2009 – Day 184.July 4 – Not Forgotten
Passage of the Day: Esther 2: 1 – 7 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: How wonderful is the truth of a God, Who, at times, may seem AWOL; but is ALWAYS tirelessly and powerfully working “behind the scenes” of life to bring all things into focus for His glory. And this is the story behind the story of Esther.
As was mentioned yesterday, a reader cannot find the Name of God mentioned anywhere in the book of Esther. Yet, in this wonderful biography of the little girl who lost her parents and was raised by her uncle, Mordecai, we see God working and shaping this young virgin to a place where she can become a heroine for the ages, … the girl who saves the entire Hebrew people. And only a loving, caring, merciful, and grace-bearing God could do such a thing.
I identify completely with the story in Esther; because I was one who had felt abandoned by God, left to deal with life without the closeness of a mother and a father. My parents were loving parents who simply could not express their love openly and physically; and I longed for the hugs which affirmed their love for me. And early in my formative years, much like it must’ve been for Esther, I did not have the gentle hugs of a mother to soothe my fears or the closeness of a dad to affirm my being. And so, at age 12, when I was abused by a teenaged Boy Scout who introduced me along with a group of other boys to pornography, I mistakenly felt that I had found the feelings of “love” which had been missing in my youthful development. And so I began to seek out these “love” feelings in all the wrong places.
So, I spent 22 years of my life, living a Dr. Jeckyl/Mr. Hyde life, developing feelings of distorted “love” by seeking out the feelings attached to sexual idols. And behind the scenes, seemingly absent from my life, was The Lord, shaping and breaking me to a place where I could and would come to Him, receive His saving grace, and respond to His love and mercy, finding what had been absent in my life earlier. And so, I relate this story which shows any who might read the book of Esther that God may not seem like He’s close; but as it says in Deut. 31: 8 - [linked here], He is not only close, He’s going on ahead in our lives to make a way, … His way, for us.
We’re going to see that with Esther; and it begins, here in Chapter 2, by a set of circumstances where the Persian King where Esther lived would call for his court to present a bevy of virgins and to bring before him for the talent show of the ages, where he could select a new queen. And in today’s passage this scenario is introduced for us to see that God is quietly, but powerfully, putting together the elements which would ultimately bring the orphaned, young Jewish girl before King Xerxes. It’s a God thing; and we should read this and marvel at the way God moves in our lives to reveal His glory to us.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I know – from my story – that You are always there and going on before me to show me Your way. Amen
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Friday, July 03, 2009
2009 – Day 183.July 3 – God At Work
Blogger’s Note: Having ended the Elijah study, Chuck Swindoll, in his book Great Days with the Great Lives takes up a study of Esther; and I’m praying that my pursuing God through the story of this great female of the faith will touch me and move me to know God even more.
2009 – Day 183.July 3 – God At Work
Passage of the Day: Esther 1: 1 – 22 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: Okay, The Book of Esther opens; and there are two very pertinent characters which go unmentioned in Chapter 1 … Esther and God. In fact “Jehovah God” is not mentioned by Name or by character reference in the entire Book of Esther. But in this first chapter we see the presence of the living God, Who is sovereign over all things, working behind the historical scenes to shape the events which would later forge themselves into the life of Esther.
Enter the affairs of the Persian empire (or of the Medes and Persians) during the earthly reign of King Xerxes, the 1st, who is referred to as King “Ahasuerus” in some translations, the Hebrew name for Xerxes. And unbeknownst to Esther, our heroine of this Book, though she goes unmentioned in Chapter 1, God is setting events into motion which would change her life, and the life of God’s people, who had remained in Babylon (i.e., now Persia) after the remnant had returned to Jerusalem (in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah) .
This is the underlying, unmentioned, theme of this Book of the Bible, … that God, even though unmentioned anywhere in this biblical account, is always working His plan in the affairs of man. Today we see events unfolding which may appear to many as if God is absent. This was also the case in the days of Habakkuk, where this Prophet of God could not see God at work as God’s people became ever more disobedient; but then, as you move through that book of the Bible, God gives Habakkuk a front row seat to view the events of history unfold in the will of God to shape the life and times of God’s people.
Today we see events unfolding and history shaping the affairs of mankind, which might seem to be totally defiant of God’s will or His way; but if we believe passages like Deuteronomy 31: 6 or Romans 8: 28, God will never leave, nor forsake, His children; and all things in the events of man work together for the good of those who are “The Called” according to God’s purpose. As we read in Romans 1: 18 – 32 [linked here], God may seem to have gone into hiding; but He’s always there, shaping or molding the events of history toward HIS ultimate end. And in the case of the life of young Esther, who lives in the background of Chapter 1, God is shaping events, and even having earthly laws drafted, which will change our heroine’s life forever.
And as we’re going to see, by studying the life of Esther, how our faith must be in God, Whom, though seemingly absent, is always present in our lives; and as it says in Deuteronomy 31: 8, He is even going on ahead of us to shape our future to conform to His will. And we’re going to see that truth unfold in the life and times of the future Queen of Persia, a woman of God, who was the right person for the right time in God’s scheme of history.
My Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, I’m so grateful that You are going ahead of me in my life to reshape me into the perfected image of Your Son, my Savior. Amen
2009 – Day 183.July 3 – God At Work
Passage of the Day: Esther 1: 1 – 22 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: Okay, The Book of Esther opens; and there are two very pertinent characters which go unmentioned in Chapter 1 … Esther and God. In fact “Jehovah God” is not mentioned by Name or by character reference in the entire Book of Esther. But in this first chapter we see the presence of the living God, Who is sovereign over all things, working behind the historical scenes to shape the events which would later forge themselves into the life of Esther.
Enter the affairs of the Persian empire (or of the Medes and Persians) during the earthly reign of King Xerxes, the 1st, who is referred to as King “Ahasuerus” in some translations, the Hebrew name for Xerxes. And unbeknownst to Esther, our heroine of this Book, though she goes unmentioned in Chapter 1, God is setting events into motion which would change her life, and the life of God’s people, who had remained in Babylon (i.e., now Persia) after the remnant had returned to Jerusalem (in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah) .
This is the underlying, unmentioned, theme of this Book of the Bible, … that God, even though unmentioned anywhere in this biblical account, is always working His plan in the affairs of man. Today we see events unfolding which may appear to many as if God is absent. This was also the case in the days of Habakkuk, where this Prophet of God could not see God at work as God’s people became ever more disobedient; but then, as you move through that book of the Bible, God gives Habakkuk a front row seat to view the events of history unfold in the will of God to shape the life and times of God’s people.
Today we see events unfolding and history shaping the affairs of mankind, which might seem to be totally defiant of God’s will or His way; but if we believe passages like Deuteronomy 31: 6 or Romans 8: 28, God will never leave, nor forsake, His children; and all things in the events of man work together for the good of those who are “The Called” according to God’s purpose. As we read in Romans 1: 18 – 32 [linked here], God may seem to have gone into hiding; but He’s always there, shaping or molding the events of history toward HIS ultimate end. And in the case of the life of young Esther, who lives in the background of Chapter 1, God is shaping events, and even having earthly laws drafted, which will change our heroine’s life forever.
And as we’re going to see, by studying the life of Esther, how our faith must be in God, Whom, though seemingly absent, is always present in our lives; and as it says in Deuteronomy 31: 8, He is even going on ahead of us to shape our future to conform to His will. And we’re going to see that truth unfold in the life and times of the future Queen of Persia, a woman of God, who was the right person for the right time in God’s scheme of history.
My Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, I’m so grateful that You are going ahead of me in my life to reshape me into the perfected image of Your Son, my Savior. Amen
Thursday, July 02, 2009
2009 – Day 182.July 2 – Redirecting Our Gaze
2009 – Day 182.July 2 – Redirecting Our Gaze
Passage of the Day: 2nd Kings 2: 9 – 13 … Linked for your study …
Second Passage of the Day: Matthew 17: 1 – 13 … Linked for your study …
My Journal for Today: It’s my last day studying the life and works of Elijah, one of God’s great prophetic heroes of the Old Testament. And Chuck Swindoll makes an interesting and accurate observation to close out this study. He makes the personal study note that Elijah’s life was one which causes us to look to the life of our Savior.
And in this final look, Swindoll redirects our thoughts, remembering how Elijah often spent time alone to allow God to shape his being just as Jesus did when He was on His trek to the cross. >>> And we saw Elijah’s courage to face the ungodliness of the leaders of his day. Certainly that has to remind us of Jesus as He confronted the misguided religious leaders of His day. >>> Then there was the compassion of Elijah which was exhibited during his time with the widow in the wilderness; and reading this, I immediately thought of the compassion of our Lord with the woman at the well or with the prostitute whom he restored to life eternal. … Then, we studied how Elijah had his own time of agony, much like Jesus’ confrontation with Satan in Gethsemane. >>> And finally we see Elijah being lifted directly into heaven much like our Savior who was lifted by the Spirit of God directly to be with God, the Father.
Is it no wonder that when Jesus asked his disciples about whom the people said He was [see Matt. 16: 13-14], they responded with the image of the Prophet Elijah. And any well schooled Jew of that day would know the prophesy of Malachi (in Malachi 4: 5 – 6) that when the Messiah comes, He would be preceded by one like Elijah; and we know, of course, from Scripture that this was fulfilled by the life of John the Baptist.
Swindoll is right that studying the life of Elijah takes our spiritual vision off of the world and ourselves and places our directional focus on Christ. Certainly Swindoll is right when he claims that one of the primary goals of every Christian is to be transformed into Christlikeness. And in seeking Christlikeness, we need to be able to see that we must take our eyes off of the world or our own desires and to do what Christ commanded of His disciples in Luke 9: 23, a passage I really hope you have memorized and internalized, because it is Christ’s command for us to become like Him … to deny ourselves, … to take up our crosses daily, … and to follow Him. Following in the life example of an Elijah certainly is walking in the truth of Christ’s commands.
And once again, as it so often happens when I come to my time with God in these morning times of my life, as today, my mind is taken back to that great old hymn …
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of this world will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
Studying Elijah’s life has allowed me to do just that; and it has re-energized me with the desire to become more like our Savior. And for anyone who might be spending time with God along with me here in this study, that is my prayer for you as well.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, turn our eyes to You so that we can follow You and become more like You. Transform us, Lord, into Your image so that we might glorify You, our Father, in Heaven. Amen
Passage of the Day: 2nd Kings 2: 9 – 13 … Linked for your study …
Second Passage of the Day: Matthew 17: 1 – 13 … Linked for your study …
My Journal for Today: It’s my last day studying the life and works of Elijah, one of God’s great prophetic heroes of the Old Testament. And Chuck Swindoll makes an interesting and accurate observation to close out this study. He makes the personal study note that Elijah’s life was one which causes us to look to the life of our Savior.
And in this final look, Swindoll redirects our thoughts, remembering how Elijah often spent time alone to allow God to shape his being just as Jesus did when He was on His trek to the cross. >>> And we saw Elijah’s courage to face the ungodliness of the leaders of his day. Certainly that has to remind us of Jesus as He confronted the misguided religious leaders of His day. >>> Then there was the compassion of Elijah which was exhibited during his time with the widow in the wilderness; and reading this, I immediately thought of the compassion of our Lord with the woman at the well or with the prostitute whom he restored to life eternal. … Then, we studied how Elijah had his own time of agony, much like Jesus’ confrontation with Satan in Gethsemane. >>> And finally we see Elijah being lifted directly into heaven much like our Savior who was lifted by the Spirit of God directly to be with God, the Father.
