New things

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 43:1-21

TO CHEW ON: "Do not remember the former things
Nor consider the things of old
Behold I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:18-19


"A road in the wilderness … rivers in the desert"? Highly unusual. Even impossible?

That's what God is saying here: I can and will do the unusual, the impossible in the process of buying you back—redeeming you.

Israel has lots of impossible already in her history. Isaiah alludes to some of those things.

• "When you pass through the waters … through the rivers…" the people might recall their miraculous passages through the Red Sea and the Jordan River (Exodus 14:10-30; Joshua 3&4).

• "I gave Egypt for your ransom…" would remind them of the death of the firstborn sons of Egypt (Exodus 12:13,23-28).

• "Who brings forth the chariot and horse … they are quenched … extinguished" would bring back the story of the Egyptians coming to reclaim their once-slaves and how they drowned in the Red Sea (Exodus 14:23-30).

Some of the things Isaiah speaks were certainly prophetic to the people of his time.

• "When you walk through the fire, you shall not burn" reminds us of Shadrach, Meshech and Abednego in Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, something that hadn't yet happened when Isaiah wrote these words (Daniel 3:1-25).

• "Bring My sons from afar, My daughters from the ends of the earth" reminds us of the Jews and their various returns from exile, as lately as Israel now resettling her land after millennia of disbursement.

All that to say, God's program of redemption is not stymied by anything.

I take this as encouragement to keep praying for straying loved ones, the spread of the gospel in my community and country, the fulfillment of God's agenda globally.

And in many ways we see 'impossible' things happening before our eyes. Who would have dreamed, fifteen to twenty years ago, of a system whereby people all over the planet could communicate almost simultaneously (the internet)? Talk about a means of fulfilling Jesus' words in Matthew 24:14 - "And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

I wonder what other new things God still has up His sleeve!

PRAYER: Dear God, You made the world and its systems, so of course nothing is impossible to You. Help me to live in the truth of that. Amen.


MORE: Who Paints the Skies - Stuart Townend

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

Camping in His presence

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 16:1-11

TO CHEW ON: "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11

This psalm is called a Michtam — a title which, a footnote in my Bible says, refers to deliverance from death. Peter quotes from Psalm 16 on the day of Pentecost, referring to Jesus' deliverance from death in resurrection. Peter had done his memory work — note how closely his speech followed Psalm 16:8-11:

"I foresaw the LORD always before my face,
      For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
       Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;
      Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.
       For You will not leave my soul in Hades,
      Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
       You have made known to me the ways of life;
      You will make me full of joy in Your presence." - Acts 2:25-28

Peter then applied the message of the psalm to their current situation. My paraphrase: 'See, this is what David prophesied, that from his (David's) line Christ would come to sit on his throne. He foresaw this Christ's resurrection which God fulfilled in Jesus. And it's Jesus who is now at the right hand of God, who pours out the Holy Spirit on us today.'

And so as we now think about "the path of life" David asked God to show him, we interpret it in the light of Jesus' resurrection. When we claim this verse for ourselves, and pray it over our lives, we do it knowing Jesus has conquered death and the "path of life" winds into eternity.

But we don't have to wait till eternity to experience the joy of it. We can have it whenever we camp in His presence. A commentary article in my Bible expands on what that means:

"Radical, passionate, life-changing devotion bursts forth in our lives from one primary source: consistently being in the presence of the Lord.

• Know that abundant life, fulfillment, delight and joy are found in the presence of the Lord (Psalm 16:11 - our focus verse).

• Stay in God's presence for there you will find wisdom and protection from those who would rise up against you (Psalm 17:2-9).

• Follow David's example by recognizing that it is in God's presence that you will find grace, honor, mercy, faithfulness, great joy, and gladness (Psalm 21:1-7).

• Hide in God's presence. It is a place of shelter and safety (Psalm 31:20)."
  

- Leslyn Musch, "Truth-In-Action Through Psalms" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 719.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for making the round trip from heaven to earth. Help me to absorb all that Your resurrection means and avail myself of eternal life's delights by intentionally and consistently living in Your presence now. Amen.

MORE: Handel's Messiah Alert
Words from Psalm 16:10 are the lyrics of Chorus 32 of Handel's Messiah. Bogdan Mihai  is the soloist in this live performance from the Bucharest National Radio Hall.

"But Thou Didst Not Leave His Soul in Hell"

The stay-at-home prodigal

 Prodigal's Brother" - woodcut by
 Johann Christoph Weigel - 1694
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 15:11-32

TO CHEW ON: “’But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’

And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.’” Luke 15:30-31

I love this story for its hopefulness about prodigals – both those who leave and those who stay home. Trouble is, I find myself identifying with one of them. Maybe it’s because I too am an oldest child and tend to be duty-driven that I empathize with that older brother.

He was all work and responsibility with, no doubt, a pinch of self-pity and a dash of self-righteousness. He probably resented the fact that he was left at home to work for Dad but may have congratulated himself on his work ethic and moral lifestyle. Perhaps he even dreamed of the day his brother would return and get a tongue-lashing from Dad.

