Sacrifice of praise

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 11-13; Psalm 30

TO CHEW ON: "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name." Hebrews 13:15


Not only does the writer of Hebrews challenge us to continuous contentment (Hebrews 13:5,6) but to an even more radical habit. He suggests we live lives of continuous praise.

The phrase "sacrifice of praise" snags my attention. How is our praise a sacrifice? A sidebar article in my Bible gives this insight:

"The word 'sacrifice' (Greek thusia) comes from the root thuo, a verb meaning "to kill or slaughter for a purpose." Praise often requires that we 'kill' our pride, fear, or sloth—anything that threatens to diminish or interfere with our worship of the Lord" Guy P. Duffield, Hebrews commenter, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1746.

I look with chagrin at the trivialities that can quench my praise: the weather, problems with my stuff, a headache, a stressful schedule... Yes, praising God in and through the above will need a sacrifice on my part, though a tiny one. Perhaps those little irritants are meant as rehearsal for the big problems that will inevitably come along—terminal illness, catastrophe, death—so I can be praising through those things as well.

Of course our praise isn't a Pollyanna-ish refusal to look at life realistically. It is based on our thankfulness to God who, in Jesus, stepped into time and space. He sacrificed everything for me so that my eternal destiny is sure, no matter what my circumstances here on earth.

Our Bible commenter again:

"Praise will never be successfully hindered when we keep its focus on Him."

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me today to sacrifice any and all thoughts of discontent, irritation, worry, fear … substituting them with the fruit  (thoughts and words) of praise. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 30

***********

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

Invocation for a project—even a life

Cross on a banner - RGB Stock Image

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Timothy 3-4; Psalm 20

TO CHEW ON: "May He grant you according to your heart's desire;
And fulfill all your purpose.
We will rejoice in your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions." Psalm 20:4,5

This psalm of David's has three margin notes in my Bible:
- Book project Bezalel - 2009
- Entered Word Alive Contest - 2011
- Finishing edit - March 2012

It was obviously a significant passage for me as I worked on, completed and published my novel Destiny's Hands. I can see why. It touches on four elements that make it a sustaining prayer passage for any project, season, or even a life:

• Desire: "May He grant you according to your heart's desire…"

What a wonderful thought—that God might give us our desires!  While this could easily degenerate into something selfish, other passages help us sort out what worthy desires look like. Passages like: "Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desire of your heart" - Psalm 37:4 (see also Psalm 27:4; Isaiah 26:9; Luke 6:21).

• Purpose: "…And fulfill all your purpose…"

Is this saying our lives have a point—there is a reason we're here? Yes—a purpose that may be way older and more established than we have ever imagined, according to Paul: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" - Ephesians 2:10.

• Battle: "We will rejoice in your salvation / And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!" - Psalm 20:5

[Banner: "Generally a standard raised in battle as a rallying point for armies. God is described as Israel's banner in recognition of his powerful defence of his people" - The Dictionary of Bible Themes.]

Here is the celebration of victories in the skirmishes where we've been successful and the invocation of God's presence and help through the battles yet to come, as we rally under His banner: "The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace" - Exodus 14:14.

• Prayer: "May the Lord fulfill all your petitions"

Don't we all want to claim this promise. it's a promise reiterated in many places in the Bible, often with the condition we find in 1 John 5:14,15:"… if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him" (emphasis added).

May these words be the prayer of our hearts today over our still incomplete projects, seasons, and lives

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for promises of Your presence through our projects to cover everything including our very lives. Help me to continue to claim this victory passage for my works in progress. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 20

The Bible Project Video: Public Reading  of ScriptureTheme



*********
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 upward call

Image: wdietz / pixabay.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Philippians 3-4; Psalm 12

TO CHEW ON: "Not that I have already attained or am already perfect, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me." Philippians 3:12

For those of us who believe God has a plan and purpose for each individual life, this is an interesting verse to puzzle over and explore. It sounds like Paul here is striving ("press on") to  understand ("lay hold of") that destiny, purpose, or life work for which God "laid hold of" him (love the wordplay!).

Don't we all want to discover the same thing? Why did God draw me to Himself yet leave me on this earth? How am I meant to spend my time here?

Pressing toward the goal of the resurrected life

A question we ask as we begin to slice and dice this verse is, what is Paul referring to when he says, "Not that I have already attained" - Philippians 3:12? To what has he not attained?

A hint of what he is striving to attain is found in Philippians 3:11: "… if by any means I may attain to the resurrection of the dead."

He seems to be telling us he hasn't attained to the resurrection of the dead (obviously, because he's not dead) but also, if we read further on, that to a point this resurrected life can be realized in this life ("Nevertheless to the degree that we have already attained…" - Philippians 3:16) though the real essence of it is to come ("For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior … who will transform our lowly body…" etc. Philippians 3:20,21). So he appears to be striving, as much as possible, to live the resurrected life during his mortal life.

