2009 – Day 95.Apr. 6 – God of Every Detail
Passage of the Day: Numbers 27: 12 – 23 … Link to study passage …
Also Deuteronomy 34: 9 … Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
My Journal for Today: I totally agree with Chuck Swindoll today, always standing in amazement as to how God’s word, written in 66 books, by 44 authors, in three languages, over 3000 years of history, focusing on one unique Subject, Jesus Christ, can be so personal to me or to anyone who uses it as God intended it (see Isaiah 55: 11 -link provided). He has brought the compendium of personal wisdom for the ages into my (or your) life to be a light unto my (or your) path (see Psalm119: 105 -linked) in His perfect timing and for His perfect will. Do you not, with Swindoll and me, stand in awe of this?
As Pastor Chuck posited in his devotional today, perhaps, reading today’s passages, you are a Joshua, who has significant challenges lying ahead of you in life, not knowing how things are going to turn out. Perhaps you’ve been upgraded or downgraded; and you don’t know what life is going to hold for you. Perhaps God has lain a task in front of you which seems ultra-daunting; and you don’t know how you’re going to handle it. But like and older, more mature Apostle Peter wrote, God cares (see in the NT, 1st Peter 5: 7); and as old Joshua was encouraged to realize, God will never leave you holding the bag alone when His will has been lain before you (see Joshua 1: 1 – 9). You may be overwhelmed; but God is not; and there’s no reason for you to fret over life’s circumstances (as the Apostle Paul had discovered in his life, being imprisoned while carrying out God’s will - see Phil. 4: 6 – 7).
And I’m throwing all these specific passages of Scripture to you, as they bubble up in my consciousness, writing this, because God is giving me His word to share with you to illustrate my very point, … that His word will never come up void or powerless in shining a light on your specific path (again go to links above and see Isaiah 55: 11 and Psalm 119: 105).
Are you getting the picture; … that our God is the God of ever detail, just like He was for Joshua when God’s gargantuan task of taking over for Moses was put into his hands? And God has a plan for you and me too. All we need to do is find His will for our lives and then to lay aside personal fears and selfish pride, and to take up this cross, and to follow our Savior into His promised land (see Jesus’ own direction in this regard in Luke 9: 23, which I surely hope you have memorized by now as often as I reference it).
God’s in the details, my beloved; and even more importantly, HE’S IN TOTAL CONTROL! If, like Joshua, you have a whopper of a task in front of you; and you know it’s God will for your life, … take heed and be encouraged by the passages to which I’ve referred you in this journal entry. My mentor used to say, often, “God’s calling is His enablement!” And that applies to each and every one of us in each and every moment of each and ever day of our lives.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I take up the encouragement of Joshua 1: 8 and Psalm 119: 105, abiding in Your word to be a light unto my path. Amen
Monday, April 06, 2009
Sunday, April 05, 2009
2009 – Day 94.Apr. 5 – A Shepherd’s Heart
2009 – Day 94.Apr. 5 – A Shepherd’s Heart
Passage of the Day: Numbers 27: 12 – 23 … Link to study passage …
My Journal for Today: Realizing that he, Moses, would never be the one to lead God’s chosen into the promised land, Moses recognized that the one to do so needed to have special qualities; and having been the “shepherd” of these people in the wilderness, Moses was perceptive to note that they didn’t need a CEO type or an organizational superstar. No, he saw that God’s flock needed another shepherd. As Swindoll points out we read that in today’s passage in Numbers 27: 17, where Moses pleads with God, saying, “…who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.” Interesting, but not unpredictable, that God would choose one named “Joshua” to do so, the name “Joshua” meaning, “the one who saves,” the same root Hebrew name from which comes “Yeshua” (or “Jesus”).
Moses recognized what any Pastor or Christian leader recognizes today, … that disciples of Christ, in order to fulfill Christ’s own command to follow Him (see Luke 9: 23) need leadership who will lead a body of believers as a shepherd leads his flock. Hence we read the repeated middle-eastern Bible references to the Messiah being our “Good Shepherd;” and Jesus, Himself, uses the same word-picture comparison (see John 10). It is a word picture completely understood from the context of the Middle Eastern, 1st Century cultures. The flocks of sheep of those days would have been totally lost and vulnerable to the preditors of the country side if they didn’t have a “good shepherd.”
Even today, the Pastor or Elders of any church are the shepherds of that flock. In 1st Peter 5: 1 – 8 [link provided] the Apostle Peter realized that and used this word picture of a shepherd watching over his flock to illustrate how Christian leaders needed to lead as a shepherd leads his sheep, protecting them from the dangers of the world, depicted as a “roaring lion” in this passage (see verse 8).
Anyone, as I have, who has been called to “pastor” a flock of Christians, recognizes how his designated body will flock to him, needing to stay close and follow the oversight that a “shepherd” would provide for a flock of sheep. And the younger, the more immature, in the flock may be, the closer they need to stay to the oversight of the shepherd (i.e., leader) of that flock. However, occasionally one, or more, of those wayward “lambs” will wander off, isolating himself from the flock and getting into dangerous territory. That is like the story of the wayward lamb in Luke 15: 1 – 7 [linked]. Again we see the biblical word picture of how important God, The Good Shepherd, our Messiah, sees every one in His Flock, the Church.
You and I are sheep, dear one. And we are wayward lambs, as Isaiah 53: 6 [linked] clearly depicts. But as that verse also declares, our Lord has taken upon Himself the iniquity of us all. My friends, we need to stay close to The Good Shepherd and remain close to the flock of believers for protection and sustenance, especially if we don’t have the maturity or the calling to lead. For those who are more mature and have taken on some calling to leadership of God’s flock, we need to become “shepherds” following our Model, The Good Shepherd, Who is always willing to do all He can to protect and raise up the flock for God’s glory. The Apostle Paul recognized this as he told his Corinthian flock, (in 1st Cor. 11: 1), “Imitate me; just as I also imitate Christ.”
I pray, fellow lamb of God, that we all follow the Good Shepherd closely; and I pray, you shepherds, that you feed and tend your flock, following our Good Shepherd’s example.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are my Good Shepherd. Help me to shepherd the flock You have ordained me to lead. Amen
Passage of the Day: Numbers 27: 12 – 23 … Link to study passage …
My Journal for Today: Realizing that he, Moses, would never be the one to lead God’s chosen into the promised land, Moses recognized that the one to do so needed to have special qualities; and having been the “shepherd” of these people in the wilderness, Moses was perceptive to note that they didn’t need a CEO type or an organizational superstar. No, he saw that God’s flock needed another shepherd. As Swindoll points out we read that in today’s passage in Numbers 27: 17, where Moses pleads with God, saying, “…who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.” Interesting, but not unpredictable, that God would choose one named “Joshua” to do so, the name “Joshua” meaning, “the one who saves,” the same root Hebrew name from which comes “Yeshua” (or “Jesus”).
Moses recognized what any Pastor or Christian leader recognizes today, … that disciples of Christ, in order to fulfill Christ’s own command to follow Him (see Luke 9: 23) need leadership who will lead a body of believers as a shepherd leads his flock. Hence we read the repeated middle-eastern Bible references to the Messiah being our “Good Shepherd;” and Jesus, Himself, uses the same word-picture comparison (see John 10). It is a word picture completely understood from the context of the Middle Eastern, 1st Century cultures. The flocks of sheep of those days would have been totally lost and vulnerable to the preditors of the country side if they didn’t have a “good shepherd.”
Even today, the Pastor or Elders of any church are the shepherds of that flock. In 1st Peter 5: 1 – 8 [link provided] the Apostle Peter realized that and used this word picture of a shepherd watching over his flock to illustrate how Christian leaders needed to lead as a shepherd leads his sheep, protecting them from the dangers of the world, depicted as a “roaring lion” in this passage (see verse 8).
Anyone, as I have, who has been called to “pastor” a flock of Christians, recognizes how his designated body will flock to him, needing to stay close and follow the oversight that a “shepherd” would provide for a flock of sheep. And the younger, the more immature, in the flock may be, the closer they need to stay to the oversight of the shepherd (i.e., leader) of that flock. However, occasionally one, or more, of those wayward “lambs” will wander off, isolating himself from the flock and getting into dangerous territory. That is like the story of the wayward lamb in Luke 15: 1 – 7 [linked]. Again we see the biblical word picture of how important God, The Good Shepherd, our Messiah, sees every one in His Flock, the Church.
You and I are sheep, dear one. And we are wayward lambs, as Isaiah 53: 6 [linked] clearly depicts. But as that verse also declares, our Lord has taken upon Himself the iniquity of us all. My friends, we need to stay close to The Good Shepherd and remain close to the flock of believers for protection and sustenance, especially if we don’t have the maturity or the calling to lead. For those who are more mature and have taken on some calling to leadership of God’s flock, we need to become “shepherds” following our Model, The Good Shepherd, Who is always willing to do all He can to protect and raise up the flock for God’s glory. The Apostle Paul recognized this as he told his Corinthian flock, (in 1st Cor. 11: 1), “Imitate me; just as I also imitate Christ.”
I pray, fellow lamb of God, that we all follow the Good Shepherd closely; and I pray, you shepherds, that you feed and tend your flock, following our Good Shepherd’s example.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are my Good Shepherd. Help me to shepherd the flock You have ordained me to lead. Amen
Saturday, April 04, 2009
2009 – Day 93.Apr. 4 – God of All My Moments
2009 – Day 93.Apr. 4 – God of All My Moments
Passage of the Day: Numbers 20: 1 - 13 … Link to study today’s repeated passage ...
My Journal for Today: Today we take a relook of emphasis into the same passage as yesterday, peering at Moses’ moment of anger and foolish pride, which kept him from being the spiritual leader who took God’s chosen people into the promised land. Swindoll, in his devotional entry for today asks readers if there have been any moments or periods of time in our past when we would like to do a “do over.” And I’d wager to say that we all have them.
I have a period of 22 years of my life, my season of disbelief, foolishness, and habitual sexual sinfulness which I’d love to be able to “do over;” but I know I can’t. And like Moses I will have to live this life knowing that I could have spent those 22 years being fruitful for God’s kingdom.
No “do over” is possible; but a “do forward” is; and because of the shed blood of my Savior on the cross and my ability now to receive God’s mercy and grace into my life, I have the Holy Spirit in my heart to allow me to live a “do forward” life which reflects the truth of the verse quoted by Swindoll in today’s devotional. It is Psalm 103: 12, which you need to read slowly and joyfully, assuming that you also have received Christ as your Savior and Lord. It goes, "As far as the east is from the west, so far He has removed our transgressions from us.” … Go ahead, read it again; and do I sense a resounding, “Thank You, Lord!”
It is so wonderful now to live under the truth of passages like 1st John 1: 9, which tells me that I can keep short accounts of confession with my Lord and be cleansed for my sins; or under the powerful reality of a 1st Cor. 10: 13, telling me that God, the Holy Spirit, Who now resides in my heart forever, will never allow me to go into or be in a situation that I cannot expect Him to lead me through. But still, like Moses, I must realize that we have a carnal nature, which is deceitful (see Jer. 17: 9) and subject to momentary lapses of sinfulness; and when/if we do sin, though we can be cleansed by Christ’s finished sacrifice, we will have to live with the human, temporal outcomes of our sin. Moses did; and so will we.
However, there’s no reason why we cannot live our lives under Paul’s written edict to move forward, as God wrote about through Paul’s epistle in Phil. 3: 13-14 [linked for you here]. Don’t you just love the truth of that verse, … that I can look forward to the prize of the next life; and I can live my entire life, here as long as God gives me to live, moving forward as a witness for Christ with His Spirit in my heart to give me the strength from His enabling grace to do so (see Acts 1: 8 and 2nd Cor. 12: 9 - I hope you have those two memorized!).
This, my reader friend, is a “HALLELUJAH!” moment!
My Prayer for Today: Yes, dear Lord, I do declare loudly in my soul, HALLELUJAH! Amen
Passage of the Day: Numbers 20: 1 - 13 … Link to study today’s repeated passage ...
My Journal for Today: Today we take a relook of emphasis into the same passage as yesterday, peering at Moses’ moment of anger and foolish pride, which kept him from being the spiritual leader who took God’s chosen people into the promised land. Swindoll, in his devotional entry for today asks readers if there have been any moments or periods of time in our past when we would like to do a “do over.” And I’d wager to say that we all have them.
I have a period of 22 years of my life, my season of disbelief, foolishness, and habitual sexual sinfulness which I’d love to be able to “do over;” but I know I can’t. And like Moses I will have to live this life knowing that I could have spent those 22 years being fruitful for God’s kingdom.
