Emmaus Journey - Luke 24:13-35

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2005-10-10T10:05:00.000-05:00

Emmaus Journey has moved to a new location. Just click on the link: www.emmausjourney.com All posts have been imported into the new blog.

Short Memories - Judges 1-3

2005-10-10T07:13:00.000-05:00

10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the LORD to anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 In his anger against Israel the LORD handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the LORD was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress. 16 Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked, the way of obedience to the LORD's commands. 18 Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the LORD had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways. - Judges 10-19 The People of Israel easily forgot what God did for them. They did not learn from the generation who went before them. We often act like this also. We refuse to learn from the generation who went before us. Take my generation so wonderfully called Generation X. Our faith should have been handed down from our parents, yet the vast majority of Gen Xer's are not Christ-followers. The Baby boomer generation who came before us should have received their faith from the parents - the builder generation. Yet, the last generation with the majority be believers was the builder generation. We have created a culture in which we tend to not respect our elders and therefore reject their beliefs as old fashioned and out of touch. I would never suggest we accept everything we are taught without thinking. We rightly rejected sexism, racism and many other ism's, but we also rejected that which was noble and worthy of retaining - faith. Faith is what should have led us the reject sexism, racism and many other evil things. In fact, most of the early champions of freedom and equality were led by faith. In many ways this is more of a lament than anything else. Just like Israel, I don't see us going back to a time where faith is more accepted. I just hope I can raise my children to continue to reject those things in my life that are wrong and sinful (I am sure there are things my culture and upbringing don't yet allow me to see as being wrong.) I also hope I can also raise them to understand for all of my failing, my faith was not one of them. Dear Heavenly Father, Help us to be parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents who leave faith as the greatest bequest to our children. Help our children to reject what we did wrong and retain the faith in you. Help those children who are being raised without faith to find it. Help all of us the remember when you drove out our enemies before us and when you led us out of Egypt. Help us to serve you with our whole hearts. I love you Lord. Amen.

Denial - Matthew 26-28

2005-10-07T07:16:00.000-05:00

Peter Disowns Jesus 69 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. "You also were with Jesus of Galilee," she said. 70 But he denied it before them all. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said. 71 Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72 He denied it again, with an oath: "I don't know the man!" 73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away." 74 Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!" Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly. - Matthew 26:69-75 Peter disowned Jesus three times. He said he did not know him. Yet only a little bit earlier he claimed he would die with Jesus before he would deny him. This is also the same man who was arguably one of two major human catalysts for the expansion of the early church. This just shows God's mercy. How often do we deny Jesus. Truthfully, I wish I could say I have only denied Jesus three times. How many times have I failed to talk about Jesus when it was obvious God presented a prefect opportunity to me? How many times have I placed my security or relational comfort above Jesus command in Matthew 28:16-20 to go into all the world? (this includes your workplace.) Yet, God chooses to continue to use me. Dear Jesus, I know I have turned my back on you. Thank you for never turning your back on me. I know I have done things that truly grieve your heart. Thank you for forgiving me. Help me to truly be salt and light in this world. Help me to express who you are to others in a way that will make them want to know more and eventually know you more. I love you Jesus. Amen.

Least of These - Matthew 23-25

2005-10-06T07:10:00.000-05:00

31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' - Matthew 25:34-40 When I became a Christ-follower in early 1996, I prayed that God would give me meaning and direction in my life. At that time, he led me to these words in Matthew 25:34-45. Up to that point, I would say, I was a rather uncaring and selfish person. I did not see any reason to help others. However, As I read these words at that time and many times since, I have become thankful that God does not see us the way we often see each other. God see each of us as a person with infinite worth and value. He see each of us as someone to be loved and treasured. God calls us to be the same way. Before I became a Christ-follower, I spent my time raising money for and running political campaigns. I believe politics and correct thinking politicians was the solution to our problems (Is there really such a thing as a correct thinking politician?) Now I realize God is the only solution. The last nine years of my life have been committed to raising money for charitable organizations that personify Matthew 25:34-40 and trying to live out these verses in my own life. Sometimes I look at myself and realize I have so far to go. I could be more generous, more merciful and more full of grace. Each day, I attempt to become a little more like Jesus. I know I have a long way to go. I also know that I can never give up because as a Christ-follower I am called by God to right wrong, work for justice and help those who are in need. Dear Jesus, As I read these chapters in Matthew I see you describing hypocrite. I ask you to help me to become less of a hypocrite each day. Help me to see those around me you are calling me to help and love. Help me to be just a bit more like you each day. Help me to love those I don't want to love. You are my God and my King. Amen.

Guilty - Matthew 20-22

2005-10-05T07:09:00.000-05:00

17 Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, 18 "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!" - Matthew 20:17-19 It has often been said by sincere Christians that the Jews killed Jesus. As you might expect, Jewish people get very upset at this comment seeing it as a sign of anti-semitism. Matthew 20:17-19 gives us the real answer to the question of who killed Jesus. We did. The leaders of the Jewish people falsely accused him and turned him over to be flogged and crucified. Thus the Jewish people are guilty. However, who was Jesus turned over to be flogged and crucified by? The Gentiles. Thus everyone else is also guilty. This is the historical answer to the question. There is also a spiritual answer to this question. Romans 3:22-24 makes it clear that all of us (Jews and Gentiles alike) has sinned. In the end it does not matter if he was accused by the Jews and the nails were driven by Gentiles. The sin of every single person who has lived, now lives and will live, required that Jesus be sacrificed. Let's forget about blame and move on to true repentance. Dear Jesus, It is human nature to play the blame game. Thank you for not playing that game because each of us would lose terribly. Thank you for taking our sins when you had never sinned. Thank you for loving us so much that you sacrificed yourself. I can never truly express my gratitude and love. Help me to give back what little I can by serving you. Amen.

A Rich Man... A Poor Man - Matthew 17-19

2005-10-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" 17 "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." 18 "Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'" 20 "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" 21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.- Matthew 19:16-22 As I was driving to work this morning I was listening to the soundtrack for Les Miserable. This is a musical production that tells the story of one mans redemption from a common thief to a man on mission with God. The turning point for this man was when a member of the clergy gives him some precious silver items that the man attempted to steal. The man could have went back to prison for many years, but instead he was given a new start. The clergyman who is not wealthy gives up the little wealth he has to show mercy and justice. In contrast, the rich man in the story in Matthew lives a life where he follows the commandment in a legalistic fashion, but not in a heart fashion. When told he needs to give up his wealth he turns his back on Jesus and walks away sad. The poor man is redeemed through the grace and mercy of another (an ambassador for Christ). The rich man refuses to be redeemed through the grace and mercy of another (Christ himself). We also have this same choice. Will we chose to go our own way and refuse Christ offer to follow him or will we accept this most precious gift? Dear Jesus, I thank you for the wonderful gift you have presented to each of us. I ask for you help to be an ambassador to this world, so more people will gladly open that gift. Help me Lord to serve you each and every day. I love you Lord. Amen.

Devoted to God - Matthew 14-16

2005-10-03T07:16:00.000-05:00

3 Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' 5 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' 6 he is not to 'honor his father' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8" 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'" - Matthew 15:3-9 Jesus gives us a great lesson in Matthew 15:3-9 about the way family life should work. We live in a culture that does not respect the aged. Even is those aged people are our family, often we don't take care of them appropriately as they become less able to take care of themselves. We often use excuses that we simply don't have the resources to do so (in some cases this may actually be true, but in many it is more a matter of our financial priorities - big house, fancy car etc.) God is very clear on this one. He even goes as far as to say that you should not use the excuse the funds have been committed to God over your parents. I am not suggesting you forego your tithe to take care of your parents, but I am suggesting that after your tithe to God your own parents come high in your priorities. We must take care of our own children if we have any. We must pay our own bills that are based on a humble and simple lifestyle. Then we must put our parents - the ones who took care of us for so many years - next. After all, God only gave us ten commandments and this is one of them. Dear Jesus, All too often we thing of "Honor Your Father and Your Mother" as something we do with our tongue. Yet, I believe you see it much more as an action. Help each of us to understand what it means for us to provide this honor. Thank you Lord. I love you. Amen.

A Child - Matthew 11-13

2005-10-01T06:13:00.000-05:00

25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. - Matthew 11:25-26 I have three beautiful little girls. They pray because we have taught them to pray. The bow their head, close their eyes and talk to Jesus. They don't understand exactly what they are doing, but they are learning to communicated with God. What impresses me most about my children is their first desire when something goes wrong is to pray for that person or situation. My middle daughter has a friend who was diagnosed just a few months ago with cancer. At only five years old, she has an excellent change of recovery, but she still have a long road ahead of her. Any of my daughters could think it is funny that she is bald, but instead they simply state the medicine is making her feel bad and her hair comes out, while it is making her better. Then they pray for her. They don't ask, "Can I pray?" They just talk to God about how much they like their friend and how she feels better soon. I often wonder if the reason things are hidden from wise and learned people is not because God has actually hidden it from us, but because we get in the way and don't see it in front of our faces. Only the simple faith of a child can see it. My girls can see true suffering and show true compassion better than I can and probably better than most adults. Dear Jesus, Thank you for three wonderful girls. Thank you for the lessons they will teach me even as I attempt to teach them. Thank you for expressing yourself through the innocence of a child. I love you Jesus. Amen.

Harsh Words - Matthew 8-10

2005-09-30T06:20:00.000-05:00

34 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn " 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her motherinlaw— 36 a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' 37 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. - Matthew 10:34-39 These words of Jesus are among some of the harshest he spoke during his years on this earth. They are words I am sure the people of his day did not want to hear and they are words we do not want to hear today. Yet they are very important words we need to understand. People dislike the idea that they would need to somehow turn against their family to follow God. There are some cases where this may actually be the case. Think of the muslim or hindu who becomes a Christ-follower. They literally must turn their back on thier family because their family will not accept the choice they have made. In our western culture we do not seem to have such a drastic choice to make, but it is real just the same. In fact, it is often more sublte for us. We have family who do not understand our choices and try to bring us back into the fold of family tradition. Yet, we must refuse and put Christ first. The very last line gives us the promise that whe we lose our life for Christ we will find it. We must never forget this promise. Dear Jesus, Thank you for giving me the ability to turn my life toward you regardless of outside pressures. Thank you for giving me correct priorities so that you will come first. Thank you that my immediate family also seeks to serve you. I love you Jesus. Amen.

Your Enemies - Matthew 5-7

2005-09-29T16:52:00.000-05:00

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. - Matthew 5:43-48 Matthew 5:43-48 gives us a perfect lesson on foreign relations. As a nation we have all to often been eager to go to war thinking it would be the best thing for our national interest. However, I believe God sees it differently. Regardless of your view of current wars or war in general, it seems like God is telling us that we would be better off by loving our enemies. What would it look like for us to love the Palestinians (What would it look like for the Jews to love the Palenstinians.) What would it look like for us to show unconditional love to all Arabs or other "enemies" of the United States. I am not sure I actually have an answer to those questions, but I do know we would live in a very different (and I believe better) world. Dear Jesus, Just as you loved the hated Samaritans, help us to love those we now call enemies. Just as you loved the pagans so much that you died for us, help us to love those who do not agree with our faith. Help each of us to be ambassadors of your love and mercy. I love you Lord. Amen.

Pedigree - Matthew 1-4

2005-09-28T06:55:00.000-05:00

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. - Matthew 4:18-22 I have often had discussions and heard sermons about how Jesus chose those without degrees and the “proper” upbringing to be his original twelve disciples. At the same time, we don’t act the same way. We require people to have certain educations before we will allow them to lead a church. I am not against education (I have a masters degree from a seminary), but I am against educational bigotry. Last night I was leading my small group through its study. We began to talk about specific prophecy and where it came from in the Old Testament. When that happens, I (as well as the rest of the group) look to one lady in our group that knows the Word of God better than anyone I have ever met. She does not have a degree in Bible and Theology. She does have a life of commitment to being in God’s word. I would trade her education for mine any day. Jesus understood that we needed to look for leadership all around us, not just in the “educated” places. Dear Jesus, I thank you for picking people to follow you who were simply ordinary. I thank you for empowering them to do extraordinary things - literally planting your church. Help my eyes to always be open to those you have chosen for leadership. I love you Jesus. Amen.

An Altar - Joshua 22-24

2005-09-27T07:18:00.000-05:00

21 Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel: 22 "The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the LORD, do not spare us this day. 23 If we have built our own altar to turn away from the LORD and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the LORD himself call us to account. 24 "No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, 'What do you have to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? 25 The LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you�?you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the LORD.' So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the LORD. 26 "That is why we said, 'Let us get ready and build an altar�?but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.' 27 On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the LORD at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, 'You have no share in the LORD.' 28 "And we said, 'If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the LORD's altar, which our fathers built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.' Joshua 22:21-28 Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built and altar as a symbol their promise to worship God and God alone. However, they did not build this altar for God, but for the other tribes of Israel to see their promise in physical form. This is a great lesson for us to learn. How often does God help us overcome a major lifobstaclesce. This could be an addiction, a bad point in our marriage, or some others life defining moment. Just like these tribes, it may be a good idea for us to build an altar to symbolize what God had done for us. It also serves to remind us and others that God showed up and is worthy to be praised. This altar can be many things. In my wallet a keep a copy of the "Footprints" poem because it reminds me of a time I was far from God, but God was not far from me. This may not seem like a very public altar, but if I took it out of my wallet my wife would know something was wrong. In this case she is the only other person who needs to know (and the only other person that is allowed to snoop through my wallet.) Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us altar to remind us of your love and sacrifice. Thank you for giving us altar that help us to remember landmarks on our spiritual journey. Thank you for loving me so much that you are always with me. I love you Lord. Amen.

