Dec 5 - Ps 119 - Take Delight in the Word

This will be a short entry today - but a challenging one. In Psalms 119:16, the psalmist says “I delight in your decrees.” I know that I should follow the Word of the Lord. I know I should seek and learn His ways so that I may walk rightly. But do I delight in His word and His instruction? Delight means something that gives a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture. Is this my response to God’s word? Or is my reaction more a sense of duty, a knowing it is good for me like medicine. Lord, my prayer today is that you help me by your Spirit to find delight in your decrees.

Oct 1 - Whose life is it anyway?!

Luke 14 spoke to an issue I've been thinking a lot about lately. What is Christian commitment all about? What does it entail?

Luke 14:26 - "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple. "

I don't think Jesus is saying that we should hate those people who we are in significant relationship with. I think this is more about what you place hope in. Is your hope for happiness and fulfillment in your family or in the conduct of your own life or is it in your relationship with Jesus. Christian commitment starts with recognizing that it isn't about my life, it is about the Lord of my life - Jesus Christ.

Luke 14:33 - "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple."

Is Jesus literally saying we should give away everything we have to be his disciple. Again I think he is speaking of a heart condition. Are you willing to give up anything you have for the sake of your relationship with Him. As with Abraham when God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac, what God really wanted to know was that Abraham was willing to give anything in obedience to the Lord. So it is with us, God wants to know that we are not placing anything above Him.

It is easy to read this and think life is going to be hard and unpleasant; that anything we enjoy will be something we have to give up. But my experience has been that God wants to bless us with an abundant life (Jn 10:10). He knows how to give us good gifts (Matt 7:11). He wants us to have a balanced life - that is why he established a Sabbath rest for us each and every week. You will likely find that once you have let go of some things in your heart, that you now will be able to morefully enjoy those very things to the fullest.

Now it is interesting to me that this teaching from Jesus comes right after He describes those who have been invited to a great banquet, but when it came time for the event, many made excuses about why they couldn't come. I have at times in my life simply refused to come to the "banquet" when God was calling me. Someone would approach me with an opportunity to serve and my mind immediately went to all the reasons why I didn't have time or just couldn't do it at the time. Really the only reponse I or anyone should have when called upon is to seek the Lord to see if it is He who is calling. If the "invitation" isn't for me, I can in good faith decline the opportunity. If it is God's will for me, then there is but one response: "Yes."

The bottom line to both these teachings is to understand whose life it is anyway. When we come to follow Jesus, it is no longer our life, it is His. We just have to get over the fear that if we give our life up to Him that it will be all sacrifice all the time. That is not what He has in mind. Yes there will be times of sacrifice, but there will also be times blessing. Matt 16:25 says "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." To find true life, we have to be willing to lose our life for Jesus. This doesn't just mean be willing to die for Him, but on a daily basis be willing to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23).

June 24 - 1 Tim 4:7-8 - In Training...

1 Tim 4:7-8 - train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

The realization hit me as I read these verses: we can train ourselves, or at least be trained to be godly. Christians often say it is a life long journey and this is true. But we often forget it is a journey of intention and effort. We can't expect to just live 70-80 years and arrive at a more godly state. We must seek it.

This training can take on many forms. The establishment of new habit patterns by repeating the desired behavior or attitudes over and over again until they become part of our nature. The more subtle form of godly training is yielding more and more of ourselves to the Holy Spirit and allow His fruit to grow in us. As Romans 12 says, our we can be transformed by the renewing of our minds - even our minds can be trained to think differently. We were just talking about this in my Life Group, that we do not have to accept that the way we react to situations is something we are stuck with. We can by the power of the Spirit be trained to respond differently.

Imagine, today we get frustrated and angry because of bad traffic. Tomorrow, we can remain calm and realize that getting angry does not change how quickly we will get to our destination. Today we may respond angrily to our child who disobeys for the umpteenth time, tomorrow, we may be able to sit down with our child and explain yet again why that behavior is not acceptable and calmly impose the appropriate consequences.

