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Passing The Baton

Send Your Influence Forward

SYNOPSIS: Whether you are a parent, a president or a pastor, you will be required to pass the baton of your leadership to a new generation. Take care in what you pass on and with how well you pass it. Don’t drop the baton. That day will get here sooner than you think, so make sure you are ready to send forward that which is worthy to live on!

The Journey// Focus: Deuteronomy 3:27-28

God said to Moses, “Go up to Pisgah Peak, and look over the Promised Land in every direction. Take a good look, but you may not cross the Jordan River. Instead, commission Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead the people across the Jordan. He will give them all the land you now see before you as their possession.”

It happens sooner or later—usually sooner than we expect: we come to the end of our leg of the race and have to pass the baton. It might be giving the keys to the family business to an adult child, turning over a ministry to a new leader, or passing on the patriarchal role due to advancing aged or declining health or the nearing of death.

Without fail, that day comes, maybe later, but more likely sooner. Just ask any person who has had to pass the baton! Talk to any elderly person and they will say, “I don’t know where the time went.” Perhaps the epitaph on one particular headstone says it best:

THIS IS WHAT I EXPECTED
BUT NOT SO SOON

Life is a baton pass, and so is the Kingdom of God. No one, no matter how great, how powerful, how successful, or how admired is indispensable. Just consider Moses. He was the greatest leader of all time—a man of impeccable character, unmatched power, incredible wisdom, organic humility, and closeness to God. He has a string of wins with no defeats to speak of. He had pulled off one of the greatest leadership feats of all time: he got two million plus slaves out of the clutches of the most powerful nation on earth, led them through a desert for forty years, keeping them fed, watered, organized and focused—and at the end of it all, his popularity would make any U.S. president drool with envy.

Yet the time came when God called him to give it up. He was at the end, and even though Moses personally wanted to continue on (“I pleaded with the Lord, ‘Please let me cross the Jordan to see the wonderful land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and the Lebanon mountains.’” Deuteronomy 3:23-25), God told him no. Moreover, God commissioned him to prepare his successor, and he was to prepare him in such a way that the new leader would achieve even greater success than Moses. Moses had done all the heavy lifting, yet Joshua would reap the reward.

By the way, that is not the only time in scripture we see this: David wanted to build a temple to the Lord, but God assigned him to prepare Solomon to achieve that marvelous feat. Jesus finished his ministry with just a handful of followers, yet he commissioned them to turn his kingdom into a force that would dominate the world. The Apostle Paul had grand designs to preach the gospel around the known world, but he came to his end in a Roman jail.

All of these examples of great leadership had something in common: they finished well by preparing others to take the baton and move the kingdom forward. Which brings me to a point: the greatness of your life is not so much in what you leave behind, but in what you send forward. Whether you are a parent, a president or a pastor, you will be required to pass the baton of your leadership to a new generation. Take care in what you pass on and with how well you pass it. Don’t drop the baton.

Yes, that day will get here sooner than you think. So make sure you are ready to send forward that which is worthy to live on!

Going Deeper: A very good but sobering exercise is to write your own epitaph or obituary in advance. The whole point of that activity is to make sure you live now as you wish to be remembered then.

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2021: God Is Already There

What Would You Attempt If You Knew You Couldn't Fail?

SYNOPSIS: What would you attempt for God as you look ahead to 2021 if you knew that he was already where your steps of faith will lead? How energetically would you press forward if you knew he was waiting for you to arrive? What level of confidence would you have knowing that God had gone ahead of you and secured your victory even before the battle began? The truth is, when God calls you to step out, he has not only promised to be with you, he has promised to actually go before you. And while you may not see around the bend of faith, God is already there with your victory in hand.

A New Year Promise // Judges 4:14-15

Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get ready! This is the day the Lord will give you victory over Sisera, for the Lord is marching ahead of you.” So Barak led his 10,000 warriors down the slopes of Mount Tabor into battle. When Barak attacked, the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and warriors into a panic.

What would you attempt for God in 2021 if you knew he was marching ahead of you? What grand thing would you pursue if you knew that he was already where your steps of faith would lead, waiting for you to arrive? What level of confidence would you have knowing that God had gone ahead of you and secured your victory even before the battle began?

When God calls you to a step of faith, you are guaranteed his presence and his power, which means that you are invincible in the journey. Moreover, he has not only promised to be with you, he has promised to actually go before you, and while you may not see around the bend of faith, God is already there, waiting for you to take the victory lap for a victory that he won for you. How cool is that!