A Promise Kept - Joshua 19-21

2005-09-26T06:52:00.000-05:00

43 The LORD gave the Israelites the land he had promised their ancestors, and they captured it and settled in it. 44 There still were enemies around Israel, but the LORD kept his promise to let his people live in peace. And whenever the Israelites did have to go to war, no enemy could defeat them. The LORD always helped Israel win. 45 The LORD promised to do many good things for Israel, and he kept his promise every time. - Joshua 21:43-45 These last three verse in Joshua 21 are so profoundly wonderful. While they specifically discuss the Israelites, they also tell us something about the personality of God. The very last words about God say, "...and he hept his promise every time." I think back to the promises of God in my own life. God promised to take care of my wife and I while I followed his will to go to seminary. He not only did that, but he allowed us to adopt three wonderful little girls. God promised that he would use me in ministry if I just continued to follow him. This is a wonderful promise that is now and not yet. I have spent the last few years learning a great deal about what true ministry means. I am just now starting to see the vocational fulfillment of ministry (This is not to downplay the non-vocational ministry. I believe with my whole heart that God has plans for each of us that include his work.) God has promised to take care of the needs of my family so that we would always have what we needed. This has not been an easy thing as we have often wondered how all of the bills would be paid, but we have never failed to pay our bills, put food on the table and even give away money beyond our tithe. God does keep his promises. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for keeping each and every promise. Thank you for keeping the most important one - providing a way for us to reconcile with you. Thank you for loving us so much that an unkept promise is not a possibility. I love you Lord. Amen.

My Transgressions - Psalm 51

2005-09-23T07:10:00.000-05:00

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. 14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar. - Psalm 51 We have so many reasons to be grateful to God. We can be grateful because he created us and this world. We can be grateful because he provides for our need each and every day. We can be grateful because he walks with us (and lifts us up) each day. Most importantly, we can be grateful because of God's mercy. When it gets right down to it, this is the most important thing that we receive from God (maybe his Love could be placed in this category, but really his mercy and live are so intertwined that they are as one.) Nothing else we receive from God matters without his mercy. Nothing else we receive from God would be possible without his mercy. God provides for us because he loves us. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for being merciful. Thank you for loving me. I can never earn your mercy and love, yet you give them freely. I can never live a life worthy of your presence, yet you are here each day. Forgive me once again. I desperately need you Lord. Amen.

A Patient Promise - Joshua 13-15

2005-09-22T07:08:00.000-05:00

6 Now the men of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, "You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, 8 but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly. 9 So on that day Moses swore to me, 'The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.' 10 "Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11 I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. 12 Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said." - Joshua 14:6-12 Scripture often reminds us that we need to be patient when it comes to God's promises. It is not easy for us to understand that God's time is not necessarily our time. One of the major problems is that our lives fly by so quickly that we want everything to happen yesterday, but God does not work that way. Caleb was a man who understood the need to be patient and wait on God. At thirty-nine years of age, God gave him a promise that the land he was walking on would be an inheritance for his family. However, he was required to wait in gain this inheritance. In fact, he was require to wait forty-five years. Just think about this. He is thirty-nine years old, so he is being required to wait more than double his current age. Of course, he did not know the exact number of years he would have to wait, but he did know that all the people (except for himself and Joshua) of his current generation over twenty years of age would have to die before this inheritance would take place. Even when that time finally passed there was still another five years of waiting. This has really made me think about my own impatient for things to happen. Can I wait on God? Dear Heavenly Father, If patients is a virtue, it is one I do not have. Help me to wait on you with contentment. Help me to serve you in the here and now even as I wait on the future. Help me to rely completely on you. I love you Lord. Amen.

God's - Psalm 50

2005-09-21T06:59:00.000-05:00

1 The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets. 2 From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. 3 Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages. 4 He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people: 5 "Gather to me my consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice." 6 And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah 7 "Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you: I am God, your God. 8 I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me. 9 I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, 10 for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. 12 If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. 13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? 14 Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, 15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." 16 But to the wicked, God says: "What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips? 17 You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you. 18 When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers. 19 You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit. 20 You speak continually against your brother and slander your own mother's son. 21 These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face. 22 "Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue: 23 He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God." - Psalm 50 Every once in a while we all need a reminder that everything in this earths belongs to God. We get the attitude that what we have is our - our home, our automobiles, our education, our money. However, Psalm 50 makes it clear this is not true. If you think about it, even those of us who are committed Christ-followers fall into this often. We hear teaching that say we are to give back 10% of what we make as a tithe. The truth is that God is gracious enough to let us use (not keep) up to 90% of the funds he blesses us with. When we teach or are taught the idea that we are giving God 10% then we are not hearing complete Biblical truth. Verses 9-12 of Psalm 50 make it clear that we are simply stewards of what God has entrusted to us and he can (and does) ask us to use it for his purposes. Dear Heavenly Father, All too often I have not been generous with what you have entrusted to my care. Help me to loosen my grip on the resources you have placed with me. Help me to never see myself as an owner, but only as a steward. I love you Lord. Amen.

In The End - Psalm 49

2005-09-20T06:56:00.000-05:00

1 Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, 2 both low and high, rich and poor alike: 3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding. 4 I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle: 5 Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me- 6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches? 7 No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him- 8 the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough- 9 that he should live on forever and not see decay. 10 For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. 11 Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves. 12 But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish. 13 This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. Selah 14 Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. 15 But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. Selah 16 Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; 17 for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. 18 Though while he lived he counted himself blessed� and men praise you when you prosper- 19 he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life. 20 A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish. - Psalm 49 I love the Psalms because they have a way of putting into words things that just don't seem to say the same thing in pros. Psalm 49 does an excellent job of reminding us that this world is not only temporary, but that the material things we tend to treasure have very little real value. We can leave many things behind on this earth when we leave it. We can leave material wealth others will spend or we can leave wisdom. We can leave a history of hard work or an abundance of Christ-centered relationships. We can leave fame given to us by others or we can leave a legacy of service and sacrifice for others. Of course, it is possible to leave both material possessions behind and Godly possessions behind. The real issue is where did we place our priorities. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for reminding us about what matter most. Thank you for putting possessions in their proper place. Help me to always remember the true priorities of life. I love you Lord. Amen.

Craziness - Joshua 4-6

2005-09-19T06:46:00.000-05:00

2 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in." - Joshua 6:2-5 God simply does not make sense to us sometimes. Just think about it. God does not tell the Israelites to build siege engines. He does not tell them to build ladders to scale the walls. He does tell them to march around the walls once a day for six days and then seven times on the seventh day. Then they are to shout and the walls will come down. Admittedly, the Israelites had seen many miracles from God on their behalf, but this had to seem like craziness. The other miracles God just did when they were needed. Here God made them march and march and march and march. How often has God ask us to do something we consider crazy? Did we do it on faith or decide we just simply did not see the need to do it? Dear Heavenly Father, Your ways are not our ways and I praise you for that. Your ideas are far beyond our and I thank you for that. Help me to follow you regardless of how crazy it may seem to my human understanding. Give me the faith to go even when I don't have the knowledge or wisdom to understand. I love you Lord. Amen.

A Prostitute - Joshua 1-3

2005-09-16T07:06:00.000-05:00

1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho." So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. 2 The king of Jericho was told, "Look! Some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land." 3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land." 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them." 6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) 7 So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut. Joshua 2:1-7 When I am thinking about the mission of God, I often think about how Jesus ate with sinners and tax collectors (I always find it interesting that tax collectors, who were renowned sinners through cheating people out of more money than the law required, are given their own category instead of being lumped in with sinner.) The Gospels show Jesus spending a great amount of time with people who were considered the lowest of the low in society. I have always thought he did this because these people understood their need for forgiveness. Where as, the Pharisees and sedducees - also great sinners - didn't see their need. But there is something else that has started to dawn on me as important. Jesus did not just spend a great deal of time with these people, he was actually a descendent of Rahab the Prostitute. I think it is profound that this is included in the lineage in Matthew 1. Lets be honest, if I knew a prostitute was included in my lineage, I would find a way to smooth it over or leave it out all together. However, Matthew included it when he wrote his Gospel. This is just one more way we are shown that Jesus came for all of us. Just look at his pedigree. One the one hand you have King David and Solomon as his ancestors. On the other hand you have a prostitute (admittedly one who gave great aid to the people of Israel, but a prostitute none the less.) Maybe we could use this to look at people less from the standpoint of where they came from, but more from the standpoint of who they are in Christ. Dear Heavenly Father, I can just picture you shower great love on Rahab even now. I can see you grasping her in your arms and saying you are not a prostitute, you are a child of the most high God. Thank you Lord because I know you will do the same for me. I love you. Amen.

Our Motives - James 3-5

2005-09-15T06:49:00.000-05:00

1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. - James 4:1-3 "Ask and you shall receive." I have often heard these words quoted by Christians to make the claim that God wants all of his followers to be rich. They will go on to say that Christian who are poor do not have enough faith. On its surface this seems like a ridiculous arguement (and it is), but many have fallen for it. Some of the wealthy use it as an excuse to not help the poor because if they only had faith they would be wealthy. Some of the poor live their lives hitting their head against a wall trying to figure out how to "create" more faith. Others simply walk aways from God because they either get tired of trying or don't want to serve a god who works this way. All of them fail to read James 4:3. Our motives make all the difference in the world. When we are truly following Christ we will ask for those things that are part of God's character and desire for us and others. In all likelyhood this is not personal weath, a high powered job, or a forest green BMW (my personal favorite.) It might very well be a functioning car for a person who needs one to keep a job and buy food for thier family. It might be a job with a living wage for a person trying to get out of poverty. It might be medecine for someone without health insurance. It is definitly not so you can spend money on your own pleasure. Dear Jesus, The more I read your Word, the more I see you love for all of creation. Help me to be a catalyst of that Love. Help me to see your heart and feel what you feel. Help me understanding what your mercy and grace actually means for this world. I love you Lord. Amen.

Doing the Word - James 1-2

2005-09-14T07:50:00.000-05:00

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it he will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. - James 1:22-27 James is one of my favorite books of the Bible because it does one of the best jobs of defining faith. For a long time we have had this debate about what is more important faith or works. Yet, all this time we have had the Book of James to show us that we are asking the wrong question. Is faith more important or work? The answer is NO. If a person does works without faith they are simply doing a good deed. It is still wonderful they did it, but it is not based upon faith in God and therefore is not part of God's love for the world. If a person says they have faith, but does not put it into action then they are simply lying to themselves. Faith by its very nature requires action. True faith causes a desire to serve God and his Kingdom immediately. A true Christ-follower must understand that faith in God causes us to perform Godly works. When is the last time each of us has practiced pure religion? Dear Jesus, Thank you, thank you, thank you. There have been times in my life when I was in need. You cause your people to be there for me. Their faith caused them to do Godly works on my behalf. Thank you for motivating me in the same way to be there for others because of my faith. I love you Lord. Amen.

A Human Leader - Deuteronomy 31-34

2005-09-13T06:54:00.000-05:00

48 On that same day the LORD told Moses, 49 "Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. 50 There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. 51 This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. 52 Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel." - Deuteronomy 32:48-52 The story of Moses present an amazing character - an amazing story of leadership. We find a man who did not want to be the leader of the people of Israel. We find a man who should have led his people into the promised land, but his disobedience to God before Israel caused God to not allow him to enter the promised land. We find a flawed man. We also find a man who did lead the people of Israel to the very doorway of the promise land. We find a man who learned how to delegate authority (with the help of his father-in-law Jethro.) We find a man constantly exhorting the people to keep their eyes on God. In the end, I believe we find a man who knew he could not be a leader of God's people without God. He was humble enough to understand his mantle of leadership was a great privilege and responsibility that was given by God and could be taken away by God. He knew there was no room for pride in his leadership. Moses made a big mistake that caused him to not be able to enter the promised land, but he also served God with everything that was in him. It is my hope that I can serve God like Moses. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the example of Moses. I see a flawed man. I see a humble man. I see a scared man. I also see a man who truly sought to serve you all the days of his life. Help me to serve you with humility. Help me to never forget you are the source of my leadership, or should I say followership. I love you Lord. Amen.

A Choice - Deuteronomy 27-30

2005-09-12T06:52:00.000-05:00

15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. - Deuteronomy 30:15-20 God gave the people of Israel a clear choice. It was a choice to follow him or to follow false gods. It was a choice to follow the ways of this world or to follow him. It was a choice between blessing and curses. It is the same choice we have today. We often don't see it today, because we see those who chose to ignore God prosper and those who follow God fail. However, this is using a human definition of success and failure. When we follow God are priorities change. Why is it that the happiest people on earth are those that live the simplest lives? (and arguably the poorest.) Why is it that those who have the most are never satisfied with their abundance? The answer lies in priorities. When we choose to follow God we are blessed. We are blessed with contentment, happiness, the ability to endure trials when they do come, and the knowledge that we are not alone. When we choose to follow our own ways we are cursed. We are cursed with discontent (the richest people in the world still believe they do not have enough), worry, fear of trials, and the nagging feeling that something is missing in their lives. I have always found it interesting that most suicides are not poor people. We do have a choice contentment or discontentment - God or the world. Dear Heavenly Father, From the very beginning you gave us free will - choice. You allowed us to follow you or follow our own ways. I thank you for this choice, just as I thank you for leading us to follow you. Help me to keep you in focus and put other things where they belong. I love you Lord. Amen.

Hospitality - Deuteronomy 23-26

2005-09-09T07:21:00.000-05:00

3 No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation. 4 For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to pronounce a curse on you. 5 However, the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you. 6 Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as you live. -Deuteronomy 23:3-6 As I read these words in Deuteronomy, I cannot help but think of the aftermath of Katrina. People who were not affected by this storm have a choice. They can either ignore what happen, or they can proactively get involved to help those in need. The Ammonites and Moabites refused to help the Israelites as they left Egypt and went on their journey to the promised land. God literally cursed them for this refusal. How many of us have refused or simply neglected to provide help to those who are leaving New Orleans or Gulf Port or any of the other places destroyed by Katrina? While I don't expect God will literally curse any of us because of his covenant of grace we live under, I do think he is very sad and possibly even angry when his people don't help those who are truly in need. If there is ever a time when "the least of these..." (Matthew 25:34-45) is obvious, it is now. It is great that we are evacuating them and helping them resettle in new places, but the real amount of assistant (mainly financial) that it is going to require to take care of this situation is far beyond what is currently available. Take some time, choose your favorite relief charity (I would suggest two: www.convoyofhope.org or www.salvationarmy.org) and give what you can. If you have needed skills, go down to the affected areas and volunteer your skills. Don't be a person who turns their back of those in need. Dear Heavenly Father, This tragedy is weighing heavy on this nation and even the world. You are the God who care, the God who loves. I ask you to move your people to compassion and action. Help each of us to do what we can with our finances and our talents. Help us to truly be a people who help the least of these. Amen.

