May 28-29, 2011 … Joy and Endurance in the Spirit

Blogger’s Note: Yesterday I was not able to post the devotional you read below because of travel schedules and my laptop battery lapsing while I traveled (long story!). I actually did the devotional for 5/28; but since I couldn’t post it online, I’m doing so today (5/29) along with my devotional for this date. For those who read along with my daily journal entries, I apologize for this lapse in planning/posting.

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May 28, 2011 … Joy in Spite of Death

Passage of the Day: [Repeating] Philippians 1: 21 … 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain …

My Journal for Today: Continuing with the same verse and theme from yesterday’s entry [5/27] , the Apostle Paul, according to John MacArthur in his devotional from Strength for Today for this date, had three reasons to be confident – even in the face of prison or other dire circumstances.

First, Paul had confidence in the power afforded by God through prayer … see Rom. 15: 30 …

SCRIPTURE<: Romans 15: 30 … I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.

Secondly, the imprisoned Apostle just knew the Holy Spirit would sustain him in the face of his trials, which is Paul’s message in two of my favorite and most called-upon verses in my arsenal of memory verses, 1st Cor. 10: 13 and 2nd Cor. 12: 9, both of which I really hope any reader of this entry would have memorized and deeply embedded in your heart by now. Peter had also expressed the same confidence that God gives us all we need to face life (see 2nd Peter 1: 3). …

XRIPTURE: 2nd Peter 1: 3 … His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.

And finally, Paul had consummate confidence in Christ’s promises … that God had called him (Paul) into ministry (see Acts 26: 16 - 18) … that he would never suffer shame in Christ’s Name (ala Mark 8: 38) … and that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, would never abandon His sheep (after John 10: 27-28).

Paul knew, as should we, that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow and will never forsake us (Hebrews 13: 5, 8). And prayerfully, we can all realize that we can forever place our confidence in our God in moments of trial.

My Prayer Today: Lord, You are all I need. Amen

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May 29, 2011 … Endurance: The Value of the Spirit

Passage of the Day: 2nd Corinthians 4: 16 – 18 … 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary; but what is unseen is eternal.

My Journal for Today: Maintaining our bodily temple is certainly important. If fact, the Apostle Paul had also written to the Corinthians about that (see 1st Cor. 3: 16 – 17) …

SCRIPTURE: 1st Cor. 3: 16 – 17 ... 16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

However, as Paul declares in today’s passage, we should realize that our bodies, while being maintained in proper stewardship as God’s temple, are just temporary (see again 1st Cor. 15: 35 – 57 - linked here); and so, our primary focus should be on our eternal relationship with Christ.

Admittedly this can be challenging at times, because this latter focus is “unseen,” as Paul states in our passage for today. In Colossians 3: 2, he also exhorted the church that we need to “… Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” In all of this Paul recognized that the Christians of his day, as is the case today, were under great pressure by Satan, the world, and their (our) own flesh to concentrate on the temporal or corporal here-and-now, especially as the church was being persecuted. However, Christians must, according to Paul, grasp and cling to the truth that our hope is not in those elements we can see now, but in Christ and what is unseen in glory.

Peter was also helping the early church to grasp this truth by encouraging them (and now us) to understand that our sufferings would help them (us) prepare for the great eternal life ahead (see 1st Peter 5: 10) ...

SCRIPTURE: 1st Peter 5: 10 … And the God of all grace, Who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

And there is, of course, the uplifting word of God in Isaiah 40: 28 – 31, where we read that God will always provide the strength for a believer, who avails himself or herself of God’s grace, to meet the physical demands involved in the temporal challenges of life (and we’re also encouraged by Is. 41: 10, 1st Cor. 10: 13, 2nd Cor. 12: 9, and James 1: 2 – 3).

If we know and believe God’s word and promises in these passages, there is no trial or persecution which should dissuade us from our hope, Who is Christ.

My Prayer Today: Lord, You are the strength I need. Amen

April 10, 2011 … They ALL Failed the Test

Passage of the Day: Matthew 26: 56b … 56 But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then ALL the disciples deserted him and fled.

My Journal for Today: Above I capitalized the word “ALL” for emphasis. That word “all” in that passage is the Greek word “pas,” which is used almost 1300 times in the New Testament; and it means just what it says. It means “each and every one” of Jesus’ disciples cut and ran. If this had been test of their Christlikeness or a measurement of the maturity of their discipleship, how would these men have done on the test?

