April 16, 2012 … Praise God for A Loving and Forgiving Wife!!

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 1st Samuel 25-27 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Passage of the Day #1: 1st Samuel 25: 23-24 … 23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, and let me speak to you; hear what your servant has to say [intervening for her husband, Nabal].”
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Highlight Passage of the Day #2: 1st Samuel 25: 39 … When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise be to the LORD, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal’s wrongdoing down on his own head.” Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife.

My Journal for Today: These days, it’s of interest to find that Christians often name their kids from the Bible based upon character names of those people who were honorable in God’s sight. No one names their kids “Ahab or Jezebel or, most certainly, Judas” because of the dishonorable character traits of these people; but quite often we hear children named after very honorable characters in the Bible, … like “David or Joseph, or maybe after one of the Apostles, like Peter.” Now, some of these characters may not have been perfect people; but their lasting positive character traits in the Bible often motivate people to name their children after these characters which were honored by God in His word.

ABIGAIL is one of those positive biblical names. And we read of her in the first of the three chapters, I was led to read of in today’s chronological reading passages; and if you’re following along with me or this year-long study plan, I hope you take the time to read all of Chapter 25 of 1st Samuel; and if you do, you’ll see why people are so positively inclined to name their little girls “Abigail” today.

ABIGAIL was a woman, who, in a culture where women were not listened to or to whom much attention was given, especially my men of power in those days, got David’s attention; and, when her husband, who was a fool and a reprobate, made David angry with his lack of hospitality, intervened to try to save her husband from being killed by David. And David listened to Abigail’s pleas, sparing Nabal, Abigail’s husband, even though he refused to offer David and his men the normal hospitality of the day, which could have lead to Nabal’s demise at the hand of David.

And later, when Nabal died at the hands of God’s judgment, as we read in this chapter, David was so impressed by Abigail’s character and forthright intervention for her husband that he, the anointed king-to-be, married Abigail when she was widowed; and in this story we have a lesson in life worthy of noting. And it’s no wonder that people these days name their girls “Abigail” after this strong and positive woman in the Bible.

The name ABIGAIL has come to represent a woman who was willing to stand up for her husband even when he was weak and foolish; and I’m here to tell you, if you’re reading along with me today, I’m one of those husbands who has an “Abigail” type wife. Though people don’t know the name “Elly” like they might the name “Abigail” from the Bible, there are many times when my “Elly” has stepped forward and saved the day for me when I was making poor, even impulsively selfish choices; and one of those times (too long of a story for now), it was my “Elly’s” loyalty and forgiving spirit which literally saved me from spiritual death.

So, in reading about “Abigail” today, I was led to remember and try to honor with this journal entry a wife (and a woman of God) who, like Abigail, was willing to stand in the gap for her husband; and I pray the name of “Elly” gets great honor by God as He has honored the name of “Abigail” in His word. And I hope that any married man who might be reading this takes a few moments to honor and recognize your wife this day … especially if, like me, you’ve been given a wife who is willing to be patient and stand up for you, … even when you don’t deserve such loving patience and loyalty.

Today, I will have my wife, with the Godly honored name “Elly,” read this as my tribute to a loving woman and wife in my life who has helped me grow in the Lord and has cared for me and kept me in spite of times of foolishness and selfishness. And I thank my Lord, and declare it openly here in this journal entry today, for giving me an “Abigail” type of wife.

My Prayer Today: … Praise You, Lord, for my dear and loving wife, Elly!!! Amen

January 17, 2012 … Waiting On God

Passage of the Day: Chapter/Verse Reference: Genesis, Chapters 16-18 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

Genesis 16: 1-5: … [Abram (Abraham) ] … 1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me.”

My Journal for Today: Today in reading through Chapters 16-18 of Genesis [linked above for your study if you’re reading with me through the Bible this year], there are many lessons which I could reflect upon in this journal entry; but one bubbled to the top in my consciousness; and I believe it’s the one the Holy Spirit is trying to emphasize for me. Perhaps it is one from which any reader along with me here can benefit [especially you married men].

Right at the outset of Chapter 16, in Verses 1-5, we read of Sarai making a decision, independently, to give Hagar, her maid-servant, over to her husband for conjugal intercourse in an attempt to conceive a child for Abram and Sarai, … a child that would be theirs by the law of the day. Now, this was not an unusual practice in that day when a couple could not conceive and bear a child. However, we know from previous reading of God’s covenant promise to Abram, that the God Whom Abram and Sarai worshiped was going to insure that they would have a child naturally. But Sarai was impatient and felt that God could and would answer the promise if she intervened and involved Hagar in the scenario.

