2009 – Day 109.Apr. 20 – God Versus Our Giants
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 17: 1 – 16 … Link to study passage ...
My Journal for Today: If I were a betting man, I would wager that this is a story that you know well from Bible lore. David and Goliath; and it’s an allegory for our lives, isn’t it?
We all have Goliaths which we face, … intimidating “giants” which cause us to balk in fear. And like Goliath, they come out day after day, attempting to put us down and see ourselves incapable of overcoming the giant’s challenge. Maybe yours is fear of people, … especially powerful people. Maybe it’s public speaking. Maybe it’s overcoming some emotional wound from your past like sexual abuse or rejection from a parent. We all have our Goliaths.
But if we read on ahead, why didn’t David fear this overwhelming giant? And the answer is quite simple. David was given the discernment to see that Goliath was no match for David’s God. And so it is with our lives as well. When we see God being able to overcome anything which man or the world can put forth, we will not be afraid to stand up to the Goliaths in our lives.
So, … do I have any Goliaths in my life? You can bet on it ! But I have learned a technique, which was taught to me by a mentor years ago. He taught me that I was going to have Goliaths which would show up in my life; and when they did, He said I needed to have my weapons ready to do battle. Reading on in 1st Samuel, we see that David chose to use the weapons which had helped him protect his sheep as a shepherd. They were his sling and a few smooth stones; and David had practiced using them against some very strong foes, like bears and lions.
My mentor taught me to always carry a sharpened, ready, and practiced sword of the Spirit, which we know of, from Ephesians 6: 17 is God’s word. And when I have God’s word deeply embedded in my heart/mind; and I believe its truth, I’m ready for any Goliath who might come along. So, my mentor helped me learn, memorize, and meditate on verses from the Bible which are fear dispelling Scriptures. They are verses like Isaiah 41: 10, Romans 8: 31, and 2nd Timothy 1: 7. I’ll leave it to you to look those up. But if you don’t have those, or other similar verses, deeply implanted in your mind; and you don’t believe them with all your heart, you are going to be vulnerable to the giants Satan or the world will send your way. But even more than that, you’re going to be very vulnerable to your own heart [see Jer. 17: 9], which will easily deceive you with fears which will cry out to make you believe that the thing you fear is bigger than God.
Nothing we fear is stronger than God! Do you believe that? Because if you don’t, you have Goliaths in your life which are going to cause you to cower in fear and retreat into yourself. And that, my dear fellow Christian, is a place where you don’t want to go. You need to be able to believe in a God Who will deliver you in any circumstance (see John 16: 33 or 1st Cor. 10: 13 or 2nd Cor. 12: 9 or 1st Pet. 5: 7). But the question is, do we know, in our hearts, and believe those verses? And are we ready, as was David, to confront Goliaths and allow God to bring them down?
My Prayer for Today: Give me the stone, Lord. I’m ready to do battle! Amen
Monday, April 20, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
2009 – Day 108.Apr. 19 – “Music’s” Effective Ministry
2009 – Day 108.Apr. 19 – “Music’s” Effective Ministry
Passage of the Day: 1St Samuel 16: 21 - 23 … 21 So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he [Saul] loved him greatly, and he [David] became his [Saul’s] armorbearer. 22 Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.
My Journal for Today: Did you know that you can make “music” for God? Oh, you may say, as my Pastor might, “Bill, I can’t sing a lick?” But my Pastor, Dr. Ernie, doesn’t let that silence his song. He knows that when he sings to/for God, as off key as the world may hear him, the angels in heaven feel and hear the joy God has imparted into Ernie’s soul. And when I’m around Ernie as he’s singing, his joyful singing, as off key on earth as it might be, is infectious; and I can feel God’s joy emanating from my Brother; … and I feel God’s goodness too. And that is beautiful “singing.”
But David not only sang God’s joy from the heart; he apparently had a song-writing and singing talent which was soothing to Saul’s troubled heart; and David’s song ministered to the heart and soul of this troubled king. What is your “song” which God can use to soothe the savage beast of your fellow man? I put “song” in quotes because your talent or gift may not be musical singing, as is the case for my Pastor. But, maybe you have the “song” of service to give to someone who needs your help. Maybe you have the “song” of mercy to “sing” for someone who desperately needs your merciful touch. Perhaps your “song” of encouragement can reach out and lift up someone, like a king Saul, who is down or depressed and needs the “song” you might have to affirm or unburden that broken-spirited brother or sister.
We may not be able to “sing” musically; but I firmly believe we all have a “song” to sing from the talents and gifts God has given us. And I hope I’m not being too obtuse here with my word picture. My Pastor, who can’t sing a lick, brightens up a room by just walking into it; and he can make me feel like I’m the most important person in the world by just coming up to me, with his ear-to-ear smile and asking, “How’re you doin Bill B.?” When he greets me that way, sometimes hugging me or whacking me on my back, I know I’m loved by my Shepherd; and I feel God’s love coming through my Pastor’s caring acknowledgment. When he does that for me, my brother and friend, Ernie, is “singing” God’s song of love to my soul.
When you reach out and cook a meal for someone who has lost a loved one, you are “singing” God’s caring love for that person? When you share a hug for an unloved or maybe unlovely person whom God has put in your path, you are “singing” in tune with the angels and God’s song is heard by that under appreciated soul. When you help a depressed and lost soul see the love of Christ by sharing your Christian testimony, you “sing” the song of salvation for that desperate and lost person.
So, my fellow Christian choir member, “sing” out for Christ. Someone needs your “song;” someone needs to hear you “singing” with the joy and love of the Lord which you can share with others, … others who probably desperately need to hear God’s love being “sung” by you. But don’t worry that your “song” may not be in tune with the world’s “singing.” Just remember the story I related some days ago from the old Jewish story of the mentally challenged boy who sang loudly and off-key in the Temple, making everyone else feel uncomfortable; until one day when the heaven’s appeared during Sabbath service and the retarded boy was shown to be singing in tune with the heavenly chorus of Angels.
My friend, any time you reach out with God’s love to another troubled soul who needs God’s joy or His peace, you are “singing” God’s song; and you are in tune with the Angels. So, you take your talents or your gifts and you “sing” that song for God in the presence of someone who needs to hear your Godly “song.” The world may hear your “singing” as off key; but always remember that you’ll be singing with God and for God’s glory when you “sing” your song to lift up someone who needs to hear that “song.”
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I sing Your song. Help me to sing it loudly and boldly to those who need to hear it. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1St Samuel 16: 21 - 23 … 21 So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he [Saul] loved him greatly, and he [David] became his [Saul’s] armorbearer. 22 Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.
My Journal for Today: Did you know that you can make “music” for God? Oh, you may say, as my Pastor might, “Bill, I can’t sing a lick?” But my Pastor, Dr. Ernie, doesn’t let that silence his song. He knows that when he sings to/for God, as off key as the world may hear him, the angels in heaven feel and hear the joy God has imparted into Ernie’s soul. And when I’m around Ernie as he’s singing, his joyful singing, as off key on earth as it might be, is infectious; and I can feel God’s joy emanating from my Brother; … and I feel God’s goodness too. And that is beautiful “singing.”
But David not only sang God’s joy from the heart; he apparently had a song-writing and singing talent which was soothing to Saul’s troubled heart; and David’s song ministered to the heart and soul of this troubled king. What is your “song” which God can use to soothe the savage beast of your fellow man? I put “song” in quotes because your talent or gift may not be musical singing, as is the case for my Pastor. But, maybe you have the “song” of service to give to someone who needs your help. Maybe you have the “song” of mercy to “sing” for someone who desperately needs your merciful touch. Perhaps your “song” of encouragement can reach out and lift up someone, like a king Saul, who is down or depressed and needs the “song” you might have to affirm or unburden that broken-spirited brother or sister.
We may not be able to “sing” musically; but I firmly believe we all have a “song” to sing from the talents and gifts God has given us. And I hope I’m not being too obtuse here with my word picture. My Pastor, who can’t sing a lick, brightens up a room by just walking into it; and he can make me feel like I’m the most important person in the world by just coming up to me, with his ear-to-ear smile and asking, “How’re you doin Bill B.?” When he greets me that way, sometimes hugging me or whacking me on my back, I know I’m loved by my Shepherd; and I feel God’s love coming through my Pastor’s caring acknowledgment. When he does that for me, my brother and friend, Ernie, is “singing” God’s song of love to my soul.
When you reach out and cook a meal for someone who has lost a loved one, you are “singing” God’s caring love for that person? When you share a hug for an unloved or maybe unlovely person whom God has put in your path, you are “singing” in tune with the angels and God’s song is heard by that under appreciated soul. When you help a depressed and lost soul see the love of Christ by sharing your Christian testimony, you “sing” the song of salvation for that desperate and lost person.
So, my fellow Christian choir member, “sing” out for Christ. Someone needs your “song;” someone needs to hear you “singing” with the joy and love of the Lord which you can share with others, … others who probably desperately need to hear God’s love being “sung” by you. But don’t worry that your “song” may not be in tune with the world’s “singing.” Just remember the story I related some days ago from the old Jewish story of the mentally challenged boy who sang loudly and off-key in the Temple, making everyone else feel uncomfortable; until one day when the heaven’s appeared during Sabbath service and the retarded boy was shown to be singing in tune with the heavenly chorus of Angels.
My friend, any time you reach out with God’s love to another troubled soul who needs God’s joy or His peace, you are “singing” God’s song; and you are in tune with the Angels. So, you take your talents or your gifts and you “sing” that song for God in the presence of someone who needs to hear your Godly “song.” The world may hear your “singing” as off key; but always remember that you’ll be singing with God and for God’s glory when you “sing” your song to lift up someone who needs to hear that “song.”
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I sing Your song. Help me to sing it loudly and boldly to those who need to hear it. Amen
Saturday, April 18, 2009
2009 – Day 107.Apr. 18 – Your Uniqueness
2009 – Day 107.Apr. 18 – Your Uniqueness
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 14 – 23 … Link to passage for study …
My Journal for Today: Don’t you just love the way God does His business – and carries out His will. Sometimes, even without our pro-action, God works out a way for His will to be accomplished by men who are even unaware of how things are coming together. Saul had no – conscious – idea that the young harpist and song-writer he was bringing into the palace at the recommendation of his court was the very one who had been anointed by God to replace him. And David had no idea, prior to his being called from the fields to Saul’s side, that all those years of plucking away at his harp to quiet his sheep would land him in a helping relationship with the king of God’s people. Go figure!
But that’s the point, isn’t it? There are just some things we can’t figure and must simply accept as God’s way of doing business. You may not realize it; but that Spirit-imparted gift or those gifts which you received from God when you were converted and born-again may yet be used for God’s glory in some special way. Who knows; maybe that talent God gave you, and which was developed years ago, may yet be used in some special way in God’s kingdom.
Years ago, when I was in college and moving far away from God (calling myself an “agnostic”), I had to choose a major course of study; and I chose public speaking after I got an “A” in my first speech course. So, I began taking speech and rhetoric courses and discovered – at least to my professor’s judgment – that I had a talent in speaking to groups of people. So, I developed this skill; and it took me into my graduate education where I changed my major from speech education to speech pathology. And in this course correction in my education, I learned that I had a talent to work with those adults who had poor speaking to help them become more proficient in communication. Then, some 20 years after I entered college, which took me away from God, I was broken in spirit and received Him as my Lord and Savior.
It was a few years after that I discovered that my two primary Spirit-given gifts were teaching and encouragement. Now, it didn’t take much brain power on my part to realize that the spiritual gifts which God had imparted to me were a perfect fit with the “natural” talents I had developed in my college and grad school years. Go figure! … But God certainly had figured it all out.
And now I think about it. … God takes me, while I was even rejecting Him all those years, and develops the exact skills which would match up with the gifts - He knew - I would have after I became His child and which could be used in ministry for His kingdom and His glory. And now, here I am using my teaching gifts and speaking talents to teach, preach, and disciple others in my church and in ministry. And now I also use my God-imparted encouragement gifts and the “therapy” talents I learned years ago to lift up, mentor, and encourage men who have become enslaved to sin, helping them to walk free from that imprisonment in Christ. As I look at Christ’s mission statement in Luke 4: 18-19 [link provided], I can now see that He wove together my talents and my gifts to give me the opportunity to serve His kingdom in this same mission.
My beloved fellow disciple, never discount some talent you may have or a Spirit-imparted gift God has given you. You may not yet know how; but God can, and will, use what you have or what He’s given you for His glory. And that’s why I believe every Christian should discover his/her Spiritual gift or gifts. And when you do, many times you will discover that such gifts, when paired with some ability or abilities you have – maybe something, like David, you developed years ago - can be used to advance God’s kingdom.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, use your servants for Your glory. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 14 – 23 … Link to passage for study …
My Journal for Today: Don’t you just love the way God does His business – and carries out His will. Sometimes, even without our pro-action, God works out a way for His will to be accomplished by men who are even unaware of how things are coming together. Saul had no – conscious – idea that the young harpist and song-writer he was bringing into the palace at the recommendation of his court was the very one who had been anointed by God to replace him. And David had no idea, prior to his being called from the fields to Saul’s side, that all those years of plucking away at his harp to quiet his sheep would land him in a helping relationship with the king of God’s people. Go figure!
But that’s the point, isn’t it? There are just some things we can’t figure and must simply accept as God’s way of doing business. You may not realize it; but that Spirit-imparted gift or those gifts which you received from God when you were converted and born-again may yet be used for God’s glory in some special way. Who knows; maybe that talent God gave you, and which was developed years ago, may yet be used in some special way in God’s kingdom.
Years ago, when I was in college and moving far away from God (calling myself an “agnostic”), I had to choose a major course of study; and I chose public speaking after I got an “A” in my first speech course. So, I began taking speech and rhetoric courses and discovered – at least to my professor’s judgment – that I had a talent in speaking to groups of people. So, I developed this skill; and it took me into my graduate education where I changed my major from speech education to speech pathology. And in this course correction in my education, I learned that I had a talent to work with those adults who had poor speaking to help them become more proficient in communication. Then, some 20 years after I entered college, which took me away from God, I was broken in spirit and received Him as my Lord and Savior.
It was a few years after that I discovered that my two primary Spirit-given gifts were teaching and encouragement. Now, it didn’t take much brain power on my part to realize that the spiritual gifts which God had imparted to me were a perfect fit with the “natural” talents I had developed in my college and grad school years. Go figure! … But God certainly had figured it all out.
And now I think about it. … God takes me, while I was even rejecting Him all those years, and develops the exact skills which would match up with the gifts - He knew - I would have after I became His child and which could be used in ministry for His kingdom and His glory. And now, here I am using my teaching gifts and speaking talents to teach, preach, and disciple others in my church and in ministry. And now I also use my God-imparted encouragement gifts and the “therapy” talents I learned years ago to lift up, mentor, and encourage men who have become enslaved to sin, helping them to walk free from that imprisonment in Christ. As I look at Christ’s mission statement in Luke 4: 18-19 [link provided], I can now see that He wove together my talents and my gifts to give me the opportunity to serve His kingdom in this same mission.
My beloved fellow disciple, never discount some talent you may have or a Spirit-imparted gift God has given you. You may not yet know how; but God can, and will, use what you have or what He’s given you for His glory. And that’s why I believe every Christian should discover his/her Spiritual gift or gifts. And when you do, many times you will discover that such gifts, when paired with some ability or abilities you have – maybe something, like David, you developed years ago - can be used to advance God’s kingdom.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, use your servants for Your glory. Amen
Friday, April 17, 2009
2009 – Day 106.Apr. 17 – God Speaks --- We Respond
2009 – Day 106.Apr. 17 – God Speaks --- We Respond
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 14 – 23 … Link to passage for study …
My Journal for Today: As I read through today’s highlight passage from 1st Samuel and Chuck Swindoll’s devotional, inspired by this Scripture, the old Scout Motto popped into my head. You probably know it – BE PREPARED ! And that is the theme of the message in this journal entry.
Swindoll puts forth a three point lesson (leave it to a preacher ;>) for this devotional. First he says, “God’s solutions are often strange and simple; so, be open.” And Swindoll is right. We often have a tendency to take a simple command or direction from God and try to make it complex or complicated. How often, as with Samuel, having read about it in past devotionals, God had said to go where the Lord instructed. Samuel did exactly that, which resulted in finding young David in Jesse’s family. So, we, too, need to be open to God when He calls us … and to be ready, … no matter how strange the calling might seem. BE PREPARED!
