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Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 1st Samuel 18-20 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Psalm 11 … To study this song, go to this link -
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Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Psalm 59 … To study this song, go to this link -
Highlight Reference Passage #1: 1st Samuel 18: 1-4 … 1 After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. 2 From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. 3 And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. 4 Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.
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Highlight Reference Passage #2: 1st Samuel 19: 1-3 … 1 Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. But Jonathan had taken a great liking to David 2 and warned him, “My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there. 3 I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I’ll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out.”
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Highlight Reference Passage #3: 1st Samuel 20: 1-4 … 1 Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to kill me?” >>> 2 “Never!” Jonathan replied. “You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn’t do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn’t so!” >>> 3 But David took an oath and said, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, ‘Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.’ Yet as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.” >>>
4 Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for you.”
My Journal for Today: Have you ever had a friend? … No, I mean A REAL FRIEND, … like the friendship modeled by Jonathan in his covenant friendship with David. Actually, I only have one friendship which approaches the covenant relationship which we read about in the passages I’ve highlighted today, which shine a light on the almost super-friendship which is chronicled in the book of 1st Samuel between Saul’s eldest son, Jonathan, and David, the man with whom Saul had a love/hate relationship.
And my covenant friend, … really the only friend I know I can count on always, … is Jesus. And you can read about the essence of my covenant relationship, as described by Jesus Himself in John 15: 9-17; and I’m afraid that MY FRIEND, Jesus, is closer in His covenant with me than I am with Him; but I still aspire to love my Friend, Jesus, just as He loves me.
Now, in my world of human friends, I can only say that I’ve experienced a remnant of the friendship which was modeled by Jonathan in the friendship he had with David. Jonathan was willing to give up and risk losing everything, … even his birthright, for his friend, David. He loved him enough to risk his very life and even the relationship he had with his father for the covenant he established with David. Do you have a friend like that in this world of horizontal relationships? … Very few of us do?
Really, the covenant relationship we read about above between Jonathan and David is a prototype picture of the relationship Jesus was to have with all who received His “friendship” in being born-again into an eternal “friendship” with Himself as Lord and Savior. Jonathan is a picture of Jesus, the One Who was willing to given up even the relationship with his Heavenly Father and to die for his friend, David, … David being the picture of you and me when we come into covenant relationship with our Friend, Jesus.
Sure, I’d love to have a human friendship who even comes close to that modeled by Jonathan and David; but I can always know that I have such a friendship; because I have my covenant and eternal brotherhood with Jesus to rely upon forever. .
My Prayer Today: … Thank you for being my Friend, Jesus! Amen
Showing posts with label devotion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label devotion. Show all posts
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
2010 – July 6 – Give the Rules a Rest!
Study from God’s Word… Is 28: 1 – 15; Is 29: 13; Is 28: 16 – 29; Is 1 – 14; Is 29: 1 – 8; Is 33: 1; Is 29: 9 - 21 … Passage for Reflection: Isaiah 28: 10 – 12; … Is. 29: 13 … NIV 10 For it is: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there." 11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people, 12 to whom he said, "This is the resting place, let the weary rest"; and, "This is the place of repose"—but they would not listen. … 29: 13 The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.
My Journal for Today: Wow! Isaiah’s challenge and charge must’ve been so ultimately frustrating. Seeing God’s people falling away from God’s way; and then when they did get into religion, as with today’s highlight passages, the religious leaders imposed their own rules on the people, setting in motion a stark, legalistic system that drove the people even further away from the one, true God. And poor Isaiah could see where it all was headed and that was to the captivity of God’s people by hoards of Gentiles, which would ultimately lead to the Babylonian captivity.
And Dr. Smith, my devotional author, leads me today us see that religious rules/regulations, in Isaiah’s time or now, are never the answer for unrighteousness; and we still see that on the scene today, thousands of years after Isaiah. In fact, Jesus, when He came on the scene, which had been prophesied by Isaiah, preached much the same message as had the Prophets before Him … that mankind will never find rest and repose in rules and regulations.
Our only freedom … our only peace … can be found in complete and utter surrender to the One Who has come to free us from ourselves. But legalistic systems of religion, devised or imposed by man, can never lead one to the peace offered when one gives Himself over completely to God by their faith in the Messiah. So, when we’re wrapped up in our religious rituals, and the dos and don’ts of life, we need to beware that these systems are not taking us away from our Savior rather than drawing us to Him. And that’s what will happen if we let legalism supersede our deep and abiding relationship with Christ.