How to make progress toward that goal

Paul goes on to list some things he does to make progress toward the goal of living the resurrected life here on earth:

• He leaves the past behind - Philippians 3:13.

• He keeps the goal in mind, that final goal of getting "the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." In other words, receiving God's commendation for fulfilling the destiny for which he was saved - Philippians 3:14.

• He works for unity with fellow Christians - Philippians 3:15,16.

• He seeks to live what he preaches, i.e. set an example that others can follow - Philippians 3:17.

• He reminds himself of his real citizenship - Philippians 3:20.

In the light of today's passage I ask myself, what is my goal? What is yours? Some earthly glory or perk, comfort or pleasure? Or does it involve some of the things Paul dreams of: God's "Well done"? The resurrection life future, and present? And what does how we live say about the goals we really have (not just claim to have)?


PRAYER: Dear God, please tattoo permanently into my spirit the truth of my identity and destiny in You. Help me begin living out the resurrected life here on earth. Amen

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 12

 *********
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.

Dsicipleship's costs

Going forth to Calvary - A. Bida

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 14-16; Psalm 119:1-32


TO CHEW ON: "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it?" Luke 14:28

The tower we're building, the war we're fighting is that of being a disciple—or not. Jesus here names three costs of discipleship. They are things that we should consider before we sign on:

1. The cost in relationships.
A disciple "hates" his family and his own life (Luke 14:26). What? My Bible elaborates:

"A disciple must subordinate all earthly relationships to loyalty to Christ. Jesus' remark is an example of Hebrew hyperbole to emphasize the subject being discussed. To 'hate' one's family is … but a way of expressing the importance of allegiance to Him" - J. Lyle Story, commentary on Luke, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1417.

2. The cost in vocation and destiny.
A disciple follows Jesus carrying his cross - Luke 14:27 (not a suitcase, or a ladder, or a sword, or a throne… ).

I see this as Jesus' way of foreshadowing to the disciples how He would die, and telling them that discipleship may well be their death sentence too (as opposed to a means to security, success, power or glory).

3. The cost in possessions.
The disciple forsakes all that he has (Luke 14:33).

This sounds like turning one's back not only on possessions but also dreams, goals and ambitions.

"Discipleship means the total renunciation of all selfish interest for the sake of Jesus. 'Cannot be my disciple' is dealing with issues of total commitment and maximum realization of Christ's purpose for our lives in this life' - Ibid.

As I try to superimpose my North American lifestyle on this stark template of discipleship, I ask, has my discipleship affected my loyalties? Do I view it as a possible death sentence? Is everything in my life (possessions, home, time, plans) subservient to following Jesus? Now that I've looked at the cost, do I wish to carry on?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, as I compare my life with Your cost, I see that my view of discipleship (at least my way of living it out) may be unrealistic. But with Peter, I say, "To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" - John 6:68.  Help me to be a more realistic disciple. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 119:1-32

***********

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

We're not the masters of our fate

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Chronicles 18-20; Psalm 75

TO CHEW ON: “And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.” 2 Chronicles 20:29

“For exaltation comes neither from the east
Nor from the west nor from the south.
But God is the Judge:
He puts down one,
And exalts another. Psalm 75:6,7

William Ernest Henley ends his poem Invictus with the assertion:

I am the master of my fate,
      I am the captain of my soul.

He echoes the sentiment we humans cling to. From life’s beginning (via artificial means of conception) to middle (change our gender if we so desire) to end (lengthen life with medical science or legally end our own lives at the time we choose), we like to think we’re in control.

We kid ourselves, of course. Psalm 75 gives us a more realistic picture. There we see that God is behind it all, determining the times of everyone, from individuals to rulers of nations (Psalm 75:6-8).

Our reading  in 2 Chronicles today describes two events that illustrate that.

Before Ahab and Jehoshaphat went to war, prophet Micaiah predicted that Ahab would be killed in battle. Determined to prove him wrong, Ahab disguised himself as a common soldier. Though the enemy pursued the kingly figure of Jehoshaphat, he managed to survive. Meanwhile Ahab was hit by a “random” arrow that happened to get him in one of the few vulnerable places on his well-armoured person (2 Chronicles 18).

In the second event King Jehoshaphat, threatened by the Ammonites and Moabites, took his problem to God: "We have no power against this great multitude...nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You" - 2 Chronicles 20:12.

God's solution came via the words of the prophet Jahaziel, who said, "You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" - 2 Chronicles 20:17.

