April 1, 2012 … KOKO In Christ !!!

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Judges, Chapters 8-9 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : Judges 8: 28-35 … 28 Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace forty years. ,,, 29 Jerub-Baal [i.e., Gideon] son of Joash went back home to live. 30 He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives. 31 His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelek. 32 Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. … 33 No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god 34 and did not remember the LORD their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. 35 They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them.

My Journal for Today: Reading through the closing chapters on Gideon as a Judge for the Israelites (see linked chapters for your reading), we see that Gideon, once he surrendered to God’s leadership, under the guidance and authority of Yahweh and the Old Covenant, he was successful; and for many years he did well in leading Gods’ people, following His Lord; but as we read in the highlighted passages above, Gideon did not finish well.

We read in Judges 8: 28-35 that his later life was tinged by a lack of moral/sexual purity. He had many wives and likely many concubines (having 70 sons – and who knows how many daughters). And like we’ll later see in the life of Solomon, this lack of sexual vigilance produced one son, Abmelek, who later became a rotten apple, trying to become king and leading the people back into Baal worship (see Chapter 9 from the link above).

What this says to me – and probably should say to all Christians – has to do with steadfastness of faith. Our Christian lives are much better compared with a marathon than a sprint. Once our lives are converted and our eternal heavenly future is sealed by God’s grace because we have come into the family of God in faith, we begin the process of letting God’s Spirit reform us into the image of Christ (see Phil. 1: 6); but that process (i.e., sanctification), which God will accomplish, is either hastened and facilitated by our steadfastness and vigilance or, if we fail, it is retarded and dampened.

Gideon is an example of one who surrendered in faith (with some degree of wrestling) to God; but over the course of his life, he waned in vigilance and the “stickability” to finish his marathon well; and viewing what transpired after his death, we see [at least in my estimation] that his lack of spiritual vigilance and steadfast faith resulted in God’s people falling away from God’s will. And when that happened, the cycle of sinful and idolatrous living once again caused God to have to force the issue by His people being cast – for a season of selective abandonment – into subjugation by the pagan cultures which consumed God’s people.

Sure, God would stay with His children and discipline them over and over again. But these cycles of disobedience and subjugation were so unnecessary … just as are the consequences of sinful living in the life of Christians. Satan cannot have our souls once we’re saved; but he can have a temporary victory in our lives if we cannot, or more likely, will not, stay in vigilant surrender mode to the ways and will of God. It is only through living a vigilant and well disciplined marathon of Christlike faith that we can and will remain powerful in being able to witness and carry out God’s will and purpose for our lives.

May we all keep-on-keeping-on in our relationship, walk, and witness for Christ in our lives, shining His light into an ever darkening world and allowing others to see us wearing His robes of righteousness rather than displaying our rags of sin when we let our vigilance wane for even a moment.

Stay strong, my fellow warrior; and become that “hero” which God saw in Gideon before this Judge let his life slowly fall apart. I don’t know about you, my fellow Christian, on this April 1st; … but I want to remain vigilant and God’s warrior rather than becoming Satan’s April Fool.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, I run the race, this marathon of living, doing all I can to remain strong by surrendering to Your grace in my life. Amen

November 25, 2011 … Finishing the Race

Passage of the Day: Ephesians 5: 15 - 16 [highlight verse in bold/underlined] …
15 Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

My Journal for Today: Returning to Ephesians 5: 15 – 16 this morning, this month my devotional time with God, with John MacArthur as my biblical shepherd in Strength for Today, has focused on finding the mind of God (i.e., searching for Godly wisdom) and then applying that wisdom to my life in these perilous times in which we live as Christians. In Acts 20: 24, Paul is attributed by Luke to have written to Christians, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.” Note that Paul saw himself and other Christians to have a finite, God-led, course in life, and in the time he was given, Paul felt that his Christian witness to Christ’s gospel was of utmost importance. And that is why Paul’s exhortation in Ephesians 5: 15-16 becomes so pertinent to us today … yes, even critical.

We live in a most challenging era of history; but 1st Century Christians felt that way as well. In all eras of time, human lives in this fallen world have been tinged by evil and social upheaval. So, in these perilous times in which God has allowed us to live, we must do all we can to find God’s will and make the most of our time, giving witness to the next life with Christ. And as we’ve come to understand this month, one of the keys to living a productive and fruitful Christian life is to know God’s will and way through His word.

If we are to follow Christ’s command [in Matt. 5: 16] and shine His light in the world with Godly living for all to see our Father in Heaven, we must be able to say, at the end of our allotted time on this earth, that we have crowns of righteousness waiting for us in Heaven. So I have to ask myself, “Can I say the following, as Paul did to Timothy?” [see 2nd Tim. 4: 7 – 8] … “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

And I have found that it is WISE for me to do a periodic inventory of my values; and then to analyze seriously how I’m using my time to fulfill what God has for my life which will shine His light and glorify God. In other words, are we all walking the worthy walk for Christ (see Eph. 4: 1 – 3)?

That is our challenge … today, tomorrow, and always.

My Prayer Today: Help me, Lord, to be all I can be for You. Amen

November 24, 2011 … Purposeful Discipline

Passage of the Day: 1st Timothy 4: 8 [highlight verse in bold/underlined] … 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

My Journal for Today: Still focusing on how we can pursue Godly wisdom, applying an abiding understanding to God’s word, we come upon Paul’s very practical instruction to Timothy – and thereby to all believers – about the dangers involved in doing “good” at the expense of doing God’s “best.” It is one of Satan’s cleverest ploys to get non-believers so wrapped up in physical, social, and/or spiritual disciplines that are not bad, but they take that person’s focus completely away from the One, True God and His will for our lives. And similarly, many Christians fall prey to this ploy as well by investing untold hours in “good” things/activities, ignoring the Spirit-led disciplines of the faith which could bring them God’s “best” things in life.

That’s where Paul was going in his exhortation to Timothy, the younger man who was becoming the Pastor of the Church at Ephesus. Think about it. How many Christians have we seen get wrapped up in rigorous physical exercise programs and/or hobbies, not finding the time to participate with equal commitment in disciplines such as fasting, prayer, solitude, silence, and/or Bible memory or study? How many Christian deer hunters are willing to get up at 4:00am every morning of deer season to go hunting; but they are unwilling to get up at 6:00am every morning [or earlier if necessary] for a devotional time before they’re off to work which could deepen their relationship with Christ? Deer hunting is not a bad thing (unless you’re a Bambi lover); but saying that “I just don’t have time for a quiet time in the morning” is a bad thing when we choose a discipline of deer hunting over a driving hunt for the mind of God.

The Apostle Paul’s instruction for Timothy should hit us all where we live. Are these God-inspired words leading us into a discipline that could help shape us for HIS purpose where He could bless us with more of HIS power to accomplish HIS plan? Could I give up one half of my morning jog to have more time in the morning with God in Bible study and/or prayer? Could I spend one half of my daily lunch time at work praying for a list of intercessory prayer partners? Could I prioritize more time to a ministry/mission project which uses my spiritual gifts more for God’s glory than the worldly projects which occupy a lot of my daily calendar?

