365 Forum

Day 31: Leviticus 4, 5 and 6

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

Ifthe whole Israelite community sins unintentionally... (Leviticus 4:2)

WhenLeviticus uses the phrase sinsunintentionally, it might be better rendered as wanders away into sin, or does wrong. Ignorance of the law was no excuse. If someone (or a group) engaged inactions or behaviors and only later found out those things were infractions ofthe law, he was (they were) still guilty. The real differencebetween the sin offering andthe guilt offering wasthat the sin offering was for more general sins, while the guilt offeringincluded restitution for harming or injuring another person.

Whetherbetween persons, or between humanity and God, these laws are for maintainingrelationship and restoring that relationship once it has been broken.

Aninteresting component of this passage is the concept of community sin. Toooften we think of sin as only an individual’s offense rather than allowing forthe idea of sin shared by the entire community. The church is not innocent ofwrongdoing. Whether it’s the crusades, the Inquisition, genocide of nativepeoples in the name of manifest destiny, dehumanizing women, Blacks and nowgays and lesbians, or our misguided attempt to enforce an Evangelical system ofgovernment on the rest of America, the church… the Christian community is notinnocent.

Thereare sins for which our communities (countries, political parties, religions,denominations, congregations, ethnic groups, genders, etc.) need to repent.

Howwill you, as part of the church, encourage or facilitate repentance in theChristian community this week?

Day 30: Leviticus 1, 2 and 3

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

Seasonall your grain offerings with salt. (Leviticus 2:13)

Theinclusion of salt in grain offerings was probably linked to salt’s preservativeproperties. In the absence of their Egyptian Frigidaires, the travelingIsraelites preserved their food supplies with salt. Salt in the grain offeringsignified the lasting nature of the covenant between Israel and Yahweh.

Oneof the attributes of humans is that we have long memories when someone offendsus and short memories when we make a promise. As the years pass our firmcommitments lose their significance and seemingly don’t hold as much weight asthey once did.

Byadding salt to their offerings, the people of Israel were reminding themselvesthat they could trust God to keep his promises. These laws were traditionallyenacted at Sinai where Israel camped the first year after leaving Egypt.Seventy years later, in his farewell address Joshua reminds the nation that Godhas been faithful from the time of the exodus right up to when each familyreceived their promised inheritance in Canaan. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the goodpromises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has beenfulfilled (Joshua 23:14).

Andmaybe God was reminding them that their promises were meant to be kept as well.Salt does more than raise our blood pressure and season our food. In Israel’scase it was intended to reinforce their commitments.

Whatpromise will you keep this week?

Day 29: Exodus 37, 38, 39 and 40

2012-01-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

WhenMoses set up the tabernacle, he put the bases in place, erected the frames,inserted the crossbars and set up the posts. (Exodus 40:18)

During theirnine months camped at Sinai, the people of Israel have gathered materials,woven fabrics, tailored priestly garments, and built the tabernacle andeverything that goes with it. Their accomplishments are a testimony to thebenefits of working cooperatively with others focused on the same goal.

All theLevites had a part in the creative process, either in construction or ascraftspeople. And after the creative work was complete, there was stillsomething significant for everyone to set their hands to.

I seriouslydoubt it was actually Moses who set up the tabernacle, putting the bases inplace, erecting the frames, inserting the crossbars and setting up the posts.There were teams responsible for all those tasks. And yet who gets the credit?Moses.

Any goodleader knows that when his team accomplishes something grand, even though hemight get the credit, it's really the people working behind thescenes who deserve the accolades. We only know the names of a scattered fewcraftsmen who contributed to the work of the tabernacle, but there must havebeen hundreds. Just as 4/5 of an iceberg sits beneath the surface of the waterand is not visible to the casual observer, there are many unseen, unsung peoplewho are deserving of our thanks when things go right.

Towhom do you owe a thank you?

Day 28: Exodus 34, 35 and 36

2012-01-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

Although this is a stiff-neckedpeople, forgive our wickedness and our sin. (Exodus 34:9)

Twice in theprevious two chapters, God refers to Israel as stiff-necked. The firsttime (32:9) he was informing Moses on Mt. Sinaiof the people’s sin in creating the golden calf. His intention was to destroythe nation and start over with a people from the line of Moses himself. Mosesstood between God and the people, pleading for their lives.

The secondtime occurred after the dust from the first storm had settled. God told Moseshe would send an angel ahead of them to drive out the present inhabitants ofthe Promised Land, but that because of them being stiff-necked, he would not gowith them. If I were to go with you even fora moment, I might destroy you (33:5). I guess that’s what happens when anirresistible force meets an stiff-necked object.

In chapter 34with things put to right, Moses celebrates God’s mercy and faithfulness. Weincluded his words (34:6,7) in our Day 26 discussion. Then Moses makes hisrequest: If I have found favor in youreyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people,forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance (34:9).

No arguments;we know how we can be. Been there – done that. It may take a lifetime for us tolearn to submit. Thank you, Father, fornot giving up on us.

Been stiff-neckedlately?

Day 27: Exodus 31, 32 and 33

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

Then the Lord relented and did notbring on his people the disaster he had threatened. (Exodus 32:14)

1 Samuel15:29 reads: [God] does not lie or changehis mind. One of the classic attributes of God is his immutability – the idea that God does not change. Some have takenthis so far as to mean that God never changes his mind, because that wouldprove he is imperfect. (Picture me with a perplexed look on my face.)

That kind ofthinking doesn’t bode well for the Israelites. After the golden calf fiasco, itsounds like God was ready to wipe his chosen people off the face of the earth.Then Moses interceded for them and God relented. Isn’t relented another way of saying changedhis mind?

When thebiblical writers state that God doesn’t change his mind, they are referring tohis character. His character is constant. Who God was yesterday is who God willbe tomorrow. We don’t have to worry about him forgiving us today, and thentaking it back a week from now, because that would be inconsistent with hischaracter.

The Lord, the Lord, the compassionateand gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness . . .forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guiltyunpunished (Exodus34:6,7).

Would you rather have aGod who cannot change his mind… ever, or a God who responds to the prayers ofhis children whom he loves with an everlasting love?

Day 26: Exodus 28, 29 and 30

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of thesons of Israelover his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial beforethe Lord. (Exodus28:29)

Thisis a good lesson for any pastor, elder, deacon, Sunday School teacher, ministryvolunteer, parent, sibling, boss, employee, and anyone else I've left out. Partof Aaron’s official high-priestly garb, in addition to the ephod (similar to avest), robe, tunic, turban and sash, was a breastpiece. Attached to thebreastpiece were twelve stones, each engraved with the name of one of thetribes of Israel. On Aaron’s shoulders were two more stones, each one engravedwith the names of six tribes. Here it is referred to as the breastpiece ofdecision.

Onthose days when he might not have felt like fulfilling his duties before God,he would be reminded by the stones on his chest and shoulders that inneglecting these things he was not only affecting himself, but neglecting hisresponsibilities to God's people. And when he entered the Holy Place, the stones would remind himthat he was there not only for himself, but as a representative of thousands.

Maybewe don't represent thousands when we enter the Holy Place of God's presence, but someone needs our prayers.God has surely placed at least one name on our hearts.

So let me ask, whose names are written on your chest andshoulders when you go before the Lord in prayer?

Day 25: Exodus 25, 26 and 27

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

Have themmake this sanctuary and I will dwell among them. (Exodus 25:8)

Tabernacleis a verb meaning to dwell. It can also be a noun and brings to minddifferent things, such as the traveling tent considered the house of God in thetime of Moses.

It alsorefers to the small huts made by the Jewish people during the Festival of Tabernacles [Booths]. Forseven days, the Jewish people lived in small makeshift shelters to connect withtheir ancestors who traveled through the wilderness.

The root wordof tabernacle alsogives us the word tavern. Inthis usage, it would refer to an inn, where travelers could dwell on a temporarybasis.

Psalm 90:1 speaksof God being our dwelling place. Lord,you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.

Ezekiel 37:27reads: My dwelling placewill be with them; I will be their God and they will be my people. Thebottom line is that God wants to be close to us, to live in us, and for us tolive in him. If you need convincing, read this: Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwellwith them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and betheir God (Revelation 21:3). What a blessed promise! We will live with Godand God will live with us for all eternity.

Thisweek, how will God’s presence in your life be manifested to those around you?

Day 24: Exodus 22, 23 and 24

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down underits load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it. (Exodus 23:5)

Whetherthese words were spoken by Moses, or (as most critical Bible scholars suggest)were expansions of a later time, they give us a picture of a nation'sdeveloping legal interpretation.

Allthese laws stem from the very first: Youshall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3). Jesus spoke thatfirst commandment like this: Lovethe Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all yourmind and with all your strength (Mark 12:30). Together with the second greatest commandment, itcan be summed up like this: LoveGod, love people.

Onlya life filled with the love of Christ could live up to Exodus 23:5. On the onehand these are not circumstances for which one can plan ahead; they come out ofthe blue. Not having time to weigh the pros and cons, uur knee-jerk reaction mustbe motivated by God’s love.

Onthe other hand, this is a decision that has to be settled ahead of time. Waitinguntil the opportunity presents itself will likely be too late. One’s heart mustalready be transformed with love for others.

This week, will you shower with kindness those who can benefityou? …those who will appreciate it? … those who will pay you back? Or will youlove your enemies too?

Day 23: Exodus 19, 20 and 21

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Nowif you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasurefrom among all the peoples on the earth; for all the earth belongs to me. (NLT, Exodus 19:5)

TheNIV translates this verse: …you will bemy treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine… Even though Ilove the NIV, including its most recent revision (2011), this is one place theymade a bad choice out of touch with the entirety of biblical context. Of majortranslations, only the NIV and the HCSB choose the word although. The NCV uses even (whichcommunicates the same idea as although),and three translations avoid the problem by either leaving out the word altogether(CEV, GNT) or substituting indeed (NRSV).The ESV, NASB and the NKJV agree with the NLT translators and use the word for.

Whythe confusion? The original word can be translated bothways, and translators work from the context to determine which word fits best.

IsGod saying, I've chosen youbecause I love you the best? Or is God saying, I've chosen you because I'm going touse my relationship with you to express my love to the nations? Usingthe word although communicates the former idea; the word for seems to support thelatter, and fits better with the context of all Scripture.

Theyou in this verse is Israel. What ifthe you was… you?

How willyou intentionally show God’s love to those around you this week?

Day 22: Exodus 16, 17 and 18

2012-01-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

The workis too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. (Exodus 18:18)

Like mostgood pastors, Moses doesn't realize it, but he's riding a runaway train towardburnout in his attempt to care for the people who followed him out of Egypt. Theydepend on him. He knows it and he's feeling the weight of that responsibility.

Thank God forhis father-in-law Jethro, who can look at the situation objectively and givethe younger man (after all Moses is only 80) some good counsel. We all need aJethro in our lives. From the very beginning, God never intended us to go italone. The Lord God said,"It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable forhim” (Genesis 2:18).

[Choosingcapable people who can help you fulfill your mission] will make your loadlighter, because they will share it with you . . . and [everyone] will go homesatisfied” (18:22,23).

We willturn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer andthe ministry of the word” (Acts6:3,4).

From Adam andEve to Moses and Jethro, to the Apostles and their newly appointed deacons, Godhas never intended us to shoulder the burden alone. That's why he places us inthe church; that’s why he puts us in a family.

Areyou taking on more that your share of the burden? Is your pastor? What are yougoing to do about it?

Day 21: Exodus 13, 14 and 15

2012-01-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Israelites were dressed for fighting whenthey left the land of Egypt. (Exodus 13:18 – NCV)

This verse sounds like the Hebrews marched out of Egypt with their shoulders back andtheir chests puffed out - a conquering army, but the truth is in the context.The previous verse reads: WhenPharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through thePhilistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war,they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” (Exodus 13:17)

The people were dressed for battle, but they were still thinking like slaves.They looked the part of conquerors, but inside their tails were tucked betweentheir legs and they just weren't ready to fight.

It takes more than wearing a uniform to be a soldier. Maybe the Hebrews werefeeling a little toococky, pockets jingling with their neighbors’ gold, and leaving behind the dazedEgyptians reeling from God’s one-two plague punch. Maybe they were itching fora fight they weren't ready for. Were their egos writing checks their bodiescouldn’t cash? Either way, God knew that if they tasted battle too soon, theywould lose heart, turn tail and run back to Egypt.

Sometimes God sends us into the battle; and other times God knows the betterpart of valor is in living to fight another day. Either way, to be sure, thebattles will come.

When is the last time you prayed through Ephesians 10:6-18?

Day 20: Exodus 10, 11 and 12

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Many other people went up with them. (Exodus 12:38)

WhenI read the story of Moses, I think of an entire nation (I mean this is theoriginal mass exodus) of Israelitescrossing the Red Sea to escape the Egyptians. The people, the animals, thecarts and the belongings: all kosher. But Jacob’s children are not alone. The truthis this group is not nearly as pure pedigreed as we sometimes take for granted.Others have taken advantage of the plague-induced chaos to hitch their wagonsto those of the Hebrews. In fact, this is not the last time other people groupswill be folded into Israel.

There'ssomething about finding freedom that attracts other people. Maybe they’ve beenstuck in their old ways for such a long time that it has started to seemnatural – like it’s the way it’s supposed to be. But seeing someone else breakfree of their chains causes them dissatisfaction with theirs. If it had notbeen for Moses leading his people out of slavery, chances are many others wouldhave settled for the status quo. They would have stayed where they were and gotalong as best they could. But deep down they wanted what Israel had. When theHebrews gathered their belongings, their neighbors likewise packed up andheaded out of Dodge.

WhenGod's people walk in freedom, there's no telling how many others will bedelivered as a result. Who broughtyou to Christ?

Who’s following your lead?

Day 19: Exodus 7, 8 and 9

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Ihave raised you up for this very purpose. (Exodus 9:16)

Didyou notice how the magicians matched Moses miraclefor miracle at the beginning? (Okay, I know Aaron's rod/snake atetheir snakes.) Even though the magicians could unleash some pretty amazingstuff, once it’s out of the box, they can't put it back in. Pharaoh pleadedwith Moses: Pray to the Lordto take the frogs away from me.