I capitalized that word “ALL” for emphasis so that we can see that ALL of Jesus’ closest disciples fled when the pressure was on. ALL of them, fearing for their lives as Jesus was arrested, cut and ran. And these were men who had walked with their declared “Messiah” for three years. They had seen Him perform all of those miracles recorded in the Gospel accounts … turning water into wine … walking on water … calming a raging sea with a wave of his hand … feeding the multitudes with a few fishes and loaves, … healing all those people; … and even witnessing Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead. And three of their number had seen Jesus transformed on the Mount of Transfiguration. And yet, ALL – not some of them, … but ALL - of the remaining disciples fled when their “Messiah,” the One they had declared to be the Son of God, was taken away by the soldiers. I don’t know about you; but personally, the facts surrounding this event are hard for me to grasp.

Oh, it’s so easy to ask, “How could they do this?!!” But I wonder if I would not have been the same cowering disciple as these men were given that test of my discipleship. Earlier I referred to Cassie Bernall’s simple faith with a gun to her head at Columbine High School. She didn’t run or deny her Lord as did Peter and the other inner-circle Disciples. No … like Jesus, Cassie Bernall died for her faith. Wow, … I would hope and pray that I could be like Cassie, especially since, like her, I have the benefit of the biblical account of our Lord dying on the cross for my sins; and I have declared in faith, here in this safe place, that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Actually, to be fair to the disciples who ran that day, sometime later, after they witnessed the cross and the resurrection and the ascension, they all died, save John, the death of martyrs for their faith. These men were not cowards down deep in their hearts; but they were very human; and as we know from the truth of Jeremiah 17: 9, we humans have hearts which are wicked and deceitful to the core of our being. We ALL have in us the capability of failing the test of loyalty to our Savior when the consequences are dire and our very lives are threatened.

When the real testing comes, we must ask ourselves if we can live up to Paul’s exhortations to stand in the gap when the times get tough (see Eph. 5: 15 – 16 below) ...

SCRIPTURE: Eph 5: 15 … 15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

So, … can we stand with Christ … or rather, can we walk with Him and follow Him … wherever He leads us? [see Luke 9: 23] Can we walk worthily in His steps, calling ourselves “Christian?” [see Eph. 4: 1] Well, of course, it’s not easy. And we may pass the ultimate test of discipleship, as did Cassie Bernall, even when we’re called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice for our Lord. Go ahead … ask the big test question on God’s pop-quiz of followership here in this safe place.

The question looms large; ... will we pass the test? Will we stand for our Savior and deny self? Will we stand for purity and against sin in a culture which beckons us to fall into line with Satan rather than the Savior? ... Will we?!!

But we know, in our faith, that it’s worth it to stay the course … not to “cut and run;” … but to fight the fight … to witness for our Lord no matter the circumstances. Hopefully, we’ve learned our lesson from that of group of Jesus’ disciples who got the ultimate lesson in fear versus faith. Only with God’s strength can we prevail (and I hope you all know, believe, and live the truths found in Rom 8: 31, Phil. 4: 13, 2nd Tim. 1: 7, and 2nd Cor. 12: 9). Because, if we do live - with belief - these truths, we will pass the test.

My Prayer Today: Help me, Lord, to be faithful when it counts. Amen

2010 – November 16 – Overcoming Temptation

Study from God’s Word… Reading of the trials Jesus and the Disciples experienced in Gethsemane, as well as the unjust arrest, trials, and condemnation of Jesus by the Jewish high priests and Sanhedrin from Matt 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 18, extracted and edited into chronological presentation … Passage for Reflection: Matthew 26: 41 … NIV [Jesus, to Peter] “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The [human] spirit is willing, but the body {or “flesh”} is weak.

My Journal for Today: Being the called leader, “pastor,” or overseer of a ministry for Christian men who’ve fallen prey to their own flesh and into sexual temptations and sin [see the Battle Plan Ministry website], the passages from the four Gospels documenting Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, as well as the flesh-driven failures of three of Jesus’ inner circle of disciples, have always had special significance for me.

Here we have Jesus, the very Son of God, dealing with His human flesh, … even praying that He might be spared “the cup” of crucifixion ahead of Him. And then we have those tired and weak three, who were charged by Jesus to wait for their beloved Messiah while He went into the garden to pray. And three times they relented to the temptation of their flesh, falling asleep at the wheel of watchfulness. And during this time, Jesus even singled out Peter, whom He had perceived as the leader of His inner core of followers, with this warning we read in today’s highlight text.

