Spirit-born

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 3-4; Psalm 104


TO CHEW ON: "Jesus answered, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'" John 3:5

Talk of being born again hardly moves the needle on the Richter scale of our minds. But when Jesus first introduced this idea to Nicodemus, it was earth-shaking. It really should remain that to us too. For it is the way we "enter" and "see" the Kingdom of God.

How? In Jesus' words by being "born of water" (repentance) "and the Spirit."

J. I. Packer says of the interchange between Jesus and Nicodemus:

"Speaking corporately for Himself and His disciples to Nicodemus and to the whole class of unregenerate religious people to which Nicodemus belonged, Christ went on to explain that the inevitable consequence of unregeneracy is unbelief — 'Ye receive not our witness' (verse 11). The gospel produces no conviction in them; unbelief holds them fast.


What follows, then? Should we conclude that preaching the gospel is a waste of time, and write off evangelism as a hopeless enterprise, foredoomed to fail? No; because the Spirit abides with the Church to testify of Christ" -  Knowing God, p. 74 (emphasis added).

The Spirit's working is, by Jesus' description here, a mysterious, unaccountable thing:"'The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit'" (verse 8).

Packer again:

"It is not for us to imagine that we can prove the truth of Christianity by our own arguments; nobody can prove the truth of Christianity save the Holy Spirit, by His own almighty work of renewing the blinded heart. It is the sovereign prerogative of Christ's Spirit to convince men's consciences of the truth of Christ's gospel; and Christ's human witnesses must learn to ground their hopes of success, not on clever presentation of the truth by man, but on powerful demonstration of the truth by the Spirit" - p. 74 (emphasis added).

Which is why we must not give up on anyone, no matter how resistant to the gospel they appear. For we have no idea how the Spirit is working in their lives, what is growing in the field of their hearts (Matthew 13:24), how Kingdom leaven is spreading  in the  secrecy of their inner lives (Matthew 13:33), or how they might even now be finding themselves mysteriously drawn to God's wedding banquet invitation (Matthew 22:2,9-10).


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to birth me into Your kingdom. God, the Spirit,  please use my life to accomplish Your mysterious, wind-like workings. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 104 

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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 bright future

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


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

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

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

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

A sidebar article in my Bible says about these verses;

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

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

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

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

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 20

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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 remedy for spiritual complacency

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Isaiah 64:1-12

TO CHEW ON: “And there is no one who calls on Your name
Who stirs himself up to take hold of You;
For You have hidden Your face from us
And have consumed us because of our iniquities” - Isaiah 64:7


Isaiah’s concept of God was rooted in the fearful, awe-inspiring moments when God gave him a glimpse of Himself and eternal things. The account of this is in Isaiah 6, where he saw God on His throne. The train of His robe filled the temple. Angels, their faces veiled from God’s holy presence with wings, shouted across to each other “Holy, holy holy is the LORD God of hosts / The whole earth is full of His glory!” Then an earthquake shook the place and it filled with smoke.

Isaiah became exquisitely aware of his own pollution. He felt dirty, sinful, alarmed at his unworthiness, conscious of his foul mouth. Read the account in Isaiah 6:1-8.

In our reading this same Isaiah (now years later) rues the complacency of his fellow citizens: “… there is no one who calls on Your name, / Who stirs himself up to take hold of You.” God feels absent and the people live as if God can’t see them and may as well not exist.

But Isaiah knows better. Just because God doesn’t show Himself at their bidding doesn’t change anything about Him. And so his prayer is full of apologies and repentance on behalf of himself and the people: “But we are all like an unclean thing … We are the clay and You our potter … Do not be furious, O Lord, / Nor remember iniquity forever” - Isaiah 64:6,8,9.

This reminds me of something I read recently. David Kitz, in his book Psalms Alive tells (in the chapter on Psalm 32:6-7) the story of how he and his brother avoided a stalking cougar on their Saskatchewan farm because of the barking of their dog. He makes this application:

“In a peculiar way, an unexpected encounter with the living God can be a lot like an encounter with a cougar. Suddenly, we realize our every move has been studied and watched; we are not alone. And that other being out there, watching us, is much bigger and more powerful than we are. Are you really prepared to meet Him around the next curve in the road, or just over the next hill?” - Psalms Alive p. 72.

