Saturday, July 15, 2006

Title: The Deadly Progression / Topic: Bitterness

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 22; Isaiah 23; Isaiah 24; Hebrews 12

Scripture: Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

Observation: Bitterness is a fruit that grows from a root. To get a bitter root, you need a bitter seed plus one more thing. You need to turn away from the grace of God which He gives to everyone who is hurt, or wounded, or offended. This grace is like a weed killer for the heart -- it kills the bitter seed. But if the person "misses the grace of God" by refusing it or turning away from it, the bitter seed remains and the deadly progression from seed to root to fruit proceeds. Note that when the bitter root grows up it causes trouble, but not only for the one person. Unfortunately, it will "defile many" -- bitterness is a poison that is easily spread to others to pollute or corrupt them as well.

Application: So let's do a bitterness checkup. Check yourself to see if there are people that make you bitter, or memories that evoke bitterness. Are you sweet or sour? [A sour disposition is a likely sign of bitterness.] If you find it hard to be sweet, you probably have bitterness. If so, stop and ask God for special grace to eradicate it from your life. Don't let it go -- don't let it grow -- it will cause trouble. [By the way, forgiveness with joy is the proof of the breaking of bitterness.]

And stay open to the grace of God for every future offense. That way you can kill the bitterness when it's just a seed, before it can take root and bring its destructive force into your life. Stay close to God's grace and stay sweet.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for the grace You give us to eliminate the bitter seeds from our hearts. Help us to walk in Your grace and in constant forgiveness of others. And help every one of us to get the bitterness out and the sweetness in. May we experience Your joy and blessing by walking free of bitterness.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Friday, July 14, 2006

Title: The Faithful / Topic: Faith

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 19; Isaiah 20; Isaiah 21; Hebrews 11

Scripture: Hebrews 11:35-39
35 ...Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.

Observation: This passage has always grabbed me. Hebrews 11 is known as the Hall of Faith -- the listing of great men and women of faith. And here in these verses is a description of nameless individuals of great faith, all of whom suffered greatly. Some of them even refused release -- apparently unwilling to compromise their confession of faith. What is so amazing to me is that we generally associate great faith with great miracles. But these people of great faith suffered unto death -- no miracle of deliverance came to them. And yet they are celebrated. I love the verse: "The world was not worthy of them."

Application: These words should challenge and encourage all of us who name the name of Jesus. We have a rich heritage of faith. And if we suffer, many have suffered much more before us -- and they remained faithful and are recognized for their faith. As we remain steadfast, we join with these -- our amazing brothers and sisters -- in standing with Jesus who Himself suffered unto death. Great faith is not just for great miracles -- it is for great people to stand in the face of great opposition. And great rewards will follow. Let's stand faithful no matter what.

Prayer: Father, thank You that You provide these reminders that we have a great heritage of faithful men and women that we are following. Help us to not focus on deliverance only, though we do pray for deliverance, but help us to focus on faithfulness and steadfastness, no matter what kind of difficulty or opposition we encounter. May we stand, faithful, in Your great strength.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Title: Go The Distance / Topic: Spiritual Partnership

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 15; Isaiah 16; Isaiah 17; Isaiah 18; Hebrews 10

Scripture: Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Observation: It's a simple and basic truth -- we need each other. And as the age draws to a close, things will get worse and we will need each other more. Notice he says "consider how".

Application: In other words, we have to give some serious thought as to how to push each other toward a more holy life. This speaks of accountability and partnership in the pursuit of godly living. And as we see today, neglecting the regular gathering was common at the time of the writing of this verse. But we need to help others to stay committed and connected.

Prayer: Lord, help us to connect with others to partner towards the kind of living that goes the distance. May we use Your creativity and motivation to help each other to living the life in the power of the Spirit so we may stand and endure with power and joy.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Title: The Spiritual Man / Topic: Godly Living

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 11; Isaiah 12; Isaiah 13; Isaiah 14; Hebrews 9

Scripture: Isaiah 11:3-4
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions...

Observation: This is one of the great prophecies concerning Jesus. Isaiah gave this prophecy hundreds of years before Jesus was born. What grabbed me in these verses is the description of the moral basis of the One described in them and the contrast to the natural or unregenerate man. I will use the terms "spiritual man" and "natural man" to point out the differences.

The spiritual man finds his "delight in the fear of the Lord." That is, he has such an awe and high regard for God that he literally gets great joy and satisfaction by thinking, speaking, and acting in a way reflective of God's character. It makes him happy to honor God. As a result, his own observations ("what he sees with his eyes... what he hears with his ears") do not determine his decisions. He is so desirous to reflect God's thoughts that he sets aside his own determinations and keys in to God's standards (defined as "righteousness") to form his opinions and decisions. As a result, he is a selfless man, his life being lived according to the mind of God and for the pleasure of God.

On the other hand, the natural man bases his happiness on what he perceives to benefit himself. Self-promotion is the goal. And self-determination is the means. When things make him feel good, or promote what he perceives to be his own interest, he is happy. Otherwise not. He completely relies on his own powers of observation -- what he sees, hears, and feels -- as the basis of all his judgments and decisions. They are self-centered and thus cannot produce anything other than a skewed result -- molded around one person's selfish perceptions. The natural man's judgment about the needy is likewise self-oriented. He looks at them from the point of view of how it affects him and forms his judgments. All his decisions are based on what he sees, hears, thinks and feels as opposed to any principle or objective standard. Situation-based thinking is what the natural man is all about.

