Study from God’s Word… Daniel, Chapter 6 … Passage for Reflection: Daniel 6: 5 … NIV Finally these men [the court leaders during the reign of Darius, the Mede] said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”
My Journal for Today: You may have heard the leading question asked about your faith, “If someone indicted you for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Well, there certainly was enough to convict Daniel of his faith as the trap was laid for him which led to his stint in the lion’s den. And the point is made by the questions of my devotional shepherd, Dr. Smith, today, “What would I find more troublesome about my life, … the dirt someone could turn up (from my past) or having a faith commitment so weak that no enemy would think to exploit it?”
Well, I’ve got a lot of dirt in my past, all of which I would hope has been brought out into the light of truth by my own honest revelation; but perhaps someone could dredge up some incident from my shady past which could/would embarrass me. But overshadowing all of my past dirty laundry, I would hope that my obsessive, and even compulsive, pursuit of Christlikeness would prevail as people see the Bill Berry of today, becoming the Bill Berry of tomorrow.
You know it’s quite possible, even in my lifetime, that we may see a day when some of the stands that I now strongly take against civil unions, inappropriately called "marriage" by homosexuals, would be codified into anti-hate-speech law, making my beliefs and public stands illegal. It has already happened in Sweden and Canada where Ministers of the Gospel have been jailed because of preaching the truth of the Bible about homosexual behavior. And more and more we’re seeing forces in our American culture who want to make it illegal “hate-speech” to declare that homosexual behavior is sinful.
And one day, if such a law is codified, I hope that I would have the courage of a Daniel, even under the penalty of a lion’s den, to stand for what is true and God-ordained for our world. What about you? Will you be in the lion’s den with me on such a day?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I pray I am convicted of my being Yours forever! Amen
Showing posts with label courage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label courage. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
2010 – Mar. 29 – It’s Not About Numbers
Study from God’s Word… 1st Samuel, Chapters 13 – 14 … Passage for Reflection: 1st Samuel 14: 6 … NIV 6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few."
My Journal for Today: Unlike Jonathan, Saul’s son, we may not be able to lead God’s people, … i.e., His army, into battle to hold on to God’s Promised Land for God’s glory from the Philistines; but one day, maybe at the water cooler today, I may be given the opportunity to stand up for some righteous, Godly principle when the crowd around me is pushing for the expedient, worldly way. Maybe you will one day have the opportunity to give your Christian testimony to a lost person who is in need of a Savior. And when we do have such opportunities, just as Jonathan did, we need to stand tall for God, knowing that God and one more always make up a majority.
My dear one, do you understand and believe that doing battle for God’s principles does not take big numbers to show up and win the day for God’s glory. In fact, when God’s truth prevails in the face of bigger numbers, God gets even more glory than He might have had if His army of believers outnumbered “the enemy” by a great majority. So, my friend, where do you see yourself being a Jonathan in the face of army coming against you and God’s way? Will it happen on the job with your coworkers trying to push through some ungodly scheme which you cannot support? Will it be you supporting some Biblical principle at Church where your fellow churchmen have knuckled under to the culture and are pushing some worldly unrighteousness?
I don’t know what your battle might be for God’s glory; but I do know that I believe in the truth of Romans 8: 31 or 2nd Cor. 12: 9 or Isaiah 41: 10, all of which remind me that when I’m in the right – God’s right – no worldly force or even an army can prevail against me. When I stand with God, even against big numbers, I am on the side which will ultimately give God the glory; and all I have to do is stand for God and with God to show the world that God’s way is the only way!
F. LaGard Smith asks today, for my declaration: ”What battle will I fight single-handedly today that, by trusting God, will turn out easier than I could have ever imagined?”
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I pray that we’re all answering that question with the resolve to stand for Your righteousness today. Amen
My Journal for Today: Unlike Jonathan, Saul’s son, we may not be able to lead God’s people, … i.e., His army, into battle to hold on to God’s Promised Land for God’s glory from the Philistines; but one day, maybe at the water cooler today, I may be given the opportunity to stand up for some righteous, Godly principle when the crowd around me is pushing for the expedient, worldly way. Maybe you will one day have the opportunity to give your Christian testimony to a lost person who is in need of a Savior. And when we do have such opportunities, just as Jonathan did, we need to stand tall for God, knowing that God and one more always make up a majority.
My dear one, do you understand and believe that doing battle for God’s principles does not take big numbers to show up and win the day for God’s glory. In fact, when God’s truth prevails in the face of bigger numbers, God gets even more glory than He might have had if His army of believers outnumbered “the enemy” by a great majority. So, my friend, where do you see yourself being a Jonathan in the face of army coming against you and God’s way? Will it happen on the job with your coworkers trying to push through some ungodly scheme which you cannot support? Will it be you supporting some Biblical principle at Church where your fellow churchmen have knuckled under to the culture and are pushing some worldly unrighteousness?
I don’t know what your battle might be for God’s glory; but I do know that I believe in the truth of Romans 8: 31 or 2nd Cor. 12: 9 or Isaiah 41: 10, all of which remind me that when I’m in the right – God’s right – no worldly force or even an army can prevail against me. When I stand with God, even against big numbers, I am on the side which will ultimately give God the glory; and all I have to do is stand for God and with God to show the world that God’s way is the only way!
F. LaGard Smith asks today, for my declaration: ”What battle will I fight single-handedly today that, by trusting God, will turn out easier than I could have ever imagined?”
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I pray that we’re all answering that question with the resolve to stand for Your righteousness today. Amen
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
2010 – Mar. 10 – Crossing Our Own Jordan
Study from God’s Word… Josh 1: 1 – 9; Josh 3: 1; Josh 2: 1 – 24; Josh 1: 10 – 18; Josh 3: 2 – 17; Josh 4: 12 – 12, 13; Josh 4: 9 – 11; Josh 4: 15 – 18; Josh 4: 1 – 8; Josh 4: 19 – 24; Josh 4: 14; Josh 5: 1 – 15; … Passage for Reflection: Joshua 1: 9 [along with verse 8 for more context] … NIV 8 “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 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."
My Journal for Today: Today in my reading of The Daily Bible and the material provided by F. LaGard Smith in his devotional targeted for March 10, I am reading and meditating on one of my favorite passages in all of the Old Testament. It is the time when Joshua is handed the mantle of leadership of God’s people; and he takes them, at God’s command and with His careful instruction, across the Jordan river, once again be protected by another dry-ground crossing of a body of water, engineered by God to miraculously show the people just how powerful their God is and how following Joshua, His designated leader, is the only way to go.
