Checking in...and a bit of news

Hello! It’s been a while since I posted on here. Writing this feels like I’m reconnecting with dear friends, many of whom I have never met but are friends nonetheless.

How have you managed throughout the last few months of this pandemic? I hope you have stayed well and untouched by the nasty Covid-19 virus!

The isolation and social distancing orders have certainly changed the extent to which we have connected with each other physically here in southwest B.C., Canada. However, our modern age of virtual connection has kept us attending church (albeit in our homes), doing Bible studies together (through Zoom etc.), and catching up on friends and family through phone calls, emails, Facebook, and other ways. And isn’t it wonderful that God is not quarantined or in any way limited by this circumstance!

Perhaps this time has been one of catch-up or getting ahead for you. Maybe you have begun or completed a project that was previously a good intention only. That has been the case for me.

I’m happy to announce that a continuation of the story begun in my novel Destiny’s Hands, is now finished and available for purchase.

Just to refresh your memory, Destiny’s Hands is a fictional retelling of Bezalel’s story (the man who God chose to craft the Tabernacle and its worship accessories). The sequel, Under the Cloud, continues the story of the exodus.

Here’s the book description:

“Fifteen-year-old Zamri lives in the shadow of her brilliant brother Bezalel. While he crafts the gold and bronze articles for Tabernacle worship, all she can look forward to is a life of women’s work—work she finds uninteresting and confusing. But no one can keep her from dreaming. She imagines becoming a leader among women like her hero Miriam. That all changes when the dashing Pallu wins her heart.

“Trek through the years of exodus with Zamri as, within the strictures of Israel’s patriarchal society, she grows into mature womanhood. Discover with her how dreams need never die, indeed can come true in the most unlikely ways.”

Under the Cloud is available worldwide in paperback and ebook editions through Amazon.

• Under the Cloud on Amazon.com

• Under the Cloud on Amazon.ca

In case you missed it:

• Destiny’s Hands on Amazon.com

• Destiny’s Hands on Amazon.ca

What has this unusual time meant for you? I’d love to hear. Leave a note in comments, or email me HERE.

Moses—incredible senior

Moses on Mt. Nebo by Thomas Nast

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 32-34; Psalm 64

TO CHEW ON: "Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished." Deuteronomy 34:7

There is an unofficial rule in our society that after a certain age it's time for the shelf. Obviously God and Moses didn't get that memo. Moses would have made a fascinating study for our gerontologists.

At 40 years of age, when we would consider him in his prime,  Moses' self-generated plans to realize what he may have thought of as his life purpose (freeing his countrymen from slavery), failed miserably. As a wanted murderer, he had to flee Egypt - Acts 7:22-29.

For 40 years he lived the life of a nobody. He married, he and his wife had kids, but in our estimation he was pretty much a failure with no land, no flock of his own, living with and working for his father-in-law (Exodus 2:16-23; 3:1).

Then at 80 God met him at that burning bush and gave him back his dream. Only now he didn't want it. After a lot of arm-twisting Moses decided to cooperate with God's destiny for him.

The books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy tell the story of Moses' next 40 years (from 80-120 years old). They are an incredible tale of leadership as Moses faced the resistance of Pharaoh, getting a multitude of thousands out of Egypt and through the wilderness, rebellion within the ranks, physical testing and hardship, victory and disappointment…

We meet him in today's reading at 120 years—no glasses, hearing aids, false teeth or walker needed. He's still physically acute and fit and wanting more, though God had said no (Deuteronomy 3:23-29). So he's saying goodbye to this life on a high note, both physically and spiritually.

I take from Moses' life some encouragement for our own lives:

• God isn't boxed into our norms and expectations. If he has a job for us to do, age isn't a hindrance.

• Zest for life can extend into old age. I love Moses' description of his rekindled desire to live on and how he begs God to be able to finish job of leading the Israelites into the promised land (Deuteronomy 3:23-25).

• When it's our time to go, God will take us. (Or we could turn that around and say, God won't take us until it's our time to go.) For Moses it wasn't even a matter of being sick or wearing out. It was simply his time and that was it. But he lived fully right to the end. May we be so blessed!

PRAYER: Dear God, May I live fully and usefully till my last breath, like Moses did. Amen.



PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 64

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Choose life!

"Moses speaks to Israel"
by Paul Hardy

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 30-31; Psalm 63

TO CHEW ON: "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life that both you and your descendants may live." Deuteronomy 30:19


The book of Deuteronomy is a series of farewell talks that 120-year-old Moses gave to the Israelites just before they entered Canaan. Our reading today is the end of his third message, where he begs the people to choose God and by choosing Him, choose life.

Look at how he persuades, instructs, and pleads:

1. They can come home (Deuteronomy 30:1-5):
If they've wandered (as he says they will) God's call for them to return is mighty appealing. It's a call from captivity to freedom, from separation to togetherness. It's an invitation to come HOME!

2. God will change them at the deepest level (Deuteronomy 30:6):
How will God keep them from wandering away again? He will circumcise their hearts. We know how male circumcision was a physical sign of God's covenant with the Israelites. Here God promises to carve that same incision of covenant into their hearts. It's a mark that will, like physical circumcision, affect them spiritually at the deepest most private place (their hearts). And like physical circumcision is irreversible, so this heart circumcision will help them stay the course.

