Today’s Reading: Leviticus 25; Psalm 25; Psalm 26; Acts 22
Scripture: Acts 22:8-10
8 "'Who are you, Lord?' I asked.
"'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. 9 My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.
10 "'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked.
Observation: Paul is unmistakingly and strikingly (literally) confronted by God. His questions demonstrate wisdom in the midst of his crisis. First, "Who are you, Lord?" Paul doesn't know who has stopped him in his tracks, but he does know one thing, it's "Lord." And once he receives the answer that this is Jesus, he asks the next logical question: "What shall I do, Lord?" If the "Lord" knocks me on my kiester, then I'd better find out what he want me to do next. There is no other response that makes sense.
Application: But in spite of this, there are many people who don't ask this second question. Having the knowledge that Jesus is Lord, they don't ask him what he wants them to do.
Bottom line: I want to be sure that this is a question that I keep asking the Lord. "What shall I do, Lord?" I never want to operate without seeking his personal guidance and direction for my life on a moment by moment basis. I only want to do what my Savior leads me to do.
Prayer: Lord help me to love thee more dearly, hear thee more clearly, and follow thee more nearly day by day.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Title: Called To Belong / Topic: Holiness
Today’s Reading: Leviticus 20; Leviticus 21; Leviticus 22; Acts 20
Scripture: Leviticus 20:26 You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.
Observation: In all the requirements that God gives to the nation of Israel, he comes again and again to the statement which is the first part above: "Be holy because I am holy." This sentiment is repeated many times throughout these chapters. But the next phrase is what caught my eye. The Lord says that the Israelites have been set apart as the Lord's unique possession, they are his own.
Application: There is a preciousness to this that touches me. The Lord is appealing to his people saying, "I want you to me like me, holy. I have picked you, and only you, to belong to me." I hear his voice of love and his desire to share the goodness of who he is with his own special people in an exclusive and intimate relationship. "Holy" means "set apart" and the Lord is saying that he has picked his people to be "set apart" for a unique and privileged relationship -- a relationship with special access and blessings and benefits. But to participate in this exclusive relationship, his people have to set themselves apart from everyone else. God is calling his people to limit themselves in various areas of behavior -- to voluntarily separate themselves from the general population -- in order to maintain themselves as belonging to God.
Bottom line: God's call to his people to be holy is for the purpose of intimacy. God want people with whom he can be close. And for that to happen, those people must embrace him and his nature -- shunning the corrupting practices of the fallen culture in which they live -- and identify with God as the one they want to be like. They are holy -- set apart to God -- in the same way that God is holy -- setting himself apart for his own people. There is no higher calling.
Prayer: Lord, thank you that you desire a people to call your own with whom you desire to share your nature. Lord, help me to follow you closely and to be an influencer of all who call on your name.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture: Leviticus 20:26 You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.
Observation: In all the requirements that God gives to the nation of Israel, he comes again and again to the statement which is the first part above: "Be holy because I am holy." This sentiment is repeated many times throughout these chapters. But the next phrase is what caught my eye. The Lord says that the Israelites have been set apart as the Lord's unique possession, they are his own.
Application: There is a preciousness to this that touches me. The Lord is appealing to his people saying, "I want you to me like me, holy. I have picked you, and only you, to belong to me." I hear his voice of love and his desire to share the goodness of who he is with his own special people in an exclusive and intimate relationship. "Holy" means "set apart" and the Lord is saying that he has picked his people to be "set apart" for a unique and privileged relationship -- a relationship with special access and blessings and benefits. But to participate in this exclusive relationship, his people have to set themselves apart from everyone else. God is calling his people to limit themselves in various areas of behavior -- to voluntarily separate themselves from the general population -- in order to maintain themselves as belonging to God.
Bottom line: God's call to his people to be holy is for the purpose of intimacy. God want people with whom he can be close. And for that to happen, those people must embrace him and his nature -- shunning the corrupting practices of the fallen culture in which they live -- and identify with God as the one they want to be like. They are holy -- set apart to God -- in the same way that God is holy -- setting himself apart for his own people. There is no higher calling.
Prayer: Lord, thank you that you desire a people to call your own with whom you desire to share your nature. Lord, help me to follow you closely and to be an influencer of all who call on your name.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Title: "God" Needs Protection / Topic: False Gods
Today’s Reading: Leviticus 18; Leviticus 19; Psalm 13; Acts 19
Scripture: Acts 19:26-27
26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."
Observation: These are the words of Demetrius, a businessman who has been well-to-do by trading on silver statues of the goddess Artemis. And he sees the Christians as a threat to his pocketbook. Here he correctly sums up Paul's position: "man-made gods are no gods at all." Of course, Demetrius disagrees, ostensibly on the basis of faith, but certainly on economic grounds. His financial future depends on the goddess Artemis. But what gets me is the last phrase. He states the great danger that Artemis "will be robbed of her divine majesty."
Application: What kind of god can be robbed of his or her divine majesty? I would suggest that if some group's teaching can rob any god of divine majesty, that "god" wasn't really divine to begin with. If a god is truly God, then there is a certain power and security in that God by virtue of the true divinity of that God. If followers of any religion are continually feeling the need to stand up for their "god" because of what they perceive as attacks against their god, then they should reevaluate their beliefs. In the Bible we see attacks against the church because of the perceived threat against either the Jewish faith or the Roman pagan beliefs. In our world today, we see the Islamists' violent protests against statements or even cartoons that they see as damaging to their prophet. All of these instances fall into this same category. If your god is truly "God" and your religion is true, then your God will prevail and you don't have to fight or kill anybody. But if you feel that you must fight for your god, then you are saying that your god is too weak to protect himself and needs you to fight for him.
