Our actions seen and weighed

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 2:1-11

TO CHEW ON: “Talk no more so very proudly;
Let no arrogance come from your mouth,
For the Lord is the God of knowledge;
And by Him actions are weighed." - 1 Samuel 2:3

Tim Challies in his book The Next Story reminds us of how the internet and wireless technology has made much of our lives traceable. Search engine data, email, telephone and text message records, our twitter stream, not to speak of what we write on blogs and comment on web pages can all be cobbled together to form a picture of who we are. Of course, if we have nothing to hide, we don't worry a lot about this, relying on the improbability that anyone will actually take the time and effort to sleuth it all out and join the dots.

However, there is One who doesn't need Google's search engine records to know what kind of person we are: "The Lord, the God of knowledge." He is the One who knows us in an all-inclusive Psalm 139 way and will eventually weigh our actions.

Our focus verse today is part of a prayer, offered by Hannah after keeping her promise that if she would have a son, she would give him back to the Lord.  It's interesting that later in the chapter of today's reading, after Hannah has finished praying and gone home, probably in blissful ignorance of the tainted environment in which she's left Samuel (barely out of toddlerhood) the writer begins  the story of Eli's sons. They turn out to be a living illustration of what she has just prayed.

He begins the story about them: "Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord" - 1 Samuel 2:12. Then he describes how they were flaunting the rules of handling the sacrifices, and ends: "Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord" - 1 Samuel 2:17.

Whether the people knew Eli's sons were sinning or not isn't clear, and isn't the issue. What mattered was that God saw and His evaluation counted.

I take two challenges from today's passage.

1. I need to realize that God knows even my most private moments. Despite the digital trail I leave with my daily actions, I may be able to maintain a comfortable degree of privacy from others. But I can't hide anything from Him. He not only sees my actions, but knows how to weigh them — interpret the motivations from which they come.

2. I want to live in such a way that if someone actually took the time to piece together the digital bits I leave behind, that trail would glorify Jesus.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to live each moment with the consciousness that You see. And help me to gain the wisdom to weigh my actions with the scales that You use. Amen.

MORE: Hannah's prayer
You would imagine that at such a wrenching time for a mother,  Hannah's thoughts could have been of self-pity or wishing she could go back on her promise. But no. Her prayer is anything but selfish. It is a grand peon of praise to God and considered one of the twelve great prayers of the Old Testament. Walter Brueggemann says of her prayer:

"She sings of a surprise in gratitude. She sings that her family will continue. She sings that her people will have a future. She sings that through this little boy named 'asked' there will soon be newness for the poor and needy and hungry and feeble. She sings in the way singing is possible only among those who have felt the powerful invasiveness of YHWH's newness where no newness was possible. She sings of the God who 'brings life' She sings to the God who raises up. This is the God who lifts the needy. Hannah is the voice of all those who still have ashes in their hair and in their throats, who find themselves on the way to royal banquets and safe places" - Walter Brueggemann, Great Prayers of the Old Testament,  p. 32.

Weep at the Word

Ezra reading the law (Artist unknown)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Nehemiah 8:1-12

TO CHEW ON: "And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, 'This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.' For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law." Nehemiah 8:9

If you are familiar with Moses' law—that part of the Bible we find in sections of Exodus and Leviticus—you may well be surprised to see people weeping when it is read. Why would they weep on hearing a bunch of rules?

On thinking about it, I can come up with several reasons;

• It may have been the emotion they felt as they again connected with their religious and cultural roots. It seems that these people were unschooled in the law. We can assume that because of the way they needed a lot of explanation when it was read (Nehemiah 8:7). Even so, they probably had glimmerings of it, passed down through generations. But on this momentous day, as they respectfully stood for its reading, they were hearing the real thing for the first time in their lives. No wonder they got choked up.

• They were saddened by how far they had strayed from the law's requirements. But their teachers urged them—don't look at yourselves; focus on God. Make this day holy or separate to God. Let the joy of who God is and what He is doing now, energize you (Nehemiah 8:9-10).

