Walking Through The Bible

The Great Rescue

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-06:00

Exodus 4-5:21 Matthew 18:1-20 Psalm 22:19-31 Proverbs 5:15-21

Posterity will serve him;
   future generations will be told about the Lord.
They will proclaim his righteousness,
   declaring to a people yet unborn:
   He has done it! – Psalm 22:30-31

Yesterday, we looked at the first half of this psalm from the perspective of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. We saw how Jesus felt the separation from God as He took responsibility for our sins. Surely it seemed a losing proposition. He was being beaten and crucified by the very people He came to save and now even God’s presence was gone. Then Jesus died.

But that was not the end of the story—or this psalm. God did not reject Jesus and His suffering. In fact, God used that suffering to pay what we owed for those sins. Jesus came back to life! Now this story has been told around the world for the last 2,000 years, and it isn’t slowing down. It is the reason we have hope! God heard Jesus’ prayer and used His suffering to rescue His people. Not just the Hebrew people, but anyone who wants to be a part of His eternal kingdom. He has done it!

Lord Jesus, You didn’t have to go through all that pain and suffering for us. But the fact that You did goes to show how much You really do love us—how much You want us to be a part of Your kingdom. Don’t let this love in our hearts ever die. Let it spill out on everyone we talk with today. Amen.

Where Are You, God?

2012-01-26T08:22:00.001-06:00

Exodus 2:11-3:22 Matthew 17:10-27 Psalm 22:1-18 Proverbs 5:7-14

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? – Psalm 22:1

Jesus said these words while on the cross. Some thought Jesus was calling for Elijah, as they didn’t speak Hebrew. Some scholars believe Jesus was quoting Psalm 22. They didn’t have the chapters and verses like we do today, and they Psalms were known by the first line in the text. Saying the first line would then be a reference to the whole Psalm. Others argue that Jesus was speaking what was in His heart and on His mind.

Perhaps both are true. Read through this first half of Psalm 22 from the perspective of Jesus’ crucifixion. Is it possible that God inspired David to write this psalm? Would it make a difference in how you see God if He did?

Many of us have gone through or are going through hard times. Sometimes it gets to the point where we finally break and ask God, “Where are You? Don’t You care? Why do You rescue other people, but not me?”

Jesus knows exactly how that feels. No one can know what we’re going through better than Jesus. When you’re feeling like this, I encourage you to put it all out there to Him. Ask Him where He is and if He cares. Tell Him all the details of the situation. Give it to Him. Then take time to listen. He just might give you exactly what you need.

Lord Jesus, thank You for going through a harder time than any of us have experienced for us. Still, we have these challenges that are impossible for us to go through without You. Come and speak to our hearts today. Let us know that You are still with us, that You still care about us, and that our trust in You is not misplaced. Amen.

Show Horses

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genesis 50 - Exodus 2:10 Matthew 16:13-17:9 Psalm 21 Proverbs 5:1-6

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul? – Matthew 16:25-26

Each year for Christmas, I was given a Breyer toy horse. I loved animals, but there was something intoxicating about horses. Their strength, their pride, their beauty. I was drawn to them and afraid of them at the same time.

So, I was excited to get these horses for Christmas. But, I was always reminded that these were collectibles. I couldn’t play with them like I did my other toys. I had to be especially careful with them and always return them to the shelf where they were put on display.

After the third year, I started feeling sad when I got a new horse. It was mine, but I had to save it. I couldn’t really play with it and have it as my own. What good were they except for looking at?

It dawned on me one day I was treating my life like I was treating the horses. I was trying to save it for the day it would be worth something, being sure not to ‘damage’ it. But what good is it? What would my life mean if I got to the end and all I did was sit on the shelf and look good? That’s when I realized that Jesus wanted to give me a real life—a life worth living, not just existing until I die.

Lord Jesus, we don’t want to be art pieces people come to church to look at and admire because we look good. We want our lives to matter for something. We want to actually live. Come into our hearts and bring us to life. Take our old dead lives and throw them away today. Amen.

Highway to Heaven

2012-01-24T07:36:00.000-06:00

Genesis 48-49 Matthew 15:29-16:12 Psalm 20 Proverbs 4:20-27

Above all else, guard your heart,
   for everything you do flows from it.
Give careful thought to the paths for your feet
   and be steadfast in all your ways.
Do not turn to the right or the left;
   keep your foot from evil. – Proverbs 4:23,26-27

A few years ago, Rick Warren had a best selling book titled “The Purpose Driven Life”. Now I have not read this book, but I think the title is spot on. To live our lives with purpose means we think about where we’re going and how we’ll get there. Now, I don’t think this is a prescription to over think everything we do. However, I do think it is good to take a look at the general direction we want to go and then check to see if we’re actually making choices that take us in that direction.

If I decide to guard my heart from the things that will lead me away from God, it will then be easier to choose to steer clear of them. Identifying our priorities informs our decisions and our behavior. If I get in my car to drive to San Francisco, CA from Dallas, TX, it is easy to choose which direction to go. I would not choose the road that says it goes to Washington, D.C. because it will not take me to where I want to go. We know where we want to go, and we have God’s road map, the Bible. Now how will they guide our decisions today?

Father God, we want to follow You to Your house. Teach us how to guard our hearts from the things that will lead us away from You. Show us how to read Your road map, the Bible, and to understand which roads lead to You and which ones lead away from You. Holy Spirit, help us to be smart as we think about these choices today. Amen.

A Deep Clean

2012-01-23T08:02:00.001-06:00

Genesis 46-47 Matthew 15:1-28 Psalm 19 Proverbs 4:14-19

But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these defile you. – Matthew 15:18
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. – Psalm 19:14

The religious leaders were all about looking good. They were determined not to sin and had made a number of rules to keep them from sinning. Over time, they came to see these rules designed to help them focus on God had become as holy to them as God’s law. One of these rules was a ceremonial washing of the hands. Not like your mom always told you to do before dinner, giving them a good scrub with soap and water, mind you. This was a spiritual cleansing, a ceremonial dip.

God isn’t fooled by a good act. He knows our hearts. He sees everything we do and He knows what our motivations for doing them were. If it were left only to us and how good we are, we wouldn’t have a chance. But David reminds us that God forgives our errors and faults—even our willful sins. God wants to clean our hearts so that the stuff that comes out of our hearts and mouths will be pleasing to God.

Father God, we ask You to clean our hearts today. Not just a quick go over for show, but a deep cleaning that goes all the way to the core. We want our words and our actions to show Your love to those around us today. Amen.

Looking Back on It All

2012-01-22T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genesis 44-45 Matthew 14:13-36 Psalm 18:37-50 Proverbs 4:11-13

And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. – Genesis 45:5 TNIV

Do you think Joseph ever imagined he would end up being in charge of Egypt after being sold as a slave or later when he was thrown in jail? What might he have said to God in his prayers? I’ve a good idea what I would be saying if I were in his place. In just a couple of chapters in the Bible, we see how the story ends. But this story represents years of Joseph’s life. I wonder how many times he thought back to those dreams he had where his family is bowing down to him. Did he ever begin to wonder if those dreams were not prophetic? Was he tempted to think that God had forgotten him?

In our lives today, we don’t have the luxury to read the next couple chapters to see how things will end up in our lives. We go through hard times and wonder why we are in the situation we are facing, wondering if God has forgotten us. Perhaps if we could read ahead, we would know that God is using this for good and everything will be alright and we would have a stronger faith. But we can’t read ahead. The good news is, we can look back on God’s people in the past and see that God will always use the His people’s lives for His good plan. This is a promise for us to hold on to. We may not have a happy ending in this life like Joseph. It may be more like John the Baptizer’s. But we can still look forward to the happy ending in the New Earth where we will live with Him in peace forever.

Father God, help us to remember that You do have a plan. A good plan to rescue as many people as want to be with You. Give us courage when we are going through hard times that seem they will never end. Help us to hold on to You when facing unhappy endings in this life. Remind us we have the next life with You to look forward to. Amen.

Rock Solid

2012-01-21T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genesis 42:18-43:34 Matthew 13:47-14:12 Psalm 18:16-36 Proverbs 4:7-10

For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God? – Psalm 18:31

In the Old Testament days, people had idols carved out of wood or stone. While they worshiped in front of these idols, they really truly believed there was a powerful entity who would punish them if they didn’t bring them offerings. We don’t see people worshiping idols like this in the United States very much. But we have our own little powers we depend on. Powers like money, reputation, career. Or we look up to others as more than just heroes. People like athletes, actors, or politicians.

Looking at these different things we look to bring us security and happiness, or to ward off bad things in our lives, do we really believe they will always be there for us? Are any of these things eternal? What happens when they aren’t enough? God is eternal. He is the only one who will never let us down. Try it. Talk to Him and trust Him with something. See how it works out.

Father God, we know You want what is best for us. Usually we think of what we can see here on Earth as what is best for us, but You see beyond to the New Earth. Help us to trust You and to see that there is no God but You and there is nothing that is as strong and long-lasting as You are. Amen.

The Deal of a Lifetime

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genesis 41:17-42:17 Matthew 13:24-46 Psalm 18:1-15 Proverbs 4:1-6

The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. – Matthew 13:45-46

Imagine you found the deal of the century. If only you could scrounge up enough cash to pay for it, you’d be set for life. So you take everything you own down to the pawn shop and sell it. Even your favorite, most valuable possessions because you know that once you make this deal, you’ll never want for anything again.

Would you do it? Would you trade all you have for something worth $200 million? You would never have to work again. Never wonder how to make ends meet again. Would it be worth giving it all away?

That’s what Jesus asks us to do. He asks us to give Him our lives, to die to this world. But He doesn’t ask us to live in eternal poverty. He has that pearl that He is waiting to hand us once we’ve let go of everything in our hands. It is difficult at first because we see these things we’ve loved and valued and we don’t want to see them go. But in the end, we will be set for life and we won’t really miss those old things. It is definitely worth it.

Lord Jesus, we want to accept Your offer to trade our old lives that are not worth very much for a life in Your Kingdom. Give us the courage and the strength to let go of this life on earth and the things we love and value here so we can hold on to You and the things of Your Kingdom today. Amen.

Silent Witness

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genesis 39-41:16 Matthew 12:46-13:13 Psalm 17 Proverbs 3:33-35

So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate...So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. - Genesis 39:6, 22

When it comes to witnessing, the image of knocking on strangers' doors and looking for ways to broach Jesus in everyday conversation comes to mind. I have to admit that neither image feels very natural or inviting to me. I rather like the advice of St. Francis of Assissi: "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary, use words."

Joseph gives us a picture of what that looks like. He committed to living for God and His ways. Whether he was at Potiphar's house or in jail, the top men knew they could trust him. There was the incident with Potiphar's wife, but if Potiphar really believed her, why did he send Joseph to the light security King's prison rather than the commoner's jail or even giving him the death sentence?

The truth is, Joseph's faith and commitment to God showed all the way through. This commitment was a greater witness than any theological argument he could've made. Anyone can talk and make a well thought out or impassioned argument. But why should anyone else live it if we who profess it don't?

Father God we want our walk to match our talk today. Help us to show others what a life with You looks like rather than simply telling them about it. We want to represent You well so that people will not think less of You because of us. An when we fall short, help us to be strong enough to admit it and to ask for forgiveness. Amen.

Good Timing

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genesis 37-38 Matthew 12:22-45 Psalm 16 Proverbs 3:27-32

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
   when it is in your power to act.
Do not say to your neighbor,
   “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—
   when you already have it with you. – Proverbs 3:27-28 TNIV

Very often it seems that goodness is a matter of not doing something bad. Don’t steal, don’t abuse, don’t lie. But how often do we think of not doing what is good? Yesterday, we read about Jesus healing people on Sabbath. He said there was no law against doing good on Sabbath. Here we get a little different angle on what God wants from us.

When it comes to doing good for someone, I can come up with a number of valid reasons why I don’t have time, it’s not my responsibility, or I can’t afford to help. Still, I wonder how many times I might have been able to help someone quickly and easily with what I had with me, but didn’t notice because I wasn’t even thinking of helping. Fortunately, God is much more observant. He looks to help His people in need. With His love growing in our hearts, we will find that we start looking to help others, too. After all, we copy the one we are watching.

Father God, show us how we can do something good for someone today. Whether we know them or not, whether they deserve it or not. Help us to see that You’ve provided everything we need, so we can afford to share what we have with us. Let somebody see Your love in us this way today. Amen.

The Heart of God’s Law

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genesis 35-36 Matthew 12:1-21 Psalm 15 Proverbs 3:21-26

Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD?
Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?
Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,
speaking the truth from sincere hearts. – Psalm 15:1-2
I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices…Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath. – Matthew 12:7,12

Many of us were taught to be good boys and girls growing up. Whether we were told that Santa only brings presents for the good boys and girls or that Jesus doesn’t love bad boys and girls, the message comes through: I will miss out if I don’t behave myself.

The Jewish leaders had practiced looking good, and they were good at it. What’s more, they made sure everyone knew how good they were and others weren’t. But the goodness was all an act. Like an angry kid who tells his sister he’s sorry for breaking her toy because he was afraid of what Mom would do if he didn’t—not because he was really sorry.

God wants us to have hearts that are full of His love. He wants people who know He loves them and are eager to share this love with everyone around them—whether they deserve it or not. It is always right to do good with a heart full of God’s love. That’s what He wants more than anything else we can give Him.

Father God, teach us to see life from Your perspective. Filter our vision with the lenses of Your love. Teach us to show mercy and to do good to others so they can see what You really look like. Amen.

Wrestling with God

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genesis 32:13-34:31 Matthew 11:7-30 Psalm 14 Proverbs 3:19-20

“Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and overcome.” – Genesis 32:28 TNIV

Imagine your parents named you deceiver. Maybe not that exact word, but a name that everyone knows means deceiver. Named after someone known to be deceptive, like Lucifer. Or a politician everyone knows cheated. Imagine the realization that you’ve lived up to your name when you’ve tricked your dad for the inheritance he planned to give your brother. How would you think of yourself? It seems to me a very depressing life.

