November 30: Of First Instincts

Daniel 7:1-28

1 John 1:1-10

Psalm 119:153-176

Proverbs 28:23-24

In today's New Testament reading, John might as well have been speaking to Adam and Eve.  If you recall, after they sinned, their first instinct was to hide.  They were ashamed, they knew they had made themselves unworthy to be in the presence of God.  

For all the time that has passed since Adam and Eve first sinned, we aren't all that different from them, are we?  How often is it our first instinct when we sin to hide the hide the wrongdoing, to hope no one notices…yet how often are we ashamed we cannot face ourselves, much less others?  

The crazy thing is this: when we hide, when we pretend we haven't done anything wrong, we are doing EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of what God wants us to do.  John is pretty clear: "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  Think about that: He doesn't expect perfection - He expects us to fail, to sin!  Yet all He asks is our honesty, which He rewards with forgiveness and purification. 

Father, when inevitably, persistently, we sin, help us to resist the temptation to hide.  Rather, help us to boldly come before You and confess our sins, that we might receive the goodness, the mercy, the forgiveness, the purification You have promised.  

Thursday, November 28

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019

"These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity -- for 'people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.' If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning." (2 Peter 2:17-20)

"Because I love your commands
more than gold, more than pure gold,
and because I consider all your precepts right,
I hate every wrong path." (Psalm 119:127,128)



Happy Thanksgiving! May God bless your continuing times with your loved ones over the coming days.

Today's reading from 2 Peter 2 highlights the dangers of false teachers and the fruit of their teaching. Their destructive heresies would cause others to stumble, bringing deception instead of truth. Their teaching would undermine the true Biblical teaching about Christ and His completed work on the cross, "even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute." (2:1,2) Peter explains that these teachers will act with impure motives, potentially greed. (2:3)

Peter wisely brings these warnings to his readers, recognizing that their popularity would rise in moments of struggle. As Peter explains, the greed inherent in their motives could seep into their teaching. In essence, their teaching promised comfort rather than the cross. Yet, as we read later, that false gospel of greed would erase the freedom that the true Gospel brings, enslaving people in depravity. (2:19)

Practically speaking, how may we avoid the potential traps set by these false teachers? According to the U.S. Treasury, in order to identify counterfeit bills, detectors should first have knowledge of genuine currency and a genuine note for comparison. Similarly, we determine spiritual falsehood by first knowing and comparing them with the truth. By extension, we must study and ingest God's Word so that we may compare the many claims that we hear and read daily with the truth. In other words, when we are faced with a claim, we may ask the simple question: "Does this idea or concept square with Biblical teaching?" If not, we should reject the teaching as potentially damaging to our integrity and well-being.

Our annual Bible-reading journey makes us ready to identify false teaching because of our exposure to the truth. May we cling faithfully to the One Whose truth will indeed set us free.


Lord God, thank You for the genuine Word that You have given us. Help us to hide this Word in our hearts so that we may evaluate different claims in light of its truth. Give us wise and discerning hearts so that we may embrace You and Your everlasting goodness instead of the fleeting pleasures of sin. In Jesus's mighty Name, amen.


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December 27

2 Peter

Who was Peter?  In his opening greeting, Peter introduces himself as a bond servant and apostle of Y'shua. I think it's important for us to remember that's not where Peter started and he had many struggles with faith along the way.  Before he was able to claim this identity, he had to make some life changes which, by the power of the Holy Spirit,  transformed and gradually changed him into the man Christ wanted him to be. It was by following Jesus, Peter learned that leadership is rooted and grounded in loving service to others and so his character became molded and shaped after the example he witnessed in Christ. Peter was with Jesus on that mountain top and saw Him in His glory, he heard the unique voice which announced Jesus's majesty as The Beloved Son, so in verses 16 through 21 he is whole hardheartedly expressing that prophesy was fulfilled in Jesus. Scripture was embedded in Peter's mind and heart so he was able to recognize that everything that was ever prophesied about Jesus was spoken by God and written under the power of the Holy Spirit and he witnessed it all. I believe in today's passage Peter is urging everyone who he is speaking to in the early churches to grasp this truth, by faith, and let their deeds reflect their faith and be demonstrated in their self control, patience, godliness, and brotherly love. I believe his message would be the same for us today and I pray for everyone reading this that we also grasp this truth. Our walk with Jesus is a mercy filled journey.  If Jesus can use twelve ordinary men (which Peter was one of), to advance His Kingdom, then He can certainly use you and I to the same end. I pray today, if we hear our Lord's voice, we do not harden our hearts. I pray we lead by serving, following the examples that have been set before us. I pray that like Peter, we become the sons and daughters Jesus wants us to be and by the power of the Holy Spirit He does a might work through us to spread the gospel.

Randi

November 23: Of Fighting to Lose What Has Already Been Won

Ezekiel 45:13-46:24

1 Peter 1:13-2:10

Psalm 119:33-48

Proverbs 28:11

In the futility of my solo battles against my sinfulness, some parts of the Bible are hard to read.  Today's NT reading is one of those for me.  I am to be "as obedient children," and "not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance."  I am to "be holy, because [God] is holy".  It gets worse…"rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind."  And as difficult as it is for me to forgive sometimes, I am to "have sincere love for each other", to "love one another deeply, from the heart."

Heck and there is really good reason why I am supposed to do this.  After all, I have been redeemed - "not with perishable things, such as silver or gold…but with the precious blood of Christ".  See, in my head, I KNOW this is a priceless gift, one I should be completely grateful for, one I should be reciprocating with my love and obedience.  Which is why sin is so frustratingly difficult - especially repetitive, signature sins.  What, then, to do?

