Weird, Strange Even

Often the Bible leaves me with my jaw on the floor. Even passages I have read previously shock me again when I return to them. That's the case for Judges 21. They killed all the available women for Benjamin and they had vowed not to give Benjamin their daughters. This created a problem. The solution? We'll go kill the men and women of another town taking the virgins for Benjamin. When that doesn't fill the need? Go and snatch young girls while they dance in a festival. When their families get ticked we'll tell them to be gracious to us because we killed all the other available women. Don't worry either, because we know you swore an oath not to have your daughters marry into the tribe of Benjamin but you did not give them Benjamin took them. You are not guilty of anything wrong.

The fundamental principle of interpreting the book of Judges is the repeated statement, "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." What the Bible describes is far from being prescribed. What is right in man's eyes and justified in man's mind is not necessarily right. The overarching lesson to be learned from Judges is we cannot trust our hearts. We cannot trust the collective 'wisdom' of the people. We must humbly subject ourselves to the word of God, the Scripture. We are so often guilty subjecting Scripture to ourselves when we respond, "that can't be what that says" or "I've never heard that before" meaning, that can't be right and I must be right. May we humble ourselves and submit to God.

Father, Your word is from You. It is not born of man's wisdom or the product of his thought. God I know it is Your wisdom and the product of Your thought. Since it is from You it is different from me. It is pure and I am not. It is true and I am not. Sanctify me by Your truth; Your word is truth. May I understand Scripture the way Christ did. May I honor and seek to live according to Scripture the way Christ did. In my disobedience give me forgiveness and credit to me Christ's obedience. In my foolishness give me grace and Christ's wisdom. In my pride wash me and give me Christ's humility. Show me today how Your word must shape my life. Show Christ to me today through Your word.

By His blood
Amen

Church Discipline Old Testament Style

The gut-wrenching history of Israel continues to unfold. Brother fighting against brother. Levites leading in idol worship. Levites being anything but compassionate to their own wives. Cutting up dead bodies. War.

And it's not like people get to this position over night. You do not go to bed walking with God and wake up the next morning a homosexual of Gibeah. The process is generally the same. A person, or group of people, moves from spiritual strength to mediocrity and finally to gratuitous sin. Israel lived this and the author of Hebrews warned against this.

The large scale response by the people of Israel was costly. Their response was the right thing to do; God told them daily to do it. But once the conscience has been seared you can count on either miraculous repentance or a fight to the death. What troubles me is this is not the case just of Gibeah in the past but is indicative of the church in America today. As a whole, we have moved from strength to mediocrity to gratuitious sin. We must rise up and seek God's will. How would God have us to deal with our time?

Our Father in heaven, bring great praise to Your name. Bring Your kingdom, speed the return of Christ to this earth. I long to see Your will done with joyous perfection. I want a heart that desires joyous devotion to Your will. Satisfy me and make me content with what I need. Give me forgiveness and make me forgiving. Open my eyes and give me strength that I might see and turn away from temptation. One glaring temptation is the temptation to remain mediocre in the church. Just keep the doors open. Just keep the lights on. Let people sin and let them all come in; but nobody wants to come in. God, raise up Your church in holy devotion to Christ our king. Satisfy us with the glorious of Christ so that we will persevere in our worship and witness. Make us men of courage. Make us women of service. May we do Your work and never walk in the ways of Gibeah.

Believing in Christ
Amen

The Wicked Priest and the Faithful Witness

As the story of Micah unfolds it goes from bad to worse. The sickening thing to me is the bullying that went on and the fear in response. The majority gets to make the decisions and the majority gets to make the theology. The priest saw a better opportunity (meaning a better name and better salary) so he left. Micah, without his carved image, was nothing against the larger forces so he had to cow down and go home empty handed.

As the story of the Apostle Paul unfolds it goes from bold to even more bold. The encouraging thing is the faithfulness illustrated again and again. The majority opposed Paul yet he would not let the majority make the decision or make the theology. He saw the opportunity to proclaim Christ so he took it. Paul, with his God, was a powerful witness to the work of Jesus Christ.

Father, today as I go about errands and leisure activities do not let me cow down. Open up doors for me to faithfully proclaim Jesus Christ. Give me clarity as I speak. Make my mind sharp and stir my spirit to obey. I want to be useful. I don't want to follow the crowd unless the crowd is following You. Give me boldness. Give me Your Holy Spirit.

For Christ
Amen

Changes

I guess the way my wife likes to occasionaly rearrange the furniture is the way I like to occasionaly rearrange the blog. The biggest changes (which are really small) are that I changed the blog title (not address) and I added a list on the right of helpful resources on & for prayer. I want the title to better reflect what's going on here so I changed it. The list is a work in progress because my prayer life is a work in progress. I've read books on prayer but haven't found any truly stellar and worthy of the "you must read this" recommendation. I'm currently reading Graeme Goldsworthy's Prayer and the Knowledge of God and then I plan on reading John Bunyan's book on prayer.

I regularly us the IMB's resources to keep informed and pray for our missionaries. I receive email updates and would recommend you do the same. I ordered Piper's seminar on pray and found it very challenging and helpful. It would be a good use of your valuable time to listen to the seminar.

I'm interested to hear what you have found valuable. Please leave a comment if you have something you have found helpful (books, sermons, articles, blogs, advice, etc.).

Micah, the Levite, and Today

In a recent conversation the topic of spiritual warfare came up. I made the comment that if Satan can tempt us with something good for a time which will lead us to even greater evil that is a price he is very willing to pay. That temptation and evil seems to be working well in Judges 17. Micah gets convicted over his sin and seeks to make it right. In response and gratitude his mother makes an idol in honor of Yahweh. Micah sets up a shrine, ordains his son, and then along comes a Levite. This Levite should have taken swift action to rectify the sinful situation but instead with the offer of a paycheck, room, and board he joins them. The end result of all this obvious sin? Verse 13, Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest.” I've got God's man so everything's going to be all right.

How many of us, God's men and women, have sold out or 'bent the rules' to make life more palatable or profitable? We neither speak out against what is wrong nor speak up for what is right. We do nothing thinking we're not making a contribution but our contribution is huge. By going along at work, at home, and at church we are giving a vote of approval. By doing nothing we are saying that we agree.

Father, please convict me of my sin. Bring to mind now any attitude or action that might bring dishonor to Your name. I do not want to point people away from You by being harsh or by being silent. Fill me with Your grace. Fill be with the grace purchased by Jesus Christ that I might have the boldness to point people to Jesus Christ. Shut my mouth when it needs to be shut. Open my mouth when it needs to be open. Give me the wisdom and strength to know what is proper. God, I don't want to be another Micah who sold out into sin. I want to be like the Apostle Paul who stood up for the truth no matter the hurt he incurred. I believe in Jesus who is the perfect Doer and perfect Speaker. I trust in Him to fill up my doing and my speaking. Show me Your will that I might walk in it and bring glory to Your righteous name.

In Christ
Amen

Sound familiar?

An angel of the Lord visits a woman and promises, "you will bear a son." The young man grew, the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit stirred him. The young man became a strong man doing many great things. But the strong man was captured in the night; betrayed by one he loved. He was tortured and beaten. The leaders and the people mocked him. He prayed to God for strength. He accomplished much in his life but by his death he accomplished so much more.

When we teach and speak of Samson what is our emphasis? Don't be a lover of self? Don't eat honey out of dead lions or kill people with donkey bones? Don't trust a material girl?

Remember, the Christian life is neither first nor foremost about being like someone (Apostle Paul) or not being like someone (Samson). The Christian life is first and foremost about believing in someone (Jesus Christ). It is not enough to be like Jesus or Paul and not be like Samson. It is not enough to do anything or everything required. We must first look to God's grace. We must believe in the Doer of everything required. We must hope in the Fulfiller of all righteousness. We must see the magnificence of Jesus even compared to other mighty men of Scripture. Even Moses and Abraham do not compare but were only shadows of the perfect one to come. Be careful of imitation. Be strong in trust. Repent to God and put your faith in Christ.

Father, I thank you that I am not required to be my own savior. I thank you God that my savior is not a sinful self-centered man like Samson. I praise you that my savior is not a man who is with me for some time and then leaves never to return again. Thank you God that my savior is Jesus Christ. The perfect God-man is my king. The perfect God-man is my high priest and my sacrifice. The perfect God-man is my prophet. Thank you Father for Jesus. Help me to make Him known. Give me great strength to proclaim your whole council. May I pay careful attention to myself and all the flock. May I become like Christ because of your great grace.