Is it no wonder that when Jesus asked his disciples about whom the people said He was [see Matt. 16: 13-14], they responded with the image of the Prophet Elijah. And any well schooled Jew of that day would know the prophesy of Malachi (in Malachi 4: 5 – 6) that when the Messiah comes, He would be preceded by one like Elijah; and we know, of course, from Scripture that this was fulfilled by the life of John the Baptist.
Swindoll is right that studying the life of Elijah takes our spiritual vision off of the world and ourselves and places our directional focus on Christ. Certainly Swindoll is right when he claims that one of the primary goals of every Christian is to be transformed into Christlikeness. And in seeking Christlikeness, we need to be able to see that we must take our eyes off of the world or our own desires and to do what Christ commanded of His disciples in Luke 9: 23, a passage I really hope you have memorized and internalized, because it is Christ’s command for us to become like Him … to deny ourselves, … to take up our crosses daily, … and to follow Him. Following in the life example of an Elijah certainly is walking in the truth of Christ’s commands.
And once again, as it so often happens when I come to my time with God in these morning times of my life, as today, my mind is taken back to that great old hymn …
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of this world will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
Studying Elijah’s life has allowed me to do just that; and it has re-energized me with the desire to become more like our Savior. And for anyone who might be spending time with God along with me here in this study, that is my prayer for you as well.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, turn our eyes to You so that we can follow You and become more like You. Transform us, Lord, into Your image so that we might glorify You, our Father, in Heaven. Amen
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
2009 – Day 181.July 1 – Mantle of Power
Blogger's Note: Two more days in my study of Elijah, along with Chuck Swindoll, before we move on to a study of Esther, which I do anticipate with great interest.
2009 – Day 181.July 1 – Mantle of Power
Passage of the Day: 2nd Kings 2: 9 – 13 … Linked for your study …
My Journal for Today: Swindoll posits an interesting and powerful observation as we see Elijah exit. He writes, “Exit Elijah. Enter Elisha. [And] God’s plan never missed a beat.” And we need to recognize, as Swindoll points out, that God has never lost out or been deterred by the loss of one of his Saints in history. Through the ages God keeps raising up His men or women to take the mantle of leadership or ministry to this world; i.e., … to carry the Great Commission forward.
Even Jesus proclaimed that greater things would happen for God’s kingdom when He left the earth; and that’s exactly what happened. And we see it even today. Some may wonder how God’s kingdom can do without a Bill Bright, the founder and leader of Campus Crusade; but this powerful ministry has grown in scope since the death of the man whom it is said brought the gospel to more people than anyone. What will we do when Billy Graham dies? Well already we see his kids are taking up the mantle of the gospel to many thousands in various crusades. Franklin Graham and Ann Graham Lotz are now preaching to mega thousands with two crusade organizations; and they are two and Billy was just one.
If we think God is going to be thwarted in carrying His message to a lost world, we have a small idea of our very BIG God. And I have experienced this in my life as well. I was blessed and privileged to study under a man of God for a dozen years; but when his wife became ill some years go, my mentor had to move on to take care of his beloved bride; and he charged me to begin mentoring others. Dr. Bob G. had mentored a number of lesser mature Christians, discipling them into biblically sound messengers of the gospel; and now I, along with the others Dr. Bob mentored, mentor others and share Christ whenever and however we can.
That is how God, our Heavenly Father, takes one man like an Elijah, or an Apostle Paul, or even His Son, Jesus, and He passes the mantle of power from one on to others – many others - and so it goes onward in the multiplication of the Gospel. And Swindoll asks a couple of key questions at the end of his devotion for this day. He asks, “Whose mantle have you received? And what are you doing with this inherited influence?” To this I would ask if we who’ve been discipled are discipling others. We need to take the mantle of the Gospel and take it forward in Christ’s name for God’s glory.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, use me to carry Your mantle of power to as many as I can in this life. Amen
2009 – Day 181.July 1 – Mantle of Power
Passage of the Day: 2nd Kings 2: 9 – 13 … Linked for your study …
My Journal for Today: Swindoll posits an interesting and powerful observation as we see Elijah exit. He writes, “Exit Elijah. Enter Elisha. [And] God’s plan never missed a beat.” And we need to recognize, as Swindoll points out, that God has never lost out or been deterred by the loss of one of his Saints in history. Through the ages God keeps raising up His men or women to take the mantle of leadership or ministry to this world; i.e., … to carry the Great Commission forward.
Even Jesus proclaimed that greater things would happen for God’s kingdom when He left the earth; and that’s exactly what happened. And we see it even today. Some may wonder how God’s kingdom can do without a Bill Bright, the founder and leader of Campus Crusade; but this powerful ministry has grown in scope since the death of the man whom it is said brought the gospel to more people than anyone. What will we do when Billy Graham dies? Well already we see his kids are taking up the mantle of the gospel to many thousands in various crusades. Franklin Graham and Ann Graham Lotz are now preaching to mega thousands with two crusade organizations; and they are two and Billy was just one.
If we think God is going to be thwarted in carrying His message to a lost world, we have a small idea of our very BIG God. And I have experienced this in my life as well. I was blessed and privileged to study under a man of God for a dozen years; but when his wife became ill some years go, my mentor had to move on to take care of his beloved bride; and he charged me to begin mentoring others. Dr. Bob G. had mentored a number of lesser mature Christians, discipling them into biblically sound messengers of the gospel; and now I, along with the others Dr. Bob mentored, mentor others and share Christ whenever and however we can.
That is how God, our Heavenly Father, takes one man like an Elijah, or an Apostle Paul, or even His Son, Jesus, and He passes the mantle of power from one on to others – many others - and so it goes onward in the multiplication of the Gospel. And Swindoll asks a couple of key questions at the end of his devotion for this day. He asks, “Whose mantle have you received? And what are you doing with this inherited influence?” To this I would ask if we who’ve been discipled are discipling others. We need to take the mantle of the Gospel and take it forward in Christ’s name for God’s glory.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, use me to carry Your mantle of power to as many as I can in this life. Amen
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
– Day 180.June 30 – Times of Searching
2009 – Day 180.June 30 – Times of Searching
Passage of the Day: 2nd Kings 2: 1 – 14 … Linked here for study …
My Journal for Today: As his readers take in the highlight passage today of Elijah’s journey with Elisha, it was for Swindoll a reminder of what our life of belief has been like. And Swindoll is right, we, along the steps of life, must learn self denial as a believer. Elijah certainly learned that lesson; and for it, we see that he was ushered, by God, directly into heaven.
I don’t know about any reader who might be taking this in; but today’s passage and devotional did take me back to the time when I first confronted the Lord and received His saving grace. It was that Spirit-led occasion on April 13th, 1983, when I surrendered my life in faith and received God’s Spirit into my life. And I was such a babe of belief back then; but God was merciful and led me on the journey He has used to get me to this stage in my walk with Him.
Perhaps you can remember – and I hope you can – when God became real for you; … when you started your quest for Godliness; … when you let God’s Spirit become your guide in life; … and when you first realized that your life was not your own. It was God’s … for His glory! It was the beginning of your surrender of self into the Savior’s hands. It was the initiation of your Luke 9: 23 walk, where you really, for the first time, denied yourself, began to take up the crosses of life every day, and you began to follow Christ – really follow Him.
Then there was the period of development and discipleship in your life, where God began to pour His grace into your humble search for direction and strength. Perhaps you are in that stage of your walk right now. Many of us are; … where we have decided that the only way to be truly used by God is to accept self denial and to let God, in surrender to His will, have His way … in His time. And that may take a long time in our life – some longer than others. But it is the time when we spend time in the wilderness of life, learning God’s lessons through the trials of life.
Then, before we are taken into glory, there is the time of life, when we become God’s instrument of mission or ministry. And this is the time of fruitfulness of life. It is the time when God can and does use us in life for His glory. It is the Matt. 5: 16 time of life, when our lives shine the light of Christ and we can share our faith with others or minister to them, following Christ and taking up His cross daily; and in this time others can see Christ’s robes of righteousness rather than our native sinfulness.
Perhaps some of you are experiencing this latter phase; and you’ve come to see that God can take you anytime; because you are ready to be ushered into glory. But maybe you’re not there yet; and you desire to go into full surrender mode, as did Elijah. And I hope that you do find your place of self denial as Elijah had found. But if you haven’t, I encourage you to give your self up and to fully receive the mantle of leadership from Christ so that He can shape you as He has promised in Phil. 1: 6 into more of the completeness of Christlikeness just this side of heaven. If you’re not there yet, keep on keeping on in self denial; and God will lead you there.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I’m learning to surrender completely to the molding of your grace so that I can be used more fully for Your glory. Shape me, Lord. Amen
Passage of the Day: 2nd Kings 2: 1 – 14 … Linked here for study …
My Journal for Today: As his readers take in the highlight passage today of Elijah’s journey with Elisha, it was for Swindoll a reminder of what our life of belief has been like. And Swindoll is right, we, along the steps of life, must learn self denial as a believer. Elijah certainly learned that lesson; and for it, we see that he was ushered, by God, directly into heaven.
I don’t know about any reader who might be taking this in; but today’s passage and devotional did take me back to the time when I first confronted the Lord and received His saving grace. It was that Spirit-led occasion on April 13th, 1983, when I surrendered my life in faith and received God’s Spirit into my life. And I was such a babe of belief back then; but God was merciful and led me on the journey He has used to get me to this stage in my walk with Him.
Perhaps you can remember – and I hope you can – when God became real for you; … when you started your quest for Godliness; … when you let God’s Spirit become your guide in life; … and when you first realized that your life was not your own. It was God’s … for His glory! It was the beginning of your surrender of self into the Savior’s hands. It was the initiation of your Luke 9: 23 walk, where you really, for the first time, denied yourself, began to take up the crosses of life every day, and you began to follow Christ – really follow Him.
Then there was the period of development and discipleship in your life, where God began to pour His grace into your humble search for direction and strength. Perhaps you are in that stage of your walk right now. Many of us are; … where we have decided that the only way to be truly used by God is to accept self denial and to let God, in surrender to His will, have His way … in His time. And that may take a long time in our life – some longer than others. But it is the time when we spend time in the wilderness of life, learning God’s lessons through the trials of life.
Then, before we are taken into glory, there is the time of life, when we become God’s instrument of mission or ministry. And this is the time of fruitfulness of life. It is the time when God can and does use us in life for His glory. It is the Matt. 5: 16 time of life, when our lives shine the light of Christ and we can share our faith with others or minister to them, following Christ and taking up His cross daily; and in this time others can see Christ’s robes of righteousness rather than our native sinfulness.
Perhaps some of you are experiencing this latter phase; and you’ve come to see that God can take you anytime; because you are ready to be ushered into glory. But maybe you’re not there yet; and you desire to go into full surrender mode, as did Elijah. And I hope that you do find your place of self denial as Elijah had found. But if you haven’t, I encourage you to give your self up and to fully receive the mantle of leadership from Christ so that He can shape you as He has promised in Phil. 1: 6 into more of the completeness of Christlikeness just this side of heaven. If you’re not there yet, keep on keeping on in self denial; and God will lead you there.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I’m learning to surrender completely to the molding of your grace so that I can be used more fully for Your glory. Shape me, Lord. Amen
Monday, June 29, 2009
2009 – Day 179.June 29 – Straight Talk
2009 – Day 179.June 29 – Straight Talk
Passage of the Day: 2nd Kings 1 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: Chuck Swindoll ends his devotional entry for this day in his book, Great Days with the Great Lives, with a stark exhortation which comes from a relook today into 2nd Kings 1. He writes, "Learn a lasting lesson from Elijah. As you stand strong for the truth (of God), watch out for the enemy. He not only plays dirty; he plays for keeps. And he’s playing for your soul.” And to that end I’d warn the born-again believer that Satan will lure the heaven-bound Christian into all forms of “playful” occultism to dilute or damage our testimony/witness and thereby weakening our ministry for God’s kingdom.
