The power of a list

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Chronicles 1-10;  Psalm 65

TO CHEW ON:"Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;
And to You the vow shall be performed." Psalm 65:1


Do you make lists?

I do — lists to remind me of what needs to be done, to organize my thoughts, help me with shopping, pack without forgetting anything, keep me on track when I give a talk or speech ...

Psalm 65 is David's list of praise and thankfulness to God. He praises God for:
1. Hearing and answering prayers (Psalm 65:2).
2. Providing atonement / forgiveness for sin (Psalm 65:3).
3. Choosing people to come near to Him (Psalm 65:4).
4. Being approachable (Psalm 65:4).
5. The temple (Psalm 65:4).
6. The joy and satisfaction of living in God's presence (Psalm 65:4).
7. The way God inspires confidence (implied is the need to remember ways God has come through for them in the past) (Psalm 65:5).
8. God's power as illustrated in nature — the grandeur of mountains, God's ability to calm physical and people storms (Psalm 65:6-7).
9. That He is visible and available to all on earth (Psalm 65:8).
10. The reliability of day and night (Psalm 65:8).
11. God's nourishment of the earth with rain (Psalm 65:9-10)
12. An abundant harvest (Psalm 65:11-12).
13. The beauty of a pastoral scene (vs. 13).

David's list is a good example of one way we can set the tone of the day by focusing on God's gifts to us. Instead of dwelling on what's wrong with life, what we dread, fear or regret, let's focus on the good stuff.


PRAYER: Dear God, I'm sorry for my frequent lapses into worry and ungratefulness. Today I choose to think about You and reflect on the things for which I can praise and thank You. Amen

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 65

The Bible Project VIDEO: 1 & 2 Chronicles (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.

Do not fret

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ezekiel  22-24; Psalm 37

TO CHEW ON: "Cease from anger and forsake wrath

Do not fret — it only causes harm (it only leads to evildoing - NASB)." Psalm 37:8

So much of our frame of mind and sense of well-being depends on our thoughts. In Psalm 37 David gives us some good thought guidelines. He begins by telling us some thought patterns to shun: anger, wrath, and fretting. In fact, he warns against fretting three times (vs. 1, vs. 7, vs. 8).

"Fret" in Hebrew is charah, a primitive root also translated angry, and kindled. Its English definitions are so telling for our context:
1] to be vexed, annoyed, troubled.
2] to become worn, chafed or corroded.
3] to bite away bit after bit of something with or as with the teeth.
4] to eat through something by or as if by corrosion.
5] to rankle, fester.
6] to become rough or agitated, as water.
Synonyms are irritate, vexation, annoyance, uneasiness.

Do you tend to fret? I know I do. When something troubles me I am like a dog with a bone, biting, chewing, gnawing, then burying but always coming back to uncover my worry so that I can bite, chew and gnaw some more.

David doesn't leave us to fend for ourselves against the negative thoughts  of anger, envy and fretting. Psalm 37 is full of good thought options. We can instead:

"Trust in the Lord" (Psalm 37:3). This is putting the weight of ourselves - our past histories, present circumstances, and future hopes, dreams, expectations, and fears - on God.

"Dwell in the land" (Psalm 37:3). Though not a thought per se, dwelling connotes a rooted, settled, contented existence.

"Delight yourself in the Lord" (Psalm 37:4). We need to focus on God's good character and gifts to us and not on our lacks as compared to what someone else has.

"Commit your way to the Lord" (Psalm 37:5).  Literally, we roll ourselves and our way onto God. We let God take the wheel of life, not fixated on the route we take but giving Him the right to move us here or there,

"Rest in the Lord" (Psalm 37:7).  We are silent, still, at ease, relaxed.

"...wait patiently" (Psalm 37:7).  We aren't in a hurry to see things completed. We live by God's timetable.

"Cease from anger" (Psalm 37:8). We refrain from, let go of, withdraw from anger. This is something we can do — a willful action on our part.