Of course Dad would hold him up as the example to follow. Thus on the day older brother returned from work to find the house alight and vibrating with celebration over the return of the scoundrel, his unmet expectations boiled over in stubborn standoffishness, and then, when Dad begged him to join the party, a heated exchange.

Their little conversation illustrates some things about stay-at-home prodigals, who can be just as distant in their relationship with God as their runaway counterparts.

1. Even though he lived with his father, the older son didn’t really know him. Surely he had seen his dad go out every day to scan the horizon for a sign of the kid returning. Yet that action never registered as yearning father-love, and big bro was surprised by his father’s delight at the prodigal’s return.

2. He didn’t communicate with his father. When he objected to Dad’s lavish celebration with “…you never gave me a young goat that I might make merry with my friends,” father replied, “Son, you are always with me.” I read that as, ‘Why didn’t you ask? I was here all the time.’

3. He didn’t know what was at his disposal. He could have had that young goat and much more. “All that I have is yours,” his dad told him.

If we find traces of ourselves in the stay-at-home prodigal, we can change the situation by working on his three areas of lack.

• We can get to know God. We see God the Father at work in the Old Testament. Jesus, His Son, lives out God’s father-heart of love in the New. We can get to know Him and His love for us and for everyone, deserving or irresponsible, as we read the Bible.

• We can communicate with Him – in prayer. “You do not have because you do not ask,” James says (James 4:2).

• We can get familiar with our inheritance and begin enjoying all the wonderful things at our disposal as children of God right now.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, Thank You for telling this inclusive story. We are all prodigals. Thank You for welcoming us back. Amen.

MORE: Know your inheritance:

The older brother may have saved himself a lot of grief if he had realized his father's generosity with his inheritance even while he (Dad) was still alive. We too have a grand inheritance now:

• We have insight into God’s kingdom - Matthew 13:11
• We have the record of Old and New Testament witnesses to Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s plan - Luke 10:23
• Through Jesus we can be right with God and happily exist “in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory”  - Romans 5:2 (latter quote from )Message.
• We have the Holy Spirit who interprets the things of God to us (“dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along” -  1 Corinthians 2:10 (latter quote from Message).
• Out bodies are actually Christ's home - Colossians 1:26-27
• We are anointed by God - 1 John 2:20
•  We still live in a time of opportunity. Even if we've strayed, it’s still possible to return and spend the rest of our days doing things that count in God’s kingdom- Revelation 3:3

Joshua meets his Commander

"Joshua Meets the Angel of the Lord" 
- Christoph Weigel, 1654-1725. 
From the Pitts Theology Library.

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Joshua 5:9-15

TO CHEW ON: "And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, 'Are you for us or for our adversaries?'
So He said, 'No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.'" Joshua 5:13,14

The Israelites were camped at Gigal near what was to be their first city of the Canaan conquest—Jericho. We can feel with Joshua as he goes out to have a look at Jericho. He is probably excited but also apprehensive, imagining strategy but also unsure, feeling brave but also realistic. He is certainly alert, for when the Lord appears as an armed man, Joshua approaches and asks His allegiance.

We can imagine the relief Joshua feels when it becomes clear that this soldier is indeed the LORD—Yahweh come down to help, no, to lead as Commander of the Lord's army.

Nowhere do we read anything like this from Joshua: "No, I'm the commander of this army." Instead, he seems more than ready to hand control to this mysterious solder. It is from His mouth that Joshua gets the bizarre order of how to take Jericho (Joshua 6:1-5).

Two things strike me from this incident:

1. The real Commander shows up just in time. Even His words to Joshua have a hint of this timeliness: "... I have now come..." Has Joshua been praying about this? His solitary stroll toward Jericho shows he may well be preoccupied with his next move. And then, at precisely the right moment, his Commander appears on the scene.

God can come to us in the nick of time like that. Now probably not as a theophany, but through what we read in the Bible, or the words of a pastor, or a book, or an article, or a song, or circumstances.

2. The Lord is the real commander of this army. Joshua doesn't dispute that for a minute.

Is God the Commander of our lives? Do we take orders from Him as readily as Joshua does from his Commander?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You that You are always on time. Please help me to trust You to be the Commander of  my life. Amen.

MORE: Joshua

Joshua is a fascinating character.

• We first meet him when Moses puts him in charge of the Israelite army assembled to fight the Amalekites in the wilderness - Exodus 17:9.

• The Bible describes him as Moses' "assistant" when he accompanies Moses up Mount Sinai - Exodus 24:13.

• He stays in the tabernacle of God's presence even after Moses leaves - Exodus 33:11. Barbara Billett in her book Praying with Fire says of him:

"Joshua had intimate fellowship with God just as Moses did. He lingered in the presence of God and got to know God and to trust God at His word" - p. 65.