Swindoll is right on target that we western Christians have a cultural fascination with any study or practice which might give us a one-up on the future. So, potentially damaging practice like astrology, horoscopes, palm-reading, or the like, have become very popular. New-ageism and concepts like scientology have crept onto the scene; and Satan makes them seem so hyper-intellectual and powerful to help self be in control of self, taking the eyes of the lost off of the Savior. Christians even fall prey to playing with horoscopes or even relying on scientific devices to read minds or to rely on futurists, who claim to have intellectual gifts to see into the future. All of this may seem either very logical or maybe just playful. But my dear reader, any or all of it is anything but playful. It is dangerous! And at the time that the author or authors of 1st or 2nd Kings (once only one book of the Hebrew Bible), told the truth story about Elijah, as well as about God’s prophets, who were confronting a lot of occult thinking. And 2nd Kings 1 is such an account.
And note how Elijah tackled the occult proponents of the god of Ekron, worshippers of Baal-Zebub, which, by the way, was not the god Baal. Elijah went back to his total reliance upon the God of gods, the King of all kings, and the Lord of all lords, … his God … THE God, Jehovah; and he called down the fire of God with his faith to wipe out any or all who partook of these false gods.
As Swindoll writes, “God is displeased with any occult involvement. … God is dishonored by any specific pursuit of the future that does not find its source in His word.” And on the positive side of things, and most importantly, Pastor Chuck points out, "God is delighted when we trust Him only.”
Today popular cultural gurus like Oprah Winfrey or even so-called “Christian” televangelists like Joel Osteen, are trying to get Christians to see that our faith should be in self or merely in faith itself. So, we see Christians duped to think that they can control their future by simply seeing power in their own thoughts or in the words they use. So, these name-it-and-claim-it prophets try to get the world to see the future through the eyes of self, rather than through the truth proclaimed by the Savior through God’s word.
Don’t be duped, my dear one! Stand with Elijah and with our Lord and Savior, Jesus, for the truth. Call down the fire of power from God’s word, not from any stupidity like astrology or any pseudo-scientific ungodliness like scientology. God’s word is the only truth; and only through the Spirit-led power of God’s grace, relying totally on our Savior, can we move into the future with confidence that God is in control.
My Prayer for Today: My Father, keep my eyes on the Son, and keep my head clear of self to follow my Savior. Amen
Passage of the Day: 2nd Kings 1 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: Chuck Swindoll ends his devotional entry for this day in his book, Great Days with the Great Lives, with a stark exhortation which comes from a relook today into 2nd Kings 1. He writes, "Learn a lasting lesson from Elijah. As you stand strong for the truth (of God), watch out for the enemy. He not only plays dirty; he plays for keeps. And he’s playing for your soul.” And to that end I’d warn the born-again believer that Satan will lure the heaven-bound Christian into all forms of “playful” occultism to dilute or damage our testimony/witness and thereby weakening our ministry for God’s kingdom.
Swindoll is right on target that we western Christians have a cultural fascination with any study or practice which might give us a one-up on the future. So, potentially damaging practice like astrology, horoscopes, palm-reading, or the like, have become very popular. New-ageism and concepts like scientology have crept onto the scene; and Satan makes them seem so hyper-intellectual and powerful to help self be in control of self, taking the eyes of the lost off of the Savior. Christians even fall prey to playing with horoscopes or even relying on scientific devices to read minds or to rely on futurists, who claim to have intellectual gifts to see into the future. All of this may seem either very logical or maybe just playful. But my dear reader, any or all of it is anything but playful. It is dangerous! And at the time that the author or authors of 1st or 2nd Kings (once only one book of the Hebrew Bible), told the truth story about Elijah, as well as about God’s prophets, who were confronting a lot of occult thinking. And 2nd Kings 1 is such an account.
And note how Elijah tackled the occult proponents of the god of Ekron, worshippers of Baal-Zebub, which, by the way, was not the god Baal. Elijah went back to his total reliance upon the God of gods, the King of all kings, and the Lord of all lords, … his God … THE God, Jehovah; and he called down the fire of God with his faith to wipe out any or all who partook of these false gods.
As Swindoll writes, “God is displeased with any occult involvement. … God is dishonored by any specific pursuit of the future that does not find its source in His word.” And on the positive side of things, and most importantly, Pastor Chuck points out, "God is delighted when we trust Him only.”
Today popular cultural gurus like Oprah Winfrey or even so-called “Christian” televangelists like Joel Osteen, are trying to get Christians to see that our faith should be in self or merely in faith itself. So, we see Christians duped to think that they can control their future by simply seeing power in their own thoughts or in the words they use. So, these name-it-and-claim-it prophets try to get the world to see the future through the eyes of self, rather than through the truth proclaimed by the Savior through God’s word.
Don’t be duped, my dear one! Stand with Elijah and with our Lord and Savior, Jesus, for the truth. Call down the fire of power from God’s word, not from any stupidity like astrology or any pseudo-scientific ungodliness like scientology. God’s word is the only truth; and only through the Spirit-led power of God’s grace, relying totally on our Savior, can we move into the future with confidence that God is in control.
My Prayer for Today: My Father, keep my eyes on the Son, and keep my head clear of self to follow my Savior. Amen
Sunday, June 28, 2009
2009 – Day 178.June 28 – Consistent Heroism
2009 – Day 178.June 28 – Consistent Heroism
Passage of the Day: 2nd Kings 1 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: Chuck Swindoll in his devotional entry for today likens the courage displayed by Elijah in 2nd Kings 1 to that of Martin Luther when he went to the Diet of Worms in 1521, being commanded to recant. In both instances neither of these heroic Christians had any thought for their personal safety. They were “men of God;” and they stood in the gap for truth and their faith.
Now, we know from the Bible and history that the outcomes were different for these two stalwarts of the faith. Elijah’s life was spared by God and Luther was burned alive by the church leaders in Worms. But they both, with no regard for their earthly existence, knew that God was foremost and His truth must stand above all false gods or teachings.
And from the living examples of these men, in their moments of truth, we must ask ourselves, given threatening circumstances, would or could we follow these models of heroism? Are we deep enough in our faith to stand for our faith the way Cassie Bernall is reported to have done when a gunman at Columbine High School put a gun to her head and asked her if she believed in God? And when she said, “Yes,” the gunman is said to have shot her dead. Do we have this kind of faith?
Cassie Bernall and Martin Luther, as well as Elijah, are living examples of being totally surrendered to their faith in the face of personal danger. And the former did so while becoming martyrs for their faith. Oh how I desire to have that kind of faith. And to that end I pray …
My Prayer for Today: Lord, may my faith not waver in circumstances where worldly pressures seem overwhelming. May I stand for You whenever or wherever I’m called to do so. Amen
Passage of the Day: 2nd Kings 1 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: Chuck Swindoll in his devotional entry for today likens the courage displayed by Elijah in 2nd Kings 1 to that of Martin Luther when he went to the Diet of Worms in 1521, being commanded to recant. In both instances neither of these heroic Christians had any thought for their personal safety. They were “men of God;” and they stood in the gap for truth and their faith.
Now, we know from the Bible and history that the outcomes were different for these two stalwarts of the faith. Elijah’s life was spared by God and Luther was burned alive by the church leaders in Worms. But they both, with no regard for their earthly existence, knew that God was foremost and His truth must stand above all false gods or teachings.
And from the living examples of these men, in their moments of truth, we must ask ourselves, given threatening circumstances, would or could we follow these models of heroism? Are we deep enough in our faith to stand for our faith the way Cassie Bernall is reported to have done when a gunman at Columbine High School put a gun to her head and asked her if she believed in God? And when she said, “Yes,” the gunman is said to have shot her dead. Do we have this kind of faith?
Cassie Bernall and Martin Luther, as well as Elijah, are living examples of being totally surrendered to their faith in the face of personal danger. And the former did so while becoming martyrs for their faith. Oh how I desire to have that kind of faith. And to that end I pray …
My Prayer for Today: Lord, may my faith not waver in circumstances where worldly pressures seem overwhelming. May I stand for You whenever or wherever I’m called to do so. Amen
Saturday, June 27, 2009
2009 – Day 177.June 27 – Two Solemn Reminders
2009 – Day 177.June 27 – Two Solemn Reminders
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 21 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: From the highlighted passage today, Swindoll, in his devotional for this day, reminds his readers (me) of two awesome reminders.
#1 … THERE IS AN END TO GOD’S PATIENCE! And the truth of Isaiah 55: 8-9 applies here [check it out here!]. Sometimes we see injustice going on in the world; and we can’t figure out why God would allow mankind, especially leaders like Ahab and Jezebel, to do what they do, which is so obviously in opposition to God’s righteousness. Maybe you even feel like that right now when you see the world’s evil growing as it is. I do!
But God’s word is clear; and it says [Gal. 6: 7] “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” And as we see in today’s passage, that is exactly what happened to Ahab and Jezebel; but as is usually God’s way, it took a long time for the rope on God’s presence to come to an end because of God’s character of long-suffering. But it did come, even though the calamity of God’s judgment did not occur in his days but in the days of the next generation.
And right now, as I ponder God’s word in my devotional time, I’m thinking of how the Prophet Habakkuk could not understand why God was so slow in his estimation to bring judgment down upon God’s people for their ungodliness (see Habakkuk 1 - linked here). But God in His time and in His way brought down His wrath upon God’s people who had mocked the Lord for so long with their evil ways; and Habakkuk was given a front row seat to learn a lesson in patience and faith. And we should learn the same lesson by reading and internalizing Habakkuk 3: 17-18 - also linked. But remember – God’s patience and His mercy have limits – His limits – and He will not be mocked!
#2 … GOD KEEPS HIS WORD! And no political leader, no idolized entertainer or athlete, or no religious leader, who is put up on a pedestal, can escape this reality. Again I repeat the truth of Galatians 6: 7. What goes around, comes around! It is God’s law of just proportionality. We reap what we sow; and no one can rise above that truth. Ahab and Jezebel may have thought they could; but as we read, the hammer finally fell; and as you read, it even hurt the next generation even more than it did theirs. And God’s wrath can be a very ugly scene as God’s word documents for others when His wrath came upon those who were locked out of the ark when the floods came, or those who lived and did evil in Sodom and Gomorrah, or on anyone who mocks God by not receiving his long-suffering grace after the resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead after dying for the sins of mankind.
Please, my dear one, don’t think you mock God by rejecting His saving grace or even, as a born-again Christian, you feel you can sin chronically and repetitively with no consequences. God’s wrath may be long in coming as we see evil being perpetuated in our day; but God will not be mocked; and WE WILL REAP WHAT WE SOW; and so, may God have mercy on His remnant, those of us who cry out to God for His grace, … the remnant who sees the evil but cannot do other than to walk in righteousness or to pray in the truth of 2nd Chron. 7: 14 - [read it here], and to wait on God’s judgment. We may not know when or how; but our culture and our world will reap what they sow; and again … may God have mercy on all as the rain will fall on the just as well as the unjust.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, have mercy on us! Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 21 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: From the highlighted passage today, Swindoll, in his devotional for this day, reminds his readers (me) of two awesome reminders.
#1 … THERE IS AN END TO GOD’S PATIENCE! And the truth of Isaiah 55: 8-9 applies here [check it out here!]. Sometimes we see injustice going on in the world; and we can’t figure out why God would allow mankind, especially leaders like Ahab and Jezebel, to do what they do, which is so obviously in opposition to God’s righteousness. Maybe you even feel like that right now when you see the world’s evil growing as it is. I do!
But God’s word is clear; and it says [Gal. 6: 7] “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” And as we see in today’s passage, that is exactly what happened to Ahab and Jezebel; but as is usually God’s way, it took a long time for the rope on God’s presence to come to an end because of God’s character of long-suffering. But it did come, even though the calamity of God’s judgment did not occur in his days but in the days of the next generation.