We don't need to be at the whim of negative thinking. But to avoid the tyranny of our destructive thoughts we need to first recognize, then put the brakes on angry, anxious, fretful ones, and finally replace them with thoughts of trust, contentment, delight, commitment, rest, and patience.

PRAYER: Dear God, in the days ahead, even today I'm sure I'll be tempted to fret. Help me to replace fretting with constructive thoughts of You and Your goodness to me. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 37 

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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.

Worry and Fear

Before the Sanhedrin - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 10:16-31

TO CHEW ON: " ' And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.' " Matthew 10:28

What a grim result Jesus predicts for His disciples as He sends them out. Two words jump out at me from our reading: WORRY and FEAR.

Jesus says, when, as a result of their message, they are brought before synagogue councils, governors and kings, they are not to WORRY beforehand about how or what to say (Matthew 10:19).

[Worry - merimnao comes from merizo which means to divide into parts. The word suggests distraction, a preoccupation with things causing anxiety, stress, and pressure - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1301.]

They are not to be distracted, preoccupied, stressed and pressured over how to defend themselves because if they are, they'll miss the best defense they could have—the one from the Holy Spirit: " 'For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you' "  Jesus says - Matthew 10:19-20.

You'd think words coming from God Himself would guarantee freedom. But not so. For Jesus goes on to speak of continuing persecution and even death which they are not to FEAR (Matthew 10:26,28).

[Fear - phobeo is a panic that grips a person causing him to run away, be alarmed, scared, frightened, dismayed, fill with dread, intimidated, anxious, apprehensive. (Notice the similarity with our word phobia) - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1308.]

At first this appears puzzling. If the persecutors can do the ultimate—kill one—why would the objects of their persecution not fear?

Because, Jesus implies, killing the body isn't the worst thing that could happen to one. The worst is something only God can do (and reason to fear Him): "destroy both soul and body in hell."

So, Jesus tells His disciples, take the long eternal view. Life doesn't stop here. So don't let your witness be extinguished by worry or fear of the worst that can happen in life. Rather, set your course by how you want to spend eternity.

Jesus' advice about worry and fear is timely for us in our day when expression of our Christian worldview and faith is being met with increasing hostility.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, Your command to not worry or fear goes straight to my heart. Help me to be so controlled by Your Spirit that I will not only stop worrying about how to defend the gospel, but will speak it with Spirit-breathed boldness. Amen.

MORE: Trinity Sunday

I love how a reference to the trinity (God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit) is embedded so subtly in our reading.  Persecution comes because of allegiance to Jesus. The Spirit of the Father gives the persecuted one the words to speak in a good defense (Matthew 10:19,20).

Today the church celebrates Trinity Sunday. The liturgy for the day begins with this prayer:

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, 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.

"Carless in the care of God"

Field crocuses - © V. Nesdoly

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Matthew 6:16-34

TO CHEW ON: “'Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own trouble. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.'” Matthew 6:34

I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly familiar with “worry” that activity defined as: tormenting oneself with or suffering from disturbing thoughts; tormenting with cares, anxieties, etc.

Our passage lists common worry subjects: what to eat, drink, wear. As someone who lives in affluent Canada, I don’t worry much about those things. When our basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter are met, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs illustrates where our worries typically go next—to  security and safety, then belonging and love, then esteem, and finally self-actualization and achieving our full potential.

Whatever level our worries are focused on, Jesus tells us here to STOP worrying. I love how the Message rendering of these Matthew 6 verses directs our focus off our worries and onto Someone else.  I’ve bolded the phrases and words that show us where to look instead.

25-26 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds….

30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes" - Matthew 6:25-26; 33-34 MSG.

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to focus on You, Your reality and goodness shown every day in Your provision and care on every level. I want to live carefree in Your care. 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 MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

A Divine Lawyer

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 21:1-19

TO CHEW ON: “‘Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.’” Luke 21:14,15

Here Jesus gives advice to the disciples on how to prepare themselves for being arrested and interrogated for their faith in Him. This bit snags my attention: “'… settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer.’”

