the story. The next day at school, Delmer and his buddies were summarily marched into the office, and the “board of education” was swiftly and forcefully applied to their “seat of knowledge”, if you know what I mean.

That encounter way back in the second grade left me with a scar that is still visible to me today. I see it every time I look into the mirror. It is a constant reminder of the fact that I offended someone, that I didn’t handle a conflict very well, and that this failure led to severe pain in my life.

Each of us has scars—unpleasant reminders of painful times. But the worst scar in our lives, whether visible or not, is the scar that sin has left. Sin always leaves scars. Sometimes those scars are physical, sometimes they’re emotional, but always they’re spiritual—ugly scars that remind us of our past failures.

I want to suggest a new way of looking at your scars. Use them as an ever-present reminder of Christ’s triumph over your failed and sinful past.  Every time you look at that scar or you feel remorse or you cry over what has been or what might have been, remember that God has brought victory out of sin through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ. That is what Paul is reminding us of here in Colossians 1:20-23 as he explains what we call the doctrine of reconciliation:

“…And God, through Jesus, reconciled all things to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight and without blemish and free from accusation–if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel.”

In my opening story I told you about Delmer and his partners in crime, Stephen and Jay. Jay received the principle’s paddle along with Delmer for hitting me with the rock. Actually, Jay was the guy who threw the rock that did the damage. But somehow, for some reason, Jay and I were reconciled through that encounter. And Jay and I were not just reconciled, we became closest friends throughout our growing up years. We were inseparable all the way through childhood. We who were once enemies now stood as friends.

That’s a picture of reconciliation. That’s what happened when Jesus died for you. He has the scars to prove it. And so do you. His scars were for your sins. Your scars are a reminder that he became a sin offering for you.

The next time you look at your scar, or see it in your mind’s eye, don’t die again for that which Christ has already died! Rather than remembering the pain and disappointment of your sin, think of the reconciliation that Christ’s death produced between God and you.

You were once an enemy—now you are God’s friend!

“Most Christians are being crucified on a cross between two thieves: Yesterday’s regret and tomorrow’s worries.” ~Warren Wiersbe

Reflect and Apply: Here is a prayer you might want to offer to God this morning: “Lord Jesus, thank you for bearing my sin in your body on the tree. I sometimes fall back into feelings of guilt for things I have done, but today, I choose to look at those things as a reminder that I have been reconciled to God and have been brought near to him. All that is due to you, and I gratefully praise you for that.”

Essential 100—Read:
Philippians 4:2-9

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Do you want to know the key to everything in your life?  Here it is:  It is how you think.

The term Paul uses for “think” in this verse is from the Greek term “logizomai”.  It literally means to compute, to calculate—to think deliberately, proactively and strategically.  It speaks of an exercise in mental reflection that affects one’s conduct.

Now herein lies an important truth about the human mind:  What we do—our behavior—and what is done to us—our circumstances—do not produce what we think. Rather, what we think produces our behavior in any given set of circumstances.

Psychiatrist William Glasser, the father of reality therapy, discovered in his study of how the brain works that man isn’t controlled by external factors, but by internal desires. Furthermore, our desires are predetermined by our thinking. So he concludes that the mind is the command center determining conduct, and therefore, the critical issue for man is how he thinks.

Glasser only discovered what the Bible had long ago said—that we are the product of our thinking. Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinks within himself, so he is.”  We are what we think! That’s why Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart” — the heart in Hebrew thought was the center of thinking — “for it is the wellspring of life.”

So if you want to improve your experience of life, deliberately and strategically change your thinking. When Paul says, “think about”, he doesn’t mean leave it up to whatever pops into your brain. He’s saying to intentionally and rigidly allow only certain things into your mind. He is referring to the spiritual discipline of setting godly virtues and Biblical values as the gate-keeper of your mind. He is not simply talking about positive thinking, mere optimism, self-hypnosis or silly mind-games. Rather, he is saying to think deeply, rationally and habitually about the things of God.

God created us with a mind, and he commands us to think. Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, let us reason together.” And the primary path for our reasoning is to be God’s Word. When God gave us his revelation, he didn’t give us a movie, or a series of music videos, not even a book on tape with background organ music.  He gave us the written Word, which by nature calls us and causes us to think.

When you get serious about the spiritual discipline of Biblical thinking, it will produce a new pattern of thinking. That new pattern of thinking will produce a new pattern of living. That new pattern of living will lead to a new experience of life, the abundant life, that Jesus said he came to give.

Everything God’s wants you to experience in this life is keyed by how you think. Ruthlessly tune out that which is inconsistent with Biblical truth and evaluate everything that presents itself to you with your Scriptural values (Philippians 4:8), then simply practice thinking. Then what you think will produce Godly behavior.

Allow the mind of the Master to be the master of your mind.

“Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act, and you reap a habit; Sow a habit, and you reap a character; Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.”

Reflect and Apply: Let the truth of God’s Word saturate your mind before you leave the house today.  Ask God to take my mind and let it be always, only thinking of him throughout the day. Let the mind of the Master be the master of your mind, and allow your thinking to produce Christlikeness in all you do.

Essential 100—Read:
Acts 8:26-40

“The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’” (Acts 8:26)

Have you ever had a sense that you were to go talk to a random stranger about Jesus?  Maybe they were sitting alone in a booth at the restaurant, or on a bench at the park, or sitting at the gate waiting for their flight, or whatever. Oh, you weren’t thinking about blasting in on them with the Four Spiritual Laws, but you felt the urge to strike up a dialogue that could possibly lead to a spiritual conversation.

The next time that happens, can I encourage you to pursue that urging?  It will take courage and you will have to overcome a hundred rationalizations why doing it would be so wrong, but do it. It is not an urging, it is a prompting from the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, there is nothing random about it. Since it is the Spirit prompting you to be his mouthpiece, it is entirely strategic. And that is no stranger with whom you will be speaking; it is someone who matters to God and whom he has chosen for a kingdom purpose.

If you will accept this assignment, all you have to do is walk through the open door—if it opens. If it doesn’t, move on, you have been obedient. If it cracks a little wider, plant a seed. If it leads to an invitation, have that spiritual conversation. Just respond in the moment with obedience and watch God do the rest.

Philip, a layman in the early church, had one of those “promptings”. He followed it and struck up a conversation with a man who happened to be an important official in the Ethiopian government. He saw the man was actually reading from the Book of Isaiah and Philip asked him a brilliant question: “Do you have any idea what that means?” The man said, “Uh-uh…don’t have a clue!”  And that began a very strategic spiritual conversation—although Philip had no idea how important it would be when he first followed that prompting.

It is likely that the conversion of this Ethiopian official planted the first seed of Christianity in a nation that is now 84 million people, of which 18% (some reports say the percentage is even higher) are born-again believers. A veritable revival is currently taking place in that nation with signs, wonders, miracles and church growth akin to the book of Acts. It is very much within the realm of possibility that one day soon all of Ethiopia will happily surrender to Jesus Christ.

Might we say it all started with a prompting—and a believer who obediently and faithfully followed that prompting?  I think so!

Following your prompting may not turn out to be that dramatic, but then again, Philip had no idea that his encounter would lead to the salvation of a nation. He simply responded to the Spirit.

How about you and I do what Philip did—and leave the rest up to God.

“Evangelism is not a professional job for a few trained men, but is instead the unrelenting responsibility of every person who belongs to the company of Jesus.”  ~Elton Trueblood

Reflect and Apply: Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to simply listen to and look for those promptings, then follow them.

Essential 100—Read:
Matthew 14:22-36

“So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.” ~Matthew 14:29

No matter where you go in the Bible, you’ll find that memorable stories of faith always involved risky steps of daring obedience.  So it is in this story where Peter leaves the other disciples sitting in the relative safety and comfort of their boat, takes a few steps of faith on the water in the middle of a storm, and walks out to meet Jesus, becoming the first person—and only human being that I know of—to literally walk on the water.  Peter, a mere mortal, just a common Galilean fisherman, joined Jesus in a very elite club of which there were only two members: The Water Walker Club.

Now this is more than just another one of those incredible Bible stories we read as kids about the superheroes of the faith. This is a story meant to inspire water-walking faith in common, ordinary, garden-variety believers.  And within this particular story are several important lessons that Peter’s adventure can teach other mere mortals like you and me that we will need to keep in mind when we finally get up the courage to step out of our boat of comfort to take those bold and daring steps of faith to obey God:

First, the wind won’t stop blowing just because you take a step of faith. In fact, the storm may pick up a little.  The truth is, faith needs a storm to be faith, or it is not faith. But the great thing about storms is that although Jesus doesn’t promise to keep you from them, he does promise to be with you in them. And in fact, it is the very resistance of the wind in those storms that provides the lift needed for faith to soar.  So take that step of faith into the storm and watch what happens.

Second, when you take your step of faith into the raging storm, you will need to remember the one command that God most often gives his people:  “Fear not!” Did you know that there are 366 “fear not’s” in the Bible?  That is one for every day of the year (including an extra one for leap year).  I don’t think that number is by mistake—I think God knew that you and I would need to be reminded every single day not to give into fear. Every single day, including today, God is reminding you to choose faith instead, because fear and faith cannot coexist in those who would be water walkers.

Three, when the storm is raging, your assignment is simply to keep our eyes on Jesus—and just keep walking toward him.  “Don’t give up” is another repeated command in the Bible.  To join Peter in the water walker club, you will have to make the determination to stay focused on the One who is the Master over the storm—because it is Jesus alone who will see us through.

Is there an area of faith where you are being tempted to give up because you have come into some unexpected and impossible circumstances?  That is the perfect condition, my friend, to exercise water walking faith. So don’t give into fear and keep your focus on Jesus, because yet another heroic faith story is about to be written!

In the 1950’s, the name Florence Chadwick was synonymous with women’s championship swimming.  She was the first woman to swim the English Channel–both ways.  In fact, she did it three times, each time going against the tide.

But one of her distance swims was not so successful.  She failed to reach her goal, all because she lost sight of it.  Florence had set out on July 4, 1952 to swim the 21 miles from Santa Catalina Island to the California mainland.  But on this particular morning, the 34-year-old found the water to be numbingly cold, and the fog was so thick she could hardly see the boats in her envoy, which were along side her to scare away the sharks.

As the hours ticked off, she swam on.  Fatigue was never a serious problem…it was the bone-chilling coldness of the icy waters that threatened her.  Finally, more than fifteen hours after she started, numbed by the cold, Florence asked to be taken out of the water, unable to go on.

Her mother, in a boat beside her, urged her to go on, as did her trainer.  They both knew that the mainland had to be close, very close.  Yet Florence quit.  She got into the boat and fell short of her goal.  The boat traveled just a short distance until the coastline could be seen.  Florence had stopped only a half-mile short of the finish.  Upon realizing how close she had come, she dejectedly cried, “If I could have seen the shore I would have made it.”

If you are going to be a faith walker…or a water walker…

…Get ready for the storm

…Choose faith over fear

…Keep your eyes on Jesus

…And above all, never give up!

“Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessings if we don’t get discouraged and give up.”  ~Galatians 6:9 (Living Bible)

Reflect and Apply: Pray this prayer today: “Lord, bless me with water-walking faith.  Enlarge my capacity to trust you, even in the storms.  And let me be used of you in ways I never though possible.  In Jesus name, amen.”

Essential 100—Read:
Luke 9:1-36

“So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.” ~Luke 9:6

I’ve got to tell you, I am more than a little bothered as of late by the way the American church is doing Christianity! It seems a far cry from what Jesus had in mind. I think we are far more concerned with doing whatever it takes to attract people into the fellowship of believers (some don’t even like to call the spiritual community to which they belong a “church” anymore) than in calling for the radical transformation of their lives, which among other things, requires total surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Just think of how the typical church in America today makes its appeal to the community: You’ll love our music—the band sounds just like Coldplay. Our pastor is great—he’ll remind you of David Letterman, only funnier. We’ve got some great programs, too—your kids will think they’ve died and gone to Disneyland; your teenager may win an iPad—we have a drawing for one every week; and we will help you improve you marriage, make you more successful in business, show you how to make money, and help you to feel really good about yourself…oh, and we’ll treat you to a latte from our Starbucks’ franchise in the lobby.

No kidding, I was sent an advertisement not too long ago for a start up church back east that promoted itself as a church for the really busy. The outstanding feature of their advertisement was the half-hour service—10 minutes of worship, 12 minutes of the word, 3 minutes of application, and 5 minutes of fellowship—no fuss, no muss.

Nothing like rearranging your life around the priorities of the kingdom, wouldn’t you say? Maybe their mission statement could be, “If you’re too busy for Jesus, just come to us—we’ll fix that!”

That is a far cry from the radical plan Jesus gave the disciples for invading enemy occupied territory, sabotaging the dominion of the god of this world, and bringing Planet Earth and its inhabitants back under control of  the rightful Ruler:

Then Jesus called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. (Luke 9:1-6)

Building the kingdom is not a matter of entertaining people into your church. The more we do that, by the way, the more the world finds the church irrelevant. Rather, building God’s kingdom is about invading your neighborhood, workplace, school or social circle—“whatever house you enter”—in the power and authority of Jesus Christ, casting out demons, healing diseases, and declaring to those who have been under Satan’s dominion that there is a new Sheriff in town.

Maybe I sound a little grumpy today, but come on, don’t you think it’s time we start depending on the power and authority of Jesus rather than being hip to build the kingdom of God?

“Enemy-occupied territory—that is what this world is.  Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign in sabotage.” ~C.S. Lewis

Reflect and Apply: “Lord, forgive us for entertaining people into the church. Empower and embolden us to call people to the radically transformed life that you offer through the preaching of the cross. Rather than being funny and likable, cool and edgy, authenticate our witness with signs, wonders and miracles. Make us true kingdom agents of your Kingdom—for your glory alone we pray!”

Essential 100—Read:
John 1:1-51

“One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah.’ And he brought him to Jesus.” ~John 1:40-42

The disciple Andrew inspires us with a crystal clear, very simple, non-threatening, doable example of how we can be active in reaching lost people. When you read the few passages in the New Testament about Andrew, like this one in John 1, there are a couple of really encouraging things that stand out:

First, Andrew shows that you don’t have to have any special skills to introduce people to Christ. Andrew just simply brought people to Jesus.

In reality, even though he was the first disciple Jesus enlisted, and even though he was the first to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, Andrew never achieved the fame that his brother Peter did. Jesus’ never included Andrew in his inner circle, like Peter. Andrew wasn’t there at the Transfiguration, like Peter. Andrew wasn’t there when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gesthemane, like Peter. Andrew never preached like Peter, never wrote a gospel like John, was never recognized by the early church as a leader like James.

Peter’s name appears close to 200 times in the New Testament, ninety-six times in the four gospels—only Jesus is mentioned more often. We find Andrew in only eleven different places, ten of them in the Gospels—mostly grouped together with the other disciples; five as “Peter’s brother.” Only three times do these passages tell us any details about Andrew—and even that is minimal.

Someone once asked a conductor what the most difficult instrument to play in the orchestra was. He said, “second fiddle”. That was Andrew! Yet beneath everybody’s radar, Andrew was being used in the most powerful way of all—to bring people to Christ.

Andrew not only brought Peter to Jesus, but in John 6:8, we find it was Andrew who brought the boy with the loaves and fish to Jesus, and then one of the outstanding miracles of the Bible took place: The feeding of the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish. On account of Andrew, we have a story preserved that has helped millions to understand that Jesus is the true and only Bread of Life.

Then in John 12:20, some Greeks came to Philip and said, “we want to see Jesus.” Philip took them to Andrew, and what did Andrew do? He hooked them up with Jesus. Andrew became both the first home missionary—when he led Peter to Christ, and the first foreign missionary—when he led these Gentiles to Jesus.

In Andrew you don’t see any special skills or an incredibly charismatic personality, or an extremely articulate speaker. You just see a guy who was faithful, available, and useful. He just kept bringing everybody who got near him to Jesus.

Tradition tells us that Andrew kept on introducing people to Jesus for the rest of his life. He was finally put to death at a ripe old age in Greece. His death came after he befriended Maximilla, the wife of the Roman proconsul Aegeas, and led her to faith in Christ. Aegeas became so enraged over this that he ordered Andrew to offer sacrifices to a heathen god. When Andrew refused, he was severely beaten, tied to a cross, and crucified. That cross, shaped like an X is today called St. Andrew’s cross.

It is said that he lingered for two whole days before dying, but the whole painful time, he preached the Gospel to everyone who came by. Andrew never stopped introducing people to Jesus, even to his last breath.

And the second thing we can learn from Andrew is the power of one. Andrew brought Simon to Jesus, and Jesus transformed him into Peter, a rock—and you know the rest of the story.

We really don’t understand the power of one life simply being available, faithful and useful to God, and letting God do the rest!

Edward Kimball was a Sunday school teacher. He won a young man to the Lord when he was a Boston shoe salesman. That man became the well-known evangelist Dwight L. Moody.

After evangelizing in America, D. L. Moody traveled to England. There Frederick B. Meyer heard his message. F. B. Meyer was so affected by the impact Moody’s preaching was having on people that it began to inspire his own ministry. Meyer was invited to come to America, where he preached at Furman University. A student in the audience had decided to quit the ministry and go back to a secular job, but Meyer’s message was given with such fervor that the young man walked to the altar and renewed his vow to preach the gospel. He became the well known evangelist R. G. Lee. Another young man, J. Wilbur Chapman, was inspired by Meyer’s preaching, and Chapman went on to have an amazing impact as well. Chapman came along side Billy Sunday, a recent convert, and mentored him.

Billy Sunday became an evangelist, holding a meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sunday so inspired a group of businessmen that they organized a committee to invite other preachers back to evangelize their city. One of those invited was Mordecai Ham. In one of the meetings Ham preached, a young man by the name of Billy gave his heart to Christ. Billy Graham’s ministry is known throughout the world and his crusades have influenced hundreds of thousands if not millions.

All this happened because of one Edward Kimball. One nobody won one other nobody, and that started a series of dominoes falling that ended up with millions acknowledging Jesus as Savior. That’s the power of one.

That’s Andrew. Every time Andrew is mentioned, he’s bringing someone to Jesus—then Jesus does the rest, and lives get transformed. His single talent seems to have been leveraging his relationships to introduce seekers to Christ. He doesn’t lay the “Four Spiritual Laws” on them; he doesn’t whip out a “Roman Road” tract on them. He just says, “hey, come with me, I’ve got someone I want you to meet.”

That’s the Andrew Factor—which, if you haven’t picked up on it by now, is simply inviting your friends to church and letting God do the rest.

Did you know that 80% of people who come to Christ do so through an established friendship. 10% of the people you bring to church for the first time are likely to become regular attenders. Get people to come twice, 25% become attenders. Bring them a third time, 45% will become a part of the church. Most people don’t join a church because of the great music, the outstanding programs, or the sensational preaching. They will come, and get transformed, because of you!

That’s the power of one! That’s the power of you!

“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith.” ~Paul, Philemon 1:6

Reflect and Apply: Ask the Lord to help you to cut through all of the things that distract you from the most important thing you should be doing with your life:  Bringing people to Christ.

Essential 100—Read: Malachi 1:1-4:6

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit. Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. ~Malachi 3:8-12

In God’s Word are irrefutable financial laws that transcend time, cultures and economic conditions. One of those laws is the law of the tithe, describe in Leviticus 27:30 & 32,

“A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD…The entire tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the LORD.”

How you embrace and obey that law reveals a great deal about you.  In fact, your response to God’s call to tithe to him your income is the acid test of your faith. It is actually a test from God… arguably the first and biggest test he gives you. The test determines the most important thing of all in life: Who will have first place. You see, that’s what money does: It reveals what we worship. Money determines godship. And the biggest and most stubborn issue in our lives, I guarantee, is godship: Who’s going to be in charge; who’s going to be worshipped; who’s going to get priority.

That’s why the Bible talks so much about money. You’ll find about 500 verses on prayer, about 500 on faith…but over 2,000 on money and material possessions. That’s why 16 out of Jesus’ 38 parables spoke of money.  That’s why he spoke more about money than even heaven and hell. He knew that he’d have to battle mammon for godship in your life. And if that one didn’t get settled, nothing else would work right. Not only is tithing the acid test of your faith, it becomes the foundation of your faithful stewardship. The practice of tithing settles the issue of godship and strengthens your obedience. Then, as you get both your attitude toward and practice of handling money aligned with God’s command, your giving will be organic. It will come from your heart. You will become a joyful, generous giver—and that is someone upon whom God can release his blessings. That is when your stewardship of God’s money will become the gateway to the blessed life.

God is calling you to test him out in this area of giving; to see if he won’t hold up his end of the deal and bless you with his abundance. That is God’s promise, by the way. Malachi 3:6, “I the LORD do not change.”  Malachi 3:10 follows, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

God has made some pretty amazing promises to you about his desire to bring you into the blessed life.  But his promises require the alignment of your thinking and behaving to his Word.  If you will ruthlessly commit to following his commands in this area, you will find that, indeed, it pays to tithe!

“One verse in every six in the first three Gospels relates either directly or indirectly to money. Sixteen of our Lord’s forty-four parables deal with the use or misuse of money. A loving, joyful, liberal giving to the Lord’s work is an acid test of a spiritual heart, pleasing to God.”  ~William Allen

Reflect and Apply: Joshua 1:8 promises, “if you’ll do everything written in this book, then you will be prosperous and successful.”  Think about that one word, “everything”, then ask God for his help to bring those things in your life which have previously been excluded into alignment with “everything”.

Essential 100—Read:
Daniel 6:1-28

“‘O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king. The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.” ~Daniel 6:21-23

Robert Freeman wrote, “Character is not made in a crisis—it is only exhibited.”  That is so true, and the great Old Testament character Daniel is Exhibit A of that truth. Daniel faced an imminent crisis of epic proportions—he was thrown into a den full of hungry lions—simply because of the daily practice of his faith in God. And you know the rest of the story: God yet again miraculously delivered this faithful old saint from his dilemma, exposed and deposed the enemies who put him there, and solidified Daniel’s reputation for integrity and place of influence in the government of the Medes and the Persians.

One of the salient points of this story is one that desperately needs to be considered in our day—by politicians, pastors, parents and simple salt-of-the-earth people like you and me. It is simply but profoundly this:

Daniel did not gain his famous integrity because of the lions’ den, the lions’ den was simply the stage on which his integrity was displayed.

Daniel’s courage under fire, his resolute response in the face of death, and uncompromising commitment to godliness under the pressure of accusation was based on a lifetime of living out in real life what he believed in his heart. As you read this story, you will notice four unimpeachable character qualities in Daniel:

Daniel was flawless in his work.  Verses 3-4 tells us, “Now Daniel so distinguished himself…by his exceptional qualities.  [They] tried to find grounds for charges against him in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so.”  Daniel’s enemies looked for a crack, but couldn’t find one in his conduct.

Daniel was faultless in his integrity.  Verse 4 says, “They could find no corruption in him. ‘We’ll never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.’”  His integrity was without question.

Daniel was fervent in his prayers.  Verse 10 reveals, “three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to God…”

Daniel was faithful to his God.  In verses 21-23, Daniel answered, “‘My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouth of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I done any wrong before you, O king. The king was overjoyed and he gave orders for Daniel to be lifted out of the den.  And when he was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted his God.”

Daniel’s courageous response to the lion’s den was rooted in his rock-solid character. But not only that, his response was also calculated. It was deliberate and thought out. It was a conscious, premeditated act of faith. When he heard the king’s edict banning prayer to God, verse 10 says, “Daniel went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem.  Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to the God of heaven.” Daniel clearly understood that the practice of his faith would land him in trouble.

And you will also notice that Daniel’s courageous and calculated faith was also consistent. The end of verse 10 reveals a very significant truth about the exercise of Daniel’s faith: “He prayed…just as he had before.”  Daniel wasn’t doing something that he hadn’t done all along. He didn’t wait until the crisis arrived to pull a response of faith out of the hat; he just did what was consistent with his walk with God. Daniel demonstrated what had been growing within all along—courageous, calculated, consistent character!