Thegnats were gnext. (See what I did there?) The magicians try but cannot produce.Then with the flies is where things get really interesting. God makes adistinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites. From this point on, theplagues are specifically aimed at Pharaoh and his people.

Here'sour highlighted verse in its entirety: ButI have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power andthat my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

Doyou remember the words of Mordecai to his niece Esther? Who knows but that you have come toroyal position for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14)

Thefurther my walk takes me, the more I realize the importance of submitting mywill to God. Esther and Pharaoh were both raised up by God to save the Jewishpeople and to bring him glory in the process. Esther submitted; Pharaoh didnot. How would his story be different if he had?

Whatdifference would it make if you honestly said, “Thy will be done”?

Day 18: Exodus 4, 5 and 6

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

You havenot rescued your people at all.(Exodus 5:23)

We arecontinuing our discussion from yesterday. One benefit of reading the Biblethrough like we're doing is seeing connections that span several chapters.Let's recap what we've been talking about the past few days. On Day 14 Jacobwas singing, Gloom, Despairand Agony on Me. On Day 15 he exclaimed, My son Joseph is still alive! OnDay 16 Jacob looked back over his life and saw the beautiful work of art Godhad made from all its seemingly disjointed pieces. Leave Genesis behindand open Exodus on Day 17: TheIsraelites groaned in their slavery and cried out to God. Andtoday, with things apparently taking a turn for the worse, Moses accuses God: You have not rescued your people atall.

In The Clowns of God, the middle book from MorrisWest's papal trilogy, deposed Pope Gregory XVII, birthname Jean Marie Barette, cries out to God in desperation: Why do you ask me to make so manybricks with so little straw?

Time aftertime, story after story, God's people give up before God does. Perhaps becausethey cannot see the endgame, they think God has forfeited, not realizing theyjust don't understand his strategy. We would do well to remember that allowingthings to get worse before they get better might just be a very necessarycomponent of God's plan for our deliverance.

Is God working in your pain?

Day 17: Exodus 1, 2 and 3

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

TheIsraelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for helpbecause of their slavery went up to God. (Exodus 2:23)

In theopening chapters of Exodus we find the Pharaoh who knew and valued Joseph islong dead and current leadership sees Jacob’s descendants as at best acommodity to be exploited, and at worst a liability to be eliminated. Moses,though raised in the palace, bristles at the treatment of his people anddetermines to do something about it. His lack of impulse control leads to murder,which forces him to run and spend the next 40 years of his life in hiding.

In the meantime, the Israelites cry out for rescue; God hears their prayer and setsthe wheels of deliverance in motion. Predictably, due to impatience or lack offaith (or both) the Israelites grumble against their God. They accuse Moses,God’s instrument, of making things worse for them rather than better.

It boils downto tunnel vision. They have expectations that God will come through for them,and probably have the how and when orchestrated in their own minds, but Godrefuses to dance to their choreography. God has a plan in the works and doesn’tneed their advice. And because God works differently than they expect, theydon't even see him coming. They have no idea he is working in their midst.

Whenyou cry out for God’s help, do you tell him what to do and how to do it?

Day 16: Genesis 47, 48, 49 and 50

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Israel

worshiped as he leaned on the top ofhis staff. (Genesis47:31)

I canenvision this old man (even though some might say he seemed young for130), full of years and full of life, looking out over the land of Goshen,but not seeing the fields or the sheep. He was seeing the years of his life -conspiring with his mother to get his brother's blessing, the twenty yearsworking for his Uncle Laban, wrestling with God (at this point he automaticallyand without thinking reaches down to massage his hip), his reunion with Esau,the death of his sweetheart Rachel, the loss of his son Joseph; Jacob - anaccomplished deceiver - now deceived by his sons, the famine, his astonishmentat hearing Joseph was alive, and then seeing him once again, second-in-commandover all Egypt.

What a life!There was good and there was bad. There had been things that brought him shameand some that had brought him honor. There were times God's will wasaccomplished in his life, not in cooperation with Jacob, but in spite of Jacob.It was like a tapestry being woven from the day of his birth, some of thethreads beautiful, and some ugly. Only now, in looking back, was he able to seethe hand of his God - the God of Abraham, Isaac and yes, the God of Jacob.

Couldthe things you fret about today actually be revealed as threads of a beautifultapestry tomorrow?

Day 15: Genesis 43, 44, 45 and 46

2012-01-15T14:47:00.000-08:00

Myson Joseph is still alive! (Genesis 45:28)

Jacob’s favorite son had been sold into slavery by his brothers. The evidencethey planted convinced him Joseph had been torn apart by wild animals.Meanwhile their brother was transported to Egypt where, without God’sinvolvement, there was no way the family would ever be reunited.

Timeattenuates but does not erase a father’s loss. Then Canaan is hit with theworst famine Jacob can remember from his considerably long lifetime. Who wouldhave thought this hunger sweeping his land would give Jacob reason to rejoiceafter everything he’d been through? Apparently the fat lady hadn’t yet begun tosing.

Jacob’ssons return from their latest trip with the incredible news that Joseph, the belovedson Jacob had long thought dead, is not only alive and preparing a place forthem in Egypt, but he’s running the place! No screenwriter in Hollywood couldhave conceived this God-ordained turn of events. Though we may not know detailsof how our story will end, isn’t it good to know we can trust God to workeverything out for the good?

TheGloom, Despair and Agony onMe of chapters 37 and 42 becomes the Hallelujah Chorus of chapter 46. Could it bethe very events that are causing you pain today will be the catalyst forrejoicing in days to come? Whether we have a good day or a bad day often boilsdown not to circumstances, but to perspective.

How's yours?

Day 14: Genesis 40, 41 and 42

2012-01-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Everythingis against me! (Genesis42:36)

Thisis a familiar story about famine in the Middle East, and a father trying tosave his family from starvation by finding food wherever it could be found. Inthis case food was available in Egypt. Ten of his eleven sons (a twelfth haddied from an animal attack) had already made one trip. They brought back foodand supplies but had to leave another son Simeon behind. Now they need food again, but have been warned not to come back unless they bring their youngest brother.

Jacobhad already lost Rachel his wife and Joseph his favorite son. Simeon wasimprisoned in Egypt and now he was being asked to risk losing Benjamin his youngestson, the only remaining child of his wife Rachel. It seemed to him one moreloss and he would die. But without food they would all die. And yet not all wasas it seemed.

Whatappeared to him as misfortune, (Gloom,despair and agony on me...) was actually the providential hand ofGod getting ready to grant his wildest dream. Jacob had no idea how God wasworking in the background or what he had in store for him and his family.

Whenwas the last time you asked, Everhad one of those days? Kind of changes the meaning, doesn't it?

Haveyou ever had one of those days when God was working in your behalf, but youcouldn't see it?

Day 13: Genesis 37, 38 and 39

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

While Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord . . . showed himkindness. (Genesis39:20,21)

Herewe have another one of those Bible quotes that just doesn't sound right: While Joseph was in prison, God showedhim kindness. I might have had the attitude: If you want to show me kindness, GETME OUT OF HERE! Better yet, if you were really on my side why did you let meget thrown in here in the first place? And yet Joseph was in prisonfor a substantial length of time – estimates suggest as much as ten years.

Thisson of privilege held captive in an African prison seems somehow changed fromthe young man sporting his brightly colored coat. The younger Joseph had hisfather wrapped around his little finger and took pride in parading that fact amonghis brothers, flaunting his position as the favorite. Joseph among theEgyptians is still a confident man, sure of his relationship with God andwilling to stand by his dreams, but this foreign national has been humbledthrough hardship – first being sold into slavery by his own brothers, thenfalsely accused of being a sex offender and tossed into prison.

Just goes to showour plans don’t always get us where God wants us to go. My thoughts are not yourthoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord (Isaiah 55:8)

Have you ever been humbled? Did it feel like God was being kindto you?

Day 12: Genesis 34, 35 and 36

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Jacobsaid to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me.” (Genesis 34:30)

Thisis one of the R-Rated stories of theBible. Jacob’s daughter Dinah was raped by Shechem, son of the local chieftain.To make things worse, Shechem’s townspeople thought they would use this crimeto their advantage and cheat Jacob out of his livestock and property (how’sthat for depraved?). When Dinah’s brothers heard about the attack, they hatcheda plan to avenge her. When the dust had settled, Shechem and his fellowcitizens were dead.

Jacobpanicked. What have you done? What if theother towns of this land join forces against us? We’ll be destroyed!

Threedays ago we read about a dispute involving Jacob’s father Isaac. He chose thenon-confrontational route when some Philistine hotheads plugged up his wells.There’s something to be said for diplomacy and allowing cooler heads toprevail. It sounds like Jacob would also have preferred avoiding confrontation.But now it was too late. His children’s impulsive reaction could not be takenback.

Whenthe enemy is bigger and stronger, it’s usually wise to tactfully negotiate asettlement that doesn’t include getting your butt kicked. But sometimes themost important question is not, What aremy odds? Sometimes the principles are important enough that someone has tostand up for what’s right. Is it possible there are times when it’s better togo down fighting than to compromise?

Whenis diplomacy the best path? When is confrontation necessary?

Day 11: Genesis 31, 32 and 33

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Esauran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck andkissed him. (Genesis33:4)

Let’sface it, Jacob was the nerd and Esauwas the jock. While Esau was out hunting, Jacob leveraged a bowl of soup againsthis brother’s hunger for a double portion of the inheritance. Then Jacob – mama’sboy all the way – cooperated with his mother’s plan to cheat Esau out of hisblessing too. No surprise, his wheeling and dealing led to a death sentence ofsorts, and he hightailed it out of Dodge to save his life. He found a safehaven working for his uncle, which gave him not only room to breathe, but alsotime to start a family and amass considerable wealth of his own.

Now,twenty years after cheating Esau out of his birthright, Jacob returns home. Howwill he be received by the brother who swore to kill him?

Inreading this chapter, one might be tempted to say, Happy ending! But this is not the end of thestory. Esau settled his extended family in the hill country of Mt. Seir,near the southern tip of the Dead Sea, to the south and east of Israel. Esaugot a bowl of soup; Jacob got an inheritance, and their descendants wereenemies for a thousand years. Was it worth it?

Evercongratulate yourself for taking advantage of a sweet deal only to find outlater the price was higher than you originally thought?

Day 10: Genesis 28, 29 and 30

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

TheLord will be my God.(Genesis 28:21)

Jacob, his father Isaac, and his grandfather Abraham were not monotheistic – that isthey did not believe in the existence of only one God. They were henotheistic. Henotheismis the belief that one god is superior among a range of other lesser gods. Itcan also mean choosing to worship only one god, even though one still believesin the existence of other gods.

Listento Jacob: If God will be with me and willwatch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat andclothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the Lordwill be my God (Genesis 28:20,21).

Some might say the First Commandment betrays the same belief during the time ofMoses. You shall have noother gods before me (Exodus 20:3). What about during the time ofJoshua? As for me and myhousehold, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15). Jacob traveled toHaran inapproximately 1700-1650 B.C. The nation of Israel's repeated flirtations withits neighbors’ gods wouldn't stop until its Babylonian exile, between 587 and536 B.C., over a thousand years later.

Throughthe prophet Isaiah, God makes it clear: Iam the Lord and there is no other (45:5 – also vv. 6 and 18). And yet weworship all kinds of other gods, don’t we?

Who(or what) receives your worship?

Day 9: Genesis 25, 26 and 27

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

He moved from there and dug another well. (Genesis 26:22)

Ever notice there's a lot of biblical material about Abraham and Jacob, but not that much about Isaac? Most of the Isaac accounts have Isaac being passive while things happen to him like, for instance, when his father lays him out on the altar of sacrifice, or when his wife and child conspire to trick him into blessing the wrong son.

For a time Isaac lived among the Philistines. Because they were envious of his riches and nervous about his family's strength, they filled up all his wells. He dug a new well, and the Philistines filled it up and it sunk into the swamp. He dug another well and... that one burnt down, fell over and sunk into the swamp. So he dug another well, and finally the Philistines left that one alone and it was the finest well in all the land. (For those who didn't notice, there is perhaps a small amount of poetic license included in this account.)

Isaac is to be commended for his response. I would probably have come back with a few other knee-jerk reactions: 1) throw a tantrum; 2) quit and go home; or 3) beat the daylights out of the Philistines.

Isaac didn't do any of these things. He just moved down the road, dug another well, and waited to see what would happen. That time, the Philistines left him and his well enough alone.

What can Isaac teach you?

Day 8: Genesis 22, 23 and 24

2012-01-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hereached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. (Genesis 22:10)

Theaccount of Abraham's near sacrifice of his son on Mount Moriah is dear toChristians, Jews and Muslims alike… with some significant differences in theMuslim telling. Although the Quran does not give the child’s name, most Muslimaccounts state it was Ishmael that Abraham took to the mountain, not Isaac.

Doyou notice the parallel between Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only sonborne to him by Sarah, and God's willingness to sacrifice his only begottenSon?

Withhis hand grasping the knife, do you think Abraham breathed a sigh of reliefwhen he was restrained from killing Isaac and the ram was provided to take hisplace? Do you think a person of Jewish tradition (if that person could putaside his worldview long enough to imagine that Jesus might have been God'sSon), in reading the crucifixion account, would have noticed the parallel? Asthe Son was readied for sacrifice, what would that reader's expectation be? Perhapsas the hammer arced (or arcked – awkward) through the air to connect with thenail and pierce Christ's hands and feet, would the Jewish reader expect God tomake a substitution? A perfect lamb in place of his Son?

Butno substitution was made. Christ wasthe substitution.

Worthyis the Lamb, who was slain. (Revelation 5:12)

Haveyou paused lately to thank God for providing a Lamb in your place?

Day 7: Genesis 19, 20 and 21

2012-01-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in themountains. (Genesis19:30)

WhenLot and his family were rushed out of Sodom,the angels told them to run for the mountains: Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away! (19:17)

InstantlyLot started back pedaling. Yeah,… aboutthat. I’m not overly fond of the mountains, you know – vertigo, and all that –dry skin. Couldn’t Witness Protection set us up in a nice little villasomewhere in the valley?…like Zoar?

