Things that build up

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Corinthians 9-10; Psalm 145


TO CHEW ON: "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify." 1 Corinthians 18:23

We have dwelt in the past on how we as Christians may have freedoms which we intentionally restrict in order to help and not hinder or offend others. Today, let's change our focus from what we shouldn't do to what we should. Let's look at the things that "edify."

[The word edify transliterated oikodomeo, is a word for building. It is used here in the metaphorical sense for the construction and well-being of the church. Used this way it means "to found, establish; to promote growth in Christian wisdom, affection, grace, virtue' to grow in wisdom and piety."]

Edify used in this way appears often in the New Testament. As I look through verses that speak of it, I see them fitting into two categories:

1. How we are edified

• Through God's word. Paul's parting speech to the elders at Ephesis brings this out: "I commend you to God and to the word of His grace which is able to build you up…" Acts 20:32.

• Through church leaders. Again and again the visits of the early church leaders to the various congregation are described as edifying, or building up: Acts 14:22; 15:32,41; 18:23,27.

• Our leaders' authority is for our edification - 2 Corinthians 10:8.

• We're edified through the different roles in which they come to us, such as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers - Ephesians 14:12,29

• Even their scoldings and rebukes are meant to build us up—as Paul assured the Corinthians - 2 Corinthians 13:10.

2. How we edify others:

• Like the early church did to grow, we walk "… in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit" - Acts 9:31. This works itself out in many practical ways:

• We pursue harmony and peace - Romans 14:19.

• We comfort each other - 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

• We seek to please our neighbors and pursue their well-being - Romans 15:2; 1 Corinthians 10:24 (part of our reading).

• We use our spiritual gifts - 1 Corinthians 14:3, 12.

• We take part in corporate worship: "… Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification" - 1 Corinthians 14:26.

• We love - 1 Corinthians 8:1.

Today, let's focus on building others up and being built up through God's word and the Christian community, rather than how close we can live to the line of things that are not lawful or edifying. 

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the reach means of edification we have in You and through the church. Help me to build up others today. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 145

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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.

But He's just a carpenter

Jesus in the Nazareth synagogue - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 5-6; Psalm 97


TO CHEW ON: " ' Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?' So they were offended at Him." Mark 6:3

That old saying, "Familiarity breeds contempt" is enacted here right before our eyes. At the synagogue in His home town the wisdom of Jesus' teaching and the miracles He performed astonished His old neighbors. But because they had seen him grow up, knew Him as an ordinary carpenter, and were acquainted with His family, they were "offended" at Him.

[Offended - scandalizo originally meant to put a literal snare or stumbling block in front of someone. The noun it relates to is a snare or bait stick. According to my Bible's Word Wealth author, "In the NT scandalizo is always used metaphorically of that which hinders right conduct or thought hence, 'to cause to stumble' " - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1309.]

Could the same attitude be true of us and our leaders? The pastor is the little kid we knew from our Sunday School class years ago. The evangelist went to school with our younger siblings. We made better marks than the author. How could they be anything special?

But when we think like this, we don't take into account the difference the presence of the Holy Spirit makes in a life. When He lives within, everything changes.

• The Spirit of the Lord in Saul changed him into a new person - 1 Samuel 10:6.

• This renewal comes by waiting on the Lord - Isaiah 40:31.

• The Spirit renews minds enabling people to be in sync with God's will - Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23, 24.

• This renewal is not dependent on the look or state of the physical body- 2 Corinthians 4:16.

• The individual's choices influence this renewal. Paul tells Christ-followers to "put off" old ways of behaving and to "put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him" - Colossians 3:8-10.

• But this renewal is still essentially the work of the Holy Spirit - Titus 3:5.

As we relate to our leaders and each other, let's not be similarly "offended" by what we know of someone's family tree, childhood, past, or occupation. Rather, let's recognize that the Spirit of God within opens up a whole new realm of wisdom, power, and ministry effectiveness.

PRAYER: Dear God, please open my eyes to see past ordinary exteriors to the Holy Spirit working in and through people, making their lives extraordinary. Amen.  

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 97

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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.

Leadership - how does yours rate?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Chronicles 9-12; Psalm 73

TO CHEW ON: "Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the Lord your God. Because your God has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them to do justice and righteousness." 2 Chronicles 9:8


The fashion these days is to criticize leaders, not praise them. The Queen of Sheba's idea that God had blessed Israel by letting her be ruled by a king as wise as Solomon seems foreign to us — fed as we are by scandal-driven media features, negative news items and critical editorials about our leaders.

But maybe we should stop criticizing and complaining. Because our rulers are actually there by God's permission and authority as much as Israel's were (see Romans 13:1).

It helps, of course, to change our focus and instead of looking for mistakes, look for ways our rulers are a positive force in our nation, region and town. Political parties and preferences aside, there is much to appreciate and be thankful for in our democratic leaders.

Politicians aren't our only leaders. Churches, organizations, even families have leaders. If you are a parent, you are a leader.