Application: Let's apply this to ourselves. If this spiritual man is a description of Jesus, then those of us who aim to follow Him should seek to make ourselves like this spiritual man. We must put aside our self-orientation and find our "delight in the fear of the Lord." It is for us to follow the example of Jesus and live with God's judgments and standards, not basing our lives on what we see, hear, think, and feel, but living according to the mind of God.

Prayer: Lord, help us to delight in You and to seek to know Your thoughts and ways and to live according to them. Show us Your ways, teach us Your principles, give us Your heart and Your mind concerning all that we encounter throughout our lives. Help us to know what "the fear of the Lord" really is and to embrace it fully.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Title: Fear This / Topic: God's Perspective

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 8; Isaiah 9; Isaiah 10; Hebrews 8

Scripture: Isaiah 8:11-14
11 The LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said:
12 "Do not call conspiracy
everything that these people call conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
and do not dread it.
13 The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
he is the one you are to fear,
he is the one you are to dread,
14 and he will be a sanctuary...

Observation: Isaiah lived in tumultuous times. The nation of Israel was under constant attack from without and within. Wars, insurrections, rebellions, and military coups were commonplace. There was great cause for fear as social instability was rampant. Rumors swept through the populace, inciting terror among the people. In the midst of this uncertainty, God speaks to Isaiah. God tells him to not be caught up in the fever of fear that has engulfed the nation. He is to stay away from the conspiracy theories and fear mongering going on all around him. He is to demonstrate that God is the only One that must be feared and reckoned with, especially in times of great distress. When we give Him the proper place in our lives -- understanding Him to be holy, and the only thing we need to fear and dread, "He will be a sanctuary," a place of refuge and peace, to us.

Application: No matter what troubles surround or come against us, ultimately God is the only One with whom we have to deal. If we truly understand God for Who He is -- all knowing, all powerful, good and loving -- then we will know that He alone has power over all our difficulties. He truly is the only One we need to hang on to. He will be there for us when everything else fails.

Bottom line: In good times and bad, an intimate relationship with God is the surest security and provision we can have. So keep Your eyes of Jesus and make your relationship with Him your highest priority.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You are always there -- in good times and bad. I know that You are always trustworthy and mighty to save. Lord, I pray for all those whom You have placed in my care, that they would draw closer and closer to You, being strengthened in their innermost being, to build the kind of intimate and passionate relationships that will see them through every trial and difficulty. I know that You will always be there -- may we cling to You with all that is within us.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Title: Got Idols? / Topic: Worship

Today’s Reading: Micah 5; Micah 6; Micah 7; Hebrews 7

Scripture: Micah 5:13 I will destroy your carved images
and your sacred stones from among you;
you will no longer bow down
to the work of your hands.

Observation: Idol worship seems quite stupid to me. I think most modern people regard bowing down to images of wood, or stone, or metal to be quite primitive and silly. But as I was looking at this verse, the last part seemed quite relevant to people today: "you will no longer bow down to the work of your hands." I think of what people work hard to obtain: fancy cars, impressive homes, expensive electronics, recreational toys -- this truly represents "the work of their hands." And it is a fact that people really love and even worship these things.

I have some friends with really beautiful motorcycles that they worked hard to get. They love showing off their motorcycles and in some respects, I would say they live for their motorcycles. Another phrase in this scripture is "sacred stones." I think of the fancy jewelry and diamonds that people ooh and ahh over. People live for this stuff.

I think that both of these examples could be considered "bowing down to the work of their hands."

Application: The point is this: if the things that we get with the money we earn become really important to us -- more important than our Bible reading and prayer life -- then we may have slipped into a form of idol worship. That is, worshiping the work of our own hands rather than God. After all, what is worship? Is it not the high position and regard we give to something or someone? It is demonstrated by what we think about, talk about, and spend our time on.

Bottom line: Idol worship isn't just something that affected primitive man. We can easily get into it today through materialism. It takes awareness and effort to keep ourselves from getting sucked in to a materialistic mindset. We must intentionally keep our eyes and heart focused on Jesus and the eternal Kingdom. That is our goal -- that must be our focus.

Prayer: Lord, deliver us from idol worship and materialism. Show us anything and everything that we have allowed to come between us and You. May we unhesitatingly put aside any intrusion into our intimacy with You, o Lord. Help us to fuel the greatest passion of our lives in our relationship with You, Father God.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Title: Holistic Salvation / Topic: What God Wants

Today’s Reading: Micah 1; Micah 2; Micah 3; Micah 4; Hebrews 6

Scripture: Micah 2:1-3
1 Woe to those who plan iniquity,
to those who plot evil on their beds!
At morning's light they carry it out
because it is in their power to do it.
2 They covet fields and seize them,
and houses, and take them.
They defraud a man of his home,
a fellowman of his inheritance.
3 Therefore, the LORD says:
"I am planning disaster against this people,
from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,
for it will be a time of calamity.

Observation: The Lord pronounces judgment on His people for their wickedness. But notice the kind of wickedness He mentions. It is financial abuse -- cheating, scamming, fraud. God is concerned that His people operate uprightly in financial and business matters. It is not enough to get the "religious aspects" of our lives right.

Application: God wants something that I like to call "holistic salvation." That is, He wants to save my entire life, not just my soul! That means, my whole life needs to be transformed to reflect His character. No area is exempt: my diet, my thoughts, my finances, my sex life, my relationships, my material possessions, my words, my time management, my driving, my habits, and on and on -- everything is to be transformed!

Prayer: Lord, may we allow You to effect positive, Godly change in every area of our lives. May our lives reflect You and Your character without restriction. We want to please You in everything we think, do, and say. Empower us to cooperate with Your will in our lives.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.