Passage of the Day: 1st Corinthians 1: 20 … Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
My Journal for Today: Today’s passage reminds one of the question James asked to start off this month, “Who is wise and understanding among you?” [James 3: 13] And the more that yours truly, this born-again believer, contemplates my search for Godly wisdom, the more awesome becomes the realization of what has happened to my mental approach to life since I became a converted believer in Christ.
The Apostle Paul laid out this process for Christians, beginning with today’s passage and on through 1st Cor. 1: 20 – 30 [which I’ll not print here for space considerations – but I expect you to study this passage to which I’ll link you for study]. He also related a similar exhortation to the Colossians (in Col. 2: 3) … that we Christians have “… all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Peter claimed that Christians have all we need from God (see 2nd Peter 1: 2 – 4) to live our lives in harmony with Him. And today’s passage closes with a question that hits the nail of truth right on the head … pointing out that God has made foolish, through His infinite mind, all the wisdom of this world. [See Isaiah 55: 8-9 for this truth.]
Hence, I – Bill Berry – have the very mind of God in Christ, especially through His written word, the Bible, as well as the enlightenment ministry of God’s Spirit, to give me answers to questions/issues which seemingly baffle the world … issues like capital punishment (see Gen. 9: 6 and Romans 13), abortion (see Deut. 30: 19 and Psalm 139: 13), and homosexuality (see Lev. 20: 13 and Romans 1: 26 – 27). As John MacArthur puts it in his devotional for this date from Strength for Today, “Knowing Christ makes the believer wiser than the world.”
But note that phrase in MacArthur’s quote … “knowing Christ.” It is true, as John says in 1st John 4: 4, that “…the One [God’s Spirit] Who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” However, if a believer, by apathy, laziness, or refusal, is ignorant of the mind of Christ in him, that one becomes weakened in his understanding of God’s ways by not “knowing Christ” to the extent he could if he developed a deep and abiding relationship with our Lord. And such inward and limited thinking will produce inward and limited behavior … and certainly much less Godly behavior than the one who diligently seeks, finds, and uses the wisdom of God. [Again, Job wrote about this in Chapter 28 of his book.]
Do you really KNOW Christ, … intimately, deeply, completely? Because the more you know Him, the more you will know His mind; and knowing His mind, as the scriptures above proclaim, allows you to have all the wisdom and understanding you need to live in this life so that you might avoid sinfulness and live in Christlikeness. Is that not worthy of anything we can do to pursue the mind of Christ in this life? [Remember the study from Job 28 on mining the mind of God. See my devotional entries for Nov. 6 -7 for this review.]
This is pretty awesome stuff [!], wouldn’t you say? And so, what I, and all believers, must do is to trust God’s truth, as I wrote yesterday about from 2nd Tim. 3: 16 – 17, and let the very mind of God lead me on God’s path of life (as it says in Prov. 3: 5 – 6.
My Prayer Today: I do trust you, Lord; and I will continue to search for Your truth. Amen
Showing posts with label following God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label following God. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Thursday, December 30, 2010
2010 – December 30 – The Pure Who Endure
Study from God’s Word… Revelation, Chapters 14 – 19: 5 … Passage for Reflection: Revelation 4: 3 – 5 [underlined] … NIV 1 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as first-fruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
My Journal for Today: All this apocalyptic imagery in God’s revelation to John can be mysterious and a bit overwhelming as we read and study this great Book of the Bible, The Revelation, especially trying to get its application for our lives today. But it’s important that we do our best, maybe with the help of teachers, like my devotional shepherd this year, Dr. LaGard Smith, to see how these writings, coming from God’s Spirit through John, having powerful messages we need to heed.
So, today we deal with that number of saints, 144,000, who were saved out of the great tribulation and are discussed in today’s highlight text. What do we glean from a study of their significance? Well, the answer is in why they are mentioned as special; and the explanation can be found in the portion of scripture today which is highlighted in bold and underlined.
My fellow readers, … these 144,000 who were those saved from the later heat of the lake of fire are protected by the Lamb of God because of their PURITY and their STEADFAST FAITH. These were the ones, in spite of the taunts and terrors of Satan and the Anti-Christ, remained sexually pure and followed Christ in the worst of the Great Tribulation, … right to the very end of time as man would know it.
And our application? Well, it’s brought out in today’s question by Dr. Smith, as he writes at the end of his daily devotional: ”In the battle to remain pure, am I overcoming or succumbing?” And that is the question so many in our world, as Christians, are dealing with right now, especially in a world where Satan has created many fortresses and weapons to prevent the lost from finding their way to Christ and for tearing down the testimonies of Christians and rendering their witness as ineffective or worthless.
Think about it. How many Christians, of whom you know, who have fallen prey to impurity, when they know that God calls for purity and devotion to His commands? Christian men are surrounded and enveloped by sexual temptations these days; and these worldly-fleshly superweapons, such as internet pornography, have been created as a tribulation of temptation to draw the attention of the lost onto the flesh and away from the Savior, as well as to draw the focus of Christians onto flesh and away from faith.
No Christian man in this world can be the man God intended for Him to be if he does the opposite of what Christ commanded (see Luke 9: 23), focusing on self and not following the Savior. And Christian men, in droves, are falling on the battlefields of sexual temptations and being rendered powerless as husbands, fathers, community leaders, and, most certainly churchmen.
No, it’s not the Great Tribulation yet; but we get a taste of what that horrible time will be like when we yield to selfish, flesh-driven, temptations and we choose to move away from Godly purity in our unfaithfulness. In these times in which we live, we, who follow Christ, need to become like the faithful 144,000 in those times of the Great Tribulation. We need to heed the call of Christ and deny self, take up our crosses daily, and follow Him … to the end.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, today and tomorrow, purity for Your glory is my focus. Amen
My Journal for Today: All this apocalyptic imagery in God’s revelation to John can be mysterious and a bit overwhelming as we read and study this great Book of the Bible, The Revelation, especially trying to get its application for our lives today. But it’s important that we do our best, maybe with the help of teachers, like my devotional shepherd this year, Dr. LaGard Smith, to see how these writings, coming from God’s Spirit through John, having powerful messages we need to heed.