In His name
Amen

Something I've never seen before

Take a moment to read these texts and then ask yourself what's the difference in Samson and Paul? I'm not looking for 'Paul had the Spirit' or 'Samson was before Christ.' What was the difference in the way they lived their lives?

Luke 9:23 “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

1 Corinthians 15:31 "I die everyday"

Galatians 2:20 " I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Galatians 5:24 "And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

Philippians 3:8 "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ."

And God Listened

What an amazing statement from Judges 13:9, 'And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field.' I pray that we will all be captivated by the wonder of the fact that God listens to us. He listens to us and in His good wisdom and providence answers our requests. Let us pray that God will raise us a new group of Bereans. May we see everyone around us as part of God's creation and in need of redemption. May we be quick to rush the gospel to them. May God grant them hearts that search the Scriptures and in conjunction with faithful preaching bring about salvation. The church desperately needs more people like Barnabas that are full of encouragement and the church desperately needs more people like Paul that are ready to preach with faithfulness.

My great God, thank You for listening to my voice. I know it is only because of the work of my Savior that I desire to pray and it is only because of the righteousness of Christ that You hear me when I pray. He is my all in all and You sent Him for me. Thank you Father. Please hear me as I pray for men and women who will take joy and persevere in encouragement. May you raise them up from among us. Please hear me as I pray for men and women who will study the gospel fo Jesus Christ faithfully and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ faithfully. Help us to make the most of every opportunity. Help us to make the most of every day. May the good gifts You have given through Your Spirit not be wasted. Show me Your will and give me the strength to follow it.

Through Christ
Amen

God if You do ______ then I'll do ________

Fundamentally, God is a person who keeps His word. We need Him to do what He says. He must be trustworthy. As we are changed into the image of His Son, who is equally trustworthy. God demands that we also keep our word. That means we must be mindful of every word and we must be diligent to keep every word. What promise have you made to God that you have not kept? Seek God's forgiveness and strength to fulfill your promise. Keep your word even to your hurt.

Father, make me a man who keeps his word in every instance. Forgive me and strengthen me to fulfill every pledge I've made and have not kept. Show me the path of righteousness. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. May all I say and do bring honor to You.

In Christ's name
Amen

A return to boldness

If you've spent much time in the church you've probably heard someone talk about getting back to the way the 1st church did things. Usually that a reference to devotion to the Apostle's teaching and prayer or caring sacrificially for each other's needs. What often gets overlooked, however, is the repetition of boldness.

Acts 14:3 So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

The early church was ready to speak. They knew God and they knew His Word. They had walked with Christ and they knew what it was to be changed by the Spirit. Based on their knowledge and daily walk with the holy Triune God they opened their mouths to speak truth and to do so with boldness. Where is our boldness? It is connected to our relationship with God. Where our relationship with God suffers so will our boldness. When our relationship with God grows so will our boldness. With eyes wide open we need to realize that boldness often brings an increase in the church and an increase in persecution.

Father, meet with me. As I humble myself and pray to You, my Creator, meet with me. Send Your Spirit to make my heart burn as I read of Jesus. Make Your Word a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Give me boldness and give me direction. Cleanse me of my sin and fill up my weaknesses that I may be useful to You. I want to live for You. I want to make You known. I want people to be changed and Your church to grow. Do not let me be like the Israelites who traded You for false gods. Make me like Paul and Barnabas who when the people tried to worship as false gods pointed the people to You. Make Your church bold.

Make Your church like Your Son
Amen

Led by a bramble bush

The Old Testament has a number of rich parables; one of them we read today. Jotham's parable of the trees and demand for good faith and integrity are important. Who do we want to lead and why? What standards should our leaders be held to? What about our men, our fathers, our leaders, and our pastors? In the spring the bramble does have a beauty when it is full of leaves and the appearance of life. But in the late fall and winter the bramble is revealed to have nothing but thorns and the power to choke out life.

Without use of a parable the Apostle Saul, also called Paul, makes the same statement to Elymas. "You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?" (Acts 13:10)

Father, give us and make us godly leaders. Do not let the bramble bush rise up but instead raise up the olive, the fig, and the vine. Give us useful and wholesome leaders. This morning God, we pray for our pastors. We ask that You would make them holy, useful, and focused men. Men like Paul and Barnabas who spoke out boldly for the truth. Men who know who Jesus is and are able to urge others to come and walk with Him. Raise up a church full of joy and the Holy Spirit. Over and over in our reading today I saw the truth of Christ's resurrection. Fill me with the hope that Jesus' resurrection brings. Remove my fear of sin, take away my unrighteousness, and replace my fear of judgment with hope in You. Make me and Your church useful.

In Jesus' name
Amen

But the word of God increased

Ephraim gets his feelings hurt, Gideon makes an idol, the people make Baal-berith their god, James the brother of John is martyred, Peter is arrested, miraculously released, and flees Jerusalem, and still the word of God increased and multiplied. If God's love depended on our faithfulness then there clearly would be no love. Our sin and the trials of this world would gradually loosen our grip on God. That's the mercy and grace of God. His love for us does not depend on the strength of our grip on Him. True, we are told to cling to God but this clinging is in response to and because of His great love and grip on us. We cling to God because Gold clings to us; it will never work the other way around.

My God, I thank you this morning for the testimony of Your faithfulness to your faithless and struggling people. I thank you for this testimony because often I consider myself in the camp of the faithless and struggling. Fill me today with wonder because of Your steadfast love. Fill me today with awe because of the great things You do and have done. Number me among those who offer up earnest prayers to You. You did great things to establish Your people and Your church; You sent Your Son to die. Father, for the sake of Your name and the name of Jesus do great things in Mambrino. Use us my King to glorify the name of Jesus.

Through Him
Amen

Be a Barnabas

We are told often to "be a Barnabas." In Acts 4:36 we learned that Barnabas means, Son of Encouragement. Clearly then, it is a good thing to want to be be a Barnabas by being an encouragment to others. The problem is that being a Barnabas gets lost in translation. How am I supposed to be a Barnabas? What does it look like? Where do I start? What is my aim? In Acts 11 we are given an explanation of what it means to be a Barnabas.

"When [Barnabas] came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith" (Acts 11:23&24).

Being a Barnabas means

1. Rejoicing over the outpouring of God's grace no matter who God uses. It wasn't about Barnabas being used to do great things it was about God doing great things.
2. Encouraging others to remain faithful to the Lord. Our encouragement, like Barnabas', should always have God as it's goal and God as it's foundation. Better than, "it's going to be okay" or "God didn't know this was going to happen so it's not His fault" are the promises of Scripture found in Matthew 10:29-31 and Romans 8:28-39. If God doesn't know the future and cannot act to redeem the past He is not worth our faithfulness. Don't short change God.
3. Encouraging others to remain faithful to God with steadfast purpose. The NASB translates the phrase "with resolute heart." The NKJV says, "with purpose of heart." It is our calling as the church to get to others' hearts. To just address the feelings is to pull up short. To only exhort others when we feel like it falls short. We must seek God's wisdom and strength purchased for us by Christ. We need that strength to have steadfast hearts; hearts that love our brothers. And we need that strength to get involved in the lives of people whose hearts are faltering.
4. Being full of the Holy Spirit. Seek daily the Convictor of sin, righteousness, and judment. Seek daily the Comforter. Seek daily the one who points us to Jesus. It is the Spirit who will guide us into God's will through Scripture. It is the Spirit who will strengthen us to complete God's will through His indwelling.

Father, I want to be a good man, full of the Holy Spirit. I want to be an encourager. Please show me where and how. Remind me again and again that I am here to feed Your sheep. They are not mine but Yours. They need to be fed. They are sheep. Lord, to be faithful in any area of ministry we need You to make us like Barnabas. Remove our hearts of division and selfishness. Replace those desires with a desire to encourage others to follow You. Raise up a church that is bold in it's confession of sin and bold in it's confession of grace. Build Your Church my God. Make me a Barnabas. I know Jesus died and defeated death so that Your Kingdom would expand. Make me useful by the blood of Christ for Your enternal Kingdom.

In Christ,

Amen

Mad at God

As I read Judges 6 and Gideon's response to the angel of the Lord I saw myself. In verse 13 Gideon says, "Please, sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?' But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian."

Gideon, in response to being told 'the Lord is with you,' asks if God is with us then why are we in this predicament? If we are God's people, if this is God's church, then why are we struggling?
The angel of the Lord then says in verse 14, "Go in the might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do I not send you?" Okay then, do something about it. I'm sending you to make a difference. To which Gideon responds, "not me, I'm scared and small."

