Study from God’s Word… Romans, Chapters 3 - 8 … Passage for Reflection: Romans 8: 28 … NIV And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been (the) called according to His purpose.
My Journal for Today: Well, in asking readers to read, study, and meditate through some pretty weighty passages, especially the great Christian victory treatise in Romans 8, it’s not surprising that Dr. Smith, my devotional author, picked Romans 8: 28 as the highlight text for today’s devotional concentration.
I say this because I believe this passage is one of the lightning rod passages in Paul’s charge to Christians (from 2nd Cor. 13: 5) to examine our faith and see if we’re really “in the faith.” We’ve also been charged by God to test what we learn in life against God’s truth [i.e., The Bible] so that we can hold on to what is true (see 1st John 4: 1 and 1st Thes 5: 20-21). So, with that charge from God’s word of truth, we come on to a passage like Proverbs 3: 5-6 and today’s text from Romans 8: 28; and our faith is really put to the test, isn’t it?
What about it, Christian? Do you really trust God in ALL things – not SOME things >>> but ALL things? That’s the thrust of the Prov. 3: 5-6 passage, isn’t it? And then there’s the acid test of faith, which we’re given in today’s passage. God – through Paul – incredibly claims that ALL THINGS, no matter what they are or how raunchy they are, are for my good. And why? Well, they are for my good because I’m in Christ; and being in me, Christ, in the presence of His Holy Spirit, has promised that he’s shaping me (i.e., completing) me in His image (that the promise of God in Phil. 1: 6). And even more, His word says (in 1st Cor. 10: 13) that He will not put us into any test or trial in life which we, as His own, cannot handle.
No, God doesn’t promise me (or any Christian) a rose garden in life. Today’s passage does not say that all things in life ARE good. It says only that all things in life are FOR THE GOOD of those who are the called to God’s purposes (that’s you and me as Christians). So, now the question becomes, if we believe in the truth of Prov. 3: 5-6, can we hold to the truth (i.e., can we trust the truth) of Romans 8: 28? And right now, as you read this, you may be dealing with some pretty tough stuff. So, how we doing in our pop-quiz of faith today?
Maybe you’re dealing with life-threatening cancer. Maybe you’re reflecting on the loss of a child at a very young age. Maybe _______________ … well, you fill in the blank with your own life challenge; and then we need to ask ourselves what Dr. Smith posits as today’s difficult devotional question: ”Do I fully trust that God is bringing about good even in the most dire circumstance I might face?” And if we use that question as our 2nd Cor. 13: 5 test of faith; and we say “NO” as our answer, we have to say that we’ve failed God’s pop quiz of faith today; and we’re going to have to go back to the drawing board and ask if we can receive God’s saving grace in faith, from a God Who give us, or allows, the tough stuff of life.
But if we can say “YES” to the Romans 8: 28 and Prov. 3: 5-6 tests of faith, we can move forward, KNOWING that God is moving us through life – yes, even through the toughest parts of life - for HIS reasons, … in HIS timing, … for HIS purposes, … preparing us for HIS eternal completion, which is our transformation into HIS image.
And as Lily Tomlin used to say, with a pronounced lisp, as little “Edith Ann” on the TV show Laugh-In, … “That’s the truth!”
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I believe Your word – Your truth – so, help me in my unbelief, when I’m tested by life, to hold to my trust in Your ever-present love. Amen
Showing posts with label doubt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label doubt. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
2010 – November 19 – Evidence Dispels Doubt
Study from God’s Word… The resurrection and post resurrection appearances of Jesus recorded in chronological passages from Matt 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20 – 21,as well as the Lord’s instructions and commission in Acts 1 … Passage for Reflection: John 20 : 6 – 7 … NIV Then Simon Peter … saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.
Also from John 20: 30, 31 … Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
My Journal for Today: I’m glad Dr. Smith, my devotional book author, pointed with specific reference in his entry for today to that little detail, which I’ve put in bold above from John 20 : 7, especially when this incredibly important bit of eye-witness evidence was reported in the context of what John later reported in this chapter of His Gospel account, that which I’ve made reference to in John 20: 30-31, his purpose in carefully recording the details of the miracles of Jesus so that others, even two millennia latter, like you and me, could believe on Christ as The Messiah, the Son of God, and our Savior and Lord. [Man, that was a Pauline run-on sentence, wasn’t it?]