I don’t know about you, but I can become as spiritually complacent as Isaiah’s countrymen. As a result I fail to see and acknowledge God in my day-to-day. I want to resist that. You too?  Let’s “stir ourselves up to take hold of” Him. One way to do this is to become aware of what He is really like.

PRAYER: Dear Father, please forgive my frequent indifference and blasé attitude toward You. Please give me a glimpse of who You really are so that my relationship with You is rooted in fact, not some fantasy concocted by myself or those around me as to what You are like. Amen.
 

MORE: Francis Chan - Francis' Personal Testimony - Newday 2017


I recently watched a video in which Francis Chan tells some of his life story to a group of high school students in England. In it, he describes how Isaiah 6 impacted him: “Here’s what changed my life; when I understood reverence for God.”



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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 to do BEFORE it is too late

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Zephaniah 2:1-15

TO CHEW ON:"Before the decree is issued,
Or the day passes like chaff,
Before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you
Before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you!
Seek the Lord all you meek of the earth,
Who have upheld His justice.
Seek righteousness, seek humility,
It may be that you will be hidden
In the day of the Lord's anger." Zephaniah 2:2,3

In the beginning of Zephaniah 2 we have the call to repent, Part II of a prophet's typical message.

Repent means 1] To feel remorse or regret over something you have done or failed to do; 2] To change your mind about a past action; 3] To feel such sorrow for your sins as to reform - Funk & Wagnall's Dictionary.

Though the word "repent" isn't used, the plea to "Seek the Lord" implies the hearer should turn attention from other things they are presently seeking, to seek God.

All the "Before"s in verse 2 insert a sense of urgency. This is not something to leave to whenever—a more convenient time. Do it now, "Before the decree is issued…the day passes like chaff… the day of the Lord's anger (fierce anger) comes upon you."

The attitude needed for this search is meekness. [Meek = a patient, mild, gentle, compliant disposition.] No more bristling at God, talking back to Him, insisting on one's own way.

The return is to God, to justice, to righteousness, to humility so that "it may be that you will be hidden / in the day of the Lord's anger."

As we view our own lives in the light of a still-awaited "Day of the Lord" so many of these things apply to us:

• Like the people of Judah, we don't know when that Day will come. We still have time to turn "Before the decree is issued…"

• Like them we too need meekness to admit we were/are wrong. If we've accepted Jesus as Saviour we have taken the first step for sure. But repentance can also involve a multitude of turnings as our lives are regularly checked by Scripture.

• Our turning to God, to justice, to righteousness, to humility is without glamor and fanfare. There isn't self-exaltation here. The only way such qualities will trend on Twitter is as they disturb society's status quo… which may make them harder and less attractive. But God's judgments, such as those on unrepentant nations, spelled out in the remainder of the chapter, are enough to tip the balance in repentance's favor.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to take seriously this warning about the Day of the Lord. Show me where I need to make changes to prepare for it by repenting and seeking the right things. 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 does it mean to "press in"?

John: "Behold the Lamb of God."  by A. Bida

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 16:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "'The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.'" Luke 16:16

From time to time I've heard preachers admonish us to "press in" to God, the things of God etc. I've wondered what exactly they meant and thought it was a preacher-invented expression. But no—it comes from Jesus! He uses it here to talk about the advancement of the kingdom of God: "'Since that time (the time of John) the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.'"

[The expression "pressing into it' is a transliteration of biazo. It means to use, force, to apply force, to inflict violence on. The word biazo is used one other place in the NT, in Matthew 11:12: "'From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.'"]

Other translations render the NKJV'S Luke 16:16 "…pressing into it" as "…forcing his way into it" (NAS), "… everyone tries forcefully to get into it" (AMP), "… eager multitudes are pressing in" (TLB), "… everyone is forcing their way into it" (NIV).

