Friday, February 19, 2016

Friday, February 19, 2016

[Keesha Sullivan]

Do We Trust God?

            Times are quickly changing. Many believe that these are the end times that the Bible speaks about in the New Testament. If these are the times, that means that disaster, turmoil and famine are inevitable. As I thought about the possibility of these three things, I asked myself, "Do you trust God right now while things are good and plentiful?" Do I trust God right now while I am not suffering from any of the persecution that my fellow brothers and sisters are suffering from in other countries?

            In today's Scripture it said, "The days of the blameless are known to the Lord, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread" (Psalm 37:18-19; 25). David wrote this knowing that there would be times of turmoil, disaster, and famine, but he believed that God would see the righteous through each trial and tribulation. God would work out the supernatural in a situation that seemed dire in the natural realm.

            In the natural realm, usually when a disaster comes, the end result is people "withering" (Psalm 37:19) - they suffer from lack of nourishment.  In the supernatural realm where God can do the impossible, as disaster strikes God's children will thrive. In the event of a famine, God's people will enjoy plenty. The righteous will not be forgotten and neither will their children.

            As I read on these promises that God spoke to David, my heart took solace in knowing that God is trustworthy. His word is tried and true. If I can't trust God in the plenty, it will definitely be hard for me to trust Him when the world goes through lack. Our only hope yesterday, today, and forevermore is Jesus.

            Lord, help us to build a greater trust in You being the ultimate Provider. Help us to understand that without You we have no hope. Help us to look to You whether we experience abundance or whether we don't. Thank You for being God! We love You, and we place our trust in You.

Thursday, February 18

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2016

Leviticus 6:1–7:27

Mark 3:7–30

Psalm 37:1–11

Proverbs 10:3,4

 

 

“Trust in the Lord and do good;

    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Take delight in the Lord,

    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 

“Commit your way to the Lord;

    trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

    your vindication like the noonday sun.” (Psalm 37:3–6)

 

 

Psalm 37 discusses the challenges we face in observing those who are succeeding in this world, tying it to Asaph’s reflections in Psalm 73.  The psalm urges the believer not to “fret” or be “envious” of those who appear to succeed in spite of “wicked” character.

 

Instead of focusing on others, the psalmist urges us to concentrate on God and trusting in Him.  The reading indicates that God will reward the righteous in His timing.

 

What does it mean to “take delight in the Lord”?  And how will this lead to His giving us “the desires of your heart”?  As Keesha wrote several weeks ago, we must seek God, becoming passionate about knowing Him.  This relational closeness will naturally draw us to “take delight” because of His awesome character.  In this “delight,” we will come to desire what He desires for us.

 

Theologically, Jonathan Edwards described our response to God as the awakening of a “new sense” within us, under the Spirit’s direction.  Edwards recognized early on that only with a proper knowledge of God’s excellency would individuals desire Him and seek to mirror His character.  Reason and truth alone do not bring about inward transformation, as the unredeemed “see nothing in Christ wherefore they should desire him; no beauty or comeliness to draw or incline their hearts to him.”  Without God’s intervention, individuals cannot demonstrate “any denomination or character” of being “spiritual.”   Edwards compared the common – that is, non-saving – grace in the Spirit’s work to the shining of light on a dark body since the body will neither reflect any light nor produce any of its own.  In his natural state, a person resists what God had prescribed for him to do in order to glorify Him.

 

Edwards encapsulated the transformational catalyst as the “new sense,” which yielded a spiritual “change of nature” and prominently marked the Spirit’s regeneration and the root of “all holy affection.”  This doctrine of the “new sense” notably removed “the customary dichotomy of cognition and affection, of head and heart.”

 

Through the spiritual affections, the Holy Spirit transforms an “opinion” of God’s excellency into a “sense” thereof.   Effective grace thus inclines the heart “towards God and divine things, with such strength and vigor, that these holy exercises do prevail in him above all carnal or natural affections.”  Not mere momentary guidance, this “new sense” realigns the soul’s faculties according to the Spirit’s direction and engender ongoing holiness.

 

We may therefore pray to receive a deeper revelation of God’s beauty and excellency – the doorway to experiencing eternal life, rooted in knowing God and Jesus Christ (John 17:3).

 

For us, practically speaking, we find direction in Matthew 6:33 (from Friday’s reading):  “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  This verse appears to offer a New Testament parallel to the Abrahamic promises.  It wraps up our commitment to Christ and His Kingdom above earthly ties and the promises of God’s provision in all times.  We seek God not for His benefits, but because of His awesome Person.  He is worthy of all honor and praise, due only to His lovingkindness and holiness.  Yet, in His wholly otherness, He loves us so much to give eternal life to those who have trusted in Christ and to bring “all things” into our lives.