This was Jacob’s life. On his way back home, he hangs back behind everyone else one night to be alone. A man attacks him and wrestles with him all night. Jacob believes this man to be God and refuses to let go until God blesses him. God gives Jacob a new name and changes his life. He is no longer deceiver, he is one who wrestles with God.

God wants to wrestle with us. He wants us to bring the things we are struggling with to Him and grill him with questions. Why did You let this happen? Why didn’t You do something about that? But know this, wrestling with God will change your life forever.

Father God, there are things we struggle with that we don’t understand. We are not all proud of the way we’ve lived our lives. Sometimes we are afraid to come to You and to talk with You and wrestle with You over these things. Come and attack us when we are alone and wrestle with us over these things. Let us not let go until You’ve changed our lives. Amen.

This Is God, Leave Me a Message

2012-01-15T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genesis 31:17-32:12 Matthew 10:24-11:6 Psalm 13 Proverbs 3:16-18

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart? – Psalm 13:2

Sometimes prayer feels like calling God and getting His voice mail. We try again and again and still, it seems all we get is voice mail and He isn’t calling us back. This is only made worse by the fact there is something we’ve been struggling and wrestling with and the One who would be of most help is out of reach.

David struggled with this very problem. Only he had people chasing after him trying to kill him. Still, he chose to trust in God and His unfailing love. A choice based on what he knew about God rather than how he felt at the time. Jesus reminds us in Matthew that God knows how many hairs on each of our heads at any given time—that’s how much he cares for us. Even John the baptizer struggled with his faith. At the end of the day, we get to choose whether to trust in what we know about God and what we’ve seen Him do in the past or to believe our feelings that God has abandoned us.

Father God, we want to hear from You everyday. We want to feel close to You and feel that You are with us, answering our questions. Help us to know that You still love us and are still taking care of us even when it seems You are out of reach. We want to trust and believe in You even when we cannot feel it. Amen.

Smart Sheep

2012-01-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genesis 30-31:16 Matthew 10:1-23 Psalm 12 Proverbs 3:13-15

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. – Matthew 10:16

Talk with a scientist about creation. Share your experience of coming to know God with an agnostic. What kind of response do you suppose you will receive? Most of the time we can predict they will not be excited to hear what we have to say. Yet there are others closer to home. Imagine sharing with a friend how following God was much more satisfying than chasing after money, power, sex, or anything else. How would they respond if you told them these things had a completely different meaning and were more satisfying with God in first place?

Sharing the truth about following Jesus and His ways is not easy. It isn’t unusual for Christians who share their faith to be teased, made fun of and bullied. Still Jesus asks us to share our faith. I don’t think He meant for us to be dumb about it, though. Really, would taking the stage in a bar on karaoke night to preach a sermon meet with good results? He wants us to be smart about it, taking opportunities when they present themselves. After all, if the sheep don’t wise up, the wolves will eat them all. Then how will they hear about Jesus?

Holy Spirit, give us Your wisdom in sharing Jesus and His love and His ways with people in our lives today. Help us to get out of the way and to let You speak through us. Lord Jesus, put Your love in our hearts so that we live with love and wisdom. Make us as shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. Amen.

The Harvest

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genesis 28-29 Matthew 9:18-38 Psalm 11 Proverbs 3:11-12

The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. – Matthew 9:37-38

His stories were captivating. A man in Zimbabwe who’s life was completely turned around. A thousand kids who would have an opportunity to go to high school who wouldn’t otherwise. Real people who who’s lives will never be the same because someone decided to give to others. Some gave their time and skill to help build houses, schools, and churches. Others gave money to supply the workers with the materials and finances they needed to build.

It is so easy to think that someone else will do it. Someone else will give the money. Someone else will go over and build. Someone else will tell those people that God is real and that He really does love them. Just think, how many more buildings could be built? How many more people could be told if we decided not to wait for someone else to give, but to give ourselves? The giving doesn’t have to go to another country. It can start right where you are today. Ask God how He can use you to help with the harvest today.

Lord Jesus, we want to help with Your harvest. But we’re scared and we don’t think we have what it takes. We’re also very comfortable the way we are and it is hard to give. Help us to have compassion on those who are in need physically, emotionally, and spiritually today. Amen.

The Stolen Blessing

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genesis 26:17-27:46 Matthew 9:1-17 Psalm 10:16-18 Proverbs 3:9-10

Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” – Genesis 27:19 TNIV

Have you ever felt that you needed to trick God into blessing you? That if God really knew you for who you really are, He wouldn’t love you or want to save you? God pronounced that Jacob would be blessed over his brother when they were born, yet Jacob and his mother couldn’t help making it happen. Can you imagine how Jacob must’ve felt afterward? He had the blessing he was looking for, but he knew his father thought he was blessing his brother and now his brother wanted to kill him.

When we come to God trying to trick him, are we really on very sound footing? That same feeling of ‘if God really knew’ haunts our minds and we have to wonder if it really worked.

The reality is that God does really know. He is waiting for us to come out of hiding, to be real and honest with Him. Then He will give us a blessing, along with His love, and rescue us from sin and death. It is hard and scary to admit who we are to God, but it is worth it.

Father God, it’s me. I’m coming to You today without any disguises. Do You have a blessing for me? Do You really love me, knowing who I am? Please give me Your blessing and love today, even though I know I don’t deserve it. Amen.

Just a Minute, Jesus

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genesis 24:52-26:16 Matthew 8:18-34 Psalm 10:1-15 Proverbs 3:7-8

“Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” - Matthew 8:22 TNIV

At first glance, this is a rather cruel thing for Jesus to say. Why would a loving God refuse someone burying a recently departed father? One might ask, why was the man out listening to Jesus if his father had just died and need to be buried? It is more likely the man’s father was still alive and he wanted to wait until his father died before becoming a follower of Jesus. This man may have been afraid his father would disown him if he followed Jesus and His teachings. So, the easy thing to do would be to wait until Dad died, he gets his inheritance, then he can follow Jesus comfortably.

The thing is Jesus wants our hearts and lives now. He doesn’t want us to be embarrassed about Him, or to put Him off in fear of what somebody might think and how they’ll treat us because of it. Either we are proud to have Him as King of our lives or we aren’t. This doesn’t mean we stop caring about those who don’t follow Jesus. It simply means He has to come first in our lives, without fear of anyone else’s opinion. And who knows, maybe these people whose opinions we’re worried about will be drawn to Jesus because of the choice we’ve made.

Lord Jesus, we want You to be King of our lives today. We want to follow You without delay or fear of what other people might say or think or do to us. Give us the courage and strength we need to live boldly for You. Let this love inspire the people who know us to want to know You, too. Amen.

If You Want To…

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genesis 23-24:51 Matthew 8:1-17 Psalm 9:13-20 Proverbs 3:1-6

“’Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean’…’I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’” (Matthew 8:2,3 TNIV).

The boy walked up to me and mumbled something that sounded like a question. His head was hanging and he seemed to be working something on the floor with his right foot. Each time he repeated his request, he said it louder until he had his head up and was talking in a normal voice. “May I have a piece of candy?”

Sometimes it seems like we’re children asking God for something we don’t really deserve, but we want to have. The man with leprosy knew Jesus had the power to heal. The only question was did Jesus want to heal him. Perhaps it is because we know ourselves as well as we do and know we brought the infliction on ourselves. Either way, our doubt can keep us from asking.

Jesus answered the sick man with words and actions. While He may not heal us of all our physical ailments today, He is ready and waiting to heal us of our sin disease. He has said He wants to heal us, and He has shown us by dying on the cross for us. The only question now is, do we really believe him?

Lord Jesus, we want to believe in Your love for us. We want to believe You are waiting for us to ask for Your forgiveness and to heal us of the sin disease. Help us when we doubt. If You want to, You can make us well. Amen.

The Sacrifice

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genesis 20-22 Matthew 7:15-29 Psalm 9:1-12 Proverbs 2:16-22

“God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:8 ESV).

For years Abraham had looked forward to the son God had promised him. Isaac was a miracle child. Nobody was having children in the 90s and 100s anymore. Now God was asking Abraham to sacrifice what was most dear to him—the son God had promised. Abraham had struggled with believing God’s promise of a son, even tried to help God fulfill the promise. But it seems the birth of Isaac has cemented Abraham’s faith. Hebrews 11 says that Abraham believed God and God’s power to bring Isaac back to life. Of course, God stops Abraham from actually killing Isaac, but in his heart, Abraham really did sacrifice Isaac. In a way, he really did get Isaac back from the dead.

God wants to bless us and give us good things. However, it is important not to let these blessings and gifts to become more important to us than the One who gave them. Abraham was only able to sacrifice Isaac because he had made God king of his life and trusted God with what was most valuable to him.

Who would you trust with that which is most valuable? How well would you have to know this person before turning control over to them? We have to choose whether we will allow God to rule in our lives and in our hearts. He shows us His qualities by providing the sacrifice needed to rescue us—that which was most precious to Him.

Father God, thank You for giving up what You loved most to save us. Nothing we have, no matter how much we love it, could ever have paid that price. We want to be king in our lives today. Everything we have is Yours. It is a small offering compared to Your love, but it is all we have. Amen.

Worries

2012-01-08T10:25:00.001-06:00

Genesis 18:16-19:38 Matthew 6:25-7:14 Psalm 8 Proverbs 2:6-15

“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them…Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:31,33 TNIV).

It is hard to trust God when we cannot see Him. It is even harder when we can’t remember Him doing anything for us in the past. Sometimes our lives seem like Lot’s life in Sodom and Gomorrah, surrounded by people who don’t care about God and who seem to be doing quite well without Him. Telling others about needing to trust God to take care of us is often found rather humorous by people we know. Instead, they look to getting a good paying job with benefits or electing the right candidate that will vote to have the government supply us with what we want. Even after we’ve trusted God with our lives and He has done amazing things, we still have a tendency to think we need to take action ourselves, like Lot’s daughters did.

David asks in his psalm today, “What are…human beings that you care for them?” (Psalm 8:4 TNIV). Sometimes we may find ourselves asking God, “Who am I that You care about me?” When we take a good honest look at ourselves, we can see how we’ve been selfish. We’ve asked God for more than just what we need to eat, drink or wear. We want the latest and the greatest and we want it now. But to follow God means to trust Him to take care of what we need. Worry and stress will drive us crazy, but knowing God will take care of us brings peace. We know He will come through, because He takes care of the birds and the flowers—creatures we don’t even give a second thought about. Even more, He considers us children He loves.

Father God, thank You for loving us and for promising to give us the things we need. Teach us to come to You when we need something rather than stressing ourselves out about how we will get it ourselves. We want our trust in You to grow stronger as we see how You continue to take care of us. Amen.

A New Way to Pray

2012-01-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genesis 16-18:15 Matthew 6:1-24 Psalm 7 Proverbs 2:1-5

“This, then, is how you should pray:” (Matthew 6:9 TNIV).

When Jesus came to Earth, the religious leaders were not modeling how to follow God very well. They followed laws and rules religiously, but their hearts were really no different than those of the tax collectors they despised. But rather being trapped by a love of money, they were trapped by love of attention from others. This greed even showed up in how they prayed, making it a public show so everyone could see how good and holy they were.

Jesus shows His followers another way. A way of sincere relationship that is between a person and God. He gives them a model for their prayers. Not a form prayer for them to pray every time, but a concept of what should be in their prayers. Embracing God as our Father and looking for His desires for our lives to become reality. Putting our trust in Him to take care of us. Recognizing our shortcomings and forgiving others for theirs. Asking for help to be rescued from evil and sin.

Father God, who lives in heaven, Your name is holy in our lives. Make Your kingdom a reality here on Earth. We want to be available to You to accomplish Your desires for this world, just like You do in heaven. Thank you for giving us what we need today. Forgive us for our sins, and teach us how to forgive the people who hurt us. Rescue us from Satan and all these things that tempt us that would come between us. Amen.

The Real Reward

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genesis 13:5-15:21 Matthew 5:27-48 Psalm 6 Proverbs 1:29-33

“’Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward’…Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:1,6 TNIV).

When we first hear about God, we may believe He is real and even that His way is the right way. But that is not enough. Satan knows God is real, but does not believe, love and trust God. Many of us have struggled with believing God. We’re afraid to give up what is being offered to us right here, right now for something that God, whom we have never seen, is promising, which we have also not seen. We have to decide whether to take that chance and trust Him.

Abram took that chance. He passed up on the reward the King of Sodom offered him. Then he took his concerns to God. He believed God. Not just that He was real, but that He would do what He promised. God called this righteousness. Abram still has his struggles as he grows in this relationship with God, trying to trust Him in spite of what he sees and feels. And that is good news for those of us who are in the same boat as Abram.

Father God, we want to believe, love and trust You. We want You to be our shield and reward today. Help us to pass by the temporary rewards and riches this world offers and look for what You have to offer. Holy Spirit, encourage us when we are struggling to believe and are tempted to look somewhere else for help. Amen.

The True Nature of God’s Law

2012-01-05T09:14:00.001-06:00

Genesis 11-13:4 Matthew 5:1-26 Psalm 5 Proverbs 1:24-28

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them…For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17, 20 TNIV).

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law in Jesus’ time were very careful about everything they did, making sure they didn’t accidently do something God told them not to do. Their ancestors had not followed God very well and lost God’s protection because of it. Now the Hebrews were determined not to make that mistake. They were going to be as perfect as they could be in order to get as much blessing from God as they could get.

Now comes Jesus. He starts teaching things that are different from what they have been teaching. Because they don’t understand, they accuse Him of teaching something different than the Scriptures taught. (The Law refers to the books written by Moses and the Prophets refer to much of the rest of the Old Testament.) But Jesus isn’t teaching something new or different. He is showing them how God always wanted His people to have a heart like His—a heart that naturally wanted to do what is good for others. The Law and Prophets were never about earning God’s favor, but about showing us how we’re not like God and need the heart transplant He offers. This is what it has always been about: God wants to rescue us from sin, but we have to want to be rescued first.

Lord Jesus, help us to see what it means to really live for You. Give us hearts that want to love like You love. Forgive us for when we forget what it is all about and try to earn Your love for our own selfish reasons. Use us today as Your salt and light on earth, spreading Your love and truth to anyone and everyone who will listen. Amen.