Tomorrow

2005-09-07T07:51:00.000-05:00

It is not often that I take a break from blogging on scripture, but today is going to be one of those days. Tomorrow I meet with the district leadership of the Iowa Assemblies of God to present to them my church planting plan for the Quad Cities (Davenport, IA). I know God has prepared me for this through many different phases of my life to this point. I am confident that this is God's will and it will happen. I am also scared deep within my being. It is not just the idea of starting something from scratch. One of the greatest joys of my life is building something from nothing based upon ideas, hard work and perserverance. There is one big difference here. I am not starting my own business, I am starting a church. If I started my own business and it failed, it would cause pain to me and my family. If I start a church and it fails, I caused pain to me, my family and to all of those who were in the process of finding Christ. I know this simply means I must rely on God more than I ever have before. I guess it is the way God makes sure I do not become proud. There is absolutely no way I could do this one my own. Relying on God is not only, my only choice, it is definitely the best choice. Dear Jesus, Lord, as I travel down this road, I thank you for being with me. Help me to see you in each and every step. Help me to see the times you carry me when I can no longer walk. Help me to see those times you go before me to prepare the way. Help me to experience your presence at all times. I love you Jesus. You give my life meaning and purpose. Amen.

A King - Deuteronomy 17-19

2005-09-06T07:34:00.000-05:00

14 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," 15 be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, "You are not to go back that way again." 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20 and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel. - Deuteronomy 17:14-20 We know we serve an amazing God because he is the only god who has ever foretold the future and it has come true. In this passage of Deuteronomy we see that God is already setting down the groundwork for the future kings of Israel. We also know that God did not want the people to have a king, but he also knew that the time would come when they would demand a king. In his foreknowledge he commanded that the king must be from the ranks of the Israelites and that he was to actually make a personal copy of the laws and decrees. There is much wisdom in this. When the king personally wrote them and then continually read them they would become part of their life, not to be discarded. In fact, this is a great practice for us to help us to place God's word in our hearts. God also says that the king must not consider himself better than the other Israelites. This is a true law of leadership. I wonder how many of our American president have truly not felt themselves better than everyone else? Dear Heavenly Father, I praise you for your foreknowledge. I thank you for preparing us for that future. Help us to be ever mindful of what you are telling us and always prepared to serve you. I love you Lord. Amen.

My Sin - Psalm 38

2005-09-02T07:41:00.000-05:00

1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. 2 For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me. 3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin. 4 My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. 5 My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. 6 I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. 7 My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. 8 I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart. 9 All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you. 10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes. 11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away. 12 Those who seek my life set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they plot deception. 13 I am like a deaf man, who cannot hear, like a mute, who cannot open his mouth; 14 I have become like a man who does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply. 15 I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God. 16 For I said, "Do not let them gloat or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips." 17 For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me. 18 I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin. 19 Many are those who are my vigorous enemies; those who hate me without reason are numerous. 20 Those who repay my good with evil slander me when I pursue what is good. 21 O LORD, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God. 22 Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior. - Psalm 38 It is a natural human tendency to want to blame everything or everyone but ourselves when bad things happen to us. We just cannot seem to accept that often times the bad things that happen to us are often consequences for our actions. In Psalm 38, King David is making it clear that he accepts responsibility for his wrong actions and the consequences for those actions. This is so very important because true repentance only happens when we accept that we have made mistakes and accept the consequences for those mistakes. It would be good for each of us to look at our lives and see what we have brought upon ourselves - bad health due to overeating, lack of friendships due to poor attitudes, etc. Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for loving us so much that you are willing to deliver us from ourselves. I thank you for making us liable for our own actions. I thank you for giving us the free will that has both negative and positive consequences. Help me to serve you and follow your ways. Help me to do right to gain health and wholeness. I love you Lord. Amen.

Waiting Patiently - Psalm 40

2005-09-01T07:39:00.000-05:00

1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. 4 Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. 5 Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. 6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. 7 Then I said, "Here I am, I have come�? it is written about me in the scroll. 8 I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." 9 I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, as you know, O LORD. 10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly. 11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me. 12 For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. 13 Be pleased, O LORD, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me. 14 May all who seek to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. 15 May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!" be appalled at their own shame. 16 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "The LORD be exalted!" 17 Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay. - Psalm 40 Patients is a virtue I do not have. This has become very real to me lately as I have been in the process of planning a church plant. It has been extremely hard for me to be patient and wait for the other parties involved to get back to me with assessment results, follow-up meetings and other decision. Psalm 40 makes it clear that we need to be patient for God's timing. In this Psalm King David is talking about how he has learned to wait on the Lord to deliver him from his enemies. While, I don't have to worry about conquering other nations, nationalintriguee or others governmental types of deliverance, I do need God to deliver me. I need go to deliver me from fear of failure, doubt about direction, impatiences and any other blockades that Satan may try to put into my path. The closer we walk with God the more we will need him to deliver us from problems and pitfalls. We are fortunate the we serve a God who will deliver us in his timing, his way and his perfect will. Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you help me to wait on you. I ask that you help me see you working in all situations surrounding my life. Help me to see your love and mercy shine through everything. I love you Lord. Amen.

Your Righteousness - Deuteronomy 8-10

2005-08-31T07:39:00.000-05:00

4 After the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, "The LORD has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness." No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is going to drive them out before you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people. - Deuteronomy 9:4-6 "I am a good person, I am sure that God will take me." Comments such as this are common in our world. People believe in a higher power and believe that as long as they are a good person they are okay. However, they do not know the word of God. God has made it clear that our righteousness earns us nothing. It could not earn the Israelites the right to occupy the promised land and it cannot earn us the right to heaven. The reason for this is really simple. We don't have righteousness. We may think we do, but we don't. Sure we do right things on occasion, maybe even several times per day. However, we also do wrong things on occasion, probably several times per day. The fact is, it is not a balancing act. We are not judged righteous because we have done a few more good things than bad things. We are judged righteous by the forgiving power of Jesus Christ. We are judges righteous when we accept this forgiving power and allow Jesus to be the leader and lover of our lives. No matter how good I may be, I can never be righteous on my own. I can be righteous through Jesus Christ. Dear Heavenly Father, Just as you told the people of Israel, I know I cannot be righteous but through you. Thank you for providing the way of my righteousness. Thank you for loving me so much that you provided forgiveness, mercy and love. Help me to serve you each and every day. I love you Lord. Amen.

The Commandments - Deuteronomy 5-7

2005-08-30T07:45:00.000-05:00

1 Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. 2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 It was not with our fathers that the LORD made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. 4 The LORD spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. 5 (At that time I stood between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said: 6 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 7 "You shall have no other gods before me. 8 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 11 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 12 "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. 16 "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 17 "You shall not murder. 18 "You shall not commit adultery. 19 "You shall not steal. 20 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 21 "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor's house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." - Deuteronomy 5:1-21 There is a big debate going on right now in the United States about how we should interpret our constitution. Some say it is a living document that means different things based upon the times we are in. Other believe we should interpret it strictly as the founding fathers would have intended. While this argument does rage around the Bible to some degree, It is a comfort to know that much of the Bible is very straight forward and simple to understand. As I read the "Ten Commandments" I see this. There is not a whole lot of room for ambiguity in these words. "You shall not steal" means exactly the same thing today as it did thousands of years ago. "You shall not commit adultery" has not changed (it seems our interpretation of it has changed, but the real meaning is still the same.) "You shall not murder" still means the exact same thing. While I know as I have matured in my faith, my understanding of scripture has changed. The truth is, I changed, scripture did not. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for making your word understandable and usable. Thank you for making it transcend the ages. I pray for protection over those who translate from ancient languages to make sure you word truly shines forth. I love you Lord. Amen.

It Is Time - Deuteronomy 1-4

2005-08-29T07:44:00.000-05:00

3 In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the LORD had commanded him concerning them. 4 This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. - Deuteronomy 1:3-4 The people of Israel were stubborn. They did not go into possess the land when God had originally told them to do so. Instead they let fear get in the way. In the end, they were forced to wait forty years, until all of the people over twenty years of age were dead. In those forty years, the Israelites wandered the dessert being refined and honed by God. They were taught what it mean to be God-followers. They were taught what it meant to obey God, so that the next time he told them to go and possess the land he would. As we read Deuteronomy 1:3 we see that it was exactly thirty nine years and eleven month when God had Moses tell them it was time to prepare. In only one month they would be going in to possess the land God had promised them as an inheritance. I wonder how often we as Christ-followers are forced to wait because we are afraid or unwilling to obey for some other human reason. Just like the Israelites, we are fortunate that God is forgiving, loving and slow to anger. Dear Heavenly Father, I know I have often let fear get in the way of doing your work. Help me to get beyond human fear so I can fully participate in your dream. Help me to serve you without question and act when you command. I love you Lord. Amen.

Being Zealous - Galatians 4-6

2005-08-26T07:32:00.000-05:00

17 Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them. 18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. 19 My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, 20 how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you! - Galatians 4:17-20 Each of us has something we love deeply. We have something that we would give up anything to save. The question is, "Does it have eternal value?" Paul says it is fine to be zealous as long as the purpose is good. However, we often become zealous over those things that are not good. We may become zealous over our home, job, family, or money. Yet, we should really become zealous for God. When we are zealous for God everything else will fall into place. God will make sure we have enough money, a adequate place to live and a decent job. God will help us bring our families into relationship with him when we are zealous for him. Essentially, we need to put God first and place our zealousness in him. It is fine to have something else we dearly love, but if it comes before God then we have our priorities out of order. Dear Jesus, Thank you for giving us something to truly be zealous about. You give our lives meaning, purpose and direction. You give us something to believe in that is greater than ourselves. Help each of us to look to you, love you, and serve you. I love you Jesus. Amen.

No Differences - Galatians 1-3

2005-08-25T07:50:00.000-05:00

26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. - Galatians 3:26-29 I love the words of Galatians 3:26-29 because they end any argument forever about how God views humanity. No one can say God favors one people, gender or any other human classification over another. Some people have tried to claim that God has placed men above women, white above blacks, blacks above white, rich above poor and the list could go on and on. However, God makes it very clear that those classifications and hierarchies are human concepts. When we become Christ-followers we are to throw all of them out and treat everyone equal just as God does. It is possible to take other portions of the Bible out of context to build the case for discrimination, but this verse clearly tears them down (along with many other verses.) God loves each one of us and does not play favorites. Dear Jesus, You are the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. You are the just and righteous ruler. You are the one who creates true equality. Thank you for setting us free from human designed system of discrimination. Thank you for loving us and forgiving us. I love you Jesus. Amen.

Boarders - Numbers 34-36

2005-08-24T07:35:00.000-05:00

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Command the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance will have these boundaries: 3 " 'Your southern side will include some of the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom. On the east, your southern boundary will start from the end of the Salt Sea, 4 cross south of Scorpion Pass, continue on to Zin and go south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon, 5 where it will turn, join the Wadi of Egypt and end at the Sea. 6 " 'Your western boundary will be the coast of the Great Sea. This will be your boundary on the west. 7 " 'For your northern boundary, run a line from the Great Sea to Mount Hor 8 and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath. Then the boundary will go to Zedad, 9 continue to Ziphron and end at Hazar Enan. This will be your boundary on the north. 10 " 'For your eastern boundary, run a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. 11 The boundary will go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Kinnereth. 12 Then the boundary will go down along the Jordan and end at the Salt Sea. " 'This will be your land, with its boundaries on every side.' " - Numbers 34:1-12 When God gave the land of Cannan to his people he gave them boundaries. God could have told them to take over as much territory as possible. He could have told them that any land they conquered was theirs to keep, but he did not. God gave them specific boundaries for their inheritance. It seems to me that God was telling his people that they could not have everything that they wanted. He had decided that there was a certain amount of land that was to be Israel and that was it. I even wonder what this says about the people of Israel that settled on the other side of the Jordan. While God says this replaces their inheritance in the land of Israel, he does not include it in the boundaries. We need to look at boundaries in our own lives and see where God has placed boarders. Dear Heavenly Father, It is easy for me to claim anything that I have must be your will, but it doesn't mean it is. It is easy for me to claim that everytime I receive something I want that you ordained it, but it may not be so. Help me to accept and understand your boundaries in my life. I love you Lord. Amen.

Thorns In Your Side - Numbers 31-33

2005-08-23T07:32:00.000-05:00

55 " 'But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. 56 And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.' " - Numbers 33:55-56 These words God gave to Moses and the people of Israel seem harsh. God has commanded his people to kill all those who are inhabiting the land he has given his people. They are not to make peace with these people and attempt to live side by side. They are literally suppose to wipe them from the face of the earth. As a New Testament Christ-follower (turn the other cheek) this can be hard to accept. How can our God be so full of vengeance. I am not sure I have a good answer, but I do understand what happen when the Israelites failed to do as commanded. The Israelites began to live as the pagan nations around them lived. They stop serving God and started to serve the false idols of their neighbors. They married women who led them astray. While God has not called us kill anyone (in fact, he tells us to not kill), he has called us keep those evil things out of our lives. This would require us to stay far from those who are committed to acts of evil (this does not mean we don't have evangelistic relationships. Those who are committed to evil are not likely to listen to God's truth.) We must protect our own hearts. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving us and giving us sure guidance. Thank you for showing us to guard our hearts from evil. Help me to know when I can be an influence on people for Christ and to know when I should stay far away. Thank you for your love and protection. I love you Lord. Amen.

