Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Judges, Chapters 1-2 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Judges 1: 21-36… To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Reference Passage : Judges 1: 21 … The Benjamites, however, did not drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.
My Journal for Today: Okay, for those who’ve trekked with me chronologically through the book of Joshua, we’ve been reading of promised-land conquest. Now, we move on into a period of over 300 years of cyclical failure and redundant disobedience as I’m led into the book of Judges, the first two chapters of which I’ve linked anyone reading with me this morning.
And if you’ve ever studied the six chronicled periods of the Judges in this book, it’s not easy reading, is it? In fact it’s like God holding a crystal clear mirror of truth in front of us, saying to believers, who look into His mirror, … “See what happens when you disobey!” I hope you take the time to read through these first two chapters; and when you do, you’ll get the picture of what’s to come in the entire book. … God has laid out the promised-land from His covenant promise; and even knowing that obedience to God’s ways and His will is the price the people will have to pay for God’s provision and protection, God’s chosen ones disobey, … over and over and over and over and over and over again.
Notice I said “over” six times, because that represents the six periods of judges represented in this book of the Bible, where twelve “judges” had to be sent after each of the six periods of disobedience to give the people the leadership they would need to get back on track and follow their God.
And as I said, the book of Judges is like a mirror of truth as we redeemed sinners read it, because in the history of Judges we see ourselves and the failures of our own recurring sinfulness; and we see, almost like a series of videos, how God, the heavenly Father, never leaves nor forsakes His children, … and how His mercy and grace keeps pursuing His beloved. And ultimately as the Old Covenant yields to the New, we know of God’s ultimate rescue mission, … where He sends His Son to save us all.
And as often happens, God gives me remembrance of a song to seal His love in my quiet time. I hope you take a few minutes in reading my journal into Judges to click on this link and listen to Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing one of my favorite songs of Christian blessing and God’s loving grace.
But in future days, we’ll continue to see ourselves in the Judges mirror of truth; though I’m afraid, my dear one, it’s not going to be a pretty picture.
My Prayer Today: … LORD, thank You for staying with me. Thank You for pursuing me. Thank You for rescuing me. Thank You for saving me. Thank You for redeeming me. Amen
Showing posts with label consequences of sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label consequences of sin. Show all posts
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
March 23, 2012 … Our Commander in Chief
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Joshua, Chapters 5-8 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Reference Passage : Joshua 7: 24-26 … 24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today.” >>> Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. 26 Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from His fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.
My Journal for Today: Reading through Joshua’s Book, chapters 5-8 today, we see how God began to assert Himself on behalf of His chosen people as Joshua began to assert God’s power in taking the lands God had promised to His people. They marched across the Jordan, with miracles happening in their march; and hearing about these miracles, the Canaanites folded before them; and of course, we know the so oft repeated story of how the walled-city of Jericho fell in the wake of God’s, power, chronicled in Joshua, Chapter 6.
Then in Chapter 7 of Joshua’s book, there is the troubling story of one of the leaders of God’s people, Achan, … who, after the defeat of Jericho and against God’s specific instructions, stole some of the spoils of Jericho which, according to God’s instructions were to be thoroughly destroyed and left behind. Nothing was to be taken into the lives and culture of God’s people from the leavings when Joshua led God’s army to victory. In this way, God’s people would not be impure and involved in the covetous culture of the pagans the Israelites defeated.
The story of what happened to Achan and his family is a tough one to abide as we view our God as a loving God so full of grace and mercy. But we must never forget that, though our God truly is a God of grace, He is also a God Who is jealous of His holiness; and the Lord will not abide anything which defiles that holiness. Note that the effects of Achan’s sin, which was felt by an entire nation. Achan’s sin even dampened the power of God’s army in going up against the men of Ai; and Joshua’s army sustained a temporary set-back against these Canaanites until the sins of Achan could be eradicated from the midst of the Israelites.
Sometimes, we underestimate the effects of what can seem like such a momentary and minor-league lapse into sin; and then, in dealing with the after-effects of the sin, we come to realize that no sin against God, … no disobedience of His will, … no transgression of God’s word is unimportant or trivial. And do not be surprised if the ramifications of one’s sin can overflow into carnal damage involving one’s entire family – as was the case with the stoning of Achan’s family along with his own punishment.
The overflow circumstances from sin can be devastating; and I have seen that in the ministry I lead where men, who “dabble” in sexual sin, when it’s uncovered, will often see their marriage severely damaged, their ability to parent dampened significantly, and often irreparable damage sustained in leading God’s ministries/missions. Cases like Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard, and others are more modern, Achan-like, stories where one’s short-term, selfish, sexual sin has enormous consequences for God’s people and a crippling effect upon the family of the sin-tarnished Christian leader.
I hope we all read and internalize these chapters, and especially the story of Achan, realizing that one cannot “dabble” in sin without reaping the potential whirlwind of circumstances which can result when that any sin choices which are revealed. May we all walk-the-walk of purity so that we can march toward the promised-land in the strength of a purified relationship with our Lord.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, that is my prayer today. Amen
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Highlight Reference Passage : Joshua 7: 24-26 … 24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today.” >>> Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. 26 Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from His fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.
My Journal for Today: Reading through Joshua’s Book, chapters 5-8 today, we see how God began to assert Himself on behalf of His chosen people as Joshua began to assert God’s power in taking the lands God had promised to His people. They marched across the Jordan, with miracles happening in their march; and hearing about these miracles, the Canaanites folded before them; and of course, we know the so oft repeated story of how the walled-city of Jericho fell in the wake of God’s, power, chronicled in Joshua, Chapter 6.
Then in Chapter 7 of Joshua’s book, there is the troubling story of one of the leaders of God’s people, Achan, … who, after the defeat of Jericho and against God’s specific instructions, stole some of the spoils of Jericho which, according to God’s instructions were to be thoroughly destroyed and left behind. Nothing was to be taken into the lives and culture of God’s people from the leavings when Joshua led God’s army to victory. In this way, God’s people would not be impure and involved in the covetous culture of the pagans the Israelites defeated.
The story of what happened to Achan and his family is a tough one to abide as we view our God as a loving God so full of grace and mercy. But we must never forget that, though our God truly is a God of grace, He is also a God Who is jealous of His holiness; and the Lord will not abide anything which defiles that holiness. Note that the effects of Achan’s sin, which was felt by an entire nation. Achan’s sin even dampened the power of God’s army in going up against the men of Ai; and Joshua’s army sustained a temporary set-back against these Canaanites until the sins of Achan could be eradicated from the midst of the Israelites.