How often do we find ourselves “jumping the gun” when it comes to God’s promises or in trying to be obedient to the Lord’s will? But this human impatience is nothing new, especially in a marriage, is it? The tendency goes all the way back to the first married couple, when Eve listened to the Serpent in the garden; and she decided it would be okay to eat of the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge. And Adam, who had been set aside by God as the keeper of the garden and Eve’s covenant leader in their marriage, stood by and let Eve eat of the fruit of the tree; and the result we all know was expulsion from the garden.

And here with Sarai and Abram, once again in human history, we see a wife not able to wait in faith on God; and we see a husband, sitting idly by and buying into the disobedience by consenting to the sinful act. To me this illustrates a couple important lessons – for me, personally.

The first is … each of us, as surrendered believers and worshipers of the living God, need to be able to seek out and hear God’s will; … and then to wait on God for His promise; … and then to also wait for God to provide the way He has promised. It is the premise of my wife’s life verse in Scripture, Proverbs 3: 5-6, which you probable have memorized: 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. [OR – “will direct your paths”]

BUT … how often, when we know God’s will or His promise, as did Sarai and Abram, are we tempted to move out and try to “jump start” God’s plan with our own. And that’s what Sarai did by coming up with the plan to involve Hagar as the vehicle to fulfill God’s will and to provide the couple with the promised child.

Now, … the second lesson – for me – is that, like Adam in the garden, Abram, also knowing God’s will and promise, passively listened to his wife and did not assert himself as the Spirit-led leader in their covenant of marriage. God has establish the male partner in His institution of marriage to be the primary spiritual leader in that marital covenant. Now I know that is not a politically correct position to take; and the concept of female spiritual “submission” in a marriage is widely (and often wildly) unpopular, especially with women who believe that they should be totally equal with their husbands in a marriage.

But in this marriage illustration today, as well as the first couple in the garden, we see that the male spouse really should not (actually, CANNOT) ignore his God-instituted role as spiritual leader in the marriage. Both Adam and Abram clearly knew God’s will when their female spouses decided to short-circuit God’s plan; and when their wives involved them in the plan, they had the opportunity to stand up – in obedience – and exercise their God-led authority to say “NO” to the impatience, asserting that it was the couple’s responsibility to be obedient to God and wait on HIS will and HIS way, following HIS word.

However, in both of these instances, the wife asserted her plan, not being willing/able to wait on God; and the husband buckled and went along with the will of the wife rather than the will of God, their mutual Father, … their leader in the covenant of marriage. And my reminder lesson today is that, as the husband in our Christian covenant marriage, I’m responsible to lead us, as a couple and as a family, in seeking out and following God’s will for our lives now that we’ve been joined spiritually in marriage. I must not become passive when I know God’s will and I perceive either of us, me or my wife, moving too quickly ahead on our own and not waiting on God’s promises or His plan.

Certainly we know the result of Adam’s and Eve’s inability to wait on God and to be obedient to His will; and we are reminded of that same marital lesson here today in this passage about God’s promise for Abram and Sarai. May all of us learn to wait on God; and may we husbands, in God’s institution of marriage, BE or BECOME the leaders we were designed to be in a marriage.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, thank you for this reminder of who I am – or need to be – in my marriage. Help me to be Your man of obedience and purpose with my wife so that we may – together – glorify Your Name. Amen

September 19, 2011 … Spirit-filled Submission

Passage of the Day: Ephesians 5: 21 [see underlined/bold below] … 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.


My Journal for Today: As John MacArthur reminds us in his Strength for Today devotional on this date, the concept of “submission” is not one which is esteemed in our western, post-modern culture. For the world at large, “submission” usually denotes weakness or being out of control. And yet, this is the attitude sought after by God’s Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, in his exhortation to the Ephesians, the church, and all Christians in today’s passage.

Our natural tendency, which of course comes from our sin nature, is to desire control over situations and others. However, according to our model of Christlikeness, Jesus Himself, we must, as His disciples, try to be like Him, especially in our attitude (see Phil. 2: 5); and Jesus was the model of surrender and submission. He even used surrender terms to describe Himself. In the only two self-descriptive terms ever quoted from Jesus, he called himself “humble” and “meek,” (see Matt. 11: 29) both of which speak of Christ being willing to surrender His glory to humbly serve others, rather than to take on the majesty which was rightly His (see Phil. 2: 5 – 11). During his three year ministry, Jesus continually referred to doing nothing but submitting His all to the will of His Father.