God's Justice - Psalm 36

2005-08-22T07:51:00.000-05:00

1 An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin. 3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. 4 Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong. 5 Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. 6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast. 7 How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. 10 Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. 11 May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12 See how the evildoers lie fallen�? thrown down, not able to rise! - Psalm 36 Psalm 36 present a wonderful image of God's justice. Often people think that God is not reallyjustt because his punishment can be harsh (death is even apossibilityy.) However, this Psalm lays it out very clear. God's justice is not against our mistakes that we are truly sorry for. God's justice is not against the one time transgression we will not commit again. God's justice is not even against the repetitive sin we are struggling to stop with God's help. God's justice is against a lifestyle of sin. As you read Psalm 36 you see that God is much more concerned about the sin of those who have no interest in changing their sinful lifestyle. In fact, his justice is against those who have rejected God and don't even see their lifestyle as sin. They have gone so far from God that they have set uptheirr own morality that lets them do as they please. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for keeping me close to you and causing myconsciencee to reject sin. Help me to be salt and light into the lives of those who are rejecting you completely. Help me to speak the truth in love so they can see you and desire to change. Forgive me for my transgressions and help me to not fall into a life of son. I love you Lord. Amen.

Opening the Door - Numbers 25-27

2005-08-15T07:34:00.000-05:00

1 While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, 2 who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. 3 So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor. And the LORD's anger burned against them. - Numbers 25:1-3 We often get upset when bad things happen to us. We might even question God and ask him why he allowed it to happen. However, most of the time we need to look into our own actions and there we will find why something unpleasant occurred. As you read Numbers 25:1-3 you quickly realize that the Israelites brought great sorrow and pain upon themselves due to their sexual immorality. It say, "the LORD's anger burned against them." This anger burned against them because they were have immoral sexual relationships with women who were also asking them to participate in worshipping a pagan god. In this process they broke the first of the ten commandments and they broke God's laws about proper sexual relationships. We do the same thing in our own lives. We break God's law that was set up for us to live happy and healthy lives. Then we cry about how life is unfair when negative consequences happen. A man has sex with many different people he does not even really know and then feels somehow wronged when he has AIDS. A women spends her whole life lying and cheating and is shocked and outraged when someone lies to her and cheats her out of something she desires. Another person spends there whole life focusing on themselves and their own success to the exclusion of others and then wonders why their spouse leaves them and their children want nothing to do with them. We reap what we sow just like like the Israelites did. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for abundant grace. Thank you for forgiving me each time I come to see with a contrite heart. Help me to put you first and to avoid sin. Help me to look to you for direction and wisdom. I love you Lord. Amen.

God's Way - Numbers 22-24

2005-08-11T06:47:00.000-05:00

12 Balaam answered Balak, "Did I not tell the messengers you sent me, 13 'Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the LORD -and I must say only what the LORD says'? 14 Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come." Balaam's Fourth Oracle 15 Then he uttered his oracle: "The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly, 16 the oracle of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened: 17 "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth. 18 Edom will be conquered; Seir, his enemy, will be conquered, but Israel will grow strong. 19 A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city." As you read through these chapters of the book of Numbers you begin to realize that Balaam is a man who knows God in part. He understands that God is the one true God. However, he does not understand that God has made his sorcery unneeded, powerless and has declared it evil. However, Baalam does know that he can do nothing to oppose God. In fact, he knows that he has to do what God tells him. It is interesting in verse 22:20 God lets Balaam go with Balak even though he has already told him no. As we continue to read we realize this is not because God changes his mind. Instead it seems to be to show Balaam and those opposing the people of Israel that God is truly with the Israelites and that they will fail against them. God emphasizes this point to Balaam by having the Angel of the Lord stand in his way and having the donkey refuse to go forward. We could learn from this to listen to God the first time and do what he says. Balaam knew God did not want him to go, but he went and asked him again. Yes, God let him go, but just to teach him and Balak a lesson. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for life lessons. Thank you for forgiving us when we refuse to listen and giving us other chances to learn. Help me to have my ears open and my heart listening to you each and every moment. I love you Lord. Amen.

Grumbling - Numbers 18-21

2005-08-09T07:47:00.000-05:00

2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! 4 Why did you bring the LORD's community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!" - Numbers 20:2-5 When I read this passage from Numbers 20, I am struck by one very important phrase, "LORD's community." It is obvious the Israelites understood at some level that they were God's. They understood that he had brought them up out of Egypt. They understood that he was providing for their needs. Yet, they did not have enough faith to understand that God would continue to do exactly as he had always done. When they needed deliverance from Egypt he gave them Moses and the plagues. When they needed food he gave them manna. When they grumbled for meat he gave them quail. When they needed water he gave them water (at least twice we see it in numbers). Yet, they still grumbled against Moses and blamed Moses when they did not have what they think they needed. They did not have the continued faith the God would provide and that God would use Moses as their leader. How often do we grumble against God's chosen leader? Dear Heavenly Father, I know I am guilty Lord of grumbling against those you have put in leadership. I know you provide everything I need including the leaders I need in my life. Help me to serve those you have put in authority and serve you. I love you Lord. Amen.

Forgiveness - Psalm 32

2005-08-08T07:57:00.000-05:00

1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. 3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "� and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah 6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. 7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. 9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. 10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him. 11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart! - Psalm 23 What a wonderful and amazing promise for God. He has promised to forgive us. To wipe away or sins. To love us even though we do not deserve it. As I look at my own life, I am amazed at how often I have fallen short of the example set by Jesus. I know that I do not even come close to having a heart, mind and spirit that looks completely to Jesus for my actions, words and direction. Yet, God forgives me and welcomes me into his family. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for forgiveness. Thank you for an unending love, and unfailing love, and a pure love. Help me to reach for Christlikeness. Help me to serve you and serve humanity with all the love in my heart. I love you Father God. Amen.

Courage based on Faith - Numbers 11-14

2005-08-04T07:58:00.000-05:00

26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan." 30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are." 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them." -Numbers 13:26-33 God calls us to have courage based upon our faith in him. As you read this passage, you quickly realized that the Israelites were correct. They could not win any of these battles without God. However, they not only had God, they had his absolute promise that they would win if they would follow him. We need to take this lesson to heart. Where in out lives is God calling us to take a change, to risk it for him? Where are we holding back out of fear? We have God's great and precious promises and we need to go with them where ever God would send us. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us your promise of success when we are in your Will. Thank you for promising to be with us, guide us, and lead us. Help me to serve you without hesitation and reserve. You are my God and King. I love you Lord. Amen.

Leadership - Numbers 11-14

2005-08-03T07:47:00.000-05:00

1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 "Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he also spoken through us?" And the LORD heard this. 3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.) 4 At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you." So the three of them came out. 5 Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward, 6 he said, "Listen to my words: "When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. 7 But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" 9 The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them. - Numbers 12:1-9 We have a set idea of leadership. We have determined that a leader needs to be an extrovert, charismatic and that he needs to have the right spouse. However, God has a different view of leadership. God looks for different qualities - obedience, humility, teachable spirit among others. If you look at Moses, you do not see a man who was outgoing, charismatic and he even married a foreigner. Miriam and Aaron began to grumble against Moses because of this (possible sibling rivalry?). They did not believe he should be the leader because of his wife. How terribly sad that we judge people because we are not happy with their personality or whom God led them to marry. Our definition of leadership is not even close to that of God's. Dear Heavenly Father, You must look at us sometimes and cry and then laugh because we are so far from your definition of a servant leader. Thank you for having a pure idea of leadership not fouled by our sin and prejudice. Help me to be the leader you would have me to be. I love you Lord. Amen.

Sin We Don't See - Searching for God Knows What

2005-08-01T07:53:00.000-05:00

For the first time, I am going to write about a book I have read instead of a specific scripture passage. I am writing about this book because I believe every person who calls themselves a Christ-follower or a Christian should read it. It is called, "Searching for God Knows What," by Donald Miller (www.bluelikejazz.com). The point I want to specifically discuss is about sin. Evangelical Christians (of which I am one) think of sin as being things such as prostitution, abortion, pre-marital sex, pornography, stealing, cheating, lying and others. Of course, these are sins, but what I think is important are those things we do not consider sin. What about the following: Not helping the poor/downcast: How many evangelical claim they don't have the money and time to help out those less fortunate. However God say in Matthew 25:34-45 that those who do not help the "least of these" are not his followers. He also says in James 1:27 that true religion is one that looks after the widows and the orphans. Not protecting our environment: In Genesis God gave us stewardship over the earth, not dominion. He charged us with taking care of it, not destroying it. Stewardship requires leaving something for the generations to come. I truly question if we are doing that? Not giving our tithe: This one could be related to the first. If we all tithed the church would have no need to ask for special offerings for benevolence, church building projects, feeding the poor etc. In fact, the Church would have the ability to wipe out poverty, malnutrition, and plenty left over for church programming. In Malachi 3:10 we see that God even allows us to test him with our tithing (the only place in scripture he says we can test him). 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. - Malachi 3:10 As Christ-followers (or Christian, if you prefer) we must begin to live out the Gospel incarnationally. This mean following all of God's truths and not accepting those we want and rejecting those we do not. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us your Word and showing us your way. Help me to read and understand. Help me to live out your truth and a true testimony to who you are. I love you Lord. Amen.

Obeying - Numbers 1-3

2005-07-29T07:34:00.000-05:00

54 The Israelites did all this just as the LORD commanded Moses. - Numbers 1:54 This simple sentence from the very last verse of Numbers chapter 1 may be short, but it is extremely powerful. This one sentence show of the strict obedience to God's commands. Throughout these first three chapters of Numbers we see God commanding the people to be counted if they were twenty years of age or older to determine the size of the Israelite army. We don't read of people trying to hide or dodge the draft - they obeyed (Don't take this as an endorsement of any modern day war. As far as I know, God did not specifically command any of them to take place). Later God gives specific orders for the Israelites to set up camp in certain areas. Again, we don't read about grumbling because one tribe was given a shadier spot then the other or a place of greater prominence. They obeyed. Finally, we read that God told the people that the Levites were not to be part of this army and they were supposed to camp surrounding the tabernacle. We don't read about anyone grumbling because the Levites don't have to put their lives on the line or that they get a place of greater honor near the tabernacle - they simply obeyed. Unfortunately, the Israelites did not always keep up this trend of obedience, but we can still learn from it (we can learn from the disobedience also). The world would be a far better place if all Christ-followers just obeyed God when he spoke - tithe, help the poor, live moral lives, love our neighbors as ourselves - the list could go on and on... Dear Heavenly Father, You are my God and my King, yet I often disobey. You are my Savior and Lord, yet I often disobey. Help me to do what you ask without question and help me to love you with all of my life. Amen.

By Faith - Hebrews 11-13

2005-07-28T06:36:00.000-05:00

1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. - Hebrews 11:1-3 When I read these words of Hebrews 11:1-3, I cannot help but think of the power our faith and the creation of the world. It is absolutely true that we have to accept the Word of God on faith. While much of the Bible has been historically proven to be accurate, we cannot prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt. We definitly cannot prove the stories of miracles. We cannot prove the creation story of Genesis regardless of whether you take it literally or more figuratively. We are a people called by God to live by faith, to believe by faith, and to act upon our faith. Simply put, we are people of faith. That being said, I want to discuss creation. I believe Hebrews 11:3 with all of my heart. God created the universe. It began by his command and continues through his power. Many people try to explain away God activity in creation by pointing to science and the "Big Bang Theory." This theory may very well be true and a God controlled process, but those who believe it happen all by chance are just crazy. It is mathematically impossible for creation to have started from nothing and to have evolved the create all the animals and humanity without the work of God. I truly believe it takes more faith to believe we are completely here by chance than it does to believe in God and his work in the world. But, here is the real difference. Those of us who are Christ-followers place out faith in a God who reveals himself to us in so many ways. He is obviously here if you just believe. Those who believe this all happen by chance place their faith in science and humanity even though science has proven this could not have happen by chance and humanity has failed itself and this world time and time again. Dear Jesus, Thank you for creating, loving and being. Thank you for giving us ample evidence of your reality and truth. Help those of us to follow you to be a beacon of light to this world and to help others see you. I love you Jesus. Amen.

On Our Hearts - Hebrews 7:10

2005-07-27T07:40:00.000-05:00

7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said: "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. 10 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." - Hebrews 8:7-12 I have often thought about how we understand right from wrong. Of course, many of us have an understanding from what we are taught by parents, relatives and even friends. However, the things we learn from these people tend to be arbitrary and culturally influenced. God says he has actually written his law on our hearts. This makes so much sense because it explains our conscience. Even from the earliest age we have at least a simple sense of right and wrong. We can understand from early on it is wrong to hurt those we love most (Honor you father and your mother). We understand from the earliest age that rest is absolutely necessary (Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy). What I am getting at is that we are born with a sense of right and wrong that cannot be explained by science, reason or culture. In fact, science, reason and culture are often the very things that try to get rid of our innate sense of right and wrong and replace it with culturally constructed sensibilities. Some of these cultural one are the same as God's others fly in the face of God's truth. When we seek God he will lead us to truth and righteousness. Dear Jesus, Thank you for being the ultimate and final sacrifice. Thank you for fulfilling the law. Thank you for creating a new covenant that lives within us and not a long list of rules. Help me to listen to you and live by your loving truth. I love you Jesus. Amen.

Faith - Hebrews 4-6

2005-07-26T07:30:00.000-05:00

1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. - Hebrews 4:1-2 Knowing is simply not enough. That is the message of Hebrews 4:2. Knowing the Gospel message does not bring salvation. If that was true Satan himself would be saved. Hebrews 4:2 points out the absolute necessity of faith in Jesus and the message he brought. I have been reading a book lately called, "Searching for God Knows What" by Donald Miller. In this book he discusses our modern tendency to boil the Gospels down to four bullet points about how to become a Christian. The problem with this method is that it is too much knowledge and not enough faith. The Gospels are stories filled with wonder, awe, power, truth, mystery and life. When all of these combine together they have the ability to bring about faith. This is a vibrant, true and living faith. It is not based on four bullets points and a ten second sinners prayer. It is based on a growing faith that drinks in the story of God and his past and current activity in our world. We need to stop telling the Gospel with three points and a poem and start living the Gospel. Dear Jesus, You are the Gospel. The Bible is our record of the Gospel, but you are it. Thank you for being the living incarnation of all truth and beauty. Thank you for giving us your word so we could literally have you with us past, present and future. I love you Lord Jesus. Amen.

