April 9, 2012 … God’s Anointed

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 1st Samuel 9-12 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : 1st Samuel 10: 6-7 … 6 The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. 7 Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.

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Highlight Reference Passage #1 : Acts 1: 8 … [Jesus speaking to His disciples just before His ascension just prior to Pentecost] … “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”


My Journal for Today: Yesterday in my reading and study (in 1st Sam. 8), we read about the Israelites pressing Samuel, as their main-man prophet, for a king to rule them in lieu of Judges; and God warned them of the potential of having a king who would relent to his sin-nature and rule out of selfishness rather then from the anointing of God. But the people wouldn’t listen to Samuel; and so God, as He will do, turned them over to their own desires; and granted them a king.

And in 1st Samuel, Chapters 9-12, we read of the coming and anointing of Saul to become the first king of Israel. And more specifically, as I read today’s highlight passage, copied above, another passage in the New Testament bubbled up from my memory; and that is the second passage (Acts 1: 8, which you probably know from memory yourself).

My friend and fellow Christian, do you realize that we, you and me as born-again Christians, are anointed (i.e., called out for rule) just as was Saul in the Old Testament? And the same Holy Spirit, which came upon Saul to give him the power he needed to be the King of Israel, is Spirit of the Lord which abides in our lives. The difference is that now that Christ has come and has died on the cross and has been resurrected (what we celebrated at Easter yesterday), we New Covenant Christians have the full and forever anointing of God’s Spirit and His Spirit, residing in our hearts for eternity, not just for a season of time as the Lord anointed and came upon Saul.

But that same Holy Spirit, Who empowered Saul, giving him the power to become and remain king of Israel as long as He submitted himself to God’s Spirit, is the same Spirit who is in my heart and giving me the power to do what God would lead me to do for His Kingdom. That is a daunting and almost haunting thought, isn’t it?

And in many respects, the same thing could happen to me which we’ll soon read will happen to Saul. Though I have God’s full measure of fruitfulness available to me (see Galatians 5: 22-23), I can grieve God’s Spirit and dampen God’s power in and through myself when I do not choose – in my free-will – to exercise the fruit of the Spirit (including self control), which, through humility and meekness, release God’s power in me to empower me to do His will.

Now, God’s Spirit will never leave me (or you, if you’re truly born-again) as the Spirit left Saul; but like Saul, we cannot be the vessel of God which God intends for us to be, or as Saul was intended to be, if we pridefully act on our own, rather than in obedience to God’s will.

Oh, I can be a Saul so easily by striking out on my own rather than surrendering my will to God’s; because when I can – and do – the latter, living with humility and meekness, as did Jesus in surrender to His Father, God can do great things in and through me. And when I live as we’ll soon read of Saul, in selfishness and carelessness, I can dampen God’s Spirit in me; and I cannot be the person God has purposed for me to be. Oh, how scary is that thought.

But, the saving grace which has anointed me in Christ’s Name, is the grace which will never leave me as it did Saul. And, being born-again and gifted with God’s sanctifying Spirit, I can choose to surrender to the Lord’s Spirit anytime and be transformed in my humility and meekness of character into the very image of my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. And that, my friend, is the “Hallelujah” thought for the day.

I am an anointed one; and so are you, my fellow Christian; now – today – what we must do is live like God’s anointed ones.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, I thank you, Holy Spirit, for living in me; empower me today to choose to follow You and to avoid myself. Amen

April 8, 2012 … Just Do It !!

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 1st Samuel 4-8 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : 1st Samuel 7: 2-5 … 2 The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long time—twenty years in all. Then all the people of Israel turned back to the LORD. 3 So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only.

My Journal for Today: Reading on in 1st Samuel today, Chapters 4-8, we read of what a “hot potato” the Ark of the Covenant became when it was in the hands of the Philistines; and it took plagues and deaths of their people everywhere they took the Ark before they finally returned the power-laden ark to the Israelites; and even then they merely thought that the “God” of the Israelites was merely stronger than their gods, whom they continued to worship.

And it even took the Israelites to see seventy of their own to die at the hands of the One, True God for them to finally see that the Ark was more than just an idol in-and-of itself, to be used for military victories.

Why is it that it takes disasters or cataclysmic events in our lives for us to turn to God?

I can recall what it took in my life. Even after reading the New Testament in a class in college; and having Christian after Christian testify of God’s saving grace to me, I still couldn’t choose to realize that God was real and the idols in my life produced nothing by pain and continued personal weakness. But God, in His infinite mercy and His prevenient grace, pursued me as the “Hound of Heaven’” and ultimately broke me to the core of my being just as He did with His chosen ones at this stage in their history (i.e., in 1st Samuel where I’m reading now).

Why, when we hear the Gospel or the truth from the testimony of someone whose life has been transformed by Jesus, do we keep holding on to our fleshly idols? Or why, when we read or hear the truth proclaimed in a passage like John 3: 16, don’t we do what the Nike company’s logo used to proclaim and Just Do It !!, i.e., receive God’s merciful, saving grace? So often we have to experience personal brokenness or disaster before we’re willing to just see God for Whom He is and receive His saving or sanctifying grace. Even Christians, some who’ve been saved and have backslidden for years, find that they have to experience horrible personal brokenness to bring them back to a place there they can … “JUST DO IT” … and surrender their idols before God and receive His grace in surrender of their own will to that of the God Who saves.

Today, as I read and journal here, it is Easter; and we, who believe in the One True God Who saves, will proclaim, Hallelujah, He is risen!! But as we proclaim it with our lips, prayerfully in genuine worship of our LORD, Who died and was risen for our salvation, will we truly worship God by doing what Yahweh demands … to serve Him as the ONE AND ONLY God? Will we, today of all days, in our hearts, JUST DO IT and set aside all the idols in our lives and turn them over to the Lord, Who shed His blood that we might live and celebrate life with Him forever?

Hey, my friend … on this special day of worship … LET’S JUST DO IT!!!

My Prayer Today: … LORD, You are my LORD!!! And You are risen !!! I worship Your Holy Name … forever!! Amen

April 7, 2012 … A Godly Vessel Grows

A Humble Blogger’s Note: I hope you take in what I believe God’s Spirit gave for me to write in this journal entry. Why do I feel so compelled to ask this of any who might read this? Because I’m clearly not intelligent enough to write what came from my dig into God’s mine of wisdom this morning. What you read below was written without any editing on my part; and I’m simply not smart enough to write such thoughts. Hence, my charge to dig into these first three chapters of 1st Samuel and to read what God gave me to blog today. Thank you. <’wrb><

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Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 1st Samuel 1-3 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : 1st Samuel 3: 19-21 … 19 The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD. 21 The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

My Journal for Today: Well, we were quickly through the book of Ruth yesterday; and now, on to 1st Samuel, Chapters 1-3, where we’re introduced to an important character as the history of Israel transitions from the time of the Judges into the era of the Kings. And the character, Samuel, became God’s vessel of light during this transition.

There are many interesting and instructive things about which I could journal from these first three chapters in 1st Samuel. I hope you’ve read the entire reading segment. Not too many key characters in Scripture have the early part of their lives described; but Samuel is one; and we read of how his mother, Hannah, like some other key women in the Bible, was barren and prayed to God a vow to have her son, if God would so allow her to give birth to a son, to become a Nazarite, giving him entirely over to God; and that’s exactly what happened. From Hannah we learn that being true to our word to God will be honored by God.

There is the story of Eli, the Levite Priest, who was a much better mentor than he was a father; and he even abrogated his role as a parent, which allowed for the raising of two sons whom God had to discipline because Eli would not. Here we learn that parenting is a vastly important mission in God’s kingdom which should never be overlooked, … even by those who are in the role of “priesthood,” (which, by the way, are all Christian fathers in these New Covenant days).