Soul Searching

2012-01-04T09:07:00.001-06:00

Genesis 8-10, Matthew 4:12-25, Psalm 4, Proverbs 1:20-23

“When you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in the LORD” (Psalm 4:4,5 TNIV).

How many times have I come to the end of the day and said to God, “Forgive me for my sins and help me to live a better life tomorrow,” only to turn over and go to sleep without any further thought? The truth is, searching my heart and taking time to listen for God’s voice requires a time investment, and I really don’t like admitting I really enjoy doing things, or in some cases not doing things, as God has asked. Searching my heart is uncomfortable and sitting quietly listening can get boring fast.

However, this is exactly what we need to do. This is where we see our hearts for what they really are. This is where we begin to see how much we need Jesus and His heart transplant. Seeing the true condition of our hearts brings real heartfelt confessions for what we’ve done. We find we don’t want to continue behaving that way. As a result, our trust in God grows in ways we never imagined before. We no longer have to guess that we’ve been forgiven; we can know because we have opened our hearts to Jesus and allowed Him to forgive us and start changing us from the inside-out.

Lord Jesus, teach us to take time to search our hearts and to open them to You. Give us the patience to be quiet and listen for Your voice. We know that following You is more than just joining a church and giving money offerings. We want to the heart transplant You offer to change us from the inside-out. Amen.

Tempting

2012-01-03T09:11:00.001-06:00

Genesis 5-7, Matthew 3:7-4:11, Psalm 3, Proverbs 1:10-19

“My Son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them…These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves!” (Proverbs 1:10,18 TNIV).

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1 TNIV).

Can you imagine how Jesus felt? He went to see John and was baptized. When He came out of the water, the Holy Spirit came down on Him and Father God blessed Him for everyone to hear. Everybody knew who His Father was and that His Father was proud of Him. It is right after this that the devil comes along and tries to entice Jesus to sin. Nothing like breaking the 10 Commandments. He tries to get Jesus to doubt that He is Father God’s Son, that Father God really loves Him and is proud of Him and to trust Satan rather than His Father. In other words, Satan tries to steal the blessing Jesus just received from His Father. But Jesus knew that Satan’s ways only lead to self-defeat.

Genesis says that God created us in His image. We are His children. He loves us and wants to give us an amazing life with Him forever. Satan will come to try steal this blessing from us. He will try to convince us that his ways are better, more fun, or will have a better payoff. He may even try to use God’s own words to convince us. But by spending time with God and reading the Bible, we will learn to resist the devil and keep our blessing, like Jesus did.

Father God, thank You for being our father and calling us Your children. Thank You for loving us so much that You don’t let us go easily. Remind us of the blessing of Your love and help us to believe it, especially when the devil wants to steal it from us and take us with him down his road of self-destruction. Amen.

The Worst Punishment

2012-01-02T09:00:00.001-06:00

Genesis 3 & 4, Matthew 2:13-3:6, Psalm 2, Proverbs 1:7-9

“My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence…So Cain went out from the LORD’S presence” (Gen. 4:13,14, 16 TNIV).

Sin is a deceptive thing. When we are being tempted, it appears to be just what we want most at the time. It promises knowledge or pleasure or revenge. Sometimes we think nobody will ever know if I… However, all sin has one common consequence. It separates us from God’s presence. That is the most severe consequence of all. God’s presence is the source of all real life and joy.

Fortunately, God has made a way for us to be brought back into His presence. Today we experience His presence, but it’s more like talking with Him when He is in the next room with the door closed. We know He’s there, but it isn’t like sitting at the table drinking lemonade together. When we give our lives to Jesus, we can look forward to the day when we will sit and talk with Him face to face. We will never be separated from Him again.

Father God, we want to take time to be in Your presence every day. Still, we look forward to the day we will sit at Your table and see You with our eyes, hear Your voice with our own ears, and actually feel You hug us. Lord Jesus, come soon and end this separation. Amen.

Time Together

2012-01-01T10:30:00.001-06:00

Genesis 1 & 2, Matthew 1-2:12, Psalm 1, Proverbs 1:1-6

“Blessed are those who do not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers but who delight in the law of the LORD and meditate on his law day and night” (Psalm 1:1,2 TNIV).

Imagine meeting someone when you were nineteen years old and falling in love with them. So much so that you marry that person that very same day. However, after that day you both go your different ways, only seeing each other once a week for a couple of hours during which you may or may not stay awake the whole time. Would you consider this a healthy relationship? Is this someone you would look forward to spending eternity with?

This is not the kind of relationship God is looking for either. When we take time to be with God each day and read the Bible, His love letter to us, we will find we grow closer to Him over time. We will feel sad when we miss our time together and look forward to when we will be with Him again. He will change our hearts, and we will follow His ways without even thinking about it. Best of all, we will look forward to living with Him forever.

Father God, this year, we want to commit to spending a part of our day with You. We want to have a real relationship with You where we will grow in Your love, where You will teach us what it means to live with You, and our hearts and lives will be forever changed. Thank You for wanting to spend this time with us, too. Amen.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

Last year we changed format from questions for thought about the text to a devotional reading inspired by the text. Based on your response to the change, we will continue with the devotional reading format. We are going to do something a little different this year. You get to choose your pace in walking through the Bible. The link will show the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs reading for the day. You set your pace by choosing to read all of the selections or following just the Old Testament or just the Psalms and Proverbs.

The devotional reading will focus on one of the reading segments. I will quote the key verse or two that inspires the devotional for context. I would encourage you to read the entire reading the verse is found so you will have a better context and understanding of the verse. Such as today, I hope you will read all of Psalm 1, not just the two verses that are quoted.

I hope that reading the Bible everyday will not just be a habit that you develop. I hope that you will find spending time with God to be something you look forward to, that You will see the reality of God’s love written in the Bible for us to read. Reading the Bible is so much more important than anything I have to write about it and I hope that you give reading the Bible first priority. It’s a new year, and I look forward to walking though the Bible. I hope that you will find the journey changes your life—again.

New Beginnings

2011-12-31T06:21:00.001-06:00

Revelation 22

Jesus is coming back. This is the next chapter in the story. Sometimes it seems like a fairy tale that people once believed in ignorance but just has never happened. Some of us are afraid because we haven't gotten to know Him yet and we're afraid of the day He comes back. Some of us just aren't sure He is big enough to be God.

Hopefully, if you've been reading the Bible and honestly praying about what you've read, you have found that He is a real, living God who has the ability and the desire to give us a new life that doesn't end. He is the source of the river of living water and He makes the fruit on the tree of life grow all year round. He wants to give us everything He has, if we are willin to let go of everything we have. It doesn't seem like a fair trade, but that just goes to show how much He loves us.

Lord Jesus, we want to trade everything we've got for what You have to offer. Give us courage and faith when we start to wonder if You are able to do what You've promised. Come into our hearts and make Your love a reality that everyone around us can see today. Amen.

The Capital of the Universe

2011-12-30T08:21:00.001-06:00

Revelation 21

Finally what God has told us He wanted, what He was looking forward to has come true. We will be His people and He will be our God. God is moving the capital of the universe here, to the very place where sin ruled, rebelled against God, and put Jesus to death. But now sin has been defeated forever. All those who chose to hold on to sin rather than God have been destroyed along with Satan, their leader.

Imagine this city. This is what it means to be in the presence of God. Some say this is a description of a physical city we will live in and others say it is a description of God's people who make up the city. Either way this is a beautiful place. A place where there is no darkness. A place where there is no temple because this city is His dwelling place. This is what God wants for us eternally.

Lord Jesus, we want to move to this city You are building. We want to live in the light of Your love and truth forever, where there is no doubt or deceit ever again. Recreate our hearts so we are natural citizens of this recreated earth without sin. Amen.

The Book Reading

2011-12-29T08:15:00.001-06:00

Revelation 20

I have a book that has everything you have ever done written in it. Even the stuff you've done alone in the dark of night when nobody else was watching. I have sent invitations to everyone you know to come to the book reading, including you. In fact, I am inviting you to sit right up front where everyone can see you during this reading.

How do you feel about now? Would you like a chance to edit the book before it is read? Is there something you are afraid will change people's opinion about you? This was one of my struggles. There are things I have done with a heart that would make the devil proud. The thought of all my friends and family discovering just how rotten and ugly I really am scared me.

However, I was reminded of a truth that I sometimes have a hard time remembering. When God forgives our sins, He throws them into the sea of forgetfulness. It is erased from the book. When He opens the book to read the accounts of the forgiven, it will read, "See the account of Jesus Christ for details. Forgiven in full."

Lord Jesus, we ask for Your forgiveness today. We still find ourselves doing things we are ashamed of, that we don't want read in public. More than that, we don't want to be separated from You and Your life of love. We want to be with You forever. Amen.

Showdown

2011-12-28T09:08:00.001-06:00

Revelation 19

Now it is time to see who is the real McCoy and who is posing. For all these years, Satan has been challenging God’s position and authority as the ultimate ruler of the universe. He has accused Him of not being fair and just. He has accused God of not being loving or caring for His people. The beast and his prophet have made their claims to the people and have raised an army to fight against God.

On the other hand, Jesus has prepared a wedding feast for those who have followed Him and love Him. These are the people who have had all their lives cleaned by Jesus and His blood. They have chosen to recognize God for who He is and to embrace Him as ultimate ruler of their lives as well.

Now Jesus must defend His kingdom from Satan and his followers who would destroy it. Satan’s army will be killed and he will be thrown into a burning lake of sulfur along with his false prophet. His victory will be complete. Any question about God’s authority, power or justice will be answered. And His people will forever live to worship Him.

Lord Jesus, we want to be Your people today. We want to have all the ugly stuff we’ve done washed away by Your blood and to put on the pure, clean clothes You have to offer. We recognize that You are God and we embrace You as lord of our hearts and lives today. We want to live forever to worship You, starting now. Amen.

A Cheap Imitation

2011-12-27T09:18:00.001-06:00

Revelation 18

Babylon. The icon of all of man’s glory and achievements. A place where pleasure is king and anything a person wants is available for the right price. It was first started after the flood when people worked together to make a tower that reached heaven. Then God mixed up the languages and everybody went their separate ways. Now, the world has shrunk again. The language barrier has been broken. A person can ravel to any other part of the world within the same day. Communication around the world happens instantly. The problem? This is all for our own glory and pleasure.

In a way, we are trying to recreate heaven here on Earth. We are trying to eliminate all pain and suffering and death—the curse of sin. In the meantime, we do our best to make our time as pleasurable as possible without thought of the cost to anyone else. Our kingdom is all about loving ourselves as best we can. We are trying to recreate heaven here on Earth, but it always seems to fall short.

God’s kingdom is all about loving God and loving each other. The fact is, we cannot have heaven without God. It is His kingdom and He is the ultimate ruler over all of heaven and earth. The problem is we’ve convinced ourselves we can make our own heaven without God. Revelation shows us how this replica of ours will be destroyed in the end. As fallen people, we are infected with the terminal disease of sin and it affects everything we touch. It is only in receiving a life transfusion from Jesus that we find true life and will experience the true heaven that is not a cheap copy doomed for destruction.

Lord Jesus, we realize we have tried to replace You and Your kingdom here on Earth. We have lived to love and please ourselves without thought of You or anyone else. Forgive us for this sin. Take this life and trade it for Your life of love. Bring us to Your kingdom that is real and lasting. Where there really will be no more pain and suffering and death. All will be love, and we will have everything we really ever wanted—You. Amen.

Conditions and Consequences

2011-12-25T09:24:00.001-06:00

Revelation 16

The parents had a problem. Their son had taken to hitting and attacking his little sister when he didn't like what she was doing or he didn't get his way. Being responsible parents, they explained to the boy why beating his sister was wrong and what the future consequences would be when he chose to behave this way. It wasn't long before the consequences needed to be enforced. One might think this poor boy was facing the end of the world. How he cried and wailed. "It's not fair! You don't love me, you only care about her. I hate you!"

Reading Revelation paints a similar picture of those who choose to go against God and His ways. They've heard about their behavior and attitudes and how they are unacceptable with God. They've been warned about the consequences of choosing to continue down this road. Still, they point the finger at God, calling Him the bad guy and refuse to take responsibility for their choices and behavior.

The little sister in our little story probably thought her brother's punishment to be fair and just. She was probably crying to her parents about the kind of treatment she was getting and asking them to save her from it. These are the people God has rescued. Those who have been beat and abused by others because they chose to respond to God's love and accept His offer of a new, sinless life. We have all been told about our behavior and attitudes, the question is which sibling will we be? The one who listens and chooses to accept the change? Or the one who gets angry and takes it out in those goody two shoes?

Father God, we know You will do what is right in the end. Like a good parent You have told us about our behavior and attitudes, allowing us to choose which fate we will face. Help us to choose Your ways, to accept the change of life that You offer. We want real life with You in the end. Amen.

Justice Poured Out

2011-12-24T08:10:00.001-06:00

Revelation 15

Justice. God is finally bringing justice to this world. He has watched all the ugliness of sin run its course and now it is time to bring it to an end. Revelation says that God's wrath is completed. What is he object of God's wrath? Some of the same things we are upset about. The things we've been asking God why He allows to happen and continue. The abuse of children. Hatred of people who are misunderstood. Wars that destroy families and nations. All the injustice of sin that boils our blood will bring God's wrath to completion.

Let's be clear here. God's wrath is directed at sin, not people. He loves people and has done everything He can to rescue them, short of forcing them. He sent Jesus to die for our sins and show us what He is really about in flesh and blood, where we could see Him in action. Still, there will be some who will refuse to let go of sin. God's heart breaks for them, but He allows them to choose. They will suffer the bowls of wrath God pours out on sin because they have chosen to stick with sin.

Those who have chosen God are singing a song describing how God is just. They are not appalled that a God of love and justice will act like this because this is the answer to their prayers: The end of sin and its ugly consequences on innocent bystanders.

Lord God, we want to see Your justice in this world. We want to see the end of sin and its ugliness. Continue to work in our lives to help us let go of the sin we secretly like. Thank You for waiting as long as possible for us to choose You rather than sin. Continue to persue those who are struggling to see Your love. Amen.

