June 14, 2011 … Integrity Endures Criticism

Passage of the Day: Daniel 3: 8 – 12 … 8 At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever! 10 You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up."

My Journal for Today: Strong stands by God’s leaders, when they encounter the public arena, what we Christians call, “The World,” will almost always yield opposition and may involve outright rejection or even persecution (depending on the worldly power of the opposition). Today’s passage is a good example, involving Daniel’s three young Hebrew friends who had become prominent in the King’s government, incurring jealousy from the Babylonian court elite. The existing, and likely older, officials of the Chaldean government had no doubt been on a slow boil of jealousy for quite some time; and finally, they hatched a plot to bring down these three talented Hebrew youths (see Dan. 2: 49). In today’s text we see that plot beginning to unfold, illustrating how a Godly (i.e., in our case “Christians”) world view can generate criticism and counter-cultural wrath.

In the context of our post-modern world, a Christian leader can expect that the proclamation of the Gospel message, or often merely the Name of “Christ,” will be repugnant to our humanistic culture and power structure. Jesus, Himself, said, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you (John 15: 20);” which was also Paul’s warning to Timothy (2nd Tim. 3: 12). It’s a given social construct. Proclaim “CHRIST” openly in our world; and you will be rejected, mocked, or persecuted. The world preaches, through hypocrisy, a doctrine of “tolerance;” yet, it is most intolerant of the one Person who was the most tolerant in His mercy and the least tolerant of our hypocrisy ... i.e., ... Christ..

So, since we’re focusing on Christian integrity this month, be forewarned! If you are a Christian called to lead the cause of Christ; … and you hold, with integrity to your faith, you can expect the non-believing public, and especially the worldly power structure, will ridicule or revile your stand; and they will do all they can to block what you say or to bring you down personally or politically. For a lesson in these tactics all we have to do is see how organizations today like the ACLU or the People for the American Way treat Christian political action groups like the The American Family Association, the Family Research Council, or ministries like Focus on the Family, which loudly proclaim the Gospel and Christian family values to a very hostile world.

BUT, we must never forget that God will never forsake His own (see Heb. 13: 5); and His word and truth will never come up void for His purposes (Isaiah 55: 11). And beyond this, our Lord is always greater than those representing the world and fomented by Satan (1st John 4: 4; Romans 8: 31).

So, those called to lead, as were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, or maybe people like you must, with integrity, lead … and lead us to victory.

My Prayer Today: Today, Lord, if called to do so, I will stand for You! Amen

2010 – November 13 – Faithless Faith

Study from God’s Word… Accounts from the Gospels about the “last supper” and Jesus’ preparing to become the Lamb of God from Matt 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22 as well as John 12 … Passage for Reflection: John 12: 42 – 43 … NIV 42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved human praise more than praise from God.

My Journal for Today: As sometimes we say when incongruities are apparent in someone’s story or the report of a set of circumstances, like the one in today’s devotional text, “What’s wrong with this picture?”

Supposedly we have Jewish leaders in these latter days of Jesus’ life on earth who “believe” in Jesus. Yet, they are unwilling – or unable – to stand in the gap for that faith by confessing their beliefs to the Pharisees, who were the so-called guardians of the Temple, because of fears that they’d be excluded from worshipping in the Temple, which would have shunned them from inclusion in the community of Jewish faith there in Jerusalem. So, as my title implies for my devotional entry today, these men had somewhat of a “faithless faith.” Today, we Christians might have called them “nominal christians,” because the depth of their faith was only intellectual and not a deep/abiding/living faith in Christ.

And that brings up our application challenge from Dr. Smith from reading and meditating on the text for today. Dr. Smith asks, ”In what ways have I denounced my faith by refusing to openly acknowledge what I truly believe?” I would expect that the answer to this question catches many of us coming up short in the depth of our faith over the years of our walk as Christians. It certainly has me.

There are any number of times in my walk of faith where I’ve been “chicken” and unwilling to stand openly for Jesus in the public arena of life. Quite a number of times, I’ve heard people mock Christ or Christianity; and I kept my mouth shut. There have been times in my past when I heard people spelling out their beliefs FOR abortion; and I didn’t stand up for life the way I should have done as a Christian. And maybe you have had times when you were a representative of “faithless faith,” not standing forth as you should have.

Well, fortunately we have a forgiving Lord and Savior, Who in the verses following today’s text declares (see John 12: 47), 47 “If anyone hears My words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” No, when Jesus walked the earth as the God-Man, He was not there as a JUDGE. He was there as the Lamb of God, to give His life so that those of us who have REAL faith in Him will live eternally. It is one day, when He will come again to be the Judge of mankind; and then all will have to stand in the gap for our faith in Him. And it will only be those who have true faith who will be worthy of His saving grace.

But once that saving faith has been expressed – truly from the heart; and we become Christian, receiving the saving grace offered by the blood of Christ, it will never be satisfactory to stand quietly and refuse to witness our faith. No, … the Holy Spirit, residing in me now as a Christian, rumbles His conviction when I am quiet, knowing I should speak or stand for my faith. And I don’t think – and I certainly pray - that I would now be unwilling to stand in the gap for Jesus in circumstances which called for my witness. I hope and pray that anyone reading here would step forward with me when and if the time presented itself to be a witness for our faith, never again living in a “faithless faith.”

My Prayer for Today: Lord, give us the faith of our faith to be witnesses for our faith. Amen

2010 – October 3 – A Twofold Tale of Courage

Study from God’s Word… Esther, Chapters 1 – 4 … Passage for Reflection: Esther 1: 12 … NIV But when the attendants delivered the King’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the King became furious and burned with anger.