The next day the army entered battle in a very unconventional way, behind the singers and worshipers. Even as the praise began "...the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir ... and they were defeated" - 2 Chronicles 20:22.
As people of faith, I think we put too little stock in God's ability to manipulate the course of our own lives and of history. We need to spend less time criticizing and scheming how to make things happen and more time acknowledging "We have no power, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You," and then praise Him for the victory He is accomplishing.


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your sovereignty over individuals, rulers, and nations.  Help me entrust my future to you, and to keep praying for the leaders of my country and the countries of the world, knowing that You are in control. Amen.
PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 75

 *********
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 is never shocked

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ezekiel 9-12;  Psalm 33


TO CHEW ON: "The counsel of the Lord stands forever,

The plans of His heart to all generations ....

From the place of His dwelling He looks

On all the inhabitants of the earth;

He fashions their hearts individually;

He considers all their works." Psalm 33:11, 14,15

On April 28, 2012 three families traveling on the highway between Fort McMurray to Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) were all but wiped out in a head-on collision. In an instant nine (and a half) dwindled to two. Only the three year-old son of Pastor Shannon Wheaton's family and Mark Penny (whose pregnant wife was killed) survived the crash. The three family members in the other vehicle were also killed. (Read about the accident here.)

Why, we ask? To us the shattering of these families makes no sense. Predictable questions rise in our minds:
- Couldn't God have prevented the accident?
- Didn't evil triumph over good here?

In answer to that last question—yes. In one way every time someone dies evil triumphs over good. For death, from whatever cause, is part of the curse that came on earth because of mankind's first choice to defy God and do our own thing, i.e. sin.

But looked at another way, such happenings never shock God. He is aware of each event. He is more than aware. In a way, He planned them (or maybe better said, 'planned for them') in the first place:

"The counsel (that is the whole program for mankind in history) stands forever;/The plans of His heart to all generations" - Psalm 33:11.

Neither is He just a God of the big plan, but He knows each individual:

"...He looks / on all the inhabitants of the earth;/He fashions their hearts individually;/He considers all their works" - Psalm 33:14,15.

If God knows, plans and ok's each event in my life, your life, the Wheaton's and Penney's lives, from the wonderful to the tragic, and He is good, you and I need to keep trusting Him even in the circumstances that seem like they got away from Him for a minute. Because they didn't.

And so we find hope and comfort in the very God who permits tragedy to touch our lives. As Gerry Bridges explains it in Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts:

"All people—believers as well as unbelievers—experience anxiety, frustration, heartache, and disappointment. Some suffer intense physical pain and catastrophic tragedies. But that which should distinguish the suffering of believers from unbelievers is the confidence that our suffering is under the control of an all-powerful, and all-loving God; our suffering has meaning and purpose in God's eternal plan, and He brings or allows to come into our lives only that which is for His glory and our good" - Jerry Bridges, Trusting God Even When Life Hurts, p. 33.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to trust Your sovereignty and goodness in situations that feel all wrong. Amen.


PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 33

************
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 bright future

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Jeremiah 26-29; Psalm 20


TO CHEW ON: "For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11
If you've been around church or Christians for a while, you've probably heard someone quote the verse above. Perhaps you've read or recited it to yourself, maybe in a time you felt confused, directionless, or discouraged for some reason.

It is interesting to come across it in context. We discover these words are part of a letter Jeremiah wrote to people who were being punished. They were former Jerusalem dwellers who the Babylonians had taken captive.

These words assured the exiles back then, and us now, that no matter what situation we find ourselves in, God's intentions toward us are good. His ways in our lives move us toward a bright future.

But that future seems contingent on some actions on our part — actions that no doubt arise out of our confusion, difficulties and troubles: "Call upon Me...go and pray to Me...seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:12-13).

A sidebar article in my Bible says about these verses;

"Implied in this passage is a quest for God that includes a level of intensity beyond what might be termed ordinary prayer. The word 'search' along with the phrase "with all your heart" suggests an earnestness that borders on desperation" Dick Eastman, "Seeking God and Spiritual Warfare," New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 999.

I am reminded of other passages that speak of our search: Hosea 6:3; Matthew 6:33; Matthew 7:7-8.

There is no question: I want that hopeful future God has in mind for me. No doubt you do too. So let's do what it takes to get it, in terms of praying, seeking and searching to find, not a bright career or a satisfying human relationship, or power, or wealth, but Him.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for all the ways You draw me to Yourself — even using problems, difficulties and punishment to accomplish Your plans in my life. May these things drive me to seek You with all my heart.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 20

*************
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.

Three life lessons from Jeremiah

Jeremiah - Artist unknown

Happy Father's Day!

