November 1

Jesus walking on water is a favorite part of mine, and is one of His most popular miracles among Christians and non-Christians alike. Most of the times though it’s just looked at, I think, as a miracle which very obviously defies the laws of physics while at the same time displaying Jesus’ divine nature. Was this all? As we actually read the story we see that this doesn’t seem to be Jesus’ main point. Rather Jesus taught his disciples, and us, about faith. “You of little faith, why did you doubt.” he said when Peter started to sink. The context of the story is not the water, it’s faith.

Jesus makes us see the contrast between doubt and faith. Peter did take a step of faith initially when he stepped out of the boat, but then when it got windy he doubted and started to sink. This is how it happens: 1. Wind comes 2. Doubt. 3. Begin to sink. 4. Ask Jesus for help. Most of the time we do the same. Life gets difficult, we get distressed and find ourselves helpless. We’ve all either heard or said the words: “I feel like I’m sinking.” But Jesus is saying: 1. Have faith. 2. Walk on water with me. This doesn’t mean that grief and sorrow aren’t normal and even necessary for healing to an extent. There’s a defining line between pain and doubt which I’m still trying to figure out. Can we be hurt in life, yet still have faith, without doubting God and still walking on water?

But here’s another point: Jesus was there with Peter. Peter didn’t just venture to try this on his own. A scene in the book The Shack pointed out this to me. In its fictional story, the character of McKenzie had just walked on water across a lake together with Jesus. On the way back he was eager to do it again, but went ahead of Jesus and it didn’t quite work out. Jesus teased him: “This always works better when we do it together.”

So this week in your life, is there a water which Jesus is asking you to walk on together with Him?

October 31: Sending Out Apostles

Appropriately for our Blessing Sunday, in which Grace Church took to the streets, we read about Jesus's sending out the 12 apostles. His motivation and strategy still remain key ingredients to all our Gospel ministry; if we do not follow these tenets, we will needlessly spin our wheels and miss out on the great blessings of loving and serving others and presenting them with an invitation to the Kingdom of God.

Jesus's heart for the people of all nations caused Him to set this plan of sending the apostles in motion. In Matthew 9:35-38, we read about this compassion of Christ: "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'" In Jesus's words, we recognize that Gospel ministry ultimately springs from God's heart, and our connection to Him will indeed fan flames of passion for His glory and goodness among others. Secondly, we may see that Jesus "owns" the harvest and has responsibility for bringing it. In Gospel ministry, therefore, as with other facets of life, our responsibility lies in following His instructions faithfully and leaving the results to the "Lord of the harvest."

Many times, our hearts become fearful as we consider evangelism. In all ministry, we have the opportunity to reveal the love of Christ to others. Clearly, we cannot change anyone's heart, but God can -- instantly. We are tools in His plan of bringing an ingathering of the nations. We may rejoice that the future holds a wonderful success story that God is writing through His willing servants on a daily basis: "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: 'Salvation belongs to our God,/ who sits on the throne,/ and to the Lamb.'" (Revelation 7:9,10)

In terms of strategy, we read about Jesus's intention that the apostles would work together (a testimony to the unity found in Christ) and seek out people of peace. Jesus was less concerned about methodology than in people. When we channel Jesus's heart of love for people and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), we are well-equipped to be ready co-workers with Him. In addition, fellowshipping with God through His Word and prayer makes us ready (Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:14-17).

Jesus's commitment to this mission continues for all generations, as promised in the Great Commission: "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" The authority He granted to the apostles has fallen to us, should we wish to work alongside. Are you ready?

October 30

Who Is Jesus?

There is a lot of confusion over who Jesus really is. From the TV images to the modern scholars of our day, the picture only gets more blurred. If you peruse the religious book section at a Borders you may encounter Jesus as a political revolutionary, a magician who married Mary Magdalene, a rabbi, a peasant Jewish cynic, an anti-Pharisee Essene, a prophet, a hippie in a world of Augustinian yuppies, or even the hallucinogenic leader of a sacred mushroom cult.

Athletes have also come up with some creative portrayals of who Jesus is. Norm Evans, former Miami Dolphin lineman, wrote in his book, On God's Squad, "I guarantee you Christ would be the toughest guy who ever played this game. If he were alive today I would picture a six-foot-six inch 260-pound defensive tackle who would always make the big plays and would be hard to keep out of the backfield for offensive linemen like myself.”
Fritz Peterson, former NY Yankee, more easily fancies Jesus in a baseball uniform: "I firmly believe that if Jesus Christ was sliding into second base, he would knock the second baseman into left field to break up the double play. Christ might not throw a spitball, but he would play hard within the rules.” If this is true, the Mets should sign him for a big contract next year.

So how do you see him? We should take comfort in our confusion; even the people who had face-to-face encounters with Jesus 2000 years ago were confused about his identity.

From our readings today there are only two responses when answering the question, "Who is Jesus?" There are believers and doubters. The doubt can have its origin in pride, rationality, scientific arguments, and even apathy. Regardless of doubt’s origin, the doubting heart ends up worlds apart from believing heart.

In Jesus’ hometown “familiarity” kept people from believing in him. They knew him from his childhood. They knew his story. In a sense they had grown up close to Jesus and that it inoculated them from really believing in the real Jesus. There are many people who grow up very close to the church that never really believe in Jesus. They know a lot about Jesus, they know his story, but they don’t know Jesus. They are so close to the truth but they can’t see it because it is right under their noses. Have you ever lost your glasses and said, “Where did I place those things?” And all the time they are resting on your head. That can happen with Jesus. The saying is true, “Familiarity breeds contempt.”

This is one of my greatest fears as a pastor, that people would hear God's word time after time, but the result would be inoculation rather than catching the virus. Just enough of “Jesus” to feel comfortable and familiar, yet not enough to end up as a passionate, totally committed, radical follower.