It can be discouraging when we are disappointed in how we respond to various things in life, but I am encouraged by the prospect of being transformed more and more into His likeness (2 Cor 3:18) through the training in godliness. I think of how a Bonzai artist trains their plants to grow in certain shapes and patterns. The artist uses carefully planned pruning and applied pressure to get rid of what is not wanted and to direct the path of the branches. God uses similar tools to train us in holy living.




The other realization in this passage in Timothy is that training ourselves to be godly is not just something necessary for our eternal destiny in His kingdom, but it pays dividends today. As I described above, the way we experience life can be so different than how we experience it today. We can have more affect and influence on others by the testimony of our changed life. So I encourage you - begin your training program today!

Apr 3 - Ps 49: Oh God How Much You Love Me!

I read Psalms 49 a couple days ago and these select verses lept off the page to me:

Ps 49:7-8 - No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him — the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough —

Ps 49:15 - But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.

These verses scarcely need any commentary, but of course I can't resist. ;-} What no man can possibly do, for himself or for another, God assuredly does so. We do not possess what is necessary to pay for the ransoming of even one life that is lost to sin, but God has what is needed to redeem all mankind. And elsewhere in Scripture we see that he was pleased to do so and did this out of His love for us. Nothing we did provoked this loving response to our condition, God did this simply because He loves!

Verse 9 adds the point of this need for ransom - "... that he should live on forever and not see decay." The continuation of the thought in v.7-8 is that we can't pay enough to have life eternal. But v.15 says God will redeem us from the fate of eternal death and bring us to Himself.

All I can say is Praise God for how much you love me, how much you love all of us!

Mar 30 - Judges 2:7-13 Have you seen the Lord's work?

Reading in Judges lately has brought a couple things to light. First, In Judges 2, we read that Israel served the Lord all during Joshua's lifetime and the elders that outlived Joshua. These were all people who had seen first hand the great things that God had done for Israel. The implication is that they remembered these things and reminded Israel and kept them focused on serving Him. But after all those had died, a generation grew up that had not seen these things and they did not "know" the Lord personally. They immediately fell into evil and pursued their own view of what was right or they were easily influenced by other people's religious practices.

This says to me that we need to capture those times in our life when we know God worked in His awesome way, remember them, talk about them, teach our children about what He has done. Then what follows is an expectation and faith that He will continue to work in our lives if we trust Him. Failure to constantly remember God and all He has done places us in danger of falling into evil just as Israel did.

As I read further into Judges, a pattern emerges. Israel falls into evil. An enemy torments Israel. God raises up a judge to lead them. He delivers them from their enemy. Israel enjoys a period of peace. It has always been so easy for me to judge Israel and wonder how they could abandon God so quickly and easily. This is not really the case. When God saved them each time, they had significant periods of peace. Then it was during this time when things were going good that they fell away from God and into evil practices. Aren't we the same way? We often think less about God when things are really going well and we turn to Him more readily when things aren't so good. I am much less judgmental of Israel now and I realize that thanking God every day and staying aware of His hand in my life is important at all times - even more so when things are good.

Feb 18 - Numbers 3-4 - Naming names

Reading these two chapters today, this is what struck me. God directed Moses to appoint specific families/clans to specific jobs. One clan had responsibility for one part of the care and transport of the Tabernacle and another had different duties associated with the care and transport of a different part of the Tabernacle. Then in chapter 4, God names specific names. One clan would work under the direction of Aaron. Another would work under the direction of Eleazar. And another clan would be under the direction of Ithamar. I thought about being one of those men, and knowing that the Lord has spoken my name and assigned duties to me. How amazing it would be to really know that He knows me and that He wants me to do something! I would feel a bit overwhelmed that the Lord of the universe gave little ol' me something to do for Him. And I would feel completely commited to doing the appointed task. After all, if He knows me enough to make the assignment, He will know what I do with the assignment. I would want to give it my all, do everything possible to do it the best I could.

Well guess what, I believe He names names today. I believe that for every believer, He has called your name and said, I want you to do this particular job. He knows you, He has assigned something to you, and He knows how you are doing with that assignment. Gulp!! It seemed more straight-forward when God spoke directly to Moses and gave these specific individuals assigned tasks and a little easier perhaps to sense the awesomeness of the Lord's direction for that individual. To me, it simply means that we must diligently seek Him to learn what He has for us at this season of life. And it means just as much as then that we should devote ourselves wholeheartedly to doing it.