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Jeremiah 1-3; Psalm 13

TO CHEW ON: "But the Lord said to me: 'Do not say "I am a youth,"
For you shall go to all to whom I send you
And whatever I command you, you shall speak.' " Jeremiah 1:7

In ten short verses Jeremiah gives us three lessons for a lifetime. They were truths from God to him that would guide, comfort, and goad him on through the reign of Judah's last five kings.

Lesson 1 - His life was planned - Jeremiah 1:5.
God told Jeremiah he was no accident. His ministry and assignment were part of God's design. Before he was even conceived God knew him and set him apart for his unique job as a prophet to the nations.

Lesson 2 - His natural shortcomings were no problem - Jeremiah 1:7.
Jeremiah objected to this assignment. He wasn't a speaker. He was too young. God allayed all his fears with the promise of His presence.

Lesson 3 - His ministry could have an impact far beyond what would be expected - Jeremiah 1:9,10.
Who would listen to a young, single prophet of Judah? Yet God's promise that He would supply Jeremiah's words meant that they would have divine authority over nations and kingdoms.

Though God will not give any of us the assignment He gave Jeremiah, I believe the lessons behind the specifics of Jeremiah's life apply to us too.

1. We are not accidents either. God has a plan and destiny for each one of us. I love Ephesians 2:10 in this regard:

For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us] - AMP version.

2. Neither are our shortcomings a problem to God. Our excuses (I'm too old, too uneducated, too poorly connected, too old-fashioned etc.) might just be a benefit in that they show off who is really working through us.

But we have this precious treasure [the good news about salvation] in [unworthy] earthen vessels [of human frailty], so that the grandeur and surpassing greatness of the power will be [shown to be] from God [His sufficiency] and not from ourselves - 2 Corinthians 4:7 AMP.

3. Our lives can also have a way bigger impact and our words have more authority than common sense says they should. Jesus' many teachings on the power of prayer  (e.g. Matthew 6:6) as well as His words to Peter and the disciples come to mind:

I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth shall have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth shall have [already] been loosed in heaven - Matthew 18:18 AMP.

As we face our life assignments and big and little, let's relate the life lessons God gave Jeremiah to our lives and find purpose, courage and hope in them.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You that You knew me before I ever existed, that You have a purpose for my life, and that You are and will be the means of fulfilling it. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 13

The Bible Project VIDEO: Jeremiah (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.


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's the point?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ecclesiastes 1-4; Psalm 8

TO CHEW ON: "What profit has a man from all his labor

In which he toils under the sun?" Ecclesiastes 1:3

'What's the point" Solomon seems to be saying as he begins the little book of Ecclesiastes. This collection of only twelve chapters discusses the purpose of human endeavor. Scholars believe that Solomon wrote it at the end of his life, when he may have returned to God from the state that is described in 1 Kings 11.

Our reading today seems like the ruminations of an old man, or if not old, surely jaded:

- What's the purpose of all one's work, he asks. The next generation comes along and it's all forgotten anyway. (Ecclesiastes 1:4)

- Nature carries on in it its cycles uninterrupted (Ecclesiastes 1:5-7).

- Work is never done (Ecclesiastes 1:8a).

- Desire is never satisfied (Ecclesiastes 1:8b).

- Mankind really has no control over anything; what will be, will be (Ecclesiastes 1:9a).

- Everything supposedly new is really a rehash of something old (Ecclesiastes 1:9b-10).

- We forget the past, refusing to learn from or be changed by it (Ecclesiastes 1:11).

- Even what I (Solomon) learned in the quest for wisdom didn't satisfy (Ecclesiastes 1:17-18).

He seems, in all this, to be driving toward the conclusion that there is no point to anything.

I must admit, especially as I've grown older, that I have had some of the same thoughts. Witnessing loved ones die and seeing how quickly their memory and influence fade from this earth underlines the truth of what the preacher is implying. Does the perspective of increasing age doom one to adopt such a pessimistic outlook? Not at all.

As the writer of the Introduction to Ecclesiastes in my Bible says:

"The Preacher's constant probing of all existence for meaning shows him to be an optimist, not a pessimist, and his failure to discover any absolute, abiding value in this life ("under the sun") does not mean his quest is a failure. Instead, he finds himself compelled (by his observation that God placed order in the universe at the time of its creation, Ecclesiastes 3:1-14) to seek the value he seeks in the world to come (not "under the sun" but "above the sun" so to speak)....

The Preacher's failure to find real value in earthly things and comfortable lifestyles challenges the Christian who lives in this age of greed and materialism to concentrate on the things that are above (Colossians 3:1-2) and not to glorify greed and possessions." William C. Williams, "Introduction to Ecclesiastes," New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p, 844.

Before we succumb to the Preacher's negativity, let's remind ourselves, there is a point. But it's not to be found in this world.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 8

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me not to view this life and human endeavor as ends in themselves. Help me, instead, to view all of life within the context of eternity. Amen. 