Come to Jesus, my friend. Rest in Him; and Him alone. We must avoid rule-ism and getting wrapped up in what we must do or don’t do. My only MUST is to do what Jesus commanded me to do in Luke 9: 23 … to deny myself … and follow Him! And when I do that, I will find rest. Our Lord promised it (see Matt. 11: 28-30); and that’s all I need to find rest/repose. So, if you seek it, as I do, let’s find it in Christ.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I come to You for my rest. Amen
My Journal for Today: Wow! Isaiah’s challenge and charge must’ve been so ultimately frustrating. Seeing God’s people falling away from God’s way; and then when they did get into religion, as with today’s highlight passages, the religious leaders imposed their own rules on the people, setting in motion a stark, legalistic system that drove the people even further away from the one, true God. And poor Isaiah could see where it all was headed and that was to the captivity of God’s people by hoards of Gentiles, which would ultimately lead to the Babylonian captivity.
And Dr. Smith, my devotional author, leads me today us see that religious rules/regulations, in Isaiah’s time or now, are never the answer for unrighteousness; and we still see that on the scene today, thousands of years after Isaiah. In fact, Jesus, when He came on the scene, which had been prophesied by Isaiah, preached much the same message as had the Prophets before Him … that mankind will never find rest and repose in rules and regulations.
Our only freedom … our only peace … can be found in complete and utter surrender to the One Who has come to free us from ourselves. But legalistic systems of religion, devised or imposed by man, can never lead one to the peace offered when one gives Himself over completely to God by their faith in the Messiah. So, when we’re wrapped up in our religious rituals, and the dos and don’ts of life, we need to beware that these systems are not taking us away from our Savior rather than drawing us to Him. And that’s what will happen if we let legalism supersede our deep and abiding relationship with Christ.
Come to Jesus, my friend. Rest in Him; and Him alone. We must avoid rule-ism and getting wrapped up in what we must do or don’t do. My only MUST is to do what Jesus commanded me to do in Luke 9: 23 … to deny myself … and follow Him! And when I do that, I will find rest. Our Lord promised it (see Matt. 11: 28-30); and that’s all I need to find rest/repose. So, if you seek it, as I do, let’s find it in Christ.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I come to You for my rest. Amen
Sunday, February 21, 2010
2010 – Feb. 21 – Keeping Faith Alive
Study from God’s word: Lev. 1: 1 – 17; Lev. 6: 8 – 13; Num. 28: 1-8; Lev. 17: 8-9; Lev. 2: 1-10; Lev. 2: 11-13, 14-16; Lev. 6: 14-23; Num. 15: 1-12; Num. 15: 13-21; … Passage for Reflection: Leviticus 6: 13 … NIV The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.
My Journal for Today: Today my trek through the times of Moses from my Daily Bible reading had me looking at the sacrifices and offerings which God established to help in the removal of guilt (i.e., the expiation of sin) from a people who were born into sin and needed the removal or payment (i.e., propitiation) of that sin on a continual basis. The Day of Atonement, for example, was an annual feast (now called “Yom Kippur”) where the people were given an opportunity to confess and have atonement for their sins through the sacrifices and offerings brought to God’s altar on that day. And a blood sacrifice was necessary for that to be accomplished through these ceremonies. But God knew that His people needed more than an annual feast to keep the fires of worship burning for God so that He could pour His grace out for His chosen people.
And one thing Dr. Smith did in this study of the sacrifices and offerings the people was to highlight what was required of the Priests for devotion and worship, keeping the fire of the altar lit and burning continuously (see the focus verse for today in Lev. 6: 13). Why did God order the Priesthood to keep the worship altar fire burning? Well, I’d bet that you know the answer to that one. It’s because God knows how hard it is for His children to keep their minds/hearts focused and burning in worship to our God, Who is our protector, provider, and the essence of our purpose. God knows – and we’ve seen – just how weak of purpose we can be in our continual worship of our God. But we need to remember that we, as Christians, are now God’s Priesthood (see 1st Pet. 2: 9); and thereby we need to keep that fire of devotion burning in our hearts, where God now resides, forever.
