Skewed priorities

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Matthew7-8; Psalm 84

TO CHEW ON: “And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus…” - Matthew 8:34

Just prior to our focus verse, we see Jesus do something truly amazing—liberate two demon-possessed men (Matthew 8:28-33). These men have, till now, spooked all passersby. No one even comes close to the tomb-caves where they live because they’re too scary.

With a word Jesus frees them from the demonic spirits that have been controlling them. He gives those spirits permission to enter a nearby herd of pigs. True to their destructive nature, the demons cause the pigs to stampede to their briny deaths in the sea.

Then the swine-herders rush back to the city with word of what has happened. The whole city comes out and we (at least I) expect them to welcome with open arms Jesus, this Man who works wonders, who frees enslaved brothers. We expect another Samaritan Woman saga, when the whole town, responding to the woman’s testimony, becomes receptive to Jesus (John 4:28-42).

But no. The end of our story isn’t like that. The last part of Matthew 8:34 is a whiplash of surprise: “And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region” (emphasis added).

Oh no. Lost pigs are obviously more important to them than found men. We ask, how could they be that way—begging someone who has freed these men to leave? Obviously their priorities are skewed.

Yet, am I, are we so different? Who wins when we sense that introducing others to Jesus by responding to their needs will impinge on our time, our plans, our bank accounts, our peaceful tidy homes?  

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please help my life to be an open door to You and people meeting You, not a closed door sending You and others away because I am self-centered.  Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 84

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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.

Right priorities

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Haggai 1-2; Psalm 59

TO CHEW ON:  "You looked for much, but indeed, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. 'Why/' says the Lord of Hosts. 'Because of My house that is in ruins, while everyone of you runs to his own house.'"  Haggai 1:9


Haggai had returned home to Jerusalem with the other exiles from Babylon in 536 B.C. Now, sixteen years later, the temple still lay in ruins. And the people weren't doing so well either. They were working hard but in spite of that, their crops were failing, they were often hungry, and it was if they had put their wages in holey bags.

It was in this situation that God spoke to Haggai, and Haggai gave God's message to Governor Zerubbabel and High Priest Joshua.

God explained why this was happening: "Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house." In other words, the exiles had given their own interests top priority while neglecting God's interests. The dismal situation in the country was not just bad luck, but had come on them as a result of their violating a fundamental Kingdom of God principle.

A footnote in my Bible explains:

"The people were apparently using their poverty, food shortages and inflation as excuses not to finish the temple. In actuality, they are judgments for failing to build (vs. 9-11). Somewhat similarly, when God's people fail to tithe and honour the Sabbath in an effort to have enough money and enough time for themselves, their efforts are in vain because they deny themselves God's blessing on their efforts. God was not denying houses for the people; He was asking that they prioritize the building of His house and thereby trust Him for the building of theirs." - New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1243.

We find this principle—of attending to God's interests first before our own, with the promise that in the meantime our needs will be met—woven throughout the Bible. Jesus articulates it clearly in Matthew 6:25-33. It is part of the mysterious economy of the Kingdom of Heaven that when we try to satisfy our own needs and desires first, we'll be in want. But when we give God our first and best, we'll have abundance.

How can we respond?

- Understand God's principle of giving.
- Make God's priorities our priorities.
- Give Him the first of our time, talent and treasure.
- Do not live by the world system, which tells us to look out for ourselves first.
- Honor God and He will honor us.

— "Truth in Action through Haggai," New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1246.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this reminder of how Your kingdom works. Help me to work it by putting You and Your interests first in my life today. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 59

The Bible Project VIDEO: Haggai (Read Scripture Series)



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

God with us

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Haggai 1:1-15

TO CHEW ON: “Then Haggai, the LORD’s messenger, spoke the LORD’s message to the people, saying, ‘I am with you, says the LORD.’” Haggai 1:13

Haggai had a short active ministry—only four months in the year 520 B.C. But its impact reaches to us today.

According to the "Introduction to Haggai" in my Bible, Haggai was one of the exiles who had returned to Israel 16 years earlier (in 536 B.C.). These returned exiles started to rebuild the country and especially re-establish worship of the LORD (Yahweh). Though they started well, they had become distracted and were now focusing on themselves: their crops, houses and wealth (Haggai 1:2-6).

But it wasn’t working out that well for them. Haggai’s words rub it in:

You have sown much, and bring in little;
You eat, but do not have enough;
You drink, but you are not filled with drink;
You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm;
And he who earns wages,
Earns wages to put into a bag with holes” Haggai 1:6.