You see, we all like to dream about how good the church could be. We all like to complain about how bad things are and how wrong everyone else does church. But when it comes down to investing in the church and sacrificing our time we get scared. We don't think we're smart enough, spiritual enough, energetic enough, old enough, or young enough. We become arm chair quarterbacks for Jesus; if there is such a thing.

If you see a need; fill it. If you see something wrong; fix it.

God help us to get in the game. Help us not to be afraid but instead trust in your strength. I thank You for those at Mambrino who are getting in the game and I pray you will forgive me for holding back. Give me eyes to see that the call You give is a call to lose my life and in the losing find life. May we all grow sick of the American Dream. May all that is comfortable make us ill. Raise up men and women who will give everything so that Jesus Christ will be praised by all. Show us how one person can make a difference. Raise up people who will be the church. Raise up churches who will reach their community. God, help us reach Mambrino. God, show us how to reach out and show Christ to our city. We want to be useful. We don't want to be afraid. We want You to build your Church. Build Your church Lord Jesus.

Amen

Our bags are packed

I will be on vacation through the weekend and then with our youth at camp for the week of July 15-21. I'll try to post if I can get internet access but I make no promises.

Please pray for me and my family that we would use this time to draw close to God in Bible reading, devotional reading, and relaxation.

Thanks
Paul

Righteous and kind

After reading the list of kings Moses defeated and killed with the addition of the 31 kings Joshua defeated and killed Psalm 145 takes on much more meaning. When we consider the fact that it was not just kings who were killed but soldiers, fathers, mothers, children, the elderly, and infants it makes me cringe. Why God? Why the children? Why the babies?

Psalm 145:17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. 18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. 20 The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

Father, I want to understand You. I want to understand your ways not so I can defend You but so that I may know You. I want to see Your righteousness and Your kindness but there are times that I struggle. Times in my own life and times throughout history. Remove from me my tendency to set up other ways of salvation. Do not let me justify sin and rebellion in anyone at anytime in history. Replace that with a passion for proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every man, woman, boy, and girl. May the end of the wicked never appear normal or satisfying to me but always as cause to press on in prayer, service, and evangelism. Help me to understand You, proclaim Christ, and serve the world.

Amen

From bad to worse

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They did not leave any who breathed.

As I have read through Joshua and talked about it with others (thanks Sam) the gruesome nature of this war came through. I'd like to digest a while on the impact of the war and hopefully as we read more of how the Israelites handled themselves will become evident. What did become clear in our reading today is who was responsible for all this war and death. In our attempts generally to defend God we want to point to people's choices and to their own sin. We feel like God is on the hot seat of the world's court and we need to get Him off. Scripture does not treat God like we do.

Joshua 11:20 For it was the Lord's doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

I preached last night from Hebrews 10:23-25 and emphasized the need to encourage each other more and more as the Day approaches. This Day is the Day of the Lord of which Joel had a great deal to say. Take a moment to read the book of Joel and hear Joel 2:30-32

30 And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

Father, give us hearts that desire the quick coming of Your Kingdom. May seeing Christ be a priority in our lives. With that I pray that we will have a sense of urgency for souls. Wake Your church up God. God wake me up. With Your judgment there will be great sorrow but on that day there will be great rejoicing because everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Give us faith and a strong work ethic to pursue those who will be saved. May we hunger to know those You will call out from among the survivors. May I and all Your church understand both judgment and salvation. Show us the glory of Christ in both.

Amen

They did not ask

Joshua 9:14 So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord. 15 And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.

Psalm 141:8 But my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!

Satan is the master deceiver and those who are not God's people are useful to Satan. From the Gibeonites to the slanderer with mischievious lips all oppose God and do the Devil's will. Our response is not to let go and let God. Instead our response must be to set our eyes on Jesus. It is to be intentional in prayer.

Psalm 141:3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! 4 Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!

Lord, do not let me be tricked by words that appear to be full of wisdom but are really full of death. Let me hear the words of life instead of poisonous words. Guard my mouth from speaking venomous words. Keep my heart from leaving Your holy center and tilting toward any evil. Guard my schedule. Do not let my feet fall into the trap of Godless business. Show me the glory of Your will that I might not fall in with men who love wicked deeds and work iniquity. Don't let my mind be tricked into believing their lies of delight. Let my mind feed on the delicacies of Christ and His truth. May I be consumed with You and not be tricked by men.

Amen

Hemmed in

Psalm 139:5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.

Psalm 139:9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

Father, help me to understand and rest always in the truth that You will not leave me nor forsake me. Comfort me with the awesome scope of Your perfect knowledge and infinite power. Surely, You who gave Christ to redeem me will not abandon me to the ways and trials of this world. You created me, You know me, You redeem me, You guide me, and You watch over me. My strong Father, please help me to grow and use me to bring growth to others. Make me like Christ in every way so that I may please You in every way. You are my strength and my song; my portion forever.

Amen

Thinking About Death

Early this morning, around 2AM, a neighbor and regular church attender past away. His name is Wayne Rose and his family is grieving. God calls me to give them hope in Christ. Let me share some of my hope with you.

As I prayed this morning the Spirit brought the story of Lazarus from John 11 to my mind. There Jesus teaches us great lessons that are balm for our mouring souls. First, we are to understand that God is sovereign over death. It was Christ's decision not to heal Lazarus before death so that good would come from this sad event. We are not in control. Doctors are not in control. Satan is not in control. God is in control and He is merciful and gracious. Second, we are to understand that even in death Christ will be exalted. When our hearts long to see Christ high and lifted up death is one of the most pointed avenues for His exaltation. We exalt Christ when we put our trust in Him and our hope in Him in response to the death one whom we dearly love. The reason we can put our trust in Him is because Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die" (John 11:25-26). Here is great hope. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Those who hope in him hope secure. Christ has defeated death so death is not final. Christ may raise a person from their death beds or He may raise them from the graves. Either way, because of Christ he will be raised.

Verse 26 ends with a question which Jesus posed to Martha, "Do you believe this?" He poses that question to us today. Do you believe this? Do you believe Jesus is the resurrection and the life? Do you believe He is the conqueror of death? Do you hope in Him when hope in everyone and everything else is lost?

Father, I pray to You to day that You would send Your Spirit to speak to Wayne's family. Speak to Hazel, Jackie, Ethan, and Haley. God, may they please see that Christ is the resurrection and the life. God, may they hope in Your Son. May they rest in His power over death. May they dwell secure. Your Holy One is in Zion. Our hope is at Your right hand. Show us that. Teach us that today. Show us Christ.

Amen

Jesus and the Jordan

The priests went into the Jordan for the people. The priests stayed in the Jordan until all the people had passed over. The priests were the first ones in and the last ones out. Because the priests were there and because the priests were obedient the people were able to enter into God's promises. It is the strength of God and the generosity of God that should amaze us. He has done great things because He is able to do great things. Think on who He is and what He has done:

Joshua 4:23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.

Psalm 130:3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,O Lord, who could stand?4 But with you there is forgiveness,that you may be feared.

Father, please turn the scorn of the world into understanding. Please turn the hearts of my neighbors and friends from despising the cross to loving the work of Christ for them. God, show us all that if You should mark iniquities and cause us to give a reckoning none would be able to even raise their eyes in Your presence. I would not be able to even look at You from far away. Thank You God that Christ brings me near. It is Christ who dries the Jordan river of my sin so that I may cross over into Your presence. Thank You for Christ.

In His name
Amen

How big is your god?

Deuteronomy 32:39 “See now that I, even I, am he,and there is no god beside me;I kill and I make alive;I wound and I heal;and there is none that can deliver out of my hand."

It often amazes me when I compare how unashamed the bible is in reference to God's control over both good and evil and how ashamed many Christians are in reference to God's control over both good and evil. In Sunday School classes, in prayer meetings, and over coffee people try to console each other with words like, "God had nothing to do with this." But Scripture speaks different words of consolation. It is no surprise then that many in our churches find no rest for their souls.

Strong Father, show us today how big You are. Help us to honestly read Your Word as You intended instead of trying to find pet verses to defend our wrong views of You. May we be more concerned about knowing You than defending You. I join with the Psalmist in praying:

137 Righteous are you, O Lord,and right are your rules. 138 You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness. 139 My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget your words. 140 Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it. 141 I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts. 142 Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true. 143 Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight. 144 Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.

Lord, we truly are small and despised in this world but Your righteousnes is righteous forever and your law is true. Give me understanding that I may life. Give me zeal for Your glory, Your truth, and above all for Your Son. May I never forget what Christ has done and the amazing grace that He provides. Increase my understanding of You. Increase my zeal for You that it, instead of my worries, may consume me.