How does one press in to advance the kingdom of God? A sidebar article by Jack Hayford in my Bible is helpful. Below I quote and paraphrase his thoughts:

"Jesus declares the advance of the kingdom of God is the result of two things: preaching and pressing in."

Those who hear the preaching must respond or they will grow passive. That kingdom is advanced by words of truth and acts of love, but: "… apart from 1] an impassioned pursuit of prayer, 2] confrontation with the demonic, 3] expectation of the miraculous, and 4] a burning heart for evangelism, the kingdom of God makes little penetration in the world."

We must not go overboard in politicizing the kingdom and trying to advance it forcefully through "Earth-level rule" methods as they did during the Crusades. Rather: "Pressing in is accomplished first in prayer warfare, coupled with a will to surrender one's life and self interests, in order to gain God's kingdom goals" - Jack Hayford, "Pressing In," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1420.

It sounds a lot like sold-out discipleship to me

PRAYER: Dear Father, please create within me the desire, will, and energy to press in to You and the bringing about of Your kingdom. 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.

Cancel the fasts—hold feasts of prayer

Image: LoveToTakePhotos / pixabay.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Zechariah 8:13-23

TO CHEW ON: "Thus says the Lord of hosts:
'The fast of the fourth month,
The fast of the fifth,
The fast of the seventh,
And the fast of the tenth
Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts
For the house of Judah.
Therefore love truth and peace.' " Zechariah 18:19

A few days ago we read of Jewish leaders coming to inquire of Zechariah whether they should keep the fast of the fifth month (Zechariah 7:3). Here God answers their question head on with, not only cancel that fast but all the others and instead celebrate with feasts. Why, because "Each fast commemorated a different major event in Babylon's conquering of Jerusalem" - D. W. Shibley, study notes on Zechariah, New Spirit-Filled life Bible, p. 1257. Having returned from Babylon and given themselves to rebuilding the temple and again worshiping there, they didn't have to mourn the old happenings any more.

A sidebar article in my Bible point out four ingredients of the "joy and gladness" feasts of prayer that were to take the place of the doleful fasts:

1. Begin with a spirit of hope and urgency (Zechariah 8:19 - our focus verse).

2. Focus these continuous prayers on the right thing. The instruction is to "seek the Lord" - Zechariah 8:21. "The literal Hebrew translates 'seek the face of the Lord,'" rather than pray about circumstances. Implied is that their renewed connection with God will move His hand in circumstances.

3. Encourage others to join in prayer with them: "The inhabitants of one city shall go to another saying, 'Let us continue to go and pray before the Lord, …' " Zechariah 8:21.

4. Expect many to come to God:
"'Yes, many peoples and strong nations
Shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem
and to pray before the Lord" - Zechariah 8:22.
- The above four points from "Four Key Ingredients of Any Prayer Movement" by David Bryant, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1257,8.

What a great template for prayer in our generation too!

PRAYER: Dear Father, I love the change in tone from defeat to victory here. I often feel discouraged about the spiritual coldness of my generation. Help me to remember this pattern of prayer as I seek Your face for myself, my family, neighbors and fellow citizens. Amen.

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

Choose to linger

Image: mccartyv / Pixabay.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 27:1-14

TO CHEW ON: "One thing I have 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 in His temple."  Psalm 27:4


"This desire of David gives us a key to understanding why he was a 'man after God's own heart,' and so beloved and blessed by Him" says Dick Iverson, writer of my Bible's commentary on the Psalms (New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 706).

Several other Bible characters also come to mind when we think of people desiring to linger in God's presence.

Moses spent days on end with God ("So the Lord speaks to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend" Exodus 33:11). When he returned to everyday life from these times he covered his face with a veil to shield the Israelites' eyes from the glory that shone there (Exodus 34:29-35).

Simeon and Anna, two senior citizens of Jesus' day, seemed to have experienced that intimacy. Both were in the temple the day Jesus' parents presented Him to God. Of Simeon Luke says he was "… waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him … So he came by the spirit into the temple" (Luke 2:25,27). Similarly Anna, the elderly widow "… who did not depart from the temple but served God with fasting and prayer day and night"  was there (Luke 2:37,38). To these two God told His secret, giving them a glimpse of Jesus—Messiah—and allowing them to hold Him, bless Him, and spread the news of Him (Luke 2:28-32,38).