No “do over” is possible; but a “do forward” is; and because of the shed blood of my Savior on the cross and my ability now to receive God’s mercy and grace into my life, I have the Holy Spirit in my heart to allow me to live a “do forward” life which reflects the truth of the verse quoted by Swindoll in today’s devotional. It is Psalm 103: 12, which you need to read slowly and joyfully, assuming that you also have received Christ as your Savior and Lord. It goes, "As far as the east is from the west, so far He has removed our transgressions from us.” … Go ahead, read it again; and do I sense a resounding, “Thank You, Lord!”
It is so wonderful now to live under the truth of passages like 1st John 1: 9, which tells me that I can keep short accounts of confession with my Lord and be cleansed for my sins; or under the powerful reality of a 1st Cor. 10: 13, telling me that God, the Holy Spirit, Who now resides in my heart forever, will never allow me to go into or be in a situation that I cannot expect Him to lead me through. But still, like Moses, I must realize that we have a carnal nature, which is deceitful (see Jer. 17: 9) and subject to momentary lapses of sinfulness; and when/if we do sin, though we can be cleansed by Christ’s finished sacrifice, we will have to live with the human, temporal outcomes of our sin. Moses did; and so will we.
However, there’s no reason why we cannot live our lives under Paul’s written edict to move forward, as God wrote about through Paul’s epistle in Phil. 3: 13-14 [linked for you here]. Don’t you just love the truth of that verse, … that I can look forward to the prize of the next life; and I can live my entire life, here as long as God gives me to live, moving forward as a witness for Christ with His Spirit in my heart to give me the strength from His enabling grace to do so (see Acts 1: 8 and 2nd Cor. 12: 9 - I hope you have those two memorized!).
This, my reader friend, is a “HALLELUJAH!” moment!
My Prayer for Today: Yes, dear Lord, I do declare loudly in my soul, HALLELUJAH! Amen
Friday, April 03, 2009
2009 – Day 92.Apr. 3 – Anger’s Bitter Fruit
2009 – Day 92.Apr. 3 – Anger’s Bitter Fruit
Passage of the Day: Numbers 20: 1 - 13 … Link to study today’s passage ...
My Journal for Today: The primary message of today’s passage is twofold. First there is a message about God’s grace, which is truly amazing grace even when we don’t deserve it. Then there is the red flag warning about the danger of giving in to anger, which can lead to sin; and sin always has consequences.
In Numbers 20 we read how the people were grumbling to Moses and Aaron – AGAIN – about their lack of water, thinking – in their unfaithfulness – that God was going to let them die in the wilderness . What a short memory these people had, letting their privation and circumstances overwhelm their memory of how God had delivered them over and over again in their trek through the desert. And Moses apparently had had about all he could take of this disbelief; and after God had given Moses the instructions as to how to bring water to the people to meet their needs, Moses let his anger boil over; and he railed against God’s thirsty children, also showing distrust of God as he struck the rock, not once, but twice, in anger bringing forth the water. And Swindoll points out that Moses actually may have been surprised that the water came forth, possibly thinking that the people deserved their dry throats in their disbelief. But God’s grace poured forth in spite of Moses’ angry tirade. The water was provided
And notice that the water came forth in spite of Moses’ angry and sinful outburst. God’s people truly did need the water; and their merciful God provided water for them – in ABUNDANCE. But the water came even as Moses, God’s anointed deliverer, disobeyed God. And we know from reading forward that sin, especially from those who are God’s anointed leaders, always has consequences. And much later in his life, we read in Deut. 34: 1-3 [link provided] that God took Moses up to Mt. Nebo to see the Promised Land where this now elderly leader was never allowed to enter because of the sin committed in the scenario we read today.
Have you ever sinned against God; and He was merciful and brought you grace to move forward in life? I certainly have. But sin always has consequences; and those consequences may not show themselves until much later in life. King David experienced the death of a son, the son of his sin of passion with Bathsheba. The death occurred years after sin; but we know that it was a consequence of the sin. Moses struck the rock in anger, disobeying God; and it was years later that the consequences for that brief outburst of sin were felt in the life of Moses.
I hope we get the message; because our sin will leave its mark on our lives – even if God is merciful and provides us with His grace to move onward in life.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord; thank You for your mercy in my life; and I accept any of life which I have brought about because of my past sin. Amen
Passage of the Day: Numbers 20: 1 - 13 … Link to study today’s passage ...
My Journal for Today: The primary message of today’s passage is twofold. First there is a message about God’s grace, which is truly amazing grace even when we don’t deserve it. Then there is the red flag warning about the danger of giving in to anger, which can lead to sin; and sin always has consequences.
In Numbers 20 we read how the people were grumbling to Moses and Aaron – AGAIN – about their lack of water, thinking – in their unfaithfulness – that God was going to let them die in the wilderness . What a short memory these people had, letting their privation and circumstances overwhelm their memory of how God had delivered them over and over again in their trek through the desert. And Moses apparently had had about all he could take of this disbelief; and after God had given Moses the instructions as to how to bring water to the people to meet their needs, Moses let his anger boil over; and he railed against God’s thirsty children, also showing distrust of God as he struck the rock, not once, but twice, in anger bringing forth the water. And Swindoll points out that Moses actually may have been surprised that the water came forth, possibly thinking that the people deserved their dry throats in their disbelief. But God’s grace poured forth in spite of Moses’ angry tirade. The water was provided
And notice that the water came forth in spite of Moses’ angry and sinful outburst. God’s people truly did need the water; and their merciful God provided water for them – in ABUNDANCE. But the water came even as Moses, God’s anointed deliverer, disobeyed God. And we know from reading forward that sin, especially from those who are God’s anointed leaders, always has consequences. And much later in his life, we read in Deut. 34: 1-3 [link provided] that God took Moses up to Mt. Nebo to see the Promised Land where this now elderly leader was never allowed to enter because of the sin committed in the scenario we read today.
Have you ever sinned against God; and He was merciful and brought you grace to move forward in life? I certainly have. But sin always has consequences; and those consequences may not show themselves until much later in life. King David experienced the death of a son, the son of his sin of passion with Bathsheba. The death occurred years after sin; but we know that it was a consequence of the sin. Moses struck the rock in anger, disobeying God; and it was years later that the consequences for that brief outburst of sin were felt in the life of Moses.
I hope we get the message; because our sin will leave its mark on our lives – even if God is merciful and provides us with His grace to move onward in life.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord; thank You for your mercy in my life; and I accept any of life which I have brought about because of my past sin. Amen
Thursday, April 02, 2009
2009 – Day 91.Apr. 2 – Not Indispensable
2009 – Day 91.Apr. 2 – Not Indispensable
Passage of the Day: Numbers 11: 24 – 30 … 24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. 25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again.26 But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, “Moses my lord, forbid them!” 29 Then Moses said to him, “Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!” 30 And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
My Journal for Today: Do you sometimes get the feeling that you’re hot stuff?! For the past few days here in Memphis, TN, the University of Memphis basketball coach has been hearing that he is indispensible to basketball success at the U. of M. And at the University of Kentucky where he has been recruited to go and serve, he’s been reading in the papers that he’s their savior, coming there to resurrect a dying program. Hey, Coach Cal, it’s all an April Fool’s joke; you’re not as hot as you might think you are!
Maybe you’ve been in a place where you felt like the program you’re leading, the ministry where you served, or the job you hold could not do it’s work without you. I confess that this has crossed my mind as I do the work of Battle Plan Ministry where God brought me to get the ministry started and to carry it on in Christ’s Name. And therein lies the answer to all of this pridefulness. No basketball coach is indispensible. No ministry leader is irreplaceable. There is only one indispensable, irreplaceable One; and He is Jesus Christ.
Hey Bill Berry; get it straight. If BattlePlan Ministries is God’s design; and it is for His glory, He can and will replace the leader whenever He needs to (Hey, Bill; that’s you!); and He may even pick a better leader. I got a kick out of the fact that Joshua was one of the two younger men who were jealous for Moses’ role as prophet in today’s passage; and it was Joshua who would one day be selected to become the prophet leader of God’s people when Moses died.
So, if you think you’re hot stuff, my dear reader; … DON’T! Christ is the only hot One; and He is totally indispensable as the Lord of lords and the King of kings. He and only He can lead us where we need to go; and only He can save us – as He has already done – from our base nature, … from our sinfulness. So, I stand convicted. There will be another one someday who will replace me at the helm of leadership in BattlePlan Ministries; and my family will grow and move on even without its dad and granddad. God leads BattlePlan Ministries; and God leads the Berry Patch as well.
And so, I yield to Him in all things and at all times.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are all things at all times to me. Have mercy on my pridefulness. Help me to remain humble before your throne of grace. Amen
Passage of the Day: Numbers 11: 24 – 30 … 24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. 25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again.26 But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, “Moses my lord, forbid them!” 29 Then Moses said to him, “Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!” 30 And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
My Journal for Today: Do you sometimes get the feeling that you’re hot stuff?! For the past few days here in Memphis, TN, the University of Memphis basketball coach has been hearing that he is indispensible to basketball success at the U. of M. And at the University of Kentucky where he has been recruited to go and serve, he’s been reading in the papers that he’s their savior, coming there to resurrect a dying program. Hey, Coach Cal, it’s all an April Fool’s joke; you’re not as hot as you might think you are!
Maybe you’ve been in a place where you felt like the program you’re leading, the ministry where you served, or the job you hold could not do it’s work without you. I confess that this has crossed my mind as I do the work of Battle Plan Ministry where God brought me to get the ministry started and to carry it on in Christ’s Name. And therein lies the answer to all of this pridefulness. No basketball coach is indispensible. No ministry leader is irreplaceable. There is only one indispensable, irreplaceable One; and He is Jesus Christ.
Hey Bill Berry; get it straight. If BattlePlan Ministries is God’s design; and it is for His glory, He can and will replace the leader whenever He needs to (Hey, Bill; that’s you!); and He may even pick a better leader. I got a kick out of the fact that Joshua was one of the two younger men who were jealous for Moses’ role as prophet in today’s passage; and it was Joshua who would one day be selected to become the prophet leader of God’s people when Moses died.
So, if you think you’re hot stuff, my dear reader; … DON’T! Christ is the only hot One; and He is totally indispensable as the Lord of lords and the King of kings. He and only He can lead us where we need to go; and only He can save us – as He has already done – from our base nature, … from our sinfulness. So, I stand convicted. There will be another one someday who will replace me at the helm of leadership in BattlePlan Ministries; and my family will grow and move on even without its dad and granddad. God leads BattlePlan Ministries; and God leads the Berry Patch as well.
And so, I yield to Him in all things and at all times.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are all things at all times to me. Have mercy on my pridefulness. Help me to remain humble before your throne of grace. Amen
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
2009 – Day 90.Apr. 1 – Doing Time
April, 2009 Topic: Moses … Continued from March 31, 2009
Blogger Bill’s Note: We continue in the life of Moses as I move from March to April. If you want to read or review the journal entries concerning Moses for March, 2009, the reader can do so at this website … <’BB><
==================
2009 – Day 90.Apr. 1 – Doing Time
Passage of the Day: Exodus 24: 12; 25: 1 – 9 … Link to Exod. 24 – 25 …
My Journal for Today: New month, … same study extended. And today – on April Fool’s Day - we see Moses extended way out of his comfort zone, going up the mountain to be with God and to receive His Holy, WRITTEN word. This was HUGE! … not just for Moses … but for mankind. And in many respects the motivation for God’s command to Moses is much the same as it is for you and me today on this day when we really ought to see just how foolish we can be in the presence of the God of Moses.
God wanted to give His children (think of it as you and me), His very character, defined and written for them to follow; and He wanted to dwell with them. Hence, God Himself gives, through Moses, His own word, written for the people to read and follow forever. Then He gives instructions for the Tabernacle where He could dwell with the people in His own special way. And what a picture this is of what the Lord has given us.
But we have His word in a much more elaborate and clearly defined package – the Bible. And we have “The Tabernacle” in Christ, Who now can – and does for the reborn Christian – dwell in the hearts of mankind. Who could ever refuse such a deal; but as we know from reading on ahead in the Moses account, those people became April fools – bigtime! The Hebrews, whom we read of yesterday, were declaring that they would obey and follow God anywhere and everywhere turned into the same people who would – in a very short time – reject God and begin building a golden calf at the base of the very mountain where God was dealing with Moses. … And flashing forward centuries, we see the same short-memory mentality where the people cried “Hallelujah, Messiah!” when Jesus entered the gates of the Temple during his Passion; and then, just a few days later, these April Fools were railing “Crucify Him!”
Swindoll makes some probing observations about how we are doing our time as Christians. He writes, “How many of us take a course in prayer but rarely pray; or we learn the techniques of evangelism but seldom share our faith?” And if you’re reading this, as I am, how many of you are feeling the barbs of conviction right about now?
Last night I shared with a group of men from the ministry I’ve been called to lead; and I told them that we are no different than the Hebrews who were at the foot of that mountain when Moses went up to be with God; and we are no different than the mob which crucified our Savior. We will worship our God with our lives as living sacrifices to the degree we know and see God. If we see ourselves as big and God small, we will serve self. But if, as Moses was getting the picture of God, we see our Lord as big – no, I mean really HUGE! – we will obey Him and serve Him with a life of worship and service He commands … and He deserves.