• He is one of only two spies that have faith they can conquer Canaan - Numbers 14:6-9. Billett again:

"Because Joshua and Caleb had intimate fellowship with God, God's word to them was magnified over any fear, unbelief, or temptation to not follow the Lord - Op. Cit, p. 66.

• My Bible's introduction to the book of Joshua explains how he is a type of Christ:

"His name which means 'Yahweh is Salvation,' is a Hebrew equivalent to the Greek 'Jesus.' Joshua led the Israelites into the possession of their promised inheritance just as Christ leads us into possession of eternal life" - Ronald Mehl, "The Book of Joshua," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 277.

Are you fruitful—or just using up the ground?

A fruitful fig (St. Michael's Church - Chemainus B.C.)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 13:1-9

TO CHEW ON: "Then he said to the keeper... 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?' But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until i dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit well, and if not, after that you can cut it down.'" Luke 13: 7-9.

In this short parable (Luke 13:6-9) Jesus tells of a certain man who is weary of waiting for figs from his unproductive tree and wants his gardener to cut it down. The gardener, plant lover that he is, asks for one more chance to bring it to productivity.

A little about fig trees:

• The ficus carica is indigenous to Asia Minor and can grow about 35 feet, flourishing even in stony soil.

• They were customarily planted with vines (thus the saying 'to sit under one's own vine and fig tree').

• Bringing fig trees to the fruit-bearing stage meant years of patient labour and so their destruction was a national calamity (Psalm 105:33) while their productivity was symbolic of peace and divine favour.

• A healthy fig tree bore fruit for 10 months of the year, yielding three successive kinds of figs: - the late or autumn figs (Jeremiah 8:13); the green or winter figs (Revelation 6:13); the first ripe figs (Jeremiah 24:2) -  "Fig Tree" article in The New Bible Dictionary, p. 422.

What is the significance of Jesus' fig parable? Eerdman's Handbook of the Bible connects it with the earlier part of our reading:

"Roman troops had slaughtered some Galilean pilgrims in the temple at Passover. People assumed that the victims of the two disasters must have been especially wicked, but that was not true. The whole nation is ripe for judgment and will meet an equally horrible fate if present opportunities for a change of heart are let slip" Eerdman's Handbook of the Bible, p. 523.

The master's I-won't-stand-for-this-forever attitude toward fruitlessness should be a warning to us too. The gardener promised his master to give the fig tree one more chance by digging around it and fertilizing it. Here are some Bible suggestions on how we can dig around and fertilize our lives to increase our fruitfulness:
 
1. Be spiritually receptive - Matthew 13:23.
 
2. Die to ourselves - John 12:24.
 
3. Stay in contact with living water - Psalm 1:3.
 
4. Abide/live in Christ - John 15:5; Romans 6:22.
 
5. Welcome pruning - John 15:2; Hebrews 12:11.

PRAYER: Dear God help me to take to heart the lesson of this unproductive fig tree. I want my life to  be fruitful, even to old age (Psalm 92:14). Amen.

MORE: What fruit is our Gardener looking for?

1. Spiritual fruit comes in many varieties - Galatians 5:22-23

2. It is the product of heavenly wisdom - James 3:17.

3. It is without defect - Ephesians 5:9; Philippians 1:11.

4. It is grown in good soil - Matthew 13:8.

5. It is ever-bearing, and even into old age - Ezekiel 47:12; Psalm 92:13-14.

List His benefits

(Photo: Morguefile.com)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 68:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation." Psalm 68:19

Have you ever listed the ways God has blessed you and your family, even your nation? That's what David is doing in Psalm 68.

• He follows opening words of general praise to God (Psalm 68:1-6) with a history of the Israelites. 
• He alludes to the nation's march through the wilderness (Psalm 68:7), how God appeared to them on Mount Sinai (Psalm 68:8) and provided for them in the desert (Psalm 68:8-10). The "rain" may refer to the daily manna (according to Matthew Henry's commentary).
• Psalm 68:11 seems to be a reference to God giving the word against their enemies, in Canaan, and the people proclaiming the victory that resulted.

(I was surprised when at least half of the translations I consulted, spoke of those proclaimers as women e.g. "The Lord gives the command; The women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host" - NASB. Barnes notes on the Bible explain: "The word used is in the feminine gender and refers to the Oriental custom whereby females celebrated victories in songs and dances.")

• The verses that follow continue to exult in Israel's triumphs. There is even a prophetic reference to Jesus: "You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive..."  quoted by Paul in Ephesians 4:7-10.

Our reading ends with a rousing praise:

"Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation!"

Nothing changes my attitude faster than gratitude. You may find that doing something like David did—recalling your history and looking for God's load of benefits in it—will lift your spirit. Why don't you try it today!

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your faithfulness to me. Help me to continually acknowledge You as the source of my blessings, and to have a heart of gratitude. Amen.
MORE: Messiah Alert!