My Journal for Today: I would expect that others reading along with me, like myself, have read the intriguing story of Esther before in your Bible studies. It is a wonderful story of political intrigue and personal spiritual character on the part of the main heroine of the story, the Jewess, Esther. But there is another precursor to Esther’s story, another courageous sub-heroine, whose story should not be lost in the focus on our Hebrew heroine; and that is the story of the King Xerxes’ bride, Vashti.

Here was a Queen who was obviously a beautiful lady and a highly respected queen in the court of King Xerxes. And she receives a summons from the King to appear before the court in the midst of drunken revelry where the king wants to show off the beauty of his queen; and she flat refuses to be degraded in this way. Well, the rest is history; and though the kind displays a bit of a soft side banishing his queen instead of having her beheaded or killed in some public execution, she still loses all access to the finery of being the queen because of her integrity. And we shouldn’t lose sight of the character lesson of this fine woman; and who knows [?], … perhaps her model might have influenced our heroine, Esther, who later would be called on to confront the king for the glory of God.

The application question from Dr. Smith in this morning’s devotional highlight is this: ”Am I sufficiently courageous to do the right thing even when the consequences are potentially disastrous?” And here we all have to do our own 2nd Cor. 13: 5 [linked for study] inventory of faith. And I don’t know what our individual confrontations of character might be. Perhaps you might be called to do the “right thing” at work by refusing to buckle to corporate pressures when your job might be on the line for such an action. Perhaps there are friends at work or in your social circles who mock God openly; and you might be called on to stand in the gap for your faith and confront your “friends” about their disbelief. Maybe there are those who are declaring that abortion is okay or “gay marriage” should be allowed; and you can’t stand back in the shadows any longer and let such opinions go unchallenged … even though the results may be being socially ostracized.

The lessons of Queen Vashti in today’s text, and later Queen Esther, tell us that character matters, especially when the prevailing politically correct forces are spitting in the face of Godly values. When – and how – we might be called on to stand up for our faith, I don’t know. But I do know we certainly have ample biblical examples; and two of them are being brought to our attention by studying the book of Esther. Had it not been for the courage of Queen Vashti, the later courage of Esther to save her people from a holocaust of horror would have not taken place; and so we get a two-for-one lesson in female courage and Godly honor by seeing how these two women stood up to the male dominant powers of the day.

Hooray for Queen Vashti; and hooray for those who stand in the gap for Godly values today!

My Prayer for Today: Lord, give me the courage to be like Queen Vashti or Esther when I’m confronted by ungodliness in my life. Amen

2010 – September 22 – Dirt or Derision?

Study from God’s Word… Daniel, Chapter 6 … Passage for Reflection: Daniel 6: 5 … NIV Finally these men [the court leaders during the reign of Darius, the Mede] said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”

My Journal for Today: You may have heard the leading question asked about your faith, “If someone indicted you for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Well, there certainly was enough to convict Daniel of his faith as the trap was laid for him which led to his stint in the lion’s den. And the point is made by the questions of my devotional shepherd, Dr. Smith, today, “What would I find more troublesome about my life, … the dirt someone could turn up (from my past) or having a faith commitment so weak that no enemy would think to exploit it?”

Well, I’ve got a lot of dirt in my past, all of which I would hope has been brought out into the light of truth by my own honest revelation; but perhaps someone could dredge up some incident from my shady past which could/would embarrass me. But overshadowing all of my past dirty laundry, I would hope that my obsessive, and even compulsive, pursuit of Christlikeness would prevail as people see the Bill Berry of today, becoming the Bill Berry of tomorrow.

You know it’s quite possible, even in my lifetime, that we may see a day when some of the stands that I now strongly take against civil unions, inappropriately called "marriage" by homosexuals, would be codified into anti-hate-speech law, making my beliefs and public stands illegal. It has already happened in Sweden and Canada where Ministers of the Gospel have been jailed because of preaching the truth of the Bible about homosexual behavior. And more and more we’re seeing forces in our American culture who want to make it illegal “hate-speech” to declare that homosexual behavior is sinful.

And one day, if such a law is codified, I hope that I would have the courage of a Daniel, even under the penalty of a lion’s den, to stand for what is true and God-ordained for our world. What about you? Will you be in the lion’s den with me on such a day?

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I pray I am convicted of my being Yours forever! Amen

2010 – August 21 – Mark This Day

Blogger's Note: This entry is dated 8/22; but was actually generated for 8/21, ... not being entered on the correct date because of lack of access to Wifi while I was on an Elder's retreat. Hence it's being posted on this date (8/22). For any readers who follow daily, please forgive my tardiness. ;>)
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Study from God’s Word… 2nd Kings 24: 20 [2Chron 36: 1; Jer. 52: 3]; 2Kgs 25: 1 [Jer. 39: 1 and 52: 4]; Ezekiel, Chapter 24 … Passage for Reflection: Ezekiel 24: 1 – 2 … NIV 1 In the ninth year, in the tenth month on the tenth day, the word of the LORD came to me: 2 "Son of man, record this date, this very date, because the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.

My Journal for Today: As Dr. Smith points to days which will live, as FDR said, “… in infamy.” There was that day to which FDR was referring, Dec. 7, 1941, … the day Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. And there was certainly the more modern cataclysmic date of Sept. 11, 2001, which we now just refer to as “9/11.” They will never be forgotten because they were days when the world was alerted of the warlike intent of an enemy, causing our nation to go to war. And in today’s highlight passage we read of a date which was marked in the history of God’s chosen people, a day when Nebuchanezzar laid siege to Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple, a day which a number of God’s Prophets had predicted would happen.