Desiring You and desiring Christ
Amen

I will never leave you nor forsake you

At crucial times in Israel's history the rich promise of God, "I will never leave you nor forsake you," was repeated. Here as Moses prepares the people for his death the promise is repeated. As Joshua prepares the people to enter into battle for the Promised Land the promise is repeated (Joshua 1:6&7). As David nears death and prepares Solomon to lead the lead the people and build the temple the promise is repeated (1 Chronicles 22:13). But this promise is not found only in the Old Testament; it is quoted in the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews 13:5&6 "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' 6 So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'”

God's wonderful promise to the Hebrew people as they prepared to follow Him through new stages of redemption history is also God's wonderful promise to us as we follow Him every day. God's promise is that we do not need money; what we have is enough. Now, that can be a hard pill to swallow if you do not understand the amazing blessing of God's presence. If you've never seen "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor 4:6) then I am sure it is impossible for you to keep your life free from love of money and you are anything but content with what you have. Those who have seen the glory of Jesus live differently because they see life differently. We understand that the most glorious thing on this earth is not something money can buy or financial security can keep. The most glorious thing on this earth is the face of Jesus Christ and the promise that once you see Him, He will never leave you or forsake you. And if we have Jesus and that promise the threats of man are empty and worthless.

Jesus, show me Your glory today. Stand forth from Your word that I may behold Your splendor. Satisfy my desires and organize my priorities to reflect Your worth. I am not content with riding the theological coat-tails of those who have gone before. I do not want to just know what they knew; I want to know You. I pray for Your Church. Raise up men and women who want to know You. Crush our attempts at theology without devotion to You. Frustrate all our energies if work is not completed with the desire to know You and make You known. I want to be a man who walks with You and I want to guide Your people to be happy in You. Show me how today. Show me Christ.

Amen

Living is loving

Deuteronomy 30:6 And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

Moses longed for the day when all the people of God would have circumcized hearts. Joel predicted this day when he told of God's Spirit being poured out on everyone instead of resting on a minority. They understood, and we should, that a changed heart is crucial for life. The circumcized heart is a new heart that has been changed into an obedient heart. Apart from this heart every person is incapable of loving/obeying God. It is not enough to have our thinking changed. It is not enough to believe a set of facts about Jesus is true. We must be given new hearts that are capable of loving God instead of only running from Him. Turn to God this morning with your new heart or cry out to God this morning for a new heart.

Father, I thank You for the heart surgery You performed on me that is so much greater than any heart transplant a doctor may perform on a person today. I thank You because my new heart truly gives life. You have shown me Your value. You speak to me of Your love. Your Spirit affirms my forgiveness and guides me in Your will. Father, please give me an ear to listen to You. Change my priorities so that I may be changed into a person more like Christ. He was always obedient to Your will. He always walked in Your paths and You gave Him great joy even in great difficulty. I want to be a faithful son like Christ the faithful Son.

Help me live like Jesus
Amen

Amazed by the repeated command to rejoice

This has not been my first time to read through Deuteronomy but it is clearly the first time the Spirit has shown me the repeated call by God to rejoice in Him.

Deuteronomy 27:7 and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and shall eat there, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God.

God wants us to experience great joy in Him. He wants us to be pleased with who He is and what He does. God desires us to desire Him. God wants to satisfy us with His presence and the glory of His Son. Our reading from the Psalms gives a concrete way to taste this joy.

Psalm 119:14 In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.

God's words, His testimonies, are not dead letters on cold pages. God's testimonies are channels of delight. We are so disconnected, however, from God's word that it is blows our minds that God's word can produce as much joy as more money to get more stuff.

Lord, show us today the truth that in your testimonies there is joy. Keep speaking to me. Keep showing me from Your word that You are the surest source of joy. Help my brothers and sisters in Christ to see it. Make me a walking testimony to the glory and satisfaction of Your presence. Give me strength to seek You. Give me wisdom to order my days so that I actually seek Your presence. Help me God. Show me Christ. Satisfy my soul.

Amen

Tithing is rejoicing

With the coming of direct withdrawal and the increasing debt of every American it is no surprise that the biblical concept of a tithe has been explained away or forgotten. What is the tithe? At it's most basic the tithe is worship.

Deuteronomy 26:10&11 10 And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God. 11 And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.

The Israelite would bring the tithe to the tabernacle/temple, offer it to God by giving it to the priest, and eat part of it there. It would be a celebration of the best God had given and an offering of the best God had given. The tither enjoyed some and the priest enjoyed some. The offering was a community worship event. God is good; just look at this rack of lamb. God is good; just look in my cup.

Worship destroyers in relation to the tithe are many, obvious, and strong. Our materialism increases our debt and decreases our tithe. Our disconnection from the church and our hesitancy to get involved in ministry increases our selfishness and decreases our tithe. Why should I give when I don't get? The Israelites gave and got.

If you are struggling with tithing one way to combat that attitude is to get involved in a ministry that needs money to operate. You'll see immediately how your tithe leads to your joy through the ministry God provides.

Lord help us to get involved. Show us the needs that are all around us that only You can meet. We know Christ died to change people and change the world. Let that change come through us and reach the ends of the earth. Stir our hearts to value You above the things of this world. May we love You and display that love clearly through our tithes. Help us to worship.

Amen

The wisdom of God

Have you noticed in our reading that punishment must be dealt out either by the accuser or in the presence of the judge?

Deuteronomy 17:6&7, " On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. 7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst."

Deuteronomy 25:2, "then if the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with a number of stripes in proportion to his offense."

In punishment there is a lesson to be taught: this is what happens to a lawbreaker. But God also understands that we have vindictive hearts so He prescribed punishment in a way that will cause the accuser or judge to be careful about the punishment. I must hit him with the first stone. I must watch him be beaten as I ruled. God's wisdom is found in putting a check on our hearts as well as the extent of punishment.

Lord, help us to be men and women who please You in all that we do. May we not shy away from punishment and may the punishment be fair. Give us hearts that seek maturity over repaying pain. Give us wisdom to know what punishment is needed. Give us wisdom to know how much is beneficial and guard us from ever going too far. Above all this we thank You that Jesus Christ has taken all of our punishment for sin. He has swallowed up all Your wrath that we desire. He took all my punishement and gave me His righteousness. Psalm 116:17 "I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgivingand call on the name of the Lord.18 I will pay my vows to the Lordin the presence of all his people,19 in the courts of the house of the Lord,in your midst, O Jerusalem.Praise the Lord!"

Amen

Valuing the seen over the unseen

There are several aspects to an idol that are appealing for worship. If this wasn't the case people wouldn't make an idol and we wouldn't need the 2nd commandment. One reason I believe idol worship is so attractive is because you can immediately find and touch the idol. Ask an idol worshipper where his god is and he can take you right to it. When an idol worshipper gets hurt she can go and gling to her idol with both hands in her pain.

But with God we must have faith. He is not seen. The Father was displayed through the Son but we no longer see Him face to face. The Spirit points us to the Son but we do not see Him with our eyes. These truths remind us that faith is not something we do one time when we first believe. Instead, faith is something we do every day. Prayer is a work of faith- God has ears and wants to listen. Obedience is a work of faith- God has desires and this deed fulfills those desires. Worship is a work of faith- God is worthy of my praise because He is real.

God in heaven, speak to us today. I have faith that You are real and really speak. Make Your Word come alive to me today. Send Your Spirit to me so that Scripture will be more than another book. Make it Your book that is alive and active. The Spirit does that in me, I believe it, so please send Him. But Lord I also know that You are not a god that I can manipulate. You cause the sea to flea, the Jordan to turn back, mountains to skip like rams, and the earth to tremble simply by being God. Your presence is a wonderful thing. Show me Your wonder that I may desire it and so that I will share Your wonder with others. Lord, not to us but to You and Your Son belong the glory.

Glorify the name of Christ in me
Amen

I better get praising

Psalm 113:3 From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!

Yesterday after church and a good rain there was the most beautiful rainbow in the sky. My 3 year old nephew and I stood at the fence and watched it for some time. I talked to him about God's promises, the promise of the rainbow, and that God can be trusted. We talked about the beauty of God revealed in this world. Jacob was sitting on my shoulder and the conversation ended with the a most profound, "I want down." One day at a time trying to find ways and help others praise God; you win some and you lose some.

