080 Joshua 9 – 12; Mark 2
What decision have you made where you did not ask God about it? The leaders of Israel listened to a proposal by some deceiving enemies and agreed to the proposal. Here are the words that follow, "But they didn't ask God about it." Of course this is not good. Perhaps, one of our goals should be not to have that statement written after many of our decisions. Life goes better with asking God.
Who are friends? Who is going to be there to carry you when you can't carry yourself? A paraplegic had four friends that tore a hole through the roof of the house in order to get their friend in front of Jesus. Please God give us friends like that. Lord, help us to be that kind of friend. Amen.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
079 Friday, March 20, 2009
079 Joshua 6 – 8; Mark 1.21 – 1.45
How do attack a problem? How do you solve a problem? Joshua was given some instructions that would be hard to swallow for almost anyone. It is your first outing as the leader of the Israelites and God tells you to march around the city of Jericho. By marching around the city once everyday and then seven times on the seventh day, with a few other things like horns blowing and shouting the wall is suppose to come down. Right? Why this way? God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Moses. The constant in that statement is God. Follow Joshua, but Israel, you are to trust the Lord.
Make a commitment to look at all the walls in your life as an opportunity to trust the Lord. What needs to come down? Where do you need a victory? What does God want to teach you about trust?
Jesus touched a leper. Jesus reached out to the outcast, the hurt, and the hopeless. Christ healed the leper. The last sentence in the Mark reading says, "But people found him, and came from all over." May that be said of us, that is, people seek us out as individuals and as a church.
How do attack a problem? How do you solve a problem? Joshua was given some instructions that would be hard to swallow for almost anyone. It is your first outing as the leader of the Israelites and God tells you to march around the city of Jericho. By marching around the city once everyday and then seven times on the seventh day, with a few other things like horns blowing and shouting the wall is suppose to come down. Right? Why this way? God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Moses. The constant in that statement is God. Follow Joshua, but Israel, you are to trust the Lord.
Make a commitment to look at all the walls in your life as an opportunity to trust the Lord. What needs to come down? Where do you need a victory? What does God want to teach you about trust?
Jesus touched a leper. Jesus reached out to the outcast, the hurt, and the hopeless. Christ healed the leper. The last sentence in the Mark reading says, "But people found him, and came from all over." May that be said of us, that is, people seek us out as individuals and as a church.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
078 Thursday, March 19, 2009
078 Joshua 3 – 5; Mark 1.1 – 1.20
Everybody must get a stone. Not everyone, but representatives of all Israel. Memories are a crazy thing to hold onto. Our children would tell us that we never did anything with them. This kind of conversation usually came in the wake of us saying ‘no’ to something they wanted to do. Our kids could be downright obstinate about us not doing things with them no matter how many times we would recite what we had down together. Jan and I would be forced to pull out the big guns on them at this point. The big gun was the scrap book Jan had made of all of our trips and incidental outings. We would sit down and start looking at the book and silence would begin to cover the room as the truth of the pictures brought it home. The Israelites needed a picture of they day they crossed through the Jordon river, yet on dry ground, to take the land. You twelve reps gather twelve stones to remember this day. What do you do as a way to remember what God has done in your life? A journal, pictures, written prayers and dates of the answer--what do you do to remember what God has done for you?
Everybody must get a stone. Not everyone, but representatives of all Israel. Memories are a crazy thing to hold onto. Our children would tell us that we never did anything with them. This kind of conversation usually came in the wake of us saying ‘no’ to something they wanted to do. Our kids could be downright obstinate about us not doing things with them no matter how many times we would recite what we had down together. Jan and I would be forced to pull out the big guns on them at this point. The big gun was the scrap book Jan had made of all of our trips and incidental outings. We would sit down and start looking at the book and silence would begin to cover the room as the truth of the pictures brought it home. The Israelites needed a picture of they day they crossed through the Jordon river, yet on dry ground, to take the land. You twelve reps gather twelve stones to remember this day. What do you do as a way to remember what God has done in your life? A journal, pictures, written prayers and dates of the answer--what do you do to remember what God has done for you?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
076 Tuesday, March 17, 2009
076 Joshua 1 – 2; Galatians 6
I just knew my daughter the harlot, would one day make it. She not only made it, threw her, the whole family was rescued. Well, it's a long story. You see these nomads were needing some land and they sent out some spies to check the property out. My daughter took them in and then lied to the kings men that they had already gone. I don't if you know this but in her business she had to negotiate quite a bit and did those skills come in handy. She told them look; I have saved your life, now save me and my family’s life. Those Jewish spies agreed to her requests. Looking back that was a close call. You know what's ironic is this Yahweh used my daughter to further the purposes of the kingdom of God. I ought look into how to worship this God of the Jews because He is not like any other God that I know.
What have you been sewing? It is indeed an arresting question because we all know what we sew is what we reap. Be careful today in what you say and what you do. A good question to ask yourself is, "What will this bring me when the crop comes in?" A good way to get to this question is to look at life through the cross of Christ. Paul's powerful and influential life came through this principle of only boasting in the cross of Jesus.
I just knew my daughter the harlot, would one day make it. She not only made it, threw her, the whole family was rescued. Well, it's a long story. You see these nomads were needing some land and they sent out some spies to check the property out. My daughter took them in and then lied to the kings men that they had already gone. I don't if you know this but in her business she had to negotiate quite a bit and did those skills come in handy. She told them look; I have saved your life, now save me and my family’s life. Those Jewish spies agreed to her requests. Looking back that was a close call. You know what's ironic is this Yahweh used my daughter to further the purposes of the kingdom of God. I ought look into how to worship this God of the Jews because He is not like any other God that I know.