Sometimes, we underestimate the effects of what can seem like such a momentary and minor-league lapse into sin; and then, in dealing with the after-effects of the sin, we come to realize that no sin against God, … no disobedience of His will, … no transgression of God’s word is unimportant or trivial. And do not be surprised if the ramifications of one’s sin can overflow into carnal damage involving one’s entire family – as was the case with the stoning of Achan’s family along with his own punishment.
The overflow circumstances from sin can be devastating; and I have seen that in the ministry I lead where men, who “dabble” in sexual sin, when it’s uncovered, will often see their marriage severely damaged, their ability to parent dampened significantly, and often irreparable damage sustained in leading God’s ministries/missions. Cases like Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard, and others are more modern, Achan-like, stories where one’s short-term, selfish, sexual sin has enormous consequences for God’s people and a crippling effect upon the family of the sin-tarnished Christian leader.
I hope we all read and internalize these chapters, and especially the story of Achan, realizing that one cannot “dabble” in sin without reaping the potential whirlwind of circumstances which can result when that any sin choices which are revealed. May we all walk-the-walk of purity so that we can march toward the promised-land in the strength of a purified relationship with our Lord.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, that is my prayer today. Amen
Friday, March 02, 2012
March 2, 2012 … Sin Always Has Consequences
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Numbers, Chapters 18-20 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Numbers 20: 5-12: … [A Serious Oops!!!] … 6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7 The LORD said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
9 So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”
My Journal for Today: Well, there are a number of good application points I could blog about from today’s chronological read through Numbers, Chapter 18-20. Certainly a discussion about tithing or spiritual giving and its role in supporting God’s Priesthood (see Numbers 18) would be a worthy discussion, especially since God’s people today, i.e., the Church, don’t take tithing nearly as seriously as we should.
However, it was Moses’ brief – but very significant – backslide into sinfulness, described in the highlight passage copied above, which God seemed to draw me to blogging attention this morning.
Wow! Sometimes I just have a bit of trouble understanding God’s justice. But that shouldn’t be surprising to me, should it? God is God; and I – most certainly – am not. And why would I think that I could – or should – be able to judge or understand much of what God decides to do. I know; … that’s God’s lesson from Isaiah 55: 8-9 (and if you don’t know that one, please study it with this link!). But there is one lesson from Moses’ pridefulness and sin, exhibited in the passage above which doesn’t escape me; and that is that SIN ALWAYS HAS CONSEQUENCES. And unfortunately for Moses, the consequences of his disobedience and prideful rock and water incident there in Kadesh, where the people were poised and ready to go over into the promised land, was that Moses would never get the opportunity to step into that land he had long led the people toward. All that obedience Moses exhibited, for nearly 40 years, wiped out with two pride-filled taps on a rock to give the grumbling Israelites some much needed water. Can’t you just imagine Moses, saying “Oops, Lord, my bad! Please forgive me.” And, of course God did forgive him; but the consequences of that momentary backslide had very serious outcomes.
So, … what do we learn from this truth-bearing scenario? Well, I’m strongly reminded of something I had to learn by a much longer, stronger, and very chronic bout of prideful sinfulness in my life. It was not until I was 40 years old (and the symbolic significance of that length of time does not escape me) that I set aside my chronic double life of sexual sin and was delivered – by my faith – into the loving arms of our Savior, as He became my Lord in 1983. And I believed then, as I know now, that I was (and now am) saved eternally from my past, present, and future sin. However, the consequences all those years, as I walked in prideful and hurtful sinful living, just didn’t go away in that moment of conversion. No, I came to realize that ALL sin has consequences which God uses to shape us into His own image; and sometimes, like with Moses, those consequences can be painful in this life.
So, as I sit here and meditate on the passage I’m focusing on here, … I GET IT! Sin is serious business [!] … because it is an affront to God’s holiness and His love and His grace; and we dishonor the One Who shed His blood to save us from our sin when/if we choose to sin or even when we casually participate in sinful acts. So, when we sin [and, of course, we will], we cannot expect for God to just dismiss our sin whimsically with a brush of His mercy. We need to learn from the lesson of Moses taking God’s power too casually and realize that God pays attention to our heart when we sin. Oh yes, … He will love us in an eternally forgiving manner; but He also loves us enough not to let our sin go by casually without consequences.
My Prayer Today: … Yes, Lord, I do get it; and may I always keep short accounts and come to You for your forgiving grace when I sin; … never taking my sin nature for granted and always remembering what You did in sacrifice to save me from myself. Amen
Numbers 20: 5-12: … [A Serious Oops!!!] … 6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7 The LORD said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
9 So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”
My Journal for Today: Well, there are a number of good application points I could blog about from today’s chronological read through Numbers, Chapter 18-20. Certainly a discussion about tithing or spiritual giving and its role in supporting God’s Priesthood (see Numbers 18) would be a worthy discussion, especially since God’s people today, i.e., the Church, don’t take tithing nearly as seriously as we should.
However, it was Moses’ brief – but very significant – backslide into sinfulness, described in the highlight passage copied above, which God seemed to draw me to blogging attention this morning.
Wow! Sometimes I just have a bit of trouble understanding God’s justice. But that shouldn’t be surprising to me, should it? God is God; and I – most certainly – am not. And why would I think that I could – or should – be able to judge or understand much of what God decides to do. I know; … that’s God’s lesson from Isaiah 55: 8-9 (and if you don’t know that one, please study it with this link!). But there is one lesson from Moses’ pridefulness and sin, exhibited in the passage above which doesn’t escape me; and that is that SIN ALWAYS HAS CONSEQUENCES. And unfortunately for Moses, the consequences of his disobedience and prideful rock and water incident there in Kadesh, where the people were poised and ready to go over into the promised land, was that Moses would never get the opportunity to step into that land he had long led the people toward. All that obedience Moses exhibited, for nearly 40 years, wiped out with two pride-filled taps on a rock to give the grumbling Israelites some much needed water. Can’t you just imagine Moses, saying “Oops, Lord, my bad! Please forgive me.” And, of course God did forgive him; but the consequences of that momentary backslide had very serious outcomes.
So, … what do we learn from this truth-bearing scenario? Well, I’m strongly reminded of something I had to learn by a much longer, stronger, and very chronic bout of prideful sinfulness in my life. It was not until I was 40 years old (and the symbolic significance of that length of time does not escape me) that I set aside my chronic double life of sexual sin and was delivered – by my faith – into the loving arms of our Savior, as He became my Lord in 1983. And I believed then, as I know now, that I was (and now am) saved eternally from my past, present, and future sin. However, the consequences all those years, as I walked in prideful and hurtful sinful living, just didn’t go away in that moment of conversion. No, I came to realize that ALL sin has consequences which God uses to shape us into His own image; and sometimes, like with Moses, those consequences can be painful in this life.