And right now, as I ponder God’s word in my devotional time, I’m thinking of how the Prophet Habakkuk could not understand why God was so slow in his estimation to bring judgment down upon God’s people for their ungodliness (see Habakkuk 1 - linked here). But God in His time and in His way brought down His wrath upon God’s people who had mocked the Lord for so long with their evil ways; and Habakkuk was given a front row seat to learn a lesson in patience and faith. And we should learn the same lesson by reading and internalizing Habakkuk 3: 17-18 - also linked. But remember – God’s patience and His mercy have limits – His limits – and He will not be mocked!
#2 … GOD KEEPS HIS WORD! And no political leader, no idolized entertainer or athlete, or no religious leader, who is put up on a pedestal, can escape this reality. Again I repeat the truth of Galatians 6: 7. What goes around, comes around! It is God’s law of just proportionality. We reap what we sow; and no one can rise above that truth. Ahab and Jezebel may have thought they could; but as we read, the hammer finally fell; and as you read, it even hurt the next generation even more than it did theirs. And God’s wrath can be a very ugly scene as God’s word documents for others when His wrath came upon those who were locked out of the ark when the floods came, or those who lived and did evil in Sodom and Gomorrah, or on anyone who mocks God by not receiving his long-suffering grace after the resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead after dying for the sins of mankind.
Please, my dear one, don’t think you mock God by rejecting His saving grace or even, as a born-again Christian, you feel you can sin chronically and repetitively with no consequences. God’s wrath may be long in coming as we see evil being perpetuated in our day; but God will not be mocked; and WE WILL REAP WHAT WE SOW; and so, may God have mercy on His remnant, those of us who cry out to God for His grace, … the remnant who sees the evil but cannot do other than to walk in righteousness or to pray in the truth of 2nd Chron. 7: 14 - [read it here], and to wait on God’s judgment. We may not know when or how; but our culture and our world will reap what they sow; and again … may God have mercy on all as the rain will fall on the just as well as the unjust.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, have mercy on us! Amen
Friday, June 26, 2009
2009 – Day 176.June 26 – Look Up
2009 – Day 176.June 26 – Look Up
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 19 … Linked for your study ...
My Journal for Today: As Elisha left the cave where God had provided re-creation and renewal for His Prophet, we see God’s mercy and grace in abundance and a reminder that God wants us to live and work in community … what we know of as the fellowship of believers … or in this day, the Church.
As we read in 1st Kings 19, God leads Elijah out and provides him with a charge and a companion. In this case we’re introduced to God’s new standard bearer, Elisha, who not only was to be Elijah’s friend and co-minister; but God’s provision of Elisha was given to Elijah to minister to the needs of our Prophet-hero as well.
So, can we see how important it is look up to God and follow Him as God’s word instructs us in Luke 9: 23? For not only will The Lord provide us with a plan, His purpose, and His power; but He will also provide us with our needs in the community we know of as the Church. The promise of Matt. 18: 20 comes to mind here, where Christ says clearly to His disciples, … “For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, I am there in the midst of them.” And there is the exhortation of God’s word in Galatians 6: 9 – 10 as well as Hebrews 10: 24 – 25, which tells us that we should never be Lone Ranger Christians … that we were meant to live and work and have our being in community.
And in this passage today we see how God moves His plan and purpose forward, providing for the passing of the baton of service from Elijah to Elisha; and in the process God provides them both with friendship and a co-ministry companionship. I have experienced this type of torch passing in my life. God brought me to a man of God in my mentor, Dr. Bob, years ago. And he became my friend and biblical guide for a dozen years as he discipled and taught me. Then, he told me, “Bill, it’s time for you to be mentoring others;” and he passed the mantle of leadership to me with a commission to fulfill God’s Great Commission [see Matt. 28: 19 – 20]. Now, I have been given the charge and privilege to mentor several other men in the ministry God led me into a number of years ago; and all of these younger men have been friends, companions, and co-ministry warriors with me.
I pray that, as a “Timothy” in this life, God has provided you with a “Paul” to help shape you more fully into Christ’s image; and then I pray that once you’ve become a “Paul,” God will lead you to pass the torch of ministry on to a “Timothy” by mentoring others to carry the banner of Christ forward.
Look up, dear one, and let God guide you in this trek to Christlikeness and Godliness.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I look to you to bring me those I need to carry your standard in life. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 19 … Linked for your study ...
My Journal for Today: As Elisha left the cave where God had provided re-creation and renewal for His Prophet, we see God’s mercy and grace in abundance and a reminder that God wants us to live and work in community … what we know of as the fellowship of believers … or in this day, the Church.
As we read in 1st Kings 19, God leads Elijah out and provides him with a charge and a companion. In this case we’re introduced to God’s new standard bearer, Elisha, who not only was to be Elijah’s friend and co-minister; but God’s provision of Elisha was given to Elijah to minister to the needs of our Prophet-hero as well.
So, can we see how important it is look up to God and follow Him as God’s word instructs us in Luke 9: 23? For not only will The Lord provide us with a plan, His purpose, and His power; but He will also provide us with our needs in the community we know of as the Church. The promise of Matt. 18: 20 comes to mind here, where Christ says clearly to His disciples, … “For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, I am there in the midst of them.” And there is the exhortation of God’s word in Galatians 6: 9 – 10 as well as Hebrews 10: 24 – 25, which tells us that we should never be Lone Ranger Christians … that we were meant to live and work and have our being in community.
And in this passage today we see how God moves His plan and purpose forward, providing for the passing of the baton of service from Elijah to Elisha; and in the process God provides them both with friendship and a co-ministry companionship. I have experienced this type of torch passing in my life. God brought me to a man of God in my mentor, Dr. Bob, years ago. And he became my friend and biblical guide for a dozen years as he discipled and taught me. Then, he told me, “Bill, it’s time for you to be mentoring others;” and he passed the mantle of leadership to me with a commission to fulfill God’s Great Commission [see Matt. 28: 19 – 20]. Now, I have been given the charge and privilege to mentor several other men in the ministry God led me into a number of years ago; and all of these younger men have been friends, companions, and co-ministry warriors with me.
I pray that, as a “Timothy” in this life, God has provided you with a “Paul” to help shape you more fully into Christ’s image; and then I pray that once you’ve become a “Paul,” God will lead you to pass the torch of ministry on to a “Timothy” by mentoring others to carry the banner of Christ forward.
Look up, dear one, and let God guide you in this trek to Christlikeness and Godliness.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I look to you to bring me those I need to carry your standard in life. Amen
Thursday, June 25, 2009
2009 – Day 175.June 25 – Come Out
2009 – Day 175.June 25 – Come Out
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 19: 1 – 18 … Linked for your study …
My Journal for Today: Well, if you’ve been coming along with me in this downer period of Elijah’s life, we’ve seen how our Prophet-hero allowed exhaustion to take him into a cave of depression, despair, and deranged vision. However, today we see how God works in such times; and I’ve experienced this kind of discouragement as well as God’s antidote. So, I know first hand that what we read in this passage is truly how God works.
First, if God has a plan for your life, he will give you time and resources to prepare or re-repair yourself for that task. As my mentor used to say, over and over, to me, “God’s calling is His enablement.” And here we see God giving Elijah 40 days of R & R in the cave to get his mind focused back on God’s will and His way. Then, when Elijah’s mind was clear enough to hear the truth, God called our Prophet out of the cave and gave him a little bit of in-service training in how our God communicates.
Elijah came out to the mountain where God’s presence surrounded him; and he sent the world’s noisiness to show Elijah what he [we] should ignore. And the winds came, … then the earth moved; … and then the fires raged; but God was not in those messages. And that reminds me of all the hustle and bustle of our world where we are deluged by all the blowing, inconsequential information of this age; and we are shaken by the tyranny of the urgent trying to rattle and distract us from God’s will; and we are burned by a world that hates God. But God is not in any of that. No, Elijah learned that he needed to listen for God’s still, small voice; and so do we.
I hope you have a quiet place each day where you can delve into God’s word; and you can, in prayer, listen for God’s still, small voice. God will not usually be in all the news you see/hear on CNN. Seldom will God be trying to influence you with the ground shaking events which occur in our lives; and when the world burns us with its evil ways or the oppression of Satan’s demons, God will not be speaking in all those lies. No, my dear one, God usually shows up and is heard in the quiet times when we are specifically seeking to go deep to know Him. He’s there in the still, small voice as you listen for Him in prayer; and he’s heard through His quiet, but powerful, voice which we glean from His word.
Like Swindoll points out in his devotional today, we need to avoid the fatigue and exhaustion which can cloud our ability and desire to seek our Lord’s will and follow His way; and we need to go to a place in our lives where God can more readily speak to our minds/hearts and be heard.
Do you have such a place in your life, my friend? Or are you letting the world wear you out with its demands and the oppression of worldly information, most of which will never enlighten us. We need to be alone with God where we can hear His still, small voice EVERY DAY. We need to develop a discipline of solitude and quietness where we go to listen to God’s Spirit speaking into our lives, convicting and directing us toward God’s will and His way from His word. Find that place, dear one, and hear God speak to your heart. Because, if you seek the quiet voice of the Lord with determination and diligence, He will reveal Himself to you.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help all who read here to tune their spirits to Your still small voice which I am hearing here this morning. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 19: 1 – 18 … Linked for your study …
My Journal for Today: Well, if you’ve been coming along with me in this downer period of Elijah’s life, we’ve seen how our Prophet-hero allowed exhaustion to take him into a cave of depression, despair, and deranged vision. However, today we see how God works in such times; and I’ve experienced this kind of discouragement as well as God’s antidote. So, I know first hand that what we read in this passage is truly how God works.
First, if God has a plan for your life, he will give you time and resources to prepare or re-repair yourself for that task. As my mentor used to say, over and over, to me, “God’s calling is His enablement.” And here we see God giving Elijah 40 days of R & R in the cave to get his mind focused back on God’s will and His way. Then, when Elijah’s mind was clear enough to hear the truth, God called our Prophet out of the cave and gave him a little bit of in-service training in how our God communicates.
Elijah came out to the mountain where God’s presence surrounded him; and he sent the world’s noisiness to show Elijah what he [we] should ignore. And the winds came, … then the earth moved; … and then the fires raged; but God was not in those messages. And that reminds me of all the hustle and bustle of our world where we are deluged by all the blowing, inconsequential information of this age; and we are shaken by the tyranny of the urgent trying to rattle and distract us from God’s will; and we are burned by a world that hates God. But God is not in any of that. No, Elijah learned that he needed to listen for God’s still, small voice; and so do we.
I hope you have a quiet place each day where you can delve into God’s word; and you can, in prayer, listen for God’s still, small voice. God will not usually be in all the news you see/hear on CNN. Seldom will God be trying to influence you with the ground shaking events which occur in our lives; and when the world burns us with its evil ways or the oppression of Satan’s demons, God will not be speaking in all those lies. No, my dear one, God usually shows up and is heard in the quiet times when we are specifically seeking to go deep to know Him. He’s there in the still, small voice as you listen for Him in prayer; and he’s heard through His quiet, but powerful, voice which we glean from His word.
Like Swindoll points out in his devotional today, we need to avoid the fatigue and exhaustion which can cloud our ability and desire to seek our Lord’s will and follow His way; and we need to go to a place in our lives where God can more readily speak to our minds/hearts and be heard.