And I’m drawn to the question which LaGard Smith uses as a wake-up call at the end of his Aug. 21st devotional entry with Ezek. 24: 1-2 in mind. He writes, ”Could this seemingly ordinary day actually be a day on which, behind the scenes, God is doing something extraordinary in my life?” We could reframe the question saying, “Is this a 9/11 date, where we should recognize the damage that the siege of sin has done in our lives, and where we should declare commitment to God that we’re going to surrender our allegiance to Him but take up warfare against our spiritual enemies?”

May 20th, 2000 was such a day for me. It’s the day that Central Church in Collierville, TN, … my local church, declared war against Satan and the world, who had established a stronghold of hypersexual sin in our culture. It was on 5/20/2000 that Central Church declared, “Enough is enough;” and we launched Battle Plan Ministry [BPM] in our church to do battle for God and against Satan for as long as it takes in this life to stand against our spiritual enemies who use sexual sin to separate the men of God from their Good Shepherd. The launching of BPM was our church’s declaration of war to honor God and do battle against enemies who would pervert and use sexual temptation to tear down God’s army of men. BPM has now been doing battle for 10 years as a warfare discipleship ministry in God’s arsenal; and though the battle still rages, many victories have been won; and for that we can only stop to declare, ”Praise the LORD!!!”

My Prayer for Today: We fight on, Lord, for Your glory! Amen

2010 – Mar. 29 – It’s Not About Numbers

Study from God’s Word… 1st Samuel, Chapters 13 – 14 … Passage for Reflection: 1st Samuel 14: 6 … NIV 6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few."

My Journal for Today: Unlike Jonathan, Saul’s son, we may not be able to lead God’s people, … i.e., His army, into battle to hold on to God’s Promised Land for God’s glory from the Philistines; but one day, maybe at the water cooler today, I may be given the opportunity to stand up for some righteous, Godly principle when the crowd around me is pushing for the expedient, worldly way. Maybe you will one day have the opportunity to give your Christian testimony to a lost person who is in need of a Savior. And when we do have such opportunities, just as Jonathan did, we need to stand tall for God, knowing that God and one more always make up a majority.

My dear one, do you understand and believe that doing battle for God’s principles does not take big numbers to show up and win the day for God’s glory. In fact, when God’s truth prevails in the face of bigger numbers, God gets even more glory than He might have had if His army of believers outnumbered “the enemy” by a great majority. So, my friend, where do you see yourself being a Jonathan in the face of army coming against you and God’s way? Will it happen on the job with your coworkers trying to push through some ungodly scheme which you cannot support? Will it be you supporting some Biblical principle at Church where your fellow churchmen have knuckled under to the culture and are pushing some worldly unrighteousness?

I don’t know what your battle might be for God’s glory; but I do know that I believe in the truth of Romans 8: 31 or 2nd Cor. 12: 9 or Isaiah 41: 10, all of which remind me that when I’m in the right – God’s right – no worldly force or even an army can prevail against me. When I stand with God, even against big numbers, I am on the side which will ultimately give God the glory; and all I have to do is stand for God and with God to show the world that God’s way is the only way!

F. LaGard Smith asks today, for my declaration: ”What battle will I fight single-handedly today that, by trusting God, will turn out easier than I could have ever imagined?”

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I pray that we’re all answering that question with the resolve to stand for Your righteousness today. Amen

2009 – Day 342.Dec 9 – Standing Tall

Passage for Study: Acts 26 … Acts 26 linked for study …

My Journal for Today: Today, Pastor Chuck Swindoll, becomes very personally challenging for his devotional readers, making reference to any or all of his readers (like me), asking if we’re willing to stand tall when the moment arises, as did the Apostle Paul before the Jewish Sanhedrin, the Roman Governor, and the Hebrew King in today’s repeated passage. And then Swindoll made reference to a now famous moment when the gracious Nun from Calcutta, Mother Theresa, now with Christ, confronted President Clinton and pro-choice Washington politicians at the 44th National Prayer Breakfast with a quiet. In a resoundingly powerful speech, she openly but lovingly rebuked any worldly government authority for any policies in the political world which promoted abortion. It was one of those great God moments in history as this diminutive Godly woman stood tall for Christ in a God-ordained and God-anointed moment; and President Clinton and pro-choice Washington squirmed with discomfort that day as God’s truth was declared by one who stood tall for God.

And then Swindoll, with these examples, gets personal, asking some probing questions to his readers. He writes, “The challenge comes in those private, unguarded moments when you face opposition to truth, … in a company board room, at the school PTA meeting, … or while seated on a plane. In those times, will you stand tall and speak the truth when a principle is at stake? Will you announce what you believe, graciously, yet firmly?” Personally, convicted by these examples and sitting here in my comfort zone, I would hope that I’d stand firmly for Christ; but I have to admit, from my past performance, I have chickened-out too many times, staying quiet when I knew God had given me the opportunity with a “divine appointment” to stand tall for Him and the Father’s glory.

God challenges us (see Matt. 5: 12 - 16) to be salt and light, doing what He pre-ordains for us to do to give witness in and to the world (see also Acts 1: 8). Oh, how I how I would desire to be bold enough to respond as the Apostle Paul or Mother Theresa did, even if it were not in such politically charged moments, as God gave me opportunities to witness to family, friends, or others.