What was the result of Daniel’s courageous integrity? God displayed his incredible glory, a nation witnessed an undeniable miracle, and Daniel came away with a testimony for the ages.

By definition, maintaining your integrity will be difficult, but at the end of the day, it will be worth every ounce of pain and every personal sacrifice that it requires—even standing before a den full of lions licking their chops at the thought of you being their dinner. And when you face your lions’ den—and you will, whatever your lion’s den may be—with courage and conviction, God gets the glory and you will come away with an incredible testimony!

“If you have run with the footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with the horses?  If you fall down in the land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?” ~Jeremiah 12:5

Reflect and Apply: Make sure you work on your integrity before you get to your lions’ den. How? It is not easy; it will take a lifetime of effort. But a good place to start is by going to God and asking for his help—to purify your character, to infuse you with courage, and to strengthen you to consistently display pure and courageous integrity.

Essential 100—Read:
Proverbs 1:1-4:27

“The ways of right-living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine.” ~Proverbs 4:18 (The Message)

“A candle loses nothing of its light when lighting another,” according to the Lebanese-born poet, Kahlil Gibran.  So it is with right-living people, says Solomon. As they walk in the ways of God, their wisdom rubs off on those around them. And the more they rub off, the shinier they get.

Have you ever been around a person like that?  They just seem to glow brighter as they get older. You just love to be around them, no matter how old they get. Even when their physical body creaks and groans under the weight of age, you just know that being near them means you are going to catch some of the brightness of their being. And the more light they give off, the more unquenchable that light grows.

I’ve been around people whose wisdom seems to grow shinier with use, and those whose lives only grow duller with age. Of course, there are a lot of life-factors involved in who we turn out to be and how we run the final lap of our lives, but ending with an ever-increasing brightness of being requires walking hand-in-hand with Wisdom along the way.

King Solomon said, “Dear friend, take my advice; it will add years to your life.” (Proverbs 4:10, Message)  My suspicion is that he was referring not so much to the length of one’s years, but the brightness of one’s life. Now I’ll leave the timing of my demise up to God, but between now and that fateful day, I’m going to edge a little closer to the Source of Wisdom because I’d rather die young and bright than old and dull.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away”

Reflect and Apply: Chances are you know an older person who just seems to shine brighter with age.  Take them out to lunch—or bring them their favorite meal if they can’t get out.  Spend some time with them and ask them to share with you their top five life lessons.  Make sure you thank them, and most of all, enfold their wisdom into your own character.

Read Psalm 130

Featured Verse: Psalm 130:3-4

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

God doesn’t keep lists. Aren’t you glad for that? Unlike some of us who keep track of the mistakes and offenses of others, our gracious God doesn’t! When we confess our sins and repent of our offenses, the Lord remembers them no more. The Apostle John wrote, “When we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse of from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)

King David, who not only knew a great deal about personal sin, but Divine pardon as well, spoke in Psalm 103:3 & 12 of a God, “who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases…as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” How amazing is that! God takes the worst sins of the repentant sinner and obliterates them from his record. He wipes them from his memory banks—“as far as the east is from the west”—which, the last time I checked, was a long way.

One of the most moving and poignant descriptions of this forgiving God was penned by the prophet Micah. He spoke of God not just in terms of his willingness to forgive, but even more, of his passionate desire and aggressive search for ways to extend forgiveness to sinners. Take a moment to absorb this mind-boggling truth from Micah 7:18-19,

“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.”

No wonder the psalmist called us to “fear” the Lord in response to God’s unmerited forgiveness. To fear the Lord meant to reverence him, and to offer him a heart of gratitude, praise and love. Obviously, that is the only right response to a God who goes out of his way to forgive people who have gone out of their way to offend him.

I am so grateful for a God who forgives my transgressions—and remembers them no more. There is no other God like him, and I will be eternally indebted to his mercy and grace. When I think about his “unfailing love and…full redemption,” (Psalm 130:7) I am simply undone. How about you?

What love, what mercy, what grace…what a God!

“Forgiveness is the remission of sins. For it is by this that what has been lost, and was found, is saved from being lost again.” ~Saint Augustine

Essential 100—Read:
I Kings 16:29-224; 17:1-19:18

“And Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.’ So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.” ~I Kings 18:41-42

Someone once made a study of all the promises that God has made in the Bible, and came up with a total of 7,474. That’s a lot of promises! Now some of those promises are general in nature. Others are specific; ones that we can appropriate in response to specific needs. Whatever the case, one thing we know about God: He makes promises—and he fulfills them!

Yet we have a part to play in securing God’s promises for our lives, because even though his promises are sure, they are not automatic. Often, there is a gap between God’s promise and its fulfillment, and that gap can be closed only through our prayers.

That’s the truth we observe with Elijah in I Kings 18:41-46. God had sent Elijah to pronounce drought against King Ahab and Israel because of the sin—a severe drought of three and a half years. Then in I Kings 18:1, God is ready to call off the drought, so he commands Elijah to go present himself to the king. So Elijah announces to Ahab that the time has come for God to end Israel’s punishment by sending rain: “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” (I Kings 18:41) “Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.”  (I Kings 18:44)

Now here is a powerful point to this story that might be easy to overlook: Not only did Elijah proclaim God’s promise concerning rain, he then obtained God’s promise of rain in prayer. Elijah did some major power praying to procure God’s promise.  Notice seven actions:

1. Elijah separated himself to pray. “So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel.” (I Kings 18:42)
2. Elijah took a posture of humility. “He bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.”  (I Kings 18:42)
3. Elijah expected results. “Go and look toward the sea.”   (I Kings 18:43, compare James 1:6-7)
4. Elijah persisted. “Seven times Elijah said, ‘Go back’” and look for rain. (I Kings 18:43)
5. Elijah acted upon his prayer in faith. “The seventh time the servant reported, ‘A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.’  So Elijah said, ‘Go and tell Ahab, hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” (I Kings 18:44)
6. Elijah’s praying produced results. “And there was a great rain.” (I Kings 18:45, compare with James 5:16.)
7. Elijah’s prayer produced empowerment. “The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to Jezreel.”  (I Kings 18:46)

Could it be that Elijah’s story is there to remind us that this is what we should experience in prayer? No doubt about it! In fact, we are told in James 5:17-18 that the drought began because Elijah prayed and the rains returned after three and a half years of drought because he prayed. Then James adds that Elijah was a man just like us, who just happened to pray earnestly.

The implication from this is that we too can become powerful people for God—if we pray. And if we are to pray those Elijah-like prayers that are “powerful and effective” (James 5:16), we must understand how to link our prayers with God’s promises, and then start doing some major power praying to procure those promises.

Think about it: Power praying is simply obtaining what God has already provided.

“Our prayer pleases God because he has commanded it, made promises, and given form to our prayer. For that reason, he is pleased with our prayer, he requires it and delights in it, because he promises, commands, and shapes it…Then he says, ‘I will hear.’  It is not only guaranteed, but it is already actually obtained.” ~Martin Luther

Reflect and Apply: Before you pray today, take a moment to reflect on I John 5:14-15, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Essential 100—Read:
Samuel 11:1-12:25

“The prophet Nathan said to King David, ‘The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die.” ~II Samuel 12:13-14

Where do you go to get your integrity back after you’ve failed? How do you find the way forward after the personal devastation and the public humiliation of a financial, professional, relational or especially after a moral failure of the sexual kind? What can you do to get your heart restored?

I’ll bet David asked those questions after his confession to Nathan, “Where do I go to restore my integrity?  What do I do to regain my reputation? How can I get my life back on track with God when I’ve sinned so badly?” God had forgiven David; now David just needed to find a way forward.

The good news from David’s story is that failure doesn’t have to define your future nor does it have to be the fatal blow to God’s plans for you. Sin doesn’t have be the final word in your story; an insurmountable barrier to moving on to a satisfying, successful and even a deeply spiritual life. David discovered that as enormous as his sin was, it was wildly outdone by God’s grace. That is not to minimize his sin: he was an adulterer and a murderer—and there would be excruciatingly painful consequences throughout the rest of his life. Yet David’s sin—and your sin for that matter—will always be miniscule compared to God’s salvation from it. In David’s story, we have been left with a roadmap for recovery, and we can note four essential elements about the way forward to restoration:

The first thing you will see is that the road to a restored heart begins with honesty.  In II Samuel 12:13, David says to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” There is no explanation, no excuse, no blaming Bathsheba for her seductive exhibitionism, no promise to never do it again. David just simply and sincerely confessed his sin, even when there’s no indication yet that God will have him back, or even allow him to live. Honest confession is what releases Divine compassion and repentance always precedes restoration.

The second thing you will see is the road to recovery is paved with healing grace. Verse 13 continues, “Nathan replied, ‘The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.’” Now the Mosaic Law said David had to die.  It required death by stoning for adultery—even for a guilty king. Countless adulterers throughout Israel’s history have already died for adultery. So God has to suspend his own law just for David. Sounds unfair and inconsistent of God, doesn’t it? But what we’re getting here is a sneak peak at what God’s grace is all about. Now you will notice in the next verse that the son born to David and Bathsheba out of their adulterous affair will have to die. Sadly, the son pays the price for their sin. Sound familiar? God’s Son paid the price for our sin so we wouldn’t have to. He died so we could live! That’s grace: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. That grace is absolutely fundamental to the restored heart.

The third thing you will see is that the journey to recovery is fueled by humility. II Samuel 12:16 shows David humbling himself before God: “David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground.” He humbled himself and prayed for a crop failure, putting his hope in God’s mercy because he knew that was his only chance. If you have repented of your sin, it is quite appropriate to pray for a crop failure as well. Why? God in his mercy just may restrain his discipline. That is his character, so why not tap into it? Micah 7:18 says, “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgressions of the remnant? You do not stay angry forever, but delight to show mercy.”

The fourth thing you will see is that the road to recovery requires staying the course. David determined to get on with life when I’m sure he felt like giving up.  When he felt unworthy to go on, he instead just began to grit out a long obedience in the same direction.

As you skim over the last few verses of II Samuel 12, here is what you will see: Verse 20 says, “Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.”  Verse 24 says, “Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba [over the death of their baby], and he slept with her. She gave birth to [another] son, and they named him Solomon. The LORD loved him…” Verses 29-30 say, “David mustered the entire army and went to Rabbah, and attacked and captured it. He took the crown from the head of their king—its weight was a talent of gold [75lbs.], and it was set with precious stones—and it was placed on David’s head.”

It’s no accident that these details are connected to this story of David’s restoration. It’s showing that David is getting on with life, he’s doing what husbands do, he’s doing what kings do. David is just getting back to practical faithfulness in the daily ordinariness of life. That is where recovery happens!

Then something very cool happens at this point of the story:  II Samuel 12:25 says that Nathan, the man who had announced God’s judgment on David for his sin, now comes and delivers a message of God’s love. That message comes in the form of a name that God has for the second child born to David and Bathsheba—Jedidiah, which means, “loved by God.” God is showing David that he isn’t finished with him yet. David’s failure has not been the final word on his life. God is revealing plans to prosper David and not to harm him; to give him a hope and a future.

Now restoration doesn’t mean there won’t be scars. The record suggests that David was never again as effective a king as he once was. Yet he kept moving forward, and though David may not have become a greater king, but he became a deeper man. And that was a far more important thing.

“Wherever there is a pulverized and penitent heart, there grace also is, and wherever there is a voluntary confession not gained by pressure, there love covereth a multitude of sins.”  ~ Menno Simons

Reflect and Apply: Some Christians tend to make sexual immorality the unforgivable sin, but it is not. For sure, sexual sin has dire consequences, and that’s what makes it so destructive. Let us remember, as Francis Schaeffer pointed out, “The Bible does not minimize sexual sin, but neither does it make it different from any other sin.” What I treasure so much about our merciful God, as John Newton wrote, is that he is a “gracious Master who knows how to overrule even our mistakes to His glory and our own advantage.”

Essential 100—Read:
I Samuel 1:1-3:21

“In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD….‘[do] not forget your servant but give her a son…’” ~I Samuel 1:10-11

Nobody really understands the pain of desiring children but not being able to have any like the barren. Hannah was a childless woman in a culture where children meant everything—a woman’s worth and desirability to her husband, her bragging rights at family gatherings, the admiration of the other women at the market, her husband’s ammunition for one-upping the other guys hanging out at the city gates, as well as a whole host of other cultural notches on the proverbial belt that came with having kids.

There was one other benefit to having children that had an even more significant meaning to married couples in Israel: perpetual life.  You see, through posterity, the family DNA, the family name, the family’s unending future would be carried forth in perpetuity.

In light of all that, Hannah’s grief over having no children is more than most of us could ever begin to understand—unless, of course, you have suffered the disappointment of barrenness yourself. Even her husband, Elkanah, didn’t get it:

“Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?” (I Samuel 1:8, NLT)

Either he was a complete dolt or an insensitive brute—or perhaps both. But Elkannah wasn’t alone in this matter: Even Hannah’s pastor wouldn’t have placed in a Mr. Sensitive contest. He accused her of being drunk as she silently poured out her heart to the Lord:

“Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. ‘Must you come here drunk?’ he demanded. ‘Throw away your wine!’” (I Samuel 1:13-14, NLT)

Hannah was alone in her grief, and even worse, she had no hope that things would be any different in the future; she was destined to a life of barrenness. So what’s a misunderstood, hopeless, devastated, childless woman to do?  Here’s what Hannah did: She worshiped.

You will notice in the story that Hannah went before the Lord year after year—she persisted. She poured out her heart, time and time again—she trusted. She faithfully presented herself in sacrificial worship before the Lord not only with her husband, but also with his other wife, a mean-spirited rival named Penninah (I Samuel 1:7)—she pressed into God.

As difficult as her situation was, Hannah worshiped the One who had her life, including all its details, big and small, in his good hands.  And finally, in timing understood only by God, he granted her request and Hannah bore Samuel, who grew up to be the greatest of Israel’s prophets.

Hannah worshiped! That’s what you and I must learn to do, too, until worship becomes our first and best response to not only the delightful, but to the devastating things in life. If you are a childless woman whose pain and disappointment is understood only by God—worship him. He is your only hope and the One who knows his plans for your life—plans that are always good, even when you don’t particularly like them. And if you are suffering other kinds of barrenness—in your relationships, your finances, your career, your ministry or whatever—offer him your worship.  He knows your way, and he knows his plans for you. (Jeremiah 29:11)

As tough as it may be to offer your worship to the Lord when things aren’t going your way, it’s the best and only thing that will set your heart right.

“To be grateful for an unanswered prayer, to give thanks in a state of interior desolation, to trust in the love of God in the face of the marvels, cruel circumstances, obscenities, and commonplaces of life is to whisper a doxology in darkness.” ~ Brennan Manning

Reflect and Apply: Reflect on Manning’s statement.  If we dare, offer a prayer of gratitude, in sincerity and by faith, for whatever unanswered prayer is on your prayer list.

Essential 100—Read:
Judges 4:1-5:31

“Then Deborah said to Barak, ‘Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?’” ~Judges 4:14

The inclusion of Deborah’s story in Judges raises all kinds of interesting discussion points about the role of women as spiritual leaders. As tempted as I am to weigh in on this, I won’t at this point, except to say that the very fact the Holy Spirit saw fit to include the account of Deborah’s heroic leadership over Israel ought to open our hearts to the legitimacy of God’s call upon uniquely gifted women in the church today. But I am not going to talk about that…

Easy to miss in her dramatic story is this one little line Deborah delivers to Barak, a very nervous and reluctant man God had chosen to be military leader over Israel at this time. Her words are fraught with all kinds of encouraging spiritual implications for believers today:

“Get ready! This is the day the LORD will give you victory over Sisera, for the LORD is marching ahead of you.” (NLT)

Don’t overlook that line: “The Lord is marching ahead of you.” If that be the case for Barak, and by extension, for you and me, then why would Christians ever need to be worried, anxious, fearful or reluctant to step out on God’s behalf? If that be the case, no wonder Scripture commands us not to fear, but to always be courageous more than any other command.

You see, when God calls a Christian to step out in faith and obedience, in reality, the Lord himself has already gone before them and is there waiting where the step of faith will take them. Yes, he goes before them (Isaiah 52:12), prepares the way for them (Exodus 23:20), he gives them safety and protection on the journey (Deuteronomy 23:14), he guarantees their success (Joshua 1:7-8) and he ensures they end the journey of faith with an outstanding testimony (Deuteronomy 26:19).

That is the winning strategy the prophetess Deborah gave to Barak, and there is a reason it was included in the Holy Scriptures. It was not just for a reluctant nervous leader then, it is for God’s people today. God has given you the same winning strategy: Where God calls, step out, for he has already gone before you—and he is waiting for you at the finish line.

“A man with God is always in the majority.” ~John Knox

Reflect and Apply: Where are you being called to take a step of faith? If you are at all nervous about what is before you, go back and reflect on these verses: Isaiah 52:12, Exodus 23:20, Deuteronomy 23:14, Joshua 1:7-8, Deuteronomy 26:19 and Hebrews 13:5

Essential 100—Read:
Joshua 1:1-18

“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.’” ~Joshua 1:1-2

Just like Joshua and the Israelites, God has placed a vision of a personal Promised Land in your heart. But the first step along the path to pursuing God’s vision requires something critical to the rest of your journey: You’ve got to let go of the past. Possessing your Promised Land means you’ve got to make a healthy break with whatever you are clinging to—for sure, the bad, and sometimes even the good!

You will notice the very first thing God said to Joshua (Joshua 1:2) was, “Moses is dead!”  Don’t you think Joshua already knew that? Of course he did! So there is more to this verse than meets the eye. God is telling Joshua that he’s going to do a new work in a new way, so Joshua can no longer rely on Moses—as wonderful as Moses was. No, Joshua will have to rely completely on God. God will give Joshua a breakthrough to a new and prosperous future that will require a break with the old dependencies of the past!

For you, that means moving forward into new blessings will require you to jettisoning two things:

One, you have to jettison your love affair with past successes. And two, you have to say goodbye to past failures. You can’t stay stuck in the past—either good or bad if you want to move forward! The Apostle Paul said it this way in Philippians 3:7 & 13-14,

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ… Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Paul had learned from the past, both mistakes and successes, but his total focus was on the future.  That’s what you’ve got to do, too! Faith always focuses on the future.  So how do you let go of the past? Hebrews 12:1 provides the answer,

“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.” 

The writer is referring to a race, where excess weight is not good. And to run effectively, the verse says you’ve got to let go of a couple things: First, you’ve got to let go of the unnecessary and second, you’ve got to let go of the ungodly.

What is the unnecessary? It is “the weight that slows us down.” Weight is not necessarily sin—although sin is always a weight. A weight is anything that keeps you from offering your best to God, or receiving God’s best for you.  In fact, a weight might even be something that’s good—that’s why it’s so hard to let go of. If there are some good things in your life keeping you from God’s best things, then identify them and strip them off.

What is the ungodly? It is “the sin that so easily hinders us.” The writer isn’t talking about sin in general—although that is certainly appropriate to let go of—he is speaking of specific sin into which we habitually fall. That is what we might call “familiar sin”. What sin do you keep falling into? What’s your area of moral compromise? Whatever your besetting sin, you’ve got to let it go!

To run your race effectively, to possess your promise of blessing, you have to identify the weight you’re carrying around—successes and sins—and declare over them:  Moses is dead!  Let go of the past—and get moving into the fantastic future God envisions for you!

“You cannot set sail for new faith-horizons while still tethered to the dock of yesterday.”

Reflect and Apply: Take some time to identify those “weights” that are slowing you down and the “sins” that are tripping you up. Then declare over them, “Moses is dead!”  Most of all, begin to move forward into the future God has set before you.

Essential 100—Read:
Exodus 32:1-34:35

“The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.” ~Exodus 33:11

If I could choose in advance the epitaph that would describe me at the end of my life, it would be this: “The Lord would speak to Ray Noah face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.”

Is that really possible for a human being? It was for Moses! If anyone ever really knew God, if a human being ever experienced an extraordinarily intimate revelation of God, if a man ever truly had a close personal friendship with God, it was Moses.

But Moses didn’t always have this kind of relationship with God. If you were to review Moses’ life, you would be reminded that in his first forty years, Moses knew a lot about God. He was born to Hebrew parents, but raised in the lap of luxury in the Egyptian palace as one of Pharaoh’s sons—he was a prince of Egypt. Moses knew about God through his heritage, but there is no indication of a walk with God characterized by love and obedience. In fact, it appears Moses was somewhat indifferent to God.

But then Moses tried to play God and killed an Egyptian, and he had to flee the palace to the backside of the Sinai Desert, where he lived as a fugitive for the next forty years until he met God at the burning bush. And during these four decades, Moses unlearned everything he knew about God in the first forty years. It was a desert experience—literally and spiritually—where Moses knew nothing but the silence of God. God had enrolled Moses in the University of the Desert—the Graduate School of Sinai—where he trained Moses in the curricula of solitude, monotony and failure.

But then came the burning bush, which marked the beginning of the final forty years of Moses’ life. And in this period, he came to know and experience God the way we want to know and experience him: In his power and glory. Moses, unlike any other man, experienced first hand every attribute of God a human being could possibly experience: God’s omnipotence—that he is all-powerful; his omniscience—that he is all-wise and knowing; his omnipresence—that he is everywhere at all times; his Divine nature—that is, his justice, righteousness, holiness, and incomparable greatness.

What more could a human want? Yet that wasn’t enough. Moses didn’t just want to know about God, he wasn’t satisfied with seeing the evidence of God’s activity. He wanted more:

“If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so that I may know you and continue to find favor with you…Now show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:13,18)

You’ve got to admire Moses’ boldness, audacity and greediness for God! Here is what he’s really asking: “God, I want to know you…your character…your nature…what makes you tick. I want to enter into the deepest dimension of intimacy with the Almighty that’s possible for one human being.”

Amazingly, God obliged this big, audacious request—he revealed himself fully to Moses. (Exodus 33:14-23) Now this doesn’t simply tell us something about Moses, it mostly reveals something vitally important about God:

God wants us to know how much he wants to be known.

He has made himself knowable. He is not some unapproachable deity way out there in a galaxy far, far away. He is the God who is there, the God who is near, the God who will reveal himself to those who long to know him.

“What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him.” (Deuteronomy 4:7)

God want us to know that he’s near and that he is knowable: “I will cause my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence.” (Exodus 33:19) In other words, I’ll let you know me.

To ask to know him is a request that pleases the heart of God! You see, that’s what we were made for: To know God. That’s what he desires from us. God himself says in Hosea 6:6, “For I desire…the knowledge of God [from you] more than burnt offerings.” And that should be our chief aim in life—to know God—because that is truly the sweetest nectar of life. Jeremiah 9:23-24 says,

“This is what the LORD says: ‘Let not the wise man gloat in his wisdom, or the mighty man in his might, or the rich man in his riches. Let them boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who is just and righteous, whose love is unfailing, and that I delight in these things. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Knowing God is the best thing in life. In fact, it is eternal life. Jesus said in John 17:3, “This is eternal life: That they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

God has offered to let you know him—really know him. It’s the best offer you’ll ever get! I would take him up on it if I were you.

“Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life’s problems fall into place of their own accord.” ~J.I. Packer

Reflect and Apply: Not only does God want to be known, God has made himself available. He doesn’t want you just to know about him, he wants you to intimately know his person. God is knowable and personable. Exodus 33:11 tells us that Moses knew God as a friend, and that he “would speak to Moses face-to-face.” Exodus 33:14 God tells Moses, “My presence will go with you…” Exodus 33:19 says that God “caused his goodness to pass in front of him and proclaimed his name in Moses’ presence.” God said he would let Moses see the after-effects of his glory in Exodus 33:22. What is God saying? “I want you to know me, and I will make myself available to you. And now you will not only know about me, you will see and experience my very nature and personhood.” That’s quite an invitation! Have you taken God up on his offer?

Essential 100—Read:

Exodus 6:28-30, 7:1-11:10

“But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites.” ~Exodus 7:3-4

This isn’t the first, nor will it be the last instance in the Bible that doesn’t fit neatly within our theological box. That God would harden Pharaoh’s heart messes with our sophisticated sensibilities about God, namely that he is a safe, kind, benevolent and loving Deity who would never raise someone up just to throw them down.