What we choose to do is a reflection of our values [see Matt. 6: 21]. And I have to continually keep asking myself to re-evaluate my “to do” list based upon my biblically founded Christian values. Are the “main things” in my life the MAIN THINGS in God’s plan for my life? And I always seem to come back to questions evolving out of Luke 9: 23 …

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>>> Am I denying my own fleshly desires and serving within God’s plan for my life [see also Matt. 6: 33]?
>>> Am I carrying the crosses that Christ would lay at my feet rather than stepping around them to carry out tasks which I, personally, find important [see also Prov. 3: 5 – 6]?
>>> Am I really following the path that God has lain out for my life; or am I choosing the expedient, self-indulgent path which is wider and more traveled by others [again Prov. 3: 5 – 6]?
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When I respond honestly to what Paul was instructing Timothy in today’s verse, often I have to redo my event planning list to come into line with God’s plans rather than my own. And when I do that, I find that my Christian witness becomes more powerful and my life more meaningful – just as Paul desired for Timothy [please meditate on and memorize Acts 1: 8].

My Prayer Today: Build me, Lord, into a powerful witness to Your Name. Amen

June 3, 2011 … Integrity Triumphs Over Pride

Blogger's Note: Just a little late getting in this AM because I've had trouble getting internet access at my college where I've traveled with my wife for our 45th class reunion @ Wabash College. But now, having done my devotional earlier this AM, let me post my journal entry for this date.

Passage of the Day: Daniel 1: 3 – 4, 6 … 3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility – 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. … 6 Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.

My Journal for Today: It doesn’t take a Rhodes Scholar to see that our passage today cuts across time. In today’s world we see movement by the power elite – i.e., those in control politically and culturally – to exercise their positions of worldly authority, beauty, or popularity, trying to reshape the culture to fit their image of worldly glory. Today’s world, like the Babylonians of old, would love to see Godly values (i.e., Christianity) get sucked in and decimated by the Hollywood hype and media mystique, … brain washing all of us, including Christians, to lay aside our Godly values. In fact “the world,” dominated and engineered by Satan, would like to eliminate every vestige of “God” from the public’s eyes/ears.

Therefore, it would be good for all who lay claim to Christian values to learn from the witness and lives of the four young Hebrews introduced in today’s passage. These lads became models of Godly integrity by standing strongly in their faith, … holding on to their values and Godly disciplines even at the risk of their very lives. And we will see more of this, hopefully causing us to take stock of our own Christian integrity this month. We will see if Christ in our lives prevails over such taunts from the world involving power, pleasure, and position, … even in the face of worldly pressures and power plays,.

So, will we stand as our four heroes of the faith; or will we wilt to the world? [see 1st John 2: 15 – 16]

My Prayer Today: I will always win, Lord, when I recognize and reflect You. Amen

May 20, 2011 … Rejoicing Through The Spirit

Passage of the Day: 1st Peter 4: 14 [see bold highlight] … 12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

My Journal for Today: And today we continue on with Peter’s contextual message to those suffering for their faith with the 14th verse of 1st Peter 4. Can you just imagine Christians in the Circus of Rome or in Asia Minor having pitch poured over them, which was lit by the Roman guards; and then to hear, as was reported historically, these burning Christians proclaiming Christ’s Name and singing His glory? It’s tough to see myself being able to praise God in that light; but I do believe it happened; and I know it’s possible.

Peter points out, in today’s verse, that such devotion, faith, and proclamation of joy in Christ, in the face of “fiery trials,” could only take place because of “the Spirit of glory” (i.e., the Holy Spirit), Who indwells all born-again believers. Again, I refer any reading here to the wondrous texts from Paul to the Corinthian Christians (and to us) in 1st Cor. 10: 13 and 2nd Cor. 12: 9. Can you see how many times I refer to these scriptures and why I say that these two would be two of the best passages from God’s word to commit to memory?

John MacArthur, in his devotional for this date in Strength for Today, reminded me (us) that this Spirit-driven power in the first martyr for Christianity, Stephen, was the power that allowed him to witness so deeply to his faith just as Jesus had done on the cross, asking God to forgive those who were stoning him to death (go back and read Acts 6: 15 and Acts 7: 55 – 60). And in Stephen’s story of martyrdom, we have the same grace in the face of human weakness, again spoken of by Pau, whom BTW was a witness to Stephen’s stoning, l in 2nd Cor. 12: 9, that would allow this man, Stephen, being stoned to death, to do a super-human act of Christlikeness. And all of us who are truly in Christ have that same power in us.

The question, at least for this war weary Christian soldier this morning is, … “Has my belief and challenged faith been strengthened and developed to the point that I could/would rejoice in the face of any fiery trial as did Stephen or the Apostle Paul?” I would like to answer “yes” to that question; but going even deeper into my relationship with Christ and practicing the disciplines of the faith with even more diligence can only make my belief stronger and my skills as a Christian warrior more battle ready. So, in the Spirit, I press on even as I am this morning! (see Phil. 3: 13-14)

My Prayer Today: Glory be that You are in me and for me, Lord! Amen

May 7, 2011 … Trial’s Lessons: Right Priorities

Passage of the Day: Genesis 22: 10 - 12 … 10 Then he [Abraham] reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son [Isaac]. 11 But the Angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
"Here I am," he [Abraham] replied. 12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," He [the Angel – likely Jesus] said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from Me your son, … your only son."

My Journal for Today: It’s a test! And the question from today’s passage, involving the poignant and powerful test Abraham had to endure, becomes – Do we pass God’s test when He calls for our radical obedience in the face (at times) of overbearing demands from the circumstances of life?

Sometimes the teaching from God is almost unbearable. Jesus taught a hard truth in Luke 14: 26 (see below) when He told His followers that discipleship could cause them to seem like they hated their own family. [“hate” here refers to turning radically from selfish desires or feelings for others]

SCRIPTURE: Luke 14: 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple.”

But as with all such challenging demands from Christ, Jesus, Himself, is our Model. He was the suffering servant (see Isaiah 53), Who went to the cross in perfect obedience to His Father in Heaven, encountering incredible hardship, pain, and even death to carry out God’s will. And that becomes the mold into which we must pour our lives … no matter how challenging it might be, especially when we are called – by God – to move in directions which our family may not agree. Often, when Muslims convert to Christianity, their family hates them for it; and many times the newly converted Christian must turn his/her back on the family to pursue discipleship in Christ.