And we are introduced to Samuel in his early years, who was raised under the mentorship of Eli to be a priest in the Tabernacle; and later we’ll see that he rose to be a Judge and Prophet for God’s people, a giant who would anoint the first Kings in Israel; and would carry the voice of God to His people. Here we learn how important it is to find and carry out the role which God has purposed for each of us.

As we read through the stories and are introduced to characters like Samuel, I am relearning that God has chronicled these stories – about these people – for a reason … His reason. And our Lord wants us to pay attention to their lives so that their stories, and the stories about His chosen people, can help shape our lives.

For example, I see, from my studies in recent days, just how important it is to be obedient to God’s lead through spoken (now written) word. I see from the life of Hannah, how God wants us to trust Him and His promises; and when we do, good things – Godly things – will happen. I see, from the life of Eli (and later Samuel himself), how important the ministry of parenthood is for God’s kingdom. And I see, in Samuel, just how our success for God’s purposes comes through a deep and abiding relationship with God, which must be fostered, if we’re to be used by God for His glory.

If you’re following along with me in this trek through the Bible chronologically this year, I hope you’re gleaning these lessons from God as well. Yesterday, we saw how Ruth faithfully followed God into His fields where she gleaned what was left in the field by God’s leavings; and her faithful gleanings led to her marriage to Boaz and her conversion to the one, true God from her pagan background. And today, as I scrounge through what God has left for me to glean from His bountiful field of truth, even the gleanings are gratefully gathered and I can amply feed upon God’s food for my life.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, thank you for leaving so much for me to feed upon in the harvest field of Your word. Amen

April 6, 2012 … Someone To Follow – Someone to Lead

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Ruth, Chapters 1-4 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : Ruth 1: 16… 16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

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Highlight Reference Passage #2 : Ruth 2: 14-16… 14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.”
When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. 15 As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. 16 Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”

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Highlight Reference Passage #3 : Ruth 4: 16-17… 16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

My Journal for Today: It’s been a while since I’ve read the little book of Ruth in the Bible; but in my chronological read through God’s word this year, that’s where I was taken today. And what a lovely, heart-warming account of Godly relationships is found in this book. But once one goes beyond the surface love story, involving family loyalty and righteous living, we see an account of God’s people being Godly in the face of unrighteous living and treachery, which surrounded the main characters of this love story – Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz.

Remember, this story involved people who were living in the time of the Judges, which we just finished reading about yesterday; and these were treacherous times in the history of the Israelites. People all around these key characters in the book of Ruth were living selfishly and had been drawn into a culture of idolatry and unGodly living. Yet, in the midst of this, God lays out this lovely story of a remnant of His people who lived lives following God’s way and doing so to establish the line of the one who would become King David (Ruth’s grandchild).

And isn’t it a wonderful bit of Godly irony that Jesus’ lineage would be drawn from a converted gentile, a Moabite woman, whose life becomes an example to all of us as to how we should live and love and have our being in a relationship which first stems vertically from a deep and abiding relationship with the LORD and then becomes set in this world horizontally with abiding relationships in family and friends (real friends).

My dear ones, we live in times which mirror the times of the Israelites in the era of Ruth. Right now, like Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz, we are engulfed in a culture, a world, and a nation of ungodliness; and we are called, by our God, to follow our LORD and live uprightly in His image. The characters in the book of Ruth not only were honored by God to establish the blood lines of King David and our Lord, Jesus, through Mary; but as their lives are written about in God’s word, they become living examples of how to live Godly lives in an ungodly world.

I pray that we all see the light of Christ shining through the lives of these people as lived out in their horizontal relationships, becoming beacons for their vertical relationship with God. We all need to live, love, and have our essence flowing from our relationship with the Lord, our God; and when we can live like the lovely and loving characters in the book of Ruth, we will honor our God and shine His light in a very dark world.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to live and love as You live in me and prayerfully love through me. Amen

April 5, 2012 … They Did Their Own Thing!

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Judges, Chapters 19-21 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : Judges 21: 24-25… 24 At that time [i.e., the era of the Judges] the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance. 25 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

My Journal for Today: Reading through the last chapters of the book of Judges; and really touched by the last verse, highlighted above, is the bottom line for the history of God’s people in the time of the Judges. And I have summarized these times in a somewhat more colloquial title I’ve given to this morning’s journal entry: They Did Their Own Thing!

And if you’ve read through these last three chapters of Judges, one’s sensibilities are challenged, to say the least, by some of the horrible things which happened amongst these God-chosen people. For example there is the story of the Levite in Chapter 19 which is so reminiscent of that scene in Sodom and Gomorrah involving Lot. In this horrible scenario, the Levite sends his concubine out to be gang-raped by the men of his village; and when she comes back in, having been defiled, he cuts her into a dozen pieces.

And here is what my Parsons Commentary says about how we can look at the application of such a horrible Biblical story: ”When they [i.e., the Israelites] stopped letting God lead them, they became no better than the evil people around them. When they made laws for their own benefit, they set standards far below God’s. When you leave God out of your life, you may be shocked at what you are capable of doing.”

You know, we CHRISTIANS would like to think that we’re above such monstrous evil. We’d like to think that, being church-going believers, we could never become like a Ted Bundy, the monstrous serial killer. But my friend, if we turn away from God and His ways and His will, as did the Israelites, there’s no telling what our hearts and flesh are capable of doing. And God – at least for a season – will allow such ungodliness from His collective peoples (for example, from the Church in our day).

When I read the New Testament description – by the Apostle Paul – in Romans 1: 18-32 (linked here for your study). I shudder to think what my life might have become after 22 years of habitualized sexual sin if I hadn’t surrendered my life to Christ. Who knows, unchecked I might have become a monster like Ted Bundy.

BUT … (big “But” contrast), … I did not!!! Instead – and I’m only touting God for this! – I became something different. After I decided to do life God’s way in 1983, I stand here today as a poster child for the proclamation of truth in 2nd Cor. 5: 17 (which I hope you know by heart). I am that “new creation;” I have become like the man about which Rascal Flatts sings in their song to which I link you here. “I’m changed!”

But the Israelites in this day did their own thing; and God let them do it … over and over and over again. And it was not until their Messiah came to provide the way of redemption for His people that this cycle of disobedience and rebellion and degradation could come to a halt.

But even today, we Christians can easily let our lives get out of touch with God when we do life our own way rather than the way God has set forth for us in His word. My friend, we must ask ourselves if we are doing life our own way? If so, beware!!! … God will let us; and who knows where it will lead.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, I’m doing life Your way! Amen

April 4, 2012 … Proactive Protection

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Judges, Chapters 16-18 … To study these chapters, go to this link ...

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Highlight Reference Passage : Judges 16: 15-17 … 15 Then she [Delilah] said to him [Samson], "How can you say, 'I love you,' when you won't confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven't told me the secret of your great strength." 16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.
17 So he told her everything. "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother's womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man."

My Journal for Today: There are several good lessons to be learned from reading today’s assigned chronological read in Chapters 16-18 of the book of Judges. However, the segment which came to my attention this morning was the conclusion of the account of Samson and Delilah in the highlight passage which is copied for your review above. And certainly it is pertinent to my called ministry which primarily deals with Christian men who make selfish and fleshly choices and are lured – by their own actions – into patterns of habitual sexual sin. So, I think you could easily see why I would be drawn to journal about this story in Judges 16.

Today, all men are engulfed in a culture and world which has become a super-weapon, designed by Satan, to lure visually vulnerable manhood into the tar pits of sexual sin. Mankind these days cannot escape the magnet sexual images which surround us almost everywhere. Sexual imagery is the primary drawing card of the advertisement industry; and all forms of media and entertainment these days have sexual images calling out to men to draw them into the clutches of the Delilahs of the world.