Next, Swindoll posits, “God’s promotions are usually sudden and surprising; so, be ready.” Often, as I go through life, God somehow leads me back to this message. Just the other night at an Elder meeting in our church, one of my brother Elders gave a devotional with this very message, saying that all of the signs of Christ’s second coming are in place; and it could happen at any time; so, … my brother taught, we need to be doing as it says in 1st Thes. 5: 17, … to be in a vigilant attitude of prayer, contemplation, and readiness. So, … BE PREPARED!
Finally, my devotional author writes, “God’s selections are always sovereign and sure; so, be sensitive.” When God speaks, whenever or wherever it happens, we need to be tuned to His frequency; and I maintain that this can only happen when we are in what I call “surrender mode, “ disciplined into the habit of obedience to God’s word and His way. I firmly believe that knowing and following God’s word is how we stayed tuned to God’s sovereign will and timing. If we are not habitually in God’s word and getting to know it more deeply everyday, and if we rely on our own sensitivity to move through life, we are highly vulnerable to our own deceit-ridden hearts (see Jer. 17: 9). But when we seek God’s will from a disciplined and daily search into God’s word, I believe we become more and more sensitive to God’s way of doing business. Yes, again, … BE PREPARED!
In Revelations 19: 7-9 God’s word speaks of the coming wedding feast of the Lamb of God where our Bridegroom comes again for His Bride (which is you and me, the Church). And in this passage it speaks that we need to have our linens ready, which is our purity and obedience. This means that how we live daily, in pure devotion to our Lord, is our way of being ready for Christ’s return. So, I must ask myself, as should you, “Am I ready? Am I prepared? Any time my God speaks, do I hear? When He calls, do I come? And when He sends me, do I go?” If I can answer “YES” to those questions, I AM READY.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, prepare me for Your coming. It could be today! Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 14 – 23 … Link to passage for study …
My Journal for Today: As I read through today’s highlight passage from 1st Samuel and Chuck Swindoll’s devotional, inspired by this Scripture, the old Scout Motto popped into my head. You probably know it – BE PREPARED ! And that is the theme of the message in this journal entry.
Swindoll puts forth a three point lesson (leave it to a preacher ;>) for this devotional. First he says, “God’s solutions are often strange and simple; so, be open.” And Swindoll is right. We often have a tendency to take a simple command or direction from God and try to make it complex or complicated. How often, as with Samuel, having read about it in past devotionals, God had said to go where the Lord instructed. Samuel did exactly that, which resulted in finding young David in Jesse’s family. So, we, too, need to be open to God when He calls us … and to be ready, … no matter how strange the calling might seem. BE PREPARED!
Next, Swindoll posits, “God’s promotions are usually sudden and surprising; so, be ready.” Often, as I go through life, God somehow leads me back to this message. Just the other night at an Elder meeting in our church, one of my brother Elders gave a devotional with this very message, saying that all of the signs of Christ’s second coming are in place; and it could happen at any time; so, … my brother taught, we need to be doing as it says in 1st Thes. 5: 17, … to be in a vigilant attitude of prayer, contemplation, and readiness. So, … BE PREPARED!
Finally, my devotional author writes, “God’s selections are always sovereign and sure; so, be sensitive.” When God speaks, whenever or wherever it happens, we need to be tuned to His frequency; and I maintain that this can only happen when we are in what I call “surrender mode, “ disciplined into the habit of obedience to God’s word and His way. I firmly believe that knowing and following God’s word is how we stayed tuned to God’s sovereign will and timing. If we are not habitually in God’s word and getting to know it more deeply everyday, and if we rely on our own sensitivity to move through life, we are highly vulnerable to our own deceit-ridden hearts (see Jer. 17: 9). But when we seek God’s will from a disciplined and daily search into God’s word, I believe we become more and more sensitive to God’s way of doing business. Yes, again, … BE PREPARED!
In Revelations 19: 7-9 God’s word speaks of the coming wedding feast of the Lamb of God where our Bridegroom comes again for His Bride (which is you and me, the Church). And in this passage it speaks that we need to have our linens ready, which is our purity and obedience. This means that how we live daily, in pure devotion to our Lord, is our way of being ready for Christ’s return. So, I must ask myself, as should you, “Am I ready? Am I prepared? Any time my God speaks, do I hear? When He calls, do I come? And when He sends me, do I go?” If I can answer “YES” to those questions, I AM READY.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, prepare me for Your coming. It could be today! Amen
Thursday, April 16, 2009
2009 – Day 105.Apr. 16 – Permanent Dwelling
2009 – Day 105.Apr. 16 – Permanent Dwelling
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 14 - 15 … 14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him. 15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you.
My Journal for Today: Today, Chuck Swindoll uses this short diversion into the life of Saul, during our time studying the life of David, to make a very important theological point. In today’s verses we seem to have biblical evidence that God, the Holy Spirit, can/will leave a believer who is disobedient of God’s way or will. And there are other instances where that seems to be the case, like with Samson in Judges 16: 20, which says, “He (Samson) did not know that the Lord had departed from him.” Or in Psalm 51: 10, where a repentant David pleas to God, “Take not Your Holy Spirit from me.” This would seem to surface a fear that God, the Holy Spirit, having inhabited the being of a believer, could or would leave that person, allowing for salvation to be lost because of disobedience or sinfulness.
And I agree with my devotional writer, Swindoll, that this is a point which must be clear for the New Testament Christian. It is true that God, the Holy Spirit in the times before Pentecost (see Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit came upon the newly established Church), as we have documented in the Old Testament, quite often came upon and into the life of an OT believer, usually to allow that person to carry out God’s will for a specific purpose or task. However, in instances like the ones documented above with Saul or Samson, God’s Spirit could depart, leaving that person without the Spirit of God and having to deal with life in the flesh. As we read for Saul in today’s passage, God’s Spirit departing that person could produce emotionally troubling times; and with Samson we know that his strength to resist sin or deal with the world left him until God’s Spirit returned at the end of his life to show forth God’s power and victory over evil. But if you are a Christian today, we need not fear that occurring in our now saved lives.
The promise of God from the age of grace, in which we Christians now live, is a forever sealing of God’s Spirit once we surrender our lives at conversion to be baptized (not physically, but Spiritually) in Christ. So, once I gave my life completely in repentance to Christ and received Him as Lord and Savior of my life, that was and is a FOREVER deal. God’s Spirit is in me, which makes my body and life a Temple for the Spirit of God to reside – FOREVER [see 1st Cor. 3: 16]. There are a myriad of New Testament Scriptures to support the doctrine of “once saved – always saved;” but let me just cite one which is very familiar to most all Christians, John 3: 16, which don’t I probably don’t need to quote here because of its familiarity believers in Christ.
But I will quote it after all, to make my point. It of course says [NKJV], For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Now, if one took the position of God’s Spirit leaving a saved person after he/she were saved, causing that person to lose salvation, the phrase “everlasting life” in John 3: 16 would be sham. It would be meaningless. Everlasting is FOREVER, not just for as long as one is obedient. As Swindoll rightly points out from Ephesians 4: 30, linked for you here - once saved, we are sealed by God’s Spirit until “the day of our redemption,” which is, of course, when we die. Jesus said it from the cross, when He died, Satan’s power over our lives is “finished;” and we, who are in Christ, can know that we are saved FOREVER and have God’s Spirit residing FOREVER in our souls.
Now I know that Christians can grieve the Holy Spirit and our witness can be dampened by our sin choices and our disobedience. However, this does not mean, as happened with king Saul, that God’s Spirit can or will leave our souls. Salvation in Christ is a FOREVER deal; and we need to hold on to that truth and live, as Paul wrote in Romans 12: 1-2 [linked] as “living sacrifices” for our salvation, “… proving what is that good and perfect will of God” for our lives.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You live in me; and I live for You. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 14 - 15 … 14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him. 15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you.
My Journal for Today: Today, Chuck Swindoll uses this short diversion into the life of Saul, during our time studying the life of David, to make a very important theological point. In today’s verses we seem to have biblical evidence that God, the Holy Spirit, can/will leave a believer who is disobedient of God’s way or will. And there are other instances where that seems to be the case, like with Samson in Judges 16: 20, which says, “He (Samson) did not know that the Lord had departed from him.” Or in Psalm 51: 10, where a repentant David pleas to God, “Take not Your Holy Spirit from me.” This would seem to surface a fear that God, the Holy Spirit, having inhabited the being of a believer, could or would leave that person, allowing for salvation to be lost because of disobedience or sinfulness.
And I agree with my devotional writer, Swindoll, that this is a point which must be clear for the New Testament Christian. It is true that God, the Holy Spirit in the times before Pentecost (see Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit came upon the newly established Church), as we have documented in the Old Testament, quite often came upon and into the life of an OT believer, usually to allow that person to carry out God’s will for a specific purpose or task. However, in instances like the ones documented above with Saul or Samson, God’s Spirit could depart, leaving that person without the Spirit of God and having to deal with life in the flesh. As we read for Saul in today’s passage, God’s Spirit departing that person could produce emotionally troubling times; and with Samson we know that his strength to resist sin or deal with the world left him until God’s Spirit returned at the end of his life to show forth God’s power and victory over evil. But if you are a Christian today, we need not fear that occurring in our now saved lives.
The promise of God from the age of grace, in which we Christians now live, is a forever sealing of God’s Spirit once we surrender our lives at conversion to be baptized (not physically, but Spiritually) in Christ. So, once I gave my life completely in repentance to Christ and received Him as Lord and Savior of my life, that was and is a FOREVER deal. God’s Spirit is in me, which makes my body and life a Temple for the Spirit of God to reside – FOREVER [see 1st Cor. 3: 16]. There are a myriad of New Testament Scriptures to support the doctrine of “once saved – always saved;” but let me just cite one which is very familiar to most all Christians, John 3: 16, which don’t I probably don’t need to quote here because of its familiarity believers in Christ.
But I will quote it after all, to make my point. It of course says [NKJV], For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Now, if one took the position of God’s Spirit leaving a saved person after he/she were saved, causing that person to lose salvation, the phrase “everlasting life” in John 3: 16 would be sham. It would be meaningless. Everlasting is FOREVER, not just for as long as one is obedient. As Swindoll rightly points out from Ephesians 4: 30, linked for you here - once saved, we are sealed by God’s Spirit until “the day of our redemption,” which is, of course, when we die. Jesus said it from the cross, when He died, Satan’s power over our lives is “finished;” and we, who are in Christ, can know that we are saved FOREVER and have God’s Spirit residing FOREVER in our souls.
Now I know that Christians can grieve the Holy Spirit and our witness can be dampened by our sin choices and our disobedience. However, this does not mean, as happened with king Saul, that God’s Spirit can or will leave our souls. Salvation in Christ is a FOREVER deal; and we need to hold on to that truth and live, as Paul wrote in Romans 12: 1-2 [linked] as “living sacrifices” for our salvation, “… proving what is that good and perfect will of God” for our lives.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You live in me; and I live for You. Amen
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
2009 – Day 104.Apr. 15 – Humble Appointment
2009 – Day 104.Apr. 15 – Humble Appointment
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 12 - 23 … Link to 1st Sam. 16 for study …
My Journal for Today: Now, in my study of the character and times of David, along with Chuck Swindoll’s devotionals, we finally come to our first real look at the young shepherd who would become king. He is called in out of the fields by Samuel and his daddy, Jesse, probably leaving his sheep and goats to a delegated sub-shepherd. I can just imagine him coming in to the family, smelling like sheep, and wondering what was going on. And here he’s confronted with this old man he doesn’t know, who takes a horn filled with scented oil and pours it over his head. The scene had to have been uncomfortable, at best, for David … and maybe even a bit comical.
BUT, this was serious business. Here a young shepherd boy was in the presence of God’s messenger, Samuel, who was telling Jesse’s family that David would become king of all of God’s chosen people one day. And after the anointing, we read on that Samuel left the young boy to go back out in the fields to continue shepherding his flocks. And in this scenario we once again see the quality of humility which God had seen in this young boy. However, David, from the moment that oil was poured over his head would never be the same. Why? Because, as we read, God’s Spirit came upon him, indwelling his heart; and now David was claimed by God’s favor and power for God’s plan and purpose.
And we see God’s plan beginning to unfold as Saul, the king, has the emotional need of someone, a musician, to calm his frayed nerves. And lo and behold, who, in God’s providence had the talent to become the king’s harpist? Surely we’re not naïve enough to think that it was a coincidence that someone in Saul’s court knew of David’s talent as a harpist and a writer/singer of songs. No, this was no coincidence. God was beginning to set in motion the events which would bring David together with Saul; and at this point, Saul seemed to be drawn to David. Later, we know that God’s Spirit, having departed from Saul, would cause Saul to be jealous of this young anointed one. But at this point in the historical account, Saul is also drawn to the humility of this boy who loved King Saul and had such a servant’s heart. And so, Saul makes David his armor bearer, a favored position with close access to the king. God is at work, moving these two toward the events which would change the course of Israel.
Can you see that the same Spirit of God Who came into the heart of God’s chosen king of Israel is the same God, the Holy Spirit, which now resides in your heart if you have received the anointing of God by receiving Christ as your Lord and Savior. And if you (or I) can be humble like David, willing to serve our King, Who is the King of kings, we can be God’s servant just like David was, … carrying out God’s will for our life and giving glory to God in the process. As I write this I am quickened by this reality; and I’m humbled to realize that God, as He did with David, has anointed me with God’s plan and purpose for my life. And our Lord has indwelt me – or you, fellow Christian - with His Spirit to give us the unction and power to carry out His purpose for our life – just as we read God is doing for David in today’s Scripture passage.
I hope that gives you “chill bumps” of direction and purpose, as it has done for me this day.
My Prayer for Today: Thank You, Lord, for you anointing on my life. Help me to be humble to receive it and become your servant. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 12 - 23 … Link to 1st Sam. 16 for study …
My Journal for Today: Now, in my study of the character and times of David, along with Chuck Swindoll’s devotionals, we finally come to our first real look at the young shepherd who would become king. He is called in out of the fields by Samuel and his daddy, Jesse, probably leaving his sheep and goats to a delegated sub-shepherd. I can just imagine him coming in to the family, smelling like sheep, and wondering what was going on. And here he’s confronted with this old man he doesn’t know, who takes a horn filled with scented oil and pours it over his head. The scene had to have been uncomfortable, at best, for David … and maybe even a bit comical.
BUT, this was serious business. Here a young shepherd boy was in the presence of God’s messenger, Samuel, who was telling Jesse’s family that David would become king of all of God’s chosen people one day. And after the anointing, we read on that Samuel left the young boy to go back out in the fields to continue shepherding his flocks. And in this scenario we once again see the quality of humility which God had seen in this young boy. However, David, from the moment that oil was poured over his head would never be the same. Why? Because, as we read, God’s Spirit came upon him, indwelling his heart; and now David was claimed by God’s favor and power for God’s plan and purpose.
And we see God’s plan beginning to unfold as Saul, the king, has the emotional need of someone, a musician, to calm his frayed nerves. And lo and behold, who, in God’s providence had the talent to become the king’s harpist? Surely we’re not naïve enough to think that it was a coincidence that someone in Saul’s court knew of David’s talent as a harpist and a writer/singer of songs. No, this was no coincidence. God was beginning to set in motion the events which would bring David together with Saul; and at this point, Saul seemed to be drawn to David. Later, we know that God’s Spirit, having departed from Saul, would cause Saul to be jealous of this young anointed one. But at this point in the historical account, Saul is also drawn to the humility of this boy who loved King Saul and had such a servant’s heart. And so, Saul makes David his armor bearer, a favored position with close access to the king. God is at work, moving these two toward the events which would change the course of Israel.
Can you see that the same Spirit of God Who came into the heart of God’s chosen king of Israel is the same God, the Holy Spirit, which now resides in your heart if you have received the anointing of God by receiving Christ as your Lord and Savior. And if you (or I) can be humble like David, willing to serve our King, Who is the King of kings, we can be God’s servant just like David was, … carrying out God’s will for our life and giving glory to God in the process. As I write this I am quickened by this reality; and I’m humbled to realize that God, as He did with David, has anointed me with God’s plan and purpose for my life. And our Lord has indwelt me – or you, fellow Christian - with His Spirit to give us the unction and power to carry out His purpose for our life – just as we read God is doing for David in today’s Scripture passage.
I hope that gives you “chill bumps” of direction and purpose, as it has done for me this day.