So, what in our lives stands in the way of following Jesus as He commanded … to deny self, to take up His cross daily, and to follow Him [Luke 9: 23]? Are we willing to put Christ first – even above the lives and feelings of our families? Of course, Christ would never ask us to do anything that subverts the roles we have as Christian husbands or fathers or even as friends in steadfast Christian family relationships. That’s illustrated as clearly as it could be in today’s highlight passage about Abraham and Isaac. He certainly didn’t allow Abraham to take the life of his son. But many times Christ’s calling will mean that others will have to take second place as we lift and carry His cross and follow Him in our daily life. Are we ready and willing to do so?

I pray that I am.

My Prayer Today: Lord, help me pass Your test. Amen

April 5, 2011 … Supplication Before the Father

Passage of the Day: Matthew 26: 39 … Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will."

My Journal for Today: Reading the parallel accounts of this episode in the Passion of Christ (besides Matt. 26: 36 – 46, see Mark 14: 32 – 42 and Luke 22: 39 – 46), one is taken (or at least I am) by the very human side of the God-man, Jesus, Who understandably, being fully God and completely aware of what was about to transpire, prayed so intensely in the Garden for “this cup” of horror to be lifted from Him. And then to come out during His prayer vigil in Gethsemane to find his close inner circle of friends had ignored His request to “watch and pray” with Him; … well, even though our Lord had divine compassion for His disciples, in his humanity, it had to have been disappointing to our Lord.

Most certainly the men had to have been fatigued and fearful; and perhaps they simply were overwhelmed with Jesus’ charge to be vigilant with Him in prayer as He went, merely a stone’s throw away from them, to pray Himself. But I have a different take on this, especially since not one of these three close confidants was able to do what Jesus did … and that is to pray intensely about what Jesus had told them was his last night on this earth. I believe that the Holy Spirit came upon them with the spiritual “drug” of sleep to later show them, from their own experience, how easy it is, in our humanity, to lose our vigilance in the face of Jesus’ charge to discipleship (as in Luke 9: 23), … i.e., to deny self, take up His cross, and follow Him.

And they must’ve learned their lesson from this and Jesus’ deeply intense battle in the Garden, because Matthew, Mark, and Luke, none of these authors of the three synoptic gospels were there in the garden and were able to write the parallel accounts of this episode from first-hand account. So, today’s hightlight passage, which spells out this account of Jesus’ supplication to His father, so spelled out with great clarity, most likely came from the descriptions from the accounts of these inner-circle witnesses, James, John, and Peter, the ones who had “blown it” by failing to watch and pray. And as we read these accounts, we, as believers, have the same advantage that the writers of these Gospel accounts had. The gospel writers were Spirit-inspired in their hearts/minds to write these accounts; and we have the same Holy Spirit in our hearts/minds to be able to read and be impacted by God’s transmission of this important encounter in the Garden before Jesus went to the cross.

Therefore, with the presence and the power of God’s Spirit in my heart, to some degree, I can empathize with the humanity of Christ which led Him to pray so intensely so as to have the cup of terror lifted from Him. And I can fully identify with the lack of vigilance of the three close friends of Jesus, who were not able to stand with Him in prayer for any concentrated period of time. How many times have I been unable to “watch and pray” for a concentrated period of time when I desire to deny myself and follow my Savior in prayer? Perhaps you’ve had the same challenge. If you read my confession from my journal entry yesterday, I had just such an episode of failing vigilance to watch/pray. So, I’m really tuned in to the humanity of the three disciples who “blew it.” Perhaps you do too.

That’s why I think that we all need to take the Apostle Paul’s lessons in 2nd Cor. 12: 9 to heart. There he had learned that in his own flesh, he was too weak to meet the challenges of the flesh and especially the onslaught of the enemy’s temptations. Paul had internalized that his (and, by extension, our) only hope to remain strong is to seek and receive the available strength provided by God’s Spirit through His grace, which is offered to any believer humble enough to receive it and use it in their lives. Jesus, in His supplication before God, the Father in the garden did it; and as I mature and grow in my relationship with my Lord, I pray, as I do below, that I can develop that humility to consume as much of God’s grace as will allow me to “watch and pray” with my Lord.

My Prayer Today: Lord, I follow you to the high ground of prayer in battle today. I may have blown it yesterday; but today I receive Your grace to be there for Your purpose. Give me the grace to remain alert … with You. Amen

February 8, 2011 … Becoming Holy

Passage of the Day: 1st Peter 1: 15-16 … 15 But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." [Note: quotation taken from Lev. 11:44,45; 19:2; 20:7]

My Journal for Today: Besides the reality of God’s holiness and our unholiness, as well as the admonishment of today’s declaration from Peter, which is repeated from the Old Covenant in Leviticus, there are many in today’s culture who would not want to deal with yet another mirror of truth offered by the Apostle Peter (in 2nd Peter 2: 4 – 10). But I’m going to give it to you anyway, since I’m having to deal with it now, having just studied this passage.

SCRIPTURE: 2nd Peter 2: 4-10 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; 5if He did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; 6if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7and if He rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— 9if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. 10This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority.

Ouch!!! In plain, Southern vernacular, “Them is harsh words [!],” especially since we’re all sinners deserving of eternal damnation for our sins (see Rom. 3: 23). And I believe one must see himself or herself as being unholy in the sight of a Holy God, in total need of a Redeemer and Savior, before it can be possible for God to give His free gift of salvation offered by the death and resurrection of The Christ as well as the completion ministered to justified souls by God’s Spirit.

Faith in Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to righteousness and for our sin account to be paid in full, allowing for God’s Spirit to mold us into the image of Christ (see 2nd Cor. 5: 21 and 1st Cor. 6: 11) …

SCRIPTURE: 2nd Cor. 5: 21 God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
SCRIPTURE: 1st Cor. 6: 11 1Cor. 6: 11 … And that is what some of you [sinners] were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

But as we can see [again] from 1st Cor. 6: 11, those of us sinners, who by faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice, have received the grace of salvation, surrendering to His Lordship, have become provisionally and positionally holy … a sinner becoming a sanctified saint by faith in Christ [look this one up on your own … 2nd Tim. 2: 19].

In today’s verse [above], we Christians are commanded to “be holy” just as God is Holy. And God’s word would never command a believer to do anything that was not possible – with His help [see 1st Cor. 10: 13 and Rom. 8: 31]. 2nd Cor. 12: 9 tells us that even though we are weak in our humanity to be holy, God’s grace is sufficient to provide us with God’s power to be perfected in God’s holiness (see also 2nd Tim. 1: 7). And God doesn’t lie (see Num. 23: 19); so, we can expect that God’s Spirit will minister direction and conviction to lead us to holiness and the peace we will only find as we grow in Christlikeness [Hebrews 12: 11] …

SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 12: 11 No discipline [from God’s Spirit] seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

And when I live holy, i.e., disciplined by righteous choices and reformed by righteous habits, I can sleep in peace, knowing that my life, though challenged by the enemy and the world, and even my own sinner’s heart (see Jer. 17: 9), is being lived in accord with God’s Spirit. And that produces the peace of God (see Isaiah 26:3 and Phil. 4: 6 - 7).