I’ve heard preachers and teachers make reference to the power of that one little detail about the tomb of Jesus when, upon entry, Jesus’ disciples, including the reporter in this instance, John, noted that the burial cloths were neatly folded where Jesus had lain in the tomb. Have you ever thought about that little detail?
At a middle-eastern dinner of the day, the master of the home would signal the end of the meal by getting up from his reclining position to head toward the doorway of the home. The guests would follow the host; and immediately the servants in the home would come behind the master and guests and fold the dinner linens neatly on the table. They did this so that, if the master or the guests were to have second thoughts and return, the table linens would neatly be there to receive them.
Now you may be wondering where I’m going with this; but remember what Jesus had made a repetitive point of in His earthly ministry … that He was not only the MASTER; but He also was THE servant of His Father in Heaven; and He declared, “The greatest among you will be your servant.” (see Matt 23: 11) And that little detail of the linens being folded, showed all who would see (and understand) that Jesus was master over death; but that He had died and was risen again to serve mankind.
So much power and pertinence in a minute detail of God’s word! But these are the kinds of details which I didn’t discover for years after I surrendered my will, in faith, to become a born-again Christian. In fact there were many details about my professed faith that I would later come to learn about, understand, and find greatly confirming for my faith. I learned that it’s okay to have questions and to pursue answers for those questions … just like Thomas, the doubting disciple, when he heard that Jesus was risen.
But evidence like this one, wrapped up in a folded burial linen, is mostly available in the Bible to help the believer who has already come to faith in Christ as Lord … to confirm that faith. Oh, it is possible that some, like Thomas, will need hard details and evidence to have faith. Prominent atheist and intellectuals like C.S. Lewis, Josh McDowell, and Lee Strobel certainly needed, and later wrote about, their need for evidence to seal their belief; but many, if not most, like me, come desperately to Christ and surrender to Him as their only way to deal with life or brokenness. And after we’ve surrendered our life and faith to the Lordship of Jesus, the Christ, having little details, like the folded linen, help to seal and protect our faith; and such evidence also motivates us to go and share the joy and truth of the Good News of Christ with others, just as the women did when they found the tomb empty and the linens neatly folded where Jesus had lain.
I hope all who read here are believers and find the evidence of a folded linen greatly encouraging for us to go forth and shout out the truth that JESUS LIVES!!!
My Prayer for Today: Lord, Jesus, You live in my heart and the lives of all who believe You were the One who folded those linens to show me that You serve me as my Lord as I serve You forever as my Savior. Amen
Also from John 20: 30, 31 … Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
My Journal for Today: I’m glad Dr. Smith, my devotional book author, pointed with specific reference in his entry for today to that little detail, which I’ve put in bold above from John 20 : 7, especially when this incredibly important bit of eye-witness evidence was reported in the context of what John later reported in this chapter of His Gospel account, that which I’ve made reference to in John 20: 30-31, his purpose in carefully recording the details of the miracles of Jesus so that others, even two millennia latter, like you and me, could believe on Christ as The Messiah, the Son of God, and our Savior and Lord. [Man, that was a Pauline run-on sentence, wasn’t it?]
I’ve heard preachers and teachers make reference to the power of that one little detail about the tomb of Jesus when, upon entry, Jesus’ disciples, including the reporter in this instance, John, noted that the burial cloths were neatly folded where Jesus had lain in the tomb. Have you ever thought about that little detail?
At a middle-eastern dinner of the day, the master of the home would signal the end of the meal by getting up from his reclining position to head toward the doorway of the home. The guests would follow the host; and immediately the servants in the home would come behind the master and guests and fold the dinner linens neatly on the table. They did this so that, if the master or the guests were to have second thoughts and return, the table linens would neatly be there to receive them.
Now you may be wondering where I’m going with this; but remember what Jesus had made a repetitive point of in His earthly ministry … that He was not only the MASTER; but He also was THE servant of His Father in Heaven; and He declared, “The greatest among you will be your servant.” (see Matt 23: 11) And that little detail of the linens being folded, showed all who would see (and understand) that Jesus was master over death; but that He had died and was risen again to serve mankind.
So much power and pertinence in a minute detail of God’s word! But these are the kinds of details which I didn’t discover for years after I surrendered my will, in faith, to become a born-again Christian. In fact there were many details about my professed faith that I would later come to learn about, understand, and find greatly confirming for my faith. I learned that it’s okay to have questions and to pursue answers for those questions … just like Thomas, the doubting disciple, when he heard that Jesus was risen.
