Thursday, August 31

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:16-18‬)

In this section of 2 Corinthians, Paul reflects on his competence and calling as a Gospel minister.  Interweaved into his comments, we discern his focus on bringing glory to God and a recognition that, in Christ and by living for Him, we participate in the eternal, even here on earth.

For me, Paul's commentary ties back to 1 Corinthians 15, which stated that, due to the certainty of the Resurrection, our faith is not in vain, but rather, through God's grace given to us, we have an eternal hope. This eternal hope gives us strength to continue in the difficult times during our daily walk:  "Therefore we do not lose heart."  Amen.

How do we keep from losing heart?  How may we overcome disappointment and loss to experience victory in Christ?  Paul speaks about an ongoing, daily renewal that comes through our connection to the living Head, even as our physical bodies do experience decay.  Jesus Himself spoke of "streams of living water" flowing within us through the presence and filling of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39).

While God does the work to renew us, we place ourselves in position to experience that renewal through connecting with Him, through reading His Word and seeking Him in prayer.  We may also find that spending time studying His Word or fellowshipping with other believers to be deeply encouraging.  Simply put, we need the restorative, life-giving flow of Truth and the Spirit to strengthen us for the road ahead.

Where are you placing your hope (or finding your hope) for today?  Would you like to find that hope in God?  Let us live in grateful recognition of our great hope in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Lord God, thank You for giving us hope and providing ongoing, daily renewal.  Focus our hearts on what is truly important, and help us to recognize Your blessed hope each day.  Allow us to find strength in Your Word and in communicating with You and our fellow believers.  In Jesus's Name, amen.

"Because He Lives":  https://youtu.be/oPW9xYEyijQ

"To God Be the Glory":  https://youtu.be/-15v9iworAU

August 30

Job, 2 Corinthians 4, Psalm 44, Proverbs 22

Yesterday we had Professional Development to prepare us for our new school year.  Our school has a unique approach to learning as it an "inquiry based" philosophy combined with implementing common core academic requirements.  The goal is to get students and adults to think "out of the box" by asking relative questions and creating conversations and then reflecting on what we've heard from each other to come up with an answer and problem solve. In going through this exercise we are reminded to reflect on what is called the "learner profile".  This is the example of behavior that is encouraged to refer to while listening to others.  The characteristics of the learner are open minded, reflective, communicators, risk takers, caring, and a few others.  While I was attending the session and listening to my colleagues, I found myself thinking about Job.  Much like Job, everyone seemed to have an opinion on the subject at hand. Each opinion contributed to an answer and when we were given reflection time I found myself asking the Lord how could I implement my faith into the school year using what I was hearing and learning. How can my opinion reflect the biggest "out of the box" example God has sent? Was Jesus not a risk taker who exemplified caring --  He communicated very well (although not everyone liked and agreed with what He said), and reflected in prayer.  Paul tells us the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God (4:4)  I always carry around in my body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed.  I may not be able to pray openly in school, but I can still reflect the light of Jesus within structure of the school.  Jesus is the perfect example of the "learner profile" that we want to conform our image to.  My boast is in Him. So I pray for all of us today, no matter where we go, that at the center of all we say and do, our eyes and ears stay focused on the perfect example we were given to follow, the image of God, --  Jesus Christ, our Lord.


Randi

August 28th post

Don't Sweat it, Drink Deep!!!


Why did the Psalmist today choose to use the image of a deer panting for water rather than a dog?  I have two dogs.  Toby is my short legged, stocky French Bulldog.  I love to take Toby on walks through the woods with me because I don't need a leash as he will walk at my pace right by my side.  Toby loves to walk with me but only just 5 mins in he starts to pant.  By the end of our walk he is drooling waterfalls of slobber and his tongue is hanging out and bouncing up and down from the heavy panting he is doing.  I lower the water bowl to him and he needs a few moments to slow down his panting so that he can lap up the water and replenish himself.  After his fill and a short nap he would happily go back out with me for another exhausting round of a panting walk in the woods.

Deer are different.  Deer get most of their water from the food they eat and they supplement water by lapping it from a river or stream when in need.  Deer pant when, like a dog, they overheat.  Warm temperature and exertion such as running from danger or an enemy are two things that can cause a deer to pant.  But deer tend to stay in heavily wooded, thus shaded, areas and not in direct sunlight.  They will, at times, have to go out into open fields and direct sunlight to find food, but it is not their first choice.  Deer also tend to only run for short distances, preferring to run quickly into areas of cover and protection, which saves them energy and helps prevent too much overheating.  But deer do pant.  I learned that panting actually causes less water loss than sweating so it is a more efficient way to keep their body cool without severe dehydration.

