Don't let your spirit wear out with your body

Smiling elderly man  - RGBStock.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Corinthians 3-4; Psalm 150

TO CHEW ON: "Therefore we do not lost heart. Even though our outward man is perishing yet the inward man is being renewed day by day." 2 Corinthians 4:16

At our home group meetings we typically hear one prayer request after  another for healing and better physical health (our group is made up of seniors). It illustrates how, after a certain age, the body wears out and falls prey to a variety of diseases and malignancies. Our "outward man is perishing."

But we are not to lose heart in this. Why? Because our "inward man is being renewed day by day."

But is it? Despite failing physical systems, a slower pace, loss of vitality, energy, brain power and drive, are we being renewed? How does this happen?A collection of verses under the heading "New Person" in my Bible gives some ideas of how this comes about.


Renewed day by day:

1. It starts with confession of and turning from sin on our part and a work of God's grace in our hearts - Ezekiel 18:30-31; Psalm 51:10.


2.By faith we accept that God is doing something in us - Philippians 2:13.

• A little further on in our 2 Corinthians reading Paul reminds us: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation—old things have passed away, all things have become new" - 2 Corinthians 5:17.

• There may be other evidences too. For Saul there were new powers of prophecy. Samuel promised him he would be "turned into another man" - 1 Samual 10:6.

3. But we don't just sit by waiting for ourselves to be magically changed. We cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He prompts us to live differently.

• We spend time with God. Isaiah talks about waiting on the Lord to renew strength (Isaiah 40:31).

• We cut away old habits and practices of sin and in this way identify or mark ourselves as God's possession. Paul refers to this in Colossians 2:11 as the "circumcision of Christ."

• We refuse to be defined by and conformed to our former lusts - 1 Peter 1:14.

• We put on the new man - Colossians 3:10.

4. We persevere despite physical failings and weakness.

• Our focus verse (2 Corinthians 4:16) reminds us not to lose heart despite the fact that  physically we're wearing out.

• Philippians 1:6 reassures us that "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."

So, if our bodies are failing us and the state of our affairs is deteriorating rather than improving, we need to remind ourselves this is happening only in the physical, earth realm. In the meantime, our spiritual renewal can and should continue day by day till we pass from this life to the next.

PRAYER: Dear God, I pray that the day by day renewal Paul talks about here will happen in me. Help me to rise above the trials of a wearing out body and cooperate with You in this process. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 150

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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.

Say the words and seal your faith

The Crucifixion - Alexandre Bida

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Romans 9-10; Psalm 137

TO CHEW ON: "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

In this passage, which gets at the nub of the good news—that we can be saved from our default sinful state—Paul makes several points.

1. Christ is the end of the law. He fulfilled it.
My Bible's notes explain: "Thus Paul emphasizes the sufficiency of faith in receiving the righteousness of God because in fulfilling the law's demands, Christ terminated its claim" - Wayne Grudem, notes on Romans, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1565.
We no longer have to be concerned about keeping the law perfectly to earn salvation—something we could never do in any case. Jesus did it for us.

2. Accepting this good news and having it apply to our lives is not hard or complicated. It involves two steps:
- Confessing our belief with our mouth—aloud, to ourselves, to others.
- Believing in our hearts that Jesus' death and resurrection (not keeping the rules of the law, not our good works) are the basis of our being saved from the death penalty our sins deserve.

I find the order of Paul's words here interesting. Wouldn't you think the sensible order would be to believe first and then confess? But he says confess, then believe.

I submit this order is no mistake. For though the germ of belief exists in thoughts (before they are uttered as words) there is something about saying the words that nails down the belief. As my Bible commenter puts it: "Oral confession declares, confirms and seals the belief in the heart" - Ibid.

If you're a believer who never expresses your faith aloud, complete the process. Say the words to yourself and to others. Say something like this (or put it in your own words): "I believe Jesus' death was not for His sins but for the sins of the world—mine included. I believe that God raised Him from the dead. Because I trust in His death and resurrection (not my own efforts), I am saved."

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for making this way for me to be saved from my sinful condition and sinful acts. Help me to express my beliefs out loud and often. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 137

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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.

Would people say we've been with Jesus?

"Peter and John before the Sanhedrin"
- Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Acts 3-4; Psalm 120

TO CHEW ON: "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13

Peter and John have just got into their first scrap with the Jewish religious leaders. The lame man healed at the temple gate has opened the door to Peter's presentation of Jesus—who He was and is—and the receptivity of the audience galls the temple officials. They arrest Peter and John and, after a night in jail, these two appear before the high priest who asks, "By what power or by what name have you done this?"

Peter, with his post-Pentecost boldness declares, "...by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth .... Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved" - Acts 4:10,12.

It is then these rulers make their telling observation: "... they realized they had been with Jesus." I like how Barnes Notes on the Bible enlarges on this moment:

"It is not said in what way they obtained this evidence, but the connection leads us to suppose it was by the miracle which they had performed, by their firm and bold declaration of the doctrines of Jesus, and perhaps by the irresistible conviction that none would be thus bold who had not been personally with him, and who had not the firmest conviction that he was the Messiah.


They had not been trained in their schools, and their boldness could not be attributed to the arts of rhetoric, but was the native, ingenuous, and manly exhibition of a deep conviction of the truth of what they spoke, and that conviction could have been obtained only by their having been with him..." Barnes Notes on the Bible.

This passage always pricks me, and leaves me with the question: Would people interacting with me, talking to me, reading me, detect that I have been with Jesus? What about you? Do we have that boldness of rock-solid faith in Him who said, "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6)? Is there about our lives the perfume of His presence (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)?.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I want people to say of me, She has been with Jesus. Perhaps, in order for that to happen, I need to rearrange my priorities so that I actually spend more time with You. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 120


The Bible Project VIDEO: The Holy Spirit (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.