 

 

Lord God, help us to know You fully and to receive fresh revelation of Your beauty and excellency.  Bring our hearts into line with Your desires.  Give us fresh eyes to perceive spiritual reality so that we may delight in You today.  We love You and worship You as King of kings and Lord of lords.  In Jesus’s Name, amen.

 

Keith Green:  “O, Lord, You’re Beautiful” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVgPQm06g2c)

 

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February 17

Psalm 36

As I read this Psalm contrasting God's faithfulness and love to the sinful hearts of people who don't know Him, the first impression I was struck with was how David personifies transgression.  In the Jewish Study Bible the first line reads "I know what Transgression says to the wicked; he has no sense of the dread of God, because it's speech is seductive to him". Evil is real and has a voice.  People who don't know God are enticed by it's appeal.   In contrast, for those who know Him, we are aware that God's love is everywhere and in all attributes of His character, He saturates us with love and kindness in the shelter of His wings. When we tune in to hear His voice, we are offered grace and forgiveness in His love for us.  The contrasting image of sin versus knowing God is found in verse 9 and 12: "For with You is the fountain of life" (v.9), "See how the evildoers lie fallen thrown down, not able to rise (12)."  We see this imagery used in Jeremiah where forsaking the spring of living water is compared to digging our own cistern (2:13).   Jesus Himself tells us in John 4:14, "Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life".  When we open our hearts to God, He faithfully pours His love into us. His refreshing springs of water will wash away any sin, and all we have to do is receive it. None of us are perfect, and we all have a story.  We have to always keep in mind that the world sees God through our testimony.  Sharing our story and revealing God's love is how we glorify our King.  I pray we all get to share our story today.



Randi


        

February 16: Of leprosy and blindness, and how the former is, perhaps, preferable to the latter...

Leviticus 1:1-3:17

Mark 1:29-2:12

Psalm 35:17-28

Proverbs 9:13-18

I had to read this verse twice: in Mark 1:40, a leper comes to Jesus, begging to be healed.  In just the next verse, we read in the NIV version that Jesus "reached out his hand and touched the man."

I thought that leprosy was a defiling disease - I had to go back to Leviticus -  and required the afflicted to live apart from the community, crying out "unclean, unclean" when they approached.  They were unable to live with family, and given there was no cure for leprosy, they were condemned to a life apart, in difficult conditions, suffering from a disease the symptoms of which would likely lead to their death.  Leprosy was condemnation, from which there was no hope of rescue or redemption, no help even, for one who helped risked touching the leper, and risked spiritual impurity. 

Yet here Jesus was - approached in faith, Jesus TOUCHED the leper and, in doing so, took upon Himself the leper's unclean state.  And not only that - in touching the leper, He healed him.  By taking upon Himself the leper's defiled state, Jesus saved him from the condemnation and desolation his state demanded.  And all because the leper cried out in desperate faith.

You know, the sad thing is, the leper was far better off than I often am - at least he was constantly aware of his need for a salvation beyond his own abilities.  How often do I delude myself into believing my own self sufficiency, thereby blinding me to my need for a salvation beyond my abilities, and precluding me from crying out in desperate faith?

Jesus, there are none so blind that will not see - and I am such a one.  Forgive my willful blindness to my need for You - touch me in my sinfulness, take upon Yourself the sin I cannot bear, and grant me the gift of Your salvation.

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Saturday, January 23, 2016 [Psalm 34:6-8 NIV]

This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,and he delivers them.  Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

     A story is told about a young man that was invited to preach at a gathering of pastors and ministry leaders. This young man was a scholar, professionally trained at some of the world's top seminaries and Bible schools.  He was a very gifted thinker and speaker.  However, his message was troublesome to the audience.  This young man spoke about the questions and difficulties that the biblical text posed.  In all of his learning he had grown skeptical of things like Noah and the ark, Moses' parting of the Red Sea, and the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.  "Gentlemen," the young man exclaimed, "I'm simply not convinced that we have gotten it right."

     During the questions and answers portion of the young man's talk, several pastors got up and challenged him.  For every challenge this brilliant young man had an answer and all of the pastors sat down dismayed - all except one. He was an older man, clearly in the latter part of his years.  He stood up, reached into his brown paper lunch bag, pulled out an apple, and took a bite.  "Young man," said the apple-chewing pastor, "You're very brilliant and have brought up a lot of questions for us.  I'd like to ask you one, though. What does this apple taste like?"  The scholar looked puzzled, thought for a moment and answered, "Sir, there is no way for me to know that."  The old pastor replied, "Exactly, unless you take a bite out of this apple like I did, you'll never know what it tastes like.  You can question it, speculate about it, compare it to other apples, but you'll never know until you taste it.  Son, you know a lot of good information, but I think it's time you tasted Jesus."