Words from Psalm 68:11 are lyrics in the Handel's Messiah—Chorus 37: "The Lord Gave the Word.  Notice how the music illustrates the message. A solo voice singing "The Lord gave the word" is followed by a chorus: "Great was the company of the [preachers*],"   It's a chorus that grows larger, more complex and many-voiced as the song builds to a big-chord climax.




*It seems that Mr. Handel substituted "preachers" for the more cumbersome "company of those who proclaimed it" —at least I couldn't find any translation that translates Psalm 68:11 using the word "preachers."

Words that accomplish and prosper

 TODAY’S SPECIAL: Isaiah 55:1-13

TO CHEW ON: “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth and make it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55: 10-11


A few years ago we received the beautiful coffee table book Eye to Eye, Heart to Heart as a gift.  This book of photographs was put together by Dave and Deborah Crough. Dave is a many-year photographer for Wycliffe Bible Translators. The volume is full of images of people whose lives have been impacted by the rain, snow, seed, and bread of God’s word that our focus verse talks about. The variety of skin color and ethnic dress show how widely the Gospel has spread. But you feel the book’s real impact when you focus on the eyes of the subjects. So many sparkle with hope.

A sidebar article about this passage in my Bible begins to scratch the surface in explaining the power of God’s word to give that sparkle.

“Evangelism (the spreading of the Good News) and expansion (the enlarging of life’s potential under God) both multiply by the “seeds” of God’s word. Jesus described the Word as “seed” also (Luke 8:11), the source of all saving life and growth possibilities transmitted from the Father to mankind…

Fruitfulness is the guaranteed byproduct – whether for the salvation of a lost soul or the provision of a disciple’s need. God’s Word cannot be barren or fruitless. his own life power is within it.” – Jack Hayford – New Spirit Filled Life Bible – p. 939.

This passage tells us:
- All increase of life comes by His word.
- Whether we receive it or disseminate it, God’s word will not be empty (void) but will accomplish and prosper God’s purposes.
- The power of His word fulfills the promise of His word. (Now there’s a thought to bend the mind!)

If there are areas in our lives that are barren and fruitless we can search God’s word for insight about them. We can apply His advice. We can obey if there is something we need to do. Then we can trust Him and His word to be the refreshing rain and snow, the seed and the bread in our lives and circumstances.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the Bible – Your amazing communication to us. Help me to apply it to my life and obey it. Amen.

MORE: Some thoughts on the way to make God’s word effective in life:

"The golden rule for understanding spiritually is not intellect, but obedience. If a man wants scientific knowledge, intellectual curiosity is his guide; but if he wants insight into what Jesus Christ teaches, he can only get it by obedience. …

When Jesus brings a thing home by His word, don't shirk it. If you do, you will become a religious humbug. Watch the things you shrug your shoulders over, and you will know why you do not go on spiritually. First go - at the risk of being thought fanatical you must obey what God tells you."

– Oswald Chambers, from My Utmost for His Highest (July 27th reading)

I AM—God's name forever

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 3:1-15

TO CHEW ON: "Then Moses said to God, 'Indeed when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you," and they say to me, "What is His name?" what shall I say to them?'
And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And He said, 'Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you ... This is My name forever."'" Exodus 3:13-15

What a curious name God calls Himself: I AM WHO I AM. My Bible's notes explain, "This name is related to the Hebrew word meaning 'to be,' and so implies the absolute existence of God" James Carroll Tollett,  Notes on Exodus, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 80.

Another Person used I Am a lot in describing Himself. Jesus said I am...

• Messiah - John 4:25,26.

• from above - John  8:23.

• before Abraham was i.e. the Eternal One - John 8:58.

• the Light of the world - John 9:5.

• the Door - John 10:7.

• the Good Shepherd - John 10:11-14.

• the Son of God - John 10:36.

• the Resurrection and the Life - John 11:25.

• Teacher and Lord - John 13:13.

• the Way the Truth and the Life - John 14:6.

• the True Vine - John 15:1.

• Alpha and Omega - Revelation 1:8.

• the First and the Last - Revelation 1:17.

In our reading Yahweh answers Moses' question "Who am I...?" (vs. 11) with "I AM" (vs.14). It wasn't about who Moses was or what he could accomplish (in carrying out God's assignment to lead Israelites out of Egypt) but who would be at work in and through him.

Jesus has left us with an assignment and a promise:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that  I have commanded you; and lo I am with you always (look! another I Am!!) even to the end of the age" - Matthew 28:19-20.

PRAYER: Dear I AM, thank You for being eternal and my one Constant. Help me to weave the realities of who You are in Jesus into my day-to-day life by the help of Holy Spirit. Amen.

MORE: You are Alpha and Omega

A new tent

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Philippians 3:1-21

TO CHEW ON: "For our citizenship is in heaven from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be transformed to the glorious body according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." Philippians 3:20-21

Have you ever thought about how much your reaction to life is based on how you feel physically? I know I don't function well when I'm tired, hungry, dizzy, itchy, have a headache, feel nauseated, am in pain, etc. And with advancing age, aches and pains are becoming the rule rather than the exception.