So, today we deal with that number of saints, 144,000, who were saved out of the great tribulation and are discussed in today’s highlight text. What do we glean from a study of their significance? Well, the answer is in why they are mentioned as special; and the explanation can be found in the portion of scripture today which is highlighted in bold and underlined.
My fellow readers, … these 144,000 who were those saved from the later heat of the lake of fire are protected by the Lamb of God because of their PURITY and their STEADFAST FAITH. These were the ones, in spite of the taunts and terrors of Satan and the Anti-Christ, remained sexually pure and followed Christ in the worst of the Great Tribulation, … right to the very end of time as man would know it.
And our application? Well, it’s brought out in today’s question by Dr. Smith, as he writes at the end of his daily devotional: ”In the battle to remain pure, am I overcoming or succumbing?” And that is the question so many in our world, as Christians, are dealing with right now, especially in a world where Satan has created many fortresses and weapons to prevent the lost from finding their way to Christ and for tearing down the testimonies of Christians and rendering their witness as ineffective or worthless.
Think about it. How many Christians, of whom you know, who have fallen prey to impurity, when they know that God calls for purity and devotion to His commands? Christian men are surrounded and enveloped by sexual temptations these days; and these worldly-fleshly superweapons, such as internet pornography, have been created as a tribulation of temptation to draw the attention of the lost onto the flesh and away from the Savior, as well as to draw the focus of Christians onto flesh and away from faith.
No Christian man in this world can be the man God intended for Him to be if he does the opposite of what Christ commanded (see Luke 9: 23), focusing on self and not following the Savior. And Christian men, in droves, are falling on the battlefields of sexual temptations and being rendered powerless as husbands, fathers, community leaders, and, most certainly churchmen.
No, it’s not the Great Tribulation yet; but we get a taste of what that horrible time will be like when we yield to selfish, flesh-driven, temptations and we choose to move away from Godly purity in our unfaithfulness. In these times in which we live, we, who follow Christ, need to become like the faithful 144,000 in those times of the Great Tribulation. We need to heed the call of Christ and deny self, take up our crosses daily, and follow Him … to the end.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, today and tomorrow, purity for Your glory is my focus. Amen
Monday, December 13, 2010
2010 – December 13 – Nourishment for Life’s Storms
Study from God’s Word… Acts, Chapters 27 – 28 … Passage for Reflection: Acts 27: 35 – 36 … NIV 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.
My Journal for Today: Today’s highlighted text by Dr. Smith in his devotional will have little meaning unless you know or have studied the context from which it is taken. So, I exhort you to go back and read Acts, Chapter 27, where Dr. Luke recounts the voyage in an Egyptian vessel where the Apostle Paul and his Roman guard, along with Luke, were making as Paul was being taken to Rome to stand trial there. As you will read, the ship encounters a horrible storm, into which Paul had forewarned the ship should not set sail. However, they did; and Paul has an opportunity – by God’s divine intervention in the storm – to save all the men aboard IF they follow his lead and stay on board even though the ship is going to be destroyed.
You know, I’ve read that account before; and I’ve read the highlight passage before; but until, with Dr. Smith’s help, today, I had never seen how the meal Paul shared with the ship’s crew was a picture of the “last supper” with all the spiritual ramifications involved in that meal of remembrance and cleansing. It’s really a wonderful picture of how all of us are in the vessel of life where The Lord is our Captain. And our life vessel is going to go through storms at some point on our voyage; but how our ship traverses the storm will have everything to do with how we feed daily on the Bread of Life.
And we need to take heart, as Christians on God’s vessel of life, that God is going to bring us through the storms of life - IF and when we’re willing to remember our Lord’s way and partake of His Bread of Life [i.e., His word]. It’s easy for us to forgetfully or fearfully avoid doing this daily, just as the men on the Egyptian ship had done on the fateful voyage into their storm. But Paul reminded them to remember to follow God’s way and to take the “bread of life” in remembrance of The Lord. And they did; and they were saved.
Dr. Smith’s discipleship question for today is as follows: ”How can I survive life’s storms if I do not partake regularly of both the Bread of Life and the memorial by which I remember Him?” And I don’t think that question refers to how often we, as Christians, take communion as much as it reflects on how much and how regularly we feed on God’s truth from His word. If we do not seek a remembrance of God by partaking of the “Bread of Life” daily, how can we expect to weather the storms of life?
I’m going to leave it there today. It’s a lot to take in; and I personally was edified greatly by today’s message. I hope you were too.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, as I take in your “Daily Bread,” You keep me on course on this journey through life’s storms. Amen
My Journal for Today: Today’s highlighted text by Dr. Smith in his devotional will have little meaning unless you know or have studied the context from which it is taken. So, I exhort you to go back and read Acts, Chapter 27, where Dr. Luke recounts the voyage in an Egyptian vessel where the Apostle Paul and his Roman guard, along with Luke, were making as Paul was being taken to Rome to stand trial there. As you will read, the ship encounters a horrible storm, into which Paul had forewarned the ship should not set sail. However, they did; and Paul has an opportunity – by God’s divine intervention in the storm – to save all the men aboard IF they follow his lead and stay on board even though the ship is going to be destroyed.
You know, I’ve read that account before; and I’ve read the highlight passage before; but until, with Dr. Smith’s help, today, I had never seen how the meal Paul shared with the ship’s crew was a picture of the “last supper” with all the spiritual ramifications involved in that meal of remembrance and cleansing. It’s really a wonderful picture of how all of us are in the vessel of life where The Lord is our Captain. And our life vessel is going to go through storms at some point on our voyage; but how our ship traverses the storm will have everything to do with how we feed daily on the Bread of Life.
And we need to take heart, as Christians on God’s vessel of life, that God is going to bring us through the storms of life - IF and when we’re willing to remember our Lord’s way and partake of His Bread of Life [i.e., His word]. It’s easy for us to forgetfully or fearfully avoid doing this daily, just as the men on the Egyptian ship had done on the fateful voyage into their storm. But Paul reminded them to remember to follow God’s way and to take the “bread of life” in remembrance of The Lord. And they did; and they were saved.
Dr. Smith’s discipleship question for today is as follows: ”How can I survive life’s storms if I do not partake regularly of both the Bread of Life and the memorial by which I remember Him?” And I don’t think that question refers to how often we, as Christians, take communion as much as it reflects on how much and how regularly we feed on God’s truth from His word. If we do not seek a remembrance of God by partaking of the “Bread of Life” daily, how can we expect to weather the storms of life?