The consequence of doubt is that Jesus couldn't do any miracles in his hometown but not because he didn't have the power to do them. He chose not to do them because of their pride and unbelief. The only result of doing more miracles would have been more controversy. Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith, at the very place where one would expect the greatest faith. The people most familiar with Jesus had no idea of who he really was.

So this leads to the thought for today… "Who is Jesus?"

October 29

An Instructive Moment about Hearing

Friday is accountability day. Would you send me an email giving me a reading of your spiritual temperature this week? You have four choices.....
Hot ... your walk with the Lord is strong and vibrant. You are connecting with him, your faith is growing.
Warm ... the cares of the world are pressing in on you and you are struggling to stay afloat.
Cool ... it is hard to connect with God. There just isn’t enough time for God. It has been a long time since you heard his voice.
Cold... you are seriously disconnected from God. Your heart can best be described as hard and wintry. It has been weeks since you have opened your Bible.

Ears are funny and amazing. The amazing part of the ear is the part you can’t see. Ear collects sound waves and funnels them into your ear canal. The important parts are buried an inch and a half inside the head, just behind and below the eye. Amazingly the inner ear is no bigger than a hazelnut, yet it contains millions of circuits. The most complicated part is the large snail-shaped tube called the cochlea. Tiny little nerve hair cells stick into a fluid which are moved by the sound waves; every time they move we perceive a sound, There are over 20,000 nerve cells in each ear, and up to 100 hairs on each cell. There are different cells for different high or low sounds. Hearing is an amazing sense.

With our ears we heard the alarm clock ring, the crunch of cereal, the horns honking on 95, the barking of dogs and bosses, the wind, and children asking for more Halloween candy. What is the most important part of hearing? Jesus tells us that it is hearing with our hearts. Jesus repeatedly said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear." It is imperative we understand what he meant. What do we need to hear? It is his message about the kingdom of God. Jesus did not simply bring forgiveness of sins and a Get Out of Jail Ticket. He came to bring the kingdom of God to our dark world here in Stamford. The power of God in heaven entered our world to bring healing to all areas of brokenness in our lives. This includes physical, spiritual, psychological, sociological and relational healing. The kingdom of God is a comprehensive theme; it affects every area of life. And our greatest need is to enter into this kingdom and tap into God’s divine power.

How would you guess we do this? It comes by hearing!!! So we need to be very careful how we hear. To live a victorious and abundant life here on earth we need to hear with our hearts the truth of God’s kingdom. This is a crazy message to hear. It is about a king named Jesus who came from heaven to this earth to be born as a helpless, vulnerable child. God moved to the hood. He lived here for 30 years, had a three year ministry and then was falsely accused of crimes he did not commit. He was tortured, killed and buried but on the third day he rose from the dead. Because he is alive he can come and live in our hearts and now. as his followers, we know the kingdom secrets.

The way up is the way down.
The way to be rich is to give away your money.
The way to become powerful is to give up your rights and become a servant.
The way to find life is to lose your life.
Growth only occurs through pain and suffering

This is a crazy message, but it is the only message that can our hearts and the world.

So how is your hearing today? If our hearing is deficient, if we are only hearing with our ears we won’t understand the kingdom, but if we can hear with our ears AND our hearts the result will be a HOT heart.

October 28

Worry

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life.”

The past two days have been a tremendous learning experience for me. The truth I discovered is that presuppositions shape our perspectives, perspectives shape our priorities and our priorities eventually shape our practice. In other words, what we really think is eventually displayed in how we act. SO to really take an inventory of what I believe, I have to look at how I behaved. Here was my Grandpa test.

My son and pregnant daughter-in-law called our house at 5:00 am on Tuesday morning informing us that they were on the way to the hospital. As the hours dragged on my anxiety and worry levels started to elevate. We had updates every 4 to 5 hours but the waiting time in-between was difficult. By the time I woke up on Wednesday, my heart was on overload because nothing was happening. I had a difficult time focusing on my work that morning. Now in my mind I say, I trust God, but my heart was at a different place. There was a disconnection between my “creed” and my “deed” between my “talk” and my “walk.” It is far easier to preach a sermon on worry than to actually practice trusting God in the storm.

The great news is that last night I held my grandson in my arms and I think he likes me. But the test revealed that my worry muscles needed some development. I am always amazed at how God speaks so clearly to me through his word.

Here a few lessons I learned from our reading today.

I need to trust God even when I don’t feel like it. I love what Apryl said on Tuesday, “ ‘do not worry’ is a command not a suggestion.” That is why we are commanded in 1 Peter 5:7 to, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he care for you.” Even when I am struggling with worry, there is no greater activity I can do than to get on my knees and give God every worry found in my heart.

Secondly, put God first. "But seek his kingdom, and all these things shall be added to you.” I need to get my priorities straight. When I let the wrong thing be “number one” it creates an enormous amount of stress and worry in my life. Number one is not my comfort, my wants or my agenda. When I put God and his kingdom first, that is when worry takes flight. The Christian life is a transversal of values. We gain our life by losing it, we lead by serving, and we have our needs met by not worrying about them. To overcome worry we need to surrender to the kingdom plan of God. Finally, I need to give myself the “don’t give into fear talk.” “Do not be afraid little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” In verse thirty-two Jesus really gets to the bottom line, WORRY IS REALLY FEAR! Jesus tells the believers that they are to stop being afraid; it is this fear that manifests itself in our lives as worry. The antidote to fear is faith.

Ian McClaren, the great preacher of the 19th century, said, “What does your anxiety do? It does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but it does empty today of its strength. It does not make you escape the evil; it makes you unfit to cope with it when it comes. God gives us the power to bear all the sorrow of His making, but He does not guarantee to give us strength to bear the burdens of our own making such as worry induces.”

In a fallen world there will always be anxious thoughts. Jesus is asking that I overcome my worry with his truth. He is in control and I can never improve on his plan that is unfolding all across this planet. I pray that I can believe and practice that truth.