So why a deer panting rather than a dog in today's Psalm?  Deer pant when unpleasant circumstances cause a change in their life and routine. Deer will often learn from their circumstances and do their part to try and avoid similar situations in the future.  Dogs tend to pant after they have played and gone out and enjoyed life.  As soon as they have recovered they will go right back out and do it all again.

Today's Psalmist was clearly thrown into a situation that he did not desire.  The heat of life was turned up on him and caused him to feel the discomforts of trials and affliction.  The Psalmist was clearly overwhelmed and in agony but he does not appear depleted of God.  He appears to have stored up truths of God in his heart that are still able to sustain him, still able to remind him of God's faithfulness, to guide his thoughts back to the one who has not abandoned him but who can help him.  Like a deer, he knows that the heat of life, the exertion of dealing with his enemies is beginning to cause his reservoir of spirit strength to dry up.  It is important to return to the stream of spiritual refreshment as that is the only thing that will help him to endure the heat of this trial in his life. 

The trial the Psalmist is in is still roaring, the chase is still on, he is still in the middle of difficulty.  Despite this fact he has a talk with himself and asks himself a question, "Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?"  He has reason to be (read verses 9-10) but he also knows that his hope during this time, his soul quenching relief comes from God alone.  The Lords love is directed toward him during the day and can be seen if the Palmist watchful eye is looking and he can drink it in.  By night the Lords song can be heard if listening and bringing comfort in place of sorrow.

Like a deer who gets and stores most of its water from the food he eats I believe the same is true of us.  We read God's word daily because it provides and stores up for us the soul quenching relief we need to get through life's day to day struggles and helps prevent us from quick spiritual dehydration when the blazing trials erupt.  If we have filled up on the truths of God's word then, rather then sweat through the difficult times, we can pant as a deer and approach the Lord for hope, affirmation of his love, and comfort to get us through our struggle?

Are you feeling spiritually dehydrated?  Are you panting after the comfort and hope of the Lord or are you sweating through it and loosing hope quicker than you are able replenish it?  It is never too late or too soon to go to the Lord and find rest, comfort, and hope for whatever you are going through.  Let us all be available to one another so that we can help be a source of the Lord's encouragement and hope to those who need it.

 

Sunday 08/27/2017

"…It is by faith you stand firm" 2 Corinthians 1:24

Last week, my general doctor referred me to a specialist, for a specific check up and blood test. I didn't think much of it, until I researched the place and the kind of test, I was supposed to have done. I freaked out instantly. I made the appointment, and then I spent the next two days in panic, trying to understand "Why", and going from, anger to crying spells. I was in a complete state of fear. As a Christian, I realized that I wasn't supposed to dwell in fear, but on the other hand, I felt completely paralyzed.

The voices of fear were very loud, very complex. They led me through a labyrinth of "What If's" and the more I tried to control the situation, the deeper I got sucked in. For two days I've completely lost ground. I tried to read God's Word, but the wall of fear was so dense. Just when I was about to conclude that nothing seem to help, I came across Hebrew 11:1, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" ." And without faith it is impossible to please God" Hebrew 11:6.  

I understood that faith is my way out, from the web of fear. The opposite of love is not hate, but fear. Fear is one sure way to offend God. God tells us more than 300 times in the Bible, not to be afraid. Do I choose to put my faith in fear or in God? "Have you witnessed God's power in the past? Experienced His pardon? Enjoyed His presence? He, Who has carried you this far, isn't going to drop you now!" (The Red Sea Rules).

The journey back to faith took some practical steps for me:

-          I invested extra time in reading God's Word. I decide that every time fear tries to engage me, I would grab my phone or the Bible, and read the Word of God. I started to read again- The Red Sea Rules. The book is even more powerful, when you are indeed faced with a Red Sea situation. I am very grateful for all the tools we have, to connect quickly to God's Word either through web or an actual book.

-          I reached out to other people. They prayed for me, reminded me to trust, to know that God has a good plan for His children. With people outside the Church, it's not easy to be honest and vulnerable, but when we do it, we find comfort and we give each other permission to be human, to be real, and to know that we are not alone.  

-          I chose to keep on living, like nothing happen. My first tendency was to put everything on hold, until all these will pass. I sort of wanted to hide under a blanket, until the day of the appointment. Then I was reminded that, what is holding my attention the most, is what I'm truly worshiping. Do I gravitate around the problem or around God? With these in mind, I chose to go on with my commitments and even have fun.