As I’ve said many times in my devotionals … the more clearly we see and know the God of Mount Sinai and the God Who died for us on the cross, the more readily we will obey and serve the real God. But when we see other things in our life, including our selves, as bigger than God, we will tend to serve them and turn aside from “doing time” for God. I pray that we all get to know God for Whom He is. We are loved by a REALLY BIG GOD; and I go on to pray that I’ll always be in awe of the God Who has given me His word so that I can live and serve Him with the reverence He deserves.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are God and I am not! Amen
Blogger Bill’s Note: We continue in the life of Moses as I move from March to April. If you want to read or review the journal entries concerning Moses for March, 2009, the reader can do so at this website … <’BB><
==================
2009 – Day 90.Apr. 1 – Doing Time
Passage of the Day: Exodus 24: 12; 25: 1 – 9 … Link to Exod. 24 – 25 …
My Journal for Today: New month, … same study extended. And today – on April Fool’s Day - we see Moses extended way out of his comfort zone, going up the mountain to be with God and to receive His Holy, WRITTEN word. This was HUGE! … not just for Moses … but for mankind. And in many respects the motivation for God’s command to Moses is much the same as it is for you and me today on this day when we really ought to see just how foolish we can be in the presence of the God of Moses.
God wanted to give His children (think of it as you and me), His very character, defined and written for them to follow; and He wanted to dwell with them. Hence, God Himself gives, through Moses, His own word, written for the people to read and follow forever. Then He gives instructions for the Tabernacle where He could dwell with the people in His own special way. And what a picture this is of what the Lord has given us.
But we have His word in a much more elaborate and clearly defined package – the Bible. And we have “The Tabernacle” in Christ, Who now can – and does for the reborn Christian – dwell in the hearts of mankind. Who could ever refuse such a deal; but as we know from reading on ahead in the Moses account, those people became April fools – bigtime! The Hebrews, whom we read of yesterday, were declaring that they would obey and follow God anywhere and everywhere turned into the same people who would – in a very short time – reject God and begin building a golden calf at the base of the very mountain where God was dealing with Moses. … And flashing forward centuries, we see the same short-memory mentality where the people cried “Hallelujah, Messiah!” when Jesus entered the gates of the Temple during his Passion; and then, just a few days later, these April Fools were railing “Crucify Him!”
Swindoll makes some probing observations about how we are doing our time as Christians. He writes, “How many of us take a course in prayer but rarely pray; or we learn the techniques of evangelism but seldom share our faith?” And if you’re reading this, as I am, how many of you are feeling the barbs of conviction right about now?
Last night I shared with a group of men from the ministry I’ve been called to lead; and I told them that we are no different than the Hebrews who were at the foot of that mountain when Moses went up to be with God; and we are no different than the mob which crucified our Savior. We will worship our God with our lives as living sacrifices to the degree we know and see God. If we see ourselves as big and God small, we will serve self. But if, as Moses was getting the picture of God, we see our Lord as big – no, I mean really HUGE! – we will obey Him and serve Him with a life of worship and service He commands … and He deserves.
As I’ve said many times in my devotionals … the more clearly we see and know the God of Mount Sinai and the God Who died for us on the cross, the more readily we will obey and serve the real God. But when we see other things in our life, including our selves, as bigger than God, we will tend to serve them and turn aside from “doing time” for God. I pray that we all get to know God for Whom He is. We are loved by a REALLY BIG GOD; and I go on to pray that I’ll always be in awe of the God Who has given me His word so that I can live and serve Him with the reverence He deserves.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are God and I am not! Amen
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
2009 – Day 89.Mar. 31 – Written Instructions
2009 – Day 89.Mar. 31 – Written Instructions
Passage of the Day: Exodus 19: 16 – 20: 26 … Link to Exodus 19 – 20 for study …
My Journal for Today: Swindoll’s devotional for this last day of March – the 89th day of the year, still focusing on the life of Moses, emphasizes the importance of God’s WRITTEN word, noting that the passage for today begins the description of God’s primal effort to impart His written instructions – His life commands – to mankind. Swindoll leaps ahead a bit, citing Exodus 24: 12 – 13, to indicate where God imparts His intent to Moses to do just that.
And Swindoll’s point is well taken here in the Moses story … that we have a tendency to take this incredible gift – of God’s written word – for granted. … Guilty, as indicated !!!
I have at least a half dozen printed copies of God’s translated word in my possession, representing at least four different scholarly or paraphrased versions of the Bible. I can, with a few keystrokes, pull up a myriad of other versions of God’s word on the internet from this very computer right here where I sit this morning. And I can do all sorts of word or topical searches/studies involving God’s word with various software tools which I have available to me. And with all of that, I’m afraid that I – at times – take the written and Holy word of God for granted.
Swindoll tells a poignant story of a Russian man at a book convention in Moscow, in the days of the Soviet Union before the fall of Communism, who was waiting in line to get a free Bible at the meeting, the Soviets having finally allowed Bibles to be given away, … a rare instance in those days. Well, when the Bibles ran out before he could get one, the man asked for the cardboard box in which the Scriptures came. He was very disappointed that he couldn’t have a Bible; but if he couldn’t have a written text, at least he wanted to have the empty box in which they came. That’s how much he treasured and desired access to God’s written word.
We hear stories all the time about people in China, or in other places where the Bible is forbidden, passing a few pages from the Bible from one Christian to another so that they can memorize as much of the treasured Scriptures they can before they must pass them on to others. And I ask myself, “Does my ready access to God’s word take away my reverence for what God has imparted to me? It’s no wonder the early Hebrews revered the first five books of the Bible and the later copies which were passed on in scrolls from one priestly group to another. This was then – and now still is – God’s written word.
I stand convicted as I write this that I need to be humbled by the reality of the miracle I am writing about here. God has given to mankind – to me – His very word; and we New Covenant Christians have so much more of it than even His chosen people did. I simply MUST NOT take it for granted! Each morning I come here to journal my thoughts, ideas, and applications of God’s word; and I need to realize – with more intensity – just how important is this process.
Each day when I read and study from God’s word and I take my interpretations and instructions from it, GOD HIMSELF is speaking to me. Yes, GOD HIMSELF is imparting His love for me through His word. When I read the Bible, GOD HIMSELF is giving me instructions on how to live, move, and have my being. And GOD HIMSELF is telling me … from Genesis to Revelations about His Son Who came to ME, died for ME, and now is Heaven interceding for ME [see Phil. 2: 5 – 11 - link provided].
All of this is saying to me, Bill Berry, “This is infinitely important!!” And if you’re reading this, join me in saying a prayer in reverence for God’s written word.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, forgive my surface attitude about your Holy Word. Help me to take every word from the pages of my Bible to heart for my life and for my witness of Your truth. Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 19: 16 – 20: 26 … Link to Exodus 19 – 20 for study …
My Journal for Today: Swindoll’s devotional for this last day of March – the 89th day of the year, still focusing on the life of Moses, emphasizes the importance of God’s WRITTEN word, noting that the passage for today begins the description of God’s primal effort to impart His written instructions – His life commands – to mankind. Swindoll leaps ahead a bit, citing Exodus 24: 12 – 13, to indicate where God imparts His intent to Moses to do just that.
And Swindoll’s point is well taken here in the Moses story … that we have a tendency to take this incredible gift – of God’s written word – for granted. … Guilty, as indicated !!!
I have at least a half dozen printed copies of God’s translated word in my possession, representing at least four different scholarly or paraphrased versions of the Bible. I can, with a few keystrokes, pull up a myriad of other versions of God’s word on the internet from this very computer right here where I sit this morning. And I can do all sorts of word or topical searches/studies involving God’s word with various software tools which I have available to me. And with all of that, I’m afraid that I – at times – take the written and Holy word of God for granted.
Swindoll tells a poignant story of a Russian man at a book convention in Moscow, in the days of the Soviet Union before the fall of Communism, who was waiting in line to get a free Bible at the meeting, the Soviets having finally allowed Bibles to be given away, … a rare instance in those days. Well, when the Bibles ran out before he could get one, the man asked for the cardboard box in which the Scriptures came. He was very disappointed that he couldn’t have a Bible; but if he couldn’t have a written text, at least he wanted to have the empty box in which they came. That’s how much he treasured and desired access to God’s written word.
We hear stories all the time about people in China, or in other places where the Bible is forbidden, passing a few pages from the Bible from one Christian to another so that they can memorize as much of the treasured Scriptures they can before they must pass them on to others. And I ask myself, “Does my ready access to God’s word take away my reverence for what God has imparted to me? It’s no wonder the early Hebrews revered the first five books of the Bible and the later copies which were passed on in scrolls from one priestly group to another. This was then – and now still is – God’s written word.
I stand convicted as I write this that I need to be humbled by the reality of the miracle I am writing about here. God has given to mankind – to me – His very word; and we New Covenant Christians have so much more of it than even His chosen people did. I simply MUST NOT take it for granted! Each morning I come here to journal my thoughts, ideas, and applications of God’s word; and I need to realize – with more intensity – just how important is this process.
Each day when I read and study from God’s word and I take my interpretations and instructions from it, GOD HIMSELF is speaking to me. Yes, GOD HIMSELF is imparting His love for me through His word. When I read the Bible, GOD HIMSELF is giving me instructions on how to live, move, and have my being. And GOD HIMSELF is telling me … from Genesis to Revelations about His Son Who came to ME, died for ME, and now is Heaven interceding for ME [see Phil. 2: 5 – 11 - link provided].
All of this is saying to me, Bill Berry, “This is infinitely important!!” And if you’re reading this, join me in saying a prayer in reverence for God’s written word.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, forgive my surface attitude about your Holy Word. Help me to take every word from the pages of my Bible to heart for my life and for my witness of Your truth. Amen
Monday, March 30, 2009
2009 – Day 88.Mar. 30 – A Healthy Fear
2009 – Day 88.Mar. 30 – A Healthy Fear
Passage of the Day: Exodus 19: 16 - 25 …Link to Exodus 19 …
My Journal for Today: Swindoll closes his devotional this day by quoting from Psalm 119: 103 – 105; and I want to begin my journal entry with this reverent reference to God’s word …103 How sweet are Your words to my taste, … Sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 Through Your precepts I get understanding; … Therefore I hate every false way. 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Whoever the Psalmist was for this wonderful Hebrew poem really had a genuine reverence and fear of God and a love affair with His word. And that should be the attitude we Christians should have. In fact our attitude should be a reflection of what the people of God must’ve felt when Moses was called up to Mount Sinai to be with God as the Lord inhabited that place. Swindoll asks us to imagine what it must have been like as the cloud of God’s presence descended upon the top of the mountain and the ground around the encampment of the people rumbled.
But unfortunately we believers in God don’t have that kind of fear of God shining a light on our path. Remember, these people, who no doubt bowed in fear and reverence as God came upon the Mountain Moses ascended, were the same people who would, in a short time, build a golden calf to worship. No, the reality of our lives, even as believers, is that we let selfish choices creep into our conscious lives; and I agree with Swindoll that in those moments of sinfulness, we “… momentarily block out any fear of God.” Swindoll goes on to write, “A healthy fear of God will hold us in awe and do much to deter us from sin. … When we actively engage in sin, we consciously put aside what we know to be the truth about God. We deliberately suppress the knowledge of Him in our hearts and minds.”
That’s why the Psalmist of Psalm 119, proposed God’s prescription for avoiding sin, when he wrote a prayer to God, (in verses 9 - 11), ... How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my who heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments. Your word I have hidden in my heart … that I might not sin against You.” And that is why mentor used to teach me that to know God (really know Him through His word) is to love God; and when we love God, we will reverence and obey our God as we serve Him. I do pray that I will come to grow in my knowledge of my God, primarily through His word; because I want to hold on to the awe of His very Name so that I can have the humility which is needed to receive and use His enabling grace.
Again to quote Swindoll: "When you come to that understanding, and God’s light breaks into your life like the pure whitewater of a rushing river, you learn to thoroughly hate and dread those actions that will plunge you into darkness.” And to close this circle, I refer any readers here again (above) to meditate on Psalm 119: 103 – 105.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, may I never lose my awe of Your truth and the reality of your Holy Name. Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 19: 16 - 25 …Link to Exodus 19 …
My Journal for Today: Swindoll closes his devotional this day by quoting from Psalm 119: 103 – 105; and I want to begin my journal entry with this reverent reference to God’s word …103 How sweet are Your words to my taste, … Sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 Through Your precepts I get understanding; … Therefore I hate every false way. 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Whoever the Psalmist was for this wonderful Hebrew poem really had a genuine reverence and fear of God and a love affair with His word. And that should be the attitude we Christians should have. In fact our attitude should be a reflection of what the people of God must’ve felt when Moses was called up to Mount Sinai to be with God as the Lord inhabited that place. Swindoll asks us to imagine what it must have been like as the cloud of God’s presence descended upon the top of the mountain and the ground around the encampment of the people rumbled.