Grandpa Taylor

October 27

I am asking for special prayer today for my son and daughter-in-law who are at the hospital preparing for the delivery of their baby. They have all ready been there for 28 hours. Please pray for strength and God’s miraculous power to guide them through this time. Thanks!!

The Message of Grace

A church leader died and in a nanosecond he was standing directly in front of the pearly gates. Saint Peter met him and said, "It takes 1000 points to get in. So tell me something about yourself."
The man said, “I had perfect attendance in church for 14 years and I served as a trustee for 15 years. I also cut the church grass for 20 years. I visited the sick each week and was a youth sponsor for 30 years.”
Saint Peter said, “That's extremely good, let me add that up. The total of all those actions is 1 point. So tell me something else about yourself.”
The man continued, “I went to the annual business meeting each year. I sang on the worship team. I gave 10% of income all my life and I was a lifetime church member.”
“That is truly remarkable,” Saint Peter replied "That gives you another point. Tell me something else about yourself."
By this time the man was getting a little desperate, and if the truth were known, a little irritated. He blurted out to Saint Peter, "Look, at this rate the only way I'll ever get into heaven is by the grace of God."
“BINGO!!! That's worth a thousand points,” answered St. Peter. "And with the two you earned, that makes 1002. Would you like to come in now?”

If we were to have a Cliff notes of the message of Jesus it could be reduced to one word; Grace. That is the core message of what Jesus was communicating. It was a scandalous, outrageous, offensive message 2000 years ago. The message of grace is still as controversial today. We live in a world filled with people who like a very measurable way to determine who matters? Who's important? And who is going to heaven?

In the story of the anointing of the sinful woman we see the scandalous message of grace. Jews in Jesus' day envisioned a ladder reaching higher and higher towards God, a hierarchy expressed in the very architecture of the temple. Gentiles and half-breeds like the Samaritans were permitted only in the outer Court of the Gentiles. A wall separated them from the next partition, which admitted Jewish women. Jewish men could precede one stage further, but only priests could enter sacred areas. Finally only one priest, the high priest, could enter the Most Holy Place, just once a year on Yom Kipper.

Jewish society was in effect, a religious caste system based on steps towards holiness, and the Pharisees scrupulosity reinforced the system daily. 620 rules on holiness were their guide on who was important. All of these rules were an attempt to make themselves acceptable to God. But what was obviously clear was that there was no room for sinner, no room for prostitutes in the hierarchy.

Now Jesus appears on the scene with this message of Grace. This message was radical. It moved from exclusion of undesirables to their inclusion. Instead of the message "No undesirables wanted” Grace gives the message "Come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest." Jesus was always hanging around the undesirables, losers, and outcasts. This message was considered outrageous, dangerous; it could cause the destabilization of society. No wonder 20 times the Gospel writers talk of the religious leaders conspiring against him.

We need to grasp the impact of this message in Stamford today. Go out on the street and ask 100 people how they are going to get into heaven and 95 of them will say the same thing as the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. Everyone of the world the religions are based on works. Religion is people struggling to do something, striving to earn something, to earn the favor of God. Pray the Tibetan prayer wheel. Light candles. Say so many rote prayers. Perform certain amount of good deeds. Cycles of reincarnation or whatever…. They are attempts by people to reach out to God. Grace is God reaching out to us. Grace is the opposite of what those other religions are saying. What Grace says is that no one can do anything to merit heaven so you might as well stop trying. We are all guilty of religious prostitution. None of us can say we have never sinned. We all know that. Our only hope is God's grace. The bottom line is this... all of the religions of the world are spelled “DO” because they teach that people must DO a bunch of things to work their way to God. But GRACE is spelled “DONE” because Jesus has done what needed to be done on the cross. And we just need to receive it. This is the radical message we must tell a lost and hopeless world.

October 26

The Sermon on the Mount

Today's readling has a lot to consider and take to heart. Jesus was giving important instructions and teachings to His followers. If there is ever a time when you don't know what to do in a certain situtation, chances are you will find the answer in this sermon.

These are a couple key points that stood out to me:

~ God will comfort those who suffer and reward those those who do His will. (The Beautides)

~ Material wealth in this world does not equal true wealth in the kingdom of heaven.

~ Sinning in your mind is still just that: sin. There is no difference between committing a sin outwardly and committing a sin in your mind. (Jesus gives examples with the 6th and 7th commandments).

~ Do to others as you would have them do to you. Jesus said that the entire Law and teachings of the Prophets can be summed up in this sentence. It maybe hard for some of us to believe that the Old Testament could be summed up in such a simple way. But when you think about it, it is clearly the truth. Everything God does for us is out of His infinite love for us. Everything we do for God should be out of our love for Him. The same goes with how we should treat each other as well.

~ When Jesus said "Do not worry," it was not a suggestion, it was a command. When we worry, it means we are doubting God's ability and desire to take care of us. When you feel worry or anxiety, think about all the things God has done and all the things He is capable of. There is no such thing as a situtation or problem too great for God to control.

~ When you pray or give to the poor, make sure your motives are pure. Follow God's instructions out of love for Him and gratitude for all He has done for us.

I pray that we will all take to heart Jesus' teachings. Throughout your days, ask God to help you put His words into practice in order to experience His love and to show it to the world.

October 25

1. Eternal Life.

Jesus says that He not only gives true life, but that this life is eternal. Whoever believes in Him and the one who sent Him, will have eternal life. How we view life determines our actions and choices. If you believe Jesus and have eternal life your perspective changes. You are still given the same amount of maximum life span on Earth, but the choices you make, your hopes and dreams are for eternity extend beyond that. For example if you lose health or security in life, you still have faith and hope that this will just pass and you will be safe in eternity. You find yourself on a mission in life, your purpose if very defined and Jesus will be speaking to us more on what that looks like.