Everything In It - Psalm 24

2005-07-25T07:44:00.000-05:00

1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. 3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. We have this idea in evangelical Christianity that the earth is our to do with as we please. We have used this belief to cause great harm to our world and ourselves through this destruction. However, we can see from Psalms 24:1-5 that we do not own the earth, God does. People often cite Genesis 1:26 where God gives us dominion over the earth. However, dominion does not mean ownership and control as we might think. The Message transliteration of the Bible says we have "responsibility for." This is actually a much better translation because it show we are to take care of the earth, not exploit it. What would it look like for us to take care of the earth as we were commanded from the very beginning of creation? Dear Heavenly Father, We have purposely and willfully polluted and destroyed your grand creation. We have failed to live up to your charge of stewardship for the Earth. Help me, help us to follow your will and stop exploiting your creation for selfish gain. I love you Lord. Amen.

An Offering to God - Leviticus 25-27

2005-07-21T06:35:00.000-05:00

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give. 3 These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; 4 blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 5 ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows [a] ; acacia wood; 6 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 7 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. 8 "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. 9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. - Leviticus 25:1-9 I am a fundraiser by trade. I ask people to consider giving to the worthy cause that employees me to present their message to the proper constituency. Many people don't understand why I do what I do. They say things like, "I don't think I could beg for money every day." What people don't understand is that what I do is Biblical. I don't beg for money. Just like Moses, I present God's vision to people and ask them to join with God in making this a reality. I have focused my career on helping the least of these (Matthew 25:34-45), the widow and the orphan (James 1:27), essentially those who truly need help to make it in our society. In Leviticus 25:2 we see that God tells Moses to receive offering from those whose heart prompts them to give. This prompting is an act of the Holy Spirit. Fundraising is not begging, it is be ready to receive what God intends to provide through his people for his work. Dear Heavenly Father, Just as you prompted the people to give toward your tabernacle, you prompt people to give toward fulfilling your dream for our word. Thank you. Use me to fulfill this dream. Thank you for calling me to your service. I love you Lord. Amen.

Without Defect - Leviticus 22-24

2005-07-20T06:57:00.000-05:00

17 The LORD said to Moses, 18 "Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: 'If any of you�either an Israelite or an alien living in Israel�presents a gift for a burnt offering to the LORD, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, 19 you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf. 20 Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. 21 When anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship offering to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable. 22 Do not offer to the LORD the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as an offering made to the LORD by fire. - Leviticus 22:17-22 As part of the Old Testament sacrificial system God called his people to bring him the best of what they had. The were not to bring to God those animals that they did not want themselves. Instead, they were to bring to God the best of the best. While we may not follow a sacrificial system based upon animals, we are asked by God to give him the best and first of what we have. This means we are suppose to bring the first ten percent of our income to God (not ten percent of what remains after taxes - God comes before the IRS). We are suppose to bring the best of our talents to his work. We are suppose to give him the best of our time. What this means exactly for each of us varies, but the principle remains the same. Do not give God your leftovers. Don't say, "If I have time, I will spend it with those who don't know Christ so I can build Godly relationship." We must make time for these Godly relationship because it is God's call through the Great Commission. Don't say, "I will give what I can to God." Every penny we have is God's and he only asks for 10%. Give to him generously by supporting your church, those in need and other Godly causes. Don't say, "I will not use my leadership skill for kingdom purposes because I don't have time after using them for my purposes." Remember, God gave you the skills and he expects you to use them for his glory. We must give God firstfruits. Dear Heavenly Father, I know all too often I have not put you in first place in my life. I know I have let other things such as family, friends, work and even church come before you. Help me to always keep you first in my life. I love you Lord. Amen.

Our Duty - Leviticus 19-21

2005-07-19T06:41:00.000-05:00

9 " 'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God. - Leviticus 19:9-10 Throughout scripture God makes it clear that we are to provide for the poor and the alien among us. God makes it clear that when we do these things it is as if we are doing them directly for him (Matthew 25:34-45). If you notice in his Word that God instructs us in simple forms of generosity. Leave food for them. Provide shelter for them. Often we hear from people (Christ-followers included) that they don't see how they can personally make a difference to help those in need. God shows us it is easy. Each of us is to be part of providing for those in need. For some it might be giving part of the food we produce to those in need. For many it will be giving funds to those who are organized to help. For the business person it might be taking a change on an unemployed person and giving them a job. These are many option and God is calling each of us to do the one (or two, or three...) that he had gifted us to do. Dear Heavenly Father, Why do we only take the part of your Word we want to hear? Why do we ignore the widow and the orphan? Help me to always be seeking to help and show me how to best do so. I love you Lord. Amen.

A Scapegoat - Leviticus 15-18

2005-07-18T06:35:00.000-05:00

20 "When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. 21 He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites�?all their sins�?and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. 22 The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert. - Leviticus 16:20-22 We don't often think of Jesus this way, but he was a scapegoat. Jesus came to be a scapegoat. He knew before he came that, that was the reason he was coming. When we read about how humble Jesus was, we only have to remember that he was a scapegoat to realize how very true this really was. The Goat in Leviticus 16:20-22 had done nothing wrong. Jesus did not thing wrong. Yet, both of them were cut off from society and ostracizeed. In fact, the only difference is that Jesus was not only the scapegoat, but he was also the sacrifice. First he was ostracizeed then he was killed. Dear Heavenly Father, My heart hurts when I think of what Jesus so lovingly did for me. It hurts because I realize I did not deserve it. It hurts because I realize I don't even honor it, because I still sin and fail. I realize that definitelyly did not deserve it. Thank you Lord for loving me so much to die for me. I love you Lord. Amen.

My Portion - Psalm 16

2005-07-15T06:43:00.000-05:00

1 Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." 3 As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight. 4 The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips. 5 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. 7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. 11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. I have to admit, I have not always been a fan of the Psalms. I guess I did not really like poetry. I was more interested in the history and teaching of the Bible. However, I have come to really appreciate the Psalm. The Psalms contain more pure emotion than most of the Word of God. The Psalms are filled with anguish and heart ache. They are filled with joy and rejoicing. The are filled with sadness and fear. They are filled with excitement and awe. This Psalm in particular is filled with perfect peace. I love this Psalm because it reassures us that no matter what we are going through God has already taken care of us. What more can we ask! Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for showing the emotion of your followers through your Word. It is good for us to see that those who follow you will experience joy and sadness, fear and excitement. It is good for us to know that we still experience life in all of its pure emotions. Thank you for showing us you love us through it all. I love you Lord. Amen.

With You - Psalm 23

2005-07-14T06:46:00.000-05:00

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. There have been many times in my life when I have doubted. I have doubted that God was with me. I have doubted that he loved me. I have even doubted that he really existed. Each time God proves himself faithfull. God fulfills the word of Psalm 23 that he will be ever present. My favorite Poem is "Footprints" because it also speaks of how God will always be with us and some times even carry us. This is one of God's great and precious promises. Dear Heavenly Father, I know I have often doubted, but you never doubted me. I know I have often wondered why things are happening in my life, but you have just carried me through. I have often grown angry because things did not turn out as I hoped, but you just showed me a better way, your way. I love you Lord and thank you for your love. Amen.

Speak Up - Leviticus 5-8

2005-07-13T06:58:00.000-05:00

1 " 'If a person sins because he does not speak up when he hears a public charge to testify regarding something he has seen or learned about, he will be held responsible. - Leviticus 5:1 People don't want to get involved. We have heard stories of how people will actually watch someone being physically harmed in the middle of the street, but they will do nothing. When asked why they usually say something about not wanting to get involved. We have people who witness crimes who could have a real impact on determining guilt and innocence, but they don't want to get involved. We make up all sorts of excuses ranging from the lack of time to the fear of being harmed if we take action, but it just does not cut it. God makes it clear that we are to take action to bring about righteous results. This particular verse only applies to the requirement for us to testify if we know something, but other verse also point our our duty to protect others from harm. It is very sad when you think about how many atrocities of harm and atrocities of justice could have been avoided if people just took action. Dear Heavenly Father, I know you created us to live in community with you and with each other. I know that this requires us to take action for the cause of justice and righteousness. Help me to never turn away from helping others. I love you Lord. Amen.

Seemingly Right - Proverbs 14

2005-07-12T06:34:00.000-05:00

12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. - Proverbs 14:12 The book of Proverbs is filled with wonderful wisdom and insight. They are words that you might hear from a wise relative or friend, but instead they are the very words of God which make them even greater than the wisdom of others. I love what it says in Proverbs 14:12 because it makes a clear differentiation between the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God. Human wisdom while not always wrong, is often wrong. Human wisdom does not always take into account morality, ethics, other people and it lack to foresight of an all knowing God. Godly wisdom, on the other hand, is just that - Godly. In Proverbs 14:12 God is letting us know that his is the only wisdom we can truly count on. God's wisdom is the only one that is based on perfection (morality, ethics, etc). God's wisdom is the only one that comes from an understanding of the future. We have a tendency to idolize people such as Ghandi, Confucius, Solomon, or other wise humans, but we must never forget their wisdom was still human. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the wisdom your have put throughout your Word. Thank you for giving us perfect wisdom to follow and not requiring us to rely on failed human understandings. Thank you for showing us the true way. Help me to live it out. I love you Lord. Amen.

Plain Sight - Acts 26-28

2005-07-11T06:45:00.000-05:00

25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet: 26 " 'Go to this people and say, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving." 27 For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' - Acts 28:25-27 Paul spoke these words to the people of Rome when he was given the opportunity by God to present the truth of the Gospel to them. However, these same words have great meaning today. We live in a time (and maybe all times have been like this) where the truth of Christ is right in from of people. Very few people who live in the western world can claim they have never heard of Jesus Christ, yet they reject his simple truth. Part of me understands. Human have a strong capacity to reject anything that would require them to live by a set of standards or moral code that they feel comes from outside themselves. However, all of our morality comes from outside ourselves. The New Age movement has told us to reconnect with our inner selves, inner child, or other such nonsense. The truth is we were created to need fulfillment from outside ourselves. That fulfillment was intended to be God. Unfortunately, when we reject God, just as Isaiah and Paul said we would, we fill this need with fulfillment from others. This causes us to desperately need the approval of others and the status that approval give us. This further causes us the seek out fame, wealth, physical beauty among other things because these all lead to others approving us. The truth is simple. When we put God at the center and receive our fulfillment from him we will no longer need the fulfillment of man. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for creating us to need you. Thank you for giving us the strong desire to be approved by you. Help us (me included) to use this desire in the way it was intended - to seek you. Thank you Lord for loving me. I love you. Amen.

To Rome - Acts 22-25

2005-07-08T07:45:00.000-05:00

10 Paul answered: "I am now standing before Caesar's court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. 11 If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!" - Acts 25:10-11 Paul's journey to Rome is an excellent example of how God will use his people and those who are not Christ-followers to accomplish his goals. The Jews were bound and determined to kill Paul. They planned his death on more than one occasion. In all likelihood they would have succeeded if not for friends of Paul overhearing the evil plans and the Roman government. God had clearly told Paul he was to go to Rome and now he had provided one of the best ways for Paul to safely make it to Rome. In Paul's time there was no greater way to insure safety than to be in the custody of the Roman government when you were a Roman citizen. Later, God even used to Roman government to give Paul time to write many parts of the Bible. Paul was exiled for the rest of his life to an Island called Patmos. To most it would seem his ministry was over because he could not leave, but in reality it was the part of his ministry that is most effective today, because it gives us God's Word. In fact, most of the Churches Paul planted no longer exist, but millions of Christ-followers exist because he took (or was forced to take) the time to write a good portion of the New Testament. Dear Jesus, Thank you for using me in your service. Thank you for using those who do not recognize you and Lord and Savior. Help me to always be receptive to your leading and your ways. I love you Lord. Amen.

Finishing - Acts 19-21

2005-07-07T06:48:00.000-05:00

22 "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me�the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. - Acts 20-22-24 I have thought a lot about the plan God has for each of our lives. Most of us (including Christ-followers) live our lives doing what we want. We are oblivious to what God has called us. We are just fortunate that our all powerful God is able to set us on his path even when we don't know he is doing it. In fact, it is rather ironic that many who don't follow Christ are still doing his will because he has the ability to cause them to do things to help accomplish his goals even when they are just doing there own thing. (Don't get me wrong. There are also many who are on path opposed to God). What really gets me thinking is how many of us Christ-followers have set our minds to finish the goals God has given us? How much greater would the impact of the Church be if his people were focused on accomplishing his goals? I cannot answer these questions, but I can do my best, with God's help, to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me. Dear Jesus, Awaken your people to your Word, your Will, and your Way. Help me to see what you have for me and follow it with everything that is in me and everything you will provide for the task. I love you and consider it the greatest honor possible to serve you. Amen.

Religious Opportunity - Acts 16-18

2005-07-06T12:53:00.000-05:00

16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean." 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) 22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. - Acts 17:16-23 We are in exciting times for the Church. Just as Paul was living in a religious time, so are we. During the modern age, people were looking for reason and fact. However, they began to realize reason and fact, while important, don't explain everything. This realization (yes, I am very much oversimplifying this), lead to our current post-modern age. This is an age were people are highly religious or spiritual. Just like during Paul's time, most people believe in some kind of higher power. Our job as Christ-followers is to be a true witness to the only Higher Power - Jesus Christ. Many have lamented the fall of the modern world because the ability to prove Christ (which we never really could do anyway, that is why it is called "faith") is not important to post-modern religious people. Religious/spiritual people want to experience Christ. We have a great opportunity because our God desires to be experience in a truly intimate way. Our God created us to experience community with him, with each other and with our world. Just as Paul was excited to be introducing the "Unknow God" to the people of Athens, we should be excited to reintroduce people to the only and only God. Dear Jesus, Thank you for giving us such an opportunity for people to come to know you in a intimate way. For to long belief has been in the head, but not in the heart. Help me to know you with my whole being. I love you Lord. Amen.