So, as I sit here and meditate on the passage I’m focusing on here, … I GET IT! Sin is serious business [!] … because it is an affront to God’s holiness and His love and His grace; and we dishonor the One Who shed His blood to save us from our sin when/if we choose to sin or even when we casually participate in sinful acts. So, when we sin [and, of course, we will], we cannot expect for God to just dismiss our sin whimsically with a brush of His mercy. We need to learn from the lesson of Moses taking God’s power too casually and realize that God pays attention to our heart when we sin. Oh yes, … He will love us in an eternally forgiving manner; but He also loves us enough not to let our sin go by casually without consequences.
My Prayer Today: … Yes, Lord, I do get it; and may I always keep short accounts and come to You for your forgiving grace when I sin; … never taking my sin nature for granted and always remembering what You did in sacrifice to save me from myself. Amen
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
October 5, 2011 … Children of Darkness
Passage of the Day: 1st John 1: 6 [see underlined and highlighted verse in bold] … 6 If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
My Journal for Today: I strongly believe that John MacArthur is correct (from today’s Strength for Today devotional) that we live in an age where most people will not take responsibility for their sinfulness; and I contend this includes many who claim to be “christian,” blaming societal factors or genetics for their behavioral choices. And many non-believers in our culture even claim that studying and living by a strict biblical code of conduct will damage self esteem. Hence, we see groups like the ACLU and the People for the American Way doing all they can to strip concepts like “Christ, Christianity, and/or God” from the public arena of discussion. There is even a political move in this country to codify Christian rhetoric as “hate speech,” with a desire to prosecute those who use scriptural doctrine as behavioral standards for issues such as labeling homosexuality as “sinful” or trying to protect the traditional concept of marriage of “one man married to one woman” in our society.
Yet, we read in Scripture (see Mark 2: 17) that Jesus, Himself, pronounced His mission to be a healer for those sickened by their sin and His purpose to free those imprisoned by the effects of sin (see Luke 4: 18). And if that’s Christ’s mission – to save the lost from their bondage to sin and to heal and release the believers who remain bonded to Satan’s sin call – it should be our mission [i.e., as Christians] as well … i.e., to do all we can to eradicate sinful choices from our lives and to be a channel of the Savior to the blinded non-believers who need to see the truth of Christ’s saving mission.
The Apostle John, in today’s passage, clearly points Christians who continue to walk in the darkness of the flesh by denying their sin, are missing the mark of Christ’s mission. And the Apostle further teaches his readers that only those who have been cleansed by Christ’s blood [i.e., born-again believers] will be able to walk in His light (see 1st John 1: 7).
Of course, it is true that we cannot escape our inherited sin nature (see Rom. 3: 23); and if/when we do deny it, we deceive ourselves (the natural condition written of in Jer. 17: 9 and also by John in 1st John 1: 8). And worst of all, by John’s truth [see 1st John 1: 10], when we deny our sin, we make God out to be a liar (to ourselves or to others). And this, my dear fellow Christians, is serious blasphemy and will, if uncleansed by conversion (for the lost) or confession (for believers), leads the lost to the darkest place of all – Hell – or believers to a dark place in this life where that Christian’s witness is dissipated, damaged, and/or dampened. That place is separation from Christ’s fellowship; and it’s a place of death for the lost and a place of despair for the Christian.
In meditating on this, I ask myself, “What am I doing to be cleansed and purged of the effects of sin in my life today?” And I’m driven to my knees to confess and receive Christ’s blood-bought grace.
My Prayer Today: O, Lord, help me to see clearly where I have sinned and gone astray from Your path so that I can be cleansed and enlightened to stay on track. Amen
My Journal for Today: I strongly believe that John MacArthur is correct (from today’s Strength for Today devotional) that we live in an age where most people will not take responsibility for their sinfulness; and I contend this includes many who claim to be “christian,” blaming societal factors or genetics for their behavioral choices. And many non-believers in our culture even claim that studying and living by a strict biblical code of conduct will damage self esteem. Hence, we see groups like the ACLU and the People for the American Way doing all they can to strip concepts like “Christ, Christianity, and/or God” from the public arena of discussion. There is even a political move in this country to codify Christian rhetoric as “hate speech,” with a desire to prosecute those who use scriptural doctrine as behavioral standards for issues such as labeling homosexuality as “sinful” or trying to protect the traditional concept of marriage of “one man married to one woman” in our society.
Yet, we read in Scripture (see Mark 2: 17) that Jesus, Himself, pronounced His mission to be a healer for those sickened by their sin and His purpose to free those imprisoned by the effects of sin (see Luke 4: 18). And if that’s Christ’s mission – to save the lost from their bondage to sin and to heal and release the believers who remain bonded to Satan’s sin call – it should be our mission [i.e., as Christians] as well … i.e., to do all we can to eradicate sinful choices from our lives and to be a channel of the Savior to the blinded non-believers who need to see the truth of Christ’s saving mission.
The Apostle John, in today’s passage, clearly points Christians who continue to walk in the darkness of the flesh by denying their sin, are missing the mark of Christ’s mission. And the Apostle further teaches his readers that only those who have been cleansed by Christ’s blood [i.e., born-again believers] will be able to walk in His light (see 1st John 1: 7).
Of course, it is true that we cannot escape our inherited sin nature (see Rom. 3: 23); and if/when we do deny it, we deceive ourselves (the natural condition written of in Jer. 17: 9 and also by John in 1st John 1: 8). And worst of all, by John’s truth [see 1st John 1: 10], when we deny our sin, we make God out to be a liar (to ourselves or to others). And this, my dear fellow Christians, is serious blasphemy and will, if uncleansed by conversion (for the lost) or confession (for believers), leads the lost to the darkest place of all – Hell – or believers to a dark place in this life where that Christian’s witness is dissipated, damaged, and/or dampened. That place is separation from Christ’s fellowship; and it’s a place of death for the lost and a place of despair for the Christian.
In meditating on this, I ask myself, “What am I doing to be cleansed and purged of the effects of sin in my life today?” And I’m driven to my knees to confess and receive Christ’s blood-bought grace.
