Thursday, September 10

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2015

Isaiah 6:1–7:25

2 Corinthians 11:16–33

Psalm 54:1–7

Proverbs 23:1–3

 

 

In Isaiah 6:1, we read about Isaiah’s amazing vision:  “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on the throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.”  Later, the vision included angels singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;/ the whole earth is full of his glory.” (6:3)

 

In short, Isaiah stood in awe and respect of the holiness of God and wondered if he could even remain in God’s presence:  “Woe is me!  I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” (6:5)

 

Yet, God graciously cleanses Isaiah’s lips through sending a live coal from the altar with the promise:  “Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”  With this recognition of his right standing before God, Isaiah boldly volunteers to serve God:  “Here am I.  Send me!” (6:8)  Isaiah receives a message of judgment, which he then relays to his people.

 

We may marvel at Isaiah’s vision and think that he had received a unique calling, but these thoughts often have the tendency of causing us to “freeze.”  Having been redeemed by the blood of Christ and having received His forgiveness, we sometimes exchange Isaiah’s words with others:  “Woe is me!  I am unqualified!  For, even though I know the King and have experienced His presence in my life, I am a person who doesn’t know enough or have enough charisma to make a difference among a people of unclean lips.”

 

Several texts in the New Testament dispel this notion of being unqualified, however.  First, Acts 4:12,13 explains that the bold apostles declared and stood behind the powerful Name of Jesus in the face of the Sanhedrin’s opposition.  Acts 4:13 records:  “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and took note that these men had been with Jesus.”  The apostles’ transformation from cowardice at His trial to the courage of Pentecost and beyond had emerged from some supernatural power.

 

In 2 Corinthians 3:4–6, Paul highlights the competence that comes through the Holy Spirit:  “Such confidence we have through Christ before God.  Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.  He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

 

Then, in James 5:16–18, the author indicates the potential behind the prayers of the saints:  “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective….  Elijah was a human being, even as we are.  He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.  Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”

 

In Christ, we have freedom and confidence to approach the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:14–16).  We have received life so that we may share the Good News with others.  We are each gifted in one way or another to serve as a blessing in the lives of those around us.  Let us rejoice in God’s choosing us to love others through us!

 

Lord God, thank You for making us competent as ministers of the New Covenant through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Thank You for sending Your Son to take our place on the Cross, making us fit to serve You.  Bring us into the path of those who need Your love and Your touch.  Help us to demonstrate Your awesome character and love to others.  Take away our fears and hesitations in the remembrance of Your awesome grace and sovereignty.  In Jesus’s Name, amen.

 

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Sept. 9

2 Corinthians 11

Paul was not a "trained speaker" (v.6), and neither am I.  Paul was, however, filled with the Holy Spirit Who "trained" and equipped him to speak and preach Gods word in a way I long for.  Paul walked in his anointing wherever he was.  I think it's in his unique awareness of Gods presence that he warns us about the enemy and his servants that masquerade as apostles of Christ (v.13-15).  We live in a time when everyone has an opinion and thinks they also have to share it, but not everyone is listening for Gods voice before they speak.  We are bombarded by advertising, politicians and news media whose intent is for us to shift our focus.  As I get ready for work, I pray for all of us that we are aware of our training.  We are trained to speak by the Holy Spirit Who lives in us and that no matter where we are or who we talk to, we are never alone. I pray we listen for Gods voice and God strengthens us as we speak wherever He puts us today and whoever He puts in front of us.




Randi

September 8, 2015

Isaiah 1:22

Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils.  Of what account is he?