The great thing is that God has prepared us for the task He has for us, He has given us His Spirit to enable and empower us, and in confident faith we can see the job accomplished, maybe through our hands, but most assuredly by His Strength. Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (NKJV).

Feb 12 - Leviticus - Holy Cow!

So I have been reading through Leviticus these last few days and as many others have experienced, I began to wonder what I'm supposed to get out of these passages. The sacrificial and behavioral laws are being described and at least the sacrifices are no longer a part of our relationship with God. And the behavioral stuff, you need to sort through to determine what was applicable to that culture and what is universal and applies to us today (much discernment required in this - you can to easily rationalize away something important!). Certainly you get the picture that for Israel to make sacrifices for their sin and guilt, there was a lot of work involved and it was messy. Holy cow! I can't imagine killing, draining the blood, piecing out and burning even one animal in a day, but Israel had many, many animals sacrificed in one day. So this is all interesting, but what am I supposed to take away from this.

Two things have struck me so far. One is the realization of just how costly a mistake it was for mankind to fall into sin. It cost us relationship with God without some provision of atonement. To make atonement cost a lot in terms of both the value of unblemished animals and the blood that was necessary to cover sin. This must have something to do with the fact that sin brought death to us and somehow to make amends for it required that something else die in our place.

That brings me to the second thing. It makes it all the more amazing to think about the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf when you think about all these sacrifices Israel made over centuries. Jesus covered them all and made them unnecessary. I have heard some say they are so thankful to be on this side of the cross and reading Leviticus really highlights one of the reasons why.

This next thought is a "freebie", not really related to my latest Scripture reading. Although reading all the rules given to Israel relates a little. Have you ever come across someone who doesn't believe in Jesus and their view of Christianity is that it is just a bunch of rules designed to spoil all the fun in life? This illustration has occurred to me. When you buy a complicated piece of electronic gear (or anything else really involved), you will probably spend at least a little time consulting the instruction manual which was put together by the manufacturer - the people who designed the product and knows how it works. Maybe you have also experienced not consulting the instructions thinking you can figure it out yourself. You may get some things right, but it only takes doing one thing wrong for it not to work right (I'm thinking about when I hooked up my surround sound system!). Well, many unbelievers do believe there is a God (even if they don't know Him yet) and many believe there was intelligent design behind the creation of the world. The "rules" of Christianity are not fun spoilers, they are the designer's instructions telling us how things work best in what He created. I have always found that doing things God's way makes for a better functioning life with more blessings and (dare I say it?), fun than trying to do things on my own. Try it, you might like it!

Jan 28 - Acts 4 - Does anyone know you have been with Jesus?

Wow, it has been awhile since I've posted. Time gets away so quickly. I've been enjoying reading some of my favorite passages in recent weeks about Joseph and Moses and the Day of Pentecost. Today In Acts 4, verse 13 stood out to me. "When they (elders, rulers, high priest) saw the courage of Peter and John and realized thay they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."

What hits me is that it stood out to those questioning Peter and John that they had been with Jesus. Affected by Jesus, taught by Jesus, empowered by Jesus, encouraged by Jesus. These men were doing and saying things way beyond their worldly capabilities and education. This was only possible because of thier encounter with Jesus and the empowering of the Holy Spirit sent by Him. It made me wonder, would anyone know that I have had an encounter with Jesus? Do I operate beyond my natural abilities because of Him and the working of the Holy Spirit? Do you?

Now these questions can feel judgmental and condemning if the answer is something along the lines of "Not so much." But for me it is more of a challenge. I believe it happens over time.
2 Cor 3:18 says "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." Ever-increasing implies to me that we forever grow into His likeness, it doesn't happen at once. So the challenge to me is to let my words and my actions reflect more and more the fact that "I have been with Jesus!"