When Pastor Scot invited us today, to set a goal for the next 30 days, my first response was a huge blank. Then I realized, that I actually do have a perfect goal: "Trust God, worry NOT". "It is by faith, you stand firm" 2 Corinthians 1:24

August 26: The Gym of the Spirit

...with apologies for the tardiness...

Job 20:1-22:30

2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Psalm 40:11-17

Proverbs 22:2-4

Thirty or so years ago, I was in college, and needed a Phys Ed theory class to graduate.  During one of the sessions, the teacher was trying to explain the effect of exercise.  The term that stuck was "capillarization", the process by which - as she taught it - through aerobic exercise and weight training, one "tore" muscle, introducing blood flow and, consequently, nutrient into a part of the muscle, thereby allowing it to grow, and grow stronger.  I googled the term, and while my PE teacher might not have been completely accurate, she was accurate enough.  The key was to subject the muscle to stress - to exercise it.  Regular exercise increased capillary density, allowing oxygen to flow more efficiently to the muscle, consequently strengthening the muscle.  Simple enough, right?

One problem: exercise.  And for every one of you readers who exercises regularly, I bet there are 4 unused gym memberships, 2 treadmills gathering dust bunnies, 3 dumbbells that now make excellent door stops and 84 broken new year's resolutions.  But hey, I get it.  Exercise takes time, takes work, takes commitment…and it can sometimes hurt.  But if you want to get stronger, it is essential and unavoidable.  If you want that 6 pack, those pecs and those delts to come bursting out of the folds and flab, you gotta do the work.  I understand, though - it isn't easy, and it is easy to get discouraged.

The same thing is true of our spiritual nature.  Our godly selves are hidden beneath a layer of worldliness, sinfulness, selfishness and bad habits, formed over the years.  In today's reading Paul points out that the suffering we endure is the exercise that increases the capillarization of our faith, and strengthens it with the knowledge that we "might not rely on ourselves, but on God, who raises the dead."  Just like Paul, we can take comfort in the knowledge that "he has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us again."  And our patient endurance will allow that six pack of faith, that bicep of trust, and that deltoid of joy to burst through the fatty layer of fear and worry and sin.

Father, more than physical health, grant us spiritual health, built on a knowledge of who You are, and a relationship with You. Whatever it takes.

Sent from my iPad

Thursday, August 24

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

In 1 Corinthians 15, we find Paul's vigorous presentation of the Resurrection and its implications.  He rightly states that, without the Resurrection, the message of the Gospel falls short, but, with the Resurrection, we have every assurance of hope and coming glory.

The passage reminded me of the tremendous personal cost that Paul assumed in proclaiming the Gospel. Raised in the Pharasaic tradition and having received the finest education under Gamaliel, Paul aggressively pursued the early church, looking to stamp out these rebels and their wayward doctrines as pollutants to true Judaism.  In that rabid quest, however, he encountered the Risen Lord Jesus Christ during his journey to Damascus, an encounter that propelled the spread of the Gospel to the Gentiles and led to 13 of our 27 New Testament books.

Truly, only the certainty of the Resurrection through Jesus's appearance can explain Paul's change.  He had staked out a clear niche and had not been dissuaded by ethical standards (Acts 7-8).  Yet, God's sovereign plan included making Paul His chosen ambassador to the Gentiles.

"For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." (1 Corinthians 15:9,10)

Paul had staked his life on the validity of the Gospel and the Resurrection that supported it.  He knew that Christ had indeed been raised from the dead, the "firstfruits" of the Resurrection of all believers.

Paul then urges us to honor God, given the certainty of the Resurrection.  Indeed, the Resurrection highlights the consequences of our lives; without the reality of God's judgment, we should simple "eat, drink, and be merry."  But our obedience does matter, and it prepares us for the glory that God has prepared for us.

Lord God, thank You for the reality of the Resurrection and the hope that it brings to our lives.  Thank You for sharing the mystery of the Gospel with us and awakening our hearts to its truth.  Give us clean hands and pure hearts that we might honor You today and each day.  In Jesus's Name, amen.