3. God is for them (Deuteronomy 30:7, 9):
When they choose God, the tables will be turned on their persecutors while God blesses them in quantifiable ways — more kids, more cows, more carrots!

4. The choice is clear (Deuteronomy 30:11-14):
This is no new, hidden, mysterious, distant or confusing matter. It's a choice they've faced before. It's near them, in them. What is it?
- A choice to love God (Deuteronomy 30:6).
- A choice to obey God (Deuteronomy 30:10).

5. The choice is important (Deuteronomy 30:15-20):
It's important because it's a choice between good and evil, life and death. "Choose life," Moses begs, "so that you and your children will live."

Imagine Moses preaching this sermon in my church or yours. It would be fitting, wouldn't it — his plea for backsliders to return with the assurance that God can permanently change hearts. His confronting us with the challenge to love and obey God in the context of all the things that clamor for our allegiance (worship?). His plea that we make the right decision because it will impact our eternal destiny.

I ask myself have I chosen life? Or have I, in my heart, wandered away, even set up some idolatrous outposts? What about you?

PRAYER: Father God, help me in today's every decision to understand what's at stake and to choose life. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 63

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Blessing

Image: Pixabay

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 28-29; Psalm 62

TO CHEW ON: "And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God." Deuteronomy 28:2 

We cannot read Deuteronomy 28 and not be struck by the repetition of the word "bless" in its various forms in the first 14 verses. I count ten repetitions.

["Bless" here is the Hebrew word barak - "to bless, kneel." 
"Blessing" is berakah, derived from barak - "blessing, prosperity, praise of God, gift, present."

In English we define bless as "to consecrate, make holy; to honor, exalt; glorify; to invoke God's favour upon; to bestow happiness or prosperity; to guard and protect."

We define "blessing" as the act or words of a person who blesses; a special favor, mercy or benefit; a favor or gift bestowed by God bringing happiness."]

As we follow the idea of blessing through the Bible, here are some things we discover:

1. Blessing is within our creator God's power to bestow (Psalm 134:3).

2. It is involved with God's plan for the Jewish people (Genesis 26:24)

• Blessing is evidenced in the unusually large harvest of year six in a seven-year cycle, so that the people would have food when they let their land rest in year seven (Leviticus 25:21).
• It is visible in their large families (Deuteronomy 1:11).
• It results in them settling in Canaan — the land of promise (Deuteronomy 26:15).
• Israel's independence and self-sufficiency are an evidence of God's blessing (Deuteronomy 15:6).

3. It is connected to obedience. Fourteen verses of Deuteronomy 28 (our reading) are taken up with promises of personal, family and national blessings that will flow out of obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14).

4. It is closely connected with giving (2 Chronicles 31:10; Ezekiel 44:30).

5. It is an expression of God's love (Deuteronomy 23:5).

6. It is His presence (Psalm 21:6).

7. It comes when people live peacefully together (Psalm 133:1-3).

8. It makes rich (Proverbs 10:22).

9. It is part of the upside down Kingdom of God, where we inherit a blessing when we refuse to reciprocate evil with evil, but with blessing (1 Peter 3:9).

But, you say, these blessings were for Bible time people not for us now — right?

Wrong! The exciting thing is that the blessing pronounced on Abraham and his descendants is linked to us too. Look at Galatians 3:13-14:

^"Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith." - Galatians 3:14 NLT

So when we say, "God bless you," we are not mouthing empty words. Rather we are invoking a rich heritage of blessing that is ours because of Jesus — just another fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham and the way he would bless, made way back in Genesis ("And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed" Genesis 12:3)

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to live blessed and under Your blessing. May my life be a means of blessing to others today. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 62

MORE: "I Will Delight" - Fernando Ortega

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Become the people of God

 Jeremiah 29:11 written on stone - Salt Spring Island Pentecostal Church

Photo © 2012 by V. Nesdoly

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 24-27; Psalm 61

TO CHEW ON: "Then Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying, 'Take heed and listen, O Israel: This day you have become the people of the Lord your God…' "- Deuteronomy 27:9.

The book of Deuteronomy is a collection of Moses' final instructions to Israel, the nation he has led for 40 years. At last they are about to enter Canaan.

We discover today that this anticipated move is not only a natural migration but very much a spiritual event. In the segment we read today he reminds the people:

- They are God's "special people" and "holy" i.e. set apart - Deuteronomy 26:18,19.

- They are to have a heart-mind-spirit connection to God. Notice the verbs used to describe how they are to seek God and His laws: observe, walk in His ways, keep, obey, write, take heed, listen.

What interests me especially in this passage is the variety of modalities God uses to help them grasp and pass on the reality of their connection to Him:

- Obey from the core of their beings: "observe with heart and soul" - Deuteronomy 26:16.

- Speak of their beliefs - "proclaimed" - Deuteronomy 26:17.

- Listen to God's affirmation of them, delivered by Moses - Deuteronomy 26:18,19.

- "Keep" these commandments, as in habitually, not just once - Deuteronomy 27:1.