And in today’s target verse (Chapter 1, verse 9) along with one of the most powerful instructions in all of the OT, Verse 8, we read exactly what a believer needs to remember and follow as each of us crosses our own “Jordan.” I don’t know what your “Jordan” might be. Perhaps you’re battling cancer; and you need to decide to cross the Jordan of trust in God and your medical treatment team. Maybe, like many of the men in the ministry I’m called to lead, you’ve had years of repeated sexual sin; and you need to cross the “Jordan” of confessing your sin to others, maybe including your wife or your Pastor. Perhaps, you’re facing the ultimate “Jordan,” and that is impending death, because you have a diagnosis of a fatal disease of some kind.
Actually, every human faces the latter “Jordan,” because we all have the fatal diagnosis of aging and 100% of us will cross our personal “Jordan” from this life into eternity. The question is not whether we will or will not “cross over,” … it is whether we will do so with faith in the same God, through the deliverance of His Son’s death on the cross, Who delivered God’s people across the Jordan, being led by Joshua.
How about you? Will you be crossing the “Jordan” of death, knowing that you’ll be delivered unto eternal life on the other side? And what about any other “Jordan” you might be facing. Do you have absolute assurance that you’ll have spiritual success in the march forward in life once you cross that “Jordan” in your life?
Well, my friend, in today’s passage you have God’s absolute promise of success as you contemplate crossing that “Jordan” in your life. If you get into and stay into God’s word [i.e., the Bible] – day and night – following all that is commanded therein, God’s word promises [see Josh 1: 8] that you’ll have success in the march forward, doing what Jesus has commanded you (again, as I refer so often, see Luke 9: 23). And when we cross the “Jordan” of decision, which God has lain before us for our life, we can know, as did Joshua, that we will enter into God’s Promised Land, with ultimately what Heaven itself has to offer.
And is that not worth following God across the “Jordan” in our lives today?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I crossed the “Jordan” to which You led me long ago; and now I claim the Promised Land in Your Name. Amen
My Journal for Today: Today in my reading of The Daily Bible and the material provided by F. LaGard Smith in his devotional targeted for March 10, I am reading and meditating on one of my favorite passages in all of the Old Testament. It is the time when Joshua is handed the mantle of leadership of God’s people; and he takes them, at God’s command and with His careful instruction, across the Jordan river, once again be protected by another dry-ground crossing of a body of water, engineered by God to miraculously show the people just how powerful their God is and how following Joshua, His designated leader, is the only way to go.
And in today’s target verse (Chapter 1, verse 9) along with one of the most powerful instructions in all of the OT, Verse 8, we read exactly what a believer needs to remember and follow as each of us crosses our own “Jordan.” I don’t know what your “Jordan” might be. Perhaps you’re battling cancer; and you need to decide to cross the Jordan of trust in God and your medical treatment team. Maybe, like many of the men in the ministry I’m called to lead, you’ve had years of repeated sexual sin; and you need to cross the “Jordan” of confessing your sin to others, maybe including your wife or your Pastor. Perhaps, you’re facing the ultimate “Jordan,” and that is impending death, because you have a diagnosis of a fatal disease of some kind.
Actually, every human faces the latter “Jordan,” because we all have the fatal diagnosis of aging and 100% of us will cross our personal “Jordan” from this life into eternity. The question is not whether we will or will not “cross over,” … it is whether we will do so with faith in the same God, through the deliverance of His Son’s death on the cross, Who delivered God’s people across the Jordan, being led by Joshua.
How about you? Will you be crossing the “Jordan” of death, knowing that you’ll be delivered unto eternal life on the other side? And what about any other “Jordan” you might be facing. Do you have absolute assurance that you’ll have spiritual success in the march forward in life once you cross that “Jordan” in your life?
Well, my friend, in today’s passage you have God’s absolute promise of success as you contemplate crossing that “Jordan” in your life. If you get into and stay into God’s word [i.e., the Bible] – day and night – following all that is commanded therein, God’s word promises [see Josh 1: 8] that you’ll have success in the march forward, doing what Jesus has commanded you (again, as I refer so often, see Luke 9: 23). And when we cross the “Jordan” of decision, which God has lain before us for our life, we can know, as did Joshua, that we will enter into God’s Promised Land, with ultimately what Heaven itself has to offer.
And is that not worth following God across the “Jordan” in our lives today?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I crossed the “Jordan” to which You led me long ago; and now I claim the Promised Land in Your Name. Amen
Friday, July 17, 2009
2009 – Day 187.July 17 – I Will Stand
2009 – Day 187.July 17 – I Will Stand
Passage of the Day: Esther 4: 12 - 16 … 12 So they told Mordecai Esther’s words. 13 And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”
My Journal for Today: These last few days, Swindoll (and I) have been wringing the story of Esther to make the appeal to the soul of our readers to take a risk for God, … to stand for the right against the pressures of the world, … to sound the alarm for Godliness even at the peril of life itself. Repeating this by repeating the highlight passage from Esther, my devotional author reminds me of the truth that a good story in a play or movie can inspire many in the audience to make life changing decisions.
Swindoll asks his readers (me or you) to imagine this segment of Esther’s story as a Broadway play; and it is true the story has all the elements of a great Broadway play or musical. There is great drama, for sure. It has a villain in Haman, a beautiful protagonist in Esther, and an inspirational background voice of good in Mordecai. And the storyline builds to the point of life changing inspiration where Esther makes her “if I perish, I perish!” speech. Can’t you just imagine her declaring that line as the curtain drops to thunderous applause?
When I used to go to cowboy & western flicks as a boy with my buddies on Saturday morning, I come out of the Lido theater in Lebanon, Indiana, having seen possibly a thrilling (at least to me) serial where Tarzan or Flash Gordon ended the segment in a near death experience. Then there was a double feature of westerns where Roy Rogers or Lash Larue or Ken Maynard would save the day and ride off into the sunset having saved the day for some family or widow. And in these dramas of life, we boys always knew who the bad guys were; and the good guys always vanquished the foes and stood up for the good in life no matter how harrowing was the risk. And when I left the theater I wanted to go out and BE the good guy and to strap on my guns and do battle for the fair maiden and defeat the enemy.