The Bible Project VIDEO: Ecclesiastes (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.

God is committed to our perfection

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Job 12-15; Psalm 138

TO CHEW ON: “The LORD will perfect that which concerns me.” Psalm 138:8

David drives a big stake of faith to anchor the tent of his life here when he declares: “God will perfect that which concerns me.”

The word perfect here is the Hebrew word gamar which has two meanings: 1] to come to an end, be no more, cease; and 2] to bring to an end, finish, accomplish, perfect, perform, fulfill. Twice (in the Old Testament) it takes that second meaning, referring to the completing, finishing and perfecting of God’s work in one’s life (Psalm 57:2 and Psalm 138:8)

The author of the word studies in my Bible explains:

“The idea is that God begins to work out His purposes in the life of His servant and continues His work until it is absolutely and completely done” - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 792.

At least two New Testament writers echo that promise.
Paul writes:

“Being confident of this very thing; that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” - Philippians 1:6.

Peter writes:

“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” - 1 Peter 5:10.

I don’t like the idea of suffering, of having myself hammered into shape (Romans 8:29), of going through tests and exercises meant to strengthen and perfect me any more than the next person. But knowing that God is in these things, that He knows just the amount of stress, tension, stretching, discomfort, pain, inconvenience needed to “perfect that which concerns me” is a huge comfort to me—and I hope to you too.
 
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for Your commitment to me. Help me to cooperate with you, learning and growing and becoming more like Jesus at every stage of this perfecting process. Amen.
 
PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 138

 *********
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 Suffering Servant

Image: Hans_Hofer / pixabay.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 49-51; Psalm 119:65-96

TO CHEW ON: "'For the Lord God will help Me;
Therefore I will not be disgraced;
Therefore I have set My face like a flint
And know that I will not be ashamed.'" Isaiah 50:7

In this third Servant Song (Isaiah 50:4-9) we see the human and suffering Servant. It's not hard to recognize parallels from this passage in Jesus' and His life.

• From Isaiah: "'The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned…'" (Isaiah 50:4)

From Jesus' life: already by the age of 12 He was known for His words. In them He demonstrated:

- Understanding: "And all who heard Him were astonished ad His understanding and answers" - Luke 2:47.

- Grace: "So all … marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of HIs mouth" - Luke 4:22.

- Authority: "… His word was with authority" - Luke 4:32.

- Life: "'The words I speak to you are spirit and they are life'" - John 6:63.

• From Isaiah "… a word in season to him who is weary" (Isaiah 50:4):

Jesus said: "'Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest'" - Matthew 11:28.

• From Isaiah: "'He awakens Me morning by morning…" (Isaiah 50:4)

It was said of Jesus: "Now in the morning having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed" - Mark 1:35. See also Luke 5:16. 

• From Isaiah "'I gave My back to those who struck Me, / And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; / I did not hide My face from shame and spitting'" (Isaiah 50:6):

This happened to Jesus: "So then Pilate took Jesus and had Him scourged (flogged, whipped) and they slapped Him in the face" - John 19:1,3 AMP.

And this: "Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands…" Matthew 26:67.

• From Isaiah "'For the Lord God will help Me; / Therefore I will not be disgraced; / Therefore I have set My face like a flint / And I know that I will not be ashamed'" (Isaiah 50: 7):

Compare Jesus' words from the cross: "'My God, My God, why have You forsaken me…'?" - Matthew 27:46 (when it seemed that He had been disgraced) to this triumph after His resurrection: "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth…'" Matthew 28:18-29.

There is something very reassuring about finding these prophetic words about the Servant's (Jesus's) suffering and eventual victory. Keeping them in mind as we read the story of Jesus' passion helps us understand that what happened that weekend in Jerusalem 2000+ hears ago was a planned, intentional chain of events, put into motion by the God who loves us and in this way purchased our salvation.

He knew/knows our lives in the same prophetic, beforehand way. We are not some chance or random blip on the radar of time, but planned pieces of the puzzle that is making the picture God has designed and knows from eternity past.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this picture of Jesus, given hundreds of years before the cross. Help me to trust Your plan for me, especially when it seems to make no sense. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 119:65-06

 *********
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.

Clay backtalk

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 45-48; Psalm 119:33-64

TO CHEW ON: "Woe to him who strives with his Maker!

Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!

Shall the clay say to him who forms it

'What are you making?'

Or shall your handiwork say, 'He has no hands'?" Isaiah 45:9

Included in today's amazing prophecy about Cyrus (the Persian king whom Isaiah predicted would free Israel from captivity 100 years before it happened) is a warning. It begins "Woe to him..." signalling that all who find themselves described in the words should pay attention. It answers the person who would take exception to God's method of using a heathen king to accomplish His work.