Dr. Smith even speculates in today’s devotional entry that Jesus was speaking to Peter (and to us through His word in the Bible) out of empathy; because, in the garden that night, He had been praying desperately to the Father to be able to overcome His humanity and allow His divinity to complete the mission before Him, … to go to the cross for the absolute atonement of the sins of man. So, when Jesus spoke to Peter, as well as James and John to be vigilant, watching and praying, to avoid falling prey to the ever present weakness of the flesh, He was speaking to you and me as well from His humanity as well as His divinity.

My friends, we are constantly in a spiritual battle against very powerful enemies which tempt us to fall from temptations. Certainly Satan is WAY stronger than are we; and he has created a system, known as “the world,” which surrounds us with temptations which pry at our flesh to have us worship Satan or self over The Savior. And then there is the real soft-spot in our armament; and that is our very human heart (or “the flesh”), the weakness which is so well documented in Jeremiah 17: 9, a passage linked here which I hope you really do know by heart to appreciate the fleshly weakness of our own, very human, hearts.

My friends, we really do need to be vigilant – ever day, even every moment – to guard against temptations such as those encountered by Peter, James, and John, and yes, by Jesus, Himself, in the garden, just before Jesus was taken prisoner, unjustly tried, and crucified. And Jesus warned Peter, the tough-guy of the remaining eleven Disciples, who had declared he would never deny Jesus; but he, of course, was the one who ran like a wimp from Gethsemane and denied the Lord, … not just once, but thrice.

When Jesus, told Peter, to “watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation,” He was speaking truth to us all. If we don’t remain ever vigilant, praying continually for Spirit empowered grace to overcome our ever vulnerable hearts (i.e., flesh), we are going to be very vulnerable to an enemy, Satan, who wants to do what he’s done to many Christian leaders who’ve fallen prey to the flesh. You know them well. They are the Bakers, the Swaggerts, the Haggards, and unfortunately too many others who’ve fallen prey to the flesh. And are we exempt? Hardly! How about every one of us who’ve fallen asleep in our lack of vigilance and chickened out when we should’ve stood for Jesus by witnessing to the lost rather than running in the fear of failure.? How many of us who have fallen prey to gluttony and eaten that donut rather than resisting when we knew it was sinful? How many of us men who have fallen asleep repeatedly in battle and have gone into visual pursuit of flesh on the internet rather than avoiding such pursuits to honor God?

Is the flesh weak, or what? Do we need to “watch and pray” to avoid temptation? Dr. Smith asks today: ”If my highest aspirations are not enough to keep my body (i.e., flesh) in check, isn’t it time my spirit got down its knees?”

Years ago, I learned and developed a technique; and I know that I’m going long here; … but, like Jesus in the Garden, I’m asking if you’re willing to take the time to learn a battle technique to overcome your weak heart and fleshly desires, especially when temptations arise? If you are; …TRY THIS: …
1. Write these Bible verses on 3 X 5 cards: 1st Corinthians. 10: 13; Phil. 4: 13; Romans 8: 31.
2. Until you memorize these verses (and you should ASAP), carry the cards with you AT ALL TIMES.
3. When tempted, recite or read the verses through three times. >>> After the first recitation, pray to the Holy Spirit, asking Him to give you strength ... after the second recitation, pray to Jesus, thanking Him for His saving grace ... and after the third, pray to God the Father, praising His Holy Name!. I GUARANTEE YOU, if you do this when tempted, Satan will flee just as promised in James 4: 7. This battle strategy, my friend, will work! ... BUT … only if you do it!
To me, this technique, which I’ve been using and teaching for many years, fits right into Jesus’ Gethsemane declaration to His disciples, … to “watch and pray” when dealing with temptation. I can only pray for you – and I will below – that you find this battlefield technique as successful as I have.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I pray here for any reading here that they will recognize and acknowledge their own weakness and rely on Your power to give them strength in dealing with temptations. Amen

2009 – Day 301.Oct 29 – It’s Not About You

Passage for Study: 2nd Corinthians 12: 1 – 10 … Linked for study …

My Journal for Today: Yes, we’re hovering again here in the passage about Paul’s “thorn in the flesh;” and today Chuck Swindoll wants me to really see and internalize one of the bottom-line truths from this passage of Scripture. And that is related to what I wrote about yesterday – that life is not about comfort and accumulation and personal fulfillment. No, … dear one, … we simply must learn what Paul espoused in verse 10 of this passage … that life, no matter how challenging, is all about God; and we must learn that what Paul also taught in Romans 8: 28 and Phil. 2: 11-13 [look them up!]… that in all situations, all circumstances, and all struggles, God is in control and He ALWAYS has our good in His plan for us; … AND it is all for Him and not for me.