But unfortunately we believers in God don’t have that kind of fear of God shining a light on our path. Remember, these people, who no doubt bowed in fear and reverence as God came upon the Mountain Moses ascended, were the same people who would, in a short time, build a golden calf to worship. No, the reality of our lives, even as believers, is that we let selfish choices creep into our conscious lives; and I agree with Swindoll that in those moments of sinfulness, we “… momentarily block out any fear of God.” Swindoll goes on to write, “A healthy fear of God will hold us in awe and do much to deter us from sin. … When we actively engage in sin, we consciously put aside what we know to be the truth about God. We deliberately suppress the knowledge of Him in our hearts and minds.”
That’s why the Psalmist of Psalm 119, proposed God’s prescription for avoiding sin, when he wrote a prayer to God, (in verses 9 - 11), ... How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my who heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments. Your word I have hidden in my heart … that I might not sin against You.” And that is why mentor used to teach me that to know God (really know Him through His word) is to love God; and when we love God, we will reverence and obey our God as we serve Him. I do pray that I will come to grow in my knowledge of my God, primarily through His word; because I want to hold on to the awe of His very Name so that I can have the humility which is needed to receive and use His enabling grace.
Again to quote Swindoll: "When you come to that understanding, and God’s light breaks into your life like the pure whitewater of a rushing river, you learn to thoroughly hate and dread those actions that will plunge you into darkness.” And to close this circle, I refer any readers here again (above) to meditate on Psalm 119: 103 – 105.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, may I never lose my awe of Your truth and the reality of your Holy Name. Amen
Sunday, March 29, 2009
2009 – Day 87.Mar. 29 – A God Too Small
2009 – Day 87.Mar. 29 – A God Too Small
Passage of the Day: Exodus 19: 1 – 15 … Link to Exodus 19 …
My Journal for Today: Pastor Swindoll ends his devotional entry from Exodus 19: 1 – 15 today with two questions, which I repeat here:
>>> … What has been your concept of The Lord?
>>> … Who is your God?
These questions must be answered by today’s Christian because Swindoll posits, and I agree, that many, if not most, Christians today trivialize God, trying to make our Lord their buddy … their “papa” … the “big guy in Heaven.” As Swindoll points out, these days we’re trying to bring God down to our level, rather than bringing us up to His level. In today’s passage from Exodus 19, God made it clear, through Moses, that where He was mankind could not even walk for fear of death.
It makes me uncomfortable when I hear some of my dear Christian friends praying to “Papa God” or when contemporary praise songs sing words like, “My God, … He calls me friend.” Now, I know that God’s word [as in Romans 8: 15 - link provided] does say that we can think of our Heavenly Father as “Abba, Father,” and that does refer to a close, loving relationship of a father to a child. And Jesus did say that we could call Him friend [see John 15: 14-15 - link provided], which was Jesus’ attempt for us to be able to relate to the relationship we now have with God because of what Jesus would do for us on the cross. We no longer are God’s enemy if we receive His saving grace through the shed blood of the Lamb of God for our sins. But going back to the passage in John 15: 14 [see above link], we need to remember that we can only be His “friend” when we obey His word and live according to the will of our God. And as “a friend,” He’s not our buddy, buddy; He’s the “FRIEND”, Who is our God, … our Lord.
So, … these truths do not give us license to trivialize our relationship with the sovereign, holy God Who created the universe. Somehow, even though we can go right to our Lord’s throne of grace; and because of Jesus’ complete sacrifice to His Father, we can be with Him anywhere … anytime, we should not try to bring our Lord down to our level in our minds. He is still Jehovah, the eternal Holy One … a God to be exalted above all that we tend to make holy in our lives. We still serve a God so Holy that any concept of our Lord is exalted above any concept of self.
So, when you think of your “Abba Father,” [i.e., “Papa God”]… do think of Him as a loving Father; but don’t forget that He is also the infinite pinnacle of holiness and hates all that is sinful in our being. He is the One Who created all the billions of galaxies in our heavens. He is the Father Who gave His Son so that we could call Him “Friend.” Our God is THE WAY BIG GOD; and we must always keep that in our minds as our hearts seek after His love.
My Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, … You are my LORD! You are my God, and I’m so grateful You have made it possible, dear Jesus, to come to Your throne and worship You with my life. Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 19: 1 – 15 … Link to Exodus 19 …
My Journal for Today: Pastor Swindoll ends his devotional entry from Exodus 19: 1 – 15 today with two questions, which I repeat here:
>>> … What has been your concept of The Lord?
>>> … Who is your God?
These questions must be answered by today’s Christian because Swindoll posits, and I agree, that many, if not most, Christians today trivialize God, trying to make our Lord their buddy … their “papa” … the “big guy in Heaven.” As Swindoll points out, these days we’re trying to bring God down to our level, rather than bringing us up to His level. In today’s passage from Exodus 19, God made it clear, through Moses, that where He was mankind could not even walk for fear of death.
It makes me uncomfortable when I hear some of my dear Christian friends praying to “Papa God” or when contemporary praise songs sing words like, “My God, … He calls me friend.” Now, I know that God’s word [as in Romans 8: 15 - link provided] does say that we can think of our Heavenly Father as “Abba, Father,” and that does refer to a close, loving relationship of a father to a child. And Jesus did say that we could call Him friend [see John 15: 14-15 - link provided], which was Jesus’ attempt for us to be able to relate to the relationship we now have with God because of what Jesus would do for us on the cross. We no longer are God’s enemy if we receive His saving grace through the shed blood of the Lamb of God for our sins. But going back to the passage in John 15: 14 [see above link], we need to remember that we can only be His “friend” when we obey His word and live according to the will of our God. And as “a friend,” He’s not our buddy, buddy; He’s the “FRIEND”, Who is our God, … our Lord.
So, … these truths do not give us license to trivialize our relationship with the sovereign, holy God Who created the universe. Somehow, even though we can go right to our Lord’s throne of grace; and because of Jesus’ complete sacrifice to His Father, we can be with Him anywhere … anytime, we should not try to bring our Lord down to our level in our minds. He is still Jehovah, the eternal Holy One … a God to be exalted above all that we tend to make holy in our lives. We still serve a God so Holy that any concept of our Lord is exalted above any concept of self.
So, when you think of your “Abba Father,” [i.e., “Papa God”]… do think of Him as a loving Father; but don’t forget that He is also the infinite pinnacle of holiness and hates all that is sinful in our being. He is the One Who created all the billions of galaxies in our heavens. He is the Father Who gave His Son so that we could call Him “Friend.” Our God is THE WAY BIG GOD; and we must always keep that in our minds as our hearts seek after His love.
My Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, … You are my LORD! You are my God, and I’m so grateful You have made it possible, dear Jesus, to come to Your throne and worship You with my life. Amen
Saturday, March 28, 2009
2009 – Day 86.Mar. 28 – Delegate the Workload
2009 – Day 86.Mar. 28 – Delegate the Workload
Passage of the Day: Exodus 18: 1 – 27 … Link to Exodus 18 for your study …
My Journal for Today: Exodus teaches a powerful lesson about Godly leadership; and the main point is the willingness and vulnerability to delegate power and authority to others.
It is obvious that Moses did not have the Spirit-given gift of administration, because he was taking the burdens of all of God’s people onto his own shoulders. In today’s business world we’d call that “micro-management.” And this error in management style is an obvious sign of pride getting in the way of prudent people management. It is often the case, when power or authority rests on a leader, that such a manager will think that he/she must be in on every decision and know ALL the details which are going on in the organization. However, effective leaders, who use the “Jesus style” of management, will tell you that micro-management can kill an organization.
That’s why I believe God brought Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, to his side. Moses admired Jethro greatly from their 40 years spent in the desert together and their family relationship. And so, when Jethro called out Moses and counseled him on his need to delegate leadership to trusted co-leaders, Moses listened. And in this story we see that a leader, like Moses, who is able and/or willing to be a “servant-leader” (what I called the “Jesus-style” of leadership), the entire organization of God’s people will benefit.
Again, I repeat from a past lesson. Jesus only used two self descriptors to describe Himself; and they are “humble” [i.e., lowly of heart] and “meek” [i.e., gentle] (see Matt. 11: 29 - link provided). Those are the two hallmark character qualities needed to be a great leader; and Jesus, The Messiah, is our consummate model. Jethro recognized that Moses needed to utilize these qualities or he (Moses) was going to burn out by listening to and judging all the peoples situations and problems. So, we see a great lesson in leadership being espoused in Exodus 18. And Moses listened; and he implemented Jethro’s counsel. And God’s people were the benefit of God’s wisdom in this case.
Satan loves to maneuver Christians into thinking that we must take on every opportunity which comes along and take it upon our own shoulders. Many gifted Christians, perhaps you’re one of them, take on many, many GOOD things … to the point that they can’t do God’s BEST things well or effectively. It’s easy to let this happen; and it’s always a sign that pride is getting in the way of doing God’s will when we are not willing or able to prioritize within God’s will.
Moses learned this lesson; and God’s kingdom was the better for it. I’m blessed to have a “Jethro” in my life with the gift of administration; but she is a woman … my wife. And when my dear wife, Elly, counsels me on how I prioritize things, I listen, … having learned over the years that I have blind spots when it comes to managing my life in the context of God’s will, … especially given my roles of family leader, Church Elder, and Ministry Director. I hope you have a “Jethro” in your life if you have roles of authority or leadership which fall on your shoulders.
If you don’t, find a “Jethro” to give you advice, I’d exhort you to find one. But, … if you do, LISTEN to that God-given counselor when it comes to helping you see and act as a leader for God’s kingdom purposes.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, thank you for giving me a “Jethro” in my wife; and keep me humble and meek to listen to her. Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 18: 1 – 27 … Link to Exodus 18 for your study …
My Journal for Today: Exodus teaches a powerful lesson about Godly leadership; and the main point is the willingness and vulnerability to delegate power and authority to others.
It is obvious that Moses did not have the Spirit-given gift of administration, because he was taking the burdens of all of God’s people onto his own shoulders. In today’s business world we’d call that “micro-management.” And this error in management style is an obvious sign of pride getting in the way of prudent people management. It is often the case, when power or authority rests on a leader, that such a manager will think that he/she must be in on every decision and know ALL the details which are going on in the organization. However, effective leaders, who use the “Jesus style” of management, will tell you that micro-management can kill an organization.
That’s why I believe God brought Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, to his side. Moses admired Jethro greatly from their 40 years spent in the desert together and their family relationship. And so, when Jethro called out Moses and counseled him on his need to delegate leadership to trusted co-leaders, Moses listened. And in this story we see that a leader, like Moses, who is able and/or willing to be a “servant-leader” (what I called the “Jesus-style” of leadership), the entire organization of God’s people will benefit.
Again, I repeat from a past lesson. Jesus only used two self descriptors to describe Himself; and they are “humble” [i.e., lowly of heart] and “meek” [i.e., gentle] (see Matt. 11: 29 - link provided). Those are the two hallmark character qualities needed to be a great leader; and Jesus, The Messiah, is our consummate model. Jethro recognized that Moses needed to utilize these qualities or he (Moses) was going to burn out by listening to and judging all the peoples situations and problems. So, we see a great lesson in leadership being espoused in Exodus 18. And Moses listened; and he implemented Jethro’s counsel. And God’s people were the benefit of God’s wisdom in this case.
Satan loves to maneuver Christians into thinking that we must take on every opportunity which comes along and take it upon our own shoulders. Many gifted Christians, perhaps you’re one of them, take on many, many GOOD things … to the point that they can’t do God’s BEST things well or effectively. It’s easy to let this happen; and it’s always a sign that pride is getting in the way of doing God’s will when we are not willing or able to prioritize within God’s will.
Moses learned this lesson; and God’s kingdom was the better for it. I’m blessed to have a “Jethro” in my life with the gift of administration; but she is a woman … my wife. And when my dear wife, Elly, counsels me on how I prioritize things, I listen, … having learned over the years that I have blind spots when it comes to managing my life in the context of God’s will, … especially given my roles of family leader, Church Elder, and Ministry Director. I hope you have a “Jethro” in your life if you have roles of authority or leadership which fall on your shoulders.
If you don’t, find a “Jethro” to give you advice, I’d exhort you to find one. But, … if you do, LISTEN to that God-given counselor when it comes to helping you see and act as a leader for God’s kingdom purposes.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, thank you for giving me a “Jethro” in my wife; and keep me humble and meek to listen to her. Amen
Friday, March 27, 2009
2009 – Day 85.Mar. 27 – The Wilderness Cycle
2009 – Day 85.Mar. 27 – The Wilderness Cycle
Passage of the Day: Exodus 17: 1 – 16 … Exodus 17, linked for your study …
My Journal for Today: As I read the first portion of today’s highlight passage (Versus 1 – 7 of Exod. 17) I couldn’t help but reflect on the modern definition of “insanity;” and that is, “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” And Moses must of felt “insane” with frustration at times at times (see today's passage, v. 2) with the Hebrews wandering in the wilderness desert , … headed toward the land of Canaan, promised to Abraham; but with these people grumbling about God’s provision at every turn.