I can recall a time when I actually did stand for Christ to those whom I loved in my family, to my parents, whom years ago I perceived were nominal “christians.” My Dad was even an Elder in his church; but didn’t have a clue as to what it took to be saved. And I felt he and my mother were lost. Well, a few years of pressed witnessed yielded first my Dad and then my mother coming to surrender their lives to Christ and be saved, my mother only 6 hours before her passing. That comfort, which came from me sharing “THE Truth” with my parents, will always remind me of the importance of standing tall when God provides the opportunity for us to witness to/for Him.

I pray that we can all STAND TALL when God gives us those moments to witness to His Name and for His truth.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, give me Your enabling grace to be salt and light in this world. Amen

2009 – Day 310.Nov 07 – Press On

Passage for Study: Acts 12: 25, 13:5, 13: 13 - 15 … Acts 12 – 13 Linked for study …

My Journal for Today: Though we’re studying Paul’s ministry and movements in the Book of Acts, it was Paul’s words in Phil. 3: 14 which succinctly summarize what today’s message is all about. To the church at Philippi, Paul wrote, ”I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

In today’s passages, there was a point in their travels in Asia Minor, in what we now know as Turkey, that the companion assistant, John Mark, for whatever reason, decided to go back to Jerusalem. But Paul and Barnabas didn’t let that deter them from their called missionary journey. They pressed on!

Today, Chuck Swindoll points to a reality that we all face in our upward calling to/for Christ (see Acts 1: 8 and Matt. 28: 19-20); and that is we often face Satan’s weapon of discouragement. Here were Barnabas and Paul in a strange land; and historians tell us that somewhere, about this time, Paul came down with a severe illness, likely malaria or some semi-tropical disease. And then there was John Mark taking a hike on them. But what did they do? They pressed on just as Paul wrote about later in Phil. 3: 14.

It’s easy when we’re out there in the world, trying our best to live and witness our faith. In case you haven’t noticed, the world is becoming ever more hostile to any who stand for Christ. I know you’re probably saying sarcastically, “Duh, Bill, really?” And then there’s the discouragement of people, maybe even dear friends, who backslide or even abandon their previously declared faith. Satan has a way of buffeting us with circumstances which can bring us down into discouragement or even situational depression. And it is often tempting to just cut and run; but then the truth from Paul, quoted above, rings with conviction in our hearts. We simply must “press on toward the goal,” having been given the calling to stand for our Lord, to shine His light through our good and Godly works so that our Father in Heaven will be glorified. [I’ll bet some of you are already quoting Matt. 5: 16 here right, aren’t you? ;) ].

My Prayer for Today: Lord, we all, as your called ones, need Your strength to bolster us when Satan comes against us with discouragement. Help us to press on for Your calling. Amen

2009 – Day 309.Nov 06 – Standing for God

Passage for Study: Acts 13: 6 - 12 6 Now when they had gone through the island[a] to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”
And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

My Journal for Today: We’re in a war, my friends! Can I get a witness? I hope I’m sensing an emotionally loud “AMEN!” from you. And today, Swindoll uses this passage about Saul, becoming the Apostle Paul, who had to confront evil head-on, … face-to-face. And he did so, immediately, forthrightly, and without hesitation.

Now, some may say that going to battle for what he believed in was part of Saul’s confrontational M.O.; and you’d be right. However, though it may have been more like a Saul of Tarsus (from his past) to step out and go to battle, Paul still had to do this by trusting in the Holy Spirit to back him. Note that in this scenario he’s witnessing his faith and taking action in the presence of the local Proconsul, a man who had the power to represent Rome and the Emperor. This man, hearing the incantations of a local false-prophet and sorcerer, could have had Saul and Barnabas crucified; but Paul stood for Christ and preached the Gospel none-the-less. And then when he needed to, he confronted the sorcerer and God was there to pour His power into Saul as he stood for truth.

When it comes to standing and fighting in this everyday spiritual warfare we’re living in, how’re we doing? Unfortunately, today we may be losing ground to the so-called “tolerance” culture, which espouses a message of relativism … tolerance at all costs. If you believe something which openly defies Godliness, the culture would say that I’m supposed to stand back and let you have your way. However, as you no doubt have seen, about the only thing this “tolerance culture” is totally intolerant of is Christianity. And this world is doing all it can to eradicate “CHRIST” or “GOD” from the public arena under the guise of “tolerance.” So, we find ourselves in a battle much like that of Paul and Barnabas when they came to Cyprus.

This is why the teaching of Ephesians 6: 10 – 18, which I hold to so often in these days of spiritual warfare, means so much to me. I won’t teach on them here today; but you know this passage as teaching the “full armor of God” and our need – at times – to stand and fight in Christ’s Name, for what is right and righteous in our world. Today, Swindoll ends his devotional with a truth statement which we all must stand by. He writes, ”When you stand FOR God, you stand WITH God!”

And my dear one, that is powerful and pertinent truth in today’s world. So, the question becomes, what are we doing to step up and be heard in the face of so much ungodliness today? When was the last time you wrote or called your representatives when pro-abortion or pro-gay marriage legislation was being voted on by Congress? When did we witness for Christ when we know of someone in our lives, like the Proconsul in today’s passage, who needed to hear of the Gospel? My friends, we’re under the command of the Great Commission (see Matt. 28: 19-20). So, are we acting under its admonition? Or, are we cowering and backing off from the war which rages around us?

Yes, I know how scary it can be to stand for God in the midst of so much evil. My wife and I have been called to the front lines of this warfare, taking on Satan’s XXX weapons, like internet porn and Christians falling prey to sexual sin; and it can be a lonely battle at times with Christian churches wanting to keep this type of battle muffled and quiet. So, I know these battles … first hand.