My Prayer Today: Lord, help me to be Holy. Amen

Blogger’s PS: I know that I’ve given any reader here a lot of Scriptures [some provided and others charged], all on which I had to meditate this morning as God brought me this devotional from John MacArthur. However, if you’re willing to take the time, as I did, to take in God’s word concerning His holiness in this entry, … certainly much more so than the thoughts I’ve shared, … perhaps you will come away with the peace of God to add to your positional and practical righteousness in Christ. … I certainly did this morning. I pray you will too. … wrb

2010 – December 13 – Nourishment for Life’s Storms

Study from God’s Word… Acts, Chapters 27 – 28 … Passage for Reflection: Acts 27: 35 – 36 … NIV 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.

My Journal for Today: Today’s highlighted text by Dr. Smith in his devotional will have little meaning unless you know or have studied the context from which it is taken. So, I exhort you to go back and read Acts, Chapter 27, where Dr. Luke recounts the voyage in an Egyptian vessel where the Apostle Paul and his Roman guard, along with Luke, were making as Paul was being taken to Rome to stand trial there. As you will read, the ship encounters a horrible storm, into which Paul had forewarned the ship should not set sail. However, they did; and Paul has an opportunity – by God’s divine intervention in the storm – to save all the men aboard IF they follow his lead and stay on board even though the ship is going to be destroyed.

You know, I’ve read that account before; and I’ve read the highlight passage before; but until, with Dr. Smith’s help, today, I had never seen how the meal Paul shared with the ship’s crew was a picture of the “last supper” with all the spiritual ramifications involved in that meal of remembrance and cleansing. It’s really a wonderful picture of how all of us are in the vessel of life where The Lord is our Captain. And our life vessel is going to go through storms at some point on our voyage; but how our ship traverses the storm will have everything to do with how we feed daily on the Bread of Life.

And we need to take heart, as Christians on God’s vessel of life, that God is going to bring us through the storms of life - IF and when we’re willing to remember our Lord’s way and partake of His Bread of Life [i.e., His word]. It’s easy for us to forgetfully or fearfully avoid doing this daily, just as the men on the Egyptian ship had done on the fateful voyage into their storm. But Paul reminded them to remember to follow God’s way and to take the “bread of life” in remembrance of The Lord. And they did; and they were saved.

Dr. Smith’s discipleship question for today is as follows: ”How can I survive life’s storms if I do not partake regularly of both the Bread of Life and the memorial by which I remember Him?” And I don’t think that question refers to how often we, as Christians, take communion as much as it reflects on how much and how regularly we feed on God’s truth from His word. If we do not seek a remembrance of God by partaking of the “Bread of Life” daily, how can we expect to weather the storms of life?

I’m going to leave it there today. It’s a lot to take in; and I personally was edified greatly by today’s message. I hope you were too.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, as I take in your “Daily Bread,” You keep me on course on this journey through life’s storms. Amen

2010 – December 1 – With Freedom and Responsibility

BLOGGER'S NOTE: On January 1, 2010 I set a convenant goal with God and a number of my Christian accountability partners to read/study through the Bible this year. My "tool" to accomplish this was to use a Bible edited by Dr. F. LaGard Smith, The Daily Bible in Chronological Order, which, to the editor's campability and study, exposes the Bible in logical/chronological order. Dr. Smith also has a companion tool, a devotional book, The Daily Bible Devotional, which follows along with the Bible he has edited and presents daily topical snapshots for his readers to glean biblical truths for their lives. Thus far this has been a daunting discipline for me; but here I am, coming down the stretch in the last month of 2010; and GOD WILLING, on Dec. 31st, I'll be here bragging on God's enabling grace for giving me the discipline to finish my trek through His word. For those who've come along with me, all the way or part of the way, I hope this journey has been as uplifting for you as it has for me.

Study from God’s Word… Continuing on in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians (his second letter which we call his first) 1st Corinthians, Chapters 5 – 10 and 1Cor 11: 1 … Passage for Reflection: 1st Corinthians 10: 23 - 24 … NIV 23 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

My Journal for Today: What should we, as Christians do; and what should we avoid? Christian freedom versus Christian discipline: Isn’t that one of the most perplexing and challenging confrontations we must deal with as disciples of Christ? Well, that was one of the main issues to which the Apostle Paul addressed in his letter to the Corinthians (and of course, extended to all Christians today in our Bible). And there were some tough issues the people and the Church in Corinth were dealing with in those days, … such things as idolatry, sexual immorality [such as homosexuality and even incest], and human greed, not to mention “smaller” categories of sin (though any/all sin, of course, is an affront to God).

And the Corinthians Christians, Jews and Gentiles alike, were also dealing with how to decide to live out their new found freedom from God’s Law with the responsibility to live in accord with God’s will. It’s like children who must have rules and discipline to prevent them from danger and even death; but then the kid grows up and has to learn how to handle the freedom he has in not needing the strict rules as an adult. It’s a matter of having the right to do X, Y, or Z; but knowing that doing X, Y, or Z will not honor God or give Him glory. Therefore, as today’s highlight passage depicts, there may be things I have the right to do; but I won’t do them because they can be dangerous to my health or certainly dishonor my God as an improper witness.

For example, you may have the freedom to cross a very busy six-lane highway where vehicles are traveling 70 miles per hour; but would you choose to exercise that freedom? Today in our permissive culture the laws may say that I have the right to engage in sexual relations with another man. Some may even say that such behavior is “normal;” … and yet if I had a desire to have sex with another man and I knew he was HIV+, would I exercise my “freedom” to do so? Of course, I wouldn’t; but am I FREE, as a Christian male, to have sex with any other male, even if he were not HIV+? Big debate going on in our culture today, isn’t it? And it was so back in Paul’s day as he addressed what the Corinthians were confronting in their world too.

Maybe you’re saying that my examples are too extreme. Well, let me take it down to a very human, and very personal level. When I go through a serving line at any of the buffet type restaurants, once I pay my front-end price, I’m “FREE” to eat anything on display there in the restaurant. And I can go back as often as I want to exercise that pre-paid freedom. But the question, as a Christian is, should I, as a disciple of Christ, who happens to be a diabetic, exercise my freedom in that restaurant and gorge myself on many, many dishes which could be or are hazardous to my health. And another serious question is … should I put my sin-weakness of gluttony on display for anyone to see, especially others who might know that I’m a Christian minister?

Yes, my dear ones, we are free from God’s Law as Christians; but Paul wanted the Corinthians – and God wanted us, through Paul’s letters – to know that our freedom as Christians can only be exercised to the extent of the perception of how others, especially non-believers, perceive our behavior. As Dr. Smith reminded his readers today: "There is a saying in law that your right to swing your fist ends at my nose." And I’ll leave you to contemplate that truth as well as the truth of what the Apostle Paul is relating to the Christians at Corinth, which is so applicable to our culture today.