The warning pictures a lump of clay complaining to the potter about the way it is being shaped. I like how the NLT translates it:

"What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
Does a clay pot argue with its Maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it,
saying 'Stop, you're doing it wrong!'
Does the pot exclaim, 'How clumsy can you be'?"

Do we ever do this--find ourselves discontented with the way we were created physically, mentally, emotionally? Do we wish we were taller or more athletic? Smarter and more creative?  More expressive, or less?

Accepting how God has made us is an aspect of belief or unbelief. Practicing contentment with our lot in life, including our physical appearance and the strengths and weaknesses with which we were born is part of the fabric of our confidence in God.

I love how the idea that God knew what He was doing when he intentionally created each one of us is echoed in Ephesians 2:10. Here it is in the Amplified:

"For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]."

How amazing to be His handiwork. [The NLT translates it "masterpiece." The Greek word for "handiwork" is poiema - get it—poem.] What an adventure to discover and then do those "good works which God prepared beforehand" and find those works a perfect fit for us because we were made just for them.


PRAYER: Dear God, I so readily question and talk back to you about the way I am and my apparent weaknesses and lacks. Help me to have the uttermost confidence in Your wisdom when forming me. Help me to find and do those "works" that are my destiny. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 119:33-65

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

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

 *********
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

**************
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.

One particular day

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 10-12

TO CHEW ON: "And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt." Exodus 12:41

Here was the fulfillment of what God had told Moses would happen (Exodus 3:8,10; 6:6; 7:4). It's comforting to read words like "… at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass." Israel's days of slavery in Egypt had a definite ending, a point in time when they were finished.

The Bible speaks of human activities in time as within God's knowledge and control. A phrase that is sometimes used to describe this is "the fullness of time." That's the title of one of the chains of verses in my Thompson Chain Bible. "The fullness of time" is defined as "God's appointed time when everything is ready" - NKJV Thompson Chain Bible, p. 1771.
Some fullness-of-time verses:

• There was a definite moment in time when Joshua and the Israelites had followed all God's instructions to conquer Jericho "…and it happened" (Joshua 6:16, 20).

• John the Baptist preached "The time is fulfilled" (Mark 1:15) just before Jesus arrived on the scene.

• Paul explained Jesus' life on this earth in those terms: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His son…" Galatians 4:4.

• He also speaks of Jesus' return still to come "… which He will manifest in His own time" - 1 Timothy 6:15.

God doesn't have a fulness of time for only the big theological events of history, but also for our lives. David talks about this in Psalm 139:

"You comprehend my path and my lying down
And are acquainted with all my ways…
You have hedged me behind and before
And laid Your hand on me…
And in Your book they all are written.
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them" - Psalm 139: 5, 15, 16 (emphasis added).

We can trust God with His "fullness of time" for us. Whatever trial we're in of sickness, difficult circumstances, money troubles, family issues, He knows and will help us through them until we come to the very day our trial will pass.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your knowledge of my times, and how You have brought me through hard stuff in the past. Help me to trust You to bring me through the things I face today. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 20

*********
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 power of a blessing

Jacob leaves home - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 25-28

TO CHEW ON: " ' May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples.' " Genesis 28:3 NIV

The answer to Isaac and Rebekah's prayers, the twins Esau and Jacob, are who we read about today. Theirs sounds like a toxic family where father and mother favor different children. Mother and son #2 trick father and son #1 out of bestowing and receiving the blessing usually reserved for the firstborn son. In such a less-than-perfect beginning the destiny of nations is set.

This incident contains three blessings.
- The blessing Isaac gives to Jacob (thinking he is blessing Esau) - Genesis 27:27-29.
- The blessing Isaac speaks over Esau (after the one he has planned for him is spoken over Jacob) Genesis 27:39-40.
- The blessing with which Isaac sends Jacob away from home - Genesis 28:3-4.

["Bless: behrahch #1288 - To bless, salute, congratulate, thank, praise, to kneel down. In OT times, one got down on his knees when preparing to speak or receive words of blessing … From God's side, he is the Blesser, the One who gives the capacity for living a full rich life" - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Live Bible NIV, Kindle location 126,606.]

Several things strike me as I read about these blessings.

1. They are a big deal. Esau is distraught when he discovers Jacob has tricked Isaac into giving him the firstborn's blessing (Genesis 27:34).

2. The words of blessings, once spoken, cannot be retracted. My Bible's notes expand:
"The ancients knew far better than we moderns about the power of the spoken word. A blessing, a curse, a creative word, a destructive word, can all have great effects when spoken in faith" - R. Russell Bixler, notes on Genesis, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, KL 9792.