What kind of leaders are we? Would someone exclaim about our church, club or family how fortunate they are because they are under our leadership?

PRAYER: Dear God, Solomon prayed for divine wisdom to lead Israel. I need similar wisdom to lead in my small way in my family and every other place where I have leadership responsibilities. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 73 

MORE: Advice for leaders

Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing writes a lot about leadership on his blog Michael Hyatt - Intentional Leadership. Here are links to a few recent articles about leadership:

"Why Leaders Cannot Afford to be Easily Offended"

"Four Temptations Christian Leaders Face"

"A Tale of Two Leaders: Which Are You?" <— this is excellent!

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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.

Real change is an inside job

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Nehemiah 12-13; Psalm 52

TO CHEW ON: “Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off.” Nehemiah 12:43

Nehemiah completed the task he got leave from his job to do. Nehemiah 12 describes the dedication of the finished wall. It was a great celebration with  music, instruments, choirs and  sacrifices. Then Nehemiah went back to Babylon to work for Artaxerxes.

Sometime later, when Nehemiah returned to visit Jerusalem, he found, to his great dismay, that a lot of people had slipped back into their old ways.

• Some of Israel’s enemies and critics had infiltrated the temple and leadership (Nehemiah 13:7,8; 28).

• Since offerings were no longer being collected and stored for the Levites, they had to go back to farming to make a living (Nehemiah 13:10).

• People were working on the Sabbath day (Nehemiah 13:15).

• Gentile merchants were allowed into the city to set up markets on the Sabbath (Nehemiah 13:16).

• The people were again intermarrying with their idol-worshiping neighbours and forgetting or not even learning the language of Israel (Israel 13:23,24).

And so Nehemiah had to clean up again (Nehemiah 13:30,31). His zeal for obedience and holiness is a testimony of how much he feared and respected God and cared for the well-being of the people.

This passage leaves us with some thoughts to apply to our lives.
1. The rebuilt wall that was meant to set Jerusalem apart from its pagan neighbours was ineffective because the people’s hearts, from the religious and political leaders down, had not changed. Real change is effective only when it starts from inside.

2. Nehemiah’s zeal in building the wall in the first place and then his coming back and putting things right shows a respect and fear of God that we seem to have lost in our after-the-cross church era. Though we don’t fear God’s judgment as Old Testament people of faith did, God hasn’t changed. I sometimes wonder whether our casual attitude toward sin might be putting us on a more dangerous path than we realize.


PRAYER: Dear Father, change me from the inside so that my heart is to do Your will, because I love You and regard You with a realistic respect and fear. Amen.
PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 52

MORE:  Change Me on the Inside




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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.

Spirit of harlotry

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hosea1-5; Psalm 122

TO CHEW ON: "For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray. And they have played the harlot against their God." Hosea 4:12b

"Harlot" is a word we don't use a lot. It simply means an unchaste woman, a whore, a strumpet. "Harlotry" is the trade or behaviour of a harlot.

I am struck by the phrase "spirit of harlotry" in our reading. Hosea points his finger at that spirit or attitude as the underlying cause of Israel's straying. A close look at Hosea 3 and 4 give us information about such a spirit. Here are some of its characteristics:

1. God's law is ignored (Hosea 4:2,6).

2. There is an impact on the natural world of earth and animals (Hosea 4:3).

3. Respect for leaders is absent, replaced by argument and contention (Hosea 4:4-5).

4. Evil multiplies (Hosea 4:7).

5. Dissatisfaction is typical (Hosea 4:10).

6. Addiction is everywhere (Hosea 4:11).

7. People seek advice from occult sources (Hosea 4:12).

8. There is a proliferation of idolatrous customs and rituals (Hosea 4:13).

9. Both men and women are affected (Hosea 4:13b, 14).

10. A rebellious spirit rules the land (Hosea 4:16-18).

As I read that list and look at my own country, I am not reassured. It is uncanny how many of these attitudes are typical of Canada. Do you see any of these characteristics where you live?

What to do? Besides resisting these things in our own lives, I believe we need to focus our prayers against that spirit of harlotry in our own nation. Dick Eastman in his book Love on Its Knees says about praying for nations: "When praying for a nation, we should try to determine which satanic strongholds exist there, then exercise our God-given spiritual authority to confront these bastions."

He lists some general areas of strongholds and how to pray for them.

1. Government strongholds. Intercessors should pay special attention to the political characteristics of a nation...


2. Cultural strongholds. Every nation possesses behavioural characteristics. Collectively we refer to these as the culture of a people, and in some cases such characteristics restrict the spread of the Gospel....


3. Religious strongholds. This focus touches the spiritual characteristics of a land... In some countries of the world today it is virtually impossible to engage in open evangelism because of the religious restrictions...