Swindoll points out that the lesson here is that our conversion and commitment to the Lord is either a dramatic thing, like the crossing of the Red Sea for the Hebrew people; … or it may be so far in our past that we have a tendency to forget its impact. Either way, in the here and now, especially when those circumstances are testing or trials and tribulations, we humans, even those who declare our allegiance to God, will have a tendency to question God or to remember only our immediate desires in the face of privation. Swindoll is right; … for some, the wilderness may be our children; … for others it may be our marriage or job relationships; … for yet others, it may be financial difficulties; … or in the case of many whom God has led me toward in ministry, it may be sexual brokenness.
But whatever our wilderness experience as God leads us through our deserts of life, we need to learn the lesson of Chuck Swindoll’s high school history teacher, Mrs. Allen, who used to say to her students, “There are two things you can do with history; you can ignore it, or you can learn from it.” That’s wise counsel, Mrs. Allen.
God’s children in the desert were not very good learners; and I’m afraid neither are most of us. We don’t remember the lessons from our past; and we live in the here and now, rather than trusting God for what He’s led us to or through from our past. Swindoll advises, “You have never lived the seven days in front of you, and you will never live them again.” We need to live the next seven days remembering the God ordained lessons from the past; but we need to live those days, trusting God that He has already gone ahead of us to set out our future [see Deut. 31: 8]. In my devotionals over the past years, I’ve repeatedly been asked, or I’ve asked in my journals, “Do we really believe the truth that God has given us in Romans 8: 28, or do we choose to ignore it as truth?”
If you’ve been a Christian for any period of time, you should know by now the truths of Romans 8: 28 or Hebrews 13: 5 or from the OT in Isaiah 41: 10 (I hope you have those verses memorized!). We either know them or we don’t. We believe them or we don’t; and we will live them, … or we won’t!
What about it fellow warrior; are we learning from our past; and are we leaving our future entrusted COMPLETELY to God? Do we stand on the truth of 1st Cor. 10: 13? I’m going to leave you to dig that passage out if you don’t know it in your heart. Meditate on it as absolute truth from God; and then join me in a covenant to learn from our past and to move forward as we’re exhorted in Phil. 3: 13 – 14 [link provided ], looking ahead for the prize God has in front of us.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to remember the past but to live my future following Your path which leads to Your prize. Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 17: 1 – 16 … Exodus 17, linked for your study …
My Journal for Today: As I read the first portion of today’s highlight passage (Versus 1 – 7 of Exod. 17) I couldn’t help but reflect on the modern definition of “insanity;” and that is, “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” And Moses must of felt “insane” with frustration at times at times (see today's passage, v. 2) with the Hebrews wandering in the wilderness desert , … headed toward the land of Canaan, promised to Abraham; but with these people grumbling about God’s provision at every turn.
Swindoll points out that the lesson here is that our conversion and commitment to the Lord is either a dramatic thing, like the crossing of the Red Sea for the Hebrew people; … or it may be so far in our past that we have a tendency to forget its impact. Either way, in the here and now, especially when those circumstances are testing or trials and tribulations, we humans, even those who declare our allegiance to God, will have a tendency to question God or to remember only our immediate desires in the face of privation. Swindoll is right; … for some, the wilderness may be our children; … for others it may be our marriage or job relationships; … for yet others, it may be financial difficulties; … or in the case of many whom God has led me toward in ministry, it may be sexual brokenness.
But whatever our wilderness experience as God leads us through our deserts of life, we need to learn the lesson of Chuck Swindoll’s high school history teacher, Mrs. Allen, who used to say to her students, “There are two things you can do with history; you can ignore it, or you can learn from it.” That’s wise counsel, Mrs. Allen.
God’s children in the desert were not very good learners; and I’m afraid neither are most of us. We don’t remember the lessons from our past; and we live in the here and now, rather than trusting God for what He’s led us to or through from our past. Swindoll advises, “You have never lived the seven days in front of you, and you will never live them again.” We need to live the next seven days remembering the God ordained lessons from the past; but we need to live those days, trusting God that He has already gone ahead of us to set out our future [see Deut. 31: 8]. In my devotionals over the past years, I’ve repeatedly been asked, or I’ve asked in my journals, “Do we really believe the truth that God has given us in Romans 8: 28, or do we choose to ignore it as truth?”
If you’ve been a Christian for any period of time, you should know by now the truths of Romans 8: 28 or Hebrews 13: 5 or from the OT in Isaiah 41: 10 (I hope you have those verses memorized!). We either know them or we don’t. We believe them or we don’t; and we will live them, … or we won’t!
What about it fellow warrior; are we learning from our past; and are we leaving our future entrusted COMPLETELY to God? Do we stand on the truth of 1st Cor. 10: 13? I’m going to leave you to dig that passage out if you don’t know it in your heart. Meditate on it as absolute truth from God; and then join me in a covenant to learn from our past and to move forward as we’re exhorted in Phil. 3: 13 – 14 [link provided ], looking ahead for the prize God has in front of us.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to remember the past but to live my future following Your path which leads to Your prize. Amen
Thursday, March 26, 2009
2009 – Day 84.Mar. 26 – The Test of Time
2009 – Day 84.Mar. 26 – The Test of Time
Passage of the Day: Exodus 16 … Link to Chapter 16 …
My Journal for Today: In Exodus 16 we read of the outset of God’s TEST OF TIME for His people. And have you ever noticed how often the number 40 is used by God when testing is involved in the lives of God’s special people. Moses had to wander 40 years in the wilderness, being tested and prepared to be God’s delivery agent for His people from Egypt. Here, in this chapter, we see (if you analyze the dates in Exod. 16: 1) that the people, who had only taken three days to find water after crossing over the Red Sea, now had to wander 40 days without food before they began grumbling to Moses about their bellies being empty. Later in the chapter we read that their journey to Canaan would take 40 years so that God could purge His people of the grumblers and complainer in this generation. And the number 40 is also highlighted when Jesus (see Matt. 4 or Luke 4) fasted for forty days/nights before He encountered Satan in the wilderness.
Yes, God’s number 40 and being “in the wilderness” are often biblical pictures of God’s preparation and purging of our souls for His glory. So, when I read Gods’ word touting the number 40 and/or His “wilderness” experiences, I pay attention; because I know God is teaching me something about my character, my needs, and His provision.
I don’t know about you who might be reading here; but I’m no different than God’s lazy people there in the wilderness with Moses. My soul begins to “grumble” when I’m deprived of food or any of the comforts of life. Actually gluttony is one of my besetting sin patterns; and God had to give me diabetes before I became serious about being thankful for what God gives me that I can eat to leave. I can see why the fasting of food became a discipline of the faith, to show God when we, His children, are serious about looking to our Lord, and only Him, for the provisions of life, whatever our needs may be. Yes, I’m one of those grumblers, who find it hard to remember, trusting God completely, that He will supply all of our needs at all times in our lives [see Phil. 4: 19].
And interestingly enough, it took exactly 40 years in my life, coming to Christ in 1983, 40 years after my birth in 1943, for me to wander in life’s wilderness of sinfulness before I became broken and surrendered to Christ as my Savior and Lord. Now, I hope I’ve gotten God’s message; and I’ll never have to wait even 40 minutes to acknowledge God’s provision is enough for any or all of my needs. My Lord is Jehovah Jireh, my everlasting provider [go to this link for a beautiful look at our Jehovah Jireh]; and He will always provide all I need at all times and in all circumstances. All I have to do is look to Him to be my provider first and always (see Matt. 6: 33).
Oh, don’t you wish that Moses’ followers had gotten that message. God even provided them with manna; and yet they wanted more and better provisions. I look at all we have in our world now, even as we are in an economic “down-turn;” and people are grumbling big time these days. And yet even the homeless can find food and water and even shelter in our welfare culture. Is God going to have to put us through 40 years of economic privation to get us to trust Him as our Provider. I sure hope not! But if that’s what it takes, as it did for the followers of Moses, then, “Lord, bring it on!”
My Prayer for Today: My Lord, I trust You for all our needs. Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 16 … Link to Chapter 16 …
My Journal for Today: In Exodus 16 we read of the outset of God’s TEST OF TIME for His people. And have you ever noticed how often the number 40 is used by God when testing is involved in the lives of God’s special people. Moses had to wander 40 years in the wilderness, being tested and prepared to be God’s delivery agent for His people from Egypt. Here, in this chapter, we see (if you analyze the dates in Exod. 16: 1) that the people, who had only taken three days to find water after crossing over the Red Sea, now had to wander 40 days without food before they began grumbling to Moses about their bellies being empty. Later in the chapter we read that their journey to Canaan would take 40 years so that God could purge His people of the grumblers and complainer in this generation. And the number 40 is also highlighted when Jesus (see Matt. 4 or Luke 4) fasted for forty days/nights before He encountered Satan in the wilderness.
Yes, God’s number 40 and being “in the wilderness” are often biblical pictures of God’s preparation and purging of our souls for His glory. So, when I read Gods’ word touting the number 40 and/or His “wilderness” experiences, I pay attention; because I know God is teaching me something about my character, my needs, and His provision.
I don’t know about you who might be reading here; but I’m no different than God’s lazy people there in the wilderness with Moses. My soul begins to “grumble” when I’m deprived of food or any of the comforts of life. Actually gluttony is one of my besetting sin patterns; and God had to give me diabetes before I became serious about being thankful for what God gives me that I can eat to leave. I can see why the fasting of food became a discipline of the faith, to show God when we, His children, are serious about looking to our Lord, and only Him, for the provisions of life, whatever our needs may be. Yes, I’m one of those grumblers, who find it hard to remember, trusting God completely, that He will supply all of our needs at all times in our lives [see Phil. 4: 19].
And interestingly enough, it took exactly 40 years in my life, coming to Christ in 1983, 40 years after my birth in 1943, for me to wander in life’s wilderness of sinfulness before I became broken and surrendered to Christ as my Savior and Lord. Now, I hope I’ve gotten God’s message; and I’ll never have to wait even 40 minutes to acknowledge God’s provision is enough for any or all of my needs. My Lord is Jehovah Jireh, my everlasting provider [go to this link for a beautiful look at our Jehovah Jireh]; and He will always provide all I need at all times and in all circumstances. All I have to do is look to Him to be my provider first and always (see Matt. 6: 33).
Oh, don’t you wish that Moses’ followers had gotten that message. God even provided them with manna; and yet they wanted more and better provisions. I look at all we have in our world now, even as we are in an economic “down-turn;” and people are grumbling big time these days. And yet even the homeless can find food and water and even shelter in our welfare culture. Is God going to have to put us through 40 years of economic privation to get us to trust Him as our Provider. I sure hope not! But if that’s what it takes, as it did for the followers of Moses, then, “Lord, bring it on!”
My Prayer for Today: My Lord, I trust You for all our needs. Amen
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
2009 – Day 83.Mar. 25 – Baby Steps
2009 – Day 83.Mar. 24 – Baby Steps
Passage of the Day: Exodus 15: 22 – 27 … 22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, 26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.
My Journal for Today: A very good point is made by Chuck Swindoll in his devotional for today from Great Days with the Great Lives. And he uses this passage from Exodus 15 to show his readers, as God is showing us through His word in today’s passage, that often God uses tough travels in the wilderness to test and grow His children.
Swindoll points out that the God Who parted the Red Sea could have taken His people quickly and easily to the land of milk and honey in Canaan; but after crossing the Sea, God led them first to a place with poisonous water, which he made sweet to show the people that God provides and they needed to be dependent on His provision. And after this lesson was taught, God gave them the promise of good health and welfare in the desert. But the test and lesson of provision had to come first.
If you’ve been reading along with me, some time ago I quoted our dear, now departed, friend, Loretta Fields, who used to say often, “First obedience; … then the blessing.” And it’s true; … we don’t learn to be obedient and humble by going through life the easy way. No, as Swindoll writes, “… our spiritual roots only grow deep when the winds around us are strong.” And if I poled all who read here, I’d bet that most, if not all, of you would recall that you grew strongest when you were put through some test of fire.
In Scripture we often read of God using a word picture of His using life circumstances to burn away the dross from the silver to make it purer or stronger (see examples in Prov. 25: 4 or Is. 1: 25). And in today’s passage we have another Old Testament picture of God testing His children, as He does us, to shape us into the image of His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. But our nature would desire the easy route and to avoid the heat, wouldn’t it? Who wants testing? “Just give us the good stuff, Lord!” That would be our sin nature talking.