My Prayer for Today: Thank You, Lord, for you anointing on my life. Help me to be humble to receive it and become your servant. Amen
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
2009 – Day 103.Apr. 14 – Inner Qualities
2009 – Day 103.Apr. 14 – Inner Qualities
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 11 … And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.”
1st Samuel 17: 34 – 35 … 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.
My Journal for Today: We now spring forward in our story about David from his anointing by Samuel to his confrontation with King Saul, who is now, in 1st Samuel 17 confronted with the Philistine Giant, Goliath. And Saul asks David how he can go against this enemy. And with no hesitation David gives his résumé of having killed lions and bears in the wilderness as a shepherd. Goliath was no big deal for young David because he had been schooled in the wilderness by God’s providence and power; and though young in years, David had seen God’s deliverance in action many times.
It is often said that one’s character is defined by what we do when no one is looking; and David’s character had been schooled, if you refer to yesterday’s devotional in my journals, in the schoolroom of solitude and obscurity by the schoolmasters of monotony and reality. So, David may not have looked like it; but he was ready to do battle against any enemy; and he was saying confidently to his king, “Bring him on!”
Every day you and I face the Goliaths of this world. There is the tyranny of the urgent, by unimportant and trivial matters trying to take over. There is the terrorism of fleshly temptation. And all of these Goliaths are crying out, “Come against me; and I will take down your best.” And unfortunately most of God’s warriors these days sink from the terrorism in this world these days. Why? Well, it’s because we haven’t been schooled by the hard knocks of life and we haven’t seen God do His business. Therefore, we simply don’t have the confidence that we can, like David, slay the lions and bears of this world.
I work in a ministry where every day I have to go up against a Goliath in this world, the awesome power of Satan’s “XXX” Industry. Sex as a stronghold of sensual power and is a pervasive Goliath in today’s world; and it is bringing men, even Christian men, down into the pits of death in sexual sin, every day. But like David, I know that I can defeat this Goliath. I’ve been out there in the wilderness; and I’ve experienced what is promised in 1st John 4: 4, that my God is greater than Satan, the Goliath. I’ve felt the victory of Christ giving me His power to lift me above my enemies. So, I know the reality of Isaiah 41: 10 and Phil. 4: 13 and Romans 8: 31.
So, when any Saul of this world might say to me, “Bill, you can’t defeat Satan’s sensual forces in this world!” To that I say, “Bring them on; I’m ready … because my God is in my corner; and (from Eph. 6: 13-18) I’m fully armed and ready to do battle against any Goliath with God’s mighty weapon, …His word.”
For any who might read here, I’m not bragging on Bill Berry. I completely respect the power of my Goliath-like spiritual enemies, … Satan and my own deceitful heart. But my confidence to do battle is, as I’ve said, in a God Whom I’ve seen bring down many worldly Goliaths in my own life and in the lives of many others too weak to do battle alone, but relying on God’s strength to cover their weakness (see 2nd Cor. 12: 9).
Beloved, we can go up against Goliath today; but you’ve got to believe the truths of the Scriptures I’ve referenced above and you’ve got to be willing to put on your armor, take up your sword, and go to the high ground of prayer to do battle. You may need some seasoning and training out in the bootcamp wilderness of life. It takes time and practice, as David experienced as a shepherd, to become God’s well armed warrior who is a practiced and skilled swordsman of the Word. But when you’ve prepared yourself for the Goliaths of this world, as David had, you’ll be ready to stand forth and take the battle field to take on Satan’s Goliaths.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, show me the battle; I’m ready to stand with You for Your glory. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 11 … And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.”
1st Samuel 17: 34 – 35 … 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.
My Journal for Today: We now spring forward in our story about David from his anointing by Samuel to his confrontation with King Saul, who is now, in 1st Samuel 17 confronted with the Philistine Giant, Goliath. And Saul asks David how he can go against this enemy. And with no hesitation David gives his résumé of having killed lions and bears in the wilderness as a shepherd. Goliath was no big deal for young David because he had been schooled in the wilderness by God’s providence and power; and though young in years, David had seen God’s deliverance in action many times.
It is often said that one’s character is defined by what we do when no one is looking; and David’s character had been schooled, if you refer to yesterday’s devotional in my journals, in the schoolroom of solitude and obscurity by the schoolmasters of monotony and reality. So, David may not have looked like it; but he was ready to do battle against any enemy; and he was saying confidently to his king, “Bring him on!”
Every day you and I face the Goliaths of this world. There is the tyranny of the urgent, by unimportant and trivial matters trying to take over. There is the terrorism of fleshly temptation. And all of these Goliaths are crying out, “Come against me; and I will take down your best.” And unfortunately most of God’s warriors these days sink from the terrorism in this world these days. Why? Well, it’s because we haven’t been schooled by the hard knocks of life and we haven’t seen God do His business. Therefore, we simply don’t have the confidence that we can, like David, slay the lions and bears of this world.
I work in a ministry where every day I have to go up against a Goliath in this world, the awesome power of Satan’s “XXX” Industry. Sex as a stronghold of sensual power and is a pervasive Goliath in today’s world; and it is bringing men, even Christian men, down into the pits of death in sexual sin, every day. But like David, I know that I can defeat this Goliath. I’ve been out there in the wilderness; and I’ve experienced what is promised in 1st John 4: 4, that my God is greater than Satan, the Goliath. I’ve felt the victory of Christ giving me His power to lift me above my enemies. So, I know the reality of Isaiah 41: 10 and Phil. 4: 13 and Romans 8: 31.
So, when any Saul of this world might say to me, “Bill, you can’t defeat Satan’s sensual forces in this world!” To that I say, “Bring them on; I’m ready … because my God is in my corner; and (from Eph. 6: 13-18) I’m fully armed and ready to do battle against any Goliath with God’s mighty weapon, …His word.”
For any who might read here, I’m not bragging on Bill Berry. I completely respect the power of my Goliath-like spiritual enemies, … Satan and my own deceitful heart. But my confidence to do battle is, as I’ve said, in a God Whom I’ve seen bring down many worldly Goliaths in my own life and in the lives of many others too weak to do battle alone, but relying on God’s strength to cover their weakness (see 2nd Cor. 12: 9).
Beloved, we can go up against Goliath today; but you’ve got to believe the truths of the Scriptures I’ve referenced above and you’ve got to be willing to put on your armor, take up your sword, and go to the high ground of prayer to do battle. You may need some seasoning and training out in the bootcamp wilderness of life. It takes time and practice, as David experienced as a shepherd, to become God’s well armed warrior who is a practiced and skilled swordsman of the Word. But when you’ve prepared yourself for the Goliaths of this world, as David had, you’ll be ready to stand forth and take the battle field to take on Satan’s Goliaths.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, show me the battle; I’m ready to stand with You for Your glory. Amen
Monday, April 13, 2009
2009 – Day 102.Apr. 13 – Youthful Integrity
2009 – Day 102.Apr. 13 – Youthful Integrity
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 1 – 11 … Link to study passage …
My Journal for Today: Here again we move toward answering the question as to why God chose David to the His anointed successor to King Saul. And in today’s study Swindoll, from his devotional, points to the character trait of youthful integrity which was developed in young David out there in the fields of the desert wilderness. But I remind any reader here, … we have to focus now on YOUNG David and what God saw in the heart of this teenage shepherd. And Swindoll contends that the shepherd King was chosen because his character of integreity had been developed by four disciplines.
And the first of these, according to Swindoll, was SOLITUDE. The discipline of solitude develops depth of personality. One who requires superficial or meaningless noise in his life will likely avoid being able to focus on the really important aspects of life. Young David, out there alone in the desert, tending his flock, had learned how to focus on the main things in life; and the quiet he experienced helped to develop that focus. Meaningless noise has a tendency to cover over the deep, unresolved issues in life. However, developing and maintaining solitude in life helps one see and deal with those issues; and God can be heard more clearly when one develops and uses the discipline of solitude in. There’s an awful lot of meaningless noise in life these days. Do we have enough solitude in our life to be able to hear God’s still, small voice?
Secondly, and in a somewhat related discipline, David was honed through OBSCURITY. Servant leaders, Swindoll contends, are first “… unknown, unseen, unappreciated, and unapplauded.” And I love another quote about the life which David experienced which helped shape him for being king. Swindoll writes, “Strange as it may seem, those who first accept the silence of obscurity are best qualified to handle the applause of popularity. How about it? Are we seekers of the affirmation of others rather than doing the job behind the scenes?
The third training ground which developed young King David was MONOTONY; and that, according to Swindoll is learning to be faithful “ … in the menial, insignificant, routine, uneventful, daily tasks of life.” If one requires the drama or applause in life, he will not be able to deal with the small, but significant, details which are required to make one a leader. Servant leaders must be able to serve first; and service requires an attention to the mundane and repetitive details of life, … taks which may be boring but are absolutely necessary to get “the job” (of life) done in a way which is pleasing to God.
And finally, Swindoll claims the fourth discipline which helped to shape the Shepherd King was REALITY. And there’s probably no more real life on earth than that of being a shepherd out there in the deserts with a bunch of sheep, … where one must get to know the sheep, deal with the threats of predators, and have to provide for the needs of his flock. David didn’t have the luxury of living in fantasy out there with his flock. He had to learn to deal with solitude, obscurity, and monotony in the context of a very real existence. How about us? Are we dealing with real life; or are we drawn into fantasy to escape life?
How about it, fellow Christian? Are you doing the self inventory from this study as I am? And from conviction, I admit needing noise in my life to cover over my deeper, very personal issues. Often I’ll get in the car and instead of relishing the solitude, I’ll turn on the radio to surround myself with meaningless chatter; or I’ll turn on the TV or computer when I come in the house rather than listening for God’s still, small voice in the midst of quiet. But I’m learning to seek out and relish these quiet times with God, much as I am right here, listening for God and writing in this place.
I also confess that too often I seek out the affirmation or applause of other people, rather than just focusing on the more obscure and/or monotonous tasks which need to be done to get God’s job done. I’ve always, well, maybe not so much lately, been focused on getting into the public eye …to be seen by others doing the things which the world has a tendency of applauding. As I’ve matured in my faith, however, I’m recognizing and learning that getting the small details accomplished, those things which use my God-given gifts for His glory, will likely make God smile much more than feeding my human need for human applause. Now, I’m learning that the very real, but important, things like encouraging someone or doing a lesson plan for teaching my adult Sunday School class, can be used by God a lot more than seeking out the flashy applause or doing the stuff which give ME pleasure, rather than glory to God.
Perhaps in my later years of life, I’m finally learning what made God smile about David when he was a teenaged shepherd boy and what drew our Lord to the heart for God whom He could anoint as His King.
My Prayer for Today: Lord help me seek out the quiet in life to help me be shaped into Your image. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 1 – 11 … Link to study passage …
My Journal for Today: Here again we move toward answering the question as to why God chose David to the His anointed successor to King Saul. And in today’s study Swindoll, from his devotional, points to the character trait of youthful integrity which was developed in young David out there in the fields of the desert wilderness. But I remind any reader here, … we have to focus now on YOUNG David and what God saw in the heart of this teenage shepherd. And Swindoll contends that the shepherd King was chosen because his character of integreity had been developed by four disciplines.
And the first of these, according to Swindoll, was SOLITUDE. The discipline of solitude develops depth of personality. One who requires superficial or meaningless noise in his life will likely avoid being able to focus on the really important aspects of life. Young David, out there alone in the desert, tending his flock, had learned how to focus on the main things in life; and the quiet he experienced helped to develop that focus. Meaningless noise has a tendency to cover over the deep, unresolved issues in life. However, developing and maintaining solitude in life helps one see and deal with those issues; and God can be heard more clearly when one develops and uses the discipline of solitude in. There’s an awful lot of meaningless noise in life these days. Do we have enough solitude in our life to be able to hear God’s still, small voice?
Secondly, and in a somewhat related discipline, David was honed through OBSCURITY. Servant leaders, Swindoll contends, are first “… unknown, unseen, unappreciated, and unapplauded.” And I love another quote about the life which David experienced which helped shape him for being king. Swindoll writes, “Strange as it may seem, those who first accept the silence of obscurity are best qualified to handle the applause of popularity. How about it? Are we seekers of the affirmation of others rather than doing the job behind the scenes?
The third training ground which developed young King David was MONOTONY; and that, according to Swindoll is learning to be faithful “ … in the menial, insignificant, routine, uneventful, daily tasks of life.” If one requires the drama or applause in life, he will not be able to deal with the small, but significant, details which are required to make one a leader. Servant leaders must be able to serve first; and service requires an attention to the mundane and repetitive details of life, … taks which may be boring but are absolutely necessary to get “the job” (of life) done in a way which is pleasing to God.
And finally, Swindoll claims the fourth discipline which helped to shape the Shepherd King was REALITY. And there’s probably no more real life on earth than that of being a shepherd out there in the deserts with a bunch of sheep, … where one must get to know the sheep, deal with the threats of predators, and have to provide for the needs of his flock. David didn’t have the luxury of living in fantasy out there with his flock. He had to learn to deal with solitude, obscurity, and monotony in the context of a very real existence. How about us? Are we dealing with real life; or are we drawn into fantasy to escape life?
How about it, fellow Christian? Are you doing the self inventory from this study as I am? And from conviction, I admit needing noise in my life to cover over my deeper, very personal issues. Often I’ll get in the car and instead of relishing the solitude, I’ll turn on the radio to surround myself with meaningless chatter; or I’ll turn on the TV or computer when I come in the house rather than listening for God’s still, small voice in the midst of quiet. But I’m learning to seek out and relish these quiet times with God, much as I am right here, listening for God and writing in this place.
I also confess that too often I seek out the affirmation or applause of other people, rather than just focusing on the more obscure and/or monotonous tasks which need to be done to get God’s job done. I’ve always, well, maybe not so much lately, been focused on getting into the public eye …to be seen by others doing the things which the world has a tendency of applauding. As I’ve matured in my faith, however, I’m recognizing and learning that getting the small details accomplished, those things which use my God-given gifts for His glory, will likely make God smile much more than feeding my human need for human applause. Now, I’m learning that the very real, but important, things like encouraging someone or doing a lesson plan for teaching my adult Sunday School class, can be used by God a lot more than seeking out the flashy applause or doing the stuff which give ME pleasure, rather than glory to God.
Perhaps in my later years of life, I’m finally learning what made God smile about David when he was a teenaged shepherd boy and what drew our Lord to the heart for God whom He could anoint as His King.
My Prayer for Today: Lord help me seek out the quiet in life to help me be shaped into Your image. Amen
Sunday, April 12, 2009
2009 – Day 101.Apr. 12 – A Humble Servant
2009 – Day 101.Apr. 12 – A Humble Servant
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 1 – 11 … Link to study passage …
My Journal for Today: God was on a mission to replace Saul with HIS MAN; and He found that man out in the fields, tending the flocks of Jesse. And in this young man, David, the shepherd boy, God saw the one quality God would need most in replacing the arrogant Saul. God saw in David a servant’s heart. He saw humility.
Obviously God had had it with the prideful Saul as the King of His people; and in David he saw the heart and character which He could most use as His King; and that was the humility of a servant. And so, as Swindoll points out, we read in God’s word that God chose this young shepherd. And you can read God, characterized in song, saying in Psalm 89: 20 … “I have found my servant David; and with My holy oil I anoint him.”
And as I read that pronouncement, the psalmist attributed to be Ethan, the Ezrahite, I recognized that God has chosen me as well. Oh, no, I’ve not been chosen to be a king as was David; but God did reach out into the field of my life; and He has anointed me with His salvation. Somehow in my moment of surrender years ago, God saw enough humility in my heart to give me that wonderful life-saving gift; and my God has now set before me a life plan, for which He feels I’m worthy enough to serve Him. And if you have received God’s saving grace of Christ as your Savior and Lord, you have been deemed humble enough to become His servant as well. Now, all we, as servants of the Living God, need to be is humble enough to have a heart, like David as a young boy, to serve our God without question and most certainly without pride.
Did David have that servant’s character all the days of his life? Well, if you know David’s life story, you know that David had his failings. And yes, there were some big-time failings; but even with colossal breeches of character, God knew that David would be “a man after His own heart” for the long haul. … And now is the time for me and you to ask ourselves, “Are we men or women of God; and would you or I be considered to be God’s humble servant?” Have we chosen to dedicate our lives to serving God and the plan He has chosen for our lives?