But evidence like this one, wrapped up in a folded burial linen, is mostly available in the Bible to help the believer who has already come to faith in Christ as Lord … to confirm that faith. Oh, it is possible that some, like Thomas, will need hard details and evidence to have faith. Prominent atheist and intellectuals like C.S. Lewis, Josh McDowell, and Lee Strobel certainly needed, and later wrote about, their need for evidence to seal their belief; but many, if not most, like me, come desperately to Christ and surrender to Him as their only way to deal with life or brokenness. And after we’ve surrendered our life and faith to the Lordship of Jesus, the Christ, having little details, like the folded linen, help to seal and protect our faith; and such evidence also motivates us to go and share the joy and truth of the Good News of Christ with others, just as the women did when they found the tomb empty and the linens neatly folded where Jesus had lain.
I hope all who read here are believers and find the evidence of a folded linen greatly encouraging for us to go forth and shout out the truth that JESUS LIVES!!!
My Prayer for Today: Lord, Jesus, You live in my heart and the lives of all who believe You were the One who folded those linens to show me that You serve me as my Lord as I serve You forever as my Savior. Amen
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
2010 – November 3 – Toward a Greater Faith
Study from God’s Word… More selections from the Synoptic Gospels by Dr. Smith revealing Jesus traveling through upper Galilee, teaching his Disciples about their inability to see Jesus’ kingdom teachings clearly ... see passage references on pages 1410 – 1415 of The Daily Bible in Chronological Order … Passage for Reflection: Mark 9: 24 [from the description of Jesus confronting the faith of a father whose boy was demon possessed and epileptic – the father desperate for his son’s healing – see Mark 9: 14-29]… NIV Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed [at Jesus’ inquiry as to his faith), “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
My Journal for Today: Dr. Smith begins his devotional entry for this date with a faith challenge. He writes the following questions (answer each with a simple “YES or NO”) …
• Do you believe that Jesus is The Christ, … the Son of the living God? … YES/NO
• Do you believe in the virgin birth? … YES/NO
• Do you believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God? … YES/NO
• Do you believe that, with enough faith, you could literally move a mountain from one location to another? … YES/NO
Well, if you’re like me – as a Bible-believing, staunch follower of Jesus Christ, you were confident of responding “YES” to the first three of these questions. Then your answer to the fourth question might have been a bit more – if not a lot – more hesitant.
Today Dr. Smith, as the editor of The Daily Bible in Chronological Order, took his readers and students of Scripture through sections of the Synoptic Gospels where Jesus was trying to give His inner twelve Disciples a deeper understanding of how they needed to have a more committed faith in Him as THE Messiah and the Son of God. We see, as Jesus was traveling through the northern regions of Galilee, before He would head back to Jerusalem and to Calvary, the Disciples had come to the place where they really desired to place their faith in this man, Jesus, as their Messiah. Three of the twelve had even been given a walk up Mount Herman and witnessed Jesus transfigured and speaking with Moses and Elijah. The Disciples had been sent out into the countryside and had been empowered, by Jesus, with the ability to heal the sick and raise the dead. Yet, even after this, upon their return to Jesus, the Lord perceived that their faith in Him was inadequate.
Because in the scenario which is presented in the text today from Mark 9: 14-29 [linked here], we read that the twelve inner disciples, having returned from their ministry travels in the countryside, two-by-two, were perplexed that they could not heal a boy who was epileptic and demon-possessed. And so Jesus, showed them, and the boy’s father, that even a small faith in JESUS Himself, was strong enough to heal and cast out demons.
And we read that prayer of the father (above), where he recognized that his faith in Jesus was there, but incomplete; and he honestly responded to Jesus’ inquiry about his faith with a simple prayer to Jesus to help him in his unbelief. Oh, my friends, that’s a prayer we all need to be diligently praying more often, especially in these days which try our faith.
Back to the three questions above: Do we recognize that our faith is not, as some Word-of-Faith teachers claim these days, in our own faith? Our faith, as God’s word clearly states (see Eph. 2: 8-9), comes from God’s enabling/empowering grace. Yes, we must receive, by faith, God’s grace; and it is our own ability to do that which determines whether, in God’s scheme of things, we can or cannot move mountains. As Dr. Smith says in his devotional for today, ”Believing the affirmations of Christian faith is light-years away from having the depth of faith that makes those affirmations fully empowering. Most of us are staunch believers and fearful unbelievers … all at the same time. Were there not so great a gap of faith in all of us, Everest itself would have reason to tremble!”