But our God is actually merciful to lead us through the fire to find His bountiful blessings. We usually think of God’s “blessing” or His “grace” as being the warm-fuzzies of life. But the truth reveals that it is God’s GRACE which takes us through the fires of life to burn and purge the dross from our nature. Without the fires we would remain impure and weak. Yes, … a prayer like, “Lord, make me humble” or “God, help me to be patient” is often answered by life lessons, … tough situations, which shape our character so that we can become humble and patient, which are pre-conditions for God’s warm and fuzzy blessings.
So, as we wander through the wilderness of our lives, often feeling the heat of the desert, may we come to realize that this is God’s “blessing” of purification in our lives? He’s getting us ready for the greatest blessing of all, eternal life with our Lord in heaven; so, let’s all take one baby step after another in the desert so that we may be ready for what He has for us ahead in this life … and more importantly, … the next.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I may hesitate; … but I do pray for humility …so that You may bless me in Your way and in Your time. Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 15: 22 – 27 … 22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, 26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.
My Journal for Today: A very good point is made by Chuck Swindoll in his devotional for today from Great Days with the Great Lives. And he uses this passage from Exodus 15 to show his readers, as God is showing us through His word in today’s passage, that often God uses tough travels in the wilderness to test and grow His children.
Swindoll points out that the God Who parted the Red Sea could have taken His people quickly and easily to the land of milk and honey in Canaan; but after crossing the Sea, God led them first to a place with poisonous water, which he made sweet to show the people that God provides and they needed to be dependent on His provision. And after this lesson was taught, God gave them the promise of good health and welfare in the desert. But the test and lesson of provision had to come first.
If you’ve been reading along with me, some time ago I quoted our dear, now departed, friend, Loretta Fields, who used to say often, “First obedience; … then the blessing.” And it’s true; … we don’t learn to be obedient and humble by going through life the easy way. No, as Swindoll writes, “… our spiritual roots only grow deep when the winds around us are strong.” And if I poled all who read here, I’d bet that most, if not all, of you would recall that you grew strongest when you were put through some test of fire.
In Scripture we often read of God using a word picture of His using life circumstances to burn away the dross from the silver to make it purer or stronger (see examples in Prov. 25: 4 or Is. 1: 25). And in today’s passage we have another Old Testament picture of God testing His children, as He does us, to shape us into the image of His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. But our nature would desire the easy route and to avoid the heat, wouldn’t it? Who wants testing? “Just give us the good stuff, Lord!” That would be our sin nature talking.
But our God is actually merciful to lead us through the fire to find His bountiful blessings. We usually think of God’s “blessing” or His “grace” as being the warm-fuzzies of life. But the truth reveals that it is God’s GRACE which takes us through the fires of life to burn and purge the dross from our nature. Without the fires we would remain impure and weak. Yes, … a prayer like, “Lord, make me humble” or “God, help me to be patient” is often answered by life lessons, … tough situations, which shape our character so that we can become humble and patient, which are pre-conditions for God’s warm and fuzzy blessings.
So, as we wander through the wilderness of our lives, often feeling the heat of the desert, may we come to realize that this is God’s “blessing” of purification in our lives? He’s getting us ready for the greatest blessing of all, eternal life with our Lord in heaven; so, let’s all take one baby step after another in the desert so that we may be ready for what He has for us ahead in this life … and more importantly, … the next.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I may hesitate; … but I do pray for humility …so that You may bless me in Your way and in Your time. Amen
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
2009 – Day 82.Mar. 24 – Sing It Out!
2009 – Day 82.Mar. 24 – Sing It Out!
Passage of the Day: Exodus 14: 23 – 15: 22 … Link to Exod. 14 – 15 for study …
My Journal for Today: Interesting to read about this wondrous deliverance experience in the history of the Jewish nation as they were delivered from the Egyptian army and they launched into their journey to Canaan through the desert. First there is the elation of their freedom, even stopping to record the songs they sung in Scripture, praising God for their deliverance. And then right after the joy and exuberance of this freedom experience, they begin to encounter the realities of life as they traveled through the wilderness of the desert, …hot and dry and dangerous … but free.
Isn’t that what many Christians experience in coming to Christ? We finally come to recognize that we’re in bondage to self and sin; and we repent of that life and receive Christ as our Savior and Lord. And He frees us to be able to walk free. Perhaps we feel the elation; and Chuck Swindoll in the devotional I’m using daily even encourages his devotional readers to do what the Hebrews did, … to write songs of praise. Many would say, however, that they don’t have the ability to write a poem or a praise song to honor God for saving us. But Swindoll exhorts us to try; … or at least perhaps, we can, as I do here, refer to a song or songs which express your feelings about your salvation experience. Right now I’m thinking of some wonderful songs I hear on my Ipod as I’m doing my morning devotional, … songs like …
I Will Choose Christ … sung by Kathy Triccoli;
Jesus, You Are My Life … sung by the Maranatha Singers;
Finally Free … sung by Nichole Nordeman; … or
He’ll Do Whatever It Takes … sung by Phillips, Craig, and Dean
In fact, as I do often when I’m drafting my journal entries early in the morning, as now, I have my earphones on, listening to songs like these, … songs which remind me of what God did to save me and just how much God’s amazing grace means to me. Maybe you have wonderful praise songs which are your favorites and express your love for the God Who reached down and saved you on that Cross from your enslavement to sin and set you free to walk in freedom. Right now I’m listening to the old hymn, Fairest Lord Jesus, sung by Scott Underwood. As I listen, I’m uplifted and filled with the joy of my salvation.
But after we’re uplifted by these songs and we turn off the music, we’re stricken by the realization of our salvation in Christ. Like the Hebrews in the Exodus story, we recognize that our sanctification and walk of freedom sometimes finds us walking in the desert, alone and seeing that we’re still enslaved. However, this time we come to see that we now must choose to realize we are bond slaves to Christ. He saved us so that we can realize how dependent we are on the God who graces us to walk in freedom. Right now as I’m sitting here I’m listening to another song by Phillips, Craig, and Dean entitled, Your Grace Still Amazes Me, which sings for me my wonder at the enabling grace of God which allows me, each day, as I fall on my knees, to recognize just how amazing is God’s grace, allowing me to live in and for my Lord and Savior, Jesus.
If you’re no poet or song writer, I hope you have songs in your life, as do I, which remind us of our wondrous love relationship with the God Who saved us and the God Who sustains us. If you don’t, write some or find some. They will help you in your freedom walk, especially when you find yourself in the deserts of life, needing to remind you to sing for joy in spite of your circumstances.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, Your Grace Still Amazes Me. Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 14: 23 – 15: 22 … Link to Exod. 14 – 15 for study …
My Journal for Today: Interesting to read about this wondrous deliverance experience in the history of the Jewish nation as they were delivered from the Egyptian army and they launched into their journey to Canaan through the desert. First there is the elation of their freedom, even stopping to record the songs they sung in Scripture, praising God for their deliverance. And then right after the joy and exuberance of this freedom experience, they begin to encounter the realities of life as they traveled through the wilderness of the desert, …hot and dry and dangerous … but free.
Isn’t that what many Christians experience in coming to Christ? We finally come to recognize that we’re in bondage to self and sin; and we repent of that life and receive Christ as our Savior and Lord. And He frees us to be able to walk free. Perhaps we feel the elation; and Chuck Swindoll in the devotional I’m using daily even encourages his devotional readers to do what the Hebrews did, … to write songs of praise. Many would say, however, that they don’t have the ability to write a poem or a praise song to honor God for saving us. But Swindoll exhorts us to try; … or at least perhaps, we can, as I do here, refer to a song or songs which express your feelings about your salvation experience. Right now I’m thinking of some wonderful songs I hear on my Ipod as I’m doing my morning devotional, … songs like …
I Will Choose Christ … sung by Kathy Triccoli;
Jesus, You Are My Life … sung by the Maranatha Singers;
Finally Free … sung by Nichole Nordeman; … or
He’ll Do Whatever It Takes … sung by Phillips, Craig, and Dean
In fact, as I do often when I’m drafting my journal entries early in the morning, as now, I have my earphones on, listening to songs like these, … songs which remind me of what God did to save me and just how much God’s amazing grace means to me. Maybe you have wonderful praise songs which are your favorites and express your love for the God Who reached down and saved you on that Cross from your enslavement to sin and set you free to walk in freedom. Right now I’m listening to the old hymn, Fairest Lord Jesus, sung by Scott Underwood. As I listen, I’m uplifted and filled with the joy of my salvation.
But after we’re uplifted by these songs and we turn off the music, we’re stricken by the realization of our salvation in Christ. Like the Hebrews in the Exodus story, we recognize that our sanctification and walk of freedom sometimes finds us walking in the desert, alone and seeing that we’re still enslaved. However, this time we come to see that we now must choose to realize we are bond slaves to Christ. He saved us so that we can realize how dependent we are on the God who graces us to walk in freedom. Right now as I’m sitting here I’m listening to another song by Phillips, Craig, and Dean entitled, Your Grace Still Amazes Me, which sings for me my wonder at the enabling grace of God which allows me, each day, as I fall on my knees, to recognize just how amazing is God’s grace, allowing me to live in and for my Lord and Savior, Jesus.
If you’re no poet or song writer, I hope you have songs in your life, as do I, which remind us of our wondrous love relationship with the God Who saved us and the God Who sustains us. If you don’t, write some or find some. They will help you in your freedom walk, especially when you find yourself in the deserts of life, needing to remind you to sing for joy in spite of your circumstances.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, Your Grace Still Amazes Me. Amen
Monday, March 23, 2009
2009 – Day 81.Mar. 23 – Highway to the Promised Land
2009 – Day 81.Mar. 23 – Highway to the Promised Land
Passage of the Day: Exodus 14: 15 – 22 … Link to today’s passage …
My Journal for Today: As I read today’s passage where God begins to unfold His plan of deliverance for Moses and His people trapped against the sea with Pharaoh’s forces bearing down, I can’t help separate my mind from the old, famous Cecil B. DeMille movie with Charlton Heston standing against the sea, holding his staff up for the waters to part. Actually, as we read in Exodus, God took His sweet time pulling off this incredible show of power, which wasn’t so sweet for the people. I’m sure there was a whole lot of nail biting going on as the people thought they were about to be slaughtered by the Egyptians. Those children were up against it; and they didn’t know that they were about to see God open up the road to the Promised Land right through the middle of the Red Sea.
As Swindoll points out, even Hollywood can’t upstage God. When God does a deliverance, He does it so that only He can get the credits. And that’s what we see here; and perhaps you can identify with those poor Hebrews who were up against it. Swindoll gives us a couple of examples in his devotional for today. Perhaps you’re a single mom who’s been abandoned; and you don’t know how you’re going to feed the kids. Perhaps you’re a young father who’s trying so hard to make a living that you can’t make a life. Perhaps … well, you know what you’re story is like, being so up against life that you just can’t see how things could be any worse.
Well, you’re right in the place where God can do a parting of the seas for you. But maybe you’ve been there and you’ve seen God come through with His deliverance miracle. I certainly was there … back in 1983, totally broken and needing a deliverance miracle. And I didn’t even believe in God until He showed up and did some stuff I simply could not deny was a “God thing!” I won’t retell the story here; but on April 13, 1983 God parted my Red Sea; and I simply had to walk through and follow Him to the Promised Land. And like it was for the Hebrew nation, the road to God’s promises has not be easy; but He’s been there all along the way, making the way for me, leading me with His version of the cloud/fire signs … for me.
Dear one, I hope you’ve got a Red Sea story; or maybe you’re in a place where you need one. Perhaps you’ve got some sin stronghold which you know must be set aside; but it’s going to take a deliverance miracle to bring it about. Well, if God can part the Red Sea for the Jews, He can lead you to the Promised Land of freedom from sin. He made the way on that Cross for you; and the Deliverer awaits your surrender to show you the way to the land of freedom.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I pray for any who need to follow You out of the wilderness of death to the calm waters of life where You reside. Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 14: 15 – 22 … Link to today’s passage …
My Journal for Today: As I read today’s passage where God begins to unfold His plan of deliverance for Moses and His people trapped against the sea with Pharaoh’s forces bearing down, I can’t help separate my mind from the old, famous Cecil B. DeMille movie with Charlton Heston standing against the sea, holding his staff up for the waters to part. Actually, as we read in Exodus, God took His sweet time pulling off this incredible show of power, which wasn’t so sweet for the people. I’m sure there was a whole lot of nail biting going on as the people thought they were about to be slaughtered by the Egyptians. Those children were up against it; and they didn’t know that they were about to see God open up the road to the Promised Land right through the middle of the Red Sea.