     Skeptics are real and have real questions. Many of us who follow Jesus today were skeptics at one time in our journey. In fact, we still have a few questions lingering.  But, if you you check your testimonies, many of you will find that there was a moment in your life when you tasted Jesus - a time when He met you right where you were and poured out His love on you in a powerful way.  This encounter happened because you decided to take a bite and taste.  We will never have all the answers to all of the questions that we have about God until we meet Him face to face.  However, there's not a skeptic in this world that can tell me what I felt like when Jesus first met me… when He saved me from destroying myself… when He comforted me at my lowest moments… You can strip everything else away from me, but no one can strip me of my history with Jesus.  

     He invited me to trust Him.  And in the moments that I accepted His invitation He NEVER failed me.  No, every situation didn't turn out like I wanted it to.  Loved ones passed away, opportunities I wanted faded into the background.  But, I feel like the songwriter that wrote:

As I look back over my life

And I think things over

I can truly say that I've been blessed

I've got a testimony!

Father, we don't have all of the answers, but please grant us the courage and strength to trust You anyway.  In Jesus' Name...Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGwtyFQrzb0

Thursday, February 11

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2016

Exodus 32:1–33:23

Matthew 26:69–27:14

Psalm 33:1–11

Proverbs 8:33–36

 

 

“When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, ‘There is the sound of war in the camp.’” (Exodus 32:17)

 

 

In today’s reading, we encounter the Israelites’ resorting to worshipping the golden calf.  Having seen God’s great hand in freeing them from Egyptian slavery, triumphing specifically over the Egyptian gods through the 10 designated plagues, spiritual amnesia descended quickly upon the Israelites.  This incident highlights the tremendous danger of failing to remember God’s faithfulness and to celebrate His presence on a daily basis.

 

I took note of Joshua’s pointing to the “sound of war in the camp.”  Having received training as a military leader – or at least blessed of God for this purpose – Joshua prophetically spoke of the spiritual warfare now within the camp.  As with each of us, individually and corporately, we face a real spiritual enemy over our commitment to our Father vs. our commitments to the flesh, the world, or the devil’s schemes.  Clearly, the devil sought to derail the Israelite nation by distracting them from their source of power, love, joy, and peace – the Almighty I am.

 

In The Knowledge of the Holy, A. W. Tozer argued that our view of God defines our horizons:  “The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God.  Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God.”

 

This reality means that we must hold right attitudes towards God, chiefly to put no other gods before Him.  While this phrase certainly includes idols of human making, such as the golden calf, it more broadly refers to any commitments that draw us away from God.  These commitments may seem simple and innocuous, but they distract us from undivided, devoted worship of our Father.  These distractions ultimately sell God short and steal our joy.

 

What distractions do you face today?  How may you prepare to overcome these distractions?

 

I encourage you to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).  A great pathway is to remember God’s faithfulness by thinking over, writing down, or sharing ways in which He has made Himself known to you today or this week.  Then, please consider lifting up a prayer of thanksgiving or singing a praise song.  Through this process, we may lift up our soul (Psalm 27:13,14) and bolster our friends and family in the faith.  As we soon turn to the Book of Deuteronomy, we will receive many reminders to “remember.”  May we heed these truths.

 

 

Lord God, we wish to serve You and know You better.  Help us to overcome spiritual amnesia and the warfare we face for our heart’s allegiance.  By the blood of Christ and by His powerful Name, break these chains that wish to hinder us.  Give us strength to love You and worship You with all our hearts.  We desperately need You, both individually and as a country.  Show us how we may better honor You.  In the powerful Name of Jesus, amen.

 

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Feb 12

Psalm 33:16-17   No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.

What do we trust in? That can be determined by the way we spend our time and money. We will naturally gravitate towards that which we believe will provide security. For many people it is money. It is easy to think that having some dollars in the bank will give us a secure future. Kings on the other hand are tempted to think security is found in horses. We in the USA think security is found in our armed forces.  

But no king or President is saved by having tanks. Tanks can run out of fuel and they can't fight terrorists. No dollar is safe from an economic downturn or a volatile world market, just check the recent stock market numbers. The only hope of security is found by placing our eyes on the Lord.

We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.

America's future will not be secured by politicians. It will only be protected by Jesus Christ.

So here is the mission; convince the people of God that they are the only hope to lead our nation to Jesus. The gospel message will not come up during the next Presidential debate. It is our responsibility, as Christ followers, to live it and proclaim it. And it is only when our country turns to King Jesus that we will be truly secure.   

John Witherspoon said after the victory of the American Revolution. (1723-1794)

 "While we give praise to God the supreme disposer of all events, for his interposition on our behalf, let us guard against the dangerous error of trusting in, or boasting of an arm of flesh. I could earnestly wish that while our arms are crowned with success, we might content ourselves with a modest ascription of it to the power of the Highest."   

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