But stand we must, dear ones! And we simply have to do what Saul did in today’s passage. Knowing that our power is that of the living God; and realizing the truth of 1st John 4: 4 (you look it up!), we can know and believe what Swindoll teaches today. And I repeat that statement for emphasis to close out my devotional entry for today: ”When you stand FOR God, you stand WITH God!”

My Prayer for Today: Lord, stand with me as I stand for You. Amen

2009 – Day 259.Sept 17 – True Convictions

Passage of the Day: Job 27 … Linked for study …

My Journal for Today: One last run through in Job, Chapter 27, has Chuck Swindoll reflecting on the great church reformers of the 16th Century, men like Martin Luther in Germany, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland, and John Knox in Scotland. These were men, like Job, who stood for they believed in their time against the going tide of the church culture, even to the point of dying for their faith.

Apparently Swindoll had just returned from a tour of where these men had lived and proclaimed their faith in the face of the tribulations of their day. And I identified with Pastor Chuck; because my wife and I have been blessed to be in Switzerland and stood on the spot of where Calvin had to flee from France because of his reformation beliefs and where Zwingli had stood in a pulpit and preached what many considered heresies in those days. These were men who stood for truth in the gap of public trials and some of them went to their deaths, being burned for their faith.

And in Job 27, verses 5 – 6, we read our hero Job, who had been maligned by his three friends, standing up, with personal integrity, for what he believed. He says, …
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.
6 I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it;
my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.

Now I have to ask myself, in the spirit of the Apostle’s challenge in 2nd Cor. 13: 5 - link provided, “Would I stand up for my faith as did Job or Martin Luther? … Would I be willing to die for my faith as did young Cassie Bernall in the infamous Columbine High School massacre?” I would hope so; but Chuck Swindoll says that Job and these others were likely able to do what they did in the face of dire circumstances because they had prepared their hearts to stand in the gap with three disciplines of their faith.

Using Job as our example, we need to be able to REFLECT ON OUR PAST. When we face loss, physical ailment, or crushing circumstances, as Job certainly did, it’s good to look back and be grateful for what God has done for us in the past. Then it’s a good discipline to REHEARSE OUR PRESENT, acknowledging to God any confusion or quandary in which we find ourselves. And finally, as we read about Job in this Chapter 27, it’s a necessity for us to REAFFIRM OUR FUTURE, by declaring openly where we stand for Christ. As one, like Job, does these three things that one will find that God will pour His enabling grace into our stand for righteousness; and we’ll be able to stand in the gap for our God in the face of the most dire of circumstances.

Oh, how this is my prayer for yours truly as the tenor of our times becomes more and more hostile to the Christian way of life. Who knows, … one day we may be called upon, like a Job, or a Luther, or a Cassie Bernall to stand before a tribunal or even a gun and answer the question, “Are you a Christian?” And at that point I need to know what God has done for me, that He is allowing such troubles in my life for my good, and that I must always stand for His glory … no matter what transpires in my life.

Will I be ready and able to stand? I pray I will.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, prepare me today for what may happen in my future … that I’ll be willing and able to stand for You … no matter what! Amen

2009 – Day 254.Sept 12 – No Surprise

Blogger’s Note: Some have noted my missing blogs. Unfortunately I had no internet access @ the Conference Center of “The Country Place,” a Christian retreat center in Moscow, TN, where a number of Christian men had gathered together to seek God’s healing and restoration from sexual brokenness. It was the second annual Midsouth Freedom Retreat [see this website]; and I’ve been blessed to be part of the planning group for this powerful weekend experience. Therefore, I was unable to post my devotionals here for this past weekend; but please know that my devotional disciplines were not missed due to weekend retreat. In fact, they were especially sweet and deep, being at the lovely retreat property in rural Tennessee. So, here we are on Monday morning; and I will enter a triple dose of the last three days for your edification and my own accountability.

Passage of the Day: Job 25 - 26 … Linked for study …

My Journal for Today: Have you ever been in a state of abject pain, … especially for some length of time? I have; and for 33 years I was clinical director in a hospital. If I had never experienced the outcomes of pain myself, I have seen its devastating effects upon the emotions and attitudes of those who suffer. So, … with that in mind, let’s return to our suffering hero, Job, who is still sitting at the city gates, … out on a dung heap, covered with sores.

And again, one of his “friends,” Bildad in this instance (in the very short Chapter 25), comes to Job with more feedback and harsh speculations about the whys and wherefores of Job’s circumstances. Is it any surprise that Job in his pain and weariness comes back at Bildad with what we read in Chapter 26, … words filled with irony and bite? Go back and reread verse 3 (NIV) in Chapter 26 and you see Job’s biting sarcasm coming back at Bildad as he says [NIV], “What advice you have offered to one without wisdom! And what great insight you have displayed!”

Job had had enough from these dudes; and I’m surprised it took him this long, with all the suffering with which he was handling, to stand up and tell his friends off … in this case, Bildad. But Swindoll points out that what Job offers Bildad in verses 5 – 13 of this chapter is an absolutely incredible apologetic into God’s majesty and glorious presence and power. Personally, when I experience pain, I have trouble relating with God, let alone being clear about truth. But Job lays out a strong, clear case for God’s creative majesty, effectively putting Bildad in his place.

Bildad, or any of us, would be well to learn and repeat each morning a prayer that Swindoll apparently uses daily to start each day. It reads like this …

Lord, help me today not to add to anybody’s burden. Help me to bring encouragement to others; and where I can, enable me to be a comfort. And when I don’t know enough to help, help me to admit it or remain silent. And when I feel sorrow and sympathy for someone, help me to say that. Help me to lift the load of the hurting, not to add to their burden.