Jesus’ advice goes against every instinct I have. If I was arrested and anticipating being questioned about my faith, my tendency would be to review my doctrine and apologetics textbooks, have my Romans Road scriptures at my fingertips, refresh my mind on how to make a logical and convincing argument, etc.

But the compelling defence Jesus describes (“‘… all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist…’”) comes a different way than through memory, intellect, or reasoning power. Our reading in Luke doesn’t name the source of this wisdom but in another place Jesus refers to it (Him) specifically.

“‘Now when they bring you to the synagogue and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what to say.’” Luke 12:11,12.

Jesus speaks more about this divine ‘Lawyer’ in John 14-16.

“‘But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to remembrance all things that I said to you’” - John 14:26.

“‘If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you’” - John 15:7.

“‘… And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment’” - John 16:8.

Two further thoughts:

1. Maybe a greater dependence on the Holy Spirit is also a wiser, more effective way of sharing the gospel with friends and family than some of the rote methods we’ve been taught.

2. Waiting for the Holy Spirit to supply our words, takes work too—the work of refusing to worry and substituting worry with dependence on and obedience to the Holy Spirit at all times and in all situations.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for Holy Spirit, Your wisdom and words, that are appropriate and come with convicting power, available to me. 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 not worry about your life

The bashed-in bumper

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 12:22-40

TO CHEW ON: " 'Be dressed, ready for service, and keep your lamps burning.' " Luke 12:35.

I'm writing this while we're on vacation. For the most part we're having a wonderful time. But there have been a couple of glitches. For one, I lost the key to the motel room on our first night. It was on my key ring but when I went to take it off at checkout time, it was gone, disappeared, nowhere to be found.

Then three days later someone hit and bashed in the back bumper of our car in a parking lot. Fortunately the woman owned up. But our (new) car now has this ugly blemish, and we have the hassle of dealing with a couple of insurance companies, a body shop etc. to look forward to.

In the scheme of things, these are very little things I know, but still have the power to overshadow our vacation and put me in a space of low-grade angst. What will happen next?

Anxious is how I was feeling when I opened my tablet to this morning's reading and read the words that began today's passage: "'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body what you will wear…'" (Lord, I see You've been reading my mind!)

In our discussions about how we handled our interaction with the woman who caused the accident, both hubby and I were disappointed in ourselves.  "I could have been so much nicer," hubby said.

Jesus addresses this aspect of life too, further down in the reading: " 'Be dressed, ready for service and keep your lamps burning.' " I believe the two ideas are connected. Our carefree attitude can liberate us to be ready for kingdom service in situations where, in the natural we would be stressed out and controlled by anxiety.

May it be so in my life—even during the rest of this vacation!

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please help me to trust You so completely that I'm available for service and can be a light shining onto every situation. 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 mind set on "flesh"

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Romans 8:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit." Romans 8:5


Paul talks about two opposing states of being here—in the Spirit and in the flesh. In another meditation on this passage, I focused on what it means to be set on the Spirit. Today let's look at what a flesh setting looks look. Of course, we're all still in the flesh physically. But being in the flesh (carnal) also has soul and spirit connotations.

To start with, our passage gives us some clues:
- There is spiritual condemnation for those who live by the flesh alone - Romans 8:1.

- It is its own law - Romans 8:2.

- In God's eyes, Jesus' death in the flesh—His perfect flesh—is the substitutionary death for us sinners and fulfilled God's righteous requirement that sin be punished - Romans 8:3,4.

- As people who have accepted Christ's death in our stead, we become people of the Spirit and now have the freedom and right to set our minds on the things of the Spirit; to live in the Spirit- Romans 8:5.

However, Paul's emphasis on the necessity of this and the possibility that even people of the Spirit may still be living under the tyranny of the flesh alerts us to that possibility for us.

A walk through scripture helps us understand what a carnal (fleshly) mindset and life looks like in attitude and behavior.

- It prefers the tangible to the intangible.

• Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of food - Genesis 25:34.

• The Israelites were ready to exchange their freedom to be able to again fill up on that fabulous Egyptian food - Exodus 16:3.

- It is controlled by appetite. Numbers 11:4 calls it "intense craving."