Paul got truly got it; as we can read in this passage, even boasting about … well, take a look at the list, which Swindoll helped me see today. Paul said he could BOAST about …
• What he had lost,
• In his weaknesses,
• In the face of insults,
• When he was slandered,
• When he was persecuted,
• As he faced any of the difficulties in life, … and …
• With any of the pressures the world presented.

Even after praying and praying and praying that God, in His sovereignty, would take away the “thorn” from his life, Paul came to realize that God had allowed this painful thing, whatever it was, into his life so that he could and would remain humble, therefore allowing him to receive God’s enabling grace and for him to be able to be strong in the face of his weaknesses. As I alluded to yesterday, it was as if the Apostle was saying, “Okay, Lord, if this thorn is what it takes for me to have Your strength; bring it on!” And by extension, it was also as if Paul was witnessing to the world by saying, “Hey, world, look at how God can deal with my weaknesses in the face of this pain … just like He will for you, if you let Him!”

And there is another Pauline truth that I thought of as I was reading Swindoll’s devotional this morning, which also came from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, in Phil. 1: 6. You probably know it. It says, “… being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” And so, as the title of my devotional for today says, my friend, “It’s not about you!” No, it’s all about God and HIS plan and purpose for our lives. And that was the opening (and really the closing) message of Rick Warren’s incredibly popular book The Purpose Driven Life, wasn’t it? Life is not about me; … it’s about God.

And so, trusting in the truth of what Paul learned via his “thorn,” and living in the reality of the truth of Paul’s admonition of Romans 8: 28, that ALL things work together for my good, I too can boast of all those challenges which come my way in life; because the truth is that God is using those “thorns” to be a staging ground for His work to make me just like Jesus. And isn’t that worth anything it takes? Isn’t that the bottom-line goal for all Christians … to become like our Savior? Of course it is. So, I pray – as I will below – that God allows me to share Paul’s “bring it on” attitude; and to let the world see God shaping me into the image of my Lord.

My Prayer for Today: Oh, it is with fear and trembling, Lord, that I come before Your throne of grace saying “THANK YOU” for all the weaknesses in my life, … all of which showcase Your strength and give You glory. Lord, it’s all about YOU! Amen

2009 – Day 259.Sept 17 – True Convictions

Passage of the Day: Job 27 … Linked for study …

My Journal for Today: One last run through in Job, Chapter 27, has Chuck Swindoll reflecting on the great church reformers of the 16th Century, men like Martin Luther in Germany, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland, and John Knox in Scotland. These were men, like Job, who stood for they believed in their time against the going tide of the church culture, even to the point of dying for their faith.

Apparently Swindoll had just returned from a tour of where these men had lived and proclaimed their faith in the face of the tribulations of their day. And I identified with Pastor Chuck; because my wife and I have been blessed to be in Switzerland and stood on the spot of where Calvin had to flee from France because of his reformation beliefs and where Zwingli had stood in a pulpit and preached what many considered heresies in those days. These were men who stood for truth in the gap of public trials and some of them went to their deaths, being burned for their faith.

And in Job 27, verses 5 – 6, we read our hero Job, who had been maligned by his three friends, standing up, with personal integrity, for what he believed. He says, …
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.
6 I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it;
my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.

Now I have to ask myself, in the spirit of the Apostle’s challenge in 2nd Cor. 13: 5 - link provided, “Would I stand up for my faith as did Job or Martin Luther? … Would I be willing to die for my faith as did young Cassie Bernall in the infamous Columbine High School massacre?” I would hope so; but Chuck Swindoll says that Job and these others were likely able to do what they did in the face of dire circumstances because they had prepared their hearts to stand in the gap with three disciplines of their faith.