Marks and Hearts

2011-12-23T08:22:00.001-06:00

Revelation 14

The mark of the beast. What images does that phrase bring to mind? Depictions of people who have 666 written on their foreheads and the back of their hands, perhaps. I once heard this mark would be a tattooed barcode that can be scanned. Maybe today they are saying QR code. But then Revelation says God's people will receive His seal in heir foreheads. I don't imagine anyone on Earth would be able to give a person that mark or seal.

But what if Revelation is not talking about an actual mark like a tattoo that people can see? Perhaps these marks represent a person's thought in actions, the choices they have made. For instance, in the end some people will reveal who they belong to by their actions--behavior that is clearly against God and His ways. This behavior goes right along with thinking that is not for God.

God's people only have a mark in their forehead. That is to say that a person's actions do not necessarily reflect a person's choice. Jesus said that in the end some will say, "Lord, didn't we do the right things?" Some will look the part, but deep down have not given their hearts and minds to Him. God still praises His people for their behavior, but that is not what has saved them. In fact, it may be that their bad behavior has been washed clean. One thing is for sure, their hearts and minds are captivated with God and His ways.

Lord Jesus, we want to be captivated by Your love today. We want our hearts and minds to bear Your seal in the end. Let Your love spill out on everyone we meet today. Amen.

The Devil: Smoke or Fire?

2011-12-22T09:10:00.001-06:00

Revelation 13

"There is a demon in my house. He moves things around at night and sometimes talks to me." She was serious. I don't know what weirded me out more: her claim or that she didn't seem weirded out by her proclamation. I suggested she ask her pastor to come pray with her to get rid of the demon, but she replied, "No, that's ok. I kinda like him. At least he's friendly."

When it comes to the devil and demons, it seems people often fall into one of two dangerous camps. They either take them too seriously or not seriously enough. Some see the devil behind everything from Christmas to church music while others like to have him in their movies or even join a religion worshipping him. Then there are those who believe the devil is the boogeyman made up to keep us all in line or a cultural icon that some can't seem to outgrow.

The devil is real, and he wants to keep us from God. However, it is important to remember that the devil was created by God and He is much more powerful than the devil. We have nothing to fear of the devil as long as we are holding on to God. Our biggest danger is falling away from God. And that is what the devil is working overtime to make happen.

Lord Jesus, help us to keep our eyes on You. Sometimes the devil looks more powerful than anything else in the world, but we know You are stronger. Help us not to be distracted by anything that would take us away from You, whether it looks harmless or not. Amen.

War!

2011-12-21T08:27:00.001-06:00

Revelation 12

War in heaven. If God is perfect and loves perfectly, how could there be war in heaven? How could there be any hate or sin? God must be responsible for sin if He is the creator of all things. Even considering Satan's accusation to be wrong, Satan sinned and he was created by God. And now we're suffering because of God's mistake.

The problem with this line of thinking is believing that neither Satan nor Adam and Eve had a choice in falling to sin. God created us to be creatures who love. For that to be possible, He had to give us the ability to choose to not love.

Imagine this. You receive a magic potion that causes the person you are crazy about to fall irresistibly in love with you. Now you've been doing everything you can to attract this person, but they are not interested. You use the potion and presto! Now you can do no wrong. They love everything about you and are in constant awe of everything you do. Sounds great, right?

But deep down, you would always know they didn't choose to love you, they are only doing what the magic potion is forcing them to do. If they received an antidote, would they continue to love you? Or would they despise you for what you did to them?

God wants genuine, real love. He wants to be chosen, not to have a bunch of automatons who mindlessly tell Him how great He is all the time. In fact, real love was so important to Him, He was willing to risk going to war and fighting for our love.

Lord Jesus, thank You for fighting for our hearts. Thank You for creating us with the ability to love. Help us to see clearly the choices waiting for us and to choose to live and love with You forever. Amen.

Toys, Idols, and Truth

2011-12-20T09:01:00.001-06:00

Revelation 11

I once heard someone say that God sometimes breaks our toys because we are so distracted by them we don't talk to Him. Once broken, we go to Him to ask Him to fix our toys. Looking at how God has dealt with His people, I don't think that is far from the mark. The prophet Elijah told King Ahab there would be no more rain until he said otherwise. Ahab was worshiping idols rather than God, one of them a god that promised rain and good crops. God's desire was to show that He is the true God, not these powerless idols.

Revelation seems to say that God will do this again. He will send His messengers to bring attention to what He will do to show the difference between His true power and the powerlessness of the things that people trust. Unfortunately, most people get angry when this is pointed out and it appears they will kill these messengers. They are so determined to protect their allusion they will stop at nothing to silence the truth.

How does one come to the place where the truth is intolerable? How do we convince ourselves that a lie is preferable to truth? It is a choice that is made day after day for years. In fact, it is the same process of choosing to follow God and to believe His truth, only going the opposite direction. That makes today's choice a very important one.

Lord Jesus, we want to choose to listen to Your truth today. We don't want to convince ourselves of lies and trust in powerless idols. We want to come talk to You without having our toys broken. Come and talk with us now. Amen.

Are We There Yet?

2011-12-19T09:15:00.001-06:00

Revelation 10

"From prophecy, we have figured out when the end of the world will be." So far, all of these findings have not turned out to be true. No mass raptures have been noted. We wake up the next day business as usual. Of course, there are still some who believe the end of the Mayan calendar marks the end.

Many people continue to go through the books of Daniel and Revelation with spiritual microscopes looking for the one clue that will unlock the whole puzzle and tell us what day Jesus is coming back. Or maybe which year, because Jesus said He wouldn't tell us the day.

Revelation is a challenging book to understand. It was written initially to an audience who spoke Greek 1900 years ago. It was probably hard for them to understand as well. My question is, did God tell John everything we want to know today? Or did God tell John not to write some of the stuff we want to know? I don't know that we have he answers. But we can rest assured that God does. Through good times and bad, we can trust that nobody can thwart His plan.

Lord Jesus, we want You to come soon. We want to be done with this world full of hurt and heartache. We're like little kids in the back seat of the car asking, "Are we there yet?" Help us to be patient and know that You will get us home soon. Amen.

Plagues and Choices

2011-12-18T08:21:00.001-06:00

Revelation 9

Remember how Satan pretended to be a snake and told Adam and Eve that God didn’t have their best interests in mind? He even told them that God wasn’t telling the truth about the consequences of disobeying God. Satan claimed that God was holding out, that God didn’t want us to be know what He knows or enjoy the finer things He enjoys.

Satan is still selling this line. So far, we have all bought into it to some degree in our lives. Some of us have seen the contrast between Satan’s characterization of God as a tyrant and Jesus’ great act of selfless love of dying on the cross for us. Once again, like He did in Egypt, God will show His authority over everything we worship through plagues. God will even allow Satan and his followers to torment the people who have believed them. Even with all this evidence, there will still be people who will not accept Jesus to be their God.

It isn’t just enough to believe that God is real and that He exists. It’s a matter of trusting Him with our lives, trusting Him to be our God. Some will hang on to the line Satan has sold—that life is better without God in charge. No amount of evidence will change their minds. This is a decision that was made before the plagues. The plagues work to reveal the true decision in their hearts. The choice is made today: Will you trust God to be your king and serve Him?

Lord Jesus, we recognize You as our king today. We choose to put our lives in Your hands. We have seen how You gave Your life for ours so that we would be spared the consequences we deserved. We want this love of Yours to work in our hearts to change us into the kind of people You would have us to be. People who live to love others, not ourselves. Amen.

Prayers and Plans

2011-12-17T08:03:00.001-06:00

Revelation 8

The altar of insence in the Sanctuary was to burn continually before the curtain between the two rooms, representing the prayers of God's people going up to His throne. Godly people pray throughout the Old Testament that their prayers will be a pleasing odor to God. At times God tells His disobedient people that their prayers stink.

Here we find the altar of insence burning before God's throne in heaven. The prayers of God's people are asking, "How long will You allow bad things happen to good people? How long will You allow evil to rule on Earth?" In Revelation 6, God tells them to wait a little longer.

Seven trumpets blast and one third of the Earth is destroyed. Perhaps this is like the ten plagues God sends on Egypt to reveal His power and His authority as God to Pharoah and the Egyptians. This display may be a final opportunity for those who oppose God to bend their knees and give their hearts to Him. Either way, just as God had the power to speak the world into existence we see He has the power to destroy it just as easily.

Fortunately, He loves us too much to just destroy us. He wants to rescue us. He hears our prayers for rescue and is eager to respond to them. Still, He is willing to wait as long as possible for every person to ask for His rescue.

Lord Jesus, we want our prayers to be a sweet odor to You today. We our hearts to be transformed by Your love. Help us to be patient while You finish executing Your rescue plan. A plan that includes rescuing as many as want to be rescued. Amen.

The Plan

2011-12-16T08:21:00.001-06:00

Revelation 7

Remember the last plague God put Egypt through? God's people were given the instruction to paint their door frames with the blood of a sacrificed lamb. The angel would pass over those houses that were sealed by the blood.

That was not like a sorority hazing God decided to put them through to qualify to be His people. It was a picture of His plan to rescue His people from slavery to sin in a fallen world. In Revelation 7, we see the picture again. God waits for His people to be sealed before destruction is unleashed.

In is group we see people of all nationalities, of all races, and all languages. What they have in common is not Abraham or Israel as an ancestor, but that they have been made clean by Jesus' blood that He gave on the cross. They have made Him their savior and given their old dirty lives to Him. Now they wear the perfectly clean lives Jesus has given them in return. They know Jesus will keep His promise to lead them to the New Earth where He will take care of them forever. This is what it's all about.

Lord Jesus, take these dirty old lives of ours and give us new ones. Wash our hearts clean with Your blood. Forgive us for the selfish, sinful things we've done. Change our desires so that we want to live for You, leaving the sin behind. Take us to live with You forever. Amen.

Why?

2011-12-15T09:31:00.001-06:00

Revelation 6

Sometimes we have a hard time trusting God when bad things happen to good people. But we say Jesus died to save everyone. That's when we can fall into thinking that Jesus would save us from these bad things if He could, but He just isn't strong enough to do it. So, either Jesus isn't the Son of God as He said He was or He just isn't qualified to be God.

However, we have just read how all the living creatures in heaven worship Him and bow down to Him. So, if Jesus can do something about the good people who are killed or mistreated for sharing and believing in His love and truth, why doesn't He? Why doesn't He stand for justice and hold these bad people accountable?

In a sense, God is on trial here. In the end, we may ask why some were saved and others were not. He is waiting as long as He can to give everyone a chance to either choose Him to be their God or to reject Him. Some may be like the apostle Paul who thought he was working for God when he was really persecuting God's people. Others may be like Pharoah who continue to reject God even after seeing His power and glory again and again. Either way, in the end when He comes back, those who love Him will be drawn to Him and those who don't will go anywhere to get away from His presence. Jesus will rescue His people, even if they are killed and mistreated now. And those who do the killing and mistreating will be brought to justice.

Lord Jesus, thank You for being patient with us and for waiting for us to come around to choosing You to be our God. Help us to trust You when we see bad things happening to good people. We are looking forward to the day when You come back and justice will be served to those who reject You and mercy will be given to us who claim You. Amen.

Worthy

2011-12-14T06:35:00.001-06:00

Revelation 5

Yesterday, we saw the throne room and what an amazingly awesome and beautiful place it is. I thought the person sitting on the throne was Jesus. After all, this is the Revelation of Jesus Christ we are reading. However, today we see Jesus enter the throne room and take the scroll no one could open and read from the One sitting on the throne. Who else would be sitting on a throne in heaven than God the Father?

There is no doubt that God the Father was being worshiped in the throne room yesterday. Now Jesus enters the picture as the Lamb who had been slain and He gets a double portion of praise. All the universe declares Him to be worthy to open the scroll. While we struggle with the question of whether Jesus is the Son of God, the rest of the universe worships Him without question.

What makes Jesus worthy? The fact that He gave Himself as a perfect sacrifice to rescue His people. Remember how this started? Satan told Adam and Eve that God was not worthy of His position, that He couldn’t be trusted to be God. Even as God evicted Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, He promised to send someone special to rescue them. Now Jesus has paid the penalty Adam and Eve and you and I owed for breaking God’s law. He has shown Himself worthy to be our God and worthy of our worship.

Lord Jesus, we declare You worthy to be our God today. We recognize the fact that You came and died for us as a perfect sacrifice to rescue us. We want our live our lives in worship of You, in everything we do, starting today. Amen.

The Ultimate in Class

2011-12-13T07:22:00.001-06:00

Revelation 4

Have you ever visited a place where you were way out classed? The kind of place that grabs your attention and causes you to stare, mouth wide open, at how awesome the place is? Maybe some place like the White House or Buckingham Palace. Ever notice how most of us act a little different in these scenarios? We are awed into reverence and respect for a place that has housed great people over the centuries.

This is just the beginning of Jesus' throne room. Not only is it full of a rich history, it is full of Jesus' glory. Imagine what this place looks like with these beings worshipping Him 24/7. Imagine the beauty of His glory emanating from the throne room and painting heaven.

Jesus is the king of heaven. This isn't just an honorary title or figurehead position. Everything about His presence reveals His power and glory. Meeting Him is like meeting the President of the universe! This is the One who gave His life for us so that we could live with Him forever.

Lord Jesus, why did You leave Your throne of glory where You are worshiped continuously to come here where we betrayed, mocked, and crucified You? Why would You love a people like us? Thank You for choosing us and inviting us back to Your kingdom. Amen.

Do I Care?

2011-12-12T08:23:00.001-06:00

Revelation 3:7-22

The other day author Ted Dekker said on Facebook, "Hate is not the opposite of love, apathy is the opposite of love." At first I found myself getting ready to argue, but I read on. Dekker argued that a person who hates actually cares about the relationship where the apathetic person does not. The person who hates has taken the time to think about it, the apathetic person does not even care to give the relationship a second thought.

I hear God saying to Laodicea, "I wish you cared. One way or the other. Instead, you sit around watching TV, playing with your smartphones completely unaware of me or your spiritual condition." Perhaps I hear this because that is my comfortable little whole to hide in.