Maybe it would be a good exercise for you to go back, as I’m being led to do by my devotional trek, and read – in depth – Paul’s admonition to the Christians in Corinth. I’ll leave you to that study; but I know it will be as productive for you as it is for me.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are my freedom; so help me to know that my freedom to be shines Your light for others to see; and I want them to see YOU and not me. Amen

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

2010 – May 17 – Wising Up, … the Hard Way

Study from God’s Word… Prov. 22: 17 – 21; Prov. 1: 1 – 7; Prov. 25: 1; Prov. 9: 10 – 12; Prov. 10: 27; Prov. 14: 2, 26-27; Prov. 15: 33; Prov. 29: 23; Prov. 28: 14; Prov. 3: 5 – 8; Prov. 14: 12 [16: 25]; Prov. 16: 3, 20; Prov. 18: 2, 4, 10; Prov. 19: 3; Prov. 20: 24; Prov. 21: 22; Prov. 26: 12; Prov. 28: 26; Prov. 29: 25; Prov. 15: 3; Prov. 16: 1, 4, 9, 33; Prov. 19: 21; Prov. 21: 30-31; Prov. 22: 12; Prov. 27: 1; Prov 13: 14; Prov. 15: 24; Prov. 16: 22: Prov. 17: 13; Prov. 24: 7, 13-14; Prov. 26: 4 – 11; Prov. 27: 22; Prov. 29: 9; Prov. 10: 13, 23; Prov. 13: 15; Prov. 14: 6, 8, 15, 33; Prov. 15: 21; Prov. 16: 16; Prov. 17: 24; Prov. 20: 5, 12; Prov. 10: 14; Prov. 13: 16; Prov. 14: 18; Prov. 15: 14; Prov. 18: 15; Prov. 19: 2; Prov. 20: 15; Prov. 21: 11; Prov. 23: 12; Prov. 24: 14 … Passage for Reflection: Proverbs 1: 7… NIV 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

My Journal for Today: The proverbs, which I read this morning and documented by number above, were pre-organized by Dr. Smith for the disciple’s study into various topics related to wisdom, … topics such as … The Purpose of the Proverbs, Fear of the Lord, Trust in God, Divine Providence, Wisdom Versus Folly, Dealing with Fools, Discernment and Understanding, and Knowledge. It would have taken me a long, long time to organize these proverbs into study topics like this; so I’m deeply indebted to the work F. LaGard Smith has done in his Daily Bible in Chronological Order so that seekers such as I can read through God’s Proverbs in topical order like this. It makes it so much easier to glean truth and personal application through such a study; and today’s highlight verse zeroes in on one truth which cannot – and must not – be ignored by disciples of Christ; and that is the connection between fear (i.e., “fear of the Lord”) and discipline.

Ugh! “Discipline!!!” That concept just seems to resonate with negative emotions, doesn’t it? We think of being afraid of our parents when we were naughty because of the “discipline” which might (and often did) result. Or we think of all that dedication and “discipline” an Olympic athlete, like a Michael Phelps, had to have to become a Gold Medal winner, … let alone one who wins eight of those suckers.

Yes, “discipline” seems such a hard thing to take; and the concept of “fear,” also found in today’s highlight passage, is another concept which resonates with negative. Yet, like “discipline,” the idea of fear can have enormously positive implications. It is fear of harm which keeps us from doing impulsive and foolish things, isn’t it (or shouldn’t it be)? And it is “fear” and “discipline” which, when applied to one’s life, leads one to excellence, as it did for Phelps swimming for all those gold medals.

So, the question becomes, “How do I apply the FEAR OF THE LORD to my life in a way that I will apply the DISCIPLINE I need to obey Him, serve Him, and glorify Him?” And that’s a matter of faith and belief, isn’t it? If we believe God’s word, which implies the discipline of knowing God’s truth from His word, we will do what God says; and that requires the discipline to read, learn, and apply the precepts found in the Bible to our lives. My challenge has always been CHOOSING to believe that the outcomes are worth the effort it takes to reverence my God – through His truth – enough to dig it out, interpret it for my life, and then to apply it to what I choose to do. And in that process I will become a worthy and effective DISCIPLE (the core of “discipline”) for Christ … OR NOT!!!

I can only pray that I believe and choose to live as a Proverbs 1: 7 disciple of Christ, making Him the Lord all I think, say, and do.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, You know my heart; and I do fear You because I know how much You have loved me by dying for me. And oh, how my reverence leads me to know You more today than yesterday … and even more tomorrow than today. Amen

2010 – Mar. 6 – Tassels of Remembrance

Study from God’s Word… Lev 22: 31-33; Deut 12: 32; Deut 15: 37-41; Deut 22: 12; Deut 31: 9-13; Lev 26: 3: 1-46; … Passage for Reflection: Deuteronomy 15: 37 – 41 … NIV 37 “The LORD said to Moses, 38 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. 39 You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. 40 Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. 41 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.' "

My Journal for Today: Is forgetfulness a challenge in your life? Do you – as I do – have to use “to do” lists to get things accomplished? Do you put important dates, like your spouse’s birthday, on a calendar; or maybe important appointments so that you don’t forget to remember these important events? Do you take notes when you go to seminar, especially one with an important teacher, like yours truly, {yeah, right! ;>)} says something that you don’t want to forget?

Yes, many of us do some, or all, of these things because forgetfulness is part of the human condition. God certainly knew that in the days He gave Moses the Law. So God wrote those big ten laws down on tablets; and Moses placed them in the Arc of the Covenant. And then Moses had all these laws, which I’ve been studying and reviewing these past few days from the Pentateuch, written down; because God, through Moses, recognized that mankind had short memories with regard to obedience to the God who had given them life and had delivered them from Egypt.

And in today’s passage we even see that Moses (from God’s instruction) had the men wear blue tassels on their outer garments as remembrance of God and His Law; so that, by wearing these tassels, the men might remember and be obedient to their very personal God. And if you read through Leviticus 26 – linked here for your study - any Jew in those days might have been really motivated to wear those tassels and to be obedient to God’s provision and practices because the provisions for disobedience was certainly horrible.

Bad things were to be wrought by God if the Israelites disobeyed His Law. And F. LaGard Smith, my devotional shepherd in his devotional entry for today, points out that we may not, as Christians, wear tassels of remembrance on our garments these days; but there are ways we can remind ourselves that we need to be obedient as our Lord has instructed us to be (see John 14: 21). We can have our “tassels of remembrance” whenever we take in God’s word through Scripture memory. Smith points out that teaching God’s word, through verse-by-verse memorization, explaining to our kids the meaning of God’s truth, is one of the best ways to help establish and maintain a relationship with God for our children.