I'm sorry. Please forgive me

"David Asking Forgiveness" by Julius Schnorr Von Carolsfeld (1851-60)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Nehemiah 10-11; Psalm 51

TO CHEW ON: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:17

Psalm 51 is David's eloquent prayer of repentance, prayed after the prophet Nathan confronted him with God's reaction to his role in the Bathsheba affair. I wonder, had he been avoiding God in the interim? Or had he carried on as usual, pretending everything was fine between them? Now that he knew things weren't fine, a lot of seemingly pent-up realizations came bubbling to the surface:

• He's been feeling dirty: "wash me thoroughly ... purge me with hyssop ... wash me..." (Psalm 51:2, 7, 10). My Bible's footnotes explain, "The Hebrew word for wash (vs. 10)  is not the one used for the simple cleansing of a dish in water but rather the washing of clothes by beating and pounding them" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible p. 727.

• His sin has been bothering him—even if he squelched it down pretending it was no big deal: "...my sin is always before me..." (Psalm 51:3,4).

• He admits that he deceived himself and needs God's help for that not to happen again: "Behold You desire truth in the inward parts / And in the hidden part you will make me know wisdom" (Psalm 51:6).

• His sin has sucked the joy out of life: "Make me hear joy and gladness .... Restore to me the joy of Your salvation" (Psalm 51:8,12).

• It has silenced his praise: "O Lord, open my lips / And my mouth shall sing aloud of Your righteousness" (Psalm 51:15).

• He fears God's Spirit has left or will leave him: "Do not cast me away from Your presence / And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me" (Psalm 51:11).

• He has a renewed realization that God is holy and not someone with whom to toy: "Have mercy upon me, O God ... Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed" (Psalm 51:1, 14).

• No bargaining, he gives God carte blanche to deal with him over this sin: "Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion" (Psalm 51:18).

I would suggest that David's reactions to his uncovered sin are frequently ours as well. That's why Psalm 51 is often our destination when we've sinned and we're needing to confess and repent.

May our words be as sincere, our spirits as broken, our hearts as contrite as David's appear to be when we read or recite this sacrifice of confession and repentance.

PRAYER: Dear God, You know how easily and often I sin and feel the same emotions as David expresses here. Help me to be as repentant as he was. May I learn from these times so that "truth in the inner parts" and wisdom in the "hidden part" become my lifestyle. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 51

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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.

Weep at the Word

Reading the Law - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Nehemiah 7-9; Psalm 50

TO CHEW ON: "And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, 'This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.' For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law." Nehemiah 8:9

If you are familiar with Moses' law—that part of the Bible we find in sections of Exodus and Leviticus—you may well be surprised to see people weeping when it is read. Why would they weep on hearing a bunch of rules?

On thinking about it, I can come up with several reasons;

• It may have been the emotion they felt as they again connected with their religious and cultural roots. It seems that these people were unschooled in the law. We can assume that because of the way they needed a lot of explanation when it was read (Nehemiah 8:7). Even so, they probably had glimmerings of it, passed down through generations. But on this momentous day, as they respectfully stood for its reading, they were hearing the real thing for the first time in their lives. No wonder they got choked up.

• They were saddened by how far they had strayed from the law's requirements. But their teachers urged them—don't look at yourselves; focus on God. Make this day holy or separate to God. Let the joy of who God is and what He is doing now, energize you (Nehemiah 8:9-10).

• They were under conviction and their tears were evidence that God was at work in their lives. I love how this incident is the climax of their wall-repair project—an experience that had been both exhilarating and stressful. But they had completed it

Fresh from the victory of re-establishing the integrity of their city, they were primed for the victory of returning to God in spirit. Their sensitivity to God's will and eagerness to obey is on display as they jumped to obey the instructions to keep the Feast of Booths—something that had apparently not been done since the time of Joshua (Nehemiah 8:13-18).

What is our reaction to God's word? We have not only the Law, but the stories, the prophets, the New Testament, much of it plain and easy to understand.

• Do we respect it (to the extent of willingly standing for its reading when our pastors instruct us to, of course) as these people did?
• Do we hear it with the sense that it applies to us personally?
• Do we focus on how badly we've messed up, or on God and His goodness to us, His plan of salvation, and the hopeful outlook that trust in Him brings?
• Are we quick to change our ways when we see where we have been disobedient?

May our lives be evidence of us going from one obedience to the next (like these people did), as we let the hammer / fire / lamp / sword of God's word do its work.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your word which tells me about You and educates me in Your ways. May I take it as personally as these people who, on hearing, wept, repented, and obeyed. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 50


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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.

The prayer that changed a nation's story

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Nehemiah 1-3; Psalm 48

TO CHEW ON: "And so it was, when I heard these words that I sat down and wept and mourned for many days' I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven." - Nehemiah 1:4


The word economy of the Bible quickly gets us to the crux of the matter in this story that takes place at the end of the Old Testament time. The described state of his fellow Hebrews in Jerusalem distresses Nehemiah (who is a servant of Persian King Artaxerxes) immensely. So he does what we should all do when we're distressed—goes to the One who can help.

Nehemiah 1:5-11 is Nehemiah's heartfelt prayer. Let's look closely at it to see what we can learn about prayer from it.

1. Nehemiah begins by addressing God: "Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God..." His beginning puts him in his place and vaults God to His. By saying these faith-building words (Nehemiah 1:5) Nehemiah also reminds himself of God's power and ability to answer.