What are we to do with this difficult part of the Bible? It would be so much easier to deal with if it just appeared once, a vague Scriptural anomaly, but it doesn’t. Not just once and then swept under the rug, this statement about God hardening Pharaoh’s heart appears ten times here in Exodus and yet again in Romans 9:16-18? Obviously, the Bible doesn’t try to hide this just because it is difficult to explain or because it makes us uncomfortable. No, it is unavoidably here for us to grapple with.

On the one hand, there are some that would have it that God was simply responding to what was already in Pharaoh’s heart, thus relieving God of any responsibility in the matter of hardening the king’s heart in order to justify destroying him. On the other hand, there are those who would quite bluntly declare that God created Pharaoh exactly for the express purpose of destroying him in order to bring glory to himself.

Perhaps the truth lies somewhere between.  The fact is, God does involve himself in the details of man’s affairs in order to bring about his sovereign plan, and he is well within his unimpeachable righteousness to align those who are his enemies for utter judgment so that his great power might be displayed in all the earth. Pharaoh is Example A of this. Yet at the same time, we must note that Pharaoh was duly warned that his stubborn refusal to obey God would result in judgment. (Exodus 4:23) We also find that the hardening God brought about in Pharaoh’s heart was, interestingly, matched by Pharaoh hardening his own heart: Ten times God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 7:3; 9:12; 10:1,20, 27; 11:10; 14:4,8,17) and ten times Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Exodus 7:13,14,22; 8:15,19,32; 9:7,34,35; 13:15).

What does that tell us?  Simply that God, whose will and whose ways are inscrutable, is within his absolute sovereignty to bring about what he desires in human affairs—including hardening a ruler’s heart; yet man is never without personal responsibility in surrendering to the sovereign rulership of God.

Does that make this uncomfortable piece of Scripture any easier to swallow?  No—and yes. No, it will always shake that comforting image of a loving, safe God.  Yes, we can lean into the track record of God’s loving omniscience and righteous omnipotence, and along with the Apostle Paul in Romans 11:33-36, declare with utter certainty in the face of mysterious passages like this,

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?
Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Yes indeed, glory to God forever.  Soli Deo Gloria!

“Man is a responsible moral agent, though he is also divinely controlled; man is divinely controlled, though he is also a responsible moral agent.” ~J.I. Packer

Reflect and Apply: Jonathan Edwards, considered to be America’s greatest theologian, wrote, “In efficacious grace we are not merely passive, nor yet does God do some and we do the rest. But God does all, and we do all. God produces all, we act all. For that is what produces, viz. our own acts. God is the only proper author and fountain; we only are the proper actors. We are in different respects, wholly passive and wholly active.” Reflect on that statement; then ask yourself, “How am I doing in my part?”

Essential 100—Read:
Exodus 3:1-4:17

“When the LORD saw that Moses had gone over to look, God called to him from within the burning bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’ And Moses said, ‘Here I am.’”

“God said, ‘Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’”
~Exodus 3:4-5

When you read this amazing story about Moses and the flaming tumbleweed from which God spoke, if you are like me, you’re probably thinking, “Man, I’d like a burning bush experience, too!” Whenever we come to places in Scripture where God or one of his holy agents literally, physically interacts with man—Jacob wrestling with God, Daniel visiting with the archangel, Peter on the mount of transfiguration—there is just something inside us that longs to encounter the real, living presence of Almighty God, too.

That is not a bad thing. It simply reminds us that in Adam, we were originally created to walk hand-in-hand with our Creator, enjoying an uninterrupted, unfettered and intimate face-to-face relationship with him. We were designed for that and will continue to desire that until the day God takes us home and our faith once again becomes sight.  In the meantime, perhaps, you or I may be one of those fortunate ones along the way to whom God grants a personal visitation.

But there is another side to those burning bush experiences that we need to keep in mind. You can see it here in this text—and you will find it in any of those other face-to-face encounters peppered throughout Scripture as well. First, you will notice that these revelations are preceded by great need. In this case, the people of God, Israel, were being severely abused as slaves in Egypt. They were crying out to God, and he was fixing to recruit a deliverer to deliver them. The fact of the matter is, more often than not, daunting challenges precede these Divine visitations. So you want a burning bush, you say! Can you handle the bad times that go with them?

Second, you will notice that God’s appearance required the personal purification of the visited. God required Moses to take off his shoes—representing the soiled places literally and spiritually where Moses had trod. Special visitations of the Divine Visitor are never just so he can chat—he has arranged for that to be accomplished through everyday prayer. When he shows up, it is to reveal his special purpose—and the prerequisite for the revelation of his purpose is always clean hands and a pure heart on our part. So you want a burning bush, do you? Then get ready for the intense heat of purification.

Third, a burning bush always ends with a pressing assignment. God told Moses that he had seen and heard the misery of Israel’s slavery, which he would now do something about. (Exodus 3:7-9) And the kicker to this announcement was that Moses was going to be at the tip of the Divine spear when God dealt with Israel’s cruel Egyptian taskmasters. So you want a burning bush, too! Good—get ready to be God’s chosen instrument in solving the problem that produced the visitation in the first place.

When God appears, it is to reveal his kingdom plans, not just to make us feel good or give us a warm, fuzzy spiritual high. No, when God shows up, the encounter will fuel us for the grand kingdom assignment to which we have been assigned.

Still want a burning bush?  Yeah—that’s what I thought: You still do!  So do I.

“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Reflect and Apply:  Desiring a burning bush experience is a great thing; we just need to be aware of the great demands such a desire might place upon us.  The reward of being visited by God is and will always be tempered by the demands of being used by God. As Frederick Buechner said, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” So go ahead, ask God for an uncommon encounter.  He may just grant your request.

Essential 100—Read:
Exodus 1:1-2:25

“Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. ‘Look,’ he said to his people, ‘the Israelites have become much too numerous for us.’” ~Exodus 1:6-9

The purpose of Exodus 1 is to set up the story told in the rest of Exodus clear through the book of Deuteronomy—the delivery and birth of the nation of Israel. Specifically, this first chapter sets the stage for Israel’s misery under Pharaoh and the rise of their leader, Moses.

Now the greatness and power of God demonstrated through the deliverance of Israel from Egypt along with the incredible leadership skills that were developed in Moses through the life-changing encounters he had with God would not have been possible without chapter one of Exodus: The descent of Israel into Egyptian bondage.

Of course, that reminds us of an undeniable and sometimes uncomfortable truth about God: He works in mysterious ways. Sometimes the blessings he gives us bring about the discomforts we try to avoid; sometimes those very discomforts are the blessings, albeit in disguise. We saw this powerfully illustrated in Genesis, where God sovereignly preserved Jacob’s family from famine in Egypt only by first sovereignly allowing Joseph to be sold into slavery in Egypt years earlier.

We find in Exodus 1:1-14 that God has blessed Jacobs’ family in such an extraordinary way that they literally become a great nation. Yet those very blessings—their explosive growth and economic prosperity—are now the things that threatens Israel’s host nation, Egypt, who ultimately responds by forcing the Israelites into slavery and bondage.

God’s blessings end up causing Israel great discomfort and hardship—but in all of this God is setting the stage for a deliverer, Moses, whose story we will read in Exodus 2.

So what is the greater point to all of this? God’s blessings sometimes bring discomfort. However, discomfort is often the seed-bed from which God’s greater blessing grows.

We must come to understand, in spite of unwanted and uncomfortable circumstances, that God is faithful—always.  We need to establish that truth in our hearts and minds ahead of time and never let that settled law be challenged when our circumstances take an unexpected and undesired turn.  We need to learn to keep our eyes fixed on the faithfulness of God during those times of difficulty. I love how the hymn-writer, Maltbie Babcock, so eloquently put it,

 This is my Father’s world, O let me ne’er forget;
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet.

And not only is God faithful, he is also watchful.  Even when the storms of life prevent you from seeing God, he sees you.

Furthermore, not only is God faithful and watchful, never forget that he is always at work. Even in Israel’s years of bondage and slavery, God is preparing to reveal his glory and his greatness at a future time in ways unmatched even to this day.  So even when it seems like God is not in our circumstances, we can be assured that he is at work, setting the stage for a greater purpose that could only be revealed as a result of what we are experiencing in the present.  As Henry Ward Beecher said,

“Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things.”

Got any troubles at the moment? Just remember, they are God’s tool! And when he is through crafting you, you are going to make quite a fashion statement.

Reflect and Apply:  Let me suggest you offer this prayer, or one similar, to God: “Lord, develop in me the faith to always see through my circumstances, no matter how difficult they may be, to see your hand at work, setting the stage to reveal your glory.  Help me to obey, even when to obey would allow those circumstances to threaten my health or happiness.  And Lord, open my eyes to see and receive your blessing when it would seem impossible that blessings could happen.”

Essential 100—Read:
Genesis 39, 40 & 41

“The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him…When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream…So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon.” ~Genesis 40:23, 41:1 & 13

As you read the prison portion of Joseph’s story, you can’t help but be impressed with this young man’s deep and abiding trust in the goodness and sovereignty of God.  Joseph believed in the core of his being that God was in control and that God was fundamentally good, and those beliefs became settled law for Joseph.  Neither his circumstances nor his emotions at the moment would trump the fact that his life was in God’s hands.  So when Joseph’s ticket out of prison, the cupbearer, forgot about him and when Joseph languished for another two years in a squalid Egyptian jail, Joseph trusted.

I would like to think my response to disappointing and hurtful things that will get thrown at me in life would be that same as Joseph’s. I’m guessing you would like to think that about yourself, too. The “Joseph way” is certainly a heroic way to do life—and one that must be so pleasing to the Father who takes such delight in our trust. But to live life like Joseph, you have to understand that there are two views of the road ahead.

The first view comes from a human perspective. That is where you simply and only see what is right in front of you—which means that sometimes all you see are bumps, barriers and big, hairy difficulties. Obviously, it is quite normal to look at the world from such a point of view; you are human, after all.  But if that is the only view you have, you will be prone to discouragement and enslaved to the emotional ups and downs that come from being slapped around by life.

The second view comes from an eternal perspective. That’s the “Joseph way”, and it’s a far better way to see life. The “Joseph way” of viewing life comes only by way of fundamental trust in the care and competence of your Heavenly Father. It understands that while you may be languishing away in your prison of unexpected and undesirable circumstances, God is above it all and he clearly sees the road ahead of you.

If you can’t learn to enfold your human perspective into that kind divine perspective of ruthless trust in the God who is in control of all things and works all things to his glory and your good, get ready for a frustrating stay in Pharaoh’s prison.

If, however, you can order your life by the “Joseph way”, everything that comes your way—especially the bad stuff—becomes fodder for the God who takes what was meant as harm and turns it to good. (Genesis 50:20)

“In the presence of eternity, the mountains are as transient as the clouds.”  ~Robert Green Ingersoll

Reflect and Apply:  One of my favorite writers, Brennan Manning, poignantly writes, “The splendor of a human heart which trusts that it is loved gives God more pleasure than Westminster Cathedral, the Sistine Chapel, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, the sight of ten thousand butterflies in flight, or the scent of a million orchids in bloom. Trust is our gift back to God, and he finds it so enchanting that Jesus died for the love of it.”  How would you apply this thought to your circumstance right now?

Essential 100—Read:
Genesis 37:1-36

“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. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and couldn’t speak a kind word to him.” ~Genesis 37:3-4

One of the most messed up households you’ll ever come across is in the Bible—Jacob’s clan. Now what’s interesting about that is they are the family God chose to be his very own people. In itself, that is quite comforting since most of us come from flawed families—so there is hope for us.

What’s going on in Jacob’s family isn’t unusual. It happens in most every home to some degree. Joseph is favored because he’s the “son of Jacob’s old age”—and one day that favoritism took a concrete form when Jacob gave Joseph the robe.

The Hebrew word for robe is a little uncertain. The New International Version says it was, “a richly ornamented robe”. Other versions call it “a robe with long sleeves” while the King James Version famously translates it, “a coat of many colors”. Jacob got it from Saks; he bought the other boys theirs from K-Mart—on a blue light special.

This robe marked Joseph as dad’s pet, and every time his brothers saw him wear it, they were reminded that their father would never love them like he loved Joseph. And the text tells us three times of their growing “hatred” (Genesis 37:4,5,8); a hatred fueled by jealousy: “His brothers were jealous of him.” (Genesis 37:11)

Jealousy is such a pervasive sin among human beings, yet it is hardest of all sins to recognize. And it is exceedingly destructive! James 3:16 says, “Where you have jealousy … there you find disorder and every evil practice.” Jealousy leads us to do evil. It’s why Cain killed Abel. Abraham’s two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, were torn apart by rivalry. Bitter envy separated Isaac’s two sons, Jacob and Esau. It’s why Saul tried to kill David and the Jews did kill Jesus. (Mark 15:10)

Jealousy is the sense, real or not, that the favor—attention, recognition, reward—another receives somehow diminishes our value. If we’re not careful, the pain of not receiving the robe can do a real number on us. Perhaps you never wore the robe in your family, and even to this day, envy, hatred and jealousy is shrinking your heart, robbing you of joy and diminishing your experience of God’s acceptance.

If that is you, as hurtful and unfair as that experience has been in your life, it should help you to know that the One who saved you, Jesus, knows all about robes!

In his little community of disciples, the peace was often broken by rivalry and envy. And one day Jesus took off his robe, got a basin of water and a towel, and washed their feet. And he showed each of them his love. Yeah, Jesus knew about robes!

Then, because of envy, Jesus was handed over to Pilate, who had soldiers flog him. And they made him a crown of thorns and they mocked him. Then they stripped him of his robe, and crucified him. And hanging on that cross, he showed each of us his love. Yeah, Jesus knew about robes.

Maybe you never wore the robe in your family and maybe you never will in this life, but Revelation 6:11 says a day is coming when you will get a white robe! It was purchased with the blood of the One who willingly gave up his robe so you could wear one, and on that day you will fully know God’s infinite love for you. Yeah, Jesus knows about robes—you will too, one day soon!

Now here’s the deal: You don’t have to wait until then to know the Father’s love. You are wearing the robe right now (Isaiah 61:10)—you just may not realize it yet.

“Jesus Christ became Incarnate for one purpose, to make a way back to God that man might stand before Him as He was created to do, the friend and lover of God Himself.” ~Oswald Chambers

Reflect and Apply: If you never wore the robe or felt the love or received the affirmation you longed for from your parents, at some point in your life, recognizing and owning up to that pain is the first step to healing. Another step, if possible, will require you to approach your family—parents or siblings—and explain your pain. A further step is to renounce any envious actions, jealous attitudes or guarded woundedness. The final step is learning to receive love and acceptance in new ways by cultivating relationships in your faith community, and especially by learning how to receive it from God!

Essential 100—Read:
Genesis 21:1-22:9

“Some time later God tested Abraham…‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.’” ~Genesis 22:1

I’m guessing this story in Genesis 22 raises a few questions for you.  I mean, doesn’t this “Divine ask” violate everything we know and trust about the character of God?  How could a loving God ask such a cruel thing of Abraham?  And if God did that to Abraham, doesn’t that raise the question of what kind of tests will he put me through?

If you’re feeling a little upset with “the God who tests” about now, here is my advice: Relax, take a deep breath, and step back for a broader view of God. Once you go a little deeper into this story and look at it through the lens of the entire Bible, here is what you will come to understand about Divine tests:

First of all, God’s tests are never without preparation. Notice the very first line of this story: “Some time later…” With God, time comes before testing. Typically, the word “test” conjures up negative images. Tests are the enemy; they are set-ups for failure; the harder the test, the more unfair the teacher. But those kinds of tests and that kind of teacher have no place in an accurate theology of God. This test came only after the events of Abraham’s life that took place between Genesis 12 and Genesis 22.

God didn’t suddenly spring this test on Abraham—and he’ll never spring one on you. This is no pop quiz; it is not without context. Abraham has now walked with God for about 30 or 40 years, and God has been preparing him through lesser tests all along the way. God didn’t test him like this until he knew Abraham was equipped for it. And God will never give you a test that you cannot pass.

Divine tests only come when you are prepared!

Second, God’s tests are never without purpose. In Genesis 22:12, the Lord stops Abraham from slaying Isaac, and says, “Now I know that you fear God.” This word “test” is used eight times in the Old Testament when God does the testing and each time it is used in the Old English sense of the word, “to prove.”  God’s testing is not to expose, but to establish. When God says, “now I know”, that wasn’t for God’s benefit, it was to give Abraham confidence that his faith in God was no foolish faith. You see, Abraham’s faith was tested, God’s faithfulness was tested, and both were established as trustworthy in Abraham’s mind.

Divine tests will always prove that your faith in God is never misplaced.

And third, God’s tests are never without provision. Genesis 22:14 says, “So Abraham called the place ‘The LORD will provide.’” The emphasis here is not on the provision, but “the Lord who provides.”  The most important provision for Abraham is a prophetic revelation of the person of God and his plan. The physical provision, whatever that might be, is always secondary to a deeper revelation of the One who provided it, and his purpose for providing it. Through this test, Abraham learned what God wants you to learn: He is the Lord who provides!

Divine tests always result in a deeper revelation of God to you.

Now that you know about divine tests, dare you say, “bring it on!”?

 “All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reflect and Apply:  Are you going through a test of faith right now?  If so, begin to look for a deeper revelation of who God is, a clearer sense of what God has planned, and a practical way to express trust in his character.

God gave Abraham quite an expansive dream for an old guy, didn’t he!  He was well into his senior years when God showed up and said, “Abe, I’ve got some unbelievable plans for you!”

Do you realize that among created beings, man is unique in that he alone has the ability to dream? Angels can’t dream; animals can’t dream.  The devil can’t dream, dogs don’t dream—although I think mine does.  I notice him twitching and snarling sometimes when’s he’s sleeping. I suspect he’s chasing rabbits—or better yet, cats.

But I’m not talking about those kinds of dreams. Nor am I talking about those run-of-the mill dreams that you get almost every night—some of them goofy and random, some bizarre and nightmarish, some that recycle periodically in your subconscious, revealing much about your fears and insecurities, like running but never getting anywhere, or falling but never hitting bottom, or being in front of a crowd and suddenly realizing you’re stark naked—with nowhere to hide.

The kind of dreaming I’m talking about is envisioning a better tomorrow, a successful future, or a life of significance and impact. God has given mankind alone the ability to dream—and that includes you! And I suspect that somewhere, perhaps buried deep inside you, is a dream for a fantastic future.

But your dream doesn’t even come close to the fulfillment God has in mind for you. Abraham had dreams, but what God had in mind was far more expansive than this old man could have ever imagined.  Abraham wanted a home; God had in mind a whole land—the land of promise.  Abraham wanted a child; God had in mind a nation—and not just any old nation, it would be the people of God.  Abraham wanted to make a name for himself; God had in mind to bless the entire earth through Abraham’s life.

God’s vision was far bigger and better than Abraham could have ever dreamed.  I suspect that’s true for you too!  So why don’t you dust off those dreams and bring them back before the Father who gave them to you. Henry David Thoreau wrote,

“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

If God has given you a dream, this may be the best time to start on that foundation, because now just may be the time he wants to build them into a fantastic reality. Just remember, as the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:20,

“God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!”

“ So dust off your dreams and turn them over to the Dream-Giver.  And get ready for a great future! —RAY NOAH

Essential 100—Read:
Genesis 6:5-22; 7:1-24

“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.’ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” ~Genesis 6:7-8

Everybody knows the story of Noah and the Ark—and the flood.  And just about everybody has a couple of questions they would like resolved about this story.  Like, is it true?  Was there really an ark—and does it still exist, undiscovered in some far away location? Could all the creatures of the earth fit into this boat—even elephants and dinosaurs?  Is there any evidence of a world-wide flood? And what about…?

Well, I’m not going to try to answer those questions for you—I don’t think you’ll ever get the details you would like to have about this story on this side of heaven. I would simply encourage you to accept the veracity of the flood account on faith—the Bible has a pretty good track record of authenticity, you know!

But I would like to point out a couple of unusual details of this story that have personal ramifications for you and me.  The first one is from Genesis 6:7, where we notice that God felt tremendous emotional pain from the sinfulness of man.  So much did it grieve God that he actually regretted making the creature he loved the most.  And don’t be misled, our sinfulness still grieves God, because even the “littlest” of sin goes against the grain of who God is, violates the core purpose of why he created us, and disrupts the fellowship he longs to have with us.  Sin stinks!  Don’t ever forget that!

But the second unusual detail ought to make you stand up and do a jig at this point.  It’s found in the next verse, Genesis 6:8:  “But Noah found grace in God’s eyes.” (NKJV) Hallelujah!  God’s grace trumps sin—my sinfulness and yours, too!  A. W. Tozer wrote,

“Abounding sin is the terror of the world, but abounding grace is the hope of mankind.”

The ark made it possible for one man and his family to escape the righteous wrath of a God who must call sin to account, and God’s greatest display of grace, Jesus’ death and resurrection, makes it possible for you and me to escape the ultimate consequence for sin—eternal separation from God’s presence in hell.

Yes, God’s grace is greater than all my sin. Thank God for grace!

Reflect and Apply:  Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.  How can you?  Not by earning it, but by simply surrendering to the Fountain of Grace that never runs dry. Titus 2:11 reminds us that “for the grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared to all men.” Jesus Christ, he is that Fountain!

Essential 100—Read:
Genesis 1 & 2

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” ~Genesis 1:1

Could there be a more important statement in Scripture than this simple, matter-of-fact, one line explanation of how everything got here, including you and me?  “In the beginning God created” explains it all!

We don’t know how long he took doing it—if the seven days are literal 24-hour periods or if they are epochs of time; we don’t know the details of how he planned and executed creation; we don’t know if he created dinosaurs or unicorns or Big Foot. There is a lot more about creation that we don’t know than what we do know.  But we know the most important fact about it:  God did it!

That’s the one piece of essential information out of the untold billions of facts we would love to get our brains around that we do have, and that is really all that matters.  That is not to say trying to figure out the “what, when, where, how and why” of creation are not important—they are. It is a worthy pursuit.  But the “who”, well, that one has been settled: God did it!

And just as important, perhaps even more important, are the ramifications of that fact.  If God did it, then he owns it.  He has a right to call the shots about how it will operate, and how we are to operate within it.  He made it for his purpose and glory—and that includes you and me. He is the Creator, we are the created, and therefore all of life is to be lived for his purpose and glory. There is no better use of the oxygen we breathe in, which he created, by the way, than to carry out the purposes and live for the glory of the Creator!

 “To live and work for the glory of God cannot remain an idea about which we think once in a while. It must become an interior, unceasing doxology.”  ~Henri Nouwen

Furthermore, since God did it, he certainly has the power—and the motivation—to care for his creation.  And that, too, includes, you and me. What a comfort to know that there is a Creator who holds the universe in his hands and sustains it by his will.  Life is not the product of random forces and the future is not at the mercy of impersonal fate.  Creation is in good hands, and you and I can sleep in peace tonight knowing how we got here, what is keeping us going, and where we are headed.

Yeah, God did it, and that’s a good thing.

Reflect and Apply:  Take a moment to think about the personal ramifications of the “God did it” truth revealed in the very first line of the Bible.  Can you truly say that the way you live your life is aligned with the Creator’s purpose and glory? If not, speak with him about the necessary adjustments you need to make.

It is also an intentional and strategic activity on our part.  There are certain things that disciples actively do to grow—it doesn’t just happen passively. And nothing is more vital to a growing discipleship than reading and reflecting on the Word of God in a deliberate and consistent way.

I hope you have a plan for that in 2012.  I do…as does the fellowship where I serve as pastor.  I want to invite you to adopt the plan that I will use this year, and join me in this exciting journey of growth.