Though I suppose it's not much of a surprise when our bodies let us down as we get older, the truth is that they can do that at any age. In order for us to reach our expected threescore and ten, our bodies have to dodge a lot of bullets.

All that makes it good news that this physical-body-bound life isn't the final chapter. It's especially good news because we will face the next chapter in glorified bodies. The Bible doesn't give us a lot of information about these new "tents." But what it does say turns our eyes upward in anticipation, especially because this newness seems to involve more than just glorified blood and bone, but a spiritual freedom no longer hindered by malfunctioning cells.

What we can look forward to:

•  Shining: "The righteous will shine" (Matthew 13:43).

• Appearing with Jesus: "...you also will appear with Him in glory" (Colossians 3:4).

• Clothing of purity and worship (Revelation 7:9).

• Being identified (as in tattooed or branded) with God the Father (Revelation 14:1).

• Bearing a recognizable resemblance to Jesus: "...bear the image of the heavenly Man" (1 Corinthians 15:49).

Until that time, we join others across the ages in longing for this new glorified home:

"We know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade—and we'll never have to relocate our "tents" again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what's coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we're tired of it! We've been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what's ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less" 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 - Message.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the promise of a new glorified body. Help me to trust You and to stay true to You through every physical challenge of this life. Amen.

MORE: Incredible hope

As someone who has been relatively healthy, I can't speak with the authority about physical suffering or the longing for a new body of, say, a Joni Eareckson Tada. She suffered a spinal cord injury in her teens and has spent her life as a quadriplegic. If you are bent, bruised and broken physically, or mentally find hope in these words of your fellow-traveler:

"I still can hardly believe it. I, with shrivelled, bent fingers, atrophied muscles, gnarled knees, and no feeling from the shoulders down, will one day have a new body, light, bright and clothed in righteousness — powerful and dazzling.


Can you imagine the hope this gives someone spinal cord-injured like me? Or someone who is cerebral palsied, brain-injured, or who has multiple sclerosis? Imagine the hope this gives someone who is manic depressive. No other religion, no other philosophy promises new bodies, hearts, and minds. Only in the Gospel of Christ do hurting people find such incredible hope" Joni Erickson Tada, in Heaven: Your Real Home, p. 53.

Abandoned

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 27:1-14


TO CHEW ON: "When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take care of me." Psalm 27:10

"As a child, Pastor Bill (Wilson) experienced the pain and hopelessness of abandonment. One day, as he walked down a street with his mother, they stopped to sit for a while. She instructed him to sit there and wait for her to return. He sat and waited for three days straight. She never returned. A Christian gentleman who had seen Bill stranded and alone stopped and picked him up..." (from the About Us page of Metro Ministries).

Bill told us a little bit more about that time when he visited our church several years ago. The Christian gentleman who picked him up gave Bill water and something to eat, then paid the $17.50 it took (in 1961) to send him to camp. Five hours later, Bill was at an Assemblies of God youth camp where his life was turned around. He now heads up Metro Ministries, a Christian, non-profit organization dedicated to serving inner-city children throughout New York City and various urban centers around the world.

The love and care of one's parents is pretty well a given. We view it to be foundational to growing up as normal, healthy adults. How many stories haven't we heard of messed up adults whose problems are attributed to being neglected or abandoned as kids? Does our focus verse today mean that God can counteract such a basic lack in one's life?

I believe it does. Look at the stories of noteworthy Bible characters torn from parental care and love: Joseph, Daniel, Esther, the little Jewish maid of Naaman's wife.

Look at God's heart toward the abandoned as it comes out in other scripture passages:

Exodus 22:22-23:
“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry."

Deuteronomy 10:18
"He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing."

Psalm 10:14
"But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief,
         To repay it by Your hand.
         The helpless commits himself to You;
         You are the helper of the fatherless."

Psalm 68:5
 "A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,
         Is God in His holy habitation."

Psalm 146:9
"The LORD watches over the strangers;
         He relieves the fatherless and widow;
         But the way of the wicked He turns upside down."

Proverbs 15:25
"The LORD will destroy the house of the proud,
      But He will establish the boundary of the widow."

Jeremiah 49:11
"Leave your fatherless children,
      I will preserve them alive; And let your widows trust in Me.”

Malachi 3:5
"And I will come near you for judgment;
      I will be a swift witness
      Against ... those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans,
      And against those who turn away an alien—
      Because they do not fear Me,”
      Says the LORD of hosts."

If you have been abandoned, remember that God is for you. He promises to take care of you. He will fill in the physical and emotional holes that your experiences have caused. You can say with confidence:

"When my mother and father (or my spouse, or my children) forsake me,

Then the Lord will take care of me."

PRAYER: Dear God thank You that You are for the abandoned, neglected, forgotten, bereaved, and passed-over ones. Help me, as Your child, to inherit Your heart of compassion, concern and care for them. Amen.

