“Let me experience Your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in You. Reveal to me the way I should go, because Iong for You.” (Psalm 143:8 CSB)
Every new day is unique. We may repeat some of the same routines day in and day out, and that may sometimes become mundane. Even so, each day has a unique character all its own because we actually live in real time moment to moment. We never know what a day will bring our way, even with those events that we typically expect to occur. So, we need to treat each day as unique, and especially so as believers.
The psalmist got it right. The best way to begin any day is by first experiencing God’s faithful love, first thing each morning. We do this by reading His word, by spending some time with Him in prayer, and by simply listening to anything He might want to say to us.
At least part of what we need to ask the Lord each morning, and what we need to be listening for, is the guidance that God will give us in any given day. Our prayer is that the Lord would “reveal to me the way I should go.” Our need for God, our desire to walk with Him and to experience His will for us on a daily basis drives this prayer. God may tell us the direction He wants us to go each day, but He may also simply reveal it to us one step at a time. Either way, we know that His guidance is trustworthy, even when we do not quite comprehend all of His purposes.
Today, and each day, let your morning begin with Him, so that He can set your feet on solid ground.
Lord, We ask You to reveal Your will and Your guidance for us today and each day. Amen.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Paying Attention
“The people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention to them and that He had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.” (Exodus 4:31 CSB)
When Moses first returned to Egypt he conveyed the Lord’s message to the people of Israel. In the beginning they believed the message, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention to their suffering they bowed down before the Lord and worshiped Him.
Sometimes people go through intense or prolonged suffering (or both) and wonder where God is, or why He has not responded. The people of Israel had long suffered in Egypt under some cruel taskmasters as slave labor, and undoubtedly they had some of those same questions.
It is difficult for us to know or comprehend why God allows some folks to go through problems or suffering or “misery,” and some honestly wonder if God really cares. As with Israel, the reality is that God never misses even the slightest detail of what we go through. He is fully aware of it all. He stands with us through all of it.
The question that generally follows this thought is: If that is true, then why does He not do something about my suffering?
That question is one of the more difficult ones to answer. The essential answer, after everything else is boiled away, is: we don’t know. The real answer is a very complex one. Consider these questions for example. Is it possible that the suffering someone may be going through is actually of their own doing, such that God is allowing the consequences to proceed in an orderly way? Is the suffering that God is allowing someone to go through actually for a higher purpose than can be explained in human terms, such that God is trying to produce a quality or attitude in this person that will ultimately make him or her a better and stronger person? Is it possible that there are timing issues involved, such as there were with Israel? The bottom line is still: we don’t know. These questions at least point out, however, that there may well be a rationale for suffering that is beyond our ability to know or comprehend.
There is still a reality here that we need to be reminded of, however. The fact is: God does pay attention to what we go through. And in faith we believe that ultimately God will act. Our response to this truth should be the same as Israel’s. They bowed down and worshiped.
Father, Though we truly do not comprehend the “why’s” of life, we know that You are fully aware of everything that happens in our lives, and trust You and Your purposes for us. Amen.
When Moses first returned to Egypt he conveyed the Lord’s message to the people of Israel. In the beginning they believed the message, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention to their suffering they bowed down before the Lord and worshiped Him.
Sometimes people go through intense or prolonged suffering (or both) and wonder where God is, or why He has not responded. The people of Israel had long suffered in Egypt under some cruel taskmasters as slave labor, and undoubtedly they had some of those same questions.
It is difficult for us to know or comprehend why God allows some folks to go through problems or suffering or “misery,” and some honestly wonder if God really cares. As with Israel, the reality is that God never misses even the slightest detail of what we go through. He is fully aware of it all. He stands with us through all of it.
The question that generally follows this thought is: If that is true, then why does He not do something about my suffering?
That question is one of the more difficult ones to answer. The essential answer, after everything else is boiled away, is: we don’t know. The real answer is a very complex one. Consider these questions for example. Is it possible that the suffering someone may be going through is actually of their own doing, such that God is allowing the consequences to proceed in an orderly way? Is the suffering that God is allowing someone to go through actually for a higher purpose than can be explained in human terms, such that God is trying to produce a quality or attitude in this person that will ultimately make him or her a better and stronger person? Is it possible that there are timing issues involved, such as there were with Israel? The bottom line is still: we don’t know. These questions at least point out, however, that there may well be a rationale for suffering that is beyond our ability to know or comprehend.
There is still a reality here that we need to be reminded of, however. The fact is: God does pay attention to what we go through. And in faith we believe that ultimately God will act. Our response to this truth should be the same as Israel’s. They bowed down and worshiped.