In today’s verse, the term “hupotasso” is used as the Greek concept for “submit;” and this term is derived from a word picture of a soldier surrendering his will – voluntarily – to his officers. And for the Christian the outcome of mutual submission is aptly described by Paul in Phil. 2: 3 – 4 [another of the verses that I hope you have memorized] where the Apostle teaches individual surrender to our Lord Jesus in the context of Christian fellowship. It reads as follows; “3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Remember, … from Scripture (again specifically from Phil. 2: 5), Christians are exhorted to have the attitude of Christ; and in today’s devotional we read that the ultimate attitude for Christians, in the context of the fellowship of man, is to elevate the needs of others over the desires of self; and this becomes the expression of our desire to model how Christ lived His life. And surrendering self to the Holy Spirit, i.e., allowing Him to take the lead in our lives, should be the first expression of our mutual submission in the context of the church. And what would this look like in our lives, especially our church lives? Well, one such action of surrender to God would be to submit [“hupotasso”] to the leaders or elders of our church (see Hebrews 13: 17 and 1st Peter 5: 5). For as long as there is evidence that the leaders of any church are following God and His word (see this in the life of Paul in 1st Cor. 11: 1), our surrender to their authority and lead is what this devotional emphasizes in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.

But do we? Do we as Christians find that we overcome our selfish nature and our desire to control others, submitting our will, first to the leaders of our church, and then in mutual surrender to one another? I think not! Because if we did exhibit Christlike surrender, there would not be the degree of strife that we see in today’s churches. How often do we see churches splitting because the will of a few, who desire control? Too often, I’m afraid, we see splinter groups buffeted against the will of the designated or recognized leaders of the church or the Pastor. And how often do we see people gossiping or angry because of their unwillingness to submit to others, especially the leaders of the church? Yes, all too often.

The point here is that mutual surrender or submission, being humanly unnatural, is a definite sign, when it occurs, that an individual Christian has allowed God’s Spirit to take control of his/her spirit so that the love of God can become expressed in Christian surrender to the needs of others. And when this happens in a body of believers, Christ, being lived out in His disciples, becomes evident to a lost and dying world (see also John 1: 7 or 13: 34).

My Prayer Today: Lord, I surrender all! Ame

2010 – December 9 – The Powers That Be

Study from God’s Word… Romans, Chapters 12 - 16 … Passage for Reflection: Romans 13: 1-2 … NIV 1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

My Journal for Today: After reading/studying through the first 11 chapters of Paul’s epistle to the Romans, Paul gives them (and us) the basics of Christian theology. But then, the Apostle shifts gears in the later chapters of his epistle, giving the Roman Christians (and all of us in God’s word) some very practical lessons in how to apply God’s truth to our lives in this world. And some of those truth teachings can be pretty hard to handle; and, I believe, none more that today’s highlight text on being submitted to earthly governments.

Maybe you don’t have trouble applying Romans 13; but at times I do; and Dr. Smith, in his devotional for today points to some of the questions I have had. I can certainly buy into the concept of God being sovereign in His omniscience and omnipotence. I can see that God has plans for mankind that we may not be able to grasp at any given time (that’s the truth of Isaiah 55: 8-9. But when we read Romans 13, how do we even remotely grasp and apply these truths when we see governments established (by God’s sovereignty and providence) involving totally anti-God agents like Hitler, Stalin, or Idi Amin, let alone jokers leading countries these days like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the current and absolutely despicable President of Iran.

Yes, I can see how God, in history, used tyrants like Pharaoh, in the time of Moses, or misguided fools like Pilate, who were providentially used by God for His plan of deliverance of God’s people and the salvation of mankind. But … but … but …; am I to say that my God actually and providentially installed governments which are so radically opposed to any God, let alone the God who went to the cross to redeem us from ourselves?

Talk about a difficult word. But Jesus declared (in Mark 12: 17), “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s,” which I know includes taxes, humble service, and yes, even the honor Caesar is due as the duly installed and providentially established government of God. But does that mean I’m to be subservient to a government requiring me to follow unGodly laws? … Well, there’s where the submission to government authorities ends and our allegiance to God stands forth. Even Jesus said that, though we are to honor our parents, who gave us birth or are the God ordained leaders of our homes, when it comes to the hierarchy of authority, we’re to look to God first, even if it means turning away from the allegiance we have to our parents [see Matt. 10: 37].

In other words, when it comes to dealing with governments and human governing authority, we are to give them their due as far as they give honor to the God Who gave them the power they have. But when those authorities, even parents, misuse or abuse that authority and set forth rabid, anti-God policies, rules, or laws, it is our given allegiance to follow God even if it means standing against the laws or rules of man.

How we exercise such judgment and application of truth will determine how we interact and honor (or dishonor) the God-established government under which we currently serve. Personally, I hate to see some of the policies being set forth by our current government; but IF I don’t see CLEARLY that these policies are unGodly, I will – according to God’s truth in Romans 13 - honor the laws of our President, Congress, and Judges. That’s God’s way; so it should be mine.

My Prayer for Today: Tough word today, Lord; but it’s Your truth; and I will follow it. Amen