And there was Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus. She sat at Jesus' feet, drinking in what He said and who He was while harried Martha fretted in the kitchen. When Martha complained and asked Jesus to put Mary to work, Jesus said, "'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her'" - Luke 10:39-42.

The word "chosen" pops out at me (and, from our focus verse, "desire," "seek," "dwell," "behold," and "inquire"). For as spending time with God was an intentional choice for David, Moses, Simeon, Anna, and Mary, so it is for us. I ask myself, when given the array of ways to spend my minutes, hours, days, how much do I choose to spend with the Lord, beholding His beauty in the temple of His presence?

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to tune out the noise and clamor of my life and spend quality and quantity time with You. 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.

The high place of decision

Balaam and Balak - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Numbers 22:41-23:12

TO CHEW ON: "So it was, the next day, that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the high places of Baal, that from there he might observe the extent of the people. … Then Balaam said to Balak, 'Stand by your burnt offering and I will go; perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me, I will tell you.' So he went to a desolate height." Numbers 22:41,23:3


Balak takes Balaam to a high place of Baal worship to pronounce his curse on Israel. This is a high place in several ways. It is elevated ground where the Moabites sacrifice to their god Baal. It is also a good vantage point from which to view the mass of Israelites.

Here Balaam, who really has only himself to blame for being in this squeeze between Balak and God, shows some good sense at last. He excuses himself from the highly charged scene of the smoking altars and the anxious attention of Balak, his princes and priests, to climb to a "desolate height" to meet alone with God.

It's apparent that he has met with God enough times to know the conditions needed to hear from Him and that they won't be on Baal's high place. He is also aware of the importance of saying the right thing over Israel—brought home to him by the sword-wielding Angel of the Lord who had warned him: "… only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak" - Numbers 22:35. So he separates himself from Balak, his potential earthly benefactor, to meet with God, his ultimate source of being and blessing.

Do we have similar wisdom? When we're offered that new job that has better pay but dictates we spend more time away from our young family; when we're tempted to take on yet another volunteer task; when even good ministry opportunities come knocking—do  we take ourselves out of the situation to hear from God before we give our answer?

Balaam comes down from his meeting with God to deliver a word that spares him God's disapproval and blesses Israel, though it sure doesn't make Balak happy! Removing ourselves from the vantage point of this temporal world and its pressures to the higher place of God's eternal point of view may have as much impact on our future and the future of those we love.


PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to habitually consult with You before I make big—and small life decisions. 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 wants YOU

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Jonah 2:1-3:10

TO CHEW ON: "Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message I tell you.'" Jonah 3:1,2

God went to great lengths to get just the person He wanted—Jonah—for the job of preaching to Nineveh. When this reluctant prophet ran the other way, God followed him. When the sailors tossed him into the sea, God protected him. From the belly of the fish, God heard him. When that fishy time-out was over, God talked to his host and the fish tossed him. Then God gave him a second chance.

I have found something similar about God's assignments. They come with a quiet but weighty persistence. My excuses don't sway Him. He just listens to them and then when I pray, Lord, give me something to do, whispers, I've already given you a job. Just go and do it.

But what if we feel we've really blown it and disqualified ourselves from ever being used by God again? Leslyn Musch reminds us we can:

"Ask God for a second chance. You may have disobeyed the Lord to the point you believe He can no longer use you. Look at Jonah! There is hope for you too. Ask God's forgiveness for your sin, submit to His will for you. Draw near to Him through worship; praise Him for His mercy, grace, and forgiveness. Tell Him you will follow Him full, and do it" - "Truth-In-Action Through Jonah," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1199.