Did any of you make New Year’s resolutions this year; … maybe to lose weight; … perhaps to exercise more and more regularly; … maybe to have a deeper and more devoted quiet time with God each morning? How’re you doing? Well, if you are like many of us, it’s easy to let the demands of the flesh or of the world interrupt our commitment; and our focus and attention to our Godly goals wane, breaking through and letting the fires of devotion dwindle and then to die. Do I sense a confession of “Amen!” to that?
Well, God, knowing how easy it would be for His children, who had a heart described by Jeremiah (see Jer. 17: 9) as “deceitful … beyond cure,” commanded the Priests, the spiritual leaders for God’s people to keep the flame on the altar of worship burning – continually - to remind the people to hold their worship out for God on a daily basis. It is far easier to keep a fire burning than to have to restart it when it has died out, … isn’t it? And once someone has developed a habit of regular devotion, worship, or Bible study, it would be a lot easier to keep it going daily than to let the habit dwindle and die and then have to restart and re-establish the habit again. But unfortunately the latter is the way most New Year’s resolutions go, … don’t they?
So, where do we go with this very human tendency to let the fires of purpose die in our lives? Well, if we know that we need to have a regular and deeper devotional life with God, when and how are we going to relight the fire and keep it burning? Would it be better to wait until tomorrow or begin again today? And if the answer is today, as we know would be better, what do we need to do set the fire of our worship/devotion of God ablaze for His glory?
At the beginning of this year, I did an inventory of my life and determined a number of disciplines which were honoring to God, … disciplines which I needed to keep going or to get going. I listed them and began on a 40 days of commitment to document and report [to a select accountability group] how I was doing on these disciplines as part of my daily devotion to God.
Well, I was able to do the 40 days; but then I realized that if I didn’t keep this fire burning in the way I had started it – on a daily basis, my own default sin nature would likely let it burn out sometime down the road. So, I made a commitment on Day 40 to make it a 365 day commitment to the Lord and report every day to my select group how I was doing on my list of offerings of purpose. If you are in the group who get this devotional journal with my daily listing of behavioral entries, you would know that I’m still doing my listings daily. And I’m reporting this to praise God for giving me the enabling grace to keep this fire of devotion to Him burning (see 1st Cor. 10: 13 and 2nd Cor. 12: 9).
Have I waxed and waned on some of the individual disciplines? Yes, I have; but I immediately know it as I report it daily; and I can – and have – rekindled that fire to keep it burning. Recognizing how weak I can be, this is my way of following through with my behavioral and devotional offerings daily; … to keep the fires of worship burning in my heart for God. And I recognize that this may not be a way that you can or will keep your worship fires for God burning. However, I maintain that you’re going to need to do something, on a daily basis, to do it; because we do have a flesh which will pull us away from God. And we have an arch enemy, Satan, who will pour gas on those fleshly embers so that our fleshly choices will draw us away from keeping the fires of devotion lit and burning for God.
How are you keeping your fires of commitment burning – every day - for God?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to keep my fires burning each day; no, each moment, for You! Amen
My Journal for Today: Today my trek through the times of Moses from my Daily Bible reading had me looking at the sacrifices and offerings which God established to help in the removal of guilt (i.e., the expiation of sin) from a people who were born into sin and needed the removal or payment (i.e., propitiation) of that sin on a continual basis. The Day of Atonement, for example, was an annual feast (now called “Yom Kippur”) where the people were given an opportunity to confess and have atonement for their sins through the sacrifices and offerings brought to God’s altar on that day. And a blood sacrifice was necessary for that to be accomplished through these ceremonies. But God knew that His people needed more than an annual feast to keep the fires of worship burning for God so that He could pour His grace out for His chosen people.
And one thing Dr. Smith did in this study of the sacrifices and offerings the people was to highlight what was required of the Priests for devotion and worship, keeping the fire of the altar lit and burning continuously (see the focus verse for today in Lev. 6: 13). Why did God order the Priesthood to keep the worship altar fire burning? Well, I’d bet that you know the answer to that one. It’s because God knows how hard it is for His children to keep their minds/hearts focused and burning in worship to our God, Who is our protector, provider, and the essence of our purpose. God knows – and we’ve seen – just how weak of purpose we can be in our continual worship of our God. But we need to remember that we, as Christians, are now God’s Priesthood (see 1st Pet. 2: 9); and thereby we need to keep that fire of devotion burning in our hearts, where God now resides, forever.