August 23

Psalm 38, Job 8-11

As I was reading through today's Psalm, I stopped on verse 9 - "All my longings lie open before you, O Lord, my sighing is not hidden from you".  David goes on to describe his feelings of despair and loneliness -- I couldn't help but identify with his total exhaustion and desperation. David was totally spent and crying out to God.  I went back and reread the passage from Job.  In Job's desperation and despair he asks an interesting question --  "How can a mortal be righteous before God?"  When we're in that place as David describes it "my pain is ever with me" (v.17), that place like Job where nothing makes sense, all we feel is pain  and we are waiting for God to answer and not let our enemies gloat or our foot slip (v.16) how do we stand before God? Psalm 8:4 asks "what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?" Paul gives us a piece of the answer.  "Christ died for our sins according to Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, then to the Twelve".  There we have it -- because of what took place in Calvary and what happened three days later, we stand before God, covered in the blood of Christ, according to the Scriptures.  Our faith and everything that goes with it which will carry us into eternity, hinges on that belief.  Every time, in every circumstance, when we press into God through prayers like David, God takes us one step closer to who we were meant to be as He conforms us, and molds us like clay to His image which is our original design according to Genesis 1:27.  Paul told us yesterday in 1 Cor. 14:33 that "God is not a God of disorder but of peace". God is love. God is Sovereign. God allowed Job's trial (1:6-12). Even though our trials, like Job's, are far from "peace filled" as we go through them, Paul explains to us that "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile". Hold this truth close to your heart. God has a plan for each and everyone of us. Whatever page you are on in your life today, the Author had in mind when He wrote it.  Just as Job and David, we are fully known and loved by God. Let your longings lie open before Him. We stand righteous before the throne, covered in the blood of Christ.

Randi

Sunday, August 20

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

I first heard these verses in Romania, while I was watching the funeral of Princess Diana. One of my friends recognized the lines, as being from the Bible. I remember being very surprised that the Bible would have such beautiful statements about love. Since then, I came to love 1 Corinthians 13. I read it many times, and I wrote it, on many engagement and wedding cards. When all is well around me, these verses are so beautiful and easy to follow!

Yet, when faced with challenges in my relationships, I find myself wanting, nothing to do, with these guidelines for love. All of a sudden, they lose their beauty. The feelings of annoyance, frustration, impatience, become a priority. In spite of knowing that, feelings are not facts, they seem to overwhelm the entire picture.  Like the Apostle Paul was saying:  "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do". ( Romans 7:15).

So how can I get myself aligned with God and not my feelings? Feelings can, and will show up, but they don't have to dictate my reality or prevent me from taking the right action. God calls us to love each other "not with words or speech but with actions and in truth". (1 John 3:18), Love is an action not a feeling. When dealing with feelings, I need to remember that in Christ, I've been set free. As a free person I have choices, and that includes how I manage my feelings. I am not a prisoner of my feelings. I've discovered that:

-          I can pray even when I don't feel like it. When I'm upset about something, or someone, all I want to do, is focus on what bothers me. The "problem", becomes a strong whirlwind that engulfs everything around me. Prayer brings God in. Our God, is a God, that can calm any storm. Obsessing over our circumstances, will leave us deprived, but pulling close to God, will bring healing for ourselves and our relationships.

-          I can write my feelings down without censoring myself. What am I going to hide from God? I very often write to God, and pray for His truth, and His Word to be revealed to me. The most powerful weapon in the world is the Word of God.

-          Instead of spending time, thinking and rethinking, I can engage in a physical activity that will get me out of my head, and would potentially give me a new perspective on things.

-          Talking to someone from my support group. "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." (James 5:16)

Lord help us to love you, and to love one another, according to your will.

August 19: Of Charlottesville, Racism and the Lessons of Mordecai and Esther

Esther 4:1-7:10

1 Corinthians 12:1-26

Psalm 36:1-12

Proverbs 21:21-22

Yesterday we began to read the book of Esther, and Pastor Scott Taylor connected it so clearly to recent events in Charlottesville, and issues that have plagued the US since its birth.  He talked about how we are respond to sinful ideas - specifically, in this instance, racism.  Today we continue that story, and in this blog I will try to suggest how we are to respond to people who espouse those ideas.  

The book of Esther continues; word of Mordecai's hateful plans has spread through the Jewish community, and people are deciding how to respond.  Let's be clear - so much more was at stake here than is at stake today in the US: during Esther's time, the Jews didn't face vile language or job discrimination, they faced death.  And let's be clear again - the odds were different in Esther's time, when the oppressors were so much larger in number, and so much more powerful, than is the case today in the US.  As one meme put it so appropriately, the group of "several hundred sick [racist] puppies" was dwarfed by the by the 52 million Americans who went to church, the 62 million who volunteer, and the 83% of adults who give to charity. 