Father, from the rising of the sun to its setting You are worthy of my praise. You sent Jesus to be my Savior. You are worthy of praise. You sent the Spirit to be my strength and guide. You are worthy of praise. You are God. You are worthy of praise. May all your children today be struck with wonder at things like rainbows and great things like the cross. May our commutes and lunch breaks and daily grind be moments of praise. Give us strength to pursue You that we may have words of praise to give.

We praise you and pray to you through Christ our Lord
Amen

God is at my right hand

Psalm 109:30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;I will praise him in the midst of the throng.31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.

My Father, speak Your Word into my soul tonight. Show me that You are at my right hand because I am needy. My sin-debt is insurmountable. My depravity is unchangeable. I am needy. Strong Father I am needy. Save my soul from my sin that condemns. Speak to me of Christ's curse. He was cursed. He was hung on a tree because of me. My mouth gives great thanks to You and Your salvation. Give me boldness in the midst of the throng where ever it gathers so that I will praise You and Christ Your Son. Stand by me my God.

Stand by me my Father
Amen

Consider the steadfast love of the Lord

Psalm 107 encourages us to consider the work of the Lord in our affliction because of sin and in our abundance because of His grace. The Lord causes both good times and hard times. He is God of all and Lord over everything. But this does not exclude us from working, sacrificing, and fighting God's battles.

Deuteronomy 20:2 And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people 3 and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, 4 for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’

Father, do not let me be afraid of any enemy; the enemy of sin and the enemy of death are nothing. I pray for our pastors, remove their fear of what people think. God, take away their fear of preaching hard truths. Remove the fear of the people who do not want to follow God's call. Raise up an army who is faithful to bring the healing Gospel of Jesus Christ to every man and woman. Remove our fear and grant us faithfulness.

Amen

Back in the Saddle

Sorry for the absence this week; I have been at the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in San Antonio. Let's pick up with what matters most- pursuing God in Christ through the Word!

At the foundation of Israel's sin is this statement from Psalm 106:20, "They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass." They would rather worship a nice looking piece of metal in the form of a dumb ox than worship God. They would rather ascribe greatness to a statue than ascribe greatness to God. How often do we do the same? We are quick to praise a good meal, a stellar athlete, or a well delivered sermon but we are slow to offer praise to God. Praise comes easy when we get what we want. So, why is praise to God so hard? Because what He offers we do not want. He gives us Himself. He offers a relationship with the Father, Son, and Spirit. He spreads out a table so that we might eat with and rejoice in Him. But we'd rather not.

My God, tune my heart to sing Your praise. My heart is prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Here's my heart, Lord take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above. Do not let me walk in the path of the Israelites who were repeatedly rebellious in their desires. Make Christ my city of refuge. My sin has been intentional and that means there is no hope for me on this earth. I deserve to be turned over to You for punishment but when I think of Christ's cross I see my punishment. He is my city of refuge because he has taken my place under Your strong wrath. He is my city of refuge because he gives me his righteousness. Through the blood of the cross I join the Psalmist in singing.

47 Save us, O Lord our God,and gather us from among the nations,that we may give thanks to your holy nameand glory in your praise. 48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,from everlasting to everlasting!And let all the people say, “Amen!”Praise the Lord!

Rejoice in the Lord

I want to share what God directed me to in His Word this morning:

The repetition of the call to rejoice in the Lord was a welcome summons to my soul today

Deuteronomy 12:7 And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the LORD your God has blessed you.

12:12 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your sons and your daughters...

12:18 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in all that you undertake

Psalm 97:1 The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice

97:8 Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O LORD.

97:12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name

Psalm 98:4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

98:6 With trumpet and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!

98:8 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together.

My LORD, the great and strong King of all creation. Give me an appetite for you that is quenched only by the joy of Your presence. Free me from sin. Free me from pride. Free me to sing Your praises and worship Your Son. I want to join the earth in praising You. I want to taste the gladness of Zion when it hears. I want to rejoice with the daughters of Judah. Make me righteous that I might rejoice in You; the giver of righteousness by the work of Your Son. As the rivers clap and the hills sing may my life bring You the praise You deserve. My Father, my King, My LORD, and My God I praise you. I praise your Son. I praise your Spirit. The holy God Three in One.

To the Lamb
Amen

An excellent email

If you are not signed up to get the regular email for prayer concerns from Voice of the Martyrs then you better go do that right now at

www.persecution.com

Talk about putting life and church in perspective.

Reasons to Praise

I've compiled a list of reasons given in Psalms 95 & 96 to praise God:

1. He is the rock of our salvation
2. He is a great God
3. He is a great King above all gods
4. In his hand are the depths of the sea
5. In his hand are the heights of the mountains
6. He is our Maker
7. He is our God
8. We are His people and His sheep
9. He is full of glory and marvelous works
10. He is great
11. He is to be feared
12. He made the heavens
13. He is surrounded by splendor, majesty, strength, and beauty
14. He is worthy of glory
15. He is full of holiness
16. He reigns
17. He will judge with equity
18. He comes to judge

Father, do not let me miss the many reasons You are worthy of praise. Help me to slow down and worship. Help me to see Your value and to tell You how valuable You are. Forgive me for being so full of and dedicated to shallow things. Clearly, You are a great God. Clearly, You are the great God. Fill Your people with Yourself. Give us the desire to be like Christ. May our worship of You pierce through every aspect of our lives transforming life. I long to know You and to know Your will. I long to give my life to the Cause worth fighting for. Show me how.

Amen

The LORD has become my stronghold

Psalm 94:19-22

"When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute? They band together against the life of righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge."

By God's grace, Angela and the baby are both doing well. The doctor could not explain what happened on Saturday and the sonogram showed a healthy baby. God has taught me much about seeking Him and loving Him through joy and sorrow. Before we had the sonogram He showed me the strength of His arm, the surety of God my fortress. After the sonogram it was as if the fortress was covered in all manner of banners and joyful music. It was a 3 day progress from strong fortress to strong fortress arrayed with joy.

My God, thank You for being God. I praise You that You are in control and I praise You that man and Satan are not. You are bigger than nations and bigger than wombs. Christ is more precious than health and provides more joy than family. And yet I am amazed at the joy of family provides. Father, You have been mercifuly in teaching me. May I be faithful to learn.

In Christ

Amen

Hope in God

The wisdom of God delivered through Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand, you have to address yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself. You must say to your soul: ‘Why art thou cast down’—what business have you to be disquieted? You must turn on yourself, upbraid yourself, condemn yourself, exhort yourself, and say to yourself: ‘Hope thou in God’—instead of murmuring in this depressed, unhappy way. And then you must go on to remind yourself of God, Who God is, and what God is and what God has done, and what God has pledged Himself to do. Then having done that, end on this great note: defy yourself, and defy other people, and defy the devil and the whole world, and say with this man: ‘I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance, who is also the health of my countenance and my God’ (Spiritual Depression, 21).

The Body at Mambrino is aware that my wife appears to have begun having a miscarriage. We go to the doctor early this afternoon. Pray for us that we will hope in God. Pray for us that God will see fit to give us this child. Pray for me that I will lead my wife to love God in the valley.

Don't get fat and forget

And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give--with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all ood things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive tress that you did not plant--and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought yout out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery (Deuteronomy 6:10-12).

A near-by pastor has posted some challenging thoughts on this passage and I want to encourage you to read what he has to say. Visit www.colossiansthreesixteen.com and read the posts for Monday May 28 and Tuesday May 29.

God, as I eat my muffin and drink my coffee on my day off do not let me forget you. Forgive me for being so busy with myself that I reject you. Do not let my pursuit of wealth and pleasure, do not let my pursuit of me, push you out. I don't want to forget. I want to love you with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my might. I want to love YOU. Forgive me for loving me. Remind me today of who you are. Give me strength to intentionally read to know you. Provide for me rich reminders of the work of Christ. God I want to know you show me who you are.

Afraid to forget and in Christ's name
Amen

The 10 Boundaries

I try to say often in my preaching that God did not give us a bunch of rules that keep us from having fun. We can be tempted to think God is a prude so he simply exists to squash all our fun, thus the 10 commandments. 10 fun things God doesn't want us to do.

But really these are 10 boundaries. If true and full joy is found with God then these 10 commandments are 10 ways to keep us on the path of joy. God's commandments are meant to keep us from messing up our relationship with him. God's laws, instead of decreasing our joy, increase our joy.