Did any of you make New Year’s resolutions this year; … maybe to lose weight; … perhaps to exercise more and more regularly; … maybe to have a deeper and more devoted quiet time with God each morning? How’re you doing? Well, if you are like many of us, it’s easy to let the demands of the flesh or of the world interrupt our commitment; and our focus and attention to our Godly goals wane, breaking through and letting the fires of devotion dwindle and then to die. Do I sense a confession of “Amen!” to that?
Well, God, knowing how easy it would be for His children, who had a heart described by Jeremiah (see Jer. 17: 9) as “deceitful … beyond cure,” commanded the Priests, the spiritual leaders for God’s people to keep the flame on the altar of worship burning – continually - to remind the people to hold their worship out for God on a daily basis. It is far easier to keep a fire burning than to have to restart it when it has died out, … isn’t it? And once someone has developed a habit of regular devotion, worship, or Bible study, it would be a lot easier to keep it going daily than to let the habit dwindle and die and then have to restart and re-establish the habit again. But unfortunately the latter is the way most New Year’s resolutions go, … don’t they?
So, where do we go with this very human tendency to let the fires of purpose die in our lives? Well, if we know that we need to have a regular and deeper devotional life with God, when and how are we going to relight the fire and keep it burning? Would it be better to wait until tomorrow or begin again today? And if the answer is today, as we know would be better, what do we need to do set the fire of our worship/devotion of God ablaze for His glory?
At the beginning of this year, I did an inventory of my life and determined a number of disciplines which were honoring to God, … disciplines which I needed to keep going or to get going. I listed them and began on a 40 days of commitment to document and report [to a select accountability group] how I was doing on these disciplines as part of my daily devotion to God.
Well, I was able to do the 40 days; but then I realized that if I didn’t keep this fire burning in the way I had started it – on a daily basis, my own default sin nature would likely let it burn out sometime down the road. So, I made a commitment on Day 40 to make it a 365 day commitment to the Lord and report every day to my select group how I was doing on my list of offerings of purpose. If you are in the group who get this devotional journal with my daily listing of behavioral entries, you would know that I’m still doing my listings daily. And I’m reporting this to praise God for giving me the enabling grace to keep this fire of devotion to Him burning (see 1st Cor. 10: 13 and 2nd Cor. 12: 9).
Have I waxed and waned on some of the individual disciplines? Yes, I have; but I immediately know it as I report it daily; and I can – and have – rekindled that fire to keep it burning. Recognizing how weak I can be, this is my way of following through with my behavioral and devotional offerings daily; … to keep the fires of worship burning in my heart for God. And I recognize that this may not be a way that you can or will keep your worship fires for God burning. However, I maintain that you’re going to need to do something, on a daily basis, to do it; because we do have a flesh which will pull us away from God. And we have an arch enemy, Satan, who will pour gas on those fleshly embers so that our fleshly choices will draw us away from keeping the fires of devotion lit and burning for God.
How are you keeping your fires of commitment burning – every day - for God?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to keep my fires burning each day; no, each moment, for You! Amen
Thursday, June 25, 2009
2009 – Day 175.June 25 – Come Out
2009 – Day 175.June 25 – Come Out
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 19: 1 – 18 … Linked for your study …
My Journal for Today: Well, if you’ve been coming along with me in this downer period of Elijah’s life, we’ve seen how our Prophet-hero allowed exhaustion to take him into a cave of depression, despair, and deranged vision. However, today we see how God works in such times; and I’ve experienced this kind of discouragement as well as God’s antidote. So, I know first hand that what we read in this passage is truly how God works.
First, if God has a plan for your life, he will give you time and resources to prepare or re-repair yourself for that task. As my mentor used to say, over and over, to me, “God’s calling is His enablement.” And here we see God giving Elijah 40 days of R & R in the cave to get his mind focused back on God’s will and His way. Then, when Elijah’s mind was clear enough to hear the truth, God called our Prophet out of the cave and gave him a little bit of in-service training in how our God communicates.
Elijah came out to the mountain where God’s presence surrounded him; and he sent the world’s noisiness to show Elijah what he [we] should ignore. And the winds came, … then the earth moved; … and then the fires raged; but God was not in those messages. And that reminds me of all the hustle and bustle of our world where we are deluged by all the blowing, inconsequential information of this age; and we are shaken by the tyranny of the urgent trying to rattle and distract us from God’s will; and we are burned by a world that hates God. But God is not in any of that. No, Elijah learned that he needed to listen for God’s still, small voice; and so do we.