Whydid Lot resist the angels’ counsel to head for the mountains? Did he have ulteriormotives? It seems he left Sodom begrudgingly, and didn’t want to relocate anyfurther away than absolutely necessary. Maybe he underestimated the comingdestruction, or was he living in denial? As an objective observer, I think hewas holding on to something.

Thenthe sun came up (vs 23) and Lot shuddered to look at the devastation happening allaround him. A tenuous oasis centered in a desert of destruction, suddenly Zoardidn’t look like the vacation getaway it seemed before the sky started rainingfire.

Andsometime in there Lot’s wife looked back. Was she making sure she and her familywere safe? Or was it a look filled with resentment for the life she’d leftbehind? It was her undoing.

Hey, those mountainsdon’t sound so bad after all.

Haveyou ever tried to talk God out of something only to find out later He reallydoes know best?

Day 6: Genesis 16, 17 and 18

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

You are the God who sees me. (Genesis 16:13)

This is thestory of Sarah’s Egyptian slave girl Hagar. Abraham and Sarah lived in Egypt for a time,and that is no doubt when Abraham procured Hagar for his wife. But Hagar is notan Egyptian name; it’s Hebrew, and means forsaken.What father would name her that? Her Hebrew name, likely given by her mistress,makes her story all the more fascinating.

After Hagar got pregnant with Abraham’s child, she despised Sarah and in returnSarah mistreated her, provoked by jealousy. When Hagar (Forsaken) could take itno more, she ran away to the most forsaken place she could find – the desert.There she had an encounter with God, who assured her that her cries had beenheard.

As a woman, a foreigner and a slave, Hagar had no standing in society, and yetthe God of the universe found her in the wilderness, met with her and comfortedher there. And in the loneliest place on earth she gave God a new name: You are the God who sees me.Can't you almost hear her? Even though I am forsaken, you are the God who doesnot forsake me. Even though I am rejected, you are the God who does not rejectme. Even though I am unseen, you are the God who sees me.

The next time you feel forsaken, rejected, forgotten and maybe even invisible, can you take comfort in knowing that God sees you?

Day 5: Genesis 13, 14 and 15

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

The sin ofthe Amorites has not yet reached its full measure. (Genesis15:16)

Godwarns Abram that his descendants will be enslaved in a foreign land for a time.Even though this sojourn in Egypt was one of metamorphosis – they went down asa family and returned as a nation – it has been portrayed as a tragic period intheir lives.

Butwhat was going on in Canaan during the 400 years Abraham's descendants wereaway? What was percolating under the surface? The writer states that awickedness was taking hold of the Amorite people – a wickedness that had had not yet reached its full measure.

Whatwould have become of the Hebrew people (though they weren’t yet called that) ifthey had remained in Canaan? Is it possible the wickedness that had taken rootin the Amorites, and was now growing like a cancer, would have infected thetwelve tribes of Jacob, too?

Providenceoften works in the dark. What seems bad at the time, just might turn out for good:And we know that in all things God worksfor the good of those who love him, who have been called according to hispurpose (Romans 8:28). God loved Israel and was definitely working out hispurpose through them. As bad as the Egyptian enslavement might have been, somethingeven worse could have befallen them if they had remained in Canaan.

Canyou look back and see how some hard times have turned out for the best?

Day 4: Genesis 10, 11 and 12

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

When they came to Haran, they settledthere. (Genesis11:31)

Someauthorities say Genesis 12:3 (And in youall the families of the earth shall be blessed. – NASB) is the pivotalverse of the Old Testament. That may be, but right now it's a verse in Chapter11 that catches my attention: Terahtook his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-lawSarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of theChaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.(Genesis 11:31).

Terah wanted to take his family to Canaan. It was a long journey (see map withHaran labeled Charan). ...when they reached the city of Haran, they settledthere. When I read that, my brain takes me in two different directions.

First, Ican't get past the word settled. How often do we have a God-given goal in mind,yet stop half-way, settling for something less than God intended? Is that whathappened to Terah? Or...

Second,...can the journey to where God is leading us take more than just onegeneration? Sometimes we are blessed to take our families all the way; and atother times our kids or even our grandkids will finish the journey we began.Maybe they’ll look back and say, Thanks,Grandma and Grandpa for taking us as far as you could. We wouldn’t have made itwithout you.

Howfar have you come on your journey?

Day 3: Genesis 7, 8 and 9

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

Take withyou . . . two of every kind of unclean animal. (Genesis 7:2)

When my boyswere small, we had a beautiful Noah’s Ark print framed in their bedroom. Of themany artists’ renderings of Noah’s Ark I’ve seen, I think every single one hadthe animals assembled two-by-two. Even a casual reading of the story revealsthat whereas chapter 6 calls for two of every kind of animal, chapter 7 callsfor 7 (or maybe 7 pairs) of every kind of bird and every kind of clean animal.

Never mindthis is pre-Moses and pre-law, and that animals have not yet been catalogued asclean and unclean; or for that matter never mind that it would seem humanity isstill vegetarian (it is not until chapter 9 that God gives man permission toeat meat, so what would an unclean designation even mean?); it is nonethelessinteresting that God specifies the rescue of unclean animals.

If God caresenough to orchestrate the preservation of the human race, of whom the writer ofGenesis states: Every inclination of thethoughts of his heart was only evil all the time (6:5), and even went theextra mile to rescue not only clean but also unclean animals, should it come asany surprise when God hears our prayers when we find ourselves in deep waters?

Maybe thisisn’t just a kids’ story. How often has God preserved you through difficulttimes?

What’sthat say for approaching storms on your radar?

Day 2: Genesis 4, 5 and 6

2012-01-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Is it my job to take care of my brother? (NCV, Genesis 4:9)

A while back, my family took a train trip to our nation's capital. We lived for a time in suburban D.C. on the Maryland side, but it had been awhile since we'd visited.

We were surprised to encounter so many homeless. On a cold and rainy Sunday morning there were large numbers of impoverished people bundled in dirty blankets sheltered against the elements. At least three people came up to us asking for money, and that's not counting the wonderful street musicians. I found myself very uncomfortable and avoiding eye contact, as if that made me less responsible to help.

Cain's question was my question. I was seeking plausible deniability, as if by not seeing, I was absolved of my responsibilities.

Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you? We avoided eye contact to limit our liability! Okay, I added that last part... but you get the point, right?

In the coming days, you will have to make a choice. Sooner or later you're going to come into contact with a brother or sister who needs help. You will choose to either 1) avoid eye contact, or 2) intentionally connect with one of God's precious children. Will you go for plausible deniability, or will you let God touch someone through you?

How have you touched someone's life this week?

Day 1: Genesis 1, 2 and 3

2012-01-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

One of the advantages of reading the Bible through in a year is seeing how diversity and unity can go hand in hand. Sixty-six books, dozens of writers, over a thousand years, and yet the finished product is a beautiful unity, made all the more enticing because of its multiple textures and genres.

In our last post, we focused on the word Omega (the end). Three times God refers to himself as the end, always coupled with Alpha (the beginning). We concluded that even when our struggles seem to be never ending, God is present and faithful and will be with us long after our troubles have been resolved.

Here at the beginning of a new year, and a new excursion through the Scriptures, we focus on the other half – the beginning. Again the unity of the biblical texts catches our eye. In the beginning God created... (Genesis 1:1) I am the Alpha... (Revelation 1:8) You are worthy . . . for you have created... (Revelation 4:11) How beautifully the Word comes full circle.

God still creates; God still re-creates; God is the ultimate artist of beginnings. God is the great Initiator, and is at work even now in initiating new life in us, and new and deeper relationship with us. Behold, I make all things new (Revelation 21:5, KJV).

What does God want to make new in you this year?

Day 365: Revelation 19, 20, 21 and 22

2011-12-31T06:00:00.001-08:00

I am theAlpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (Revelation 22:13)

John'sRevelation ends the same way it began. Iam the Alpha and Omega, says the Lord God (Revelation 1:8). For theChristian, oppressed under Rome's thumb, this is yet again a message of hopeand an invitation to endure – but not just to endure – to endure with faith andhope.

This beast of yours, this RomanEmpire... I was here before this great empire was even a thought, and I will behere long after it turns to dust... even after its dust ceases to be, I will behere.

Some of ourproblems that cropped up this year lasted a few weeks and were resolved. Somemay still be dogging us, and if we were honest we might admit that sometimes wewonder if they're going to get the best of us. The truth is: God was presentand faithful before those problems came along, and God will be present andfaithful long after they are gone.

When troublesseem overwhelming, tell them, God may nothave started this fight, but he sure can finish it! Hold on. God is on yourside. That's what Revelation is talking about! Happy New Year!

What’sthe name of the beast raging against you today? Have you told God about it?

Day 364: Revelation 15, 16, 17 and 18

2011-12-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

Fallen isBabylon theGreat! (Revelation18:2)

The writer ofRevelation delivers the same message with four different groupings of symbols.That message is, according to Marie Strong: Godis victorious over all the forces (and faces) of evil and the church willendure. The Alpha and Omega is coming to judge (Revelation 1:7-8 and 22:12-13). . . we live with the hope that our suffering in the battle between good andevil will be answered by the one who "will wipe every tear from [our]eyes" (21:4). We will then belong with the one who makes all things new![1]

In Chapter 18, we see the promised destruction of Rome. Rome has been around for a long time,and it seems like it will dominate the world for many years to come. Butfinally: the answer to our prayers. That which seemed like a long time coming,now comes quickly.

Our battles seem to go on forever. Satan shows no mercy and has no qualms aboutattacking us at our weakest point, or in waiting until we are exhausted ordiscouraged to give his plans a better chance of success. But there is coming aday when our Babylonthe great – that force pitting itself against God's people today – will go upin smoke. God wants Believers to know the outcome of the story – the end of thebook. God wins! And so do those who remain faithful!

What's fighting againstyou? Keep resisting.

[1]Marie Strong, A Common Sense Approach to the Book of Revelation (Anderson: Warner Press, 1996), 69.

Day 363: Revelation 11, 12, 13 and 14

2011-12-29T06:00:00.001-08:00

Theinhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sendingeach other gifts.(Revelation 11:10)

Our selection for today begins with the apparent deaths of the two witnesses (11:3) (or olive trees or lampstands (v. 4), or prophets (v. 10). Wefirst read about the two olive trees in Zechariah where they stand forZerubbabel and Joshua. Zerubbabel governed (a descendant of King David) theexiles who had returned from Babylon and Joshua was the High Priest, symbolicof joint godly leadership in both the political and the spiritual realms.

What I find particularly telling about this passage is the reaction of the inhabitants of the earth (symbolicof the unbelieving population of Rome – or Rome itself). After their deaths, these scoffers will party andsend one another gifts in celebration that these two prophets are seeminglydead. But after three and a half days (Antiochus Epiphanes wreaked havoc onJerusalem for three and a half years – three and a half days and 42 months areboth symbolic of a lengthy persecution) things would start looking up. If theinhabitants of the earth symbolize Rome, then the prophets (olive trees,lampstands, prophets, etc.) symbolize the church.

Though thechurch’s defeat looked like a sure thing – enough that its enemies were alreadycongratulating themselves with a victory celebration, after three and a halfdays the breath of life from God enteredthem (11:11).

Has evil ever prematurelythrown a party thinking you were down and out?

Day 362: Revelation 7, 8, 9 and 10

2011-12-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

Who are they? And where didthey come from? (Revelation 7:13)

This question is asked by one of the elders regarding the great multitude that no one couldcount. The writer wants his readers to be aware that the path aheadis difficult, and for many will result in martyrdom. The writer also wants hisreaders to know that they are not walking this path alone.

Remember Elijah and his despair following the victory over Baal’s prophets?He'd just experienced an incredible display of God's power, but one thatreinvigorated Jezebel's murderous hatred for him. He was on the run, beyondburnout, and needed encouragement. He railed against God: I have been zealous for [you] . . . Iam the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too (1Kings 19:10). In other words, why have you left me all alone? But God informedElijah that there were 7,000 others who remained faithful. Elijah was by nomeans alone.

Likewise, God's faithful under siege from Romeneed some assurance too. It's tough enough to ask someone to suffer martyrdom,but it's even more difficult if that person thinks he (or she) is the only onemaking the supreme sacrifice. The writer here encourages Believers: Stay strong. There are more faithfulthan you can count, and they come from all nations, tribes, peoples andlanguages. You are not alone.

So the next time someonewhispers in your ear, "Everyone else is doing it..."

Day 361: Revelation 4, 5 and 6

2011-12-27T06:00:00.001-08:00

Therebefore me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. (Revelation 4:2)

Nodoubt about it; under Roman Emperor Domitian Christianity was under attack.

Andone of the first things John is shown in his heavenly vision is a throne. Thisis a throne higher and mightier than the throne of Rome – this is the throne of heaven. And at atime when Christians might have been wondering, Is God still on the throne? Revelation leavesno doubt.

Oneof my favorite scenes is when the angel proclaims: Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll? (5:2) But fora time no one answers, and John weeps. Then one of the elders speaks: The Lion of the tribe of Judah . . . he isable (v. 5). And John looks expecting to see a lion, but instead: Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had beenslain, standing at the center of the throne (v. 6).

Notonly is there a throne, encircled with a rainbow, (reminiscent of Noah's storyin Genesis 6-9); the throne is not empty – in chapter 4 a majestic, heavenlyfigure is sitting on it. In chapter 5 the one sitting on the throne is none otherthan Jesus Christ the Lamb of God. To John, all of this is evidence that God - who came through for his people before - and not Rome is in control.

Haveyou ever felt like the throne is empty? It isn't.

Day 360: Revelation 1, 2 and 3

2011-12-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

Befaithful, even to the point of death. (Revelation 2:10)

Revelation is a message to 1st century Christians facing dire persecution.Things are bad and are going to get worse before they get better. Nowhere doesGod tell those who are his that they will avoid suffering. Rather, they arewarned that suffering is unavoidable, and may even lead to death.