It’s easy for us to become like the people of Haggai’s time and get consumed with bettering ourselves. Our society drums into us that a newer car, a bigger house, flashier wardrobe, faster and more technology are what we need. And so, like these people we take our welfare on our own shoulders and work harder, longer, and yet find less satisfaction. We leave God out of our lives and then wonder why it all ends up being laborious and unsatisfying.

Haggai’s words to the leaders when they again decide to resist the prevailing wisdom to focus on themselves and instead focus on God, jump out at me: “I am with you, says the LORD.”

If we see ourselves in these people, let’s do what they did and again put God first—His concerns, His values, His kingdom way of doing things. and listen for His reassuring words to us: “I am with you, says the LORD.”

PRAYER: Dear Father, it’s easy to get caught up in the world’s self-made-man way of doing things. Help me to invite You into all aspects of my life. 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.

Must-haves

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Timothy 4:9-18

TO CHEW ON: “Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come—and the books, especially the parchments.” 2 Timothy 4:13

As I prepared for a recent flight, I packed with the carry-on luggage restrictions always in mind. What should I take? What could I leave? What would I absolutely miss if I didn’t have?

Three things I definitely left room for were my journal, a Bible study workbook I’m currently working through, and my iPad (which has e-versions of the Bible). But they were a very small percentage of my entire pack.

Here we see Paul (in a time when travel was slow, requests took a long time to be fulfilled and everything was transported by foot or beast) sending a list of stuff he felt he desperately needed to Timothy. Only one thing on the list was for his physical well-being (that cloak - 2 Timothy 4:13). The rest was all stuff to feed his spirit and use in ministry—the books, parchments, and, of course, the human company and help of Timothy and Mark (2 Timothy 4:11).

My Bible’s notes elaborate on what those books and parchments might have been:

“The books or papyrus rolls, may have been portions of the OT. The leather parchments could have been unused material, which Paul wanted for planned writing endeavors, more probably, however, they were sections of the OT, prized highly by Paul, or perhaps even copies of the Lord’s words and early narratives of His life” - James Lea Beall, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1715.

This passage gives me cause to pause and consider—what is really essential for my life? For my five days away, I packed way more stuff for my physical self than my spirit. Does that say something about my priorities?

What would be on your list for must-have items?

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for the plenty I have to sustain my life physically. Help me to value and prioritize the resources for spiritual life that I also have in abundance, and to use them well and often. 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.

Fulfill YOUR ministry

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Timothy 4:1-8

TO CHEW ON: “But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5

On a writer blog to which I contribute, a recent topic was “Shining light on important issues.” Thinking about that topic helped me to clarify for myself what my “ministry” is in the area of issues-related writing. I concluded it’s not my main ministry.

At other times when writer friends talk about projects they’re involved in and the thought arises in me: “Why didn’t I know about that; I could have done that!” I hear the Lord whisper: “Did I ask you to do that?”

A friend who is gifted at teaching recently talked about how, early in her Christian life, church friends suggested she was cut out for full-time ministry. However, as a mom of four young boys, that was unrealistic. She reports now, many years later, “… that was not for me. My ministry, where I feel most alive, is as an occasional Bible study teacher.”

Here Paul added to other advice he gave Timothy to “fulfill your ministry.” I think each one of us can take that as a personal challenge. In a Truth-In-Action article at the end of 2 Timothy, Leslyn Musch paraphrases “fulfill your ministry”: “Be tirelessly faithful in those things God has commissioned you to do” (New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1717).

When faced with a bundle of needs and ministry opportunities, we do well to ask ourselves, “What is my assignment, my ministry,  what are the things God has commissioned me to do in relation to this?” And, “Will my taking on something new, something more, enhance or distract from that?”

PRAYER: Dear Father, in today’s noisy world, it’s easy for me to lose my focus and get caught up and distracted by personal, career, political, societal, even church needs and causes. Help me to hear Your voice and be faithful to do the things You have called me to do. 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.

Balanced prosperity

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Proverbs 30:7-32

TO CHEW ON: “Give me neighbor poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, ‘Who is the LORD?”
Or lest I be poor and steal
And profane the name of my God.” Proverbs 30:8,9

I love Agur’s balanced attitude toward possessions. Though he doesn’t use the words, “prosper” and “prosperous” come to mind. He describes someone who is prosperous in a balanced way.

A sidebar article in my Bible gives good insights on how this attitude might look in our lives:

“As we ask God to meet our needs, we grapple with how to ask Him to prosper us. Our goal is not to accumulate wealth (riches) or renounce it (poverty) but to faithfully oversee our individual portion from God and remain undistracted in our love for Him” - Clark Whitten, “Neither Poverty Nor Riches But Prosperity,” New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 838.