Unending Love - Acts 13-15

2005-06-28T07:42:00.000-05:00

46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: " 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.' " 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. I have been thinking a lot lately about the discussion within theological circles about Arminianism (the ability to fall always from faith in God) and Calvinism (the inability to fall away from faith in God). The more I read scripture and think about this issue the more I realize there is no argument to be had. Arminians (of which I would generally be called one) see that we have a free will to follow God and can choose to no longer follow him. Calvinists believe when we have decided to follow God there is no way to undecided. I have begun to realize that both are somewhat correct and incorrect. It is true that we never lose our ability to chose to follow God. Scripture makes it clear that God gave us the greatest gift (and curse?) of all - Free Will. However, it is also true that once we have truly decided to follow God it is highly unlikely one would chose to no longer follow God. True faith is not easily displaced with unbelief or rebellion. Pastor Cole (a committed Calvinist) of Moody Bible Church/Moody Bible Institute made a statement that Salvation would not mean much if God took it away on a whim. While, I believe he was misrepresented the Arminian argument by suggesting God was the one who takes it away (actually, it is humans who freely reject it), one part of his point was true. Salvation would not mean much if it was easy to lose. I guess I am a "Calvminian." Salvation is so utterly precious because we can freely chose it and once chosen the only way to lose it would be to utterly reject God and rebel against his authority. Can someone reject the salvation they once had - yes. Does it happen often - no. Dear Jesus, Thank you for your unending love. Thank you for your mercy and grace. Thank you for giving us the ability to accept and reject you. Thank you for bringing us into your family, keeping us and only letting us go when we reject you. Help me to always serve you. Amen.

All The World - Acts 10-12

2005-06-27T07:43:00.000-05:00

19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. - Acts 11:19-21 In Matthew 29:19 Jesus tells his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. However, in the early part of Acts they began to go throughout much of the know world, but they only told the good news (Gospel) to fellow Jews. This Jewish only approach was not what God intended so he quickly took action to make a change. Jesus gave a vision to Peter showing him he was suppose to go to the gentiles. Jesus sent Paul as his main missionary to the gentile world. Jesus put it in the hearts of his people to begin to talk with non-Jews, some understood this and obeyed. I look back at this and realize how truly fortunate we are the Jesus quickly made this change to open up this good news to all of us. Jesus, Thank you for immediately taking corrective action and making sure the Gospel was open to all of us. Thank you for letting your leaders know all humanity was included in your redemptive plan. Thank you for calling us to continue to fulfill this worldwide plan today. Empower us for your service and help us to serve you faithfully. I love you Lord Jesus. Amen.

A Conversion - Acts 7-9

2005-06-16T07:33:00.000-05:00

11 The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." 13 "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name." 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." - Acts 9:11-16 We often say, "God can use anybody," but I am not sure we often believe it. However, when you read about the conversion of Saul (Paul) and his subsequent ministry you must accept that God can use anybody. By all rights, Paul was a murderer of God's people. He was instrumental in rounding up Christians and throwing them in jail. We know some Christians were killed with his help. God could have taken care of this by having Paul die. However, he had a greater plan to use this evil person. Jesus spoke directly to Paul and called him from a life of persecuting Christian to a life of creating them. God used a man who did great harm and evil to the Church to spread the Church all over the gentile world. Today, Christ-followers think of Paul as this great saint, but we must never forget that he started our (just like us) as a great sinner. Dear Jesus, Thank you for converting one, Paul, who would be instrumental in spreading your truth to the gentile world. Thank you for picking a man the church might have rejected (and even tried to reject). Thank you for seeing beyond his sin to his potential. I ask you to do the same for me. I love you Jesus. Amen.

A Prayer - Acts 4-6

2005-06-15T07:40:00.000-05:00

The Believers' Prayer 23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: " 'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.' 27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people[e] of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." - Acts 4:23-30 As I read the prayer said by the early Christ-followers after the release of Peter and John, I am amazed by the strong faith that has developed so quickly in these believers. These are the same men who did not have strong faith when Jesus was with them on earth, but now they have a great faith to bring about miracles to testify to God. In fact, they have seen their leader crucified (as risen), they have been threatened and flogged (also miraculously released from prison). The truth is they now God/Jesus was greater than the earthly authority the Jewish leaders were working under. Their prayer shows that they understood and believed they were on the right side and they would be part of the final victory. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for your amazing love. Thank you for showing us that you work in our midst through sign and wonder. Thank you for giving people bold faith leading to action. Help me to be one of these people. I love you Lord. Amen.

Present Acts - Acts 1-3

2005-06-14T07:33:00.000-05:00

17 "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." - Acts 2:17-22 A a Pentecostal believer, I have often heard it said that the charismatic experiences were only intended for the early Church. However, when one looks at the very first verses in the Word to specifically talk about these occurrences (and these verses come right after the initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit) you see that they were experiences intended for the whole church age. I will be the first one to admit, many Pentecostal churches have taken these verses to far. They have made it an mandatory experience claiming you are less of a Christian or even not a Christian if you have not had it. It is just as un-Biblical to require all the speak in tongues or prophesy as it is to claim that no one should be doing it in our current times. In fact, we must remember and hold on the God's promises that he will do these things in our midst for his glory. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit the various ways you chose to manifest yourself. In one instance it may be tongues or prophecy. The next instance it might be teaching or preaching. In the next it might be healing. Regardless of the way you choose to show us the reality of yourself, thank you for doing so. I love you Lord. Amen.

Hating Evil - Proverbs 8

2005-06-09T07:40:00.000-05:00

13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. We don't often understand what it means to fear the Lord. However, when we do come to understand that its meaning is related to being in awe (the room of awful - full of awe) we can understand a bit more. God is not asking us to be in a constant state of trembling. He is telling us we must understand his amazing power, grace. We must understand he hold everything - creation, life, death, etc. - in his hands. When we understand this it helps us to hate the evil that God hates. Our deep respect (fear and awe) of God places us in a position to truly respect his law and obey it. Think about it this way - those who reject God do not fear him and love evil. Those who love God fear him and attempt to live just, righteous and worthy lives. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the pearls of wisdom contained in your Proverbs. I know we often misunderstand what it means to fear you. Thank you for telling us what it really means in your Word. Help us to have this healthy fear and live by your ways. I love you Lord. Amen.

A Calf - Exodus 32-34

2005-06-07T07:48:00.000-05:00

Aaron answered them, "Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me." So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD." So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry. - Exodus 32:2-6 Moses was on mount Sinai for what seemed like a long time to the people of Israel so they started to disobey the very commands of God. What is so amazing about this is that his absence was measured in days, not years like their slavery in Egypt. In only a very short period of time the people of Israel turned their back on the God who had brought them out of Egypt. Then they created a false god and attributed their escape for Egypt to this god. While we don't tend to created real Golden Calf in our western culture, we do tend to forget what God has done for us and go do our own thing. We create our calf out of our job, car, family or some other worldly item/thing. We believe we don't need to God who bought us out of slavery with the death of his one and only son. We are just fortunate that God will forgive us for our idol worship, just as he forgave the Israelites Dear Heavenly Father, While I have never bowed down to a golden calf, I have bowed down to my career. Forgive me. While I have never bowed down to a gold calf, I have bowed down to myself. Forgive me. Lord God Almighty, help me to always keep you in the forefront and myself in the back. I love you. Amen.

Discipline - Proverbs 5

2005-06-06T07:40:00.000-05:00

Warning Against Adultery My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight, that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge. For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths are crooked, but she knows it not. Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say. Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house, lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who is cruel, lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich another man's house. At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent. You will say, "How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction! I would not obey my teachers or listen to my instructors. I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly." Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer�? may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love. Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man's wife? For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths. The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly. Discipline - this is a word many do not like. We associate it with having to stop doing things we want to do. We believe it takes away our freedoms and liberties. However, we look at discipline this way because we are simply wrong. A truly disciplined person has real freedom. A truly disciplined person is not controlled by their primal urges (this can be sex, food, companionship and many more.) If you look at Proverbs 5 it talks about staying away fromadulteryy. There are many who think having sex with anyone they would like is a form of freedom, but after many years they learn it is only bondage. This is bondage that stops a person from having truly fulfilling relationships, simple pleasures and a life lacking constant worry. The last line of Proverbs 5 is most telling, "He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly." How true this often is. Our own great folly (lack of discipline) has brought us scourges such as AIDS, obesity, generational poverty and many, many more. Dear Heavenly Father, Help my eyes to see and my ears to hear the truth when it comes to discipline. Help me to accept your discipline with a glad and contrite heart. Help me to serve you and love others and you love them. Thank you Father for your love. Amen.

The Path - Proverbs 4

2005-06-03T07:29:00.000-05:00

Proverbs 4 Wisdom Is Supreme Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. When I was a boy in my father's house, still tender, and an only child of my mother, he taught me and said, "Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor." Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way. For they cannot sleep till they do evil; they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. The true meaning of wisdom seems to be largely lacking in the world today. People seek after intelligence, knowledge, wealth, pleasures, but they don't seem to seek after wisdom. It might be that wisdom is an elusive thing. It might be that it takes true work to gain wisdom. It probably is that true wisdom is a gift that can only come from God and many of us don't want to turn to him to gain it. Yet, time after time, the world of God tells us to seek wisdom first and foremost. A wise person is able to keenly interpret and understand the world around them. A wise person is able to stay on the path toward God. The truth is wisdom would lead us to the only conclusion possible - Jesus Christ is the way, truth and life. Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you grant me wisdom in all that I do as I serve you. I ask that you help me to be a person who truly seeks after you and the true wisdom you provide. Help me not to get caught up in the things of this world, the vanity of life, and the false purpose of self. I love you Lord. Amen.

My Lord - Psalm 16

2005-06-02T07:49:00.000-05:00

Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips. LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. - Psalm 16 As I read this Psalm, I am overwhelmed by the great and precious promises of God that are contained within it. It is truly a promise to be with us each and every day. It is a promise to watch over us and guide us. It is a promise to provide direction in the smallest decision. It is a promise that we will truly be happy and joy filled when we are following God with our whole hearts. Maybe this explains why those Christ-followers who materially have very little are often the most happy. They have learned to rely on God for their provision, joy and direction. Dear Heavenly Father, Help me to make this Psalm a part of my life. Help me to understand what it means to truly look to you for my all in all, my everything. I love you and know I can trust you. Thank you Lord. Amen.

Kingdom of Priests - Exodus 18-20

2005-06-01T07:25:00.000-05:00

Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, "This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites." - Exodus 19:3-6 What a great and precious promise to the people of Israel and the whole world. God says, "...you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." God gave the Israelites the opportunity to be a true light unto the world. As God's treasured possession they would be priests to the whole world. I am always amazed when I read the Old Testament all of the promises to the people of Israel that they would be the source for redemption for the entire world. They were meant to be the light to the world presenting the way to Jesus. What is even more amazing is that even though they rejected this charge in the end by refusing to recognize Jesus as the Christ, God still uses them as the vehicle through which he did bring redemption to the whole world. God knew that in the end even if his own people rejected his plan enough of his people would stand up (the early Christ-followers) and do the right thing and open the ways to salvation for all. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for using the people of Israel even when they did not want to be used in this way. Thank you for providing a way to salvation for all of us through the Jews. Thank you for your consistent and strong love that is still calling to the Jews and all others today. I love you Lord. Amen.

Manna - Exodus 15-17

2005-05-31T07:44:00.000-05:00

So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "In the evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?" Moses also said, "You will know that it was the LORD when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD." - Exodus 16:6-8 For fourty years the Israelites had an intimate experience of God's work among them. He provided them special food from heaven they called Manna. He provided them water whenever they were lacking it. Later in the book of Exodus, we find out he made it so their clothes did not wear out during the fourty years they were in the dessert. Essentially, God made sure all of their basic needs were taken care of. This is a good lesson for us to understand and live today. As Christ-followers, we don't like to have to rely on God to provide for our basic needs. We much prefer to rely on our own abilities. The problem comes in because we are relying on God even if we are receiving a paycheck. God is the one who supplies the work, the food, the house, and on and on and on. We must never forget that God is the creator of everything. Therefore, nothing we have can be something we received because of our own work or efforts. Dear Heavenly Father, When I read what you did for the Israelites for 40 years, I am amazed by the personal love and care you showed for your people. I then need to remember this is the same love and care you show us today. Help my eyes to see and my heart to be open to what you are doing in my midst. I love you Lord. Amen.

A Sign - Exodus 12-14

2005-05-27T07:39:00.000-05:00

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen." Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the LORD swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen�?the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. - Exodus 14:26-31 The more I read the Old Testament, the more I am amazed that most of the Arab people of the world are notcommittedd Christ-followers instead of followers of Islam. Christianity actually started in that part of the world and God gave them sign after sign that he was to one and only God. He showed them that there was and is no Allah, Re, Osiris or any other God. He showed them that he was the great I AM. Maybe this just goes to show the evil power of the sword and the pocket book. TheMuslimm faith spread by the sword and rooted out the truth of God's plan ofredemptionn through his son, Jesus Christ. Today, people are forced into remaining with the false religion because otherwise they will beostracizedd from their family economicc support) and potentially killed. Of course, it is not just the people of the Arab world. In the western world we have also forsaken the worship of God by putting family, possessions and personal desires above God. Is it possible to create a world truly based upon the love of our fellow human beings? I truly believe if we reached toward this goal, false religions would begin fall away because this would only be possible through the love of Christ. Dear Heavenly Father, How do we live in harmony with our neighbors and our world and yet still make sure we share the truth of your love (even when it angers them)? How do we express your love both materially and verbally? Teach me to be your servant and to share you in a profoundly powerful way. I love you Lord. Amen.

