Come!

Jesus welcomes children - Paul Chenavard

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 11:20-30

TO CHEW ON: "'Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'" Matthew 11:28

How welcoming is the word come, especially when Jesus is saying it. Some other 'comes' in the Bible illustrate the welcoming heart of God.

• God invited Noah into a safe place when He said to him, " ' Come into the ark, you and all your household' " - Genesis 7:1

• " ' Come with us and we will treat you well,' " Moses said to Hobab, his Midianite brother-in-law in an invitation to join with the Israelites as they journeyed through the desert - Numbers 10:29.

• 'No one left out'  Hezekiah's invitation to the distant tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh seemed to say, when he invited them to "...come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem" - 2 Chronicles 30:1.

• Come for personal cleansing God invites us all through Isaiah - Isaiah 1:18.

• Come for provision that brings lasting satisfaction: "Come to the waters … Come buy and eat. Yes, come buy wine and milk. Without money and without price" - Isaiah 55:1.

• " 'Come to Me,' " Jesus invites here, " '… and I will give you rest.' " [Rest = anapauo  = to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labour in order to recover and collect his strength; to give rest, refresh, to give one's self rest, take rest; to keep quiet, of calm and patient expectation The word describes a cessation of toil, a refreshment, an intermission.] 

• Jesus' invitation included children: " ' Let the little children come to Me and do not forbid them...' " Luke 18:16.

• Come all who are willing is the invitation of the king to a great supper in Jesus' parable about the kingdom of heaven: "Come for all things are now ready" - Luke 16:24.

• And the Bible ends with this wonderful invitation for all who hear, who thirst, who desire: "And the Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears, say 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires let him take the water of life freely" - Revelation 22:17.

What is our need today? A safe place of eternal well-being? Somewhere to belong? Cleansing? Provision? Rest? Whatever it is, God's invitation is still "Come."

PRAYER: Dear Jesus thank You for these words of invitation and the wide-open-arms message of Your life on earth. As your modern disciple may I make it a habit to come to You first with my needs, and invite others to do the same. Amen.

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

The language of jewelry

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 24:28-48

TO CHEW ON: “Then I asked her and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the nose ring on her nose and bracelets on her wrists.” Genesis 24:47

Jewelry appears often in the Bible and says many things.

• For Judah and Tamar it was a pledge to render full payment later for sexual services rendered - Genesis 38:18.

• For an Amalekite warrior and David it was Saul’s I.D. - 2 Samuel 1:10.

• For the Israelites plundering the Egyptians it was payment for years of slavery,  payment that was later used in the making of the Tabernacle - Exodus 3:22; 35:22.

• For the prophet it was a metaphor of God’s care for His people - Ezekiel 16:11.

• For the prodigal son it was “Welcome home—You are still my son” - Luke 15:22.

Abraham’s servant made a great impression on Rebekah’s family when they saw their daughter / sister decked out in rich jewels. Brother Laban took note and immediately became all gush and hospitality - Genesis 24:29-31. The rich sparkling rings and bracelets now on Rebekah asked a question and made a promise.

• Question: Will Rebekah marry my master’s son?

• Promise: She will be well cared for.

Warren Wiersbe’s BE Commentary makes a wonderful comparison of Rebekah’s story to the church:

“But the chapter goes beyond history into theology. It gives us a picture of the heavenly Father getting a bride for His Son (Matt. 22:1-14). The church is compared to a bride (2 Cor. 11:2-3; Eph. 5:22-33), and during this present age, the Holy Spirit is calling people to trust Christ and be “married to … him” (Rom. 7:4). The elements involved in the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah are also involved in the marriage of Christ and His church” - Warren Wiersbe Commentary accessed through Bible Gateway.com.

Isaiah helps us, as part of the church, to express thanks for this adornment:

“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation.
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.
As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” - Isaiah 61:10 (emphasis added).

Let's remind ourselves of this wonderful promissory, salvation, Bride-of-Christ message of jewelry as we put on our trinkets today.

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for choosing the church as Your bride. Help me to live as one You have chosen and adorned today. Amen.

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

Being on the way

"Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough" ( Art Journal - V. Nesdoly)

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 24:1-27

 
TO CHEW ON: “Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the LORD. And he said, ‘Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.’” Genesis 24:26,27


I can imagine the self-conversation Abraham’s servant has as he travels back to Ur to fulfill his master’s wishes to get a wife for Isaac from Abraham’s relatives:

This is crazy. How will I ever find those relatives.

Maybe Abraham’s God will be with me. My boss sounded pretty confident (Genesis 24:7).

But this is a deity of whom Abraham doesn’t even have an image. Is he real?

I’m nearing the place he told me about. How will I know where to go next? How will I recognize Abraham’s people?  If I find a girl, will she even want to come? Help!

It is at this point, I imagine, Abraham’s servant utters a prayer of his own—a very practical prayer that if answered would solve his real problem of finding the right woman for Isaac.

Can’t you just feel his heart begin to pound as beautiful Rebekah comes out and proceeds to fulfill all the conditions of his prayer? Talk about the sun beaming from behind clouds showing the servant: I, Abraham’s God, am real. I am here. And You are in the very place you should be!

Perhaps you have experienced moments like that—moments that remind you that God has been with you, guiding you all the time. Times when the brightness of His favour seems to break through the clouds of confusion, illuminating your situation with divine certainty and benediction.