4. Material strongholds. A final focus regarding strongholds in nations concerns the materialistic characteristics of a land. Some nations appear to be free and have experienced prosperity. Yet there is often lukewarmness in the churches of those nations. Soon apathy toward spiritual things moves a people toward humanism which puts the emphasis on human development and rejects spiritual values...." - Dick Eastman, Love On Its Knees pp. 110-112.

The result of this harlotry spirit for Israel was God's sober warning: "I will destroy your mothers ...forget your children...change their glory into shame" (Hosea 4: 5-7). The nation will be characterized by futility: "The wind has wrapped her up in its wings..." Hosea 4:19.

Let's pray for a turning from the spirit of harlotry in our land, lest we find ourselves setting up for the same fate.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to resist the spirit of harlotry in my own life. Then help me to see my country and people realistically and with spiritual insight so I can pray effectively and be salt and light in the ways You direct. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 122
 
The Bible Project VIDEO: Hosea (Read Scripture Series)








Andrew Peterson has written a powerful song called "Hosea." Hosea - the song - from Andrew Peterson's blog, with the lyrics

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

A voice behind you

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 28-30; Psalm 115

TO CHEW ON: "Your ears shall hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left." Isaiah 30:21

We love to be guided from the front. We are reassured by someone walking or driving ahead of us, clearly showing us the right way. But often God does not guide us that way.

Isaiah refers to God guidance as "a voice behind you." What does he mean by that? Commenters make a connection to a "voice behind you" with conscience and other metaphors:

"It is thought by some to be an allusion to schoolmasters, who stand behind their scholars, or at their backs, to guide, teach, and instruct them; and by others to shepherds following their flocks, who, when they observe any of the sheep going out of the way, call them back; or to travelers, who, coming to a place where are several ways, and being at a loss which way to take, and inclining to turn to the right or left, are called to by persons behind them, and directed in the right way." - Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

Such "voice behind you" guidance has operated in my life in at least two ways.

Sometimes when I'm faced with a fork in the road, I simply make my decision, not thinking to pray about it. It's only later, as I reconsider what I've done—sit before God about it you could say—that I realize, what I did was not such a good thing. When this happens I need to retrace my steps or change direction.

At other times, that voice has been the voice of confirmation. Sometimes I've taken on writing assignments for the simple fact that I've finished the last project and this one came along at just that time. There were no prophetic words, voices or holy thrills - not even a scripture verse on which to hang my hat. Not uncommonly I'll question whether I've made the right decision, especially when the writing gets tough or the piece gets turned down. Later, much later sometimes, I'll get confirmation that the project was a 'God thing' (it finally gets accepted, I get an email or note from someone saying it blessed them, it wins a prize, gets republished).

Have you had such "voice behind you" guidance in your life? How has it worked for you?

The comforting thing in all this is that God promises to guide us:

• Psalm 25:9: "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way."

• Proverbs 3:6: "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

• Isaiah 48:17: "This is what the LORD says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go."

PRAYER: Dear God, Thank You for Your promise of guidance. Help me to hear Your voice and to be willing to change direction if that is what You are saying. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 115

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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.

Fighting God's anointed

"Triumph of David" by Matteo Rosselli

TODAY'S SPECIAL:  1 Samuel 18-20; Psalm 83

TO CHEW ON: "Thus Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him; and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David's enemy continually." 1 Samuel 18:28,29

Saul's admiration of David quickly turned to jealousy as the people expressed their preference for this youthful, brave, and spirited shepherd over him.

In a pretense of rewarding David, Saul tried to trap him with marriage to his daughters. But instead of getting killed in battle and later in the slaughter Philistines to obtain a gory dowry for Michal, David succeeded in not only  defeating the enemy and delivering the dowry, but also in winning the love and loyalty of Saul's own daughter Michal. With each victory David endeared himself to the people more. Saul was right to fear him, for his successes were evidence of God's Spirit on him.

Saul's actions remind me of how we too sometimes fight the "Lord's anointed."  When we gossip about our pastor or resist God-given leadership in other ways (grumble and complain, divide into factions, try to figure out ways to get rid of one or the other) aren't we engaging in a Saul-type battle—a battle we're sure to eventually lose?

I am reminded of Jesus' words to another Saul who was fighting the people God had anointed: "'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? .... I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads'" Acts 9:4,5.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to recognize those You have anointed for leadership in my life. Help me not to rebel against them, but to accept Your authority over me through them. Amen. 


PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 83
 
MORE: Pray for leaders
Instead of resisting God-given leadership, we could pray for our leaders. John Piper lists eight prayer points:

1. Ask God to give them an inclination to His word versus money, fame, or power.
2. Pray for their purity.
3. Pray for their biblical and doctrinal purity.
4. Pray for their solid, joyful, Christ-exalting marriages.
5. Pray for their boldness in witnessing.
6. Pray for visionary creative energy for them.
7. Pray for converting power, i.e. that the Lord will open hearts and save people through their ministry.
8. Pray that they would be a small part of a global spiritual awakening.

Read all of "How to Pray for the Pastoral Staff"  - by John Piper. ©2012 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org.


