March 8, 2012 … Take Possession of the Land

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Numbers, Chapters 33-34 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

Numbers 33: 50-53: … [“all” means ALL], … 50 On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho the LORD said to Moses, 51 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, 52 drive out ALL the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy ALL their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish ALL their high places. 53 Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.

My Journal for Today: Today my chronological read takes me into and through Numbers, Chapters 33-34, linked for your study above if you’re reading along with me. And herein we read of Moses’ charge, by God, to document the exodus of God’s people from Egypt and their trek through the wilderness, which also includes the boundaries of the promised land as the assignment of the lands to the various tribes if Israel. All in all not the most exciting read in God’s word; but each day I pray for the Lord to reveal something which He wants me to take away for application in my life or for me to use to share with others in ministry or in life. And today God gave me the bold answer to that prayer with verses 50-53 in Chapter 33, where God gives strong instruction to God’s people, via Moses, as to what the Israelites must do when taking possession of the land God had promised to His chosen people.

And in copying the aforementioned section of scripture for your study and meditation today above, you will notice that I took the editorial liberty to embolden and underline the word ALL whenever it appeared in this passage. And when you read through those instructions from God through Moses to His people, especially to the leaders of the people, you probably get what I’m emphasizing by highlighting the concept ALL in this passage.

My dear one, when God says ”ALL” in His word, He means ALL. And I know that this instruction is hard to take; and it’s hard to imagine that our loving God is telling Moses and His chosen ones to kill ALL the people and to eradicate ALL of the idols in the land and to destroy and demolish ALL of the high places where the idols in the land where on display. But, my friend, again I repeat, when God says ”ALL” in His word, He means ALL.

And this is speaking loudly and clearly to me this morning, because we New Covenant chosen ones, like the people to whom God through Moses was writing these all encompassing instructions in the Old Testament, are to move into the life (i.e., our “promised land”) where God has led us; and we are to eradicate ”ALL” of the idols in our lives, taking down ”ALL” of the high places where these idols are made prominent by those in this life.

And I don’t know about you, my fellow Christian, but I still have some tearing down and total eradication to do in my life with some idols that I still have in high places in my life. I’m not going to go into it in depth my conviction here; but though I’ve followed God’s instructions in today’s highlight passage in many areas of my life, I still have areas - like obsessive/compulsive eating and the habitual viewing of some very worldly entertainment - which hold positions of too much prominence in my life, … areas of idolatry where I haven’t TOTALLY destroyed the idols or demolished their prominence (i.e., “high places”).

No, I need to say to myself, “Bill, … God says ”ALL” in His word when it comes to eliminating the idols in life, and when God says, “ALL”, He means ALL!!”

And in taking action against such idols, as the Apostle Paul instructed us in Colossians 3 [please go back and read this chapter as linked here …], we simply must be in TOTAL surrender to God’s will and utilizing the enabling grace given to us by our Lord to eradicate ”ALL” of the unGodly idols in our lives as well as tearing down the high places where they become prominent. I’ll leave it to you (with God’s help – as He promises in 1st Cor. 10: 13) to get to the business (God’s business) of tearing down some idols today.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, show me ALL the idols in my life and help me tear them down! Amen

November 19, 2011 … Being Different from the World

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

My Journal for Today: In today’s highlight verse, the Apostle Paul cautions believers to be careful in our Christian walk and to be wise; and he likely makes this observation in the context of a previous exhortation to Christians in Ephesians 4: 1, where he wrote that Christians must “…live a life worthy of the calling you have received, …” which, of course, is that of being a “Christian.”

And John MacArthur helps me (us) see, in today’s Strength for Today devotional, that a “worthy” life or walk in Christ is one of humility (Ephesians 4: 1 – 3), unity with other believers (Eph. 4: 4 – 16), uniqueness and separation from the world (Eph. 4: 17 – 32), and one exhibiting Christ’s love (Eph. 5: 1 – 7) from the illumination of God’s Spirit (Eph. 5: 8 – 14); and all of this is living a life of Godly wisdom (see above in Eph. 5: 15 – 17), avoiding the foolishness of the world. And MacArthur is right when he says that such a walk is severely impeded, if not impossible, when Christians make worldly or self-centered choices, seeking to use the tools of worldly wisdom or relying on the wisdom generated from our own deceit-ridden hearts (see Jer. 17: 9). MacArthur quotes Paul again, but from 2nd Timothy 3: 7 this time, indicating that the world cannot become Godly wise because it is “…always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.”

And the latter truth is why, according to the Apostle John (see 1st John 2: 15 – 16), we must separate ourselves in the love of God from the world’s way of thinking and living … so that we can take up the torch Jesus mandated for us as Christians to “… let (our) light shine before men that they may see (our) good works, …” [see Matt. 5: 16] and realize that the ways of God are the only ways worthy of pursuit as we live in this foolish world.

My Prayer Today: Shine, Jesus, shine through me! Amen

July 20, 2011 … Rejection Because of Your Faith

Passage of the Day: 1st John 3: 13 … Do not be surprised, my brothers [and sisters], if the world hates you.

My Journal for Today: The eleventh and final signpost discussed by the Apostle John in this epistle to give believers the assurance of their salvation is the obvious rejection of our Christianity by the world. Today’s verse is absolutely clear on this; and any Christian today would have to be blind, deaf, and frankly, dumb, to ignore the socio-political incorrectness of Christianity in today’s marketplace of ideas and ideals. No, Christians may not be tarred and burned by Nero’s evil empire as they were in the 1st Century at the time John penned his epistle; but there is great persecution of Christians around the world; and there is every attempt by worldly political influences, even in this great, free country, to erase the Name of “God” or “Christ” from any degree of political influence or stature.

In John’s day, the church was dealing with outside worldly influences and out-right liars about the faith. They were confronting false teachers and doctrines, dangerous heresies, and the forerunners of Gnosticism and dualism. Expressions of all of these are still found in today’s culture as well, though maybe more intensely than was experienced by John and the early church because of our era of lightning speed in information transfer. So, John’s letter to the church, helping them to establish confidence in their faith, is just a valid now as it was when he wrote it over two millennia ago.

Jesus certainly warned His disciples of such lies and false doctrines (see John 15: 18 – 19); and we know that from the beginning of human time, “the world” has been out to destroy those of faith in the One, True God. Cain killed Able for this reason (see Gen. 4 and 1st John 3: 12). Saul of Tarsus (who became the Apostle Paul) and his worldly religionists had the first Christian martyr, Stephen, stoned for his beliefs (see Acts 7). And, of course, … there was that business on the cross with Jesus, which is sort of significant to this context and discussion [and please forgive my ironic levity about such an important matter].

Again I return to today’s world, where the reality of worldly hatred of all things related to Christ and God is under attack, often blatantly and directly. Certainly seeing this, though most disquieting and challenging for the Christian, we should be uplifted by the reality it presents. Either the world is right or we, as Christians, are! And if we are right (and we are!); the challenges of the world should give us the same confidence in our faith as it did for those first century Christians who were literally torched and burned for their faith. But remember; … more Christians have been martyred for their faith in the 20th and 21st centuries than in all the combined previous centuries. So, we need to have the same “die-for-the-faith” attitude as did those first century martyrs.

Take heart, Christian! … We are IN the world; but we are not OF the world! And, … we have been saved FROM the world (see Rom. 10: 9 - 13).

My Prayer Today: Thank You, Lord … that I am saved FROM the world. Amen