My Prayer Today: O, Lord, help me to see clearly where I have sinned and gone astray from Your path so that I can be cleansed and enlightened to stay on track. Amen
Sunday, October 02, 2011
October 2, 2011 … The Plague of Plagues
Passage of the Day: Romans 7: 23 [see highlighted verse underlined in bold] … 21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
My Journal for Today: In Strength for Today on this date, John MacArthur claims, “Every TRUE (emphasis added) Christian disciple sins and yearns to be free from it.” This, I believe, is accurate; … but WHY? Well, as MacArthur also elucidates with ample reference from Scripture [in parentheses following each point, …
MacArthur points out … that … “Sin …
… PLAGUES EVERYONE (Rom. 3: 19, 23)
… Kills everyone it infects (Rom. 5: 15; Eph. 2: 11)
… Corrupts the mind/heart (Jer. 17: 9; Eph. 4: 17 – 19)
… Brings us under Satan’s control (John 8: 44; Eph. 2: 2)
… Makes us objects of God’s wrath (Eph. 2: 3)
… Robs our peace (Isaiah 48: 22)
… Yields misery (Job 5: 7; Rom. 8: 20a)
… Grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4: 30)
… Causes God not to answer prayer in our accord (1st Pet. 3: 7a; Jams. 5: 16b)
… Limits our service to God (2nd Tim. 2: 20 – 21)
… Can disqualify us for service in God’s Kingdom (1st Cor. 9: 27b)
… Renders worship unacceptable (Ps. 33: 1; Is. 1: 14)
… Causes God to withhold blessing (Jer. 5: 24 – 25)
… Robs us of all joy (Ps. 51: 12)
… Subjects us to God’s chastisement (Heb. 12: 4 – 11; Prov. 3: 11 – 12)
… Stunts our Spiritual growth (1st Cor. 10: 21)
… And above all … SIN DISHONORS GOD" (1st Cor. 6: 19 – 20).
Are these not enough reasons to motivate us as Christians to avoid sin in our lives? I would exhort you to do some meditation and study on those verses listed above; and if you do, you will come away, as I have, with a more intense hatred of the sin in your life. If for no other reasons than the first and last reasons listed above [and capitalized and underlined], we Christians should be driven to avoid sin in our choices and our lifestyle of living sacrifice and worship (see Rom. 12: 1).
Certainly, as I read and studied the above listed verses this morning, I was drawn into agreement with the Apostle Paul as he declared in Rom. 7: 24, “Wretched man (or woman) that I am?” And to think that God’s love, mercy, and grace still attend me and even pursue me as a child of God. And this little study alone shows me that there are things which I can do to avoid sin which dishonors God; and that is what we’ll be pursuing in the rest of our study this month. I sure hope you want to surrender more to God’s Spirit and join me in this quest for God’s freely given righteousness.
My Prayer Today: O Lord, You have freed me from the effects of my sin … HALLELUJAH! Amen
My Journal for Today: In Strength for Today on this date, John MacArthur claims, “Every TRUE (emphasis added) Christian disciple sins and yearns to be free from it.” This, I believe, is accurate; … but WHY? Well, as MacArthur also elucidates with ample reference from Scripture [in parentheses following each point, …
MacArthur points out … that … “Sin …
… PLAGUES EVERYONE (Rom. 3: 19, 23)
… Kills everyone it infects (Rom. 5: 15; Eph. 2: 11)
… Corrupts the mind/heart (Jer. 17: 9; Eph. 4: 17 – 19)
… Brings us under Satan’s control (John 8: 44; Eph. 2: 2)
… Makes us objects of God’s wrath (Eph. 2: 3)
… Robs our peace (Isaiah 48: 22)
… Yields misery (Job 5: 7; Rom. 8: 20a)
… Grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4: 30)
… Causes God not to answer prayer in our accord (1st Pet. 3: 7a; Jams. 5: 16b)
… Limits our service to God (2nd Tim. 2: 20 – 21)
… Can disqualify us for service in God’s Kingdom (1st Cor. 9: 27b)
… Renders worship unacceptable (Ps. 33: 1; Is. 1: 14)
… Causes God to withhold blessing (Jer. 5: 24 – 25)
… Robs us of all joy (Ps. 51: 12)
… Subjects us to God’s chastisement (Heb. 12: 4 – 11; Prov. 3: 11 – 12)
… Stunts our Spiritual growth (1st Cor. 10: 21)
… And above all … SIN DISHONORS GOD" (1st Cor. 6: 19 – 20).
Are these not enough reasons to motivate us as Christians to avoid sin in our lives? I would exhort you to do some meditation and study on those verses listed above; and if you do, you will come away, as I have, with a more intense hatred of the sin in your life. If for no other reasons than the first and last reasons listed above [and capitalized and underlined], we Christians should be driven to avoid sin in our choices and our lifestyle of living sacrifice and worship (see Rom. 12: 1).
Certainly, as I read and studied the above listed verses this morning, I was drawn into agreement with the Apostle Paul as he declared in Rom. 7: 24, “Wretched man (or woman) that I am?” And to think that God’s love, mercy, and grace still attend me and even pursue me as a child of God. And this little study alone shows me that there are things which I can do to avoid sin which dishonors God; and that is what we’ll be pursuing in the rest of our study this month. I sure hope you want to surrender more to God’s Spirit and join me in this quest for God’s freely given righteousness.
My Prayer Today: O Lord, You have freed me from the effects of my sin … HALLELUJAH! Amen
Thursday, July 29, 2010
2010 – July 29 – Beyond the Point of No Return
Study from God’s Word… Jeremiah, Chapters 10 - 12 … Passage for Reflection: Jeremiah 11: 14 … NIV Don not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when the call to me in the time of their distress.
My Journal for Today: Today’s highlight verse is a hard passage from God’s word to receive. Is there really a time when it’s too late for God to hear us; and apparently the answer is, “Yes.” As Dr. Smith points out by analogy in his devotional for today, when a parent is dealing with a recalcitrant child, there comes a time when the hand of the father is on its way to the butt of his disobedient child when no amount of last second pleading will stop that hand of loving correction.
For ancient Israel and Judah, in the times of Jeremiah, God’s people had once again turned away from God. God had to put up with years and years of repeated idolatry and whorish living from His chosen ones; and here they were again disregarding the Covenant God had made with their ancestors (and with them). And we read, in today’s Bible reading from the book of Jeremiah that God had “pulled the trigger” on their punishment; and no amount of last minute pleading was going to help. God had turned them over to a future captivity by the Babylonians; and any last minute pleas to Him were not going to stop them from learning that God was serious.
Just yesterday, I was with a group of serious Christians who gather once a month in a designated place to pray, in earnest, for our city and our land, both of which have gone the ways which can be documented in that fateful passage in Romans 1: 18 -32 [linked here for your review], which I’ve cited on a number of occasions this year. And when I review that passage, even when I’m with such like-minded and on-track Christians, praying diligently and desperately for God’s deliverance, I can’t help but think that we may be in that place when God is no longer in a listening mode; and we are about to experience our Lord lifting His hand of protection from the evils of this world to show all of mankind what it is to be without His Spirit protecting the world from the evils of the Devil and his minions.
My, oh my! That prospect is horrible to contemplate.
I’ve heard it preached and prophesied by men of God, like John MacArthur, that we may – in fact and in reality – may be in that place where the hand of the Father is already in motion and no amount of last minute pleading is going to stop our Lord from showing mankind that we cannot live without Him and we cannot be the correction which is needed to save us from ourselves.