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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.

Prayer, not panic

"Israel demands a king" J. Winter

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 5-8; Psalm 79

TO CHEW ON: "Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, 'No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.'" 1 Samuel 8:19,20.

The people of Israel are tired of being the only nation without a king. At least that's what their elders make it sound like when they come to Samuel begging for a change in government style.

Samuel is hurt. It feels to him like the people are rejecting him. (And in a way they are, for his two corrupt sons, the fruit of his own fathering, are the catalyst for the peoples' request.)

But God makes it clear that Israel's rejection of the judge mode of government isn't a rejection of Samuel or his sons so much as a rejection of God himself and His sometimes unorthodox but effective methods and people (e.g. a cloud by day and fire by night, judges like Samson and Gideon).

How little things have changed. These people are operating like we see most people around us still today. If something is wrong, figure out a human way to change it. Surely a new leader or political party will be able to keep us safer, make us more prosperous, leave more money in our pockets, guarantee we have jobs, houses... Forget "most people," I often find myself thinking that way too. Don't you?

Contrast that with some of the Bible declarations of where our real trust should be:

• "Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless (Psalm 60:11; 108:12).

• "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes" (Psalm 118:9).

• "Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man in whom there is no help" Psalm 146:3.

• "Thus says the Lord: 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord'" Jeremiah 17:5.

The challenge for us, for me, is to acknowledge that God is behind our human governments and governors. If our countries need change, we bring it about most effectively by going first to the power behind the throne, or oval office, or wherever our leaders make their decisions. That is, going to God in prayer about our governors and the things of government.

We can do this on a personal level too, as we put our trust in God over our CEO, or boss, or supervisor, or whoever seems to be pulling the strings in our life or career.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to give more than lip service to the fact of Your sovereignty in human affairs. Remind me to go to You first with all my problems and concerns. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 79

MORE: When we are in fear...

"When we are in fear we can do nothing less than pray to God, but Our Lord has a right to expect that those who name His Name should have an understanding confidence in Him. God expects His children to be so confident in Him that in any crisis they are the reliable ones. Our trust is in God up to a certain point, then we go back to the elementary panic prayers of those who do not know God. We get to our wits' end, showing that we have not the slightest confidence in Him and His government of the world; He seems to be asleep, and we see nothing but breakers ahead..." - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, August 12 reading.

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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.

Discouraged

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Numbers 19-21; Psalm 46

TO CHEW ON:  "Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way." Numbers 21:4


Have you ever noticed how one little choice of bad attitude leads to the next and the next until you've worked yourself into a full-blown funk? That seems to be what happened to the Israelites in today's reading.

They have just conquered King Arad, destroying all the cities of his small kingdom south of Canaan. Perhaps the Israelites expected to enter Canaan from that point. Instead God led them on a detour away from the promised land. That understandable disappointment may have sparked their initial complaints.

They began with an attitude that is common — at least to me: discouragement — "discouraged" is also translated "impatient" (Amp, NIV, NLT), "depressed" (Amp), "irritable and cross" (Message).

Their complaints had typical characteristics:
- they were against leadership: "the people spoke against God and against Moses."
- they were against conditions: "There is no food and no water and our soul loathes this worthless bread."
- they had the typical faithless tone: "Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?"

God's response—sending poisonous snakes among them—may have seemed harsh. But it certainly got their attention. The remedy—Moses erecting a bronze snake to which the bitten looked and were cured—foreshadowed God's final blow to sin through Jesus on the cross (John 3:14-15).

I ask myself, am I struggling with a typical though negative attitude today? Discouragement, impatience, irritability in my situation may seem like a harmless, even expected response to irritations, disappointments, and difficulties. But it is just such common attitude choices that got the Israelites into trouble way back in the wilderness and still easily trip us up today.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to guard my attitudes. I want to nip my faithless bent in the bud before it blooms its toxic flowers of complaining, unbelief and depression. Amen

PSALM TO PRAY:  Psalm 46

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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.

Help for the Frustrated Leader

Moses helped by Aaron and Hur - Exodus 17:12

Illustration from Treasures of the Bible



TODAY’S SPECIAL: Numbers 11-13; Psalm 43

TO CHEW ON: “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Has the LORD’s arm been shortened?’” Numbers 11:23

Here we see Moses so discouraged and frustrated with the complaints and grumbling of the people, he wants to die.

His cry out to God was not ignored. Here is a short list of how God came to his aid and the aid of other frustrated and discouraged leaders in the Bible.

1. He gave Moses helpers, putting His Spirit—the Holy Spirit that was on Moses—onto 70 leaders of the people so they could help him - Numbers 11:24,25.

2. Before David became king and was on-the-run from Saul, on one occasion his camp was raided by Amalekite bandits. All their stuff and wives were taken. David’s response to his own outrage and the anger of his men: He “strengthened himself in God” - 1 Samuel 30:6.