And if you’re a Christian man these worldly temptations are just as prevalent as they are for non-Christians. The difference is, like Samson, all Christian men are endowed by God with the power of the Holy Spirit to make Godly choices … rather than succumb to ungodly and fleshly ones. Samson, having God’s Spirit resting upon him; and he, having been called out to be a Nazirite, could have set himself into a pattern of discipline to resist the alluring charms of Delilah. BUT … he didn’t; and Delilah lured him – by HIS choices – to make himself vulnerable to her charms and reveal his weaknesses.

Today, in my Parsons Commentary on this passage/story, the writers posit some very good warnings and teaching for all of us, especially believers who have the Holy Spirit’s grace to empower our lives. They write: ”(1) You must decide what kind of a person you will love before passion takes over. Determine whether a person’s character and faith in God are as desirable as his or her physical appearance. (2) Because most of the time you spend with your spouse will not involve sex, your companion’s personality, temperament, and commitment to solve problems must be as gratifying as his or her kisses. (3) Be patient. The second look often reveals what is beneath the pleasant appearance and attentive touch.”

This is good advice for all Christians, but especially men who feel they are vulnerable to the sexual taunts with which the world bombards us daily. In the language of our ministry, BattlePlan Ministry [ go to www.battleplanministries.org ], would say that all Christian men need a “battle plan,” which is a carefully crafted and proactive plan (preferably written), which is guided by a James 1: 5-6 desire to seek God’s wisdom and guidance. Being PROACTIVE in the mental planning of one’s personal “battle plan” can often make the difference to prevent having to be REACTIVE when the world tempts our minds and hearts away from Godly wisdom.

If you’re a Christian man and you’re reading this, do you have a proactive plan to use God-inspired, Spirit-led principles to guide your decisions when you’re confronted by sexual temptations? … Is that plan methodically written out to be your manifesto of action for seeking God’s will rather than the will of the flesh? … Do you have at least one Christian man, but preferably a group of co-warriors, who will hold you accountable to your pre—planned principles for decision and action. … And finally, are you living the plan, utilizing the disciplines of the faith to bolster your strength and surrender to God’s will and way for your life?

Remember Proverbs 3: 5-6 (which I hope you can quote right now), which is take from Chapters 1-9 of Proverbs, where a wise Solomon was giving advice to his son on how to avoid sexual temptations. I pray that we’re all CHOOSING to live – proactively - as God would have us live and not falling prey to our enemies in this sexual charged world.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, I have Your plan from Your word to follow Your will and give me Your way of strength to do battle with my enemies today. Amen

April 3, 2012 … Samsonite Baggage

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Judges, Chapters 13-15 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : Judges 13: 1-5 … 1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. … 2 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. 3 The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. 5 You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

My Journal for Today: In the three chapters in Judges (Chapters 13-15) in my assigned chronological read today, we begin to see the life of the Judge, Samson, unfold. And as you read above at the outset of Chapter 13, Samson was to be born of a barren couple, Manoah and his wife; and he was to be set aside by God as a Nazirite, which was somewhat of a spiritual role of honor among the Israelites. Nazirites were Israelites who made a covenant to God and before the people never to cut their hair, touch a dead body, or consume alcohol; and for this they were viewed as set-apart and empowered by God in their lives. Samson’s parents had a visitation from the Angel of the Lord (likely Christ); and they made the lifetime vow for their son for him to be a Nazirite; and the Lord granted them favor with the son they named “Samson.”

Samson’s life is a study in spiritual contrast: spiritual strength versus fleshly weakness; and I charge the readers with me to read through these chapters today, as I have, to be taught or reminded of the lessons we learn when spiritual vows are broken and a man of God becomes, from his [or her] choices, weakened by ungodly breaches into disobedience.

When Samson, who was up against the Philistines in those days, … fierce warriors whom God had allowed to subjugate God’s people. The Philistines were warriors coming into the iron-age; and they knew how to forge weapons out of iron, a new technology of the day. But Samson had the power of the living God on his side; and as long as he surrendered, in obedience, to His Lord’s power, he could be – and was – victorious over these iron-age Philistine warriors.

And in reading about Samson, I am reminded from the New Testament (from 1st John 4: 4) that our God, Who now resides in the hearts of God’s chosen ones, is always stronger that the forces of our spiritual enemies; and as long as we’re fortified by obedience and surrender to God, we can be victorious over even the most powerful spiritual enemies. This is also the lesson of Paul in Ephesians 6: 10-20, where we now are given all the spiritual weapons we need to be victorious. And above all we’re given the victory which Christ won on the cross to defeat all those who would come against us. Samson didn’t have the latter advantage; but he did have the same Spirit of God to give him victory IF he was willing to be obedient to God.

But Samson is a living example of what happens when we allow our flesh and pride get in the way of our humble surrender to God’s power, working through our obedience to Him. Samson yielded to the flesh; and when he did, breaking the vows he had on his life as a Nazirite, he became spiritually, and even physically, impotent before the guile and power of the Philistines, especially the temptress, Delilah, whom we’ll be reading about tomorrow in upcoming chapters of Judges.

I pray we all take in this lesson of the “Samsonite baggage, “ as I’m calling this journal entry today. We cannot carry the baggage of disobedience around as Christians and expect God to pour His enabling and empowering grace into our lives to allow us to go up against our spiritual enemies. When we are disobedient to the vows we make to the Lordship of Christ, and we carry the baggage of self and the flesh around in our lives; and we will be too burdened with self to be empowered by our Savior’s grace.

Yes, God’s grace is always more powerful than our selves; but unfortunately, God, as He did with Samson, has given us the gift of free-will as well as offering His gift of sanctifying and empowering grace. So, we can choose to carry the burdening load of Samsonite-like disobedience; or we can throw off that baggage, and walk free and powerfully wearing the full armor of God, … unburdened by our own sin choices.

As I always say to myself … as I will today … my choice!

My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to be in surrender mode to Your Spirit and unburdened by the baggage of selfishness. Amen

April 2, 2012 … Rash Promises

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Judges, Chapters 10-12 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : Judges 10: 29-35 … 29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came on Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”
32 Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave them into his hands. 33 He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon.
34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the LORD that I cannot break.”

My Journal for Today: Today’s chronological read in Judges (in Chapters 10-12) takes me through a disturbing story involving the Judge, Jephthah, a man born as the illegitimate son of a prostitute, and a man who was disinherited by his father; yet, he became the leader of the Israelites, leading them out of a long period of idolatry and subjugation into victory over the oppressors of Israel.

Yet, in today’s passage we see that even though the Holy Spirit had come upon Jephthah; and he was called out by God, he was still a very fallible man who could – and did – make a rash promise to God without thinking through the ramifications of bargaining with God as to his own future. And the implications of this story certainly apply to all who call upon God – our God, … especially in times when things seem difficult or oppressive.

Perhaps in such times, you might have prayed rashly, “Lord, if You deliver me from this, I’ll ____________.” And I’ll let you fill in that blank of a promise, which you made to God, praying to overcome whatever dire circumstances led you to make such a promise about your future.

Well, Jephthah made such a promise, as we read above; and low-and-behold, it cost him the life of his only daughter. Now, perhaps we have not been so rash to make such a foolish promise to God; but God’s word is pretty clear in telling us never to make rash promises or vows to God.

And Jephthah should have known this principle because Moses had clearly stated this in the Book of the Law, which God’s people had to give them teaching in moments like these. In Deuteronomy 23: 21-23, God stated through Moses, “ If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. 22 But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. 23 Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the LORD your God with your own mouth.”

And so, from these Old Testament teachings and true historical accounts like this one in the life of one of the Judges, we should certainly learn that God is not asking us to make rash promises about the hereafter. All God wants from us is our faith and trust in His promises for the here-and-now. We can also read that from the words of Solomon in a passage that you may have (and if not, should have) memorized. You may be thinking right now of Proverbs 3: 5-6, which is my wife’s favorite verse. It states, and I quote from memory (and the NKJV), … Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding, In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

All God expected of Jephthah was trust in Him as the promise-keeping God of Israel. All God expects of us is that same faith and trust. So, today, as you follow along with me, reading through these passages in Judges, let’s ask ourselves if we’re trusting God the way we should; and if we’re tempted to make some very human, but very foolish, promise to God, let’s back away and simply trust that God knows best for us; and He will watch over us and guide us no matter what our circumstances might be.