• They were under conviction and their tears were evidence that God was at work in their lives. I love how this incident is the climax of their wall-repair project—an experience that had been both exhilarating and stressful. But they had completed it

Fresh from the victory of re-establishing the integrity of their city, they were primed for the victory of returning to God in spirit. Their sensitivity to God's will and eagerness to obey is on display as they jumped to obey the instructions to keep the Feast of Booths—something that had apparently not been done since the time of Joshua (Nehemiah 8:13-18).

What is our reaction to God's word? We have not only the Law, but the stories, the prophets, the New Testament, much of it plain and easy to understand.

• Do we respect it (to the extent of willingly standing for its reading when our pastors instruct us to, of course) as these people did?
• Do we hear it with the sense that it applies to us personally?
• Do we focus on how badly we've messed up, or on God and His goodness to us, His plan of salvation, and the hopeful outlook that trust in Him brings?
• Are we quick to change our ways when we see where we have been disobedient?

May our lives be evidence of us going from one obedience to the next (like these people did), as we let the hammer / fire / lamp / sword of God's word do its work.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your word which tells me about You and educates me in Your ways. May I take it as personally as these people who, on hearing, wept, repented, and obeyed. Amen.

MORE: "Hear with the greatest devotion"

"The second duty of piety wherein we must provoke ourselves, is, in HEARING of the Word. We may bring our bodies to the preaching of the Word with ease—but not our hearts, without offering violence to ourselves. When we come to the Word preached, we come to a business of the highest importance, therefore should stir up ourselves and hear with the greatest devotion. Luke 19:48. "All the people were very attentive to hear him." In the Greek it is "they hung upon his lip."—When the Word is dispensed, we are to lift up the everlasting doors of our hearts, that the King of glory may enter in!"-Thomas Watson (a quote from The Old Guys) emphasis added.

Cooperation, not competition

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

TO CHEW ON: "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all." 1 Corinthians 12:7

We usually think of gifts in terms of how they will please us, how they will be of use to us, how they will enhance our ease or magnify our image. But spiritual gifts (also referred to here as manifestations, ministries and activities) are not like that. They are not primarily about us as individuals but about "all."

Who is this all? In one sense, it is the universal church—the worldwide body of believers who have entered the Kingdom of God or Heaven through being born again (see Jesus' explanation to Nicodemus in John 3:1-21).

But because we can't meaningfully live on such a vast plain, we connect our selves with local churches—smaller bodies of believers that we meet face to face, whom we know and who know us. It is mainly within the local church that our gifts are used, needed, and appreciated—or not.

There's the rub. For spiritual gifts don't all have equal prominence. But we mortals like prominence. And so here Paul's words hit the road of life when he reminds us, these gifts aren't about us, but about the good of "all."

We may never see the custodian who keeps the church shining and the garbage cans emptied, or the secretary who types and prints the bulletin, or the volunteer who puts the nursery worker schedule together, or the team that visits the sick in hospital, or the cooks and kitchen workers who prepare the Alpha meal. But if any of these, and a myriad others, fails in his or her job, don't we notice it!

So as we discover and use our spiritual gifts, let's remind ourselves:

• Our gift is not about our prominence.

• It's not about gaining a following.

• It's not about people's compliments and well dones.

• Rather, it's about faithfully doing our little under the head—Christ—and leaving the results with Him.

PRAYER: Dear God, I so easily forget the principle of spiritual gifts being for the profit of all. Help me to get my thinking out of the realm of competition, into the realm of cooperation. Amen.

MORE: Our corporate calling

"The call of Jesus is personal, but not purely individual; Jesus summons his followers not only to an individual calling but also to a corporate calling.

"... over against history's involuntary groupings, such as the tribe, the city-state, and the nation, there now stands a new community of God's called-out ones. These are bound together by a covenant and living out a corporate calling that both complements and transcends their calling as individuals" - Os Guinness, The Call, pp. 93, 97.