God doesn’t want image or charisma or even a lot of intelligence. His model of servanthood and humility in our Savior – or in a young shepherd king like David - tells us that all He wants is one who will serve Him. And I can only pray that I can choose to be humble enough to become more like my Savior today than yesterday and even more a servant of My Heavenly Father tomorrow than I was today.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, have mercy and help me! Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 1 – 11 … Link to study passage …
My Journal for Today: God was on a mission to replace Saul with HIS MAN; and He found that man out in the fields, tending the flocks of Jesse. And in this young man, David, the shepherd boy, God saw the one quality God would need most in replacing the arrogant Saul. God saw in David a servant’s heart. He saw humility.
Obviously God had had it with the prideful Saul as the King of His people; and in David he saw the heart and character which He could most use as His King; and that was the humility of a servant. And so, as Swindoll points out, we read in God’s word that God chose this young shepherd. And you can read God, characterized in song, saying in Psalm 89: 20 … “I have found my servant David; and with My holy oil I anoint him.”
And as I read that pronouncement, the psalmist attributed to be Ethan, the Ezrahite, I recognized that God has chosen me as well. Oh, no, I’ve not been chosen to be a king as was David; but God did reach out into the field of my life; and He has anointed me with His salvation. Somehow in my moment of surrender years ago, God saw enough humility in my heart to give me that wonderful life-saving gift; and my God has now set before me a life plan, for which He feels I’m worthy enough to serve Him. And if you have received God’s saving grace of Christ as your Savior and Lord, you have been deemed humble enough to become His servant as well. Now, all we, as servants of the Living God, need to be is humble enough to have a heart, like David as a young boy, to serve our God without question and most certainly without pride.
Did David have that servant’s character all the days of his life? Well, if you know David’s life story, you know that David had his failings. And yes, there were some big-time failings; but even with colossal breeches of character, God knew that David would be “a man after His own heart” for the long haul. … And now is the time for me and you to ask ourselves, “Are we men or women of God; and would you or I be considered to be God’s humble servant?” Have we chosen to dedicate our lives to serving God and the plan He has chosen for our lives?
God doesn’t want image or charisma or even a lot of intelligence. His model of servanthood and humility in our Savior – or in a young shepherd king like David - tells us that all He wants is one who will serve Him. And I can only pray that I can choose to be humble enough to become more like my Savior today than yesterday and even more a servant of My Heavenly Father tomorrow than I was today.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, have mercy and help me! Amen
Saturday, April 11, 2009
2009 – Day 100.Apr. 11 – Nobodies Into Somebodies
2009 – Day 100.Apr. 11 – Nobodies Into Somebodies
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 1 – 11 … Link to study passage …
My Journal for Today: There is a great principle articulated by God, Himself, in this passage which depicts the story of God selecting His anointed successor to Saul by sending Samuel to the house of Jesse. The principle is found in verse 7 of 1st Samuel, where God says to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him [Jesse’s oldest son]. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
And that principle flies in the face of human logic; doesn’t it? It is simply not the way mankind operates when we must separate people from the pack to be our choice for leaders. Certainly we don’t operate that way now; do we? When you were choosing your friends when you were a kid, how did you choose? You wanted to hang with the popular dudes, didn’t you? How do we choose Presidents these days? We choose them by how they appear on TV, don’t we? But this is not how God does His choosing, which is clearly stated in our passage for today. No, God looks at the heart when He is selecting just the right person to carry out His will.
And that reverse human psychology was at the heart of what the Apostle Paul wrote in the New Testament as well. When he was writing to the very Greek oriented culture in Corinth, he wrote about how God does business, which was very different from the Greek ideal of choosing leaders based on popularity, beauty, or intelligence [not much has changed in over 2000 years; has it?]. Here’s what Paul wrote in 1st Cor. 1: 26 – 29 …
>>> 26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.
God actually does His picking for a task in a way that won’t allow for anyone to be puffed up with pride or bragging about his own abilities to get the job done. We know, as we read on in 1st Samuel, that God picked David, the youngest and weakest of Jesse’s sons to be the anointed king over Israel. As we’d say today, “Go figure!” And that’s exactly the point. We often can’t figure out why God does what He does because we’re more often looking for the confident and able to get the job done, … like a Lebron James in basketball or a Tiger Woods in golf. We’ll elect an Obama for President because of his human abilities and looks instead of his heart. But as God’s word says in Isaiah 55: 8-9 [link provided], quite often God works in ways that are way above our ways.
I hope we all can keep this over-riding principle in mind when we seek out someone to get the job done. We need to look for God’s choice; and above all we need to look at the heart of a person first and foremost when we do our selecting. Only when we have God’s selection will we be doing life God’s way and within His will.
My Prayer for Today: Oh Lord, You are God; and I am not. So, help me discern Your will in all things. Amen
Friday, April 10, 2009
Leaving a Legacy
Please forgive the pride of a grandparent, a "PawPaw" in the Berry Patch. But yesterday Elly and I were blown away when she found the above pictured piece of paper in our guest bedroom. When she found it, Elly, or "Oma" as she's called by our granddaughters, recognized that our oldest little gem, Sydney, who is seven had left this behind when she stayed with us a few nights ago. It's not all that uncommon for our grandbabes, who live here locally, to stay with us for an overnighter, giving our kids a chance to do something without having to worry about their little ones. And besides saving money for babysitters is a pretty good luxury for them too. AND, yes, Oma and PawPaw love it too!! But when we discovered this little momento, pictured above, we were somewhat blown away with the realization of what Sydney had done.
Sometimes, you wonder at this young age whether you're leaving any permanent lagacy in the lives of your grandchildren; but in what Sydney wrote on the page pictured above, we have been given a wonderful sign of the greatest legacy any parent or grandparent can implant into the lives of their kids or grandkids ... and that, of course, is God.
Take careful note of what Sydney has written, spontaneously and with no prompting from Oma or PawPaw. When I asked her about it, Syd reported that while her sister was watching a lttle bit of Veggie Tales on TV before they went to bed that night, she had discovered the Bible in our guest room where they to sleep overnight. And she told me that she began looking up verses she knew or had memorized from her home schooling or the classical ed program both girls participate in one day each week.
Sydney went on to tell me that she was just writing down some of her thoughts about what God had written in the Bible. ... WOW!! Seven years old; and she's already getting God's word into her heart and journaling her ideas about it. I think you might see why this old Christian PawPaw might be busting with a bit of healthy spiritual pride here.
Well, when we found this legacy jewel, I recognized how special it was; and I almost ran out to have it laminated; as a sign of what her parents have passed on to their kids from what we have apparently given to them; and that is the realization that God loves us and He is with us always and that we need to obey His word.
Yes, this most certainly was a WOW moment in the Berry Patch. ... <'BB><
2009 – Day 99.Apr. 10 – Good Directions
2009 – Day 99.Apr. 10 – Good Directions
Passage of the Day: 1ST Samuel 16: 1 – 5 … 1 Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.” … 2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” But the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3 Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.” 4 So Samuel did what the LORD said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.
My Journal for Today: Hey, have you ever had trouble following God where He was leading you? Well, if so, you’re not alone. Reading today’s passage, so did Samuel; and who was he? Well, Samuel was only a Prophet of God, whom God selected to be His spokesperson. And Samuel was not a rookie in this business of prophesy either. He had seen God speak to the future of God’s people and what he would say, for God, would come about. Yet here he was in the scenario from today’s passage, hearing God’s word to take a message to Saul about the selection of the coming king; and what was Samuel’s immediate reaction? Yes, it was fear; and Samuel was so fearful, he even questioned God’s plan.
Have you ever been in a spot where you could see God’s will clearly; but you felt that such a direction was too difficult or maybe even that there was no way you could go where God was leading you? I don’t think that’s all that uncommon. Often people know God’s way or His commands from hearing or reading God’s word; and yet, in fear or selfishness they balk at carrying out God’s directive. Why? Well, fear or pride are usually the first line reasons; and lack of faith is almost always what causes even Godly leaders, like Samuel, to back away from God’s will or His way.
BUT (and note the big “BUT”), … for Samuel, we see God’s merciful and gracious response. Does God rebuke Samuel and say, “Common, Sam, get with the program; this is God speaking here!” No, God calmly understands Samuel’s fear; and gives him a plan to quell those fears. God recognizes when we’re afraid; and He’ll hear our questions when we have them. I think of Habakkuk, as I meditate here on Samuel’s dilemma. If you read the opening of the first chapter of the book of Habakkuk, you’ll see that he too was confused by what God was allowing to take place in the lives of God’s children. But like Samuel, God didn’t reject Habakkuk in his moment of quandary and fear. No, God gently gave Habakkuk the truth in a way that allowed God’s prophet to see how important it was for God’s man to move forward in faith and take His word to God’s people.
And we read in both scenarios God’s plan prevailed; and that’s what will always happen. God’s way will go forward whether you, in faith, are His method of doing things or someone else has to take the lead. God is God; and I am not. So, if I have trouble be God’s agent for truth, He is going to find a way to get His program done. It’s just sad when we, God’s children, don’t have enough faith to be the ones to faithfully work within His will to carry out His way in the world.
Do you see anything in the world where God is being ignored or rejected? Do you know of anyone in your life who, like Saul was to Samuel, is rejecting God or acting in a very unGodly manner? Well, if there’s nothing you can do about it, don’t worry about it; because God is still in control; and like God showed Habakkuk, He will take care of those who reject the Lord. But when, like Samuel, you are being called and can do something to move on God’s will, know, in faith, that God will never give you a command which you can’t carry out, … with His help.
That’s the message for Christians which I’ve taken deeply into my heart from 1st Cor. 10: 13, which states, No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. And that word “temptation” in the Greek, “peirasmos,” can also be translated “test, trial, or tribulation,” depending on the circumstances facing the believer. So, no matter what our trial may be, God’s going to be there for us.
Have you ever, like Samuel, faced a trial or test in life which was fearful because of what you’re called to do? Of course you have? And those are the moments when God comes along side, when you’re His faithful follower, with a way to move forward. Again, that’s the message of 1st Cor. 10: 13 or back into the Old Testament, from Isaiah 41: 10. Yes, when God calls, He is saying to us, “Don’t be afraid, I’ll carry you through this!” Or as Paul also wrote and I paraphrase from Phil. 4: 13 and 2nd Cor. 12: 9, which say to me in all situations, “Bill, you can do all things through Me, because I’ll give you My strength in your weakness.”
Oh, dear one, I hope you know and feel God’s truth when you are in a moment like the one confronted by Samuel from today’s story. I pray you’ve taken God’s word deeply into your heart so that you’re able to obey our God when you’re called to obedience as was Samuel. Because when you do act in faith and obedience, God will ALWAYS be there for you, lifting you up and guiding you to move forward for His glory. Always remember the truth of Phil. 4: 6-7 to take your fears or burdens to our God. He’s there; and He’ll listen; and He’ll give you His peace in the midst of your fears to carry you onward in His Name.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, when I know Your truth, help me to act on it. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1ST Samuel 16: 1 – 5 … 1 Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.” … 2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” But the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3 Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.” 4 So Samuel did what the LORD said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.
My Journal for Today: Hey, have you ever had trouble following God where He was leading you? Well, if so, you’re not alone. Reading today’s passage, so did Samuel; and who was he? Well, Samuel was only a Prophet of God, whom God selected to be His spokesperson. And Samuel was not a rookie in this business of prophesy either. He had seen God speak to the future of God’s people and what he would say, for God, would come about. Yet here he was in the scenario from today’s passage, hearing God’s word to take a message to Saul about the selection of the coming king; and what was Samuel’s immediate reaction? Yes, it was fear; and Samuel was so fearful, he even questioned God’s plan.
Have you ever been in a spot where you could see God’s will clearly; but you felt that such a direction was too difficult or maybe even that there was no way you could go where God was leading you? I don’t think that’s all that uncommon. Often people know God’s way or His commands from hearing or reading God’s word; and yet, in fear or selfishness they balk at carrying out God’s directive. Why? Well, fear or pride are usually the first line reasons; and lack of faith is almost always what causes even Godly leaders, like Samuel, to back away from God’s will or His way.
BUT (and note the big “BUT”), … for Samuel, we see God’s merciful and gracious response. Does God rebuke Samuel and say, “Common, Sam, get with the program; this is God speaking here!” No, God calmly understands Samuel’s fear; and gives him a plan to quell those fears. God recognizes when we’re afraid; and He’ll hear our questions when we have them. I think of Habakkuk, as I meditate here on Samuel’s dilemma. If you read the opening of the first chapter of the book of Habakkuk, you’ll see that he too was confused by what God was allowing to take place in the lives of God’s children. But like Samuel, God didn’t reject Habakkuk in his moment of quandary and fear. No, God gently gave Habakkuk the truth in a way that allowed God’s prophet to see how important it was for God’s man to move forward in faith and take His word to God’s people.
And we read in both scenarios God’s plan prevailed; and that’s what will always happen. God’s way will go forward whether you, in faith, are His method of doing things or someone else has to take the lead. God is God; and I am not. So, if I have trouble be God’s agent for truth, He is going to find a way to get His program done. It’s just sad when we, God’s children, don’t have enough faith to be the ones to faithfully work within His will to carry out His way in the world.
Do you see anything in the world where God is being ignored or rejected? Do you know of anyone in your life who, like Saul was to Samuel, is rejecting God or acting in a very unGodly manner? Well, if there’s nothing you can do about it, don’t worry about it; because God is still in control; and like God showed Habakkuk, He will take care of those who reject the Lord. But when, like Samuel, you are being called and can do something to move on God’s will, know, in faith, that God will never give you a command which you can’t carry out, … with His help.
That’s the message for Christians which I’ve taken deeply into my heart from 1st Cor. 10: 13, which states, No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. And that word “temptation” in the Greek, “peirasmos,” can also be translated “test, trial, or tribulation,” depending on the circumstances facing the believer. So, no matter what our trial may be, God’s going to be there for us.
Have you ever, like Samuel, faced a trial or test in life which was fearful because of what you’re called to do? Of course you have? And those are the moments when God comes along side, when you’re His faithful follower, with a way to move forward. Again, that’s the message of 1st Cor. 10: 13 or back into the Old Testament, from Isaiah 41: 10. Yes, when God calls, He is saying to us, “Don’t be afraid, I’ll carry you through this!” Or as Paul also wrote and I paraphrase from Phil. 4: 13 and 2nd Cor. 12: 9, which say to me in all situations, “Bill, you can do all things through Me, because I’ll give you My strength in your weakness.”
Oh, dear one, I hope you know and feel God’s truth when you are in a moment like the one confronted by Samuel from today’s story. I pray you’ve taken God’s word deeply into your heart so that you’re able to obey our God when you’re called to obedience as was Samuel. Because when you do act in faith and obedience, God will ALWAYS be there for you, lifting you up and guiding you to move forward for His glory. Always remember the truth of Phil. 4: 6-7 to take your fears or burdens to our God. He’s there; and He’ll listen; and He’ll give you His peace in the midst of your fears to carry you onward in His Name.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, when I know Your truth, help me to act on it. Amen
Thursday, April 09, 2009
2009 – Day 98.Apr. 9 – God’s Plan – My Choice
2009 – Day 98.Apr. 9 – God’s Plan – My Choice
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 15: 1 – 19 … Link to study passage …
My Journal for Today: What we have in today’s passage, about God giving Saul the plan of attack for life, is a classic example of man knowing God’s will and that man letting ego get in the way of obedience. It is man acting on man’s idea rather than following God’s will. It is choosing self over the Savior. And as any Christian reads this story, it is so easy to condemn Saul, thinking “What a fool he was, ignoring God’s clear plan and doing what he thought would make him look good in the eyes of his people!!” But are any of us any that different than Saul?”
Don’t we all have a tendency to do things our own way, rather than God’s way? Aren’t we all guilty, at times, of letting ego get in the way of even seeking and carrying God’s plan for our lives? Haven’t you ever had a scenario where you went on ahead and did things your own way rather than heeding what is clearly set out in God’s word (i.e., His will) for our lives? Well, if you just answered “No” to those questions, you’re a better person than I am; and praise God for your willingness to seek out God’s way; and then to follow it with no consideration of selfish ambition.
Actually, I look at what Saul did in this story as the natural and logical way to go. What God had asked of him was totally illogical and seemingly over the top, asking Saul to kill everything in sight, including the eradication of all of the spoils of victory. And herein we have what is tough about seeing things through God’s eyes as opposed to what seems right in our own eyes. God’s way is God’s way; and when He shows us what His way is, our way is not His. The choice often is clear; but in our own minds we have a tendency to do it our way – the way which seems logical or natural.