3. These blessings address the big picture and change the course of history.

• Isaac's inadvertent blessing of Jacob contains a blessing of spiritual prosperity (Genesis 27:28), political supremacy (Genesis 27:29), and a curse on enemies (Genesis 27:29).

• Isaac's blessing of Esau is as big as he can make it without contradicting his words to Jacob. The conflict predicted between his descendants (the Arabs) and the descendants of Jacob (the Jews) continues to this day.

• Isaac's blessing on sending Jacob away is warm and expansive, pronouncing a blessing of many children and an inherited land.

Though we don't have a custom of bestowing blessings on our children in a formal way, we do bless and curse them when we praise or belittle them, tell them they have what it takes or give them the message we think they are failures. Let's watch our words to them. We can also bless them even when they're not present as we pray into their futures. We have no idea of the impact our words of blessing or cursing will have on their histories, let alone the destinies of our families, communities, nation, even the world.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to bless my children and grandchildren with positive words and faith-filled prayers. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 8

*****************

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

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.

Seed promises

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 22-24


TO CHEW ON: "'In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.'" Genesis 22:18

Isaac had obviously been with Abraham before when he made an offering, for he knew what things were needed and noticed that they didn't have one of them. Abraham's answer to Isaac's question, "Where is the lamb?" was masterful in its avoidance. He didn't say, "You're going to be that lamb." Instead he said: "God will provide for Himself the lamb," which was not only tactful, but prophetic.

His answer illustrated his faith—a faith so genuine it earned him a big section in the Hebrews 11 gallery of heroes (Hebrews 11:8-10; 17-19). He believed that because Isaac was the child of promise, God would achieve His purposes through Isaac even if He had to raise him from the dead to do it.

What are our Isaacs? Is it our sense of calling? Our hopes and dreams for a marriage, or a project? Our careers? Our own children? Whether these things have already come to pass and we're clinging to them (in almost idolatrous fashion) as the answer to how God is going to make our lives significant, or they are still in the future, could we tie them up and put them on the altar like Abraham did Isaac?

Talking about offerings, I am reminded of another "offering" passage: "I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service" - Romans 12:1. Paul is pleading with the Roman Christians to sacrifice their very selves.

Abraham's faith got a big promise from God: "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." Was God talking about the seed of a son, or the seed of faith, or both?

There is a "seed" promise for us too if we make that "living sacrifice" of ourselves and all the things that are dearest to us. Here it is:

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity" - John 12:24-25, NLT.

PRAYER: Dear God, it is hard for me to sacrifice my "Isaacs." Each relinquishment is a test of faith in You and Your promises. Help me to have the unflinching faith of Abraham to let You have complete control and say over all those things that are dearest to me. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY - Psalm 7

********
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.

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.

Unlikely disciple

"St. Matthew" by Pompeo Batoni

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 9:1-13


TO CHEW ON: "As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office and He said to him, 'Follow me.' So he arose and followed Him." Matthew 9:9


I love Matthew's uncomplicated faith, shown when he dropped everything and followed Jesus. Didn't he have to give this career change some thought? Apparently not. Or maybe he had given it thought, had become increasingly discontented with his job, was aware of Jesus, secretly longed to get to know Him better, and here was his opportunity.

Matthew is an interesting choice as a disciple. The Bible tells us he was a tax collector—one of a class of people who worked for the hated Romans. Tax collectors made their living by charging slightly higher fees than the Romans for general, agricultural, census, and traveler taxes. Licensed tax collectors often hired publicans to do the actual collecting. Publicans, who tacked on additional fees, were usually Jews and doubly despised as tax collectors and traitors.

Matthew was one of these publicans whose booth was beside the road outside Capernaum. In addition to collecting the road tax, he may also have collected taxes from fishermen. Imagine how the career fishermen (Andrew, Peter, James and John) must have felt when this loathed publican joined their band!

However, Jesus knew what He was doing when He chose Matthew. He was probably good with numbers and could read and write. He was well educated in the Scriptures, judging by how much of the Old Testament he had at his fingertips to quote in the Gospel of Matthew.

He also had a missionary bent, shown when he shared his new Rabbi with his friends. Though the book of Matthew doesn't name him as the host of the feast described in our reading, he is named that in Luke 5:29 (actually Luke calls him 'Levi'—another name he went by).

That desire to share Jesus eventually led to his writing of the history of the life of Christ we know as The Gospel According to Matthew. What a legacy!

• It contains the only account of the wise men visit.
• Its detailed account of the Jesus' teachings (called the Sermon on the Mount) is three chapters long (Matthew 5:1-7:29) versus Luke's twenty-nine verses (Luke 6:20-49).
• It contains parables of the Day of Judgment found in no other gospel (Matthew 24)
• It emphasizes Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
• It stresses that Jesus was Messiah.
• It depicts Him as King.