Kitchen Glory

"The Wedding at Cana" by Gustave Dore

TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 2:1-12

TO CHEW ON: “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.” John 2:10 (emphasis mine)


Che Ahn defines God's glory in his book When Heaven Came Down:

“God’s glory is His manifest presence by which He reveals His character of goodness and displays His power through signs and wonders.” p. 28

At the Cana wedding Jesus displayed His "character of goodness" by helping out some desperate servants. The wine had run out – a potentially humiliating experience for the groom and his family. Jesus changed the water in six water pots into wine.

Like all the things Jesus does, it was quality workmanship–wine of such high grade the master asked the bridegroom why he had kept the best for the feast’s end. This miracle also blended into everyday life–like miracles often do. The wine didn’t glow or in any way distinguish itself from ordinary wine–except that it was better–so that the onlookers probably later asked themselves, did I really see what I thought I saw?

Another thing this story teaches us is where we can expect to experience God’s glory. We’re probably not surprised when a sense of His presence invades a worship service or prayer meeting. But here it came right into the middle of a domestic crisis. You’ve probably experienced plenty of those. I know I have. Have you ever asked God for a sign of His glory when you’ve lost your keys, clogged the toilet or discovered the washing machine has broken down? Let's ask God to enter our common everyday crises with His glory.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please remind me next time I’m in a jam that Your glory is available for that situation too. Open my eyes to the possibility of signs and wonders in my kitchen. 

MORE: Author friend Bonnie Bruno has assembled an entire book of stories about God revealing himself in ordinary situations. When God Steps In will lift your gaze upward and have you looking for evidences of His fingerprints on the most unlikely parts of your life.

Jesus' template for discipleship

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 9:18-27

TO CHEW ON: "'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.'" Luke 9:23

Part of our reading today is Jesus' private and direct instructions to His disciples. In it He tells them plainly, about a year before the events, that things will not end well for Him (vs. 22). To those who continue following Him despite all this, He explains what such loyalty involves.

Let's look at His instructions phrase by phrase to discover more about what being a disciple means for us as well.

"If anyone desires to come after Me..." Following Jesus is not something that is forced on us. We do it out of our desire or volition — though it is a desire that is put in us, in the first place, by God Himself (John 6:44).

"...let him deny himself..." "Understand and accept that discipleship means forsaking all selfish personal ambition," says a study note in my Bible. To me this means submitting every plan and goal to His lordship, every decision to Him for the final say.

"...and take up his cross..." This isn't startling until we think about what a cross was in the time of Jesus — an instrument of death for criminals. Taking up His cross was what Jesus was forced to do literally as He went from Jerusalem to Golgotha. In our day we might say, pick up your gun, or noose or lethal injection as a reminder of how dead you are to yourself.

"...daily..." This rejection of the self-life happens again every morning. Though it may begin with a crisis decision, we need to renew our commitment to it every day.

"...and follow Me."

"With Jesus, righteousness no longer consists of observance of an external legal code. He likens it to an apprenticeship to Himself as Master Teacher through the Holy Spirit" (Spirit Filled Life Bible p. 1439).

I like that: "apprenticeship to Himself as Master Teacher." For the life of a disciple is not turning one's back on selfish ambition toward a life of nothingness. Instead it is such a rejection so that the powerful life Jesus can have full sway in and through us.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I want to be this kind of a disciple. Please teach me what it means to take up my cross daily and follow you. Amen.

MORE: Feast of the Confession of St. Peter

Today the church celebrates the confession of the apostle Simon Peter, recorded in Luke 9:20. The liturgy for today begins with the following collect:

"Almighty Father, who inspired Simon Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep your Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, so that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. "

My conscience? Yours? Or both?

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Corinthians 10:18-11:1

TO CHEW ON: “Therefore whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

In our passage today Paul addresses a tricky cultural problem in Greece. Pagan worship (out of which many of the Christians came) involved feasts and eating. Paul warns Christians not to be a part of pagan celebrations and feasting. For just as taking part in the Lord’s Supper signified fellowship with God, taking part in pagan feasts signified fellowship with demons.

However, sometimes meat that had been part of pagan ritual found its way into the public market. What if they inadvertently bought some of that idol-consecrated meat. Were they then guilty of the same thing?