- Choose and prepare physical stones, then write God's laws on them to remind them and their children of their spiritual connection to God and the spiritual basis of their land ownership - Deuteronomy 27:3,8.

I believe there are lessons for our lives from this reading;

• The things that occur in our lives have more of a spiritual component to them than we realize. A move to another home, a change in jobs etc. are spiritually significant things. Let's be sensitive to the spiritual aspects of our apparently natural circumstances.

• We can use many modalities to help us know God and live in ways that please Him: listen, speak, obey, write, display these writings where they remind us and our families of whose we are and how He wants us to live. Let's be creative in how we nourish our faith and pass it on to others.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to acknowledge and honor You through the many inputs and outputs of my being. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 61

The Bible Project VIDEO: Deuteronomy (Torah Series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A test of family loyalty

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 21-23; Psalm 60

TO CHEW ON: “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of the city, to the gate of his city.” Deuteronomy 21:18,19


One day before the February 14th Florida school shooting, a grandmother in Everett Washington reported her grandson to the police. This was after reading disturbing entries in his journal, entries in which he talked about shooting up his school (Read CNN article.)

What a test of family loyalty! And yet, for the greater good—the good of the community and this kid— this grandma reported her grandson for short-term pain.

The test of family ties in our reading is even more extreme. Parents were to bring their stubborn, rebellious, disobedient, gluttonous, alcoholic son to the elders, not for a scolding or a fine or lockup but stoning (Deuteronomy 21:21).

We’ve been studying the SHEMA which the Israelites prayed regularly:

“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” - Deuteronomy 6:5. 

Such a radical family “betrayal,” then, could be seen as part of that heart, soul and strength love for a God who hated, condemned and punished these sins.

Of course we now live in the New Testament church era. Jesus’ death on the cross has atoned for our sins of stubbornness, rebellion, disobedience, gluttony, addiction etc. It’s not that our current sin is any less serious, but that God’s holy wrath at our wrong-doing has been satisfied by Jesus’ death in our stead.

Still, I believe there is a principle for us here, seen in the singlehearted focus of the parents. Jesus in the NT also referred to the cost of following Him in Matthew 10:34-39. In that section he described how His coming into a life could have the potential to mess with relationships, especially in the family:

“‘For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves father or more more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worth of Me'” - Matthew 10:35-37.

Do we have this OT/NT devotion to Jesus that trumps even blood ties?


PRAYER: Dear Jesus, may my love for You be stronger than any love tie on earth. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 60

The Bible Project VIDEO: The Law (Theme series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Thanks for reading! This year we are using The Bible Project "Timeless Reading Plan" to read through the Bible in 2018. If you'd like to read along in your own Bible, you can download a pdf of the reading plan HERE.

Does God detest anything in your life?

Time Magazine cover - June 19, 1972.

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 17-20; Psalm 59

TO CHEW ON: "For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out before you." Deuteronomy 18:12

What a strong word—abomination—Moses uses here to warn the Israelites against compromise and syncretism.

[The word abomination is translated from the Hebrew word towebah. It is also rendered detestable and loathsome.]

What are the things that God names an abomination (detestable, loathsome)? Deuteronomy 18:9-11 names:

• sacrificing children to idols.
• practicing witchcraft.
• acting as a soothsayer or one to interprets omens—a sorcerer.
• conjuring up spells.
• acting as a medium or spiritist.
• calling up the dead.

It's a list of not altogether unfamiliar activities because our society, despite how "advanced" and technological it is, yearns for spiritual connection. If we have rejected God, we will look somewhere else for it. The scary thing is that sometimes these practices make their way into the lives of Christians and so enter the life of the church. Tim Challies in his book The Disciplines of Spiritual Discernment says:

"It should come as no surprise that even though we are called to live within the culture, the culture itself hates God and seeks to destroy those who love him. And yet this culture has influenced the church, perhaps more than the church has influenced the culture. There are at least four cultural influences that have led to a decline in discernment among Christians."

He goes on to name (and elaborate on) 1] a secular worldview; 2] a low view of scripture; 3] a low view of theology; and 4] a low view of God, as reasons for the church's slump into compromise.

Let's ask God by His Spirit to point out any abominable practices and involvements in our lives. And then let's denounce and forsake them. For:

Can two walk together unless they are agreed?" - Amos 3:3

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” - John 8:12 NLT

Take no part in and have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds and enterprises of darkness, but instead [let your lives be so in contrast as to] expose and reprove and convict them." - Ephesians 5:11 AMP

PRAYER: Dear God, please give me a discerning heart to recognize the practices and involvements that are loathsome to You. Then help me to be quick to denounce and forsake them. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 59

The Bible Project VIDEO: ME'OD: Strength (Shema Word series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Times and reasons to celebrate

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 15-16; Psalm 58


TO CHEW ON: "You shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your gates, the stranger, and the fatherless and the widow who are among you, at the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide." Deuteronomy 16:11.

Moses reminded the Israelites of three yearly feasts in Deuteronomy 16:

• the Feast of Passover.

• the Feast of Pentecost (here called Feast of Weeks, i.e. seven weeks = 7 x 7 = 49 days + the next [feast] day = 50 days).