How did the Jews respond?  Did they, on their own volition, go out in righteous anger (and yes, it would have been righteous), protesting Mordecai's plans, picking fights with the ignorant?  Their response could not have been more opposite - "Mordecai...tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly."  And "there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing.  Many lay in sackcloth and ashes."  Even Esther's response could not have been more different - she said "go, gather together...and fast for me.  Do not eat or drink for three days...I and my attendants will do as you do..."

You see, the response of the Jews to the imminent evil being planned against them wasn't to go fight (they did, eventually, after God had made clear their course of action).  No, their response - and, I believe, our response as Christians - was to cry out to God.  Now here's the amazing thing: God fought the battle in His way, and in His time...the king welcomed Esther, and not only thwarted the plot, but elevated Mordecai to a position of great honor, and for good measure did away with Haman - and to that point none of the Israelites had to lift a hand to do any of it.  It gets better - when it came time for the Israelites to do something (and apologies for jumping the gun here), we will see that God gave them the advantage by allowing them to prepare to defend themselves. 

As Christians, then, how better for us to respond to the evil of racism?  With black hoods over our faces, middle fingers raised, shouting profanity and, as the opportunity presents itself, assaulting those who harbor such sinful views?  How much good is that going to do?  Is it going to change a racist heart, or merely reinforce their convictions?  And does it repay evil for evil?  It's easy to see how Psalm 36:2-4 might apply to the racists...does our response mean it applies to us as well?

I submit that as Christians, our first response has to be prayer.  Our God is bigger than all the racism in the world, and only He knows a man's heart and can change it.   And I submit that there are better ways to be instruments for God's change than repaying evil for evil.  Check out the link below for an example - a black man who has probably turned more men away from racism than all those counterprotesters in Charlottesville combined.  

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/kkk-klu-klux-klan-members-leave-black-man-racism-friends-convince-persuade-chicago-daryl-davis-a7489596.html?

http://ijr.com/the-declaration/2017/08/948022-man-spent-decades-befriending-kkk-members-hundreds-left-group/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Owned&utm_term=ijamerica&utm_campaign=ods&utm_content=Culture

Father, when faced with evil, may our first response as Your children be to turn to You, to cry out to You in our helplessness, to ask You for Your help and Your guidance.  And when You tell us what to do, give us obedient hearts that we might be instruments of Your will in these evil times and these evil situations.

Thursday, August 17

THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2017

 

 

In Psalm 35, we read about David’s call for God’s intervention against his enemies.  Quite a few psalms, particularly with David as the author, share this plaintive theme of seeking God’s justice against worldly enemies.  David trusts matters into God’s hands and calls on His sovereignty to address situations beyond David’s earthly control.

 

In the New Testament, Jesus taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. (Matthew 5:43–48)  This ethic flies in the face of our human tendencies to seek justice ourselves for ourselves.  Both David and Jesus’s teaching point to a deep trust in God’s provision:  that He knows, and He cares.  Jesus and Paul further explained that we should strive for peace with others.

 

How do we react to situations beyond our control?  In my anxiety, I tend to become angry.  I hunger so much for the autonomy that God alone has.  This cycle ultimately draws me back to recognizing God’s sovereignty and His better plans.  Yet, where does the initial urge for control start?  It starts with my pride of position and suggests that I should take care to assign the position of sovereignty to God more clearly and more frequently.  Lord God, give me grace to seek You above any position that my pride would seek to take.

 

 

“ I sought the Lord, and he answered me;

    he delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant;

    their faces are never covered with shame.” (Psalm 34:4,5)

 

 

I close today with a great prayer from John Baillie’s A Diary of Private Prayer:

 

“Teach me. O God, so to use all the circumstances of my life to-day that they may bring forth in me the fruits of holiness rather than the fruits of sin.

    Let me use disappointment as material for patience:

    Let me use success as material for thankfulness:

    Let me use suspense as material for perseverance:

    Let me use danger as material for courage:

    Let me use reproach as material for longsuffering:

    Let me use praise as material for humility:

    Let me use pleasures as material for temperance:

    Let me use pains as material for endurance.”