Paul advises them:
1. The meat in itself is neutral.
2. They can just not ask about the meat’s status – when it’s for sale or served in someone’s home.
3.However, if someone tells them that they are about to eat idol-consecrated meat, then they shouldn’t touch it. Why? For the sake of their own conscience, and for the sake of the person who told them and for whom eating the meat may have spiritual significance.

Of course we will probably never encounter exactly such a situation. But the principles apply to us too. We do things or refrain from doing them for two reasons:

• Because our own conscience allows or forbids it.

• Because we consider the conscience of our brother.

Here’s how a modern working out of those principles might look. You go to dinner with a former alcoholic. To this person alcohol means the old life of partying and bondage. For you a glass of wine with your meal is perfectly harmless. While your conscience allows you to have a drink, you’re not sure how that action will affect your friend. Therefore on this day, in deference to your friend’s conscience – considering what alcohol signifies to him and how you having a drink might actually make him feel tempted to have one too – you abstain from the wine.

As we live not only by the dictates of our own consciences, but also considering how our actions will affect others, we glorify God who is honored when every part of the Body (the Church) is healthy and pure. Can you and I be so mature that we set aside our rights in consideration of others?

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to live by the dictates of my own conscience and with others in mind, “not seeking my own profit but the profit of many that they may be saved.” (1 Corinthians 10:33)


MORE: Chris Tomlin sings “Give Us Clean Hands”

Complaining? Nip it, zip it!

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Corinthians 10:1-17

TO CHEW ON: “Nor (let us) complain as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.” 1 Corinthians 10:10

Here, alongside grave sins like idolatry, sexual immorality, and tempting Christ we find complaining? There must be some mistake! How can this common attitude, that most of us indulge in daily, be so bad?

The story referred to here happened when Korah, Dathan and Abiram challenged Moses and Aaron’s leadership during the Israelites’ 40 years in the wilderness. When they confronted Moses saying they were every bit as much leaders as he was, the earth opened and “swallowed them up.” Then fire from God consumed 250 others who were offering incense unlawfully. The next day the “congregation” of Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.” Immediately God sent a plague to destroy the grumblers (read the entire store in Numbers 16).

In this example the complaint was against leadership–something we never complain about, right? (Ha!) The drastic action of God in defending Moses and Aaron–the leaders He had appointed–shows how seriously He views this sin.

The word “complain” here doesn’t have a Greek equivalent (no number in Strong’s concordance), but its range of meaning is borne out by the various translations: Phillips–“curse the lot,”; NASB - “grumble”; Amplified - “discontentedly complain”; Message – “stir up discontent”; Good News – “complain”; Living Bible – “murmur against God.”

Complaining / grumbling is an example of an attitude leading to action that has its roots in our thoughts. A complaining, grumbling tongue starts with complaining, grumbling thoughts like: I deserve better than this; I can’t trust God with this situation; He obviously doesn’t know what He’s doing; I know better than He does. They are thoughts of rebellion toward God. When we express these thoughts, we multiply our sin by stirring up discontent in others.

So next time your thoughts toward your pastor or your church’s leadership turn in a critical, complaining direction, nip them in the bud. Replace them with thoughts and words of intercession. For sure zip your mouth from complaining and grumbling to others.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the leaders You have placed over me. Help me to remember to pray for them daily. Amen

MORE: Intercession for Pastors
Barb Billett’s wonderful book Praying With Fire has a prayer for pastors. Based on words straight from the Bible, it is a good prayer to pray regularly for our leaders. It begins:

"Father, in the name of Jesus, I confess, that the Spirit of the Lord: the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, rests upon Pastor _____. I pray that as Your Spirit rests mightily upon Pastor _____, we believe he has quick understanding.

I confess and believe that You Lord, have anointed and qualified him to preach the gospel to the meek, the poor, and the afflicted. You have anointed Pastor _____ to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the physical and spiritual captives, and the opening of the prison doors and of the eyes of those who are bound..."