• the Feast of Tabernacles.

As described here, the Feast of Pentecost was an annual harvest festival. It was also called Feast of Harvest - Exodus 23:16, the Day of Firstfruits - Numbers 28:26, and Pentecost in Leviticus 23:16. (Pentecost is based on the Greek translation of fifty days.)

Viewed as a whole, God instituted these feasts to help the Israelites remember their history with Him. Through them they recalled their time of slavery in Egypt, God's miraculous deliverance, their 40-year sojourn in the wilderness in tents, and the fact that God was the source of their blessing.

It's a good thing for us too, to regularly remind ourselves of these things and rejoice, like people did in the Old Testament. Matthew Henry says:

"Never should a believer forget his low estate of guilt and misery, his deliverance, and the price it cost the Redeemer; that gratitude and joy in the Lord may be mingled with sorrow for sin, and patience under the tribulations in his way to the kingdom of heaven. They must rejoice in their receivings from God, and in their returns of service and sacrifice to him; our duty must be our delight, as well as our enjoyment. If those who were under the law must rejoice before God, much more we that are under the grace of the gospel; which makes it our duty to rejoice evermore, to rejoice in the Lord always" - Matthew Henry, Commentary on Deuteronomy 16.

We can celebrate:

• Our unique story of freedom from 'slavery' and our salvation, whether it occurred when we were youngsters or later.

• How God has blessed us in the meantime with family, a home, the family of God.

• How God has seen us through wilderness experiences (death of loved ones, times of sickness like cancer or depression, financial straits, unemployment...).

• How God continues to provide for us through the produce of our own gardens, or the salary from our workplace, or our pensions if we are retired.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the Israelite example of regular, repeating celebrations that helped them review their history with You. Help me to remember in a similar way, and weave an attitude of rejoicing and thanksgiving into the fabric of my life. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 58

The Bible Project VIDEO: NEPHESH: Soul (Shema word study series)



Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Teach your children well

"A Family Prayer" after the painting
by George Agnew Reid (1860-1947).

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 10-12; Psalm 56

TO CHEW ON: "You shall teach them (these words of mine) to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." Deuteronomy 11:19


My parents must have taken this verse to heart, for early in our family life Daddy instituted something we called schluss (a German word that means "conclusion"). It was a time of family devotions when he gathered everyone around to read a story from the Egermeier Bible Story Book. Then we all got on our knees beside our chairs and prayed oldest to youngest, starting with Dad. No matter that we resisted this, as we did when we got older by claiming we hadn't heard him call, or had homework, or were too tired, or even pretending to be asleep. The family altar my parents set up laid a firm foundation for me and my siblings in the Bible and the things of God.

Here Moses suggests that teaching the things of God to our kids should intrude even more into daily life than a once-a-day time of Bible reading and prayer.

He tells parents to teach the things of God using various sense portals. They can write God's words on the walls (sight). They can bind them on their hands (touch). They can speak them (sound). Additionally this teaching can happen anywhere, everywhere: when they sit in their houses and when they go for walks, the last thing at night and the first thing in the morning.

For us to initiate that level of God-awareness and inclusion in our children implies a similar level of God-awareness and inclusion in our own lives.

In Moses' time God-awareness meant learning, meditating, memorizing and discussing God's character and essence as demonstrated in the laws God gave Moses. It also involved storytelling, reminding each other of the ways He had come through for them in signs, wonders and miracles.

We have a more complete picture of God than the Israelites did. For in addition to what the they had, we have the personal reaction to those laws in the Psalms, the heart of a loving Father grieving over His wayward kids demonstrated in the prophets, the fleshing out of God the Son in the Gospels, what it looks like for us to be subjects of the Kingdom He ushered in, in the Epistles, and our own stories.

And so I ask myself, do I acknowledge God's presence in my life to the extent of bringing Him into the decor of my home? Do thoughts of Him preoccupy me often, like first thing in the morning and as I go through my day sitting, working, walking? Does He tuck me in at night? Do I recognize the incidents of God showing Himself present and strong in the circumstances of my life? In order for me to be able to introduce Him as such an ever-present God to my kids and grandkids, I need to first practice His presence in this way myself.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to be intentional about including You in my day. Then help me to pass on my God-awareness to the next generation whenever I have the opportunity. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 56


The Bible Project VIDEO: AHAVAH: Love (Shema word study series)

Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What satisfies our hunger?

Gathering Manna - James Tissot

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 7-9; Psalm 55

TO CHEW ON: "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Deuteronomy 8:3

There's much to see in this verse that connects one of our most basic needs—the need to eat—to our life with God.

"So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger…"

A quick re-read of Israel's travels through the wilderness reminds us of how often they were humbled by hunger. Humbled by hunger is also our stance when we fast (as in fast and pray). We may feel invincible but a day or two without food shows us how vulnerable and dependent we are on regular refueling.

"…and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know…"

Israel, during her manna years, came to know and depend on God in ways unlike anything their forefathers experienced. Are we open to God doing new things in, for, and through us? Are we receptive to whatever God has for us in the area of ministry, influence, service, provision, protection?