That’s what I hope – and pray – we all get when we read and meditate on the life of Esther. She is the ultimate heroine; and she’s willing to go to the wall for good against the evil antagonist, Haman. And in the end we know that she’s going to win the day; and evil is going to be vanquished in the name of good … in this case for the Name of God. But do we read the story and come out of this biblical theater with the inspiration to go out and strap on our guns and do battle against our spiritual enemies in life?
That’s the question today; and as I’m sitting here typing about it, I feel the itch to be an Esther and do more to save the day for God’s people. I want to do more to vanquish the evil of abortion, … to take down the evil XXX industry which produces mind altering pornography, … or to share my story with someone who is as lost as I was once in my life. Reading Esther’s story don’t you just want to be the hero or heroine who stands up for God and becomes God’s agent for change and light in this dark world?
How about it, my friends; … let’s go out and do something today to stand for God and for good in this world!
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to shine your light and risk even life to save the day for Your Name. Amen
Passage of the Day: Esther 4: 12 - 16 … 12 So they told Mordecai Esther’s words. 13 And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”
My Journal for Today: These last few days, Swindoll (and I) have been wringing the story of Esther to make the appeal to the soul of our readers to take a risk for God, … to stand for the right against the pressures of the world, … to sound the alarm for Godliness even at the peril of life itself. Repeating this by repeating the highlight passage from Esther, my devotional author reminds me of the truth that a good story in a play or movie can inspire many in the audience to make life changing decisions.
Swindoll asks his readers (me or you) to imagine this segment of Esther’s story as a Broadway play; and it is true the story has all the elements of a great Broadway play or musical. There is great drama, for sure. It has a villain in Haman, a beautiful protagonist in Esther, and an inspirational background voice of good in Mordecai. And the storyline builds to the point of life changing inspiration where Esther makes her “if I perish, I perish!” speech. Can’t you just imagine her declaring that line as the curtain drops to thunderous applause?
When I used to go to cowboy & western flicks as a boy with my buddies on Saturday morning, I come out of the Lido theater in Lebanon, Indiana, having seen possibly a thrilling (at least to me) serial where Tarzan or Flash Gordon ended the segment in a near death experience. Then there was a double feature of westerns where Roy Rogers or Lash Larue or Ken Maynard would save the day and ride off into the sunset having saved the day for some family or widow. And in these dramas of life, we boys always knew who the bad guys were; and the good guys always vanquished the foes and stood up for the good in life no matter how harrowing was the risk. And when I left the theater I wanted to go out and BE the good guy and to strap on my guns and do battle for the fair maiden and defeat the enemy.
That’s what I hope – and pray – we all get when we read and meditate on the life of Esther. She is the ultimate heroine; and she’s willing to go to the wall for good against the evil antagonist, Haman. And in the end we know that she’s going to win the day; and evil is going to be vanquished in the name of good … in this case for the Name of God. But do we read the story and come out of this biblical theater with the inspiration to go out and strap on our guns and do battle against our spiritual enemies in life?
That’s the question today; and as I’m sitting here typing about it, I feel the itch to be an Esther and do more to save the day for God’s people. I want to do more to vanquish the evil of abortion, … to take down the evil XXX industry which produces mind altering pornography, … or to share my story with someone who is as lost as I was once in my life. Reading Esther’s story don’t you just want to be the hero or heroine who stands up for God and becomes God’s agent for change and light in this dark world?
How about it, my friends; … let’s go out and do something today to stand for God and for good in this world!
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to shine your light and risk even life to save the day for Your Name. Amen
Thursday, July 16, 2009
2009 – Day 186.July 16 – The Cause
2009 – Day 186.July 16 – The Cause
Passage of the Day: Esther 4: 12 - 16 … 12 So they told Mordecai Esther’s words. 13 And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”
My Journal for Today: It’s of interest to me that Chuck Swindoll, in his devotional exposition of today’s passage, likens Esther’s attitude of surrender to God and her confidence in His protective power to that of David when he arrived on the scene where Goliath was mocking God and calling for a warrior from Saul’s camp to do battle. And there are a lot of parallels between the decisiveness of this young Jewess whose life was being threatened and the young shepherd boy, both of whom would one day become effective leaders of the Jewish people. And they both had come to a moment of truth and decision in their lives.
Esther, like David in his confrontation with Goliath, saw a force, Haman, who had set himself up against Esther’s people and, more importantly, God Himself. And Esther, like David, saw that action was needed. Someone needed to stand for God Almighty and to take action to save God’s people; and Esther, like David, stepped into the fray at the risk of her very life. And, as David declared (in 1st Sam. 17: 29), “Is there not a cause?” … Esther declares, “… if I perish, I perish.”
Hey, my fellow Christian, are we not called onto the battle fields of life; and is there not an enemy who is calling out Christians to do battle? Is there not an enemy who (as in 1st Peter 5: 8) is roaring like a lion to scatter the flock of the Good Shepherd, … an enemy who hates the Living God and wants to depose Him as King? Is there not a cause to stand up for God and against the Goliaths or the Hamans of the world?
Look out there, my friend. Pick your Goliath. Are you affronted by abortion or pornography or a government takeover? What are we doing to stand against these goliath issues in life? Do we really believe, as God’s word itself declares (in Romans 8: 31), “If God is for us, who can stand against us?” Do I have a Phil. 4: 13 attitude, that “I can do all things through Christ, Who gives me the strength?” Because, if we really believed these declarations as truth, we’d be out there with our slings standing against Goliath. We’d be saying, as did Esther [at the end of today’s passage], “… if I perish, I perish;” and we’d be going before “the king” of this world, Satan, and doing whatever it takes to stand for God.
I hope you are out there, my dear one, on the battle fields of life, going to war in the Name of Christ. We need to hold to the truth of 1st John 4: 4 that “greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world;” and we need to go forth in the Name of Christ and for His glory.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to be a David or an Esther and stand for You. If I perish, I perish; but I will do so in Your Mighty Name. Amen
Passage of the Day: Esther 4: 12 - 16 … 12 So they told Mordecai Esther’s words. 13 And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”
My Journal for Today: It’s of interest to me that Chuck Swindoll, in his devotional exposition of today’s passage, likens Esther’s attitude of surrender to God and her confidence in His protective power to that of David when he arrived on the scene where Goliath was mocking God and calling for a warrior from Saul’s camp to do battle. And there are a lot of parallels between the decisiveness of this young Jewess whose life was being threatened and the young shepherd boy, both of whom would one day become effective leaders of the Jewish people. And they both had come to a moment of truth and decision in their lives.