2. Tradition vs Truth

A battle begins between the religious and spiritual leaders and scholars of the day and Jesus. They fight for power because their leadership position is threatened by what Jesus teaches to the people. Jesus on the other hand, is simply speaking the truth.

The Pharisees questioned why Jesus heals on the Sabbath, why he eats and drinks with sinners. They thought they are keeping the law. But Jesus shows that they misunderstood the law. Jesus quoted: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." They interpreted even acts of mercy and goodness for unlawful work! Jesus made it clear: The Sabbath is for man, not man for the Sabbath, and reminded that He is the Lord of the Sabbath.

How about us? Do we find ourselves sometimes religious for the sake of religion? Do we sometimes find ourselves busy doing the Lords work and forget that He is the Lord of that work? It's hard to see it sometimes, but could we be hurting someone just so we follow a tradition, not the truth?

1. Can you show mercy to someone today?

2. How could Jesus' words and the view of eternity affect your choices today?

October 23

Defining Our Mission

Rafael Antonio Lozano is a man with a mission, albeit a strange one. The 37-year-old computer programmer from Plano, Texas, is on a quest to visit every company-owned Starbucks on the planet. Lozano, who calls himself Winter, began his mission in 1997, when there were 1,304 such stores worldwide. Today, there are over 15,500 in 43 countries. As of May 2009, Winter had visited 9,100 Starbucks around the globe. Despite his impressive pace, Winter is realistic about the nature of his quest, saying, "As long as they keep building Starbucks, I'll never be finished." He is also realistic about the importance of his mission. "Every time I reach a Starbucks, I feel like I've accomplished something," he said, "when actually I've accomplished nothing."
I like coffee and I like visiting new places but this doesn’t sound like much of a mission in life. By the way... could you write in a sentence your mission in life?
In our reading today we see several key ingredients in discovering and formulating why we were given another day of life to live. The mission of a Christ follower is to follow the example of Christ. Look at a few of the clues given about our mission in life. These come from the example of our Savior:

1. To hang out with lost people. John 1:38-39 They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" "Come," he replied, "and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him.
Schedule time with people far from God should be part of our mission. Our mission is not to escape from the world but to radically change the world. We can only do this with an incarnational mission of involvement. Tomorrow in church we will strategize on how to reach prostitutes for Jesus. It should be an interesting discussion.

2. To meet people’s needs. In John 2 Jesus attends a wedding and he spares a wedding couple the embarrassment of a wedding party flop. He turns water to the finest wine and he does it not for himself but for the benefit of a newlywed couple. He does all of this behind the scenes without any big show or fanfare. We are called to meet the needs of people around us. Become radical in your sharing with the needy. Join us on Blessing Sunday to give 400 blessings to the people of Stamford.

3. To make sure the church stays on mission. Jesus clears the temple because the religious leaders totally botched the plan. They were all focused on larger, bigger, more comfortable, more profitable institutions, when the focus of the church should be prayer and spiritual transformation. The difference between the institutional church and the Biblically healthy church is huge and Jesus makes it clear what he thinks of religious institutions. The question for us is, “Are we keeping Grace church on mission?”

4. To know our message. Jesus is incredulous that Nicodemus is a teacher of the law, yet he doesn’t even know about spiritual rebirth. How can this be? I run into a lot of Christians who after years of attending church could not explain to someone how to be born again. Our mission is to carry the gospel message to a lost and dying world. We must all have a clear understanding of what our message is.

So today take 10 minutes and write down your mission in life. These four examples of Jesus should find their way into your statement.

Make sure you know what your mission is.

October 22

Accountability day is different today ... I am asking that you give me a day next week when you will fast for at least one meal. Read today’s blog for more information on fasting.

“After fasting forty days and forty nights.”

There are two extremes regarding the Christian life. The first extreme overemphasizes our role and minimizes God’s role. This position emphasizes knowledge, rules, moral codes, do-lists, rededication efforts, and human activities and virtually ignores the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The second extreme overemphasizes God’s role and minimizes our role. This position is characterized by a let-go-and-let-God passivity. It stresses experience, the supernatural, and the person of the Holy Spirit and downplays the human element.

Our Bible reading team wants to strike a Biblical balance of both dependence and discipline. On the dependence side we realize that we can do nothing apart from Christ, and I mean nothing. On the discipline side we realize there is no growth in the Christian life apart from discipline and self-control. Those who are waiting for God to make them holy are simply waiting.

The Christian life takes on a whole new dynamic when we combine both of these realities. I would like to challenge everyone to set aside one day of the upcoming week to practice the historic discipline of fasting. If Jesus practiced this discipline, how much more necessary is it in our lives?

The goal of the historic disciplines is never an end in themselves but a means to the end of knowing, loving and trusting God more. Our daily choices shape our habits, and our habits shape our character. Our character, in turn guides the decisions we make in times of stress, temptation, and adversity. In this way, we show that delicate balance between relying on God and working out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Spiritual disciplines are good servants but poor masters; they are useful means but inadequate ends.

So how does someone practice fasting in 2010? Fasting is simply the absence of physical nourishment for the purpose of spiritual sustenance. There are five primary reasons why people fasted in the Bible, each of which represents a different life-context and situation for the child of God:

1. To seek God intensely when there is a great or urgent need.
2. To develop a deeper intimacy with God.
3. To seek God for revival and the special anointing of the Holy Spirit.
4. To bring deliverance to those in bondage, whether spiritual, emotional, sexual, chemical, or any other kind of bondage or spiritual oppression.
5. To seek God’s wisdom and guidance.

Clearly, fasting can have significant health implications for an individual. I urge thoughtful caution before beginning a fast. Many should seek a physician’s counsel. For some, health considerations may permit participation in a partial fast only, if at all, especially if prescription medications are being taken or a chronic condition exists. Good stewardship of the physical care of our bodies is a clear biblical mandate.