Father, Though we truly do not comprehend the “why’s” of life, we know that You are fully aware of everything that happens in our lives, and trust You and Your purposes for us. Amen.
Friday, October 5, 2007
By Their Works
“They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works.” (Titus 1:16a CSB)
Along with the verse above, consider this one spoken by Jesus, “You’ll recognize them by their fruit,” (Matthew 7:16) and this one written by James, “Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works.” (James 2:18)
Jesus, Paul, and James all agree – faith, in order to be real, must be expressed and is, in fact, expressed in how we live our lives. That certainly does not mean that we can just engage in good works and expect that to equal faith or become faith. That is like putting the horse before the cart. The life of the redeemed begins with faith, and that faith then finds expression. We believe, then we do. It is always in that order.
By the same token, some folks think that just “believing” is all that is needed, and that the life we live is unrelated to that. In other words, they believe that living life any old way is just fine. Any lifestyle is all right, they think.
The Bible is very clear about this. Real faith finds real expression in real actions in real time. This is how it always is. This is the life of the redeemed, those who have come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, based on faith in Him.
Lord, Help us each day to live the life we say we believe. Amen.
Along with the verse above, consider this one spoken by Jesus, “You’ll recognize them by their fruit,” (Matthew 7:16) and this one written by James, “Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works.” (James 2:18)
Jesus, Paul, and James all agree – faith, in order to be real, must be expressed and is, in fact, expressed in how we live our lives. That certainly does not mean that we can just engage in good works and expect that to equal faith or become faith. That is like putting the horse before the cart. The life of the redeemed begins with faith, and that faith then finds expression. We believe, then we do. It is always in that order.
By the same token, some folks think that just “believing” is all that is needed, and that the life we live is unrelated to that. In other words, they believe that living life any old way is just fine. Any lifestyle is all right, they think.
The Bible is very clear about this. Real faith finds real expression in real actions in real time. This is how it always is. This is the life of the redeemed, those who have come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, based on faith in Him.
Lord, Help us each day to live the life we say we believe. Amen.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
God of Integrity
“I will bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for your constant love and faithfulness. You have exalted Your name and Your promise above everything else.” (Psalm 138:2 CSB)
The God who loves us is a God of integrity. God has so many attributes that help describe Him for us, and certainly integrity is one of them. God has exalted His name, that is, His character by His integrity, and He has exalted His promises because He keeps them. That is the meaning of integrity. God keeps His word.
God promises that He will be with us wherever we are, wherever we go. His presence is a sustaining and encouraging influence to us day after day, moment to moment. His Spirit who dwells within the hearts of each of us whispers throughout the day that He is here, and that He loves us. Pure encouragement.
God promises that He will take care of us and provide for us. The birds of the air do not sow seed. They do not reap. They have no barns. But God provides for them. The flowers of the field do not spin thread to make clothes, but God clothes them with beauty that far surpasses anything Solomon ever wore. And if God does that for them, then we should know for certainty that He will provide what we need.
God promises that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. He promises eternal life and forgiveness of sins to all who turn from sin and receive Jesus into their hearts as Lord and Savior. He promises that if we confess our sins, He will be faithful to forgive us and cleanse us.
God has exalted His name and His promises above everything else. He does that just because of who He is. He is the God of integrity, and we can count on Him.
Lord, We trust our very souls to you. Guide us and strengthen us through this day, that our lives may serve as a testimony to You and glorify Your name. Amen.
The God who loves us is a God of integrity. God has so many attributes that help describe Him for us, and certainly integrity is one of them. God has exalted His name, that is, His character by His integrity, and He has exalted His promises because He keeps them. That is the meaning of integrity. God keeps His word.
God promises that He will be with us wherever we are, wherever we go. His presence is a sustaining and encouraging influence to us day after day, moment to moment. His Spirit who dwells within the hearts of each of us whispers throughout the day that He is here, and that He loves us. Pure encouragement.
God promises that He will take care of us and provide for us. The birds of the air do not sow seed. They do not reap. They have no barns. But God provides for them. The flowers of the field do not spin thread to make clothes, but God clothes them with beauty that far surpasses anything Solomon ever wore. And if God does that for them, then we should know for certainty that He will provide what we need.
God promises that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. He promises eternal life and forgiveness of sins to all who turn from sin and receive Jesus into their hearts as Lord and Savior. He promises that if we confess our sins, He will be faithful to forgive us and cleanse us.
God has exalted His name and His promises above everything else. He does that just because of who He is. He is the God of integrity, and we can count on Him.