Now that doesn’t mean that I’m going to be giving up on my pleas or my prayers, or stop gathering with others to cry out for God’s mercy. I will do that; but I’ll do it because I have hope in the scenario that God has already played out in the Person and finished work of His Son, Christ, The Messiah. And I have hope in what my God has promised will take place when The Bridegroom comes for His Bride, the Church. And finally, I believe that we, who are that remnant of believers in a perverse generation, will be protected – somehow – from the hand of God, … even if that hand will come upon our land with the lifting of protection, allowing Satan to bring his evil upon our world.
Oh, how I will continue to plead …
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, have mercy on us! Protect us. Guide us with Your light out of the darkness. Help us to walk through the valley of the shadow of death into Your loving arms. Amen
My Journal for Today: Today’s highlight verse is a hard passage from God’s word to receive. Is there really a time when it’s too late for God to hear us; and apparently the answer is, “Yes.” As Dr. Smith points out by analogy in his devotional for today, when a parent is dealing with a recalcitrant child, there comes a time when the hand of the father is on its way to the butt of his disobedient child when no amount of last second pleading will stop that hand of loving correction.
For ancient Israel and Judah, in the times of Jeremiah, God’s people had once again turned away from God. God had to put up with years and years of repeated idolatry and whorish living from His chosen ones; and here they were again disregarding the Covenant God had made with their ancestors (and with them). And we read, in today’s Bible reading from the book of Jeremiah that God had “pulled the trigger” on their punishment; and no amount of last minute pleading was going to help. God had turned them over to a future captivity by the Babylonians; and any last minute pleas to Him were not going to stop them from learning that God was serious.
Just yesterday, I was with a group of serious Christians who gather once a month in a designated place to pray, in earnest, for our city and our land, both of which have gone the ways which can be documented in that fateful passage in Romans 1: 18 -32 [linked here for your review], which I’ve cited on a number of occasions this year. And when I review that passage, even when I’m with such like-minded and on-track Christians, praying diligently and desperately for God’s deliverance, I can’t help but think that we may be in that place when God is no longer in a listening mode; and we are about to experience our Lord lifting His hand of protection from the evils of this world to show all of mankind what it is to be without His Spirit protecting the world from the evils of the Devil and his minions.
My, oh my! That prospect is horrible to contemplate.
I’ve heard it preached and prophesied by men of God, like John MacArthur, that we may – in fact and in reality – may be in that place where the hand of the Father is already in motion and no amount of last minute pleading is going to stop our Lord from showing mankind that we cannot live without Him and we cannot be the correction which is needed to save us from ourselves.
Now that doesn’t mean that I’m going to be giving up on my pleas or my prayers, or stop gathering with others to cry out for God’s mercy. I will do that; but I’ll do it because I have hope in the scenario that God has already played out in the Person and finished work of His Son, Christ, The Messiah. And I have hope in what my God has promised will take place when The Bridegroom comes for His Bride, the Church. And finally, I believe that we, who are that remnant of believers in a perverse generation, will be protected – somehow – from the hand of God, … even if that hand will come upon our land with the lifting of protection, allowing Satan to bring his evil upon our world.
Oh, how I will continue to plead …
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, have mercy on us! Protect us. Guide us with Your light out of the darkness. Help us to walk through the valley of the shadow of death into Your loving arms. Amen
Thursday, February 25, 2010
2010 – Feb. 25 – Water, Water, Everywhere
Study from God’s Word… Lev. 12: 1-8; Lev. 14: 1-32; Lev. 15: 13-15, 28-30; Num. 19: 1-22 [Num. 9: 10]; … Passage for Reflection: Lev. 14: 8a … NIV "The person to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair and bathe with water; then he will be ceremonially clean. …”
My Journal for Today: My readings for today focused on the ceremonial cleansing, such as actions or offerings, which were required by God and the Israelite Priesthood, especially when God’s people confronted certain elements of life such as childbirth, certain diseases [especially skin diseases], bodily secretions, and contact or close presence with a dead body. My devotional shepherd, Dr. Smith, had me reading about many of the Hebrew ceremonies, offerings, and actions required of the people who were confronted with some of these life challenging issues which God’s Law had laid out to help protect His people.
For example in my focus verse/passage for today, I read about how someone with a skin disease was required to be cleansed by the Priests, … first outside the camp; and then, after that ritual cleansing, he was to stay outside his own tent for seven days and be cleansed for a week with ceremonially blessed waters by the Priests until he was bodily healed and ceremoniously cleansed.
As Dr. Smith points out, many religions have ceremonial cleansing with water in their rituals; and often these rituals picture the basic sinfulness of man and the need to be cleansed from sin. Hindus actually “bath” themselves in the polluted waters of the Ganges, believing that it cleanses the soul of the one so cleansed. I’ve been to the Dome of the Rock, in Jerusalem; and I know that the Muslims entering their temple there have to be “cleansed” by a ceremonial washing before entering the Temple. And even Christ submitted Himself to the ceremonial cleansing of the waters of the Jordan River as He, being baptized by John, the Baptistizer, wanted to paint the picture of the need for man to be cleansed of sinfulness by submitting himself to the cleansing of God’s Spirit. This latter process, of course (i.e., Baptism) doesn’t save the believer who is baptized. No, it merely signifies that the person has surrendered to God, in submission to the cleansing of the blood of the Lamb of God, who shed His blood for our sins on the Cross at Calvary. And if you go back to Leviticus 14: 1-8, you’ll read how the blood of a clean dove was sacrificed by the Priest who combined that blood with the ceremonial water for cleansing of the one with the skin disease. All of these are pictures of God’s desire that we be cleansed of our sin and redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God.
When asked about the saving power of baptism, I once heard a preacher say, “That water [in the Baptismal font] doesn’t save anyone. If you haven’t surrendered your life to the Lordship of Christ when you’re baptized, you’ll come up out of the water, and all you’ll be is a wet sinner.” And that is Dr. F. LaGard Smith’s point today, as he closes his devotional entry with this application question, “If God has painted me pure in the waters of baptism, have I allowed myself to become polluted?” And it is so true that we can be made positionally holy by believing in and receiving the baptism of God’s Spirit with our faith in the atoning and finished act of Christ’s death and resurrection; but practically, our sin choices can make us as unclean as those Jews with skin diseases who needed to be ceremonially cleansed from their disease.