I invite you to take a step of faith and join me in a fast next week. Drink plenty of water or other fluids during that time. Fasting is a private experience. However, if you live with other people, in kindness, you may wish to inform them of your decision to fast. I will be fasting on Monday, October 25th. This means I will eat a meal on Sunday night and not eat food until Monday night at dinner. The purpose of my fast will be to draw close to our Lord. If you want to join me Monday that would be fantastic but if that day does not work for you, pick any day next week. You might want to start out just fasting one meal. But the challenge is to use the disciple of fasting to draw closer to our Lord. Join me in this great discipline.

October 21

October 21, 2010


My wife Kathie tells an interesting childhood memory she has of Christmas Day. When she was 9 years old she had one of those Christmases when she received everything she wanted. But later that Christmas day she realized even though her stocking was full, her heart was empty. In the afternoon her family went over to the Grandparents and Kathie made her way to a quiet room to be by herself. There she sat in the quietness with a profound sadness in her heart. She knew that she had received the dreams of every girl that Christmas, but there had to be more to Christmas then just receiving toys. That is an amazing insight from a 9 year old!!

Most people in their heart of hearts know that material things do not satisfy the longing of the human soul but they still can’t find the courage to actually surrender to God’s plan of soul satisfaction. The lie of, “he who dies with the most toys -- wins” still rules in our hearts.

The Wise Men give us a very different perspective on what will satisfy the human heart. A few insights from their journey:

1. They had the wisdom to follow God’s leading. God gave them a star to follow and they had the wisdom to do exactly that. Wise people let God lead them and they follow. The main way God leads us is through his Word. Your commitment to read his word every day is very wise. In these scriptures we will find the true King.

2. Wise people see through the glitter. King Herod and the religious establishment was the glitter. King Herod was the original Neon Deon of his time. But the Wise Men knew their search was not for glitter, the goal is not stuff, the goal is Jesus.

3. Wise people spend time in worship. The scene of these great men bowing down to an infant is astounding. Picture this, PhD’s from Yale and Harvard, bowing down, worshiping, adoring, and admiring an infant. At the heart of our response to God's gift of his Son is worship. Wise people still worship him. SO here is the integrity issue of the day, how much time will you spend today in worship of the King? Put your response in minutes ______. Worship is always on the “Do List” of wise people.

People think they want stuff, pleasure, recognition, popularity, status, and power, but the pursuit of these things leads to emptiness, delusion, and foolishness. God has set eternity in our heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and our deepest desires are only fulfilled in finding the “Eternal One.” This is true for wise people and even 9 year old girls.

October 20

Creating Silence in our Private Worlds

The Christmas story is probably the most famous story in the Bible. The birth of Jesus changed everything in the universe. So who were the people invited to the birthday party of the King of Kings? It would be good for us to understand who was invited and why they were invited.
Obviously Mary was invited. She was invited because as a teenage girl she had an awesome faith. When informed that she was selected above all the young women of the earth to carry the infant king, she replied, “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said.” Wow, that is an incredible step of faith.
Joseph was also invited because he put his faith into practice. When he awoke from his dream he simply did exactly what God had instructed him. Maybe he was the first man to ever read the directions and then follow them.
The shepherds and the magi were invited because they weren’t too busy. From the Matthew account we find that everyone in Jerusalem knew where the birthday party was being thrown, yet it is only the shepherds and the Magi who showed up. The Magi made the 800 mile journey to the party while the people in Jerusalem couldn’t make the 5-mile journey. I can’t wait to hear the excuses the residents of Jerusalem will give on the judgment day for not showing up. What are your excuses for not showing up at the party thrown each Sunday for Jesus?
Simeon was at the party. He is described as a man who was righteous and devout. He was also “waiting” for God. “Waiting” is something I struggle with, yet this guy gets a ticket to the party because he has perfected it.
And finally there was Anna the prophetess, a woman who spent her lifetime worshiping, fasting and praying, a woman comfortable with “silence.” If CNN were to interview her, I wonder what they would say. This is my guess at their headlines, “84 year old woman has wasted her life.” Her lifestyle couldn’t be more opposite than life in Fairfield County in 2010, yet she was invited to the party.

Our culture does not like “silent nights” or days. Ever have a conversation with someone and run out of things to talk about? You talk about awkward. We live in a culture where every moment of every day has to be filled with noise. Our days are filled with text messages, Twitter, CNN, MP3s, movies, digital TV, cell phones, news radio, Sports Center, Mike Franseca, honking horns and nagging bosses. Every day our ears are assaulted with a 1000 cacophonous sounds, yet God said, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) If you are like me, you have heard this verse many times. But take a closer look at it; God is speaking—so we ought to listen. Being still and knowing Him go together. We cannot have an intimate knowledge of God without being still and turning off the noise.

I am struggling at becoming more like Anna. My performance-oriented personality tells me that silence isn’t productive; it can be mistaken as wasting time. People who practice silence are mistaken for lazy people all the time. The culture says that busy people are important people. We tend to think that activity equates significance. So if our calendars are filled up, we must be important. It is clear that God is not impressed with busy lives. God is interested in people who have eliminated the cultural noise and value listening to His voice. Those were the people who were invited to the first birthday party of the King.

So today go for a silent walk with the King. He is no longer an infant King. Just make sure on this walk you don’t take your Ipod. Just take your open heart and open ears to listen to his silent whisper.

October 19

Matthew 1, Luke 3:23-38

Genealogies of Jesus

Today's passage may not seem like much at first glance. It's just appears to be a list of names of people in Jesus' lineage. But it is so much more than just a list of names. It is the story of God's plan for salvation for all people. It's an incredible story, because these people in Jesus' lineage were far from perfect. They were flawed, sinful people who were willing to be used by God to accomplish great things.