I know I have. But most of the time we operate like Abraham’s servant through most of that long journey—not quite sure, but faithfully staying "on the way” the best we know how. Let’s take heart from Abraham’s servant and stay the course.

Some promises of Gods guidance:

• He illumines our path with instruction and teaching - Psalm 32:8.

• Sometimes we have to step out in faith. God’s reassurance that we’ve made the right move comes later - Isaiah 30:21.

• God also goes before us. As we follow Him, we learn to know and recognize His voice - John 10:4.

• He has promised to guide us lifelong - Psalm 48:14.

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to faithfully stay on the way, even when the path to take seems unclear. Amen.

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

Faith—more than just a feeling

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 23:1-20

TO CHEW ON: “So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders were deeded to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of the city.” Genesis 23:17,18

The question that came to me as I read Genesis 23 this morning was, what’s the point of this little story being in the Bible? Sure it’s an interesting example of how people did deals way back then, but is that all?

My Bible’s study notes add this bit of insight:

“A fascinating story of Near Eastern bargaining, Abraham was quite aware that the Hittites did not intend to give him a free burial ground, nor would he have dared to accept their pretended offer. The issue at stake—will Abraham gain a permanent holding in Canaan, or will he remain a landless dependent?” - R. Russel Bixler, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 34.

The Reformation Study Bible says:

“In faithful expectation that God would fulfill the covenant promise of land (Genesis 3:15), Abraham sought to anchor his descendants in the Promised Land” - Reformation Study Bible on Genesis 23:19 - accessed through “Study This” on BibleGateway.com.

This and other incidents support this interpretation of Abraham doing some intentional anchoring here:

• He was adamant about not letting Isaac return to Ur to live, though he sent his servant back there to find Isaac a bride - Genesis 24:6-9.

• He himself was buried in that Machpelah cave and later so were Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah - Genesis 25:9; 49:29-31; 50:13.

I like how Warren Wiersbe explains it:

“When Abraham purchased the cave of Machpelah for a tomb, he was making a statement of faith to all who were there. He did not take Sarah back to their former home in Ur but buried her in the land God had given him and his descendants” - Warren Wiersbe, BE Bible Study Series, accessed through Genesis 23 on Biblegateway.com.

The lesson that I see for us moderns is one of similarly stepping out of our comfort zone in faith as we take God at His word in His assignments, promises and blessings.

For example, has God given you a burden to communicate the gospel? Maybe you should set up a website or blog.

Are you concerned for today’s children? Consider volunteering in the children’s ministry of your church.

Do you sense an assignment to extend hospitality as encouragement to Christians and outreach to pre-Christians? Start inviting guests over to your teeny tiny apartment.

How will our actions today demonstrate our faith?

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to act in ways that demonstrate my faith in Your assignments, promises, and blessings. Amen.

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

We need each other

Christians come together in Jerusalem / Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Hebrews 10:32-11:2

TO CHEW ON: “But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated.” Hebrews 10:33


Today’s passage was written to first century Jewish Christians. From my Bible’s introduction:

“Apparently they expected Christ to return soon but the delay in His coming and the persecutions against them (Hebrews 10:32-34) caused them to wonder if they had made the right choice in becoming Christians… This epistle was written to wavering Jewish believers, encouraging them to stand fast in their faith” - Guy P. Duffield, “Introduction to Hebrews,” New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1728.

If we’re followers of history, we know that society’s attitude to Christianity, pro- and anti-, pendulums back and forth. In my growing up years, a generation or two after many European immigrants fled religious persecution to Canada as a place where they would be able to live their Christian convictions without fear of arrest, the attitude of society was much friendlier to Christianity than it is now.

Now the pendulum is swinging the other way. For example, a bill was passed in Ontario in June 2017, that gives the state power to apprehend a child from parents who don’t support the notion that gender is fluid, and who would oppose their child’s “human right” to change gender.  And in Camrose Alberta, the school board is attempting to limit which Bible verses a Christian school can use.

Thus the scenario pictured by our reading, of Christians suffering and struggling grows more possible for us. Apparently for the Hebrew believers it wasn’t a struggle of just ideas either but a very real physical set-to, with “plundering of goods” added to “reproaches” and “tribulations.” And this could happen to one for being a companion (friend, known associate) of a despised Christian - Hebrews 10:33.

I love this quote found in The Christian Almanac:

“There is a spiritual cancer at work in the world. The piracy of man’s fallen nature invariably mitigates against freedom and justice. Therefore voluntary associations must needs balance us—without force of state but nonetheless with the force of community—and hold us to accounts” - James Stuart (1849-1901)” - The Christian Almanac, July 3rd entry, p. 393.

What both Hebrews and Mr. Stuart drive home to me is that community is important. We in the church need each other in these times of the world’s increasing hostility.

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to remain loyal to You, Your word, and my Christian brothers and sisters. Amen.

MORE: Feast of St. Thomas
Today is the day the church celebrates the Apostle Thomas. (This is a feast day that has two dates attached to it - July 3rd and December 21st).

The liturgy for this day begins with this prayer:

Everliving God, who strengthened your apostle Thomas with firm and certain faith in your Son's resurrection: Grant us so perfectly and without doubt to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, that our faith may never be found wanting in your sight; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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

In the nick of time

Abraham Climbs Mount Moriah - Schirmer

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 22:1-19

TO CHEW ON: “And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham … Do not lay your hand on the lad.’” Genesis 22:10-12


I like to plan things and know beforehand what to expect, how things will go, and what I will say. I am challenged by stories like Abraham, Isaac, and God’s nick-of-time rescue of Isaac from Abraham’s knife.