The Bible speaks often about people prospering. From a sampling of these references, we learn that prosperity:

• Allows us to be generous as Jacob was with Esau - Genesis 9:27.

• Can come to us even when we’re in sub-optimal circumstances. Potiphar observed that all that his Hebrew slave Joseph set his hand to prospered and was successful, and so Potiphar promoted Joseph - Genesis 39:2-6.

• Is promised to those who fashion and conform their lives to God’s word and the principles in it - Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-6.

• Was a consequence of seeking God wholeheartedly, as Judah’s King Uzziah discovered - 2 Chronicles 26:5.

• Is a promise for those who pray for and love Jerusalem (Israel) - Psalm 122:6.

• Can come to us in many areas. John prays for early Christians: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health just as your soul prospers” 3 John 1:2.

I love how my Bible’s sidebar article details many-faceted prosperity:

“Prosperity is more than money. It is a lifestyle that includes spiritual fullness, physical well-being, mental soundness, social friendships, and financial well-being…. A prosperous person is one who is wealthy in all things that eternally matter” Charles Whitten, Ibid.

As I examine my life from this perspective, I see that it is flush with prosperity. I do well to be grateful.

PRAYER: Dear Father, please help me to recognize and be grateful for all that I have received so generously from Your gracious hand. I want to cultivate a lifestyle of seeing where I prosper and being content with what I have. Amen.

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

What feeds you?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 4:21-42

TO CHEW ON: "Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.'" John 4:34

Here, using the metaphor of food, Jesus states His life purpose.

Much in life is simplified if we know our life's purpose. Here are some worthwhile ones from the Bible for us to consider:

• Serving the right master: "But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve.... as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord" - Joshua in Joshua 24:15 (NLT).

• Seeking the right kingdom: "But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides" - Jesus in Matthew 6:33 (Amp).

• Finishing the job: "I glorified you on earth by completing down to the last detail what you assigned me to do" - Jesus in John 17:4 (Msg).

• Finishing joyfully: "But none of these things move me; neither do I esteem my life dear to myself, if only I may finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have obtained from [which was entrusted to me by] the Lord Jesus, faithfully to attest to the good news (Gospel) of God's grace (His unmerited favor, spiritual blessing, and mercy)" - Paul in Acts 20:24 (Amp).

• Winning the "heavenly prize": "I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

 I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward"- Paul in Philippians 3:13-14 (Amp).

It is one thing to say we have a certain purpose, quite another to live it. To discover our actual purpose, we can ask ourselves, what captures our attention? What do we find ourselves daydreaming about? What absorbs our interest? What feeds us? May it be something that, in the end, lasts into eternity.


PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to God-centered and single-purposed, like Jesus was. Amen.

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

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

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 MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

What is our "one thing"?

Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 27:1-14

TO CHEW ON: “One thing have I desired of the LORD,
That I will seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD
And to inquire of His temple.” Psalm 27:4

In this month of examining our lives, taking stock of where we are and where we want to go (spiritually, physically, socially, and in our work) the “One thing” declaration of David's has a familiar ring. Without the prompting of a life coach, he has formulated his priorities, summed up in the flag-plant: “One thing have I desired of the LORD … / That I may dwell in the house of the LORD / All the days of my life.”

I’m going to assume that in his statement, the “house of the LORD” wasn’t literal—that he didn’t want to move into the temple physically and live there for the rest of his life. So if not that, what?

Some things David may have had in mind when he made this one thing wish:

• That he would continually sense and be aware of God’s presence.

• That he would be surrounded, wherever he was, with a sense of God’s beauty. The word “holy” comes to mind here—that word that means “set apart, separate.” In the atmosphere of God’s beauty, perhaps he felt separated from from the ugliness, damage, pain, and hurt of sin.

• That he would live with a sense of being in God’s family with its legacy and inheritance.

When we’re in someone’s house we catch glimpses of their experiences, history and what they value. Recently, for example, we visited friends who have worked for Wycliffe. On their walls were craft pieces depicting life in Asia. Also there, we saw photos of their daughter who recently died of cancer, and a quilt hanging made of her T-shirt fronts with their diverse sayings.

Similarly when we live intimately with God we remind ourselves of His story, of the way He has designed life to work best, and we choose to fill the atmosphere with good things--the fragrance of kind encouraging words, the music of praise, worship, and devotion, declarations that are positive and faith-filled.

• That he would always have a sense of God’s availability to advise him and direct his way, so he could “...inquire in His temple.”