My Prayer Today: … God, You are my God and You watch over me today; and that’s all I need to know. Amen

April 1, 2012 … KOKO In Christ !!!

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Judges, Chapters 8-9 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : Judges 8: 28-35 … 28 Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace forty years. ,,, 29 Jerub-Baal [i.e., Gideon] son of Joash went back home to live. 30 He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives. 31 His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelek. 32 Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. … 33 No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god 34 and did not remember the LORD their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. 35 They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them.

My Journal for Today: Reading through the closing chapters on Gideon as a Judge for the Israelites (see linked chapters for your reading), we see that Gideon, once he surrendered to God’s leadership, under the guidance and authority of Yahweh and the Old Covenant, he was successful; and for many years he did well in leading Gods’ people, following His Lord; but as we read in the highlighted passages above, Gideon did not finish well.

We read in Judges 8: 28-35 that his later life was tinged by a lack of moral/sexual purity. He had many wives and likely many concubines (having 70 sons – and who knows how many daughters). And like we’ll later see in the life of Solomon, this lack of sexual vigilance produced one son, Abmelek, who later became a rotten apple, trying to become king and leading the people back into Baal worship (see Chapter 9 from the link above).

What this says to me – and probably should say to all Christians – has to do with steadfastness of faith. Our Christian lives are much better compared with a marathon than a sprint. Once our lives are converted and our eternal heavenly future is sealed by God’s grace because we have come into the family of God in faith, we begin the process of letting God’s Spirit reform us into the image of Christ (see Phil. 1: 6); but that process (i.e., sanctification), which God will accomplish, is either hastened and facilitated by our steadfastness and vigilance or, if we fail, it is retarded and dampened.

Gideon is an example of one who surrendered in faith (with some degree of wrestling) to God; but over the course of his life, he waned in vigilance and the “stickability” to finish his marathon well; and viewing what transpired after his death, we see [at least in my estimation] that his lack of spiritual vigilance and steadfast faith resulted in God’s people falling away from God’s will. And when that happened, the cycle of sinful and idolatrous living once again caused God to have to force the issue by His people being cast – for a season of selective abandonment – into subjugation by the pagan cultures which consumed God’s people.

Sure, God would stay with His children and discipline them over and over again. But these cycles of disobedience and subjugation were so unnecessary … just as are the consequences of sinful living in the life of Christians. Satan cannot have our souls once we’re saved; but he can have a temporary victory in our lives if we cannot, or more likely, will not, stay in vigilant surrender mode to the ways and will of God. It is only through living a vigilant and well disciplined marathon of Christlike faith that we can and will remain powerful in being able to witness and carry out God’s will and purpose for our lives.

May we all keep-on-keeping-on in our relationship, walk, and witness for Christ in our lives, shining His light into an ever darkening world and allowing others to see us wearing His robes of righteousness rather than displaying our rags of sin when we let our vigilance wane for even a moment.

Stay strong, my fellow warrior; and become that “hero” which God saw in Gideon before this Judge let his life slowly fall apart. I don’t know about you, my fellow Christian, on this April 1st; … but I want to remain vigilant and God’s warrior rather than becoming Satan’s April Fool.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, I run the race, this marathon of living, doing all I can to remain strong by surrendering to Your grace in my life. Amen

March 31, 2012 … Who, … Me?

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Judges, Chapters 6-7 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : Judges 6: 13-17 … 13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” … 14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” … 15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” … 16 The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” … 17 Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.” … And the LORD said, “I will wait until you return.”

My Journal for Today: Okay, in my chronological study through Judges, I arrived at one of my favorite characters, … Gideon in Chapters 6-7. And maybe I so closely identify with this God-selected Judge because he is so like me when God pursued me and called me out for His kingdom and His service. That comparison testimony is far too long a story to journal here this morning; but a couple of points of description are in order.

First, I identify with Gideon because, when God called him out, he recognized how weak he was. He was hiding from the world (i.e., the Midianite oppressors), recognizing his own spiritual weakness. Even when God’s angel came to Gideon (which BTW may have been a theophany of Jesus), as you can read above, Gideon acknowledged how weak he felt he was. That was me in the early 1980s.

Secondly, God saw much more in Gideon than this fearful recruit saw in himself. The Angel called him a “mighty warrior (or hero)” in Judges 6: 12; and Gideon basically said, “No way, Dude!” to that. And this was also like me back when I had an encounter with God’s Spirit in April of 1983 when I finally surrendered to the Lord much as Gideon finally did after a lot of questioning and struggle of faith.

And finally, Gideon just couldn’t see himself in the role of God’s “mighty warrior;” and that was certainly the way I balked when God called me into His kingdom service of ministry and eldership in our church … even after being a declared and seasoned as a disciple of Christ well into the 1990s.

So, I really identify with this fearful, broken-down believer in whom God saw something which called this man into service for God and God’s kingdom. … My friend, I hope you recognize that any who call upon Jesus as Lord and Savior are called into some purpose of kingdom service. If for no other calling, there is the “Great Commission” (I hope you know Matt. 28: 19-20); and there is the calling to witness in Acts 1:8. And then there is the calling to use the Spirit-given gift (or gifts) we Christians have been given to serve the Lord for His glory (see Rom. 12, 1st Cor. 12, and Eph. 4, where the charge to our gifting is documented). And finally, we believers are all called into the battles with our spiritual enemies in the spiritual warfare we all find ourselves daily (see Ephesians 6: 10-20).

So, we’re all called out as was Gideon; and when we recognize these callings, we probably all feel a bit like Gideon when we recognize and acknowledge how weak we are … in-and-unto ourselves. But the truth is what Gideon was to discover, as did many others in the pages of the Bible … that we are God’s heroes. And the truth is … God’s calling is His enablement. God’s word says it over and over again.

Again, as I have in the past, I site … Isaiah 41: 10 … Rom. 8: 28 … 1st Cor. 10: 13 … 2nd Cor. 12: 9 … Phil. 4: 13 … 2nd Tim. 1: 7 …and … 2nd Pet. 1: 3 … all of which tell us, just a the Angel convinced Gideon, that anyone called into service for God will be given all the enlightenment, enablement, and empowerment needed to carry out the purpose which God has called us to accomplish for His glory. Gideon became God’s victorious warrior (see Judges, Chapter 7 – linked above); and so can we be!

Dear one, I hope you know, believe, and are applying all those scriptural truths I’ve referred you to above; and let’s all take heart from the story of Gideon … that we can be God’s heroes when we believe God’s calling through His word and we act on His will for our lives.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, I do want to be Your hero and serve You for Your glory. Amen

March 30, 2012 … And the Beat Goes On … and On … and On

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Judges, Chapters 3-5 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : Judges 3: 1-7 … 1 These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan 2 (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): 3 the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. 4 They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the LORD’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses. … 5 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 6 They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. … 7 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.

My Journal for Today: Back in the 60s, a time when I was off to college and feeling my oats, and separating myself from my relationship with God, a rather comical couple, Sonny and Cher, wrote and sang their signature song back then, And the Beat Goes On. If you’re too young to remember them singing it, here’s a link for a You Tube segment of that great 60s hit.

And what, you say, does that have to do with Chapters 3-5 of the book of Judges? Well, in these chapters we have the beginnings of a beat and refrain which began in Israel when Joshua took the Israelites into the promised-land and continued on with a repetitive chorus of sinful, disobedient living for over 300 years. And here, in these chapters of Judges I was led to read today, we see this pattern beginning.