However, we could say, I think, that God is very much a God of the last minute.

• When the Israelites faced the Red Sea after leaving Egypt, the Egyptians were nipping at their heels when God opened a way before them to cross to the other side - Genesis 14:10,13,21-23.

• Again when Israel was about to cross the Jordan into Canaan, only when the priests carrying the ark entered the overflowing Jordan did its flow stop so the people could cross - Joshua 3:15-17.

Such last-minute events happened in the New Testament too.

• Peter was delivered from prison the night before Herod planned to bring him out (supposedly to execute) Acts 12:6-9.

• Jesus told His disciples to expect the Holy Spirit to give them on-the-spot answers when they would be questioned about their faith in the near (Luke 12:11,12) and distant futures: “'Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist’” - Luke 21:14,15.

God's nick-of-time ways are not, I believe, that He figures out what to do so late in the game, but His “fullness of time” way of testing our faith even as we learn by experience how very faithful He is.

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to trust You, not my own devices, as I listen to You moment by moment. Amen.

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

Happy 150th Birthday Canada!

My patriotic planter

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 72:1-20

TO CHEW ON: “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.” Psalm 72:8

Today is Canada’s 150th birthday! That’s the reason I diverge from the suggested Canadian Bible Society reading to suggest, instead, Psalm 72. For Psalm 72 played a big part in Canada’s history.

“When the fathers of confederation were assembled discussing the terms and conditions of Confederation and the drafting of the British North America Act there had been considerable discussion the day before and many suggestions as to what the new United Canada should be called, and no conclusion had been reached. The discussion on the name stood over until the next day. The next morning, as was Sir Leonard (Tilley)’s custom, he read a chapter from the Bible and that particular morning he read Psalm 72. When reading verse eight of the said Psalm, 'He shall have Dominion also from sea to sea'—the thought occurred to him, what a splendid name to give Canada. When he went back to the sitting of the convention that morning he suggested the word 'Dominion,' which was agreed to, and Canada was called the 'Dominion of Canada'” - Michael Clarke, in Canada, Portraits of Faith, p. 61.

Let’s take a moment to look at Leonard Tilley (1818-1896).

This pharmacist entered public life in support of the temperance movement (after seeing a young mother murdered by her drunken husband). He eventually served as Premier of New Brunswick, navigating the province into the new union that became Canada. He also helped write the British North America Act.

He came to faith at 21, was active in the Church of England, and stood firm in his convictions on temperance, proposing and passing a bill against alcohol in New Brunswick which resulted in insults and attack: “… burned in effigy, his house attacked, his life threatened, he never flinched” - Michael Clarke, source as above.

Later he became a federal Minister of Customs in John A. MacDonald’s government. When that government fell under charges of corruption, Tilley was not one of the guilty.

I find many points of inspiration for us 21st century Canadians in Tilley’s story.

• His social concerns increased his influence as he supported his convictions about temperance with action.

• He wasn’t swayed from his principled stand by insults, threats, intimidation, and attack.

• When in federal politics he didn’t join in the corruption.

• His faith remained simple and practical. It included reading the Bible every day and paying attention to what it said to the extent of applying its words and ideas to everyday challenges.

It’s easy to think that life in Canada 150 years ago was a piece of cake for people of faith. Mr. Tilley’s story helps us see that wasn’t the case. Let’s continue supporting our beloved Dominion of Canada with Bible-based faith, prayer, and action.

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for Canada! I pray for my homeland today, that You would bless her with righteousness, justice, and peace (Psalm 72:2,3). Help her to continue to experience Your blessings of flourishing and abundance (Psalm 72:6,7,15,16). May she become more of a haven for the poor and needy (Psalm 72:4). May the fear of God grow in Canada (Psalm 72:5). Help her to be a place on earth that is filled with Your glory (Psalm 72:9). May You truly have dominion in Canada from sea to sea (Psalm 72:8). Amen.

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

Leaders who lie

Hananiah confronting Jeremiah - St. Takla.org

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Jeremiah 28:1-17

TO CHEW ON: “‘As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as the one whom the LORD has truly sent.’” Jeremiah 28:9

In today’s reading, we witness a showdown between two prophets, Jeremiah and Hananiah. The drama becomes even more tense when we’re aware of its context.

Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon’s king, was gaining power. His army had already swept into Jerusalem and taken away many temple accessories. He was adding other nations to his kingdom as well. In Jeremiah 27:2, God told Jeremiah to put on “bonds and yokes” to symbolize Judah’s subservience to Babylon. And God told Jeremiah to advise the people not to resist Nebuchadnezzar, for those nations that “bring their necks under his yoke” would be able to stay in their land - Jeremiah 27:11.

There were more prophets than Jeremiah in Judah. They were obviously contradicting what Jeremiah had said, because at least four times in Jeremiah 27 God told him not to listen to these prophets (Jeremiah 27:9, 14, 16, 17).

In Jeremiah 28, then, we witness a showdown between one of the nay-saying prophets, Hananiah, and Jeremiah. Who was Hananiah?

• He was born of good prophetic stock - Jeremiah 28:1.

• He sounded like a prophet with his “Thus says the Lord” - Jeremiah 28:2,11.