And when we, personally and consciously, decide to take in God’s word into our hearts, truly contextualizing its meaning and understanding its application, we will be doing what God charged Joshua (see Josh. 1: 8) to do so that Joshua (or we) could realize spiritual success. Every verse we memorize, and can use for our lives, becomes our remembrance and use of God’s prescription to avoid sin (seePsalm 119: 9-11). Every verse we memorize, and discipline ourselves to use to deal with life’s challenges, is the way we sharpen and practice with our Spirit-swords for battle (see Eph. 6:17). Jesus certainly used this technique when He was tempted by His arch rival (and ours), Satan. When challenged by Satan, Jesus remembered and invoked the word of God [see Matt. 4 or Luke 4] to demonstrate His “tassels of remembrance.”

And this is a technique of spiritual battle my mentor taught me years ago; and I now teach it to any Christian who’ll listen to me. We are weaklings when it comes to remembering God’s truth and applying it to our lives. We need the kind of help which God imparted to His people by having them wear those blue tassels on their garments. What “tassels of remembrance” do you have in your life, … “tassels” which help you to continue to go deep – on a daily basis – in your relationship with God? Is your daily priority time with God one of those tassels? How many tassels of scripture memory do you wear in your heart, … tassels which bubble forth in your consciousness when you’re confronted by some spiritual enemy which is trying to get you to live in accord with Satan or self, rather than to remember and live for our Savior?

I leave it to you to see if you’re wearing any “tassels of remembrance” where others can see that your life is a living display of your relationship with and obedience to Christ.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I’m so grateful that Your word has become my garment with tassels to help me remember You each day; and to display Your glory for the world to see – YOU – and Your Robes of Righteousness, covering my rags of sin. Amen

2010 – Mar. 4 – Dining Separately

Study from God’s Word… Lev 11: 46 – 47; Lev 11: 1-3; Deut 14: 3-5; Lev 11: 4-8; Deut 14: 6-8; Lev 11: 9-12; Deut 14: 9-10; Lev 11: 13-19; Deut 14: 11-18; Lev 11: 20-23; Deut 14: 19-20; Lev 11: 41-45; Lev 11: 24-38; Lev 20: 25-26; Lev 11: 39-40; Deut 14: 21a; Lev 17: 15-16; Ex 22: 31; Lev 17: 10-14, 7: 26-27, 19: 26a; Deut 12: 16, 12: 23-25; Lev 7: 22-25; Ex 23: 19b, 34: 26b; Deut 14: 21b; … Passage for Reflection: Leviticus 11: 47 … NIV 47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.

My Journal for Today: Today F. LaGard Smith had me into the study of ancient Jewish dietary laws and practices; and there is some debate as to whether God declared all these dietary restrictions for His people to protect their health or to separate their eating habits from those pagan cultures which surrounded them. Perhaps it was a lot of both; but most certainly the Jewish dietary restrictions did separate the Jews from other cultures; and we read of that illustrated in the Book of Daniel when Daniel was confronted by the Babylonian king/court with foods he decided not to eat because eating the foods would dishonor God (see Daniel 1: 8).

In today’s world there are religions, such as Muslims, who will not eat certain foods because of religious restrictions. When I was growing up, my best friends were Roman Catholic; and I found it fascinating that they would eat fish every Friday. And later in life, even now, we have Orthodox Jewish friends who “keep Kosher,” which certainly separates them from the world as we, here in the southlands, eat our barbecued pork and often devour shell fish, both of which are part of these Jewish dietary restrictions. So, what does this illustrate for us in our world today?

Well, as Smith points out in today’s devotional study, we unfortunately don’t separate ourselves as Christians often enough with the way we live. Oh, certainly some do … by dressing differently (such as kids today who dress in the “GOTH” style); or there are others who are “Vegans” and will not eat meat. But are these practices done to illustrate Godly values of modesty or sobriety which witness our Christian faith; or are they just practices which call attention to ourselves as being different as individuals in the world?

Again today Smith is right when he says, “Modesty, sobriety, and self-control are increasingly rare [Christian] virtues.” And as he also states, “Dressing oddly doesn’t necessarily make us separate – only odd. Eating strangely doesn’t make us separate – only strange. If we truly want to be seen as separate, it will come in our conversations and values … in our material possessions and financial priorities; … in what we listen to and what we watch.”

Yes, my friends, what we have to ask ourselves is this, “Are we living up to the standards of separation set up by the Apostle Paul, who instructed God’s people in Romans 12: 2 to avoid becoming like the world or from Jesus, Himself, Who charged His disciples to avoid loving the world (see 1st John 2: 15 and John 14: 21)?”

You know, as Smith points out, it’s interesting that we seem to intuitively know some things which would separate us from the world. For example, we know which jokes are “clean” jokes and which are “dirty” jokes. You probably can discern which activities are “just plain fun” and those which are “just plain filth.” The late Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, as to whether a certain movie was to be ruled obscene, wrote, “I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description [i.e., that it was “pornographic”]; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it [i.e., pornography] when I see it.” I think you know which entertainment media we should be viewing and which dishonors God by our witness in seeing it.

Unfortunately there are way too many Christians who know that something is self destructive (such as smoking) or visually evil (such as pornography); but they do not separate themselves from the world by standing up and refusing to participate and giving witness that they do so avoid these things out of conviction – just like Daniel refused to eat the food the Babylonians desired for him because he knew he must remain separate from the world and honor God’s way of living.

May we be “anointed” (i.e., set apart) for God’s glory by the way we live, … yes, even by the way we eat. May we stand up and be counted for righteousness in a world which is pushing us ever more to accept evil or sinful practices. At the water cooler this week when a co-worker is saying that we should just let homosexuals get married, what will be your response? When someone wants you to take a drink to join them at dinner in their home when your sobriety is a witness to your faith, what will be your decision? As the world demands us to be more and more tolerant of what God’s word teaches is evil, how will we separate ourselves for God’s glory?

My Prayer for Today: Lord, may I have the courage of my conviction and commitment to Your ways and living for Your glory. Amen

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

2009 – Day 354.Dec 21 – Dark Days

Passage for Study: Judges 21: 25 … In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Secondary passage: 1st Samuel 1: 1 - 28 … 1st Samuel 1 linked for study and context …

My Journal for Today: Today Swindoll is setting the context for a short study into the life of Samuel. And as we read in the last verse in the Book of Judges, in our study today the up-and-down period of the Judges is about to end; and God’s people, the Hebrews are without leadership again. And as the book of 1st Samuel opens, the Hebrew nations have fallen again into a spiritual lull. And at this point we’re introduced to a faithful woman of God, Hannah, … a woman who regularly went to the Tabernacle for prayer, praying that God would give her a son, her being barren into her older years. Hannah prayed and prayed for a son; and God finally granted her a son, whom she named “Samuel,” whose name in Hebrew means, “asked of God,” or “God heard.”

Really Swindoll doesn’t have a major point or powerful lesson from today’s passage other than to set the context for the next few days of study; but it is of interest to identify with Hannah’s desire to be right by God as well as her discipline to seek the Lord’s favor with diligent and disciplined prayer. Hannah’s day was a time in the life of God’s people when their faith and spiritual discipline waned. The world was getting more worldly again; and if you’ve read the book of Judges that had been the pattern over and over. God’s people would succumb to the ways of the world, waning in spiritual worship of the one true God; and God would have to send bad times and a “Judge” to wake them up.