Do you have such a place in your life, my friend? Or are you letting the world wear you out with its demands and the oppression of worldly information, most of which will never enlighten us. We need to be alone with God where we can hear His still, small voice EVERY DAY. We need to develop a discipline of solitude and quietness where we go to listen to God’s Spirit speaking into our lives, convicting and directing us toward God’s will and His way from His word. Find that place, dear one, and hear God speak to your heart. Because, if you seek the quiet voice of the Lord with determination and diligence, He will reveal Himself to you.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help all who read here to tune their spirits to Your still small voice which I am hearing here this morning. Amen
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
2009 – Day 174.June 24 – When the Darkness Hits
2009 – Day 174.June 24 – When the Darkness Hits
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 19: 1 – 9 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: In today’s devotional guidepost from Chuck Swindoll, he tries to help answer the question as to why our Prophet/Hero, Elijah, found himself in the pitiful mess he was in under that broom tree in the wilderness. How could a man who had just been on such a spiritual and personal high fall so low? And the answers should call attention to a number of warning posts for our consideration as Christian warriors.
First, and I think foremost, Elijah had just experienced his highest high spiritually, bringing down the prophets of Baal and calling down fire and rain from God on high. And we simply must learn that we become quite vulnerable to our sense of pride and hyper-ego when are riding the high of victory or success in life. I’m thinking now of a couple of other examples of this in Scripture, … Moses in the OT and the Apostle Paul in the NT. Both of them experienced some deep and discouraging setbacks after they had been riding highs in doing God’s business. And anytime God allows us to go high in life, we need to stay grounded and realize that God’s grace cannot pour into a mindset of pride (read the truth about it in Prov. 3: 34, 1st Peter 5: 6, and James 4: 6).
Secondly, Elijah was physically and emotionally exhausted; and fatigue can make cowards of anyone. The Prophet had been riding on the edge of life spiritually for years, during the drought, and like most of the people, he was expended of physical sustenance. Then he had that ego trip of out outrunning Ahab’s chariot, which likely took place in the mud of a flood. And then he had to run to escape Jezebel’s pursuit. I can remember my old high school football coach quoting the great football coach Vince Lombardi, who was the one who said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” So, when it came to practicing in the heat of August our coach was preparing us to be in shape for the games in September, knowing that tired football players are vulnerable to defeat. And this was where Elijah found himself, panting in fear and fatigue under that broom tree.
Finally, and I think this is a biggie, … Elijah had separated himself over time from the fellowship of other believers to rally around him and lift him up. I’m thinking now of that marvelous passage in Exodus 17 [linked for you] about Aaron and Hur lifting up the tired arms of Moses so that God could bring victory in battle for God’s people. I think of Jesus surrounding himself with disciples as He walked His walk of ministry all the way to the cross. Man was created for togetherness and fellowship with God and his fellow man. Hence the exhortation in Hebrews 10: 24-25 [also linked for you], not to set ourselves apart from other believers, especially as we see the day of the Lord approaching. And Elijah had become a “Lone Ranger” believer over time; and this made him vulnerable to his spiritual enemies.
So in Elijah’s broom tree pity party, we see the result of allowing pride, fatigue, and loneliness into our minds and lives. And the vigilance lesson is rather straight forward. As warriors for God, we simply cannot allow ourselves the luxury of become prideful when God brings victory in our lives. We must stay disciplined in our physical/emotional lives so that we avoid abject fatigue from making us cowards in battle. And finally we simply must stay connected to other Christians who, when we might get tired or disoriented from battle, can lift us up and keep us going.
Do you have these factors in mind as you have prayerfully put together a battle plan for life? Because if you don’t have a plan to remain humble, in shape, and connected, you can bet Satan has a plan to help you become prideful, broken down physically, and disconnected from God’s people. He will do all he can to see you become prideful, fatigued, and disoriented so that he can take you to some broom tree and hear you give up on being a warrior for God.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, help me to stay focused on You, … to remain vigilant and in shape for battle, … and always to stay connected to the family of God. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 19: 1 – 9 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: In today’s devotional guidepost from Chuck Swindoll, he tries to help answer the question as to why our Prophet/Hero, Elijah, found himself in the pitiful mess he was in under that broom tree in the wilderness. How could a man who had just been on such a spiritual and personal high fall so low? And the answers should call attention to a number of warning posts for our consideration as Christian warriors.
First, and I think foremost, Elijah had just experienced his highest high spiritually, bringing down the prophets of Baal and calling down fire and rain from God on high. And we simply must learn that we become quite vulnerable to our sense of pride and hyper-ego when are riding the high of victory or success in life. I’m thinking now of a couple of other examples of this in Scripture, … Moses in the OT and the Apostle Paul in the NT. Both of them experienced some deep and discouraging setbacks after they had been riding highs in doing God’s business. And anytime God allows us to go high in life, we need to stay grounded and realize that God’s grace cannot pour into a mindset of pride (read the truth about it in Prov. 3: 34, 1st Peter 5: 6, and James 4: 6).
Secondly, Elijah was physically and emotionally exhausted; and fatigue can make cowards of anyone. The Prophet had been riding on the edge of life spiritually for years, during the drought, and like most of the people, he was expended of physical sustenance. Then he had that ego trip of out outrunning Ahab’s chariot, which likely took place in the mud of a flood. And then he had to run to escape Jezebel’s pursuit. I can remember my old high school football coach quoting the great football coach Vince Lombardi, who was the one who said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” So, when it came to practicing in the heat of August our coach was preparing us to be in shape for the games in September, knowing that tired football players are vulnerable to defeat. And this was where Elijah found himself, panting in fear and fatigue under that broom tree.
Finally, and I think this is a biggie, … Elijah had separated himself over time from the fellowship of other believers to rally around him and lift him up. I’m thinking now of that marvelous passage in Exodus 17 [linked for you] about Aaron and Hur lifting up the tired arms of Moses so that God could bring victory in battle for God’s people. I think of Jesus surrounding himself with disciples as He walked His walk of ministry all the way to the cross. Man was created for togetherness and fellowship with God and his fellow man. Hence the exhortation in Hebrews 10: 24-25 [also linked for you], not to set ourselves apart from other believers, especially as we see the day of the Lord approaching. And Elijah had become a “Lone Ranger” believer over time; and this made him vulnerable to his spiritual enemies.
So in Elijah’s broom tree pity party, we see the result of allowing pride, fatigue, and loneliness into our minds and lives. And the vigilance lesson is rather straight forward. As warriors for God, we simply cannot allow ourselves the luxury of become prideful when God brings victory in our lives. We must stay disciplined in our physical/emotional lives so that we avoid abject fatigue from making us cowards in battle. And finally we simply must stay connected to other Christians who, when we might get tired or disoriented from battle, can lift us up and keep us going.
Do you have these factors in mind as you have prayerfully put together a battle plan for life? Because if you don’t have a plan to remain humble, in shape, and connected, you can bet Satan has a plan to help you become prideful, broken down physically, and disconnected from God’s people. He will do all he can to see you become prideful, fatigued, and disoriented so that he can take you to some broom tree and hear you give up on being a warrior for God.
My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, help me to stay focused on You, … to remain vigilant and in shape for battle, … and always to stay connected to the family of God. Amen
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
2009 – Day 173.June 23 – The Blues
2009 – Day 173.June 23 – The Blues
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 19: 1 – 9 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: If you’ve been following along with my study of Swindoll’s exposition of Elijah’s life, we’ve seen this Prophet of God building for the big fight. God took him off to a quiet safe place in Cherith and took him through a boot camp experience. Elijah then worked out with the widow and her child, where God used Elijah’s humility to bring back to life back to the Widow’s child. And then it was off to the heavyweight championship where our fighter for God took on and defeated 450 pagan prophets and then out ran Ahab’s chariot to boot. In that episode we saw how Elijah saw God’s promise and hope in the form one little cloud.
But now our Prophet has become weary as he takes on Jezebel, the wife of the king; and this dangerous lady seems to get the better of our hero, chasing him into the desert in fear. So, what’s with this? What has happened to our champion warrior who seems to turn tail and run? Well, it the beauty and balance of God’s word to show us the real deal, … the warts as well as the wonderful. And here we see our man, Elijah, who has likely become so tired that he can’t see straight; and he’s been taken down for the count.
In fact, in this scenario, we see that sometimes God doesn’t give His faithful warriors what they ask for in prayer. No, the Lord hears Elijah’s pitiful cry to die. Elijah, is under the tree crying for God to take him home. But instead of giving our pitifully prophet what he asks for; God gives Elijah exactly what His warrior needed. Elijah prayed for death and God gave our Prophet life. Elijah had taken his eyes off of His Savior and was looking inward toward self, which is often the most dangerous place to be looking in life.
And right now, as I do very often in my quiet place with God, my life-giving Lord has taken me back to the chorus of the old friend and faithful hymn, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, which states …
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of the world will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Swindoll is right, it is not uncommon for us to take our eyes off of the giver and look to the gift. Or we can let our fears drive our vision into self, taking our eyes off of our Savior. And that is where Elijah found himself after those great victories. He was tired and became despondent and desperate with self pity. But God came to him just as Jesus promised He would in Matt. 11: 28 – 30 … where our Lord says to His disciples … "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
And God’s “NO” to Elijah's prayer to die was exactly what our downed hero needed to hear; and it’s often what we often need to internalize in a pity party. Thankfully God doesn’t always say “YES” to all of our prayers, especially when we’re seeing only self and not looking into the face of our Savior. And so God allowed Elijah his little pity party before he sat our fallen hero down; and let our burdened warrior get a dose of God’s R&R, … a time of rest and recreation, which brought our man back to the faith which had brought God’s truth to His people.
And my dear one, we can find God in the midst of the world’s troubles too. We just need to find a broom tree and sit down with God and get through our pity party, letting God reveal Himself to us so that we can go on by looking at God’s glory and grace rather than seeing only the darkness of the world.
Go back today, if you’re down and out, and sing that old hymn to yourself, or pull it up on your Ipod as I have this morning, and be lifted up with its wonderful message. "And the things of this world will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
My Prayer for Today: Your face is so glorious, Lord; and when I look to You, I am lifted up. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 19: 1 – 9 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: If you’ve been following along with my study of Swindoll’s exposition of Elijah’s life, we’ve seen this Prophet of God building for the big fight. God took him off to a quiet safe place in Cherith and took him through a boot camp experience. Elijah then worked out with the widow and her child, where God used Elijah’s humility to bring back to life back to the Widow’s child. And then it was off to the heavyweight championship where our fighter for God took on and defeated 450 pagan prophets and then out ran Ahab’s chariot to boot. In that episode we saw how Elijah saw God’s promise and hope in the form one little cloud.
But now our Prophet has become weary as he takes on Jezebel, the wife of the king; and this dangerous lady seems to get the better of our hero, chasing him into the desert in fear. So, what’s with this? What has happened to our champion warrior who seems to turn tail and run? Well, it the beauty and balance of God’s word to show us the real deal, … the warts as well as the wonderful. And here we see our man, Elijah, who has likely become so tired that he can’t see straight; and he’s been taken down for the count.
In fact, in this scenario, we see that sometimes God doesn’t give His faithful warriors what they ask for in prayer. No, the Lord hears Elijah’s pitiful cry to die. Elijah, is under the tree crying for God to take him home. But instead of giving our pitifully prophet what he asks for; God gives Elijah exactly what His warrior needed. Elijah prayed for death and God gave our Prophet life. Elijah had taken his eyes off of His Savior and was looking inward toward self, which is often the most dangerous place to be looking in life.