2. Nehemiah includes himself with the people (Nehemiah 1:6-7).  Though he is many miles away and probably hasn't participated personally in the sins he confesses, he stands in solidarity with his countrymen. His identification with them also shows his understanding of how God works in and through nations.

3. He prays God's words back to Him. Nehemiah 1:8-9 are a paraphrase a Moses' words in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, recalling words of warning and blessing to Israel from centuries earlier (see Leviticus 26:33 and Deuteronomy 4:25-27, 29-30; 28:63-67; 30:4).

4. He names his request. He reminds God of the investment He has already made in Israel (Nehemiah 1:10) and pleads for mercy, for himself (from his boss, the King of Persia; 'would God move the heart of a king to give him favor?') and in that, also for all of Israel (Nehemiah 1:11).

The rest of the book of Nehemiah tells the story of how King Artaxerxes releases Nehemiah from his duties, finances and equips his trip to Jerusalem, and then how Nehemiah leads the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall and eventually a spiritual revival.

What large and small things are troubling us today? Let's pray about them. Let's pray remembering how big and capable God is in contrast to our own neediness, frailty, and unworthiness. Let's pray God's words—His promises—back to Him, naming our requests with all the passion and emotion they bring up in his.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for prayer. Help me to realize that a burden about a situation or person is also an invitation to pray about it. Help me to pray from my heart,  with faith in You and Your power. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 48

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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.

Building with untempered mortar

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Ezekiel 13-15; Psalm 34

TO CHEW ON: “So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.” Ezekiel 13:14

“The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.” Psalm 34:18

I read the blog of Rod Dreher (author of The Benedict Option). In a series of posts last week, he reported on accusations of sexual abuse of a teenage boy by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick 50 years ago. Though McCarrick denies that this happened, Dreher uncovers the picadilloes of McCarrick and other priests, actions that have gone on for years and which were widely known (read “Church: Cardinal McCarrick is a  Molester”).

Dreher was investigating allegations of McCarrick’s sexual activity with student priests (adults) as long ago as 2002 but no one would testify “on the record” and so the story went nowhere. The Catholic priest sex scandal drove Dreher to leave the Catholic church years ago in disillusionment.

At the end of another post (“Uncle Ted & the Grand Inquisitor”) Dreher quotes an email he received from a reader about his reporting on these things. It says, in part: “I simply don’t understand your eagerness with this prosecution of McCarrick. … We must protect our brand, our shield, our faith! … In short, we must handle these issues swiftly, legally, but privately. … Image is everything and when it comes to the One True Church we MUST protect her” (emphasis in the original).

The false prophets of Ezekiel’s time would agree that “Image is everything.” But it’s not everything to God. And when the protection of image comes at the price of truth, I would submit that that’s pretty much building a wall or a life with “untempered mortar.”

I ask myself, am I doing that—are you—building a life and reputation on image that’s covering up sin and rottenness?

David, in Psalm 34, tells us how to get back on track with God (the only One to whom our image really matters). It’s with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, by coming clean with tears of “sorry,” then leaving our sinful ways behind.

PRAYER: Dear Father You see everything. I can’t cover anything from You. Help me to build my life with the trusted mortar of truth, not the “untempered mortar” of lies. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 34.

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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.

The burden of concealment

Achan hides his loot - Artist Unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ezekiel 5-8; Psalm 32

TO CHEW ON: "When I kept silent my bones grew old through my groaning all day long." Psalm 32:3


David writes Psalm 32 from a place of relief. He had covered a sin, then come clean and confessed it.  He contrasts the way it feels to be holding his secret with the relief of having confessed. Let's take a look at the effects of covering or concealing sin on David - Psalm 32:3,4:

"When I kept silent…

• "…my bones grew old…" - He felt a sense of fragility and weakness.

• "…through my groaning all day long." - He experienced day-long agony of spirit.

• "For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;" - God's presence felt heavy, not comforting.

• "My vitality was turned into the drought of summer" - he felt useless and unproductive, like a plant shrivels and grows weak without water.

A brief overview of others who practiced concealment in the Bible show more side effects of covering sin:

• Adam and Eve attempted to hide from God (Genesis 3:8), though it was and is impossible (Psalm 139:11; Luke 12:2; Revelation 6:16).

• Achan and Gehazi had to sneak around and hide their stolen treasures - Joshua 7:21; 2 Kings 5:24.

• Isaiah talks about permanent deep changes to the person who lives a life of concealment. He calls it becoming "warped" - Isaiah 47:10.

I don't know if you have ever refused to confess a known sin, but I have.  I can witness to how accurate David is in describing what it feels like.

Contrast those feelings with how everything changes for him following his confession:
He feels:

• a desire to be with God again - Psalm 32:6.

• security in God's presence -  Psalm 32:7.

• joy, expressed in singing and shouting - Psalm 32:7, 11.

• direction and purpose - Psalm 32:8.

• gratitude for God's mercy - Psalm 32:10.

If you are holding onto a secret sin thinking you can live like this indefinitely, stop kidding yourself. Expose your secret. Make it right with God and any person involved. Then watch the vitality and joy flow back into your relationship with God and others.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for David's vivid and accurate description of concealment. Help me to live my life clear and transparent before you and others. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 32

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

Secret?

Nathan Confronts David

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Samuel 9-12; Psalm 89

TO CHEW ON: "But what David had done was evil in the Lord's eyes .... 'You did what you did secretly, but I will do what I am doing before all Israel in the light of day.'" 2 Samuel 11:27b, 12:12.

On the day of Nathan the prophet's visit, at least nine months, perhaps a year or more had passed since David had begun his affair with Bathsheba, been foiled in his attempt to cover it up with a visit from the front by her husband Uriah, and then had Uriah murdered. Now, with his relationship to Bathsheba legitimized by marriage, he probably thought that he'd gotten away with what he'd done. Not so fast, David!