And that, my friends and reader-followers, pretty well describes my faith – or lack thereof. How about you?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me today in my unbelief!! Amen
My Journal for Today: Dr. Smith begins his devotional entry for this date with a faith challenge. He writes the following questions (answer each with a simple “YES or NO”) …
• Do you believe that Jesus is The Christ, … the Son of the living God? … YES/NO
• Do you believe in the virgin birth? … YES/NO
• Do you believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God? … YES/NO
• Do you believe that, with enough faith, you could literally move a mountain from one location to another? … YES/NO
Well, if you’re like me – as a Bible-believing, staunch follower of Jesus Christ, you were confident of responding “YES” to the first three of these questions. Then your answer to the fourth question might have been a bit more – if not a lot – more hesitant.
Today Dr. Smith, as the editor of The Daily Bible in Chronological Order, took his readers and students of Scripture through sections of the Synoptic Gospels where Jesus was trying to give His inner twelve Disciples a deeper understanding of how they needed to have a more committed faith in Him as THE Messiah and the Son of God. We see, as Jesus was traveling through the northern regions of Galilee, before He would head back to Jerusalem and to Calvary, the Disciples had come to the place where they really desired to place their faith in this man, Jesus, as their Messiah. Three of the twelve had even been given a walk up Mount Herman and witnessed Jesus transfigured and speaking with Moses and Elijah. The Disciples had been sent out into the countryside and had been empowered, by Jesus, with the ability to heal the sick and raise the dead. Yet, even after this, upon their return to Jesus, the Lord perceived that their faith in Him was inadequate.
Because in the scenario which is presented in the text today from Mark 9: 14-29 [linked here], we read that the twelve inner disciples, having returned from their ministry travels in the countryside, two-by-two, were perplexed that they could not heal a boy who was epileptic and demon-possessed. And so Jesus, showed them, and the boy’s father, that even a small faith in JESUS Himself, was strong enough to heal and cast out demons.
And we read that prayer of the father (above), where he recognized that his faith in Jesus was there, but incomplete; and he honestly responded to Jesus’ inquiry about his faith with a simple prayer to Jesus to help him in his unbelief. Oh, my friends, that’s a prayer we all need to be diligently praying more often, especially in these days which try our faith.
Back to the three questions above: Do we recognize that our faith is not, as some Word-of-Faith teachers claim these days, in our own faith? Our faith, as God’s word clearly states (see Eph. 2: 8-9), comes from God’s enabling/empowering grace. Yes, we must receive, by faith, God’s grace; and it is our own ability to do that which determines whether, in God’s scheme of things, we can or cannot move mountains. As Dr. Smith says in his devotional for today, ”Believing the affirmations of Christian faith is light-years away from having the depth of faith that makes those affirmations fully empowering. Most of us are staunch believers and fearful unbelievers … all at the same time. Were there not so great a gap of faith in all of us, Everest itself would have reason to tremble!”
And that, my friends and reader-followers, pretty well describes my faith – or lack thereof. How about you?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me today in my unbelief!! Amen
Monday, November 01, 2010
2010 – November 1 – When There’s Reason to Doubt
Blogger's Note: In my quest to read through the Bible and blog my journal entries this year, I've been led by the Editor of The Daily Bible in Chronological Order, Dr. F. LaGard Smith, from the Old and into the New Testament. I'm on the backstretch, heading toward the tape of completing the entire Bible reading in 2010; and I hope that others who've read here with me get as much from God's truth as am I.
Study from God’s Word… Passages selected by the Editor of The Daily Bible in Chronological Order from Matthew 14, Mark 6, and John 6 to illustrate Jesus’ claims, His miracles, and the doubts of some of the people, especially the religious leaders, as The Messiah traveled around Galilee in His 2nd year of ministry … Passage for Reflection: Matthew 14: 31 … NIV 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “Tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
My Journal for Today: Does anybody reading with me here identify with Peter besides yours truly? Peter, maybe more than any of the other inner core of Disciples, illustrates for me the challenge of choosing to believe and follow this man Jesus as the Son of God and our Messiah. And probably no historical account in the Gospel accounts illustrates Peter’s desire to pursue Jesus, believing in Him as the Son of God, in the midst of this disciple’s very human doubts, any more than this story of the disciples seeing Jesus walk on the water in the midst of the storm.