But in Luke, Jesus tells the crowds,Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.(12:4) And in Revelation: Iam the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And Ihold the keys of death and Hades. (1:18)

In other words, death isn't final. Sure, the enemy is a thief who comes only to steal and kill anddestroy, (John 10:10) but even if things go that wrong, there’sstill hope. Christ reminds us that he and not Satan holds the keys to death andhell. And if Jesus wasdead, but is now alive for ever and ever, then may we find assurance that evenin death, death doesn't get the final word. Death is the worst the devil can doto us, but not even death can separate us from our Savior.

Though beinga Christian may not put yourlife at risk (count your blessings), your faith is still underattack, sometimes in such subtle ways that you may not even recognize it.

Will you be faithful this week?

Day 359a: 2 John

2011-12-25T06:10:00.000-08:00

Manydeceivers, who do not acknowledge Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone outinto the world. (2John 7)

InJohn’s later years, the church was in the very early stages of defining theIncarnation – what it meant for God to put on human flesh. One group thatspurned the growing consensus of the church and specifically the teachings ofJohn was the Docetics. Docetism insisted that Jesus was pure spirit and onlyappeared to be flesh. Even after the Docetics were gone, their teachings wereadopted by the Gnostics, another heretical group.

Byemphasizing Christ as spirit and not flesh, they elevated the importance ofspirit and diminished the importance of the body; not only his but ours aswell. By extension this implies that what we do physically has no impact on whowe are spiritually. Carried to its extreme, this allows for vile indulgence ofcarnal desires.

Fora more subtle effect, consider this in light of the teachings from 1 John. IfJesus did not come in the flesh, but instead was only spirit, how does thatinfluence the teachings about love for God and love for others? John writesthat if we love Christ we must 1) obey his teachings; 2) love our brothers andsisters; and 3) love them with our actions, not just our words (from 1 John).

Christput on flesh. So must our claims of loving Christ and loving others.

Howwill your love put on flesh this week?

Day 359b: 3 John

2011-12-25T06:05:00.000-08:00

Theydeserve any support we can give them. In providing meals and a bed, we becometheir companions in spreading the Truth. (The Message, 3 John 8)

Johnwrites his friend Gaius, thanking him for the hospitality shown travelingChristians and evangelists. Apparently that was not the norm for some churches.He references Diotrephes, who has not only turned away Christian travelers, buthas intimidated other church members into doing the same (vv. 9,10).

Yearsago, my wife Janelle and I traveled the United States singing in churches andleading worship for camp meetings and revivals. We relied on the kindness ofstrangers as those churches supported our ministry financially and provided usfood and lodging when we were in town. I remember a poor old blind woman inMaine who gave us the very best she had to offer, as if she was receivingChrist himself. Though she’s passed on now, we still thank God every time theHoly Spirit brings her to our memory, which is often.

Jesusmemorialized forever the woman who poured perfume on his head shortly beforehis crucifixion (Matthew 26:6-13). He also taught: If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little oneswho is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose theirreward (Matthew 10:42). If we love Christ, how can we not show hospitalityto those who minister in his name?

Howwill you bless a servant of Christ this week?

Day 359c: Jude

2011-12-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

Bemerciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; toshow others mercy, mixed with fear – hating even the clothing stained bycorrupted flesh. (Jude22,23)

Althoughhis audience is not identified, these friends are dear to Jude, the half-brotherof Jesus. He exhorts them to contend forthe faith (v. 3) and not fall prey to those who deny Christ and persuadeothers to deny him too.

Judesays these apostates have infiltrated the church and use God’s grace as anexcuse for immorality. Not content with satisfying their own lust, they drawothers into their web of sexual depravity. He compares them to three earlier apostates.Cain was jealous of Abel’s acceptance by the Lord; Balaam enticed theIsraelites into sexual immorality; and Korah urged others to join him in hisrebellion against Moses. Likewise these traitors against God will be destroyedas are all God’s enemies.

ButJude differentiates between instigators and those who are led astray becausetheir faith is weak. These they are urged to rescue if they can (vv. 22,23).

Hecloses with one of the most beautiful doxologies in the New Testament: To him who is able to keep you fromstumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault andgreat joy – the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority,through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen (vv.24,25).

Howdo you protect yourself against ungodly influences?

Day 358: 1 John 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

2011-12-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Those whoclaim to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (1 John 2:6)

John teachesthat anyone who claims to know Christ but does not obey his teachings does notreally know him at all (2:4). Those who love Christ walk in his light, but anyonewho hates his brother or sister, is walking around in darkness (2:9). And anyonewho allows his brother to go without while he enjoys plenty does not have thelove of God in him (3:17).

John 3:16reads: For God so loved the world that hegave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish buthave eternal life. Its corresponding verse in 1 John 3:16 says this: This is how we know what love is: JesusChrist laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for ourbrothers and sisters. Jesus not only told us he loved us, he backed up hiswords by dying in our place.

It’s easy tosay, I love you, but John says loveis a matter of actions, not words: Dearchildren, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth (3:18).We must be willing to back up our words with our actions, and if need be ourlives.

Can Christ see throughyour actions and through your obedience that you love him? Can those close toyou see your love, or do you have to tell them?

Day 357: 2 Peter 1, 2 and 3

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hisdivine power has given us everything we need for a godly life. (2 Peter 1:3)

1 Peter waswritten secretly from Rome to those displaced by Neronian persecution, warningthem to never respond to evil with evil, but to let their faith be refined bysuffering. Time has passed since that writing. It would seem that Peter hasbeen discovered, or maybe he just thinks he can’t remain hidden much longer.His life is in danger, and he writes to his friends one last time.

2 Peter is anotherof his letters to the same refugees informing them among other things that heis living on borrowed time. There are some things he needs to tell them whilehe still can.

Keep growing in faith, goodness,knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, affection and love (from 1:5-7). This takes effort, butwe have two choices: we can work to grow up in Christ or we can stall andbecome worthless. God has graciously given us everything we need.

Christ’s return is sure (from 1:16), but false prophets have leveraged his delay to infect his followerswith doubt (from 2:1). They will say,“Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?” (3:4) No matter what detractors say, wecan be sure we have not been forgotten.

Christ’s delay is measured to allowunbelievers time to repent and believers time to mature (from 3:8-10). God wants no one toperish, but all to come to repentance.

How does Peter’s secondsecret letter speak to you?

Day 356: 1 Peter 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

It iscommendable if someone bears up under the pain of suffering because they areconscious of God. (1Peter 2:19)

Peter iswriting to Roman Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor. They are refugees,chased from their homes through no fault of their own. Nero blamed them for thegreat fire which had recently destroyed much of the city and they are in hiding.This gives a new understanding to Peter’s words: These [trials] have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith –of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may resultin praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1:7). Their faithwas being refined by fire… literally.

It is fromRome he writes to these saints: Live outyour time as foreigners here in reverent fear (1:17). Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult (3:9). But even if you should suffer for what isright, you are blessed (3:14). Do notbe surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as thoughsomething strange were happening to you (4:12). If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God thatyou bear that name (4:16).

In closing,Peter includes greetings from the church in Rome, but rather than reveal hislocation, he adopts code language almost apocalyptic in nature: She who is in Babylon, chosen together withyou, sends you her greetings (5:13).

Have you ever beenfalsely accused?

Day 355: James 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Blessedis the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, thatperson will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those wholove him. (James1:12)

It’s interestinghow this letter comes full circle. In chapter one James writes: Consider it pure joy, my brothers andsisters, when you face trials of many kinds because you know the testing ofyour faith produces perseverance (1:3). Then in chapter five: Be patient then, . . . until the Lord’s coming(5:7). Get it? Perseverance? Patience?

I don’t know about you, but my first thought whenconfronted by any trial is almostnever joy. In fact, joyis probably the farthest thing from my mind. And yet it’s one of thoseparadoxes that the trials of life really are cause for joy.

God useseverything that comes our way in life – even the hard stuff – for our good.Trials stretch our faith and that produces staying power. The first time we gethit by something unpleasant and unexpected, we might go ballistic. Yet somehoweverything works out and we realize God was there all the time. The next time,just maybe we’re not so quick to lose our cool. God has used previous trials towork into our lives perseverance.

Through thesetrials, God plants seeds of patience, which allows us to one dayharvest a crown of life. Good trade.

Can you look beyond the trials to the promised joy?

Day 354: Hebrews 10, 11, 12 and 13

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

When this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. (Hebrews 10:12)

Our passage yesterday delineated one of the differences between the sacrifices offered under the Mosaic Law and the perfect sacrifice of Jesus. The High Priest carried bull and goat blood with him as his entrance requirement into the Most Holy Place. Jesus needed no such animal blood; he entered the presence of God by virtue of his own shed blood. Whereas Old Testament sacrifices were symbolic, his sacrifice was the real thing - what the symbols pointed to.

Today's reading points out another difference. We know animal sacrifices had to be repeated over and over again, because they were insufficient to remove the guilt of sin. Certain sacrifices were offered every single day. Day after day every priest stands and performs his duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins (v. 11). Though a priest's work was never over, notice Jesus' next move after offering his perfect sacrifice: He sat down at the right hand of God. He could rest because his work was done. The plan of salvation was complete. His sacrifice never need be offered again.

The work begun in a manger was completed on a cross. This should make more meaningful to us Jesus' declaration: It is finished (John 19:30).

Aren't you glad Jesus finished what over a thousand years of Mosaic sacrifices never could?

Day 353: Hebrews 7, 8 and 9

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood. (Hebrews 9:12)

There was a big difference between the repeated sacrifices of the Old Testament and the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus. Mosaic sacrifices were not only temporary, but insufficient to remedy humanity's sin problem. Nothing in and of themselves, they were symbolic of something better to be offered by the coming Christ.

Under the Law, the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place only once a year, and carried with him the blood of a bull sacrificed for his own sins, and the blood of a goat for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:11-15). That blood was his authority for being there. Without it he would die (16:2). Without Christ's blood, we would die. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22).

When he died for our sins, the inner room Jesus our High Priest entered was not some symbolic representation, but the very presence of God the Father. It was not by authority of blood collected from a sacrificial lamb, but by the authority inherent in his own blood. He didn't need anyone or anything to make him presentable to God; he was perfect in and of himself. ...so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him (v. 28).

What can wash away my... and your sin?

Day 352: Hebrews 4, 5 and 6

2011-12-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

Growing up, I watched the 1939 (hard to believe) film of L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz on TV every year. One scene I'm sure we all remember is when Dorothy, along with the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion first meets the Wizard. He appears as a floating, disembodied head surrounded by smoke and flames. The four grovel before him begging for help.

Isn't that often the attitude we bring in approaching God? It reminds me of the scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail when God gives King Arthur his quest:

God: Arthur, Arthur, King of the Britons. Oh, don't grovel! If there's one thing I can't stand, it's people groveling.

Arthur: Sorry...

God: And don't apologize! Every time I try to talk to someone it's "Sorry this," and "Forgive me that," and "I'm not worthy." What are you doing now?

Arthur: I'm averting my eyes, O Lord.

God: Well don't.

According to Psalm 100, God invites us into his presence with thanksgiving and praise. The writer of Hebrews says to come with confidence, and that we don't need to wait until we're worthy (until we don't need help anymore), but that we will receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

What do you need from God today?

Day 351: Hebrews 1, 2 and 3

2011-12-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. (Hebrews 2:10)

The age old question asks: If God is all powerful and all loving, why does he allow suffering in the world? The problem is any answer we might come up with is insufficient in the face of actual suffering. Knowing why we suffer could never take away our suffering.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that God the Father used the suffering of his Son Jesus to make him perfect. This is not to say the Father caused the suffering, but that he used the suffering in a positive way. If the role of suffering in Jesus' life was to make him perfect, could it play the same role in ours?

When we suffer, we have basically two choices. We can either rail against the heavens and blame God for our pain, or we can fall into his comforting arms, surrender our will to his, and allow him to do his perfecting work in our lives. It's going to be painful either way. The question is: Will we suffer for a purpose, or will we suffer for nothing? If God the Father perfected his Son through suffering, he can do the same for us.

How has God used suffering to perfect you?

Day 350b: Philemon

2011-12-16T10:48:00.000-08:00

Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was so that you might have him back for good - no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. (Philemon 15,16)

Onesimus, whose name ironically means profitable, is a runaway slave belonging to Philemon. [1] Absconding to Rome, he has been converted under Paul's ministry. Now for whatever reason, Paul must send him back - a risky proposition.

William Barclay reminds us what it was like to be a slave in the Roman Empire. 60,000,000 slaves made rebellion a fearsome potentiality at any time. Runaways were dealt with swiftly and harshly. Their foreheads might be branded with an F signifying them as fugitivus. If the owner decided he was incorrigible, the slave would likely be crucified as a lesson to others.

Paul, in his first letter to Timothy, tells believing slaves to treat their believing masters with more respect, for they are not only their masters, but also their brothers in Christ (6:1,2). He tells Philemon that even though Onesimus was anything by profitable to him in the past, now as a believer his value to both of them is greatly increased.

Fifty years later Ignatius, led in chains from Antioch to be martyred in Rome, writes a letter to the church in Ephesus and their bishop Onesimus. Did Onesimus the slave become Onesimus the bishop? We don't know, but it makes for compelling conjecture.

Who do you need to treat better this week?

[1] Barclay, William. "The Letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon." The Daily Study Bible Series. (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975), 271. I am indebted to Barclay for many of the insights included here.

Day 350a: Titus 1, 2 and 3

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

The grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say, "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. (Titus 2:11,12)

Paul, in his letter to Titus (ministering in Crete), has much to say to us about our Christian witness. Older men are encouraged to live in such a way as to be worthy of respect, to model agape love, and steadfastness. Older women are told to be reverent and to teach young women to respect their husbands, love their children and be industrious in their duties at home. Young men are taught to behave in a mature fashion. Slaves are taught to honor their masters, and to be trustworthy.

These moderate, respectful and respectable behaviors are not ends in themselves, but for a purpose - to make attractive their witness for Christ. Paul goes on to say we don't have to accomplish these behaviors in our own strength. The same grace that saved us is at work in us to help us grow in obedience and self-control. In fact, the phrase self-control is mentioned four times in just this chapter.