3. For Solomon, his request for wisdom and God’s reply happened in a dream. The next day he went about his work as usual, perhaps not knowing if anything had changed. However, it was soon evident, by the wisdom with which he judged the people, that God had indeed answered his prayer - 1 Kings 3:28.

4. Elijah, after fleeing for more than a day from Queen Jezebel, fell asleep, awoke to an angel-prepared meal, slept some more, ate again, and carried on “in the strength of that food” for 40 days and nights - 1 Kings 19:5-8.

5. In our reading additionally, God’s way of solving the meat problem was, in effect, to do a miracle. When God promised meat and Moses objected: “Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered to provide enough for them…?”  God replied: “‘Has God’s arm been shortened?’” - Numbers 11:23. (“‘Has the Lord’s hand [His ability and power] become short [thwarted and inadequate]?’” - Numbers 11:23 AMP.) In other words, When was I ever limited by anything, to keep My promises?

These are still some of the ways God uses to bring us out of discouragement and provide help (some He does for us; some we do ourselves).


We defeat discouragement by:

• Accepting help.

• Changing our focus from the situation to God.

• Going about our tasks with faith, confident that God has answered our prayer.

• Attending to our physical needs for rest and food.

• Trusting that God can, and sometimes does, respond with miracles.

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to use the means available to me to dispel discouragement. You and Your plans are never thwarted! Help me to believe this at a life level through up and down times. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 43

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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)

Naive about Evil

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Romans 16:16-27

TO CHEW ON: “For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil.” Romans 16:19


At lunch with friends a few days ago, the topic of church  came up. Because we all attend the same one, the tone was, perhaps predictably, mixed, with some criticism entering the conversation.

Criticism of church, its programs, leaders, worship style etc. (and the temptation to join in) always makes me a little squirmy. I’m too familiar with the story of the Israelites wandering through the wilderness for forty years, due in large part to their lack of trust in God and grumbling, to feel nonchalant about it.

Our focus verse  (Romans 16:19) and others (like “Be wise as serpents, harmless as doves” - Matthew 10:16, and "that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ" - Philippians 1:10) lead me to conclude that God values a certain innocence or naiveté toward evil.

My Bible’s study notes say about the phrase “simple concerning evil”: “Christians should not try to become experts about all the details of evil deeds” - Wayne Grudem, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1575. We simply don’t get involved in it and thus remain blissfully ignorant of its dark corridors.

But is church gossip really “evil”?

It is if we’re critiquing a pastor or pastors who are following God’s direction. For when we do that, aren’t we, in effect, criticizing God and demonstrating that we don't trust God to do good by us?

So how do we nurture a naiveté toward this brand of evil? Some ways, I think, are to refuse to let gossip go on too long in our hearing, to resist a critical spirit raising its ugly head in our own thinking, and for sure to set a guard against criticism from coming out of our own mouths.


PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to be simple in my trust of Your goodness revealed in the leaders You have placed over me in my church. 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.

Deborah - anointed leader

"Deborah" by Ferdinand Max Bredt

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Judges 4:1-16

TO CHEW ON: "And Barak said to her, 'If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go!' Judges 4:8

We read here of a rare time when a woman led Israel. Deborah was the nation's judge. Her wisdom attracted the children of Israel to come to her for counsel and justice (Judges 4:5).

She was also a visionary who called for Barak to deploy troops and go to battle against Jabin.

Barak was willing to go. But he wanted Deborah to go with him. Was this a lack of faith or wise realism? Even my Bible's notes differ on what his reluctance to go without Deborah meant. The footnotes to Judges attribute this to a lack of faith. But I like the interpretation expressed in the sidebar article "A Woman Essential to Victory":

"Barak, a great man of faith (Hebrews 11:32) is a classic study in the wisdom of a man's acknowledgment of the potential power of a woman's contribution to a goal. Because of Deborah's godly and skillful leadership traits, Barak (as commander of Israel's armies) would not go into this battle without her, even when told that he would not get full honour for the victory (Judges 4:9). His priority was the welfare of the nation, and he knew that their combined efforts would ensure success as each brought their distinctive, God-given strengths to the challenge" - Jane Hansen, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 319.

Doesn't Barak's reaction help us recognize our own desire to be led by people—men or women—in whose lives God's presence and power is evident? Such anointed leaders are God's gifts to us as individuals and the church.


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the godly men and women who are the leaders in my life and my church. Help me to follow their lead and respect them as Your gift to me. May I be experience Your anointing as I lead in my small way. Amen.


MORE: Deborah in art

Canadian artist Donna Smallenberg uses art to depict inspiring Bible women and spiritual themes. Her painting of Deborah and the explanation of the painting give us even more appreciation for this Bible character. 

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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.

God's apprenticeship program for leaders

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 34:1-12

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

MORE: A verse to memorize

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

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

God casts the deciding vote

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Isaiah 45:1-13

TO CHEW ON: “For the sake of Jacob my Servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.