Saul had been anointed to be the king of God’s people; and this story shows how clearly he was not suited to be God’s leader. No matter how high up God’s providence allows us to climb in the pecking order of man, we are still UNDER God’s plan; and as God’s word says so clearly – at least to me as I sit here and think about it from Isaiah 55: 8 – 9 [link provided] – my ways are never as high as God’s ways and my mind is never to be set above God’s.
So, what does this tell us? It says that I must always be seeking after God’s will and His way; and then when I know what it is, I must follow it, no matter how tough God’s commands might be and how illogical they may seem. And yes, that will be very hard at times; but Jesus said it clearly to His disciples in Luke 9: 23 (a passage you should have memorized if you’ve been following my journal entries because of how often I quote it!). Jesus wants me to deny my self, to take up the crosses of life (i.e., those things which are hard to do for God), and to simply follow Him. Yes, I said “simply” follow our God. However, as you’re probably thinking now, “It’s not always simple to carry out God’s commands.” But note that I didn’t say “easy;” I said “simple.” God’s way, often as we get it from His word, is SIMPLE; but it’s almost never EASY. But as Saul would learn in his life, when we ignore God’s will or plan, especially when they’re clearly laid out, we will pay the price of disobedience.
Saul ultimately had to learn this lesson and in the end of his life he paid a terrible price. I hope – no, I pray - I learn the lesson of obedience and to be Christ’s loyal disciple before I have to pay the price for my disobedience.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to be Your obedient servant. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 15: 1 – 19 … Link to study passage …
My Journal for Today: What we have in today’s passage, about God giving Saul the plan of attack for life, is a classic example of man knowing God’s will and that man letting ego get in the way of obedience. It is man acting on man’s idea rather than following God’s will. It is choosing self over the Savior. And as any Christian reads this story, it is so easy to condemn Saul, thinking “What a fool he was, ignoring God’s clear plan and doing what he thought would make him look good in the eyes of his people!!” But are any of us any that different than Saul?”
Don’t we all have a tendency to do things our own way, rather than God’s way? Aren’t we all guilty, at times, of letting ego get in the way of even seeking and carrying God’s plan for our lives? Haven’t you ever had a scenario where you went on ahead and did things your own way rather than heeding what is clearly set out in God’s word (i.e., His will) for our lives? Well, if you just answered “No” to those questions, you’re a better person than I am; and praise God for your willingness to seek out God’s way; and then to follow it with no consideration of selfish ambition.
Actually, I look at what Saul did in this story as the natural and logical way to go. What God had asked of him was totally illogical and seemingly over the top, asking Saul to kill everything in sight, including the eradication of all of the spoils of victory. And herein we have what is tough about seeing things through God’s eyes as opposed to what seems right in our own eyes. God’s way is God’s way; and when He shows us what His way is, our way is not His. The choice often is clear; but in our own minds we have a tendency to do it our way – the way which seems logical or natural.
Saul had been anointed to be the king of God’s people; and this story shows how clearly he was not suited to be God’s leader. No matter how high up God’s providence allows us to climb in the pecking order of man, we are still UNDER God’s plan; and as God’s word says so clearly – at least to me as I sit here and think about it from Isaiah 55: 8 – 9 [link provided] – my ways are never as high as God’s ways and my mind is never to be set above God’s.
So, what does this tell us? It says that I must always be seeking after God’s will and His way; and then when I know what it is, I must follow it, no matter how tough God’s commands might be and how illogical they may seem. And yes, that will be very hard at times; but Jesus said it clearly to His disciples in Luke 9: 23 (a passage you should have memorized if you’ve been following my journal entries because of how often I quote it!). Jesus wants me to deny my self, to take up the crosses of life (i.e., those things which are hard to do for God), and to simply follow Him. Yes, I said “simply” follow our God. However, as you’re probably thinking now, “It’s not always simple to carry out God’s commands.” But note that I didn’t say “easy;” I said “simple.” God’s way, often as we get it from His word, is SIMPLE; but it’s almost never EASY. But as Saul would learn in his life, when we ignore God’s will or plan, especially when they’re clearly laid out, we will pay the price of disobedience.
Saul ultimately had to learn this lesson and in the end of his life he paid a terrible price. I hope – no, I pray - I learn the lesson of obedience and to be Christ’s loyal disciple before I have to pay the price for my disobedience.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to be Your obedient servant. Amen
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
2009 – Day 97.Apr. 8 - A Study of David … How’s Your Heart?
2009 – Day 97.Apr. 8 - A Study of David … How’s Your Heart?
Blogger Billy's Note: Today Swindoll and I, following his book, move on to another in the Great Days with the Great Lives series of Bible character studies; and in this next month or so we’ll be focusing on the life of King David, … his greatness and his weakness, … his ups and his downs, … but above all, his heart, which we’ll see from the beginning to the end is a “heart for God.”
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 13: 1 – 14 … Link to today’s passage …
My Journal for Today: So, today we move on to another Bible character of note, … King David; and Swindoll starts with a focus on the one quality God looks for when he seeks out leaders; and that is a heart to follow after His own heart. And in today’s initial passage, though it centers on the life of Israel’s first King, … Saul, this principle of heart-felt obedience to God is stated in 1st Sam. 13: 14a, where Samuel, God’s Prophet, says, “But now your [Saul’s] kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, … " which was a condition of the heart which Saul did not have. But it was a condition of the heart which David did have.
Most certainly, knowing David’s story, as you probably do, we know that David was not perfect in his flesh. No, he had major league carnal weaknesses; but God knew David’s heart; and it was a heart which was in pursuit of God’s heart. And as Swindoll points out as he helps me launch into this study of David, when God seeks out someone to do His will, the Lord does not seek the perfect heart; because in fallen mankind, there is no such thing as a perfected heart. No, God simply wants someone, prayerfully like you and me, who has a heart to seek after God’s will and His way of doing things. David had such a heart; and Swindoll asks his readers as I opened with the topic lead, “How is your heart?”
Yes, as I move into this study of David, one of the great lives in the Old Testament, I’m doing a self inventory, which, according to Paul in 2nd Cor. 13: 5 [link provided] is a healthy spiritual thing to do. And though I’m convicted by some of the sin patterns in my life – those besetting habits, like my tendency toward gluttony – which I detest, I know that I have a heart for God’s way and for His will, which I seek primarily through His word. I’m not bragging about it; it is simply my heart to seek after God’s heart. Otherwise, why would I gladly and expectantly get up each morning, as I am here today, digging into God’s word and using a spiritual shepherd like Chuck Swindoll, to help me grow in my faith and help me follow my Lord? No, that’s not my ego talking or me showing off for your benefit; that’s my “M.O.” which, praise God, is in hot pursuit of my Lord.
Only you can speak to your heart; but we read above, as God was to seek out David to be His anointed leader, God is looking for those who pursue His will and hold onto a desire to be obedient to His commands (which we, of course, primarily find in His word). We see this principle and process, not only in 1st Sam. 13: 14a above, but also in a parallel teaching of 2nd Chronicles 16: 9 [link provided]; and so, I hope you’re asking yourself now if you have a heart which seeks to be obedient to God and to be transformed as Paul wrote in Romans 12: 1-2 [linked], a passage I do hope you have memorized.
But you may ask, is a heart for God’s heart implanted by God or does it develop through our own choices? And the answer to that is “YES.” It is both something that is planted in our hearts when we come to receive Christ as our Messiah/Savior [Gal. 2: 20 - linked]; and it is something we come to receive and build into our lives by our desire to know, seek, and become like God [see Phil. 1: 6 - linked]. A “heart for God” comes to Christians via the Holy Spirit dwelling in our; and it becomes a heart after God’s own heart, when, in faith, we CHOOSE to let God’ Spirit reshape us into His own image and we seek to know and pursue God as we are reshaped BY GOD into His own image.
I pray that I, and any who read here, become like David became, “a man after God’s own heart.”
My Prayer for Today: You know my heart, Lord; and it is one which desires to know and serve You. Amen
Blogger Billy's Note: Today Swindoll and I, following his book, move on to another in the Great Days with the Great Lives series of Bible character studies; and in this next month or so we’ll be focusing on the life of King David, … his greatness and his weakness, … his ups and his downs, … but above all, his heart, which we’ll see from the beginning to the end is a “heart for God.”
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 13: 1 – 14 … Link to today’s passage …
My Journal for Today: So, today we move on to another Bible character of note, … King David; and Swindoll starts with a focus on the one quality God looks for when he seeks out leaders; and that is a heart to follow after His own heart. And in today’s initial passage, though it centers on the life of Israel’s first King, … Saul, this principle of heart-felt obedience to God is stated in 1st Sam. 13: 14a, where Samuel, God’s Prophet, says, “But now your [Saul’s] kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, … " which was a condition of the heart which Saul did not have. But it was a condition of the heart which David did have.
Most certainly, knowing David’s story, as you probably do, we know that David was not perfect in his flesh. No, he had major league carnal weaknesses; but God knew David’s heart; and it was a heart which was in pursuit of God’s heart. And as Swindoll points out as he helps me launch into this study of David, when God seeks out someone to do His will, the Lord does not seek the perfect heart; because in fallen mankind, there is no such thing as a perfected heart. No, God simply wants someone, prayerfully like you and me, who has a heart to seek after God’s will and His way of doing things. David had such a heart; and Swindoll asks his readers as I opened with the topic lead, “How is your heart?”
Yes, as I move into this study of David, one of the great lives in the Old Testament, I’m doing a self inventory, which, according to Paul in 2nd Cor. 13: 5 [link provided] is a healthy spiritual thing to do. And though I’m convicted by some of the sin patterns in my life – those besetting habits, like my tendency toward gluttony – which I detest, I know that I have a heart for God’s way and for His will, which I seek primarily through His word. I’m not bragging about it; it is simply my heart to seek after God’s heart. Otherwise, why would I gladly and expectantly get up each morning, as I am here today, digging into God’s word and using a spiritual shepherd like Chuck Swindoll, to help me grow in my faith and help me follow my Lord? No, that’s not my ego talking or me showing off for your benefit; that’s my “M.O.” which, praise God, is in hot pursuit of my Lord.
Only you can speak to your heart; but we read above, as God was to seek out David to be His anointed leader, God is looking for those who pursue His will and hold onto a desire to be obedient to His commands (which we, of course, primarily find in His word). We see this principle and process, not only in 1st Sam. 13: 14a above, but also in a parallel teaching of 2nd Chronicles 16: 9 [link provided]; and so, I hope you’re asking yourself now if you have a heart which seeks to be obedient to God and to be transformed as Paul wrote in Romans 12: 1-2 [linked], a passage I do hope you have memorized.
But you may ask, is a heart for God’s heart implanted by God or does it develop through our own choices? And the answer to that is “YES.” It is both something that is planted in our hearts when we come to receive Christ as our Messiah/Savior [Gal. 2: 20 - linked]; and it is something we come to receive and build into our lives by our desire to know, seek, and become like God [see Phil. 1: 6 - linked]. A “heart for God” comes to Christians via the Holy Spirit dwelling in our; and it becomes a heart after God’s own heart, when, in faith, we CHOOSE to let God’ Spirit reshape us into His own image and we seek to know and pursue God as we are reshaped BY GOD into His own image.
I pray that I, and any who read here, become like David became, “a man after God’s own heart.”
My Prayer for Today: You know my heart, Lord; and it is one which desires to know and serve You. Amen
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
2009 – Day 96.Apr. 7 – Three Secrets Revealed
2009 – Day 96.Apr. 7 – Three Secrets Revealed
Passage of the Day: Deuteronomy 34: 1 – 12 … Link to study today’s passage …
My Journal for Today: Today Swindoll helps his readers, like me, to see three secrets of life which are revealed by the life of Moses.
# 1. The secret of fulfillment in life is INVOLVEMENT. Do you look forward to the world’s stereotype of “retirement” some day where you kick back your life and go into auto-pilot, relaxing, playing a lot of golf or bowling, and joining a cool village of retirees focused on selfish living? If so, the stats say that you’ll live about 17 months after your 65th birthday. But cold, hard stats also tell us that those who are into others and living out Phil. 2: 3 – 4, will live a lot longer than those who live for self. I just turned 65 a few months ago. And I “retired” from my “professional” career of 33 years a few years ago; but I didn’t call it a “retirement.” I called it a “commencement,” because God has shown me His will for my life; and that plan involved reaching out to help others find what Jesus spoke of as His mission statement in Luke 4: 18. I exhort you to read that statement of INVOLVELEMNT and find yourself in that truth somewhere. So that’s life secret #1; … INVOLVEMENT in God’s work gives life length for His glory.
#2 . The secret of reality in life is HUMILITY. Moses discovered a humble surrender to God’s will and His way produced the realness which could be used by God for His kingdom purposes. So, as Swindoll points out, if involvement gives life length, HUMILITY gives it breadth. By being totally available to God, Moses was given opportunity to reach out in God’s Name and be His servant. Such HUMBLE surrender and availability gives life direction and purpose – Godly purpose. When we’re surrendered into the center of God’s will, His Spirit can use us in ways we could never imagine within our own flesh. So, we must ask if we are walking in our own will or God’s. If it is the latter, and we’re using our God-given gifts in a God-directed life, we will find life secret #2 and the Lord opening doors and giving us His power to serve Him with His purpose for His glory.
#3. The secret of happiness in life is PERSPECTIVE. I just went to three funerals in the past two weeks; and all of them were for Christian brothers who had lived with great, Godly perspective. Like Moses, these men learned that death was inevitable; but life is not. We have no choice about when we die; but we do have a choice as to how we live – while we live. Moses learned that lesson wandering for 40 years as a shepherd in the wilderness. I learned that lesson wandering 40 years in habitual selfishness and sinfulness. We both learned that turning our lives over to God gives us the purpose and power to be used for His glory. And seeing life (i.e., having that PERSPECTIVE) is life secret #3 and makes for joy that can never be found in living for self.
What about you? Are you living with [#3] Godly perspective in [#2] humble surrender, [#1] involving yourself in the lives of others rather than self? Because … if you are, you are not just a man or woman of God; … you are a Godly man or woman. [#1] Godly INVOLVEMENT in life is empowering you to live longer. [#2] Godly HUMILITY in life is enriching you with purpose. And [#3] Godly PERSPECTIVE is providing you with the joy of knowing that you are serving God in His will and in His way.
If, however, you are pursuing life for yourself, you will find only YOU and what you pursue will be for YOU. That kind of narrowness and pride will – I promise you – lead nowhere but into yourself and unto yourself. Live for God and others, however, and you’ll be living for eternity. And as with all things life, that is our choice.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to live for You, … searching always for Your will and living in Your way. Amen
Passage of the Day: Deuteronomy 34: 1 – 12 … Link to study today’s passage …
My Journal for Today: Today Swindoll helps his readers, like me, to see three secrets of life which are revealed by the life of Moses.
# 1. The secret of fulfillment in life is INVOLVEMENT. Do you look forward to the world’s stereotype of “retirement” some day where you kick back your life and go into auto-pilot, relaxing, playing a lot of golf or bowling, and joining a cool village of retirees focused on selfish living? If so, the stats say that you’ll live about 17 months after your 65th birthday. But cold, hard stats also tell us that those who are into others and living out Phil. 2: 3 – 4, will live a lot longer than those who live for self. I just turned 65 a few months ago. And I “retired” from my “professional” career of 33 years a few years ago; but I didn’t call it a “retirement.” I called it a “commencement,” because God has shown me His will for my life; and that plan involved reaching out to help others find what Jesus spoke of as His mission statement in Luke 4: 18. I exhort you to read that statement of INVOLVELEMNT and find yourself in that truth somewhere. So that’s life secret #1; … INVOLVEMENT in God’s work gives life length for His glory.
#2 . The secret of reality in life is HUMILITY. Moses discovered a humble surrender to God’s will and His way produced the realness which could be used by God for His kingdom purposes. So, as Swindoll points out, if involvement gives life length, HUMILITY gives it breadth. By being totally available to God, Moses was given opportunity to reach out in God’s Name and be His servant. Such HUMBLE surrender and availability gives life direction and purpose – Godly purpose. When we’re surrendered into the center of God’s will, His Spirit can use us in ways we could never imagine within our own flesh. So, we must ask if we are walking in our own will or God’s. If it is the latter, and we’re using our God-given gifts in a God-directed life, we will find life secret #2 and the Lord opening doors and giving us His power to serve Him with His purpose for His glory.