Esther, like David in his confrontation with Goliath, saw a force, Haman, who had set himself up against Esther’s people and, more importantly, God Himself. And Esther, like David, saw that action was needed. Someone needed to stand for God Almighty and to take action to save God’s people; and Esther, like David, stepped into the fray at the risk of her very life. And, as David declared (in 1st Sam. 17: 29), “Is there not a cause?” … Esther declares, “… if I perish, I perish.”
Hey, my fellow Christian, are we not called onto the battle fields of life; and is there not an enemy who is calling out Christians to do battle? Is there not an enemy who (as in 1st Peter 5: 8) is roaring like a lion to scatter the flock of the Good Shepherd, … an enemy who hates the Living God and wants to depose Him as King? Is there not a cause to stand up for God and against the Goliaths or the Hamans of the world?
Look out there, my friend. Pick your Goliath. Are you affronted by abortion or pornography or a government takeover? What are we doing to stand against these goliath issues in life? Do we really believe, as God’s word itself declares (in Romans 8: 31), “If God is for us, who can stand against us?” Do I have a Phil. 4: 13 attitude, that “I can do all things through Christ, Who gives me the strength?” Because, if we really believed these declarations as truth, we’d be out there with our slings standing against Goliath. We’d be saying, as did Esther [at the end of today’s passage], “… if I perish, I perish;” and we’d be going before “the king” of this world, Satan, and doing whatever it takes to stand for God.
I hope you are out there, my dear one, on the battle fields of life, going to war in the Name of Christ. We need to hold to the truth of 1st John 4: 4 that “greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world;” and we need to go forth in the Name of Christ and for His glory.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to be a David or an Esther and stand for You. If I perish, I perish; but I will do so in Your Mighty Name. Amen
Thursday, May 28, 2009
2009 – Day 147.May 28 – A Unique Spokesperson
2009 – Day 147.May 28 – A Unique Spokesperson
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 16: 29 – 17: 1 … 29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him. … 34 In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken by Joshua son of Nun.
1 Kings 17 : 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."
My Journal for Today: Yes, same passage again; and today Chuck Swindoll drills home a very important point with this same scenario. His point … no one is insignificant when he (or she) is standing or working for God’s glory. And it is often the case that God’s chosen servants are not what the world would recognize as “THE” right man or woman for the job. The Apostle Paul even made the same point in 1st Cor. 1: 26 – 29 [linked here for your reference ] .
And you may be God’s chosen one for a very important ministry which honors God; and you may not even recognize your importance or even what you do as being God’s chosen one for ministry. For example, many wives and mothers or dads and husbands are devalued by the world; but your ministry as a spouse to one and as a parent to your kids could well change the world. It’s not too difficult to find great men or women of history who attribute who they’ve become to the loving and faithful “ministry” of parents who stood in the gap to model Godly living in their family. And the opposite is true as well. Many of the monsters of this world came from broken homes where the parenting was either unGodly or non-existent. So, the point, … if you’re a spouse or a parent, see it as a chosen ministry which glorifies God by your standing in the gap for everything God represents.
God could have chosen a mighty army to destroy the wickedness in the world perpetrated by Ahab and Jezebel. He did just that when you read the book of Habakkuk. But in this instance, God called only one man, and Elijah was not exactly the picture of charisma or strength. He was an older man from a nowhere town, and he was the one who was going to change the course of history by simply being God’s messenger to an evil world.
Do you see evil around you? Yeah, I know … “DUH!” Well, my friend, you are an Elijah; and you are called to stand in the gap for truth and for God’s way of living. If you’re a parent, everything you can do to raise your kids to resist drugs or pornography is being an Elijah standing for God. When you write a letter or call your governmental representatives to vote in a Godly way, you are an Elijah standing for God. When you serve your spouse in a way that mirrors how Christ served His Bride, you are an Elijah.
So, never see yourself as “a nobody,” who has no purpose. You are an “Elijah,” and when you stand for God in any way in this world or culture, you are God’s messenger for these times just as the Prophet was for his. Today … let’s go be Elijah. Let’s go change the world!
My Prayer for Today: Today, Lord, I will stand for You. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 16: 29 – 17: 1 … 29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him. … 34 In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken by Joshua son of Nun.
1 Kings 17 : 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."
My Journal for Today: Yes, same passage again; and today Chuck Swindoll drills home a very important point with this same scenario. His point … no one is insignificant when he (or she) is standing or working for God’s glory. And it is often the case that God’s chosen servants are not what the world would recognize as “THE” right man or woman for the job. The Apostle Paul even made the same point in 1st Cor. 1: 26 – 29 [linked here for your reference ] .
And you may be God’s chosen one for a very important ministry which honors God; and you may not even recognize your importance or even what you do as being God’s chosen one for ministry. For example, many wives and mothers or dads and husbands are devalued by the world; but your ministry as a spouse to one and as a parent to your kids could well change the world. It’s not too difficult to find great men or women of history who attribute who they’ve become to the loving and faithful “ministry” of parents who stood in the gap to model Godly living in their family. And the opposite is true as well. Many of the monsters of this world came from broken homes where the parenting was either unGodly or non-existent. So, the point, … if you’re a spouse or a parent, see it as a chosen ministry which glorifies God by your standing in the gap for everything God represents.
God could have chosen a mighty army to destroy the wickedness in the world perpetrated by Ahab and Jezebel. He did just that when you read the book of Habakkuk. But in this instance, God called only one man, and Elijah was not exactly the picture of charisma or strength. He was an older man from a nowhere town, and he was the one who was going to change the course of history by simply being God’s messenger to an evil world.
Do you see evil around you? Yeah, I know … “DUH!” Well, my friend, you are an Elijah; and you are called to stand in the gap for truth and for God’s way of living. If you’re a parent, everything you can do to raise your kids to resist drugs or pornography is being an Elijah standing for God. When you write a letter or call your governmental representatives to vote in a Godly way, you are an Elijah standing for God. When you serve your spouse in a way that mirrors how Christ served His Bride, you are an Elijah.
