Today’s Reading: 1 Chronicles 22; 1 Chronicles 23; 1 Chronicles 24; 1 Thessalonians 3
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13
12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
Observation: Paul has been speaking to the Thessalonians about their spiritual condition. He has shared his concerns regarding the fact that they were going through tough times and he worried about their spiritual survival. He sent Timothy to find out if they were going to make it and was greatly relieved when Timothy brought back good news about their faith. This is Paul's wish and prayer for them, that their love for each other increase, and that their hearts would be strengthened, so that they will continue to the point of holiness as long as it takes.
Application: I so relate to Paul. I think that these two things are keys to spiritual survival: 1) love for the church family and, 2) strong and firm hearts. In fact, it is the lack of these two factors that is contributing mightily to weakness in the church and in Christians in general.
So often, people don't have deep love for the church family, that is, they don't have deep affection and concern for their brothers and sisters, because they don't get truly bonded and connected to others in the church. Church has become something that you shop for (when you get around to it) and pick out (when you finally find a good one) and attend (when it's convenient) and leave (when the pastor or somebody else says or does something that you don't like). Church is like an article of clothing. You get it because you think it's a good deal and you wear it because you like it and you discard it because it got worn out. But few are the people who truly fall in love with each other and bond with a lasting bond. This lack of deep love makes it very easy to jump ship with the flimsiest of reasons: "I wasn't being fed" or "The pastor offended me" or "Nobody called me when I got sick." Thus the church, rather than being a coordinated body exerting force for good, is a disjointed blob, with a few dedicated individuals carrying the load and the majority just along for the ride. Deep love within the church family is the antidote for this. And it provides for so much of the life and vitality of the church. Without it, the church is an organization -- parts connected by titles and tasks. With it, the church is an organism -- alive and functional.
And strong hearts -- hearts that are firm in the Lord and growing in the Lord's love and purposes -- are essential if people are to be spiritually sound. All too often we just assume that church people are firm in the Lord. I've found out that some of these church people aren't even saved! So strong hearts are essential. How does one strengthen his heart in the Lord? I think it is by exercising our hearts in spiritual things. That means regular practice of spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, Bible reading, fellowship, accountability, Bible study, meditation, fasting, sacrifice, tithing and other giving, expressive worship, submission to elders, etc. These are things that are not main characteristic in the lives of many American Christians. And without them, it is not possible to have a strong heart. Is it any wonder that the American Christian church is so ineffective?
Prayer: Lord, help me to be a man whose life is characterized by these two things that Paul emphasized. I want to have deep love for your people and others as well as a strong heart. And Lord, I want to be a leader who assists others in growing in these vital qualities. Lord, strengthen your church.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Title: A Truly Bad Story? / Topic: Me vs. God (God wins!)
Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 21; 2 Samuel 22; 2 Samuel 23; 1 Thessalonians 1
Scripture: 2 Samuel 21:1-14
1 During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the LORD. The LORD said, "It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death." ...
3 David asked the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? How shall I make amends so that you will bless the LORD's inheritance?" ...
5 They answered the king... 6 "let seven of [Saul's] male descendants be given to us to be killed and exposed before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul..." So the king said, "I will give them to you." ...
9 He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed and exposed them on a hill before the LORD. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest...
14 ...After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land.
Observation: I must admit something. I truly hate this story. (Can I say that?) Here is my take on it: Seven innocent people are killed to neutralize the bad karma brought about by the actions of one of their relatives and, because of this mass killing, God says, "Well done. Now I'll answer your prayers." The whole thing is horrible. I don't get it at all.
Application: The application is simple. God is God and I am not. The fact that I don't get it doesn't make the story bad or God bad. It just means that I am missing something in my understanding. It must be that there are underlying issues and truths that are beyond me. But because I have made myself subject to the scriptures (and not the other way around), I simply have to put my confusion on the shelf and wait for further illumination from God. Someday I will understand why this happened and how it fits into God's good nature. Until then, I must wait and not let my own sense of right and wrong invalidate God. As the scripture says, "Let God be true and every man be a liar." I must remain in submission to God and his word, even when my mind doesn't understand every detail. To do otherwise is to elevate my mind above God and his word.
Prayer: Lord, open my understanding so that I can understand you better. Thank you for teaching me to exercise my will over my emotions and to keep myself moving forward based on faith and not on feelings. Keep me moving forward, Lord.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture: 2 Samuel 21:1-14
1 During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the LORD. The LORD said, "It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death." ...
3 David asked the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? How shall I make amends so that you will bless the LORD's inheritance?" ...
5 They answered the king... 6 "let seven of [Saul's] male descendants be given to us to be killed and exposed before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul..." So the king said, "I will give them to you." ...
9 He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed and exposed them on a hill before the LORD. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest...
14 ...After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land.
Observation: I must admit something. I truly hate this story. (Can I say that?) Here is my take on it: Seven innocent people are killed to neutralize the bad karma brought about by the actions of one of their relatives and, because of this mass killing, God says, "Well done. Now I'll answer your prayers." The whole thing is horrible. I don't get it at all.
Application: The application is simple. God is God and I am not. The fact that I don't get it doesn't make the story bad or God bad. It just means that I am missing something in my understanding. It must be that there are underlying issues and truths that are beyond me. But because I have made myself subject to the scriptures (and not the other way around), I simply have to put my confusion on the shelf and wait for further illumination from God. Someday I will understand why this happened and how it fits into God's good nature. Until then, I must wait and not let my own sense of right and wrong invalidate God. As the scripture says, "Let God be true and every man be a liar." I must remain in submission to God and his word, even when my mind doesn't understand every detail. To do otherwise is to elevate my mind above God and his word.
Prayer: Lord, open my understanding so that I can understand you better. Thank you for teaching me to exercise my will over my emotions and to keep myself moving forward based on faith and not on feelings. Keep me moving forward, Lord.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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