Let's take a look at some of these people:

Abraham - doubted God's promise to make him the father of many nations
Isaac and Jacob - both showed favoritism toward one child over another (or others)
Judah - slept with his son's widow, thinking she was a prostitute, participated in selling his brother Joseph into slavery
Rahab - was a prostitute
King David - committed murder and adultery
King Solomon - married foreign woman and worshiped their false gods
King Manasseh - was wicked and unrighteous
Adam and Eve - were the first to sin against God, causing the fall of all mankind

God had a plan for our salvation before the creation of the world and He carried it out by using flawed and sinful people. What does this mean for us today? It means we don't have to be perfect or know everything or have it all figured out in order to do great things for God. (It's impossible for us to accomplish anything on our own.) All we have to do is have a willing heart and God will do the rest.

Oct 18 - Beginning of the New Testament

Anyone else excited to start the New Testament?! The relationship of the Jews with God is about to change, as it would for all people throughout the world. The Jews worshipped God through obeying the law given though Moses and through sacrifices, though they knew well I'm sure that hardly anyone was able to come close to obeying all of it. But while the law was brought through Moses brought, Jesus would bring the truth and grace the law was setting up the stage for:

"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,who is at the Father's side, has made him known."(Jn 1:17-18)

We are also reminded that Jesus was not only there at Creation, but that He is the Creator, which with the Genesis account we've read, gives insight into the nature of the Holy Trinity:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

"Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men." (Jn 1:1-3)

" He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him." (Jn 1:10-11)

The introduction in John gives out some of what will happen: Some will recognize Jesus as the Messiah and some will not. The Creation: some of the people, will not recognize their Creator. But for those who did, and still do, an amazing hope is given:

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." (Jn 1:12-13)

Let's take this time to ponder that at the historical moment we are to read about, the Creator of the Universe is to be born into a babe and then walk the earth amongst his Creation.

October 17: Time Between the Testaments

In today's writing, the commentator describes the world into which God the Father would send His Son, Jesus Christ, to seek and save the lost. From the text, we gather that God had orchestrated a world in which the Gospel might take root and grow, giving the world a common Greek language and Roman law to allow the faith to spread. In Judaism itself, we find a religious culture that had turned away from seeking after God Himself, but rather focusing on legalistic righteousness. The rabbi (with his knowledge of the law) had come to supplant the priest, who stood between God and man and offered sacrifices on behalf of the people.

Political developments had prompted the Israelites to embrace the concept of a coming political champion in the Messiah, one who would overthrow the Roman authorities and restore Jewish rule over the Promised Land. In the coming weeks, we will see many tensions among both the crowds and the disciples and Jesus, Who does not fit the molds assumed for Him.
God's sovereignty gives order and ushers His goodness into the world. Praise Him for His purpose and plan!

"May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine upon us,
that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you." (Psalm 67:1-3)

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'" (Acts 17:24-28)

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." (Romans 8:28-30)

October 15

Friday is accountability day so send me a quick email informing me of your place in the race. This is also a great chance to start over, on Monday we start with the New Testament. If you have stumbled in the race, Monday is a great day to get up, dust yourself off and get back in the race. There are 74 days to the end of this journey and there is nothing more important that understanding the message of the New Testament.

The historical interlude readings are fascinating, so I will not comment on them. Today, I want to focus on why anyone would read the Bible. I will use historical quotes to support my case.
In his farewell speech on September 19, 1796, George Washington said, “It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible.”
Here are the words by John Adams, our second president, who also served as chairman of the American Bible Society. In an address to military leaders he said, "We have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions, unbridled by morality and true religion. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
Adams wrote to Thomas Jefferson on December 25, 1813, “I have examined all religions, as well as my narrow sphere, my straightened means, and my busy life, would allow; and the result is that the Bible is the best Book in the world. It contains more philosophy than all the libraries I have seen.”
James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution of the United States, said this: "We have staked the whole future of our new nation, not upon the power of government; far from it. We have staked the future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments."
Immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress voted to purchase and imported 20,000 copies of the Bible for the people of this nation. Can you image our Congress doing that in 2010?
Patrick Henry, of Virginia, boldly declared, “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.”
“So great is my veneration of the Bible, that the earlier my children begin to read it the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society.” John Quincy Adams.
William Gladstone said, “I have known 95 of the world’s great men in my time, and of these, 87 were followers of the Bible.”
President Theodore Roosevelt said, “A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.”
President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “The Bible is endorsed by the ages. Our civilization is built upon its words. In no other Book is there such a collection of inspired wisdom, reality and hope.”
President Ronald Reagan said, “Within the covers of the Bible are all the answers for all the problems men face. The Bible can touch hearts, order minds and refresh souls.”
What a great opportunities lies in front of us to read the Bible and incarnate these great truths that change lives and destinies of countries. May God give us strength to complete the journey.

October 8

It is Friday and that means accountability day. Send me a one sentence email telling me where you are on the journey. Do not be ashamed if you have fallen off the pace; the beauty of our journey is you can pick up and get back in the race.

Have you ever been faced with an impossible situation? Maybe it has to do with your work, a family member, a financial burden or a broken relationship. Our world is filled with 1000’s of impossible situations.

We begin the story of a man facing an impossible situation. The key to understanding his hopelessness is that the walls of Jerusalem had been knocked down for 90 years. Everyone knew that those walls would never again be built. It was just too big of a job. That is the impossible situation where our story begins.

Nehemiah takes 4 initial action steps:

First... he clearly defines the problem. Someone said, “A problem well defined is a problem half solved.”
Second... he looks to God for hope. He takes time to prepare his heart for the situation. Fasting and prayer are the tools we have at our disposal to connect with the living God. Finding hope in impossible situations is nothing less than finding God.
Third... he examines his own heart condition. In his prayer in verses 6 and 7 he takes responsibility for his sin and the sin of the nation. Hope is not found when we play the role of victim. Hope begins with repentance and responsibility.
Lastly... he and they Israelites put their hands and backs into the task. In football terms they got off the bench and started playing the game. Too many Christians are spectators when God has called us to be participants. Faith works; faith that doesn't work isn't faith at all.