#3. The secret of happiness in life is PERSPECTIVE. I just went to three funerals in the past two weeks; and all of them were for Christian brothers who had lived with great, Godly perspective. Like Moses, these men learned that death was inevitable; but life is not. We have no choice about when we die; but we do have a choice as to how we live – while we live. Moses learned that lesson wandering for 40 years as a shepherd in the wilderness. I learned that lesson wandering 40 years in habitual selfishness and sinfulness. We both learned that turning our lives over to God gives us the purpose and power to be used for His glory. And seeing life (i.e., having that PERSPECTIVE) is life secret #3 and makes for joy that can never be found in living for self.
What about you? Are you living with [#3] Godly perspective in [#2] humble surrender, [#1] involving yourself in the lives of others rather than self? Because … if you are, you are not just a man or woman of God; … you are a Godly man or woman. [#1] Godly INVOLVEMENT in life is empowering you to live longer. [#2] Godly HUMILITY in life is enriching you with purpose. And [#3] Godly PERSPECTIVE is providing you with the joy of knowing that you are serving God in His will and in His way.
If, however, you are pursuing life for yourself, you will find only YOU and what you pursue will be for YOU. That kind of narrowness and pride will – I promise you – lead nowhere but into yourself and unto yourself. Live for God and others, however, and you’ll be living for eternity. And as with all things life, that is our choice.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to live for You, … searching always for Your will and living in Your way. Amen
Monday, April 06, 2009
2009 – Day 95.Apr. 6 – God of Every Detail
2009 – Day 95.Apr. 6 – God of Every Detail
Passage of the Day: Numbers 27: 12 – 23 … Link to study passage …
Also Deuteronomy 34: 9 … Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
My Journal for Today: I totally agree with Chuck Swindoll today, always standing in amazement as to how God’s word, written in 66 books, by 44 authors, in three languages, over 3000 years of history, focusing on one unique Subject, Jesus Christ, can be so personal to me or to anyone who uses it as God intended it (see Isaiah 55: 11 -link provided). He has brought the compendium of personal wisdom for the ages into my (or your) life to be a light unto my (or your) path (see Psalm119: 105 -linked) in His perfect timing and for His perfect will. Do you not, with Swindoll and me, stand in awe of this?
As Pastor Chuck posited in his devotional today, perhaps, reading today’s passages, you are a Joshua, who has significant challenges lying ahead of you in life, not knowing how things are going to turn out. Perhaps you’ve been upgraded or downgraded; and you don’t know what life is going to hold for you. Perhaps God has lain a task in front of you which seems ultra-daunting; and you don’t know how you’re going to handle it. But like and older, more mature Apostle Peter wrote, God cares (see in the NT, 1st Peter 5: 7); and as old Joshua was encouraged to realize, God will never leave you holding the bag alone when His will has been lain before you (see Joshua 1: 1 – 9). You may be overwhelmed; but God is not; and there’s no reason for you to fret over life’s circumstances (as the Apostle Paul had discovered in his life, being imprisoned while carrying out God’s will - see Phil. 4: 6 – 7).
And I’m throwing all these specific passages of Scripture to you, as they bubble up in my consciousness, writing this, because God is giving me His word to share with you to illustrate my very point, … that His word will never come up void or powerless in shining a light on your specific path (again go to links above and see Isaiah 55: 11 and Psalm 119: 105).
Are you getting the picture; … that our God is the God of ever detail, just like He was for Joshua when God’s gargantuan task of taking over for Moses was put into his hands? And God has a plan for you and me too. All we need to do is find His will for our lives and then to lay aside personal fears and selfish pride, and to take up this cross, and to follow our Savior into His promised land (see Jesus’ own direction in this regard in Luke 9: 23, which I surely hope you have memorized by now as often as I reference it).
God’s in the details, my beloved; and even more importantly, HE’S IN TOTAL CONTROL! If, like Joshua, you have a whopper of a task in front of you; and you know it’s God will for your life, … take heed and be encouraged by the passages to which I’ve referred you in this journal entry. My mentor used to say, often, “God’s calling is His enablement!” And that applies to each and every one of us in each and every moment of each and ever day of our lives.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I take up the encouragement of Joshua 1: 8 and Psalm 119: 105, abiding in Your word to be a light unto my path. Amen
Passage of the Day: Numbers 27: 12 – 23 … Link to study passage …
Also Deuteronomy 34: 9 … Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
My Journal for Today: I totally agree with Chuck Swindoll today, always standing in amazement as to how God’s word, written in 66 books, by 44 authors, in three languages, over 3000 years of history, focusing on one unique Subject, Jesus Christ, can be so personal to me or to anyone who uses it as God intended it (see Isaiah 55: 11 -link provided). He has brought the compendium of personal wisdom for the ages into my (or your) life to be a light unto my (or your) path (see Psalm119: 105 -linked) in His perfect timing and for His perfect will. Do you not, with Swindoll and me, stand in awe of this?
As Pastor Chuck posited in his devotional today, perhaps, reading today’s passages, you are a Joshua, who has significant challenges lying ahead of you in life, not knowing how things are going to turn out. Perhaps you’ve been upgraded or downgraded; and you don’t know what life is going to hold for you. Perhaps God has lain a task in front of you which seems ultra-daunting; and you don’t know how you’re going to handle it. But like and older, more mature Apostle Peter wrote, God cares (see in the NT, 1st Peter 5: 7); and as old Joshua was encouraged to realize, God will never leave you holding the bag alone when His will has been lain before you (see Joshua 1: 1 – 9). You may be overwhelmed; but God is not; and there’s no reason for you to fret over life’s circumstances (as the Apostle Paul had discovered in his life, being imprisoned while carrying out God’s will - see Phil. 4: 6 – 7).
And I’m throwing all these specific passages of Scripture to you, as they bubble up in my consciousness, writing this, because God is giving me His word to share with you to illustrate my very point, … that His word will never come up void or powerless in shining a light on your specific path (again go to links above and see Isaiah 55: 11 and Psalm 119: 105).
Are you getting the picture; … that our God is the God of ever detail, just like He was for Joshua when God’s gargantuan task of taking over for Moses was put into his hands? And God has a plan for you and me too. All we need to do is find His will for our lives and then to lay aside personal fears and selfish pride, and to take up this cross, and to follow our Savior into His promised land (see Jesus’ own direction in this regard in Luke 9: 23, which I surely hope you have memorized by now as often as I reference it).
God’s in the details, my beloved; and even more importantly, HE’S IN TOTAL CONTROL! If, like Joshua, you have a whopper of a task in front of you; and you know it’s God will for your life, … take heed and be encouraged by the passages to which I’ve referred you in this journal entry. My mentor used to say, often, “God’s calling is His enablement!” And that applies to each and every one of us in each and every moment of each and ever day of our lives.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I take up the encouragement of Joshua 1: 8 and Psalm 119: 105, abiding in Your word to be a light unto my path. Amen
Sunday, April 05, 2009
2009 – Day 94.Apr. 5 – A Shepherd’s Heart
2009 – Day 94.Apr. 5 – A Shepherd’s Heart
Passage of the Day: Numbers 27: 12 – 23 … Link to study passage …
My Journal for Today: Realizing that he, Moses, would never be the one to lead God’s chosen into the promised land, Moses recognized that the one to do so needed to have special qualities; and having been the “shepherd” of these people in the wilderness, Moses was perceptive to note that they didn’t need a CEO type or an organizational superstar. No, he saw that God’s flock needed another shepherd. As Swindoll points out we read that in today’s passage in Numbers 27: 17, where Moses pleads with God, saying, “…who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.” Interesting, but not unpredictable, that God would choose one named “Joshua” to do so, the name “Joshua” meaning, “the one who saves,” the same root Hebrew name from which comes “Yeshua” (or “Jesus”).
Moses recognized what any Pastor or Christian leader recognizes today, … that disciples of Christ, in order to fulfill Christ’s own command to follow Him (see Luke 9: 23) need leadership who will lead a body of believers as a shepherd leads his flock. Hence we read the repeated middle-eastern Bible references to the Messiah being our “Good Shepherd;” and Jesus, Himself, uses the same word-picture comparison (see John 10). It is a word picture completely understood from the context of the Middle Eastern, 1st Century cultures. The flocks of sheep of those days would have been totally lost and vulnerable to the preditors of the country side if they didn’t have a “good shepherd.”
Even today, the Pastor or Elders of any church are the shepherds of that flock. In 1st Peter 5: 1 – 8 [link provided] the Apostle Peter realized that and used this word picture of a shepherd watching over his flock to illustrate how Christian leaders needed to lead as a shepherd leads his sheep, protecting them from the dangers of the world, depicted as a “roaring lion” in this passage (see verse 8).
Anyone, as I have, who has been called to “pastor” a flock of Christians, recognizes how his designated body will flock to him, needing to stay close and follow the oversight that a “shepherd” would provide for a flock of sheep. And the younger, the more immature, in the flock may be, the closer they need to stay to the oversight of the shepherd (i.e., leader) of that flock. However, occasionally one, or more, of those wayward “lambs” will wander off, isolating himself from the flock and getting into dangerous territory. That is like the story of the wayward lamb in Luke 15: 1 – 7 [linked]. Again we see the biblical word picture of how important God, The Good Shepherd, our Messiah, sees every one in His Flock, the Church.
You and I are sheep, dear one. And we are wayward lambs, as Isaiah 53: 6 [linked] clearly depicts. But as that verse also declares, our Lord has taken upon Himself the iniquity of us all. My friends, we need to stay close to The Good Shepherd and remain close to the flock of believers for protection and sustenance, especially if we don’t have the maturity or the calling to lead. For those who are more mature and have taken on some calling to leadership of God’s flock, we need to become “shepherds” following our Model, The Good Shepherd, Who is always willing to do all He can to protect and raise up the flock for God’s glory. The Apostle Paul recognized this as he told his Corinthian flock, (in 1st Cor. 11: 1), “Imitate me; just as I also imitate Christ.”
I pray, fellow lamb of God, that we all follow the Good Shepherd closely; and I pray, you shepherds, that you feed and tend your flock, following our Good Shepherd’s example.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are my Good Shepherd. Help me to shepherd the flock You have ordained me to lead. Amen
Passage of the Day: Numbers 27: 12 – 23 … Link to study passage …
My Journal for Today: Realizing that he, Moses, would never be the one to lead God’s chosen into the promised land, Moses recognized that the one to do so needed to have special qualities; and having been the “shepherd” of these people in the wilderness, Moses was perceptive to note that they didn’t need a CEO type or an organizational superstar. No, he saw that God’s flock needed another shepherd. As Swindoll points out we read that in today’s passage in Numbers 27: 17, where Moses pleads with God, saying, “…who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.” Interesting, but not unpredictable, that God would choose one named “Joshua” to do so, the name “Joshua” meaning, “the one who saves,” the same root Hebrew name from which comes “Yeshua” (or “Jesus”).
Moses recognized what any Pastor or Christian leader recognizes today, … that disciples of Christ, in order to fulfill Christ’s own command to follow Him (see Luke 9: 23) need leadership who will lead a body of believers as a shepherd leads his flock. Hence we read the repeated middle-eastern Bible references to the Messiah being our “Good Shepherd;” and Jesus, Himself, uses the same word-picture comparison (see John 10). It is a word picture completely understood from the context of the Middle Eastern, 1st Century cultures. The flocks of sheep of those days would have been totally lost and vulnerable to the preditors of the country side if they didn’t have a “good shepherd.”
Even today, the Pastor or Elders of any church are the shepherds of that flock. In 1st Peter 5: 1 – 8 [link provided] the Apostle Peter realized that and used this word picture of a shepherd watching over his flock to illustrate how Christian leaders needed to lead as a shepherd leads his sheep, protecting them from the dangers of the world, depicted as a “roaring lion” in this passage (see verse 8).
Anyone, as I have, who has been called to “pastor” a flock of Christians, recognizes how his designated body will flock to him, needing to stay close and follow the oversight that a “shepherd” would provide for a flock of sheep. And the younger, the more immature, in the flock may be, the closer they need to stay to the oversight of the shepherd (i.e., leader) of that flock. However, occasionally one, or more, of those wayward “lambs” will wander off, isolating himself from the flock and getting into dangerous territory. That is like the story of the wayward lamb in Luke 15: 1 – 7 [linked]. Again we see the biblical word picture of how important God, The Good Shepherd, our Messiah, sees every one in His Flock, the Church.
You and I are sheep, dear one. And we are wayward lambs, as Isaiah 53: 6 [linked] clearly depicts. But as that verse also declares, our Lord has taken upon Himself the iniquity of us all. My friends, we need to stay close to The Good Shepherd and remain close to the flock of believers for protection and sustenance, especially if we don’t have the maturity or the calling to lead. For those who are more mature and have taken on some calling to leadership of God’s flock, we need to become “shepherds” following our Model, The Good Shepherd, Who is always willing to do all He can to protect and raise up the flock for God’s glory. The Apostle Paul recognized this as he told his Corinthian flock, (in 1st Cor. 11: 1), “Imitate me; just as I also imitate Christ.”
I pray, fellow lamb of God, that we all follow the Good Shepherd closely; and I pray, you shepherds, that you feed and tend your flock, following our Good Shepherd’s example.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are my Good Shepherd. Help me to shepherd the flock You have ordained me to lead. Amen
Saturday, April 04, 2009
2009 – Day 93.Apr. 4 – God of All My Moments
2009 – Day 93.Apr. 4 – God of All My Moments
Passage of the Day: Numbers 20: 1 - 13 … Link to study today’s repeated passage ...
My Journal for Today: Today we take a relook of emphasis into the same passage as yesterday, peering at Moses’ moment of anger and foolish pride, which kept him from being the spiritual leader who took God’s chosen people into the promised land. Swindoll, in his devotional entry for today asks readers if there have been any moments or periods of time in our past when we would like to do a “do over.” And I’d wager to say that we all have them.
I have a period of 22 years of my life, my season of disbelief, foolishness, and habitual sexual sinfulness which I’d love to be able to “do over;” but I know I can’t. And like Moses I will have to live this life knowing that I could have spent those 22 years being fruitful for God’s kingdom.
No “do over” is possible; but a “do forward” is; and because of the shed blood of my Savior on the cross and my ability now to receive God’s mercy and grace into my life, I have the Holy Spirit in my heart to allow me to live a “do forward” life which reflects the truth of the verse quoted by Swindoll in today’s devotional. It is Psalm 103: 12, which you need to read slowly and joyfully, assuming that you also have received Christ as your Savior and Lord. It goes, "As far as the east is from the west, so far He has removed our transgressions from us.” … Go ahead, read it again; and do I sense a resounding, “Thank You, Lord!”
It is so wonderful now to live under the truth of passages like 1st John 1: 9, which tells me that I can keep short accounts of confession with my Lord and be cleansed for my sins; or under the powerful reality of a 1st Cor. 10: 13, telling me that God, the Holy Spirit, Who now resides in my heart forever, will never allow me to go into or be in a situation that I cannot expect Him to lead me through. But still, like Moses, I must realize that we have a carnal nature, which is deceitful (see Jer. 17: 9) and subject to momentary lapses of sinfulness; and when/if we do sin, though we can be cleansed by Christ’s finished sacrifice, we will have to live with the human, temporal outcomes of our sin. Moses did; and so will we.
However, there’s no reason why we cannot live our lives under Paul’s written edict to move forward, as God wrote about through Paul’s epistle in Phil. 3: 13-14 [linked for you here]. Don’t you just love the truth of that verse, … that I can look forward to the prize of the next life; and I can live my entire life, here as long as God gives me to live, moving forward as a witness for Christ with His Spirit in my heart to give me the strength from His enabling grace to do so (see Acts 1: 8 and 2nd Cor. 12: 9 - I hope you have those two memorized!).
This, my reader friend, is a “HALLELUJAH!” moment!
My Prayer for Today: Yes, dear Lord, I do declare loudly in my soul, HALLELUJAH! Amen
Passage of the Day: Numbers 20: 1 - 13 … Link to study today’s repeated passage ...
My Journal for Today: Today we take a relook of emphasis into the same passage as yesterday, peering at Moses’ moment of anger and foolish pride, which kept him from being the spiritual leader who took God’s chosen people into the promised land. Swindoll, in his devotional entry for today asks readers if there have been any moments or periods of time in our past when we would like to do a “do over.” And I’d wager to say that we all have them.