Oh, what a great prayer!

My Prayer for Today: Lord, that’s my prayer this day. Amen

2009 – Day 247.Sept 05 – Stay With The Truth

Passage of the Day: Job 21 … Linked for study …

My Journal for Today: Chuck Swindoll is right on target today, emphasizing what we can learn from Job’s response to the slander and innuendo from Zophar, who had used half-truths to accuse Job of some hidden wickedness in Job 20. And so, we can learn from Job’s response in Job 21.

And first we must know that Job avoided reactions based on feelings and came back to Zophar, responding with truth, truth, and more truth. You can sense the strength and calmness in Job’s discourse in Chapter 21 as our fallen hero calmly lays out an apologetic which is based in absolute truth.

This is a lesson in standing for truth which we, as Christians, must learn and use in a day which has become so hostile to believers. If you stand for Christ and the truth of the Gospel these days, you will ultimately be confronted with those who will spout untruth about Jesus or the Bible; and many of them will tell you that you have no right to speak about your faith in public, mocking what we believe as Christians.

And so, when this happens, how do you respond? Well, you do what Job did in today’s highlight chapter. You stick with the truth and calmly stand up for what is right. And I believe the best way to do this is by using testimony based in Scripture. Every Christian needs to be able to give his/her testimony. No one can argue with how the truth has affected you personally. They may assail you from their own personal beliefs, as Zophar did with Job; but Job just came back with a calm argument from his own experience and his knowledge of truth.

As Swindoll, rightly states: “Respond [to slander or false accusation] with true facts and accurate information, knowing the nature of your accuser. … Speak truth!” And there is no better source of truth when we stand for our faith than God’s word. And so, you will not be as vulnerable to the accusations from the world, the ploys of Satan, or from your own deceitful heart (i.e., the flesh) if you are well versed in the truth from God’s word. That’s why my mentor, years ago, took me slowly and deliberately through a season of Scripture memory. He knew that one day I was going to get into a battle for truth in my life; and he wanted my heart and mind to be so filled with the truth that I could use it as the sword of the Spirit, just as Paul teaches in Eph. 6: 17b, … just like Jesus Himself did when he was confronted by Satan in the wilderness (see either Mark 4 or Luke 4, the latter linked for your review).

If Job’s style of argumentation is good enough for Jesus, then I feel it’s good enough me, don’t you? Job used it effectively in today’s study. I pray that we’ll all be able to stand for truth as he did, using the method our Master used to combat the lies of Satan.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, help Your servants to be able to calmly and powerfully stand for truth using Your word whenever our enemies come against You with untruth. Amen

2009 – Day 240.Aug 29 – God Is In Control

Passage of the Day: Job 12 … Linked for study …

My Journal for Today: Don’t you just love our hero, Job! And what Job brings to the table in Chapter 12 is a model for any who’ve had to deal with the contentions or claims of legalists, … those who claim that they have a corner on understanding and wisdom but who represent darkness and doubt. And that is what Job had to listen to in the previous diatribe by Zophar and his other so-called “friends.”

Chuck Swindoll points out that LEGALISM often presents its ugly head in the form of cohorts of believers who act like bullies on the playground trying to take over the basketball court by intimidation. And it’s always interesting to see that a few loud bullies can draw a crowd of weaklings to themselves; and they can take over the playground unless someone is willing to stand up to them.

And that’s exactly what Job did here in Chapter 12; and don’t you just love the sarcasm of his open rebuke of Zophar, where he says, poetically and powerfully, in verse 1, “No doubt you are the people, … And wisdom will die with you!” And then Job goes about taking a stand up for what he believes is truth; and that is what we are commanded to do in God’s word by 1st Peter 3: 15 … to have an answer for those who challenge the truth of God’s word or misrepresent His truth. Now, I don’t exactly know if Job’s retort of Zophar fit into the latter part of Peter’s exhortation to confront our adversaries in “meekness.” However, he did have an answer for his three friends who were trying to place the legalists finger-pointing blame on Job, questioning his faith and his past life.

But as we can read here in today’s passage, Job didn’t let the legalists have their day. And I love the word picture Swindoll presents in explaining the importance of not letting legalistic bullies have their way. He says legalists are like roaches. They crawl around in the darkness and proliferate by feeding on the ooze of distrust and misunderstanding with gossip and half-truths. And if they are not brought out and confronted with the light of truth, they will gain strength and numbers. But Job, in Chapter 12, gave these three bully boys a dose of truth and light with his argument that God is the source of all truth; and that even when the circumstances of life seem out of control, God is in complete control. And Job shined the light on these roaches in the darkness of innuendo and doubt with forcefulness and truthfulness.

And Swindoll is right by extending the word picture of legalist bullies. When they are confronted with the light, you will see them run and hide. And that is when you often see splits in churches which are caused by legalists who, when they can’t get their way, will take their numbers and run to another church with their dogma of doubt and despair. But God will bless those who stand for right and righteousness, which is what good Christians must do when they are confronted by legalism in the church. And Job becomes a good model for this by his arguments today.

So, my friend, when you are confronted by the darkness of legalism, stand for God’s truth with love and with as much gentleness as God’s grace can give you; BUT … STAND and be heard and counted for truth. For, dear one, the light always dispels the darkness; and God’s will, which is found in His word, will always help the believer find God’s way to lead his people through that “valley of the shadow of death.”