I’m going to leave it there today. It’s a lot to take in; and I personally was edified greatly by today’s message. I hope you were too.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, as I take in your “Daily Bread,” You keep me on course on this journey through life’s storms. Amen
Friday, December 10, 2010
2010 – December 10 – Laying Down A Life
Study from God’s Word… Acts, Chapters 20 – 21 … Passage for Reflection: Acts 21: 13 … NIV [Fearing for Paul’s life if he were to go to Jerusalem, his travel companions in Caesarea exhorted Paul to refrain from going there, lest he be bound over to the Romans and killed.] 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
My Journal for Today: Do you remember what Jesus said to His followers about being His disciple (quoted in Luke 9:23)? Quoting in the NIV: Then He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Paul certainly was not have been on that hillside in Capernaum when Jesus declared what it took to be His disciple; but reading today’s highlight text, shows that he was willing to follow Christ wherever the Spirit of God would lead him, … yes, even unto death, following in the Spirit-led footsteps of His Lord, Who had walked that path to Jerusalem Himself.
What about it, my fellow Christian? Are we signed up, calling ourselves “Christian,” to deny even our own lives if that’s what His direction calls from us as His disciples? Sure, if we – somehow – knew that we had to die for someone dear to us, maybe a spouse, our kids, or maybe even a dear friend, I would bet that we’d do it if we knew that we could jump in front of a bullet and take it instead of our love one. That’s what Secret Service agents are willing to do for our President; but if you knew that tomorrow could possibly be your end on this earth for following your Lord, would you walk that walk of discipleship?
There are many examples in the Bible of that type of faith. There was Daniel and his three young friends in the Old Testament; … there’s Phillip, the first recorded martyr in the New Testament; and as history would record, ten of the original twelve inner-core Disciples died a martyr’s death, as did the Apostle Paul, late in his missionary journeys. These were followers of The Lord who were willing to follow Him anywhere and everywhere He would lead, even if they knew it might be their death.
And I would expect that many of us, reading what I write here, would say, “Yes, if the circumstances presented themselves in my life, I would do what Paul did and follow Jesus even unto death.” But, what about the challenging question posed by F. LaGard Smith in his devotional for today? He writes: ”If I think I’d be willing to DIE for my faith, were I actually put to the test, am I equally committed to the even greater challenge of truly LIVING for my faith?”
And knowing God’s challenge to us by God, through Paul’s exhortation to believers in Romans 12: 1-2 [linked here], I’m convicted and committed to live up that challenge. What about you?
My Prayer for Today: I want to be a LIVING SACRIFICE for You, my Lord. Help me; lead me; empower me. Amen
My Journal for Today: Do you remember what Jesus said to His followers about being His disciple (quoted in Luke 9:23)? Quoting in the NIV: Then He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Paul certainly was not have been on that hillside in Capernaum when Jesus declared what it took to be His disciple; but reading today’s highlight text, shows that he was willing to follow Christ wherever the Spirit of God would lead him, … yes, even unto death, following in the Spirit-led footsteps of His Lord, Who had walked that path to Jerusalem Himself.
What about it, my fellow Christian? Are we signed up, calling ourselves “Christian,” to deny even our own lives if that’s what His direction calls from us as His disciples? Sure, if we – somehow – knew that we had to die for someone dear to us, maybe a spouse, our kids, or maybe even a dear friend, I would bet that we’d do it if we knew that we could jump in front of a bullet and take it instead of our love one. That’s what Secret Service agents are willing to do for our President; but if you knew that tomorrow could possibly be your end on this earth for following your Lord, would you walk that walk of discipleship?
There are many examples in the Bible of that type of faith. There was Daniel and his three young friends in the Old Testament; … there’s Phillip, the first recorded martyr in the New Testament; and as history would record, ten of the original twelve inner-core Disciples died a martyr’s death, as did the Apostle Paul, late in his missionary journeys. These were followers of The Lord who were willing to follow Him anywhere and everywhere He would lead, even if they knew it might be their death.
And I would expect that many of us, reading what I write here, would say, “Yes, if the circumstances presented themselves in my life, I would do what Paul did and follow Jesus even unto death.” But, what about the challenging question posed by F. LaGard Smith in his devotional for today? He writes: ”If I think I’d be willing to DIE for my faith, were I actually put to the test, am I equally committed to the even greater challenge of truly LIVING for my faith?”
And knowing God’s challenge to us by God, through Paul’s exhortation to believers in Romans 12: 1-2 [linked here], I’m convicted and committed to live up that challenge. What about you?
My Prayer for Today: I want to be a LIVING SACRIFICE for You, my Lord. Help me; lead me; empower me. Amen
Sunday, July 11, 2010
2010 – July 11 – Toeing the Line
Study from God’s Word… 2Kings 20: 21, 21: 1 [2Chron 32: 33, 33: 1]; 2Kgs 21: 16; 2Kgs 21: 10 - 15 … Passage for Reflection: 2nd Kings 21: 12 – 13 … NIV 12 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 13 I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
My Journal for Today: “Out of plumb;” … now there’s a concept worthy of attention. As Dr. LaGard Smith teaches today, a “plumb line” is used to keep the walls straight when a house is being built. To ignore “plumb” will bring about crooked walls; and the whole house can ultimately crumble and fall. And that’s exactly what happened when Manasseh took over as King at the age of twelve from his father Hezekiah, who had used the word of God as his “plumb” in rebuilding the House of David and God’s Kingdom in Judah. But Manasseh ignored the “plumb line” of God’s expressed word, i.e., His commands; and he allowed Judah to return to pagan practices.
And my reader friends, if we cannot see the parallels between what happened to Israel and Judah in the times of Manasseh and what may happen to America from these times, we too are ignoring the “plumb lines” God has set up for His New Covenant peoples. In Jesus Christ, and the writing of the New Testament to document The Christ, God has established the ultimate “plumb line,” which we, God’s people, His Church, are to follow. And if we cannot – or do not – draw our personal lines or collectively, our nation’s lines, by the “plumb” of God’s word, we, as individuals and as a nation, are going to experience some correction to the “plumb line” God desires us to use in building our individual lives as well as how our elected leaders construct our nation’s house.