For a Christian who might be reading here, … does the pattern here where we meet Hannah, Eli, the Priest, and Samuel sound familiar? Yeah, it’s not unlike today, is it? The people are motivated by worldly schemes and pursuing self-reliance, rather than surrendering themselves to the Lord. That was the case in the days we see taking place in 1st Samuel; and it is the way of the world now. But we see how just one diligent, and praying, believer can have an impact. And we’re going to be looking at the life of Samuel, who was the result of Hannah’s prayer, as he interacts with Eli, the old Priest.

But here we see the principle we need to glean from today’s study. Yes, we need to see – and believe - how God listens; yes, even when God is silent and when our prayers of concern seem to be bouncing off the ceiling of our prayer closet unheard by God. We must see – and believe - that this is not the case. And as I’m meditating on this and writing here, God’s Spirit, through my memory of His word has brought me remembrance of two wonderful truths; and the first comes from Proverbs 3: 34 and/or Hebrews 13: 5, that “God will never leave us (as believers) or forsake us.” And the second truth is from Psalm 116: 1-2< which says, “I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. 2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.”

I love that one phrase in Psalm 116: 2, which says, that God “inclined His ear to me.” That phrase is the Hebrew word “natah,” which has the word picture of someone bending down and straining to hear what is said. I can just imagine a father wanting to make sure he hears the little voice of his young child, to make sure what he/she is saying by getting closer, bending down to listen intently. That was the God to Whom Hannah prayed; and He is the Father in Heaven, in the person of our Advocate and High Priest, Jesus, Who, through His Spirit, listens intently to every prayer where we come to Him with a humble heart, praying intently, even if, like with Hannah, it is with requests which seem way beyond our reach. God wants to hear our hearts praying to Him. Oh, of course He knows our hearts before we pray; but He wants to hear us, even bend down to hear us, when we voice our hearts to Him.

My friend, what in our world or in your life do you need to be going to our Lord and praying diligently and intently for Him to intervene? Do you have a dear loved one who has rejected God who needs salvation? Do you see injustice and evil in the world which absolutely needs a work of God to correct? Perhaps you have a stronghold of sin which needs to be eradicated in your attempt to live as a “living sacrifice” to God. I don’t know what the desires of your heart might be; but we need to know and believe that God is listening, even listening intently as it says in Ps. 116: 2. And it’s comforting for me to know that my God will never leave a child of pure faith, like Hannah, to just ignore her (or you). Sure, God may SEEM distant; and He may SEEM like He’s ignoring our prayers; but if we cannot and will not believe that God hears, we will be without the hope that is promised and has been revealed in God, the Father’s Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

My dear one, purify your heart and remain humble and diligent in your prayers. God hears!

My Prayer for Today: Lord, You know my heart; and You hear my prayers. So, I will continue to bring my heart to you every day, knowing that You bend down to hear … just me. Amen

2009 – Day 315.Nov 12 – Authentic Ministry

Passage for Study: Acts 13 – 14 … Linked for your study …

My Journal for Today: I doubt if any who follow me here would disagree with me when I say that Paul was committed to Christ after his conversion; and Luke documents in Acts just how dedicated he was. But one might ask how he stayed so dedicated … in spite of all the rigors and trials he faced. Well, we get a clue by looking at the references to God’s word in Chapters 13 and 14 of Acts. Swindoll did the counting for us; and he stipulates that there are no less than fifteen references in these chapters, e.g., in phrases like the “word of truth,” the “teaching of the Law,’ the “teaching of the Prophets,” and the “Good News.” Trust me, I went back and looked; and Swindoll is right.

So, what is this saying to us as Christians today? Well, this is a message which is very personal to me. … Years ago, I had a mentor who was sort of like a friendly drill sergeant; and he really drilled into me the principle to which Swindoll is teaching in today’s devotional. And the lesson here is that if I desire to have a strong walk of faith as a Christian, I become vulnerable to my own flesh if I don’t have a strong commitment and discipline to be in God’s word EVERY DAY, investing significant time to get to know my God through the Bible.

And you don’t have to take my word for it, … nor my witness. That’s God’s promise as He charged Joshua to go into and take the promised land. In that commission (found in Joshua 1: 1-9), God gave Joshua (and to you and me) a prescription for spiritual success in this life; and we read that in Joshua 1: 8. Now, I’m not going to quote it here. I hope you already know that verse by heart; but if you don’t you can click on the link I provide you here. And as you can read (or know), God tells us we can expect success in any task (i.e., God’s will) which He sets before us IF (and only if) we stay focused on and remain in God’s word. God also promised (in Psalm 119: 9, 11) that the best way to avoid sin in our lives is to bury God’s word so deeply in our hearts (i.e., through Scripture memory) that it will empower us to battle our Spiritual enemies.

And Paul had an authentic ministry because he had God’s Word deeply in his heart; and he had learned, becoming a born-again Christian, that he could rely on the Holy Spirit to shine the way in his ministry through the truths of God’s word.

Toward the end of his devotional today, Chuck Swindoll charges his devotional readers to saturate our lives with the Word of God. And yes, I know the tendency and temptation to think or say, “But Bill, you don’t know how busy I am now. I just don’t have the time to invest time every day, digging into, memorizing, and meditating in God’s word.” But common, my dear one, do you have any more or any less time than did Paul, or me for that matter? No, we all have been given 24 hours in each day. It’s not a matter of having not enough time; it’s a matter of how we prioritize that time. So, with that truth before us, my questions [of myself] become, …
• Do I really believe God’s admonitions in Joshua 1: 8 and Psalm 119: 9, 11?
• Am I willing to prioritize my relationship with God above the tyranny of the urgencies of the world?
• Just how important is it for to me to really get to know God?

And if I can say an unqualified “YES” to the first two of those questions; and if I’m convicted to desire a deeper relationship with my Lord, I will FIND THE TIME to go deep into God’s word [yes, everyday] to let it become the sword of the Spirit (see Eph. 6: 17) which God has given me to combat my enemies and to stand and fight for Christ as we read Paul doing in Acts 14 and as we read Christ doing against Satan in Matthew 4 and Luke 4.

I hope that my daily time here each morning convinces you that I have learned this lesson which made Paul a powerful minister of the Gospel. I’ve got a long way to go to be anything like Paul or any of the other characters in Swindoll’s book, Great Days with the Great Lives. But I do know that there are no short cuts and no excuses for me to avoid going deep into God’s word. The only way to authentic ministry for the Lord and an abiding relationship with Christ is to devote the quantity and quality of time to get to know God through His word.

So, as I have said in the past, quoting the old Nike commercial … ”JUST DO IT!”