Godly Persistence - Exodus 9-11

2005-05-26T07:45:00.000-05:00

As you read Exodus 9-11 you can easily see an important facet of Biblical leadership - Godly Persistence. As was discussed in the previous post, Pharoh's heart was hard. He did not want to let the Israelites go because they were his forced labor for his massive building projects. However, God had others plans. God gave Moses and Aaron the strength and fortitude to keep on with their mission of freeing the people of God. God used them as his messenger to announce plague after plague. Each plague came and Pharaoh did not change his mind. The nation of Egypt suffered greatly because of the stubbornness of Pharaoh. We also don't know how long Moses and Aaron were at it. There is no indication that they plagues were very close together or months apart. We only know that God did not let Moses and Aaron give up. We need to look at this for our own lives. Often, we do see things happening as we want them to, but we have to practice self leadership and leadership of others with Godly Persistence. We must always remember God's timing is not our timing. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for teaching me about patience and Godly Persistence. Thank you for showing me that you do not want me to give up. Thank you for promising that in the end what we strive for in your name will happen. Help me to serve you, love you, and always be persistent in your ways. I love you Lord. Amen.

A Hard Heart - Exodus 5-8

2005-05-25T07:43:00.000-05:00

Then the LORD said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it." � Exodus 7:1-5 Pharaoh was the ruler of one of the greatest nations the world had ever seen. However, he lacked the wisdom to understand he was still just a human. He believed he did not need to listen to the Lord God. He believed he was the ultimate authority. The real amazing part of the story is how God gave him chance after chance to change his way, but his heart was so hard that he would not. Instead he ignored the overt acts of God and went on with his life (as uncomfortable as it must have been with frogs, gnats, flies and blood in the river). Of course, we often do the same thing today. We see how God is working in our world and we choose to ignore it and go on with our live in our own way. I wonder if our hearts are even harder that Pharaohs Dear Heavenly Father, Help my eyes to see and my ears to hear what you are doing in my midst. Help me to follow your lead and not ignore your ways. Thank you for the mercy and grace to change from a hard heart to an open heart. I love you Lord. Amen.

The Words to Say - Exodus 1-4

2005-05-24T07:46:00.000-05:00

The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it." Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it." - Exodus 4:11-17 Moses did not want to go to help his own people no matter how wonderful the promises God made to him. He was paralyzed by fear. While I hope I would go immediately if I knew God told me to I am sure I could just as easily argue and fight with God (In fact, I did fight with God when he told me to go to seminary. Just like in Moses' case, God won). Moses is a prime example of how we humans all to often think we need to do it on our own. It is true Moses was not eloquent of speach. He was not the natural born charismatic leader. However, he was God's choice for the job. He was the only one with the promise from God that he would be able to get the job done and done right. We may not easily understand it, but there are going to be times when God tells us we are his choice for the job and we think the best choice is standing right besides us. Remember, God's ways are not our ways and God sees things we do not see. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for promising to be with us in every step as we follow your instructions. Thank you for picking us for your Kingdom work, even when we don't understand why. Help me to serve you. Help me to go when you say go and wait when you say wait. I love you Lord. Amen.

A Heart Rebellion - Mark 13-16

2005-05-23T07:02:00.000-05:00

"Am I leading a rebellion," said Jesus, "that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled." Then everyone deserted him and fled. - Mark 14:48-50 Jesus asks the seemingly simple question, "Am I leading a rebellion that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?" Of course, the answer in the physically and militaristic sense was no. But, the real answer was yes. Jesus was leading a rebellion of the heart. He was asking people to no longer believe the false teaching of the Pharisees and Saducees, the pagan priest and priestesses, and the governments of the day. Jesus was calling for a radical change of course. People were suppose to truly worship God. People were to live in community with God and each other. People were to look to help others more in need and not just think of themselves. Jesus was definitely leading a rebellion, just not want that required swords and clubs. Dear Jesus, Thank you for being a God of rebellion. Thank you for being a God who love, cares and calls us to do the same. Thank you for striking down the rules of the Pharisees and the similar rules the traditional church has established today. Thank you for creating a way home to you. I love you Jesus. Amen.

Love Your Neighbor - Mark 10-12

2005-05-20T07:40:00.000-05:00

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." "Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. - Mark 12:28-34 I cannot help but think about what it means to love you neighbor. Often, I think we believe it means to love those who are near us and just like us. We think it means to love those who we can see and touch. However, I see more and more that our neighbor is every citizen of this great earth. Think about what that means. We are to love the occultist in our back yard. We are to love the witch doctor in Africa. We are to love the followers of radical Islam throughout the world. I wonder if we could begin to love like this what would happen. Would more people from all false faith start to become Christ-followers? Would there be peace in the world? Would Christianity be respected even by those who do not accept it tenants? My simple thought is this - If those of us who strive to truly follow Christ, refused to be part of the evil in this world (war, greed, selfishness, etc) would the cause of Christ be quickly and effectively advanced? Dear Jesus, I often wonder how much we have been corrupted by our culture and fail to really understand your word. I ask that you help us to understand what you are truly saying to us about how we are to be effectively involved in this world. Thank you for loving us and transforming us. I love you Jesus. Amen.

Servanthood - Mark 10-12

2005-05-19T07:57:00.000-05:00

When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." - Mark 10:41-45 Servanthood is desperately needed in this world. We have political leader, leaders of industry and even leaders in the nonprofit world who have forgotten that their real job of leadership is to serve. A true leader does not necessarily lead the charge. A true leader makes sure those they are leading are prepared and equipped to lead the charge. If you look at the ministry of Jesus you find a man who spent his 3 plus years of ministry developing others to expand the Kingdom of God. In fact, if you look at raw number of the number of people who became Christ-followers through the influence of people, Jesus would be no where near the top (of course, him being God means he is actively part of anyone becoming a Christ-follower, but I am pointing out Jesus as fully man vs. Jesus as fully God). Jesus came to prepare us for ministry as a servant. He did not come to do all the work himself. Dear Jesus, Thank you for modeling true servanthood to us. Thank you for equipping us to continue the work you started on this earth. Thank you for providing the means to redemption. Help us to serve just as you did...like a humble servant. Thank you for loving us. I love you Jesus. Amen.

Unclean - Mark 7-9

2005-05-18T07:48:00.000-05:00

And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that." Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.' " After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. "Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.") He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' " - Mark 7:9-23 Our culture is obsessed with external beauty, physique and diet (not that any of it seems to be working). We worry greatly about what we put into our bodies. Some of this is good because our bodies our temples, however we have taken it to the extreme and ingnored Jesus teaching about what comes out of our bodies. No matter how bad or good we eat, no matter how bad or good we look, no matter how physically fit we are God is looking for something else. Jesus has called us to be people who have good things come from our lives such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness (Galatians 5:22). If you look at the truly great people of this world you often find that they lived lives overflowing with these fruits of the spirit and people did not care much about their external looks (i.e. Mother Theresa, Billy Graham and many more). I am not suggesting we ignore what it takes to be physically fit and live a healthy life. I am suggesting that what comes our of our lives is much more important than what we put into our bodies. Dear Jesus, Thank you for your teaching on what makes us clean and unclean. Thank you for showing us that what we eat is not nearly as important as what we do in this world. Help me to serve you and serve the world as you direct. I love you Jesus. Amen.

Toward Christ - Mark 4-6

2005-05-17T07:40:00.000-05:00

"Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams. "Are you listening to this? Really listening?" When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories. He told them, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom--you know how it works. But to those who can't see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive insight. These are people - Whose eyes are open but don't see a thing, Whose ears are open but don't understand a word, Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven." - Mark 4:3-10 This passage from Mark 4 gives us great insight into the reason Jesus spoke by using parables. Preacher after preacher has used this passage to show that Jesus did not want everyone to understand because they would then come to faith. They have used this passage to support the unbiblical idea that God has only chosen a select few to become Christ-followers. However, the Message, gives a much better translation. The real purpose of parables was to move people at their own pace toward faith. Christ knew is was not possible or even wise to cause people to come to faith through fear, trickery or other manipulative means. He knew that faith was best created through people coming to realize their need for him as Saviour and Lord on their own. Even today parable (story) is one of the most powerful ways for people to see faith in action. It has often been said your best evangelistic tool is your own testimony (story). Dear Jesus, Thank you for prodding us into faith without forcing us. Thank you for giving us opportunity after opportunity to come to you. Thank you for not giving up on us. Help me to be a tool for your kingdom - never trying to force people to faith, but instead trying to let it grow naturally. I love you Jesus. Amen.

Eating With Sinners - Mark 1-3

2005-05-16T07:32:00.000-05:00

Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." - Mark 2:13-17 It is my true wish that Christ-followers would take this scripture passages to heart. It is my true wish that we would make sure we spend at least as much time with the sick as those who are well. However, we all to often find excuse after excuse to not be in places or around people who need us the most. In fact, many Christians would say that they believe it is wrong to be at places where blatant sin is taking places (these would usually be places with drinking and smoking - questionable sins at best). However this same logic does not stop them from going to work everyday where things like lying, stealing and adultery (all 10 Commandment violations) are taking place. It really is simple. We live in a world filled with sin even in our churches. Our job is not to run from it, but to live a holy example (including in those places people drink and smoke) so others may desire to become Christ-followers. Dear Jesus, Thank you for calling us to be with the sick. Thank you for calling each of us to be physicians in your hospital. Thank you for empowering us to do your work. Help me to serve you with my whole being each and every day. I love you Jesus. Amen.

The Younger - Genesis 47-50

2005-05-13T07:40:00.000-05:00

When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim's head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. Joseph said to him, "No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head." But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations." He blessed them that day and said, "In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing: 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.' " So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh. - Genesis 48:17-20 Throughout the book of Genesis we have seen the propensity of God to chose the younger son over the older son. While this went against the customs of the day, it shows how God looks at the inside and not the outside. God knows who is the right person for the job regardless of their age or station in life. This makes me think of how often we look for the wrong things in the people we chose as leaders. We like to know if they can speak well, are charismatic, and have a commanding presence. However, we often disregard the content of their character, the raw leadership material they bring, or their humility (in fact, if they are humble, we often think they are not cut out for the job). God, however, looks at these things and probably much more. Jacob was chosen over Esau because God knew even with all his flaws he was the greater leader than Esau. God saw the greater potential of Ephraim over Manasseh. God knew that Joseph was the only one of the eleven sons of Jacob that could save his family and most of the world of the time. Dear Heavenly Father, Open my eyes to see those who are truly qualified to lead. Help me to see those who are humble, have good character and leadership ability you can mold. Thank you for your help and your protection over your church. I love you Lord. Amen.

Created for Community - Genesis 1-3

2005-05-12T07:25:00.000-05:00

As I was driving in my car to work today, I was thinking about the meaning of life. This is not an unusual occurance for me because it is a question that I have had a hard time resolving. As a Christ-follower, I have always felt our purpose had to come from the creation story: Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground�everything that has the breath of life in it�I give every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning�the sixth day. - Genesis 1:26-31 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" - Genesis 3:8-9 You can see from the first scripture passages that we were the only creature to be created in God's image and from the second that we actually were with God in Eden. We were God friend and companion. When I first looked at these passages I always came up with the idea that we were created by God out of two possible motivations. The first motivation is love and the second is selfishness. I had these thoughts because there are times I realize, life is hard and maybe I would rather have not been created (these are not suicidal thoughts, just real and raw ones). Other times I think about how wonderful life is and I see why God's motivation would be love. However, as I was in the car today I realized I was making one big mistake. I was basing God's motive upon my feelings. If I was in a great mood and enjoying life, God's motive was love because I wanted to live this wonderful and exciting life. If I was in a bad mood and not enjoying life, God's motive was selfishness because I could not see what I was getting out of life. God's motives cannot be based upon our ever changing feelings. God's motives must be based upon his character. If you do this, then you realize that God's character is one of love and not selfishness. Love... God's character of love and the creation story can only lead us to the conclusion that we were created to be in community with him. This is completely logical when you consider that the only thing forbiden to us was the "knowledge of good and evil." God could only be in community with a perfect people. He created us perfectly for this community. However, he also knew this perfection must include the ability to choose to leave community or it would not be real. If you think about it, our only goal since we fell from community has been to regain it. Our worship is an act of communion with God. Evangelism is inviting others into community with us and God. Jesus Christ died so we could once again be in community with God. God will someday return to restore the perfect community he originally intended. The meaning of life is Community with God. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for inviting me into community. Thank you for letting me stay with you in community even though I am not worthy. Help me to be a person who will always invite others into this same community. Help me to see all of your human creation as you children who you desperately seek to bring back home. I love you Lord. Amen.

Saving Lives - Genesis 43-46

2005-05-11T07:41:00.000-05:00

Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. - Genesis 45:4-7 Recently, I have been thinking a lot about what it really means to be a Christ-follower. We have too often combined our religious beliefs with our cultural belief (political and otherwise) to create an Americanized Christianity. However, our job is to transform culture, not capitulate to it. Joseph understood that God had given him a very important job - basically feeding the known world of his time. It seems to me we still have this job today, but we often neglect it (yes, it is true there are many Christian relief agencies, but world hunger - including hunger in the USA - is still all around us). This makes me wonder in how many other areas do we failed to act as God would have us to act. There is hunger, environmental ruin (God's creation), world domination (maybe some people around the world hate us for good reason)and many other problems we have ignored or even help cause. I wonder what would happen if Christians (all true Christ-followers) banded together to really make a difference in this world. Could we then truly be salt and light? Dear Heavenly Father, I confess, I am guilty of combining my culture with my religion. My culture says get as much for yourself as possible, but my religion said to be generous and give to those in need. My culture says capitalistic greed is good and healthy, but my faith leads me to see and change those un-holy parts of any government. Father, I know I cannot separate myself completely from my culture, but I ask for your help in being a transformation agent. Use me in any way you see fit - use me to make a difference. I love you Lord. Amen.

A Land of Plenty - Genesis 40-42

2005-05-10T07:45:00.000-05:00

"And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine." - Genesis 41:33-36 We all want to live in a land of plenty. We all want to have enough to take care of ourselves, our families and to provide for those things we care greatly about (charitable causes, extended family, needy friends, etc.) Yet most of us live as if we only have enough for today. We refuse to save a portion of what we have for tomorrow. We not only ignore the financial gurus of our day, but we ignore the financial advice of our God and King. God makes it very clear from these words in Genesis 41, that we are responsible for saving some of what we have for future dates where it might be needed. Sure you can look at this and say it is only talking about one extreme circumstance of famine, but how often do we get advanced warning of the famine to come seven years before it arrives. God told Pharaoh, but he does not always tell us. I believe he expects us to learn from him Word and be prepared at all times. Dear Heavenly Father, Help us to learn to save and be thrifty. Help us to do this so we can help ourselves and help others in times of need. Help us to see everything you have given us as a sacred trust to be used wisely for the needs of this world. Thank you for your Word. I love you Lord. Amen.