Thankfully, the perfect sacrifice having been made for the atonement of our sins, we are spared the intricate procedures and sacrifices described in today's reading from Ezekiel.  Instead, as Paul says, we are to "come to Him, the living Stone" so that we also, "like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house…".  The battle against sin isn't ours to win - it's His, and He's already won it.  All we have to do is come to Him.

Today's psalm is really helpful in that regard: "Teach me, Lord, the way of Your decrees, that I may follow it to the end.  Give me understanding…direct me in the path of Your commands…turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain…turn my eyes away from worthless things…"

Father, when we are overwhelmed by how our sinfulness seems to restrain us from the perfection You demand, remind us that when we fight the battle, we fight it in vain because it is a battle we can only lose, and a battle You have already won.  Rather than fight to change, we present ourselves to You and ask that You teach us, direct us, turn our eyes away from the worthless, and our hearts towards You.

November 22

November 22, 2019

 

1 Peter 1:9  for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

 

Psalm 119:20  My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.

The belief in the soul is found in just about every culture. From the Native American Indian in Connecticut to the Buddhist in Thailand everyone believes we have some kind of soul. It is interesting how this soul idea is found in our culture.

 

May God rest his soul.

"All Soul's Day" comes two days after Halloween.

SOS … Save our souls

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.

And how can we forget about the best music ever created…. Soul Music.

 

But why is the soul so important? Because from the soul flows all the values, strength, direction and harmony of life. If our soul gets out of joint everything in life is out of joint. When our souls are healthy and strong, we are in harmony with God and the world.

 

Our souls are also eternal. That makes soul care the top priority today. We waste so much of our time on stuff that inevitably ends up in a land fill. Our souls will last for all eternity. That is why we must look after them and keep investing in them.

 

Pastor John Ortberg puts it this way, "There are two things for sure. One is: you have a soul. The other is: if you don't look after this one you won't be issued a replacement."  So, take time today to develop your soul.  There is nothing more important!

 

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, November 21

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

"Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  As you know, we count as blessed those who persevered.  You have heard about Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.  The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." (James 5:10,11)

In the Scriptures, the New Testament frequently mentions "standing firm" or "persevering" as a hallmark Christian virtue.  James points his readers to the example of the prophets and Job, who showed patience in the face of suffering.  The last sentence above refers to God's restorative power in Job's life, but it also applies generally to all those who persevere, receiving reward in heaven.

Given the struggles of this life and our tendency towards weakness, how can we continue to stand firm and persevere?

(1) Remember that longtime perseverance develops out of many small decisions.  We often discount the impact of "small decisions," thinking that the consequences are minimal.  Taken individually, that analysis may hold water.  Yet, our lives' course follows the path of our compounded decisions.  These small decisions affect our attitudes and actions over the long term.  In short, we must soberly remember that the small decisions are important.  Faithfulness comes through many small decisions that add up to a life of perseverance.

(2) Partner with a fellow warrior.  Many Scriptural examples show us saints who persevered almost alone.  As Pastor Scott has explained, feeling alone can lead us away from honoring God.  As an antidote—and by God's grace in the time of the Church—we have brothers and sisters ready to stand with us, if we would only forge the bonds of friendship.  As Elders, we pray for the faithfulness of our Grace Church family.  As individuals, we can link up with one or more friends, resolving that we are in one another's corners, especially when the road gets tough.  Whose corner would you occupy in times of trouble?

(3) Seek God consistently.  As David shared in Psalm 84, one day in God's presence is better than thousands elsewhere.  By reading Scripture, worshiping, praying, and fellowshipping with God's people, your heart can become strengthened for difficult moments.  While we are always vulnerable to temptation, removing ourselves from core spiritual disciplines makes us more vulnerable.  Seeking God daily represents a great "small decision."  As you face temptation and struggles, present them before Your Father.  He hears us, knows us, and cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7)  By the Spirit's power, we are made ready for each day; connecting with God makes that possible.

Lord God, thank You for standing with us in times of struggles and persecution.  Thank You that You never leave us nor forsake us.  Strengthen our hearts and minds for this day ahead.  Make us ready to face today and help us to take the course of faithfulness in today's many choices.  Help us to know You better through our time with You today.  We love You and give You our hearts, minds, souls, and spirits.  In Jesus's Name, amen.

Nov.20

James 4

I get to spend my day with kindergartners. Watching them interact can be anywhere on the spectrum from entertaining to frustrating depending on what's going on. Some have not turned 5 yet and the idea of sharing, compromising, and talking issues out is far fetched to say the least. What I've noticed is that when they interact they all think they're right based on what they feel in the moment. What they disagree over is usually based on their own paradigm, desires and self gratification. There are days I'm not sure how different I am than any of them and in reading today's passage, I think that is exactly what James is warning us about.  As Christ followers, our feelings and fleshly desires, when not checked against the word of God and evaluated for our motives, are exactly what cause quarrels.  When we don't stop and pray and realign hearts with Christ we find ourselves giving into the ways of the world instead of the ways of God. It is easy to see how we can encounter conflicts. Conflicts are not created by the Spirit of God and are created when our motives and desires are outside of the principles of the Kingdom. The Spirit of God does not create envy or give way to pride. I think what James wants us to understand is that when our perspective is not Kingdom centered and is more personal centered that's when we will be likely to give into the temptation or conflict. God's word is Spirit breathed truth and the foundation of who we are in the body of Christ. It's what unites us as keeps us as one. Only by the power of the Holy Spirit's conviction will we be able to check ourselves, set aside our pride aside, and humble ourselves before God so that we can receive grace and be lifted up. Lord, we thank You for grace. I pray that by the power of Your Spirit when faced with choices today we resist the enemy and set our minds on things above that reflect Your Kingdom and bring You honor and glory.

Randi