How many times have we seen those claiming to represent Christ behaving anything but respectfully, respectably and self-controlled? And how often has the cause of Christ been damaged as a result? People are watching, and our witness makes a difference.

How will you make the Christian life attractive to your friends this week?

Day 349: 2 Timothy 1, 2, 3 and 4

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control. (NCV, 2 Timothy 1:7)

Galatians 5:22,23 lists the fruit of the Spirit, which includes self-control. [1] The term self-control may be misleading, since it is hardly self that does the controlling. In fact self being in control is a lie. The self is either controlled by the infilling and empowering of the Holy Spirit, or it is controlled by whatever spirit happens to be strongest in us on any given occasion.

In 2 Timothy, Paul writes to his protege, telling Timothy he must never let fear deter him from sharing the gospel. It's easy to make decisions out of fear: fear of what might happen to us if we pursue a certain path, fear of what people around us will think. In these cases we are playing to the wrong audience. It doesn't matter what people think; the only opinion that really counts is God's.

A battle rages for control of self. The spirit of fear opposed the spirit of power, love and self-control and wants to run the show. But self-control means fear doesn't get to tell us what to do anymore. In other contexts, self-control means anger doesn't get to tell us what to do; lust doesn't get to tell us what to do. Those things no longer control self; now the Spirit is in control.

Which spirit will be calling the shots in your life this week?

[1] See Day 340: Galatians 4, 5 and 6

Day 348: 1 Timothy 4, 5 and 6

2011-12-14T06:00:00.001-08:00

Everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. (1 Timothy 4:4)

Certain religious groups have determined that unless Scripture explicitly approves something, then it must be forbidden. The most common example of this involves the use of musical instruments in worship. Because there is no explicit example of instrumental music in New Testament churches, they deny its use as well. They're okay for home but not for church. Other groups, and probably the majority of present day Christians, take the opposite approach. Since there is no explicit prohibition to using instruments in worship, they see no harm enjoying them in church.

Paul is not writing about musical instruments in this passage, but about those who have prohibited marriage and certain foods. Paul says, Wait a minute! The glass is half full, not half empty. Everything God created is good. Enjoy it, and be thankful to God for the happiness it brings.

But Satan can pervert anything. Enjoying tasty food is good; gluttony is bad. Sexual desire is good within the bonds of marriage, but translated into lust and exploitation, it hurts everyone it touches. Making a living and providing for one's family is appropriate; transforming a God-given gift to provide into a miserly appetite to possess more and more while others go without; that's just selfish.

God has made these things clean, so don't call them unholy! (NCV, Acts 10:15)

What are you enjoying for which you need to say, "Thank you"?

Day 347: 1 Timothy 1, 2 and 3

2011-12-13T15:50:00.000-08:00

I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. (1 Timothy 2:12)

This verse has been cited by many as an excuse to limit the ministerial role of women in the church. This is a misapplication of the biblical testimony as a whole, elevating one contested statement from Paul over and against the clear teaching of Jesus. In his teaching on divorce (Mark 10:2-12), Jesus corrects the rabbinical patriarchal tradition by citing God's original plan for marriage (Genesis 2:24) as having priority over Moses' instruction in Deuteronomy 24:1. [1] A convincing argument can be made that hierarchical divisions between male and female resulted from the fall, and were not God's original intention.

Regarding the 1 Timothy passage, it is interesting to note that when Paul wrote this he was well aware and readily accepted the fact that women were exercising authority in other churches. [2] One point that may alleviate the confusion on this passage is how the Greek authentein (authority) is translated. It has been translated by some as "domineer" or "act on his/her own authority." If this is correct, Paul is speaking against women in authority only if administered in the wrong way. [3]

Gilbert Bilezikian reminds us that authentein is found nowhere else in Scripture, so we don't really know what Paul meant. [4] It is irresponsible to build a theology or polity on one disputed text.

Can you reflect on the women who have faithfully ministered the gospel to you?

[1] Christoph, James. Equal Access to Grace in Ministry. (Lake Wales, FL: Warner University, 1989), 3.

[2] Christoph, James. Notes on Women and Women in Ministry. (Lake Wales, FL: Warner University, 1988), 15.

[3] Ibid., 17.

[4] Bilezikian, Gilbert. Christianity 101. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993), 20.

Day 346: 2 Thessalonians 1, 2 and 3

2011-12-13T12:24:00.000-08:00

Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until . . . the man of lawlessness is revealed. (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

A counterfeit letter had apparently gone out in Paul's name claiming Christ had already returned, throwing the Thessalonians into a panic, which is why Paul is writing now. He assures them these rumors are false, and that certain conditions must be met. [1] About these he has communicated with them previously, but of this we have no record. While they knew exactly what Paul was talking about, we do not.

This man of lawlessness language is similar to the Antichrist motif, although it is language Paul repeats in no other extant materials. [2] If this letter is genuine, and the evidence could go either way, it is reminiscent of Daniel's abomination that causes desolation (Daniel 9:27 - a reference to Antiochus Epiphanes IV - the Greek tyrant king who brutalized the Jews and sacrificed swine's flesh on the Jerusalem altar), referenced by Jesus regarding the coming Roman desecration of the Temple.

1:4 suggests the Thessalonians are being persecuted. This would explain the apocalyptic tone, more reminiscent of John's Revelation than any other Pauline writings. [3] It should be noted that the main function of Christian apocalyptic literature is to reassure the persecuted that God is on their side, and that in the end he will be victorious over their enemies. That's a message we can receive with confidence.

From what or whom do you need rescued?

[1] For a painfully brief, and admittedly inadequate reference to Jesus' stated conditions as recorded by Matthew, see Day 294: Matthew 22, 23 and 24. For a fuller treatment see Gilbert Bilezikian's Christianity 101 published by Zondervan.

[2] Achtemeier, Paul, Joel Green and Marianne Meye Thompson. Introducing the New Testament - It's Literature and Theology. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), 443.

[3] Ibid., 440.

Day 345: 1 Thessalonians 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

2011-12-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

You are our hope, our joy, and the crown we will take pride in when our Lord Jesus Christ comes. (1 Thessalonians 2:19)

As the year winds down and Christmas approaches, I'm catching visions of people from my past... people who have made a difference in my life, and some for whom (hopefully) I've made a difference in theirs.

I think about Evelyn Musolff, who was my Sunday School teacher when I was 8. I'll never forget her. Or Larry Best, another Sunday School teacher when I was a pre-teen. I remember him taking me and a friend trout fishing on opening day. I think of Beverly Kerstetter, my piano teacher, who confessed to me years later that every week as I played, she sat next to me praying God would use my music for his kingdom. And of course there was my mom and dad. From my mom I learned a subtle lesson of how to persevere when things aren't going my way, and in a more overt way my dad was the greatest spiritual influence in my life.

This Thessalonians passage reminds me that bank accounts, fancy cars, media broadcasts and publishing deals are not how I measure my impact as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When I stand before God, my reward will be Christ, and the changed lives of those connected to him because I was available when they needed me.

Who has touched your life? Whose life have you touched?

Day 344: Colossians 1, 2, 3 and 4

2011-12-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath Day. (Colossians 2:16)

Some Christians take others to task for worshiping on the wrong day. Yet Sabbath is designed to refresh, not burden us.

Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy. . . . For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day (Exodus 20:8,11). Did our omnipotent God set aside the Sabbath because he was tired? No! He sets it aside because he knows we get tired. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). What a beautiful gift from God to his children.

Remembering to take Sabbath is important for many reasons, but taking one and only one specific day off every week misses the point. The Sabbath was an Old Testament symbol of the saving work of Jesus Christ. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ (Colossians 2:17). Hebrews explains: There remains a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works (4:9,10). Our real Sabbath rest is found in the fact that we don't have to work for our salvation. Christ did all the work; we rest in his grace.

How do you keep the Sabbath holy?

Day 343: Philippians 1, 2, 3 and 4

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:5)

From a Roman prison, Paul writes to his friends in Philippi. His concern is not for himself, but for the well being of his spiritual children. He explains how Christ put the needs of others before his own, even to the point of dying for our salvation. Let us consider Christ's example.

Who . . . did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;... (v. 6). Our sinful nature encourages us to exploit any advantage and to use the weaknesses of others against them. We attack from high ground, dominating from a position of strength.

...rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,... (v. 7). Jesus did just the opposite. He made himself nothing, emptied himself, accepted the vulnerabilities of humanity (to the extreme of being born a peasant baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger), and made it his mission to serve, not to conquer.

...he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross! (v. 8) When those he came to serve turned not to him, but against him, he didn't change tactics; he was obedient, loving and giving to the end, a servant in death as in life.

Will you dominate this week, or will you serve?

Day 342: Ephesians 4, 5 and 6

2011-12-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

He who loves his wife loves himself. (Ephesians 5:28)

These few paragraphs from Paul regarding marriage say that a man should love his wife with a sacrificial love, and that a woman should respect her husband. This is the theme picked up in Emerson Eggerichs' Love and Respect [1], a book I have found valuable for both counseling and in my own marriage relationship.

Eggerichs defines the Crazy Cycle, in which a woman who feels unloved withholds respect from her husband. Likewise, a husband who feels disrespected withholds love from his wife.

The flip side of the Crazy Cycle is what Eggerichs calls the Energizing Cycle. In this cycle, feeling loved motivates a wife to respect her husband, and feeling respected motivates a husband to love his wife. And both need to be unconditional. In other words, when I love my wife unconditionally, it results in her respecting me unconditionally. Bottom line: I win! Paul reminds husbands that He who loves his wife loves himself. Knowing this, I would be a fool to not love my wife. Providing her deepest need results in her providing my deepest need.

Proverbs 14:1 reads: The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. This is the same lesson aimed at wives. Giving unconditional respect motivates unconditional love. End result: She wins!

We have more influence than we might think.

What preconditions are you demanding from your spouse before giving your "unconditional" love or respect?

[1] Eggerichs, Emerson. Love and Respect. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004).

Day 341: Ephesians 1, 2 and 3

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead. (Ephesians 1:19,20)

Here in the middle of Advent we turn to a text more commonly taught at Easter. Paul implies that our enemy does not want us to know the power available to us, which is the same power displayed when God raised Jesus from the dead. How would it change our outlook on life if we really believed this was true? That God's resurrection power has been made available to us?

If God's power is strong enough to bring his dead Son back to life, can it not breathe life into a dying congregation? Can it not provide a family's needs in a down economy? ...bring wayward children back into the arms of their parents? ...restore one's moral and financial integrity? What about broken trust? If God's power could raise Christ from the dead, can it not resurrect a marriage? What is there that God's resurrection power cannot do?

Paul closes this portion of his letter with a prayer: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us... (3:20). Again we are prodded to arise from our commonness, our fatalism, and realize that we are no ordinary people; we have been infused with the very power of God.

And for what do you need God's incomparable power this week?

Day 340: Galatians 4, 5 and 6

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22,23)

The fruit of the Spirit is God's character revealed in the believer's life. God is love (1 John 4:16), meaning love is God's essential character - his DNA. If Horation Caine of CSI: Miami fame were investigating God, he would no doubt look for traces of God's DNA.

Since we're his children, we share his genetic markers. God doesn't want there to be any doubt we are his. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another (John 13:35). And related to this: Love . . . isn't always "me first" (The Message, 1 Corinthians 13:5). The sinful nature puts me first. The fruit of the Spirit helps us put others first.

Each of these spiritual fruits is a facet of God's character, in which we, as his children, are invited to walk. But how do we do that? How does God grow his character in our lives? When we lack patience, God will give us opportunities which demand patience. We're given a choice: We can either respond out of our default setting, exhibiting frustration, or we can call on the Holy Spirit to help us, thereby growing in the spiritual fruit of patience.

Difficult situations are evidence that he loves us so much he's inviting us to connect with him, that we might become more like him.

In which spiritual fruit do you particularly need God's help?

Day 339: Galatians 1, 2 and 3

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. (Galatians 2:5)

It's difficult for us to imagine Christianity's struggle to break free from its Jewish roots. In the beginning it looked like a sect of Judaism - people who observed the law, but believed in Jesus as the Messiah. That was all well and good until Paul's fast-paced ministry to the Gentiles, who felt no compulsion to adopt Jewish laws and customs.

Judaizers were Jewish Christians who insisted Greek converts be circumcised and live by Kosher food laws. They would swoop into a town after Paul moved on to the next, and tell the fledgling congregation that the missionary left out a few things. They would then impose on these new believers Jewish practices foreign to them.

When Peter traveled from Jerusalem to visit, even he felt pressured to limit his table fellowship with Greek converts. And because of Peter's waffling regarding the truth, those traveling with him also backed off. Even Barnabus, a trusted co-worker of Paul's, was swayed to what the apostle called hypocrisy.

Paul knew he could not give an inch in this fight: ...if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing (2:21)! If Paul allowed these Jewish obligations what would the next group want to add on? Paul was not just protecting first-century converts; he was protecting all of us.

Who is depending on you to stand up for the truth?

Day 338: 2 Corinthians 10, 11, 12 and 13

2011-12-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Don't talk. This is one of the lessons pounded into dysfunctional families. Don't talk about the bruises; don't talk about the infidelities; don't talk about the family shame... the proverbial elephant in the room. Our heroes from film and literature tell us much the same thing. Don't talk about weakness unless it's someone else's. Be strong and, if that's not possible, keep quiet and pretend to be strong so as to avoid someone exploiting the chinks in our armor.

Unfortunately this same tendency has leached into the church. There is a tacit understanding that we must never air our dirty laundry, and always put on our Sunday face for church. Don't let anyone in. Don't admit you need help.

By contrast, James writes about confessing our faults to one another that we may be healed (James 5:16), and in Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes regarding a brother who is struggling: The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the heart of his brother. [1] Satan loves secrets.

In today's reading, Paul reminds us that only in our weakness can we be strong. If boasting about my weaknesses allows Christ's strength to rest on me, what about my secrets? Does not staying silent then hinder Christ's strength from working in my life?

Is there a weakness in your life for which you need Christ's strength?

[1] Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1954), 23.