Are you like me (and I believe Peter as well), desiring desperately to believe in the truth of passages like Romans 8: 28, 31 and yet falling short of Jesus’ command of discipleship in Luke 9: 23? I don’t think any passage in the Bible illustrates this for me any better than the encounter the 12 Disciples had with Jesus in the boat out there in the storm on the Sea of Galilee, involving Peter’s confrontation with faith and doubt as he stepped out of the boat to pursue Jesus, yet sank into the water due to his doubt.
I’m sure, dear Christian, you’re not that much different from me, desiring desperately to believe in the truth of the Bible, as with the two passage I mentioned above (which I hope you’ve either memorized or have found and meditated upon here). Yet many of us - me certainly included - have very rational doubts, just as Peter did, stepping out of the boat and realizing that he was actually walking on water. We have very human doubts like wondering why God performs miracle healing with some and allows others to suffer and die in spite of their prayers for life. And why does God allow Satan to have the power he has in this world? And what’s up with evil seeming to flourish all around us?
Oh, how difficult it is to see that the concept of FAITH would be meaningless unless it is experienced in the context of DOUBT. Faith is not faith without doubt being doubt. But that truth doesn’t make it any easier for me to step out of the boat of my life and to attempt to walk on the waters of challenging circumstances day-by-day.
I desperately want to be like Peter and to be able to step out of the boat of my life when Jesus calls me out, saying ... “come on, Bill, ... follow Me!” I hear Him saying “follow Me” when I know what I should be eating and the empty, but good-tasting, calories I should be avoiding; and yet I sink in the waters of my own doubt when I take in those empty calories, pursuing selfish pleasure rather than following my Savior’s call to step out in faith.
Some in the ministry I’m called to lead (go to this link), when it comes to avoiding sexual sin in viewing pornography, sink desperately into their own pursuit of pleasure rather than walking on the waters of faith, being called out by God’s Spirit to avoid viewing such visual, but sinful, pleasures. Others fall prey to their own selfishness, knowing - like me - that you should avoid certain obsessive/compulsive sin, but our doubt in God’s ability to give us the strength we need to walk on water and avoid pleasure-driven sin, leads us to have the same doubts that Paul had when he wrote about himself in Romans 7: 14-23 [linked here]. And when we do what we don’t want to do, avoiding what we know we should do, we sink into the waters of doubt rather than walk above those stormy waters in faith.
Let’s not be too tough on Peter. But let’s all be like Peter as he kept pursuing a deeper and deeper relationship with Christ as he walked with Him in the hills of Galilee in those day as Jesus ultimately walked to the cross. Let’s all keep pursuing a deeper faith, doing all we can, in spite of our doubts, to come when Jesus calls us to come and to deny self and follow Him even though the storms of life and temptation rage around us.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, in spite of the winds of life blowing and the storms raging, help me to step out of the boat and come to You today. Amen
Study from God’s Word… Passages selected by the Editor of The Daily Bible in Chronological Order from Matthew 14, Mark 6, and John 6 to illustrate Jesus’ claims, His miracles, and the doubts of some of the people, especially the religious leaders, as The Messiah traveled around Galilee in His 2nd year of ministry … Passage for Reflection: Matthew 14: 31 … NIV 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “Tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
My Journal for Today: Does anybody reading with me here identify with Peter besides yours truly? Peter, maybe more than any of the other inner core of Disciples, illustrates for me the challenge of choosing to believe and follow this man Jesus as the Son of God and our Messiah. And probably no historical account in the Gospel accounts illustrates Peter’s desire to pursue Jesus, believing in Him as the Son of God, in the midst of this disciple’s very human doubts, any more than this story of the disciples seeing Jesus walk on the water in the midst of the storm.
Are you like me (and I believe Peter as well), desiring desperately to believe in the truth of passages like Romans 8: 28, 31 and yet falling short of Jesus’ command of discipleship in Luke 9: 23? I don’t think any passage in the Bible illustrates this for me any better than the encounter the 12 Disciples had with Jesus in the boat out there in the storm on the Sea of Galilee, involving Peter’s confrontation with faith and doubt as he stepped out of the boat to pursue Jesus, yet sank into the water due to his doubt.