- It is sacrilegious.

• God scolds Eli for not correcting his sons, who treated the sacrifice elements with disdain - 1 Samuel 2:29.

• Paul brings up the same attitude to the Corinthians in regard to the Lord's Supper - 1 Corinthians 11:21.

- It resents God's restrictions and pushes His limits - Psalm 78:18; 106:14.

- It has no thought of anything past this life - Isaiah 22:13; Matthew 24:38; Luke 17:27; Philippians 3:19.

- Its repentance is insincere - Hosea 7:14.

- It finds reassurance in false prophecy - Micah 2:11.

- It seeks God for His benefits - John 6:26. Fleshly pastors (shepherds) are in ministry to benefit themselves - Zechariah 11:16.

- It is characterized by worry over the things of this life - Matthew 6:25. Those cares choke out the working of God's word - Mark 4:19.

- It is a captive of sin - Romans 7:14.

• In the Christian who has tasted the Spirit life, this results in internal conflict - Romans 7:23, 24.

• This conflict can lead to discord with other believers - James 4:1-5.

- When the flesh wins, the end result is a love of the world - 1 John 2:15,16.

- It is living the "works" of Galatians 5:19-21.

- The sobering end of someone who lives life solely in the flesh is spelled out in Revelation 18:9-18, i.e. they will someday find that all they had put their hopes in has burned up.

Do you find elements of your self described in the above list? Sadly, I do. Let's heed the advice of Paul and carefully guard the set of our minds, moving it off "Flesh" to "Spirit" whenever necessary.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for making a life set on the Spirit possible. Please alert me to when my mind slips into its old flesh setting of worry, envy, jealousy, anger etc. I want the Spirit setting to be the habit 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.

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.

Don't worry

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 6:22-34

TO CHEW ON: " 'Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?' " Matthew 6:25

The last part of our reading today gives three reasons why we shouldn't worry:

1. Worry is unnecessary (Matthew 6:26, 28-30):
Why? Because we're in the hands of the same creator God Who sees that the birds get fed and the flowers and grass get clothed. Jesus asks, rhetorically, of His human audience, " 'Are you not of more value than they?....will He not much more clothe you?' "

2. Worry is ineffective (Matthew 6:27):
Worrying about a "one cubit" height increase could also stand in for other things we're born with—physical features, genetic tendencies or traits, a certain IQ. We don't have control over these things so we waste our effort and energy worrying about them.

3. Worry is unbecoming  (Matthew 6:31-32):
Worrying makes us like the "Gentiles"—those who have no faith in anything or anyone but themselves. In fact, an endnote about this passage advises: 

 "Acknowledge worry as sin. Discipline yourself to turn from any anxiety and choose to trust the Lord" -Leslyn Musch,  "Truth-In-Action through the Synoptics, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible p. 1440.

"Rather than being preoccupied with material things, our ambition should be to seek first God's kingdom and righteousness, knowing that as we do so, He has pledged Himself with covenant faithfulness to respond — all these things shall be added to you"  J. Lyle Story, study notes, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1301.

Matthew 6:33 is in my repertoire of memorized verses. I don't know how many times I have pulled it out of memory and recited it to myself. It is one of those settle-me-down verses that calm anxious thoughts and reinforce thoughts of trust and faith in God. If you haven't done so already, you might want to memorize it too.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to discipline myself away from thoughts of anxiety to thoughts of trust, especially in the area of everyday living. Amen.

MORE: How to seek God's kingdom first

How do you "seek God's kingdom first"? Rev. John Piper gives some good practical advice in a 1984 sermon "Do Not Be Anxious About Your Life":

"...instead of being anxious, "Seek first God's kingdom." In other words when you think about your life or your food or your clothes or your spouse or your job or your mission, don't fret about them. Instead make God the king in that affair and in that moment hand over the situation to his kingly power and do his righteous will with the confidence that he will work for you and meet all your needs. To seek the kingship of God first in every affair and every moment of life is a thrilling way to live. It's full of freedom and peace and joy and adventure—and hardship; and it's worth it all. If you believe in the kingship of your heavenly Father, you do not need to be anxious about anything."