Israel does “… evil in the sight of the Lord;” … God sends a JUDGE to rescue His people; … the people are shown the error of their ways – usually through some defeat or subjugation on the part of the pagan peoples who had not been eliminated from the promised lands as God had commanded; … God’s people repent, … which is followed by some years of peace and pridefulness, allowing again for the worship of pagan gods like the Baals or the Asherahs (see above in verse 7). And as you read ahead in Judges … “the beat goes on” … and on … and on.

Six periods of Judges – 12 Judges; … and the people, even though they would be given a leader, even a Judge like Deborah, whom we read about in today’s chapters, … a judge who broke all the norms of the culture being a female national leader, … but God gave His sinful, disobedient children a way out of their idolatrous living … over and over again; … and they kept falling into repetitive and redundant patterns of sinful, idolatrous living.

Maybe you have had or now have some stronghold of sin which has been the “beat which goes on” in your life. For some it may be drugs or alcohol; … for others it may be gambling or shopping: … for others – especially in this culture – it may be an obsessive/compulsive habit of viewing p0rnography. I was wrapped up in that one for over 22 years of my life before I came to know Christ as my Lord; and even now the beat goes on in my life in the area of gluttony, … my recurring bondage to my eating desires. I really don’t know what this beat may be in any of your lives; but I do know that the Book of Judges is, as I wrote yesterday, a mirror for our lives today; … and yes, in our sin natures, “the beat goes on.”

BUT (again, a very big “but”), … just as we read in Judges, if we’re willing to seek the LORD, just as in Judges, God never leaves nor forsakes His people; and for us, He sent His own Son as the final Judge, … the ultimate Redeemer, … the One Who shed His blood so that the beat of sinful living never has to go on in the life of a believer.

Yes, I still struggle with my sin nature; and yes, I still sing “the beat goes on” with regard to my pridefulness and my pursuit of the flesh. But when I choose to receive and use the grace which God has provided me in His final JUDGE, Jesus Christ, I have the song stopper; and that beat NEVER needs to go on in my life again.

We’re going to see more of this refrain as we proceed through the book of Judges; … so, get ready as the “beat goes on!”

My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to sing Your son and not the song of my flesh which desires that the “beat go on.” Amen

March 29, 2012 … Again and Again and Again …

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Judges, Chapters 1-2 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Judges 1: 21-36… To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : Judges 1: 21 … The Benjamites, however, did not drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.

My Journal for Today: Okay, for those who’ve trekked with me chronologically through the book of Joshua, we’ve been reading of promised-land conquest. Now, we move on into a period of over 300 years of cyclical failure and redundant disobedience as I’m led into the book of Judges, the first two chapters of which I’ve linked anyone reading with me this morning.

And if you’ve ever studied the six chronicled periods of the Judges in this book, it’s not easy reading, is it? In fact it’s like God holding a crystal clear mirror of truth in front of us, saying to believers, who look into His mirror, … “See what happens when you disobey!” I hope you take the time to read through these first two chapters; and when you do, you’ll get the picture of what’s to come in the entire book. … God has laid out the promised-land from His covenant promise; and even knowing that obedience to God’s ways and His will is the price the people will have to pay for God’s provision and protection, God’s chosen ones disobey, … over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Notice I said “over” six times, because that represents the six periods of judges represented in this book of the Bible, where twelve “judges” had to be sent after each of the six periods of disobedience to give the people the leadership they would need to get back on track and follow their God.

And as I said, the book of Judges is like a mirror of truth as we redeemed sinners read it, because in the history of Judges we see ourselves and the failures of our own recurring sinfulness; and we see, almost like a series of videos, how God, the heavenly Father, never leaves nor forsakes His children, … and how His mercy and grace keeps pursuing His beloved. And ultimately as the Old Covenant yields to the New, we know of God’s ultimate rescue mission, … where He sends His Son to save us all.

And as often happens, God gives me remembrance of a song to seal His love in my quiet time. I hope you take a few minutes in reading my journal into Judges to click on this link and listen to Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing one of my favorite songs of Christian blessing and God’s loving grace.

But in future days, we’ll continue to see ourselves in the Judges mirror of truth; though I’m afraid, my dear one, it’s not going to be a pretty picture.

My Prayer Today: … LORD, thank You for staying with me. Thank You for pursuing me. Thank You for rescuing me. Thank You for saving me. Thank You for redeeming me. Amen

March 28, 2012 … Say It Again, Josh!

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Joshua, Chapters 22-24 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Joshua 1: 1-9… To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : Joshua 22: 4-5 … 4 Now that the LORD your God has given them rest as He promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan. 5 But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses, the servant of the LORD, gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
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Highlight Reference Passage #2 : Joshua 23: 6-8 … 6 “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. 7 Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. 8 But you are to hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have until now.
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Highlight Reference Passage #3 : Joshua 24: 14-15 … 14 “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

My Journal for Today: Today in my chronological reading plan, we’re closing out on the Book of Joshua – the last three chapters. And in reading and meditating through them, a theme resounded out of redundancy from words God gave Joshua right back in the first nine verses of Joshua’s book.

Remember God’s pep talk to Joshua in Joshua 1: 1-9, as the LORD was encouraging the leader of God’s chosen just before they were to cross the Jordan and enter the promised-land? If you don’t recall those words, I’ve provided a link to that passage above. But when you study that directive of encouragement from the Lord, you will read many of the same words/thoughts which Joshua used to commission and encourage the people to move forward in their lives after they had taken the promised-land.

Meditate on the three highlight passages I’ve copied for you above; and you’ll see how Joshua mirrored the instructions God had given to him before the land was taken. And when you study Joshua’s charge to the people, you realize that this is God’s bottom-line charge to all of us, just as it was (and IS) Jesus’ bottom-line instruction for us as we live in God’s promises today.

And isn’t it wonderful symmetry that Joshua’s name in Hebrew is “Yeshua,” which, of course, is the translated Hebrew name for “Jesus.” And here they both are giving us the same choices as we cross over the Jordan river of our lives, and in repentance, leaving behind the old life, we live in the promised-land which the LORD has for us.

Joshua laid it out very clearly for the people [in Joshua 22: 5] … “…be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses, the servant of the LORD, gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” And then old Joshua, just before he died, told the people ever so clearly where he stood; and we quote him from one of the most oft-quoted passages in Joshua’s memoirs, … [written in Joshua 24: 15] "… choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, … But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

And that, my dear one and fellow follower of the LORD, it is our choice as well this day. Whom will we serve? And my friend … as for me, I choose to follow Joshua … Yeshua … Jesus!

My Prayer Today: … LORD, I follow You!!! Amen

March 27, 2012 … God Is A Promise Keeper

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Joshua, Chapters 19-21 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : Joshua 21: 43-45 … 43 So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44 The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.

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Highlight Reference Passage : Numbers 23: 19 … [God speaking through Balaam, the sorcerer prophet] 19 God is not human, that He should lie, not a human being, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?

My Journal for Today: I’m forging on today in my chronological read through the Bible in a bit of darkness. The website at which I follow the reading plan is down this morning; so, based on past patterns of reading in the plan, I’m just leveling a guess that Day 87 of the reading plan will take me to Joshua, Chapters 19-21 - linked for your co-study above.

Actually, the fact that my internet shepherd seems to be darkened this morning presents an interesting word picture; because the internet, which we rely upon so heavily these days may be defective/broken for select websites; but God’s word is never broken or defective. Therefore, though my web shepherd may be down this morning, God’s word is always up. So, my moving on my own into more chapters of Joshua’s book, can not and will not lead me astray because I am reading the always true word of God; and He will always have something true and purposeful for me because I’m reading from and meditating on God’s very word. That’s His promise to me from Isaiah 55: 11 and 2nd Timothy 3: 16-17; and I believe it!!!

So, today in these three chapters of Joshua, right at the end of Chapter 21 – in verses 43-45, we read the highlight statement from God which stood out so much for me that I copied it in bold/underlined text above. And it’s worthy of repetition: “Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.”