I have a period of 22 years of my life, my season of disbelief, foolishness, and habitual sexual sinfulness which I’d love to be able to “do over;” but I know I can’t. And like Moses I will have to live this life knowing that I could have spent those 22 years being fruitful for God’s kingdom.
No “do over” is possible; but a “do forward” is; and because of the shed blood of my Savior on the cross and my ability now to receive God’s mercy and grace into my life, I have the Holy Spirit in my heart to allow me to live a “do forward” life which reflects the truth of the verse quoted by Swindoll in today’s devotional. It is Psalm 103: 12, which you need to read slowly and joyfully, assuming that you also have received Christ as your Savior and Lord. It goes, "As far as the east is from the west, so far He has removed our transgressions from us.” … Go ahead, read it again; and do I sense a resounding, “Thank You, Lord!”
It is so wonderful now to live under the truth of passages like 1st John 1: 9, which tells me that I can keep short accounts of confession with my Lord and be cleansed for my sins; or under the powerful reality of a 1st Cor. 10: 13, telling me that God, the Holy Spirit, Who now resides in my heart forever, will never allow me to go into or be in a situation that I cannot expect Him to lead me through. But still, like Moses, I must realize that we have a carnal nature, which is deceitful (see Jer. 17: 9) and subject to momentary lapses of sinfulness; and when/if we do sin, though we can be cleansed by Christ’s finished sacrifice, we will have to live with the human, temporal outcomes of our sin. Moses did; and so will we.
However, there’s no reason why we cannot live our lives under Paul’s written edict to move forward, as God wrote about through Paul’s epistle in Phil. 3: 13-14 [linked for you here]. Don’t you just love the truth of that verse, … that I can look forward to the prize of the next life; and I can live my entire life, here as long as God gives me to live, moving forward as a witness for Christ with His Spirit in my heart to give me the strength from His enabling grace to do so (see Acts 1: 8 and 2nd Cor. 12: 9 - I hope you have those two memorized!).
This, my reader friend, is a “HALLELUJAH!” moment!
My Prayer for Today: Yes, dear Lord, I do declare loudly in my soul, HALLELUJAH! Amen
Friday, April 03, 2009
2009 – Day 92.Apr. 3 – Anger’s Bitter Fruit
2009 – Day 92.Apr. 3 – Anger’s Bitter Fruit
Passage of the Day: Numbers 20: 1 - 13 … Link to study today’s passage ...
My Journal for Today: The primary message of today’s passage is twofold. First there is a message about God’s grace, which is truly amazing grace even when we don’t deserve it. Then there is the red flag warning about the danger of giving in to anger, which can lead to sin; and sin always has consequences.
In Numbers 20 we read how the people were grumbling to Moses and Aaron – AGAIN – about their lack of water, thinking – in their unfaithfulness – that God was going to let them die in the wilderness . What a short memory these people had, letting their privation and circumstances overwhelm their memory of how God had delivered them over and over again in their trek through the desert. And Moses apparently had had about all he could take of this disbelief; and after God had given Moses the instructions as to how to bring water to the people to meet their needs, Moses let his anger boil over; and he railed against God’s thirsty children, also showing distrust of God as he struck the rock, not once, but twice, in anger bringing forth the water. And Swindoll points out that Moses actually may have been surprised that the water came forth, possibly thinking that the people deserved their dry throats in their disbelief. But God’s grace poured forth in spite of Moses’ angry tirade. The water was provided
And notice that the water came forth in spite of Moses’ angry and sinful outburst. God’s people truly did need the water; and their merciful God provided water for them – in ABUNDANCE. But the water came even as Moses, God’s anointed deliverer, disobeyed God. And we know from reading forward that sin, especially from those who are God’s anointed leaders, always has consequences. And much later in his life, we read in Deut. 34: 1-3 [link provided] that God took Moses up to Mt. Nebo to see the Promised Land where this now elderly leader was never allowed to enter because of the sin committed in the scenario we read today.
Have you ever sinned against God; and He was merciful and brought you grace to move forward in life? I certainly have. But sin always has consequences; and those consequences may not show themselves until much later in life. King David experienced the death of a son, the son of his sin of passion with Bathsheba. The death occurred years after sin; but we know that it was a consequence of the sin. Moses struck the rock in anger, disobeying God; and it was years later that the consequences for that brief outburst of sin were felt in the life of Moses.
I hope we get the message; because our sin will leave its mark on our lives – even if God is merciful and provides us with His grace to move onward in life.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord; thank You for your mercy in my life; and I accept any of life which I have brought about because of my past sin. Amen
Passage of the Day: Numbers 20: 1 - 13 … Link to study today’s passage ...
My Journal for Today: The primary message of today’s passage is twofold. First there is a message about God’s grace, which is truly amazing grace even when we don’t deserve it. Then there is the red flag warning about the danger of giving in to anger, which can lead to sin; and sin always has consequences.
In Numbers 20 we read how the people were grumbling to Moses and Aaron – AGAIN – about their lack of water, thinking – in their unfaithfulness – that God was going to let them die in the wilderness . What a short memory these people had, letting their privation and circumstances overwhelm their memory of how God had delivered them over and over again in their trek through the desert. And Moses apparently had had about all he could take of this disbelief; and after God had given Moses the instructions as to how to bring water to the people to meet their needs, Moses let his anger boil over; and he railed against God’s thirsty children, also showing distrust of God as he struck the rock, not once, but twice, in anger bringing forth the water. And Swindoll points out that Moses actually may have been surprised that the water came forth, possibly thinking that the people deserved their dry throats in their disbelief. But God’s grace poured forth in spite of Moses’ angry tirade. The water was provided
And notice that the water came forth in spite of Moses’ angry and sinful outburst. God’s people truly did need the water; and their merciful God provided water for them – in ABUNDANCE. But the water came even as Moses, God’s anointed deliverer, disobeyed God. And we know from reading forward that sin, especially from those who are God’s anointed leaders, always has consequences. And much later in his life, we read in Deut. 34: 1-3 [link provided] that God took Moses up to Mt. Nebo to see the Promised Land where this now elderly leader was never allowed to enter because of the sin committed in the scenario we read today.
Have you ever sinned against God; and He was merciful and brought you grace to move forward in life? I certainly have. But sin always has consequences; and those consequences may not show themselves until much later in life. King David experienced the death of a son, the son of his sin of passion with Bathsheba. The death occurred years after sin; but we know that it was a consequence of the sin. Moses struck the rock in anger, disobeying God; and it was years later that the consequences for that brief outburst of sin were felt in the life of Moses.
I hope we get the message; because our sin will leave its mark on our lives – even if God is merciful and provides us with His grace to move onward in life.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord; thank You for your mercy in my life; and I accept any of life which I have brought about because of my past sin. Amen
Thursday, April 02, 2009
2009 – Day 91.Apr. 2 – Not Indispensable
2009 – Day 91.Apr. 2 – Not Indispensable
Passage of the Day: Numbers 11: 24 – 30 … 24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. 25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again.26 But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, “Moses my lord, forbid them!” 29 Then Moses said to him, “Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!” 30 And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
My Journal for Today: Do you sometimes get the feeling that you’re hot stuff?! For the past few days here in Memphis, TN, the University of Memphis basketball coach has been hearing that he is indispensible to basketball success at the U. of M. And at the University of Kentucky where he has been recruited to go and serve, he’s been reading in the papers that he’s their savior, coming there to resurrect a dying program. Hey, Coach Cal, it’s all an April Fool’s joke; you’re not as hot as you might think you are!
Maybe you’ve been in a place where you felt like the program you’re leading, the ministry where you served, or the job you hold could not do it’s work without you. I confess that this has crossed my mind as I do the work of Battle Plan Ministry where God brought me to get the ministry started and to carry it on in Christ’s Name. And therein lies the answer to all of this pridefulness. No basketball coach is indispensible. No ministry leader is irreplaceable. There is only one indispensable, irreplaceable One; and He is Jesus Christ.
Hey Bill Berry; get it straight. If BattlePlan Ministries is God’s design; and it is for His glory, He can and will replace the leader whenever He needs to (Hey, Bill; that’s you!); and He may even pick a better leader. I got a kick out of the fact that Joshua was one of the two younger men who were jealous for Moses’ role as prophet in today’s passage; and it was Joshua who would one day be selected to become the prophet leader of God’s people when Moses died.
So, if you think you’re hot stuff, my dear reader; … DON’T! Christ is the only hot One; and He is totally indispensable as the Lord of lords and the King of kings. He and only He can lead us where we need to go; and only He can save us – as He has already done – from our base nature, … from our sinfulness. So, I stand convicted. There will be another one someday who will replace me at the helm of leadership in BattlePlan Ministries; and my family will grow and move on even without its dad and granddad. God leads BattlePlan Ministries; and God leads the Berry Patch as well.
And so, I yield to Him in all things and at all times.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are all things at all times to me. Have mercy on my pridefulness. Help me to remain humble before your throne of grace. Amen
Passage of the Day: Numbers 11: 24 – 30 … 24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. 25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again.26 But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, “Moses my lord, forbid them!” 29 Then Moses said to him, “Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!” 30 And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
My Journal for Today: Do you sometimes get the feeling that you’re hot stuff?! For the past few days here in Memphis, TN, the University of Memphis basketball coach has been hearing that he is indispensible to basketball success at the U. of M. And at the University of Kentucky where he has been recruited to go and serve, he’s been reading in the papers that he’s their savior, coming there to resurrect a dying program. Hey, Coach Cal, it’s all an April Fool’s joke; you’re not as hot as you might think you are!
Maybe you’ve been in a place where you felt like the program you’re leading, the ministry where you served, or the job you hold could not do it’s work without you. I confess that this has crossed my mind as I do the work of Battle Plan Ministry where God brought me to get the ministry started and to carry it on in Christ’s Name. And therein lies the answer to all of this pridefulness. No basketball coach is indispensible. No ministry leader is irreplaceable. There is only one indispensable, irreplaceable One; and He is Jesus Christ.
Hey Bill Berry; get it straight. If BattlePlan Ministries is God’s design; and it is for His glory, He can and will replace the leader whenever He needs to (Hey, Bill; that’s you!); and He may even pick a better leader. I got a kick out of the fact that Joshua was one of the two younger men who were jealous for Moses’ role as prophet in today’s passage; and it was Joshua who would one day be selected to become the prophet leader of God’s people when Moses died.
So, if you think you’re hot stuff, my dear reader; … DON’T! Christ is the only hot One; and He is totally indispensable as the Lord of lords and the King of kings. He and only He can lead us where we need to go; and only He can save us – as He has already done – from our base nature, … from our sinfulness. So, I stand convicted. There will be another one someday who will replace me at the helm of leadership in BattlePlan Ministries; and my family will grow and move on even without its dad and granddad. God leads BattlePlan Ministries; and God leads the Berry Patch as well.
And so, I yield to Him in all things and at all times.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are all things at all times to me. Have mercy on my pridefulness. Help me to remain humble before your throne of grace. Amen
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
2009 – Day 90.Apr. 1 – Doing Time
April, 2009 Topic: Moses … Continued from March 31, 2009
Blogger Bill’s Note: We continue in the life of Moses as I move from March to April. If you want to read or review the journal entries concerning Moses for March, 2009, the reader can do so at this website … <’BB><
==================
2009 – Day 90.Apr. 1 – Doing Time
Passage of the Day: Exodus 24: 12; 25: 1 – 9 … Link to Exod. 24 – 25 …
My Journal for Today: New month, … same study extended. And today – on April Fool’s Day - we see Moses extended way out of his comfort zone, going up the mountain to be with God and to receive His Holy, WRITTEN word. This was HUGE! … not just for Moses … but for mankind. And in many respects the motivation for God’s command to Moses is much the same as it is for you and me today on this day when we really ought to see just how foolish we can be in the presence of the God of Moses.
God wanted to give His children (think of it as you and me), His very character, defined and written for them to follow; and He wanted to dwell with them. Hence, God Himself gives, through Moses, His own word, written for the people to read and follow forever. Then He gives instructions for the Tabernacle where He could dwell with the people in His own special way. And what a picture this is of what the Lord has given us.
But we have His word in a much more elaborate and clearly defined package – the Bible. And we have “The Tabernacle” in Christ, Who now can – and does for the reborn Christian – dwell in the hearts of mankind. Who could ever refuse such a deal; but as we know from reading on ahead in the Moses account, those people became April fools – bigtime! The Hebrews, whom we read of yesterday, were declaring that they would obey and follow God anywhere and everywhere turned into the same people who would – in a very short time – reject God and begin building a golden calf at the base of the very mountain where God was dealing with Moses. … And flashing forward centuries, we see the same short-memory mentality where the people cried “Hallelujah, Messiah!” when Jesus entered the gates of the Temple during his Passion; and then, just a few days later, these April Fools were railing “Crucify Him!”
Swindoll makes some probing observations about how we are doing our time as Christians. He writes, “How many of us take a course in prayer but rarely pray; or we learn the techniques of evangelism but seldom share our faith?” And if you’re reading this, as I am, how many of you are feeling the barbs of conviction right about now?
Last night I shared with a group of men from the ministry I’ve been called to lead; and I told them that we are no different than the Hebrews who were at the foot of that mountain when Moses went up to be with God; and we are no different than the mob which crucified our Savior. We will worship our God with our lives as living sacrifices to the degree we know and see God. If we see ourselves as big and God small, we will serve self. But if, as Moses was getting the picture of God, we see our Lord as big – no, I mean really HUGE! – we will obey Him and serve Him with a life of worship and service He commands … and He deserves.
As I’ve said many times in my devotionals … the more clearly we see and know the God of Mount Sinai and the God Who died for us on the cross, the more readily we will obey and serve the real God. But when we see other things in our life, including our selves, as bigger than God, we will tend to serve them and turn aside from “doing time” for God. I pray that we all get to know God for Whom He is. We are loved by a REALLY BIG GOD; and I go on to pray that I’ll always be in awe of the God Who has given me His word so that I can live and serve Him with the reverence He deserves.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are God and I am not! Amen
Blogger Bill’s Note: We continue in the life of Moses as I move from March to April. If you want to read or review the journal entries concerning Moses for March, 2009, the reader can do so at this website … <’BB><
==================
2009 – Day 90.Apr. 1 – Doing Time
Passage of the Day: Exodus 24: 12; 25: 1 – 9 … Link to Exod. 24 – 25 …
My Journal for Today: New month, … same study extended. And today – on April Fool’s Day - we see Moses extended way out of his comfort zone, going up the mountain to be with God and to receive His Holy, WRITTEN word. This was HUGE! … not just for Moses … but for mankind. And in many respects the motivation for God’s command to Moses is much the same as it is for you and me today on this day when we really ought to see just how foolish we can be in the presence of the God of Moses.
God wanted to give His children (think of it as you and me), His very character, defined and written for them to follow; and He wanted to dwell with them. Hence, God Himself gives, through Moses, His own word, written for the people to read and follow forever. Then He gives instructions for the Tabernacle where He could dwell with the people in His own special way. And what a picture this is of what the Lord has given us.
But we have His word in a much more elaborate and clearly defined package – the Bible. And we have “The Tabernacle” in Christ, Who now can – and does for the reborn Christian – dwell in the hearts of mankind. Who could ever refuse such a deal; but as we know from reading on ahead in the Moses account, those people became April fools – bigtime! The Hebrews, whom we read of yesterday, were declaring that they would obey and follow God anywhere and everywhere turned into the same people who would – in a very short time – reject God and begin building a golden calf at the base of the very mountain where God was dealing with Moses. … And flashing forward centuries, we see the same short-memory mentality where the people cried “Hallelujah, Messiah!” when Jesus entered the gates of the Temple during his Passion; and then, just a few days later, these April Fools were railing “Crucify Him!”
Swindoll makes some probing observations about how we are doing our time as Christians. He writes, “How many of us take a course in prayer but rarely pray; or we learn the techniques of evangelism but seldom share our faith?” And if you’re reading this, as I am, how many of you are feeling the barbs of conviction right about now?
Last night I shared with a group of men from the ministry I’ve been called to lead; and I told them that we are no different than the Hebrews who were at the foot of that mountain when Moses went up to be with God; and we are no different than the mob which crucified our Savior. We will worship our God with our lives as living sacrifices to the degree we know and see God. If we see ourselves as big and God small, we will serve self. But if, as Moses was getting the picture of God, we see our Lord as big – no, I mean really HUGE! – we will obey Him and serve Him with a life of worship and service He commands … and He deserves.