The plan calls for weekly, intentional and strategic engagement in the Bible…and it is two-fold.  It calls for reading key passages and memorizing key verses.  Here is how it will unfold:

The Essential 100

The Essential 100 Challenge (E100) helps you get an overview of the Bible… without getting bogged down. The Plan guides you through 50 Old Testament passages and 50 New Testament passages — The Essential 100 — so you can see the big picture of God’s Word, and form a daily Bible reading habit in the process. Below is the link to this creative plan:

http://www.pcctoday.com/life-learning/bible-reading-plan/

You can take the challenge and read these passages during the first hundred days of 2012.  Or you can slow it down a bit and work through these 100 passages at a pace of two per week, enabling you to complete this challenge in one year. That’s what I plan to do.  And if you like, you can link your reading to this blog, which will follow the plan throughout 2012.  Two blogs will appear each week, one on Wednesday and one on Friday, as I work my way through the Essential 100.

Project 52

Project 52 will help you to hide one key verse from God’s living and active Word in your heart each week during 2012.  Imagine that … 52 verses committed to memory this year!  Sounds like an elephant-sized task; but as the old saying goes, you can eat an elephant—one bite at a time.

Join me in committing these verses to memory.  And to get them rooted deeply in our hearts, I will write a devotional blog each Monday on the selected verse for that week. I am looking forward to this project—and to doing it in partnership with you!

You can find the verses we will be memorizing in the same location as the reading plan:

http://www.pcctoday.com/life-learning/bible-reading-plan/

You can also grab a Memory Verse Desktop Wallpaper each week for your computer to help you meditate each day on the scheduled verse. Check here to see our first screensaver verse: http://www.pcctoday.com/_img/wp/Desk_1024_768.jpg

I am stoked about my walk with Jesus in 2012.  With the ever-present help of the Holy Spirit and a few intentional practices on my part, I plan on looking a little (hopefully a lot) more like Jesus by the end of next year.

Happy New Year!  May God perfect everything that concerns you in 2012.

Ray

Today’s Reflection:

“The angel said to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”  (Luke 2:10-11)

It was the Sunday before Christmas, and a little brother and sister were in church singing a Christmas hymn with the congregation. And as the song finished, the boy belted out rather loudly, “sleep in heavenly beans.” His sister gave him the most righteously indignant stare she could muster, and in a not-too-soft whisper said, “It’s not ‘heavenly beans’. It’s ‘sleep in heavenly peas.’”

As you know, they both butchered the words of the most well-loved Christmas hymn of all time. What you may not know is that back in 1818 that hymn was born. The birthplace was St. Nicholas Church in a small Austrian alpine village where a 31-year-old church organist by the name of Franz Gruber composed a melody on his guitar because the church organ was broken. The melody was for a poem that had been written earlier by the 26-year-old pastor of that church, Joseph Mohr. The poem was entitled, “Stille Nacht”, and the melody quickly formed in Gruber’s mind.

On that evening, in time for Midnight Mass, the world’s most famous Christmas Carol was heard for the very first time. It’s the same song that by tradition believers still sing every year during the season of Advent. It’s the song, “Silent Night.”

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin,
Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Now I don’t want to spoil your Thomas Kincade image of “Silent Night”, but I’m not too sure how “calm” and “bright” the night of Christ’s birth was. The Bible tells us that Mary’s pregnancy had been suspect in the eyes of her village from the beginning. She had been unmarried when the news arrived that she’d be pregnant with the Messiah by the power of the Holy Spirit. Not too many of the townsfolk had bought that story, and she likely became the object of their cruel and incessant gossip.

Then when the time came for the baby’s birth, Mary and Joseph had been required to travel by foot the arduous journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, not an easy trip for anyone in those days, especially for a woman in the late stages of pregnancy. When they arrived, they were forced to stay in a stable because the inn had no room. And there among the squalor of the smelly, noisy animals, alone, with no family to rejoice with her, no mid-wife to assist her, a teenage virgin girl gave birth to the king of the world. And if Jesus was like most infants, like my two daughters when they were born, there was anything but peace and quiet that night.

Yet in the simple, humble, unlikely birth of Jesus, something Divine, something Eternal was released on Planet Earth. As someone has pointed out, the best Christmas present ever was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in the manger. Franz Gruber truly did capture that indescribable, priceless gift with the words, “heavenly peace.” That night, God invaded earth, and heavenly peace was left in the wake of the Divine invasion. The angels who announced the Christ’s birth to the nearby shepherds couldn’t have put it any better,

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth, peace on whom his favor rest.

The infant Jesus may not have slept in heavenly peace that night, Mary and Joseph may not have enjoyed a peaceful night’s rest either, but God’s peace invaded earth that night in Bethlehem, and you and I on this Christmas Day are its beneficiaries.

So let me ask you a very important question: Are you benefiting from God’s peace? Is the peace of God, as Paul called it in Philippians 4, “guarding your heart and mind in Christ Jesus”? Is the peace of Christ, as Colossians 3 describes, “ruling in your heart”?

Perhaps the peace that passes all understanding is the last thing characterizing your life today. Maybe worry, anxiety, fear and stress dominate your world at the moment. My friend, God wants you to have his heavenly peace. That is his gift, wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger, and the gift is just for you!

Now God’s peace is neither a blanket guarantee of global harmony nor a promise that your life will be conflict-free. It is just simply saying that if you are in God’s favor, which comes by virtue of accepting his Son as your Lord and Savior, his peace will guard your mind, it will rule your heart, and it will sustain your life.

The “heavenly peace” that Gruber wrote about and the angels announced is God’s gift to you this Christmas, even if your world seems a long way from being peaceful. It is simply the peace that comes from knowing that in the birth of Christ, eternity irrevocably invaded time and God drew near to you and me through Jesus Christ, our Immanuel.

That’s the heavenly peace God wants you to have on this very day, and every day for the rest of your life.

And if you have received him by faith, you can sleep in heavenly peace.

Something To Think About:
“It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.” ~Charles Dickens

Today’s Reflection:

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” (Psalm 37:23)

What is the best way to do the will of God, to always act in ways that please him, honor him and invite his blessings not only on the big decisions we must make but on the daily details of our life as well?

It is simply to place before the Lord the daily offering of a godly life.

The Contemporary English Version translates our verse this way: “If you do what the Lord wants, he will make certain each step you take is sure.”

Perhaps, like me, you have experienced that life has only gotten more complex as the years go by. It is often very difficult to discern the will of God between better and best. Sometimes there’s a thick gray fuzziness that clouds the path where the road forks in our journey. And since we usually don’t hear the audible voice of God saying, “this is the way, walk ye in it!” or have his visible hand irresistibly steering our every forward movement, we are left wondering, “what am I to do?”

According to the psalmist, we can trust that God himself has been closely attending our journey on the path of righteousness. We have been guaranteed that the Lord has been with us all along the way, and is there now, even in the smallest details of our lives, making sure that our journey will lead to where he pleases.

I have always appreciate how the writer says it in Proverbs 3:5-9,

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over.

What a great formula for Divine guidance: Trust God, listen to his voice, lean in to his wisdom, run to him and run from evil.  Then leave the outcome up to him and enjoy the journey!

How comforting to know that the steps of a righteous person are ordered of the Lord!  So when you then come to a fork in the road, as Yogi Berra would say, “take it”. If you have been doing your part—praying, obeying, trusting and honoring God, being in fellowship with his people and accountable for your life, studying his Word—God has directed the steps that have led you to where you are now.

Now take the fork, God will have directed that as well.

Something To Think About:
“If you think little about yourself, you will have rest wherever you reside… If you are silent, you will possess peace wherever you live…To throw yourself before God, to not measure your progress, to leave behind all self-will—these are the instruments for the work of the soul…Give not your heart to that which does not satisfy your heart.” ~Abe Poeman

Read Psalm 138

Featured Verse: Psalm 138:8

“The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever—do not abandon the works of your hands.”

I have heard my wife use King David’s phrase many times in her public prayers: “God will perfect everything that concerns you.” (Psalm 138:8, NKJV) I like that thought, don’t you?

That was the essence of David’s thinking in this psalm. Of course, he was referring to God’s plans for his life, not his own fleshly desires. That’s the caveat to this truth. The perfecting is of that which is according to God’s will, which of course, is what ought to concern us more than anything else in this life.

How comforting and empowering to know that if we are passionately pursuing God’s purposes, God has passionately committed himself to fulfilling his purposes in us. No matter what things may look like—horrible circumstances and hateful people notwithstanding (Psalm 138:7)—God will never abandon the work that he has lovingly and painstakingly invested in us, and he will ultimately bring that work to perfect completion.

What David had discovered was that when we are for God, and when God is for us, we cannot lose! II Chronicles 16:9 reminds us of this profound truth,

“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

Wow! God so desires to fulfill his purposes in this world that he is actually scouring the earth looking for fully devoted people in order to release his enabling power in their lives. Is your heart fully committed to him? If it is, then God will find you, and sooner or later you will come into the greatest joy that anyone can ever experience in this life: God fulfilling his purposes for you and through you.

Yes, God will perfect that which concerns you!

“God’s work done in God’s way by those in God’s will never lacks God’s supply.”
~Hudson Taylor

Read Psalm 117

Featured Verse: Psalm 117:1-2

“Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.
For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.”

They say that dynamite comes in small packages, and so does one of the most powerful truths in all of Scripture. Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible, but how profound these two verses are! The entire message that God has graciously communicated to mankind through his Word can be summed up right here: God’s love toward us is great, and his faithfulness is unending.

Love and faithfulness—that is our God in a nutshell. He loves us unconditionally. We did nothing to deserve or earn his love. In fact, we have gone out of our way to repulse his love for us. (Romans 5:8) Yet he has stubbornly persisted in loving us.

And what can diminish his love for us? Nothing—not even our best efforts to drive him away. (Romans 8:38-39) He is faithful morning after morning, with each new day, to extend mercy, cover us with grace, shower us with goodness and embrace us with everlasting love. His love endures forever.

No wonder the authors of these psalms would often exclaim after writing of God’s great love and enduring faithfulness, “Praise the Lord!” What else is there to say.

Why don’t you join me today—at this very moment, wherever you are—and give a heartfelt “praise the Lord” shout-out to our loving and faithful God!

Praise the Lord!

“God loves each and every one of us as if there were only one of us.”
~St. Augustine

Read Psalm 104

Featured Verse: Psalm 104:7,32

“But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight… he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke. ”

There is nothing quite as unnerving as the fury of nature. I’ve never been in a massive earthquake, but the minor ones I’ve been in have been enough to make me shake in my boots. I’ve never been in a hurricane, but I’ve been on the outskirts of a small tornado, and its aftermath blew me away. I’ve never seen hailstones the size of a softball, but I got caught in a storm that pinged me with golf ball sized hail, and it was enough to send chills up and down my spine.

There is nothing quite like the unleashed power of nature to remind you of how small, insignificant and truly powerless you are.

Then there are personal storms! You may be going through one right now. In many respects, the fury of nature is nothing compared to the devastating power of a personal storm. In any given week, a half-dozen people will describe to me their own personal storms—everything from unbelievably huge financial crises to untreatable physical ailments to unrelenting relational disasters to unyielding emotional trauma—truly big, hairy, audacious personal gale-force storms. And for the most part, from what I can tell at least, those storms are not the fault of the ones forced to endure them.

You see, storms happen!

I would rather face nature than to go through what many of those people are are going through. At least a tornado, or an earthquake or a hailstorm comes to an end—and then you can pick up the pieces and begin to rebuild. Most of the time, a personal storm has no end in sight. And when you are in one, you are constantly reminded of how small, insignificant and truly powerless you are.

But there is One who is bigger than the storm. And the psalmist reminds us that, “He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.” (Psalm 104:3-4) If you are in a personal storm, I don’t know how long or how devastating it will be, but I do know that God will make your storm his servant—which means that since you belong to God, he will make your storm servant to you as well. God will work the storm for your good—his promise, not mine!

I don’t mean to minimize the sense of desperation your storm has brought you—I think I understand a little of what you are going through. But as surely as the storm reminds you of how small, insignificant and powerless you are, I want to remind you that your God is bigger than your storm, and he is going to see you through it.

Storms happen—but so does God!

“God is not a deceiver, that He should offer to support us, and then,  when we lean upon Him, should slip away from us.”  ~Augustine

Read Psalm 91

Featured Verse: Psalm 91:1,4

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty…He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. ”

My wife and I were celebrating our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary a few years back oh my, where does time go?) on the beautiful Hawaiian island of Kauai. It was in July, and we were on the rainier side of this lush island, and man was it raining. Throughout the day the clouds would burst and the downpour would send both man and beast running for cover.

We had a ground floor condo for the week that opened up into the grassy interior of the resort, and throughout the week, we noticed that there was a hen and her brood of about five or six baby chicks that roamed the resort. Free-range paradise chickens—what a life.

On one occasion when the downpour hit, we were in the room and the hen was right outside our sliding glass doors. When the clouds burst, it looked as if a firehose had been turned on; it was unbelievable. Then the most amazing thing happened: those baby chicks made a beeline for momma hen. I didn’t know chickens could run that fast. And old momma hen spread her wings like she had done it a million times before, and in one fell swoop, gathered all the babies under her wings and hunkered down in the storm. The chicks literally disappeared from sight for about 10 minutes, while mother hen absorbed the maelstrom.

As we watched this tender scene in amazement, my wife and I simultaneously commented on this passage. As touched as we were by the mother hen’s love for her chicks, we were awestruck and undone by the Heavenly Father’s tender but protective love of his helpless kids—chicks like us.

What an awesome thing that we belong to a God who longs for us to find shelter in the time of storm under the shadow of his wings! And what love the Father has for us that he should send his only Son to absorb the storm of sin and protect us from the righteous wrath of the One who cannot tolerate that sin.

And the Son, Jesus Christ, still longs to gather us under his wings, as a hen gathers her brood. But here’s the deal: You’ve got to run to him!

Got a storm? Start running!

“Nobody seriously believes the universe was made by God without being persuaded that He takes care of His works.”
~John Calvin

Read Psalm 83

Featured Verse: Psalm 83:16

“Cover their faces with shame so that men will seek your name, O LORD.”

“May my enemies know the fiery terror of your judgment; make them to know the tempest of your storm.” (Psalm 83:14-15) “Make Edom, the Ishmaelites, the Hagrites, Gebal, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia, Tyre and Assyria like refuse on the ground.” (Psalm 83:6-8, 10) “Make them nothing more than a tumbleweed tumbling along.” (Psalm 83:13) “Make them pay, Lord!”

Have you ever prayed like that? That’s called an imprecatory prayer—to call down Divine judgment on another. Have you ever gone before the Lord and named names, calling down the fire and the fury of heaven upon the heads of your enemies? Have you ever got that brutally honest with God?

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, unless it’s called for. If you are doing that a lot, it may reveal more about the condition of your heart than the people with whom you are upset. If your praying is chronically caustic, perhaps you need to do a little soul work, asking God to do some healing heart surgery on you, teaching you how to truly forgive your enemies—to even pray for them, as Jesus taught—and to patiently put judgment in his just hand.

Yet there is a time where it is appropriate for you to get good and angry—not just good, and not just angry, but good and angry! Now the question is, when is that appropriate time? I don’t think I can give you a sure fire answer for every situation, but there is a clue here within this psalm that seems to echo other times in Scripture where good anger was called for. It is when the people who are upsetting you are upsetting you because they are hindering God’s plan, hurting God’s people, or plotting the destruction of both. Psalm 83:3 says,

“With cunning they conspire against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.”

So that’s it—that is when you get good and angry. It’s not when someone cuts you off in traffic, or takes your seat in church, or pulls out fifteen coupons in the “15 Items Or Less” check-out line when you are in a hurry. It’s when their motive, conscious or subconscious, is to destroy the work of God. That’s when it is appropriate to pray like the psalmist.

But here’s another clue that will keep you good when you are angry: Don’t just pray for their ruination, pray for their redemption. Remember, at one time, you, too, were far from God and thus the object of another’s imprecatory prayers.  And if an imprecatory prayer is called for, then at the very least, pray that the Divine punishment brought down upon their heads will serve as a witness to the glory of God’s great name (Psalm 83:16).

So if you can manage, with purity of heart, to include those two clues in your prayers, then go ahead, name names!

“I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.”
—Thomas Jefferson

Read Psalm 81

Featured Verse: Psalm 81:13-14

“If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!”

We often speak of God’s unconditional grace, unlimited love and undeserved mercy—for which we are all unspeakably grateful. But let’s not forget that God does have some conditions for us; there is a sense in which his unlimited love is limited; there are some things we must do to deserve his mercy. There are some big “if’s” to this relationship we enjoy with God.

God is a conditional God. Did you notice how the psalmist put it? “If” God’s people listen to him, “if” God’s people obey him, then, and only then, will he fight on their behalf and give them victory. The psalmist is only echoing what is taught in a hundred other places throughout Scripture: The blessings of the covenant that God has made with us are conditional—God’s unconditional, unlimited, and undeserved favor flows to us only as we walk in loving surrender to his rulership over our lives.

In our Christian culture there has been a tendency to emphasize grace in a way that is not balanced by truth, love that is not balanced by obedience, and mercy that is not balanced by authentic repentance. That has led to “easy believism”—an unhealthy and risky view of salvation. It is time for us to reexamine what the Scriptures tell us rather than to mindlessly allow current preaching trends to adjust what the Bible teaches to what our culture finds acceptable. We must adjust our beliefs and behaviors, as painful and costly as that might be, to what God’s Word says, not vice versa.

So on this particular day, as you examine your heart, honestly and openly ask yourself if you are living up to your end of the bargain. Check to see if you are meeting the conditions of the covenant. The painful part of doing that may be that you are required to do some costly realigning of your life.

The upside is that if you are fulfilling the big “if’s” in your relationship with God, then you can expect an unimaginable supply of unconditional grace, unlimited love, and undeserved mercy.

“Will is to grace as the horse is to the rider.”
—Augustine

Read Psalm 76

Featured Verse: Psalm 76:10

“Surely your wrath against men brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.”

Ask most people and they will tell you they prefer a God of love, not wrath. They like the Jesus who is “full of grace,” but they are not so sure about the Christ whose grace is perfectly balanced with “truth.” People get very uncomfortable with a Deity who actually punishes sin, preferring a world where “all dogs go to heaven,” as do all people. All of which would render judgment, punishment and hell entirely irrelevant.

Yet throughout the Bible we find in the Triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—a capacity for righteous wrath: Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed by fire, moneychangers are given the bum’s rush right out of the temple, greedy Ananias and Sapphira drop dead in church, and at the proper time, the living and the dead will face the final judgment. Though perfectly loving, resplendent with grace, unequaled in patience, a place of safety for his children, God is also a bit dangerous because he is organically just.

I prefer a God like that. I don’t want the syrupy, doting eternal Santa Claus who does nothing but dispense goodies to one and all—even the bad ones. I want a God who is fair and true and just…and dangerous.

However, what I prefer, what anyone prefers, matters little. Like it or not, the kind of God we get is a God of love—and of justice! Likewise, the kind of Savior we get wasn’t the sugary sweet version so many in our culture have made him to be—a sanitized, tame, Mr. Rogers version of Christ. Dorothy Sayers was right,

“To do them justice, the people who crucified Jesus did not do so because he was a bore. Quite the contrary; he was too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have declawed the lion of Judah and made him a housecat for pale priests and pious old ladies…“To do them justice, the people who crucified Jesus did not do so because he was a bore. Quite the contrary; he was too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have declawed the lion of Judah and made him a housecat for pale priests and pious old ladies… To those who knew him, however, he in no way suggests a milk-and-water person; they objected to him as a dangerous firebrand.”

But the Bible is quite clear: Jesus is no pussycat—he is the Lion of Judah, and one day, as II Timothy 4:1 says, “Jesus Christ [will] judge the living and the dead.” And on that day, all of heaven will thunder, “You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One…Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.” (Revelation 16: 5,7)

All of creation, including you and I, will be utterly amazed at the justice and fairness of God’s judgment, and we will stand in solidarity and declare in unison, “That’s exactly right—true and just are your judgments!”

Justice will finally be served by the only One who can be trusted to judge in righteousness and fairness. What a relief!

“When the author walks on the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right … something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise … it will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up.”
— C.S. Lewis

Read Psalm 73

Featured Verse: Psalm 73:2-3,17

“But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked…Till I entered the sanctuary of God;  then I understood their final destiny.”

Haven’t we all had those moments when we’ve envied the prosperity of the wicked? We see the lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous—the luxury cars they drive, the jewelry they wear, the vacations they take, the enormous homes they own—complete with walk-in closets the size of the average living room—a gaggle of sycophants who stroke their bloated ego, tend to their every need and hang on their every word.

And what did they do to come by such prosperity? Certainly nothing worthy of eternal accolades! For that matter, they did nothing to add any real lasting value to this world either except to look cool, rap out a few trashy lyrics, catch some air on a half pipe, shoot the ball through a hoop, or perhaps appear on one of the thousands of reality shows on TV these days and get famous for being famous. It’s not like they discovered a cure for cancer or solved world hunger or even made life better for even just one of the billions of people on this planet who could really use a helping hand.

So that’s my rant! And my point is, we sometimes look at how people like that live, and we envy. Perhaps we think, “Am I missing something? How come living the righteous life doesn’t bring those kinds of rewards?” After all, shouldn’t doing the right thing, living the holy life, doing our best to honor God have some payoffs here and now?

I’m reminded of the story of Henry C. Morrison, who after serving as a missionary for forty years in Africa, became sick and had to return to America. As his ship docked in New York harbor, there was a great crowd gathered to welcome home another passenger on that boat. Morrison watched as President Teddy Roosevelt received a grand welcome home party after his African Safari. Resentment seized Morrison and he turned to God in anger, “I have come back home after all this time and service to the church and there is no one, not even one person here to welcome me home.”

Then a still small voice came to Morrison and said, “You’re not home yet.”

And neither are you!

Dear friend, don’t get so earth bound. Heaven is your real home, and it’s way beyond any of the ephemeral stuff the rich and famous enjoy for this brief season on earth. Next time you’re tempted to envy, come into the sanctuary—that place of intimacy with God—and allow the Holy Spirit to give you that moment of clarity—and pray for that moment to become a deeply ingrained way of thinking for you.

“God destines us for an end beyond the grasp of reason.”
—Thomas Aquinas

Read Psalm 67

Featured Verse: Psalm 67:1-2

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. ”

I never feel selfish for asking God to bless my family, my church and me! In fact, I think it is a highly spiritual thing to do. How is that? The second verse of this psalm provides the key: I want Divine blessing so that people will look at me and see the hand of God. I want them to see God’s favor in my life and be attracted to the God of my salvation.

Now if that is going to happen, then I cannot ask for selfish blessings. I cannot misspend God’s graces in foolish ways. I cannot ask for stuff that I will use in ways that are counterproductive to God’s kingodm. My motives, plans, hopes and dreams need to be sanctified, which means that I need to delight myself in the Lord first if I am to expect that he will grant me the desires of my heart. (Psalm 37:4)

That really puts the onus on me, doesn’t it, to clean up my desires—or better yet, submit my desires to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, who will truly clean them up. Through the energy of the Spirit, I can live with the purest of intentions—I can live with a kingdom-mindset—and then I can rightly request and expect God’s extraordinary grace, his undeserved blessing, and the favor of his face shining down upon me every day of my life.

Now that’s the way I want to live. I want to be living proof to this lost world of a loving God. So I am going to pray this prayer today: “God, bless me a lot! May I know your grace in new ways. Let the bright glory of your favor cause my life to shine so much that others will see me and be attracted to you!”

And I am audacious enough to expect that God will do that for me!

By the way, there was another Old Testament character who dared to pray that way: Jabez. You can find his short story in I Chronicles 4:9-10. He dared to ask God for the moon, so to speak, and guess what? He got it. I love the profound simplicity of the last line of that story: “And God granted his request.”

Ask God for the moon…and the earth, too! Perhaps God will grant your request and you’ll be the next Jabez story—unless I beat you to it!

“Our God has boundless resources. The only limit is in us. Our asking, our thinking, our praying are too small. Our expectations are too limited.”

—A.B. Simpson

There is a whole category of people whose behavior, by and large we excuse. However, God doesn’t. He doesn’t find them acceptable; they and the unseen attitudes of their hearts he finds deplorable. They are the kind of people who will say one thing to your face, but say another thing behind your back. And even worse to God than what they say about you is what they think about you in their hearts. The psalmist says they speak peace when they are in front of you, but even before you turn away from them, their minds are flooded with ill will toward you.