And right now, as I do very often in my quiet place with God, my life-giving Lord has taken me back to the chorus of the old friend and faithful hymn, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, which states …
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of the world will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Swindoll is right, it is not uncommon for us to take our eyes off of the giver and look to the gift. Or we can let our fears drive our vision into self, taking our eyes off of our Savior. And that is where Elijah found himself after those great victories. He was tired and became despondent and desperate with self pity. But God came to him just as Jesus promised He would in Matt. 11: 28 – 30 … where our Lord says to His disciples … "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
And God’s “NO” to Elijah's prayer to die was exactly what our downed hero needed to hear; and it’s often what we often need to internalize in a pity party. Thankfully God doesn’t always say “YES” to all of our prayers, especially when we’re seeing only self and not looking into the face of our Savior. And so God allowed Elijah his little pity party before he sat our fallen hero down; and let our burdened warrior get a dose of God’s R&R, … a time of rest and recreation, which brought our man back to the faith which had brought God’s truth to His people.
And my dear one, we can find God in the midst of the world’s troubles too. We just need to find a broom tree and sit down with God and get through our pity party, letting God reveal Himself to us so that we can go on by looking at God’s glory and grace rather than seeing only the darkness of the world.
Go back today, if you’re down and out, and sing that old hymn to yourself, or pull it up on your Ipod as I have this morning, and be lifted up with its wonderful message. "And the things of this world will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
My Prayer for Today: Your face is so glorious, Lord; and when I look to You, I am lifted up. Amen
Monday, June 22, 2009
2009 – Day 172.June 22 – The Big Leagues
2009 – Day 172.June 22 – The Big Leagues
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 18: 41 – 46 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: You know, it’s pretty easy to read or study this passage Swindoll has had me look at for these last two days and get the impression that Elijah was some sort of superman of the faith. After all he stared down and executed 450 prophets of Baal. He had the faith to know that God was bringing rain again when he saw one little cloud. And somehow he was able to run faster than a chariot quite a distance (some commentaries say it was miles). Wow! What a guy! How could I be like an Elijah?
But fortunately from God’s word – His absolute truth – we also have a New Testament account which recounts this portion in the life of Elijah and puts it into proper perspective. James, the brother of Jesus, in the book by his authorship (see James 5: 16b – 18) does not picture Elijah as anyone other than the man he was. It says, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours…” And in those words we can come to the realization, thousands of years after Elijah’s confrontation with Ahab, we can pray to the same God to Whom Elijah prayed; and we can know that God loves our humility just as much as he loved the humble nature of His prophet. We can know that Elijah put on his tunic the same way we put on our clothes every day – covering the body of a sinner who was surrendered to his God. And as we read in 1st Kings, reinforced by the book of James, we can see that God can use any man (or woman) for His will and purpose as long as that one, like Elijah, is surrendered and humble before the Lord.
As Swindoll writes, ”No wonder Elijah is the kind of man we admire. Isn’t it exciting to know we serve the same God he served? Isn’t it thrilling to think we can trust the same God he trusted? … And what kind of God is that? He’s the God who makes promises and keeps them?”
I hope that anyone who’s reading me write this is as convicted and uplifted by that truth as am I. So, what is going on in your life right now to prevent you from going to the same God who brought the rains defeating drought for Elijah; … the same God who turned water into wine for Jesus; … the same God who raised His Son from the dead? My dear one, we’re in the big leagues of prayer. We can go to God’s throne of grace today and seek help or guidance or even victory over some fear-striking event in our life; but like Elijah we’ve got to look for the clouds on the horizon; and we’ve got to believe – and yes, I mean really BELIEVE - that the rains are on the way.
My Prayer for Today: I believe, Lord. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 18: 41 – 46 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: You know, it’s pretty easy to read or study this passage Swindoll has had me look at for these last two days and get the impression that Elijah was some sort of superman of the faith. After all he stared down and executed 450 prophets of Baal. He had the faith to know that God was bringing rain again when he saw one little cloud. And somehow he was able to run faster than a chariot quite a distance (some commentaries say it was miles). Wow! What a guy! How could I be like an Elijah?
But fortunately from God’s word – His absolute truth – we also have a New Testament account which recounts this portion in the life of Elijah and puts it into proper perspective. James, the brother of Jesus, in the book by his authorship (see James 5: 16b – 18) does not picture Elijah as anyone other than the man he was. It says, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours…” And in those words we can come to the realization, thousands of years after Elijah’s confrontation with Ahab, we can pray to the same God to Whom Elijah prayed; and we can know that God loves our humility just as much as he loved the humble nature of His prophet. We can know that Elijah put on his tunic the same way we put on our clothes every day – covering the body of a sinner who was surrendered to his God. And as we read in 1st Kings, reinforced by the book of James, we can see that God can use any man (or woman) for His will and purpose as long as that one, like Elijah, is surrendered and humble before the Lord.
As Swindoll writes, ”No wonder Elijah is the kind of man we admire. Isn’t it exciting to know we serve the same God he served? Isn’t it thrilling to think we can trust the same God he trusted? … And what kind of God is that? He’s the God who makes promises and keeps them?”
I hope that anyone who’s reading me write this is as convicted and uplifted by that truth as am I. So, what is going on in your life right now to prevent you from going to the same God who brought the rains defeating drought for Elijah; … the same God who turned water into wine for Jesus; … the same God who raised His Son from the dead? My dear one, we’re in the big leagues of prayer. We can go to God’s throne of grace today and seek help or guidance or even victory over some fear-striking event in our life; but like Elijah we’ve got to look for the clouds on the horizon; and we’ve got to believe – and yes, I mean really BELIEVE - that the rains are on the way.
My Prayer for Today: I believe, Lord. Amen
Sunday, June 21, 2009
– Day 171.June 21 – Living Expectantly
2009 – Day 171.June 21 – Living Expectantly
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 18: 41 – 46 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: I read today’s highlight Scripture passage and Swindoll’s devotional entry and I’m convicted to the core. In today’s scenario we see a refreshing, almost childlike Elijah, filled with expectation and faith. He sees a small cloud on the horizon; and even after three plus years of drought, he just knows that God’s promised rains are coming.
Swindoll points to the faith of child, asking his readers if we’ve ever heard a child pray. They have such boundless faith, praying for wondrous things and expecting them to happen. So Swindoll asks, “Do you live expectantly? Do the little things excite you? Do you imagine the improbable and expect the impossible?” And to those questions, with conviction, I must say, “No, no, and no!” I’m afraid all too often I’m the cynical and overly serious type; and I have a tendency to look for a cloud in every silver lining rather than having the eyes of expectancy we see in Elijah.
All too often I’m a “glass have empty” kind of guy; and I need to loosen up, … to chill out, … and to lighten up. I need to expect God to be God and to move in ways that will cause mankind to see that they need a God Who will shake things up so that we need Him and to see that He’s our only hope … our only answer.
Right now, in these times, we’re in the midst of a financial drought; and it may, like the drought of Elijah’s day, last for a long time. But what I (we) need to be doing is to look off into the horizon and look for a small cloud which will bring God’s promised rains. God has promised that he will bring the rains of His providence and provide for His children. And now it’s time for me to expect that he’ll do just that.
Look, my friends. There’s a small cloud out there on the horizon. Do you see it?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You said that you’ll never forsake me. You’ve said that You’re going ahead of me. You’ve said that You’ll meet all my needs. And on all counts, You have been there for me. You are showing me the way; and You have provided all I need (and more). And now I look expectantly ahead to what You are going to do to bring glory to Your Name. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 18: 41 – 46 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: I read today’s highlight Scripture passage and Swindoll’s devotional entry and I’m convicted to the core. In today’s scenario we see a refreshing, almost childlike Elijah, filled with expectation and faith. He sees a small cloud on the horizon; and even after three plus years of drought, he just knows that God’s promised rains are coming.
Swindoll points to the faith of child, asking his readers if we’ve ever heard a child pray. They have such boundless faith, praying for wondrous things and expecting them to happen. So Swindoll asks, “Do you live expectantly? Do the little things excite you? Do you imagine the improbable and expect the impossible?” And to those questions, with conviction, I must say, “No, no, and no!” I’m afraid all too often I’m the cynical and overly serious type; and I have a tendency to look for a cloud in every silver lining rather than having the eyes of expectancy we see in Elijah.
All too often I’m a “glass have empty” kind of guy; and I need to loosen up, … to chill out, … and to lighten up. I need to expect God to be God and to move in ways that will cause mankind to see that they need a God Who will shake things up so that we need Him and to see that He’s our only hope … our only answer.
Right now, in these times, we’re in the midst of a financial drought; and it may, like the drought of Elijah’s day, last for a long time. But what I (we) need to be doing is to look off into the horizon and look for a small cloud which will bring God’s promised rains. God has promised that he will bring the rains of His providence and provide for His children. And now it’s time for me to expect that he’ll do just that.
Look, my friends. There’s a small cloud out there on the horizon. Do you see it?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You said that you’ll never forsake me. You’ve said that You’re going ahead of me. You’ve said that You’ll meet all my needs. And on all counts, You have been there for me. You are showing me the way; and You have provided all I need (and more). And now I look expectantly ahead to what You are going to do to bring glory to Your Name. Amen
Saturday, June 20, 2009
2009 – Day 170.June 20 – Invincible
2009 – Day 170.June 20 – Invincible
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 18: 22 – 40 … Linked for study ...
My Journal for Today: Swindoll brings up a good point as we revisit this passage about Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal. Essentially my devotional shepherd asks, “Where does a Christian feel most invincible?" And the answer is simple. Any man (or woman) of God, as was Elijah, feels most invincible when he/she is centered in the will of God.
You can have joy even having just lost your job – IF – you know that you’re in the will of God. You can have peace in a raging storm – IF – you’re in Christ’s boat and you know that He’s in total control of the storm. But the opposite is also true. We will be nervous as Christians – maybe even riddled with anxiety - even when the world is flooding us with positive – WHEN – we know that we’re convicted by God’s Spirit being outside the will of God. Have you been there in either, or both, of these circumstances? I sure have. And I know that I only can feel invincible when I’m totally centered in the will of God.
As we reread today, Elijah was totally in the will of God; and you could tell it, couldn’t you? As Swindoll points out, in this passage today, Elijah speaks out eight times to the prophets or to the people; and in each instance, Elijah is assertive and confident. As Swindoll writes, “[Elijah] didn’t shift; he didn’t stutter; he didn’t suggest.” No, our hero was in command mode; because he knew God was in control; and he was soundly centered in the will of God.
I hope you’re feeling grounded in God’s will today. I know that right now, as I write this, I’m feeling that. Here, in my quiet place, where I come each morning, I am exactly where I need to be to begin my day, pursuing God’s truth, praising His Name, and praying for God’s guidance and protection. As I experience almost every day, coming to this place to begin my day takes me to a place where I know I’m grounded in God’s will, seeking His way from His word. So, the rest of my day, though I may find myself in a storm of challenge, I can more likely hold onto the joy and peace and strength I feel right now.
I hope (and I will pray below) that any who are with me here will begin each day, finding the invincible feeling of being in the center of God’s will, especially as we are immersed in the truth of God’s word.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help any who read this to come to Your place of honor each morning – in Your word – and to find the joy and peace and strength which come from starting the day with You. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 18: 22 – 40 … Linked for study ...
My Journal for Today: Swindoll brings up a good point as we revisit this passage about Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal. Essentially my devotional shepherd asks, “Where does a Christian feel most invincible?" And the answer is simple. Any man (or woman) of God, as was Elijah, feels most invincible when he/she is centered in the will of God.
You can have joy even having just lost your job – IF – you know that you’re in the will of God. You can have peace in a raging storm – IF – you’re in Christ’s boat and you know that He’s in total control of the storm. But the opposite is also true. We will be nervous as Christians – maybe even riddled with anxiety - even when the world is flooding us with positive – WHEN – we know that we’re convicted by God’s Spirit being outside the will of God. Have you been there in either, or both, of these circumstances? I sure have. And I know that I only can feel invincible when I’m totally centered in the will of God.