God had to make a correction for the sloppy ways of faith which Manasseh allowed God’s people to deviate from His “plumb” of truth; and somehow, someway, and in sometime (maybe soon) God is going to allow those who mock His truth and deviate from the “plumb” of God’s word to be drawn into His corrective action – whatever form that will take. God has been exceedingly patient with this nation of His people. But this country, which once was a nation, UNDER GOD, has deviated severely from God’s “plumb” of truth in His word. And unless, our leaders, which we have elected to lead us, pull us back to the straight and narrow line, which is God’s “plumb,” the walls of this nation are going to come crumbling down. And when this happens – and it likely will – I can only pray that God will be merciful on the remnant of believers who are doing all they can in their individual lives to live according to the “plumb” of God’s truth.
If you read ahead in Scripture, as I’m sure I will be doing in days to come under Dr. Smith’s teaching, you’ll see that God did protect His remnant, even though Babylon came down as the hammer God use to bring God’s way – His “plumb” – back to the attention of God’s people. And God did restore His temple and His ways – at least for a while - allowing for men of God, like Nehemiah and Ezra, to rebuild His temple and to lead the people back to God’s ways – to the “plumb” of truth.
However, we will see what happens in today’s times, where the “plumb” of God’s word is being mocked and ignored. Something is going to have to happen to show those in control that our nation must return to the truths upon which it was founded. But in the meantime, other than do all I can, as one Christian in a nation gone way out of line, I’m going to have to stay true personally to God’s “plumb,” and keep my own life on His straight and narrow line. And then, whenever and however I can, I need to make God’s ways known to others … much as I’m trying to do by writing these journal entries. Because at least those who are the remnant of the “plumb” of truth will be protected by a loving God Who honors those who follow His ways – God’s “plumb” of life.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I know that Your “plumb” of truth is found in Your word; and I use that as my “plumb” of life. Help me to say true to Your “plumb;” and to lead others to do what they can to stay on the straight and narrow line You have drawn for us. Amen
My Journal for Today: “Out of plumb;” … now there’s a concept worthy of attention. As Dr. LaGard Smith teaches today, a “plumb line” is used to keep the walls straight when a house is being built. To ignore “plumb” will bring about crooked walls; and the whole house can ultimately crumble and fall. And that’s exactly what happened when Manasseh took over as King at the age of twelve from his father Hezekiah, who had used the word of God as his “plumb” in rebuilding the House of David and God’s Kingdom in Judah. But Manasseh ignored the “plumb line” of God’s expressed word, i.e., His commands; and he allowed Judah to return to pagan practices.
And my reader friends, if we cannot see the parallels between what happened to Israel and Judah in the times of Manasseh and what may happen to America from these times, we too are ignoring the “plumb lines” God has set up for His New Covenant peoples. In Jesus Christ, and the writing of the New Testament to document The Christ, God has established the ultimate “plumb line,” which we, God’s people, His Church, are to follow. And if we cannot – or do not – draw our personal lines or collectively, our nation’s lines, by the “plumb” of God’s word, we, as individuals and as a nation, are going to experience some correction to the “plumb line” God desires us to use in building our individual lives as well as how our elected leaders construct our nation’s house.
God had to make a correction for the sloppy ways of faith which Manasseh allowed God’s people to deviate from His “plumb” of truth; and somehow, someway, and in sometime (maybe soon) God is going to allow those who mock His truth and deviate from the “plumb” of God’s word to be drawn into His corrective action – whatever form that will take. God has been exceedingly patient with this nation of His people. But this country, which once was a nation, UNDER GOD, has deviated severely from God’s “plumb” of truth in His word. And unless, our leaders, which we have elected to lead us, pull us back to the straight and narrow line, which is God’s “plumb,” the walls of this nation are going to come crumbling down. And when this happens – and it likely will – I can only pray that God will be merciful on the remnant of believers who are doing all they can in their individual lives to live according to the “plumb” of God’s truth.
If you read ahead in Scripture, as I’m sure I will be doing in days to come under Dr. Smith’s teaching, you’ll see that God did protect His remnant, even though Babylon came down as the hammer God use to bring God’s way – His “plumb” – back to the attention of God’s people. And God did restore His temple and His ways – at least for a while - allowing for men of God, like Nehemiah and Ezra, to rebuild His temple and to lead the people back to God’s ways – to the “plumb” of truth.
However, we will see what happens in today’s times, where the “plumb” of God’s word is being mocked and ignored. Something is going to have to happen to show those in control that our nation must return to the truths upon which it was founded. But in the meantime, other than do all I can, as one Christian in a nation gone way out of line, I’m going to have to stay true personally to God’s “plumb,” and keep my own life on His straight and narrow line. And then, whenever and however I can, I need to make God’s ways known to others … much as I’m trying to do by writing these journal entries. Because at least those who are the remnant of the “plumb” of truth will be protected by a loving God Who honors those who follow His ways – God’s “plumb” of life.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I know that Your “plumb” of truth is found in Your word; and I use that as my “plumb” of life. Help me to say true to Your “plumb;” and to lead others to do what they can to stay on the straight and narrow line You have drawn for us. Amen
Monday, July 05, 2010
2010 – July 5 – Walking on a Holy Road
Study from God’s Word… Isiah, Chapters 24, 25, 26 – 27: 1; Also Isaiah 32: 1 – 8 and 35: 1 - 10 … Passage for Reflection: Isaiah 35: 8 … NIV 8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. [italicized – or – the simple will not stray from it]
My Journal for Today: Today F. LaGard Smith, in his The Daily Bible Devotional, dated July 5, reminds his readers (and yours truly) that the early Christians, that first wave of converts, which began with the original Disciples, about whom we read about in the Book of Acts, were called “The People of The Way;” and perhaps in today’s passage we have a clue as to why. The learned of these early Jewish Christians, possibly people like Nicodemus and Joseph, those two Sanhedrin Pharisees who had Jesus buried in Joseph’s tomb after the crucifixion, would have known well the prophesies of Isaiah 35, and they would have felt right to be numbered among “the people of THE WAY;” because Isaiah was prophesying about those who would be saved when the earth, as people knew it, was destroyed and God’s judgment came upon those who followed THE WAY of the one, true God as well as those who had departed or denied God’s WAY.