Day 337: 2 Corinthians 7, 8 and 9

2011-12-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

I was preaching through Paul's letters to the Corinthians some years ago, and when I came to this verse I stopped in my tracks. The Holy Spirit got my attention, spoke into my life about some changes I needed to make, and promised to help.

I made one change right then and there. I tossed my 32-ounce Coke [1] from McDonald's into a trash barrel and vowed I wasn't going to let sugar and caffeine control me anymore. I had tried stopping before, but failed. This time, though, things were different. Now I go years between Cokes instead of hours. And when I do imbibe, it doesn't hook me the way it used to.

Since then, I've pretty much broken with the whole sweet tea (best thing about the South) thing too. And if I'm not drinking Coke or sweet tea, there's really no other reason to go through the McDonald's drive-thru... or any other drive-thru. In fact, what the Holy Spirit started in my life several years ago has about bankrupted the fast food industry. And not only has it made a huge difference in my eating habits, it's also significantly lowered the number on my scale every morning.

As I continue walking in freedom, God loves me enough to show me other areas where I need to change. With his help I'm decontaminating my body and my spirit.

Do you need to decontaminate?

[1] Cola drinks may be fine for you, but they were enslaving me. Please don't take this as me saying anyone else should quit drinking soda or eating fast food. That's between you and God... and your doctor.

Day 336: 2 Corinthians 4, 5 and 6

2011-12-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Trading Spaces was a home improvement and design show that aired on the TLC and Discovery Home television networks (2000 to 2008). Two families (friends or relatives) who both wanted a room makeover would trade spaces and, guided by a professional designer, do the remodel for the other team. The show ended with the reveal where each group would see, for the first time, what their new rooms looked like. Sometimes the results were fantastic; sometimes... not so much.

While not the first home improvement show (Does anyone else remember the original This Old House?), Trading Spaces introduced the reveal, and launched the career of Ty Pennington of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC - 2003 to present), a show that took the reveal to a whole new level.

While it might be nice to have friends remodel a room in our home, or have a TV network backed up by its advertisers build us a brand new house, there are some trades that neither friends nor TV shows can make for us.

Paul writes that Christ has traded spaces with us. Jesus, who knows no sin, has become our sin; while we, who know no righteousness, have become the righteousness of God. That's what I call trading spaces.

Have you thanked God this week for sending his Son to trade spaces with you?

Day 335: 2 Corinthians 1, 2 and 3

2011-12-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

You are a letter from Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:3)

Paul writes to the Corinthians that he needs no reference letter, for they are his letter of reference. Their changed lives are proof that his ministry is legitimate.

Just as the Corinthian Christians documented the validity of Paul's ministry, our lives are also living letters that corroborate or refute the claims of Christ. This concept is dressed up in varying illustrations throughout the New Testament.

In Christ's Gethsemane prayer we read: May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me... (John 17:23). Jesus knew that friends and neighbors would be examining the lives of believers to determine if they too should accept him as Messiah.

In 2 Corinthians 5:20 Paul tells us: We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. Again a clear reference to the truth that we represent Christ to the world around us.

Peter writes: Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us (1 Peter 2:12). They may not admit it, but in their hearts they know there is something different about us, and they will give God the credit.

It's vitally important that what people read in us is congruent with the words we speak.

Do those near you hear the same message in your words that they read in your life?

Day 334: 1 Corinthians 13, 14, 15 and 16

2011-11-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

Love . . . always hopes. (1 Corinthians 13:7)

Eugene Peterson translates this phrase as Love . . . Always looks for the best (The Message). My own paraphrase reads: Love . . . always gives the benefit of the doubt. And yet that is one of the most difficult things we will ever be called upon to do.

The antithesis of giving the benefit of the doubt is assuming the worst. Easy to do, and probably the default setting for most of us. Unfortunately this lack of trust is a killer for relationships. Countless marriages have succumbed to the ravages of distrust, and countless hours of counseling have been spent in an attempt to stem the tide of disbelief.

And the church is not immune. When circumstances can be taken in more than one way, too often we err on the side of misgiving (we miss giving the benefit of the doubt). When a simple statement can be received as innocent or sinister, our insecurities make it too easy to come down on the negative side of things.

In fact, an inability to trust says a lot more about us than it does about those in whom we lack faith.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Doubt? There was none. We were guilty and God still chose to believe in us.

Is there someone whom you need to give the benefit of the doubt?

Day 333: 1 Corinthians 10, 11 and 12

2011-11-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Something from the Spirit can be seen in each person, for the common good. (NCV, 1 Corinthians 12:7)

Paul reminds us that everyone has a gift.

Here's the thing: the gifts of the Spirit are not for personal use. Your gifts are not for you; they're for me, and my spiritual gifts aren't for me; they're for you.To be fulfilled, I must share my gift with the church.

Lots of people can preach better than me. Lots of people can sing better. Lots of people can write better music. Many are more discerning, more merciful, and more filled with faith. But when God put my spiritual gift mix together, he made me just the way he wants me, and I'm the best me there is in the whole world.

But even in being the best me in the whole world, I'm still falling short, because no matter how good a me I am, I'm not you. We were not meant to work in isolation, but in community. We really do need each other. No one has every gift; not everyone has the same gift; but everyone has a gift. And in God's kingdom, everyone's a 10 at something! It is in joining our gifts together, uniting for a common purpose that we function as the Body of Christ.

Together you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of that body (v. 27).

It's almost Christmas. What's your gift to the Body?

Day 332: 1 Corinthians 6, 7 and 8

2011-11-28T11:28:00.000-08:00

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. (1 Corinthians 8:9)

What should I do when standing up for my rights hurts other people? In yesterday's text, Paul states we have the right to do anything, but that some things aren't good for us and other things, if indulged in, could enslave us. In today's reading, Paul gives us another assessment as to whether or not a decision is wise.

Specifically Paul is writing about eating meat offered to idols. Those whose faith is strong know that idols have no inherent power, and for them meat offered to idols would not be considered guilty by association. However, for those whose faith is weak (those who still associate said meat with their earlier pagan worship rituals), the problem is very real. Paul says those who don't see a problem have more to consider than just that. They have brothers and sisters in Christ who would feel like they were betraying their Lord if they were to eat that devil meat.

In Romans 12, Paul writes: Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves (v. 10). This suggests that when my rights clash with those of another, I should consider carefully whether or not it's worth it to assert my rights. Perhaps it would be better, in that instance, to honor someone else by setting my rights aside.

Is standing up for your rights hurting someone else?

Day 331: 1 Corinthians 4, 5 and 6

2011-11-27T22:52:00.000-08:00

I have the right to do anything. (1 Corinthians 6:12)

Paul rebukes the Corinthians for abusing their freedom in Christ: "I have the right to do anything," you say - but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything," - but I will not be mastered by anything.

In a self-indulgent society that at times rubs off even on the church, Paul gives us some guidelines for discerning whether or not certain choices are wise. Just because something is legal or permissible doesn't mean it's smart. Paul gives two assessments.

It's permissible, but is it good for me? Some things won't hurt me, but they won't help me either. They aren't necessarily bad for me, but they're definitely not good for me. Does that mean I can never indulge? No, of course not. An occasional chocolate bar is a delicious treat, but eating one every day is diabetes waiting to happen.

It's permissible, but could it master me? Though I personally choose not to drink, I know the biblical writers never say we should avoid alcohol completely. At one point Paul actually recommends wine for its medicinal value (1 Timothy 5:23), although in another place he warns against drunkenness (Romans 13:13). My father and both my grandfathers struggled with alcoholism, so my decision not to drink is based more on family history than religious conviction.

Is it good for me? Could it master me? God leaves some things to our discretion.

How do you decide what's best for you?

Day 330: 1 Corinthians 1, 2 and 3

2011-11-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. (1 Corinthians 3:6)

Paul writes to the Christians in Corinth how neither he nor Apollos can claim all the credit for their conversion. Paul may have been the first to tell them about Christ, but Apollos had followed up with faithful teaching. Working together, they brought the message that resulted in salvation.

In John 4, Jesus teaches his disciples to be on the lookout for kingdom opportunities. He borrows two agricultural axioms. The first: Four months more and then the harvest (v. 35), is addressed on Day 310 (November 6). The second: One sows, another reaps (v. 37), was commonly used in a fatalistic sense. One might do all the hard work, but someone else would surely reap the benefit. But Jesus applied it in a new way. He taught, like Paul, that evangelism is a team sport. Paul said one plants and another waters. Jesus said one plants and another harvests. Same thing.

19th century preacher Dwight L. Moody preached in Chicago the night of the great Chicago fire. By popular account he did not give an altar call and many of those who delayed making a decision for Christ perished. Moody vowed to never again put off asking for a spiritual commitment. While I admire Moody's conviction, I am relieved that the responsibility for evangelizing lost souls is a shared one.

Are you prepared to either plant the seed, water, or harvest this week?

Day 329: Romans 13, 14, 15 and 16

2011-11-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

Accept those whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputed matters. (TNIV, Romans 14:1)

St. Augustine is usually credited with saying: In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.

Paul tells us there definitely are such things as non-essentials. He says we are to accept those who disagree with us on these gray areas without feeling the need to set them straight even though we think they're wrong.

Disputable matters are those about which God has not seen fit to give us detailed instruction. But even though God did not set down in black and white what we are to do or believe in regard to these things, he left nothing to the imagination about how he expects us to treat those with whom we disagree.

Too often in today's polemical atmosphere, we have taken what are rightfully matters of opinion and elevated them to the level of doctrine or even dogma. If not quarreling (feeling the need to prove someone wrong) is how Paul describes acceptance, then quarreling must be a synonym for rejection, and we will never win someone over to our way of thinking while at the same time rejecting them.

If God, rather than giving us a paint-by-numbers Christianity, chose to leave some issues to our own discretion, then perhaps even more important than defining answers to these disputed matters is how we treat one another.

Is there someone you need to accept without struggling to set them straight?

Day 328: Romans 10, 11 and 12

2011-11-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2)

Occasionally I am tasked with creating worship slides for projection. Since the chorus is repeated after every verse, I simply cut and paste the original lyric into its new spot as many times as it's needed. This works fine unless there's a typo in the original slide because then all my cutting and pasting replicates that same mistake into every chorus.

Given the opportunity, our environment will imprint its values and behaviors on us. Not easily ignored, society very aggressively cuts and pastes its way of doing things into our thinking. Paul is telling us we don't have to be carbon copies of the world around us. Rather than being clones of our culture, we can reflect the character of our Creator.

When I access certain programs on my laptop, it asks, Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to this computer? There also, but much less noticeable are the prompts I receive from the Holy Spirit when my surroundings try to make deleterious changes to my programming.

The world is very determined to find its way into my brain. If I want to submit my conscious mind as well as my subconscious to the life-changing power of the Spirit, I must be intentional about connecting with God and his Word.

How will you allow God to access your mind this week?

Day 327: Romans 7, 8 and 9

2011-11-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Did God one day create cancer and say, "This is great! People are going to love this once they figure out it's for their own good!"? What about tsunamis? ...child abuse? I don't think so. While I'm sure that occasionally something that appears bad could be planned by God and ultimately be a good thing after all, the truth is bad things happen to good people, and there's no sense blaming God for that.

But Romans 8:28 doesn't say nothing bad will ever happen to us. It doesn't even say every bad thing is a good thing that we are too limited to see. What it does say is that God works for our good in everything that happens. The question is, Will we let him?

When bad things happen to us, we can spend the rest of our lives being resentful, blaming anyone and everyone else for all our problems, or we can surrender those hurts to God and ask him to reveal himself to us and help us to grow through them. By submitting to God in those difficult times, we allow him the freedom to work into our lives the healing and growth we need, which brings about the abundant life (John 10:10). The end results are often determined by our response.

In what circumstances is God trying to work good into your life?

Day 326: Romans 4, 5 and 6

2011-11-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

People cannot do any work that will make them right with God. (NCV, Romans 4:4)

O Lord our God, grant us the grace to desire Thee with our whole heart; that so desiring we may seek and find Thee; and so finding Thee may love Thee; and loving Thee, may hate those sins from which Thou hast redeemed us. Amen. [1]

During these few days before Thanksgiving, I find it necessary once again to thank God for his saving work in my life. Coming from a holiness movement background, it is always tempting to fall into the thinking that says my behavior earns me right relationship with God. Today I am reminded that my best behaviors are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) before a perfect God.

We must remember that holiness is about loving God so much that it affects who we are, which in turn affects how we act. John wrote that we love because Christ first loved us (1 John 4:19). God, as your love pours into my life, may it flow back to you in worship and obedience. May your love for me be increased in how I love your children.

Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen. [2]

What motivates your good behavior?

[1] Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109), as printed in Harry Emerson Fosdick. The Meaning of Prayer. (New York: The International Committee of Young Men's Christian Associations, 1915), 3.

[2] The Book of Common Prayer, "The Holy Eucharist: Rite One." (New York: Oxford University Press, 1990), 323.

Day 325: Romans 1, 2 and 3

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven. (Romans 1:18)

Romans 1 lets us in on the reasons for humanity's downward spiral. Verse 29 tells how bad things have gotten: They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. We have to back up a few verses to find where things went wrong: They wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks (NLT).

The consequence of mankind's rebellion was God's wrath. The idea of people venting their wrath paints a picture of a mindless explosion of uncontrolled anger. But that's not the wrath Paul writes about. Three times he states: God gave them over . . . to sexual impurity (v. 24); . . . to shameful lusts (v. 26); . . . to a depraved mind (v. 28).

This illustrates how poorly we understand wrath and grace. We have things backwards. We see discipline as God's wrath and his permissiveness as grace, when in fact that is exactly opposite of the way things really are. According to New Testament scholar Paul Achetemeier, God's wrath is exhibited in allowing us to continue down the sinful path we've chosen. [1] In other words, wrath means God takes a hands off posture, and allows us to push deeper into sin. In this equation, discipline becomes an act of grace, as God's loving attempt to get us back on the right track.

How does Achtemeier's explanation of wrath impact your understanding of grace?

[1] Achtemeier, Paul J. "Romans." Interpretation - A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Louisville: John Knox, 1985.