We might say they are two-faced. The Bible calls them hypocrites. And though we pretty much excuse their behavior and accept their ways in our culture, there is one who doesn’t. God’s righteous gaze cuts right through the syrupy surface of their lives with utter moral clarity and labels the wickedness of their hypocritical hearts, calling them what they truly are: Workers of iniquity.

Now I realize that at this point in your reading you might be thinking this is anything but an encouraging little devotional thought for the day. And truthfully, it is not. Rather, this is an exhortation. And the exhortation I have for you is twofold:

One, it is most likely that you will rub shoulders today with the kinds of people David describes in this psalm. Be careful of them. Discern their hypocritical hearts and don’t be tainted by their iniquitous ways. If you allow them into your inner circle, they will ensnare you. So be careful.

And two, don’t be one of them. It is so easy to fall into this kind of two-faced living. Ask God to keep you from hypocrisy. Don’t fall into the trap of saying one thing but thinking another in your heart. Ask God for integrity of word and thought.

That’s what David prayed: Keep me from them, and keep me from being one of them. Hope you will pray that too!

“ Next to hypocrisy in religion, there is nothing worse than hypocrisy in friendship. — JOSEPH HALL

Read: Proverbs 11

“Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.” (Proverbs 11:4)

I’ve done a lot of funeral services in my time as a pastor, and I’ve never seen a grave with an attached storage unit.  The fact is, was and always will be, you can’t take your stuff with you when you die.  That’s what Proverbs 11:4 is saying.

The only thing that will serve you well at the moment you breathe your last is righteousness. Your money won’t do any good, the car you drive will go to somebody else, your clothes will be taken to Good Will, your family will move on, and your friends will go back to your house after the funeral and eat chicken.  Sorry to put it so bluntly, but “them’s the berries”.

Years ago I came across a great little parable that reminds us of this sobering reality. There was a very rich man who, knowing he would die soon, had all his assets converted into gold bars. He then put them in a big bag on his bed, draped his body over the bag of gold, and breathed his last. When he woke up, he was at the gate of heaven.  Saint Peter met him at the gate and with a concerned look on his face said, “Well, I see you actually managed to get here with something from earth! But unfortunately, you can’t bring that in.”

“Oh please, sir,” said the man. “I must have it. It means everything to me.”

“Sorry, my friend,” said Saint Peter. “If you want to keep that bag, then I’m afraid you’ll have to go to, you know, the other place. You don’t want to go there, believe me.”

“Well, I won’t part with this bag.”

“Have it your way,” returned Peter. “But before you go, would you mind if I looked in the bag to see what it is that you’re willing to trade eternal life for?”

“Sure,” said the man. “You’ll see. I could never part with this.”

Saint Peter looked in the bag and with a puzzled look on his face said to the man, “You’re willing to go to hell for…pavement?”

It’s all just stuff, friends, worthless in heaven. Only the righteousness you have by grace through Christ will help you on the day of your death. (Luke 12:13-23) Try focusing on what righteousness calls you to do—and prepare to die!  Death won’t be so bad when it finally shows up.

“When it comes time to die, make sure that all you have to do is die.” ~Jim Elliot

Winning At Life:

Write out the eulogy you would want someone to deliver at your funeral.  Now, go live that way!

Read: John 16

“And when he comes, the Holy Spirit will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. (John 16:8, NLT)

You and I do a horrible job at being the Holy Spirit in other people’s lives.  Yet how tempting it is to do his work for him. It is easy to do when you are passionate about truth. It is easy to do when you see how someone you care about is living counter-productively. And frankly, it is easy to do when people aren’t fulfilling your vision for their lives.  Yes, God loves them and you have a wonderful plan for their lives—and it is your job to make sure they live up to your high calling. Right?

Wrong!

Spiritual maturity demands that we know the difference between serving as the voice of truth and reason for people and allowing the Spirit to transform their thinking and behavior. We step into his territory the minute we assume the role of CCO—Chief Conviction Officer. Of course, there is a fine line between sharing the truth in love, respectful persuasion and passionate debate—all of which are good and necessary to being the influencer Jesus calls us to be—and with being argumentative, rude, nagging, arrogant and flat out irritating. We have been called to lead the horse to water, so to speak, but only the Holy Spirit can create the unquenchable thirst that makes a person want to drink deeply from Truth.

It takes real discernment and sensitivity to figure out what to say, how much to say, and when to say it—and when just to shut up and let God go to work. Oswald Chambers said, “One of the hardest lessons to learn comes from our stubborn refusal to refrain from interfering in other people’s lives. It takes a long time to realize the danger of being an amateur providence, that is, interfering with God’s plan for others.”

The truth is that God, indeed, has a wonderful plan for people’s lives, but we must allow him to convince them of how that plan needs to play out.  By all means, we ought to take the role of encourager, exhorter, and at times, admonisher, but only the Holy Spirit can bring the change of heart, the right thinking, and the right steps that will lead them to the incredible life God has envisioned.

Chances are there is someone in your life right now whom you have the opportunity to influence, but the temptation is tell them what to think, how to feel and which way to go. Perhaps it is your child, maybe it is your spouse, or it could be a friend or a co-worker—it is just part of the human equation.  So let me suggest in that particular situation you simply take your foot off the gas pedal, pray a lot more, and let the Holy Spirit work.  If you will, the transformation in that person’s life will happen a lot more quickly, deeply and enduringly.

So try to remember at all times: You are not the Holy Spirit! Observing that one piece of advice will save you and the people in your life from a great deal of frustration.

“There is no better evangelist in the world than the Holy Spirit.” ~D.L. Moody

What If God Took Over?

Ask God to reveal where you have been doing the Holy Spirit’s work for him.  When he shows you, first, repent, then second, ask for greater discernment and sensitivity to fulfill the role of influencer God has called you to play.

Read: John 13

“Since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.” (John 13:14, NLT)

If you are going to be a fully devoted follower of Christ, you will have to think, do and live like Jesus thought, did and lived—not the least of which is to take on the attitude, exhibit the actions, and live the lifestyle of a servant.  Yes—you will have to serve as Jesus served!

Serving is what Jesus did because servanthood was at the very core of who Jesus was and why Jesus came. The Gospel of Mark, the first written biographical account of Jesus, sums up the life and ministry of Jesus with this simple, clear and compelling mission statement:

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

Fleshing out this mission statement, John 13 presents the servanthood of Jesus in action in the most unusual and unforgettable way: He washed his disciples’ feet.  Then, as he completed this humbling task, he said to them, “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” (John 13:15, NLT) It is abundantly clear from this passage, along with other Scripture, that serving is an unmistakable, unavoidable demand of discipleship.  Not only is serving a demand, but when we look at Jesus’ example, we find that serving is also a delight.  It is what makes us bless-able:  “Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.” (John 13:17, NLT)

Think about it:  Serving like Jesus is what puts you at your Christlike best!

You are called to serve! Paul writes in Philippians 2:5-7, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God…took on the very nature of a servant.” Galatians 5:13 says, “Serve one another in love.” If you are serving, you are fulfilling your basic Christian calling.  If you are not, then you are not!

You were created to serve! Like a fish swims and a bird flies, a Christian serves! Ephesians 2:20 states, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Before you were even conceived, God laid out specific plans just for you. You are not an after-thought; you do not just exist; you are on this earth not just to be a potted plant, you were born not just to consume, but to contribute.  God deliberately shaped you to serve his purposes, which means that he has placed an important responsibility on your shoulders that only you can fulfill.

You contribute to the Body of Christ when you serve! God specifically created you, converted you, and called you to contribute to the life, health and mission of a local church.  Paul taught in I Corinthians 12:27, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” Verse 12 says, “The body is a unit, though it’s made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.  So it is with Christ.” Verse 18 says, “God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” Why?  Verse 7 tells us it is “for the common good.” I Peter 4:10 says, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” Perhaps you didn’t realize this, but you serving in your church is the primary means of other people receiving God’s grace.

You capture the world’s attention when you serve! Our humble, authentic acts of service put God in a good light. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:16, NLT)  Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this will all men know that you are my disciples:  That you have love for one another.” It’s by authentic servanthood that you become living proof of a loving God.

Jesus ended the washing of his disciples’ feet by issuing this very simple challenge: Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.” (John 13:17, NLT)  It doesn’t get any clearer than that!

“When God wanted sponges and oysters He made them and put one on a rock and the other in the mud. When He made man He did not make him to be a sponge or an oyster; He made him with feet and hands, and head and heart, and vital blood, and a place to use them and He said to him, ‘Go work.’” ~Henry Ward Beecher

What If God Took Over?

I have one simple question for you:  Where are you serving?

Read: John 9

“Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” Jesus answered, “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins. This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.” (John 9:2-3, NLT)

Suffering—where does it originate? When someone gets sick, contracts a disease, or is born with a disability, is that the result of personal sin—either theirs or their parents?  Has the devil inflicted the suffering upon them?  Did God cause it? When we, or the people we love are forced to endure suffering, we get pretty passionate about finding answers to those questions.

What Jesus said was that not all sickness and suffering is the result of a specific sin.  However, in a general sense, because we live in a world broken by sin, bad stuff that was not a part of God’s original plan for human beings now happens.  And to be sure, the Bible does teach that I can bring some physical suffering on myself.  If I do not follow God’s principles, my body will experience the consequence.  If I do not eat right, sleep enough and exercise regularly—which is sin, since my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit—then I should not be surprised when my body reacts with an infirmity.  If I do not listen when God’s Word says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but pray about everything” and I worry a lot—which is a sin—if I get an ulcer, then I am to blame.  If resentment builds in my spirit—which is a sin, since I am not to allow bitterness to take root and defile me—then the doctors say that what is eating me will not only eat away at my mental health, but it will also take a bite out of my physical health.

So when it comes to suffering and sickness, I need to pay attention to the sin-factor in my life.  When sin is at the root, then James says that confession and prayer is the appropriate response to my suffering:

“Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” (James 5:13-16, NLT)

However, not all suffering is the result of sin. Jesus blew that idea out of the water here in John 9 when he talked about the man born blind and clears up the notion that the blindness was the result of neither his nor his parent’s sin. Sometimes God permits suffering in your life simply because He wants to heal you and let it be a testimony to the world.  John 11:4 tells the story of Lazarus, who was sick and near death. In that case, Jesus said, “The purpose of his illness is not death, for the glory of God.”

Now God doesn’t heal every sickness; if he did, none of us would ever die and go to heaven. But for sickness that is within the Lord’s will to heal, James 5:14 says that we are to do a couple of things:  One, we are take the initiative and summon the spiritual leaders of the church. And, two, we are to have those elders anoint us with oil and pray.

This prayer for healing is to be done “in the name of the Lord.” The “name” represents the Christ’s authority, which is the basis for all healing.  When we offer prayer for healing under these conditions and in that manner, James says, “such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well.” (James 5:15, NLT)

God is the healer, not the person praying.  Let’s never forget that!  In this age of flamboyant faith healers, sometimes you get the idea that it is their ability and spirituality that gets the job done.  It is not; God alone deserves the credit.

That brings us back to what Jesus said about suffering and sickness: Sometimes it is not the result of sin. It is simply so that God’s power and glory can be revealed in the restoration!

“‘I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord.” ~Jeremiah 30:17

What If God Took Over?

If you are suffering from an illness, study James 5:13-18 and follow what it says.

Read: John 8

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!” At that point they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the Temple. (John 8:58-59, NLT)

There were many reasons, I suppose, the Jews wanted to kill Jesus: They were jealous of his popularity with the people. They hated that he didn’t defer to their spiritual authority and were put off that he wasn’t impressed by their religious pedigree. They were irked that he ministered to marginalized people, hung out with the wrong crowd, operated outside the lines of Jewish protocol and a thousand other things that he did, or didn’t do, that bugged the daylights out of them.  In general, the genuine authority and real power that Jesus displayed in his life and ministry exposed the spiritual impotence of these Jewish elites, which in turn, brought out some fierce insecurities displayed in their childish opposition and irrational hatred of the Lord.

But the main reason their hatred turned murderous?  It wasn’t that Jesus sort of acted like God. It wasn’t that he beat around the bush about his deity. It wasn’t that he made some veiled and esoteric claim about Messiahship.  No—he flat out claimed to be God.  That is why they wanted to kill him.  In fact, Jesus committed the ultimate faux pas by using the revered designation for God that no god-fearing Jew would utter so causally and irreverently: “I AM!” There was nothing subtle about “before Abraham was, I Am!” Jesus was making a bold declaration about his Divinity—something that could get you killed in that culture.

Of course, Jesus knew that. In fact, his claim would get him killed. Jesus didn’t care—he was God come in the flesh, and he wasn’t going to back away from that claim one inch.  That is why he came, and that is precisely what he claimed—no ifs, ands or buts about it.

When you consider that claim alone that Jesus made about himself, you are forced to eliminate all of the other nice-sounding, politically correct things people say they believe about him. In other words, Jesus cannot be just a good teacher, just a great moral leader, just a respected prophet, just a great figure of history.  With Jesus, you have to eliminate “just” from your vocabulary. Jesus left the Jews with no other option, and he doesn’t leave you with another option either.  As C.S. Lewis said,

“[With Jesus] you must make a choice.  Either He was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman, or something worse. You can shut Him up as a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher.  He has not left that option open to us.  He did not intend to.”

I am sure glad the Great I Am forced that choice on me!  How about you?

“The discrepancy between the depth and sanity of his moral teaching and the rampant megalomania which must lie behind his theological teaching unless he is indeed God has never been satisfactorily got over.” ~C. S. Lewis

What If God Took Over?

Jesus!  You’ve got to do something with him. You’ve got to love him or hate him…but you really can’t live with anything in between and live an intellectually honest life. So be honest—where do you line up with Jesus?  I hope you go with what he claimed, and proved, about himself.

Read: John 4-5

“Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her. “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now.” (John 4:16-18, NLT)

An entire book could be written about this story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well of Sychar. For instance, a whole chapter could be written from this story just about the inclusiveness of the Kingdom of God.  Another chapter could lay out a master blueprint for starting spiritual conversations with anyone from an authentic seeker to a theological weirdo. And of course, several chapters could present a compelling theology of worship from what Jesus says just in these few verses.

But at the end of the day, what you will find is that any encounter with Jesus doesn’t simply warm your heart to the Kingdom of God or perfect your evangelistic technique or inform your theology or just cram more spiritual information into your head, it touches the true condition of your heart. That is what happened to the woman at the well.

This sinful Samaritan sister is like a lot of people in our society today, even in our churches, who are attempting makeovers, not only of the physical kind, but of the whole-life kind.  Like her, so many people are profoundly unhappy, dissatisfied, empty on the inside and are trying to make over their lives by filling that missing void.  But any makeover effort that isn’t God-initiated, God-empowered, and God-focused, is akin to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

In this woman’s case, she’d gone from man to man, hoping the next would be better—but each relationship left her increasingly dissatisfied, damaged and desperate. What Jesus was telling her was that she didn’t need a man to complete her. She didn’t need just a “relationship makeover”, she needed a new “water source” (John 4:13-15, NLT)—she needed a brand a new life.

This woman is really a mirror of our age. We go from experience to experience, job to job, purchase to purchase and relationship to relationship, hoping that that next great thing will be what finally brings us fulfillment. But here’s the deal:  If you are looking to a thing, or job, or another person to fulfill you, you are putting an expectation on something or someone that they cannot meet. When you live in that kind of pattern, your life will end up as one long, futile attempt to find completion.

Remember the gushy line from the movie that all the romantics swooned over: “You complete me”?  That sounds so romantic that it has to be true.  It’s not!  It is one of the Enemy’s great deceptions.  What Jesus was saying to this Samaritan woman—and by extension, to you and me—is that only God can complete you.  When you come to God for completion, then those unrealistic expectations that you have placed on position, possessions and people will be removed, and only then can you drink the living water and never thirst again.

The bottom line to this story—and to your life and mine—is simply this:  We find real completion only in God.

“When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now…. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased.” ~C.S. Lewis

What If God Took Over?

Honestly evaluate your expectations of possession, position and people. Are you looking to them as your primary source of happiness and fulfillment? If you are, bring those misplaced expectations to God, and ask him to fulfill the desires of your heart.  He has promised to do just that! (Psalm 37:4-5)

Read: John 1

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14, NIV)

Not too long after my wife and I had moved into a home we had just purchased, our next door neighbor’s live-in girlfriend asked me, “what do you do?” I told her that I was a pastor. So she said, “Oh, I’m looking for a church…one that doesn’t get all weird and condemning about sin.  What about yours?”

I said, “My church—hey, we accept everybody just the way they are—unless you’re shacking up with someone!”

No—I didn’t say that!  But it was an awkward moment for me as I scrambled for a way to minimize the offense of the Gospel to a person who was far from God and build a bridge that might lead us at some point into a spiritual conversation. I didn’t need to offer condemnation by my words, in the tone of my voice or with my body language.  I didn’t need to convince her of her sins, she was already dealing with that herself.  Besides, it is not my job—it is the work of the Holy Spirit to do that. (John 16:8).  Nor would Jesus have done that. Remember, in this very same book, right after the most famous verse in the entire Bible, John 3:16, Jesus goes on to say,

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17)

But let’s keep in mind that Jesus didn’t come, as C.S. Lewis pointed out, to tell the world that everything was quite alright!  Obviously, the world needed a savior—that’s why Jesus came.  People need a savior because sin holds people captive. To keep the bad news about sin and the good news about a Savior from them would be the most hateful thing we could ever do.

So how do we bridge that gap between a loving God and the repulsiveness of the sinners sin?  Grace and truth, that is how.  That is what Jesus perfectly modeled.  Take, for instance, his interaction with the adulterous woman in John 8. Picture the scene:  This sinful woman is standing in the center of a circle, surrounded by self-righteous religious leaders who want her stoned.  Imagine her humiliation, caught in the very act of adultery—a private act now a very public sin. Nothing can hide her shame—and make no mistake, sexual sin is shameful, degrading to the people involved, destructive to innocent families it affects and odious to God.

This woman is standing before Jesus, exposed, humiliated, tears dripping to the sand. She has been used by men all of her life, and now she will pay for it with her life.  She sees the stones; she knows her guilt. Now, all eyes are on Jesus—what will he do?

After some time, Jesus speaks and says to those who want her executed, “Ok, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” And with that bombshell, one-by-one, from oldest to youngest, they walked away, leaving only Jesus and this sinful woman face-to-face. What now?  Would Jesus give her a good moral tongue lashing.   No, he just gently asks, “Where are your accusers?  Has no one judged you guilty?”

She replied, “No one, Sir.”

At that, Jesus offered these grace-truth words that would utterly right this sinner’s upside-down life:  “Then I don’t either. Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Behind this amazing display of grace and truth, as Walter Trobisch said, what we find is that Jesus “accepts us as we are but when he accepts us, we cannot remain as we are.” Jesus brings our sin to the surface, and when we acknowledge it by confession and repentance, totally, graciously and forever forgives it.  The adulteress went away forgiven, with a new clean heart and a brand new chance at life.  Only grace and truth can do that for sinners.

Perhaps that is why prostitutes, publicans, and other sinners responded to Jesus so readily.  At some level, they recognized their sin. That was why forgiveness was so appealing to them…and still is!

What does the world need more than anything right now?  What does your sinful next door neighbor so desperately need?  The same thing you need: A whole lot of truth and a big dose of grace!

“Prostitutes are in no danger of finding their present life so satisfactory that they cannot turn to God; the proud, the avaricious, the self-righteous, are in that danger.” ~C.S. Lewis

What If God Took Over?

Take some time today to memorize and meditate on these two very important verses from John 1:

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12)

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

Read: Luke 23

Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last. (Luke 23:46, NLT)

Submission is not a very appealing word in our culture, but it is critical to the Kingdom life, growing and producing God-pleasing fruit in us. Submission is not weakness, it is acceptance of the will of God for our lives, and our joyful surrender to it.  Submission is an active faith in God’s plan and a ruthless trust in his character, especially when things are unpleasant for us.  Submission says, as Jesus prayed, “Father, not my will but your will be done.”

Submission shapes everything about the Christian life: How we respond to our circumstances, how we regard others, how we regulate our emotions, and how we relate to the eternal world.  More than anything, godly submission produces confidence that God knows what he is doing with our lives, which in turn, produces even greater surrender.

Submission also releases God’s favor in our lives. Just look at Jesus, the most powerful, yet most submissive man who ever lived. Of all the qualities that endeared him both to the Father and to those of us who have entrusted our eternal salvation to him, it was his joyful surrender to the mission of God that stand above all others.  In particular, notice how his submission to God’s plan in the face of death released the Father’s high favor to him:

“Jesus humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names.” (Philippians 2: 8-9)

“Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” (Hebrews 12:2)

Is there anything that moves both the heart and the hand of the Father more than our submission to the divine mission, especially when it requires surrender to the unpleasant providence of God? Is there anything that better demonstrates tough-minded but tender-hearted trust that God knows what he is doing than submission to his plan? Is there any greater joy, tranquility or stability than knowing and trusting that because of the Fathers’ competent care, this world is a perfectly safe and satisfying place—even when it doesn’t look like it?  Is there any prayer more God-honoring than to pray, as Jesus did,  “Not my will but your will be done…into your hands I commend my spirit?” (Luke 22:42, 23:46)

No—there is none!

“Just as a servant knows that he must first obey his master in all things, so the surrender to an implicit and unquestionable obedience must become the essential characteristic of our lives.” ~Andrew Murray

What If God Took Over?

Surrender and submission to the will of God is not always, perhaps not usually, an easily thing.  Where do you need to submit to the Father’s will today?  As you think about that, remember the words so movingly expressed by the old hymn,

My times are in thy hand:
Why should I fear?
My Father’s hand will never cause
His child a needless tear.

Read: Luke 19

“Invest this for me while I am gone.” (Luke 19:13, NLT)

This is the simplest explanation of what Christians are supposed to be doing between their salvation and their entry into the eternal kingdom, either by death or by virtue of Christ’s return:  Investing!

The old King James Version says it like this: “Occupy till I come.” The New King James Version translates it: “Do business till I come.” Invest, occupy, do business—I like all of those.  That is what Christians are supposed to be doing with their time, energy and treasures—investing and producing an eternal profit in the business of the kingdom.  There is nothing more important—and more pleasurable—than that.

The problem is, we Christians tend to forget that we are not here on Planet Earth for our own benefit.  Along the way, we lose sight of the fact that the perfectly good oxygen we are taking in is not simply for our own pleasure.  The time and space we are occupying is not merely for our own temporal purposes—that would be a cosmic waste!

No, you and I are here on assignment for the King.  He has given us kingdom resources—influence, money, creativity, and vision. He has privileged us with opportunities to leverage every fiber of what we are and every last ounce of all that we have in a way that will produce now the stuff of eternity: Fame for the King, souls for his kingdom, and a foretaste of the abundant life (even if it is imperfectly and temporally expressed).  That is our business—nothing more than that; nothing less will do.

So—how’s business?

“The idea that the service to God should have only to do with a church altar, singing, reading, sacrifice, and the like is without doubt but the worst trick of the devil. How could the devil have led us more effectively astray than by the narrow conception that service to God takes place only in a church and by the works done therein…The whole world could abound with the services to the Lord; services – not only in churches but also in the home, kitchen, workshop, field.” ~Martin Luther

What If Good Took Over?

If you were to stand before God at the end of this day, what produce would you be able to show from your saved life?  Of course, you have been saved by grace, and not by works—so you can never earn your salvation.  But you can give effort to it.  Perhaps today is the day to give better, more focused effort in the business of the King!

There are two extremes when it comes to forgiveness: On the one hand, we fail to practice it far too often. We conveniently and creatively bypass Scripture’s teaching on this matter so easily that it must grieve the Father’s heart. And this unwillingness to extend forgiveness is such a huge problem in the family of God today, since Jesus tied our forgiveness of others to the Father’s forgiveness of us.