• He even acted like a prophet, dramatically taking the wooden yoke God had told Jeremiah to wear from off his neck and breaking it - Jeremiah 28:10.

Jeremiah wished what Hananiah said was true: “'Amen! The LORD do so; the LORD perform your words…'" etc. - Jeremiah 28:6. But keeping in mind God’s warning to him and the tenor of prophecies delivered previously, Jeremiah expressed his doubts - Jeremiah 28:8,9.

Later God came to Jeremiah and told him that Hananiah was indeed a false prophet and to relay to him that his act of freeing Jeremiah from the wooden yoke only strengthened Nebuchadnezzar’s grip on the nation under an iron yoke. Also, because Hananiah was deluding the people, he would die within the year - Jeremiah 28:13-16

It happened - Jeremiah 28:17.

What a chilling story! What is there here for us to learn? Four things come to mind:

• Just because someone comes from a line of ministers and sounds like one doesn’t mean he’s reliable.

• It’s a modern tendency too for leaders and people in ministry to tell people what they want to hear. Modern examples: there’s no hell; God is OK with sexual perversion.

• Given time, what is true will distinguish itself from the false: “… when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the LORD has truly sent” - Jeremiah 28:9.

• In this era of the Bible and the Holy Spirit available to all believers, we need the teaching of the whole Bible, applied under the direction of the Holy Spirit to discern what is true and what is a lie.

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me not to be taken in by smooth speakers whose message is appeals to my human preferences and wishes. Please give me the discernment to recognize what is true and what is false. Amen.

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

You follow Me

"Feed My Lambs" - James Tissot

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 21:12-25

TO CHEW ON: "Then Peter seeing him (...the disciple whom Jesus loved following...) said to Jesus, 'But Lord, what about this man?' Jesus said to him, 'If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow me.'" John 21:21,22

There is discussion among Bible interpreters about why Peter asked the question, referring to John, "Lord, what about this man?" Was he genuinely curious? Did he  feel that John, trailing behind Jesus and him should be included in the conversation? Or perhaps he wanted reassurance that John would be joining him in the assignment Jesus had just given him (Peter) to feed Jesus' sheep and lambs (i.e. the shepherd the flock of believing people).

But Jesus' answer is not ambiguous. He says, in effect, it's not your business. "You follow me."

This speaks to me about my own tendency to compare myself—my talents, my calling, my life, the results of my work—to others. In the light of Jesus' words here, I shouldn't. Rather, I need to follow His direction and leading, and leave off comparing my strengths and weaknesses, my opportunities or lack of them, my apparent successes and failures with your strengths, opportunities, and successes. For He says to each one of us: "What is that to you? You follow Me."

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, the urge to compare (leading to envy, discontent, and insecurity)  tempts me often. Help me to be alert to Your direction, to follow, and to stay unconcerned with how my calling looks in relation to the calling of others. Amen.

MORE: Peter's end

As it turned out, Peter's and John's ends were quite different. Tradition has it that Peter was crucified. Clarke's commentary says, "...all antiquity agrees that John ... was the only disciple who was taken away by natural death."

You and I could waste a lot of time trying to figure out the whys and wherefores of our various destinies. How much better for us to simply follow Him and leave off concerning ourselves with why our paths are different.

Today is the Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The liturgy for the day begins with the following collect:

"Almighty God, whose blessed apostles Peter and Paul glorified you by their martyrdom: Grant that your Church, instructed by their teaching and example, and knit together in unity by your Spirit, may ever stand firm upon the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."

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

Fulfill YOUR ministry

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Timothy 4:1-8

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Registered in Zion

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 87:1-7

TO CHEW ON: "And of Zion it will be said,
'This one and that one were born in her; …
The Lord will record,
When He registers the peoples;
This one was born there.'" Psalm 87:5,6


"The most resistant Gentile peoples will find spiritual birth in Zion," is my Bible's footnote explanation of this psalm (K. R. "Dick" Iverson, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 752).

I love how the psalmist names specific nations as representative of its inhabitants: Rahab (symbolic of Egypt - Isaiah 30:7), Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia. These were Israel's neighbours.  Some had been or were enemies. Of individuals from these tribes/nations the writer says, "This one and that one were born in her; … The Lord will record, When He registers the peoples; This one was born there."

"He shall enrigister every individual among the converted nations as a true citizen of Zion, entitled to all covenant privileges" - Pulpit Commentary.

I see a picture of God, constantly scanning the peoples of earth, looking for signs of movement toward Him: "… to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him" - 2 Chronicles 16:9.

I see Him writing the names of these from every nation in His book: "…The Lord will record, /  When He registers the peoples…"  They are holy (separate). They are His - Isaiah 4:3.

Finally, I see this international crowd, before the throne, praising God:

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” - Revelation 7:9-10.

There is no basis to the criticism that Christianity is a European/North American religion foisted on other nations and people groups by the white man. It is, from its inception, truly international. It knows no borders and has no language or race barriers.


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to die for everyone. Regardless of skin color, language or location, all of us can be born again ("born in her [Zion]").  We thank you for drawing and claiming the most resistant heart. Amen.

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

Magnify God with your gratitude

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 69:19-36

TO CHEW ON: "But I am poor and sorrowful;
Let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high.
I will praise the name of God with a song,
And will magnify Him with thanksgiving." Psalm 69:29-30

David continues on with his list of negatives.