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I know that the only way I can know You intimately and serve You powerfully is through my time with You in Your word. So, keep me convicted of this truth and enable me to be with You every day here, digging for You the way I have this morning. Amen

2009 – Day 297.Oct 25 – Trusting God in the Shadows

1st Passage for Study: Acts 11: 25 … Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul.

2nd Passage for Study: 2nd Cor. 12: 1 – 11 … Linked for your study …

My Journal for Today: Yesterday, from these two passages, and with Swindoll’s help, we were reminded that God’s M.O. of preparation often involves a leader-type, like Saul/Paul, being stashed away in some difficult place for God’s Spirit to mold him (or her) into the disciple He needs to move forward for God’s glory. And today Swindoll posits four principles which outline this process.

The first of these, and I quote Pastor Chuck, “… when God prepares us for effective ministry, He includes what we would rather omit – a period of waiting.” And He does this because learning to wait on God CULTIVATES PATIENCE. Swindoll points out that one seldom ever finds a young, immature person with patience. In fact, in today’s hurry-up world, it’s hard to find anyone with patience. But if any Christian desires to be an effective disciple of Christ, he or she must learn to wait on God; … because to determine God’s will often requires a significant waiting period.

Secondly, again from Swindoll’s words, ”… as God makes us wait, hiding in His shadow, He shows us we’re not indispensable.” This is the period of discipleship which PRODUCES HUMILITY. And if there is one element of Christlikeness we need in a personal ministry, it is humility. We pointed this out yesterday, from the charge of Phil. 2: 5 - 11, for us to have the attitude or mentality of Christ; and we know that this passage powerfully delineates the humility of Christ. So, if we’re going to be able to receive the enabling grace from God, the Holy Spirit, we’re going to have to choose humility and set aside pride.

Thirdly, again from Swindoll’s writing, ”… while God hides us away, He reveals dimensions of Himself and insights regarding ministry.” And this is the process which DEEPENS US. Today, in our world, Swindoll is right. We don’t need more intelligent people or speedier people. We need wise people with a deep calling to do whatever it takes, … especially Christians who have become deep because of a deep and abiding relationship with Christ.

And finally, for the last of these processes which produce more effectiveness as Christians, Swindoll writes, ”… when God finally chooses to use us, it comes at a time least expected, … when we feel the least qualified.” This surprise calling actually MAKES US EFFECTIVE. How many times have we seen it in the great characters of faith we have studied? These great and effective saints, who were used for God’s glory, when it came down to crunch time, they were surprised and usually balked in the moment of truth. There was Joseph when he was confronted by his family for the first time. There was Moses at the burning bush. There was Elijah when we he was confronted by the prophets of Baal. There was Esther who felt so inadequate to lead her people out of their death trap. There was David, when he was “outed” by the prophet for his sinfulness. And of course, there was Job when he finally learned how big was his God and how small he was. And now we have Saul, becoming Paul, seeing the glory of Christ and how sinful he had been. All of them were shocked and felt inadequate when they were called by God into their place and time of purpose.

So, there you have it. If you or I want to be or become effective in a personal ministry of God’s calling, we’re very likely going to have to go through a patience building, humility rendering process, which deepens us and shapes our effectiveness to follow Christ. And it will be a process for any of us who are called out to shine our light of good works which will glorify our Father in Heaven (see that calling in Matt. 5: 14-16). I pray we’re all up to the challenge.

My Prayer for Today: Lord God, whatever it takes, I’m ready to be shaped for ministry. Take me. Use me. And may I respond and go forth for Your glory. Amen

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

2009 – Day 174.June 24 – When the Darkness Hits

2009 – Day 174.June 24 – When the Darkness Hits

Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 19: 1 – 9 … Linked for study …

My Journal for Today: In today’s devotional guidepost from Chuck Swindoll, he tries to help answer the question as to why our Prophet/Hero, Elijah, found himself in the pitiful mess he was in under that broom tree in the wilderness. How could a man who had just been on such a spiritual and personal high fall so low? And the answers should call attention to a number of warning posts for our consideration as Christian warriors.

First, and I think foremost, Elijah had just experienced his highest high spiritually, bringing down the prophets of Baal and calling down fire and rain from God on high. And we simply must learn that we become quite vulnerable to our sense of pride and hyper-ego when are riding the high of victory or success in life. I’m thinking now of a couple of other examples of this in Scripture, … Moses in the OT and the Apostle Paul in the NT. Both of them experienced some deep and discouraging setbacks after they had been riding highs in doing God’s business. And anytime God allows us to go high in life, we need to stay grounded and realize that God’s grace cannot pour into a mindset of pride (read the truth about it in Prov. 3: 34, 1st Peter 5: 6, and James 4: 6).

Secondly, Elijah was physically and emotionally exhausted; and fatigue can make cowards of anyone. The Prophet had been riding on the edge of life spiritually for years, during the drought, and like most of the people, he was expended of physical sustenance. Then he had that ego trip of out outrunning Ahab’s chariot, which likely took place in the mud of a flood. And then he had to run to escape Jezebel’s pursuit. I can remember my old high school football coach quoting the great football coach Vince Lombardi, who was the one who said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” So, when it came to practicing in the heat of August our coach was preparing us to be in shape for the games in September, knowing that tired football players are vulnerable to defeat. And this was where Elijah found himself, panting in fear and fatigue under that broom tree.

Finally, and I think this is a biggie, … Elijah had separated himself over time from the fellowship of other believers to rally around him and lift him up. I’m thinking now of that marvelous passage in Exodus 17 [linked for you] about Aaron and Hur lifting up the tired arms of Moses so that God could bring victory in battle for God’s people. I think of Jesus surrounding himself with disciples as He walked His walk of ministry all the way to the cross. Man was created for togetherness and fellowship with God and his fellow man. Hence the exhortation in Hebrews 10: 24-25 [also linked for you], not to set ourselves apart from other believers, especially as we see the day of the Lord approaching. And Elijah had become a “Lone Ranger” believer over time; and this made him vulnerable to his spiritual enemies.

So in Elijah’s broom tree pity party, we see the result of allowing pride, fatigue, and loneliness into our minds and lives. And the vigilance lesson is rather straight forward. As warriors for God, we simply cannot allow ourselves the luxury of become prideful when God brings victory in our lives. We must stay disciplined in our physical/emotional lives so that we avoid abject fatigue from making us cowards in battle. And finally we simply must stay connected to other Christians who, when we might get tired or disoriented from battle, can lift us up and keep us going.

Do you have these factors in mind as you have prayerfully put together a battle plan for life? Because if you don’t have a plan to remain humble, in shape, and connected, you can bet Satan has a plan to help you become prideful, broken down physically, and disconnected from God’s people. He will do all he can to see you become prideful, fatigued, and disoriented so that he can take you to some broom tree and hear you give up on being a warrior for God.

My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, help me to stay focused on You, … to remain vigilant and in shape for battle, … and always to stay connected to the family of God. Amen