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 5:14-15, NLT)

An unfortunately large number of “believers” will be surprised when they stand before the Great Forgiver and he informs them that the pardon of transgressions they hoped for had been held up because of their own unwillingness to let go of anger, bitterness, resentment, and hurt long enough to extend the hand of reconciliation to someone who had offended them. Jesus is pretty clear about the matter: You don’t forgive others, God can’t forgive you! For that reason, if you are like me, you need to practice forgiveness early and often.

On the other hand, we fail to properly understand forgiveness far too often. That is an extreme as well.  Many assume that Jesus is commanding his followers to blindly forgive, freely forget whatever offense might have occurred, and unconditionally reconcile even with those who show no signs of remorse for what they have done to hurt or offend us.  That is not what Jesus said.

Did you notice a very big condition that Jesus attached to this forgiveness directive?  “If” a brother sins, “then” when there is repentance, forgive him.  We need to be ready to forgive, willing to forgive, generous in forgiving—even if it is seven times for the same thing in the same day, we are called to forgive offenses (Luke 17:4, NLT)—but only if there is repentance.

God himself doesn’t dole out forgiveness unconditionally.  He is willing to, but his hands are tied if the offender doesn’t acknowledge their sin, feel authentic contrition in their heart, and offer the fruit of repentance (a change of mind and a change of direction) in their behavior. (Matthew 3:8, NLT, Acts 2:38, NLT)
To forgive, forget and reconcile with an unrepentant person is to go beyond what God, himself does. Now in that, there is yet another extreme into which Christians can fall:  Withholding forgiveness until proper repentance is expressed for every little thing that rubs them the wrong way.  My advice to you, if you are guilty of that:  Don’t be ridiculous.  Not everything that gets under your skin falls into the category of a moral offense—so grow some thicker skin and exercise a lot of grace, my friend!

Jesus is calling his followers to a balanced understanding and a generous commitment to the practice of forgiveness.  It is the lifeblood of his kingdom, and when it flows rightly and freely from your life, it is your calling card into the throne room of your gracious and forgiving Father.

“ God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination. —AUGUSTINE

Read: Luke 16

“The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light.” (Luke 16:8-9, NLT)

This opening story in Luke 16 has been referred to as “The Parable of the Shrewd Manager”.  The plot centers around a high level supervisor of a company whose boss informs him that he is going to get the ax for mismanaging funds, either out of gross incompetence if not outright embezzlement. But before the day of his dismissal, the manager goes behind his boss’ back to people who owe the company money, and using some “creative accounting”, illegally reduces the money these debtors owed to his employer.  He does this to build some good will with these debtors so when he is unemployed, they will look favorably on him.

The kicker to this story: This shady manager gets commended for his innovation and audacity—by the boss in the story, and, so it seems, by the story-teller, Jesus.

Upon first reading this parable, one has to wonder if Jesus is advocating underhanded business practices or manipulation to maneuver out of problems?  Of course, Jesus would never do that. So what is going on? Jesus is simply commending this manager’s dedication to dealing with reality. Reality is, he’s got a problem; he’s going to lose his job, and he has no early retirement plan, no stock options, and no other employment opportunities. So he says, “I have a problem, I will take responsibility, I will form a realistic plan, and I will take action.”

That is what Jesus is commending, not the dishonesty.  Jesus is impressed with how he shrewdly takes advantage of the situation to deal with his crisis.  Now the question is, why is Jesus so impressed with this willingness to face reality? Because he knows how few tend to do it.

Jesus is also impressed with the manager because the man knew his master’s character and he formed his entire plan around that. He knew he was dealing with a generous, gracious man, and he bet everything on the belief that the master would respond magnanimously—which the master did!

Without commending dishonesty, Jesus is using this parable to teach us about the character of God. Jesus is saying if this unethical manager had the courage to face his problem by relying on the generosity and mercy of his master, how much more can you, and should you, face any reality, problem or crisis, confident that your gracious and merciful God can be trusted to generously help you.

Now in this parable, Jesus says some seemingly confusing things that when properly understood in context, provides a sense of urgency to this message.

First, Jesus says, “Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into the eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:9) He is not saying that you can buy your way into eternal favor, but he is saying that what you do now affects who you are in eternity, which is exactly why you ought to deal with your problems with a sense of urgency.

Second, Jesus says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.” (Luke 16:10) He is saying that you need to understand how much is riding on your diligent attention. What you do now to deal with your challenging realities matters to God.

Third, Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters.” (Luke 16:13)  Your life is not your own; you belong to God.  In light of that, Jesus is challenging you to take resolute action to overcome any personal problem so you can present yourself to God in such a way that on that day when you stand before him, you will hear him say, “well done!”

You and I belong to God; we are children of the King.  And since Jesus is our Lord, we ought to deal with financial flaws and moral issues and personality weaknesses immediately and boldly and successfully. If this unjust manager did it knowing his generous master would back him up, how much more should you get after it knowing your gracious Father will help you!

I think what Jesus is really saying is, “what are you waiting on? It’s time to step up to the plate!”

“What we think or what we know or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence, The only consequence is what we do.” ~John Ruskin

What If God Took Over?

William Jennings Bryan said, “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” What personal matter needs your attention ASAP? Get after it today—the destiny God desires for you will be affected by your action, or inaction.

Read: Luke 14-15

And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. (Luke 15:20, NLT)

The parable of the Prodigal Son is a story for the ages.  It is one of Jesus’ most revered stories, even in non-Christian societies. People of all faiths love this parable because of its profound and moving message of love, forgiveness and reconciliation.  But Jesus’ story is not so much about the prodigal son, or the even the elder brother, this is a story meant to give us a look inside the heart of God.  So a more appropriate title would be “the searching father”.

You know the story well: A selfish son demands his inheritance from his father—in essence, declaring that he wishes to live as if his father were already dead.  The son spends all the inheritance money on wasteful living.  Finally, at the end of his ropes, the desperate son comes back home utterly crushed, knowing he will face humiliation from his father, hostility from his family and hatred from his scandalized community. Maybe he will be mocked—and rightly so—perhaps even beaten for the embarrassment he has caused his loved ones. As the prodigal reaches the outskirts of the village, word spreads in the community that this foolish boy has come back.

Then, something very dramatic happens as Jesus tells this story.  As the people gather to watch his return, “while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20, NLT)

Don’t quickly pass by those words: “He ran to his son.” That is a stunning statement. A nobleman in the ancient Middle East would never run.  It would be a violation of his dignity.  Aristotle wrote, “Great men never run…Great men are run to.” People run to them.  Children run, those who are desperate or afraid may run.  So Jesus has the wrong person running in this story.

Or does he?  No, Jesus is revealing something very important about the heart of God. The heart of this prodigal son’s father—which represents God’s heart—is so full that he forgets everything: he forgets his dignity, he forgets everybody is watching, and he sees only the starving, exhausted, beaten down figure of a boy he had given up for dead, and the father takes off running toward his son like a homesick angel. And when he reaches him, he starts kissing him over and over again. The father then wants everyone to know that he will fully restore his son, so he has the servants dress the boy in his finest robe, he puts his ring on him as a sign of his authority, he gives him new shoes, and he has his servants prepare a feast.

The Jesus offers these amazing words in Luke 15:24, “So the party began”

That is the heart of God.  That is why Jesus told this story. That is what Jesus wants you to know.  Whoever you are, wherever you have been, whatever you’ve done, the Father doesn’t want you to be distanced from him or to return to him only to live under a cloud of guilt and a burden of regret. He wants you as his fully loved, fully accepted daughter or son.

Jesus wants you to know that whenever you return to God in heartfelt repentance, you are not returning to an unmoved deity, you are coming to a God who is scanning the horizon, looking for any sign that you are on your way home.  And when he sees you, he doesn’t sit, he doesn’t wait, he doesn’t send his servants out to escort you home.  No, he gets up and runs to you. When he reaches you, he throws his arms around you and kisses you and holds you like he will never let you go.

Then he says to all of heaven, “let’s party!” That is how much you mean to your searching Father.

“This is the portrayal of God, whose goodness, love, forgiveness, care, joy and compassion have no limits at all.” ~Henri Nouwen

What If God Took Over?

Do you need to “come home” to the Father? Don’t keep him waiting!

“For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.”
(I Thessalonians 5:2)

This is Friday, May 20, 2011, and according to radio host Harold Camping, Jesus is coming back this Saturday.  Apparently, he and his friends has discovered “that WE CAN KNOW from the Bible alone that the date of the rapture of believers will take place on May 21, 2011 and that God will destroy this world on October 21, 2011.”

Maybe—maybe not.  I personally think Harold is a misguided soul, but one thing I do know is that Jesus is coming someday—which I think, and hope, will be very soon.  Another thing I know is that we ought to be living like he is coming back tomorrow.  Scripture makes it pretty clear that we ought to be living with our bags packed.

The Apostle Paul talks quite a lot about the return of Christ in both of his Thessalonian letters. He concludes the first letter by reminding his readers that this great event will happen when people least expect it—“like a thief in the night.” That means, as believers, we must therefore live each and every moment expecting the unexpected. We are to live with our bags packed, so to speak, ready to leave for our true home—heaven—at a moment’s notice.

What does it mean to live in such a way? Paul gives a checklist of sorts in the final verses of this letter. Perhaps you’ve used a checklist to make sure you have the right things packed in your suitcase before going on an extended trip. As you prepare for this journey home—which by the way, will be an extended trip with no return—here is your spiritual checklist to help you be ready:

Be alert:  I Thessalonians 5:6—be on the lookout; remain on guard as to Christ’s return and the evil conditions of the time in which it will take place.

Be self-controlled: I Thessalonians 5:6 & 8—keep your life, your passions, your desires and fleshly drives in check.

Be armed: I Thessalonians 5:8—put on the armor of faith (conviction), love (self-sacrifice) and hope (the assurance of your salvation).

Be edifying: I Thessalonians 5:11—instead of finding flaws in others, build them up and help them to be ready for Christ’s return.

Be respectful: I Thessalonians 5:12-13—treat your spiritual leaders—ministers and lay leaders—with high regard and deep love. Give them respect not because of their position, educational achievements or popularity, but because of the nature of their work.

Be peaceful: I Thessalonians 5:13—seek peace actively, not passively, with fellow believers.

Be involved: I Thessalonians 5:14-15—get involved with others by warning the idle, motivating the timid, helping the weak, being patient with everyone, and exhibiting kindness rather than retaliation toward those who’ve hurt you.

Be joyful: I Thessalonians 5:16—maintain an attitude of joy no matter what.

Be prayerful: I Thessalonians 5:17—stay in God’s presence continually.

Be thankful: I Thessalonians 5:18—not only in good times, but even in bad times exhibit an attitude of gratitude.

Be sensitive: I Thessalonians 5:19-20—develop a sensitivity and an appreciation for the work of the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ; especially as it relates to prophecy.

Be discerning: I Thessalonians 5:21—be knowledgeable of the Bible so that everything can be tested against it.

Be diligent: Thessalonians 5:21—cling to the truth of God’s Word, being quick to obey it.

Be pure: I Thessalonians 5:22—moral purity should continually characterize your life.

Be surrendered: I Thessalonians 5:23-24—be wholly dependent on God and cooperative with the Holy Spirit to bring about sanctification and blamelessness in your life—body, soul and spirit.

Be interceding: I Thessalonians 5:25—regularly intercede for others before the throne of God.

Be friendly: I Thessalonians 5:26—love and affection must be demonstrative, and an outward expression of your inner affection for fellow believers.

Be unselfish: I Thessalonians 5:27—take responsibility to share God’s truth with other believers.

Be gracious: I Thessalonians 5: 28—live in the light and reality of God’s grace, personally, relationally and continually.

Are you ready to go, or do you need to do some more packing? Jesus may come today, so make sure you’re ready for the journey.  And if he comes tomorrow, I’ll see you in a pretty cool place.  If he doesn’t, then I’ll see you in another pretty cool place—church this Sunday!

Maranatha!

“Our deepest calling is not to grow in our knowledge of God. It is to make disciples. Our knowledge will grow—the Holy Spirit, Jesus promised, will guide us into all truth. But that’s not our calling, it is His. Our calling is to prepare the world for Christ’s return. The world is not ready yet. And so, we go about introducing a dying world to the Savior of Life. Anything we do toward our own growth must be toward that end.” ~Jeffery Bryant

Read: Luke 2

Simeon took the infant Jesus in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. ” (Luke 2:28-29, NLT)

I can just imagine this old, weathered prophet, Simeon, moved by the Holy Spirit, running up to Mary and grabbing the baby Jesus from her arms.  Perhaps Mary and Joseph were a bit stunned; maybe they were about to call for the temple guard to arrest this crazy old man, but before they could react, Simeon burst forth in a loud prophetic praise to God,

“…dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation…”

Then as suddenly as he took the baby, Simeon gently laid Jesus back into Mary’s arms.  He pronounced a blessing upon the young parents, uttered a few esoteric words, then turned and made his way through the curious onlookers. As Simeon walked away, he shouted his praises to God, and as suddenly as he had appeared, he was gone from the temple—and from any further mention in the Bible.

Not much is known about Simeon. Christian tradition suggests that he was very old—over 100 years of age. We don’t know for sure, but because of his eagerness to die, that would be a logical assumption. We’re told in Luke 2:25 that he was looking for the “consolation of Israel”—a reference to the messianic hope of the Jewish nation.  Then as we dig a little deeper into this passage, Luke 2:25-35, we actually begin to learn a great deal more about this otherwise obscure man:

One, we learn that he was a man who was dedicated to the ways of God — “devout and righteous”. (Luke 2:25)  Simeon had a consuming passion for God.

Two, we also discover that he was a man who was led by the Spirit of God— “The Holy Spirit was upon him… revealed to him by the Holy Spirit… Moved by the Spirit.” (Luke 2:25-27) Simeon had a unique connection to God.

Three, we likewise find that he was a man who was obedient to the will of God — “He was waiting for the consolation of Israel. It had been revealed to him that he would see it in his lifetime”. (Luke 2:25) Simeon had an unbending dedication to the plan of God.

Four, we then see he was a man who was committed to speaking the truth of God — “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many…And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:34-35) Simeon had an unwavering commitment to speaking the prophetic Word of God.

Now this might seem like nothing more than otherwise unimportant and uninteresting biographical information on this old prophet, but there is something instructive here for you and me. You see, Simeon’s story has been included in Holy Scripture to remind us that God is still looking for people with the spirit of Simeon—people who are equally dedicated to the ways of God, who have learned to be led by the Spirit of God, who are obedient to the will of God and who will speak the Word of God.  Those are the kind of people for whom God is looking, through whom God will speak and to whom God will fulfill his promises.

Will you be that person?

“Incarnation is really an introduction to redemption. Christ’s cradle is in reality the opening act to the drama of the cross.”

What If God Took Over?

Simeon faithfully waited his entire life for the fulfillment of God’s promise. How long are you willing to wait?  Your willingness to trust and obey will be the very thing that determines the greatness of your faith.

Read: Mark 13

“Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.”  (Mark 13:8, NLT)

A lot of people are wondering these days if we are in the end times—which is okay by me, especially if it leads them to put their faith in Christ as both Savior and Lord. World conditions and human events are causing a lot of shaking and sifting, and with good reason: This present world is heading inexorably toward a predicted finish.

As Jesus speaks of the signs that will precede his return in Mark 13, you realize that we may very well be at the beginning of the end of time. He said at the end of verse 8, “these are the beginning of birth pains.” The “beginning of birth pains” — that means they are only going to get more frequent and increasingly painful before the birthing of God’s prophetic plan. Then Jesus provides us with exacting accuracy end-time conditions that read like the headlines we wake up to every morning:

• The New York Times may report on the increase of international conflict, but Jesus first predicted it in Mark 13:6-7.

• CNN may run story after story on catastrophic environmental upheaval caused by earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and wild, destructive weather, but Jesus first prophesied a chaotic cosmos in Mark 13:8.

• Fox News anchors may ring their hands over global deprivation of basic needs brought on my rising fuel costs, food shortages and the unstable dollar, but Jesus first said it would happen in Mark 13:8.

• CBN, TBN and The Voice of the Martyrs may tell heart-wrenching stories of the proliferation of persecution, but they are only retelling what Jesus told in Mark 13:9.

Yeah, things are going to get pretty ugly at the end—Jesus said so—and it looks like the ugliness has already started.  But that’s okay—it only means better things are on the way. So don’t get upset, depressed or worried sick, your redemption is drawing close.  And if you’ve gotten too comfy with this present world, consider what C.S. Lewis said,

“Has this world been so kind to you that you would leave it with regret?  There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

And for certain, don’t get caught up in the explosion of spiritual deception that Jesus said would be the very first sign that we’re heading into the end times. (Mark 13:5-6) Stay alert, because there will be an exponential increase of teachers, preachers and spiritual leaders who will not tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Among the many doctrinal heresies they will promote, my guess is that one of their most convincing doctrines will be that everything is ok, that you should just go about your business, that God wants to make you healthy, wealthy and wise, and give you your best life now.  When you think about it, that is the same message, since the days of Noah right up to the present moment, that false messengers have always promoted right before Divine judgment.

So don’t buy into it.  Your best life is yet to come—and it is just around the corner!

“A time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear.” (II Timothy 4:2-3)

What If God Took Over?

Bible scholar Arthur Pink wrote, “Neither the nearness nor the remoteness of Christ’s return is a rule to regulate us in the ordering of our temporal affairs. Spiritual preparedness is the great matter.” Where are you on the preparedness scale?

Read: Mark 12

Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.” (Mark 12:24, NLT)

Ouch!  The teachers of the law and the Pharisees weren’t the only ones who incurred Jesus’ ire.  This time he went after the Sadducees, pointing out both their ignorance and their impotence.

The Sadducees were a smaller group than the better-known and more popular Pharisees. They were typically the upper crust of Jewish society, the aristocracy, the ruling class—and real religious snobs. Among the many things they believed—or denied—was the resurrection of the human soul after death. That is why they tried to trap Jesus with this question about marriage after the resurrection. The High Priest, along with many of the regular priests belonged to the Sadducees. They were sort of the modern equivalent of the senior pastor and the pastoral staff, or perhaps more likely, they are akin to the religious elite today—denominational leaders, seminary presidents, Bible college professors who deny the inerrancy of Scripture, the deity of Jesus and the supernatural.

In the case of this “difficult conversation” with these Sadducees, Jesus went after the very thing they were most proud of—their authority—rightly pointing out that they had neither a right understanding of the Scripture, and therefore, no right to lead:  “You do not know the Scriptures or the power of God”, or as the Message translation puts it, “You’re way off base, and here’s why: One, you don’t know your Bibles; two, you don’t know how God works.” If Jesus had been born in Fort Worth rather than Bethlehem, he might have said, “Bubba, when it comes to the Bible, you’re all hat and no cattle!”

I don’t want to be like that, and I’m sure you don’t either! As we used to say in Sunday School when I was a little kid, the Sadducees were “sad, you see”, and the reason was exactly what Jesus exposed in them: Biblical ignorance and spiritual impotence. Let’s never allow either our Biblical education or our spiritual position to create a barrier to real knowledge and true power.  The antidote for being either a Sadducee or “sad, you see”, is simple faith in God, childlike openness to his Word, and humble obedience to his will.

“There are Christians today who are very much like the Sadducees of old…Although they claim to be Christian, they do not actually believe in the resurrection, especially the resurrection of Jesus. And to them, doctrines of angels (and demons) are mythical expressions from a primitive mentality. Their form of Christianity has been submitted to modern reason… they are above the common Christian’s simplistic faith.” ~Allen Ross

What If God Took Over?

In matters of faith, belief and practice, go back to what Scripture plainly says and ordinarily means—and obey it!

Read: Mark 1

Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit began shouting, “Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One sent from God!” Jesus cut him short. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him. (Mark 1:23-26, NLT)

When did demons become extinct?  What I mean is, we read about them in Scripture and accept that they were part and parcel of Jesus’ war on Satan to bring Planet Earth back under the Creator’s dominion, but we think and act as if they don’t exist in twenty-first century America. We have medical and psychological explanations for everything that ails us these days, and either a pill or a professional to help us cope with our “disorders”. But I get the sense when I read the Gospels that some of today’s disorders are, to a greater or lesser degree, nothing more than demonic influences in disguise.

Now please, please, please, don’t misunderstand what I am saying.  I am not looking to find a devil under every rock.  Don’t go flushing your meds down the drain or calling your counselor an idiot.  Let’s stay balanced and Biblical as we explore the possibility of demonic activity in your world and mine. As C.S. Lewis warned in the preface to his book, The Screwtape Letters,

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.

Let’s not be guilty of either of those errors!  Having said that, I agree with what a twentieth-century English theologian by the name of Ronald Knox said, “It is so stupid of modern civilization to have given up believing in the devil when he is the only explanation of it.” If you didn’t get that, here’s how Martin Luther said it,

“Idiots, the lame, the blind, the dumb, are men in whom the devils have established themselves: and all the physicians who heal these infirmities, as though they proceed from natural causes, are ignorant blockheads.”

Look, I’m not saying the devil is the cause of every headache you get, or every cussword that slips from your lips, or every nasty thought that ricochets around your brain.  Nor am I trying to create fear in you that there are demons under your bed and they’re going to get you tonight while you sleep.  What I am saying is that if Jesus faced them—sometimes even in church—then demonic forces are alive and well in people’s lives today, wreaking all kinds of havoc.  And if Jesus took authority over them and drove them out with just a word—and if he passed that authority on to us—then perhaps we ought to learn to discern the presence of demons today and boldly use Jesus’ authority to boot them out of town just like he did.

I do recall reading some place that Jesus said driving out demons was a sign that we believe.

“No one is a firmer believer in the power of prayer than the devil, not that he practices it, but he suffers from it.” ~Guy H. King

What If God Took Over?

There is obviously a great deal of competing information today on demons and demonic activity that feed the two extremes Lewis warned about: disbelief in their existence and unhealthy, excessive interest in them.  To learn more—which every Christian should, since Jesus said the demons had to submit to us—let me suggest the following plan:

First, study the Scriptures—especially the Gospels—to gain a foundational understanding of the devil, his demons, how they operate, and how Jesus dealt with them and how Jesus didn’t deal with them.  Never go beyond what the Bible says in forming your theology.

Second, I would encourage you to download and read the position paper entitled “Can Born-Again Christians Be Demon Possessed? You can find the pdf file at: http://ag.org/top/Beliefs/Position_Papers/index.cfm

Third, let me suggest this book to help fill in some of the details regarding the subject of demons: “Sense & Nonsense About Angels & Demons”.  It can be found at: http://www.christianbook.com/sense-nonsense-about-angels-demons/kenneth-boa/9780310254294/pd/254290?item_code=WW&netp_id=479066&event=ESRCN&view=details

Read: Matthew 25

“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. (Matthew 25:41, NLT)

Is hell for real…and forever?  Once again, that has become a hot topic in evangelical circles. A certain well-known pastor of one of America’s so-called “mega-churches” has seemed to indicate that possibly, just maybe, perhaps there is an escape clause in the whole “eternal” part of the doctrine of hell.

On what does he base this departure from orthodox theology?  The love of God.  The thought behind this is that God’s love will ultimately triumph over man’s sinfulness, and in the end (even after death), every human being will come to the faith Christians have expressed in this life that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.  The general term for those who hold such a belief is “universalism.” Theologian J. I. Packer says this of universalism:

A universalist is someone who believes that every human being whom God has created or will create will finally come to enjoy the everlasting salvation into which Christians enter here and now…it appears as an extreme optimism of grace, or perhaps of nature, and sometimes, it seems, of both. But in itself it is a revisionist challenge to orthodoxy, whether Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or Protestant evangelical; for the church has officially rated universalism a heresy ever since the second Council of Constantinople (the fifth ecumenical council, A.D. 553), when the doctrine of apokatastasis (the universal return to God and restoration of all souls) that Origen taught was anathematized.