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org - Read entire ...

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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.

No cares

TODAY’S SPECIAL: I Peter 4:12-5:11

TO CHEW ON: “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

It’s Wednesday. We're right in the middle of the cares of life – that sticky situation at work, that issue with our child’s teacher, looming commitments, deadlines, and due dates.

[care: merimna (mer-im-nah) – from meiro: “to divide,” and noos: “the mind.” It denotes distractions, anxieties, burdens and worries. Merimna means to be anxious beforehand about daily life. (“Word Wealth” The Spirit-Filled Life Bible – p. 1769)]

In today’s verse we’re told to cast those things on Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 puts it another way. I love it in the Amplified:

6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
7And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7 AMP

So, what to do if your mind is buzzing with anxieties and cares?

• “Cast” those concerns on God. Imagine you are carrying them in a backpack. Take off that backpack and give it to Jesus in prayer, thanking Him for the answer/solution He will send.
• Now let peace flood your whole being as you grasp tightly onto His promise: “He cares for you.”

PRAYER: Dear God, I give You my cares of ____ (name them) today. I choose to leave them with you in exchange for the peace of living in Your care. Thank You for your second-by-second care for me. 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)

Bought

"The songs of Joy" by James Tissot

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 15:1-18


TO CHEW ON: "Fear and dread will fall on them;

By the greatness of Your arm

They will be as still as stone,

Till Your people pass over, O Lord,

Till the people pass over

Whom You have purchased." Exodus 15:16

Couldn't these ancients compose songs on the spur of the moment! Moses' song in Exodus 15 is full of story, theology, and praise for what has just happened.

I am intrigued by his mention of God purchasing His people and thus able to claim ownership of them in that regard. What purchase was Moses referring to here? Was it the Passover when the blood of the sacrificed lamb painted on the door frame signified God's claim to that household?

God's claims of ownership are found in other places too.

• The Levites were an Israelite tribe separated to God for the activity of worship - Numbers 8:14.
• Moses reminds the Israelite nation again of how God owns them because He purchased them in Deuteronomy 32:6.
• Paul reassures the Roman Christians that God's owns them and will take care of them through life to death - Romans 14:8.
• He repeats this ownership claim to the church in Corinth, telling them that it must affect how they live their lives - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

And so the truth of Moses' lyric about God purchasing His people echoes down to us today. Its application in our lives is double-sided.

1]We can take comfort that as God's possession we are in His care through whatever comes along (Romans 14:8; Matthew 6:33).

2] But if He owns us, we no longer own ourselves. This has implications for how we spend our hours, days, months, and years on earth:

"Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,
    You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 AMP - emphasis added).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for buying me with Your blood. As a purchased one, and one of Your possessions, help me to glorify You with my body and life. Amen.

MORE: Our Master takes responsibility

I have always loved Jesus' promise of provision and care in Matthew 6:33: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." However, I never noticed till today how that whole section (Matthew 6:25-34) begins with "Therefore" alerting us to the fact that these promises rest on something.

That something is expressed in verse 24:

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.


"Therefore I say to you do not worry..."

Implicit in Jesus' promise that God will take responsibility for us, it seems, is our decision to choose Him as our master and to be loyal to Him over mammon (money, riches, treasure).

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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)

The power of a list

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 65:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;

And to You the vow shall be performed." Psalm 65:1

Do you make lists?

I do. Lists to remind me of what needs to be done, organize my thoughts, help me with shopping and packing, keep me on track when I give a talk or speech ...

Psalm 65 is David's list of praise and thankfulness to God. He praises God for:
1. Hearing and answering prayers (Psalm 65:2)
2. Providing atonement / forgiveness for sin (Psalm 65:3).
3. Choosing people to come near to Him (Psalm 65:4).
4. Being approachable (Psalm 65:4).
5. The temple (Psalm 65:4).
6. The joy and satisfaction of living in God's presence (Psalm 65:4).
7. The way God inspires confidence (implied is the need to remember ways God has come through for him in the past) (Psalm 65:5).
8. God's power illustrated in nature — the grandeur of mountains, God's ability to calm physical and people storms (Psalm 65:6-7).
9. That He is visible and available to all on earth (Psalm 65:8).
10. The reliability of day and night (Psalm 65:8).
11. God's nourishment of the earth with rain (Psalm 65:9-10)
12. An abundant harvest (Psalm 65:11-12).
13. The beauty of a pastoral scene (Psalm 65:13).