I’m sure, dear Christian, you’re not that much different from me, desiring desperately to believe in the truth of the Bible, as with the two passage I mentioned above (which I hope you’ve either memorized or have found and meditated upon here). Yet many of us - me certainly included - have very rational doubts, just as Peter did, stepping out of the boat and realizing that he was actually walking on water. We have very human doubts like wondering why God performs miracle healing with some and allows others to suffer and die in spite of their prayers for life. And why does God allow Satan to have the power he has in this world? And what’s up with evil seeming to flourish all around us?
Oh, how difficult it is to see that the concept of FAITH would be meaningless unless it is experienced in the context of DOUBT. Faith is not faith without doubt being doubt. But that truth doesn’t make it any easier for me to step out of the boat of my life and to attempt to walk on the waters of challenging circumstances day-by-day.
I desperately want to be like Peter and to be able to step out of the boat of my life when Jesus calls me out, saying ... “come on, Bill, ... follow Me!” I hear Him saying “follow Me” when I know what I should be eating and the empty, but good-tasting, calories I should be avoiding; and yet I sink in the waters of my own doubt when I take in those empty calories, pursuing selfish pleasure rather than following my Savior’s call to step out in faith.
Some in the ministry I’m called to lead (go to this link), when it comes to avoiding sexual sin in viewing pornography, sink desperately into their own pursuit of pleasure rather than walking on the waters of faith, being called out by God’s Spirit to avoid viewing such visual, but sinful, pleasures. Others fall prey to their own selfishness, knowing - like me - that you should avoid certain obsessive/compulsive sin, but our doubt in God’s ability to give us the strength we need to walk on water and avoid pleasure-driven sin, leads us to have the same doubts that Paul had when he wrote about himself in Romans 7: 14-23 [linked here]. And when we do what we don’t want to do, avoiding what we know we should do, we sink into the waters of doubt rather than walk above those stormy waters in faith.
Let’s not be too tough on Peter. But let’s all be like Peter as he kept pursuing a deeper and deeper relationship with Christ as he walked with Him in the hills of Galilee in those day as Jesus ultimately walked to the cross. Let’s all keep pursuing a deeper faith, doing all we can, in spite of our doubts, to come when Jesus calls us to come and to deny self and follow Him even though the storms of life and temptation rage around us.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, in spite of the winds of life blowing and the storms raging, help me to step out of the boat and come to You today. Amen
Friday, March 19, 2010
2010 – Mar. 19 – Fleecing from Faith or Doubt?
Study from God’s Word…Judges 6: 1 – Judges 7: 25 … Passage for Reflection: Judges 6: 39 … NIV 39 Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew."
My Journal for Today: I really dig the character of Gideon in the Old Testament; and I do so because I identify with him a lot. First there is his lack of self assurance. Who among us has not doubted our own self worth at some time in our life? Well, Gideon certainly did; and yet, God saw in Gideon a warrior, … in fact God saw a “mighty warrior,” a character trait which Gideon doubted severely. In fact God even allowed this “scaredy cat” more than one test, which we have come to know as “fleeces,” to see if God’s angel (Who was probably Christ in a theophany) was for real. And don’t you just love God’s patience and forbearance as Gideon needs to put out these fleeces more than once to see if he’s moving within God’s will or not.
Have you not wondered at times whether you were working or moving as God would have you move? I certainly have; and there have been times when I looked for God’s signs as to whether a leaning I had or a decision I questioned was in the center of God’s will. And the “fleece” I sought usually came in the form of God’s perfect peace when I needed confirmation of God’s will for my life. Many times in my life, when I felt God driving me forward in a certain direction, I have used Paul’s (i.e., God’s) instruction in Phil. 4: 6,7 to help me fleece out what God wanted me to do.
In this passage, as I hope you’ve memorized, we’re instructed to avoid worry and to take our leaning or quandary to God in prayer, … praying diligently, and with sincere discipline, to seek God’s peace about the direction or focus we have in our mind’s eye. And if what we “feel” is God’s will, we will find that He will send His peace, … that peace which surpasses all understanding, to confirm our leaning or direction. And I have used that method of decision-making many, many times; and when I don’t get that peace from God, I know that He’s saying to me, “stop” or “wait.” But if I do get a peace about the direction or choice in my mind, I move ahead, knowing that Satan cannot counterfeit God’s peace.