In January of this year, I made a resolution unlike any other I have ever made.  My resolution was to come to know the Lord more than I had ever in the past.  I wanted to understand Him and His words and turn to Him in time of need.  It has been a journey that at times does not go as I had planned.  It is a worthy and noble thing to give all of yourself to the Lord, but I believe as a human, it is very difficult.  I have friends and family, but it is definitely the Lord who has never left my side.  I want to grow in my faith and dependence on the Lord and know that if I trust Him with my whole heart, that He is all I will ever need.  People let you down and say things to hurt you, but with the Lord on your side - these things do not matter; nor does the hurt and disappointment that accompany them.  Rise up and know that we are worthy because of the blood of Christ.  It is by the blood that we are saved and not by any act of man.

The words in Isaiah are very powerful indeed.  In Isaiah 1:21 - men try to hide anywhere possible to escape from their wrongdoings and defiance against the will of God.  They flee from dread of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth.  This brings to mind the song - He's Got the Whole World in His Hands.  The Lord can indeed shake the earth like a child shakes a rattle, and no one can hide.

In trying to walk closer with the Lord this year, I am also reminded of the need to give more.  I am still working through many senseless debts that I have incurred, but the Lord put me on a path to help clear them.  It may take a while, but the path is clear and I just have to stay the course.  When I read Proverbs 22:27, the message was reinforced - If you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you. 

Lord - help me to continue in my walk to be closer to You, to know You, to trust in You only.  Help me to be considerate and caring for others, but not to the point that it overwhelms me with anxiety because I must know that only You heal and mend what is broken. 

September 7: Wear, Stain, Wash, Rinse, Repeat

It is inevitable that, when one regularly uses an article of clothing, said article is going to need regular washing as well. Sort of like life.

I love Psalm 51. The completeness of its description of my sinfulness gives me comfort someone other than me has been in my position - someone else has sinned grievously, blatantly, deliberately against God, someone who had been so abundantly blessed one would've thought they would not have wanted anything more than they'd already been given, none of which they had the right to in the first place, all of which they'd received because of the love of, and by the hand of, the God whom they had then rejected in their sinfulness. And here they were - asking for forgiveness.

We know God forgave David. The psalm tells us it wasn't so much the material sacrifices that God wanted from David - it was the humbling of heart, the admission of guilt and, consequently, the recognition of God's sovereignty over one's life. What a tremendous reassurance, this! - but it doesn't stop there...

What the Bible doesn't tell us is this - it doesn't tell us David ceased to sin after he received God's forgiveness. I suspect he did, and had need for this prayer more than once. And I believe God forgave him every time. And that is why, in my persistent sinfulness, I love Psalm 51. It is the assurance that, as I use my life, I will inevitably stain it - and I can wash, rinse, and repeat as needed. Thank You, God.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Saturday, September 5, 2015

 

"They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us."

(2 Corinthians 8:5 NIV)

 

The Macedonian churches were largely Gentile churches.  There was an idol or a temple to a different god on every corner and this "Jesus" thing was not very popular.  These infant congregations suffered persecution and "severe trial." (2 Corinthians 8:2)  Some people were possibly kicked out of their family homes for committing to follow Jesus.  Others lost jobs and income.  How do they survive?  Who would support them? 

 

The last thing that many of us would want to do in that moment is give.  Why give $5 of my $10 to the people in Jerusalem when my family disowned me, I lost my job, and I don't know how I'm going to eat tomorrow?  You see, it's easier to give when the money is coming in, when I'm feeling healthy, when I have the time…  How do you sacrifice like this when your world is caving in?

                                                                   

"They gave themselves first of all to the Lord…"

Many know Jesus as Savior.  Jesus has saved us from the power and penalty of sin and He still saves us by the power of the Holy Spirit – warning us, teaching us, healing us, etc.  However, there is a difference between knowing Jesus as Savior and knowing Him as Lord (King).  The Macedonian churches gave themselves to the Lord, their King.  They submitted to His love for them, to His peace in their persecution, and to the promise that "God [would] meet all [their] needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus" (Php. 4:19).  As they gave everything to the Lord the circumstances of their lives in the kingdom of this world faded for their view of the kingdom of God.  They gave themselves to the Lord as if they were giving Him an empty cup, inviting Him to use it as He saw fit.  He filled them up with His grace and then He poured them out on the thirsty Jerusalem church.