As we reread today, Elijah was totally in the will of God; and you could tell it, couldn’t you? As Swindoll points out, in this passage today, Elijah speaks out eight times to the prophets or to the people; and in each instance, Elijah is assertive and confident. As Swindoll writes, “[Elijah] didn’t shift; he didn’t stutter; he didn’t suggest.” No, our hero was in command mode; because he knew God was in control; and he was soundly centered in the will of God.
I hope you’re feeling grounded in God’s will today. I know that right now, as I write this, I’m feeling that. Here, in my quiet place, where I come each morning, I am exactly where I need to be to begin my day, pursuing God’s truth, praising His Name, and praying for God’s guidance and protection. As I experience almost every day, coming to this place to begin my day takes me to a place where I know I’m grounded in God’s will, seeking His way from His word. So, the rest of my day, though I may find myself in a storm of challenge, I can more likely hold onto the joy and peace and strength I feel right now.
I hope (and I will pray below) that any who are with me here will begin each day, finding the invincible feeling of being in the center of God’s will, especially as we are immersed in the truth of God’s word.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help any who read this to come to Your place of honor each morning – in Your word – and to find the joy and peace and strength which come from starting the day with You. Amen
Friday, June 19, 2009
2009 – Day 169.June 19 – One Prayer of Faith
2009 – Day 169.June 19 – One Prayer of Faith
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 18: 22 – 40 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: Game on! And the odds are stacked. One lonely prophet, speaking out against a tyrant king and his wicked wife, as well as to over 800 pagan prophets and priestesses and thousands of unbelieving Israelites. But the one Prophet, our hero, Elijah, actually had the odds stacked in his favor; because he was praying to the King of kings and the Lord of lords and the One Who could (and did) bring down fire and rain to show His incomparable power.
And my dear friend, Elijah’s God is the same God to Whom you and I pray. BUT … that’s assuming that we are praying to our God. And Swindoll asks the operant question in his devotional for this date. He writes, “Do you, personally, pray?” And he presses the issue, asking if his readers set aside time each day to pray to the God Who can bring down any stronghold in this life, … the One Who can deal with any challenge we face, … the One, Who Peter declared (in 1st Pet. 5: 7) cares for you and me.
I’ll let you answer that question for yourself; but if we are not seeking God’s will in prayer and we are not praying to overcome the forces of our spiritual enemies in this life, we are out there on our own; and very personally, I could get through a day without doing what God has commanded me to do in Philippians 4: 6 – 7. And I’m also absolutely shameless in asking other prayer-warrior Christians to pray for me, especially leading in ministry the way God has called me to lead.
I have a very powerful enemy (Satan) who hates me; and he has a very powerful system (the world) to come against me. And even more frightfully, I have a deceitful heart (see Jer. 17: 9) which is capable of being duped by Satan and the world. So, without praying and being prayed for, I would be out there on the battle fields of life … all alone.
But I’m not! And neither are you. We, as described in 1st John 4: 4 have a force in our prayer Who is “greater in us than he that is in the world.” We can say with truth, the declaration of Romans 8: 31, “If God be for us, who can stand against us.”
We pray to the same God who overcame the world in a confrontation with evil even greater than the one we read about today with Elijah. When Christ confronted evil on the cross and rose from the grave victorious over sin, he gave to me the ability to come directly to Himself anytime, … anywhere. And when I do, I can call upon the same power which brought down fire and rain for Elijah.
So, after you read this, go directly to God; and lay out your needs for Him. And keep doing it every day and as often as you need to. God will hear; and you can know that He will bring good into your life because you believe in Him (see Romans 8: 28).
My Prayer for Today: Oh, praise You Lord, …I praise You that I can come here and pray to my God! Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 18: 22 – 40 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: Game on! And the odds are stacked. One lonely prophet, speaking out against a tyrant king and his wicked wife, as well as to over 800 pagan prophets and priestesses and thousands of unbelieving Israelites. But the one Prophet, our hero, Elijah, actually had the odds stacked in his favor; because he was praying to the King of kings and the Lord of lords and the One Who could (and did) bring down fire and rain to show His incomparable power.
And my dear friend, Elijah’s God is the same God to Whom you and I pray. BUT … that’s assuming that we are praying to our God. And Swindoll asks the operant question in his devotional for this date. He writes, “Do you, personally, pray?” And he presses the issue, asking if his readers set aside time each day to pray to the God Who can bring down any stronghold in this life, … the One Who can deal with any challenge we face, … the One, Who Peter declared (in 1st Pet. 5: 7) cares for you and me.
I’ll let you answer that question for yourself; but if we are not seeking God’s will in prayer and we are not praying to overcome the forces of our spiritual enemies in this life, we are out there on our own; and very personally, I could get through a day without doing what God has commanded me to do in Philippians 4: 6 – 7. And I’m also absolutely shameless in asking other prayer-warrior Christians to pray for me, especially leading in ministry the way God has called me to lead.
I have a very powerful enemy (Satan) who hates me; and he has a very powerful system (the world) to come against me. And even more frightfully, I have a deceitful heart (see Jer. 17: 9) which is capable of being duped by Satan and the world. So, without praying and being prayed for, I would be out there on the battle fields of life … all alone.
But I’m not! And neither are you. We, as described in 1st John 4: 4 have a force in our prayer Who is “greater in us than he that is in the world.” We can say with truth, the declaration of Romans 8: 31, “If God be for us, who can stand against us.”
We pray to the same God who overcame the world in a confrontation with evil even greater than the one we read about today with Elijah. When Christ confronted evil on the cross and rose from the grave victorious over sin, he gave to me the ability to come directly to Himself anytime, … anywhere. And when I do, I can call upon the same power which brought down fire and rain for Elijah.
So, after you read this, go directly to God; and lay out your needs for Him. And keep doing it every day and as often as you need to. God will hear; and you can know that He will bring good into your life because you believe in Him (see Romans 8: 28).
My Prayer for Today: Oh, praise You Lord, …I praise You that I can come here and pray to my God! Amen
Thursday, June 18, 2009
2009 – Day 168.June 18 – Divided Allegiance
2009 – Day 168.June 18 – Divided Allegiance
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 18: 16 – 21 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: Elijah laid it out to God’s people, didn’t he? And his message was, “Get off the fence, Israel; and serve only the one true God?” And today, in the mire of cultural drift, even in the church of Jesus Christ, we can’t serve two masters. That was Jesus’ message in Matthew 6: 24 [linked] It was God’s message to His church at Laodicea in Revelations 3: 15-16 [also linked]; and it is the clear message God had for His people through Elijah in today’s passage.
We cannot serve both the world and our God! The Apostle John made that clear in his exhortation to Christians in 1st John 2: 15 – 16 [one that you should have memorized and internalized]. We can’t express a love of the world and a love of God at the same time. It is, as Swindoll calls it, “divided allegiance;” and it will never work for the Christian.
Maybe today you are a leader in your church and you see worldliness creeping into your midst. CALL IT OUT! Make it known to the Pastor or the Elders in your church.
Maybe you see the world’s ways becoming the objectives of your work place. CALL IT OUT! Stand in the gap for righteousness where you work?
Maybe you see worldliness getting to your kids through their cell phones, the TV, or the internet. CALL IT OUT !!. Be a Godly leader in your home, … one who sets clear and Godly boundaries, protecting your kids from evil.
Yes, I know this can be challenging at best and almost impossible at worst. But you are not alone when you call out evil and label it for what it is. You are being an Elijah where you live, move, and have your being. You are standing for God against our enemies in the spiritual warfare we face every day. And it is highly possible if you don’t stand for righteousness where you live or work or worship, no one else will; and in your silence, Satan wins the day.
So, my Elijah-like believer, CALL IT OUT; and be a standard bearer for righteous today!
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are the way, the truth, and the life. May I stand for You and only You in my world. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 18: 16 – 21 … Linked for study …
My Journal for Today: Elijah laid it out to God’s people, didn’t he? And his message was, “Get off the fence, Israel; and serve only the one true God?” And today, in the mire of cultural drift, even in the church of Jesus Christ, we can’t serve two masters. That was Jesus’ message in Matthew 6: 24 [linked] It was God’s message to His church at Laodicea in Revelations 3: 15-16 [also linked]; and it is the clear message God had for His people through Elijah in today’s passage.
We cannot serve both the world and our God! The Apostle John made that clear in his exhortation to Christians in 1st John 2: 15 – 16 [one that you should have memorized and internalized]. We can’t express a love of the world and a love of God at the same time. It is, as Swindoll calls it, “divided allegiance;” and it will never work for the Christian.
Maybe today you are a leader in your church and you see worldliness creeping into your midst. CALL IT OUT! Make it known to the Pastor or the Elders in your church.
Maybe you see the world’s ways becoming the objectives of your work place. CALL IT OUT! Stand in the gap for righteousness where you work?
Maybe you see worldliness getting to your kids through their cell phones, the TV, or the internet. CALL IT OUT !!. Be a Godly leader in your home, … one who sets clear and Godly boundaries, protecting your kids from evil.
Yes, I know this can be challenging at best and almost impossible at worst. But you are not alone when you call out evil and label it for what it is. You are being an Elijah where you live, move, and have your being. You are standing for God against our enemies in the spiritual warfare we face every day. And it is highly possible if you don’t stand for righteousness where you live or work or worship, no one else will; and in your silence, Satan wins the day.
So, my Elijah-like believer, CALL IT OUT; and be a standard bearer for righteous today!
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You are the way, the truth, and the life. May I stand for You and only You in my world. Amen
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
2009 – Day 167.June 17 – No Doubt
2009 – Day 167.June 17 – No Doubt
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 18 … Passage linked here …
My Journal for Today: This is the great story of Elijah’s coming out party. Three years of drought is a long time to be without water in a land which can be dry and barren anyway. And now, as we read in verse 1 of 1st Kings 18, God was going to show up – BIGTIME! Elijah gets the word of God he had been waiting for; and the Prophet heads to the court of Ahab.
But note that in the intervening three years of the drought and famine, Elijah, even experiencing the same privation of the people, never wavered in his faith. This “man of God” was a true man of faith. And we see why God’s Spirit came upon this man who was to be God’s spokesperson in one of the great biblical confrontations between God’s goodness and man’s false and selfish beliefs.
As we read in this passage, God had set the stage for Elijah to show that the Prophet’s faithfulness was not misplaced. As Swindoll points out, any natural calamity has a tendency to bring mankind back into a seeking posture to find God’s will and His way. When God’s display of power in a hurricane or flood or earthquake or some other “natural” disaster comes upon man, he has a tendency to begin asking the “WHY” questions and seeking after answers. Therefore, what Elijah was about to show the court of Ahab’s soothsayers was being done in the context of God’s people seeking after the truth and most certainly seeking after relief from the drought of three years.
In my life, after years of brokenness and emotional pain, God brought me to a place where I was seeking after spiritual strength, recognizing that I needed some force beyond myself to deal with my inabilities and core weaknesses. And so, God set the table for me to come after Him, seeking after truth and THE WAY out of my pit of despair. And as with Elijah, God used a wondrous display of His moving in my life to break into my consciousness [long story for another time]. And on April 13th, 1983, God demonstrated clearly through a set of circumstances that His way was the only way for me to break free from my past patterns of habitual sin. And that’s what Elijah was all about, demonstrating God’s power to the court of Ahab.
I hope and pray that anyone who reads this has developed the realization, and preferably the deep and abiding faith, that God’s way is the only way. I pray that you have come to surrender to God’s Spirit, Who is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. Because if you haven’t or you don’t, one day, like the court of Ahab, you will bow your knee to the God of the only way in life.