"…that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

What connections did manna have with God's words? God gave the Israelites explicit instructions for collecting and using it.

• They were to gather manna once a day before the day got hot and it melted (Exodus 16:4, 21).

• They were to gather enough for each person, no more (Exodus 16:16).

• They were not to save it to eat as leftovers the next day. Some of them tried, only to find it grew maggots and became smelly (Exodus 16:19-20).

• However, on the day before Sabbath, they were collect double the amount and save half for eating the next day (Exodus 16:5).

• On the morning of the Sabbath there was no manna to collect (Exodus 16:26-27).

Whether they ate or not depended on their obedience to God's words. In fact, one of the purposes of manna was to test their obedience (Exodus 16:4). It's significant that Jesus quoted words from this verse to overcome the devil's temptation to satisfy His hunger for food in a Satan-inspired way (Matthew 4:1-4).

We might ask, are we satisfying our deep hungers by trying to live by bread alone—focused on getting our needs met on the natural plane? Let's not forget that God is present in every aspect of life. Real satiation comes from obeying Him and seeking to live in God-acknowledging, God-honoring ways.


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this object lesson of physical hunger that shows me the extent of my need for You and the importance of obedience. Help me to live "by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 55

The Bible Project VIDEO: YHWH: LORD  (SHEMA word study series)

New King James Version (NKJV) Used with permission. The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Seek your Lover

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 4-6; Psalm 54


TO CHEW ON: "But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your soul." Deuteronomy 4:29

The Bible is a love story describing the wooing and pursuing, the back-and-forth between lovers—God and us humans. In many places Bible writers remind us of how God is seeking us. Here Moses prods Israel to seek God.

The little word "but" that begins our focus verse signals a change of thought direction. We see Moses is warning Israel in a prophetic way, that they will stray from following God. When they settle in Canaan they will serve idols and images (Deuteronomy 4:28). God doesn't give them up to these. If and when they seek Him, Moses promises, God will be there for them.

Moses goes on to remind them of all the reasons it makes sense to seek God over idols (a recitation of ways God has pursued them):

• Because of His merciful and faithful nature (Deuteronomy 4:31).

• Because of His creativity and power (Deuteronomy 4:32,33).

• Because He showed them special favor in Egypt when He helped them escape slavery with power signs (Deuteronomy 4:34-35).

• Because He guided them with His voice through the wilderness (Deuteronomy 4:36).

• Because He helped them gain independence from Egypt and other nations (Deuteronomy 4:37-38).

We can find many parallels between God's wooing of Israel and how He pursues us:

1. We too turn to Him from idols. No, these are probably not images of stone or gold, but things we serve more than Him (like success, money, fame, pleasure etc.). That turning may come when we get into trouble, or find ourselves dissatisfied, or over our heads, or any number of reasons.

2. When we return to God, He faithfully meets us with mercy, creativity, and power.

3. Our histories remind us of His faithfulness.

• This could be recent history. Many of his have faith-filled family members who have prayed for us, and whose prayers are answered by our return to God.

• It could be distant history, where we look back at the long story of God's work in our family, community, or nation through immigrants who came to experience freedom of religion, or missionaries who first brought the gospel.

For Israel and for us, the result of being rightly related to God is a future of well-being: "...that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may prolong your days" (Deuteronomy 4:40).


Where are you and I in relation to our lover, God, today? Do we sense He is pursuing us? Are we seeking Him?


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this reminder of Your love and pursuit of Israel and me. Please help me to see where I am being lured away by idols and to serve You with renewed vigor. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 54

The Bible Project VIDEO: SHEMA: Listen (Shema Word Study Series)



Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Inherit the land!

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 1-3; Psalm 53

TO CHEW ON: “You have dwelt long enough at this mountain” - Deuteronomy 1:6

“You have skirted this mountain long enough” - Deuteronomy 2:3 NKJV
“You have roamed around this mountain country long enough” Deuteronomy 2:3 AMP

“… inherit the land…” Deuteronomy 3:28

In these first three chapters of Deuteronomy, Moses reviewed for the Israelites the chain of events that had brought them to this time and place (40 years out of Egypt, camped on the eastern border of Canaan). Three bullet points in his lecture stand out and may apply to us too.

“You have dwelt long enough at this mountain” - Deuteronomy 1:6.

The mountain Moses was referring to here was Mount Sinai. We recall what happened there—an intense experience with God: the law, the Tabernacle, worship, all accompanied by God’s electrifying presence.

But they weren’t to stay there. The day came that God said “You have lived here long enough.”

“You have roamed around this mountain country long enough” - Deuteronomy 2:3 AMP.

Moses continued reminding the Israelites of their history in the wilderness, their 38 years of additional wandering. It was a fate they brought on themselves by their fear and refusal (two years into their journey) to trust that God would give them victory over the fearful giants of Canaan.

Thankfully the day came when God again said, “Enough! it’s time to re-engage with faith and courage and claim the promise I gave you 40 years ago” (my paraphrase).

“… inherit the land” - Deuteronomy 3:28

This is part of the assignment God gave Moses for Joshua at the end of our reading: “But command Joshua and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go before this people and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see.”

How do these things relate to us?