MORE: Covenant House
Covenant House is an organization that houses and takes care of homeless and abandoned youth in cities around North America. The first Covenant House was begun by Father Bruce Ritter in Manhattan in 1972. Read the history of Covenant House - Vancouver (only one of two Covenant Houses in Canada - the other one is in Toronto). Their BLOG tells the stories of some of the kids they help and describes their daily triumphs and challenges.

Our own firstfruits offering

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 26:1-11

TO CHEW ON: "'He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.'" Deuteronomy 26:9

The ceremony described in our reading today is the Offering of Firstfruits. Moses' instructions for it are part of his last talks given to the Israelites shortly before he died. The next big event for them would be entering Canaan, routing its inhabitants, and settling there themselves. They were supposed to give this offering the very first year they grew a crop.

We notice that:

• No specific amount of offering was prescribed. This was not a tenth (tithe). The instructions for the tithe follow (Deuteronomy 26:12-15) and were to start in the third year.  It was just "some," a token amount standing in for the whole crop.

• They were to present this offering to the priest along with a speech. This speech declared God's goodness along with the general story of how they got there (Deuteronomy 26:3-9).

• It was to be a worshipful, joyous event celebrating their deliverance from slavery in Egypt and God's faithfulness in bringing them to this place.

• No one was excluded. This ceremony was for "...you and your house, you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you" - Deuteronomy 26:11.

Wouldn't bringing an offering of firstfruits be a meaningful practice for us to follow? Not as in dutifully adhering to an Old Testament command but as a way of reminding ourselves that we belong to God, reviewing our history with Him, and acknowledging His first place in our lives. For the Israelites it was an offering of produce. For us it would most likely be money, given to our church or the place we are spiritually nurtured.

This would be an especially meaningful thing to do at a time of beginning something new—getting a job, a new job, or a promotion, making our first sale, seeing the first profits of a business venture. It would be an excellent reminder of how we got to this place, how every part of life belongs to God, and how He comes first—even in getting the first of our labour.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for blessing my life. Whether I give an actual firstfruits offering or not, help me to have the thoughtful, thankful, joyful attitude about Your deliverance, provision and blessing that was to accompany this offering. Amen.

MORE: More about the firstfruits offering

Want to read more about the offering of firstfruits? The website gotquestions.org asks: "What was the firstfruits offering? Should Christians give a firstfruits offering today?" It ends:

"In summary, firstfruits symbolizes God’s harvest of souls, it illustrates giving to God from a grateful heart, and it sets a pattern of giving back to Him the first (and the best) of what He has given us. Not being under the Old Testament Law, the Christian is under no further obligation than to give cheerfully and liberally (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)."

Read the entire article HERE.

How to love everybody

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "Love...does not seek its own..." 1 Corinthians 13:5.

Adrian Plass tells this story of an epiphany he had when he was ten:

"As I sat on the front seat of the big green Maidstone and District bus, a sixpenny bit and a penny clutched in my hand ready for the conductor, a phrase I had read earlier repeated itself over and over in my mind.


'Everybody is I.'


For some reason, I sensed an important inner core of meaning in the words, but I was unable to dig it out. I was frustrated and fascinated by the problem....


[...] Suddenly I stiffened. Body erect, hands flat on the ledge below the window, I pressed my forehead against the glass and stared in amazement at the crowds on the pavement below. The true meaning of those three simple but puzzling words had exploded into my mind, destroying the illusion that I was the centre of the universe, and leaving me to cope, for the rest of my life, with the burden of knowledge. Every one of those people down there in the street, walking the pavements, driving cars, waiting for buses — every single one, whatever they were, whatever they looked like, whatever I thought of them, were as important to themselves as I was to myself! - Adrian Plass, From Growing Up Pains to the Sacred Diary, p. 20,21 (emphasis added).

In our quest to learn about love, to learn how to love, the realization that "Everybody is I" is a good place to start. As we, in our imaginations, put ourselves into another's shoes, it becomes much easier to suffer long, be kind, humble, polite, patient, etc.

It is the other-centered love we see flowing from Jesus when He speaks to the Samaritan woman, cuddles and blesses babies, parties with tax collectors, names for the Rich Young Ruler the one thing that keeps him from being a follower, and in so many other incidents does the thing that communicates God's love.

The miracle of Christ in us is that through His indwelling Spirit, He can communicate through us to those around us the love Jesus showed to those around Him when He lived on earth.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to learn the love lessons of 1 Corinthians 13, not only intellectually but practically, as I put them into action in my life. Amen.

MORE: Valentine's Day

Today we celebrate romantic love. History.com explains the origins of the day:

Every February 14, across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint, and where did these traditions come from? Find out about the history of this centuries-old holiday, from ancient Roman rituals to the customs of Victorian England.


The history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. (Read the whole article.

Get in the mood of the day: view a Valentine photo gallery

Portable glory

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 9:28-43a

TO CHEW ON: “And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.” Luke 9:43a

“…the appearance of His (Jesus’) face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.” 