Nathan told David of God's deep displeasure. This showed David that his attempt to be sneaky with God was useless. No wonder David penned the words:

"If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall fall on me,'

Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from you,
But the night shines as the day;

The darkness and the light are both alike to You'" - Psalm 139:11,12.

Other Bible incidents remind us of God's all-seeing ability:

• Adam and Even couldn't hide from God - Genesis 3:18

• The garment and the gold and silver Achan secretly took from Jericho were uncovered - Joshua 7:18

• Ananias's and Sapphira's lie to Peter came to light - Acts 5:1-11

And there are many more Bible examples of secrets becoming public knowledge.

Our attempts to sneak around behind God's back will prove just as futile. He still knows, sees, and has the ability to expose us. Let's let the words of Jesus Himself warn us:

"For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops" -Luke 12:2,3 (emphasis added).

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to be honest in the way I live, first with myself, and then with You and others. If I have committed secret sins, please give me the courage to confess them and make them right. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 89

MORE: A false declaration

I remember exactly where I was when I recalled that I had lied on my declaration of the value of goods I brought into Canada after my Europe trip (back in the '70s). Seemingly from out of the blue, as I was walking down the hallway at Bible School where I was attending an alumni event, the realization came to me, and the thought: I'm going to have to make this right.

Don't kid yourself, it was a struggle. I had a mighty argument with myself:
- This happened a while ago. Why bring it up now? I just won't do anything like this again.
- I don't have the precise numbers.
-  What would the consequences be? Could Canadian Customs and Excise go after me?

Eventually, though, I wrote and mailed a letter, and felt better. Now there was nothing between God and me. And, as often occurs with such confessions, all my fears were groundless. I think I received a confirmation that they got my letter, but nothing more happened. It was an action so worth doing to have my relationship with Jesus clear and open again.

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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.

Does God discipline us with illness?

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Leviticus 26,27; Psalm 39

 
TO CHEW ON: “But if you do not obey me, and do not observe all these commandments… I will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart” - Leviticus 26:14,16

“Remove your plague from me;
I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.
Deliver me from all my transgression;
Do not make me the reproach of the foolish.
I was mute. I did not open my mouth,
Because it was You who did it.” Psalm 39:8-10

Was David (the writer of Psalm 39) right in connecting his sickness to God’s hand of discipline? Reading Leviticus and Psalm 39 together, it’s hard not to make that connection.

In fact, the consequence of sickness as a result of sin is a connection made in other places in the Bible.

In the New Testament, when Jesus and His disciples were confronted by a man born blind, the disciples asked Jesus, was it the man’s sin or his parents’ that was the cause of his blindness. Jesus replied, neither, but this blindness occurred so God’s works should be shown in him (John 9:1,3).

However, Paul connected the ill health of the Corinthians with the careless way they were participating in the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:30). And James, when speaking of prayers for the sick, mentioned confession and forgiveness of sins (James 5:13-16) as integral to healing.

Exactly how God is involved in / causes / allows / disciplines with our sicknesses we probably won’t know until eternity. But one thing is certain—our repentance from sin resets our relationship with God. Even harsh Leviticus 26 bears this out:

“But if they confess their iniquity … then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham I will remember…” Leviticus 26:40,42.

I love how my Bible’s study notes sum this up:

“Re: “Then I will remember My covenant” (Leviticus 26:42): The theme that God remembers His promise and never goes back on His word is emphasized in the covenant relationship. The community of the covenant is never without hope. God is always ready to receive His people in repentance even after they have failed and abandoned Him” - Brad H. Young, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 167.

PRAYER: Dear Father, please convict me of sins in my life that make me vulnerable to sickness. May I be quick to repent and turn from them. Amen.
 
PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 39

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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.

Whose side are you really on?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 12:27-41


TO CHEW ON: "But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him."


We see a tug-of-war between faith and skepticism over Jesus' identity as God in this passage. It's clearly stated in the two verses just beyond our reading: "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him lest they should be put out of the synagogue" - John 12:42.

First we observe a serious Jesus who said disturbing things like "'My soul is troubled and what should I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour''?..." right in front of a crowd.  

 An onlooker might be skeptical and ask, could someone who is divine be a victim?

A thunderous heavenly voice answered Jesus' prayer. This caused confusion in the bystanders. They had various natural explanations about what this voice was, but Jesus told them it was God speaking for their benefit giving His very stamp of approval on Jesus.  

Faith: God speaking from heaven was a pretty strong endorsement of Jesus and His claims OR 

Skepticism: It was just thunder; He was deluded about what He was hearing.

Jesus then talked about being lifted up from the earth and drawing all people to Himself (John 12:32). As astute students of the Old Testament, which many of those in the crowd were, they would have recognized this allusion to the brass serpent that Moses erected during the Israelites' wandering, which those bitten by deadly serpents needed only to look to, to be saved (Numbers 21:4-9). 

Faith: Jesus is making some pretty powerful claims OR 
Skepticism: He's obviously crazy!

When they questioned, "You say 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?" Jesus again predicted that He would leave them and pleaded with them to "'Walk while you have the light... While you have the light believe in the light that you may become sons of light'" John 12:34-36.

Skepticism: could a man linking Himself so openly with deity actually be subject to death?

Faith: He talked before about being light - John 8:12-30.)

Of course in addition to these verbal interchanges, there are all the signs and wonders Jesus performed - John 12:37.

Faith: Who but Someone with God's power could perform such powerful miracles?