That is exactly what the prophetess Deborah is telling the reluctant general of the Israelite army, Barak. He is shivering in his boots knowing that his army is outmanned and outgunned by the Canaanite army of General Sisera. We are told in Judges 4:3, “Sisera, who had 900 iron chariots, ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.” 900 iron chariots to Israel’s none…no wonder, on a human level, Barak was not too excited about leading Israel into battle.

But this battle was not going to be fought only on a human level. No battle is. In the spiritual realm, God had already heard the cries of the Israelites and had determined to deliver them from their oppressors under the guidance of Deborah the Judge and Barak the General. In light of that, the fight was over before it even started. Barak couldn’t see that, but Deborah could. That is why she told him, “now get out there and fight, for God is already ahead of you and how guaranteed the victory. C’mon, go take your victory lap.” And that is exactly what Barak did, and a great deliverance for Israel was accomplished.

Perhaps you are a little uncertain about what’s next for you. Maybe you’re not too confident about your future. Maybe the circumstance you face are overwhelming, from a human perspective. You are outnumbered and outgunned. But where God is asking you to step out in faith, those odds do not matter one iota. God is on your side; he is with you, he is actually before you. He is already where he has called you to go, waiting for you to walk into a victory that he has secured for you. You cannot loose. So take heart.

Therefore, because of God’s exemplary record of faithful goodness in leading his people to victory, do not be afraid to trust an unknown tomorrow to a known God. So get ready! This is the day God will give you victory, for he is marching ahead of you. That is God’s promise to you!

In a verse similar to this, King David said to his son Solomon as he gave him the daunting task of building a temple in Jerusalem to the God of Israel,

Be strong and courageous and get to work. Don’t be frightened by the size of the task, for the Lord God is with you; he will not forsake you. He will see to it that everything is finished correctly. (1 Chronicles 28:20, LB)

Whatever is before you, if God is calling you to step out, then do it with confidence; God is already out there where you have been called to go. And he has guaranteed victory if you will go with him!

Thrive: Picture your greatest challenge. Once you have that in view, picture God already there, waiting for you to arrive. Now get out there and go for it! In fact, as a declaration of faith, go ahead and take a victory lap in anticipation of the victory that God has won for you.

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Bible Reading Plan – 2021

Go Deep in God’s Word This Year

SYNOPSIS: I know of no greater practice for going deep with God than through the daily practice of Bible study—reading, meditating, journaling, memorizing and praying the Scriptures. That spiritual practice will contribute to your growth as a believer and your entrance into the deep things of God like nothing else. It’s as simple as that. Here’s what regularly reading and ruthlessly obeying God’s Word will do for you: mature in your faith, morph into greater Christlikeness, deepen your knowledge of God, insulate your life from sin, enlarge your Kingdom effectiveness, increase your spiritual power, develop life skills for the daily challenges you face, and live in the blessing zone of God’s favor. I hope you’ll join me in 2021 as we “go deep” in God through the daily reading of his Word.

Go Deep// 2 Timothy 3:14-17

But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Let’s go deep with God this year! When I was growing up in a small Southern Oregon town, the kids in my neighborhood would regularly gather in the street in front of my house. There we would play some of the best football games on the planet—even better than even the Super Bowl! Street football—skinned knees, bruised elbows, bragging rights (at least for that day) and tons of fun! Man, there was nothing like it!

The favorite play called in the huddle, was, of course, “go deep!” Forget about short yardage running plays or screen passes, we wanted the glory, paydirt, “tud!”, our name for a touchdown So just about every play was “go deep!” I’m telling you, that’s the way football at every level ought to be played.

I want to go deep this year in God, don’t you? I don’t want to splash around in the shallows or wade around in the wimpy water near the shore, I want to get into the depths of God like never before. Do you want to join me?

If you do, then I know of no greater practice for going deep with God than through the daily practice of Bible study—reading, meditating, journaling, memorizing and praying the Scriptures. That spiritual practice will contribute to your growth as a believer and your entrance into the deep things of God like nothing else. It’s as simple as that. Here’s what regularly reading and ruthlessly obeying God’s Word will do for you:

  • Mature in your faith
  • Morph into greater Christlikeness
  • Deepen your knowledge of God
  • Insulate your life from sin
  • Enlarge your Kingdom effectiveness
  • Increase your spiritual power
  • Develop life skills for the daily challenges you face
  • Live in the blessing zone of God’s favor

I hope you’ll join me in 2021 as we “go deep” in God through the daily reading of his Word. To help us along the way, I have provided a creative reading plan called the “One Year Bible. You can purchase a hard or electronic copy of your preferred Bible version on Amazon, or you can download a free app of the same for your smartphone on YouVersion (once you download it, go to the Bible Reading Plans and make sure to select The One Year Bible plan) or use an existing Bible to follow the reading schedule on the Portland Christian Center webpage, which is also a printable PDF.