I am glad I serve a God that can take care of himself. He teaches us, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," say the Lord Almighty.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for being the true, almighty God. I know that I cannot protect you, but that you can and surely do protect me. May I live in such a way that many people will learn of your ways through my life.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture: Acts 19:26-27
26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."
Observation: These are the words of Demetrius, a businessman who has been well-to-do by trading on silver statues of the goddess Artemis. And he sees the Christians as a threat to his pocketbook. Here he correctly sums up Paul's position: "man-made gods are no gods at all." Of course, Demetrius disagrees, ostensibly on the basis of faith, but certainly on economic grounds. His financial future depends on the goddess Artemis. But what gets me is the last phrase. He states the great danger that Artemis "will be robbed of her divine majesty."
Application: What kind of god can be robbed of his or her divine majesty? I would suggest that if some group's teaching can rob any god of divine majesty, that "god" wasn't really divine to begin with. If a god is truly God, then there is a certain power and security in that God by virtue of the true divinity of that God. If followers of any religion are continually feeling the need to stand up for their "god" because of what they perceive as attacks against their god, then they should reevaluate their beliefs. In the Bible we see attacks against the church because of the perceived threat against either the Jewish faith or the Roman pagan beliefs. In our world today, we see the Islamists' violent protests against statements or even cartoons that they see as damaging to their prophet. All of these instances fall into this same category. If your god is truly "God" and your religion is true, then your God will prevail and you don't have to fight or kill anybody. But if you feel that you must fight for your god, then you are saying that your god is too weak to protect himself and needs you to fight for him.
I am glad I serve a God that can take care of himself. He teaches us, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," say the Lord Almighty.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for being the true, almighty God. I know that I cannot protect you, but that you can and surely do protect me. May I live in such a way that many people will learn of your ways through my life.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Title: The Fear Of The Lord / Topic: Awe And Reverence
Today’s Reading: Leviticus 15; Leviticus 16; Leviticus 17; Acts 18
Scripture: Leviticus 16:2 The LORD said to Moses: "Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die...
Observation: God gives a warning to Aaron with this message: "You are not free to come into the Most Holy Place on your own timetable. You must only come when I tell you to come. If you violate this, you will die."
Application: This runs so contrary to the modern image of God. We think of God just waiting upon us eagerly for the moment we call and then, like a faithful dog, he will come running. But God says, "No. I will tell you when you can see me." Now of course this is the Old Covenant and God related to his people much differently then than now, but I want to suggest that we have created far too casual a concept of the God-man relationship. We have lost much of the necessary awe and the idea of "the fear of the Lord" is virtually gone from the Christian psyche. I think we need to get some of this back. In the words of Peter, "live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear." (1 Peter 1:17)
Prayer: Lord, help us to walk in your love without presumption. May we honor you in all we do and say and think and hold you in the highest awe and respect.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture: Leviticus 16:2 The LORD said to Moses: "Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die...
Observation: God gives a warning to Aaron with this message: "You are not free to come into the Most Holy Place on your own timetable. You must only come when I tell you to come. If you violate this, you will die."
Application: This runs so contrary to the modern image of God. We think of God just waiting upon us eagerly for the moment we call and then, like a faithful dog, he will come running. But God says, "No. I will tell you when you can see me." Now of course this is the Old Covenant and God related to his people much differently then than now, but I want to suggest that we have created far too casual a concept of the God-man relationship. We have lost much of the necessary awe and the idea of "the fear of the Lord" is virtually gone from the Christian psyche. I think we need to get some of this back. In the words of Peter, "live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear." (1 Peter 1:17)
Prayer: Lord, help us to walk in your love without presumption. May we honor you in all we do and say and think and hold you in the highest awe and respect.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Title: The Rent-A-Mob / Topic: Trust
Today’s Reading: Leviticus 13; Leviticus 14; Acts 17
Scripture: Acts 17:5 But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city...
Observation: Here we have some people from the religious establishment who get jealous because of the success that the followers of Christ are experiencing. And, or course, they resort to violence. If these religious people think that they are truly of God, why don't they just pray or something less sinful. I guess they didn't think of that.
Application: It never ceases to amaze me that there is always a rent-a-mob available for the Christ haters. It was true when they were hating Jesus himself and it has been true ever since. If you are a follower of Christ, don't be surprised if someday there is a rent-a-mob after you. But don't worry, trust Jesus. He can handle the mob and he will take care of you.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, that you take care of your own. And I know that even when the good people suffer and the bad people prevail, the true result is yet to be known for you will make all things right one day. We count on your eternally-powerful justice. We count on you.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture: Acts 17:5 But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city...
Observation: Here we have some people from the religious establishment who get jealous because of the success that the followers of Christ are experiencing. And, or course, they resort to violence. If these religious people think that they are truly of God, why don't they just pray or something less sinful. I guess they didn't think of that.
Application: It never ceases to amaze me that there is always a rent-a-mob available for the Christ haters. It was true when they were hating Jesus himself and it has been true ever since. If you are a follower of Christ, don't be surprised if someday there is a rent-a-mob after you. But don't worry, trust Jesus. He can handle the mob and he will take care of you.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, that you take care of your own. And I know that even when the good people suffer and the bad people prevail, the true result is yet to be known for you will make all things right one day. We count on your eternally-powerful justice. We count on you.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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