I am the LORD, there is no other, apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you do not acknowledge me.” Isaiah 45:4,5

In these days of various factions wringing their hands when the person they consider the enemy, the mistake, the illegitimate one gets into power, this chapter that describes how God plans to use unbelieving King Cyrus to perform His will is a good passage to remember. For in the end, it’s God who has the last word in installing leaders.

He can subdue nations before, open doors for, level mountains, cut through metal bars, give treasure, summon by name, bestow honor and a title, and strengthen even the godless person or leader to accomplish what He has in mind to accomplish.

Do you find yourself thinking or feeling—If only the people in power were God-fearing, believers, all our social and economic problems would be on the road to being solved? Well, here we see that God doesn’t need that. He can use anyone, even an atheistic (or probably in Cyrus’ case idol-worshiping) king to achieve His will.

All this underlines the necessity for us to respect our leaders, whatever their stripe, to be subject to them, and to pray for them. Some scriptures for us to keep in mind: *

• 1 Timothy 2:1-2: I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

• 1 Peter 2:17- Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

• Romans 13:1 - Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God (emphasis added).

• Jeremiah 29:7 - Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

• 2 Chronicles 7:14 -  if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

*This collection of verses taken from the website Crosswalk.com - “10 Scriptures to Pray for Our Nation and Leaders,” which continues with Bible verses to pray for our leaders.


PRAYER: Dear Father, I am so glad that you are not stopped from working and achieving Your will by any individual. I pray for the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau and all his cabinet, that You give them wisdom to govern Canada well. Amen.

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

Phinehas: a leader to follow

"Moab Leads Israel Into Sin"
1728 engraving 
by Gerard Hoet & Pieter Sluiter

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 106:24-48


TO CHEW ON: "Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,

And the plague was stopped.

And that was accounted to him for righteousness

To all generations forevermore." - Psalm 106:30-31

Phinehas is a minor Old Testament character to whom our psalm writer pays a major tribute. Let's delve into his life a bit.

This Phinehas (there is another in the Bible—the son of Eli, who was evil) was the noble grandson of Aaron (Exodus 6:25).

The deed that he did and which was "accounted to him for righteousness" was—well, grisly. The people of Israel, camping near the Midianites during the exodus, had fallen prey to their idol worship. It happened through Israelite-Midianite coupling. God spoke to Moses about rooting out this evil and Moses gathered the leaders and people in front of the tabernacle. Even as the assembled people were weeping there, an Israeli man (the son of a leader) traipsed past the crowd with a Midianite woman (the daughter of a Midianite chieftain) on his arm. It seems he may have even taken her into the tabernacle.

Phinehas saw it, took Moses' message to heart, and went into action (Numbers 25:7-8; read the whole story: Numbers 25:1-17). That act of zealousness for God's holiness stopped the plague of punishment from advancing and earned him the tribute ("accounted to him for righteousness") which only one other Bible character received. The same thing is said of only Abraham (Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:1-3, 9-19, 19-24, Galatians 3:5-7).

Phinehas was born into a family of leaders. But he proved to be a true leader by doing the difficult job of standing up for God's holiness and actually rooting out that evil. As such he became a stander-in-the-breach between God and the people—a type of Christ.

Leadership remains a difficult job. It is definitely not a place for people-pleasers. If we are leaders, we can learn a lot from the principled and fearless leadership of Phinehas.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me, wherever I lead, to seek Your approval and not the approval of people. Amen.

MORE: More about Phinehas

• After the above event, Phinehas led the people into battle against the Midianites with unusual weapons: "...the holy articles and the signal trumpets in his hand" - Numbers 31:6. How telling: spiritual weapons for a spiritual battle.

• Later, his leadership in breaching a potential rift between Reuben, Gad, Manassah and the rest of the Israelites averted a potential civil war. Read that story in Joshua 22:1-34.

• It was he who inquired and heard from the Lord as to whether to continue the war against the treacherous tribe of Benjamin. Read that story in Judges 20:1-48.

• He was a direct descendant of Levi, the son of Israel - 1 Chronicles 6:1-4.

• He was from a family of singers and worshipers whose descendants were still serving in that way at the time of David - 1 Chronicles 6:1-4, 31-33.

• He was also in charge of the gatekeepers of the tabernacle. In that capacity the Bible says of him "...the Lord was with him" - 1 Chronicles 9:19-20.

• Ezra was his descendant - Ezra 7:5.

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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.

Principles of success

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 39:1-23


TO CHEW ON: "The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man..." Genesis 39:2

Who of us doesn't want to be known as successful? However, if what happened to Joseph happened to us—we were sold as slaves and then lied about and put in prison—we would probably feel anything but successful. So how did Joseph earn that label?

His success came despite confusing and unfair circumstances. It was not measured by education, favor or rank (though that would come later) but by the way all he set his hand to flourished. Under his management Potiphar's household was more prosperous than ever before. When he was thrown into prison, his trustworthiness, good sense, and administrative talents soon caught the eye of the jail keeper and gave Joseph favor with him.