According to Jesus, who knows more about heaven and hell than anyone, and according to other Scripture, hell is not a temporary place to pay for sins, it is a place of eternal hopelessness where sooner or later those who are there will realize there is no second chance. Leighton Ford said,

“The fire, outer darkness, the thirst [of hell] depict spiritual separation from God, moral remorse, the consciousness that one deserves what he’s getting.  Hell is disintegration—the eternal loss of being a real person. In hell the mathematician who lived for his science can’t add two and two.  The concert pianist who worshipped himself through his art can’t play a simple scale.  The man who lived for sex goes on in eternal lust, with nobody to exploit.  The woman who made a god out of fashion has a thousand dresses but no mirror!  Hell is eternal desire— eternally unfulfilled.”

Hell is an awful reality, and that is why we must to do everything we can to make it really hard for people to go there. Love requires that from us, and God’s love sent Jesus to give people every chance on this side of eternity to escape it. He, himself, paid the price to get you out of hell and into heaven!

The great preacher Henry Ironside told the story of pioneers who were making their way across the country to a place that had been opened up for homesteading.  They traveled in covered wagons, and progress was very slow.  One day they were horrified to see a long line of smoke in the west, stretching for miles across the prairie.  It was evident that the dried grass was burning toward them rapidly.  They faced certain death. But one man knew what do, and he set fire to the grass behind them, then had them move back on it once it had burned.

As the flames roared on toward them, a little girl began to scream in terror, “Are you sure we’ll not all be burned up?” The man replied, “Child, the flames can’t reach us here, for we are standing where the fire has been!”

What a picture of being safe in Christ!  The fires of God’s judgment burned themselves out on Jesus, and those who are in Christ are safe forever.

Hallelujah!  We are standing where the fire has been.

“No one who is ever in hell will be able to say to God, ‘You put me here,’ and no one who is in heaven will ever be able to say, ‘I put myself here.’” ~John Hannah

What If God Took Over?

Do you know someone who has not received eternal life by placing saving faith in Jesus Christ?  What would God’s love have you to do for them?  For starters, you can pray!

Read: Matthew 23-24

“The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:11-12, NLT)

Oswald Chambers said, “True greatness, true leadership, is achieved not by reducing [people] to one’s service, but by giving up oneself in selfless service to them.”

If that be true, then our greatest leadership is wherever we practice authentic servant-leadership. Our greatest influence occurs when we serve from a Christ-centered heart of love. And we are most bless-able before God when we humble ourselves in selfless service to those God has placed within our reach.

Do you want to be a great leader, have influence over people’s lives and be positioned for Divine favor?  Develop your servant-leader quotient. The late Dr. Earnest J. Campbell, Senior Minister at the historic Riverside Church in new York City from 1968-1976, gave a powerful commencement address at Princeton Seminary in 1978, and the title of his message was, “They Also Serve Who Lead.”

That title is a sermon in itself.  In his address, Campbell gave some characteristics of servant leaders that I have found personally challenging—and definitely worth emulating.  Give some thought to these as you think about your own call to servanthood and influence:

1. The servant-leader is willing to assume whatever role necessary.

2. The servant-leader understands that there is no job beneath his dignity.

3. The servant-leader is willing to pay whatever price for stability, peace, and health [in his home, business or church].

4. The servant-leader measures his success not in how submissive people are to him, but in how much they respond to his Christ-like example.

5. The servant-leader takes responsibility for and watches closely the spiritual, emotional, financial and physical well-being of those in his care.

6. The servant-leader is never too busy to or too important for interruptions to meet whatever need people may have at the moment.

7. The servant-leader is quick to forgive, slow to judge.

8. The servant-leader is ridiculously generous.

9. The servant-leader is willing to pay a high price, whatever the cost, to obey God.

10. The servant-leader willingly puts his life on the line for God, his family, and his people.

Something to really think about, isn’t it?  Have a great weekend!

Pastor Ray

Read: Matthew 16-17

One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. He replied, “…Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign…” (Matthew 16:1 & 4, NLT)

A sign?  They want another sign?  You’ve got to be kidding!

Keep in mind that Jesus had just delivered the demonized daughter of a Syro-Phoenicean woman (Matthew 16:21-28, NLT).  He had just healed scores of people—“the crippled were made well, the lame were walking, and the blind could see again”—in Galilee (Matthew 15:29-31, NLT).  Then to top it off, he had just fed 4,000 men (not including women and children) with seven loaves of bread and a few fish—with seven doggy bags for his disciples afterward (Matthew 15:32-39, NLT).

Now the Pharisees and Sadducees had the gall to ask Jesus to show them a miracle!  As we used to say when I was a kid (for which I was usually reprimanded by my very prim and proper mother), “what did they want, egg in their beer?” What else could Jesus do, raise someone from the dead before their very eyes? (Oh yeah, he’d already done that!)  Come on, did they expect him to die and come back to life again to prove his divine authority? (Oops, guess he did that, too!)

The point is, Jesus has already done plenty to prove himself to anyone who is half interested in who he is.  The Father has done more than enough to authenticate that Jesus is indeed the Son of God—and as such, is worthy to be accepted as Savior and obediently followed as Lord.  The verifiable claim of the Word of God and the clarion witness of the Holy Spirit in our inner being both shout loud and clear that Jesus is Messiah, Son of God, Savior of the world and Lord of the universe!

At some point with Jesus, we need to stop demanding proof for faith and start proving our faith—whether or not we have signs, wonders and miracles to, yet again, excite our trust that Jesus is who he said he is.

Miracles are nice—but our faith doesn’t depend on them for stability.  You’ve got all the proof you need!  So why don’t you prove your faith in Jesus by giving him your trust today!

Have a great weekend!

Pastor Ray

Read: Matthew 14

“So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.” (Matthew 14:29, NLT)

No matter where you go in the Bible, you’ll find that memorable stories of faith always involved risky steps of daring obedience. So it is in this story where Peter leaves the other disciples sitting in the relative safety and comfort of their boat, takes a few steps of faith on the water in the middle of a storm, and walks out to meet Jesus, becoming the first person—and only human being that I know of—to literally walk on the water. Peter, a mere mortal, just a common Galilean fisherman, joined Jesus in a very elite club of which there were only two members: The Water Walker Club.

Now this is more than just another one of those incredible Bible stories we read as kids about the superheroes of the faith. This is a story meant to inspire water walking faith in common, ordinary, garden-variety believers. And within this particular story are several important lessons that Peter’s adventure can teach other mere mortals like you and me that we will need to keep in mind when we finally get up the courage to step out of our boat of comfort to take those bold and daring steps of faith to obey God:

First, the wind won’t stop blowing just because you take a step of faith. In fact, the storm may pick up a little. The truth is, faith needs a storm to be faith, or it is not faith. But the great thing about storms is that although Jesus doesn’t promise to keep you from them, he does promise to be with you in them. And in fact, it is the very resistance of the wind in those storms that provides the lift needed for faith to soar. So take that step of faith into the storm and watch what happens.

Second, when you take your step of faith into the raging storm, you will need to remember the one command that God most often gives his people: “Fear not!” Did you know that there are 366 “fear not’s” in the Bible? That is one for every day of the year (including an extra one of leap year). I don’t think that number is by mistake—I think God knew that you and I would need to be reminded every single day not to give into fear. Every single day, including today, God is reminding you to choose faith instead, because fear and faith cannot coexist in those who would be water walkers.

Three, when the storm is raging, your assignment is simply to keep our eyes on Jesus—and just keep walking toward him. “Don’t give up” is another repeated command in the Bible. To join Peter in the water walker club, you will have to make the determination to stay focused on the One who is the Master over the storm—because it is Jesus alone who will see us through.

Is there an area of faith where you are being tempted to give up because you have come into some unexpected and impossible circumstances? That is the perfect condition, my friend, to exercise water walking faith. So don’t give into fear and keep your focus on Jesus, because yet another heroic faith story is about to be written!

In the 1950’s, the name Florence Chadwick was synonymous with championship swimming. She was the first woman to swim the English Channel–both ways. In fact, she did it three times, each time going against the tide.

But one of her distance swims was not so successful. She failed to reach her goal, all because she lost sight of it. Florence had set out on July 4, 1952 to swim the 21 miles from Santa Catalina Island to the California mainland. But on this particular morning, the 34-year-old found the water to be numbingly cold, and the fog was so thick she could hardly see the boats in her envoy, which were along side her to scare away the sharks.

As the hours ticked off, she swam on. Fatigue was never a serious problem…it was the bone-chilling coldness of the icy waters that threatened her. Finally, more than fifteen hours after she started, numbed by the cold, Florence asked to be taken out of the water, unable to go on.

Her mother, in a boat beside her, urged her to go on, as did her trainer. They both knew that the mainland had to be close, very close. Yet Florence quit. She got into the boat and fell short of her goal. The boat traveled just a short distance until the coastline could be seen. Florence had stopped only a half-mile short of the finish. Upon realizing how close she had come, she dejectedly cried, “If I could have seen the shore I would have made it.”

If you are going to be a faith walker…or a water walker…

…Get ready for the storm

…Choose faith over fear

…Keep your eyes on Jesus

…And above all, never give up!

“Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessings if we don’t get discouraged and give up.” ~Galatians 6:9 (Living Bible)

What If God Took Over? Pray this prayer today: “Lord, bless me with water-walking faith. Enlarge my capacity to trust you, even in the storms. And let me be used.

Read: John 19

Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above.” (John 19:11, NLT)

There is nothing in this world that happens apart from God’s sovereign knowledge and by his sovereign permission.

Jesus understood that as he stood before Pilate, who nervously tried to impress upon our Lord that he held the power to either crucify him or free him: “Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?” (John 19:10, NLT) That is when Jesus, who, up to this point, had held his peace, looked Pilate directly in the eye and informed him in no uncertain terms that even though he might be a high officer of the Roman court, he held no such power—only God did.

In the awful light of what Jesus had been through, and what he knew he was about to go through, what an amazing statement of not only understanding the sovereign will of God, but of complete trust and submission to it.  That was the reason Jesus could so calmly and resolutely traverse the terrible way of the cross.  And that is the reason you can walk through the difficulties of your life as well—even if your path takes you through the valley of the shadow of death. As King David said, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4, KJV)

You can know what King David knew that our Lord knew: Because of God’s sovereign control over all the affairs of this universe, and because of his immeasurable love for you, this world is a perfectly safe place for you—even if you are standing before your cross.

Before you begin this day, take a moment to read the Shepherd’s Psalm printed below.  In fact, you may want to read it every day this week before you head off into the busyness and challenges of your world:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

“Much that worries us beforehand can afterwards, quite unexpectedly, have a happy and simple solution…Things really are in a better hand than ours.” ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer

What If God Took Over?

Memorize Psalm 23 from your favorite version of the Bible, and pray it each day this week.

Read: John 16

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NLT)

I hate to be blindsided, and I am sure you do, too. Nobody likes to be caught off guard by bad news or troubling circumstances. The surprise of such experiences makes these difficulties doubly devastating.

That’s why Jesus gives us a divine heads-up in John 16. Standing at both ends of this chapter, like bookends, Jesus gave his followers an FYI on some of the challenges they would surely face. In verse one, he says, “I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith.” Then again in verse 33, the very last verse of the chapter, he reminds them of the insider information he has provided so that when it takes place, they won’t be unsettled by it.

Just what insider information did Jesus provide? Simply that your faith is going to get you into a fair amount of trouble in this life. People are not going to like you because you follow Jesus. You will be persecuted not only for the stand you personally take on moral issues, but just for the position your Christianity represents. In fact, some people will even hate you with a murderous zeal disguised as religious passion simply because of the Christian life you live (John 16:2, NLT). Without even trying, your lifestyle of faith will bring them under such conviction that they will find it intolerable and want to do away with you. Things may get a bit rough, so be ready for it, Jesus says.

The good news, however, is that you will never have to face these difficulties alone. The fact is, through Christ you will overcome each challenge victoriously, even the most extreme challenge of staring into the abyss of martyrdom. You will overcome because you know what is coming. (John 16:1,4, 33, NLT) You will be victorious because Jesus has already been victorious under these same pressures. (John 16:33) You will be able to face these situations with courage and grace because of the presence of the Divine Helper, the Holy Spirit. (John 16:7)  You will win in the hour of trial because the Sovereign Father who loves you (John 16:27) will hear and answer your every prayer. (John 16:23-24)

Knowing ahead of time what is coming, and knowing that your victory has been secured already, you can go about your day, and come what may—trouble, hardship, disappointment, failure, persecution, hatred, even death—live in the wonderful reality of what Christ promised:

“In Me, you will have peace!”

“God knows our situation; He will not judge us as if we had no difficulties to overcome. What matters is the sincerity and perseverance of our will to overcome them.” ~C.S. Lewis

What If God Took Over?

You and I do not know what tomorrow holds, but we know Who holds tomorrow. And we know Who holds our lives in his hands. So why don’t you join me in thanking God ahead of time for His peace that will guard our hearts and ease our minds tomorrow,  no matter what circumstances tomorrow may bring.

Read: John 12

“You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” (John 12:8, NLT)

To call someone a “Judas” is to label them a betrayer of the worst kind. It is an accusation that is reserved only for the worst kind of relational offense, since to call another Judas usually implies an irreparable breach in the relationship. After all, who wants to have anything to do with a backstabbing betrayer?

Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, to paraphrase Franklin Roosevelt, is an act that will forever live in infamy. But what Judas did to Jesus didn’t make him evil, it only revealed the evil that had, like cancer, been eating away at his character for a long time. The fact is, in Jesus’ own words, “one of you [disciples] is a devil!” (John 6:70). That is, Judas was a devil of the worst kind: a church-going one. As Joseph Hall has said, “No devil is so dangerous as the religious devil.”

As you might imagine of someone who would betray the Lord, this notorious disciple exhibited some other character flaws that mostly go unnoticed in light of his more famous sin. In this account here in John 12, we are told that Judas protested Mary’s act of anointing Jesus with expensive perfume because it could have fetched a handsome price at the market, and money from the sale could have been used to help the poor. Of course, Judas had a hidden motive. Since he was treasurer for this small band of disciples, he apparently dipped his hand in the till from time to time to fund his own needs. Judas was not only a betrayer, but according to John he was also a thief.

Yet as the Gospels are prone to do, there is another side to Judas that is uncomfortably close to so many people who sit beside you every Sunday in the pews of your church. They are the ones who, like clockwork, criticize everything from the room temperature to the sound level to the length and content of the sermon to the unfriendliness of the people to the call for financial commitment, ad nauseam. No matter what, they are never satisfied; there is always a better alternative—and although they are quick to protest, their solutions are never quite clear or doable. In truth, rather than wanting change, they simply want to gripe. They may smile and sing and put a coin or two in the offering plate, yet they are unwitting tools of Satan. The great Swiss theologian Karl Barth was speaking of them when he said, “The devil may also make use of morality.” They are very spiritual devils!

It wasn’t only Judas that Jesus had in mind when he uttered this gentle but pointed rebuke, “for the poor you have always”, he was speaking to the legion of church folk who believe their gift to the church is the ministry of criticism. In truth, their chronic criticism betrays a deeper agenda and uglier issues of character.

Don’t get me wrong—constructive criticism is not a bad thing, if offered in the right spirit, and conflict that is resolved Biblically and in a Christ-like spirit can actually strengthen the church. It is chronic criticizers that I am talking about. In truth, they suffer from the Judas Syndrome: not betrayal, not thievery, but destructive criticism is their sin.

So here’s the deal: If you have to be around someone who suffers this sort of Judas Syndrome, lovingly confront them, as Jesus did. If they don’t see their sin and change their ways, establish some boundaries with them. Don’t let them poison you and cripple your church.

And most of all, don’t be one! Just remember, no one has ever built a statue to a betrayer, a thief, or a critic.

“The devil loves ‘curing’ a small fault by giving you a great one.” ~C.S. Lewis

What If God Took Over?

Are you guilty of covering your own character flaws and deflecting Holy Spirit conviction meant for you with destructive criticism of others? If so, you may be guilty of the Judas Syndrome.  Ask the Lord to show you where you need personal reformation. Then ask him to give you the courage to deal with issues that are keeping you from greater obedience and usefulness to him.

Read: John 7

“Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.” (John 7:24, NLT)

People were making judgments about Jesus, and as we see in John 7, increasingly, those judgments were not very positive. In fact, opposition and outright hostility were coming to a boiling point, and it would soon lead to his death.

That’s the way it was with Jesus. People either loved him or hated him—there was no neutral ground. Being around Jesus demanded a position on one end of the spectrum or the other, but staying in the middle was not an option.

To arrive at an opinion of Jesus, a judgment had to be made. Sadly, those who rejected him formed judgments that were not based in righteousness and truth. Their judgments were based on the fact that Jesus had made them uncomfortable. He had challenged their traditions. His ministry had colored outside the lines of established theology. His way of doing things didn’t look like theirs. Why, he even had the audacity to actually heal someone in dire need on the Sabbath—and they didn’t like that one bit!

Never one to shy away from controversy and confrontation, Jesus challenged their attitudes toward him as well as their approach to life in general. He called them to reject this judgment-by-appearance mindset that was keeping them from seeing God for a clearer view of life as seen through the lens of righteousness. Learning to make righteous judgments would make all the difference in their world—it would lead them to see God in the daily details of their world, and in the end, it would lead to eternal life.

Unfortunately, most of the people in Jesus’ day rejected what he had to say. But the story is not meant to end there. Jesus’ challenge to “judge with righteous judgment” (NIV) or to “look beneath the surface” (NLT) calls us to reexamine the way we arrive at the opinions we hold and honestly ask ourselves whether they are based on appearance or rooted in righteousness. We form judgments and opinions every day—perhaps every hour—about the people we encounter, the events we observe, and the world we live in. Every moment of our day presents opportunity to either see the work that God is doing in the people around us and events that encounter us or to miss it entirely. And depending how we form our judgments, we will either embrace God’s work, or like the people in Jesus’ day, reject it and miss out on the greatness of God in the daily ordinariness of life.

Open your heart—God is at work all around you. Open your eyes—you’ll find God’s thumbprint on everything you encounter. And if you will learn to root your opinions, conclusions and attitudes in righteousness rather than mere appearance, you will discover Jesus in the details of your day!

“We need a baptism of clear seeing. We desperately need seers who can see through the mist—Christian leaders with prophetic vision. Unless they come soon it will be too late for this generation. And if they do come we will no doubt crucify a few of them in the name of our worldly orthodoxy.” ~A.W. Tozer

What If God Took Over?

Let me suggest you offer this prayer: “Father, help me to practice your presence in the daily ordinariness of my life. Teach me to make righteous judgments so that I might see you in every person I meet, every event I take in, every plan I execute, and in every detail of my world.”

Our Petros Network Missionary, Gire Daba, was martyred on Wednesday (3-9-2011) at his home. He had been commissioned and sent just this past November along with his family to a very remote and un-reached village in the West Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region in Ethiopia.

Gire presented the gospel message and many people received Christ.  In just three months, Gire’s church grew to over 40 people. He recently conducted an evangelistic outreach and some people from the Ethiopian Orthodox persuasion became very angry with him.  While Gire was praying with his hands outstretched in supplication for some people who had come to his home, a gunman burst in and shot him.

Gire has faced opposition since his arrival in the village.  Just since November, he has been jailed two times by the local leaders, simply for preaching the gospel.

Please pray for Gire’s wife and four children, as well as for the strengthening of these new converts in the midst of persecution.

It is believed that the killer was angry because his wife was one of Gire’s new converts. This husband had harassed Gire while he conducted the evangelism conference.  His wife accepted Christ and for that, he savagely beat her.  Pressuring her to recant, she refused, saying, “no, I love Jesus. I won’t deny him.”

The angry husband then banished her from his home, found Gire and shot him to death.  Our faithful witness, Gire Daba, has received the martyr’s crown!

Although we grieve for Gire’s family and church, we know that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. May the Church of God expand all the more in that village, in West Shewa, and may all of Ethiopia soon belong to Jesus Christ.

“ The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. —TERTULLIAN

Read: John 1

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”). Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. (John 1:40-42, NLT)

Andrew is arguably the most inspiring figure in the New Testament because of his simple, non-threatening, doable example of how to reach lost people. Andrew didn’t have any special skills or advanced evangelism training, he just simply brought people to meet Jesus, and then let Jesus do the rest.

Even though Andrew was the first disciple Jesus enlisted, and even though he was the first to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, he never achieved the fame that his brother Peter did. Jesus’ never included Andrew in his inner circle, like Peter. Andrew wasn’t there at the Transfiguration, like Peter. Andrew wasn’t there when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gesthemane, like Peter. Andrew never preached like Peter, never wrote a letter that got included in the New Testament, like Peter, and was never recognized as a key leader in the early church, like James.

Peter’s name appears close to 200 times in the New Testament, 96 times in the four gospels—only Jesus is mentioned more often. We find Andrew in only 11 different places, 10 of them in the Gospels—mostly in a list of the disciples; 5 as “Peter’s brother.” Only 3 times do these passages tell us any details about Andrew—and even that is minimal. Someone once asked a conductor what the most difficult instrument to play in the orchestra was. He said, “second fiddle.” That was Andrew!

Yet beneath everybody’s radar, Andrew was being used in the most powerful way of all—to bring people to Christ. Andrew not only brought Peter to Jesus, but in John 6:8, we find it was Andrew who brought the boy with the loaves and fish to Jesus, and then one of the outstanding miracles of the Bible took place: The feeding of the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish. On account of Andrew, we have a story preserved that has helped millions to understand that Jesus is the true and only Bread of Life. Then in John 12:20, some Greeks came to Philip and said, “we want to see Jesus.” Philip took them to Andrew, and what did Andrew do? He hooked them up with Jesus.

Andrew became both the first home missionary—when he led Peter to Christ, and the first foreign missionary—when he led these Gentiles to Jesus.

In Andrew, you don’t find any special skills or an incredibly charismatic personality, or an extremely articulate speaker. You just find a guy who was faithful, available, and useful. He just kept bringing everybody who got near him to Jesus.

Tradition tells us that Andrew just kept on introducing people to Jesus for the rest of his life. He was finally put to death at a ripe old age in Greece. His death came after he befriended Maximilla, the wife of the Roman proconsul Aegeas, and led her to faith in Christ. Aegeas became so enraged over this that he ordered Andrew to offer sacrifices to a heathen god. When Andrew refused, he was severely beaten, tied to a cross, and crucified. That cross, shaped like an X is today called St. Andrew’s cross.  It is said that he lingered for two whole days before dying, but the whole painful time, he preached the Gospel to everyone who came by. Andrew never stopped introducing people to Jesus, even to his last breath.

Every time Andrew is mentioned, he’s bringing someone to Jesus—then Jesus does the rest, and lives get transformed. His single talent seems to have been leveraging his relationships to introduce seekers to Christ. He doesn’t lay the “Four Spiritual Laws” on people; he doesn’t whip out a “Roman Road” tract on them. He just says, “hey, come with me, I’ve got someone I want you to meet.”

That’s the Andrew Factor, which, if you haven’t picked up on it by now, is simply inviting your friends into your spiritual environment—you church, your small group, your ministry team—and letting God do the rest.

“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith.” —Paul, Philemon 1:6

What If God Took Over?

Employ the Andrew Factor this week: Try bringing someone to church with you on Sunday.

Read: Luke 23

The thief said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43, NLT)

Two thieves hung on the cross, with Jesus between them.  One of them joined the mocking crowd in hurling insults at the Lord, but the other hurled himself upon the mercy of God.  And, according to Jesus’ own words, he was thoroughly saved that day, even if it was just barely.

The penitent thief had done no good works, had no track record of righteousness, had no opportunity to make right all the wrongs he had done.  Yet Jesus assured him that within hours, he would be at the Lord’s side in eternity.

So what was it that made him worthy of salvation—even if it was at the very last minute of his life?  The same thing that makes you and me worthy of our salvation:  Absolutely nothing.

All the man could do was recognize his own guilt (“Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes…”), believe in the redemptive righteousness of Jesus (“but this man hasn’t done anything wrong….”), and entrust his eternity to the mercy and grace of God (“Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”)

By the way, that is all anyone can do to be saved.  The thief was thoroughly saved that day; as saved as you, me, or those who have faithfully served the Lord their entire lives.  And that is the whole basis for the Gospel. That is what sets Christianity apart from every other religion:  Salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Every other religious effort to attain eternal life is based on what we do.  But what we do, no matter how much we do and how well we do it, can never be enough to satisfy a perfect and holy God.