Great Father, train my heart today to obey you for the joy of it. How I thank you that Christ fulfilled the law; that he is perfectly obedient to every command. I thank you for him because I have been given his righteousness. I have, by faith, been given his perfect obedience. Lord, I want to be like Christ. You have given me a new heart, you have given me Christ's righteousness, and Lord I want to live in a way that pleases you. Help me to memorize Scripture. Bring your Word to my mind throughout my day. Because of Christ I have been made righteous for eternity. Lord, I pray that you will make me useful to you every day.

In Christ's name
Amen

Watch yourself carefully

To put it in the words of 90's pop culture, "Ya betta check yo self before ya wreck yo self." On the edge of the Promised Land God repeats the warning to be careful and watch one's obedience.

Observe [My commandments] carefully- Deut 4:6
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely- Deut 4:9
Watch yourselves very carefully- Deut 4:15
Be careful not to forget the covenant- Deut 4:23
Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. Keep his decrees and commands- Deut 4:39&40a

Knowing God is intricately tied to obeying God. Obeying God is intricately tied to joy in God. Joy in God far exceeds any other joy we taste on this earth. I had forgotten the richness of Deuteronomy 4 and I hope to spend more time in that chapter today. I pray it encouraged you and that you make an effort to read it again today section by section thinking about what God says.

My great King, thank you for reminding me today not to drift through life coasting on grace. Give me an undivided heart so that I may fear your name. God I want to praise you with my life. I want to glorify your name forever. Forgive me for not watching myself. Forgive me for presuming on your grace and thinking that because you are compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love I don't have to care about you or your ways. I see this life in my Brother and Savior Jesus Christ. Cover me in His righteousness. Forgive me by his sacrifice. Guide me to know and glorify him. Give me grace to watch myself and a desire to obey your commands.

Give me Christ's heart
Amen

Finding joy

Yesterday's psalm as well as today's answer the question: How do I find joy?

The world tells us that joy comes when people make much of us. I'm happy when my spouse does nice things for me. I'm happy when my boss pats me on the back or acknowledges me before my peers. I experience joy when people compliment my house, car, hair, body, yard, clothes, 4wheeler, children, or anything at all. We scream each morning, "MAKE MUCH OF ME" and then we'll be happy.

Psalm 84:10, "For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness."

This gives me truth that is so hard for me to grasp in our pampered self-centered society: Having God is finding joy, not having stuff. What's the problem then? My sin separates me from God; the source of all joy.

Psalm 85:4-7, "Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us! Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations? Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation."

Sovereign God, give me back what I have neglected and ignored. Restore me God from my shame and shallow pursuit of self-love. Open my eyes to the ways I manipulate people into loving me. Open my eyes that I may see how to love people the way you love people. Forgive me of my pride which makes me think I'm justified in my self-love. Increase my appetite. Do not let me be satisfied with me and with people loving me. Place in me a hunger to know you and know what it is to be loved by you. May your love be sweeter to me than the love of my wife. May your love be sweeter to me than the love of my daughter. Restore me God. Put away your anger toward me. Revive me so that I may truly and abundantly rejoice in you. Show me your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant me your salvation.

Show me the glories of your Son and his sacrifice
Amen

Why can't we just be friends?

Do you ever wonder why no matter what you do for people there are still those that just don't like you?

"But Sihon the king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might give him into your hand, as he is this day" (Deuteronomy 2:30).

The Lord who is God if salvation is also God of conflict. Our omnipotent Father is not limited to only working through the good stuff of life. He also works through the pain and even through the evil. God worked through Sihon's rebellious heart and God worked through the cross. Read Deuteronomy 2 and Acts 2. Is your theology correct? Does your worship include the power of God over the good as well as the bad?

God please do not let us sale you sort. Do not let me try and cuff you practically with an unbiblical understanding of who you are. I want to know you as you are not as I conceive you to be. Correct my theology with Scripture. Change my mind with your Truth. God I want to know you. Show me who you are.

In Christ
Amen

Christ our city of refuge

How strange are the Psalmist's words in connection with Numbers 35

Why should the nations say,“Where is their God?” Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes! (Psalm 79:10)

God, the avenger of blood, will have his justice at the expense of his Son. Our sin demands our death. Christ died for us. When we flee to Him we are given forgiveness and there is forgiveness only in him. The killer could flee to the city of refuge and receive a fair trial. If he was innocent he would be allowed to live in the city. If guilty he would be killed. There was no mercy for the guilty. How glad are you that God has set up Christ as the city of refuge not for the innocent but for the guilty? All murderers flee to Him and be forgiven. All hypocrites run to him and be made true.

God, make your church like the city of refuge. Make us a people that shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Make us a congregation who will restore sinners by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Father, I want your church to be useful in my community. Do not let us sleep in our sin and rot in your pew. Make us like Christ. Make us intentional. Make us powerful. Make us sacrificial. Make us Christ-centered. Make us the body.

Amen

Read & Pray

Psalm 78:62-66

He gave his people over to the sword and vented his wrath on his heritage.63 Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no marriage song.64 Their priests fell by the sword,and their widows made no lamentation.65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a strong man shouting because of wine.66 And he put his adversaries to rout; he put them to everlasting shame.

Read this again then pray for the brothers and sisters you will be worshipping alongside tomorrow. Pray they will see their need for the Savior and pray they will experience the joy of knowing the Savior.

Lord, prepare our hearts to worship. May I learn from history: sin leads to death. I know you are as angry today about sin as you were 3,000 years ago. May my love for you and joy in forgiveness be contagious among your people. Forgive me, put away your sword, cover me with the blood of your Son, my Savior.

Covered by Christ's blood
Amen

They did not believe

Psalm 78:35 "In spite of all this, they still sinned;despite his wonders, they did not believe."

Numbers 20:12 "And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.'"

Why did the people not enter the Promised Land? They did not believe. Why did Moses and Aaron not enter the Promised Land? They did not believe.

Ultimately, it's not an issue of not going to war, hitting a rock, or not driving out the inhabitants. Ultimately, all sin is about unbelief. Sin is unbelief. We do not believe Christ is the bread of life so we seek to fill ourselves with food, sex, leisure, promotions, family, and power. We do not believe doing God's will is another bread so we do our own will, chicken out, and check out. If we are going to battle sin and win we must realize that the root of sin is not temptation but unbelief. If we believed the promises of God as we should then we would see the foolishness of sin and temptation.

But we do not believe.

Father, I believe yet help my unbelief. I believe Christ is the bread of life and feeding on his flesh is life. I must eat his flesh and drink his blood. I must cherish him above my necessary food because he is better. I believe it. I believe you. But God, in unbelief I sin against you. I trade what is best for trash. Forgive me Father. By the righteous blood of my Redeemer blot out all my sin. I do not want my children to recount my life the way the bible recounts that wilderness generation. I want them to see in me a life of belief. I want to live something different.

Amen

Your sin will find you out

In fact, Moses wanted them to be sure about the fact that their sin would find them out. If they abandoned their people, if they went back on their word, then it would all come out. The same is true for us today.

Luke 12:1-3, "In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, 'Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.' Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops."

That truth gives great value to the work of confession one to another. When we are honest and open about our struggles and sins it removes the coming sting. All the skeletons in our closests are only waiting to be revealed; and they will be revealed. What we are to do is turn from our 'everything is together' painful hypocrisy and confess who we really are: a man/woman in need of a Savior.

Strong Father, may I understand today that everything hidden will be revealed; my sin will find me out. Instead of covering it up with lies I pray for strength to uncover it with honesty and remove it by the blood of Christ. Give me a heart filled with your strength and therefore able to be honest. Raise up a church who will hate my sin as much as you do and love me as much as you do. Make me a member of a church who hates all sin as much as you do and loves all the church as much as you do.

Help us be like Christ
Amen

Horrified at the wrong thing

As I sat at the breakfast table with my huge cup of coffee and bowl of cheerios I could not help but be horrified as I read Numbers 31. How could God command such a thing? "Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him" (Num 31:17). 1 year old baby boys the same age as my daugther who loves to hang onto the table and smile at me as I type? Horror.

My sin blinds me but when I put my hand over my mouth and listen God speaks.

"But it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down in the dregs. But I will declare forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up" (Psalm 75:7-10).

I do not have the right to pass judgment on God. But, I do have the right to have my throat slit along with the people of Midian. When I shut up I realize what side I should be on and it's not the side that wins. God executes judgment and that is what I deserve.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this, while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him?" (Romans 5:8&9).

Gracious and strong Father, teach me today of Jesus the one who took my punishment and drank the foaming wine of your wrath on me. Teach me today of your great love for a great sinner. May I walk in new life. May I encourage others to do the same. Help me speak of the new life of Christ. Help me to live the new life of Christ. I don't want to be on Midian's side. I want to be on Christ's side. Save me from my sin and deliver me from your wrath. Join me to Jesus.