Certainly the remaining inner circle of Disciples, the remaining eleven who followed Christ, would have remembered Jesus’ words in that upper room discourse, when He, their Messiah, had said, [we know it from John 14: 6] “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” And after Jesus’ resurrection, reappearance, and ascension into Heaven, to be labeled as followers after “THE WAY” established by Jesus, their Messiah, and prophesied by Isaiah in today’s highlight passage of Scripture, would have been seen as a glorious honor.
Certainly, for the Apostle Peter, who had been restored by Christ Himself (as we read about it in John 21), to be labeled as one who followed after “THE WAY” of the Lord would have been an honor. And all of the Pauline epistles speak about how one like Paul, himself, resurrected from spiritual death as he was, and given Christ’s instructions to become an Apostle (i.e., one who is called out by Christ) would have considered it a total honor to be a follower of Christ’s WAY.
And so, we’re challenged by Dr. Smith’s self examination question for today, as he writes, ”Do I think of my holiness as an accomplished fact or a life long spiritual journey?” In other words, “Do I think of my walk as a Christian as a journey after THE WAY?” Because today’s prophesy from Isaiah, and the reality of our salvation, leads us to the path of righteousness, which we know of as sanctification; and this is the path to holiness which can – and will – follow if do as we’re instructed by God’s word in Proverbs 3: 5,6 and by Jesus Himself in Luke 9: 23.
And I’m sure, by knowing the charge and challenge of these two passages of truth, you also feel right to be on that path to holiness, known as THE WAY, … the path which will lead us to an eternal relationship with THE ONE in Whose image we are being transformed.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I walk on Your WAY, following You as THE WAY. Amen
My Journal for Today: Today F. LaGard Smith, in his The Daily Bible Devotional, dated July 5, reminds his readers (and yours truly) that the early Christians, that first wave of converts, which began with the original Disciples, about whom we read about in the Book of Acts, were called “The People of The Way;” and perhaps in today’s passage we have a clue as to why. The learned of these early Jewish Christians, possibly people like Nicodemus and Joseph, those two Sanhedrin Pharisees who had Jesus buried in Joseph’s tomb after the crucifixion, would have known well the prophesies of Isaiah 35, and they would have felt right to be numbered among “the people of THE WAY;” because Isaiah was prophesying about those who would be saved when the earth, as people knew it, was destroyed and God’s judgment came upon those who followed THE WAY of the one, true God as well as those who had departed or denied God’s WAY.
Certainly the remaining inner circle of Disciples, the remaining eleven who followed Christ, would have remembered Jesus’ words in that upper room discourse, when He, their Messiah, had said, [we know it from John 14: 6] “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” And after Jesus’ resurrection, reappearance, and ascension into Heaven, to be labeled as followers after “THE WAY” established by Jesus, their Messiah, and prophesied by Isaiah in today’s highlight passage of Scripture, would have been seen as a glorious honor.
Certainly, for the Apostle Peter, who had been restored by Christ Himself (as we read about it in John 21), to be labeled as one who followed after “THE WAY” of the Lord would have been an honor. And all of the Pauline epistles speak about how one like Paul, himself, resurrected from spiritual death as he was, and given Christ’s instructions to become an Apostle (i.e., one who is called out by Christ) would have considered it a total honor to be a follower of Christ’s WAY.
And so, we’re challenged by Dr. Smith’s self examination question for today, as he writes, ”Do I think of my holiness as an accomplished fact or a life long spiritual journey?” In other words, “Do I think of my walk as a Christian as a journey after THE WAY?” Because today’s prophesy from Isaiah, and the reality of our salvation, leads us to the path of righteousness, which we know of as sanctification; and this is the path to holiness which can – and will – follow if do as we’re instructed by God’s word in Proverbs 3: 5,6 and by Jesus Himself in Luke 9: 23.
And I’m sure, by knowing the charge and challenge of these two passages of truth, you also feel right to be on that path to holiness, known as THE WAY, … the path which will lead us to an eternal relationship with THE ONE in Whose image we are being transformed.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I walk on Your WAY, following You as THE WAY. Amen
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
2010 – Day 5. Jan. 5 – Following God’s Call
Study from Genesis 12 – 14; Passage for Reflection: Genesis 12: 1 … NIV The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.
My Journal for Today: F. LaGard Smith, my devotional Pastor this year and the Editor of The Daily Bible In Chronological Order [NIV], through which I’m reading this year, poses some interesting and challenging questions today.
• What does it mean to follow God’s call?
• Does God really lead people into disastrous conditions?
• How can we be sure we’re really following God and not our own selfish desires?
• By what means does God call His children?
• What gives … when we truly follow what we believe to be God and we’re disappointed?
But Smith is right that these questions become moot when we, like Abram, have no doubt that we’ve really sensed God’s calling. No, the question then becomes, “Are we willing to leave our comfort zone in life and just GO wherever and whenever God calls us to go?” Jesus in the NT has a challenging call on the lives of His disciples, when He says [in Luke 9: 23] If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me?” And if you have been an Abram and followed God, I’ll bet you’ve experienced and/or know that God seldom calls one into more comfort, more luxury, or a higher degree of “blessing” (at least how we worldly creatures would define “blessing”).
No, one of the things which tells us that a path in life is likely a Godly direction is whether one is being led, as was Abram, into an uncharted direction, requiring a test of our faith. If one is looking for God’s leaning, one of the first things we need to look for to determine if this is God’s direction in life is to see whether the direction requires more or less faith in God than the previous path or place. If it is the easy or wide road to follow, BEWARE; it is more likely that Satan or selfishness is doing the leading. If, on the other hand, the road is the narrow road, the one less traveled, and the one which is insecure or ultra-challenging, that is more likely the road God is testing you to travel. And if, in spite of the anxiety over that more challenging route, you pray and get a peace – that peace which surpasses all understanding - about that leaning or direction, (as instructed by Phil. 4: 6-7, which I hope you have memorized and use often in decision making) then, like Abram, you simply MUST pick up and go where God is leading You … whenever or wherever that might be.