And immediately, when I read that verse today, up from my memory archive of verses bubbled the other highlight verse I’ve quoted this morning, which was God speaking through a rather weird source, … Balaam, the sorcerer prophet, who was chosen by God to bring a message directly from God to a pagan king. And you may recall, in Numbers 22, Balaam became convinced of God’s power and truth when he had a speaking encounter with his own donkey. And then, we read of God using the witness and words of a pagan prophet to speak truth to a pagan ruler and to all of mankind as documented in God’s word. Amazing, isn’t it!!!

And when we take both of the truths spoken in those passages above to heart, we strongly realize that our God is a promise-keeper God. And when our God makes promises, He keeps them [!], … not necessarily the way we might want them fulfilled and in the timing we might arrange for them to be fulfilled. But God keeps HIS promises, … in HIS manner, … and in His timing.

Think about it. If you were God and you had promised to Israel that you would give them a promised land, would you have chosen a former murder and disgraced Hebrew who had become a lowly shepherd to lead your people out of slavery in Egypt? … Would you have marched these chosen ones through the desert wilderness for 40 years to purge all the bad apples from the twelve tribes? … Would you – as GOD - have taken residence in a tent as you led the people through the wilderness? … Would you, knowing that these people were going to fail – miserably – allow them to go onward into the land you had promised them? … And finally, would you – as their LORD – give up your only Son in the Godhead to save these pitiful, miserable sinners?

“No,” on all counts, right? Or maybe you’re saying, “I just don’t know what I’d do if I were God.” And that would be “RIGHT ON!” my brother or sister Christian. We can’t know what God will do; because God is God and we are not! (see Isaiah 55: 8-9) But God, being God, will do things HIS way in HIS time and by HIS will, as documented in HIS word, to accomplish what HE promises. And that’s the message we all need to take away from this trek through truth today.

God gives His promises; … DONE DEAL! He says, it … we believe it!! And it’s not our place, as His chosen ones, … to question the Master’s will and His way and His timing. If God promises that we are going to be completed in His image (see Phil. 1: 6), it’s going to happen … in HIS way and in HIS timing. What we need to do when we have the promises of God (and we do – in His word) is to seek them, to believe them, and to actively wait for them to transpire … as God meets them out in His time and in His way.

My Prayer Today: … My dear LORD, You are my promise keeper! Amen

March 26, 2012 … They Did Not Drive Them Out

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Joshua, Chapters 16-18 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : Joshua 16: 9-10 … 9 It also included all the towns and their villages that were set aside for the Ephraimites within the inheritance of the Manassites. … 10 They did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor.

My Journal for Today: If you’ve been reading along with me chronologically through our Bible this year, you’ve noted that God, in these passages in Joshua, instructs the people – VERY CLEARLY – that He will help them eradicate all the peoples who occupied the lands that the Israelites would take as they entered and settled in the promised-land. For example, you can read such an instruction in Joshua 13: 6. BUT, (yes, another very big “BUT”), God’s people had to choose to follow God … or not!

And as we read above, the two tribes from the family of the patriarch, Joseph, the Ephraimites and the Manassites, who actually got a double portion in the inheritance of the lands, were unwilling to follow God’s instructions and, in disobedience to God, they “… did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer.” And because of taking the Canaanites as slaves rather than following God’s command to eradicate these pagans, these two tribes never were able to live in peace, covered by the promises of God in their inherited portions in the promised-land.

I know it’s tough to read of our God instructing His people to wipe out and kill ALL of the peoples who were living in the promised-land as His chosen people took the lands under Joshua. But God’s plan was HIS plan; and He knew what was best for His people to avoid the pagan practices of worship and living practiced by the non-believers who occupied the lands which God was taking and distributing to His chosen peoples.

I hope all can see the application here for all of us. God wants us to COMPLETELY wipe out all ungodliness and unholiness from our lives as we march forward in life, leaving no such remnants of the ungodliness of the world in the process. This, in essence, was the instruction of the Apostle Paul to God’s people which we read in Romans 12: 1-2; and maybe you have this passage memorized; but if not, here it is copied for your meditation below [in the NKJV, which is my memory version] …

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I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
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My dear ones, … my brothers/sisters in Christ, … God wants us to eradicate every remnant of unholiness, i.e., worldliness, from our lives once we cross over our “Jordan,” and we choose to make Jesus the LORD of our lives. And as our Lord, Jesus, makes it clear (in Luke 9: 23) that we’re to deny our selves and follow Him and live life HIS way, following HIS will, as we march toward HIS promised-land in heaven.

We simply (though never easily) must eradicate ALL the pagan practices of those who will try to influence us in ungodly ways as we take God’s promised-land. I’ll leave it to you to inventory your life, as I’m doing this morning, to see if we are driving all the ungodliness from our lives by worshipping our God in obedience to His way, avoiding the influence of the world in our lives.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to purify ALL in me to conform to Your holiness. Amen

March 25, 2012 … No Retirement In God’s Kingdom

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Joshua, Chapters 12-15 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : Joshua 13: 1 … When Joshua had grown old, the LORD said to him, “You are now very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over.”

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Highlight Review Passage : Joshua 14: 10-12 … 10 [Caleb’s witness] … “Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11 I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. 12 Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”

My Journal for Today: In reading and meditating through Chapters 12-15 of the Book of Joshua this morning, two passages (highlighted above) struck me emotionally, personally, and – I believe- spiritually. And they were saying to me – from God’s Spirit, I believe – … “Bill, don’t let Satan turn you out, feeling that you deserve retirement from the work I’ve called you to do; because I, your God, need you to do what I have prepared and purposed you to do for My glory.”

Sometimes, I have to admit that I get wrapped in feelings of entitlement, … thinking, … “Well, I’ve worked hard on the front-lines of spiritual warfare for a lot of years; and I’m getting up in age; and my strength is waning somewhat in my latter years.” But then, I read these highlighted passages above, which remind me of two of God’s great warriors, Joshua and Caleb. And as I meditate here this morning, I remember the life of Moses as well, who carried God’s banner of glory well beyond his 100th year.

Bottom-line lesson today for me [and maybe for you];… God can use anyone at any age for any task which HE lays out for us to do as part of HIS plan for HIS glory. So, … though I might be tired and even a bit broken down physically, if God has called me to go to battle for His Name and His glory, he’s going to supply me with all I need to accomplish what He has to do for me. And as I’m declaring this, a number of passages from God’s word bubble into my consciousness to lift me up and give me strength and courage.

And I hope you, who are reading here with me, will be encouraged by Isaiah 41: 10 … 1st Cor. 10: 13 … Phil. 4: 13 … 2nd Cor. 12: 9 … 2nd Timothy 1: 7 … and 2nd Peter 1: 3. And if you can meditate on the stories in the highlight passages from Joshua above, as well as these truths from God’s word which I’ve documented here, I pray that, since we all have God’s charge of witness (in Acts 1: 8) as well as God’s GREAT COMMISSION (in Matt. 28: 19-20), we must move onward, … ignoring feelings of inadequacy and weariness, to carry out what God has purposed for us to do for His glory. Remember one last passage from the Apostle Paul – go to Galatians 6: 7-10 - linked here – and taking in all of this … ONWARD FOR CHRIST!!!

My Prayer Today: … Lord, lift me beyond feelings of “retirement” and onward to action as long as you have purposed me to work for Your kingdom. Amen

March 24, 2012 … Keeping our Vows [Lesson #2]

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Joshua, Chapters 9-11 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : Joshua 9: 16-21 … 6 Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them. 17 So the Israelites set out and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim. 18 But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. >>> The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders, 19 but all the leaders answered, “We have given them our oath by the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. 20 This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that God’s wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them.” 21 They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers in the service of the whole assembly.” So the leaders’ promise to them was kept.
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Highlight Review Passage : Numbers 30: 1-2 … 1 Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: "This is what the Lord commands: 2 When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said. …”
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My Journal for Today: Ever made a promise that you wanted to take back because you knew, after making it, the oath or vow was a mistake? Well, that’s what happened to Joshua and the Israelite leaders when they made a deal with a tribe of Hivites from Gibeon. These Gibeonites were clever and conned the Israelite leaders into giving these Hivites a covenant of promise that Joshua would spare them. Read about it in Chapter 9 of Joshua, linked above.