We need to ask ourselves if we are living out the holiness which became our right of cleansing when we were cleansed by the blood of Christ. If not, we need to be cleansed by our own personal surrender in confession to God so that we can receive His promised cleansing by His Spirit (see 1st John 1: 9 - linked) How about it? Are we keeping short accounts for our sins; and are we living out the cleansing which has been given to us by our Savior on the Cross?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to live holy because You are holy; and my only reflection of Your holiness comes in the way I make my choices and live my life. I am cleansed by the blood of the Lamb; and so, may I live cleanly to show Your presence in my life. Amen
My Journal for Today: My readings for today focused on the ceremonial cleansing, such as actions or offerings, which were required by God and the Israelite Priesthood, especially when God’s people confronted certain elements of life such as childbirth, certain diseases [especially skin diseases], bodily secretions, and contact or close presence with a dead body. My devotional shepherd, Dr. Smith, had me reading about many of the Hebrew ceremonies, offerings, and actions required of the people who were confronted with some of these life challenging issues which God’s Law had laid out to help protect His people.
For example in my focus verse/passage for today, I read about how someone with a skin disease was required to be cleansed by the Priests, … first outside the camp; and then, after that ritual cleansing, he was to stay outside his own tent for seven days and be cleansed for a week with ceremonially blessed waters by the Priests until he was bodily healed and ceremoniously cleansed.
As Dr. Smith points out, many religions have ceremonial cleansing with water in their rituals; and often these rituals picture the basic sinfulness of man and the need to be cleansed from sin. Hindus actually “bath” themselves in the polluted waters of the Ganges, believing that it cleanses the soul of the one so cleansed. I’ve been to the Dome of the Rock, in Jerusalem; and I know that the Muslims entering their temple there have to be “cleansed” by a ceremonial washing before entering the Temple. And even Christ submitted Himself to the ceremonial cleansing of the waters of the Jordan River as He, being baptized by John, the Baptistizer, wanted to paint the picture of the need for man to be cleansed of sinfulness by submitting himself to the cleansing of God’s Spirit. This latter process, of course (i.e., Baptism) doesn’t save the believer who is baptized. No, it merely signifies that the person has surrendered to God, in submission to the cleansing of the blood of the Lamb of God, who shed His blood for our sins on the Cross at Calvary. And if you go back to Leviticus 14: 1-8, you’ll read how the blood of a clean dove was sacrificed by the Priest who combined that blood with the ceremonial water for cleansing of the one with the skin disease. All of these are pictures of God’s desire that we be cleansed of our sin and redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God.
When asked about the saving power of baptism, I once heard a preacher say, “That water [in the Baptismal font] doesn’t save anyone. If you haven’t surrendered your life to the Lordship of Christ when you’re baptized, you’ll come up out of the water, and all you’ll be is a wet sinner.” And that is Dr. F. LaGard Smith’s point today, as he closes his devotional entry with this application question, “If God has painted me pure in the waters of baptism, have I allowed myself to become polluted?” And it is so true that we can be made positionally holy by believing in and receiving the baptism of God’s Spirit with our faith in the atoning and finished act of Christ’s death and resurrection; but practically, our sin choices can make us as unclean as those Jews with skin diseases who needed to be ceremonially cleansed from their disease.
We need to ask ourselves if we are living out the holiness which became our right of cleansing when we were cleansed by the blood of Christ. If not, we need to be cleansed by our own personal surrender in confession to God so that we can receive His promised cleansing by His Spirit (see 1st John 1: 9 - linked) How about it? Are we keeping short accounts for our sins; and are we living out the cleansing which has been given to us by our Savior on the Cross?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to live holy because You are holy; and my only reflection of Your holiness comes in the way I make my choices and live my life. I am cleansed by the blood of the Lamb; and so, may I live cleanly to show Your presence in my life. Amen
Friday, February 12, 2010
2010 – Day 43. Feb. 12 – In Praise of Moral Outrage
Study from Numbers 25 and 31; Passage for Reflection: Numbers 25: 7-8 … NIV 7 Now when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand; 8 and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel.
My Journal for Today: Yes, the climate of political justice in the days of Moses was different than it is today; but moral justice, God’s moral justice, never changes. And Phinehas, Aaron’s grandson and the son of the Priest of God’s people becomes a moral example, a personal picture of how we have lost our sense of moral righteousness in today’s world. Of course, in the world we live in, we cannot – and should not – take it upon ourselves to kill someone who is an outright and open sinner against God’s Name. That is not the message which, from our New Covenant we would get from THE ONE we follow, Jesus, the Christ.
As I write this, a man is being tried for murdering George Tiller, the abortionist who admittedly carried out thousands of late term abortions in Kansas City. Is this man who is on trial for killing Tiller – in a Church, no less – a modern day Phinehas? Of course not! He is murderer! And we’d get the wrong message if we took today’s passage and used it to justify the striking down of an open murderer of children like George Tiller by carrying out murder ourselves.
So, how do we interpret God’s justification of Phinehas in that day and the unjustified homicide of George Tiller today? What Godly, New Covenant lesson do we get from Phinehas’ action to apply in today’s worldly climate where sin is being glossed over and God is being mocked as he was in Moses’ day? Well, we can say that we need to have the zeal toward righteousness which Phinehas had; but we need to exercise that zeal within the model of Christlikeness which was exemplified by our Lord when He walked this earth. We cannot take a righteous and zealous hatred of sin, which we should all have in our hearts and exercise that hatred of sin by sinning grievously against our fellow human beings. That was THE message Jesus was trying to impart in the Sermon on the Mount, was it not?
But we can choose to hate sin in our own hearts with the zeal of a Phinehas; and we can, even in the codes of conduct of our present culture, do all we can to crucify the sin in our own hearts and lives and then to be a warrior against sin in our cuture. God has given us the power, through the Holy Spirit residing in our hearts as Christians, to murder sin in our lives. We can act out our anger against the open sinfulness we see in our world by not succumbing to the nonjudgmental, tolerance culture we find all around us today. We can be a Phinehas by standing up and demanding our political representatives represent BIBLICAL moral values.
I need to be asking myself and possibly you need to ask yourself these things …
... What am I doing to follow Christ as He demanded in Luke 9: 23?
... Am I being the “living sacrifice” of a 24/7 lifestyle of worship exhorted by God in Romans 12: 1-2?
... Am I showing myself to be a warrior to kill sin in myself and my culture as exhorted by Eph. 6: 10-18?
If I can answer “YES” to these questions, I think I can be a Phinehas to kill sin in my own life and to be God’s warrior against sin in my world. To that end I will set myself on God’s narrow road.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me kill the sin in me; and stand against sin in my world. Amen
My Journal for Today: Yes, the climate of political justice in the days of Moses was different than it is today; but moral justice, God’s moral justice, never changes. And Phinehas, Aaron’s grandson and the son of the Priest of God’s people becomes a moral example, a personal picture of how we have lost our sense of moral righteousness in today’s world. Of course, in the world we live in, we cannot – and should not – take it upon ourselves to kill someone who is an outright and open sinner against God’s Name. That is not the message which, from our New Covenant we would get from THE ONE we follow, Jesus, the Christ.