Are you dithering over following through on a job God has given you, hoping, perhaps, that He'll change His mind and give it to someone else? You'd better not count on that. God has amazing tenacity (as Jonah would testify). If He's picked you as the person for a job, He wants you for the job. Better to obey than to hang back and find yourself in a Jonah spot.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for second chances. But it's probably better not to need them. Help me to listen and obey when You first give me a task to do. Amen.

MORE: The secret battle

"The battle is lost or won in the secret places of the will before God, never first in the external world. The Spirit of God apprehends me and I am obliged to get alone with God and fight the battle out before Him. Until this is done, I lose every time. The battle may take one minute or a year, that will depend on me, not on God; but it must be wrestled out alone before God, and I must resolutely go through the hell of a renunciation before God. Nothing has any power over the man who has fought out the battle before God and won there" - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, December 27th 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.

Do you have an "outside the camp" place?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 33:1-11

TO CHEW ON: "Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp." Exodus 33:7

This is a story of the exodus, when the people of Israel lived in portable houses—tents. "Outside the camp"—beyond the boundaries of their tent city—was a place that always seemed negative to me. But on checking references to it in the Bible, I discover it had a mixed connotation. It was:

Neutral:
"Outside the camp" was a necessary and frequently visited place because it was the desert's bathroom facilities - Deuteronomy 23:12.

Negative:
- For the person with a contagious disease like leprosy, or for someone who was unclean because of  having touched a dead body for example, "outside the camp" was a place they were sent to live in short- or long-term isolation - Leviticus 13:46; Numbers 5:3.
- Capital punishments, like stonings, happened outside the camp - Numbers 15:35.

Positive:
- Parts of offerings were performed "outside the camp" - Leviticus 4:12,26.  (The writer of Hebrews likened Jesus' death outside the Jerusalem gates to the animal sacrifices killed outside the camp of Israel - Hebrews 13:11-13)
- A clean place outside the camp was where the priests were to store the ashes of the purification ceremony, for example (Numbers 9: 3,9).
- In our reading, we see Moses going outside the camp to meet with God.

Why do you suppose he chose that place?

• My Bible's commenter says: "Moses placed it (the tabernacle of meeting) a great distance from the camp because of the desecration by the moulded calf" - J. C. Tollett commentary on Exodus, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 119.

I can think of other advantages to having this meeting place outside the camp:

• It forced a break in Moses' day-to-day routine.

• It gave him some distance from the immediacy and urgency of his problems and the problems in the camp.

• It was a buffer against distractions and interruptions.

• In Moses' case, the distance may also have been protection for the people from God's glory cloud.

I, perhaps you too, would do well to have a place where we meet with God "outside the camp." No, we may not be able to literally leave our houses for this but we can find our own "outside the camp" place. Jesus talks about going into one's closet and shutting the door to pray - Matthew 6:6 KJV. Susannah Wesley threw her apron over her head and prayed behind it. David Wilkerson went to a place in the woods near his home. Sometimes we may feel the need to do more and also break our eating routine with a fast.

However we do it, let's meet with God outside the camp. You've got to love Joshua in this. He enjoyed God's presence so much he "did not depart from the tabernacle" (though he probably didn't have crying babies or a hungry family waiting for his attention back in the camp either!).

PRAYER: Dear God, what a powerful place Moses' prayer tabernacle must have been! Help me to establish my own tabernacle of meeting "outside the camp" where I regularly meet with 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.

"Seek Me"

"The Hidden Treasure" by James Tissot

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Amos 5:1-15

TO CHEW ON: “’Seek Me and live’…. Seek the Lord and live…. Seek good and not evil that you may live…” Amos 5:4, 6, 14

Like a many-faceted jewel, God’s instruction to “seek Me” has a myriad of angles.

It includes:

Prayer: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you." Jeremiah 29:11,12

An intense search: "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13

Repentance: "Repent therefore and be converted so that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." - Acts 3:19

Obedience:"Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love Him, and we will come to Him and make our home with Him." - John 14:23 

In Old Testament times, obedience meant adhering to the sacrificial law. Since Jesus has fulfilled that law by His death and resurrection, we no longer need to be concerned about keeping it. But Jesus has not left us in the dark about what obedience means for us today. If you’re not sure, for starters read Matthew 5-7 (Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount).