Haven’t we seen this somewhere before? Doesn’t this remind us of Moses and his shining face after being with God on Mount Sinai?

It must have been quite the awesome yet disturbing experience for the disciples, being dazzled by incredible light while hearing Jesus talk about his “decease” – death – with the glorified patriarchs. Peter was overcome by a sense of rightness, goodness and well-being and suggested that they build tents and stay.

But when it was time, they left and headed back to the rough-and-tumble, grubby and confusing world below. The contrast was stark. The very next day from out of the crowd came a desperate man.

His sad tale of the disciples’ inability to cast a demon out of his little boy brought Jesus’ rebuke (even after all they had experienced, they were still ‘faithless') and an invitation to fetch the boy. Even as he came the demon threw him down in a convulsion. Then Jesus rebuked the dirty spirit, cast him out and at least one father and son went home that day knowing, at a see-and-touch level, the majesty of God.

We too know the contrast of this story. From times of ecstatic worship, when we’re in the very presence of God’s clean, holy light, we’re inevitably ejected back to earth with its broken-down cars, clamoring kids, aging parents, and sinister lab reports. Just as Jesus didn’t stay on the rarified mountaintop, neither can we. For that’s why Jesus came – to spread the "majesty " of God to all. And that’s still our mission today (Mark 16:15-18).

PRAYER: Dear God, may my times with You, enjoying Your glory translate into stronger faith and more usefulness to my troubled world. Amen.

MORE: Oswald Chambers says:

“It is a great thing to be on the mount with God, but a man only gets there in order that afterwards he may get down among the devil-possessed and lift them up. We are not built for the mountains and the dawns and aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle. Spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mount. We feel we could talk like angels and live like angels, if only we could stay on the mount. The times of exaltation are exceptional, they have their meaning in our life with God, but we must beware lest our spiritual selfishness wants to make them the only time.”
- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest (October 1 reading)

Treasure in earthy containers

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Corinthians 4:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us." 2 Corinthians 4:7

Some months ago a pastor at my church, when speaking on this passage, related an old custom. Apparently it was common in Bible times to hide valuables—jewelry and money—in clay jars to keep them safe from thieves. Of course, if the neck of the jar was small, the treasures were also then in safekeeping from their owners. The owner would have to break the jar to retrieve his or her valuables.

This homey illustration fits on several levels with Paul's statement here. If we are indeed the vessels that hold the precious treasure of the "life of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:11):

• Such glory is well camouflaged in our earthy holders, with their common and deteriorating exteriors.

• It is often when we are broken that the glory of the treasure is seen most startlingly. Who of us hasn't marveled at the grace of God that shines through saints—old and young—when a life is fully surrendered (even the bad bits) to God?

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to be a good treasure-holder. But may it not take breaking to let Your glory shine in and through me. Amen.

MORE: Grace habits

"We have to form habits to express what God's grace has done in us. It is not a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved in order to manifest the life of the Son of God in our mortal flesh, and it is the disagreeable things which make us exhibit whether or not we are manifesting His life. Do I manifest the essential sweetness of the Son of God, or the essential irritation of 'myself' apart from Him? - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, May 14 reading (emphasis added).

God's visible shining

"God and Moses"- 1573 woodcut
by  an unknown artist.

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 34:29-35

TO CHEW ON: "Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses' hand when he came down from the mountain) that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him." Exodus 34:29

The visible glory on Moses' face when he came down from talking with God on Mount Sinai seems to have served several purposes.

- It was physical evidence that Moses had had a supernatural encounter.
- It was a sign that Moses had an intimate relationship with God.
- It was also a sign that God endorsed Moses as a leader — unlike the Israelites who had repudiated his leadership just a little while earlier (Exodus 32:1-6).
- It wasn't something Moses consciously sought or even knew he exhibited.

The visible glory of God displayed on a person's face is the stuff of other supernatural encounters in the Bible.

• In Judges 3:16 Manoah's wife (Samson's mother) described the face of the Angel of the Lord as "very awesome."

• In Daniel 10:6 Daniel encounters a man whose face had "the appearance of lightning."

• At Jesus' transfiguration His face "shone like the sun and His clothes became white as light" - Matthew 17:2; also Luke 8:29-32.

• At Jesus' resurrection the angel of the Lord who rolled away the stone was described: "His countenance was like lightning" - Matthew 28:3.

• When Stephen was stoned, as he was looking into heaven shortly before he died, onlookers saw his face become "as the face of an angel" - Acts 6:15.

There are at least two other references to God's glory shining form one's person, though probably more in a metaphorical way than an actual physical shining:

• One is in Ecclesiastes where the writer says "A man's wisdom makes his face shine." (This reference to wisdom reminds me of my favourite wisdom passage — James 3:13-17. Check it out. It kind of dovetails with the next reference to shining...)

• Another is from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus says, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" - Matthew 5:16.