All this back-and-forth did not move the skeptics, who had long since made up their minds about who Jesus was, from their position of skepticism. And yet "Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" - John 12:42,43.

They believed, but they didn't make it public by changing sides!

Ouch! Isn't there a temptation for us to do this as well? In a world where faith in Christ is scorned and ridiculed for many reasons, isn't it also our temptation to be secret believers, even though our fears of what would happen if we confessed Jesus openly are as well founded as the fears of these rulers were (John 7:13; 9:22)?

But if silent, embarrassed, ashamed belief is our temptation for whatever reason, there is another consequence we should bear in mind—a consequence far more serious than losing the popularity and praise of people.

"'Therefore, everyone who acknowledges Me before men and confesses Me [out of a state of oneness with Me], I will also acknowledge him before My Father Who is in heaven and confess [that I am abiding in] him. But whoever denies and disowns Me before men, I also will deny and disown him before My Father Who is in heaven'" Matthew 10:32-33 (Amplified)

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to come out of the closet, as it were, about my faith in you. Help me to be confess You in all company. Amen. 

"I'd Rather Have Jesus"

MORE: Holy Cross Day

Today the church celebrates the cross. The liturgy for Holy Cross Day begins with this collect:

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ was lifted high upon the cross that he might draw the whole world to himself: Mercifully grant that we, who glory in the mystery of our redemption, may have grace to take up our cross and follow him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. 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)

Wisdom that leads to confusion

Image: Pixabay.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: James 3:13-4:10

TO CHEW ON: "But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above but is earthily, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there." James 3:14-16


James calling "bitter envy and self-seeking" wisdom snags my attention. Of course we catch his undertone of sarcasm, for envy and self-seeking aren't wisdom at all—or are they?

It's certain that they're not godly wisdom. A sidebar article in my Bible underlines the source of such wisdom:

"This text notes both envy and strife—their source and the impact they can make. Ultimately the "devilish" source of both indicates satanic enterprise finding human cooperation" Billy Joe Daugherty, "Avoiding Strife," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible p. 1755.

One result of the wisdom of envy and self-seeking is "confusion."

[The Greek word transliterated confusion is akatastasia. It means instability, a state of disorder, disturbance, confusion.]

That word is used four other places in the New Testament.

• In Luke 21:9 it is rendered "commotions" and describes the riled up condition of the world before "the end."

• In 1 Corinthians 14:33 where Paul says, "for God is not the author of confusion but of peace…" it's after an appeal to the Corinthians to give way to each other during church ministry and not seek the limelight for themselves.

• In 2 Corinthians 6:5 Paul use of akatastasia is transliterated "tumults" in the list of things he has endured as a Christian.

• And in 2 Corinthians 12:20 it figures as "disturbances"—along with "strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance"—in the list of things Paul fears he will find when he visits the church in Corinth.

It's easy to see why envy and self-seeking cause confusion. For if we're all seeking to stroke our own egos, the goals of the group are fractured in as many pieces as there are members. But if the purpose of each is to honor and glorify Jesus and advance His kingdom with no concern about who gets the credit, unity and cooperation will result.

The trouble is, this wisdom of envy and self-seeking is not only ingrained in our society but it seems to be stamped on our very psyches. It's part of our human nature. That's why the end of our reading is important. James, after tracing the dead-end path of this demonic wisdom, even into prayer and pseudo-devotion (James 4:1-4) gives the prescription for our envious, selfish tendencies (James 4:8-10):

1. Seek God: "Draw near to God."
2. Confess: "Cleanse … hands, purify … hearts… lament, mourn, and weep"
3. Humble yourself: "Humble yourselves in the sight of God."

PRAYER: Dear Father, I have been guilty of envy and self-seeking. Help me to take a dose of Your medicine every time I find myself defaulting to this demonic wisdom that always leads to confusion. 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.

Two essentials for healthy church life

Photo courtesy RGBStock.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: James 5:7-20

TO CHEW ON: "Confess to one another therefore your faults—your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins; and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored—to a spiritual tone of mind and heart. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available in its working." James 5:16 AMP

What a lot this verse has to say about healthy body life. It focuses on two necessary things.

Confession

I quoted the Amplified version of James 5:16 because it shows the breadth of openness we're to have with each other as Christ's disciples. We're to be open about the tiniest to the biggest sins, the tongue-slip of a momentary lapse to the sinful habits that ensnare us (Hebrews 12:1).  Some things this kind of authentic confession does:

• It helps us see each other realistically and not put people on pedestals.

• It sharpens our consciousness of our own sin. As we hear our brother or sister confess, say, an angry response or unkind word, memories of our own sins surface and we're prompted to clear them up.

• Such accountability keeps us from repeating such sins in the future as we realize, the angry word that will make me feel better momentarily will just have to be confessed later. So I'd better keep my mouth shut.

• It gives us prayer fodder. That's the whole point of James' instructions for these interchanges. People who know each other's weaknesses and temptations can pray effectively and fervently for each other.

Prayer

We discover that restoration may take more than our determination and self discipline. To gain and keep victory, we need the help that comes from God through the prayers of fellow Christians.

The adjectives "effective" and "fervent" (James 5:16 NKJV) catch my attention. Is James saying that some prayers are more likely to be answered than others? My Bible's notes give helpful insight about the phrase "fervent prayer of a righteous man":

"… the basic idea is that of a supplication 'having energy.' Effective prayer is characterized by earnestness, fervency, and energy to release results and is illustrated in the case study* the following verses provide" - Jon Mark Ruthven, study notes on James, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1758.  

If we practiced confession to and prayer with and for each other regularly, I think our church life would become much more relevant to real life than the Sunday fantasy oasis it often is when we hide our messy lives behind masks of holiness and self-sufficiency.


PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to hazard and nurture authenticity and prayer with my Christian brothers and sisters. Amen.
* The "case study" mentioned here is Elijah. We can read his story in 1 Kings 17 & 18.

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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)

"What was it you disputed among yourselves?"

"Jesus and the Little Child" by James Tissot

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 9:30-50


TO CHEW ON: "Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, 'What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?'
But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest." - Mark 9:33-34

Jesus obviously knew about the disciples' argument for He addressed it in the very next verse (Mark 9:35). So why did He ask them?

Perhaps it was because He wanted them to confess this petty discussion. The fact that they kept an embarrassed silence tells us they knew it was unworthy. I wonder how many other similar conversations they had had and never thought twice about them. But Jesus' question put the spotlight on this rather ordinary event.

What if we put ourselves there with the disciples and heard Jesus questioning: "What is it you were discussing?" or even more personally "What is it you were discussing with yourself (i.e. thinking)?" If we are hesitant to answer, could it be we're feeling the disciples' guilt over subjects unworthy of a child of God because they are conversations or thoughts of anger, worry, judgment, self-exaltation, unforgiveness, deceit, hatred...?

Maybe after we answer Jesus honestly in confession, He will give us insights about us and our concerns like He did the disciples here. Most certainly we will be aware of and hopefully avoid hopping on these ungodly trains of thought and discussion when they next pull into the station of our minds.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, as I think about answering Your question, I am aware of conversations with others and myself unworthy of one of Your children. Help me to admit and confess these symptoms of sin. Please change me at a heart level. Amen.

MORE: Jesus on:

Anger - Matthew 5:21-24
Worry - Matthew 6:25-31
Judgment - Matthew 7:1-5
Self-exaltation - Matthew 6:3-4
Unforgiveness - Matthew 18:21,22
Deceit - Matthew 5:37
Hatred - Matthew 5:43-48


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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.

Big prayers—old and new - 1

Solomon Dedicates the Temple - James Tissot

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Kings 8:22-41

TO CHEW ON: "Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O Lord my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today." 1 Kings 8:28

I love how explicit and detailed Solomon is in this public prayer at the dedication of the temple. As he prays about specific concerns of his and the nation's, we get a glimpse into his heart and his perception of how God dealt with the nation.

He prays that:

• God will be a fair judge of people who take an oath before the temple alter (i.e. swear their innocence in the face of an accusation) 1 Kings 8:31-32.

• When the Israelites lose their land because of sin,  God will restore it back to them after their confession in the temple - 1 Kings 8:33-34.

• When there is no rain because of the peoples' sins,  God will hear the Israelites' prayers of confession as they "pray toward this place" and again teach them how to live and send rain - 1 Kings 8:35-36.

• And he prays, just behind the bounds of today's reading, that when the land is plagued by whatever plague—blight, mildew, locusts, grasshoppers, siege by an enemy—their prayers and supplications will help each see "the plague of his own heart" as they pray toward the temple, and God will "hear ... and forgive and act" - 1 Kings 8:37-39.

What can we learn about life and prayer from Solomon's prayer here? Several things come to mind:

1. Solomon prayed for things that are still concerns for us, only in different ways. We too can pray for:

• justice in our legal system. We can pray for judges, lawyers, legislators, and that those in political power will enact fair laws and see that they are enforced.

• national safety and security. For us that might be expressed as prayers for safety from terrorist attacks, from gangs that deal in drugs, from anarchism and riots—anything that would threaten our national security.

• peace in weather and nature. We can petition God for safety from extreme weather in the form of storms, floods, and forest fires; safety from earthquakes and tsunamis.

• safety from plagues. For us that might be praying for protection from illnesses for which we have no cure (e.g. cancer), computer viruses and cyber attacks.

2. Solomon attributed the Israelites' times of past and future misfortune to their sin. We don't make that connection much any more, perhaps fearful of being labeled judgmental. But I think there is a connection. We can acknowledge it at least in private prayer, confessing our own sins and the sins of our nation as we let God draw us back to Himself through trouble.


PRAYER: O God, please make me aware of the plague of my own heart. Help me to come to You in confession and accept Your forgiveness. May I fear You all the days of my life. Amen. 

MORE: Confession

"O Lord, I confess my sin to you. In humility I admit my wrong. Against you, O God, and your standards of holiness I have fallen short. I acknowledge the ugliness of my own sin ..." - Ronald A. Beers, 365 Pocket Prayers, day 274 (p. 235).

(Read "Big Prayers—old and new - 2")



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

"Who touched My clothes?"

"Woman who touched the hem 
of His garment" by Harold Copping

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 5:21-43

TO CHEW ON: "And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, 'Who touched My clothes?'"  Mark 5:30

Jesus wasn't content to let the woman just slip away, healed. It was as if He felt the need to seal the deal with a little explanation.

When the healed-but-terrified woman identified herself, Jesus didn't scold or embarrass her, but made the simple yet profound statement, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction."

An endnote in my Bible expands:

"Jesus desires to perfect the woman's faith and to lead her to a public confession of faith. He rewards her testimony with the assurance that she can go in peace" - J. Lyle Story, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1358.

There are pointers we can take away from this little incident

• Maybe we shouldn't squirm so much over altar calls. It seems there is something that happens inside of us when we make a public profession by responding physically to what's happening inside of us, like Jesus asked this woman to do. Such a response seems to confirm, cement, and make that transaction real.

• When we counsel or pray for people, a little insight may be in order. Jesus often prefaced or ended his conversations with seekers by making pointed statements about the spiritual aspect of their conditions. Of course we're not Jesus and don't have His insights, but we do have His Spirit, on whom we need to depend for help and "words of knowledge."