I hope you have a quiet place each day where you can delve into God’s word; and you can, in prayer, listen for God’s still, small voice. God will not usually be in all the news you see/hear on CNN. Seldom will God be trying to influence you with the ground shaking events which occur in our lives; and when the world burns us with its evil ways or the oppression of Satan’s demons, God will not be speaking in all those lies. No, my dear one, God usually shows up and is heard in the quiet times when we are specifically seeking to go deep to know Him. He’s there in the still, small voice as you listen for Him in prayer; and he’s heard through His quiet, but powerful, voice which we glean from His word.
Like Swindoll points out in his devotional today, we need to avoid the fatigue and exhaustion which can cloud our ability and desire to seek our Lord’s will and follow His way; and we need to go to a place in our lives where God can more readily speak to our minds/hearts and be heard.
Do you have such a place in your life, my friend? Or are you letting the world wear you out with its demands and the oppression of worldly information, most of which will never enlighten us. We need to be alone with God where we can hear His still, small voice EVERY DAY. We need to develop a discipline of solitude and quietness where we go to listen to God’s Spirit speaking into our lives, convicting and directing us toward God’s will and His way from His word. Find that place, dear one, and hear God speak to your heart. Because, if you seek the quiet voice of the Lord with determination and diligence, He will reveal Himself to you.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help all who read here to tune their spirits to Your still small voice which I am hearing here this morning. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 19: 1 – 18 … Linked for your study …
My Journal for Today: Well, if you’ve been coming along with me in this downer period of Elijah’s life, we’ve seen how our Prophet-hero allowed exhaustion to take him into a cave of depression, despair, and deranged vision. However, today we see how God works in such times; and I’ve experienced this kind of discouragement as well as God’s antidote. So, I know first hand that what we read in this passage is truly how God works.
First, if God has a plan for your life, he will give you time and resources to prepare or re-repair yourself for that task. As my mentor used to say, over and over, to me, “God’s calling is His enablement.” And here we see God giving Elijah 40 days of R & R in the cave to get his mind focused back on God’s will and His way. Then, when Elijah’s mind was clear enough to hear the truth, God called our Prophet out of the cave and gave him a little bit of in-service training in how our God communicates.
Elijah came out to the mountain where God’s presence surrounded him; and he sent the world’s noisiness to show Elijah what he [we] should ignore. And the winds came, … then the earth moved; … and then the fires raged; but God was not in those messages. And that reminds me of all the hustle and bustle of our world where we are deluged by all the blowing, inconsequential information of this age; and we are shaken by the tyranny of the urgent trying to rattle and distract us from God’s will; and we are burned by a world that hates God. But God is not in any of that. No, Elijah learned that he needed to listen for God’s still, small voice; and so do we.
I hope you have a quiet place each day where you can delve into God’s word; and you can, in prayer, listen for God’s still, small voice. God will not usually be in all the news you see/hear on CNN. Seldom will God be trying to influence you with the ground shaking events which occur in our lives; and when the world burns us with its evil ways or the oppression of Satan’s demons, God will not be speaking in all those lies. No, my dear one, God usually shows up and is heard in the quiet times when we are specifically seeking to go deep to know Him. He’s there in the still, small voice as you listen for Him in prayer; and he’s heard through His quiet, but powerful, voice which we glean from His word.
Like Swindoll points out in his devotional today, we need to avoid the fatigue and exhaustion which can cloud our ability and desire to seek our Lord’s will and follow His way; and we need to go to a place in our lives where God can more readily speak to our minds/hearts and be heard.
Do you have such a place in your life, my friend? Or are you letting the world wear you out with its demands and the oppression of worldly information, most of which will never enlighten us. We need to be alone with God where we can hear His still, small voice EVERY DAY. We need to develop a discipline of solitude and quietness where we go to listen to God’s Spirit speaking into our lives, convicting and directing us toward God’s will and His way from His word. Find that place, dear one, and hear God speak to your heart. Because, if you seek the quiet voice of the Lord with determination and diligence, He will reveal Himself to you.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help all who read here to tune their spirits to Your still small voice which I am hearing here this morning. Amen
Thursday, June 11, 2009
2009 – Day 161.June 11 – Discipline When Tragedy Strikes
2009 – Day 161.June 11 – Discipline When Tragedy Strikes
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 17: 17 – 19 … 17 Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him. 18 So she said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?” 19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.