Using Job as our example, we need to be able to REFLECT ON OUR PAST. When we face loss, physical ailment, or crushing circumstances, as Job certainly did, it’s good to look back and be grateful for what God has done for us in the past. Then it’s a good discipline to REHEARSE OUR PRESENT, acknowledging to God any confusion or quandary in which we find ourselves. And finally, as we read about Job in this Chapter 27, it’s a necessity for us to REAFFIRM OUR FUTURE, by declaring openly where we stand for Christ. As one, like Job, does these three things that one will find that God will pour His enabling grace into our stand for righteousness; and we’ll be able to stand in the gap for our God in the face of the most dire of circumstances.

Oh, how this is my prayer for yours truly as the tenor of our times becomes more and more hostile to the Christian way of life. Who knows, … one day we may be called upon, like a Job, or a Luther, or a Cassie Bernall to stand before a tribunal or even a gun and answer the question, “Are you a Christian?” And at that point I need to know what God has done for me, that He is allowing such troubles in my life for my good, and that I must always stand for His glory … no matter what transpires in my life.

Will I be ready and able to stand? I pray I will.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, prepare me today for what may happen in my future … that I’ll be willing and able to stand for You … no matter what! Amen

2009 – Day 225.Aug 14 – A Plea for Understanding

Passage of the Day: Job 2: 1 – 10 … Linked for study …

My Journal for Today: Chuck Swindoll’s devotional this morning is a good one and it’s needed to gain perspective on “Mrs. Job,” the wife of our hero, Job, who has been felled by physical affliction. Pastor Chuck is right that we have a tendency to think ill of Job’s wife, especially when we read Job’s heroic exhortation in verse 10 of Job 2.

Here we have the hero, taking all Satan has to dole out; and when Job’s wife can’t take any more, she would rather see her husband, whom she loves dearly, being taken to heaven by God rather than having to suffer the way he is suffering. Remember, she too has lost everything they, as a couple, had together, … INCLUDING her ten kids. Shouldn’t we have some sympathy for Mrs. Job? And this is especially true when Job seems to call her down for speaking as a “foolish woman.”

I totally agree with Swindoll that the characterization of Job’s wife is way out of the ordinary; and Swindoll depicts truth when looking at most human marriages. It is usually the case, and it is certainly the case in my marriage, that the wife can take on adversity more readily than her husband. As the good Pastor writes it, “… going through sustained hard times weakens most men. [But] For some reason, hardship seems to strengthen most women.” And he goes on to point out that in most instances men lose their objectivity and balance when confronted by material loss and/or physical pain. Yet, when they’re sustained by a strong mate, a dedicated and loving wife, they can hold up to the pressure. Without that kind of spousal support, however, most men will crumble. And here, in this mutual scenario in the life of Job and his wife, it is Job who holds on to God’s perspective and remains strong; and his wife is the one who seems to crumble. My fellow readers, Swindoll contends, and I agree, that this scenario/example is not the norm; and we shouldn’t be too hard on Job’s wife.

Recently I had a prime example of what we’re speaking about here. A dear brother in Christ, a dear friend of mine, is waning in pain and agony from cancer. About seven years ago he was given a prognosis of less than a year to live with kidney and lung cancer. But he is still with us. And during all of the horrible and painful radiation treatments and devastating chemotherapy he has endured, fighting his disease, this man has retained a smile on his face and has witnessed to God’s love and sustaining power. And he will readily tell you, as he did to his church elders this week (I, being one of them) that he could not have taken all of these toxic treatments if it hadn’t been for the strength and support of his little, but powerful, wife. And I believe, having the same kind of wife, this is the normal scenario.

BUT, that’s not the picture we see in Job and his wife; and I hope we can all see that Job had been given, by God, an extra dose of sustaining, enabling grace; and he becomes a super-human example of how we must intentionally choose to follow God through “the valley of the shadow of death,” as David wrote about in Psalm 23, leading us to the peaceful valley on the other side, that place where Job’s wife lovingly, I believe, wanted for her husband, seeing him suffer with all those boils and after having lost, together, their ten children.

Well, as we know, Job comes through round two of this beating from Satan in the ring of life; and somehow he’s able to have an unusually strong constitution for a man when compared to his wife. And so, let’s give Mrs. Job a break here and cut her some slack. Job is right in stating that they both needed to trust God in all that then had encountered. But I think that Job, being weakened by his physical condition, was a bit harsh is calling his wife “foolish” in what she declared in wanting his suffering to end.