The snide voice inside this woman's head that would say, "Maybe He didn't heal you. Maybe it was just a coincidence that you felt better the minute you touched His clothes," will never have a chance, now that she has identified herself to Jesus, and He has tied the package tight with His words of affirmation and truth.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for these Bible stories that illustrate faith and show me how You interacted with people. Help me to apply the principles to my own life of faith and in my interactions with others. Amen.

MORE: Altar Calls

The custom of calling people to come to the front of a church sanctuary or meeting hall in response to a spiritual invitation is an old one. Read about the history of of what we call altar calls in "When and why did the custom of conducting altar calls begin?"

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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.

Wholehearted repentance

"Portrait of Paul" from Lewin's Life of Paul

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Corinthians 7:5-8:15

TO CHEW ON: "Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. … What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter." 2 Corinthians 7:9,11

Paul is referring, in this chapter, to a specific situation that he dealt with in Corinth. According to the IVP New Testament Commentary someone in the Corinth church had challenged his apostolic authority. Apparently the church leadership didn't defend or support him and so he confronted them in a severe letter (which has been lost). At first that letter caused pain but now Titus reports that the church has repented—and with energy and conviction.

As we think about repentance, we realize it has several aspects.

- There is an initial repentance, when we turn from our sin to accept Christ and His way of salvation. This is "Turning from sin, a sincere decision to forsake a specific sin (or sins) and begin to obey God" (Reformation Study Bible). Examples of this type of repentance are found in Isaiah 55:7; Luke 15:7; Acts 3:19.

- There is also a repentance which is an individual turning from sin and returning to the Lord in the life of a Christian - Hosea 14:2.

- The repentance here is a corporate or group repentance—a change of position by the church. We are reminded of the mass repentance during the revival of Ezra and Nehemiah's time - Ezra 10:1.

A contemporary example may be some of the modern confessions and apologies made by groups of churches to, for example, the indigenous people of Canada for the abuses of the residential church schools in the early 1900s.

A sidebar article in my Bible says about this kind of repentance:

"… it requires ownership of our responsibility for whatever part we may have played in erecting or reinforcing barriers. Repentance not only accepts responsibility for the part that we have played… but also for the turning away from the behavior that built the walls in the first place. … Perhaps we have not done anything personally to hurt others, but still we may have sinned by our inaction (James 4:17). For the body of Christ to come to health, repentance, regret, confession, and action is needed" - Bill McCartney and Raleigh Washington "Repentance / Reconciliation," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1618

As members of the church, Christ's body, let's pray that God would give us and our leaders sensitivity to barriers we have put up—ethnic, economic, religious—and the humility and grace to repent and be reconciled. May Jesus' prayer for unity in His body (John 17:21) be answered through necessary repentance on our part.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the Corinthians example of wholehearted repentance. May we be as energetic and thorough in turning from our sins, both personally and as churches. 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.

Prepare for Sunday worship

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 66:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "I will go into Your house with burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows. … Oh bless our God you peoples! And make the voice of His praise be heard." Psalm 66:13,8

Today is Sunday. Are you ready for church? Are you looking forward to meeting with fellow believers? Or is Sunday morning at your house typically a hassle—a blur of leaping out of bed too late, a quick shower, scramble for breakfast, what to wear?? get in the car, coffee in hand, to make the hurried drive? If you have young children, it's probably even more complicated!

I know the details of your Sunday morning are none of my business. But if you feel yours could use some help—like I do mine— this psalm has embedded in it some things we can all do to get ourselves ready (Psalm 66:13-20) for a rich and satisfying time of corporate worship (Psalm 66:1-12).

To get ready for "church" the psalmist:

1. Prepares his offering and makes sure he's keeping his promises to God (Psalm 66:13,14). We don't come with animal sacrifices and having made vows we must keep, but we do usually put something in the offering plate. We could, say, write our tithe check Saturday night.

2. Cultivates thoughts of gratitude (Psalm 66:16,17). The psalmist is so full of what God has done for him, he can't wait to tell others. We could spend some time Saturday, or earlier in the week, reviewing God's goodnesses to us. We could even keep a running list of things for which we give thanks.

3. Examines his heart and confesses known sin (Psalm 66:18). This verse: "If I regard iniquity in my heart / The Lord will not hear" reminds us of Jesus' advice to make things right with our brother before we come to God's house with our offering (Matthew 5:23,24) and Paul's warning about preparing ourselves before we take communion (1 Corinthians 11:27-34).  How wonderful to deal with these sinful impediments before we come to God's house so our worship can be unhindered by guilt and regret.

4. Prays (Psalm 66:19). Perhaps the psalmist unloads all his worries and concerns on God. Perhaps he asks God to reveal Himself during the time of worship. We too can unload before we go to church, bringing our worries to God in spoken prayer. And we can ask Him to meet us in deep meaningful ways as we assemble with others.

The early verses of this psalm show how enthusiastic, joyful, and energetic corporate worship can be: "Make a joyful shout to God all the earth! Sing out the honour of His name; make His praise glorious. … Come and see the works of God . … O bless our God you peoples! And make the voice of His praise be heard…" - Psalm 66:1,2,5, 8.

Perhaps a little ground work before we drive ourselves to church on Sunday morning (or Saturday night, or whenever we meet with others)  could ready us to worship with the same joyful abandon.

PRAYER: Dear God, I confess I often come to church on Sunday unprepared. Please help me to make a habit of readying my heart and life for corporate worship. 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.