My Journal for Today: As Chuck Swindoll points out in today’s devotional entry, this passage brings out several very telling things about Elijah, his faith, and his discipline. And first Swindoll points to Elijah’s “gentleness” in the face of the widow’s misdirected anger. Gentleness (i.e., meekness) is one of those Christlike qualities, a fruit of God’s Spirit, which is present in all Spirit-filled believers. But it is not always present to the degree of Christlikeness which allows one like Elijah to take the woman’s anger without reacting back in anger. That kind of meekness takes time to develop in most believers. Elijah had learned, likely through his time in Cherith before coming into the widow’s life, that a crisis requires leaning on God rather than reacting with human emotions. And that’s exactly what Elijah did. He gently asked that the woman give her lifeless child over to Elijah’s arms and in faith let Elijah go to God.
And as we see, the woman, though she had taken all her emotions out on Elijah, in response to the Prophet’s request, she seemed to know that she must submit to Elijah’s request and thereby submit her child to Elijah’s God. But then we see something we need to learn and incorporate into our lives. Elijah took the child to a place of solitude to “do business” with God. He carried the child to an “upper room.”
And Chuck Swindoll asks a telling question of his readers. He writes, “Do you have a room like that – a place where you meet with God, … where you and the Lord do regular business together?” And he recommends, and I second the charge, that you find or develop such a “quiet place,” … a place where you get alone with God – DAILY – and delve into God’s word together with God’s Spirit, … a place where you can “get on your knees” and bring your life to God, … a place where you can seek the mind of God.
I have such a place; and I’m right there now. As I type this, I’ve gone to my personal quiet place; and I’ve been delving, with Chuck Swindoll’s help, for God’s wisdom; and I firmly believe that my words here today come from one (yours truly) who is getting insight from God’s Spirit which is way beyond my own ability to reason or think. Hence, as I do so often during my morning devotional times, I am receiving the results of my prayer for wisdom, as spoken of in James 1: 5-6 [linked her for you]. Before I dig for God’s truth (see Job 28 - also linked), I pray that God will reveal Himself and His mind to me; and when I write like I am this morning, I sense that God is pouring His grace of enlightenment into and through me.
Dear one, I’m not smart enough to write what I’m typing here. That’s God’s Spirit giving me these thoughts. That’s not pride or haughtiness. That is simply confidence in what God promises and the results of faith in what God has taught me over many years of devotional discipline. I’ve been getting alone with God every morning now since 1988; and that’s why I get up each morning expecting that God is going to be there in my quiet place to give me His grace and truth when I seek it from my Lord. And my God shows up <u>every morning to do just that! And wouldn't you want to go to a place where you know that God was going to be there for you every day? I think so!
Like Swindoll, I hope you have an “upper room” where you can go to be with God and let Him do business with your soul; and not just in crisis times as we read about Elijah, but EVERY DAY so that God can shape you into a seeker after His wisdom and a warrior who can do business for God as we read Elijah doing with the boy in today’s scenario. God will be there when you diligently seek Him. Get a place where you can meet with Him everyday; and you’ll find what I have found. He’ll be there for you and with you.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, thank You for being here with me today. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 17: 17 – 19 … 17 Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him. 18 So she said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?” 19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.
My Journal for Today: As Chuck Swindoll points out in today’s devotional entry, this passage brings out several very telling things about Elijah, his faith, and his discipline. And first Swindoll points to Elijah’s “gentleness” in the face of the widow’s misdirected anger. Gentleness (i.e., meekness) is one of those Christlike qualities, a fruit of God’s Spirit, which is present in all Spirit-filled believers. But it is not always present to the degree of Christlikeness which allows one like Elijah to take the woman’s anger without reacting back in anger. That kind of meekness takes time to develop in most believers. Elijah had learned, likely through his time in Cherith before coming into the widow’s life, that a crisis requires leaning on God rather than reacting with human emotions. And that’s exactly what Elijah did. He gently asked that the woman give her lifeless child over to Elijah’s arms and in faith let Elijah go to God.