As I write this, a man is being tried for murdering George Tiller, the abortionist who admittedly carried out thousands of late term abortions in Kansas City. Is this man who is on trial for killing Tiller – in a Church, no less – a modern day Phinehas? Of course not! He is murderer! And we’d get the wrong message if we took today’s passage and used it to justify the striking down of an open murderer of children like George Tiller by carrying out murder ourselves.
So, how do we interpret God’s justification of Phinehas in that day and the unjustified homicide of George Tiller today? What Godly, New Covenant lesson do we get from Phinehas’ action to apply in today’s worldly climate where sin is being glossed over and God is being mocked as he was in Moses’ day? Well, we can say that we need to have the zeal toward righteousness which Phinehas had; but we need to exercise that zeal within the model of Christlikeness which was exemplified by our Lord when He walked this earth. We cannot take a righteous and zealous hatred of sin, which we should all have in our hearts and exercise that hatred of sin by sinning grievously against our fellow human beings. That was THE message Jesus was trying to impart in the Sermon on the Mount, was it not?
But we can choose to hate sin in our own hearts with the zeal of a Phinehas; and we can, even in the codes of conduct of our present culture, do all we can to crucify the sin in our own hearts and lives and then to be a warrior against sin in our cuture. God has given us the power, through the Holy Spirit residing in our hearts as Christians, to murder sin in our lives. We can act out our anger against the open sinfulness we see in our world by not succumbing to the nonjudgmental, tolerance culture we find all around us today. We can be a Phinehas by standing up and demanding our political representatives represent BIBLICAL moral values.
I need to be asking myself and possibly you need to ask yourself these things …
... What am I doing to follow Christ as He demanded in Luke 9: 23?
... Am I being the “living sacrifice” of a 24/7 lifestyle of worship exhorted by God in Romans 12: 1-2?
... Am I showing myself to be a warrior to kill sin in myself and my culture as exhorted by Eph. 6: 10-18?
If I can answer “YES” to these questions, I think I can be a Phinehas to kill sin in my own life and to be God’s warrior against sin in my world. To that end I will set myself on God’s narrow road.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me kill the sin in me; and stand against sin in my world. Amen
Friday, May 22, 2009
2009 – Day 141.May 22 – Downward Steps of Sin
2009 – Day 141.May 22 – Downward Steps of Sin
Passage of the Day: 2nd Samuel 13: 1 – 30 and 2nd Samuel 18: 24 – 33 … 2nd Samuel 13 and 18 linked for your study …
2nd Samuel 13 –
2nd Samuel 18 -
My Journal for Today: I hope you’ve digested the scriptures passages from today’s lesson, because the truth contained in this biblical scenario holds a somber reality for followers of God. And if I may summarize the bottom line with an exhortation, these passages teach us that we cannot compromise God’s precepts and principles with selfish desires. As Swindoll points out at the end of his entry for today, “God is not mocked;” and our author/teacher points out that we cannot go through life picking and choosing righteousness or sin. To compromise and choose sin will always lead to a downward spiral of circumstances, which may become overwhelming in our lives. As we read today, that was David’s plight; and prayerfully we’re learning proactive lessons from David’s life.
As David languished in the death of his sons, one at the hand of the other and the other at the hands of David’s own soldiers, it’s not difficult to imagine how David would have liked to rewind the tape of his life, desiring that he should have been off doing battle with his mighty men the night he decided to stay home and to walk over and take a peek at Bathsheba over that balcony. Or having taken the peek, we can imagine that David would have wished he had confessed his lust before God right there on the spot, repented, and left his home to go back to the battle fields.
BUT, … neither righteous course was his choice. No, David chose to act on selfish lust and then to cover his sin and then to take the life of a comrade and then to deny his own sinfulness by trying to forget it all. But God was not mocked; and David, even after confessing and repenting of his sin, paid the price for his past laziness, his pride, and his arrogance before God. And now we read where it got him.
Oh, I’ve been there and done that in my life; and it is true that we have a loving and merciful God Who can choose to forgive when we humbly repent of our sin; but do not expect that our sin will be free of any consequences. God truly will not be mocked; and THERE WILL BE consequences for sin. Therefore, I quote Swindoll’s recommendations for any who might be convicted of their sinfulness in reading this devotional entry. Swindoll writes …
>>> “Turn your life over to Him [i.e., God]. Broken and bruised, twisted and confused, just lay it out before Him. Ask Him to give you the grace and strength to face the consequences realistically and straight on.”
And then I would add, … we must honestly and forthrightly confess everything to God; and pray for His mercy from the truth of 1st John 1: 9 [linked], so that, even though there will be consequences for our sin, we can at least face them, knowing that we are cleaned and covered by the blood of The Lamb of God.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, my Lord, You have covered me, forgiven me, and cleansed me by Your blood. Oh, praise Your Holy Name !! Amen
Passage of the Day: 2nd Samuel 13: 1 – 30 and 2nd Samuel 18: 24 – 33 … 2nd Samuel 13 and 18 linked for your study …
2nd Samuel 13 –
2nd Samuel 18 -
My Journal for Today: I hope you’ve digested the scriptures passages from today’s lesson, because the truth contained in this biblical scenario holds a somber reality for followers of God. And if I may summarize the bottom line with an exhortation, these passages teach us that we cannot compromise God’s precepts and principles with selfish desires. As Swindoll points out at the end of his entry for today, “God is not mocked;” and our author/teacher points out that we cannot go through life picking and choosing righteousness or sin. To compromise and choose sin will always lead to a downward spiral of circumstances, which may become overwhelming in our lives. As we read today, that was David’s plight; and prayerfully we’re learning proactive lessons from David’s life.
As David languished in the death of his sons, one at the hand of the other and the other at the hands of David’s own soldiers, it’s not difficult to imagine how David would have liked to rewind the tape of his life, desiring that he should have been off doing battle with his mighty men the night he decided to stay home and to walk over and take a peek at Bathsheba over that balcony. Or having taken the peek, we can imagine that David would have wished he had confessed his lust before God right there on the spot, repented, and left his home to go back to the battle fields.
BUT, … neither righteous course was his choice. No, David chose to act on selfish lust and then to cover his sin and then to take the life of a comrade and then to deny his own sinfulness by trying to forget it all. But God was not mocked; and David, even after confessing and repenting of his sin, paid the price for his past laziness, his pride, and his arrogance before God. And now we read where it got him.