What does “seek Me” mean for you today? Perhaps it means calling out to Jesus for the first time and turning your self-directed life into His hands. Perhaps it means spending more time in prayer. Or maybe it means soaking in the Bible, and turning new-found insights into action in obedience.

Whatever it means to you – do it! The result – life – is worth it!

PRAYER: Dear Holy Spirit, please show me what God’s command to “seek Me” means to me. Amen.

MORE: A 'Seek Me' painting

The painting,"The Hidden Treasure" by James Tissot illustrates Jesus' stories about seeking God and the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

⁴⁴ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, ⁴⁶ who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46

Seek (baqash) My face

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hosea 5:1-15

TO CHEW ON: "I will return again to My place

Till they acknowledge their offense.

Then they will seek My face;

In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me." Hosea 5:15

Though it is surely more 'politically correct' these days to speak about how God responds to our sinful ways with grace (and He does that) another response is on display in our passage today. Hosea warns of three negative ways God will respond to Israel's the habitual sinning:

1. He will withdraw from them (Hosea 5:6)
God will be silent. He will feel distant.

2. He will come as destruction from within (Hosea 5:12).
A wool garment taken out of storage and found to be riddled with moth holes, or a bathroom wall covering mould and dry rot come to mind. Inner destroyers like moths and rot work silently, secretly, but surely. They may refer to hidden sins like cheating, stealing, and sexual secrets.

3. He will come as a predator (Hosea 5:14).
For Israel this happened when they were carried away into exile. For us it could be natural disasters, political troubles or personal tragedy.

God does not send or allow these things because He is mean or vindictive. Rather they are to get our attention so that they will again seek him.

[Seek = baqash  means to seek, to diligently look for, to search earnestly until the object of the search is located. Baqash can apply to seeking a person, a particular item, or a goal. Peace is to be searched for earnestly - Psalm 34:14. The Lord's face, that is His presence, must be especially sought (Psalm 27:8) "Word Wealth - seek," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1149).]

We too can examine our lives to see if God's apparent absence is His discipline. He has not interfered with us as we have allowed secret sins to feed on our integrity like moths on wool, or rot on organic material. He has not intervened as outright tragedy has carried away our comfortable existence. If not us, maybe these things are happening to someone we love.

Let's resist allowing bitterness or anger toward God take root in our lives as a result of these devastations. Rather, may we understand them as God's invitation to seek Him more fervently with baqash earnestness, diligence and perseverance.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to see the things that happen in my world — both the big, grand-scale things and the day-to-day of my life — through spiritual eyes. Help me to search my heart for reasons why You feel absent. Help me to root out secret sins. May I understand trouble as an invitation to crowd closer to You.

MORE: "God is determined to make you pure and holy and right..."

"There is no heaven with a little corner of hell in it. God is determined to make you pure and holy and right; He will not allow you to escape for one moment from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit. He urged you to come to judgment right away when He convicted you, but you did not; the inevitable process began to work and now you are in prison, and you will only get out when you have paid the uttermost farthing. 

'Is this a God of mercy, and of love?' you say. Seen from God's side, it is a glorious ministry of love. God is going to bring you out pure and spotless and undefiled; but He wants you to recognize the disposition you were showing - the disposition of your right to yourself. 

The moment you are willing that God should alter your disposition, His recreating forces will begin to work. The moment you realize God's purpose, which is to get you rightly related to Himself and then to your fellow men, He will tax the last limit of the universe to help you take the right road. Decide it now - 'Yes, Lord, I will write that letter to-night;' 'I will be reconciled to that man now'"  - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, July 1 reading.

Eye time, heart time

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Amos 5:1-15

TO CHEW ON: "For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:

'Seek Me and live;

Do not seek Bethel,

Nor enter Gilgal

Nor pass over to Beersheba;

For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity

And Bethel shall come to nothing." Amos 5:4b-5.