When God hates our worship

"Let justice run down like water..." Amos 5:24

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Amos 5:16-27

TO CHEW ON:“I hate, I despise your feast days

And I do not savor your sacred assemblies…

Take away from me the noise of your songs

for I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.

But let justice run down like water

And righteousness like a mighty stream.” Amos 5:21,23-24

Have you ever heard waitresses say that they dislike serving church groups, or people in business say Christian companies are the worst to deal with? Does this make sense? Shouldn’t a stingy, difficult-to-work-for, or hard-to-get-fair-service-and-timely-payment-from person who calls himself a Christian be an oxymoron?

In this passage God scolds Israel for putting on an outward religious show but neglecting justice and righteousness. What are justice and righteousness?

- justice: 1) The quality of being just (fair, evenhanded, impartial). 2) The rendering of what is due or merited.

- righteous: 1) Conforming in disposition and conduct to a standard of right and justice; upright, virtuous. 2) Morally right, equitable.

In plain words, justice is how we act toward others. Righteousness is our personal moral code–what we do and are even when no one is looking.

God hates it when our real self–what we are like privately and when we’re away from those we’re hoping to impress, doesn’t line up with our outward show of worship. In fact, He rejects this worship entirely. Despite our raised hands and rapturous Sunday morning faces, God’s blessing will not fill our lives if, at the same time, they are full of deceit, envy, gossip, fighting, bitterness, unforgiveness etc.

How do I measure up in the justice and righteousness departments? How do you? God can show us where and how to make changes.

PRAYER: Dear God, I want streams and justice and righteousness to run through my life. Please show me how this can happen. Amen.

MORE: A noble double-standard

“Never look for right in the other man, but never cease to be right yourself. We are always looking for justice; the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is – Never look for justice, but never cease to live it.”

- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

"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

The begets

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 3:15-38

TO CHEW ON: “…the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er…” Luke 3:28

When you make a puzzle, the nondescript blue pieces that fill out the sky are as important as the detailed and colorful ones that bring the picture to life. The genealogy of Jesus that traces His ancestry through Joseph to Adam contains a lot of those nondescript pieces with names mentioned nowhere else in the Bible. We know nothing more about these people other than that they’re part of Jesus’ family tree. But each name on that list is significant because each played a part in establishing Jesus as the Son of Man and a legitimate stand-in as a sacrifice for the human race.

You are also part of a human genealogy. If you had the knowledge, you could trace your physical roots back to the first man, Adam.

Did you know you have another family tree as well? If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and been born again you have a spiritual genealogy (John 3:1-18). Whose names are on that list – your parents? Grandparents? A Sunday school teacher? A TV pastor? John or Paul from the Bible?

Let's spend some time today, thinking about and thanking God for the people who helped birth us into God’s forever family. And we might ask yourselves, have we begotten anyone?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for my spiritual parents. Help me to beget spiritual children of my own. Amen.

MORE: Children of God

¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:11-13, New King James Version)

Repentance fruits

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 3:2-25

TO CHEW ON: "'Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father." For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.'" Luke 3:8

John the Baptist's message to Jews and Gentiles both was to repent. My Bible's footnote gives a concise definition of repentance: "The term here means an internal sorrow that results in 'turning'" - J. Lyle Story,  commentary on Luke, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1391.

John's repentance prescription was practical.

• For the person who had extra it meant sharing with someone in need - Luke 3:11.

• For the tax collector it meant collecting only what was 'appointed' or as we would think of it, as spelled out in the Tax Collector's Manual (Luke 3:13).

• For the soldier it meant using power and station with integrity, not intimidating wrongdoers, accusing them falsely, or using brute strength and weapons to get more pay (Luke 3:14).

I wonder what John would have said repentance looked like to us homemakers. Perhaps to be content with our house and its furnishings, and to stop the lavish dinner party and entertaining competitions.

For us writers, he might have said, "Don't copy the words of others; if you quote, give credit. And stop worrying about who reads or doesn't read your words."


What do you hear John saying to you about repentance in your life or line or work?