Jan 9 - Gen 23 - Do the Right Thing

I've been enjoying reading about Abraham the last several days, and then I came across this curious story in Gen 23 today. Abraham's wife Sarah had died and he wanted to buy a burial site in the land in which he was living. He asked the Hittites if he might purchase a suitable site to bury his wife. The Hittites viewed Abraham as a wealthy and powerful prince and they told him that any one of them would happily give Abraham their best tomb site for his family. Again Abraham insisted that he buy the site and he apparently had his eye on a specific location, a cave at the end of a field that belonged to Ephron. Abraham insisted that he pay full price.

Ephron came to Abraham and said he would gladly give him the field and the cave. Now at this stage of the story, I'm thinking this is an amazing gesture of kindness and respect. I'm thinking Abraham should accept the gift with dignity and go on to bury his wife. But no! Abraham insists again on paying full price. Ephron tells him what the price of the field is, Abraham pays him and goes to bury his wife with a clear conscience.

This got me to thinking and wondering why Abraham was so insistent on paying for this land. Several thoughts have come to me. First, when you accept a gift, there is a sense of obligation or indebtedness to the giver. Abraham did not want to be indebted to the Hittites. Second, I felt that there was a matter of honor about where you buried your family. To bury a loved one on someone else's property would not accord the proper respect to your departed family member. But I felt that there was something more than this. Now Abraham had trusted God his whole life and exhibited tremendous faith in various situations. So while this whole incident may simply have been a matter of doing the right thing to honor his family, it may also have been that Abraham's trust in God would somehow be lessened if he accepted such a great gift. His sustenance and his blessings all came from God. He needed to trust God for provision, not these strangers that he lived among. It does happen that God will bless someone through the kindness of others, but Abraham knew this gift from the Hittites was not from God and would turn him away from his faith in the Lord.

These kind of situations require much discernment. In a different setting and with different players involved, this could have been how God provided. How do you know the difference? Only by the Holy Spirit can we discern God's will. And then only if we are transformed from the world's ways to God's ways by the renewing of our mind (Rom 12:2) - and I believe this renewing is also the work of the Holy Spirit within you. Then we will be able to know God's will. Then we will know what the right thing is.

Jan 5 - Luke 5 - The Call to Follow Jesus

Today in my reading, I noticed a difference in the call of Simon Peter, James and John from that of Levi. Peter, James and John spent the day listening to Jesus teach the crowd from one of their boats. They then experienced a miracle in the huge catch of fish they had when Jesus instructed them to put down their nets again (after a long night of catching nothing!). When Jesus asked them to come with Him to catch men, they were ready. They had been convinced, they knew there was something about Him, they expected to see and do great things.

Levi on the other hand, simply had Jesus walk up to him and ask him to follow Jesus. Levi responded immediately. Now we can suppose that Levi had heard something about Jesus, maybe even saw Him at some point. But all we have recorded in Scripture is this simply "Follow me."

I believe it has been the same for all people down through the ages. Some people need to hear and think and comtemplate what they have heard and seen about Jesus. They slowly become convinced that He is who He claims to be and ultimately make a decision about following Him. Others have this immediate recognition that Jesus is the Son of God, a Savior who died for them and they know right away that this is what they want for their life. In both circumstances, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that speaks to the heart and mind of the person. Is either path to Jesus more holy or spiritual than the other? No, not at all. For those of us who are Christians, this tells us we need to have patience and let the Spirit work in the way that is most effective for any given individual. The last thing we want is to pressure someone into making a decision they are not ready for only to see them rebel, or make a choice that they quickly fall away from later (see the parable of the seeds, Matt 13, Mk 4 & Luke 8). Our job is to show the light of Christ in us and let the Spirit do the rest. Praise God for the many ways He can deal with us!

Jan 1 - Home with the Lord

My entry today will be short and simple. Our in-law Peggy went home to be with the Lord last night. While my heart goes out to my daughter and her husband, all the family and especially Peggy's husband Perry, I also rejoice that Peggy's suffering was not long and she is now in that wonderful place - in paradise with Jesus.
God bless all the family who are mourning the loss of this special family member. May your time of sadness be short and may your memories be sweet and sustaining.