The writer of Genesis attributes all his success to God: "Then the Lord was with Joseph.... The Lord caused all that he did to succeed.... The Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake.... But the Lord was with Joseph ... and gave him success...And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed" - Genesis 39:2, 3, 5, 21, 23.

Several principles of God-initiated success are on display in this passage:

1. God-ordained success is not dependent on or measured by our rank or position. Joseph was a successful servant and prisoner. I think we could say that the success that comes from God is available to us whatever our education or lack of it and wherever we find ourselves (at home, in a coffee shop, on the construction site, in the classroom, office or church, or wherever.)

2. God's blessing on our lives may be reflected in the success of those we work for. Potiphar's household reaped the benefits of having Joseph around.

3. A big element of God-initiated success is favor. Joseph gained the favor of the jail keeper. There are many other Bible characters who gained the favor of the powerful people in their lives: Daniel, Esther, Nehemiah are some.

4. God-ordained success is not, finally, about us but about furthering God's bigger purposes. Joseph eventually achieved even greater success when he was installed as one of the most powerful men in Egypt. But it wasn't to feed his own ego but so he could preserve his people, the Hebrews, God's covenant people, the family line from which Jesus would come. When our motivation is to honor God and further His cause on earth, we are good candidates for the kind of God-driven success that Joseph experienced.


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this encouraging story of Joseph. I would love for my life to be a visible testimony of divine blessing and success so that Your honour and glory are furthered as a result of it. Amen.

MORE: Success - what's my role?

We know we don't just sit around and wait for God to drop success into our laps. Joseph was an unknown quantity when he arrived in Pharaoh's jail. He must have done something, demonstrated some initiative, shown some quality of ambition or energy or willingness to be busy in order for the jail keeper to entrust him with responsibility in the first place.  Below are links to three articles on Michael Hyatt's blog that talk about some rubber-hits-the-road elements of success.

• "What's the Secret to Your Success" - by Michael Hyatt

• "12 Strategies for Leadership Success" - by Margaret McSweeney

• "The One Thing Guaranteed to Prevent Your Success (If You Let It)" - by Josh Hood

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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.

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The Frustrated Leader

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Numbers 11:1-15

TO CHEW ON: “So Moses said to the LORD, ‘Why have you afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your eyes that You have laid the burden of all these people on me? … If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now if I have found favor in Your sight—and do not let me see my wretchedness” - Numbers 11:11,15

How totally frustrated Moses sounds here! And who could blame him? Every step forward that he took the Israelites was met with pushback and complaining!

I did a short survey of other times people in the Bible felt discouraged, frustrated, and inadequate in their roles.

• David was no stranger to discouragement as seen in vulnerable psalms like Psalm 6:2.

• King Solomon started his reign feeling naive and inadequate - 1 Kings 3:9.

• Elijah comes to mind. He hid out for three years during a drought and famine that shriveled the land. Then he met with the Baal prophets in a showdown, defeated them, and the rain came. But did the people turn to God? No. Instead, Queen Jezebel threatened to kill him and he had to run for his life. His discouraged wish to die is in 1 Kings 19:4.

• Isaiah talks of how weakness and weariness is the experience of all, even the young - Isaiah 40:30.

• The disciples couldn’t stay awake to pray with Jesus in Gethsemane - Matthew 26:40.

What all this says to me is that discouragement, weakness, and human frailty is a fact of life. When I acknowledge these things in myself, I’m finally facing reality.

But, thank God, Moses didn’t stay in that down place, and neither do we have to. Tomorrow we’ll look at how God lifted him out of this I-want-to-die pit.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for being a High Priest who can sympathize with my weaknesses. I come to Your throne of grace to find mercy and grace to help in my time of need. Amen (prayer based on Hebrews 4:15,16).

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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 kingdom we long for

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Isaiah 8:21-9:7

TO CHEW ON: “Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom
To order and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah 9:7

Yesterday was the inauguration of the new president of the United States, Donald Trump. I don’t have to tell anyone how controversial he and the process of choosing him has been. I’ve heard America described, since this election, as two nations. In other words, it’s seriously divided. Many view this new presidency with hope; many others with despair.

As someone who lives in another democracy (Canada) I know how we as citizens take seriously our responsibility to cast our votes and do what we have the privilege of doing to the best of our ability. I too have experienced the frustration of my chosen candidate losing and the joy of of him or her winning.

But even the best of leaders by our judgement will fall short of the ideal. They’ll fudge on their pre-election promises. They’ll be thwarted by those who oppose them. Sometimes they’ll be caught in scandal. At other times, circumstances and world events will impact what they plan to do.

What a contrast to the leader described in our passage—the Child and Son whose government will embody wonder, wise counsel, God’s endorsement, peace. A government enforced by the very zeal of God.

Is this picture in Isaiah just a romantic ideal, as some would say—a fanciful paradise, imaged metaphoric perfection? Or is it a real future event we can look forward to? I believe the latter.