All that to say that while repentance is an inner attitude, it also has an outer side. When we see how our lives don't line up with God's ideal, not only will we feel bad, but if we truly repent, we'll turn around and our actions will "bear fruits worthy of repentance."

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to back up my sorrow for sin with a change of actions.

MORE: Repent
The Greek word used for repent in Luke is metanoia.  It is derived from the Greek word metanoeo.  Keri Wyatt Kent explains what that word means in her book Deeper Into the Word:

"In Greek, the word is  metanoeo which means literally to perceive afterwards. Meta means after, but implies in that meaning to change; noeo means to perceive. So metanoeo is to change our perception. It happens when we are perhaps confronted—by a person or our conscience or the Holy Spirit—and think again about what we have done. We feel regret, but we don't stop there. We seek forgiveness, but also, we change our actions. We decide to go a new way, and then—this is absolutely key—we actually go that new way. We make it right. To repent is not just to feel guilty over our mistakes, but to choose a new path. It is to make a 180-degree turn, to turn around and walk in a new direction" - Keri Wyatt Kent, Deeper Into the Word: Reflections on 100 Words from the New Testament, p. 165.

Let's hear it for Joseph

 Joseph seeks lodging in Bethlehem

-painting by James Tissot

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Matthew 2:13-23

TO CHEW ON: “’Arise, take the young Child and His mother…’ When he arose, he took the young Child…. ‘Arise, take the young Child and His mother…’ Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother…” Matthew 2:13-14 & 20-21

Though the Bible doesn’t tell us much about Jesus’ earthly father Joseph, the little it does say proves God’s wisdom in choosing that particular man for the role he played in Jesus’ life. At least three times an angel came to him in a dream to give him instructions on what to do. He never argued or demurred, just obeyed.

He used common sense too. When the angel told him to return to Israel, but didn’t tell him where in Israel to go, the fact that Archelaus, the son of jealous Herod was ruling in Judea made him wary of returning there. Of course the fact God warned him about that specific thing in a dream only confirmed Joseph’s wisdom. So he took his family to Nazareth, and thus helped fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would be called a Nazarene.

God knew that Jesus’ earthly father needed to be a man completely compliant to His will. He picked obedient Joseph for this important task.

Am I as quick to obey as Joseph was? Are you?

As you obey God’s every wish and command, He will use you in ways you had never imagined.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me to obey You at once and in every detail. Amen

MORE: “The great word of Jesus to His disciples is abandon….”

Get into the habit of saying ‘Speak Lord” and life will be come a romance.”

- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest.

Are you a backslider?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hosea 11:1-11

TO CHEW ON: "My people are bent on backsliding from Me.

Though they call to the Most high,

None at all exalt Him." Hosea 11:7

We so easily turn from God's highest and best for us. The Bible has a word for that: backsliding - "to return to wrong or sinful ways." Hosea characterized his audience as "bent on backsliding." Oh, they were religious all right, but their religion was heartless--a lifeless sham that didn't please God at all.

We can learn a lot about backsliding by looking at the Bible passages that talk about it. Let's think of the conditions they describe as spiritual symptoms and ask ourselves, do I exhibit any of these?

Symptoms of backsliding include:

• Self-absorption (Proverbs 14:14).

• Religious lawlessness and independence (Matthew 24:12).

• Bondage to ritual (Galatians 4:9).

• Loss of spiritual love and enthusiasm (Revelation 2:4).

Just like a physical illness puts us out of commission, the chronic backslider may find him or herself, spiritually laid up.

Some of the results of backsliding are:

• It makes the victim unfit for kingdom work (Luke 9:62).

• It results in God's displeasure and discipline (Hebrews 10:38-39).

What brings about this condition? The Bible shows us that there is a variety of spiritual germs and viruses that cause backsliding to begin and continue.

Causes of backsliding include:

• An absence of spiritual leadership. When Moses was on Mount Sinai with God, wishy-washy Aaron, who Moses had put in charge of the people, easily gave in to the peoples' demands to make a calf idol for them to worship (Exodus 32:1-4).