And as we see, the woman, though she had taken all her emotions out on Elijah, in response to the Prophet’s request, she seemed to know that she must submit to Elijah’s request and thereby submit her child to Elijah’s God. But then we see something we need to learn and incorporate into our lives. Elijah took the child to a place of solitude to “do business” with God. He carried the child to an “upper room.”
And Chuck Swindoll asks a telling question of his readers. He writes, “Do you have a room like that – a place where you meet with God, … where you and the Lord do regular business together?” And he recommends, and I second the charge, that you find or develop such a “quiet place,” … a place where you get alone with God – DAILY – and delve into God’s word together with God’s Spirit, … a place where you can “get on your knees” and bring your life to God, … a place where you can seek the mind of God.
I have such a place; and I’m right there now. As I type this, I’ve gone to my personal quiet place; and I’ve been delving, with Chuck Swindoll’s help, for God’s wisdom; and I firmly believe that my words here today come from one (yours truly) who is getting insight from God’s Spirit which is way beyond my own ability to reason or think. Hence, as I do so often during my morning devotional times, I am receiving the results of my prayer for wisdom, as spoken of in James 1: 5-6 [linked her for you]. Before I dig for God’s truth (see Job 28 - also linked), I pray that God will reveal Himself and His mind to me; and when I write like I am this morning, I sense that God is pouring His grace of enlightenment into and through me.
Dear one, I’m not smart enough to write what I’m typing here. That’s God’s Spirit giving me these thoughts. That’s not pride or haughtiness. That is simply confidence in what God promises and the results of faith in what God has taught me over many years of devotional discipline. I’ve been getting alone with God every morning now since 1988; and that’s why I get up each morning expecting that God is going to be there in my quiet place to give me His grace and truth when I seek it from my Lord. And my God shows up <u>every morning to do just that! And wouldn't you want to go to a place where you know that God was going to be there for you every day? I think so!
Like Swindoll, I hope you have an “upper room” where you can go to be with God and let Him do business with your soul; and not just in crisis times as we read about Elijah, but EVERY DAY so that God can shape you into a seeker after His wisdom and a warrior who can do business for God as we read Elijah doing with the boy in today’s scenario. God will be there when you diligently seek Him. Get a place where you can meet with Him everyday; and you’ll find what I have found. He’ll be there for you and with you.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, thank You for being here with me today. Amen
Friday, February 06, 2009
2009 - Day 36 - Loyalty
February 6, 2009 … Swindoll’s Topic for Today: Loyalty
Passage of the Day: Genesis 46: 31 – 34 … 31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘My brothers and those of my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.’ 33 So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 that you shall say, ‘Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”
My Journal for Today: The more I study Joseph, the more I’m amazed that at his young age (of just over 30), his Godly character shines through so consistently in his interaction with Pharaoh, his brothers, and the people of Egypt. And in today’s highlight passage we see that clearly in Joseph’s sensitivity to the Egyptian culture and for his “boss,” the Pharaoh.
Swindoll makes a good point in today’s devotional entry from his book, pointing to a criticism about Christians in the work place. Sometimes, he declares, Christians who are the same faith as the boss on the job expect favoritism because they share the same faith as the work leader. It’s a spirit of entitlement. We certainly don’t see Joseph have such a spirit, even though he had a close and trusting relationship with Pharaoh.
Swindoll points out that Egyptians, and most certainly the ruling elite, looked down upon “shepherds.” And so, we read today that Joseph, being quite sensitive to this cultural viewpoint, instructed his family to tell Pharaoh and his court that his family were “livestock handlers,” not “shepherds.” Small difference; but I expect it would have immense impact; and I can imagine that when he set his family up in the lands as instructed and provided by the king, these Hebrews from Israel were dressed as those who “feed livestock,” not as “shepherds” in Egypt.
When I read this I think of how Daniel was sensitive to those in leadership in Babylon culture when he had such a close relationship with the Babylonian kings he served. I think of the Apostle Paul’s sensitivity to the pagan Greek cultures where he preached and witnessed, for example the eating habits of the Corinthian gentiles (see 1st Cor. 8 or 9). Both Paul and Daniel did not advocate living idolatrous lives; but they, like Joseph, were sensitive to, and morphed into, the culture of the people to whom they witnessed and served, so as not to be a stumbling block to their witness.