Yeah! … This Christian discipleship business can be a bear, can’t it?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, may I be ever sensitive to Your leading in my life; and then may I have the courage to deny self and follow You. Amen
My Journal for Today: F. LaGard Smith, my devotional Pastor this year and the Editor of The Daily Bible In Chronological Order [NIV], through which I’m reading this year, poses some interesting and challenging questions today.
• What does it mean to follow God’s call?
• Does God really lead people into disastrous conditions?
• How can we be sure we’re really following God and not our own selfish desires?
• By what means does God call His children?
• What gives … when we truly follow what we believe to be God and we’re disappointed?
But Smith is right that these questions become moot when we, like Abram, have no doubt that we’ve really sensed God’s calling. No, the question then becomes, “Are we willing to leave our comfort zone in life and just GO wherever and whenever God calls us to go?” Jesus in the NT has a challenging call on the lives of His disciples, when He says [in Luke 9: 23] If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me?” And if you have been an Abram and followed God, I’ll bet you’ve experienced and/or know that God seldom calls one into more comfort, more luxury, or a higher degree of “blessing” (at least how we worldly creatures would define “blessing”).
No, one of the things which tells us that a path in life is likely a Godly direction is whether one is being led, as was Abram, into an uncharted direction, requiring a test of our faith. If one is looking for God’s leaning, one of the first things we need to look for to determine if this is God’s direction in life is to see whether the direction requires more or less faith in God than the previous path or place. If it is the easy or wide road to follow, BEWARE; it is more likely that Satan or selfishness is doing the leading. If, on the other hand, the road is the narrow road, the one less traveled, and the one which is insecure or ultra-challenging, that is more likely the road God is testing you to travel. And if, in spite of the anxiety over that more challenging route, you pray and get a peace – that peace which surpasses all understanding - about that leaning or direction, (as instructed by Phil. 4: 6-7, which I hope you have memorized and use often in decision making) then, like Abram, you simply MUST pick up and go where God is leading You … whenever or wherever that might be.
Yeah! … This Christian discipleship business can be a bear, can’t it?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, may I be ever sensitive to Your leading in my life; and then may I have the courage to deny self and follow You. Amen
Monday, May 11, 2009
2009 – Day 140.May 11 – Taking Control
2009 – Day 140.May 11 – Taking Control
Passage of the Day: 2nd Samuel 2: 1 – 7 … Link to passage for study …
My Journal for Today: Finally the time came for David to move from fugitive to monarch. But with Saul now dead by his own hand, how did David move ahead? He had been a dozen or more years fleeing Saul and fighting in the desert wilderness; and David had learned to look to God before leaping ahead on his own. And this is the lesson we should learn from today’s passage in David’s life.
When we get an opportunity, perhaps a promotion or the chance to exercise our own control in life, the natural tendency is going to be to “take control” in the flesh. However, it would be wise to learn from David’s life here. The first thing David did when he was finally anointed to be the King in Judah was to humbly wait on God for direction and guidance. And that it is the ever present life lesson we get from God’s wisdom in Proverbs 3: 5 – 6, linked here for your convenience.
And I hope you have that one passage memorized and down cold; because the guidance from God’s truth here can impact anyone throughout our lives. And David, in our study today, is a good example of this truth. When we have the opportunity to exercise power or control in life, the wisest thing we can do is to set aside pride and humbly do what Christ commands in Luke 9: 23 … to set aside self and follow our Savior no matter what the daily cross might be.
Now, back in the day when our passage today was describing David’s time of anointing, God spoke directly, and even audibly, to His servants or anointed leaders. But in this time of the New Covenant, God primarily “speaks” to His followers through His word, … the Bible. And that is why the advice of Prov. 3: 5 – 6 and from the very words spoken by our Lord in Luke 9: 23 are so pertinent to us in life. Because when we have the chance to move ahead and direct the affairs of mankind, exercising God-given control, when we follow His word, we will find His will and His way; and He will lead us to take Godly actions which will glorify our Father in Heaven. Relying on self, however, will very often lead to selfish disaster.
So, here we have another inventory moment, … one of those “pop quizzes” from God’s truth, … a 2nd Cor. 13: 5 moment, … a test of our faith. And I ask myself, “Bill, do you filter ALL of your directions and decisions through God’s word for guidance and confirmation?” And to that question, I can honestly say that I’ve come to the place where that is my reflex and “M.O.” in life. How about you? Are you looking to God’s word, and going to God in prayer (as we’re directed in Phil. 4: 6 – 7) to seek out God’s peace as our stamp of approval on the decisions we make?
If you’re not, I would exhort you to begin developing and acquiring the discipline which was exhibited by David in today’s passage. Take it from one who has learned by the life courses of “hard knocks.” Going to God first and humbly finding His will through His word is going to pay big dividends in your life if you can learn that as a discipline rather than relying on our own hearts and our flesh to make important decision in life.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, may I humbly seek Your way through Your word to guide me in life. Amen
Passage of the Day: 2nd Samuel 2: 1 – 7 … Link to passage for study …
My Journal for Today: Finally the time came for David to move from fugitive to monarch. But with Saul now dead by his own hand, how did David move ahead? He had been a dozen or more years fleeing Saul and fighting in the desert wilderness; and David had learned to look to God before leaping ahead on his own. And this is the lesson we should learn from today’s passage in David’s life.
When we get an opportunity, perhaps a promotion or the chance to exercise our own control in life, the natural tendency is going to be to “take control” in the flesh. However, it would be wise to learn from David’s life here. The first thing David did when he was finally anointed to be the King in Judah was to humbly wait on God for direction and guidance. And that it is the ever present life lesson we get from God’s wisdom in Proverbs 3: 5 – 6, linked here for your convenience.
And I hope you have that one passage memorized and down cold; because the guidance from God’s truth here can impact anyone throughout our lives. And David, in our study today, is a good example of this truth. When we have the opportunity to exercise power or control in life, the wisest thing we can do is to set aside pride and humbly do what Christ commands in Luke 9: 23 … to set aside self and follow our Savior no matter what the daily cross might be.