My Prayer for Today: You, Lord, are the only Way, … the only Truth, … and most certainly, … the only Life. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 18 … Passage linked here …
My Journal for Today: This is the great story of Elijah’s coming out party. Three years of drought is a long time to be without water in a land which can be dry and barren anyway. And now, as we read in verse 1 of 1st Kings 18, God was going to show up – BIGTIME! Elijah gets the word of God he had been waiting for; and the Prophet heads to the court of Ahab.
But note that in the intervening three years of the drought and famine, Elijah, even experiencing the same privation of the people, never wavered in his faith. This “man of God” was a true man of faith. And we see why God’s Spirit came upon this man who was to be God’s spokesperson in one of the great biblical confrontations between God’s goodness and man’s false and selfish beliefs.
As we read in this passage, God had set the stage for Elijah to show that the Prophet’s faithfulness was not misplaced. As Swindoll points out, any natural calamity has a tendency to bring mankind back into a seeking posture to find God’s will and His way. When God’s display of power in a hurricane or flood or earthquake or some other “natural” disaster comes upon man, he has a tendency to begin asking the “WHY” questions and seeking after answers. Therefore, what Elijah was about to show the court of Ahab’s soothsayers was being done in the context of God’s people seeking after the truth and most certainly seeking after relief from the drought of three years.
In my life, after years of brokenness and emotional pain, God brought me to a place where I was seeking after spiritual strength, recognizing that I needed some force beyond myself to deal with my inabilities and core weaknesses. And so, God set the table for me to come after Him, seeking after truth and THE WAY out of my pit of despair. And as with Elijah, God used a wondrous display of His moving in my life to break into my consciousness [long story for another time]. And on April 13th, 1983, God demonstrated clearly through a set of circumstances that His way was the only way for me to break free from my past patterns of habitual sin. And that’s what Elijah was all about, demonstrating God’s power to the court of Ahab.
I hope and pray that anyone who reads this has developed the realization, and preferably the deep and abiding faith, that God’s way is the only way. I pray that you have come to surrender to God’s Spirit, Who is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. Because if you haven’t or you don’t, one day, like the court of Ahab, you will bow your knee to the God of the only way in life.
My Prayer for Today: You, Lord, are the only Way, … the only Truth, … and most certainly, … the only Life. Amen
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
2009 – Day 166.June 16 – The God of Impossibilities
2009 – Day 166.June 16 – The God of Impossibilities
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 17: 24 … 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!” 24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is the truth.”
My Journal for Today: Almost every day when I come here to journal my devotional thoughts, God, the Holy Spirit, helps me to use Chuck Swindoll’s devotional to come up with my own, more personalized journal entries. However, today his words are so pertinent, … so personal, that I simply must quote them as my journal entry for today. Therefore, here is what Swindoll writes on page 173 of his book, Great Days with the Great Lives …
“All over the world, around us every day, are people who are looking for the truth to be lived out in the lives of those who claim it. Just as the widow watched Elijah, there are people watching you. They hear what you say you believe; but they are watching to see what you do.
Remember, you are here by God’s appointment, you are in His keeping, you are under His training, for His time. Give Him the corpse of your life, and ask Him to revive those lifeless areas that need to be revived. If the situation calls for it, trust Him for a miracle, in His time, if it be His will for your life.
On the bed of your life place the remains of your broken and scarred past; the emptiness of your poor character traits; the habits, even the addictions that have so long controlled you; the limited vision that continues to characterize you; the slight irritation that nags or the large one that looms; the anger or violence or lust or greed or discontentment or selfishness or the ugliness of pride. Lay any of these before the Father, and stretch yourself out under His shadow as you ask Him to bring about remarkable, even miraculous changes in your life?”
And I also agree with Swindoll’s inquiry of his readers at this point, the question being, “Do we really believe that we serve, in Swindoll’s words, a … God of impossibilities, the One Who has limitless power, Who has never – and will never – meet an intimidating obstacle He cannot overcome, an aggressive enemy He cannot overwhelm, a final decision He cannot override, or a powerful person He cannot overshadow?”
What we see in Elijah, my dear one, is what we should see in us. This very week I had the opportunity to pray for a young 17 old boy who had sustained a brain hemorrhage and “flat-lined.” In reality, the doctors had pronounced him dead, save the resuscitation equipment keeping his lungs pumping and his heart beating. He had no measureable brain function. So, I prayed, along with my fellow church Elders that the boy be brought back to life. However, within seconds after the machines were shut down, the boy took two last breaths and all life ceased, not to be brought back as was the boy from Elijah’s prayer. So, the question becomes, “Was our faith not as strong as Elijah’s or was it God’s will to take this boy home to be with Christ?”
My brother or sister believers, it is not faith which I believe in. I believe in the God Who gives me the faith. He is God; and if He chooses to take life from someone, even a 17 year old boy or a babe with cancer, who am I to question God’s motives? In Elijah’s case, God was glorified by the boy being resurrected to life. In the case of the 17 year old Christian boy this week who died, He was glorified by the boy being taken home to be with Jesus. God is God; and I am not. He has His ways in His timing; and all I am called to do is to believe in Him and to pray to Him without questioning His ways. I may wonder why or when God does something. But my faith is in God, not in faith.
Therefore, once again I declare for this journal record, God is God, ... the God of impossibilities and the God of possibilities, ... and I am not.
My Prayer for Today: My Lord, you are my Lord! I question not your sovereignty. I simply know that I can trust You … no matter what! Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 17: 24 … 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!” 24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is the truth.”
My Journal for Today: Almost every day when I come here to journal my devotional thoughts, God, the Holy Spirit, helps me to use Chuck Swindoll’s devotional to come up with my own, more personalized journal entries. However, today his words are so pertinent, … so personal, that I simply must quote them as my journal entry for today. Therefore, here is what Swindoll writes on page 173 of his book, Great Days with the Great Lives …
“All over the world, around us every day, are people who are looking for the truth to be lived out in the lives of those who claim it. Just as the widow watched Elijah, there are people watching you. They hear what you say you believe; but they are watching to see what you do.
Remember, you are here by God’s appointment, you are in His keeping, you are under His training, for His time. Give Him the corpse of your life, and ask Him to revive those lifeless areas that need to be revived. If the situation calls for it, trust Him for a miracle, in His time, if it be His will for your life.
On the bed of your life place the remains of your broken and scarred past; the emptiness of your poor character traits; the habits, even the addictions that have so long controlled you; the limited vision that continues to characterize you; the slight irritation that nags or the large one that looms; the anger or violence or lust or greed or discontentment or selfishness or the ugliness of pride. Lay any of these before the Father, and stretch yourself out under His shadow as you ask Him to bring about remarkable, even miraculous changes in your life?”
And I also agree with Swindoll’s inquiry of his readers at this point, the question being, “Do we really believe that we serve, in Swindoll’s words, a … God of impossibilities, the One Who has limitless power, Who has never – and will never – meet an intimidating obstacle He cannot overcome, an aggressive enemy He cannot overwhelm, a final decision He cannot override, or a powerful person He cannot overshadow?”
What we see in Elijah, my dear one, is what we should see in us. This very week I had the opportunity to pray for a young 17 old boy who had sustained a brain hemorrhage and “flat-lined.” In reality, the doctors had pronounced him dead, save the resuscitation equipment keeping his lungs pumping and his heart beating. He had no measureable brain function. So, I prayed, along with my fellow church Elders that the boy be brought back to life. However, within seconds after the machines were shut down, the boy took two last breaths and all life ceased, not to be brought back as was the boy from Elijah’s prayer. So, the question becomes, “Was our faith not as strong as Elijah’s or was it God’s will to take this boy home to be with Christ?”
My brother or sister believers, it is not faith which I believe in. I believe in the God Who gives me the faith. He is God; and if He chooses to take life from someone, even a 17 year old boy or a babe with cancer, who am I to question God’s motives? In Elijah’s case, God was glorified by the boy being resurrected to life. In the case of the 17 year old Christian boy this week who died, He was glorified by the boy being taken home to be with Jesus. God is God; and I am not. He has His ways in His timing; and all I am called to do is to believe in Him and to pray to Him without questioning His ways. I may wonder why or when God does something. But my faith is in God, not in faith.
Therefore, once again I declare for this journal record, God is God, ... the God of impossibilities and the God of possibilities, ... and I am not.
My Prayer for Today: My Lord, you are my Lord! I question not your sovereignty. I simply know that I can trust You … no matter what! Amen
Monday, June 15, 2009
2009 – Day 165.June 15 – Faith Personified
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 17: 24 … 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!” 24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is the truth.”
My Journal for Today: In our study and devotional scenario these past days in Elijah’s interaction with this desperate widow, we have witnessed FAITH PERSONIFIED. Chuck Swindoll put it this way …
”Elijah approached the impossible with calmness and contentment, with gentleness and self-control, with faith and humility. … [In fact] Elijah was heroic in exploits of faith; but he remained a model of humility.”
And I agree with the good Pastor Swindoll that if we want to be a “man [or woman] of God,” as Elijah was accurately labeled by the widow, we too must have the character traits exhibited by this Godly prophet. And I join with Swindoll to charge us all to be praying that God does business with our hearts to produce the character of faith which we’ve seen exhibited in Elijah as we’ve studied his life these past days.
So, to help with this self inventory, I ask myself these questions; and you can listen in and use them for your faith inventory if you feel so led …
>>> Am I calm and self-controlled in the face of dire circumstances?
>>> Am I content, knowing that God provides me with what I need to handle life?
>>> Do I have the faith to look to God first when I can’t handle what life throws at me?
>>> Do others see God working through me when I face impossible odds?
>>> When I am victorious, do I make sure God gets the glory?
Well, having asked myself these questions and seriously meditated on the answers, I know that I still have a lot of growing to do to answer them in a way God would smile at my answers. So, as Swindoll suggests, it’s time for me to get some serious “knee-work” done, pleading that God will do business in my life to help me become His servant as was the likes of Elijah. And then I’ve simply got to go to work in the disciplines of the faith to develop “habits” of Christlikeness which allow me to become a “man of God.”
My Prayer for Today: Lord, … okay, I plea with You to make me over to exhibit Elijah’s faithfulness and give me Your power through my humility to glorify you by my decisions and actions. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 17: 24 … 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!” 24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is the truth.”
My Journal for Today: In our study and devotional scenario these past days in Elijah’s interaction with this desperate widow, we have witnessed FAITH PERSONIFIED. Chuck Swindoll put it this way …
”Elijah approached the impossible with calmness and contentment, with gentleness and self-control, with faith and humility. … [In fact] Elijah was heroic in exploits of faith; but he remained a model of humility.”
And I agree with the good Pastor Swindoll that if we want to be a “man [or woman] of God,” as Elijah was accurately labeled by the widow, we too must have the character traits exhibited by this Godly prophet. And I join with Swindoll to charge us all to be praying that God does business with our hearts to produce the character of faith which we’ve seen exhibited in Elijah as we’ve studied his life these past days.
So, to help with this self inventory, I ask myself these questions; and you can listen in and use them for your faith inventory if you feel so led …
>>> Am I calm and self-controlled in the face of dire circumstances?
>>> Am I content, knowing that God provides me with what I need to handle life?
>>> Do I have the faith to look to God first when I can’t handle what life throws at me?
>>> Do others see God working through me when I face impossible odds?
>>> When I am victorious, do I make sure God gets the glory?
Well, having asked myself these questions and seriously meditated on the answers, I know that I still have a lot of growing to do to answer them in a way God would smile at my answers. So, as Swindoll suggests, it’s time for me to get some serious “knee-work” done, pleading that God will do business in my life to help me become His servant as was the likes of Elijah. And then I’ve simply got to go to work in the disciplines of the faith to develop “habits” of Christlikeness which allow me to become a “man of God.”
My Prayer for Today: Lord, … okay, I plea with You to make me over to exhibit Elijah’s faithfulness and give me Your power through my humility to glorify you by my decisions and actions. Amen
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