I think we could say, in sum-up, that consciously seeking that visible shining glory for ourselves is not something we need to do.  But we can all aspire to reflect the glory of wisdom, and give others reason to glorify God by the shine of our good works. And should God one day radiate His presence through our physical selves in even more startling and supernatural ways — all glory to Him.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for evidences of Your glorious presence visible on people's faces throughout the Bible. I would love it if my life would shine, to the extent that people would be inspired to glorify You because of it. Amen.

MORE: "Be Glorified" sung by Ron Kenoly

Perks of God's presence

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Haggai 2:1-9

TO CHEW ON: "'...and in this place I will give peace,' declares the Lord of hosts." Haggai 2:9

Haggai confronts the priests of the exiles with a grave denunciation. He says that it's their uncleanness that has polluted the entire land, to the extent of spoiling their crops and making each venture a disappointment: "When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty" (Haggai 2:16).

It's happening because they are violating the principle of uncleanness that governs the handling of holy things. Haggai quizzes them on it and they know the right answers — that a holy item (like meat sacrificed to God) is made unclean by coming into contact with an unclean person who has, say, touched a dead body. Yet, though they know the right answers, they aren't living them. Haggai tells them that their unclean lives are violating this principle and their behaviour is the reason for Israel's agricultural funk.

But, Haggai promises, the presence of God among them as signified by the temple will change all that. God promises, "Consider from this day onward ... Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you" (Haggai 2:18-19).

Can we similarly claim God's blessing because of His presence in our lives? Oh, I know it's not realistic or biblical to expect everything to go smoothly once Christ enters our situations. We have sickness, and crop failures, and failed business ventures like everyone else. And yet I believe there is a sense in which God's presence in our day-to-day even through these difficulties, translates them into peace (as the temple would bring peace and plenty to Judah back then).

Here are some promises that God will be present with us, particularly through difficulty. Let's meditate on and claim them today:

• Psalm 34:19-20
• Psalm 138:7
• Isaiah 43:2
• Isaiah 51:22
• 2 Corinthians 4:17
• 2 Corinthians 12:19.

PRAYER: Dear God, may Your presence in my life bring the peace and abundance pictured in Haggai. Please show me any disobedience that would cancel out Your blessings. Amen.

MORE:  Handel's Messiah Alert: Chorus 5

Two verses of today's reading (Haggai 2:6,7) appear in Handel's Messiah, Selection 5.

Cleansed and refined

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Malachi 3:1-12

TO CHEW ON: "But who can endure the day of His coming?
And who can stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner's fire
And like launderers' soap." Malachi 3:2

I wonder how the "day of His coming" will find us, will find me? Living, as we do, in a time when God is portrayed and viewed as more like us than different, will we too be shocked, speechless, struck down with awe and fear when He appears?

The images of God here are of soap and fire. Pictures of God cleansing and refining run through the Bible.

Cleansing / Washing:

• Naaman had to dip his leprous body in the Jordan River the prescribed number of times to be cleansed (2 Kings 5:10).

• God invites us to come to Him for cleansing from our sin (Isaiah 1:18) and idols (Ezekiel 36:25).

• New Testament writers remind us over and over that Jesus' blood cleanses us from our sin and sinful human condition (1 John 1:7; Hebrews 9:14; Titus 3:5).

Purifying / Refining:

• Job testified to God's purifying motive through his calamity and illness (Job 23:10).

• Testing is a sign of God's love and parenthood (Proverbs 3:12).

• Purifying may come through the difficult circumstances of life. Isaiah called these the "furnace of affliction" (Isaiah 48:10) and Peter the "fiery trial" (1 Peter 4:12).

• Testing serves to drive us to God and bond us in loyalty to Him as His people (Zechariah 13:9).

• Its end result is praise, honour and glory "at the revelation of Jesus" (1 Peter 1:7).

Isn't that last reference interesting! For instead of being fearful at His coming, if we have been cleansed and purified during our life on earth, His coming can be a time of anticipation, praise, honour, and glory.

Let's not be taken off guard at the trials that come our way, for they serve to ready us for His coming. I appreciate the light in which Leslyn Musch casts these verses in my Bible's commentary:

"In great mercy Jesus comes to us as the refiner and purifier of His people. It is a precious expression of His grace that He does not leave us in our sin, but promises to cleanse us. Today when you sense the conviction of the Holy Spirit, respond with repentance. Allow the Lord to purify you" - Leslyn Musch, Truth-In-Action Through Malachi, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1274.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to feel and know Your love through painful times of cleansing, purifying and refining

MORE: "...hemmed in with troubles"?

"There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!"  - Romans 5:3-5 (The Message)

Handel's Messiah Alert: Readers familiar with Handel's Messiah will probably recognize words from Malachi in that music. Handel used Malachi 3:1-3 in three of his choruses:

• Chorus 5 - "For Thus Saith the Lord of Hosts" (which also contains words from Haggai 2:6-7)

• Chorus 6 - "But Who May Abide the Day of His Coming?"

• Chorus 7 - "And He Shall Purify the Sons of Levi"