But even though Joshua was under the instructions of God, through Moses, to destroy all of those in the lands occupied in the promised-land, having been duped by the Gibeonites and having made a vow of mercy to them, Joshua – in our highlight passage of today – convinces the Israelites and gives instructions that the Gibeonites were to be spared.

Some days back in my chronological reading plan, I blogged on this principle of integrity which God honors so highly. If you go back to this link and read my blog of March 6, 2012, you’ll see my exposition about God’s desire that we keep our word when we promise something to Him or to someone. And in today’s scenario, even though Joshua was under the definite and clear instructions from God to wipe out the people in the taking of the promised-land, Joshua – even though he had been conned – was bound to keep his word to the Gibeonites.

This is yet another reason to follow what Jesus would later teach His disciples (see Matthew 5: 33-37 … 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

But why do you think it was so important for Joshua to honor the promise he had made to the deceitful Gibeonites over the promised he had made to God Himself to eradicate all of the peoples who occupied the promised-land? And the answer is in the character of God Himself. God is a promise-keeping God; and when He makes a promise to His people, He keeps it; and He expects the same promise-keeping character from His people which He models for us as a promise-keeping God.

And so, even though a mistake was made and the Gibeonites where able to pull a fast-one on Joshua, the Israelite leaders were bound to keep their vow of mercy to these specific people; and we are bound to keep our vows to God and to others, especially when we make a promise. Hopefully, two blogs full of this principle is enough for me to really get it and to live it as God intends for all of us to live … as His promise-keeping peoples.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to be a promise-keeper - … ALWAYS! Amen

March 23, 2012 … Our Commander in Chief

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Joshua, Chapters 5-8 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Reference Passage : Joshua 7: 24-26 … 24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today.” >>> Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. 26 Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from His fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

My Journal for Today: Reading through Joshua’s Book, chapters 5-8 today, we see how God began to assert Himself on behalf of His chosen people as Joshua began to assert God’s power in taking the lands God had promised to His people. They marched across the Jordan, with miracles happening in their march; and hearing about these miracles, the Canaanites folded before them; and of course, we know the so oft repeated story of how the walled-city of Jericho fell in the wake of God’s, power, chronicled in Joshua, Chapter 6.

Then in Chapter 7 of Joshua’s book, there is the troubling story of one of the leaders of God’s people, Achan, … who, after the defeat of Jericho and against God’s specific instructions, stole some of the spoils of Jericho which, according to God’s instructions were to be thoroughly destroyed and left behind. Nothing was to be taken into the lives and culture of God’s people from the leavings when Joshua led God’s army to victory. In this way, God’s people would not be impure and involved in the covetous culture of the pagans the Israelites defeated.

The story of what happened to Achan and his family is a tough one to abide as we view our God as a loving God so full of grace and mercy. But we must never forget that, though our God truly is a God of grace, He is also a God Who is jealous of His holiness; and the Lord will not abide anything which defiles that holiness. Note that the effects of Achan’s sin, which was felt by an entire nation. Achan’s sin even dampened the power of God’s army in going up against the men of Ai; and Joshua’s army sustained a temporary set-back against these Canaanites until the sins of Achan could be eradicated from the midst of the Israelites.

Sometimes, we underestimate the effects of what can seem like such a momentary and minor-league lapse into sin; and then, in dealing with the after-effects of the sin, we come to realize that no sin against God, … no disobedience of His will, … no transgression of God’s word is unimportant or trivial. And do not be surprised if the ramifications of one’s sin can overflow into carnal damage involving one’s entire family – as was the case with the stoning of Achan’s family along with his own punishment.

The overflow circumstances from sin can be devastating; and I have seen that in the ministry I lead where men, who “dabble” in sexual sin, when it’s uncovered, will often see their marriage severely damaged, their ability to parent dampened significantly, and often irreparable damage sustained in leading God’s ministries/missions. Cases like Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard, and others are more modern, Achan-like, stories where one’s short-term, selfish, sexual sin has enormous consequences for God’s people and a crippling effect upon the family of the sin-tarnished Christian leader.

I hope we all read and internalize these chapters, and especially the story of Achan, realizing that one cannot “dabble” in sin without reaping the potential whirlwind of circumstances which can result when that any sin choices which are revealed. May we all walk-the-walk of purity so that we can march toward the promised-land in the strength of a purified relationship with our Lord.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, that is my prayer today. Amen

March 22, 2012 … The Prescription for Spiritual Success

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Joshua, Chapters 1-4 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

Added Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Joshua 1: 1-9 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : Joshua 1: 8 … Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

My Journal for Today: My chronological read in the Bible today takes me from the “Book of the Law,” i.e., the first five books of the Bible, penned by Moses, into the chronicle of God’s people, led by Joshua, moving into the promised-land. And the highlight passage from these four chapters, which I was led to read/study today, and to which you’re linked above, was easy for me to pick. Joshua 1: 8, which was God’s specific prescription to Moses for spiritual success, is a passage which has helped to shape my life; and hence I have a particular personal/emotional investment in this blog this morning.

First, the key verse today lies at the outset of Joshua’s charge and encouragement – by God Himself – for Moses’ hand-picked leader to take the people across the Jordan, moving from what is now the country of Jordan into the designated and God-given promised-land in what we now know of as Israel. This was certainly a daunting task for the man who had been Moses’ right-hand warrior and co-leader for so many years. But here was Joshua, tagged as the complete and singular leader of God’s people; and he wasn’t used to wearing the mantle of leadership which Moses had held. So, at the outset of Joshua 1, verses 1-9, we read of God’s pep-talk to Joshua, encouraging him with a remembrance of the covenant that God would give Joshua and the people every parcel of property where they walked into the new land; and with their obedience to His word – past and present – God would be with Joshua in all he did.

But the highlight verse today, Joshua 1: 8, is key in this task directive God imparts to Joshua. And the Lord tells Joshua that for this task to which Joshua has been selected by God, Joshua must discipline himself to be in and stay in God’s word (and that would be those first five books of the Bible) day and night, being “… careful to do everything written in it;” … and if Joshua did this, God promised him success and power in carrying out God’s charge [i.e., His will].

My reading friend, I hope you can see the immediate application for you and me for this prescription for success when we are moving in life across whatever Jordan we must cross and when we move through life toward God’s promised-land. But whenever we know where God is leading us (i.e., His will or direction for our lives), it usually involves some decision to cross a “Jordan River” in our lives. Perhaps you know that you need to begin living in a manner which involves courage to change some habit or lifestyle pattern. At one point in my life I knew that God wanted me to turn from pursuing sexual sin and other habitual patterns of idolatry and/or covetousness in my life. The decision to repent and move from ungodly behavior to Godly behavior was my “Jordan.” Well, it was a mentor, the Moses in my life, who helped me, as his Joshua, to see the application of Joshua 1: 8 to the task that God was laying out for me … i.e., to be obedient and follow Him (much like Jesus instructed His disciples in Luke 9: 23).

So, using the instruction and personal interpretation of Joshua 1: 8 for the life choices which lay ahead of me, my mentor helped me realize that I was going to have to be in and stay in God’s word daily and continuously, letting God’s word and His purpose guide me, … much as is put forth in other Scriptures like Isaiah 55: 11 and 2nd Timothy 3: 16-17. So, needing desperately to reform my life under God’s will and direction and away from fleshly pursuits, with the help of my mentor, I got involved in a rigorous daily scripture memory process; and he helped me begin and develop the discipline of a daily morning Bible-led devotional, where I would be in God’s word daily and getting God’s word deeply into my being in a disciplined way. And that, my friends, is the essence of what God was instructing Joshua to do to be successful in carrying out the will God had for his life.