Let’s just all learn that God can, with our humble faith, pour all the sustaining power we need to handle the adversities of life. And as I’ve said, that is the joint message of 1st Cor. 10: 13 and 2nd Cor. 12: 9, which are two verses I hope you know, believe deeply, and can recite in prayer when you face adversity as our hero Job has faced. God simply won’t put us into any tribulations or temptations which we can’t handle with His faithful help; and His grace is truly sufficient to allow Him to give us what we need from His power to cover our own weaknesses.

My dear one, I hope you can hold onto that truth as our role model Job does. We are going to face trials and troubles in our lives; and we need to follow our model, Job, and build a deep/abiding relationship with God which will sustain us when we face the troubled times in life. That’s why I come here to this place, my quiet time in God’s word, EVERY DAY. I’m not there yet; but I will keep going deep with God each day so that when I must follow my God through that valley of the shadow of death, I will come out the other side and find the valley of living waters and the peace of my fellowship with my Lord.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to be sustained when I must walk with You in troubles. Amen

2009 – Day 146.May 27 – Special People For Special Times

2009 – Day 146.May 27 – Special People For Special Times

Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 16: 29 – 17: 1 … 29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him. … 34 In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken by Joshua son of Nun.
1 Kings 17 : 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."

My Journal for Today: Yes, if you were with me yesterday, you’re probably saying, “That’s the same Bible passage.” And it is; … because Swindoll is trying to drive home the point that our culture needs many Elijahs; and Pastor Chuck asks some pretty tough questions in his devotional message for today, … not the least of which is whether we would feel comfortable being in the court of Ahab.

In other words, if you were living in the times of Ahab and Jezebel, would you merge right into the anti-Godly culture where you worshipped idols and followed Ahab; or would you be willing to come behind or stand along side a man whose name and words declared openly, “The Lord is my God!”

Swindoll says it in truth; and I’ll just quote him to make the point that … "In our culture – our schools, our offices and factories, our lunchrooms and boardrooms, our ivy halls and our halls of justice – we need men and women of God, including young people of God. We need respected professionals, athletes, homemakers, teachers, public figures, and private citizens who will promote the things of God, who will stand alone, stand tall, stand firm, and stand strong!”

That’s why it’s so refreshing when you see entertainment or athletic winners, like Hollywood stars or professional athletes, who will take the opportunity when a commentator puts a microphone in their face to openly witness their faith or praise God so that all can hear them standing in the gap for their faith. These stand up Christians are, unfortunately, not as numerous in the public eye as those who support idolatrous causes like abortion or same-sex marriage. However, now and again you might hear an “Elijah” in our culture who will stand up and give testimony to their stand for God.

As I read Swindoll’s devotional today, I know where I stand; and I know that God does raise up special people for special times; and my friends, THESE ARE SPECIAL TIMES! These are the times of Ahab revisited. The question becomes are we God’s special people to stand in the gap for God’s truth and grace. And if you are saying, “I don’t think I’m one of those people,” you can take heart from many in the Bible who didn’t think they were the special ones God could choose for His special tasks.

Think about the reluctance of a Moses, who balked when God even showed him a burning bush. Think of a young Gideon, who was hiding in fear in a wine barrel when God came to him and called him a “man of valor.” And yes, even Elijah, at one time later in his life doubted God’s choosing him when he sat beneath a broom tree and prayed to have God take his life. We’ll likely be looking at that episode later in our study of Elijah; but if you feel God calling you to stand up in the culture and take a stand for God’s truth, remember this truth - GOD’S CALLING IS HIS ENABLEMENT! God will never call you to take a stand unless He gives you the enabling grace to carry out that task. That is the lesson Joshua had to learn in Joshua 1: 1 – 9 [linked]; and he was willing to move forward toward God’s promised land even when it was scary to do so. We can too; but we’ve got to be willing to take up God’s banner and carry it for Christ in our culture.

And so, when we have any opportunity to stand for truth over injustice, … for Godliness in the face of sinfulness, … or for forgiveness in the face of anger and hatred, let’s be an Elijah and let’s lend our voices to stand against the Ahabs of this world.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I repeat my prayer from yesterday … “raise up the Elijah in me … that I may be willing and able to stand for You, … no matter what! “ Amen

2009 - Day 26 - Strength To Weep

January 26, 2009 … Swindoll’s Topic for Today: Strength To Weep

Passage of the Day: Genesis 43: 24 – 30 ... 24 So the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. 25 Then they made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there. 26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth. 27 Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” 28 And they answered, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves. 29 Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there.