Of course, you can choose your own Bible reading plan, but no matter what you do, choose to read God’s Word in 2021. By the way, there is no greater act of faith, obedience and yes, even worship, than to devote yourself to “rightly dividing the Word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

Finally, I am also inviting you to join me in memorizing scripture this year. I have selected fifty-two verses for us to commit to memory—one for each week of the year. And I will post a devotional blog for each verse on every Monday this year. Check it out at www.raynoah.com.

Let’s go deep in God’s Word this year!

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God Has Been Good

Even Though You Don't See Him, He Is There

On a personal level, as I review each season in my life—and there have been both ups and there have been downs—I have to agree with God’s self-testimony: “I have given you success. I have had your back—day and night. I have given you everything you needed.” Yes, in looking back over my life, I can honestly say, “God has been good.”

The Journey // Focus: Deuteronomy 2.7

For the Lord your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the Lord your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing.

In Deuteronomy 2, Moses is recounting the wilderness journey of the Israelites over the forty years between exiting Egypt and possessing the Promised Land. Mostly in this chapter, he gives a blow by blow account of their battles with enemy nations who opposed their travel—nations who paid dearly for their opposition to God’s plan. And in the middle of his account, Moses makes this amazing statement of how God has tenderly cared for Israel at each step of the way. Actually, Moses is directly quoting the Lord himself. In the statement, we see God’s own assessment of how he has carried his people all these years:

I have given you success.
I have had your back—day and night.
I have given you everything you needed.

Now of course, as Christians, you and I know that to be theologically true of God. He cares for us; he carries us. We sing about it every time we gather for worship. We remind one another that very truth to encourage us through the rough spots of life. Intellectually, we affirm in our minds that the Lord will provide—he is Jehovah Jireh, after all, the God who supplies all of our needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Yet, if we are to be honest about it, there are seasons where we question God’s care. There are spells where we don’t feel too successful, and we wonder if God even notices. We go through a deep disappointment or a painful failure or a tremendous loss, and we can’t see any evidence whatsoever that the Lord had our back. We pray for an answer—a provision, a healing, a breakthrough—and get a big fat nothing burger instead of everything we needed.

Most of us would never say that out loud—a few brave, unfiltered souls would, but you and I are too “holy” to say anything like that—but we are thinking that very thing to ourselves. Maybe in our prayers we let it slip, “God, where were you?” While disappointment with God is not something we like to dwell on and certainly don’t broadcast, it is a part of the journey for most, if not all believers. Yet God still says the same thing to us as he did to the Israelites: I have given you success, I have protected you, I have provided everything you needed.

Think about those statements from the view of the Israelites on their journey. They spent forty years meandering through a desert, with no end in sight, instead of making their beds in the land God had promised them. They were thirsty to the point of death on several occasions. They were sick and tired of eating the same thing day after day for forty years. They had to fight for their lives against enemy nations bent on destroying them—with bigger and better equipped armies than Israel’s. My guess is there were plenty of people on plenty of occasions who felt deeply disappointed with God’s care and provision.

Yet those emotions are based on just a relatively short slice of history—both the Israelites and ours. We see things in brief moments of time and make assessments about God. If we are in a season of success and wellbeing, we overflow with joy and thanks to God. But if the season is filled with disappointment and loss, we wonder where God is. The point is, they are just that: seasons. Seasons have a beginning and an ending. And while we only see what is right in front of us, God is over it all, watching out for us, allowing according to his impeccable wisdom what will develop our character and our faithfulness through experiences of joy as well as sorrow, and always leading us to where he desires to take us.

On a personal level, as I review the ups and downs of my seasons, I have to admit to the self-testimony the Lord gives:

I have given you success.
I have had your back—day and night.
I have given you everything you needed.

In looking back over all the seasons of my life, I can honestly say, “God has been good.” That indisputable fact leads me to declare trust in his goodness in any current season, whether pleasant or rough.

Yes, God has been good. I bet you can say that too!

Going Deeper: Review your life—both the good and the bad. Now offer up a declaration of trust by telling the Lord, “God, you are good!”

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The God of Contingencies

He Really Thinks of Everything!