My dear one, how much is God’s word a part of your pursuing personal success with regard to God’s will in your life? Is there some task or direction which you know God is leading you toward; but you have retained selfish desires to satisfy your flesh rather than fulfilling God’s will successfully? Well, if so, have you tried carrying out and following through with the Joshua 1: 8 prescription?

And one of the scripture passages I was given by my mentor to contextualize, memorize, and internalize years ago was Psalm 119: 9,…11, where God’s word states - How can a young man (i.e., an immature Christian) cleanse his way? … By taking head to Your word. … Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You.

My friend, I don’t know about you; but I want to be a Christian who is successful in the way I live, avoiding sin in my life, and being able to live in fulfillment of God’s will. And today’s prescription for success in living this way is the same for me (and for you) as it was for Joshua; and if we desire to be successful as “Christians,” being in, living in, and living out God’s word is the key to that success.

My Prayer Today: … Oh, Lord, how I desire to stay in Your word everyday of my life, letting Your word guide me and empower me to be successful in shining Your light in a very dark world. Amen

March 21, 2012 … Songs for Salvation

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Deuteronomy, Chapters 32-34 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

Added Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Deuteronomy, Psalm 91 … To study thus Psalm, go to this link -

My Journal for Today: Yesterday, if you were with me in Deuteronomy 31, the last verse (i.e., vs 30) announced that Moses was about to sing/recite a song; and that song is found in its entirety in Deuteronomy, Chapter 32, to which you’re linked above for study. And at the end of Deut. 32, we read of God’s charge to Moses just before he was to die; and that is to go up to the peak of Mount Nebo and look out from what is now the country of Jordan westward into Israel; and for Moses and Joshua to survey visually where God was going to take His chosen ones … into their promised-land. I can just imagine that looking out over that landscape [which I’ve seem myself and captured in the photo below], Moses was inspired to write the song in Deut. 32 as well as the very encouraging words in what is generally attributed to him in Psalm 91, which is also part of my chronological reading for today.

I hope you take the time to go back and read the lyrics in these two songs, realizing that they were penned, with God’s Spirit-led inspiration, by a man who had gone through all of 120 years in his life, being prepared to lead God’s people out of Egypt, and then through all those challenging times in the wilderness with those grumbling people, right up to the Jordan river, where Moses had to lament that he would not be able, by God’s plan, to take even one step into that glorious promised-land. But when we read Deut. 32 and Psalm 91, we read songs of remembrance, psalms of the joy of God’s salvation, and great songs of God’s expectation and protection for His people.

When I was up on Mount Nebo a couple of years ago; and I was able to see (and photo) the glorious expanse of God’s promised-land [see below], I had a great sense of admiration for the faithfulness, loyalty, and “stickability,” which is my word for the courage of a leader of God’s people to pursue and follow God’s plan at all cost. And seeing that expanse of the land in Israel, I had to bow to a man, like Moses, who humbly stayed with God’s will even when he felt inadequate and the people’s overwhelming grumbling would have dissuaded almost any Godly leader.

And also in looking out at the promised-land, which God’s people still have not claimed completely, and thinking of Moses looking at the same scene, it helped me to see that there’s still so much more out there ahead of me in this life until God chooses to bring me into His final promised-land, … heaven. And Moses’ songs help me to be uplifted and encouraged no matter how much in this world can be discouraging.

I hope you’re uplifted in this way today, … especially as you read Moses’ songs of salvation and promise.

My Prayer Today: … Heavenly Father, guide me to Your great reward in the promised-land you have for me ahead. Amen

March 20, 2012 … Life or Death – The Choice is Before Us

Blogger’s note: I know this one is long; but trust me, it’s worth the read!

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Deuteronomy, Chapters 30-31 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

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Highlight Reference Passage : Deuteronomy 30: 1-6 … 1 When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the LORD your God disperses you among the nations, 2 and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. 4 Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back. 5 He will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors. 6 The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.
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Highlight Reference Passage #2 : Deuteronomy 30: 11-16 … 11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. … 15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
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Highlight Reference Passage #3 : Deuteronomy 30: 19-20 … 19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

My Journal for Today: Today I was led to Chapters 30-31 of Deuteronomy; and I think I could write a small book in journaling on these chapters. In fact, as you see above, I had trouble limiting the highlighted passages that I really wanted you to read and study along with me this morning. And really God’s message – through Moses to His people – back in that day, when the people were about to follow Joshua into the promised-land, was quite stark … and really quite simple. Certainly I’m not saying it was easy, because God knew that His beloved and chosen people were going to fail Him; and for Moses and Joshua God even predicted that one day He, the Lord, would have to abandon His loved ones for a season for them to realize the consequences of their collective sin (to see this prediction, read Chapter 31 from the link above).

But God’s mercy and His promises are everlasting; and God will one day bring His recalcitrant Hebrew children into the promised-land; and so, in the meantime as the history of disobedience was to unfold in their future, as they crossed over the Jordan and were to follow Joshua into the promised-land, the people were reminded (again) of their options; and I charge you to read and meditate on those options in the Deut. 30: 19-20 above.

And my dear ones, who might be reading with me today, aren’t these the same choices that have today? In fact the Apostle Paul even reminded New Covenant Christians of this life-death choice when he wrote – for God – to the Romans (and now for all time to all Christians) in Romans 10: 5-8, and in doing so, he referred to the Deut. 30: 11-14 passage copied above for you.

By reading and meditating on the words of God through Moses and repeated later in history by Paul, we must realize that everyday we have these choices in front of us … obedience versus disobedience … life versus death … selfishness verses “Saviorness.” And so many times, our choice can seem so difficult. Yet, as Moses and Paul point out, it is really quite simple. Do we really believe God and His promises; or do we believe what Satan would want for us to believe? It was the same choice which Adam and Eve had in the garden, knowing God’s commands and being confronted by Satan. And we know the result of their choice, don’t we?

Today, you and I will confront something which says to us, “Okay, which choice will you make, … life or death … sinfulness or Saviorness?” And we’re going to have to make the same choice which was made by God’s people in response to the charge given to them as they were to march forward into the promised-land; and we know, from the Bible, how miserably they failed. But we also know, from the same Bible, that God has provided the perfect redemption and atonement for the sins of His people; and that redemption also comes from a choice. And oh how I pray you have made that choice … to receive God’s everlasting grace of salvation; and I pray that we’re marching – this very day TOGETHER – toward God’s promised-land.

Now, one last word, my friend; … I know, from experience, how easy it is to make sin choices and get so mired in habitual sin, walking far away from God, that you don’t feel you can choose to move back into a state of harmony with God. But my friends, God always has the choice of sinful death or eternally cleansed and blessed life out in front of us. And if we’re willing and able to make the “life choice” today in repentance, He’s ALWAYS ready to take us back in to His loving arms. That, of course, was the message of Christ’s wonderful and powerful “prodigal” parable, wasn’t it? And if you’ve been away from God for a season in your life; and you want to know what God has waiting for you IF you can make the choice to come back to Him today, listen to this wonderful song, performed by Phillips, Craig, and Dean, and relish in the love of God as He says to us this morning, “Come back home!”

Here’s the link to that song on You Tube; and I so hope you’ll take 5 minutes and be lifted up by the reality of God’s grace. And then if you have a few more minutes, listen to this song by the same group, singing of how God and His angels will celebrate when and if we can make the righteous choices He lays out for us today. And then one last link to a song in this little mini-concert about the grace of God when we choose the Savior over self.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, I’m so grateful that You were willing to pursue me with Your grace and to give me the time to choose Your grace; and now I’m so grateful for Your patience in allowing me to become the Saint You are shaping me to become. Today, from the choices You will offer me, … I will choose LIFE! Amen