It is easy to get busy with what we have going on in life and forget about God--even at Christmas time. I find I just don't have time to read my Bible this morning. I find myself focusing on deadlines rather than God's guidelines all day long. Jesus calls us to wake up and see what is real and lasting. He asks us to care enough to think about what He has done for us and to choose whether we will love Him in return or not.

Lord Jesus, we're sorry for the times we have forgotten You and have become focused on things that don't matter. We want to take time to be with You everyday. We want to see Your love and have it saturate our hearts. Amen.

The Only Way to Live

2011-12-11T09:37:00.001-06:00

Revelation 2:18-3:6

How does Jesus reveal His love in this message to the church of Thyatira? Jesus is talking about burning them and making them suffer if they don’t do what He tells them. Isn’t Jesus supposed to be the graceful one who protects us from the angry Father who will destroy those who don’t measure up?

Let’s take another look at this. Suppose a woman has a husband who she knows has loved her in the past—otherwise she would not have married him. He’s been a good husband, for the most part, but he has been hanging around with people who enjoy spouse swapping. What is worse, he is starting to think it might be fun to join in on the action. The wife reminds her husband of her boundaries, where she is willing to go. He is free to join in the action, but it will be without her. What is more, she will be moving on. He will have to suffer alone when his friends are gone and he is suffering from an incurable infection and he realizes he lost what was good in his life. Is the wife being unloving in this scenario?

Just like the wife, Jesus is reminding the church of Thyatira that He will not follow them everywhere. What is more, He reminds them that the path away from Him results in a pain and suffering that He will not rescue them from because they refused to stay with Him. Like the marriage, the choice is made early: To stay and enjoy the good life of love or to go and take the path that leads to pain and death. Jesus wants more than anything for us to choose to stay with Him.

Lord Jesus, forgive us for the times we have cheated on You. Forgive us for listening and considering leaving you for something “better.” Help us to see the goodness and love we have with You. Remind us of why sticking with You is the only way to live. Amen.

Jesus Wants Us

2011-12-10T08:48:00.001-06:00

Revelation 2:1-17

Jesus knows where we’ve been, where we’re going, and where we are now. This isn’t because He is a fortune teller who can see into the some spiritual realm and see things we are blinded. He know us better than we know ourselves. He invests Himself in our lives—whether we are reciprocating or not. He isn’t blinded by either the good stuff we do or the bad stuff. Like a loving friend, he comes to us and says, “I like what I see in you here. You’re showing my love and truth to the world here. Keep up the good work. But, that over there is going to get you into trouble if you don’t do something about it. I don’t want to see that happen to You. You are one of my favorites.

Jesus does not want to remove anybody from His kingdom. If that were the case, He simply would not have gone through with the crucifixion. Rather, He wants more than anything to see us find a life that is based in His love and truth. When we start forgetting about Jesus and becoming complacent, He gets worried that our relationship is in trouble—the very thing He died for. Let us remember the love we saw in Jesus in the first place. Let us be willing to be mistreated because we love Him. Let us look to encourage each other into closer relationship with Him today.

Lord Jesus, thank You for loving us before we even knew what love was. Thank You for caring so much about us that You are not willing to let us walk away from You easily. Help us to see the things that come between us in our relationship with You today. Help us to remember Your love and truth and share it with anybody who wants to hear about it today. Amen.

The Main Man

2011-12-09T08:09:00.001-06:00

Revelation 1

Books of prophecy, like Daniel and Revelation, are difficult to read. Over the years, many different interpretations have been given to explain the prophecies and to figure out when or how Jesus will return. Many studies of Revelation dig in deep, trying to learn as much as possible. I will not attempt to do this with this blog. While I encourage everybody to study every book of the Bible in depth and with God’s guidance, it is also important to step back and get a broader look to keep all the little stuff in perspective.

Right at the beginning, John tells us what this whole book is about. It is about Jesus Christ and the message He has for His church. John takes time to make perfectly clear which Jesus he is talking about. Jesus was a fairly popular name in the first century C.E. This is the Jesus who loved us by dying on the cross for us, but was raised back to life after three days.

If we do not believe Jesus is who John describes Him to be, there is no point in continuing to read the book. After all, this is a message from the Jesus John describes. On the other hand, if we do believe in this Jesus, this message is important to us. We will read it and remember that Jesus is one who keeps His promises. As we read through Revelation, remember this is a message firstly written to the first century C.E. church and secondly to us. Most importantly, it is a message from Jesus.

Lord Jesus, thank You for sending this message to us. Help us to see Your truth and love in this message and use it to reshape our lives. We are looking forward to the day You come back again and we want to be ready for it today. Amen.

Putting up with Pretenders

2011-12-08T08:48:00.001-06:00

Jude

“I have no problem with Christianity. It’s the Christians I have a problem with.” My friend went on to tell me about all the different people who called themselves Christian but did such terrible and hurtful things. These people were the reason he chose not to call himself a Christian.

Unfortunately, my friend’s focus was on the bad apples and on the mistakes well meaning people have made. His conclusion was that God wasn’t a perfect God of love because His followers aren’t perfect people of love. Jude reminds the people of his time that people who really don’t love God will find their way into our churches. The same thing happened with God’s people in the Old Testament. Even some of the angels in heaven chose to walk away from God and His perfect love.

Be encouraged. Remember that God knows the difference between the pretenders and those who really love Him. Choose to spend time with people who encourage you in your faith in Jesus and remind You of His love for us. Encourage others who are struggling in their faith because of the behavior of the pretenders. In the end, we can look forward to an eternity with God and those who love Him.

Father God, continue to reshape our hearts so that we love You and Your ways. Encourage us when we see pretenders giving You a bad name. Use us to encourage others and to show Your love and truth today. Amen.

A Place on the Team

2011-12-07T09:12:00.001-06:00

3 John

I squirming in my seat a bit as I listened to the request for money to support the international ministry. The conflict inside continued to rage such that I had to squirm once again as I heard the description of what the little bit of money I might give could do. Of course I wasn’t against giving money to support God’s ministry, but I needed most of the money I made to pay my bills. I really didn’t have much money left over for the little things I wanted. And so went my internal argument, feeling I should give but wanting to keep what I had.

There’s a saying I’ve heard often that goes something like, “God doesn’t need our money…” It is often followed by a reference to the Psalm that says God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Unfortunately, this is often used as an excuse not to give, not to support people who are spreading God’s truth and love around the world. What would our churches be like if the pastors were not paid? Who would have the time to be a full-time minister as well as a full-time doctor or mechanic?

While it is true that God can provide for those who are willing to do His work at any cost, He also desires us to be a part of the mission. I think He provides for these missionaries by giving us the money to give to the missionaries. Like children at church whose parents give them a dollar to put in the offering plate. Keeping the dollar would be stealing and stealing breaks God’s law of love. So I encourage you to think about which ministry you will support with the dollar God has provided you to share.

Father God, thank You for including us in Your mission to spread Your love and truth around the world. Thank You for providing us with money—even if it isn’t a lot—we can share with those who are giving their lives for this mission. We know You don’t expect us to give to every mission offering, but help us to overcome the selfish desire to keep this mission money for ourselves. Amen.

Is Jesus Real?

2011-12-06T11:55:00.001-06:00

2 John

For the most part, Christian churches teach the same truths about Jesus. Sure, there are some details we argue over when it comes to interpreting prophecy or what Jesus or other New Testament writers meant on some different details. But we agree on the major concepts. We may call some liberal and others conservative. We may accuse some of being too focused on works and others too focused on grace. In the end, we believe that Jesus came to Earth, born in a human body as one of us, live for about 33 years and die on the cross for our sins.

The question is, what do we do with that? Do we try to rationalize it and explain it away? John warns about some preachers who were saying that Jesus didn’t really come in a real human body. Today, we are tempted to live as though Jesus was just a myth of legend. It is easy to say I believe in Jesus and to “claim Him as my Savior”, but when it comes to actually affecting my life, that’s when things get uncomfortable.

John praises the church during his time for living like Jesus was real. Not just Jesus as a man, but Jesus as He claimed to be—the Son of God who died for our sins. The reality of His life touched theirs. As a result, they were different. The love of Jesus filled their lives and everything they did. By making Jesus first in their lives, their natural tendency was to obey Him and share His love. The good news is our lives can be changed this way, too. Our tendencies will be to obey Jesus and to live His love when we make Him number one in our lives. But, in order to do this, He has to be more than a legend, He has to be real.

Lord Jesus, we want You to be real to us today. We want the reality of Your love and sacrifice to make a change in our hearts. Change our tendencies, our natural behavior by recreating our hearts to be like Yours. Reshape our lives so we obey You and live Your love naturally. Amen.

God Without Jesus?

2011-12-05T07:08:00.001-06:00

1 John 5

Can a person accept God and reject Jesus? After all, if God is the same God in the Old Testament as the New Testament it shouldn't really matter, should it? Jesus taught us to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves just like God did the people of Israel in the Old Testament. Jesus taught us to pray to God and to obey His commandments. As long as we do that, does it matter if we believe Jesus is God's Son?

John says we believe God is a liar if we do not believe Jesus is His Son. That would make Him guilty of breaking His own laws. And why would we trust a liar? Jesus came to show us what God is like by becoming one of us and living with us. What did He do with His life? Would we argue that healing people and doing miracles to help people goes against God's character? Jesus came to rescue us by dying for us. It is the ultimate expression of love. Why would we want to reject this kind of love?

Father God, thank You for showing us what You're like by sending Jesus to show us. Thank You Jesus for coming to show us what the Father's rescue plan was really all about. We believe in You and Your ability and desire to rescue us today. We ask that You will overcome the sin and death in our lives today. Amen.

Love Transformation

2011-12-04T10:31:00.001-06:00

1 John 4

When you think of love personified, who comes to mind? The person who loves everybody, who is always happy to give and serve. The person who is looking out for everyone else's needs. If one were to ask, where would this person say their love comes from?

John says true love is a gift from God. It is something we know nothing about until He shows it to us. Do you agree with John? How has your perspective of loved changed since you came to know God? Growing up, I wanted to be like these people. I could see Jesus in them. They lived love and they enjoyed it. How did these people come to love like this? Were they born with a special gift?

John says that we have no clue about love until we see God's love. It starts when we believe God is who He says He is. The more we spend time with Him, the more we see His love in action, the more it becomes a part of who we are. Without trying, we start showing God's love to those around us. It doesn't happen over night. We don't become like Mother Theresa the day after we give our hearts to God. However, as we grow, as we spend more time with God, we find we are being changed as others start seeing God's love reflected in our lives more and more.

Father God, we want Your love to show in our lives today. We know that starts with spending time with You and seeing Your love for ourselves. Show s Your love today. Change our hearts to be more like Yours. Amen.

Putting Love Into Action

2011-12-03T18:10:00.001-06:00

1 John 3:7-24

Here in America, it seems that Christmas is a time where we start thinking of all the things we don’t have that we want to get. This was definitely true of me as a kid. I used to look through catalogues and mark the things I thought I wanted more than anything. Recently, I heard about a family that decided to take another look at Christmas. Instead of getting gifts for each other, they got gifts to give people who were too poor to have Christmas. Rather than sending them off, they delivered them in person.

Giving isn’t just the spirit of Christmas, it’s the spirit of God. What more could God have given us than His own Son? What better gift could Jesus give us than Himself? Following Him means we share this love with everybody we meet. How can we call ourselves followers of God if we do not share His love?

Still, I still find myself thinking about what more than sharing and giving to others who have less than I do. John reminds us that love isn’t just having warm fuzzy feelings for people, but actually doing and giving to others, whether they are able to return the favor or not. Now that it is December and Christmas is coming, let’s remember the spirit of the One Christmas celebrates. Let’s put love into action.

Father God, thank You for showing Your love for us by giving us just what we needed but couldn’t afford. Fill us with Your love and teach us to share it with others. A love that is more than just feelings, but a love in action. Help us to see how we can love each other more and ourselves less. Amen.

Children of God

2011-12-02T14:41:00.001-06:00

1 John 2:18-3:6

I must admit, I have never taken a lot of time to think about what it means to be my dad’s son. Perhaps it is in part because he never gave any of those, “If you’re going to be my son…” lectures. For as long as I’ve been alive, my dad has been my dad and nothing has caused me to question it. When I was growing up, he made sure I had food to eat and clothes to wear. Anything I needed, although maybe not everything I wanted. Even though I got myself into trouble by disobeying him from time to time, his love for me has never changed.

Funny how sometimes it is hard for me to think of God this way. I wonder if He really does love me. I wonder if He won’t want me around anymore after I mess up. Yet, I still have the food I need to eat, clothes to wear, and everything I need. Like my dad, He has a lot of things to teach me about how to live life. Perhaps it could be called one of those “If you’re going to be my kid” speeches, but they are positive and encouraging, not denigrating and discouraging.

We can choose today whether we want to be God’s children or not. He has made all the arrangements and is excitedly waiting for us to accept His offer. He loves us for who we really are deep inside, not for what we’ve done. He has made it possible for us to leave behind the ugliness of sin and to take on His character like taking on His last name. We can become His children. Children He is proud of.

Father God, we want to be Your children today. Thank You for everything You’ve done to take care of us so far. Forgive us for the ways we have not lived up to Your standards. Continue to change our characters to be more like Yours. Continue to bring us closer to You so we can know we are Your children. Amen.

Spreading Darkness or Light

2011-12-01T09:24:00.001-06:00

1 John 2:1-17

Amy Grant was an instant hit in the early days of the Christian music industry. She was young, innocent and everything Christian parents wanted their little girls to grow up to be and their little boys to marry. But then she started singing love songs. People’s idyllic view of Amy Grant began to crack. Some said Amy had left her faith and was going to chase after the big money in the mainstream music market. Amy’s divorce a few years later only strengthened the opinions of Amy’s doubters. While nobody knows what is in Amy’s heart and mind like God, people look at actions and behavior to come to certain conclusions.

John says that if we live in the light of God’s love and truth, we will walk in it. Public figures like Amy Grant are in an unfortunate position where we can focus on their missteps and report them. Fortunately for Amy and for us, God sees more than just our mistakes and sins. Not only that, Jesus died for us so He can forgive these sins. While we may not have the public magnifying glass on our lives like Amy does, we still have people in our lives who seem to have an opinion about everyone of our actions and choices and what it means for our salvation or Christianity.