Christianity is based on what Jesus did for us on the cross.  Only by acknowledging our sinfulness, believing in his atoning work, and receiving him by faith can we appropriate the grace of God that thoroughly saves us for all eternity.

And that’s the Good News.

“This is the mystery of the riches of divine grace for sinners, for by a wonderful exchange our sins are now not ours but Christ’s, and Christ’s righteousness is not Christ’s, but ours.” ~Martin Luther

What If God Took Over?

Take a moment before you do anything else and offer this prayer: Lord, if my salvation was based on what I could do, I would never make it.  Thank you, Lord, that it is based solely on what you did! I will be eternally indebted to your grace and mercy.  Praise you, Lord, for I am thoroughly saved for all eternity!

Read: Luke 20

“Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets. Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be severely punished.” (Luke 20:46-47, NLT)

On a fairly regular basis, concerned believers will approach me with questions about certain nationally known religious figures—televangelists, TV preachers, well-known Christian authors. Usually the concerns center around their opulent lifestyles, their over-the-top theatrics, or the “lightweight” message they preach. And the hope behind the question is that I will side with their sense of outrage and condemn the Christian celebrity in question.

Jesus had a string of run-ins with spiritual celebrities in his day. Although their theology was not of the health and wealth variety that you see so much today—theirs was harsh, condemning, legalistic and intolerant—the outcome was much the same: Over-the-top showiness and money-grubbing.

In Jesus’ case, he didn’t go out of his way to condemn them; they were going out of their way to condemn him. But when confronted, Jesus spoke openly and honestly of the spiritual damage they were doing and of the harsh judgment that awaited them. As a result, they hated Jesus and looked for every opportunity to have him killed.

The simple authenticity of Jesus’ spirituality—his power, authority and humility—was a threat to their carefully crafted religious celebrity. That’s why there was such hatred and hostility toward Jesus. Jesus was the real deal—and they suffered by comparison in the eyes of a spiritually discerning public.

Which brings me to a point about today’s “Christian” celebrities. There is nothing wrong with having respectful debate regarding their ways, or sharing an informed opinion when asked. But the most powerful weapon against inauthentic religiosity is the simple authenticity of your own spirituality. When you walk in Christlike power, authority and humility, you won’t have to go out of your way to condemn anyone. Simply being the real deal will be enough.

I’ve been told that when U.S. treasury agents are trained to spot counterfeit money, they don’t spend their time looking at phony bills. They study the real deal. They become so familiar with the truth that the fake becomes readily apparent.

Just be the real deal—nothing more is required.

“Suspect everything that is prosperous unless it promotes piety and charity and humility.” ~Isaac Taylor

What If God Took Over?

Ask the Lord to strip you of pretentious, self-absorbed showiness and make you the real deal. If you are truly open to him, and willing to surrender your own ego and agenda, he will enable you to walk in authentic power, spiritual authority, and true humility.

Read: Luke 19

“For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” (Luke 19:10, NLT)

“Finding lost people”…those three words pretty well sum up Jesus’ purpose in life.  That very phrase would have likely been his mission statement if statements had been around in Jesus’ day. Finding people who were spiritually lost was first and most the foundational conviction that led Jesus, the Son of God, Second Person of the Eternal Trinity, to leave his throne in glory, come to earth as a man, and die the horrific death of the cross.

Beyond the ability of human language to adequately describe it, lost people mattered to Jesus. And lost people mattered to his Father. John 3:16, the most compelling of all the verses of the Bible, reminds us of this driving conviction of God’s being: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Obviously, the truth of Luke 19:10 and John 3:16 is so vitally important because you and I are the eternal beneficiaries of Jesus’ passionate pursuit and God’s unstoppable love for lost people. But as indescribably wonderful as that is, there is more to it. You see, since lost people matter so dearly to Father and Son (and Spirit, too—see Luke 4:18), they ought to matter deeply to us as well.  This is so fundamentally critical because knowing how the Godhead perceives people ought to make a difference in how you think of and respond to them.

In other words, as you go about your day today, you cannot look into the eyes of another human being without seeing a soul so loved by God that he willingly gave his only Son to die for their redemption. When the godless heathen sitting in the cubicle next to you or in the locker beside yours or in the unkempt house across the street from you is rubbing you the wrong way, just remember that they matter to God as much as you do! When you watch the evening news and see godless communists in China, or burka-clad woman in Teheran, or suicide bombers in Gaza, or people in weird get-ups marching in a gay pride parade, you are seeing the very kinds of people Jesus came to seek and save.

They matter to God. Jesus came to seek and save them just as much as he came to seek and save you. And since Father, Son and Holy Spirit see people that way, there ought to be a big difference in how you see them, too.

Just remember, the people who drive you crazy drove Jesus to the cross.

“Love means loving the unlovable—or it is no virtue at all.” ~G.K. Chesterton

What If God Took Over?

When God has truly taken over your life, you will begin to see lost people much differently, with much greater compassion and love.  Ask the Lord to give you his eyes, that you may see all people as he sees them.

Read: Luke 16

“And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?” (Luke 16:11, NLT)

It has been said that Jesus talked more about money than about heaven or hell. Many of his parables centered around that very subject, as did his other teachings. That’s because Jesus fully understood the death-grip money could have on the human soul.

Whether or not there was (or is) a literal god of money, I don’t know. Some have supposed that is what Jesus referenced when he spoke of “mammon”. But for sure, the love of money leads to all sorts of problems in this world, and in our lives: Greed, materialism, selfishness, worry, just to name a few. Worst of all, the love of money always crowds out the love of God. That is why Jesus said in Luke 16:13 (NLT),

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

In other words, we are to love God and use money—not vice versa.

Yet as critical as what Jesus said about God and money is, there is yet another facet to this teaching that you as a Christ-follower need to understand: How you use money now will have a direct bearing on the Kingdom authority God wants to release to you in this life, and in his eternal kingdom. That is what Jesus meant in Luke 16:11 when he said if you can’t be trusted with wealth in this world, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?

How you are handling your wealth—your money, home, cars and possessions—is not just isolated to the physical world of the present. It is, in reality, a test-run that will determine the extent to which God will entrust to you authority in realms much more important—the spiritual realm of the Kingdom Life now and the eternal realm of the ageless world to come.

Ask yourself this question today: Who has me? Money or God? Am I loving God and using money? Or in reality—and just take a look at your checkbook register or your Quicken summary if you are unsure what reality is—are you bowing at the altar of Mammon?

“One verse in every six in the first three Gospels relates either directly or indirectly to money. Sixteen of our Lord’s forty-four parables deal with the use of misuse of money. A loving, joyful, liberal giving to the Lord’s work is an acid test of a spiritual heart, pleasing to God.” ~William Allen

What If God Took Over?

Lord, help me to use my money, to the very last cent, in a way that is pleasing to you. When I stand before you some day, may you say of me that I loved you and used money to store up wealth in the eternal kingdom.

Read: Luke 12

Then Jesus said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” (Luke 12:15, NLT)

We don’t use words like covetousness or greed a whole lot these days, but we should. We Americans are a pretty greedy lot—me included. Our whole economic system is predicated on the hopes that you and I will grow dissatisfied with what we’ve got and go buy something newer, better, and bigger.

For instance, since Jesus told the story in Luke 12:16-20 about a man who thought his property was too small, let’s just take a look at our insatiable thirst for bigger homes. Did you know that the average home size in the United States was 1,000 square feet in the 1950’s, and while the average number of household residents has shrunk since the 1960’s, home size has grown to 2,422 square feet today.

It was a whole different picture when I was growing up. My mom, dad, three other siblings and a couple of family pets all lived comfortably in a home that was 1,200 square feet, if that. We shared bedrooms, bathrooms, clothes, didn’t have a garage to park our car in, and only one TV—with no remote control! We actually had to get up and walk across the room to change the channel, if you can imagine that.

And we didn’t think any thing of it. We didn’t feel poor or cheated or even realize what we didn’t have. We were content! We spent a whole lot more time together as a family. We ate together. We all drove together in the same car, even when we were teenagers—a family of six crammed into an AMC Gremlin! or was it a Hornet?  Whatever—it was a really ugly car that should have never been made.  My point is, we were as happy as a lark—we didn’t know what we didn’t know.

We were content—and emotionally healthy. We had discovered what G.K Chesterton said, “True contentment is a real, even active virtue—not only affirmative but creative. It is the power of getting out of any situation all there is in it.”

As a society, we Americans would do well to read Luke 12. It is a tough one, but what Jesus had to say about the deceitfulness of wealth, the debilitating worry over stuff, and our ultimate accountability before God for the stewardship of what we possess is much needed medicine for the greed that ails our society these days.

One day, sooner than you think, you will stand before God. None of the things you have collected during your earthly journey are going with you. The only thing that will go with you into the next life that will do you any good is what you have done for God. Jesus said of the rich man in the parable, “You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?”

As the poet said, ‘Tis one life, will soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

“If you cannot get what you like, why not try to like what you get?”

What If God Took Over?

Here is a novel idea:  Give away some of your stuff this week to someone who really needs it—and don’t replace it!

Read: Luke 11

“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” (Luke 11:11-13, NLT)

Persistence plus generosity—that is the equation not only for answered prayer, but for the life of abundance, fruitfulness and power God desires each of his children to experience.

That is what Jesus is teaching here.  The context is a request from his disciples to teach them how to pray.  They had witnessed firsthand Jesus’ unusual connection with his Father and the amazing spiritual power that freely flowed from it.  And they wanted that for themselves.

So Jesus taught them his secret:  Prayer.  From that, we get what has been termed “The Lord’s Prayer”.  But right after he teaches them this model prayer, he begins to talk about the need to persist in prayer.

He tells the story of a friend who goes at midnight to a neighbor’s home to ask for a loaf of bread in order to feed a guest who has just arrived.  The lesson there was that the friend’s persistence overcame any reluctance the neighbor felt at that inconvenient hour to meet this need.

That is quickly followed up with Jesus’ admonition to therefore “keep on asking…keep on seeking…keep on knocking (verse 9, NLT) in prayer because you are not coming to a reluctant neighbor, or to an earthly father (verse 11) who, because of the limitations of his sinfulness, can only do so much. Rather, you are coming to a willing and generous Heavenly Father.  And this Heavenly Father will not only provide what you desire (a fish or an egg in this story—symbolic of daily necessities), he will provide what you truly need—the Holy Spirit (the spiritual power to live as Jesus lived).

The secret to living as Jesus lived:  We must learn to persist with the Father in prayer, not to overcome any reluctance on his part, but to overcome our own reluctance to come to him in daily dependence and tap into his willingness to provide what we desire and what we need.

Prayer, then, is not overcoming God’s reluctance; it is accessing God’s willing generosity. Our persistence plus God’s generosity equals the release of divine provision and spiritual power—the kind of life God has planned for every one of his children.

“Whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of the Kingdom. If you may have everything by asking in His Name, and nothing without asking, I beg you to see how absolutely vital prayer is.” ~Charles Spurgeon

What If God Took Over?

Memorize Hebrews 4:16 and in your own words, pray it back to God every day this week:

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

I will now be attempting to publish a day in advance in case you are following the Bible reading schedule provided in “Red Letter Challenge“.  The goal will be to get the blog posted in time, especially if you’re an early riser, for you to read both the assigned chapter in the Gospels along with my take on that day’s reading before you head off for work or school.

Hope that makes sense…and helps your journey through the Red Letters.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Ray

Read: Luke 6

“Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” (Luke 6:31)

It has been called “The Golden Rule.” It is the ethic of reciprocity, the basis of all human rights.  You can find its roots in the Old Testament (Leviticus 19:18 & 34) and it appears in various forms in practically every culture and religion known to man.

The Golden Rule is so universally embraced, at least in theory, because it originated with God.

So what if we actually began to live our lives by that ethic?  What if the Golden Rule became our “gold standard for life”? Can you imagine how life on Planet Earth might change if enough of us got together and bound ourselves to this rule for living?  Think of how your own private world would drastically improve if you treated everyone as you would want them to treat you!

Re-read the verses in Luke 6:27-43 and you will get a glimpse of the kind of things that would happen:

• You would encourage and edify even those who irritate you!
• You would pray for those who hurt you!
• You would offer reconciliation to those who have injured you!
• You would do good to those who have done bad!
• You would be generous with everyone—friend, foe, and those in need!
• You would criticize others less and work on you more!
• You would be kind even to those who are ungrateful and evil!
• You would prove yourself to be a true child of the Most High in word and in deed!
• What would happen if you did that?  The world would be a much better place, that’s what!

Sounds like a good plan to me!  How about you?

“Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not.” ~Samuel Johnson

What If God Took Over?

It is much easier, especially with this “rule for life”, to be a hearer of the word only, and not a doer. You and I live with a fallen nature that is self-centered, easily offended, and prone to hurt others in order to protect ourselves, yet we are called to live out the infinite values of God’s kingdom. We cannot do that on our own; we need God’s help.  But he has promised to help.  So take a moment to ask for divine assistance, and then look for ways to live out the Golden Rule in your every waking moment today.

Read: Luke 5

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” Simon replied, “Master, we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” (Luke 5:4-5)

From the very moment Jesus first called him to follow, Peter demonstrated what it meant to be a true disciple. In so doing, the response of this very first disciple established the essential benchmarks for would-be disciples in every age.

To begin with, Peter exhibited a fair amount of holy discontent with his current experience. Peter could have rejected Jesus’ command to recast his nets, and we would have understood that response. He had worked hard the previous night. He had already tried what Jesus was suggesting, with no results. He had “been there, done that.”

Yet Peter was ripe for something new; he wasn’t satisfied with the way life had been working out for him. Despite his best efforts, past experience had left him empty; the old way hadn’t worked. So to keep doing the same thing yet expect different results would have been pure insanity. Peter wanted more, so he was willing to let go of the past and risk the adventure of something new in order to follow Jesus.

As Peter’s experience demonstrated, both literally and figuratively, you cannot set sail for new horizons of faith and stay tethered to the shore of what you know. Holy discontent calls you to let go, and set sail!

With holy discontent nudging his soul, Peter quickly subjugated his feelings to his faith. He was tired, his muscles ached from a night of tossing out and dragging in those heavy Galilean fishing nets. He had worked his fingers to the bone picking out the weeds, untangling the tangles and mending the rips that were caused by snagging rocks instead of fish. To make it even worse, there was nothing to show for all that effort. Peter just wanted to get to the local pub, unwind with his buddies before heading home to crash for the night, catch a few winks and then get up early the next morning  to go through the same routine yet again.

Peter had neither the physical nor emotional strength for another fishing expedition. Yet there was just something about this amazing man named Jesus who had the audacity to ask Peter to do what he had already been doing that caused his faith to rise. In that moment, Peter made a life-altering decision to grab his “want-er by his will-er” and do what Jesus had commanded.

True discipleship demands that you give your faith the authority to rule your feelings.

That’s what Peter did. He simply obeyed. That’s the bottom line of authentic discipleship. Peter was willing to take Jesus at his word and just do it. Without argument or delay, he took action, and the result was a miraculous catch. Suddenly where there had been emptiness and barrenness, there was fullness and fruitfulness—the reward of obedience.

That is what Jesus is asking of us today. We must allow the Spirit of God to foment a holy discontent with the emptiness and barrenness of our lives. We must take our feelings and enslave them to whatever faith is requiring of us. And then we must simply, purely, quickly and completely obey. That is true discipleship.

If we will just do that, a miraculous provision of holy contentment will be ours!

“Beware of reasoning about God’s Word—obey it.” ~Oswald Chambers

What If God Took Over?

Pray this simple prayer of discipleship, if you dare: “Lord, whatever you ask me to do, I will do it!”

Read: Luke 3

John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Luke 3:16)

John the Baptist launched his ministry as the forerunner to the Messiah with preaching the likes of which people had never heard before.  His messages were so confrontational and penetrating that the crowds were convicted to the core of their being. People from every dimension of Jewish society began to repent and return to the God of Israel.  Israel was in the midst of a great revival.

This spiritual awakening was so powerful that people began to wonder if John himself was the long-awaited Messiah.  But John quickly put those rumors to rest by letting them know that his ministry was simply to lead people to repentance in preparation for the Messiah.  It would be the Messiah’s ministry that would empower them with the very Spirit of God.

The Message version of Luke’s account offers this rendition:

“I’m baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.”

The ministry of the Messiah was not simply to announce and launch the Kingdom of God on Planet Earth, it was to so immerse his followers in the Holy Spirit that they themselves would embody the words and carry out the works of Jesus, and as the King’s agents, extend his Kingdom “to the uttermost parts of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, KJV)

Now the real question for those of us reading these words today is this:  Is the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire something you just read about historically, or is it an experience that is personal and fresh in your life today? The truth is, despite all the misgivings and discomfort modern Christians may have about this baptism with the Holy Spirit, we cannot simply erase this important dimension of Christ’s ministry from the pages of Scripture.  To paraphrase D.L. Moody, to remove the work of the Holy Spirit from the Bible is like using a sundial by moonlight.

Jesus is still the baptizer with the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is still the one who empowers believers to do words and works of Jesus. And Paul’s question to the Ephesians in Acts 19:2 is as critically important for you today as it was for them nearly 2,000 years ago:  “Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?”

If you haven’t, perhaps you should spend some time with the Great Baptizer and ask him for the Holy Spirit and fire.  Jesus himself has said,

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be
with you forever—the Spirit of truth … For everyone who asks
receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks,
the door will be opened...how much more will your
Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him!”
(John 14:16-17, Luke 11:10 & 13)

“Spirit filled souls are ablaze for God. They love with a love that glows. They serve with a faith that kindles. They serve with a devotion that consumes. They hate sin with fierceness that burns. They rejoice with a joy that radiates. Love is perfected in the fire of God.” ~Samuel Chadwick

What If God Took Over?

Ask the Lord to give you a fresh baptism of the Spirit and fire, to cleanse and empower you so you can embody his words and carry out his works in your world.

Read: Luke 2

“But Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.” (Luke 2:19)

The King James Version says “Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” That statement has always intrigued me, and I am not exactly sure what it means. Something similar is stated again at the end of the chapter in verse 51 as Luke gives us a glimpse into the life of Jesus as a growing boy at about twelve years of age.

“But his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.”

We don’t know a great deal about Jesus’ early life beyond what we read here, but to say the least, it must have been quite interesting for Mary to be the mother of God. I think it is safe to say that, on the one hand, Jesus was like any other baby who needed to be changed, cried when he was hungry, developed a cute little personality as the months passed by, and became an inquisitive little boy.

On the other hand, he was the Son of God. Angels attended his birth, shepherds came to worship him, wise men from afar brought him expensive gifts, prophets prophesied over him during the customary temple ceremonies, and at age twelve, he carried on a spirited dialogue with the intelligentsia of his day during a family visit to the temple.

I am sure that most mothers and fathers would have bragged incessantly and shamelessly to the neighbors about their son’s many outstanding qualities and unusual experiences. But not Mary; she simply treasured all these things that were said about Jesus and all the things that Jesus did as he grew, and pondered them in her heart. In other words, she gave them a lot of thought; she kept them between herself and her Lord.

That is not such not a bad idea, is it? You probably ought to do that a lot more often.  Me, too!  Rather than blurting out everything that happens to you or happens in you, perhaps you ought to just meditate on some of those experiences and keep them between the Lord and you.

When someone comes to you with a “word from the Lord”; when you have a dream that seems to have an unusual spiritual dimension to it; when you have an extraordinary encounter with God … when you are not quite sure how to respond to these experiences, why not just treasure them and ponder them in your heart. Keep them between you and your Lord, and over time just watch to see how God uses them.

I have a feeling that this, in part, is how we grow deeper in our spiritual lives. Likewise, I would not be too surprised to find out that when we give in to our need to blurt out all of these holy things to anyone within earshot, we have spent the entire capital of that experience, and it will go no further than that.

Something may happen in your life this week that will be of a truly rich nature. Ask God for the wisdom to discern if that experience is of the kind that should simply be treasured and pondered in your heart.

Something to think about, isn’t it?

“How pleasant, how delightful, to sit alone and in silence, to converse with God, and so to enjoy the only chief good, in whom all good things are found!” ~Thomas A` Kempis

What If God Took Over?

Pray this prayer of surrender:  “Lord, teach me to understand the difference between the things that need to be shared and those experiences that are so rich they are meant only to be shared between you and me.”

Read: Mark 10

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.” (Mark 10:13-14)

What does God look like? No human being has ever seen him and lived to tell about it. So we are left to wonder.

I love the story of the little girl who was drawing a picture when her mother asked, “Honey, what are you drawing?” Quite confidently, the little girl said, “I’m drawing a picture of God!” The mother reminded her that no one really knows what God looks like. To which the little girl said, “they will when I get done.”

In Jesus’ day, the people of Israel had never seen God. They only knew of him from their wooden rituals, vacuous traditions and misguided theologies. They had no visible clue as to what God was like, but Jesus came along and said, “they will when I get done.”

So what does God looks like? Just look at Jesus. The Apostle Paul tells us in Colossians 1:15, “Jesus is the image of the invisible God.” Verse 19 says, “For in Jesus all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”

In other words, when you see Jesus, you’re seeing God himself. Jesus is the perfect picture of God; the absolutely accurate image of the Father. Jesus is the invisible God made visible.

So what does watching Jesus tell us about God here in Mark 10? Well, how does God feel about your marriage? Just look at Jesus telling the Pharisees, “What God has joined together let not man separate.” (Verse 9)

How does God feel about your children? Just look at Jesus gathering up a bunch of kids in his arms and saying, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.” (Verse 14)

How does God feel about your struggle to let go of earthly dependencies? Just look at Jesus’ interaction with the rich young ruler: “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” (Verse 21)

How does God feel about your competitiveness with others? Just look at Jesus saying to his disciples, “Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.” (Verse 44)

How does God feel about the things you care about? Just look at Jesus asking blind Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Verse 51)

What is God like? What does he look like? How does he feel about you? Just take a look at Jesus—it will really encourage you. Take a moment just to drink in what Hebrews 4:15 (The Message) has to say about it:

In Jesus, we don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

In Jesus, God has identified with us so we can identify with him. In Jesus, God has come near to us so we can come near to God. In Jesus, God has made a way for us to live before him with complete confidence and daring prayerfulness—we can “come boldly to the throne of our gracious God, and there we will receive his mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

Wow!  In Jesus, we get a live demonstration of what God is like.  And that’s a good deal for us way beyond description!

“Who would have had sufficient daring of imagination to conceive that God Almighty would have appeared among men as a little child?  We should have conceived something sensational, phenomenal, catastrophic, appalling!  The most awful of the natural elements would have formed His retinue, and men would be chilled and frozen with fear.  But, He came as a little child. The great God ’emptied Himself’; He let in the light as our eyes were able to bear it.”  ~John Henry Jowett

What If God Took Over?

Try offering this prayer:  “Father, thank you for making yourself known to me in Jesus.  And thank you for making a way through Jesus for me to come into your presence to receive the mercy and find the grace that I need to make it through this day in victorious fashion.”

Read: Mark 8

Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” (Mark 8:33)

What a dramatic moment this must have been for the disciples—especially Peter. Jesus had just asked the disciples this question, “Who do people say that I am?” And Peter’s simple yet profound prophetic response was a declaration for the ages: “You are the Christ!” (Mark 8:27-30)

But when Jesus began to speak of his impending sacrificial death, Peter didn’t like it one bit, so he began to rebuke Jesus. How could one who was to be “Christ” suffer and die? This certainly wasn’t in line with God’s will, Peter thought. Peter had an entirely different definition for what it meant to be “Christ”, and a far better agenda than the one Jesus was suggesting.

That’s when Jesus turned on Peter and gave him the spiritual smack-down of all smack-downs. Anyone who reads these dramatic words — “Get away from me, Satan” — certainly must think, “Wow! Glad that wasn’t me!” It was then that Jesus went on to talk about the cost of discipleship. True discipleship requires one to jettison his own agenda — “let him deny himself”; commit to God’s agenda — “take up his cross”; and make daily, continual obedience his highest priority — “and follow me.” (Mark 8:34)