Day 324: Acts 25, 26, 27 and 28

2011-11-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

We want to hear your ideas, because we know that people everywhere are speaking against this religious group. (NCV, Acts 28:22)

In 2004 Alan Sorensen and Scott Rasmussen of Stanford University evaluated the effects of book reviews from the New York Times. Not surprising, they found a positive review results in more book sales than a negative one. Perhaps more surprising is that even a negative review increases a book's sales by over 34%. [1]

This study may bear out the claim Any publicity is good publicity. P. T. Barnum is credited with expressing a similar sentiment: I don't care what they say about me as long as they spell my name right. And poet and writer Oscar Wilde is reported as saying, There is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is NOT being talked about.

After Paul was transported to Rome and awaiting his trial before Caesar, he was free to have guests even though he was under house arrest. Local Jewish leaders told him they hadn't heard anything bad about him, but that no one had anything good to say about Christianity. Apparently that negative press made them want to hear about it all the more.

While negative press may not be the worst thing in the world, Jesus tells us: Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (NIV 1984, Matthew 5:16).

How are you making sure your light shines positively?

[1] Sorensen, Alan T. and Scott J. Rasmussen. "Is Any Publicity Good Publicity? A Note on the Impact of Book Reviews." Palo Alto: Stanford University, 2004.

Day 323: Acts 22, 23 and 24

2011-11-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

When they heard [Paul] speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. (Acts 22:2)

From his travels Paul returns to Jerusalem knowing he has been branded a traitor by the Jews there. One day in the temple he is recognized by some Jews visiting from the province of Asia (where Paul has spent a great deal of time ministering), and they turn on him. The violence of the attack attracts Roman soldiers who break up the beating and arrest Paul, taking him to be the troublemaker. Paul asks permission to address the crowd and his request is granted.

Paul was well-versed in multiple languages, but when they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. This gained Paul a hearing from the very people who were set on his arrest and punishment. There's something about someone speaking to us in our own language.

On the Day of Pentecost, what got the crowd's attention was that every person heard the disciples speaking to them in their own language (Acts 2:8). To the Corinthian Christians Paul wrote: I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some (1 Corinthians 9:22).

We have a large Hispanic population where I minister. I could complain about how they refuse to learn English, or I can put the effort into learning to speak Spanish. I know which one Paul would choose.

Do you speak the language of the people you're trying to reach?

Day 322: Acts 19, 20 and 21

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

There is danger... (Acts 19:27)

As a kid in the 1960s, I loved the TV show Lost in Space. Its premise was built around a failed attempt to colonize a planet in the Alpha Centauri system. Unfortunately, the Robinson family's spaceship was sabotaged, went off course, and became lost in the far reaches of space with no apparent way home.

9-year old Will was best friends with the family robot, tasked with keeping the boy out of trouble. When peril threatened, the robot would shout, Danger, danger, Will Robinson!

Thirty-some years later when my kids were about the same age, they would often mimic Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin's familiar expression: Danguh, danguh, danguh.

After the crucifixion, when Peter and John were taken before the Sanhedrin, their interrogators recognized the disciples had been with Jesus (4:13). In the Old Testament we read that the Israelites were afraid of Moses when he descended Mt. Sinai because his face was radiant after being with God (Exodus 34:30). Danguh, danguh, danguh.

In today's reading, artisans complain that Paul's ministry in Ephesus is threatening their livelihood. So many people are abandoning handmade idols to worship Christ that it has impacted the silversmith's income.

As followers of Christ, do we still have the potential of being dangerous in our communities? Do negative elements of society look at us and say, It's only the church; they never do nothin'! Or do they exclaim, Danger, danger, Will Robinson!

How will you be dangerous for Christ this week?

Day 321: Acts 16, 17 and 18

2011-11-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

...they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not let them. (CEV, Acts 16:7)

In 1990, the song Unanswered Prayers hit #1 on the Billboard country music charts, which helped keep Garth Brooks' album No Fences on top for 30 weeks. Based on a true story, the song details a husband and wife at a home town football game where they run into his high school flame. Thinking back, all those years ago he thought that girl was the one, but realizes the best thing God ever did for him was not answering that particular prayer... at least not in the affirmative.

Two times Paul and his missionary troop encountered a divine detour. First, they planned to travel due west from Galatia into Asia, but God shut that door. Then they diverted north and thought they'd visit Bithynia (the northernmost part of Asia Minor bordering the Black Sea), but again God said, No. By default they ended up in Troas, where Paul had a dream bidding him come to Macedonia. Troas was, by the way, the seaport lying on the most direct route to Macedonia.

If Paul hadn't been responsive to the Spirit's leading, he would not have met Lydia (the seller of purple cloth), who was already a gentile convert to Judaism and in whom the Spirit was at work drawing her to Christ. God said no to Paul's plan because he had a better plan.

What unanswered prayers are you thankful for today?

Day 320: Acts 13, 14 and 15

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

We should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. (Acts 15:19)

Legalism comes from believing that Christ's death on the cross was insufficient to guarantee our salvation. Whatever it might be there is always something, in addition to Christ's shed blood, necessary to pay for our guilt.

In the early church as the church shifted to include the Gentile population, many believing Jews thought Gentiles should be circumcised and obey Jewish law in order to be saved. In other words, they were expected to convert to Judaism first, and only then could they be received as Christians. On one occasion Peter almost bowed to the Judaizers' pressure, but then Paul took him to task and the matter was favorably resolved.

Today we have our own forms of legalism. Legalism may influence our choices of food or beverages; it may dictate that Sunday and only Sunday (or Saturday and only Saturday) is set aside for worship. It may require women to wear long hair and long dresses and men to wear short hair and short dresses... nah! Just seeing if you were paying attention. The point is we put our hope in following a set of rules.

Whatever the recipe of our particular brand of legalism, the security that it brings is false. When we get right down to it, legalism says all that really matters is following the rules better than the next guy.

Your hope is built on nothing less than Jesus plus what?

Day 319: Acts 10, 11 and 12

2011-11-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. (Acts 10:34,35)

Here we see the progression from Christianity for Jews only to Gentiles tolerated to Gentiles actively engaged. Before Peter's dream of clean and unclean animals, he would never have considered that non-Jews could be included in the gospel message. Without the dream, he would have rejected those sent by Cornelius, and without Cornelius he would not have understood the dream.

Word of Cornelius's conversion got back to Jerusalem before Peter did, so when he got home he had some 'splainin' to do. After he told the full story, the Jerusalem Christians, who had not appreciated Peter's Gentile connection, were appeased.

Following Stephen's execution but prior to Peter's Caesarea experience, many Christians (Christianity started out largely as a sect of Judaism) had been persecuted by non-Christian Jews and run out of Jerusalem. Naturally, when they arrived in a new city, they would share the message of Christ with their new Jewish friends and as a result many believed in his name.

Only after Peter returned from Caesarea did Christians actively seek ways to deliver the gospel to Gentiles. We read in 11:20 that Christians from Cyprus (in the Mediterranean) and Cyrene (modern day Libya) brought the message of Christ to Antioch (modern day Turkey, just north of the Syrian border) targeting the Gentile population.

Someone brought the gospel to you. To whom will you take it next?

Day 318: Acts 7, 8 and 9

2011-11-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

This man is my chosen instrument. (Acts 9:15)

If there was an unlikely candidate to spread the name of Christ throughout the first-century world, it was Paul. Raised a devout Jew, educated in one of the most prestigious rabbinical schools in the world, and recognized as an up-and-comer with the reputation of being a no-nonsense Pharisee, his passion was to destroy the church before it got off the ground.

Yet this was the man God chose to take the message of Christianity to the world.

After earning his degrees (journalism from the University of Missouri and law from Yale), Lee Strobel served as the award-winning legal editor of The Chicago Tribune. His research into the resurrection convinced this avowed atheist to receive Jesus as his forgiver and leader. He is now a NY Times best-selling author of nearly twenty books, espousing the cause of Christ.

From 1985 to 1992, Kirk Cameron starred in ABC's family sitcom Growing Pains. Another atheist, Kirk became a believer in Christ and has since co-founded The Way of the Master (an evangelism training program) and The Firefly Foundation, which among other things provides terminally ill children and their families a free summer camp experience.

Former marine turned lawyer, and the first to be imprisoned for his role in the Nixon administration Watergate break-in, Charles Colson accepted Christ and has devoted his life to his organization Prison Fellowship, which ministers to inmates and their families.

Now, why is it God would never call you into ministry?

Day 317: Acts 4, 5 and 6

2011-11-13T09:21:00.000-08:00

No one else dared join them . . . Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. (Acts 5:13,14)

These verses seem nonsensical. In the aftermath of Liargate (Ananias and Sapphira died three hours apart, after lying to God), people didn't take their decision about joining the church lightly. Obviously church membership was not for the faint of heart, but a commitment to be taken seriously. Those who weren't serious stayed away. No one wanted to see a headstone with his name on it.

Rather than experiencing a drop in numbers, men and women still received Christ and many were added to the church. In addition to growing in numbers, we are given a hint of not only the power displayed among the saints and the vibrant church experience they enjoyed, but also the reverence and awe evoked among those who were not yet counted as members (vv. 15,16).

Could it be that we have made it too easy for the tentative to make half-hearted decisions for Christ, and welcomed the non-committed into church fellowship with the promise that, after all, grace is free and costs us nothing? Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, . . . grace without discipleship. [1]

We make grace cheap when we divest Christian commitment of all responsibility, fearing that demands will discourage conversions and impede church growth. Maybe, exactly the opposite is true.

What does your commitment look like?

[1] Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The Cost of Discipleship. Rev. ed. (New York: MacMillan, 1959).

Day 316: Acts 1, 2 and 3

2011-11-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

During the forty days after his crucifixion, . . . he talked to them about the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3)

We don't really have a record of Jesus' post-resurrection teachings, other than this statement from Luke. However, we should not be surprised that he chose as his topic one of his favorites from the previous three years with his disciples.

In the thirteenth chapter of Matthew, Jesus told several stories which encapsulated the mysteries of the kingdom. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed (v. 31). The kingdom of heaven is like yeast (v. 33). The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field (v. 44). The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls (v. 45). The kingdom of heaven is like a net (v. 47).

In the first century, Rome was the dominant kingdom. The empire wielded power like a centurion’s sword. Anyone who dared cross it was cut to pieces. The Sadducees appeased their Roman masters, cooperating in order to maintain the status quo. The Pharisees preached that legalistic obedience to the law would persuade God to expel the dominant kingdom from Jerusalem. Zealots brandished their own swords in guerilla style attacks aimed at overthrowing their Roman oppressors. Essenes withdrew into cloistered communities, where they could practice their religion away from the dominant kingdom and prying Roman eyes.

Jesus taught another way, which he called the kingdom of God.

How will your life reflect kingdom principles this week?

Day 315: John 19, 20 and 21

2011-11-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

[Jesus] said to [his mother], "Woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." (John 19:26,27)

In his wonderful book How to Live Through a Bad Day, Pastor Jack Hayford uses the seven last words of Jesus (Jesus' seven last statements from the cross) to show how the Savior made it through his worst day, and how we can make it through our bad days too. [1]

At one point, Jesus sees his mother standing there. In spite of what he was enduring, as her oldest son, Jesus still honored his duty to make sure his mother would be cared for after he was gone. Most of us would think, I'm having a bad enough day without having to take responsibility for anyone else! Not Jesus. He didn't forget that those closest to him still had needs regardless of how bad a day he was having.

How many times have I spoken impatiently to my wife and kids, allowing my selfish needs to trump theirs? How many times have I, in the middle of my hectic schedule, passed by someone in need while I hurried off attending to church duties? I must take a lesson from Jesus and realize if he could arrange for his mother's care while suffering on the cross, then I can be patient with and caring for others even when I'm having a stress-filled day.

Is there someone whose care you've neglected because you've been having a bad day?

[1] Hayford, Jack. How to Live Through a Bad Day. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2001.

Day 314: John 16, 17 and 18

2011-11-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

My kingdom is not of this world. (John 18:36)

Many in Israel dismissed Jesus because he was not the Messiah they were expecting. The Messiah they anticipated would burst on the scene, repel the Roman occupation and establish his political kingdom on David's throne.

In Matthew 13 Jesus spoke of the kingdom: The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed . . . Though it is the smallest of your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree (vv. 31,32). Also, The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough (v. 33).

Many today are still expecting Christ to burst on the scene and set up his kingdom, not realizing he planted the kingdom seed 2,000 years ago, and it has been growing ever since. It's no wonder so many have missed it. Consider this paradox: Narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few will find it (Matthew 7:14). And: Before me was a great multitude that no one could count (Revelation 7:9). How does such a humble investment result in such an incredible payout?

When we watch the mustard seed and the yeast, it may not appear that anything is happening, but the truth is God is working outside the spotlight. It is the kingdom's incremental onslaught.

Where are you investing for eternity?

Day 313: John 10, 11 and 12

2011-11-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet. (John 13:10)

It had been a long day leading up the the last supper. Jesus and his disciples had walked into town from Bethany, taught in the temple, and wandered the streets of Jerusalem. When, during their meal together, Jesus got up and started washing his disciples' feet, they could hardly believe it. Peter protested: You'll never wash my feet!

But Jesus insisted, Unless I wash your feet, you have no part with me.

Peter surrendered, Then not just my feet; wash my hands and my head too.

Jesus explained, Those who've had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean (vv. 8-10).

In walking through the world day after day (in spite of the fact we mostly drive over paved roads), we still pick up the dust and dirt of the world on our feet. We might struggle with mental images that incite lust, unforgiveness for wrongs suffered at the hands of others, or even guilt for wrongs we ourselves have perpetrated.

We haven't turned our backs on the faith; it's just that our feet have picked up some dust. We need to let go of those things and give them to God before the filth becomes part of us. Confession and repentance is like a refreshing basin of water with which to cleanse the spirit of the world's dirt.

Do your spiritual feet need washed? Of what do you need to repent?

Day 312: John 10, 11 and 12

2011-11-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Lazarus, come out! (John 11:43)

Let's examine a few easily missed ingredients in this miracle narrative.