Amen

Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Do you know why a pastor asks the father of the bride, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" Or better yet, do you know why a pastor should ask the father of the bride, "Do you give this woman to be married to this man?" Numbers 30 tells us why this question is asked and recognized by the couple, the parent, and the congregation; it's an issue of responsibility.

While the woman is living with her father she is his responsibility to care for and to raise. He is a compassionate authority over her; looking after what is best for her. When she marries she is no longer her father's responsibility and is now her husband's responsbility. From Ephesians 5 we know that the husband is to treat his responsbility for his wife with loving concern and complete sacrifice.

Father, we pray this morning for husbands. Speak to them about their responsibilities for their wives and daughters. Show them what you require from your Word. Make them men who will fight to the death for their wives and daughters. Make them men who want what is best for their families and make them men who know what is best for their families. Raise up men who know you and love your Son. Raise up men who understand that you are both a gentle Father and a strong Warrior. Make us men like Christ.

Amen

In over my head

In Psalm 69 David confesses he is in over his head. He's in up to his neck. He can't get a foothold. When the waves come they cover his head. His throat is raw calling for help. His eyes are strained looking for God. People accuse him wrongly and he is wrongly punished.

But he has hope.

Clearly, his hope is in God and not in looking religious and being heralded as religious. It seems that everything he does is viewed negatively. Zeal for God's house, weeping, fasting, repentance, and the like are mocked instead of supported. Would you continue? Would you pray to God not with anger but with trust? Call out to God for rescue and call out to God for strength.

Strong Father, give me Your strength. May I stand for You when all others abandon You and make fun of me. Show me what it is to live for You in spite of all difficulty. I don't want to be a fair weather Christian. I don't want to be weak or a wimp. I want to have faith that is useful to You and effective in Your church. I want to fight the good fight. I want to raise up a godly family. I want to love a godly wife. I want to be used to strengthen others who are faltering. Make me like Christ. Make me more like my Savior.

For Christ
Amen

Men's Ministry Old Testament Style

Numbers 25:4&5: And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” 5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.”

What happened in Numbers 25 is so foreign to us today and shocking to say the least. It sounds initially more like Islam than Judaism. But times then were different because the battle was different. Then the battle was between nations and for land. God was setting up His people in their land while punishing sin. Now the battle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers and authoirities that stand in opposition to Christ and in kahoots with this world. It's not that there no longer is a battle to fight but that we don't care enough to fight in it. Though the sword of choice is different the battle is still about sin and God's people.

Lord, give me a heart that cares about the spiritual condition of others. May I fight with the sword of the Spirit and not the sword of steel. Give me a concern for what others believe and use me to bring others to Christ. I want to fight the good fight for Christ. Make me strong. Give me endurance. Give me your spiritual insight. Raise up a band of brothers who will fight for souls by giving our lives for others. May the only death be the death to self. May the only life be life in Your Son. Show through me the power of the cross and the promise of the empty tomb.

For Christ
Amen

What God speaks, that I will speak

Repeatedly we have seen Balaam's stand on God's word. Yesterday we saw that in Balaam the committment to speak God's word must be joined with a true fear of God. It's safe to assume that when you see an angel with a drawn sword it puts the fear of God in you. And when you hear your donkey talk it causes you to think a little differently about what God can and cannot do.

"What God speaks, that I will speak."

There is the committment we all need to make. Stop wasting our words on empty flattery, lazy complaints, and destructive attacks. Satan speaks that way. We, Christ's siblings, speak God's words. Our speech is seasoned with salt, full of grace, and proper for building up. This is true when we talk to each other and when we talk to God.

David said, "Come and hear, all who fear God. And I will tell of what He has done for my soul. I cried to Him with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue. If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear; but certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer nor His lovingkindness from me" (Psalm 66:16-20).

My great God I know you oppose the proud and if I love sin you will not hear me. Give me a right fear of you. You have ordained my days. You are my creator. You are my judge and you are my redeemer. As my judge you see my heart and all my desires. As my redeemer you cleanse my heart and recreate my desires. Lord, cleanse my heart because it needs cleansing. I want to speak to You; by the blood of my Savior open the way into your presence. I come to you empty handed, full of sin, and in need of Messiah.

Make me useful my God. Make my day a testimony to you. May I seek ways to serve. May I seek opportunities to make you known. Do not let me rush about wasting my time making money without thought of you. May I work hard with the desire to serve you. May I truly earn what I am paid and work so that others see those good works and give praise to you, my Father in heaven.

In Christ
Amen

The humility of asking for help

Today, in God's good providence, I was able to meet with a few people seeking help. All of them were at or near the end of their rope and were seeking help. As I have sat pondering all the wrong things I said and asking for some serious supernatural intervention I thought of the humility involved and why it is so late in coming.

Better late than never is true but these lives would have been so much better if the humility would have come earlier. Why do we wait until our lives and relationships need a defibulator to seek help? The answer is simple- pride. By God's grace, both the people got it today and without me calling them prideful. God showed them and the light has come on. Pray that light comes on for me and that the doctor takes his own medicine.

Psalm 65:1 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,and to you shall vows be performed.2 O you who hear prayer,to you shall all flesh come.3 When iniquities prevail against me,you atone for our transgressions.4 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,to dwell in your courts!We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,the holiness of your temple!

Lord, wash me, this church, and Your Church of pride. Forgive me of the sin of "I can do all things BY MYSELF!" Give me the humility of "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." God I thank You that You chose to bring me near today. I am amazed that you would use me to bring people near to You. May I dwell in your courts so that I may be able to point others in the right direction. May I speak only your words and never sale out. I am satisfied in the goodness of your house. The holiness of your temple is wonderful. Praise you my Father.

Thank you my King
Amen

Make time to listen

Please listen to this Mp3

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/MediaPlayer/2160/Audio/

It's John Piper preaching about what every child needs to know about the gospel. If you want to understand the gospel and if you want others to understand the gospel then you need to make time to listen.

Give me Jesus or I will die

John 3:16 is defined not by lifting banners at football games but by lifting a bronze serpent on a pole.

"14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life”  (Jn 3:14&15).

Believing in Jesus is not just a matter of admitting that he lived, died, and rose again. Believing in Jesus is understanding that without Jesus there is no life only death. It's saying, "If I don't get to Jesus then I will die. I've been biten by sin and it's venom pulses through my body and soul. The only cure is Christ. Give me Jesus or I will die."

Imagine a man biten by the snake, feeling it's pain, and knowing his coming death. With the intensity of a bull in a china closet he would fight to get to the bronze serpent. Why do we not act like this with Jesus? We don't understand the surety and totality of our deaths outside of him. We don't understand the fullness of life found in him. We don't talk this way. We don't live this way. We don't preach this way. We don't pray this way. Things need to change.

Lord, teach me to want Jesus like a dying man would want the bronze serpent in the wilderness. I complain about things in the church that are miniscule because I don't understand the real problem. The problem is not the preaching, schedule, or music. The problem is I'm dying and do not know it. Lord, show Your church the surety of death. May we feel on Saturday the fear of imminent death so that we can feel on Sunday the joy of salvation. Speak to me about my sin. Convince me of my death. Tune my heart to sing your praise and to lift Christ up over all things.

I want Jesus!
Amen

Just do what He says

Just do what He says and nobody gets hurt. In fact, if you would have done what He said then you'd be living in a land filled with milk and honey. But since you didn't, you are dying of thirst. Moses, since you didn't do what He said you won't enter the Promised Land and Aaron you're about to die.

Why do we not obey? The answer is simple- we don't want to. We don't trust God to be king but we definitely trust ourselves to be king. The Creator doesn't know what is best but the creation sure does. Pride and lack of trust keep us from obeying.

Lord, give us hearts that want to obey. May we truly believe that you are a fortress against all who would harm us. May we truly believe that Your way is better than our way. Bring men and women into our lives who obey and believe so we can learn. Challenge me with the godly. Convict me with my folly. Show me that You are trustworthy and strong.

In Jesus' Name
Amen

The ashes of a heifer

"For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God" (Hebrews 9:13&14).

If the ashes of a heifer brought purification for the flesh how much more does the blood of Christ bring purification for the conscience! If the sacrifice of an unwilling unknowning animal is beneficial then the willing and intentional sacrifice of Christ for us is of tremendous value.