This psalm prompts me to ask, what “One thing” would I desire of the Lord this year? What about you? Would it in any way resemble to “dwell in the house of the Lord?”

PRAYER: Dear Father, it is good for me to pare my wishes down to “one thing.” Please give me more days of living in Your house. 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.

Holy ambition

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Colossians 2:20-3:11

TO CHEW ON: "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God." Colossians 3:1


"All initiative is not inspired," says Oswald Chambers. "A man may say to you -- 'Buck up, take your disinclination by the throat, throw it overboard and walk out into the thing!' That is ordinary human initiative. But when the Spirit of God comes in and says, in effect, 'Buck up,' we find that initiative inspired" - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, Feb 16 reading.

That's what Paul is telling us to do in Colossians 3:1 - to buck up and start making "those things which are above" a matter of thought and action. In other words, to have holy ambition.

"Holy Ambition" is a topic in my Thompson Chain Bible. Here are some of the passages listed under it - a sampling of "those things which are above" that we are to seek:

• Enter (the Kingdom of Heaven) through the accepted entrance (Luke 13:23-28).

• Be a hard worker in God's Kingdom, sharing God's word with integrity (2 Timothy 2:15).

• Pursue love, the spiritual gifts, and the ability to proclaim God's truth with power (prophecy) (1 Corinthians 14:1).

• Give life our best effort and finish well (collect the prize) (Philippians 3:13; 1 Corinthians 9:24).

It's a list of lofty things for sure. Translating these items from theory into everyday living is the challenge. What does it mean, for example, to enter through the narrow gate? It may mean being the only one in your family who believes and accepts salvation through Jesus. Living to finish well may mean persevering in a job that is sometimes unsatisfying and tedious.

Perhaps one way of applying such principles to life would be to ask ourselves questions, like 'Will this activity help me pursue love? Is it consistent with me being a Kingdom worker? Will it help me finish well?'

To quote Chambers again:

"The initiative of the saint is not towards self-realization, but towards knowing Jesus Christ. The spiritual saint never believes circumstances to be haphazard, or thinks of his life as secular and sacred; he sees everything he is dumped down in as the means of securing the knowledge of Jesus Christ….Whether it be eating or drinking or washing disciples' feet, whatever it is, we have to take the initiative of realizing Jesus Christ in it" - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, July 11 reading.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to know the difference between human and holy ambition. May I have the imagination to see Jesus present in every circumstance.Amen

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

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

When Love says what we don't want to hear

Jesus and the rich young man - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 10:17-34

TO CHEW ON: "Then Jesus, looking at him loved him, and said to him, 'One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross and follow Me.' " Mark 10:21


I wonder what this young man was expecting from Jesus. A compliment, perhaps? Surely reassurance that he was in good shape to "inherit eternal life."

Yet here, just after we read that Jesus looked on him with love, He made a statement that probably didn't sound loving at all—that may have haunted this young man for the rest of his life.

Jesus, whose very life was God's "I love you" to the world, had a habit of doing that—telling the truth, no matter how unloving it sounded at the time.

• He refused to fudge the history of the woman at the Sychar well, restating her, "'I have no husband,'" truthfully with: " ' … for you have had five husbands and the one whom you now have is not your husband' " John 4:18.

• He called sin, sin.

* He exposed it as the root of other problems, like the physical paralysis of the man whose friends lowered him through the roof to Jesus - Mark 2:3-12.

* He socialized with those He called " 'sick' " and " 'sinners' " in order to call them to repent - Mark 2:15-1.

* He demonstrated that we are all sinners by defusing the situation between the adulterous woman and her would-be stone throwers - John 8:7,11.

• He rebuked fear and worry in His disciples during the storm, calling it faithlessness - Mark 4:37-40.

• He exposed what was satanic in even His closest follower. When Peter contradicted Him about His coming death, He said to Peter, " 'Get behind me Satan. For you are not mindful of the things of God, but of man' " Mark 8:33.

• He pointed out the danger of the disciples' sloth: " 'Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation.' " Mark 14:37-38.

I could go on but I'm sure we get the idea.

Jesus still confronts us with hard but loving truths about ourselves and our situations. What is He saying to us today? 

• That our priorities are wrong and we're too attached to earthly things?

• That the things we euphemize or call mistakes, faults, or weaknesses are really sin and need to be repented of?

• That our fear and worry are really an inexcusable lack of faith?

• That Satan has crept into our viewpoint?

• That our laziness and sloth are weakening us for temptation?