PRAYER: Dear King Jesus, I anticipate a time the government will be on Your shoulders, when You, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace will rule with perfect judgment and justice. 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.

A challenge to us as followers

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Titus 1:1-16

TO CHEW ON: "For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money." Titus 1:7

Those of us who attend church with pastor leaders are well aware of the hazards of such a position. Pastors get criticized for a multitude of things: their leadership style, their sermons, how organized or disorganized they are, the hours they work or don't, not visiting the sick and shut-ins or visiting too much, driving too big and fancy a car or looking too poor… and the list could go on.

Paul's letter to Titus deals with choosing church leaders and lists some of the qualifications they should have. Paul tells Titus to choose bishops (overseers) who are: (quotes in parenthesis are from the Amplified Bible).

• "blameless" ("of unquestionable integrity")
• "the husband of one wife" 
• good fathers whose children are described as "faithful … not accused of dissipation or insubordination" ("well-trained … believers … not  … loose in morals and conduct or unruly or disorderly")
• "not self-willed" ("arrogant or presumptuous")
• "not quick-tempered" 
• "not given to wine"
• "not violent" ("pugnacious, brawling")
• "not greedy ("grasping … for filthy lucre [financial gain])"
• "hospitable" ("loving and a friend to believers, especially to strangers and foreigners")
• "lovers of what is good" ("of good people and good things")
• "sober-minded" ("sensible, discreet")
• "just" ("upright and fair-minded")
• "holy" ("a devout man and religiously correct")
• "self-controlled" ("temperate and keeping himself in hand")
• "holding fast the faithful word he has been taught"
• "able… to exhort and convict those who contradict" ("able both to give stimulating instruction and encouragement in sound {wholesome} doctrine and to refute and convict those who contradict and oppose it [showing the wayward their error]")

Even though this list is over 2000 years old, it is still applicable to church leaders today. However, rather than using it as a yardstick to point out ways our pastors don't measure up, let's use it as a template for prayer that they do and will.

In their positions pastors and other church leaders are targets of not only us who are followers in their congregations but the watching world. Probably nothing makes the devil happier than when a prominent man or woman of God gets tangled in sin.

So with all our hearts, let's fill our months with intercession for our pastors in these many areas rather than criticism.


PRAYER: Dear God, I pray for my pastor and Your under-shepherds all over the world.  May these men and women stay pure and dedicated as they work as stewards in Your church. Amen.

MORE: Fourth Sunday of Advent
Today the church celebrates the Fourth Sunday of Advent. If there is a Christmas story character focus today, I'd guess it would be "Shepherds."

The Fourth Advent Sunday liturgy begins with this collect:

"Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen"

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

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

God's covert operators

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Kings 18:1-19

TO CHEW ON: "And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets, and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.)" 1 Kings 18:3-4

Here's an interesting scenario. Ahab married Jezebel, a Sidonian princess. Fanatical in following the religion of her homeland—Baal worship—she commanded the massacre of all Israel's prophets of God.

But one of Ahab's chief servants (the one in charge of his house) was a dedicated servant of Yahweh. He secretly hid 100 of those prophets from Jezebel. Tucked away in a couple of caves, he had made sure that these God-followers got bread and water for the duration of the famine.

This modus operandi was not untypical. Some other instances when God placed His person in the top echelons of government were Joseph, Esther, Daniel, and Nehemiah. In each case the person stayed loyal to God and wielded unusual power and influence for good.

God still works in this way. In early April this year I attended the MLA's Prayer Breakfast in Victoria (our province's capital city). It was so encouraging to see members from all political parties there, acknowledging that they needed more than just their own wits and intelligence to govern well. I think of these folks as covert operators, undercover agents for the Kingdom. They are working on the side of all that is good for the benefit of all of us.

We're told to pray for our leaders in any case (1 Timothy 2:1,2).  How much more should we do this for those leaders who are also part of the "household of faith" (Galatians 6:9,10?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for putting people who love and fear You in positions of power in my country and city. I pray for the ones I know ______ (name them) today. When I am critical of government, please remind me to pray for leaders instead of complaining. Amen.

MORE: William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce (1759-1833) is another example of a person of faith in a position of influence. He worked tirelessly for the abolition of slavery and saw his dream come true just weeks before he died.The Abolition Project website describes how he got involved in politics and why he decided to stay there after his conversion:

"He enrolled at Cambridge University and became friends with William Pitt. At the age of 21, Wilberforce was elected to Parliament.  He was well suited to politics as he was an extremely eloquent speaker and very witty. In 1783, he met James Ramsay and, for the first time, discussed slavery. Around 1884-6, he underwent a gradual but 'intense religious conversion' whilst traveling with a friend. He considered leaving Parliament but his friend and mentor, John Newton, advised him against this, so, instead, he decided to serve God in public life."

 Read the entire article.

Amazing Grace  is a 2007 movie about Wilberforce's life.

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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.

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