In recent days our nation has been shocked at the number of hopeless children who have taken their lives through suicide. For many people in America, life has become impossible. Remember this: there are no hopeless situations, only people who have lost their hope. Restore your hope in the awesome God who has called us to be victors in impossible situations.

October 9

Handling Trash Talk

Trash talk is the art of using your words to demoralize, humiliate and defeat your opponent. It is used widely in sports today. Here are a few all-star lines:

"Trust me: The pain'll go away one day."
"If they keep you on me, I'll be in the Hall of Fame by Monday morning."
"Next time, maybe you can hit me with your purse."
"What does the bottom of my shoe say?"
"I've beaten bigger guys on my way to a fight."
"You were a difficult birth, weren't you?"
"First time playing outside?"
“Somebody get a fire extinguisher, cause I'm on FIRE!”

These are some of the all-star trash talking lines from 445 BC. This was what Nehemiah faced as he was working on the walls of Jerusalem.

“You’re nothing but a feeble person.”

“There is no way you can bring that burned rubble back to life.”

“If a fox jumps on that wall it is going to knock it down.”

Trash talk is not new. It has been used for centuries. In fact, Satan is the king of trash talk and he uses it to discourage many people. He uses people to spew out his bitter, acidic, damaging words that get aimed right at your heart. So how does a person find an antidote for trash talk?

There are several in Nehemiah’s life. First, realize that we live in a world full of lies and trash talkers including Satan, our arch enemy. Second, mute your response. Nehemiah doesn’t fight fire with fire; he doesn’t respond with his own trash talk. He gives a gentle response. Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Third, he keeps his mission clearly in from of his eyes. To survive an attack, you must be crystal clear on the mission. What did God call Nehemiah to do? Rebuild a wall. He wasn't called to negotiate, host tea parties, establish a soccer league, or become popular. If you don’t know your mission, trash talk will crush you.

Armed with these antidotes, Nehemiah was able to deflect the trash talk and complete the wall in 52 days. What an amazing God sighting to finish that quickly after 90 years of rubble. And what happened to the trash talkers in the end? They became afraid, lost their self-confidence and forever ceased their trash talking.

That is the best way to quiet a trash talker.

Live in the victory.

October 13

The Prayer of Jabez

The first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles are filled with thousands of years of genealogies. This might be some of the most difficult and boring reading we do all year. Yet smack in the middle of this litany of names, we have a story break though.

1 Chron. 4:9-10 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

What’s with this guy? He gets two verses when no one else has any more information given about them. I think we can trace this reputation to his prayer.

He wanted to live beyond the limits. When was the last time God worked in your life in such a clear way that the only explanation is His miraculous power? When we traveled to Kenya, Ruth Goulart put together a list of 7 impossible dreams she had. These dreams were things only God could answer. I believe God has unclaimed blessings he wants to shower on people of faith. He is looking for people who desire to live beyond their limits spiritually, people who want to dream great dreams for God’s kingdom.

This prayer also asks for a blessing. The great men and women of the Bible have always held onto God and desired his blessing. The caution of this blessing is that it is not a new car, a bigger house, winning the World Series; the greatest blessing is knowing God personally. When we ask for God’s blessing, it’s not about getting stuff, it’s about getting God. The most fantastic blessing we can ever have in life is receiving the love of God. This loving relationship with the eternal God is the deepest longing of the human heart. He wants to bless us with himself, and he is looking for people who express this longing. So why not ask God to bless you today?

He also asked for gain, but not pain. Jabez’s name means “pain.” That would be a great name for a professional linebacker but a terrible name for a kid growing up. Only God knows for sure the origin of this pain, but Jabez wanted to move beyond that to a place of gain, a place where he has freedom and a totally upward focus.

Finally, Jabez wants to live large. He wants God to enlarge his territory. He realizes he was born for something larger than what his life was at the moment. As the singer Bono said a few years ago, “he wanted to maximize his influence for the kingdom of God.” That is a wonderful prayer for us. That God would enlarge our influence for the kingdom of God.

This is how Bruce Wilkinson summarized this prayer, “O God and King, please expand my opportunities and my impact in such a way that I touch more lives for your glory. Let me do more for You!”

We live in times when we need revolutionaries to pray this way. As we close down our time in the Old Testament, we need people who believe in a miracle producing God. Take a step of faith today and pray the prayer of Jabez.

October 12

Nehemiah 12, 13

Nehemiah 13:23-27
Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah. I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God's name and said: "You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves. Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women. Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?

From today's reading, this is the passage that stood out to me. Nehemiah is furious. The people of Judah had just recently renewed their covenant with God, and they quickly slipped back to their old sinful ways. They engaged in foreign marriages, they neglected the temple, and they violated the Sabbath. Nehemiah rebuked the people, verbally and physically (can you imagine him pulling out someone's hair in frustration?!). The reminder he gave them is so valuable, even to us today. He reminded them about Solomon. Solomon was loved and blessed by God, There was no king that came close to his wealth, wisdom, and prosperity. But he neglected to follow God's instructions. Because of this, his kingdom was torn apart and would never be the same. It's so easy for all of us to fall into old habits and forget the lessons we learn.

If we stay close to God by reading His word, praying to Him, and staying in fellowship with other believers, then we are much more likely to stay on track. Don't wait around for Nehemiah to pull your hair out (figuratively speaking, of course!) before you realize what is right.

Oct 11 Reading of the Law

I absolutely loved today’s reading. It invoked such good images of a people turned to God. The openness, the reflection, the confession, the renewal of vows of the people was something to savor. Plus, the second half of the reading gives a great summary of Israel’s history and their relationship with God as a nation, from the time they were slaves in Egypt up until this moment of renewing their covenant with God.