My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to shine Your light into the darkness of misunderstanding and doubt. Amen

2009 – Day 191.July 11 – Make A Difference

2009 – Day 191.July 11 – Make A Difference

Passage of the Day: Esther 2 – 3 … Linked for study …

My Journal for Today: It’s like the plot of some animated melodrama from the Disney corporation. You know, there is always a princess who is the fair maiden, our heroine; and there is a villain, who, for some reason, has great hatred for the princess and all those aligned with this fair damsel in distress. And just before the final confrontation of good and evil in these Disney princess sagas, it appears that all is lost.

And here we are today in Esther’s life. She has become the Queen of the Meads/Persians; but Haman, who has a morbid hatred of Mordecai, has been elevated to major domo of the kingdom; and Haman, the agent of evil in this saga, plots to have Mordecai eradicated along with all of his people, the Jews. And at the end of Chapter 3 in today’s study, we read of the effect that all of this melodrama had on the people of Susa, the capital of Persia, at the time.

And that’s always the case when evil is allowed to flourish in the world. And right now, as I study this passage, I think of the horror which comes to the fore when God allows evil in the world to be loosed for a season. You can read about that in Romans 1: 18 – 32 [linked here] . When mankind seeks mass eradication of God’s people or rebels against His Law in a major way, there is always a time of mass confusion, quandary, and even panic. Think of what went on just before WW2, when the Third Reich was moving to eradicate the Jews. Think of what is happening now as millions of innocent babies are being eradicated under the guise of “freedom of choice.”

Evil on the loose always produces polarization and panic. And that was the case just before the hammer of Haman fell upon all of Mordecai’s people. However, though God allowed Satan to have his way for a season, there was, as Paul Harvey used to proclaim of his story-telling segments, “… the rest of the story.” And if you’ve read on ahead or studied the life of Esther, as God had always promised in His word, He would never leave, nor forsake His people (see Deut. 31: 6, 8 or Joshua 1: 5 or Hebrews 13: 5). And as we’ll see in subsequent study, God had prepared Esther to be one person who would stand for the right in the face of evil. But we’ll get to the “rest of the story” very soon in this devotional study.

Right now we need to pause and ask ourselves, “When I’m given the opportunity to stand in the gap for Christ in this evil world, do I do so? Am I strong as was Mordecai? And am I just the one who has been placed at just the right place, at just the right time, to make a difference for God? When someone at work mocks Godliness, do I stand up and make God’s way known to those around me? When the gay lobby is pushing hard for gay marriage, am I doing anything to stand for God’s truth? Am I willing to be labeled as a “Christian” for standing – in public – against the evil of abortion?” Or the question which rings so true in my ministry life, “Am I doing enough in this day of Satan’s stronghold of pornography to show the world that God hates this evil depiction of the sexual life He created for mankind?”

But the temptation is to think, “I am only one! How can I make a difference?” Well, Mordecai was only one. And as Esther’s life unfolds for us, we see that she had to decide that God could/would use her as only one. But this is not the only such narrative in Scripture showing the power of one to make a difference in the world for God’s glory. Think of Moses or Noah or Gideon or Elijah or Nehemiah or … for that matter, Jesus or the Apostle Paul. In their day and in their time, they were only one bell of truth ringing forth in a world filled with the confusing noise of evil. They were just one light shining into the darkness of the world.

BUT (again – a very big “BUT”) … their ringing or light made difference; and God’s kingdom and His word became truth because of these single voices standing for God in their day and in God’s time. What can we do today … this week … and this year to follow Christ’s command in Matthew 5: 16 to be one light shining in the darkness? I have to answer that one for me … just as you do … for you. But what I do know is that God will always be with me and even going ahead of me to bring glory to Himself for what I might say or do today.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to be on who makes a difference for you today. Amen

2009 – Day 168.June 18 – Divided Allegiance

2009 – Day 168.June 18 – Divided Allegiance

Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 18: 16 – 21 … Linked for study …

My Journal for Today: Elijah laid it out to God’s people, didn’t he? And his message was, “Get off the fence, Israel; and serve only the one true God?” And today, in the mire of cultural drift, even in the church of Jesus Christ, we can’t serve two masters. That was Jesus’ message in Matthew 6: 24 [linked] It was God’s message to His church at Laodicea in Revelations 3: 15-16 [also linked]; and it is the clear message God had for His people through Elijah in today’s passage.

We cannot serve both the world and our God! The Apostle John made that clear in his exhortation to Christians in 1st John 2: 15 – 16 [one that you should have memorized and internalized]. We can’t express a love of the world and a love of God at the same time. It is, as Swindoll calls it, “divided allegiance;” and it will never work for the Christian.

Maybe today you are a leader in your church and you see worldliness creeping into your midst. CALL IT OUT! Make it known to the Pastor or the Elders in your church.

Maybe you see the world’s ways becoming the objectives of your work place. CALL IT OUT! Stand in the gap for righteousness where you work?

Maybe you see worldliness getting to your kids through their cell phones, the TV, or the internet. CALL IT OUT !!. Be a Godly leader in your home, … one who sets clear and Godly boundaries, protecting your kids from evil.

Yes, I know this can be challenging at best and almost impossible at worst. But you are not alone when you call out evil and label it for what it is. You are being an Elijah where you live, move, and have your being. You are standing for God against our enemies in the spiritual warfare we face every day. And it is highly possible if you don’t stand for righteousness where you live or work or worship, no one else will; and in your silence, Satan wins the day.

So, my Elijah-like believer, CALL IT OUT; and be a standard bearer for righteous today!