So, never see yourself as “a nobody,” who has no purpose. You are an “Elijah,” and when you stand for God in any way in this world or culture, you are God’s messenger for these times just as the Prophet was for his. Today … let’s go be Elijah. Let’s go change the world!
My Prayer for Today: Today, Lord, I will stand for You. Amen
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
2009 – Day 146.May 27 – Special People For Special Times
2009 – Day 146.May 27 – Special People For Special Times
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 16: 29 – 17: 1 … 29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him. … 34 In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken by Joshua son of Nun.
1 Kings 17 : 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."
My Journal for Today: Yes, if you were with me yesterday, you’re probably saying, “That’s the same Bible passage.” And it is; … because Swindoll is trying to drive home the point that our culture needs many Elijahs; and Pastor Chuck asks some pretty tough questions in his devotional message for today, … not the least of which is whether we would feel comfortable being in the court of Ahab.
In other words, if you were living in the times of Ahab and Jezebel, would you merge right into the anti-Godly culture where you worshipped idols and followed Ahab; or would you be willing to come behind or stand along side a man whose name and words declared openly, “The Lord is my God!”
Swindoll says it in truth; and I’ll just quote him to make the point that … "In our culture – our schools, our offices and factories, our lunchrooms and boardrooms, our ivy halls and our halls of justice – we need men and women of God, including young people of God. We need respected professionals, athletes, homemakers, teachers, public figures, and private citizens who will promote the things of God, who will stand alone, stand tall, stand firm, and stand strong!”
That’s why it’s so refreshing when you see entertainment or athletic winners, like Hollywood stars or professional athletes, who will take the opportunity when a commentator puts a microphone in their face to openly witness their faith or praise God so that all can hear them standing in the gap for their faith. These stand up Christians are, unfortunately, not as numerous in the public eye as those who support idolatrous causes like abortion or same-sex marriage. However, now and again you might hear an “Elijah” in our culture who will stand up and give testimony to their stand for God.
As I read Swindoll’s devotional today, I know where I stand; and I know that God does raise up special people for special times; and my friends, THESE ARE SPECIAL TIMES! These are the times of Ahab revisited. The question becomes are we God’s special people to stand in the gap for God’s truth and grace. And if you are saying, “I don’t think I’m one of those people,” you can take heart from many in the Bible who didn’t think they were the special ones God could choose for His special tasks.
Think about the reluctance of a Moses, who balked when God even showed him a burning bush. Think of a young Gideon, who was hiding in fear in a wine barrel when God came to him and called him a “man of valor.” And yes, even Elijah, at one time later in his life doubted God’s choosing him when he sat beneath a broom tree and prayed to have God take his life. We’ll likely be looking at that episode later in our study of Elijah; but if you feel God calling you to stand up in the culture and take a stand for God’s truth, remember this truth - GOD’S CALLING IS HIS ENABLEMENT! God will never call you to take a stand unless He gives you the enabling grace to carry out that task. That is the lesson Joshua had to learn in Joshua 1: 1 – 9 [linked]; and he was willing to move forward toward God’s promised land even when it was scary to do so. We can too; but we’ve got to be willing to take up God’s banner and carry it for Christ in our culture.
And so, when we have any opportunity to stand for truth over injustice, … for Godliness in the face of sinfulness, … or for forgiveness in the face of anger and hatred, let’s be an Elijah and let’s lend our voices to stand against the Ahabs of this world.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I repeat my prayer from yesterday … “raise up the Elijah in me … that I may be willing and able to stand for You, … no matter what! “ Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 16: 29 – 17: 1 … 29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him. … 34 In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken by Joshua son of Nun.
1 Kings 17 : 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."
My Journal for Today: Yes, if you were with me yesterday, you’re probably saying, “That’s the same Bible passage.” And it is; … because Swindoll is trying to drive home the point that our culture needs many Elijahs; and Pastor Chuck asks some pretty tough questions in his devotional message for today, … not the least of which is whether we would feel comfortable being in the court of Ahab.
In other words, if you were living in the times of Ahab and Jezebel, would you merge right into the anti-Godly culture where you worshipped idols and followed Ahab; or would you be willing to come behind or stand along side a man whose name and words declared openly, “The Lord is my God!”
Swindoll says it in truth; and I’ll just quote him to make the point that … "In our culture – our schools, our offices and factories, our lunchrooms and boardrooms, our ivy halls and our halls of justice – we need men and women of God, including young people of God. We need respected professionals, athletes, homemakers, teachers, public figures, and private citizens who will promote the things of God, who will stand alone, stand tall, stand firm, and stand strong!”
That’s why it’s so refreshing when you see entertainment or athletic winners, like Hollywood stars or professional athletes, who will take the opportunity when a commentator puts a microphone in their face to openly witness their faith or praise God so that all can hear them standing in the gap for their faith. These stand up Christians are, unfortunately, not as numerous in the public eye as those who support idolatrous causes like abortion or same-sex marriage. However, now and again you might hear an “Elijah” in our culture who will stand up and give testimony to their stand for God.
As I read Swindoll’s devotional today, I know where I stand; and I know that God does raise up special people for special times; and my friends, THESE ARE SPECIAL TIMES! These are the times of Ahab revisited. The question becomes are we God’s special people to stand in the gap for God’s truth and grace. And if you are saying, “I don’t think I’m one of those people,” you can take heart from many in the Bible who didn’t think they were the special ones God could choose for His special tasks.
Think about the reluctance of a Moses, who balked when God even showed him a burning bush. Think of a young Gideon, who was hiding in fear in a wine barrel when God came to him and called him a “man of valor.” And yes, even Elijah, at one time later in his life doubted God’s choosing him when he sat beneath a broom tree and prayed to have God take his life. We’ll likely be looking at that episode later in our study of Elijah; but if you feel God calling you to stand up in the culture and take a stand for God’s truth, remember this truth - GOD’S CALLING IS HIS ENABLEMENT! God will never call you to take a stand unless He gives you the enabling grace to carry out that task. That is the lesson Joshua had to learn in Joshua 1: 1 – 9 [linked]; and he was willing to move forward toward God’s promised land even when it was scary to do so. We can too; but we’ve got to be willing to take up God’s banner and carry it for Christ in our culture.