Oh, I’ve been there and done that in my life; and it is true that we have a loving and merciful God Who can choose to forgive when we humbly repent of our sin; but do not expect that our sin will be free of any consequences. God truly will not be mocked; and THERE WILL BE consequences for sin. Therefore, I quote Swindoll’s recommendations for any who might be convicted of their sinfulness in reading this devotional entry. Swindoll writes …
>>> “Turn your life over to Him [i.e., God]. Broken and bruised, twisted and confused, just lay it out before Him. Ask Him to give you the grace and strength to face the consequences realistically and straight on.”
And then I would add, … we must honestly and forthrightly confess everything to God; and pray for His mercy from the truth of 1st John 1: 9 [linked], so that, even though there will be consequences for our sin, we can at least face them, knowing that we are cleaned and covered by the blood of The Lamb of God.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, my Lord, You have covered me, forgiven me, and cleansed me by Your blood. Oh, praise Your Holy Name !! Amen
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
2009 – Day 138.May 19 – The Consequences of Sin
2009 – Day 138.May 19 – The Consequences of Sin
Passage of the Day: 2nd Samuel 11: 1 – 12: 13 … Linked to 2nd Sam. 11 – 12 for study ...
My Journal for Today: If you’re reading along with me in this study of David, we’ve finally come to that juicy story of David’s rejection of God’s way. And wow [!], when David does something, he doesn’t just do it half-heartedly. No, he does it up big time. Think about it. Our David, the so-called “man after God’s own heart,” commits adultery, lies, cheats on his wives, conceives a child out of wedlock, conspires to commit murder, and orders a contract killing. And the “hit” is not just on some obscure soldier in David’s army. It is one of his most highly decorated military leaders; and probably a close friend in arms. He commits sin upon sin upon sin upon sin; and then God waits until just the right time to send Nathan, the Prophet, to confront David.
As Swindoll points out, scholars have said that it could have been about a year between the sins of 2nd Sam. 11 until the confrontation by Nathan in chapter 12. And that may seem like a long time; but I hope you have learned, as have I, that God’s timing is always perfect. I agree with Swindoll that there are times when I question God’s timing, thinking that The Lord should intervene sooner than I think. But I’ve learned my lesson over the years … that God is God; and I am not … that (and it’s documented in Isaiah 55: 8 – 9) God’s ways are higher than my ways … and that God knows exactly what to do and when to do it.
But the confrontation by Nathan and the confession by David which followed (well documented in Psalm 51) illustrates the overriding truth that sin, especially flagrant conscious rebellion by a believer against God and/or His ways, ALWAYS has consequences.
David was not some ignorant, new believer, who was doing something bad because he was not mature in his faith. No, the actions we read about in these passages are being committed by the young boy of faith who slew Goliath. He is the one whom God had saved from Saul all those years; and he was the one who had become King when Saul fell on his sword. But David is also the one who let his guard down over selfish sin; and he was the one who chose lust over his love of God. He was the one who set aside what he knew to be truth; and chose to believe Satan’s lies. And he was the one who was revealed in all of this by God through Nathan.
If we have sin we’ve stuffed away in the closet of our souls, do we really think God has not seen it? Do we really think, without confession and the atonement of Christ’s blood, we can keep this sin a secret? Do we really think God is just going to let it go THIS ONE TIME? Duh …!!!
I don’t need to belabor this issue; … this is another lesson into the truth of Jeremiah 17: 9, which I bring up so often in my devotionals. We are walking through life with flesh and a heart which is deceitful beyond measure; and Satan loves to parlay that reality into situations, like the one for David in today’s history lesson, where our heart will fall pray to his temptations.
Get it straight, fellow warrior! SIN ALWAYS HAS CONSEQUENCES!!! And if we know and believe 1st John 1: 9 [linked here for you if you don’t know it – memorize this one because it is one of the most important New Testament truths!], what are we waiting for? Let’s bring it out into the light and confess it and be cleansed of it FOREVER!!! I don’t’ think I need to write any more about this.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, help me to stay vigilant and vulnerable in Your sight. Amen
Passage of the Day: 2nd Samuel 11: 1 – 12: 13 … Linked to 2nd Sam. 11 – 12 for study ...
My Journal for Today: If you’re reading along with me in this study of David, we’ve finally come to that juicy story of David’s rejection of God’s way. And wow [!], when David does something, he doesn’t just do it half-heartedly. No, he does it up big time. Think about it. Our David, the so-called “man after God’s own heart,” commits adultery, lies, cheats on his wives, conceives a child out of wedlock, conspires to commit murder, and orders a contract killing. And the “hit” is not just on some obscure soldier in David’s army. It is one of his most highly decorated military leaders; and probably a close friend in arms. He commits sin upon sin upon sin upon sin; and then God waits until just the right time to send Nathan, the Prophet, to confront David.
As Swindoll points out, scholars have said that it could have been about a year between the sins of 2nd Sam. 11 until the confrontation by Nathan in chapter 12. And that may seem like a long time; but I hope you have learned, as have I, that God’s timing is always perfect. I agree with Swindoll that there are times when I question God’s timing, thinking that The Lord should intervene sooner than I think. But I’ve learned my lesson over the years … that God is God; and I am not … that (and it’s documented in Isaiah 55: 8 – 9) God’s ways are higher than my ways … and that God knows exactly what to do and when to do it.
But the confrontation by Nathan and the confession by David which followed (well documented in Psalm 51) illustrates the overriding truth that sin, especially flagrant conscious rebellion by a believer against God and/or His ways, ALWAYS has consequences.
David was not some ignorant, new believer, who was doing something bad because he was not mature in his faith. No, the actions we read about in these passages are being committed by the young boy of faith who slew Goliath. He is the one whom God had saved from Saul all those years; and he was the one who had become King when Saul fell on his sword. But David is also the one who let his guard down over selfish sin; and he was the one who chose lust over his love of God. He was the one who set aside what he knew to be truth; and chose to believe Satan’s lies. And he was the one who was revealed in all of this by God through Nathan.
If we have sin we’ve stuffed away in the closet of our souls, do we really think God has not seen it? Do we really think, without confession and the atonement of Christ’s blood, we can keep this sin a secret? Do we really think God is just going to let it go THIS ONE TIME? Duh …!!!
I don’t need to belabor this issue; … this is another lesson into the truth of Jeremiah 17: 9, which I bring up so often in my devotionals. We are walking through life with flesh and a heart which is deceitful beyond measure; and Satan loves to parlay that reality into situations, like the one for David in today’s history lesson, where our heart will fall pray to his temptations.
Get it straight, fellow warrior! SIN ALWAYS HAS CONSEQUENCES!!! And if we know and believe 1st John 1: 9 [linked here for you if you don’t know it – memorize this one because it is one of the most important New Testament truths!], what are we waiting for? Let’s bring it out into the light and confess it and be cleansed of it FOREVER!!! I don’t’ think I need to write any more about this.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, help me to stay vigilant and vulnerable in Your sight. 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
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