John calls us to love each other. This doesn’t mean we just ignore each others sins, but it does mean we think about how we address them. We think about how God has dealt with our sin. We think about how we can encourage each other on in God’s love and truth rather than tearing them down and destroying them. I don’t know Amy Grant. I do know that Amy has used her musical gifts to encourage people to come walk in the light of God’s truth and love. I hope she continues to do so.

Father God, we want to walk in Your light today. Thank You Jesus for dying for our sins and for standing up for us as our defense lawyer. Continue to chase out the darkness in our hearts. Help us to see other people through the light of Your love and truth. Teach us to give them the love and patience that You have given us. Amen.

Posing

2011-11-30T08:26:00.001-06:00

1 John 1

He walked into the room, just days after the World Series wearing a brand new St. Louis Cardinals hat. That in and of itself is not a bad thing for a Cardinals fan. This guy, however, had shown no signs of being a Cardinals fan until after they won the Series. In fact, he had shown no signs of being a fan of baseball until the Series.

It is easy to choose the winning team after the fact, and it is easy to do whatever it takes to fit in. But are we doing this with God? Do we wait to see if God is cool in the particular crowd we're in before claiming Him? Next year, this guy may be wearing a different cap after the World Series and I probably won't remember his change of allegiance. But when Jesus comes back, He will know who His real friends are.

Lord Jesus, we want to be Your real friends, not posers who only stand up for You when it is popular. Forgive us for the times we have pretended to be Your friend. Thank You for always being a faithful friend to us. Amen.

Operation Rescue

2011-11-29T07:42:00.001-06:00

2 Peter 3

The house is on fire. Huge pieces of rafters are falling through he ceiling, crashing to the floor. The hungry flames are licking at everything in the house. Trapped in the back of the house is the person our hero loves. Against everybody's advice, he braves the fire and heat to rescue the one he loves. He plunges into the inferno unwilling to leave until he has done everything he can to rescue her.

Can you imagine God doing this for you? Why or why not? Peter says God is waiting as long as possible to save as many people as possible. In the end, Jesus will destroy sin and all who cling to it will be destroyed with it. Still, there are some who don't realize they are trapped in a building that is burning. God desires to rescue them--even more than any hero does his lover.

Father God, thank You for loving us so much that You will do whatever it takes to rescue us. Use us to spread the message of Your love and rescue plan today. Amen.

What Do You Think?

2011-11-28T11:26:00.001-06:00

2 Peter 2

It doesn’t take long to find a number of people preaching “the truth according to the Bible.” Scanning through the TV or radio channels, looking in the bookstores, one is bound to find someone teaching what they have learned from the Bible. However, when we listen to different preachers, they sometimes disagree about what “the truth according to the Bible” is. Some focus on what we should be doing, other what we shouldn’t be doing. Some talk about how God wants to bless us, others about how God wants to use us to bless others. Who do we listen to? How do we figure out who is teaching the truth?

This was true in Peter’s time, too. The New Testament was still being written, but there were a number of people claiming to teach God’s will for His people. Unfortunately, some of these people were teaching people that God was OK with sin. Peter recognizes this and tells his readers to compare what they are teaching and living with what God has taught His people all along. Jesus did not come to give us a new truth, He came to show us what truth really looks like. Who would follow Jesus if He claimed to be connected with God, but lived just like any other sinner in the world? By reading the Bible, we can be sure of what God’s truth is and not be fooled by people preaching some “new truth.”

Father God, help us to understand Your truth and Your desires for our lives today. Give us the strength to live what we preach. We want our lives to become more like Yours. Without Your saving power, we realize we will always be stuck in slavery to sin. Set us free today and use us to share Your truth with others who are seeking Your truth today. Amen.

Growth in Faith

2011-11-27T09:54:00.001-06:00

2 Peter 1

"I took a walk down the aisle and accepted Jesus as my savior years ago. That's all I needed to be saved, right? So I haven't thought about it since." Listening to this man give his thoughts and perspective made me wonder about whether that is all God requires for us to be saved. As if to answer my question, another person chipped in.

"God does not go for all the short comings in a person's life. Jesus died for us so we could die to sin and live a life for Him perfectly." Once again I wondered what it meant to be forgiven by God and more, what does He expect from me after forgiving my sins?

Peter describes how God expects us to grow in Him. God does not want us just to stop behaving in certain ways, He wants our behavior to be motivated by His love and direction. Peter explains how we are short-sighted when we ask for forgiveness without having a change of heart. On the other hand, doing things His way only to avoid punishment misses the point as well. It all comes back to growing closer to God and allowing Him to change our hearts and minds away from being afraid of punishment or not caring about a life change. After all, what He desires most is for us to be transformed by His truth and love.

Lord Jesus, forgive us for our sins. Forgive us for the times we have looked for forgiveness, but not for You. Help us to strive to grow closer to You, to know You and Your ways more and more. Heal our hearts and make us more like Tou today. Amen.

A Quiet Strength

2011-11-26T08:20:00.001-06:00

1 Peter 4:7-5:14

He was perhaps the strongest man I have ever known. Maybe not physically strong, but strong in character. I’m sure Ray had some weaknesses, but it seemed he always had a kind word for everybody—even for people who were mean to him. Ray was always willing to help a person out, regardless of who they were or what they had done. He had a peace that was always present—a peace nobody could take away with words or actions. I once asked Ray why he was so kind to someone whose actions toward him were so ugly. “Because this is how Jesus treated me after I had been so ugly to Him,” was his reply.

It is so easy for me to forget to see other people from Jesus’ perspective. I want to get even with people who mistreat me. Even more, I want to be the one who is being served, not the server. I want to be the one people come to for advice, not the other way around. Ray showed me that being humble required a true strength of character, not weakness like I thought it did. He showed me true peace comes from seeing myself and others through Jesus’ eyes, not my own.

Lord Jesus, teach us how to see ourselves and other through Your eyes. Forgive us for the times we have looked for our own good before looking for Your good. Show us what it really means to be humble. A humility that comes from Your strength, not from our own weakness. Amen.

A Natural Response

2011-11-25T13:44:00.001-06:00

1 Peter 3:8-4:7

I really didn't see it coming. I was working on varnishing cabinets near the stairway where the carpenter was installing the risers and treads for the stairs. A friendly conversation started and before long, the carpenter was asking me about my faith in God. It seemed like a natural flow to the conversation, and I was happy to share. If he had asked a year earlier, I probably would have blushed and mumbled something generic.

What was the difference? I had started to live it. Before, I was just floating along towing the company line. Once I had actually started spending time with God and intentionally living for Him, I began to have a reason for my faith. I found being ready to explain my faith to someone went hand-in-hand with spending time with God personally.

We don't have to be trained as pastors or missionaries. We don't need to give little books to explain all the theological details. We just need to share our experience and what we've learned about God, His character and His love. A daily walk with Him makes this come naturally.

Father God, we want to be ready and willing to share our faith in You at anytime. We want to have a real, living experience with You that we are not ashamed of. Thank You for coming to spend time with us today as we take time to spend with You. Amen.

Living Love and Grace

2011-11-24T09:25:00.001-06:00

1 Peter 2:13-3:7

Some may think this text is a call to be nice Christian people who lay their lives down, providing the world with doormats to wipe their feet on. Why should we remain silent when people talk bad about us? Why shouldn't we go out and share the dirt on those who are attacking us? Peter even gives Jesus' crucifixion as an example. But Jesus didn't let anybody walk all over Him while He was living here.

There are right and appropriate channels to stand up for ourselves. By taking the high path, we show our quality to the world. Really, do we really admire the people who talk about those they're having a hard time with behind their back? What do they say about us?

We have an opportunity to show God's love and grace to people who have done us wrong, just like Jesus did at the cross. If He had decided to get even with us, or give us what we deserve, we wouldn't stand a chance. By living this way ourselves, we silence the critics who say this kind of love and grace does not exist. We become the living proof of God's amazing love and grace.

Lord Jesus, thank You for not treating us the way we deserve. Thank You for giving us Your love and grace. Teach us to share this love and grace with those who don't always treat us well. Amen.

A Chip Off the Rock

2011-11-23T08:53:00.001-06:00

1 Peter 1:13 - 2:10

Peter. I wonder what Simon thought when Jesus first called him that. It’s a Greek name that means “little rock”—like a chip off a bigger rock. I wonder if at first Peter would prefer to be called the big rock rather than “Chip.” However, Jesus wasn’t into giving people derogatory nicknames, and Peter tells us what it all means.

Jesus was the cornerstone the builders rejected. The religious leaders of the Jews had all the prophecies about Jesus. They were looking for the Messiah when Jesus came. But He wasn’t what they were looking for. As a result, the Christian church was created by those who followed Jesus.

Peter describes us as living stones that are used to make God’s Temple. He does not want to use stones to praise Him and to share His love to the world. He wants to use us. Together, we help help tell the story of how Jesus came to save us and build a picture of God’s love for the world. In order to do this, we have to give our lives to be used for God’s purpose. That’s what it means to be holy. As we live our lives for God’s purpose, God uses us to add more building blocks to His Temple that will be finished when He comes back again. And what a beautiful Temple it will be!

Lord Jesus, use us as building blocks in Your Temple. Make our lives reflections of Your character and love to share with the rest of the world. Thank You for choosing us and reshaping us to fit as good building blocks. Amen.

A Special People

2011-11-22T09:45:00.001-06:00

1 Peter 1:1-12

What would you think when a friend tells you they have fallen in love with someone they have known through letters in the mail. Never seen him, never heard his voice, but has accepted a marriage proposal. Would you try to talk her out of it? Try to get her to see reason?

In a sense, this is similar to our relationship with Jesus today. We've never seen Him or heard His voice in a physical way, but we have come to know Him, trust Him, and love Him. Still, we have come to see Him in a way many others wish to see Him. The prophets who wrote about Jesus' first coming didn't understand what it was all about. In fact, they were even told they were writing for someone else. Angels do not understand the kind of relationship we have with Jesus. We sinned, He died, we live. Isn't it amazing? Jesus gave us what we didn't deserve.

Faith does not make sense to people who don't know Jesus today. they may think we're not thinking straight, like a person accepting a marriage proposal from a pen pal. But, Jesus has promised our faith isn't just a fantasy. He will come and take us home one day.

Lord Jesus, we are looking forward to going home with You. Help us to stay strong in our faith, no matter what other people think about it. Thank You for rescuing us from our sin. Thank You for paying the price we couldn't afford. Amen.

Hurry Up and Wait

2011-11-21T09:21:00.001-06:00

James 5

Christmas time as a kid is a time of patient endurance. The stores are decorated for a month. The radio is playing Christmas music. Ads on TV show all kinds of things are so cool! I’m not sure whether it is more difficult when parents put the presents out a week or so before Christmas or wait until Christmas Eve after we fell asleep. Either way, the question running through a kid’s mind is, What am I getting for Christmas? The closer Christmas Day comes, the more difficult it is to be patient. The excitement is almost overwhelming!

Jesus’ return is going to be so amazing, we’ll forget the best Christmas Day we ever had. That is the day we’ve been waiting for, hoping for, looking forward to for so long. Not just us, but people of faith for the last 2,000 years have been looking forward to it. The day when we will see Jesus face to face. The day when we will see love unveiled and He will take us home forever.

The wait is a time of patient endurance. Sometimes it feels like the day will never come. Other days we are so excited we can hardly bear it. When that day comes, it will be so worth it! We will have what we’ve wanted more than anything: perfect love that never ends.

Lord Jesus, we are enduring our wait for You to come back as patiently as we can. Encourage us when it feels like that day will never come. Give strength to those who are being hurt and attacked because of their love and faith in You. We’re looking forward to the best gift ever: You. Amen.

A Friend of Convenience

2011-11-20T10:05:00.001-06:00

James 4

The Christian school had banquets rather than dances, and the big banquet of the year was coming up. All year I was suffering from a crush on Olivia, but I just couldn’t bring myself to ask her to be my date to the banquet. I rehearsed how I would ask over and over, trying to find just the right way to phrase the question. Still, doubts whispered, What if she says no? What if she doesn’t like you the way you like her? Alas, I waited to long to get my courage up and someone else asked her to the banquet. I was in the middle of feeling sorry for myself when an idea struck me. Ask her best friend. They’ll want to sit together and I will still get to be at the banquet with Olivia!

This was not one of the highlights of my life. Throughout the banquet, I focused my attention on Olivia, all but ignoring the person I had asked to come to the banquet with me. The friend never complained or took me to task for my rude behavior, but her body language and the way she avoided me the rest of the school year spoke volumes.

I wish I could say that was the only time I’ve used someone to get what I want. However, I have treated God this way, too. I’ve prayed prayers that sound more like a kid sitting on Santa’s lap than a person wanting to get to know Him and His ways. I have promised to give God more attention in return for giving me something I want at the moment. James calls people like me adulterers. Our love is not for God, it is for things of this world. But, God promises to come close to us, if we choose to come close to Him. He forgives our rude, selfish behavior because He wants to be near us more than we can imagine.

Father God, forgive us for the ways we have tried to use You to get what we want. Forgive us for coming to You only when we want something. We want to come close to You today and see what we’ve been missing with You. Put Your love in our hearts today. Amen.

Walking the Talk

2011-11-19T17:39:00.001-06:00

James 2:18-3:18

"Promises are worth the paper they're written on," says a popular saying. Another of days past says, "A man's word is his bond." Which of these is more true? That may depend on who we're talking about. It doesn't take long to discover a person who is quick to promise but rarely comes through in the end. When we find family members who fail to deliver on promises, life becomes more difficult. We don't get to choose our family and we depend on them for a number of things.

Christians are God's family. Because of this there is an assumption that we reflect Him by people we interact with. God has an expectation that we will put our actions where our mouths are--where our faith is. There will always be times when we don't live up to the standard. The question is what is our practice? Are we all talk and no walk? Or do we let our walking do our talking.

Father God, we want our lives to reflect our love and faith in You. Forgive us for the times we have been quick to promise but have failed to come through. Continue to draw us closer to You so others will see us in You and we will be Your children in truth. Amen.