(Several of them remind us of passages from the gospels and Acts, where the writers quote the very words of this psalm.

• Psalm 69:6 - John recalls this verse after witnessing Jesus' early cleansing of the temple in John 2:17.

• Psalm 69:21 - Jesus is offered gall and sour vinegar while on the cross in Matthew 27:34.

• Psalm 69:25 - Peter refers to this verse in relation to Judas when the apostles discuss finding about a replacement for him in Acts 1:16-20.)

Then notice how he changes course. At the junction of verses 29 and 30 it's as if he says to himself, Enough of this dwelling on the negative! And he begins to give God praise and thanksgiving.

He chooses to praise "with a song" getting his vocal cords involved.

He determines to "magnify Him with thanksgiving." I envision him peering at God and who He is through the magnifying lens of gratitude and appreciation. This makes Him bigger than the bad stuff that's happening to him; it magnifies Him.

Another meaning of magnify is to extol and exalt. We do that too as we direct our attention and fill our thoughts and our mouths with praise of God and thanksgiving to Him.

How can we do that practically?

You know all those blank notebooks people give as gifts? I've labelled the spine of one of them GRATITUDE. I write in it things for which I'm thankful. As I've persisted with this, guess what? A grateful, thankful attitude is becoming my habit!

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for being bigger than all my problems and for loading my life with good things. Help me to look away from my troubles to You and Your good gifts. Amen.

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

Highlight Jesus

Horn or Shofar

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 1:57-80

TO CHEW ON: “‘Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David” - Luke 1:69-69

To the wonder of all the onlookers, Zacharias not only regained his speech in an instant of time, but immediately delivered an articulate and beautiful prophecy. Author Luke called it Holy Spirit inspired (Luke 1:67).

The IVP New Testament Commentary says about Zacharias’s utterance:

“This hymn offers a divine commentary on God’s plan. John is the prophet of the most high, pointing to Jesus, the bright Morning Star” - IVP Commentary accessed through Biblegateway.com.

Some of the things Zacharias says about Jesus:

• He calls Him a “horn of salvation” - Luke 1:69.

“Horn” refers to the horn of an animal. Metaphorically to the Jewish people it signified strength and a deliverer or Messiah. Here, combined with the reference to the "house of David" it implies a kingly status. Various translations on this: “… a mighty and valiant Savior” - AMP; “He is sending us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David” - TLB.

• He describes this Savior as powerful and capable, able to keep the covenant made with Abraham and enact what the prophets predicted by delivering Israel from its enemies (Luke 1:70-75).

• He calls Him the “Dayspring from on high.” The Amplified expresses it: “…the Sunrise (the Messiah) from on high will dawn and visit us” - Luke 1:78 AMP.

• He will be a light-bringer and thus dispels the shadow of death - Luke 1:79.

• He will bring peace: He will “…guide our feet into the way of peace” - Luke 1:79.

The IVP commentary concludes: “So Zacharias highlights Jesus just as his son John will” - Ibid.

And so, I suggest, should we. As Jesus Himself said: “‘And I, if I am lifted up from the earth will draw all peoples to Myself'’’ - John 12:32.

How “lifted up”?

Attention drawn to His life for sure, but more important, Jesus was, and needs to be lifted up in His death as the substitutionary atonement for our sins. In this He is the only bridge to a renewed relationship, indeed sonship with God and eternal life - John 12:35,36.


PRAYER: Dear Father, I love how Zacharias’s praise focused on Jesus. Help me to highlight Jesus in my life and words today. Amen. 

MORE: Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist

Today the church celebrates the Feast of the birth of John the Baptist. The day's liturgy begins with this prayer: 
 

Almighty God, by whose providence your servant John the Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of your Son our Savior by preaching repentance: Make us so to follow his teaching and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and, following his example, constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth's sake; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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

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

Scriptures marked The Living Bible (or TLB) copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. The Living Bible, TLB, and the The Living Bible logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers.

Wineskins of revival

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 9:14-26

TO CHEW ON: " 'Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins and both are preserved.' " Matthew 9:16,17

Do you ever hear people pining for the revivals of the old days as they recall a meeting where God met them? Perhaps it was in a Billy Graham Crusade, or in my case a Janz Crusade and Sutera Twins meetings. It seems that God often moves in waves of revival. If we were caught by such a wave and have had a taste, it's left us with a lingering appetite for more.

David Wilkerson was one of the men God used to propel revival in the 1960s and '70s. His book The Cross and the Switchblade, that tells of how God used him to work in the lives of New York's gang members and addicts, became a bestseller. Soon he was holding crusades in cities all around the U.S.

In his biography David Wilkerson: The Cross, the Switchblade and the Man Who Believed his son Gary tells of the ups and downs of Wilkerson's ministry. For years, thousands found Jesus at the meetings he held. But then invitations to speak began to slow, went to a trickle, stopped altogether as crusades lost their appeal.

At such times it's natural to ask, what changed? The temptation is to try to copy what other popular ministries are doing or duplicate the conditions of fruitful times. Wilkerson's team questioned their boss's refusal to go on TV and lack of new books. We may think, if we sang the same songs, accompanied them with accordions instead of guitars and drums, put up a tent instead of using an auditorium, revival would return.


Though I believe Jesus was referring to the big notion of old and new wine here, i.e. the Old Testament Law era versus the new wine era of salvation by grace through faith, I think we can also apply this old and new wineskin principle to the ways God visits succeeding generations.