As Swindoll points out, even Hollywood can’t upstage God. When God does a deliverance, He does it so that only He can get the credits. And that’s what we see here; and perhaps you can identify with those poor Hebrews who were up against it. Swindoll gives us a couple of examples in his devotional for today. Perhaps you’re a single mom who’s been abandoned; and you don’t know how you’re going to feed the kids. Perhaps you’re a young father who’s trying so hard to make a living that you can’t make a life. Perhaps … well, you know what you’re story is like, being so up against life that you just can’t see how things could be any worse.
Well, you’re right in the place where God can do a parting of the seas for you. But maybe you’ve been there and you’ve seen God come through with His deliverance miracle. I certainly was there … back in 1983, totally broken and needing a deliverance miracle. And I didn’t even believe in God until He showed up and did some stuff I simply could not deny was a “God thing!” I won’t retell the story here; but on April 13, 1983 God parted my Red Sea; and I simply had to walk through and follow Him to the Promised Land. And like it was for the Hebrew nation, the road to God’s promises has not be easy; but He’s been there all along the way, making the way for me, leading me with His version of the cloud/fire signs … for me.
Dear one, I hope you’ve got a Red Sea story; or maybe you’re in a place where you need one. Perhaps you’ve got some sin stronghold which you know must be set aside; but it’s going to take a deliverance miracle to bring it about. Well, if God can part the Red Sea for the Jews, He can lead you to the Promised Land of freedom from sin. He made the way on that Cross for you; and the Deliverer awaits your surrender to show you the way to the land of freedom.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I pray for any who need to follow You out of the wilderness of death to the calm waters of life where You reside. Amen
Sunday, March 22, 2009
2009 – Day 80.Mar. 22 – “Do Not Fear!”
2009 – Day 80.Mar. 22 – “Do Not Fear!”
Passage of the Day: Exodus 12: 31 – 14: 14 … Exodus 12 – 14 for your reading of today’s passage …
My Journal for Today: Have you ever felt yourself in a tight predicament? Maybe you felt like you were led into a cul-de-sac; and you felt helpless? Well, what’s the normal, human reaction in such a situation? Well, … Swindoll writes that the normal human reaction is generally to show our fear by either running or fighting; and we will usually also find the person who feels threatened pointing a finger of blame at someone, usually a leader, and squawking their complaints loudly. And that was exactly what happened in the scenario from today’s passage from Exodus.
The Jews had been led to a place where they were facing the Red Sea, and the chariots of Egypt with an angry army were at their backs with the intent of killing them all. They wanted to run in fear; but there was no place to run. They would fight in their fear; but they had no weapons to match the Egyptian army. So, they yelled their fear-driven complaints at Moses. And Moses then gave them God’s prescription for handling predicaments like the one they were in.
In essence, Moses told the people something outlandish. He told them to stand be quiet and watch the Lord do His thing. And we know the story. God did just that; but you can imagine the human feeling, having been led into that predicament by Moses, who was speaking for God. I think we all get to places in our lives, when we feel that God has led us into something we can’t handle. Most of those times, however, it is not God who has led us into the predicament. We put ourselves there; and then we express our fear and anger by blaming someone in authority or at God Himself.
But as I do often, I invoke the claims of God, which I’ve burned into my heart from passages like Romans 8: 28, 31 or Phil. 4: 13, or also from Paul in 1st Cor. 10: 13 or 2nd Cor. 12: 9, or from the OT in Isaiah 41; 10. All of these Scripture passages [good ones to memorize], as well as the lessons from today’s passage, help us realize that God does His best work when we helpless humans believe that His grace is sufficient and that His power to help us can deal with any predicament in which we find ourselves. But we’ve got to believe that God is the helper of the helpless; and we’ve got to stand in faith, BE QUIET, and wait on God to lift us up when our backs are against the wall. Not easy to do; but necessary!
The Hebrews were led by God to this frightening place; and Moses showed them something we still talk about to this day. It was a lesson in faith over fear that we must believe and live, or we are forced to run and fight on our own. Personally, I think it best to trust that God cares enough for me (amazing as that truth is!) and that He will watch over me in any predicament.
My Prayer for Today: You led me here, Lord! I stand in faith, waiting on Your deliverance. Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 12: 31 – 14: 14 … Exodus 12 – 14 for your reading of today’s passage …
My Journal for Today: Have you ever felt yourself in a tight predicament? Maybe you felt like you were led into a cul-de-sac; and you felt helpless? Well, what’s the normal, human reaction in such a situation? Well, … Swindoll writes that the normal human reaction is generally to show our fear by either running or fighting; and we will usually also find the person who feels threatened pointing a finger of blame at someone, usually a leader, and squawking their complaints loudly. And that was exactly what happened in the scenario from today’s passage from Exodus.
The Jews had been led to a place where they were facing the Red Sea, and the chariots of Egypt with an angry army were at their backs with the intent of killing them all. They wanted to run in fear; but there was no place to run. They would fight in their fear; but they had no weapons to match the Egyptian army. So, they yelled their fear-driven complaints at Moses. And Moses then gave them God’s prescription for handling predicaments like the one they were in.
In essence, Moses told the people something outlandish. He told them to stand be quiet and watch the Lord do His thing. And we know the story. God did just that; but you can imagine the human feeling, having been led into that predicament by Moses, who was speaking for God. I think we all get to places in our lives, when we feel that God has led us into something we can’t handle. Most of those times, however, it is not God who has led us into the predicament. We put ourselves there; and then we express our fear and anger by blaming someone in authority or at God Himself.
But as I do often, I invoke the claims of God, which I’ve burned into my heart from passages like Romans 8: 28, 31 or Phil. 4: 13, or also from Paul in 1st Cor. 10: 13 or 2nd Cor. 12: 9, or from the OT in Isaiah 41; 10. All of these Scripture passages [good ones to memorize], as well as the lessons from today’s passage, help us realize that God does His best work when we helpless humans believe that His grace is sufficient and that His power to help us can deal with any predicament in which we find ourselves. But we’ve got to believe that God is the helper of the helpless; and we’ve got to stand in faith, BE QUIET, and wait on God to lift us up when our backs are against the wall. Not easy to do; but necessary!
The Hebrews were led by God to this frightening place; and Moses showed them something we still talk about to this day. It was a lesson in faith over fear that we must believe and live, or we are forced to run and fight on our own. Personally, I think it best to trust that God cares enough for me (amazing as that truth is!) and that He will watch over me in any predicament.
My Prayer for Today: You led me here, Lord! I stand in faith, waiting on Your deliverance. Amen
Saturday, March 21, 2009
2009 – Day 79.Mar. 21 – Historical Joy
2009 – Day 79.Mar. 21 – Historical Joy
Passages of the Day: Exodus 12: 29 – 30 … 29 And it came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. 30 So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
Psalm 105: 26 - 38 … Link to Psalm 105 for study …
My Journal for Today: Today Chuck Swindoll focuses on the joy expressed by the elated Hebrew people as they recognized they had been passed over by the Angel of death; and they were leaving 400 years of slavery behind and heading toward the promised land of Canaan. Joy, joy, joy!!
And then Swindoll asks his devotional readers to compare that historical joy with the very personal realization of freedom when we left our chains of sin behind and walked from our slavery to self into the promised land of freedom in Christ; and I remember that day and time well. And yes, there great joy in my heart as I came to realize that this Jesus of Nazareth was THE CHRIST; and He had died for my sins, setting me free and giving me the grace to choose freedom rather than to wallow in my sinfulness. I still revel joyfully when I relive that morning when I was set free and began my walk toward the promised land of freedom in Christ.
Some of you, who read here, however, may not have had a clear time of passover and release into freedom as I did. Maybe you’ve been a Christian for as long as you remember, … maybe having come to Christ at a very young age. Maybe you’ve just come to forget the joy of being released from the prison of sinfulness and breathing freedom for the first time. I still remember that time, which was a little over 25 years ago; but Swindoll makes a good point for all Christians, whether they had a later life conversion or not. He asks us to remember that every day we can and should revel in the joy that there is more to our life than just being saved from our sinfulness.
Yes, any Christian at any time – like today – can (and should) live in joyfulness because God wants to move us even further out of our “Egypt” and away from the land of slavery to sin. Remember, fellow Christian, … God wants to lead us – everyday - toward His promised land of freedom. As Swindoll points out, God has given us a way – everyday – of celebrating joyfully the reality that we can, by His grace, choose to avoid sin and be free in Christ. Plan A for God, was salvation; but his Plan B in your life or mine is the walk to freedom which we should recognize and celebrate EVERY DAY of our lives as Christians.
So, let’s you and me join the voices of over 2,000,000 Jews at the time of the first Passover, singing God’s praises and joyfully thanking our Lord for setting us free on that Cross so that all who receive Christ as Lord and Savior can be freed from our bondage to sin; and we can march toward the promised land of freedom in Christ – FOREVER!
Yes, for sure … JOY, … JOY, … JOY !!!
My Prayer for Today: On this first day of Spring, as Your timing would have it, Lord, I walk to freedom, following You. Amen
Passages of the Day: Exodus 12: 29 – 30 … 29 And it came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. 30 So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
Psalm 105: 26 - 38 … Link to Psalm 105 for study …
My Journal for Today: Today Chuck Swindoll focuses on the joy expressed by the elated Hebrew people as they recognized they had been passed over by the Angel of death; and they were leaving 400 years of slavery behind and heading toward the promised land of Canaan. Joy, joy, joy!!
And then Swindoll asks his devotional readers to compare that historical joy with the very personal realization of freedom when we left our chains of sin behind and walked from our slavery to self into the promised land of freedom in Christ; and I remember that day and time well. And yes, there great joy in my heart as I came to realize that this Jesus of Nazareth was THE CHRIST; and He had died for my sins, setting me free and giving me the grace to choose freedom rather than to wallow in my sinfulness. I still revel joyfully when I relive that morning when I was set free and began my walk toward the promised land of freedom in Christ.
Some of you, who read here, however, may not have had a clear time of passover and release into freedom as I did. Maybe you’ve been a Christian for as long as you remember, … maybe having come to Christ at a very young age. Maybe you’ve just come to forget the joy of being released from the prison of sinfulness and breathing freedom for the first time. I still remember that time, which was a little over 25 years ago; but Swindoll makes a good point for all Christians, whether they had a later life conversion or not. He asks us to remember that every day we can and should revel in the joy that there is more to our life than just being saved from our sinfulness.
Yes, any Christian at any time – like today – can (and should) live in joyfulness because God wants to move us even further out of our “Egypt” and away from the land of slavery to sin. Remember, fellow Christian, … God wants to lead us – everyday - toward His promised land of freedom. As Swindoll points out, God has given us a way – everyday – of celebrating joyfully the reality that we can, by His grace, choose to avoid sin and be free in Christ. Plan A for God, was salvation; but his Plan B in your life or mine is the walk to freedom which we should recognize and celebrate EVERY DAY of our lives as Christians.
So, let’s you and me join the voices of over 2,000,000 Jews at the time of the first Passover, singing God’s praises and joyfully thanking our Lord for setting us free on that Cross so that all who receive Christ as Lord and Savior can be freed from our bondage to sin; and we can march toward the promised land of freedom in Christ – FOREVER!
Yes, for sure … JOY, … JOY, … JOY !!!
My Prayer for Today: On this first day of Spring, as Your timing would have it, Lord, I walk to freedom, following You. Amen
Friday, March 20, 2009
2009 – Day 78.Mar. 20 – Historical Obedience
2009 – Day 78.Mar. 20 – Historical Obedience
Passage of the Day: Exodus 12: 1 - 28 … Link to passage for study …
My Journal for Today: In today’s passage we read about the establishment of Passover. God instituted, through Moses, a feast of remembrance which was given to God’s people to highlight their need to be obedient – or die! And the people heard Moses, and as we read in verse 28 of Exodus 12, they obeyed. Pharaoh didn’t; and we know what happened. God’s people made history by escaping slavery; and Pharaoh became history with the demise of his mighty nation.
The lesson is clear. When you know God’s will, (again the Nike slogan), “Just do it!” But do we? No, in many ways we’re like Pharaoh and Egypt; or we’re like God’s people, who went on to become wanderers in the desert of disobedience. Here today, we Christians have the great advantage of having God’s compendium of truth in the Bible, which lays out for us – quite clearly as Moses did for God’s people – the truth and the way. And we even have the words and life of THE WAY and THE TRUTH in the person and recorded life of Jesus, THE CHRIST. However, we often either deny it or simple disobey it. And is it any wonder that we encounter our God rather than live a life encompassed by His blessing?
In this one instance of HISTORICAL OBEDIENCE [i.e., today’s passage], the Hebrews heard the word of God, and they obeyed. And we see that they were blessed by deliverance from their slavery. But we also know – also from history – that these same people, over and over again, had to be subjected to God’s hatred of disobedience and ungodliness; and they paid the price for disobedience over and over and over again. All one has to do is read the Book of Judges and you’ll see how repetitive disobedience incurs God’s wrath of separation, whereas man’s obedience of God’s will results in God’s blessing of His presence and His providence.