Youthful Arrogance - Genesis 37-39

2005-05-09T07:45:00.000-05:00

Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it." His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." - Genesis 37:5-9 As we read the story of Joseph, It become easy to see he was favored by God (In fact, the Word actually says that). This favor, however, often makes us overlook some of the areas in which he needed to grow. His arrogance sticks out in particular. Joseph was also favored by his father. He was so obviously favored that his brothers did not like him. Instead of being humble and trying not to give into his fathers favoritism, he reveled in it. When God gave him two dreams that were intended for him alone, be bragged about them to his brothers. They hated him all the more. In the end he was sold as a slave by his brothers. While this was wrong for his brothers to do, it was understandable because of his actions. This just shows that we are often partially responsible for the bad actions others take against us. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for protecting me from myself even when I clearly deserved the bad treatment I received from others. Thank you for loving me so much that you forgave my arrogance. Help me to serve you and others with humility. I love you Lord. Amen.

My Enemy...My Brother - Genesis 33-36

2005-05-06T07:33:00.000-05:00

And God said to him, "I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you." Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him. - Genesis 35:11-13 We live in a world in which we all too often look at others as our enemy. However, when you read the word of God you often see that the very same people you call enemy, God calls your family. We see that the Philistines came from Ishmael, a relative of Jacob. We see that the Edomites came from Esau, the brother of Jacob. Yet, not to far down the road these people would end up fighting each other in war. Of course, God gave the Israelites the land and the Philistines and Edomites did not want the Israelites there, but that just proves my point. I wonder if God would have commanded the Israelites to wipe out the other people if they would have been willing to live in peace with Israel? Unfortunately, we know living in peace was not meant to be. Even today, when we feel like we have progressed so far in terms of civilization, we still are fighting with our brothers and sisters. Dear Heavenly Father, When ever I look at humanity (myself included) I see how prone to evil and wickedness we are. Mostly, we look our for our own interests and ignore the needs of others. I will always wonder how our world would be if Christ-followers truly served others. Lord, help me to be this kind of person. I love you. Amen.

Imperfect People - Genesis 30-32

2005-05-05T07:36:00.000-05:00

Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, 'Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,' I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. But you have said, 'I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.' " - Genesis 32:9-12 As we read the word of God, it become apparent that God chose to work through imperfect people. If you look at the lineage up to Jacob, we find polygamous (which God did not endorse, nor ban at this point). We find liars. We find schemers. Essentially, we find humans. Yet, God used these people to progress his perfect plan. When you go on through the lineage of Christ we will also find prostitutes, idol worshippers and others who rejected God, but God still used them. We need to rejoice in the fact that God will use imperfect people. Dear Heavenly Father, I don't know how often I have prayed, "use me." Now I realize that you have been and will continue to do so. Help me to become part of the dream you have for this world and its people. Help me to serve you with my whole heart, mind and soul. I love you Lord. Amen.

A Blessing - Genesis 27-29

2005-05-03T07:30:00.000-05:00

There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. - Genesis 28:13-14 I have often heard the question, "What did God pick a 'chosen people'?" or "Why are the Jews God's chosen people." The answer comes through in Genesis 28:13-14. The Jews/Chosen People were meant as God's conduit for his redemptive blessing upon the earth. The point of the chosen people was to spreads God's grace and mercy throughout the world. Often people look at God having a chosen people and exclusivity and prejudice, but it is just the opposite. God used the Jewish people to send his son into the world (Jesus was a Jew) and the bring freedom to all. In reality he gave the Jewish people a great responsibility. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for using Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to bring your people into this world. Thank you for using your people to bring mercy and redemption through your Jewish son Jesus Christ. Thank you for loving all of us so much that you provided a way to redemption. Help me and all of us to accept that redemption. I love you Lord. Amen.

Give It Up - Genesis 24-26

2005-05-02T07:42:00.000-05:00

Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom.) Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright. Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?" But Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright. - Genesis 25:29-34 I am always amazed by how carelessly most of us are willing to give up our responsibilities. We are happy to see someone else take them on. Esau did just that when he gave up his birthright. We often look at it and say he gave up his right to inherit great wealth and power, but I don't see it that way. In fact, later in Genesis we will see that Esau did gain great wealth and power, but what he disregarded was his responsibility to carry on the work of his father, Isaac. How often do we do the same thing by refusing to carry on the work our Father God has prepared for us to do. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us great responsibility and opportunity. Thank you for preparing us to carry out this great responsibility under your power and direction. Thank you for trusting us enough to give us this responsibility. I love you Lord. Amen.

Great Faith - Genesis 21-23

2005-04-27T07:40:00.000-05:00

Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. - Genesis 22:8 Yesterday, I wrote about the great faith that Abraham had to leave his land and travel to the place God showed him. Today, I will write about the even greater faith he showed when God asked him to give him his son. I use the terms "give him his son" for a very good reason. In this scripture passage we are lead to believe that God will require Abraham to sacrifice his only son to him. However, we already know that God does not accept human sacrifice, in fact he abhors it. In reality, God is asking Abraham to give him his son, to place God first. In the end God provides a animal for the sacrifice (as was needed for an proper and acceptable sacrifice). But, In the end God also accept Abraham's son, Isaac. Isaac is not accepted as a sacrifice to be killed, but a sacrifice to live and carry on the mission of God. In fact, I see this as a great example of the sacrifice we are required to make. God asked each of us to put him first before family, friend, everything. We are to go (just as Abraham did) where he wants us to. We are to give him our families for his use, not ours. The great joy in this is knowing that when we put God first he will use us and allow us to have the wonderful people in our life such as friends and family. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for allowing me to have such wonderful friends and family. Thank you for reminding me that in the end I am yours and they are yours. Thank you for loving me so much that you would want me to be yours. Help me to always be on mission with you. I love you Lord. Amen.

Big Faith, Big Progress and Little Faith, Little Lies - Genesis 18-20

2005-04-26T07:48:00.000-05:00

When you read the story of Abraham you see a man of great faith. He moves to a place he does not know because God tells him to do so. He bargins with God to save Sodom and Gamorah even though he should have no standing to bargin with God for anything (of course, one could argue that this was not bargining because God already knew that there were not enough righteous people in Sodom and Gamorah for them to be saved). Abraham had a big faith except when it came to his wife, Sarah. Twice, he lied and said she was his sister instead of his wife because he was afraid he would be killed so a ruler of the land he was inhabiting could take her. He was willing to move far from home, but he was not willing to believe that God would protect him if he let people know he was married to Sarah. This just goes to show us that each of us has weak areas in our lives that we have a hard time believing that God will take care of. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for being in charge of each day. Thank you for caring about every little detail of our lives. Help me to serve you and have the faith to give you all of my life, not just parts. Thank you for your promise to look over these details. I love you Lord. Amen.

Believe - Genesis 15-17

2005-04-25T07:38:00.000-05:00

Abram believed the LORD , and he credited it to him as righteousness. - Genesis 15:6 This is such a simple statement. Abram believe what God said and it was righteous. Our simple act of belief is also a profound act of righteousness. Of course, the opposite of this is also true. Our simple act of disbelief is a profound act of unrighteousness (sin). To show the truth of this, all you need to do is look a little farther in the same text. God had promised Abram that he would have a son through his wife Sari, but after waiting for many years after the promise he still did not have the son. To "correct" the situation Abram took Sari maidservant as his wife and had a child through her. However, this was not the promise God had made and it was not the way God intended it to happen. Just like us, Abram belief was credited as righteousness, but his disbelief (and the actions that flowed out of this disbelief) we credited to him as sin. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for leading us into righteousness and away from sin. Thank you for helping us to know you and understand your ways. Thank you for your great and precious promises. Help us to have a patience that passes all human ability as we wait for your promises to come true. Thank you for your love. I also love you Lord. Amen.

Go - Genesis 12-14

2005-04-22T07:36:00.000-05:00

The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you..." - Genesis 12:1 Faith...If we are a Christ-follower we think we have it. We think that if God told us to do something that we would just go and do it. And maybe some of us would, but I think many of us would run. I am always amazed by the faith of Abram (Abraham). God told him to go, so he took his family and those associated with him and went. He didn't know exactly where God was taking him but he went anyway. That is the kind of faith we all need to have. If we truly believe that God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords than we should be willing to listen and obey immediately. I know this is not easy for me, nor (I can guess) is it easy for many. Abram had his heart and mind open to God and he did what God asked of him. Dear Heavenly Father, I know my heart and mind have not always been as open as they should be...forgive me. I know that I have not always listened when you said Go...forgive me. I know that you only have the best in mind for me...thank you. Help me to truly serve you with everything that I was, am and ever will be. I love you Father. Amen.

Differences � Genesis 10-11

2005-04-21T07:44:00.000-05:00

They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel � because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth. � Genesis 11:3-9 The story of the Tower of Babel is one that many heard while attending Sunday School. On the surface it seems like a simple story, but in actuallity it explains a lot of the dicension and trouble in our world today. Whether you take this story literally or see it as figuritively explaining the reasons for all the difference languages and cultures the point is still the same (However, I see no reason to not take this as a literal occurance.) Our own arrogance caused God to make sure we would never be able to unite as a people. He knew that if we had one language and culture we would become even more arrogant than we already are and find even less reason to look to him as our source of strength. This passage does not mean we wouldn�t need him, but it does mean we would not think we need him. If you consider how many of us already feel that way, just think how it would be if we were all one united people. God in his wisdom made sure that would not happen. If fact, it is kind of ironic. Our arrogance combined with our different language/cultures makes sure we will never unite. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for creating us to know you. Thank you for creating situations that require us to look to you. Thank you for helping us get beyond our arrogance to see you. Help me to surrender to you each and every day. I love you Lord. Amen.

My Shield - Psalms 3

2005-04-20T07:48:00.000-05:00

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom. 1 O LORD , how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him." Selah [a] 3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD ; you bestow glory on me and lift [b] up my head. 4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. 6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. 7 Arise, O LORD ! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. 8 From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. Selah We are so blessed to have a God who does get involved in our everyday lives. Many who believe in a creator god, have decided that God must have left us to our own devices after creation. This is simply not true. God is with us and interacts with us as he sees fit to do. God gets involved in our lives to bring about his perfect will. We serve a God who puts Kings on the throne and removes them. We serve a God who literaly knows the number of hairs on our heads (Luke 12:6-7). We serve a God who loves us so much that he is with us each and every day. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for your love. Thank you for being by our side. Thank you for walking with us. I especially thank you for doing this for me and my family. Help me to serve you each day. Help me to recognize your work in my life and around me. I love you. Amen.

Being Like God � Genesis 3-5

2005-04-19T07:31:00.000-05:00

"For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." � Genesis 3:5 If you read anything I have written on this blog, you soon realize that I believe God�s greatest gift to us was our free will to follow him or reject him. In our lives today, we don�t see this as a simple choice. Our decisions to follow God often are more decision about many different topics and the choices we can in regards to these topics. However, the first decision of whether to follow God was actually a very easy on. We can see from Genesis 3:5 that Adam and Eve even had a choice. It was the choice to eat of the fruit that would let them understand both good and evil, or it was the choice to remain only understanding the goodness of God. I think sometimes we need to get our lives back to simple choice. All too often we make following God a complex and difficult decision, but in reality all we need to do is decide he will be Lord of our lives and seek him each and every day. Does this sound over simplified? � Maybe. Does it sound like it will work? � Definitely. When we seek after God all the other decision become much easier because God makes them, not us. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us choice even from the very beginning, even though you knew we would choose wrongly. Thank you for showing us the right choice even though you knew we would often ignore them. Thank you for loving us so much that you forgive us for not following you. I love you Lord. Amen.

God Created... - Genesis 1-2

2005-04-18T07:37:00.000-05:00

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. - Genesis 1:1 These ten simple words, the very first words of the Bible say so much about our case for faith. God is the creator of all. As creator he set everything in motion and proves himself to be the only one who is worth of praise, honor and glory. These words also say something else very important. Many people want to deny the existence of God. They want to chalk creation up to random chance, however this is not only ridiculous, but it requires even more faith than a belief in God. Just look outside at the fields with crops growing in them. Scan your eyes across the urban landscape. Gaze at the coastal plains. It does not matter where you live, our very world testifies to the reality of God through the fact of the existence of our world. I must admit, I don't have enough faith to believe this all happen by chance. I do have enough faith to believe in a loving, caring God who through the ultimate act of Love create an earth and its inhabitants. I do do have enough faith to believe that God loved us so much that he gave us the capacity to serve him or reject him. I have enough faith to believe he created a path to redemption and reconciliation through sacrifice of himself (his son). I have enough faith to believe that, "In the beginning God created..." Dear Heavenly Father, You are the creator God, the savior God and my Lord God. Thank you. I will never understand how people can chalk up this amazing earth to chance. Our world can only exist because of your extreme love. Thank you God. Amen.

Adoption - Revelation 21-22

2005-04-15T07:43:00.000-05:00

He said to me: �It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars�their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.� - Revelation 21:6-8 I have always felt that the most important praise I could ever hear from God who be the words he said in one of his parables, "Well done Good and Faithful servant." Being a servant of God is a great honor and should be enough to reach for, especially based upon human standards. However, God has different and better standards based upon his extreme mercy and love. In this passage in Revelations he does not say we will be his servants, it says we will be his son's. What an amazing though that God loves us so much that he will ultimately call us his very children. As the father of three adopted children, I can grasp a small part of what it means to be adopted into God's family. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving me so much that you have invited me to be your son. Thank you for showing such great mercy and forgiveness that I can actually accept this invitation. Help me to serve you as only a son could. I love you Lord. Amen.