God really does think of everything, doesn’t he? Down to the smallest detail of individual and communal life, for every hypothetical question we could ask, for every unexpected or unwanted circumstance that may arise, God has already thought through how we as his people can pursue life, liberty and happiness within the confines of a kingdom society. In the case of sanctuary cities in Numbers 25, God even made it possible for people who accidentally take another life not to be forced to live as a fugitive. Yes, he has made contingencies for everything that might concern us, and that means everything that may be concerning you at this very moment!

The Journey // Focus: Numbers 35:6, 12, 15
The LORD said to Moses, “Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, where a person who has accidentally killed someone can flee for safety… These cities will be places of protection from a dead person’s relatives who want to avenge the death…. They are for the protection of Israelites, foreigners living among you, and traveling merchants. Anyone who accidentally kills someone may flee there for safety.”

God really does think of everything, doesn’t he? Down to the smallest detail of individual and communal life, for every hypothetical question we could ask, God has already thought through how we as his people can pursue life, liberty and happiness within the confines of a kingdom society. He has made contingencies for everything that might concern us.

In the case of Numbers 25, God even made it possible for people who accidentally take another life not to be forced to as a fugitive. By fleeing to one of the designated sanctuary cities, they could live without always looking over their shoulders, not having to worry about the victim’s family exacting revenge on them, knowing that they could move forward in spite of the tragedy they caused.

Of course, some in our current cultural context might attempt to squeeze from this chapter a justification for sanctuary cities that can overrule federal law regarding illegal immigration. That is a worthwhile discussion, but this is not about justifying willful disregard of a law. This was about accidental events. Accidents happen! Sometimes they are simply the result of a set of circumstances for which no one was at fault, at other times they are the result of someone’s negligence. But never were they intentional. And when that was the case, God set up protections to limit the outrage of the victim’s kin; the punishment was not to exceed the crime, so to speak.

Keep in mind also that the offender was not offered a day at the beach in these cities. These sanctuary cities belonged to the Levites, the clerics and religious workers of that culture. So the person who took up refuse in one of these cities would have to live under the watchful eye of Israel’s spiritual leaders. Furthermore, fleeing to a sanctuary city didn’t negate the judicial process. A murderer couldn’t leverage a gracious system to his own advantage. If there were more than one witness who could corroborate murderous intent, the murderer would face the death penalty. But if the community found that the killing was accidental, the accused could find refuge in the city. Even then, “though he was innocent of murder, he was still guilty of manslaughter. An accidental killing still destroyed a human life made in God’s image, polluting the land God had given (Numbers 35:33). A person guilty of manslaughter still had to pay for his actions.” (Quest Study Bible) In this kind of a tragic case, while no one was happy, everything would be fair.

Yes, God had thought of everything. Again and again in the Books of Moses, we see God involved in the affairs, large and small, of his people. He is a God who cares. He is a God who provides, not just materially, but through laws and processes that kept his kingdom society civil.

Which brings us to the point extracted time after time in Leviticus and Numbers: God cares about you, too. He watches over the affairs of your life, large and small, and he has made contingencies for every possible circumstance that you might face. When it comes to you, God has thought of everything.

Going Deeper: What has you flummoxed today? God has an answer. Go to him. Listen. Wait for discernment. He has already thought your situation through.

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The Beauty of Boundaries

He Is The God Who Protects!

Our Heavenly Father knows that we need the safety, warmth and nurture of a protective environment, and wherever he has established a boundary, it is for that very purpose. And while we might find his boundaries restrictive, we would do well to remember that one hundred percent of the time, they are for our good. Thank God for boundaries!

The Journey // Focus: Numbers 34:1-2

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Give these instructions to the Israelites: When you come into the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your special possession, these will be the boundaries.

Human beings have a love-hate relationship with boundaries. Intrinsically we know we need them, but throughout our lives we resist and resent them. Such is the rebellious nature of our fallen condition. So distorted is our view that we treasure the security that boundaries provide but crave the freedom of breaking loose from what we wrongly think holds us back. Somehow, we just can’t blend the two; we see boundaries and freedom as an oxymoron.

Yet boundaries are the Creator’s special gift to us—a gift that opens the way to another of the Creator’s special gifts: freedom. When we learn to accept the gifts and understand that both are two sides of the same coin, we can then come into a dimension of living that allows us to thrive in the abundance of a very wise and purposeful God.

Do you realize that God is a being of boundaries? From the very beginning, God established that Adam and Eve would have freedoms unimaginable to humans today, but there were limits. They couldn’t eat the fruit of just one particular tree. The limitation was both a test of their trust in the wisdom and love of God as well as a protection from the forces that would destroy them if they didn’t trust and obey him.