If you want to see God's heart laid open, His love exposed and vulnerable, read the prophets. Here he speaks through Amos — who wasn't a professional prophet at all but a shepherd who prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel between 760 and 750 B.C. during the reigns of Uzziah in Judah and Jeroboam II in Israel.

Amos's invitation — no his plea, to his hearers is from God: "Seek Me and live." Then God, in a sort of imaginary discussion with them and anticipating what they will reply, answers their objection:

"Do not seek Bethel" (about 10 miles north of Jerusalem, the southern boundary of the northern kingdom and where Jeroboam I had set up a golden calf idol); "Nor enter Gilgal" (the ancient shrine connected with Joshua and Saul); "Nor pass over to Beersheba" (a place of pilgrimage where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all worshipped God).

It seems God was saying, I don't want your rote religious forms or rituals based on the encounters that your ancestors had with Me in the past. I want you to seek Me and to have that relationship with Me now.

What's involved in seeking God?

• Moses in Deuteronomy and Jeremiah talk of seeking God whole-heartedly, i.e. making our search for God our heart's focus - Deuteronomy 4:29; Jeremiah 29:13.

• The psalm writers talk of seeking God's face - Psalm 27:8; 105:4. When we seek someone's face, we look into their eyes to establish that one-to-one connection. We study their expression to see whether they are happy or sad, pleased or displeased with us.

• Here Amos connects seeking God with life, bringing to mind the opposite possibility, that not seeking God leads to death.

• Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount gave seeking God priority over even getting our basic needs met - Matthew 6:31-33.

Like the Israelites would answer God's "Seek My face" with "But I go to Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba," we could say, I come from a line of believers. I go to church, give money to charity, help the poor. Those things are good. Part of seeking God is doing the stuff - 2 Chronicles 14:4.

But there is more. There's the relationship. That's what God wants with us. Eye time. Heart time.

PRAYER: Dear God, how blessed am I to worship You, a God who pursues a relationship with me. Please help me to clear up any barriers to our relationship. Amen.


MORE: "How I Long For You" by Hillsong

Does it satisfy?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Amos 4:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water. But they were not satisfied. Yet you have not returned to Me." Amos 4:8

If there is one thing we can know for sure, it is that for our whole healthy lives we will need to turn to food and water again and again for physical satisfaction. Here, Amos draws a parallel to the perpetual lack of physical  satisfaction and Israel's spiritual state. They too are continually seeking satisfaction, but seeking in the wrong places. And despite the fact that God is raining the consequences of their sins on their own heads, it's not bringing about the desired spiritual changes.

He sent famine, withheld rain, appeared preferential (sending rain on one city but not another), troubled their gardens with pests and disease, allowed their own children to fall to the plague. But it was all to no avail. "Yet you have not returned to Me."

Amos tells them what will bring lasting satisfaction. It is the destination to which all his doom-filled predictions are meant to drive them - to God Himself. "Seek Me and live (5:4); Seek the Lord and live (5:6); Seek good and not evil that you may live (5:14); Let justice rain down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream (5:24).

We are not so different from these Israelites. Our search for satisfaction takes us down paths of overwork, shopping, too much food and drink, sex, sometimes even drunkenness and addiction. But we're looking in the wrong places. Because only God can once-and-for-all satisfy the gnawing hunger that creeps back when we feed in other places.

The way the prophet Jeremiah describes what we do is so right-on:


"My people have committed a compound sin:
   they've walked out on me, the fountain
Of fresh flowing waters, and then dug cisterns—
   cisterns that leak, cisterns that are no better than sieves." - Jeremiah 2:13 (Message)

God's invitation to come to Him for lasting, spiritual thirst-quenching is clear. Jesus promised that those hungering and thirsting for righteousness would be filled. He promised He would be water that would be like an artesian fountain flowing from within, and forever satisfying bread.

Do I come to Him to be satisfied? Do you?

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to look for satisfaction in You. I confess I don't always go to You first when I'm 'thirsty.' Teach me how finding satisfaction in You looks in my day-to-day life. Amen.

MORE: "This is the Air I Breathe" music and lyrics by Marie Barnett
(Sung by Hillsong)

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