My Journal for Today: Don’t you just love the realness of Scripture? Here was our strong and mighty hero, the Prime Minister over millions; and our Bible tells us that Joseph, learning that all of his brothers were finally with him, including the young one, Benjamin, whom he loved; and also learning that his father still lived, Joseph just lost control of his emotions and had to leave to find the solace of his bedroom where he could be alone with God and weep. As Swindoll points out, all of a sudden all those years of loneliness and missed birthdays with his family came rushing back into his consciousness; and our very human Prime Minister became the little boy back in Canaan who was at odds with his brothers. It was all just too much; and he let it all out in tears.

What I love about this is how I can identify with this human saga. We’ve all been in places where our feelings become too much. I was just at a funeral the other day for the mother of a dear friend; and just being there reminded me of the quiet strength of my mom, who is now with Jesus. The feelings flooded forth; and I know that I was not alone at the home-going celebration of this lovely woman. My tears came easily in this moment of memory and empathy. So, I can identify with the strength of Joseph to allow his feelings to flow out in tears.

I agree with Swindoll that Joseph’s weeping was not a sign of his weakness. No, to the contrary, it was a sign that his heart, being in surrender to God, could feel the pain of the past and he could express that quietly alone. He didn’t need to make a show of the emotions to his brothers. As we’ll henceforth read, the response to Joseph’s emotions was yet to be revealed to the brothers; but at this point this strong man needed to allow his feelings to be shared with the One Joseph knew he could share anything; and that was with God in solitude.

I hope that we all realize that there is nothing we cannot share with our God. He desires that we share our inner-most feelings with Him. And I hope we’re all like Joseph, with the strength and vulnerability to do just that.

My Prayer Today: Oh, Lord, your eye is on the sparrow, so I know You’re watching me. Amen

2009 - Day 8 - Ministry In Pain

January 8, 2009 … Swindoll’s Topic for Today: Ministry In Pain

Passage of the Day: Genesis 40: 1 - 3 1 It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. 3 So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined.

My Journal for Today: Chuck Swindoll reminds me of a truth in this day’s devotional from his book, Great Days with the Great Lives, from which I’ve been studying the life and times of Joseph this month. He points out that often believers, i.e., fellow Christians, find that God has “arranged,” by His awesome timing and Spirit-driven “engineering,” for just the right person or people to be brought into the life of someone who’s experiencing physical or emotional pain or need. Or maybe the Lord arranges for you, with just the right empathy or skill set, to be joined in God’s timing with another who needs what you can give to them to minister to their needs.

That is the case in today’s highlight passage from Gen. 40. Here were two key figures from Pharaoh’s court, his butler and baker, who had, for some reason angered the king; and Pharaoh, having the power to do so, threw these two in prison. And lo and behold, the two landed in prison with Joseph who, if you read on in Gen. 40, had just right God-given abilities to minister to these two. Now as it later turned out Joseph would only be able to reach out to give one of the two comforting news. To the other he would have to prophesy his death. But it was God who clearly brought these two men together with Joseph for God’s later purposes.

Have you ever been in need of comfort or help or direction; and all of sudden there was just the right person who came into your life to give you a lift or directions or help? Or maybe someone’s need was presented to you; and it was clear that God had brought this person before you because you were THE person who could minister to that one’s need.

I have been on both sides of this scenario; and I recall back to 1983 when I was in a spiritual wasteland, recognizing how spiritually weak I was. And one morning a Christian friend, who had heard me speak of my needs, loaned me a cassette tape where I “just happened” to hear a message by a quadriplegic young man who said that he got his strength from Christ. And on that very morning when I heard that tape on the way to work, I arrived at my desk to find a pamphlet lying there, which read, “I can do all things through Christ Who gives me the strength. … Phil. 4: 13.” I then looked at my digital desk clock, which read the month and the day as 4 – 13 [It was April 13th]; and in that moment of “coincidence,” which had been administered by two separate people who gave me the tape and the pamphlet with God’s timing to break me to my core, I went from being an agnostic to a believer; and my life has never been the same.

Never underestimate how God can bring you into the life of someone who needs exactly what you can offer that needy person. Or when you’re down or out, be praying for and on the alert for just the right person to be brought your way by God to address your needs. God’s good at that; so, let Him be the merciful and graceful God He is.

My Prayer Today: Lord, I praise you for your grace in doing for your children what we many times cannot do for ourselves. Amen