What have you been sewing? It is indeed an arresting question because we all know what we sew is what we reap. Be careful today in what you say and what you do. A good question to ask yourself is, "What will this bring me when the crop comes in?" A good way to get to this question is to look at life through the cross of Christ. Paul's powerful and influential life came through this principle of only boasting in the cross of Jesus.
Monday, March 16, 2009
075 Monday, March 16, 2009
075 Deuteronomy 32 – 34; Galatians 5
These are the last few chapters of Moses reciting the law to God’s people. I am sure you noticed that most of chapter 32 is a song that Moses recited to the people. Here is Moses summary of that song and all that he had said,
Deuteronomy 32:45-47 (MSG)
45 When Moses had finished saying all these words to all Israel,
46 he said, "Take to heart all these words to which I give witness today and urgently command your children to put them into practice, every single word of this Revelation.
47 Yes. This is no small matter for you; it's your life. In keeping this word you'll have a good and long life in this land that you're crossing the Jordan to possess."
Moses knew that God’s words breathe life into individuals and into communities. We are either living by mans words or by God’s words. It is easy to forget that there are no other options. Please take note that it was not just knowing these words but putting them into practice that really counted. We are also to urge our children to obey God’s word as well. True knowing is in the doing.
I love the book of Galatians and I hope you do too! As a follower of Christ you are free from what man’s religion would put on you. We are to live life from the inside out. God has set us free and we are to live in the power of that freedom. Paul tells us that our freedom in Christ is a freedom to serve others and not ourselves. We truly do live out this Christian life by the grace of God! Paul gives us a vision of what that would look like when he writes,
Galatians 5:22-23 (MSG)
22 But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments,
23 not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way.
These are the last few chapters of Moses reciting the law to God’s people. I am sure you noticed that most of chapter 32 is a song that Moses recited to the people. Here is Moses summary of that song and all that he had said,
Deuteronomy 32:45-47 (MSG)
45 When Moses had finished saying all these words to all Israel,
46 he said, "Take to heart all these words to which I give witness today and urgently command your children to put them into practice, every single word of this Revelation.
47 Yes. This is no small matter for you; it's your life. In keeping this word you'll have a good and long life in this land that you're crossing the Jordan to possess."
Moses knew that God’s words breathe life into individuals and into communities. We are either living by mans words or by God’s words. It is easy to forget that there are no other options. Please take note that it was not just knowing these words but putting them into practice that really counted. We are also to urge our children to obey God’s word as well. True knowing is in the doing.
I love the book of Galatians and I hope you do too! As a follower of Christ you are free from what man’s religion would put on you. We are to live life from the inside out. God has set us free and we are to live in the power of that freedom. Paul tells us that our freedom in Christ is a freedom to serve others and not ourselves. We truly do live out this Christian life by the grace of God! Paul gives us a vision of what that would look like when he writes,
Galatians 5:22-23 (MSG)
22 But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments,
23 not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
074 Sunday, March 15, 2009
God is good; God is good all the time!
074 Deuteronomy 29 – 31; Galatians 3.28 – 4.31
Open the eyes of my heart Lord. Open my eyes or one could say open my ears Lord, but open the eyes of my heart? Do you do discernment? Do you ask for an understanding heart? A wise person sees beyond the routine, the temporal, and the ordinary. A discerning person sees the extraordinary in the most unlikely places. At the end of their lives the Israelites, the wilderness generation, are finally given perceptive eyes. They wandered in the wilderness for forty years--do you think a wise heart is important. Pray, pray, and pray some more for a heart full of spiritual discernment.
This is such a rich reading for today's refueling. Make sure you read with care Moses’ charge to the generation who is about to enter the land. Be strong. Take courage. Don't be intimidated. Some of this message sounds like a coach standing before his players who are going up against the big rival that has gotten all the press and has the trophies to back it up. So we should be strong, take courage, and for sure we are not to be intimidated by the giants in the land in which we live.
Galatians 3:28 is like the banner of freedom waving over our community. We have a new deal and it is in Christ. God has put in a whole new system of evaluations and the old way of categorizing is out. Today, practice looking at people with Jesus’ eyes.
074 Deuteronomy 29 – 31; Galatians 3.28 – 4.31
Open the eyes of my heart Lord. Open my eyes or one could say open my ears Lord, but open the eyes of my heart? Do you do discernment? Do you ask for an understanding heart? A wise person sees beyond the routine, the temporal, and the ordinary. A discerning person sees the extraordinary in the most unlikely places. At the end of their lives the Israelites, the wilderness generation, are finally given perceptive eyes. They wandered in the wilderness for forty years--do you think a wise heart is important. Pray, pray, and pray some more for a heart full of spiritual discernment.
This is such a rich reading for today's refueling. Make sure you read with care Moses’ charge to the generation who is about to enter the land. Be strong. Take courage. Don't be intimidated. Some of this message sounds like a coach standing before his players who are going up against the big rival that has gotten all the press and has the trophies to back it up. So we should be strong, take courage, and for sure we are not to be intimidated by the giants in the land in which we live.
Galatians 3:28 is like the banner of freedom waving over our community. We have a new deal and it is in Christ. God has put in a whole new system of evaluations and the old way of categorizing is out. Today, practice looking at people with Jesus’ eyes.
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