What an amazing contribution from someone who came from the most despised category of people, "tax collectors and sinners," whom Jesus Himself characterized as sick: "'Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick'" - Matthew 9:12.

The story of Matthew should give all of us hope. For when Jesus calls us, He sees right through our family and job categories. He is not influenced by the labels others put on us or we put on ourselves. When He says "Follow Me" and we jump up and follow Him, we set out on the road to discover a potential and a destiny we never dreamed possible.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Matthew (Levi), a tax collector who became the writer of a history that has influenced millions. Help me to trust You with my future like he trusted You with his. Amen.

MORE: The Feast of St. Matthew

Today the church celebrates the Feast of St. Matthew. The liturgy for the day begins with the following collect:

"We thank you, heavenly Father, for the witness of your apostle and evangelist Matthew to the Gospel of your Son our Savior; and we pray that, after his example, we may with ready wills and hearts obey the calling of our Lord to follow him; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."

Sources:

• "The Gospel According to Matthew - Introduction," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, pp.1287-1289.

• Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible, J. I. Packer, M. C. Tenney, editors, pp. 529-531.

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.

God's conundrums

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Matthew 11:2-15

TO CHEW ON: “And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ 
‘... blessed is he who is not offended because of Me’” Matthew 11:2,3,6


Why do you suppose John sent disciples to Jesus asking if He were the “Coming One” in the context of all the “works” he was hearing about? Do you suppose it was a subtle way of reminding Jesus—Hey, I’m here in prison. I could use one of those works right about now?

Jesus didn’t come through with a prison escape, though. Instead He made this curious statement: “'Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.'"

Why would John be offended (skandalizo from which we get scandalized: "to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey")?

Perhaps because what happened here (or didn’t happen) didn’t make sense to him?  The ways of God often don’t make sense to us either. The couple on the mission field have to return when their children are diagnosed with autism. At the peak of his career, a gifted musician gets cancer and dies. A young wife and mother suffers a stroke, becomes brain damaged, and needs 24-hour care in an institution.I’m sure you could name more. It’s quite possible you’ve experienced one of these God conundrums.

I love how Oswald Chambers riffs on this theme:

“We are not taken up into conscious agreement with God’s purpose, we are taken up into God’s purpose without any consciousness at all” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, August 3 reading).

“As long as you think there is something in you He cannot choose you because you have ends of your own to serve; but if you have let Him bring you to the end of your self-sufficiency, then He can choose you to go with Him to Jerusalem, and that will mean the fulfillment of purposes which He does not discuss with you” - Chambers, Op. Cit, August 4 reading.

“His call is to be in comradeship with Himself for His own purposes… If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the leisureliness which ought to characterize the children of God” - Chambers, Op. Cit, August 5 reading (emphases added).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to avoid becoming offended when Your ways don’t make sense to me. Teach me to trust You in every circumstance. Amen.

 *********
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.

Living well in the big picture

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 1:1-14

TO CHEW ON: “And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them …
And they (Egyptians) made their (Israelites) lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor” - Exodus 1:6,7,14


Our reading today continues telling the story of Jacob’s family in broad strokes. Two short verses (Exodus 1:6,7) take us through over 400 years of time: “The book of Exodus is a continuation of the Genesis account, dealing with the 430-year development of a family group of 70 into a large nation” - J.C. Tollett, study notes on Exodus, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 77.

The Israelites had, for all intents and purposes, become Egyptians. Or at least they had lived in Egypt long enough to identify that way. But God had other plans for them, plans hinted at in a promise made to Abraham centuries earlier (Genesis 15:18). And so began the discomfort of hard labor and slavery for Israel, that would eventually dislodge them permanently from Egypt.

The tricky thing about living in time is we don’t understand the times we’re in and the significance of day-to-day events as we’re living them. “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards” - Søren Kierkegaard.

Like the oppression of the Egyptians no doubt vexed and puzzled the Israelites, so many happenings in our time vex and puzzle us too. We won’t know, in the near term, the significance of the 2016 American election of Donald Trump as president of the U.S. or the recent defeat of a long-governing political party in my province. Only time will tell how current events affect history.

But we take comfort in knowing that history never gets away from God. As He declared through Isaiah:

Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,

Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’

Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man who executes My counsel, from a far country.
Indeed I have spoken it;
I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it; I will also do it. - Isaiah 46:9-11 (my emphasis)

We can also, pray and trust God for wisdom to understand and live well during our short span of years on earth. Let's aspire to have the reputation of the "Sons of Issachar" in David's army who were known as those "who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do" - 1 Chronicles 12:32.

PRAYER:
Dear God, thank You that You know the end from the beginning and will bring about the things You have purposed. Please give me insight into my time and wisdom to live well in it. Amen.

 *********
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.