Confession of faith

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 16:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the son of the living God.'" - Matthew 16:15,16

Peter's statement here is called a "confession" ("Peter confessed Jesus as both the promised Messiah and divine" - J. Lyle Story, notes on Matthew, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1320).

Though in our everyday usage of the word we think of confession as admitting we are guilty of a crime or misdeed, its religious meaning is far richer. An Encyclopedia of the Bible* article on confession tells us these interesting things about a biblical confession:

"A Biblical confession … involves one or more of three elements: God is praised, or sin is acknowledged, or faith is declared."

It goes on to name eight ways in which a confession can be viewed:
1. Antithetically: "It is the believing 'Yes' which stands over against every unbelieving 'No,' the negation of denial" (e.g. Matthew 10:32).

2. Doxologically "… a testimony to God's goodness and mercy, an expression of thanksgiving for His deliverance or help, a celebration of unmerited faithfulness" (e.g. Romans 15:9, quoting Psalm 18:49).

3. Soteriologically - as it relates to our experience of sin and forgiveness (e.g. Psalm 32:5; 1 John 1:9).

4. Pneumatologically - "It is the Spirit who reveals Jesus Christ and produces faith in His Person and Work" (e.g. 1 John 4:2; 1 Corinthians 12:3).

5. Eschatologically - i.e. from the perspective of the future  (e.g. Matthew 7:23; 25:12).

6. Ecclesiologically - as in "the corporate and public attestation of the Christian community" (e.g. Hebrews 4:14; 10:23). This is probably where the confessions, statements of faith and creeds of church history would fit in.

7. Existentially - A confession is more than an affirmation in words; it must be backed up with one's life (e.g. Titus 1:16).

8. Therapeutically - As we confess our sins and beliefs we experience a form of therapy that leads to healing (e.g. James 5:16).

What does all this mean for you and me?

For one thing, we see that a confession can be as simple as Peter's confession of Jesus as Messiah and divine, and as complex as some of the church creeds.

It's likely that each one of us has a confession of our own—perhaps unwritten but still a set of things we claim to believe and by which we seek to live.

Writing out a personal confession of faith, using the eight ways of viewing confession as a guideline, might be a good exercise.

• Here is a page of quoted  creeds in the Bible.
• Many of the creeds of Christendom are linked on this page of Creeds.net

What is your favourite confession or creed? (Is there a difference between the two? Yes. No.)

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the gospel which stands up under scrutiny from so many angles. Help me to live what I believe.

MORE: The Feast of the Confession of Saint Peter

Today the church celebrates the Confession of Saint Peter. The liturgy for the day begins with this collect:

"Almighty Father, who inspired Simon Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep your Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, so that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."

*To access the "Confessions" article, type the reference  Matthew 15:16 in the search line of BibleGateway.com, click on "Show Resources," and in the text box that opens, scroll down to "Confession" under Encyclopedia of the Bible.

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Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotations are from the New King James Version (NKJV) Used with permission. The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Weep at the Word

Ezra reading the law (Artist unknown)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Nehemiah 8:1-12

TO CHEW ON: "And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, 'This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.' For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law." Nehemiah 8:9

If you are familiar with Moses' law—that part of the Bible we find in sections of Exodus and Leviticus—you may well be surprised to see people weeping when it is read. Why would they weep on hearing a bunch of rules?

On thinking about it, I can come up with several reasons;

• It may have been the emotion they felt as they again connected with their religious and cultural roots. It seems that these people were unschooled in the law. We can assume that because of the way they needed a lot of explanation when it was read (Nehemiah 8:7). Even so, they probably had glimmerings of it, passed down through generations. But on this momentous day, as they respectfully stood for its reading, they were hearing the real thing for the first time in their lives. No wonder they got choked up.

• They were saddened by how far they had strayed from the law's requirements. But their teachers urged them—don't look at yourselves; focus on God. Make this day holy or separate to God. Let the joy of who God is and what He is doing now, energize you (Nehemiah 8:9-10).

• They were under conviction and their tears were evidence that God was at work in their lives. I love how this incident is the climax of their wall-repair project—an experience that had been both exhilarating and stressful. But they had completed it

Fresh from the victory of re-establishing the integrity of their city, they were primed for the victory of returning to God in spirit. Their sensitivity to God's will and eagerness to obey is on display as they jumped to obey the instructions to keep the Feast of Booths—something that had apparently not been done since the time of Joshua (Nehemiah 8:13-18).

What is our reaction to God's word? We have not only the Law, but the stories, the prophets, the New Testament, much of it plain and easy to understand.

• Do we respect it (to the extent of willingly standing for its reading when our pastors instruct us to, of course) as these people did?
• Do we hear it with the sense that it applies to us personally?
• Do we focus on how badly we've messed up, or on God and His goodness to us, His plan of salvation, and the hopeful outlook that trust in Him brings?
• Are we quick to change our ways when we see where we have been disobedient?

May our lives be evidence of us going from one obedience to the next (like these people did), as we let the hammer / fire / lamp / sword of God's word do its work.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your word which tells me about You and educates me in Your ways. May I take it as personally as these people who, on hearing, wept, repented, and obeyed. Amen.

MORE: "Hear with the greatest devotion"

"The second duty of piety wherein we must provoke ourselves, is, in HEARING of the Word. We may bring our bodies to the preaching of the Word with ease—but not our hearts, without offering violence to ourselves. When we come to the Word preached, we come to a business of the highest importance, therefore should stir up ourselves and hear with the greatest devotion. Luke 19:48. "All the people were very attentive to hear him." In the Greek it is "they hung upon his lip."—When the Word is dispensed, we are to lift up the everlasting doors of our hearts, that the King of glory may enter in!"-Thomas Watson (a quote from The Old Guys) emphasis added.