And so, when we have any opportunity to stand for truth over injustice, … for Godliness in the face of sinfulness, … or for forgiveness in the face of anger and hatred, let’s be an Elijah and let’s lend our voices to stand against the Ahabs of this world.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I repeat my prayer from yesterday … “raise up the Elijah in me … that I may be willing and able to stand for You, … no matter what! “ Amen
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
2009 – Day 145.May 26 – Elijah - Alone in the Gap
Transition Note: Elijah: A Man of Heroism and Humility is our new study, again using Chuck Swindoll's devotional book, Great Days with the Great Lives as my devotional guide. I pray we all can grow closer to God and become more like our Lord in this study.
===================
2009 – Day 145.May 26 – Alone in the Gap
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 16: 29 – 17: 1 … 29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him. … 34 In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken by Joshua son of Nun.
1 Kings 17 : 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."
My Journal for Today: Here was the scene. It was a day when the gap between God being Lord of all in Israel had widened to its greatest extent. Ahab and Jezebel ruled the Northern tribes of Israel; and Baal was their little-g “god.” The one true God, Jehovah, had faded in the minds and hearts of God’s “chosen” people, and somewhat quietly, but significantly, we are introduced, in Verse 17: 1 of our study passage today, to “Elijah,” who came from a small town, called Tishbe, likely located about 20 miles south of the Sea of Galilee, which was in the area controlled by Ahab.
Then Chuck Swindoll introduces his devotional readers and yours truly to the significance of Elijah’s name, which, in Hebrew, is a composite of the word “El,” which is a short of “Elohim” or the Hebrew word for “God” and “jah,” which is a short for “Jehovah,” or “The Lord” in Hebrew. These two words are separated by the Hebrew letter “I,” which refers to “my” or “mine.” So, when we put this all together we see that Elijah’s name declares, “my God is Jehovah,” or “The Lord is my God,” which would have been a very brash declaration in a country where worship of the god Baal was required.
It’s not difficult to see some parallels between the times in which Elijah stepped on the scene in Israel and today’s world. Today we live in a world permeated by false “gods;” and the concepts of “God” or “Christ” are becoming more and more hostile to the culture as time goes by. And so, anyone who stands in the gap declaring that “The Lord is my God” stands out as being in opposition to the running tide of our world. Elijah was just such a man in his day.
Swindoll points out that it doesn’t take too much interpretation to see that our Lord, God, … the same God as the one, true God who had chosen those people in Israel in Elijah’s day, desires to have men and women of God who’re willing to stand alone – if need be – to declare “The Lord and Savior, Jesus, is my God!” Elijah, just by his very name, was just such a man in his day, and Swindoll goes immediately to illustrate this by a few modern day “Elijahs,” who stood in the gap for God at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO, a few years ago. Here were a few students who, where challenged as to their faith, were gunned down because they were willing to say, “Yes, I’m a Christian.” And their courage became loud witnesses in our times for someone who was willing to stand in the gap for God.
Elijah was such a man; and so I look forward to a concentrated study into the life of one who would stand up for God in a world which was hostile to our Lord.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, raise up the Elijah in me … that I may be willing and able to stand for You, … no matter what! Amen
===================
2009 – Day 145.May 26 – Alone in the Gap
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 16: 29 – 17: 1 … 29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him. … 34 In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken by Joshua son of Nun.
1 Kings 17 : 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."
My Journal for Today: Here was the scene. It was a day when the gap between God being Lord of all in Israel had widened to its greatest extent. Ahab and Jezebel ruled the Northern tribes of Israel; and Baal was their little-g “god.” The one true God, Jehovah, had faded in the minds and hearts of God’s “chosen” people, and somewhat quietly, but significantly, we are introduced, in Verse 17: 1 of our study passage today, to “Elijah,” who came from a small town, called Tishbe, likely located about 20 miles south of the Sea of Galilee, which was in the area controlled by Ahab.
Then Chuck Swindoll introduces his devotional readers and yours truly to the significance of Elijah’s name, which, in Hebrew, is a composite of the word “El,” which is a short of “Elohim” or the Hebrew word for “God” and “jah,” which is a short for “Jehovah,” or “The Lord” in Hebrew. These two words are separated by the Hebrew letter “I,” which refers to “my” or “mine.” So, when we put this all together we see that Elijah’s name declares, “my God is Jehovah,” or “The Lord is my God,” which would have been a very brash declaration in a country where worship of the god Baal was required.
It’s not difficult to see some parallels between the times in which Elijah stepped on the scene in Israel and today’s world. Today we live in a world permeated by false “gods;” and the concepts of “God” or “Christ” are becoming more and more hostile to the culture as time goes by. And so, anyone who stands in the gap declaring that “The Lord is my God” stands out as being in opposition to the running tide of our world. Elijah was just such a man in his day.
Swindoll points out that it doesn’t take too much interpretation to see that our Lord, God, … the same God as the one, true God who had chosen those people in Israel in Elijah’s day, desires to have men and women of God who’re willing to stand alone – if need be – to declare “The Lord and Savior, Jesus, is my God!” Elijah, just by his very name, was just such a man in his day, and Swindoll goes immediately to illustrate this by a few modern day “Elijahs,” who stood in the gap for God at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO, a few years ago. Here were a few students who, where challenged as to their faith, were gunned down because they were willing to say, “Yes, I’m a Christian.” And their courage became loud witnesses in our times for someone who was willing to stand in the gap for God.
Elijah was such a man; and so I look forward to a concentrated study into the life of one who would stand up for God in a world which was hostile to our Lord.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, raise up the Elijah in me … that I may be willing and able to stand for You, … no matter what! Amen
Sunday, March 15, 2009
2009 – Day 73.Mar. 15 – “Watch Me Work”
2009 – Day 73.Mar. 15 – “Watch Me Work”
Passage of the Day: Exod. 5: 22 – 6: 12 … Link to Exod. 5 – 6 for study …
My Journal for Today: If you’ve read today’s passage, you may be able to identify with Moses. Here he was, as Swindoll says, feeling “as low as a snake’s belly.” He was doing what God’s word had commanded; and nothing seemed to be working as it should. And this is a theme that runs throughout the Bible and a truth that we simply must learn to live in a world which is hostile to God. And it’s a truth which Swindoll admits makes no sense by worldly standards.