We Christians must maintain our integrity in Christ; but there is no reason to flaunt our Bible-centered beliefs to others, setting ourselves so far apart from the culture that we will appear to be disloyal or so that we are shunned by our world. It’s a strategic fine line at times; and Joseph demonstrated love and loyalty to his Pharaoh by simply instructing his brothers on the use of “buzz words” in that culture.
So, on the job, if our boss is a Christian we must be careful not to have expectations of favoritism where we can get away with lesser rigor in the workplace because we are in the same spiritual family as the boss. Or if our boss is a non-believer, we still must honor his or her position of leadership, treating that person with respect for their position as the leader. Christ was careful to treat the Pharisees with respect for their “position” in leadership. It was only when their behavior was an affront to God, the Father. Only then did he become confrontational with those hypocrites. And Joseph was careful not to be an affront to Pharaoh simply by using words like “shepherd,” which had nothing to do with their Hebrew beliefs in God.
So, I pray today that I can develop that kind of strategic, yet sensitive, witness in a world where my leaders, for example like my President, are trying to change the world in such an ungodly ways. It’s going to be a tough witness to be loyal to my national leader, yet stand for my God.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, help me to be loyal to You above all; but to honor my leaders in ways which make me Your effective witness in the world. Amen
Passage of the Day: Genesis 46: 31 – 34 … 31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘My brothers and those of my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.’ 33 So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 that you shall say, ‘Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”
My Journal for Today: The more I study Joseph, the more I’m amazed that at his young age (of just over 30), his Godly character shines through so consistently in his interaction with Pharaoh, his brothers, and the people of Egypt. And in today’s highlight passage we see that clearly in Joseph’s sensitivity to the Egyptian culture and for his “boss,” the Pharaoh.
Swindoll makes a good point in today’s devotional entry from his book, pointing to a criticism about Christians in the work place. Sometimes, he declares, Christians who are the same faith as the boss on the job expect favoritism because they share the same faith as the work leader. It’s a spirit of entitlement. We certainly don’t see Joseph have such a spirit, even though he had a close and trusting relationship with Pharaoh.
Swindoll points out that Egyptians, and most certainly the ruling elite, looked down upon “shepherds.” And so, we read today that Joseph, being quite sensitive to this cultural viewpoint, instructed his family to tell Pharaoh and his court that his family were “livestock handlers,” not “shepherds.” Small difference; but I expect it would have immense impact; and I can imagine that when he set his family up in the lands as instructed and provided by the king, these Hebrews from Israel were dressed as those who “feed livestock,” not as “shepherds” in Egypt.
When I read this I think of how Daniel was sensitive to those in leadership in Babylon culture when he had such a close relationship with the Babylonian kings he served. I think of the Apostle Paul’s sensitivity to the pagan Greek cultures where he preached and witnessed, for example the eating habits of the Corinthian gentiles (see 1st Cor. 8 or 9). Both Paul and Daniel did not advocate living idolatrous lives; but they, like Joseph, were sensitive to, and morphed into, the culture of the people to whom they witnessed and served, so as not to be a stumbling block to their witness.
We Christians must maintain our integrity in Christ; but there is no reason to flaunt our Bible-centered beliefs to others, setting ourselves so far apart from the culture that we will appear to be disloyal or so that we are shunned by our world. It’s a strategic fine line at times; and Joseph demonstrated love and loyalty to his Pharaoh by simply instructing his brothers on the use of “buzz words” in that culture.
So, on the job, if our boss is a Christian we must be careful not to have expectations of favoritism where we can get away with lesser rigor in the workplace because we are in the same spiritual family as the boss. Or if our boss is a non-believer, we still must honor his or her position of leadership, treating that person with respect for their position as the leader. Christ was careful to treat the Pharisees with respect for their “position” in leadership. It was only when their behavior was an affront to God, the Father. Only then did he become confrontational with those hypocrites. And Joseph was careful not to be an affront to Pharaoh simply by using words like “shepherd,” which had nothing to do with their Hebrew beliefs in God.
So, I pray today that I can develop that kind of strategic, yet sensitive, witness in a world where my leaders, for example like my President, are trying to change the world in such an ungodly ways. It’s going to be a tough witness to be loyal to my national leader, yet stand for my God.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, help me to be loyal to You above all; but to honor my leaders in ways which make me Your effective witness in the world. Amen
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