Lord, We trust our very souls to you. Guide us and strengthen us through this day, that our lives may serve as a testimony to You and glorify Your name. Amen.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Good Ground
“But the ones sown on good ground are those who hear the word, welcome it, and produce a crop: 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown.” (Mark 4:20 CSB)
Jesus told a story about a farmer who scattered seed that fell on four kinds of ground: a hard-packed pathway, shallow and rocky ground, ground where there were lots of weeds, and ground that had been plowed and prepared. Seed that fell on the hard-packed pathway never had a chance, but the birds did. Seed on the shallow ground came up quickly but died just as quickly because the roots couldn’t get to the deep soil. Seed that came up with the weeds got choked out. The seed that fell on the good ground that was plowed and prepared produced a bumper crop.
Jesus later told His disciples that the seed represents the word of God, and the four kinds of ground represent the four kinds of responses people give when they hear it. Some folks are so hard toward it that it has no chance to have an impact. Some folks hear it enthusiastically for a while, but they turn away from it quickly because they do not allow it go deep into their lives. Some allow other concerns to have an equal priority, and ultimately these concerns choke out the word. But then, there are those whose hearts allow the seeds to put down deep roots into their lives, and those are the folks who truly see fruit produced in their walk with God.
There are two points to be made. First, this is just the way people are. There are degrees of responsiveness to the word of God. Second, people who want to see great fruit in their lives need to open their hearts to the word, let it go deep, and give it priority so as to not let anything choke it out.
So, where are you on this “one to four” scale?
Lord, Today may Your word sink roots deeper into our hearts that we may see the kind of fruit and the amount of fruit produced in and through us that brings honor to You. Amen.
Jesus told a story about a farmer who scattered seed that fell on four kinds of ground: a hard-packed pathway, shallow and rocky ground, ground where there were lots of weeds, and ground that had been plowed and prepared. Seed that fell on the hard-packed pathway never had a chance, but the birds did. Seed on the shallow ground came up quickly but died just as quickly because the roots couldn’t get to the deep soil. Seed that came up with the weeds got choked out. The seed that fell on the good ground that was plowed and prepared produced a bumper crop.
Jesus later told His disciples that the seed represents the word of God, and the four kinds of ground represent the four kinds of responses people give when they hear it. Some folks are so hard toward it that it has no chance to have an impact. Some folks hear it enthusiastically for a while, but they turn away from it quickly because they do not allow it go deep into their lives. Some allow other concerns to have an equal priority, and ultimately these concerns choke out the word. But then, there are those whose hearts allow the seeds to put down deep roots into their lives, and those are the folks who truly see fruit produced in their walk with God.
There are two points to be made. First, this is just the way people are. There are degrees of responsiveness to the word of God. Second, people who want to see great fruit in their lives need to open their hearts to the word, let it go deep, and give it priority so as to not let anything choke it out.
So, where are you on this “one to four” scale?
Lord, Today may Your word sink roots deeper into our hearts that we may see the kind of fruit and the amount of fruit produced in and through us that brings honor to You. Amen.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
What Is He Thinking?
“Then He went home, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat. When His family heard this, they set out to restrain Him, because they said, ‘He’s out of His mind.’” (Mark 3:20-21 CSB)
The family of Jesus – that would be Mary, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas, and two sisters unnamed – apparently got a report from somebody. Maybe an anonymous tip? Or, maybe it was one of the local synagogue leaders there in Nazareth. Jesus was over in Capernaum, preaching, teaching, healing, casting out demons, and not resting, and not eating. The folks in the local synagogue in Nazareth had already tried to throw Him off a cliff. Maybe some made an oblique suggestion that they needed to get Him some help, or maybe they just reached that conclusion on their own. It would seem to us that, given all that happened to Mary and Joseph, that Mary would have known better, but in truth we are unable to know what her thought processes were. It may be that the second oldest son, James, took the lead in all this, since at that point he did not believe for a moment that Jesus was the Messiah. In today’s vernacular, we might imagine someone in the family hearing this report and then saying, “What is He thinking?” That means, of course, that the speaker thinks the other person is NOT thinking. What His family actually thought is that He was out of His mind. Even some Pharisees were saying, after all, that He was demon-possessed and cast out demons by the power of Beelzebul.
So, off they trotted to Capernaum, and sure enough, the house where Jesus was staying was surrounded by people. There were so many people they could not even get near the door. So, they got someone to begin passing word through the crowd that His family was outside asking for Him, and the word finally reached His ears. His response was interesting. “Who are My mother and My brothers?” And looking about at those who were sitting in a circle around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! Whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother.”
There is no indication that Jesus went out to them. Maybe He did. Maybe He didn’t. For sure, they were unable to “restrain” Him. Very likely, they just left after a while and returned to Nazareth.
For those who walk with God, the most important thing in the world is to walk with God. No matter what.