Applied Knowledge

2011-11-18T07:25:00.001-06:00

James 1:19-2:17

An university education is expensive. At 18, I didn't realize how expensive. However, I had made been accepted and was ready to go, arriving a week early. The first week of school was easy. Too easy, in fact. I listened to the lectures, but I didn't take notes. I got this, I thought. Homework cut into my social life. I wanted to hang out with friends and flirt with potential girlfriends. Some days I found I was too tired to stay awake in class. At the end of the semester, the grades came out. I hadn't remembered the lectures nearly as well or easily as I thought I would. Homework had been erratic, at best. my grades reflected the truth of it all. I had listened, but it wasn't enough.

Sometimes we take a similar approach to learning from God. We go to church and think, This is easy, no problem. We listen only to go home and do all the things that are important to us, forgetting what we've heard at church. Never practicing, we find ourselves thinking we're Christians, but not acting like one or really knowing what God wants from or for us.

I am happy to report that I have grown from that first university experience. I have one year left to finish my Bachelor's degree and am doing well academically. But I have also grown spiritually. Something that only happened when I stopped just listening and started practicing.

Father God, teach us to practice the things that You are trying to teach us. Help us to grow in You, to become the kind of people You want us to be. Teach us to care for each other like we want You to care for us. Amen.

An Exercise of Faith

2011-11-17T07:50:00.001-06:00

James 1:1-18

Faith is like a muscle. It can only grow when it is exercised. Just like exercising muscles, exercising faith is not always easy and sometimes leaves us sore. In the beginning, we look at faith exercise and we groan because we don’t want to go through the difficulty and the pain that comes with it. Perhaps the most difficult part of exercising faith is the realization that we have to let God be in control. While working out, we can choose how many reps or how many blocks we’re going to go. With God, we have to let Him tell us when it is done.

After going through these hard times, it’s amazing how our perspective changes. Take a look back and remember a time you had to trust God in something. How did it work out? What were your thoughts and feelings? Like exercising muscles, we often come away stronger and feeling better. Only with faith, we know God is stronger than we realized and we feel better about our relationship with Him. Exercising faith is a good thing, even though it is hard to go through. But it is totally worth it.

Father God, help us to trust You in the hard times we face. Help us to let You have control and remember Your promise to work it out for our good in the end, even when it doesn’t look like it. We want to know You are strong enough to handle what comes our way and we want to be close to You when the hard times come. Strengthen our faith in You today. Amen.

Never Leaving

2011-11-16T07:49:00.001-06:00

Hebrews 13

Matthew was hesitant. He wanted to believe his dad, but Matthew had believed him so many times over the years only to be disappointed. Sure, he always had a reason for why things didn’t work out. A couple of them made sense. More often than not they were flimsy excuses blaming someone or something else. The fact was, Matthew’s dad was rarely there for him—and it hurt. He was losing his faith in his dad, even though he didn’t want to.

Unlike Matthew’s dad, God is always here for us. He does not break His promise to never leave us. Knowing that He is here with us and that He will take us to live at His house forever brings a new kind of satisfaction. We no longer need all the money we can get our hands on. The fancy stuff of this earth, while attractive, just doesn’t compare to what we have with God. We lose our fear of what other people think of us, or what they’ll do to us because the God of the Universe is with us. They cannot take away the eternity that He has promised. All this and more is ours when we let go of this world and get a hold of God.

Father God, thank You for Your promise to never leave us. Thank You for giving us everything we need for eternity. When life gets hard and we feel alone, help us to remember Your promise and to look for You. Remind us of the eternal life You’re giving us—a life that doesn’t compare to the best on this earth. Amen.

Listen Up

2011-11-15T07:53:00.001-06:00

Hebrews 12:14-29

When I was a kid, I remember being afraid of what would happen if I didn’t listen to my parents. If they told me to pick up my toys, and I didn’t, I was going to be in trouble. At times my parents were angry in such a way that I imagined I felt much like the Israelites at Mt. Sinai when God talked to them.

Looking at just that experience in my life, it would be easy to think of my parents as harsh and demanding and quick to punish. I could make a good argument that our relationship was based totally on a punishment and rewards system. However, as I got older and I was able to understand better, they changed in how they related to me. While I still got in trouble for not listening to them, they explained their reasoning. I could see and understand where they were coming from and I had a choice as to whether I wanted to listen or not.

God has worked with His people in much the same way. Hebrews shows how Jesus’ death explains God’s reasoning for His instructions. He wasn’t looking to condemn or frighten people into following Him, He wants to rescue people and bring them to a land they will enjoy with Him forever. The question is, will we listen and follow His instructions?

Father God, thank You for making a way to rescue us instead of throwing us away like a broken thing that is now useless. Thank You for sending Jesus to die for us, to show us how You desire to forgive us, not condemn us. Help us to listen to You and follow Your direction today. Amen.

The Learning Curve

2011-11-14T06:45:00.001-06:00

Hebrews 11:32-12:13

It was the beginning of a new semester and I was determined to learn it all. I had a plan to faithfully read every word in every chapter of every textbook. I would learn it all, get straight As. I would do it for my friends and family who believed in me going back to school. I would do it to show myself I could. Five weeks into the semester, reality started setting in. This study plan was taking too much time. I was getting little sleep and I was not getting all the reading done. I was not getting perfect scores on my tests and homework. I felt like I was failing and disappointing everybody. But, the teachers did not expect absolute perfection. They did not chastise me for missing questions on the test, but helped me to understand the problem. They helped me to learn and grow, even in my imperfection.

God is like this. He shows us where we’ve gone wrong in our walk in life. Not because He has nothing better to do than to wait for us to mess up, but to teach us, to help us learn. All those who have gone before us that trusted Him and learned from Him testify that we can trust Him to show us how to live, how to find real life. The question is, do we trust Him? Or will we insist on doing it all on our own?

Father God, thank You for being patient with us. We want You to teach us how to live our lives for You today. Point out where we are going wrong and show us the way to go from here. Encourage us when we are discouraged and teach us to walk straight to You and Your country. Amen.

The Magic of Faith

2011-11-13T08:48:00.001-06:00

Hebrews 11:17-31

If I truly believe, something special will happen. But I have to believe, I cannot doubt. Like Indiana Jones taking the leap of faith, I stand with my eyes closed putting my foot out hoping I believe enough. If faith is the super power, then doubt is the kryptonite. Each and every time it comes to having faith, I hope I will have enough. I hope the kryptonite won’t be my undoing.

Somehow, as I read about Abraham and Moses, I don’t see a picture of men who are desperately hoping they have enough faith. I see men who are acting out on their trust in God. A trust that God in who they know Him to be. A trust that He is willing and able to stand for them when they stand for Him. Even to the point of trusting Him with their lives and the lives of their family. This isn’t a faith that is mustered right when it is needed. It is a faith that grows over time and is real every day, every minute. A faith without kryptonite.

Father God, we want to know You. We want to know You like we know the people closest to us. To know what You are capable of and what You will do in a given situation. We want to trust You so much that we have no fear putting our lives in Your hands today. Grow this faith in us. Amen.

Spiritual Super Power

2011-11-12T08:41:00.001-06:00

Hebrews 11:1-16

I used to think faith was like a super hero power. People like Enoch and Abraham were born with this faith power that the rest of us had only a little bit of. As a kid, I wanted this super power. I wanted to see miracles happen in my life to show the world this faith.

Growing older, different events colored my perspective and I found myself asking God for just enough faith to hold on to Him. It was now the required element to be saved and I was afraid I didn't have enough. I knew the way I was living life wasn't what I was taught God wanted. I needed more faith, but where does one find it?

One day it hit me. Faith is nota power of some kind that is given by God or something inside that I have to generate, it is simply putting my trust in God. Look at these guys in Hebrews. These things they did because they trusted Him. Like a child trusts a good father. I realize some of us did not have good fathers and trusting a father is scary. God asks us to try Him. Start with a little thing and see how it works out. I think we will find we can trust Him to take us to live with Him forever and we will find that is right where we want to be.

Father God, help us to trust You more. Give us the courage to start small and see that You come through. Help us to understand why You allow some things to happen that hurt. Show us that You really do have a place for us where there will be no more hurt or death. That is where we want to be. Amen.

Full Access Pass

2011-11-11T07:41:00.001-06:00

Hebrews 10:18-39

Imagine visiting the capital of the United States. Touring the White House, you end up at the Oval Office. After asking politely to see the President, you are informed that the President is in a very important meeting and does not have time for visitors today. Just then a boy walks up and announces he is here to see the President. Without question he is shown into the Oval Office and you are left standing there wondering why it is you were denied an audience but this boy, who was not even dressed for visiting the President, was let in without question. The boy turns out to be the son of the President. For him, the President always has time—no matter who else is in his office. The difference is the relationship.

This is true in God’s throne room, as well. Those of us who have a relationship with Him are free to come boldly into His throne room at anytime. We don’t have to bring any special gifts or pay any special fee, we just come with an open heart and a trust that He will keep His promises. This is because of our relationship. A relationship that is born from our acceptance and faith in the sacrifice Jesus made for us. This morning when you pray, imagine entering God’s throne room like you’re a little kid. Go to God and ask to sit in His lap and just talk to Him for a while. Jesus said, those who have faith like children are those who will enter His kingdom. Why not today?

We love You Father God. We’re proud to have You for our God. We want to come into Your throne room and just talk with You for a while. We want to know You as our Father, and know that You will keep Your promises, and look forward to the day when we will come into Your throne room in reality. You are the best and we want our lives to show that. Amen.

Sacrifice

2011-11-10T07:44:00.001-06:00

Hebrews 10:1-17

What can I do to show God how sorry I am, I thought. Simply telling God I was sorry felt woefully inadequate. Like breaking my mother’s heirloom and saying I’m sorry. There had to be a way to show how sorry I was. There must be something to do that would in some way make up for what I had done—to help make things right again. I remember reading about Martin Luther and the lengths he would go to in these situations. Then I am reminded that Martin Luther discovered God’s grace.

God does not get excited over sacrifices—animal or human. He isn’t up there brooding an anger that isn’t satisfied until something or someone suffers. The animal sacrifices were instituted for a while because they were necessary to teach people the price of sin, not to make God happy. Now we can see clearly what God was trying to say with the animal sacrifices. Sin will kill us if we are not rescued from it. But the rescue cost Jesus a death on the cross.

So why do we feel we need to make some sort of sacrifice today? Jesus took on our sins while He was on the cross. He knows exactly how we feel. Rather than focusing on punishing ourselves, we need to look for the forgiveness Jesus offers. A forgiveness that will change our hearts to want to live for Him and change our minds to think more like Him.

Lord Jesus, thank You for the forgiveness You give us. Help us to remember that You really do know exactly how sorry we are for our sins. Teach us to accept Your forgiveness and look past the sin that would drag us down and away from You. Change our hearts and minds so that we want to live Your ways. Amen.

That Which Casts the Shadow

2011-11-09T07:51:00.001-06:00

Hebrews 9:11-28

This is the real deal. This is what the priests, the sacrifices, the tabernacle, everything was all about. They were all representations of Jesus and what God the Father had planned to rescue us. As Hebrews points out, if the blood of an animal would have been enough, there would have been no reason for Jesus to give Himself on the cross.

But the first covenant only addressed behavior. A person could make all the appropriate sacrifices and attend all the ceremonies and stay ceremonially clean, but still be no different in his heart. Although all of these symbols pointed to better things in the spiritual realm, in God’s country, the people of Israel didn’t see it, for the most part.

Now, Jesus is Priest, not of an earthly Tabernacle, but in the throne room of heaven. What makes us clean and forgiven is Jesus’ blood, not the blood of animals. It is much more real than the people of Israel, and I suspect us today, imagine. However, when Jesus returns, all doubts will be washed away.

Lord Jesus, we believe that You are what the symbols of the sacrifice and priesthood point to. We believe You came from the throne room in heaven, not the copy made to help us understand. We want what You’ve done for us to be real in our hearts and minds today. We want to see into the spiritual realm better today than we did yesterday. Wash us clean with Your blood and take us home soon. Amen.

God's Presence

2011-11-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

Hebrews 9:1-10

Separation from God. That has been the condition of all humanity since Adam and Eve sinned. We have inherited this sin disease just like every one of their descendants have. From the beginning God had a plan to rescue all humanity from this sin disease, making it possible to live with God again.

For a while, many of God's people believed the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, was the way to be reunited with God. But was this really being reunited with God? What if you went to visit your father for the first time in years. He stays in a room you are allowed into once during your visit, only for a short time, and then only after certain ceremonies. Would this leave a person feeling close and connected with one's dad?

The Tabernacle system was never God's final plan for connecting with His people. It served for a time to remind humanity of its need for God and how we have been separated from Him. Still, we find it easier to depend on ceremonies and rituals to bring us close to God rather than taking time to get to know Him personally. Now He has created a way for us to grow beyond that old system into His presence.

Lord Jesus, help us to see how the Tabernacle points to You and how You have come to rescues us from sin. Help us to see our need for You and Your forgiveness. Show us the truth of Your plan for us to live in Your presence forever. Amen.

Of Covenants and Hearts

2011-11-07T07:35:00.001-06:00

Hebrews 8

Just think, we will be God’s people! It will be like the whole world is the nation of Israel, but without enemies. We will have the Tabernacle for our daily sacrifices. God will always forgive us when we sin. We will always forgive each other when they sin against us. We will live in peace and harmony forever!

Does this sound like heaven? Would we really want to live forever with the same natures we have today, making daily sacrifices forever? This is not what God wants, either. The first covenant was not meant to last forever, only until Jesus died on the cross.

Quoting the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, Hebrews tells us what God really wants. He wants our hearts and minds. Not hearts and minds that have made sacrifices, hearts and minds that have been changed in nature to love God and His ways. Now we can look forward to forever in heaven where we are not making daily sacrifices at the Tabernacle God had Moses build, but a heaven where the sacrifice has been made once and for all, and we no longer sin. He will be our God and we will be His people.

Lord Jesus, we claim Your sacrifice to cover our sins today. Write Your law on our hearts and minds today. Change our natures so we want to live for You rather than for ourselves. Thank You for showing us the way to real salvation—the way the old system pointing. We want this to be a reality that starts today and lasts forever. Amen.