So, I’m no different than Gideon. There are times when my “faith” is really no more than doubt in disguise. But Gideon had a heart for God’s will; and God, of course, knew that. And even when we doubt what’s going on in our lives, if we genuinely seek God’s direction and His best for us, just like Gideon, God will give us, in HIS good timing, what we seek from Him, which is His perfect will. Go back and meditate on the passage I’ve referred to here, i.e., Phil. 4: 6-7, as well as Psalm 37: 4, Prov. 3: 5-6, Romans 12: 1-2, and James 1: 5-6, all of which will help you, as they have me for years, give you assurance that seeking and finding God’s will and/or wisdom is a pursuit we all should undertake so that we can fulfill the commands of Jesus, Who said to His disciples (see Luke 9: 23 – common, you know it!), If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
And though I’m not into betting, I’d wager that – if you’re a genuine, born-again Christian – you, like Gideon, seek to find and do God’s will for your life. So, my friend, just like Gideon, you just keep on, keeping on in that pursuit; and God will ultimately honor you with His mind and His heart in the matters which mean the most to you, especially those matters which mean the most to God.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I simply seek Your will!!! Amen
My Journal for Today: I really dig the character of Gideon in the Old Testament; and I do so because I identify with him a lot. First there is his lack of self assurance. Who among us has not doubted our own self worth at some time in our life? Well, Gideon certainly did; and yet, God saw in Gideon a warrior, … in fact God saw a “mighty warrior,” a character trait which Gideon doubted severely. In fact God even allowed this “scaredy cat” more than one test, which we have come to know as “fleeces,” to see if God’s angel (Who was probably Christ in a theophany) was for real. And don’t you just love God’s patience and forbearance as Gideon needs to put out these fleeces more than once to see if he’s moving within God’s will or not.
Have you not wondered at times whether you were working or moving as God would have you move? I certainly have; and there have been times when I looked for God’s signs as to whether a leaning I had or a decision I questioned was in the center of God’s will. And the “fleece” I sought usually came in the form of God’s perfect peace when I needed confirmation of God’s will for my life. Many times in my life, when I felt God driving me forward in a certain direction, I have used Paul’s (i.e., God’s) instruction in Phil. 4: 6,7 to help me fleece out what God wanted me to do.
In this passage, as I hope you’ve memorized, we’re instructed to avoid worry and to take our leaning or quandary to God in prayer, … praying diligently, and with sincere discipline, to seek God’s peace about the direction or focus we have in our mind’s eye. And if what we “feel” is God’s will, we will find that He will send His peace, … that peace which surpasses all understanding, to confirm our leaning or direction. And I have used that method of decision-making many, many times; and when I don’t get that peace from God, I know that He’s saying to me, “stop” or “wait.” But if I do get a peace about the direction or choice in my mind, I move ahead, knowing that Satan cannot counterfeit God’s peace.
So, I’m no different than Gideon. There are times when my “faith” is really no more than doubt in disguise. But Gideon had a heart for God’s will; and God, of course, knew that. And even when we doubt what’s going on in our lives, if we genuinely seek God’s direction and His best for us, just like Gideon, God will give us, in HIS good timing, what we seek from Him, which is His perfect will. Go back and meditate on the passage I’ve referred to here, i.e., Phil. 4: 6-7, as well as Psalm 37: 4, Prov. 3: 5-6, Romans 12: 1-2, and James 1: 5-6, all of which will help you, as they have me for years, give you assurance that seeking and finding God’s will and/or wisdom is a pursuit we all should undertake so that we can fulfill the commands of Jesus, Who said to His disciples (see Luke 9: 23 – common, you know it!), If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
And though I’m not into betting, I’d wager that – if you’re a genuine, born-again Christian – you, like Gideon, seek to find and do God’s will for your life. So, my friend, just like Gideon, you just keep on, keeping on in that pursuit; and God will ultimately honor you with His mind and His heart in the matters which mean the most to you, especially those matters which mean the most to God.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I simply seek Your will!!! Amen
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
2009 – Day 75.Mar. 17 – I Will Not Retreat
2009 – Day 75.Mar. 17 – I Will Not Retreat
Passage of the Day: Exodus 6: 13 … Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
My Journal for Today: Moses (and Aaron) had heard God’s command of deliverance for His people before; but things had not gone well in the execution of God’s plan up to the point of today’s passage. And so, as we read above, God forcefully reinstated His command to go forth to set His people free from over 400 years of bondage to Egypt.