 

 

________________________________________
1) Blog:                 http://bit.ly/rV1Cw1

2) Facebook:       http://on.fb.me/tc6jkS

 

August 16

1 Corinthians 10

My husband likes to put the "news" on in the morning while he's getting ready for work. I very rarely pay attention to the television unless I'm watching for school delays and cancellations.  This morning I couldn't help but notice some of the ridiculous notices that were on.  For instance, somewhere in Europe someone needed cash and thought it would be a bright idea to get a huge digger used for clearing out land and attempt to dig out an ATM machine.  On another note closer to home, a man with some strange tattoos on his face attempted bank robbery.  Did these people think they were going unnoticed?  The Apostle Paul gives us some very wise words in today's reading" "Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible but not everything is constructive.  Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others" (v.23-24).  Perhaps if these guys had picked up their Bibles this morning, they might have thought twice about what they were about to do.  Paul goes on to say in verses 31-33 that whatever we do, do it all for the glory of God. Toby Mac even wrote a song about it. One of Steven's friends once told me that the acronym for BIBLE is Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. It sounds so simple and to us as believers, it is.  Paul clearly let's us know that we as believers aren't only seeking our good by following Jesus, we're lights for others "so that they may be saved".  Paul encourages us to follow his example of following Christ. What great advise. 

Randi

August 12: Of Crises and Formation

Nehemiah 3:15-5:13

1 Corinthians 7:25-40

Psalm 32:1-11

Proverbs 21:5-7

Ps 32:6-8

Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found;

     surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them.

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble

     and surround me with songs of deliverance.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

     I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

In today's Old Testament reading: an impossible task, a small work force with meager resources, beset upon by more powerful people, seeking to discourage them, plotting against them.  And yet it was through this crisis God transformed the individual Israelites who had returned into one body, one community.  People worked, at great cost to themselves and their families; those who had earlier taken advantage of the workers' need appear to have ceased charging them interest on loans; and people took on the additional responsibility of protecting each other, even while they worked.  

From a disparate group of individual families working on rebuilding the wall, they were formed into one cohesive body supporting each other in doing the will of God.  How did this happen?  It wasn't as though the leadership had the power to stop the Ammonites from attacking, nor did they have the authority to stop people from charging interest.  Yet all of that DID happen - because they responded to the crisis in a manner so unorthodox in the ways of the world - they turned to God, confessed their helplessness, and prayed.  And God answered their prayers, with action and with guidance.

The psalm today confirms this.  And this is true, not just for a returning remnant; it is true for units as small as families, and as large as nations.  

Father when crisis strikes, let it be catalyst and opportunity for us to confess our helplessness before You, to seek Your guidance and Your help, to trust that You will hear and answer, and to obey Your instructions.  Let the problems You permit in our lives shape us into the individuals and into the body You want us to become.

August 11

Nehemiah 1

Have you ever been faced with an impossible situation?  An impossible situation at work, in your home, in your marriage, in your relationship with your children, maybe an impossible situation with your own health. The truth is our world is filled with impossible situations. Today we begin reading the book of Nehemiah, the memoirs of a man with an impossible situation. His particular impossible situation was a wall that had been in ruins for over 90 years. No one could build that wall, "all the king's horses and all the king's men just couldn't put it together again."

So what do we do in these impossible situations? Nehemiah shares with us several steps he took and they should be our guide in our impossible situations. The first step Nehemiah took was to look around.  He did an extensive survey of the problem. A problem clearly defined is a problem half solved. So many people are living in denial of the real problem. The next step was to look up and pray. Is it too elementary to say that with God there are no impossible situations? When we pray we are talking to the source of our help and hope. Looking up is laying hold of God through prayer to give us guidance and resources during these difficult times. Prayer also reminds us of the awesome character of the God we serve.  Nehemiah basically says, "Jerusalem may be in shambles but you are still a great and awesome God. Our situation is a mess, but you are still in control."  When we pray in these hard times, it focuses our attention on God and not the problem. The third step was looking in his heart with repentance. Nehemiah confesses the sins that have put them in this impossible situation. So many people live as victims but when you are a victim your problems are never solved. And finally he looks out and offers himself as part of God's solution. Looking out is more than passively observing the problem; it means we realize that God might be asking us to be part of the solution. Many people never rise above their impossible situation because they are expecting someone to come in to rescue them, when in fact God might be calling them to rescue themselves.

So whatever your hopeless situation is today, don't fear and don't freak out. Pray as if everything depends on God and work as if everything depends on you.

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, August 10

THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 2017


"If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord's people? Or do you not know that the Lord's people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?" (1 Corinthians 6:1,2)


Paul discusses lawsuits among believers in today's passage. He urges believers to reconcile matters before heading to court, where those outside the Church might cast judgment on other brothers in the Church. He explains that, given our standing as ones to co-judge with Christ, we should not allow others to sit in judgment over our brothers and sisters.