I think about this truth and I read Romans 1: 18 – 32 [link provided]; and it’s a bit scary. It’s like I’m reading a picture of the disobedience of God’s truth which we see in this world today; and I’m greatly concerned for the lives of our grand children, who may, along with the disobedient ones in today’s culture experience the wrath of God Who lifts His protective blessing over this nation (and others), allowing the horror of Satan to be visited upon the world. May God have mercy upon us?!
But I have hope in Christ; and I know that God will never forsake HIS CHILDREN. It is true that the rain falls on the obedient as well as the disobedient. But the rain of eternal death, which will befall the wicked, will never fall on the obedient and faithful in Christ. So, my mission in life is the same as that as my Lord’s, which was prophesied in Isaiah 61: 1-2 as well as voiced by our Savior in Luke 4: 18-19; and that is to do all I can to impart God’s truth to my family and this world, allowing any or all who believe and receive the truth to escape the prison of sin and to live eternally with our God.
My Prayer for Today: Help me, Lord, to know Your truth, to live by it, and to share it with all I can in my life. Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 12: 1 - 28 … Link to passage for study …
My Journal for Today: In today’s passage we read about the establishment of Passover. God instituted, through Moses, a feast of remembrance which was given to God’s people to highlight their need to be obedient – or die! And the people heard Moses, and as we read in verse 28 of Exodus 12, they obeyed. Pharaoh didn’t; and we know what happened. God’s people made history by escaping slavery; and Pharaoh became history with the demise of his mighty nation.
The lesson is clear. When you know God’s will, (again the Nike slogan), “Just do it!” But do we? No, in many ways we’re like Pharaoh and Egypt; or we’re like God’s people, who went on to become wanderers in the desert of disobedience. Here today, we Christians have the great advantage of having God’s compendium of truth in the Bible, which lays out for us – quite clearly as Moses did for God’s people – the truth and the way. And we even have the words and life of THE WAY and THE TRUTH in the person and recorded life of Jesus, THE CHRIST. However, we often either deny it or simple disobey it. And is it any wonder that we encounter our God rather than live a life encompassed by His blessing?
In this one instance of HISTORICAL OBEDIENCE [i.e., today’s passage], the Hebrews heard the word of God, and they obeyed. And we see that they were blessed by deliverance from their slavery. But we also know – also from history – that these same people, over and over again, had to be subjected to God’s hatred of disobedience and ungodliness; and they paid the price for disobedience over and over and over again. All one has to do is read the Book of Judges and you’ll see how repetitive disobedience incurs God’s wrath of separation, whereas man’s obedience of God’s will results in God’s blessing of His presence and His providence.
I think about this truth and I read Romans 1: 18 – 32 [link provided]; and it’s a bit scary. It’s like I’m reading a picture of the disobedience of God’s truth which we see in this world today; and I’m greatly concerned for the lives of our grand children, who may, along with the disobedient ones in today’s culture experience the wrath of God Who lifts His protective blessing over this nation (and others), allowing the horror of Satan to be visited upon the world. May God have mercy upon us?!
But I have hope in Christ; and I know that God will never forsake HIS CHILDREN. It is true that the rain falls on the obedient as well as the disobedient. But the rain of eternal death, which will befall the wicked, will never fall on the obedient and faithful in Christ. So, my mission in life is the same as that as my Lord’s, which was prophesied in Isaiah 61: 1-2 as well as voiced by our Savior in Luke 4: 18-19; and that is to do all I can to impart God’s truth to my family and this world, allowing any or all who believe and receive the truth to escape the prison of sin and to live eternally with our God.
My Prayer for Today: Help me, Lord, to know Your truth, to live by it, and to share it with all I can in my life. Amen
Thursday, March 19, 2009
2009 – Day 77.Mar. 19 – The Essential Ingredient
2009 – Day 77.Mar. 19 – The Essential Ingredient
Passage of the Day: Exodus 11: 1 - 10 … Link to the passage …
My Journal for Today: Earlier this month we were reading how Moses had gotten to a very low place, being rejected by Pharaoh, ridiculed by the Egyptians, and even hated by the Hebrew leaders. But though Moses had doubts about himself as God’s leader, he stuck in there and was obedient to God’s plan. And as Swindoll points out in today’s devotional entry, and reading ahead in Exodus 11 – 12, that is the main point – the essential ingredient – of success in God’s eyes … OBEDIENCE. God plans it. He wills it. We, who follow Him, do it.
At this point my memory harkens back to an old advertisement slogan from the Nike company: “Just do it!” And the slogan was referring to the effort and discipline it takes to be great in the sports world. One may have the talent of a Michael Jordan in basketball or a Tiger Woods in golf; but those two become the leaders in their field of endeavor do so because of obedience to the truth that it takes practice and discipline to be the best. Moses, as we read in today’s passage, even became esteemed to the Egyptians, … not because he did things his own way. No, it was because he stuck with God’s plan and purpose.
We receive power when we are witnesses for and with God, doing life “HIS WAY,” not our own. Swindoll quotes Proverbs 16: 7 which states that even our enemies will admire us when we do life in the center of God’s will. And that’s what had come about with Moses; but Pharaoh hated him with extreme jealousy. And those who were unwilling to do things God’s way were about to pay a horrible price. God’s plan was unfolding, even in the details of the people asking for gold and silver, which would one day be used for God’s Tabernacle in worship. And I’m sure that some of God’s people were disobedient and ignored what Moses asked them to do. But in God’s time they would not have the favor of God as would those who were obedient.
Many times in my devotionals over the years I’ve quoted a dear, departed friend of ours who had a saying that many of us called "1st Loretta 1: 1." Loretta used to say, “First obedience, … then the blessing.” And that’s what today’s devotional is all about, challenging me (and you) to ask, “Just how obedient am I in living out life in God’s way?” Other question could be asked more specifically, such as, “Am I tithing as God’s word commands (see Malachi 3: 8 - 12 and 2nd Cor. 9: 6, 7)?” Or, you might realize that we can’t ignore giving our best, using the time God gives to us for His glory by getting in and staying in God’s word (see Joshua 1: 8 and Ephesians 5: 15-16)?
In the time of Moses, all who followed Moses obediently were blessed. All who were disobedient to God’s plan, spoken through Moses and Aaron, incurred God’s horrible wrath. And, as I’ve said many times before, “We either choose to humble ourselves before our God, or He will humble us in His sight.” We choose Whom we’ll follow. God chooses the outcome.
My Prayer for Today: I choose to follow You, Lord. Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 11: 1 - 10 … Link to the passage …
My Journal for Today: Earlier this month we were reading how Moses had gotten to a very low place, being rejected by Pharaoh, ridiculed by the Egyptians, and even hated by the Hebrew leaders. But though Moses had doubts about himself as God’s leader, he stuck in there and was obedient to God’s plan. And as Swindoll points out in today’s devotional entry, and reading ahead in Exodus 11 – 12, that is the main point – the essential ingredient – of success in God’s eyes … OBEDIENCE. God plans it. He wills it. We, who follow Him, do it.
At this point my memory harkens back to an old advertisement slogan from the Nike company: “Just do it!” And the slogan was referring to the effort and discipline it takes to be great in the sports world. One may have the talent of a Michael Jordan in basketball or a Tiger Woods in golf; but those two become the leaders in their field of endeavor do so because of obedience to the truth that it takes practice and discipline to be the best. Moses, as we read in today’s passage, even became esteemed to the Egyptians, … not because he did things his own way. No, it was because he stuck with God’s plan and purpose.
We receive power when we are witnesses for and with God, doing life “HIS WAY,” not our own. Swindoll quotes Proverbs 16: 7 which states that even our enemies will admire us when we do life in the center of God’s will. And that’s what had come about with Moses; but Pharaoh hated him with extreme jealousy. And those who were unwilling to do things God’s way were about to pay a horrible price. God’s plan was unfolding, even in the details of the people asking for gold and silver, which would one day be used for God’s Tabernacle in worship. And I’m sure that some of God’s people were disobedient and ignored what Moses asked them to do. But in God’s time they would not have the favor of God as would those who were obedient.
Many times in my devotionals over the years I’ve quoted a dear, departed friend of ours who had a saying that many of us called "1st Loretta 1: 1." Loretta used to say, “First obedience, … then the blessing.” And that’s what today’s devotional is all about, challenging me (and you) to ask, “Just how obedient am I in living out life in God’s way?” Other question could be asked more specifically, such as, “Am I tithing as God’s word commands (see Malachi 3: 8 - 12 and 2nd Cor. 9: 6, 7)?” Or, you might realize that we can’t ignore giving our best, using the time God gives to us for His glory by getting in and staying in God’s word (see Joshua 1: 8 and Ephesians 5: 15-16)?
In the time of Moses, all who followed Moses obediently were blessed. All who were disobedient to God’s plan, spoken through Moses and Aaron, incurred God’s horrible wrath. And, as I’ve said many times before, “We either choose to humble ourselves before our God, or He will humble us in His sight.” We choose Whom we’ll follow. God chooses the outcome.
My Prayer for Today: I choose to follow You, Lord. Amen
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
2009 – Day 76.Mar. 18 – Plagues That Preach
2009 – Day 76.Mar. 18 – Plagues That Preach
Passage of the Day: Exodus 7 - 10 … Use this link to read these four chapters …
My Journal for Today: God’s wrath is horrible. … But God’s grace is wonderful.
Normally I write a lot each day to document what God shares with me in these devotionals. But today I think I could just share what I’ve shared in these two sentences above; and that would say it all. I’ve experienced both sides of God … His wrath and His grace. And take it from me – or from these four chapters in Exodus, you don’t want to experience the purposeful wrath of God, which He uses to break the will of the Pharaoh’s of the world. I was one of those once; and it ain’t pretty.
But on the other side of that coin, having experienced God’s wondrous saving grace and His powerful enabling grace, which is offered freely by the sacrifice of Christ, it is a “no-brainer” to choose God’s grace over His wrath. When God’s wrath comes down, as it did upon Pharaoh or upon Sodom and Gomorrah, or when the flood wiped out all but eight on earth, you don’t want to be the one where God’s plague is preaching his deliverance. Those who experience the horror of God’s wrath either become heart broken or, like Pharaoh, they become heart hardened. Take it from me; you don’t want to be either of these if God is speaking to you through tough circumstances in your life.
But dear one, this story also shows us that it’s far better to be like the enslaved Hebrews, becoming the benefactors of God’s mercy and grace because they were willing to surrender to God’s love. The truth here to hold onto is this: If you won’t humble yourself and receive God’s free offer of grace, He will humble you with His wrath.
I’ve been on both sides of that fence; and take from the former hard-head, it’s a lot better to give it up and walk free FOR God, rather than being broken BY God. So, if you’re being Pharaoh and rejecting God’s grace, … BEWARE! At some time, God is going to release His wrath in your life; and you don’t want to be the hard-head who’s been turning away from God. Just give it up now; and take the grace which is freely offered by Jesus. Allow God to free you from yourself so that you can walk free with His grace.
My Prayer for Today: I choose grace, Lord! Amen
Passage of the Day: Exodus 7 - 10 … Use this link to read these four chapters …
My Journal for Today: God’s wrath is horrible. … But God’s grace is wonderful.
Normally I write a lot each day to document what God shares with me in these devotionals. But today I think I could just share what I’ve shared in these two sentences above; and that would say it all. I’ve experienced both sides of God … His wrath and His grace. And take it from me – or from these four chapters in Exodus, you don’t want to experience the purposeful wrath of God, which He uses to break the will of the Pharaoh’s of the world. I was one of those once; and it ain’t pretty.
But on the other side of that coin, having experienced God’s wondrous saving grace and His powerful enabling grace, which is offered freely by the sacrifice of Christ, it is a “no-brainer” to choose God’s grace over His wrath. When God’s wrath comes down, as it did upon Pharaoh or upon Sodom and Gomorrah, or when the flood wiped out all but eight on earth, you don’t want to be the one where God’s plague is preaching his deliverance. Those who experience the horror of God’s wrath either become heart broken or, like Pharaoh, they become heart hardened. Take it from me; you don’t want to be either of these if God is speaking to you through tough circumstances in your life.
But dear one, this story also shows us that it’s far better to be like the enslaved Hebrews, becoming the benefactors of God’s mercy and grace because they were willing to surrender to God’s love. The truth here to hold onto is this: If you won’t humble yourself and receive God’s free offer of grace, He will humble you with His wrath.
I’ve been on both sides of that fence; and take from the former hard-head, it’s a lot better to give it up and walk free FOR God, rather than being broken BY God. So, if you’re being Pharaoh and rejecting God’s grace, … BEWARE! At some time, God is going to release His wrath in your life; and you don’t want to be the hard-head who’s been turning away from God. Just give it up now; and take the grace which is freely offered by Jesus. Allow God to free you from yourself so that you can walk free with His grace.
My Prayer for Today: I choose grace, Lord! Amen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