Lord, Help us to do just that. Today. And each day. Amen.
The family of Jesus – that would be Mary, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas, and two sisters unnamed – apparently got a report from somebody. Maybe an anonymous tip? Or, maybe it was one of the local synagogue leaders there in Nazareth. Jesus was over in Capernaum, preaching, teaching, healing, casting out demons, and not resting, and not eating. The folks in the local synagogue in Nazareth had already tried to throw Him off a cliff. Maybe some made an oblique suggestion that they needed to get Him some help, or maybe they just reached that conclusion on their own. It would seem to us that, given all that happened to Mary and Joseph, that Mary would have known better, but in truth we are unable to know what her thought processes were. It may be that the second oldest son, James, took the lead in all this, since at that point he did not believe for a moment that Jesus was the Messiah. In today’s vernacular, we might imagine someone in the family hearing this report and then saying, “What is He thinking?” That means, of course, that the speaker thinks the other person is NOT thinking. What His family actually thought is that He was out of His mind. Even some Pharisees were saying, after all, that He was demon-possessed and cast out demons by the power of Beelzebul.
So, off they trotted to Capernaum, and sure enough, the house where Jesus was staying was surrounded by people. There were so many people they could not even get near the door. So, they got someone to begin passing word through the crowd that His family was outside asking for Him, and the word finally reached His ears. His response was interesting. “Who are My mother and My brothers?” And looking about at those who were sitting in a circle around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! Whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother.”
There is no indication that Jesus went out to them. Maybe He did. Maybe He didn’t. For sure, they were unable to “restrain” Him. Very likely, they just left after a while and returned to Nazareth.
For those who walk with God, the most important thing in the world is to walk with God. No matter what.
Lord, Help us to do just that. Today. And each day. Amen.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Unstoppable
“Keep in mind Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, according to my gospel. For this I suffer, to the point of being bound like a criminal; but God’s message is not bound.” (2 Timothy 2:8-9 CSB)
The gospel of Jesus Christ is unstoppable. That is because He Himself is unstoppable.
There were men who thought they could stop Him. For them, a crucifixion was the ultimate weapon for stopping Jesus, so they used a cross to kill Him. But God raised Him from the dead, according to what He had planned all along. Not even the worst they could do could stop Him.
There are people today who think they can stop Him. In some places in our world, hostile and aggressive religions and governments are trying to stop or otherwise limit the Lord and the work of His kingdom, but ironically the harder they squeeze, the faster the gospel spreads. Their efforts, while brutal, are ultimately futile.
The message of God’s grace and love toward us cannot be bound. It cannot be stopped. The purposes of a sovereign God are at work in His message, so all efforts to contain or stop it will prove unfruitful.
This does not mean, of course, that no one is going to try. Try they will. It also does not mean that there will be no cost. Some will create suffering for the people of God who serve as the Lord’s messengers. That is to be expected, since Jesus told us that some folks will feel like they are doing God and the world a favor by putting gospelizers away. Jesus said that this is, in fact, the same thing they had done to the prophets of God previously, but attempts to silence God’s message did not succeed then either. Yet, we must understand that suffering is part of the cost.
Those who stand with the Lord in the proclamation of His unstoppable message should count themselves blessed, whatever the costs may be.
Lord, Keep us faithful and keep our minds on Jesus, so that we may also follow You faithfully. Amen.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is unstoppable. That is because He Himself is unstoppable.
There were men who thought they could stop Him. For them, a crucifixion was the ultimate weapon for stopping Jesus, so they used a cross to kill Him. But God raised Him from the dead, according to what He had planned all along. Not even the worst they could do could stop Him.
There are people today who think they can stop Him. In some places in our world, hostile and aggressive religions and governments are trying to stop or otherwise limit the Lord and the work of His kingdom, but ironically the harder they squeeze, the faster the gospel spreads. Their efforts, while brutal, are ultimately futile.
The message of God’s grace and love toward us cannot be bound. It cannot be stopped. The purposes of a sovereign God are at work in His message, so all efforts to contain or stop it will prove unfruitful.
This does not mean, of course, that no one is going to try. Try they will. It also does not mean that there will be no cost. Some will create suffering for the people of God who serve as the Lord’s messengers. That is to be expected, since Jesus told us that some folks will feel like they are doing God and the world a favor by putting gospelizers away. Jesus said that this is, in fact, the same thing they had done to the prophets of God previously, but attempts to silence God’s message did not succeed then either. Yet, we must understand that suffering is part of the cost.
Those who stand with the Lord in the proclamation of His unstoppable message should count themselves blessed, whatever the costs may be.
Lord, Keep us faithful and keep our minds on Jesus, so that we may also follow You faithfully. Amen.
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