Seeking reconciliation with others requires a humbling of our pride and a willingness to take an extra step toward bringing resolution. Taking inventory of another's faults may impede that reconciliation; we may become blind to the truth of his or her standing in Christ and God's deposit in his or her life. Forgiving others horizontally becomes possible out of the forgiveness we have received vertically through the Cross.

As Paul concludes his remarks, we may remember that we were once broken people, following the world's patterns. We have now passed from death to life: "But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

The passage brings to mind the question of: "How do I look at my brothers and sisters in Christ? Do I see their brokenness or their growing wholeness?" It challenges me to keep short accounts and to seek reconciliation promptly. By God's grace, these goals are achievable and honoring to Him.


Lord Jesus, thank You for bearing our sins on the Cross that we may bring reconciliation to this world. We are all hurting and broken, but You have brought healing into our lives. Send Your Holy Spirit to us so that He might fill us and strengthen us to live our calling of reconciliation. Give us grace to keep short accounts with ourselves and others. In Your Name, amen.



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August 9

Psalm 31


Remember when we were used to play tag out on the playground and there was a "base" -- that safe place where no one could tag you out --  no one could get you?  When we reached "base" we yell out "safe". That "base" was our refuge and we would run to it for safety when being chased or threatened.  When we take refuge we are seeking protection from danger or distress - emotional, physical or spiritual.  I'm not sure which adventure David was seeking refuge from in this Psalm, but he chose to seek and take refuge in God.  He knew he would be safe seeking the shelter of the Most High.   Like Stephen and Jesus, he committed his spirit into God's hands.  In verse 6, David jumps themes a bit and contrasts trusting in  "worthless idols" to trusting in God.  As I started to think about that I realized that worthless idols might not necessarily only refer to material things.  Once we start comparing things, that means we have a choice. I started to think about my choices of "base"  for me --  where are those safe places where the enemy can't touch me. I can choose to take refuge in  fear, worry, or anxiety but am I really safe or just returning to learned behavior over trusting God.  We've learned through readings and teachings that anything we place over God becomes our idol and if we cling to our idols, (whatever they might be),  we are out of alignment to commit our spirit to God.  That, to me, doesn't sound like being safe.  I pray for all of us that today as we are being chased by the many situations we will face, that we commit our spirits to God and we run to our rock and our fortress. Only there, we will be safe.

Randi

August 06, 2017

"We, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing." (1 Corinthians 2:6)

1 Corinthians 2:6 tells us, that there are two types of wisdom, an earthly wisdom, and a wisdom that comes from the Spirit, from God. Most of my life I searched for wisdom, and most of my life, I was aware of only one type of wisdom. I used to think that, the more degrees you have, the more books you read, the better chance you have in becoming smarter, and successful in life. It is true, that education provides knowledge, but wisdom is more than knowledge.

 In this country, I had the chance to work and interact with highly educated people, with degrees from universities that I could only dream of, back in Romania. At first, I used to perceive these people as super humans. However, the more I got to know them, the more I realized that they were broken vessels like everybody else. In time, after getting to know the Lord, I saw that, in fact, those fancy degrees meant absolutely nothing, without God.  A bitter truth for me, who I once believed that, education was everything.

I still value education, but in a different way. I understand that the source of wisdom is not the world, but God alone. Wisdom is a gift from God. James 1:5 states, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." I understand now, that when I need wisdom, truth, guidance, balance, I need to turn to God. It is sometimes hard, because the worldly wisdom, nowadays, is very loud and omnipresent. There is an overwhelming amount of information out there. Every web page offer answers to questions, I wasn't even aware I had. However, the wisdom of the world is foolishness in God's sight. (1 Corinthians 3:19)

A great way to access God's wisdom, is by spending time, reading and understanding the Word of God. Meditating upon the Word of God brings wisdom. "Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long." (Ps 119:97). "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path" (Ps 119:105). "I will meditate in your precepts, and have respect to your ways. I will delight myself in your statutes: I will not forget your word" (Ps 119:15,16).

To have knowledge is to have understanding or information about something. To have wisdom is to have the ability to apply knowledge to everyday life. Meditating on God's Word gives us wisdom for our everyday life.