• Evil associates - Solomon turned from following God by letting his idolatrous wives influence him (1 Kings 11:4).

• Worldly success - Amaziah returned from successful battle only to set up images for worship (2 Chronicles 25:1-2,14).

• Shallowness - according to Jesus' warning in the parable of the sower and the seed (Luke 8:13).

• An empty life - according to Jesus' story, the person who was freed from demonic oppression, but neglected to fill the void with Godly things was soon under the same influences as before (Luke 11:24-26).

• Lack of spiritual insight, brought about by lack of faith (John 6:63-66).

• Being in love with the world - as Demas, who left Paul, was (2 Timothy 4:10).

Do you see any symptoms of backsliding in yourself? I know I do in me. Let's follow Hosea's advice:

 Come, and let us return to the LORD;
      For He has torn, but He will heal us;
      He has stricken, but He will bind us up.

After two days He will revive us;
      On the third day He will raise us up,
      That we may live in His sight.
 

 Let us know,
      Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD.
      His going forth is established as the morning;
      He will come to us like the rain,
      Like the latter and former rain to the earth.
   
    Hosea 6:1-3

PRAYER: Dear God, I so easily get distracted from Your highest and best for me. Please show my my points of vulnerability toward backsliding. Help me to fall in love with You again. Amen.

MORE: "Holy Spirit Rain Down" sung by Hillsong

Shepherd and King

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Micah 4:6-5:5

TO CHEW ON: "And He shall stand and feed His flock
In the strength of the Lord,
In the majesty of the name of the Lord HIs God
And they shall abide
For now He shall be great
To the ends of the earth." Micah 5:4

Do you see how this passage combines the humanity (shepherd) with the kingly deity of the "One to be Ruler in Israel" who would  "come forth" from Bethlehem? It is the One whose birth we have just celebrated—Jesus! Tomorrow (Epiphany) we will read about wise men who came from the east bearing gifts for the King of the Jews. The depictions of Jesus are full of both pictures.

As a Shepherd:

• Prophets pictured the Lord, Messiah in this way - Psalm 23:1,2; Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34:11.

• Jesus referred to Himself as a shepherd - John 10:11.

• The Apostles call Him shepherd in numerous places e.g.: Hebrews 13:20, 1 Peter 2:25; Revelation 7:17.

As a King:

• Prophets depict Messiah as a King - Isaiah 9:7; Jeremiah 23:5; Ezekiel 37:25 and of course Micah 5:2.

And Jesus' story is full of references to Him as king

• The wise men brought gifts to the infant king - Matthew 2:2.

• The people lauded Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey (Palm Sunday) and welcomed Him as a king - Matthew 21:4-9.

• When Pilate asked Jesus directly, 'Are you a king?' He answered 'Yes': Matthew 27:11; Mark 15:2; Luke 23:3; John 18:37.

• The Apostles considered Him a king: Acts 2:30; 1 Corinthians 15:25; 1 Timothy 6:15.

These two pictures of Jesus help us keep a healthy balance in our view of Him. Sure He is the caring, self-sacrificing, looking-out-for-us Shepherd. But He is also the majestic, awe-inspiring, fall-on-our-faces-in-worship King and above us in His wisdom and ways (Psalm 50:21).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for laying aside Your majesty and coming to rescue us from the power of darkness into Your kingdom (Colossians 1:13). I worship You as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Amen.

MORE: "We Shall Behold Him" sung by Sandi Patty

How to be a reflector

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 60:1-22

TO CHEW ON: "For behold the darkness shall cover the earth

And deep darkness the people;

But the Lord will arise over you

And His glory will be seen upon you." Isaiah 60:2

We have just come through a season where thousands of Christmas lights made darkness a festival. As, one by one, these lights go out for the season, the darkness seems even darker than it did before the lights came on. That kind of opaque darkness is what Isaiah describes:

"For behold darkness shall cover the earth
And deep darkness the people."

One thing breaks the sense of despair and hopelessness this darkness brings;

"But the Lord will arise over you
And His glory will be seen upon you."