 

How much of myself did I give to the Lord?  Was I available for Him to fill and pour out on someone who needed Him?  What about tomorrow?

 

Lord, You are the greatest Giver that I know!  No One has given more than what You gave when You freely sacrificed Your Only Son for sinners like me.  The very least that You deserve is all of me.  May the love You've shown and the provisions You've made move my heart to give You me everyday of my life.  Fill me up and pour me out however You choose.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Thursday, September 3

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

Ecclesiastes 4:1–6:12

2 Corinthians 6:14–7:7

Psalm 47:1–9

Proverbs 22:16

 

 

Ecclesiastes 5:10–15 reads:

 

“Whoever loves money never has enough;

    whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.

    This too is meaningless.

As goods increase,

    so do those who consume them.

And what benefit are they to the owners

    except to feast their eyes on them?

The sleep of a laborer is sweet,

    whether they eat little or much,

but as for the rich, their abundance

    permits them no sleep.

I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:

 

wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners,

    or wealth lost through some misfortune,

so that when they have children

    there is nothing left for them to inherit.

Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb,

    and as everyone comes, so they depart.

They take nothing from their toil

    that they can carry in their hands.”

 

 

The writer of Ecclesiastes, Solomon, had intimately experienced the lessons in these verses. By virtue of God’s blessing, he had accumulated great wealth – beyond that of all other kings.  In these verses, he touches on the vanity of wealth, extending the book’s theme of “meaningless” reality.

 

In our idealized thinking, material abundance promises security and joy, but, as Solomon notes, reality falls short of these expectations.  In fact, his words suggest that added material benefits may translate primarily into greater anxiety.  In addition, the pursuit of wealth often isolates us from others, causing us to forego the joy and mutual encouragement of true relationships. (Ecclesiastes 4:8-12)

 

The Bible points out that, alternatively, “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6) and that we should “use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:9)  Money serves primarily as a means of blessing others, providing for our needs, and experiencing God’s goodness.  Sometimes, we may experience a reverse guilt and forego pleasure; I know that I struggle with this concept.  It seems that, instead, we should find joy in the beautiful things that God has created, remembering His great love and provision towards us.

 

The Scriptures also talk about investing the material resources that we have in God’s Kingdom purposes.  Jesus counsels us in Matthew 6:19–21:  “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  We see that generosity will help us to maintain a singular focus on loving and serving God and others.  We cannot serve two masters simultaneously. (Matthew 6:24)

 

How has God called you to invest your time, talent, and energy?  Have you found joy in doing so?  What might you consider stopping?  Starting?  Or continuing?

 

 

Lord God, we thank You that You have always provided and will always provide for our needs.  Help us to trust You in difficult moments and to give generously in less challenging moments.  Give us vision for how You would have us invest our time, talent, and energy to Your glory and for the blessing of Your people.  Change our hearts so that we might reflect Your character in these areas.  Use us for Your Kingdom purposes.  We love You and give You praise for all Your goodness to us.  In Jesus’s Name, amen.

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Sept. 2

Psalm 46

I think one of the most important lessons God is teaching me is how to be still, sit in prayer and be in His presence. The Hebrew translation of "be still" is cease striving.  Learning this is a process but one that I am grateful for.  In this morning's reading of  A Diary of Private Prayer, we read "I cannot go into this day unless you accompany me with your blessing". In our stillness, we receive in our souls what God wants to give us.  Everything we receive we must realize is a gift from God. We must walk as stewards, carrying and releasing the blessings we received while sitting still in His presence.  God is our refuge and strength now and  through each trial.  His final victory in inevitable and one day we will all stand still quietly before Him. Being still at some point in each day, giving Him praise and honoring His power and majesty puts our lives in proper perspective.  Apart from that, as King Solomon so wisely put it, "everything is meaningless".






Randi