Let's keep our hearts and eyes open to the new ways God is growing His kingdom that don't look anything like the city-wide crusades, the week-long conferences, or the deeper life meetings of the past. Let's not allow our hankering after the old wineskins of revival delivery blind us to the new wineskin ways that may even now be poised to engulf our generation with a wave of revival.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to be alert to the moving of Your Spirit, from whatever wineskin it pours. Amen.

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

The human Jeremiah

Jeremiah by Rembrandt

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Jeremiah 20:7-18

TO CHEW ON: "Then I said, 'I will not make mention of Him,
Nor speak anymore in His name!'
But His word was in my heart like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back
And I could not." Jeremiah 20:9

Poor Jeremiah—he is not a happy prophet. In our reading today we see the human heart of this mouthpiece of God.

Putting his lament in context, the early verses of Jeremiah 20 describe how Pashur the priest and governor reacts to a previous negative prophecy. He puts Jeremiah in stocks in a gate near the temple. It sounds public and humiliating.

Jeremiah is released the next day, unbowed. He prophecies a future of Babylonian captivity on not only the nation but specifically on Pashur and his household. I'm sure that goes over well! And then he comes out with his complaint to God.

"You induced me, and I was persuaded," he says. But the result is that he becomes "A reproach and derision."

He decides to shut up—not speak God's prophecies any more. But they burn inside him; he can't keep silent. So he speaks again, enduring more of the same, feeling egged on and betrayed by "All my acquaintances." Family and friends too? It sounds like it.

The curious part of his monologue is the section where he breaks into sublime praise (Jeremiah 20:11-13). It's almost as if, in the middle of his rant, he gets a glimpse of reality:

"But the Lord is with me as a Mighty Awesome One.
Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail…"

Alas, he doesn't stay there but slips even deeper into depression, wishing he'd never been born (Jeremiah 20:14-18).

Jeremiah's honesty here can instruct us:

- Even great prophets have a human side. Jeremiah longed to be accepted and liked, not unlike most of us. Maybe we need to remind ourselves of him when we're tempted to criticize our teachers, pastors and "prophets."

- Jeremiah didn't keep quenching the Holy Spirit within him. Under the Spirit's compulsion he kept speaking, despite how his listeners responded or didn't. Let's not let the negative reaction to the gospel in our time silence us either.

- When he looked at the big eternal picture his tune changed to praise:

"Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord!
For He has delivered the life of the poor
From the hand of evildoers" - Jeremiah 20:11.

The same can be true for us.

- But he allowed himself to slip back into the dumps. I wish he had kept his focus on God—that he had ended with verse 13 (Jeremiah 20:13) instead of verse 18 (Jeremiah 20:18).

Jeremiah's slip-slide into gloom reminds me of something Joyce Meyer teaches: "We have to purposely choose right thinking. After we have finally decided to be like-minded with God, then we will need to choose and continue to choose right thoughts" - Joyce Meyer, Battlefield of the Mind, p. 26).

PRAYER:
Dear God, thank You for using flawed human instruments like Jeremiah. Remind me of him and his humanness when I'm tempted to criticize the pastors and prophets in my life. Help me to overcome depressing thoughts with thoughts of the eternal truths of Your word. Amen.

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

Cost to a "sent out" one

"Take Up His Cross"- Pictures from 
Children's Bible Story Books.

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 10:32-11:1

TO CHEW ON: "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." Matthew 10:39

Matthew 10 is mostly a set of instructions Jesus gave to His twelve disciples before sending them out to their Jewish neighbours. Their mission was to preach and demonstrate the nearness of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 10:7-8). By Jesus' instructions we can tell that the reaction to their message would be mixed. In other words this would be no sightseeing jaunt or cushy vacation.

In the end, this assignment seemed to be as much about the apprenticeship of the disciples as it was about the delivery of the Kingdom message to their countrymen. A warning that Jesus gave at least three times in this chapter was to expect opposition that would test their loyalties.

1. Their message and commitment to Jesus would get them in trouble with governing authorities to the extent of being forced to defend themselves before councils, governors, and kings. The will even be beaten (Matthew 10:17-20).

2. Their commitment to Jesus would test family ties. Jesus warned of treachery coming from even within their own households (Matthew 10:34-36).

3. Their commitment to Jesus would test their loyalty to themselves (Matthew 10:37-39). Jesus challenged His disciples to love Him more than their own lives. He couched it in the language of death — called it  taking up one's cross. Such a thing probably doesn't ring many alarm bells in our society where crosses aren't used for execution. To get the shock value of His statement let's say it differently. How about: "He who does not take with him his lethal injection and follow Me is not worthy of Me"?

Jesus' warning words are a stark reminder of humanity's default reaction to the gospel. Therefore you and I shouldn't be surprised when people respond to the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven (and all it entails of mankind's sinful state, our need for redemption and the ultimate lordship of Jesus over our life and all of creation) with incredulity, challenge, confrontation, ultimatums, anger... In fact, we're probably naive if we don't expect it.

And personally, am I ready to kill that part of me that wants the world to accept me and like me? On top of that, am I ready to put to death that part of me that wants to do as I please in choice of vocation, relationships, how I spend my time, money etc.? Am I that loyal to Jesus?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, Your description of true discipleship in this chapter is sobering and startling. I don't think I've begun to be a disciple like this. Please show me what it means in daily living. Amen.