Just imagine: all people are gathered on a great square, and to do what? To read God’s word! It has been neglected so much, no less than a public, complete reading of the law would do. I try to imagine what was in the air at that moment? I try to imagine God’ Spirit penetrating every soul that was there! I try to imagine the impact the words had on the listeners, some of them hearing God’s law for the first time. It must have been amazing. Here is a sequence of events I noticed that were happening:

1. Reading of the Law
2. Interpretation of the Law by the priests to the people
3. Recognition of own sin against God and grief over it
4. Experience joy and celebrations because of who God is
5. Confession
6. Praise
7. Recounting history and God’s provision, faithfulness and forgiveness
8. Renewal of a covenant with God

Verses:

1. All the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. (Neh 8:1) ... He [Ezra] read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
2. They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. (Neh 8:8)
3. "This day is sacred to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep." For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. (Neh 8:9)
4. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. The Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve." (Neh 8:10-11)
5. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God. (Neh 9:2-3)
6. "Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. " ......."Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the LORD. (Neh 9:5-6)
7. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them... (Neh 9:17)
8. "The rest of the people—priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants and all who separated themselves from the neighboring peoples for the sake of the Law of God, together with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand- all these now join their brothers the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the LORD our Lord. (Neh 10:28-29)

I think we all go through similar process with God in our own stories. But I want to focus on confession. How do you confess to God? Is confession something we think we are supposed to do, and therefore end up doing grudgingly? If yes, is this the confession God would like to hear? Is confession only needed if you commit any of the top 10 list of sins most commonly mentioned?

Notice how the Israelites were drawn to confessing? First they red God’s word (so we’ve got a head start :) Because of what was written about who God is, they understood their sin. Confession came naturally after that. When we face God, we are simply compelled to recognize that He is holy and we are not. To me confession is an honest recognition of this during an honest, heart-felt conversation with God. We are compelled to confess because we are drawn to a relationship with God.

So read about Israel and God and think also of who He is in you own life. Just go through Nehemiah chapter 9 verse 7 all through the end of Chapter 10. It’s a very clear summary of what we’ve been reading the past months.

Have a great week!

October 10: Redistribution of Population

Upon finishing the wall for the city in just 52 days, Nehemiah wisely considers how best to populate the city in order to prevent other peoples from laying siege. We may learn three key principles of leadership from today's passage, which dovetail well with Pastor Scott's teaching from this morning.


1. Select leaders based on their character.

"After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed. I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do." (Nehemiah 7:1,2)

Paul mentioned a similar streak in Timothy (Philippians 2:19-23), stating: "I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ." Integrity is one key facet of a broader quality, character.

Finding and teaming with men and women of character is challenging. As the body of Christ, we have responsibility for building and nurturing others in the faith and in their ministry -- through family, work, the neighborhoods, softball teams, or wherever God would lead us. As Pastor Scott mentioned this morning, Jesus's call to His followers is to "make disciples," and this discipleship clearly involves building strong character.

We can build integrity into our lives and those of others in several ways. We must believe that God's directives are indeed good and useful, stemming from His loving concern for His children. We must become "alert and self-controlled" in light of God's call on our lives (1 Thessalonians 5:5-8). In this alertness, we then gain a hunger for God's Word and truth and will find ourselves like "a tree planted by streams of water,/ which yields its fruit in season/ and whose leaf does not wither./ Whatever he does prospers." (Psalm 1:1-3) Finally, the transformational work of the Holy Spirit and His revelation of truth causes renewal: "Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." (Colossians 3:9,10)

In order to continue making progress in character growth, we must be willing to make and solicit honest assessments of where we stand. Whom can you seek out for character training? We may have confidence in this character growth, recognizing that God Himself desires our holiness (1 Peter 1:17).

　
2. Take great care to observe before jumping to conclusions. Nehemiah's recommendations for the people came through his intimate knowledge for and love of Jerusalem. He understood the city's vulnerabilities and wanted to take steps to secure the city. He didn't celebrate the people's accomplishment of building the wall by dropping his guard, but rather redirected their efforts towards long-term security.
　

3. Remain open-hearted and sensitive to God's leading. Nehemiah receives guidance from the Father because of his ongoing connection with Him. The same heart that had prayed before addressing the King remained in Nehemiah through the success of building the wall. May we all be sensitive to God's leading and be able to join Nehemiah in stating: "So God put it into my heart to... " (Nehemiah 7:5a)
　

QUESTIONS

1. Have you recently taken inventory of your character? What did you find?

2. How can you become more observant in this coming week?

October 3: Esther and the Feast of Purim

Today's reading presents the first part of the Book of Esther, a fantastic account of using a position of influence to benefit God's people. The book does not give strong outward prescriptions and does not even include mention of God Himself. Its narrative is much more focused on "show" than "tell." While some commentators wondered of its Scripture-worthiness due to these characteristics, its inclusion in the Word highlights God's multifaceted communication to us. In addition, Esther's centrality emphasizes how He uses both women and men to accomplish His purposes.

In Esther, we find a woman who is sharp, cunning, and careful to absorb advice from trusted parties. As she prepares for her first visit to the king, she "aked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her..... But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Moredcai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai's instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up." Her care to listen to well-informed voices points to Proverbs 15:22: "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed."

Haman becomes "enraged" when Mordecai would not kneel to him in order to pay him honor. His anger quickly extends to the entire Jewish people: "Yet having learned who Mordecai's people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecia's people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes." Haman then receives a death warrant for the Jewish people, sealed with the signet ring of Xerxes.

After mourning deeply at the coming fate, Mordecai seeks out Esther and implores her to consider taking a stand, saying: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silect at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will peris. And who knows but that you have come to the royal position for such a time as this?" Mordecai shows a trust in God's ultimate deliverance for the Jews but conveys a sense of urgency, too. This account demonstrates the close interaction between God's ultimate sovereignty and human responsibility to take action where necessary.
　

QUESTIONS

1. Whose advice should you seek for the situations you currently face?

2. Into which situations has God placed you, both in the past and in the present, "for such a time as this?"