There are times we experience spiritual highs—times when God feels close and intimate. Like Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration, we’d like to camp there… and stay… forever! But that’s not what life is for. We need to re-engage with the world, life, and resume our pilgrimage to realize the purpose and destiny for which we were created.

We can also get stuck going in circles, as the Israelites did. Joyce Meyer has devoted a 10-chapter section of her classic Battlefield of the Mind to “Wilderness Mentalities”—attitudes which keep us from making spiritual progress. She says in the introduction to that section:

“We really shouldn’t look at the Israelites with such astonishment because most of us do the same thing they did. We keep going around and around the same mountains instead of making progress. The result is it takes us years to experience victory over something that could have and should have been dealt with quickly” - Joyce Meyer, Battlefield of the Mind, p. 175.

If we’re n such a place, let’s stop trudging around in the desert and pray for insights into attitudes and actions that will bring breakthrough and take us into the land of all God has for us.

PRAYER: Dear Father, I need Your insights into the parts of my life that seem to be going nowhere. Please show me Your secrets of breakthrough. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 53

The Bible Project VIDEO: Deuteronomy (Read Scripture Series)



Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Thanks for reading! This year we are using The Bible Project "Timeless Reading Plan" to read through the Bible in 2018. If you'd like to read along in your own Bible, you can download a pdf of the reading plan HERE.

God's apprenticeship program for leaders

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 34:1-12

TO CHEW ON: "Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses." Deuteronomy 34:9


I wonder how Joshua first came to Moses' attention, and why. Perhaps it was his innate leadership ability, for he was first mentioned as a leader of the Hebrew fighters when they battled Amalek (Exodus 17:9). (That's the battle that the Israelites won as Moses kept his hands raised with the help of Aaron and Hur.)

He then became Moses' servant—someone who did a lot of lingering in the background. It was Joshua who accompanied Moses partway up Mount Sinai waiting around while Moses got the commandments (Exodus 24:12-13). His staying behind at the tent of meeting after Moses met with God there is fascinating (Exodus 33:11). One gets the sense that he so enjoyed being in God's presence he didn't want to leave.

When Moses sent spies into Canaan, Joshua was one of two (Caleb was the other) who came back with an encouraging report—whose view of God was bigger than fear of the giant Philistines (Numbers 14:6-30). That incident was about 40 years before the events in today's reading.

Moses had recently laid his hand on Joshua in ordination. He was God's choice: "And the Lord said to Moses, 'Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him...and inaugurate him..." (Numbers 27:18-21). Moses then challenged the Israelites to respect and follow him (Deuteronomy 31:1-8). And so here he was, their leader after Moses 'disappeared.'

Joshua is an example of how God sometimes puts future leaders into an apprenticeship program where they serve more than lead.  Elisha serving Elijah is another instance of this.

It doesn't always work out that way with servants, though. Remember Gehazi, Elisha's servant? Elisha may have been trying to mentor him. After all, he sent Gehazi back with the Shunamite woman to raise her son from death. Gehazi couldn't do it (2 Kings 4:29-31). And later, he proved himself unworthy as even a servant when he went after Naaman for the gift he had offered Elisha, lying to both Naaman and his boss (2 Kings 5:20-27).

Perhaps you sense that you're really leader material but feel stuck in the background serving. Don't grow impatient. Rather let this time of service sift and strengthen you. For if leadership is God's plan for your future, you are in the perfect apprenticeship program.


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the example of wise, godly Joshua who served before he led. Help me to be a willing and faithful servant, waiting for You to raise me to more responsibility—or not. Amen.

MORE: A verse to memorize

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." James 4:10

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do you know what is in your heart?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 8:1-10

TO CHEW ON: "And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not." Deuteronomy 8:2


If you want to discover your grumpiness, irritability, and general unpleasantness potential, put yourself under stress. For me, even something as ordinary as camping in the rain with little kids was enough to expose impatience and short-temper just under the thin veneer of pleasantness and longsuffering.

I often ask myself, when I watch people on the news as they react to natural disasters—how would I do in that situation? It's the same with stories of the Exodus in the Bible. Though it's easy to be condemning of the Israelites as they make their grumbling way through the desert, I wonder, would I have been any different?

In our reading today, Moses, in a farewell message to the Israelites, explains the why behind God's dealings with them. Their hardship, hunger, and thirst show them how helpless they are on their own and how much they need God. The way their clothes don't wear out and their feet don't swell show them they can trust God for the most practical, down-to-earth details. Their testing is never arbitrary or random but for a purpose, to show them how much they need God and to strengthen character in them. It is to build a people who, even when the stress is off, will remember the origins of their supply and good fortune.

We may be dismayed at how difficulties show us up as selfish, fearful, impatient etc. At such times it's easy to get discouraged with our many immaturities. But we mustn't stay down on ourselves too long. For such self-revelations are also positive:

• They give us glimpses of who we really are.

• They keep us from being proud and judgmental of others.

• They throw us on God. We can ask Him to help us understand the roots of our reactions.  We can go to Him for daily spiritual nourishment, just like the Israelites went out to gather manna six days a week. In this way our difficulties will help us change. They will "do you good in the end" - Deuteronomy 8:16.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me understand the roots of my irritability, impatience, worry — all the things that show up in me when I'm under stress. Help me to deal with them in a way that will build character and trust in You. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.