MORE: "Jesus I My Cross Have Taken"

This Bob Dylan-esque rendition of this old hymn is from the second Indelible Grace CD, Pilgrim Days. I love it! Many verses that's why it's so long. Read along with the singers by following the link to the lyrics below.



Follow the lyrics as you listen

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

The symbolic reenactment

This is a photo of my baptism at the age of
14 in the North Saskatchewan River,
near Borden, Sask.

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Romans 6:1-11


TO CHEW ON: "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life." Romans 6:4

We have recently come through a season of celebrating Jesus' death and resurrection. In our passage today Paul explains how that event is reenacted in our lives when we are baptized.

The faith tradition in which I grew up and was baptized (Mennonite Brethren) practices baptism by immersion. This simply means you go to a body of water that's about waist deep and the person who baptizes you tilts you backwards so that you are totally under: "...buried with Him..."

Thankfully we're not there three days but mere seconds. Then the baptizer raises us out of the water. This signifies Christ's resurrection: "That just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

For most people, their baptism as a watershed event, powerful in many ways.

• The spiritual symbolism of the physical act brings home to the person being baptized in a tactile way what happened when they trusted Jesus for salvation.

• It's a sign to onlookers of one's allegiance to Jesus. It's a ceremony (or 'ordinance') unusual enough to grab attention and signal that the person being baptized is serious about his or her faith and following Jesus.

• To the person being baptized (and to onlookers) it marks a moment of fresh resolve "...of being dead indeed to sin but alive to God..." - Romans 6:11.

Have you been baptized on the confession of your faith as a symbolic reenactment of your own death to sin and life to God? If not, consider this ordinance for yourself. It may impact you in ways you hadn't imagined.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for baptism which pictures so beautifully what happens when I trusted you as Saviour and Lord of my life. Amen.


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

Fathers, lead in right paths

 HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Proverbs 4:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "I have taught you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in right paths." Proverbs 4:11


"I have led you in right paths" says the father to his son in our reading today. There is probably no more persuasive teaching than that done by example. What are the "right paths" on which a father could lead his children? Are they still there for us to find today?

Right paths:

1. The wise father seeks out the paths of God - Psalm 23:3.

2. He goes to the "mountain of the Lord" to get instruction (Isaiah 2:3). For the Old Testament Hebrews this would have been the temple in Jerusalem. In our day instruction can come from many places—church, radio & TV, books and, of course, the greatest book for this is the Bible which we can access in our own homes (no traveling to mountains necessary, although spending time with God in His word is sometimes called a "mountaintop experience").

3. The paths of God are:
- life and joy and pleasure - Psalm 16:11.
- mercy and truth - Psalm 25:10.
- wisdom and justice - Proverbs 2:6-8.
- uprightness - Isaiah 26:7.
- righteousness - Proverbs 8:20; 12:28.
- shining - Proverbs 4:18.

4. He avoids the path to sin. The path specifically referred to here is the path to the  "seductress" i.e. an immoral, extramarital relationship - Proverbs 2:19.

5. If he goes astray he looks for the way back. Jeremiah tells us to find our way back to God via the "old path" (Jeremiah 6:16), and to look for the "signposts" and "landmarks" (Jeremiah 31:21). This picturesque instruction says to me, don't look for a new-fangled way back to God. Come by the way of the book. If you have backslidden, come remembering and revisiting your decisions and experiences from the past.

6. The writer to the Hebrews gives the last bit of path wisdom to fathers and all of us: "…make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed." We need such straight, honest living, not only for our own well-being but for the well-being of those who follow behind, calling us father (and mother).


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for fathers. Thank You for my father who loved Your word and taught it to us in our home. Please give wisdom, grace, and joy to all fathers who read here this Father's Day. Amen.

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

Trademarked by compassion

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Matthew 9:27-38

TO CHEW ON: “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” Matthew 10:36

Matthew here goes from zoom-in closeups of Jesus responding, questioning, touching, healing, and casting out demons from individuals (Matthew 9:27-34), to the general effect of His presence and ministry (Matthew 9:35-36).

He was everyone’s as He traveled around visiting the synagogues in big places and small. His work was preaching good news and doing good things for everyone—healing “every sickness and every disease” - Matthew 9:35. His trademark was compassion (Matthew 9:36).

We see this side of Jesus at other times too—like when He wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44) and at the grave of His friend Lazarus (John 11:35). A sidebar article in my Bible about Jesus’ compassion suggests facets of it.

It was compassion for hard human hearts and vulnerability to death. “Love sees beyond the immediate and the personal and compassionately relates to the lost, the hurting, the needy, the distressed” - Fuchsia Pickett, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1307 (emphasis added).

That’s my challenge. Perhaps it’s yours too: to see beyond the immediate and the personal, to look past offensive, off-putting behaviours to the very human person behind the actions.

For this we need more than human empathy. To attain real Christlikeness we need the Spirit that lived in Jesus:

“Christlikeness calls us to learn Jesus’ heart of compassion, a depth of sensitivity that can be worked in us through the Holy Spirit, reconditioning our hearts to be able to sense the pain of human bondage (Hebrews 13:1-3) and to weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15)” - Fuchsia Pickette, Op. Cit (emphasis added)

PRAYER: Dear Holy Spirit, please work the compassion of Jesus into my outlook and actions today. Amen.