Lord, we thank you for knowledge and wisdom, and we thank You, that Your plan for our lives exceeds any plan the world might promise! "No eye has seen, ne ear has heard, no mind has conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9)

August 5: Of Choices and Obedience

Ezra 1:1-2:70

1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5

Psalm 27:7-14

Proverbs 20:22-23

Ezra 2:59, 62-63: "The following came up from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerch, Addon and Immer, but they could not show that their families were descended from Israel…These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.  The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food…"

Scripture doesn't tell us how those who were excluded reacted to the news way back around 549 BC.  If that had happened in 21st century America today, though, I am fairly sure the outcry would have been furious, people railing at the decree, calling it unjust, and demanding "inclusiveness".  There might even have been protests, with signs that said "Not My Governor!" and "Sacred Food For All!". For them, God blessing them with the restoration (and supplying them with freewill offerings, even!) would not have been enough; they would have demanded a restoration on their terms.  They would have insisted that, because they believed their intentions were good, the course of action they wanted was the right one and, in doing so, would have justified opposing God's commands.  

As I sit here on a rainy Saturday morning, I am struck by two things others might find so obvious as to be hardly worth repeating: first, that the choice to oppose God, however well intentioned one's justifications, is sin.  No two ways about it.  And second, I am in no position to sit in judgment of those who sin, having developed such a lifelong expertise at it myself.    

So why bring it up?  Perhaps to remind myself that what I think, however well intentioned, does not matter; what matters is what God commands.  And there will be many instances, many situations where I will not understand why God will have permitted things to come to pass.  The challenge to me is to respond not according to my own will, but to seek His will and obey.  Sometimes that will be difficult - I will REALLY REALLY REALLY want to do things my way; sometimes it will come at great cost - because the world will REALLY REALLY REALLY want me to do things its way.  I pray that as these situations arise, that I - that we, all of us - be given the wisdom to know His will, the strength to choose it, and the fortitude to see it through.

Thursday, August 3

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017

"Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.  He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites—all the people from the least to the greatest.  He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord.  The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book." (2 Chronicles 34:29-31)

The book of 2 Chronicles records quite a few times of revival.  Typically, these revivals follow periods that lack spiritual fervor.  Israel's prophets and kings reveal or rediscover the nation's first responsibility to their Father God, and the resulting re-dedication brings healing and wholeness to the land.

For the individual Christ-follower, for each individual church, and for the Church universal, we desperately need revival in our day.  In 2 Chronicles, we see that the restoration comes when believers seek God wholeheartedly and forsake (and often destroy) the idols that surround them.  Having been created for worship, our hearts hunger to "give ourselves away to something," according to author David Foster Wallace.  Though not a Christian, Wallace clearly understood the nature of the human heart, given the power of his writing.

How may we make ourselves ready for personal and corporate revival?  It appears that we would do well to refocus on the Word of God and to cast aside any idols that have entrapped us.  We may recommit our hearts to our first love:  God Himself.  We may lay down our bitterness and unforgiveness.  We may confess our worry, our pride, and our apathy as unbecoming of the Kingdom's call.  We may establish the Kingdom and His righteousness as our first priority.

Lord God, make me new again today.  Give me the joy of salvation.  Take my weariness and turn it into refreshing.  Send Your Holy Spirit so that I may be fully alive and re-focused on Your great love.  Allow me to hunger and thirst for righteousness and to seek first Your Kingdom.  In Jesus's Name, amen.

August 2

2 Chronicles 32-33, Romans 15, Psalm 25

Prayer Is The Key

According to Wikipedia, prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication.  Throughout our reading today, we see Hezekiah cry out in prayer, (v. 20)  Manasseh pray to Lord, (v. 12),  Paul ask the believers to pray to God for him,

 (v.30), and David pour his heart out in prayer throughout Psalm 25. We read in 2 Chronicles 7:14 the Lord said "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land".  C.S.Lewis said "There are only two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way." In God's infinite wisdom, He gave us a way to align ourselves with Him through an active rapport of worship and deliberate communication.  I can't explain how prayer works, I just know it does.  After Hezekiah prayed, "the Lord saved the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib, and from the hand of all others" (v.22).  This in itself answered Sennacherib's question back in verse 10, "On what are you basing your confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege?" He based his confidence in prayer and He trusted God would answer.  We are all going through something.  So I ask us all to remember, that it's through our prayers, we know Who we are basing our confidence on.  I encourage everyone to take a moment and fill in the blank "After I prayed, the Lord saved me by_________".  I find that when I struggle, it helps to remember all God has already done for me. This song When We Pray, by Tauren Wells, has become a favorite of mine.  Please take a moment to listen and pray in Jesus Name.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI-bLKaOQww

Randi