First: This story is found only in John's Gospel, who seems to describe this event as the tipping point leading to the crucifixion.

Second: In Luke's introduction of the sisters, Martha is all business but Mary displays a more emotional side (Luke 10:38-42). Upon Jesus' arrival, both offer the same greeting: If you had been here, my brother would not have died (Martha in 11:21 and Mary in v. 32), but Jesus' responses to the sisters could not have been more different. To practical Martha: Your brother will rise again. . . . I am the resurrection and the life (vv. 23,25), but when he sees Mary and those with her weeping, he breaks down as well (v. 33-35). His response to each is congruent with their personalities.

Third: The religious leaders respond with a hastily called meeting of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish Supreme Court). Together they determine that this miracle is drawing unwanted attention from the people and the Romans alike. So from that day on they plotted to take [Jesus'] life (v. 53).

Fourth: I don't remember this from Sunday School, but John tells us that Caiaphas and Annas (the chief priests) put out a hit on Lazarus too (12:10). Lazarus walking around was too big a threat. Better to put him back in the ground and deny the miracle ever happened.

Jesus knows us intimately. How would he respond to you?

Day 311: John 7, 8 and 9

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. (John 7:37)

In chapter 6 we saw Jesus feed five thousand with only five loaves and two fishes. In spite of crossing the lake, the crowd found him again. When told by Jesus they must believe in the one sent by God the Father, they asked for a sign. Moses gave our fathers bread from heaven. Respond to that! Jesus' reply? I am the bread of life (6:31-35).

In today's reading, we've relocated from Galilee to Jerusalem and it is the Feast of Tabernacles. On the last day of the feast, it was customary for the High Priest to take a jar of water from the Pool of Siloam and pour it out on the ground in remembrance of Moses and the water from the rock. Likely in response to this drama being acted out before him, Jesus addresses the crowd: If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, . . . streams of living water will flow from within him (7:37,38).

Moses gave us bread from heaven. What you got? Moses gave us water from the rock. How you gonna answer that?

Manna was a symbol... a symbol of me. I'm the real bread! The water from the rock was a symbol... a symbol representing me. I'm the real water! Why would you get excited about symbols and miss me?

Are you looking for symbols, or the real thing?

Day 310: John 4, 5 and 6

2011-11-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. (John 4:35)

From 1970-1972, one of the highest rated TV shows (second only to All in the Family) was The Flip Wilson Show, the first successful variety show to be hosted by an African-American. Flip's characters included Reggie the White House janitor, Geraldine (What you see is what you get!), and the Reverend Leroy and his Church of What's Happenin' Now.

When the disciples came back and were surprised to see Jesus speaking with the woman at the well, he took the opportunity as a teachable moment. Do you not have a saying: "Four months more and then the harvest"? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest (4:35).

Because they were making a lunch stop in Samaria on their way from Judea to Galilee, it never occurred to them to consider ministry in Sychar. Surely it would make more sense to aim for a successful ministry event in Capernaum. That's where their headquarters and the bulk of their volunteers could be found. But here? Now? Hey, if you want to do ministry here, let's do it right. Let's do the demographics and lay the groundwork, and then put together a crusade.

The message for us? Don't miss a good opportunity to share the Good News because you're looking for the perfect opportunity to share the Good News. That perfect opportunity might never come.

What's "Happenin' Now" for you?

Day 309: John 1, 2 and 3

2011-11-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

In the beginning the Word already existed. (NLT, John 1:1)

No doubt John is being intentional when he launches his Gospel with the same words the writer of Genesis uses to describe the creation of the world: In the beginning.... Genesis tells the story of creation, while John tells the story of new creation.

On January 1st we focused on God as Beginning. On December 31st we will focus on God as End. But we know before there was a beginning, God already was. And after things come to an end, God will still be. He is, always has been and always will be, I AM.

John writes that the Word who was present with God and who was God at the very beginning, became incarnate and lived with us for a time. But even though he created us, we didn't recognize him. It reminds me of the old Christmas lyric: Please, suh, forgive us, Lawd; we didn't know it was you. [1]

He created us, but we did not recognize him; we belonged to him, but we rejected his ownership over us. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (1:12).

Genesis tells the story of creation; John tells the story of re-creation. Genesis is about humanity's beginning; John is about new beginnings. Genesis: birth; John: re-birth.

Do you recognize Jesus as the giver of life and as the giver of new life?

Day 308: Luke 22, 23 and 24

2011-11-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. (Luke 22:32)

In Jesus' familiar pre-denial encounter with Peter, the Savior's prayer is not that Peter won't deny him, but that Peter's faith will not fail. There is a time when pride is cracked - an incomplete brokenness that can draw us into ourselves - leading to bitterness and rejecting all offers of help. Then there is pride completely crushed by our own failure, when we can no longer pretend to be self-sufficient. Though both are probably God-ordained, the former is just one stop on a downward spiral; the latter puts us right where God wants us.

This brokenness, where pride is shattered - what Jesus in the Beatitudes refers to as being poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3) - leaves us nothing to stand on, empty and helpless, with no bargaining chips; our only hope to throw ourselves on the mercy of God.

That's the kind of brokenness Peter is headed for, the kind of brokenness he needs. Pride demolished by failure is a gift God can use for ministry to 1) dethrone self; 2) give God his rightful place; and 3) for ministry to others.

Christ's prayer is that when Peter's pride is shattered, his faith will somehow hold on, and drawing strength from God he will rise once more to his feet, and use his brokenness to strengthen his brothers.

Has your pride been cracked, or shattered? What now?

Day 307: Luke 19, 20 and 21

2011-11-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

If I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount. (Luke 19:8)

As a tax collector, it was understood that Zacchaeus would work the system to line his own pockets. That's what tax collectors did; it was expected. Still, Jewish men who collaborated with the Romans didn't make many friends. As such, Zacchaeus was one of the most hated men in Jericho.

What was it about his encounter with Jesus that changed him so? Was it the simple offering of acceptance? ...this gesture of friendship? It was like he was a spring, wound up and waiting for the opportunity to respond. Jesus invited himself over for a meal, and the man who jumped down from the sycamore tree was a different man than the one who climbed up.

This was evident to everyone when Zacchaeus made amends. Not satisfied to do better in the days to come (which, let's be honest; for most of us is usually the extent of our repentance), this corrupt official confessed his wrongs and promised to make them right, going above and beyond the restitution required by Jewish law.

All the whispers, all the sideways glances, and all the social snubs in Jericho couldn't change this dishonest tax collector's character. What finally changed him was grace, pure and simple. One kindness and Zacchaeus was more than ready to make amends for his shortcomings.

Do you need to make something right this week? Is there someone who needs your acceptance?

Day 306: Luke 16, 17 and 18

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead. (Luke 16:31)

In the familiar story of The Rich Man and Lazarus the rich man, languishing in hell, asks Abraham to send Lazarus with a message for his brothers to change their ways and avoid ending up like him! While many have read into this account a treatise on the theology of hell, that's not what the story is about.

In Matthew 12, following on the heels of Jesus healing a demon possessed man born blind and mute, the crowds put two and two together and question if Jesus could be the Messiah. The Pharisees emphatically respond, No!, and then request from Jesus a sign.

In John 6 after the five thousand are fed, Jesus and his disciples head for the far side of the lake but looking for their next meal, the people find them again. Jesus asserts they are only there for their bellies' sakes. They ask, What must we do to do the works of God? (v. 28) Jesus replies, Believe in the one he has sent (v. 29), after which they, too, promptly ask for a sign.

The message of all three stories is the same: You don't have enough information to make a decision? Your problem is not having too little data; you're problem is not acting on the information you have.

Still analyzing the data? Isn't it time to make a decision?

Day 305: Luke 13, 14 and 15

2011-11-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

"Sir," the man replied, "leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down." (Luke 13:8,9)

In the Parable of the Fig Tree we are told the vineyard is a finite space, and the owner cannot afford a freeloading fig tree using up the soil's nutrients and taking up room where another plant might bring a profit. When he orders the fig tree be cut down, the caretaker talks him out of it, asking for another year to carefully tend the tree, hoping it will produce fruit.

Jesus is teaching his disciples two things: First, he is teaching them about the love and mercy of God, who patiently waits for his children to submit their lives to him and be productive for the kingdom. Second, he teaches them that as much as God is merciful, there is appointed for each of us a time to die - there are only so many days left.

So how does the story end? Does the fig tree produce fruit or will it be cut down? We don't know. We're still in that part of the story where the caretaker is patiently working, hoping the tree will be fruitful.

How fitting, for this is a story about you and me, and we don't yet know how that story will turn out either. We get to write that ending.

What are you doing this week to produce fruit?

Day 304: Luke 10, 11 and 12

2011-10-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

...a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. (Luke 12:15)

Luke places this admonishment from Jesus in the context of priorities: eternal values outweigh temporary ones. He tells those who would have him arbitrate estate disputes that death has a way of re-ordering what's important (12:13-21). To hungry people wondering where their next meal is coming from, he affirms that if we put God's kingdom values first, we make room for him to provide our necessities (12:22-34).

In Matthew, seeking the kingdom first comes right after Jesus' enigmatic description of good eyes and bad eyes. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness (Matthew 6:22,23). In New Testament times an evil eye symbolized a stingy heart, and a good eye one that was generous.

Luke situates this good eye / bad eye teaching (11:33-36) just before Jesus' woes pronounced upon the Pharisees and the teachers of the law (vv. 37-53). He seems to be saying that stinginess and generosity covers more than just finances and possessions. We can be generous or stingy in regard to spiritual things too. We can say a person's poverty is his own fault, and we can make it difficult for seekers to approach Christ, as if there's not enough grace to go around.

Being rich toward God requires that we be generous with people.

How will you show God's generosity this week?

Day 303: Luke 7, 8 and 9

2011-10-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

God has come to help his people. (Luke 7:16)

As Jesus approaches the small Galilean town of Nain, he happens upon a funeral procession exiting the town gates and heading for the nearby cemetery. He is touched by the plight of a woman wailing over her lost son. She is a widow, cared for by her adult son until his untimely death. Not only does she know the grief of losing both her husband and her only son, she is now faced with the bleak prospect of living out her years alone and in poverty.

Jesus' heart goes out to her, possibly thinking of his own mother and her impending loss. This compassionate stranger approaches the coffin, lays his hands upon it, and speaks unexpected words: Get up! The young man rises, and is given back to his mother. The crowd is amazed: God has come to help his people.

Is there an implied indictment here of the prevailing religious leaders? Since the witnesses are surprised God cares enough to reach out to a grieving mother, apparently helping people wasn't a high priority for God's self-proclaimed representatives in Israel, the priests and Pharisees.

In 2 Corinthians 5:19-20, Paul writes that we are God's ambassadors of reconciliation. That means it's our assignment to bring help, hope and the good news of Jesus Christ to those with whom we come into contact. Through us God wants to love our neighbors.

Would your friends be surprised that God cares about them?

Day 302: Luke 4, 5 and 6

2011-10-29T06:00:00.001-07:00

Do not judge and you will not be judged. (Luke 6:37)

I can slap a label on people within minutes of meeting them. You know; the whole first impressions thing. And once I label them, there ends the discussion. There is no question as to their intentions or character. Everything I need to know can be answered by looking at that label - the label I put there.

Sometimes the problem is our lenses. We talk about looking at the world through rose-colored glasses - seeing things better than they really are. My eyes don't focus the way they used to, so I wear corrective lenses... reading glasses. They help correct the distorted image my aging eyes see so I can read the words on the page.

Not all lenses are corrective; not all lenses are rose-colored. Sometimes our lenses determine how we see things. If we see people as out to get us, everything they do will seem suspect. If we see someone as a bigot, everything he says will seem prejudiced. See someone else as dishonest and everything she says will be filtered for possible deceit. Those are heavy loads to impose on someone.

We put people in boxes that too often determine their shape. That's not fair. It's not right to subject individuals to our preconceived ideas about them. They start out with a negative balance and find it difficult if not impossible to ever break even.

Do you need to let someone out of a box?

Day 301: Luke 1, 2 and 3

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

On earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. (Luke 2:14)

Years ago, I pastored a church in Georgia. During a tough spell, an old man in my congregation sat me down, looked me square in the eye and said, I want you to know something. I'm fer ya'. When life gets difficult, it's encouraging to hear someone is on our side.

The angel brought glorious news to poor shepherds: On earth peace to men on whom [God's] favor rests. If there was any group of people who needed an advocate, it was the poor. Still is.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them (v. 9). God could have shared his Son's birth announcement with anyone, but intentionally targeted the poor. The angel said to them (v. 10). Speaking on God's behalf, the angel shared the greatest news ever told. A Savior has been born to you (v. 11). Not, a Savior has been born and if you grovel there's a slim chance you can get in on it, but this Savior is for you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths (v. 12). The angels sought out the poor, made their announcement to the poor, of a Savior born for the poor, who was comfortable identifying with the poor.

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to men on earth . . . because God is fer ya'.

The great King of the universe chooses the poor. Whose side are you on?

Day 300: Mark 13, 14, 15 and 16

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Not what I will, but what you will. (Mark 14:36)

When the disciples asked their Master to teach them to pray, Jesus taught them to pray like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9,10).

In Adventures in Prayer, Catherine Marshall writes about the Prayer of Relinquishment. She had been sick with a respiratory infection for six months. The best medicine and the strongest faith seemed inacapable of bringing the desired results. She read about a missionary who, after suffering for eight years, finally transitioned from praying, Heal me. to praying, I want you even more than I want health. You decide. That night, Marshall prayed, You decide what you want for me. From that moment on, she experienced the beginning of healing in both body and spirit.

Marshall goes on to write: A demanding spirit, with self-will as its rudder, blocks prayer. . . . God absolutely refuses to violate our free will; . . . unless self-will is voluntarily given up, even God cannot move to answer prayer. [1]

This is not resigning oneself to brace for the worst, but freely saying that God knows best and that we willingly accept whatever he, in his love, sends our way. This is the prayer that God always answers, Yes.

Do you have enough faith to want what God wants?

[1] Catherine Marshall. Adventures in Prayer. (Old Tappan, NJ: Spire, 1975), 61.