Lord, write on my heart today the value of Christ's sacrifice. You tell me that with Christ's sacrifice comes the cleansing of the conscience. Lord, my conscience needs cleansing. Wash away every guilty stain. By the blood of my King remove all my iniquity; blot out all my sin. Affirm to me what true forgiveness is in my Lord. Expose all my motives that I might me made pure. Thank you for Christ and the power of His blood.

Amen

It's like butter

Psalm 55:20&21 "My companion stretched out his hand against his friends; he violated his covenant. His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was within in his heart; his words were softer than oil yet they were drawn swords."

What is within your heart? Do you despise authority? Do you butter people up so you can use them for your own selfish gain? These are devastating words for me. I want to be in authority and I know how to manipulate people. My almost 1 year old daughter knows how to manipulate me. It is frightening how early and effectively we learn how to hurt people, break our promises, manipulate with a compliment, and maniuplate with a cut-down all to get what we want.

I will be preaching Colossians 2:8-10 this coming Sunday. As the Hebrew people struggled against Moses and Aaron, as we struggle against authority, we must learn that all the fullness of God is found only in Christ. Our lasting satisfaction will be gained in God and on his terms. May we turn from empty and vain philosophies based on the world of me. May we turn to the fulfilling and true philiosophy based on Christ.

My God, forgive me and change my heart. I love to be in authority and have people do what I want without consideration to your authority and what you want. Forgive me for wanting to Lord over people and for relishing in pride when I do. I want to be useful to you. I want to want you. I want others to want to be useful to you and I want others to want you. Do a great work in our hearts. Make us like Jesus.

Amen

You have gone to far!

Numbers 16 is an account of pride and refusal to recognize authority. Korah's complaint is that "all in the congregation are holy, every one of them and the Lord is among them." In essence, everyone should be the leader and not Moses. In all honesty, Korah probably doesn't want a democracy but a Korahocracy. Moses is then accused of being power hungry and greedy by Dathan and Abiram. Then, to add inusult to injury, the people's lack of faith and refusal to follow God is then blamed on Moses. When God makes it clear that Aaron is the priest and Moses is the leader by swallowing Korah and his family alive then even that is blamed on Moses!

How do we know Moses and Aaron weren't power hungry authority abusers? They were concerned about the people. Moses prayed for the people and feared for their safety in the face of God's righteous punishment. Aaron, instead of running from the plague, ran into it to make atonement, not for his sins, but for the sins of the people. They put their lives on the line for people who wanted them gone.

In most churches today there is the same type of struggle over authority. We are a royal priesthood which means you can't tell me what to do. The individual claims Christ as the only authority not realizing that it is God who instituted authority in the home, authority in the government, and authority in the church. We say we want God as our authority then we do not do what He says. (Read Psalm 52 and keep in my Moses and Korah)

Lord, give us godly leaders who love You and Your people. Give us men who are not hungry for power but but are passionate to see Your people mature in the faith. I pray for my pastor this morning. God, may he love You more than power. May he love us more than the things of the world. God help this church, all of whom are holy, follow the leadership You have installed. May our recognition of authority be pleasing in Your sight. May Christ be praised by the way we handle things in the church.

In Christ and under His authority
Amen

A Sabbath breaker executed

When we compare the sins and punishments of Numbers 15 and Psalm 51 the differences are striking. In Numbers 15 a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath is stoned to death by the congregation. In Psalm 51 a man who committed adultery and murder is forgiven. No prophet is sent to the Sabbath breaker. On the day he committed his sin he was brought forth for judgment. Nathan visited David and possibly a number of months past by before this confrontation.

What are we to make of this? God is a God of wrath and God is a God of mercy. No one has the right to presume on God and God will not be forced into the confines of our sense of right and wrong. He knew the Sabbath breaker's heart and He knew David's heart.

He knows your heart.

Lord, grant us repentance. May we hate the gathering of sticks as well as the breaking of the marriage covenant. Do not let me wink at sin. Forgive me for playing fast and loose with your mercy. I do not want to sin against you. My God, I fear the potential for evil that lies within me. I know what I am capable of and I pray you will continue to shape me, correct me, and forgive me. Broken before You I cry out for grace. I am a man who is in need of mercy. I am a man who is in need of Christ my great High Priest. Purify my conscience with His blood. Accept me into Your presence by His righteousness. Forgive me my Father.

In Christ
Amen

Their god was their belly

Those who are not satisfied with God, those who live as though Christ is not enough, can never be satisfied. Now, they set about a false standard believing that if it is met they will be happy: if I get some meat, if I make a certain amount every year, if I find a spouse, if we have a child, if I hear this type of music in my church, if I hear this type of preaching. The false standard is set and it is false because once the standard is met they are not happy. The problem is not the particular desire in this case. It's not wrong to want to eat meat, get married, have a child, like certain music more than others, or enjoy a certain type of preaching more than others.

What is wrong is the heart's desire to make a fortress out of a single brick. In Psalm 48 we see the repeated truth that God is a fortress. It is in him that we are to live, find protection, and be satisfied. This was true in the Old Testament and given even more glory in the New Testament in the person of Jesus Christ. We must do battle with our hearts which seem to be constantly chasing after lesser pleasures. Monetary pleasure, physical pleasure, influence, companionship, and wasteful ease tempt us to turn from Christ and be satisfied in them. When you do not get your way and feel yourself preparing for battle ask yourself, "am I chasing after quail?"

What happened? They got their meat and they met their deaths. If they didn't die they had so much meat it was running out of their noses. Would the quail make them happy? Only for a moment until the sin set in.

Lord, forgive me for loving and searching for meat more than loving and searching for You. Forgive me for complaining about truly stupid things that do not matter. Make me a man who is satisfied in You and Your Son by the power of Your Spirit. Show me immediately when I start to chase after lesser things. Prepare me now as I pray to turn immediately from those debilitating desires when I see them and run to Jesus. I want to rest in God my fortress from the inside instead of tremble with fear on the outside. As I think on your steadfast love, your right hand filled with righteousness, I am glad because in Christ I experience your love and I am given righteousness. You are forever and you will guide me forever. I praise you my king.

In Christ
Amen

The Cloud

I may be the only one but I struggle sometimes with the way God did things in the Old Testament and how He does things today. I'm not talking about the wrath/grace issue. I'm talking about guidance. Today, we read in Numbers 9 concerning the cloud of God's glory that covered the tabernacle. When it was time to move the cloud moved. When it was time to stop the cloud stopped. I think, "wouldn't that be great!?!"

Think about life's decisions: Who do I marry? The girl with the cloud over her. Where do I work? The place with the cloud. Who do I share the gospel with? The guy with the cloud. Do I go right or do I go left? Well, where is the cloud? It may sound a little silly but we need to know why there is no more cloud.

Many passages in Scripture speak to this issue but I will give you two that I think are the most helpful in answering this question and living our lives. It's Easter Sunday at the tomb:

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’ ” (John 20:16&17. ESV)

Then from John 14

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:15-17. ESV)

Do I want a relationship with the Father, Son, and Spirit or do I just want answers? Do I realize the riches that are in Christ and that those riches are given by the Spirit's enlightenment? The tabernacle is gone. The cloud no longer goes here and moves there. But the Spirit will be with us forever. He will not just be with us He will be in us.

God, teach me today what it is to know the Holy Spirit. Show me how He is my helper. Jesus told Mary not to cling to him because he must ascend. With that ascension came the sending of the Spirit. Do not let me wander into error as I seek to know Him. The dangers of denying the Spirit's power and sensationalizing His work are before me. Do not let me miss the blessings of relationship with Him because I am too afraid of error. Let me see Him. Let me know Him. As your child He dwells with me and by Him I cry out to You as my Father. Father, teach me today to know Your Spirit.

Amen

When it won't stop raining

We keep a few flowers in front of our house that end up mistreated for the most part. If it rains they get water and if it doesn't rain they struggle. Lately we have been getting plenty of rain; to flash flood warning stage. It is amazing that the right amount of water is perfect but too little or too much will kill. We talk often of loving and trusting God in the drought but what about in the flood? That seems to be where we find the Sons of Korah in Psalm 44. From their perspective they have been obedient and faithful. They confess that God knows the heart and have apparently kept nothing hidden from Him. Yet they struggle and are defeated.

Father, help us through our struggles. Give us faith and strength to continually cry out to You when we don't understand why. May you rise up and help us. Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love. Though we are led like sheep to the slaughter we know that in Christ we are more than conquerors. Give me faith that loves the blessings and promises of Christ more than my immediate comfort and success. Make me the type of person who can praise you when I win and praise you when I lose. May my faith in you grow bigger than my circumstances. May my joy in Christ grow larger than my situation.

For His Praise
Amen