David's list is a good example of one way we can set the tone of the day by focusing on God's gifts to us. Instead of dwelling on what's wrong with life, what we dread, fear, or regret, let's focus on the good stuff.

I'm going to spend some time today making a praise and thanksgiving list (especially fitting, because this is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada). Will you join me?

PRAYER: Dear God, I'm sorry for my frequent lapses into worry and ungratefulness. Today I choose to think about You and reflect on the things for which I can praise and thank You. Amen

MORE: A gratefulness community

Canadian writer Ann Voskamp began an initiative some years ago to encourage everyday gratefulness.  She challenges readers to, over time, list 1000 gifts which they jot down and share with others. These can be things as small as the comforting taste of bread and butter, to life-changing events like the safe birth of a baby.  Bloggers from around the world come together on A Holy Experience (Ann's blog) every Monday to share links to their writings of gratitude. There is a Gratitude Community on Facebook too. Though I finished my 1000 gifts project some time ago, I found listing things for which I am grateful such a powerful focus-changer I have continued the practice privately. Why don't you give it a try.

Ann's book One Thousand Gifts released in January 2011 and continues to be a best-seller.

 (From the archives)

Heads-up endtime living

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 21:20-38

TO CHEW ON: "'But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly." Luke 21:34

At the end of a list of prophetic predictions that detail how we will be able to tell that the Kingdom of God is near, Jesus gives the practical warning of Luke 21:34. It tells us to take a step back and look at our own thoughts and actions. Jesus warns against a couple of preoccupations that can distract us from alert end-time living.

He describes our faulty focus as hearts "weighed down." The Greek word for weighed is bareo which means to to weigh down, burden, depress. Isn't it interesting that Jesus mentions as weights, "carousing (dissipation) and drunkenness" — activities we would normally think of as cheering us up. But He knew very well the consequences of such attempts to deal with the pain and drudgery of life. If you've ever lived such a lifestyle, you'll know its tensions and drama when, in the sober light of morning, you have to deal with the fallout of drunken actions from the night before, and when the need for money to keep the party going never ends.

The other thing that can weigh us down are the "cares of this life." Cares (merimna from meiro — to divide and noos - the mind) means distractions, anxieties, burdens, worries. "It means to be anxious beforehand about daily life. Such worry is unnecessary because the Father's love provides for both our daily needs and our special needs" - "Word Wealth" New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1769.

Who of us hasn't let the cares of this life capture our focus at least once in a while? So here, to urge us toward carefree living are a few encouragements in that vein from the Bible:

- Psalm 127:2 tells us it is "vain"  or "useless" to lose sleep over everyday cares. If we're trusting God in the way we should be, we can leave things in His hands long enough to get some rest.

- Jesus, in Matthew 6:25 and Luke 12:29, tells us not to worry about the mundane things of life.

- It is just such preoccupation that chokes the word in our lives, according to Jesus' story of the sower and the seeds (Matthew 13:22).

- Jesus chides Martha over her being "worried and troubled about many things" (Luke 10:41). Her symptom: stressing out over serving a nice meal to guests.

- Paul writes to the Christians in Philippi, telling them to replace anxieties with prayers and thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6).

- We can do this because we know Who cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).

In this time when many of the "signs" Jesus talks about early in Luke 21 seem to be playing out, let's stay alert to His imminent return by living soberly and carefree.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for spelling out these signs of the times. Help me to live attentive to the right things, smothering my tendency to worry about the details of living with the knowledge that you want me to leave these things in Your hands. Amen.

MORE: Dottie Rambo's "We Shall Behold Him" sung by Sandi Patti

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