Now, back in the day when our passage today was describing David’s time of anointing, God spoke directly, and even audibly, to His servants or anointed leaders. But in this time of the New Covenant, God primarily “speaks” to His followers through His word, … the Bible. And that is why the advice of Prov. 3: 5 – 6 and from the very words spoken by our Lord in Luke 9: 23 are so pertinent to us in life. Because when we have the chance to move ahead and direct the affairs of mankind, exercising God-given control, when we follow His word, we will find His will and His way; and He will lead us to take Godly actions which will glorify our Father in Heaven. Relying on self, however, will very often lead to selfish disaster.
So, here we have another inventory moment, … one of those “pop quizzes” from God’s truth, … a 2nd Cor. 13: 5 moment, … a test of our faith. And I ask myself, “Bill, do you filter ALL of your directions and decisions through God’s word for guidance and confirmation?” And to that question, I can honestly say that I’ve come to the place where that is my reflex and “M.O.” in life. How about you? Are you looking to God’s word, and going to God in prayer (as we’re directed in Phil. 4: 6 – 7) to seek out God’s peace as our stamp of approval on the decisions we make?
If you’re not, I would exhort you to begin developing and acquiring the discipline which was exhibited by David in today’s passage. Take it from one who has learned by the life courses of “hard knocks.” Going to God first and humbly finding His will through His word is going to pay big dividends in your life if you can learn that as a discipline rather than relying on our own hearts and our flesh to make important decision in life.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, may I humbly seek Your way through Your word to guide me in life. Amen
Sunday, April 05, 2009
2009 – Day 94.Apr. 5 – A Shepherd’s Heart
2009 – Day 94.Apr. 5 – A Shepherd’s Heart
Passage of the Day: Numbers 27: 12 – 23 … Link to study passage …
My Journal for Today: Realizing that he, Moses, would never be the one to lead God’s chosen into the promised land, Moses recognized that the one to do so needed to have special qualities; and having been the “shepherd” of these people in the wilderness, Moses was perceptive to note that they didn’t need a CEO type or an organizational superstar. No, he saw that God’s flock needed another shepherd. As Swindoll points out we read that in today’s passage in Numbers 27: 17, where Moses pleads with God, saying, “…who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.” Interesting, but not unpredictable, that God would choose one named “Joshua” to do so, the name “Joshua” meaning, “the one who saves,” the same root Hebrew name from which comes “Yeshua” (or “Jesus”).
Moses recognized what any Pastor or Christian leader recognizes today, … that disciples of Christ, in order to fulfill Christ’s own command to follow Him (see Luke 9: 23) need leadership who will lead a body of believers as a shepherd leads his flock. Hence we read the repeated middle-eastern Bible references to the Messiah being our “Good Shepherd;” and Jesus, Himself, uses the same word-picture comparison (see John 10). It is a word picture completely understood from the context of the Middle Eastern, 1st Century cultures. The flocks of sheep of those days would have been totally lost and vulnerable to the preditors of the country side if they didn’t have a “good shepherd.”
Even today, the Pastor or Elders of any church are the shepherds of that flock. In 1st Peter 5: 1 – 8 [link provided] the Apostle Peter realized that and used this word picture of a shepherd watching over his flock to illustrate how Christian leaders needed to lead as a shepherd leads his sheep, protecting them from the dangers of the world, depicted as a “roaring lion” in this passage (see verse 8).
Anyone, as I have, who has been called to “pastor” a flock of Christians, recognizes how his designated body will flock to him, needing to stay close and follow the oversight that a “shepherd” would provide for a flock of sheep. And the younger, the more immature, in the flock may be, the closer they need to stay to the oversight of the shepherd (i.e., leader) of that flock. However, occasionally one, or more, of those wayward “lambs” will wander off, isolating himself from the flock and getting into dangerous territory. That is like the story of the wayward lamb in Luke 15: 1 – 7 [linked]. Again we see the biblical word picture of how important God, The Good Shepherd, our Messiah, sees every one in His Flock, the Church.
You and I are sheep, dear one. And we are wayward lambs, as Isaiah 53: 6 [linked] clearly depicts. But as that verse also declares, our Lord has taken upon Himself the iniquity of us all. My friends, we need to stay close to The Good Shepherd and remain close to the flock of believers for protection and sustenance, especially if we don’t have the maturity or the calling to lead. For those who are more mature and have taken on some calling to leadership of God’s flock, we need to become “shepherds” following our Model, The Good Shepherd, Who is always willing to do all He can to protect and raise up the flock for God’s glory. The Apostle Paul recognized this as he told his Corinthian flock, (in 1st Cor. 11: 1), “Imitate me; just as I also imitate Christ.”
I pray, fellow lamb of God, that we all follow the Good Shepherd closely; and I pray, you shepherds, that you feed and tend your flock, following our Good Shepherd’s example.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are my Good Shepherd. Help me to shepherd the flock You have ordained me to lead. Amen
Passage of the Day: Numbers 27: 12 – 23 … Link to study passage …
My Journal for Today: Realizing that he, Moses, would never be the one to lead God’s chosen into the promised land, Moses recognized that the one to do so needed to have special qualities; and having been the “shepherd” of these people in the wilderness, Moses was perceptive to note that they didn’t need a CEO type or an organizational superstar. No, he saw that God’s flock needed another shepherd. As Swindoll points out we read that in today’s passage in Numbers 27: 17, where Moses pleads with God, saying, “…who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.” Interesting, but not unpredictable, that God would choose one named “Joshua” to do so, the name “Joshua” meaning, “the one who saves,” the same root Hebrew name from which comes “Yeshua” (or “Jesus”).
Moses recognized what any Pastor or Christian leader recognizes today, … that disciples of Christ, in order to fulfill Christ’s own command to follow Him (see Luke 9: 23) need leadership who will lead a body of believers as a shepherd leads his flock. Hence we read the repeated middle-eastern Bible references to the Messiah being our “Good Shepherd;” and Jesus, Himself, uses the same word-picture comparison (see John 10). It is a word picture completely understood from the context of the Middle Eastern, 1st Century cultures. The flocks of sheep of those days would have been totally lost and vulnerable to the preditors of the country side if they didn’t have a “good shepherd.”
Even today, the Pastor or Elders of any church are the shepherds of that flock. In 1st Peter 5: 1 – 8 [link provided] the Apostle Peter realized that and used this word picture of a shepherd watching over his flock to illustrate how Christian leaders needed to lead as a shepherd leads his sheep, protecting them from the dangers of the world, depicted as a “roaring lion” in this passage (see verse 8).