The truth is that God’s best work is done when it makes no human sense; and His best use of His servants is done when his servants are at the end of their rope. Think about it in scripture with so many of God’s prophets and servants and His most glaring victories. There was the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham and Sarah with a child being born to two really old folks; and the deliverance of their Son Isaac when God senselessly asked that he die at Abraham’s hand. There was time when Isaiah called down rain and fire from the heavens to the astonishment of the prophets of Baal. There was the time when God saved the Ninevites, much to the astonishment and chagrin of Jonah. There was the time when God led Gideon from threshing wheat in a wine barrel to victory with only 300 soldiers over thousands of the enemies of God. There was the time when Jesus was born into a manger, turned water into wine, walked on water, died on a cross and was resurrected to save mankind.
Do we get the picture? … No, I don’t think we do. It’s an absolute truth that God repeats over and over and over again in His word – that He will do His business in His time and in HIS way. But we, so often, just don’t get it. Jesus’ inner disciples, the twelve who followed the Lord for three years, watching Him perform miracle after miracle after miracle; and they were like all of the rest of us are now. They just didn’t get it. And we need to admit it as well. When we are confronted with the tough circumstances of life which reveal just how weak we are, do we believe the truth from Paul in 2nd Cor. 12: 9 [link provided] – that God’s grace will be sufficient for us in our weakness to demonstrate God’s strength? No, few of us, calling ourselves Christians, really believe the truth of a Romans 8: 28 that ALL things DO work together for the good of a real Christian. … No, in tough times, we mostly react like God’s people reacted in seeing Pharaoh resist Moses in their confrontation of wills. Even God’s Prophet, Moses, balked (see Exod. 5: 22-23 linked above) saying, in essence, “Lord, I did what You said; … what gives?; … Pharaoh’s not cooperating!”
Well, we know, from reading on, that Moses gathered himself and persisted; but the challenge would continue and there would be many more tests and trials and tribulations; and Moses would not have our advantage of knowing (and hopefully believing) what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1st Cor. 10: 13, where God encourages believers that no temptation, trial, or test will be brought into our lives, as Christians, which we cannot handle or deal with when we rely on and stick with God.
I have a symbol which I often use in letters and emails to fellow Christians, encouraging them to “keep on keeping on in Christ.” The symbol is “ <’KOKO>< " … and I’ll let you figure out its significance. But often, when I’m feeling low or incompetent, as Moses must’ve felt, this little symbol helps me remember that God will never forsake me (Heb. 13: 5) and that HE is my strength when I am weak (Phil. 4: 13 - no link here; you should know this one!). So, to any of you who might be feeling weak or incapable right now, I will leave this exhortation with you …
"<’KOKO><"
My Prayer for Today: Lord, Your grace is sufficient – ALWAYS! Amen
Passage of the Day: Exod. 5: 22 – 6: 12 … Link to Exod. 5 – 6 for study …
My Journal for Today: If you’ve read today’s passage, you may be able to identify with Moses. Here he was, as Swindoll says, feeling “as low as a snake’s belly.” He was doing what God’s word had commanded; and nothing seemed to be working as it should. And this is a theme that runs throughout the Bible and a truth that we simply must learn to live in a world which is hostile to God. And it’s a truth which Swindoll admits makes no sense by worldly standards.
The truth is that God’s best work is done when it makes no human sense; and His best use of His servants is done when his servants are at the end of their rope. Think about it in scripture with so many of God’s prophets and servants and His most glaring victories. There was the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham and Sarah with a child being born to two really old folks; and the deliverance of their Son Isaac when God senselessly asked that he die at Abraham’s hand. There was time when Isaiah called down rain and fire from the heavens to the astonishment of the prophets of Baal. There was the time when God saved the Ninevites, much to the astonishment and chagrin of Jonah. There was the time when God led Gideon from threshing wheat in a wine barrel to victory with only 300 soldiers over thousands of the enemies of God. There was the time when Jesus was born into a manger, turned water into wine, walked on water, died on a cross and was resurrected to save mankind.
Do we get the picture? … No, I don’t think we do. It’s an absolute truth that God repeats over and over and over again in His word – that He will do His business in His time and in HIS way. But we, so often, just don’t get it. Jesus’ inner disciples, the twelve who followed the Lord for three years, watching Him perform miracle after miracle after miracle; and they were like all of the rest of us are now. They just didn’t get it. And we need to admit it as well. When we are confronted with the tough circumstances of life which reveal just how weak we are, do we believe the truth from Paul in 2nd Cor. 12: 9 [link provided] – that God’s grace will be sufficient for us in our weakness to demonstrate God’s strength? No, few of us, calling ourselves Christians, really believe the truth of a Romans 8: 28 that ALL things DO work together for the good of a real Christian. … No, in tough times, we mostly react like God’s people reacted in seeing Pharaoh resist Moses in their confrontation of wills. Even God’s Prophet, Moses, balked (see Exod. 5: 22-23 linked above) saying, in essence, “Lord, I did what You said; … what gives?; … Pharaoh’s not cooperating!”
Well, we know, from reading on, that Moses gathered himself and persisted; but the challenge would continue and there would be many more tests and trials and tribulations; and Moses would not have our advantage of knowing (and hopefully believing) what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1st Cor. 10: 13, where God encourages believers that no temptation, trial, or test will be brought into our lives, as Christians, which we cannot handle or deal with when we rely on and stick with God.
I have a symbol which I often use in letters and emails to fellow Christians, encouraging them to “keep on keeping on in Christ.” The symbol is “ <’KOKO>< " … and I’ll let you figure out its significance. But often, when I’m feeling low or incompetent, as Moses must’ve felt, this little symbol helps me remember that God will never forsake me (Heb. 13: 5) and that HE is my strength when I am weak (Phil. 4: 13 - no link here; you should know this one!). So, to any of you who might be feeling weak or incapable right now, I will leave this exhortation with you …
"<’KOKO><"
My Prayer for Today: Lord, Your grace is sufficient – ALWAYS! Amen
Saturday, March 07, 2009
2009 – Day 65.Mar. 7 – And The Answer Is …
2009 – Day 65.Mar. 7 – And The Answer Is …
Passage of the Day: Exodus 4: 1 – 10 … Read passage from this link …
My Journal for Today: Swindoll’s right again. After one reads this scenario of Moses trying to apply his human weaknesses to the potential of trying to be God’s spokesman before Pharaoh, the excuses Moses comes up with are pictures of our own feelings as we are called by Christ by the Great Commission (Matt. 28: 19-20) or God’s charge to be His witness to the world (Acts 1: 8).