And now, in Numbers 34, as the Israelites are about to make their way into another land of abundance, a land flowing with milk and honey, God clearly defines the boundaries that will keep them safe, orderly and blessed within the freedoms of the inheritance he is giving them. The boundaries are a gift from their Creator. Embracing them will allow them the freedom to thrive. Living within them will demonstrate their trust in a loving, all-wise God. Honoring them will keep their nation safe. For Israel, these geographical boundaries were a special gift from their loving Father.

At the birth of our first child, the nurses at the hospital sat my wife and me down and gave us the Cliffs Notes version of Parenting 101. It was sort of a “Parenting for Dummies”—and while my wife didn’t really need it, I definitely did. And I distinctly remember the instructions on how to tightly wrap our little jewel in a baby blanket. When we laid our little girl down for her nap, they showed us how to tuck the blanket around her and into the sides of the crib so that she could barely move; she would be almost mummy-like. Why? Because they reminded us that she had spent the past nine months within the confines of a warm, safe and nurturing womb, and would not immediately know how to handle the freedoms of this new world.

We are no different before the watchful eye and tender care of our loving Heavenly Father. He knows that we need the safety, warmth and nurture of a protective environment. So wherever he has established a boundary, it is for that very purpose. And while we might find his boundaries restrictive, we would do well to remember that one hundred percent of the time, they are for our good.

What are the boundaries that God has given you? Just open your Bible and you will immediately see them. They are throughout his Word, both in the form of “thou shalls” and “thou shall nots”. They are found in the Ten Commandments and in the Sermon on the Mount. They are tucked into the epistles and scattered throughout the psalms. And each one, whether it makes sense or not, whether it challenges today’s conventional wisdom or not, is simply a reminder of how much your Heavenly Father treasures you and desires to bring you into the freedom of abundance.

Believe in the blessings of the boundaries! They will be what takes you into a land of incredible freedom.

Going Deeper: Anywhere your flesh is offended by a boundary, stop and think about it. Remind yourself that the boundary is a love note from your Father. Thank him for it. Trust that honoring it will lead to unimaginable freedom. And forever settle with your flesh that God’s boundary is non-negotiable.

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Jesus Led Me All The Way

He Is Sovereign ... Thank God!

Do you cast all your cares on God, knowing that he cares for you—and not only cares, but is competent to carry you all along the way? Do you know that God is sovereign over you—even the smallest details of your life are within his control? Whether you do or don’t does not diminish the fact that God is leading you all along the way. There is no question: God has taken charge of you.

The Journey// Focus: Numbers 33:38-39

While the Israelites were at the foot of Mount Hor, Aaron the priest was directed by the Lord to go up the mountain, and there he died. This happened in midsummer, on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year after Israel’s departure from Egypt. Aaron was 123 years old when he died there on Mount Hor.

Do you trust God to watch over every day of your life? Do you believe that he is involved even in the minute details of all your moments? Can you relax about tomorrow, knowing that it is securely in God’s hands? Do you cast all your cares on him, knowing that he cares for you—and not only cares, but is competent to carry you all along the way?

Whether you do or not doesn’t diminish the fact that God is leading you all along the way. There is no question: God is in control of you. Even the day of your death is foreknown by God, which means that you will not live a day longer, nor die a day sooner than what your Creator will permit. We see that in Numbers 33 when God invited the High Priest of Israel, Aaron, up to the mountain to take back the breath of life that the Creator loaned him on the day Aaron was born. And in a very real sense, in the realm invisible to the human eye, when it comes time for you to die, God will invite you to give back what he loaned you—the breath of life—and he will exchange it for eternal air that will never be reclaimed from your lungs.

Yes, when you wing your flight to realms of day, this your song through endless ages: Jesus led me all the way. Praise his holy name!

King David offered this amazing insight about the Creator’s sovereign care over his life in Psalm 139:2-3, 7-12, 16,

You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways…
You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me…
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You…
And in Your book the days fashioned for me,
They all were written,
When as yet there were none of them.

As David prayerfully, worshipfully exclaimed, “such knowledge is too lofty for me!” (Psalm 139:6)

God is in charge of you, whether you are conscious of it or not. So why not practice awareness of the presence of God in your moment-by-moment life? It is better than carrying the weight of the world around on your shoulders!

Going Deeper: Reprint the above verses taken from Psalm 139, and read them morning, noon and night every day this week. Practice awareness of God’s presence and declare his sovereign control over you. It is the best way to live.