Anyone, as I have, who has been called to “pastor” a flock of Christians, recognizes how his designated body will flock to him, needing to stay close and follow the oversight that a “shepherd” would provide for a flock of sheep. And the younger, the more immature, in the flock may be, the closer they need to stay to the oversight of the shepherd (i.e., leader) of that flock. However, occasionally one, or more, of those wayward “lambs” will wander off, isolating himself from the flock and getting into dangerous territory. That is like the story of the wayward lamb in Luke 15: 1 – 7 [linked]. Again we see the biblical word picture of how important God, The Good Shepherd, our Messiah, sees every one in His Flock, the Church.
You and I are sheep, dear one. And we are wayward lambs, as Isaiah 53: 6 [linked] clearly depicts. But as that verse also declares, our Lord has taken upon Himself the iniquity of us all. My friends, we need to stay close to The Good Shepherd and remain close to the flock of believers for protection and sustenance, especially if we don’t have the maturity or the calling to lead. For those who are more mature and have taken on some calling to leadership of God’s flock, we need to become “shepherds” following our Model, The Good Shepherd, Who is always willing to do all He can to protect and raise up the flock for God’s glory. The Apostle Paul recognized this as he told his Corinthian flock, (in 1st Cor. 11: 1), “Imitate me; just as I also imitate Christ.”
I pray, fellow lamb of God, that we all follow the Good Shepherd closely; and I pray, you shepherds, that you feed and tend your flock, following our Good Shepherd’s example.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are my Good Shepherd. Help me to shepherd the flock You have ordained me to lead. Amen
Monday, March 16, 2009
2009 – Day 74.Mar. 16 – Shortcuts To Futility
2009 – Day 74.Mar. 16 – Shortcuts To Futility
Passage of the Day: Exod. 6: 2 – 29 … Link to Exod. 6 for study …
My Journal for Today: Here we are, right in the midst of the story of the Exodus; and Moses apparently needed a pep talk from God. Things were not going well. Pharaoh wasn’t listening; and God’s people were balking. So, here in Exodus 6 we see God sitting Moses down and giving him a personal and historical lesson about the One Moses was serving and where the Lord had brought Moses.
And God didn’t rebuke Moses. No, the Lord took the time to retell the whole story to Moses, reminding him of His family and where God had led him. And in this pep talk, as Swindoll points out in his devotional today, we read of God saying clearly to Moses six separate times, “I am the Lord …” [see Exod. 6: 2, 6, 7, 8, 29]. Have you learned, as I have, that when God’s says something multiple times in a short segment of space [in His word], it’s time to pay attention and listen to God? Well, I think that is what God was trying to get across to Moses.
Moses needed to be reminded of the exactly Who was doing the leading here. And sometimes we can, as did Moses, have the tendency to look to the carnal when the Spirit-led course is not apparent in the circumstances of life. Oh, how I have the tendency to look within myself when things are not going the way I think they should. I want to get things done MY WAY; and I just won’t take the time to WAIT ON GOD.
So, here, sort of at the half-time of the Super Bowl of deliverance, God takes Moses into the locker room of life and reminds the quarterback of God’s team just where they are in this game and exactly Who is in charge in this game plan. And we know from “the rest of the story” that Moses listened to God; and he went back out on the field of this contest and did exactly what God coached him to do.
If things are not going well for you in the game of life, let God sit you down, through His written word or with council from a Godly counselor, and remind you that it is the Lord Who is in charge; and all you need to do is follow God’s game plan, which we can read and heed in Deut. 31: 8, Prov. 3: 5 – 6, Luke 9: 23, and all of Romans 8, as well as all of Ephesians 1.
So, if you’re going into the second half of your super bowl of life and things are going poorly, you go back and meditate deeply on those passages and realize that God is with you; … that He will guide you; … and that you serve the God Who cannot and will not be defeated.
Dear one … we have the advantage to see the score at the end of the game; and as I said a few days earlier, “WE WIN!”
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I am lifted up by Your truth and Your victory. Amen
Passage of the Day: Exod. 6: 2 – 29 … Link to Exod. 6 for study …
My Journal for Today: Here we are, right in the midst of the story of the Exodus; and Moses apparently needed a pep talk from God. Things were not going well. Pharaoh wasn’t listening; and God’s people were balking. So, here in Exodus 6 we see God sitting Moses down and giving him a personal and historical lesson about the One Moses was serving and where the Lord had brought Moses.
And God didn’t rebuke Moses. No, the Lord took the time to retell the whole story to Moses, reminding him of His family and where God had led him. And in this pep talk, as Swindoll points out in his devotional today, we read of God saying clearly to Moses six separate times, “I am the Lord …” [see Exod. 6: 2, 6, 7, 8, 29]. Have you learned, as I have, that when God’s says something multiple times in a short segment of space [in His word], it’s time to pay attention and listen to God? Well, I think that is what God was trying to get across to Moses.
Moses needed to be reminded of the exactly Who was doing the leading here. And sometimes we can, as did Moses, have the tendency to look to the carnal when the Spirit-led course is not apparent in the circumstances of life. Oh, how I have the tendency to look within myself when things are not going the way I think they should. I want to get things done MY WAY; and I just won’t take the time to WAIT ON GOD.
So, here, sort of at the half-time of the Super Bowl of deliverance, God takes Moses into the locker room of life and reminds the quarterback of God’s team just where they are in this game and exactly Who is in charge in this game plan. And we know from “the rest of the story” that Moses listened to God; and he went back out on the field of this contest and did exactly what God coached him to do.
If things are not going well for you in the game of life, let God sit you down, through His written word or with council from a Godly counselor, and remind you that it is the Lord Who is in charge; and all you need to do is follow God’s game plan, which we can read and heed in Deut. 31: 8, Prov. 3: 5 – 6, Luke 9: 23, and all of Romans 8, as well as all of Ephesians 1.
So, if you’re going into the second half of your super bowl of life and things are going poorly, you go back and meditate deeply on those passages and realize that God is with you; … that He will guide you; … and that you serve the God Who cannot and will not be defeated.
Dear one … we have the advantage to see the score at the end of the game; and as I said a few days earlier, “WE WIN!”
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I am lifted up by Your truth and Your victory. Amen
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