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

The birth of Laughter

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 21:1-21

TO CHEW ON: "And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him — whom Sarah bore to him — Isaac....And Sarah said, 'God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.'" Genesis 21:3,6
Have you noticed how many times laughter bubbles up in the story of Isaac?

Abraham's reaction to God's reassurance that he would have a child by Sarah — a child that would be the first in a line of descendants that would one day become a nation— was: "Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed..." (Genesis 17:17).

When the angel visitor reiterated that message to Abraham, Sarah, who "...had passed the age of childbearing" overheard their conversation and "...laughed within herself" (Genesis 18:11-12).

After Isaac was born, Sarah said, "God has made me laugh and all who hear with laugh with me" (Genesis 21:6).

Is it any wonder they called the baby Isaac, which means laughter?

My dictionary's first definition of laugh not only describes the physical act of laughing but also names some of the reasons we laugh: "To produce the characteristic explosive or inarticulate sounds, facial expression and other physical manifestations expressive of merriment, elation, derision, discomposure etc."

Robert Hemley on the topic of what makes something laughable says:

"Unpredictability. We laugh at what surprises us...we laugh because we have been shaken out of our normal perceptions" - Robert Hemley in "Relaxing the Rules of Reason" from How to Write Funny, p. 15.

"Shaken out of normal perceptions" — that would describe Abraham and Sarah. Who would blame 100-year-old Abraham or menopausal Sarah for laughing when God told them they would parent a son? However, their initial laughter of skepticism, cynicism, even derision turned to that of sheer joy when this most unlikely thing happened.

Isaac was the beginning of the nation from which Jesus was born--a birth that was also full of unpredictability. That the creator of the universe would shrink Himself to embryo size to be born in a barn?! Our incredulous laughter at the unlikelihood of such a thing turns to the laughter of elation as we ponder why He did it (John 3:16).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for coming as a baby, born to humble parents, in the lowliest place. Thank You for what Your coming means to me. It is beyond laughing incredible! Amen.

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

Morality—taught and caught

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 20:1-18

TO CHEW ON: “And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, ‘What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.’” Genesis 20:9

What horrible thing had Abraham done to the Philistine King Abimelech?

Lied about the state of Sarah, who was his wife and also his half-sister. He told this half-truth because of Sarah’s beauty and his fear that other men, powerful men, would want her and do away with him to get her for themselves.

He had done this previously as well, in Egypt (Genesis 12:10-20).

There’s a sequel to today’s story in Genesis 26:1-11. There we see Isaac doing the exact same thing as his dad—saying Rebekah was his sister when she was really his wife, again to save his own skin. In Isaac’s case it wasn’t even half true, but a total lie.

I am struck by the generational aspect of this. Did Isaac witness Abraham do it? Probably not because it happened before his time. Perhaps his dad told him the stories of these events, glossing over the evil of them? Or maybe Isaac picked up something in his father’s general moral code that was unspoken permission to act in this way—an attitude and other actions that sacrificed honesty on the altar of expediency?

Whatever it was, I think there’s a lesson for us in this. We don’t only teach morality (what’s right and wrong) to our kids, but they also catch our morality from us. They pick it up from our attitudes and the way we act.
 
PRAYER: Dear Father, please help me to live in such a way that I can say to others, don’t just do as I say but also as I do. Amen.

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

Tempted to linger

Lot and His Family Flee Sodom - Artist Unknown

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 19:1-22

TO CHEW ON: “And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.” Genesis 19:16

Lot is an interesting character. If we follow his story, we discover his own father (Haran) died before his grandfather Terah, and that as a family his uncle Abram (& wife Sarai), Uncle Nahor (& wife), Grandfather Terah and Lot moved form Ur to Canaan (Genesis 11:27-31).

When God told Abram to move from Haran (the town) in Canaan to a place He would lead, Lot came along - Genesis 12:4.

When both men prospered so that their herds became to big for the available grassland, Abram offered Lot the choice of where to go. Lot “chose for himself” what looked like the best territory - Genesis 13:10,11.

In our reading today we discover Lot was hospitable and aware of the disturbing social customs of the city’s men, so that he insisted these visitors who came to him from Abram, stay the night with him. In fact, the spiritual climate bothered him (2 Peter 2:7,8). But not enough.

He callously offered his daughters to the lecherous and clamouring men. His sons-in-law didn’t take his warning seriously. And when the angels insisted he come with them, he “lingered” with his family so that the angels had to literally drag them out of the doomed city - Genesis 19:12-16. Lot had become spiritually dull.

Contrast Lot’s behaviour with Abraham’s (name changed by God - Genesis 17:5). He took the angelic messengers so seriously, he risked the LORD’s anger by begging for the preservation of the city and the lives of the righteous with in it (Genesis 18:23-32).

I would submit that the “city” we live in spiritually can also cause us to become spiritually dull or remain sharp and attuned to God. Do we spend time with other believers who help us see life through the lens of faith? Do we regularly read the Bible and meditate on it? Do we listen and watch music, programs, podcasts, and shows that build our faith?  Or do we give all our attention to the natural world around us—the political news, our society’s entertainment and sports, getting and caring for more of this world’s stuff for ourselves?

Let’s do what it takes to stay spiritually sharp—even if that means, like Abraham, we need to live apart from the populated Sodom's and Gomorrah’s of our time.

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to recognize and flee the things of this world that tempt me to linger with them instead of going with You. Amen.

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