How has God brought you out?

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 6:10-25

TO CHEW ON: “When your son asks you, in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgements which the LORD our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand…’”  Deuteronomy 6:20-21

Here Moses, in one of his last sermons to the Israelites, commanded them to tell their story to the next generation.

The psalmist Asaph gave a similar instruction:

“I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
 Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children,
Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done….

That they may set their hope in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments.” - Psalm 78: 2-4, 7

I am currently involved in a weekly Bible study of Judges. The book is an illustration of what happens when people don’t pass on their stories of faith to the next generation. Judges 2:10 summarizes it in one verse:

“When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for them” (emphasis added).

Why didn’t they know the Lord or His work? Because no one had bothered to tell them the stories—of Passover night and the escape from Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, the daily manna and the cloud that never left them by day or night, the sweetened water at Mara… etc.

Asaph recognized that lack and referred to it and the resulting up and down cycles (sin, conquest, repentance deliverance, and freedom) that Israel went through time and again in Judges (Psalm 78:56-64).

The example of Israel is a lesson to us. Faith for us too is one generation away from extinction. How do we keep that from happening? One way is to tell the stories of God at work in history and in our lives:

1. Read Bible stories to our children and grandchildren.

2. Encourage our elders (parents, grandparents) to tell their faith stories and record them in some way (written, audio, video).

3. Tell our own faith stories to our children, write them in journals or books to pass on and / or make audio and video recordings.

4. Read the stories of Christian pioneers and missionaries (biographies, autobiographies, memoirs) to our children and grandchildren.

In our fast-paced world:

• We may need to become intentional about this, making time and space to do it. 
• We need to be aware of the best moments to share: with children—at bedtime, around the campfire, during car rides. 
• We may need to take a writing course on the best way to write our story, or join a writers group that encourages us along those lines.

Whatever it takes, let’s not neglect to tell our stories, to pass on the stories of how God has brought our forefathers (and how God has brought us and is bringing us) out!

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for the way You have worked in my life. Help me to be faithful in passing on my story to the next generation. Amen.
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What we already know

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 30:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "But the word is very near you in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it." Deuteronomy 30:14

There is within us humans a thirst for novelty. We get bored with the old ways of handling life and want to try something new—a new diet, a new way of organizing life, a new way of staying fit. There's nothing wrong with this thirst for newness unless it threatens to draw us away from the true and tested. Perhaps this tendency accounted for Israel's habit of straying from God in trying out new religions.

Here, in one of his final addresses to Israel before they enter Canaan, Moses warns the people against making such novel but idolatrous choices.  The commands I'm giving you today, he says to Israel (my paraphrase), are not hard to understand, not something you need to search for, not a secret of heaven (Deuteronomy 30:11-13). Rather, they are "… very near you, in your mouth, and in your mind and in your heart" - Deuteronomy 30:14 AMP.

Those of us who have been Christ-followers for a long time do well to take to heart Moses' warning to the Israelites  for ourselves. If we, over a lifetime of being disciples, have read God's word, hidden it in our hearts by memorizing it and meditating on it, and tried to live by it, God's instructions are also near us. We don't need to search out the latest book, subscribe to the hottest new speaker's podcasts, or keep up with the theological blogs to discover how to live.

Let's follow Moses' advice to Israel here, and do/obey/live according to what we already know.

PRAYER: Dear God, it's so easy to look for shortcuts or jump on the bandwagon of the latest spiritual craze. Help me to trust and obey Your familiar word. Amen.
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Life choices

Image: pixabay

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 30:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "Now choose life so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the LORD is your life." Deuteronomy 30:19,20

The Israelite's choices with their resultant consequences are spelled out clearly here. It's hard to understand why they habitually turned away from right actions that would lead to God's favour, choosing instead to defy and offend Him.

Were these black-and-white choices just for them? Or do we face the same challenge? In other words, does the way we live and love God impact not only our eternal destiny but our life on earth?

My experience tells me we will never be able to predict or control God's actions (we've all seen what we consider to be bad things happen to good people). But we do have choices and control what we do. We can do what is required: "Love the LORD your God."

I love the cross-reference given to expand on "love the LORD your God" in the NIV Study Bible:

"Love the LORD your god with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength" - Deuteronomy 6:5.

That's loving Him with our emotions (heart), intellect (soul) and strength (our physical selves). That's pretty much all of us!

When we "hold fast' to God with all of our being in those ways, I believe we can have every confidence that God will deal with us in ways that are best for us.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to continually choose to love You with all of my being, even when I don't understand the happenings in my life. Amen.

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Unless noted otherwise, all Scriptures quoted in this meditation are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

First fruits - a custom to revive?

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 26:1-15

TO CHEW ON: “…behold I have brought the first fruits of the land which you, O Lord, have given me. Then shall you set it before the Lord your God. So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given to you and your house and the Levite and the stranger who is among you.” Deuteronomy 26:10-11


It is one thing to declare that we and all we have belongs to God. It is quite another to demonstrate it with action. The Israelites found this out when they were about to enter Canaan after wandering around in the desert for 40 years.