My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are the way, the truth, and the life. May I stand for You and only You in my world. Amen

2009 – Day 147.May 28 – A Unique Spokesperson

2009 – Day 147.May 28 – A Unique Spokesperson

Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 16: 29 – 17: 1 … 29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him. … 34 In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken by Joshua son of Nun.
1 Kings 17 : 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."

My Journal for Today: Yes, same passage again; and today Chuck Swindoll drills home a very important point with this same scenario. His point … no one is insignificant when he (or she) is standing or working for God’s glory. And it is often the case that God’s chosen servants are not what the world would recognize as “THE” right man or woman for the job. The Apostle Paul even made the same point in 1st Cor. 1: 26 – 29 [linked here for your reference ] .

And you may be God’s chosen one for a very important ministry which honors God; and you may not even recognize your importance or even what you do as being God’s chosen one for ministry. For example, many wives and mothers or dads and husbands are devalued by the world; but your ministry as a spouse to one and as a parent to your kids could well change the world. It’s not too difficult to find great men or women of history who attribute who they’ve become to the loving and faithful “ministry” of parents who stood in the gap to model Godly living in their family. And the opposite is true as well. Many of the monsters of this world came from broken homes where the parenting was either unGodly or non-existent. So, the point, … if you’re a spouse or a parent, see it as a chosen ministry which glorifies God by your standing in the gap for everything God represents.

God could have chosen a mighty army to destroy the wickedness in the world perpetrated by Ahab and Jezebel. He did just that when you read the book of Habakkuk. But in this instance, God called only one man, and Elijah was not exactly the picture of charisma or strength. He was an older man from a nowhere town, and he was the one who was going to change the course of history by simply being God’s messenger to an evil world.

Do you see evil around you? Yeah, I know … “DUH!” Well, my friend, you are an Elijah; and you are called to stand in the gap for truth and for God’s way of living. If you’re a parent, everything you can do to raise your kids to resist drugs or pornography is being an Elijah standing for God. When you write a letter or call your governmental representatives to vote in a Godly way, you are an Elijah standing for God. When you serve your spouse in a way that mirrors how Christ served His Bride, you are an Elijah.

So, never see yourself as “a nobody,” who has no purpose. You are an “Elijah,” and when you stand for God in any way in this world or culture, you are God’s messenger for these times just as the Prophet was for his. Today … let’s go be Elijah. Let’s go change the world!

My Prayer for Today: Today, Lord, I will stand for You. Amen

2009 – Day 146.May 27 – Special People For Special Times

2009 – Day 146.May 27 – Special People For Special Times

Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 16: 29 – 17: 1 … 29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him. … 34 In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken by Joshua son of Nun.
1 Kings 17 : 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."

My Journal for Today: Yes, if you were with me yesterday, you’re probably saying, “That’s the same Bible passage.” And it is; … because Swindoll is trying to drive home the point that our culture needs many Elijahs; and Pastor Chuck asks some pretty tough questions in his devotional message for today, … not the least of which is whether we would feel comfortable being in the court of Ahab.

In other words, if you were living in the times of Ahab and Jezebel, would you merge right into the anti-Godly culture where you worshipped idols and followed Ahab; or would you be willing to come behind or stand along side a man whose name and words declared openly, “The Lord is my God!”

Swindoll says it in truth; and I’ll just quote him to make the point that … "In our culture – our schools, our offices and factories, our lunchrooms and boardrooms, our ivy halls and our halls of justice – we need men and women of God, including young people of God. We need respected professionals, athletes, homemakers, teachers, public figures, and private citizens who will promote the things of God, who will stand alone, stand tall, stand firm, and stand strong!”

That’s why it’s so refreshing when you see entertainment or athletic winners, like Hollywood stars or professional athletes, who will take the opportunity when a commentator puts a microphone in their face to openly witness their faith or praise God so that all can hear them standing in the gap for their faith. These stand up Christians are, unfortunately, not as numerous in the public eye as those who support idolatrous causes like abortion or same-sex marriage. However, now and again you might hear an “Elijah” in our culture who will stand up and give testimony to their stand for God.

As I read Swindoll’s devotional today, I know where I stand; and I know that God does raise up special people for special times; and my friends, THESE ARE SPECIAL TIMES! These are the times of Ahab revisited. The question becomes are we God’s special people to stand in the gap for God’s truth and grace. And if you are saying, “I don’t think I’m one of those people,” you can take heart from many in the Bible who didn’t think they were the special ones God could choose for His special tasks.

Think about the reluctance of a Moses, who balked when God even showed him a burning bush. Think of a young Gideon, who was hiding in fear in a wine barrel when God came to him and called him a “man of valor.” And yes, even Elijah, at one time later in his life doubted God’s choosing him when he sat beneath a broom tree and prayed to have God take his life. We’ll likely be looking at that episode later in our study of Elijah; but if you feel God calling you to stand up in the culture and take a stand for God’s truth, remember this truth - GOD’S CALLING IS HIS ENABLEMENT! God will never call you to take a stand unless He gives you the enabling grace to carry out that task. That is the lesson Joshua had to learn in Joshua 1: 1 – 9 [linked]; and he was willing to move forward toward God’s promised land even when it was scary to do so. We can too; but we’ve got to be willing to take up God’s banner and carry it for Christ in our culture.

And so, when we have any opportunity to stand for truth over injustice, … for Godliness in the face of sinfulness, … or for forgiveness in the face of anger and hatred, let’s be an Elijah and let’s lend our voices to stand against the Ahabs of this world.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I repeat my prayer from yesterday … “raise up the Elijah in me … that I may be willing and able to stand for You, … no matter what! “ Amen