• Or …?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please help me to hear Your hard but loving words of truth to me in my situation, and then to make the appropriate changes in my thoughts, attitudes and actions. 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.

God stirs the heart

Haggai preaching - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Haggai 1:1-15

TO CHEW ON: "So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God." Haggai 1:14

The prophet Haggai's ministry  was short—less than four months. He was one of the exiles returned from Persia to Jerusalem in 536. Bible scholars date his ministry in the year 520.

During the 16 years that passed between the exiles' return and Haggai's message the people had begun rebuilding the temple but soon abandoned it in disinterest. Now they were focused on rebuilding their own homes. Trouble is, things weren't working out so well. Their harvests were puny, their food unsatisfying, their clothes not warm enough and there was never enough money.

" 'Why?' says the Lord of hosts. 'Because of My house that is in ruins while every one of you runs to his own house' " - Haggai 1:9.

After hearing Haggai's message the leaders decide to be obedient and finish rebuilding the temple (Haggai 1:12-13). God adds His amen to this: " 'I am with you...' " Haggai 1:13.

I love how Haggai gives us a behind-the-scenes glimpse of why his words were successful: "So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubabbel … Joshua … Johozadak…" Haggai 1:14.

[The Hebrew word for stirred up is ur. It means to rouse, awaken, stir up, excite, raise up, arouse to action, open one's eyes. Other places it's used is of an eagle stirring up its nest (Deuteronomy 32:11); a musical instrument warming up (Psalm 108:2); God awakening the prophet (Isaiah 50:4); and a call to the Lord's arm to "awake"(Isaiah 51:9) - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible p. 1243.]

I think we need to pay attention to this whenever we feel the weight of things not right in our own church, city, and country. It was not, finally, Haggai's eloquence that got the leaders and people moving but God stirring hearts.

How do we who aren't leaders aid this process along?

• Jesus words to pray that God send workers comes to mind - Matthew 9:30.

• Paul's command to make "supplications, prayers and intercessions" for kings and all who are in authority is another thing we can do. - 1 Timothy 2:1,2.  For, "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes" - Proverbs 21:1.

 PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your power over the heart of even the highest earthly ruler's heart. Please stir up the hearts of our leaders, secular and spiritual, to honor and obey You. Amen.

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

What will your epitaph be?

Moses on Mount Nebo - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 34:1-12

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MORE: Feast of the Transfiguration

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

The day's liturgy begins with this collect:

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

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

What's the name of your god?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Micah 4:1-5:1

TO CHEW ON: "For all people walk each in the name of his god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever." Micah 4:5

Micah's thoughtful little statement in our focus verse is as true now as it was in 700 B.C. In our culture we don't worship idol statues, but we do each have a god and we demonstrate who it is  by our lives (or as Micah says it, "we will walk each in the name of his god").

Wealth, power, attention (how many followers we have on Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, etc.), praise, a gorgeous home, a well-toned body, career, recreation — all these and more can be gods (one of the definitions of god: any person or thing made the chief object of one's love, interest or aspiration").

A little overview of some Bible references to false gods helps us understand them, and the process and folly of worshiping them.

1. They are impotent (Jeremiah 10:5) and inferior to the God who can create (1 Chronicles 16:26).  Though they may appear attractive and powerful, someday their fate will be that of the Philistine god Dagon in the presence of the ark  — broken and in pieces on the floor (1 Samuel 5:4).

2. The work of one's own hands can be a false god (Isaiah 2:8). Though Isaiah was referring to worshiping idol statues that people had carved, we readily, and I think correctly, identify such worship with putting supreme value on ourselves and our own achievements (Secular Humanism), a prevalent value in our society today.

3. False worship may draw us into some strange activities (Ezekiel 21:21).

4. Who/what we worship is a choice we make. We make that choice by who or what we serve. We can't have two masters at once (Matthew 6:24). We choose to worship something or someone other than God when we ignore His commands (1 Kings 18:18). It is also possible to turn from God, back to the things we served before (Galatians 4:8-10).

5. Refusing to bow down to the gods of our culture may make us stand out and could even prove dangerous (Daniel 3:12-18).

6. But we can decide for God. Let's affirm, with Paul, "yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live." (1 Corinthians 8:6).

Or, as Micah says it:

"We will walk in the name of the Lord our God."

PRAYER: Dear God, in this most busy season, when my mind is so easily taken up with all that needs to be done, help me not to make a false god out of anything, even the Christmas celebration.  Amen.

MORE: "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" - Chris Tomlin version

...Born to reign in us forever,

Now thy gracious kingdom bring.

By thine own eternal spirit,

Rule in all our hearts alone..."