No doubt Isaiah's words brought to his hearers' minds a time when God's glory had been upon Israel literally as a cloud hovering over them by day, a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 16:7,10). Perhaps they thought too of when God revealed His glory on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:17), in the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34), and at the dedication of Solomon's temple (1 Kings 8:11).

That glory came as a person in Jesus: "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12).

After Jesus had ascended to heaven, Stephen saw Jesus' glorified heavenly state (Acts 7:55).

The exciting thing is that we ourselves, earthbound as we are, can be vessels of that glory: "But we, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image form glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18.

"Beholding as in a mirror connotes 'reflecting' as well as 'looking into.' As we behold the glory of the Lord we are continually transformed into the same image by the Spirit of the Lord. We then, with ever increasing glory reflect what we behold" - Footnote to 2 Corinthians 3:18, New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1614.

In other words we become like what we gaze at, meditate on, ponder, and try to be like.

The earth around us may be dark—not only physically but also emotionally and morally. We may feel small and inadequate to make a difference. But the thickness of that darkness makes even the smallest light visible. Let's light up that darkness around us today with the reflection of Jesus!

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, You are an impossible act to follow! Would You, by the Holy Spirit, work in me the will and the way to emulate You. I want Your glory to be reflected in and seen upon me. Amen.

MORE: Handel's Messiah Texts
George Frederick Handel used Isaiah 60:2-3 from today's reading in his his oratorio Messiah. Our Bible readings this year will bring us face to face with all the Bible passages he used in that great composition. This is Chorus 10 "For Behold Darkness Shall Cover the Earth,"performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus.

What's with Balaam?

Balaam's Donkey - Numbers 22:22-35

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Numbers 24:1-19

TO CHEW ON: "So Balaam said to Balak, 'Did I not also speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, "If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord, to do good or bad of my own will. What the Lord says, that I must speak."?'" Numbers 24:12,13

 Our reading today is the end of a longer story that begins in Numbers 22. Balak, the king of Moab, is afraid because the Israelites are camping near him. He finds a prophet, Balaam, and sends his messengers to ask the prophet to curse the Israelites for him.

The first time his messengers approach Balaam he consults God and God tells him no, don't go because it isn't God's intention to curse Israel (Numbers 22:12).

Balak sends another delegation and this time when Balaam consults God, God gives a seemingly reluctant, well, go if you want to, but say only the words I give you (Numbers 22:20).

On his way to Balak, Balaam's donkey has a word with him and he realizes how serious God is about blessing His people (Numbers 22:22-35).

Balaam reaches Balak and two times the king takes the prophet to high lookouts but on both occasions only words of blessing come out of Balaam's mouth. Our reading tells the story of Balak's third try, where  Balaam again blesses Israel.

When king Balak in anger threatens him, "Now therefore flee to your place. I said I would greatly honour you but in fact the Lord has kept you back from honour," Balaam replies in the words of our focus passage, quoting what he had first said to Balak's messengers (Numbers 22:18; 24:13).

This story has always intrigued me in the way Balaam seems to be of two minds. He knows he will say only what God tells him to say, and that God wants to bless Israel. But still he goes with Balak's men. Why?

• Is he wanting favour with Balak as well as favour with God?

• Is he hoping God will change His mind?

• Is he, in some way, a wishy-washy people pleaser who wants to keep everybody happy?

This story is a cautionary tale to us. For we too may be tempted to curry favour with the world's elite and powerful, to change our message, to care more about what others think than what God thinks, to be double-minded.

Of course Balaam could have avoided the whole scenario if he had taken God at His word the first time and refused to move even one step toward enemy territory.


PRAYER: Dear God, I recognize Balaam tendencies within myself. Help me to resist compromise by not taking even that first step toward sin's camp. Amen.

MORE: Double-mindedness

Whenever I think of double-mindedness, I think of James 4:8 

 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. - James 4:8 NKJV

Here it is in the Message:

"So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet." - James 4:7-10

Here are a few other Bible passages that speak of being double-minded:

2 Kings 17:33; Luke 16:13; 1 Corinthians 10:21; James 1:5-8