In today’s passage they were on the border of their new home and Moses was giving them farewell instructions. When they finally entered this land of legendary abundance, they were not supposed to stop trusting God. To illustrate this trust, they were to bring part of their first picking of grapes, olives, figs, wheat – whatever this land of ‘milk and honey’ produced – to God as an offering of first fruits.

Though these first fruit offerings were used to feed the Levites and the poor, that wasn’t their main purpose. Rather it was to remind the Israelites that God continued to be their source of supply. As my old New Bible Dictionary explains it:

“Their purpose was not to consecrate it but to deconsecrate it. All was God’s until the first portion had been offered and accepted in lieu of the whole. Only then was the restriction on the human use of the remains removed.” p. 1117.

Giving an offering of first fruits is no longer part of our tradition. But reviving it might not be a bad idea. There is nothing that drives home a theoretical point like a little action to illustrate it. So if you’ve entrusted yourself to God and yet continue to worry about how your needs are going to be met, maybe you should give yourself a little object lesson and in faith present a first fruit offering of your next cheque. Just saying…

PRAYER: Dear God, “I bring my tithes and offerings into the storehouse, and I believe and confess that You, Lord, open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it. I honor You, Lord, with the first fruits of my increase. I confess that my storage places are filled with plenty in the name of Jesus.” from Praying with Fire by Barb Billett, p. 91.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What will your epitaph be?

Moses on Mount Nebo - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 34:1-12

TO CHEW ON: "But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face." Deuteronomy 34:10

Moses was a unique individual who did a lot of amazing things.

• His upbringing in scribe-enamored Egypt gave him the education to write most of the first five books of the Bible.

• He performed incredible miracles (or, God performed then through him)

• He led without fear, overcoming resistance, criticism, rebellion, revolt, discouragement, and harsh conditions.

But none of these things are mentioned on his 'gravestone'—this passage which sums up his life. Instead, he is memorable because of his friendship with God: "But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face" (see also Exodus 33:11; Numbers 12:8).

The Bible makes claims of people having such intimacy with God only a few times. Here are some that come to mind:

- Enoch walked with God (Genesis 5:24).

- Abraham was also called God's friend - 2 Chronicles 20:7; James 2:23.

- David was called a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).

Moses' epitaph as a man with whom God talked face to face brings me to the question, What will be the lasting impression of my life? What about yours?

Oh that it would be something that is more durable than deed or accomplishment—like being known as God's friend!

PRAYER: Dear God, as I go through life, help me to view my relationships, efforts and accomplishments through the lens of what is of lasting importance. Amen.

MORE: Feast of the Transfiguration

Today the church celebrates the Feast of the Transfiguration where Moses and Elijah appear on the mountain with Jesus.

The day's liturgy begins with this collect:

O God, who on the holy mount revealed to chosen witnesses your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with you, O Father, and you, O Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Choose life!

"Moses speaks to Israel"
by Paul Hardy

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 30:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life that both you and your descendants may live." Deuteronomy 30:19

The book of Deuteronomy is a series of farewell talks that  Moses gave to the Israelites just before they entered Canaan. Our reading today is the end of his third message where he begs the people, who will inevitably wander away from God,  to return to Him and choose life.

Look at how he persuades, instructs, and pleads:

1. They can come home (Deuteronomy 30:1-5):
They will wander. But God's call for them to return is mighty appealing. It's a call from captivity to freedom, from separation to togetherness. It's an invitation to come HOME!

2. God will change them at the deepest level (Deuteronomy 30:6):
How will God keep them from wandering away again? He will circumcise their hearts. We know how male circumcision was a physical sign of God's covenant with the Israelites. Here God promises to carve that same incision of covenant into their hearts. It's a mark that will, like physical circumcision, affect them spiritually at the deepest most private place. And like physical circumcision is irreversible, so this heart circumcision will help them stay the course.

3. God is for them (Deuteronomy 30:7, 9):
When they choose God, the tables will be turned on their persecutors while God blesses them in quantifiable ways—more kids, more cows, more crops!

4. The choice is clear (Deuteronomy:11-14):
This is no new, hidden, mysterious, distant or confusing matter. It's a choice they've faced before. It's near them, in them. What is it?
- A choice to love God (vs. 6).
- A choice to obey God (vs. 10).

5. The choice is important (Deuteronomy 30:15-20):
It's important because it's a choice between good and evil, life and death. "Choose life," Moses begs, "so that you and your children will live."

Imagine Moses preaching this sermon in my church or yours. It would be fitting, wouldn't it — his plea for backsliders to return with the assurance that God can permanently change hearts. His confronting us with the challenge to love and obey God in the context of all the things that clamour for our allegiance. His plea that we make the right decision because it will impact our eternal destiny.

I ask myself have I chosen life? Or have I, in my heart, wandered away, even set up some idolatrous outposts? What about you?

PRAYER: Father God, help me in today's every decision to understand what's at stake and to choose life. Amen.

MORE: The Prodigal Son

Moses' plea for wanderers to come home reminds me of the story of the prodigal son, told with true storytelling skill in this YouTube video: "Jesus of Nazareth: The Prodigal Son."

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.