Today’s Reading: Proverbs 28; Proverbs 29; Psalm 60; Romans 16
Scripture: Romans 16:20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet...
Observation: What an amazing verse! Let's examine it piece by piece:
"The God of peace..." Here Paul describes God as one whose very nature is peace, that is, promoting a conflict-free and stress-free existence.
"...will soon crush Satan..." So this God, this peaceful God will do some serious damage and violence against Satan, described as "crushing". (This doesn't sound too peaceful, does it?!)
"...under your feet..." the feet that will actually "crush Satan" are not God's feet, but the feet of God's people. God will use his people to crush Satan. Interesting.
Application: I make three brief applications.
#1 This passage is an example of how easy it is for us to misunderstand the nature of God and what is written about him in the Bible. When we read the "God of peace," we generally take it to mean a nice, easy-to-get-along-with kind of God. But that is clearly not what it means. So the phrase "God of peace" means something very different than what our first impression might be.
#2 For peace to truly exist, evil must be destroyed. And that means conflict and warfare. Warfare is a means to peace. Without warfare there can be no peace. This seems contradictory to us, but that just demonstrates our skewed understanding -- we get it wrong.
#3 God uses people to do his work. He will crush Satan under our feet. I suggest that means we have a part to play. We are not just passively sitting and tapping our toes or shuffling our feet and -- ta-da -- there appears Satan under there. Nope. We will have to be more involved in the warfare. We've got stuff to learn and stuff to do.
Prayer: Lord, show us our part. I truly don't understand all that I need to do to cooperate with your will and plan in this matter. Show your people, and the leaders, how to engage the enemy and defeat him in your strength and power.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Title: Got Encouragement? / Topic: The Bible
Today’s Reading: Proverbs 25; Proverbs 26; Proverbs 27; Romans 15
Scripture: Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Observation: This phrase caught my attention: "the encouragement of the Scriptures." And in the next verse, Paul tells us that it is "God who gives endurance and encouragement."
Application: I see so many people who are discouraged and who, as a result, give up on God or turn away from him. It's not that they stop believing in God. No, they just stop believing that God will do great things in their lives.
And they settle for the status quo. But it doesn't have to be that way. If anyone lacks encouragement, there is a place where they can get it: the Bible. So the question is, "Got encouragement?" If not, read the Bible. Through it, we gain courage -- that is the meaning of encouragement: "to put courage in." (In-courage = Encourage) So read the Bible and...
Prayer: Thank you, Father, that you are our source -- and a wonderful, unending source you are! You give and you keep on giving because our need does not stop. Help us to keep on seeking and receiving from you. Give us the spirit of "whatever it takes" that we may keep on going and growing.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture: Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Observation: This phrase caught my attention: "the encouragement of the Scriptures." And in the next verse, Paul tells us that it is "God who gives endurance and encouragement."
Application: I see so many people who are discouraged and who, as a result, give up on God or turn away from him. It's not that they stop believing in God. No, they just stop believing that God will do great things in their lives.
And they settle for the status quo. But it doesn't have to be that way. If anyone lacks encouragement, there is a place where they can get it: the Bible. So the question is, "Got encouragement?" If not, read the Bible. Through it, we gain courage -- that is the meaning of encouragement: "to put courage in." (In-courage = Encourage) So read the Bible and...
...in with courageRead the Bible. Seek God. Ask him for help. Keep going, keep growing, keep seeking, keep believing, never give up. It all comes from him.
...out with doubt
...out with discouragement
...out with giving up
...in with endurance.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, that you are our source -- and a wonderful, unending source you are! You give and you keep on giving because our need does not stop. Help us to keep on seeking and receiving from you. Give us the spirit of "whatever it takes" that we may keep on going and growing.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Title: Five Things for Faith-filled Living / Topic: Humility
Today’s Reading: Proverbs 22; Proverbs 23; Proverbs 24; Romans 14
Scripture: Proverbs 22:17-19
17 Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise;
apply your heart to what I teach,
18 for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and have all of them ready on your lips.
19 So that your trust may be in the LORD,
I teach you today, even you.
Observation: What great truths are in all of today's reading. It is hard to select just one passage to write on. The passage above sums it up for me. It is about God's wisdom based on the sayings of wise people. These sayings (and these people) require us to make a choice -- to heed or not to heed. If we heed, good for us -- blessing will follow. If we don't, bad for us -- we will suffer. So, when it comes to the "sayings of the wise..."
Application: ...pay attention, listen, apply, keep them, have them ready. If we will do these five things, there is a guaranteed result: our trust will be in the Lord. That's right, do these five things with the sayings of the wise and your trust will be in the Lord. So many people don't get this. They mistakenly think that it is possible to have a trust in the Lord that doesn't involve submission to "the wise," that is, to Godly authority. But that is wrong. To do these five things -- pay attention, listen, apply, keep them, have them ready -- requires humility and teachableness and an openness to God that he will always reward. (One reason that people have a hard time submitting to human authority is that it is always flawed. That's right, always flawed. But God doesn't say to do these five things to the sayings of "the perfect wise," he just says "the wise."
Bottom line: Find somebody wise, as demonstrated by a track record of godly character and healthy relationships, and do these five things.
Prayer: Dear Lord, make me truly wise in you, and give me wise people to follow.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture: Proverbs 22:17-19
17 Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise;
apply your heart to what I teach,
18 for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and have all of them ready on your lips.
19 So that your trust may be in the LORD,
I teach you today, even you.
Observation: What great truths are in all of today's reading. It is hard to select just one passage to write on. The passage above sums it up for me. It is about God's wisdom based on the sayings of wise people. These sayings (and these people) require us to make a choice -- to heed or not to heed. If we heed, good for us -- blessing will follow. If we don't, bad for us -- we will suffer. So, when it comes to the "sayings of the wise..."
Application: ...pay attention, listen, apply, keep them, have them ready. If we will do these five things, there is a guaranteed result: our trust will be in the Lord. That's right, do these five things with the sayings of the wise and your trust will be in the Lord. So many people don't get this. They mistakenly think that it is possible to have a trust in the Lord that doesn't involve submission to "the wise," that is, to Godly authority. But that is wrong. To do these five things -- pay attention, listen, apply, keep them, have them ready -- requires humility and teachableness and an openness to God that he will always reward. (One reason that people have a hard time submitting to human authority is that it is always flawed. That's right, always flawed. But God doesn't say to do these five things to the sayings of "the perfect wise," he just says "the wise."
Bottom line: Find somebody wise, as demonstrated by a track record of godly character and healthy relationships, and do these five things.
Prayer: Dear Lord, make me truly wise in you, and give me wise people to follow.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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