But just as in those New Testament callings, God gives us, as he did with Moses, His power to take away all of our excuses. But our first reaction, when we think of God calling us to be His spokesperson here on earth, is to balk in fear. And why is that? And Swindoll nails it again, our feeble excuses and fearful back peddling always comes from the mother of all fears, … the parent emotion of all sin, … and that is PRIDE.
We rightfully imagine that our own strength or intelligence in trying to witness for God will not be strong enough; and we simply don’t want to seem like a fool in front of our family, friends, or fellow humans. Ironically, as I indicated, the first part of our assumption is accurate. We are not smart enough or strong enough, in and of our own abilities, to be God’s witness. But where do we get the idea that saying, “I don’t know,” will be put down by others to whom we witness about God in our lives.
No, when we are confronted by someone who has to admit weakness or error, the truth is that we don’t disrespect another who says, “I don’t know.” Admit it. When we pump them with logical questions about something, and we back them into a logical corner, when they admit their weakness, we don’t disrespect them for admitting weakness, do we? No, the truth is that honestly admitting ignorance or weakness is viewed with empathy and respect when someone else is courageous enough to admit he or she can’t handle a situation. But because of pride we let our imaginations run wild when we think of trying to witness for God, thinking that others will see us as stupid or weak.
The reality, which I’ve come to discover over the years, is that when I’m witnessing for God, especially with my testimony, no one can argue with me. Oh, my antagonists may be able to pump unanswerable questions at me or challenge the logic of Scripture, if I were to quote it. However, NO ONE can argue with a personal testimony. So, when I witness as to how God has changed my life, there’s no smart comeback to challenge me; and in situations like those God’s power is in my testimony.
And the other point I’ve come to understand and trust is the truth that God will not only never leave me in the lurch when I’m witnessing for Him; but He has always goes on ahead of me to set the ground for me as I stand for Him. That’s the promise of Deut. 31: 6, 8 from the Old Covenant as well as Hebrews 13: 5 in the New Testament is that God will NEVER forsake me. Just as Moses discovered that God will allow us to be His witness with the Lord’s power speaking, we can go forth and witness to the world with the Holy Spirit preparing the way for us and being there in our testimonies.
Oh, it may not be a rod turning into a serpent or the hand in the bosom slight of hand as it was for Moses; but it will be God standing with us when we stand for Him. We simply have to set aside our human pride and fears; and trust that God will be there with us when we become witnesses for Him. As we’ll be seeing in upcoming devotionals, Moses would learn that truth; and he would come to stand with and for God against Pharaoh. But right now we need to be asking ourselves why we don’t or can’t go forth in faith to witness for our Lord; and we need to do so with the faith that God will never put us in a situation we cannot handle with Him being there with us (see 1st Cor. 10: 13). When we learn that lesson, we can be just as “dangerous” for God as Moses was about to become in Pharaoh’s court.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I go forth to witness for You. Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 4: 1 – 10 … Read passage from this link …
My Journal for Today: Swindoll’s right again. After one reads this scenario of Moses trying to apply his human weaknesses to the potential of trying to be God’s spokesman before Pharaoh, the excuses Moses comes up with are pictures of our own feelings as we are called by Christ by the Great Commission (Matt. 28: 19-20) or God’s charge to be His witness to the world (Acts 1: 8).
But just as in those New Testament callings, God gives us, as he did with Moses, His power to take away all of our excuses. But our first reaction, when we think of God calling us to be His spokesperson here on earth, is to balk in fear. And why is that? And Swindoll nails it again, our feeble excuses and fearful back peddling always comes from the mother of all fears, … the parent emotion of all sin, … and that is PRIDE.
We rightfully imagine that our own strength or intelligence in trying to witness for God will not be strong enough; and we simply don’t want to seem like a fool in front of our family, friends, or fellow humans. Ironically, as I indicated, the first part of our assumption is accurate. We are not smart enough or strong enough, in and of our own abilities, to be God’s witness. But where do we get the idea that saying, “I don’t know,” will be put down by others to whom we witness about God in our lives.
No, when we are confronted by someone who has to admit weakness or error, the truth is that we don’t disrespect another who says, “I don’t know.” Admit it. When we pump them with logical questions about something, and we back them into a logical corner, when they admit their weakness, we don’t disrespect them for admitting weakness, do we? No, the truth is that honestly admitting ignorance or weakness is viewed with empathy and respect when someone else is courageous enough to admit he or she can’t handle a situation. But because of pride we let our imaginations run wild when we think of trying to witness for God, thinking that others will see us as stupid or weak.
The reality, which I’ve come to discover over the years, is that when I’m witnessing for God, especially with my testimony, no one can argue with me. Oh, my antagonists may be able to pump unanswerable questions at me or challenge the logic of Scripture, if I were to quote it. However, NO ONE can argue with a personal testimony. So, when I witness as to how God has changed my life, there’s no smart comeback to challenge me; and in situations like those God’s power is in my testimony.
And the other point I’ve come to understand and trust is the truth that God will not only never leave me in the lurch when I’m witnessing for Him; but He has always goes on ahead of me to set the ground for me as I stand for Him. That’s the promise of Deut. 31: 6, 8 from the Old Covenant as well as Hebrews 13: 5 in the New Testament is that God will NEVER forsake me. Just as Moses discovered that God will allow us to be His witness with the Lord’s power speaking, we can go forth and witness to the world with the Holy Spirit preparing the way for us and being there in our testimonies.
Oh, it may not be a rod turning into a serpent or the hand in the bosom slight of hand as it was for Moses; but it will be God standing with us when we stand for Him. We simply have to set aside our human pride and fears; and trust that God will be there with us when we become witnesses for Him. As we’ll be seeing in upcoming devotionals, Moses would learn that truth; and he would come to stand with and for God against Pharaoh. But right now we need to be asking ourselves why we don’t or can’t go forth in faith to witness for our Lord; and we need to do so with the faith that God will never put us in a situation we cannot handle with Him being there with us (see 1st Cor. 10: 13). When we learn that lesson, we can be just as “dangerous” for God as Moses was about to become in Pharaoh’s court.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I go forth to witness for You. Amen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