Perhaps, like me, you can identify with the challenge to Moses’ faith at this point in the story. He knew what God had related and exhorted in the past; and I believe, at this point, Moses even had faith in God. However, it was a head faith; and it was likely that his head was also reeling with fleshly messages like, “This is not working. Pharaoh is so powerful; and his heart is too hardened against God’s plan; and Egypt is so much more powerful than I am.”
It is so easy to let human logic and temporal circumstances get in the way of believing - in our hearts as Christians - what we know to be God’s will. I think of the times when I’ve known that it is God’s will that all be saved. God’s word clearly says that our God desires that all repent and believe and be saved (I know it from passages like [links provided] 2nd Pet. 3: 9 or 1st Tim. 2: 3-4). And yet many times, I’ve hesitated when I’ve had the opportunity to share my faith with one I knew who was lost, balking in fear.
Moses knew - in his head - that God desired to save the Jews from bondage; and he knew – in his head – that God had set forth the plan of deliverance. But God also knew that Moses needed to get that head belief into a heart belief for God’s plan to go forth; and so, we see a very patient – but a very insistent – God laying out the plan again for Moses and his brother. But this time, God is getting more direct with His command for action.
Chuck Swindoll makes a clear and truthful declaration at the end of his devotional for this day from his book Great Days with the Great Lives. Swindoll paraphrases what God was saying to Moses. He writes as if God were speaking to Moses, “Because I am Who I am, I will do what is best for you.” And then Swindoll adds a powerful conclusion for us all, writing, “There isn’t a day on this side of eternity, no matter how grim, that can’t be improved by clinging to that reassuring thought.”
Do we, as God’s adopted children, … as Christians, really believe – in our hearts – that God will always do what is best for us? That is certainly God’s promise in Romans 8: 28, isn’t it? Well, if we believe that, we need to take up Christ’s challenge (quoted in Luke 9: 23) to deny our own feelings and fears, and to take up the crosses or challenges of life, and to simply follow our Lord without question or hesitation. That’s what God was saying to Moses in today’s highlight passage; and that is what God is saying to me today. How about you?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me in my unbelief !! Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 6: 13 … Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
My Journal for Today: Moses (and Aaron) had heard God’s command of deliverance for His people before; but things had not gone well in the execution of God’s plan up to the point of today’s passage. And so, as we read above, God forcefully reinstated His command to go forth to set His people free from over 400 years of bondage to Egypt.
Perhaps, like me, you can identify with the challenge to Moses’ faith at this point in the story. He knew what God had related and exhorted in the past; and I believe, at this point, Moses even had faith in God. However, it was a head faith; and it was likely that his head was also reeling with fleshly messages like, “This is not working. Pharaoh is so powerful; and his heart is too hardened against God’s plan; and Egypt is so much more powerful than I am.”
It is so easy to let human logic and temporal circumstances get in the way of believing - in our hearts as Christians - what we know to be God’s will. I think of the times when I’ve known that it is God’s will that all be saved. God’s word clearly says that our God desires that all repent and believe and be saved (I know it from passages like [links provided] 2nd Pet. 3: 9 or 1st Tim. 2: 3-4). And yet many times, I’ve hesitated when I’ve had the opportunity to share my faith with one I knew who was lost, balking in fear.
Moses knew - in his head - that God desired to save the Jews from bondage; and he knew – in his head – that God had set forth the plan of deliverance. But God also knew that Moses needed to get that head belief into a heart belief for God’s plan to go forth; and so, we see a very patient – but a very insistent – God laying out the plan again for Moses and his brother. But this time, God is getting more direct with His command for action.
Chuck Swindoll makes a clear and truthful declaration at the end of his devotional for this day from his book Great Days with the Great Lives. Swindoll paraphrases what God was saying to Moses. He writes as if God were speaking to Moses, “Because I am Who I am, I will do what is best for you.” And then Swindoll adds a powerful conclusion for us all, writing, “There isn’t a day on this side of eternity, no matter how grim, that can’t be improved by clinging to that reassuring thought.”
Do we, as God’s adopted children, … as Christians, really believe – in our hearts – that God will always do what is best for us? That is certainly God’s promise in Romans 8: 28, isn’t it? Well, if we believe that, we need to take up Christ’s challenge (quoted in Luke 9: 23) to deny our own feelings and fears, and to take up the crosses or challenges of life, and to simply follow our Lord without question or hesitation. That’s what God was saying to Moses in today’s highlight passage; and that is what God is saying to me today. How about you?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me in my unbelief !! Amen
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