As I’ve said many times in my devotionals … the more clearly we see and know the God of Mount Sinai and the God Who died for us on the cross, the more readily we will obey and serve the real God. But when we see other things in our life, including our selves, as bigger than God, we will tend to serve them and turn aside from “doing time” for God. I pray that we all get to know God for Whom He is. We are loved by a REALLY BIG GOD; and I go on to pray that I’ll always be in awe of the God Who has given me His word so that I can live and serve Him with the reverence He deserves.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are God and I am not! Amen
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
2009 – Day 89.Mar. 31 – Written Instructions
2009 – Day 89.Mar. 31 – Written Instructions
Passage of the Day: Exodus 19: 16 – 20: 26 … Link to Exodus 19 – 20 for study …
My Journal for Today: Swindoll’s devotional for this last day of March – the 89th day of the year, still focusing on the life of Moses, emphasizes the importance of God’s WRITTEN word, noting that the passage for today begins the description of God’s primal effort to impart His written instructions – His life commands – to mankind. Swindoll leaps ahead a bit, citing Exodus 24: 12 – 13, to indicate where God imparts His intent to Moses to do just that.
And Swindoll’s point is well taken here in the Moses story … that we have a tendency to take this incredible gift – of God’s written word – for granted. … Guilty, as indicated !!!
I have at least a half dozen printed copies of God’s translated word in my possession, representing at least four different scholarly or paraphrased versions of the Bible. I can, with a few keystrokes, pull up a myriad of other versions of God’s word on the internet from this very computer right here where I sit this morning. And I can do all sorts of word or topical searches/studies involving God’s word with various software tools which I have available to me. And with all of that, I’m afraid that I – at times – take the written and Holy word of God for granted.
Swindoll tells a poignant story of a Russian man at a book convention in Moscow, in the days of the Soviet Union before the fall of Communism, who was waiting in line to get a free Bible at the meeting, the Soviets having finally allowed Bibles to be given away, … a rare instance in those days. Well, when the Bibles ran out before he could get one, the man asked for the cardboard box in which the Scriptures came. He was very disappointed that he couldn’t have a Bible; but if he couldn’t have a written text, at least he wanted to have the empty box in which they came. That’s how much he treasured and desired access to God’s written word.
We hear stories all the time about people in China, or in other places where the Bible is forbidden, passing a few pages from the Bible from one Christian to another so that they can memorize as much of the treasured Scriptures they can before they must pass them on to others. And I ask myself, “Does my ready access to God’s word take away my reverence for what God has imparted to me? It’s no wonder the early Hebrews revered the first five books of the Bible and the later copies which were passed on in scrolls from one priestly group to another. This was then – and now still is – God’s written word.
I stand convicted as I write this that I need to be humbled by the reality of the miracle I am writing about here. God has given to mankind – to me – His very word; and we New Covenant Christians have so much more of it than even His chosen people did. I simply MUST NOT take it for granted! Each morning I come here to journal my thoughts, ideas, and applications of God’s word; and I need to realize – with more intensity – just how important is this process.
Each day when I read and study from God’s word and I take my interpretations and instructions from it, GOD HIMSELF is speaking to me. Yes, GOD HIMSELF is imparting His love for me through His word. When I read the Bible, GOD HIMSELF is giving me instructions on how to live, move, and have my being. And GOD HIMSELF is telling me … from Genesis to Revelations about His Son Who came to ME, died for ME, and now is Heaven interceding for ME [see Phil. 2: 5 – 11 - link provided].
All of this is saying to me, Bill Berry, “This is infinitely important!!” And if you’re reading this, join me in saying a prayer in reverence for God’s written word.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, forgive my surface attitude about your Holy Word. Help me to take every word from the pages of my Bible to heart for my life and for my witness of Your truth. Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 19: 16 – 20: 26 … Link to Exodus 19 – 20 for study …
My Journal for Today: Swindoll’s devotional for this last day of March – the 89th day of the year, still focusing on the life of Moses, emphasizes the importance of God’s WRITTEN word, noting that the passage for today begins the description of God’s primal effort to impart His written instructions – His life commands – to mankind. Swindoll leaps ahead a bit, citing Exodus 24: 12 – 13, to indicate where God imparts His intent to Moses to do just that.
And Swindoll’s point is well taken here in the Moses story … that we have a tendency to take this incredible gift – of God’s written word – for granted. … Guilty, as indicated !!!
I have at least a half dozen printed copies of God’s translated word in my possession, representing at least four different scholarly or paraphrased versions of the Bible. I can, with a few keystrokes, pull up a myriad of other versions of God’s word on the internet from this very computer right here where I sit this morning. And I can do all sorts of word or topical searches/studies involving God’s word with various software tools which I have available to me. And with all of that, I’m afraid that I – at times – take the written and Holy word of God for granted.
Swindoll tells a poignant story of a Russian man at a book convention in Moscow, in the days of the Soviet Union before the fall of Communism, who was waiting in line to get a free Bible at the meeting, the Soviets having finally allowed Bibles to be given away, … a rare instance in those days. Well, when the Bibles ran out before he could get one, the man asked for the cardboard box in which the Scriptures came. He was very disappointed that he couldn’t have a Bible; but if he couldn’t have a written text, at least he wanted to have the empty box in which they came. That’s how much he treasured and desired access to God’s written word.
We hear stories all the time about people in China, or in other places where the Bible is forbidden, passing a few pages from the Bible from one Christian to another so that they can memorize as much of the treasured Scriptures they can before they must pass them on to others. And I ask myself, “Does my ready access to God’s word take away my reverence for what God has imparted to me? It’s no wonder the early Hebrews revered the first five books of the Bible and the later copies which were passed on in scrolls from one priestly group to another. This was then – and now still is – God’s written word.
I stand convicted as I write this that I need to be humbled by the reality of the miracle I am writing about here. God has given to mankind – to me – His very word; and we New Covenant Christians have so much more of it than even His chosen people did. I simply MUST NOT take it for granted! Each morning I come here to journal my thoughts, ideas, and applications of God’s word; and I need to realize – with more intensity – just how important is this process.
Each day when I read and study from God’s word and I take my interpretations and instructions from it, GOD HIMSELF is speaking to me. Yes, GOD HIMSELF is imparting His love for me through His word. When I read the Bible, GOD HIMSELF is giving me instructions on how to live, move, and have my being. And GOD HIMSELF is telling me … from Genesis to Revelations about His Son Who came to ME, died for ME, and now is Heaven interceding for ME [see Phil. 2: 5 – 11 - link provided].
All of this is saying to me, Bill Berry, “This is infinitely important!!” And if you’re reading this, join me in saying a prayer in reverence for God’s written word.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, forgive my surface attitude about your Holy Word. Help me to take every word from the pages of my Bible to heart for my life and for my witness of Your truth. Amen
Monday, March 30, 2009
2009 – Day 88.Mar. 30 – A Healthy Fear
2009 – Day 88.Mar. 30 – A Healthy Fear
Passage of the Day: Exodus 19: 16 - 25 …Link to Exodus 19 …
My Journal for Today: Swindoll closes his devotional this day by quoting from Psalm 119: 103 – 105; and I want to begin my journal entry with this reverent reference to God’s word …103 How sweet are Your words to my taste, … Sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 Through Your precepts I get understanding; … Therefore I hate every false way. 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Whoever the Psalmist was for this wonderful Hebrew poem really had a genuine reverence and fear of God and a love affair with His word. And that should be the attitude we Christians should have. In fact our attitude should be a reflection of what the people of God must’ve felt when Moses was called up to Mount Sinai to be with God as the Lord inhabited that place. Swindoll asks us to imagine what it must have been like as the cloud of God’s presence descended upon the top of the mountain and the ground around the encampment of the people rumbled.
But unfortunately we believers in God don’t have that kind of fear of God shining a light on our path. Remember, these people, who no doubt bowed in fear and reverence as God came upon the Mountain Moses ascended, were the same people who would, in a short time, build a golden calf to worship. No, the reality of our lives, even as believers, is that we let selfish choices creep into our conscious lives; and I agree with Swindoll that in those moments of sinfulness, we “… momentarily block out any fear of God.” Swindoll goes on to write, “A healthy fear of God will hold us in awe and do much to deter us from sin. … When we actively engage in sin, we consciously put aside what we know to be the truth about God. We deliberately suppress the knowledge of Him in our hearts and minds.”
That’s why the Psalmist of Psalm 119, proposed God’s prescription for avoiding sin, when he wrote a prayer to God, (in verses 9 - 11), ... How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my who heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments. Your word I have hidden in my heart … that I might not sin against You.” And that is why mentor used to teach me that to know God (really know Him through His word) is to love God; and when we love God, we will reverence and obey our God as we serve Him. I do pray that I will come to grow in my knowledge of my God, primarily through His word; because I want to hold on to the awe of His very Name so that I can have the humility which is needed to receive and use His enabling grace.
Again to quote Swindoll: "When you come to that understanding, and God’s light breaks into your life like the pure whitewater of a rushing river, you learn to thoroughly hate and dread those actions that will plunge you into darkness.” And to close this circle, I refer any readers here again (above) to meditate on Psalm 119: 103 – 105.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, may I never lose my awe of Your truth and the reality of your Holy Name. Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 19: 16 - 25 …Link to Exodus 19 …
My Journal for Today: Swindoll closes his devotional this day by quoting from Psalm 119: 103 – 105; and I want to begin my journal entry with this reverent reference to God’s word …103 How sweet are Your words to my taste, … Sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 Through Your precepts I get understanding; … Therefore I hate every false way. 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Whoever the Psalmist was for this wonderful Hebrew poem really had a genuine reverence and fear of God and a love affair with His word. And that should be the attitude we Christians should have. In fact our attitude should be a reflection of what the people of God must’ve felt when Moses was called up to Mount Sinai to be with God as the Lord inhabited that place. Swindoll asks us to imagine what it must have been like as the cloud of God’s presence descended upon the top of the mountain and the ground around the encampment of the people rumbled.
But unfortunately we believers in God don’t have that kind of fear of God shining a light on our path. Remember, these people, who no doubt bowed in fear and reverence as God came upon the Mountain Moses ascended, were the same people who would, in a short time, build a golden calf to worship. No, the reality of our lives, even as believers, is that we let selfish choices creep into our conscious lives; and I agree with Swindoll that in those moments of sinfulness, we “… momentarily block out any fear of God.” Swindoll goes on to write, “A healthy fear of God will hold us in awe and do much to deter us from sin. … When we actively engage in sin, we consciously put aside what we know to be the truth about God. We deliberately suppress the knowledge of Him in our hearts and minds.”
That’s why the Psalmist of Psalm 119, proposed God’s prescription for avoiding sin, when he wrote a prayer to God, (in verses 9 - 11), ... How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my who heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments. Your word I have hidden in my heart … that I might not sin against You.” And that is why mentor used to teach me that to know God (really know Him through His word) is to love God; and when we love God, we will reverence and obey our God as we serve Him. I do pray that I will come to grow in my knowledge of my God, primarily through His word; because I want to hold on to the awe of His very Name so that I can have the humility which is needed to receive and use His enabling grace.
Again to quote Swindoll: "When you come to that understanding, and God’s light breaks into your life like the pure whitewater of a rushing river, you learn to thoroughly hate and dread those actions that will plunge you into darkness.” And to close this circle, I refer any readers here again (above) to meditate on Psalm 119: 103 – 105.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, may I never lose my awe of Your truth and the reality of your Holy Name. Amen
Sunday, March 29, 2009
2009 – Day 87.Mar. 29 – A God Too Small
2009 – Day 87.Mar. 29 – A God Too Small
Passage of the Day: Exodus 19: 1 – 15 … Link to Exodus 19 …
My Journal for Today: Pastor Swindoll ends his devotional entry from Exodus 19: 1 – 15 today with two questions, which I repeat here:
>>> … What has been your concept of The Lord?
>>> … Who is your God?
These questions must be answered by today’s Christian because Swindoll posits, and I agree, that many, if not most, Christians today trivialize God, trying to make our Lord their buddy … their “papa” … the “big guy in Heaven.” As Swindoll points out, these days we’re trying to bring God down to our level, rather than bringing us up to His level. In today’s passage from Exodus 19, God made it clear, through Moses, that where He was mankind could not even walk for fear of death.
It makes me uncomfortable when I hear some of my dear Christian friends praying to “Papa God” or when contemporary praise songs sing words like, “My God, … He calls me friend.” Now, I know that God’s word [as in Romans 8: 15 - link provided] does say that we can think of our Heavenly Father as “Abba, Father,” and that does refer to a close, loving relationship of a father to a child. And Jesus did say that we could call Him friend [see John 15: 14-15 - link provided], which was Jesus’ attempt for us to be able to relate to the relationship we now have with God because of what Jesus would do for us on the cross. We no longer are God’s enemy if we receive His saving grace through the shed blood of the Lamb of God for our sins. But going back to the passage in John 15: 14 [see above link], we need to remember that we can only be His “friend” when we obey His word and live according to the will of our God. And as “a friend,” He’s not our buddy, buddy; He’s the “FRIEND”, Who is our God, … our Lord.
So, … these truths do not give us license to trivialize our relationship with the sovereign, holy God Who created the universe. Somehow, even though we can go right to our Lord’s throne of grace; and because of Jesus’ complete sacrifice to His Father, we can be with Him anywhere … anytime, we should not try to bring our Lord down to our level in our minds. He is still Jehovah, the eternal Holy One … a God to be exalted above all that we tend to make holy in our lives. We still serve a God so Holy that any concept of our Lord is exalted above any concept of self.
So, when you think of your “Abba Father,” [i.e., “Papa God”]… do think of Him as a loving Father; but don’t forget that He is also the infinite pinnacle of holiness and hates all that is sinful in our being. He is the One Who created all the billions of galaxies in our heavens. He is the Father Who gave His Son so that we could call Him “Friend.” Our God is THE WAY BIG GOD; and we must always keep that in our minds as our hearts seek after His love.
My Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, … You are my LORD! You are my God, and I’m so grateful You have made it possible, dear Jesus, to come to Your throne and worship You with my life. Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 19: 1 – 15 … Link to Exodus 19 …
My Journal for Today: Pastor Swindoll ends his devotional entry from Exodus 19: 1 – 15 today with two questions, which I repeat here:
>>> … What has been your concept of The Lord?
>>> … Who is your God?
These questions must be answered by today’s Christian because Swindoll posits, and I agree, that many, if not most, Christians today trivialize God, trying to make our Lord their buddy … their “papa” … the “big guy in Heaven.” As Swindoll points out, these days we’re trying to bring God down to our level, rather than bringing us up to His level. In today’s passage from Exodus 19, God made it clear, through Moses, that where He was mankind could not even walk for fear of death.
It makes me uncomfortable when I hear some of my dear Christian friends praying to “Papa God” or when contemporary praise songs sing words like, “My God, … He calls me friend.” Now, I know that God’s word [as in Romans 8: 15 - link provided] does say that we can think of our Heavenly Father as “Abba, Father,” and that does refer to a close, loving relationship of a father to a child. And Jesus did say that we could call Him friend [see John 15: 14-15 - link provided], which was Jesus’ attempt for us to be able to relate to the relationship we now have with God because of what Jesus would do for us on the cross. We no longer are God’s enemy if we receive His saving grace through the shed blood of the Lamb of God for our sins. But going back to the passage in John 15: 14 [see above link], we need to remember that we can only be His “friend” when we obey His word and live according to the will of our God. And as “a friend,” He’s not our buddy, buddy; He’s the “FRIEND”, Who is our God, … our Lord.
So, … these truths do not give us license to trivialize our relationship with the sovereign, holy God Who created the universe. Somehow, even though we can go right to our Lord’s throne of grace; and because of Jesus’ complete sacrifice to His Father, we can be with Him anywhere … anytime, we should not try to bring our Lord down to our level in our minds. He is still Jehovah, the eternal Holy One … a God to be exalted above all that we tend to make holy in our lives. We still serve a God so Holy that any concept of our Lord is exalted above any concept of self.
So, when you think of your “Abba Father,” [i.e., “Papa God”]… do think of Him as a loving Father; but don’t forget that He is also the infinite pinnacle of holiness and hates all that is sinful in our being. He is the One Who created all the billions of galaxies in our heavens. He is the Father Who gave His Son so that we could call Him “Friend.” Our God is THE WAY BIG GOD; and we must always keep that in our minds as our hearts seek after His love.
My Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, … You are my LORD! You are my God, and I’m so grateful You have made it possible, dear Jesus, to come to Your throne and worship You with my life. Amen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