Pointing to the Perfect Priest

2011-11-06T09:10:00.001-06:00

Hebrews 7:18-28

Always the people of Israel had men to serve them as priests. Men who as were as much in need of salvation as anyone else. Before the priests could serve anybody else, they had to give a sacrifice for themselves. They weren't perfect, but that was what God had to work with. These imperfect priests all represented or pointed to Jesus, the perfect priest.

It is easy to look at spiritual leaders, see their imperfection and think, These guys don't measure up to what they preach. We can point out their sins and errors and feel better about ourselves because at least we aren't telling other people to shape up. However, most of these spiritual leaders are trying to point us to Jesus, the one who does practice what He preaches.

Our spiritual leaders still are not perfect. But they do serve to point us to Jesus, the one who is perfect. The one who was able to pay the price we could not afford, owing nothing Himself. Let us remember this, and work to point them to Jesus just as we do others in our every day life.

Lord Jesus, thank You for being our perfect Priest. Thank You for givingYourself as the sacrifice for our sins. Help us to remember that our leaders are not perfect and need the same grace and encouragement we do. Amen.

A Different Kind of Priest

2011-11-05T08:19:00.001-05:00

Hebrews 7:1-17

The Jews had become very deliberate in living their lives for God. In order to help them from accidentally breaking God’s law, they created rules as a safety buffer. No walking more than a certain number of steps on Sabbath. Do not touch anything considered ceremonially unclean. If for some reason this cannot be avoided, there is a whole ceremony for becoming clean again. They were closer to obeying God perfectly than they ever had been before. So why did they need Jesus?

We don’t struggle with some of the same questions the early Hebrews did with Jesus. We don’t have a system of worship that is more than 1,000 years old given to us by God Himself that has changed in appearance. The idea that Jesus could be a priest does not break rules that we have always learned not to break. However, we do still struggle with trusting in a system; struggle with measuring ourselves to a standard to see if we measure up. We look into the mirror of the law for where we need to be cleaned up.

While it is God’s plan for us to become more like His design for us, He wants to be the change in our lives. He wants a people who love Him, and follow out of that love, not a group of androids who do what they’re programmed to do. This means following the priest that appeared to the Hebrews to break God’s rules. Because, in reality, all the rules point to Him.

Lord Jesus, we recognize You todays as our King and our High Priest. We want to give to You because we want to, because we love You—not because it is a duty we have to endure. Come into our lives and clean our hearts. Make our lives show the world what it means to follow You in faith and love. Amen.

Graduating

2011-11-04T07:53:00.001-05:00

Hebrews 6

A graduation ceremony. It is designed to celebrate a student’s accomplishments and show the community that this student has learned enough to go on to the next level. Imagine a fresh kindergarten graduate telling her mom, “I know everything I need to know. I don’t need to go to first grade.” Or a fresh middle school graduate saying, “Dad, Mom, I’m done with school. I’m really happy with my life just the way it is right now. I don’t see any need for any more changes.” Most parents will inform these children that they will be going to school, regardless of how they think of it.

Yet we Christians do this very same thing. We say things like, “I read my Bible once. I know what it says.” “As long as you accept Jesus as your Savior, that’s all that matters. That Bible stuff is for pastors and Bible nerds.” “I walked down the aisle fourteen years ago, so I’m good.”

God doesn’t want us to be spiritually stupid. He wants us to continue to grow, to continue learn about Him and His ways. It is sometimes difficult for us to pursue a relationship with someone we cannot see. But can you imagine, you met someone you were head-over-heels for. You walked down the aisle, got married, but never really got to know them after that? Let us continue to grow, to get know God better. Not just as a theoretical subject, but as a personal friend.

Holy Spirit, continue to pursue our hearts. Continue to call us to relationship with God. We don’t ever want to wander away out of disinterest. Father God, thank You for never giving up on us, but still giving us a choice as to whether we want to be Yours or not. Today, we choose to be Your people. Amen.

The Priest King

2011-11-03T06:31:00.001-05:00

Hebrews 5

“That was stupid.” “I would never do anything like that.” “What were you thinking!?”

Can you imagine a priest saying something like this when you went to give your sin offering? This would be the complete opposite effect God was going for. In truth, it wouldn’t surprise me if priests thought these words from time to time. But even if they would never be tempted by a particular sin, they are daily tempted to sin—and have fallen to their favorite ones.

Then comes Jesus. The Bible only talks about one priest like Him: Melchizedek. Melchizedek was both a priest and a king, as is Jesus. When He came the first time, He came emphasizing His role as priest. He officiated over the sacrifice for our sins, once and for all. Even though Jesus never sinned, He still empathizes with us in our struggle with sin. Jesus was tempted to sin everyday in His life here on earth. He understands our pain and guilt as He took on all the sins of the world when He was hung on the cross. Now, He continues to be our High Priest. We can go to Him for forgiveness for our sins, knowing He will be understanding and is waiting to forgive us.

Lord Jesus, thank You for being a High Priest who understands what we’re going through. Thank You for giving Yourself as a sacrifice in Your innocence so we can become innocent even though we are guilty. Cover us with Your forgiveness today, remake our hearts like Yours, and be our Priest and King forever. Amen.

Weekly Appointment

2011-11-02T07:51:00.001-05:00

Hebrews 4

Imagine a restaurant. At one table, a man in the December of his life with a twenty-something woman. They seem to be having a come and go conversation. The older gentleman seems to be enjoying the evening to a degree, but the young woman appears to be looking for the first chance of escape.

At another table is another pair. Again, an elderly gentleman with a young woman. But both are engaged in the conversation, laughing, and both seem to be thoroughly enjoying each other’s company.

The first pair walk by on their way out of the restaurant with the young woman muttering, “Finally, I thought this dinner would never end.” The second pair remain, their meal finished, enjoying the conversation and not wanting it to end.

Rather than a grandfather, God wants to be our father, and Jesus our brother. But when you think of spending time, which of these scenarios best describes how you feel about your time with God? At the end of creation, God made an eternal weekly appointment with us. Once a week He has reserved a day just to take time to be with us. He’s hoping we want to spend time with Him, too. Not because of the inheritance we hope to get someday, but because we really do enjoy spending time with Him.

Father God, thank You for making us a priority in Your schedule. We want to take this time to really get to know You and what You think of us. We want to find ourselves enjoying our time with You, not wanting it to come to an end rather than watching the clock counting the minutes. We want to love You with even just a little bit of the love You have for us. Amen.

The Cure: Do You Want It?

2011-11-01T08:45:00.001-05:00

Hebrews 3

Sin is a destructive force, like cancer. It starts off as such a small thing and we hardly notice it. Once the doctor brings it to our attention, we are powerless to cure ourselves. We cannot operate on ourselves and cut out the tumor. But we do have a choice as to whether we will allow the doctor to heal us. We have a choice as to whether to follow the doctor’s guidelines for our lives to help us get well.

The same is true with sin. Do I want to get better? Or do I want what made me sick? Regardless of what I say, the true answer is revealed by my actions. If I continue to smoke cigarettes while going to the doctor for lung cancer treatment, my actions show I want cigarettes more than I want to be well.

This brings us to the struggle we all face. Sometimes I don’t want what makes me sick, but I truly do feel powerless to be free of its slavery. I wonder whether I want the sin more than the cure. Hebrews 3 shows us where we will end up if we choose to hang on to sin more than we choose to hang on to God. The good news is, Jesus is ready and waiting to give us the help we need to free ourselves of the slavery to sin. He will give us the desire to want Him more than the sin. Hold on tight to Him. It is still a nasty fight. But if we hang on to Him more than the sin, we will be victorious and we will live with Him in the Promised Land forever.

Lord Jesus, we find ourselves powerless against sin and sometimes we’re afraid You will hold this against us. Remind us that You came to defeat sin and to give us Your strength to defeat sin in our lives. Continue Your treatments of our sin disease. We look forward to the day when You return and we will live with You forever, completely free of sin. Amen.

Guilty or Forgiven?

2011-10-31T07:56:00.001-05:00

Hebrews 2

Once again I found myself having done the very thing I knew God didn’t want me to do. Even in the back of my mind conclusion, I would probably brush off any conclusions to go where we think I want to go. Then, after seeing where I’ve gone, I realize how I ignoring God’s way leads me away from Him. Then I have to try to find ways to make up my ways with Him. I think of how I can convince Him of my regret, showing Him how sorry I am. Some times, I wonder whether I will be forgiven for my behavior, even though I look for forgiveness.

Jesus came to rescue us from the penalty of our sins. Not just to help us sneak out, but suffered the consequences we deserved for our actions. He understands all the temptation and struggles we go through in trying to follow God. Although He never falls, He is ready to give us strength and direction when we are being tempted or have fallen. Jesus’ goal is to bring us closer, to recreate our hearts into His ways. The question is, are we willing to let Him come and forgive us, making us clean? Are we willing to accept His forgiveness by His word, or do we have to convince Him and prove to ourselves He wants to forgive us?

Lord Jesus, we thank You for coming to rescue us by taking our place on the cross. You didn’t have to give up Your way of life to become like us and You didn’t have to give Your life to rescue us. Thank You for loving us this much. Help us to understand how You continue to work to rescue us from sin to be with You forever. Amen.

One God or Two?

2011-10-30T09:30:00.001-05:00

Hebrews 1

All this stuff about Jesus being the Son of God sounds a bit like mythology, one might argue. Different cultures have their stories about gods fathering sons, some of them with human women. How can the God of the Hebrews who was always one God now become two? After all, the Old Testament doesn't talk about Jesus, right?

Understanding the Trinity can be challenging. There are a number of illustrations that have been used to help us understand the concept. But, one may come to understand the concept and ask, "But is it in the Bible?" Hebrews in the first century believed in the Spirit of God and angels, but would ask, "Where in the Scriptures (our Old Testament) does God ever talk about this son?"

The writer of Hebrews takes a walk through the Old Testament showing different things God has said. Then he asks us to consider who He is talking about. Is this how God would talk to people or angels? Don't these quotes seem to speak of an equal? He asks the reader, "Who is God talking about here if He isn't talking about His Son?" God's son wasn't an idea cooked up by some egomaniac looking to rule the Hebrew nation. A careful look at the Old Testament will show that the coming Messiah had a special relationship with God. Jesus is the plan God had from the beginning, and that's something we can believe in.

Father God, sometimes Your ways are too hard for us to understand. Sometimes people who don't believe ask questions that have us doubting our trust inYou. Continue to show us Your plan and Your ways throughout the Bible and build our faith. Amen.

From Slave to Brother

2011-10-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

Philemon

It was a great day. Joel was still walking on clouds after his encounter with God a couple of weeks ago. Church was suddenly new and interesting and he didn’t want to miss it for the world. Still working the lesson study over in his mind, it was a shock when Joel saw a former employee coming into the church. Now this wasn’t just any former employee, this was the guy who had embezzled a good sum of money from Joel. Just about the time Joel discovered him, he took off and disappeared. There was no doubt about it, this guy did not belong here in this church.

Onesimus was a bit like this employee. He was a slave that belonged to Philemon. Now, Paul doesn’t tell us what trouble Philemon had experienced with Onesims, but it was something big enough that Paul was inspired to write this letter. Apparently, Paul has introduced Onesimus to God and now Onesimus is a whole new man. Now Paul is encouraging Philemon to accept Onesimus back. Not as a slave, mind you, but as a brother.

Sometimes it is difficult to accept people whose past we are all too familiar with as genuine Christians. We wonder what their angle is—why are they here? What do they want? It can’t be that they’ve met God, could it? Paul reminds to remember where we’ve come from, and how God accepted us even though we didn’t deserve it. We need to take this love and offer it to others who don’t deserve it—even those who have wronged us or who we may think is beneath us. But the fact remains: Jesus died for Onesimus and that guy who ripped Joel off just as much as He died for Philemon and you and I.

Lord Jesus, help us to recognize when those we have grudges against have been captured by Your love. Help us to put aside our grievances and welcome each other as brothers and sisters. Teach us to work with the Onesimuses in our lives to help them grow stronger in You. Amen.

Home on the Range

2011-10-28T07:47:00.001-05:00

Titus 3

The Far Side cartoon once illustrated three men seated in rocking chairs on the front porch of a ranch house. One of the men says, “Hal here just uttered a discouraging word!” The song “Home on the Range” paints a picture of an idyllic place where all is at peace. The world is as it should be, most of the time. Unfortunately, even in a place like this, we tend to see what is wrong with the world rather than all the good. We are quick to point out the seldom discouraging word.

Paul realizes this is true. He reminds us that living God’s way means we have a change of perspective, a change of motive, and a change of heart. Even though we are not literally sitting on the front porch of God’s home on the range, we start to see others as though we were. Instead of trying to tear each other down to get ahead, we see each other as a person Jesus loves enough to die for. Instead of fighting to get our own way, we work together to find God’s way. We stop trying to make the world the way we would like it to be and start letting God make us the way He would like us to be.

It sometimes seems that heaven is just a trail story that old cowboys tell around the campfire to convince themselves that all this work is worth it. A place that could never exist because as soon as people start living there, it would be ruined. The good news is, God is changing our hearts and minds, getting us ready for a very real place called heaven.

Father God, help us to see from Your perspective. Help us to see each other as Your children. Remind us of this when we get focused on the discouraging and the frustrating things in life. Lord Jesus, come soon and take us to Your home on the range. Amen.

Living Free

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

Titus 2

Sometimes I wonder if I have been freed from the bondage of sin. In many ways I love God and follow His ways happily, but when I'm honest, there are times I don't want to follow His ways. Living in this world following God, there are times when everything is going smoothly, then there are times it feels like fighting an uphill battle. It is easy for me to look back and think how easy it would be to go back down the hill.

This is when I am most on need to be reminded of what I'm living for. It's like a soldier pulling out a picture of his sweetheart or family. I have to start looking at Jesus and God our Father, remembering why I entered this battle in the first place.

Living in this world can sometimes feel like a war zone. However, it is often normal every day life. Paul reminds Titus to be wise in living in this world while still living for God. How do we do that today with all the business and technology to distract us from God? It requires an intentional choice on our parts. Part of this choice is to pull out our spiritual pictures of God and Jesus and remember what we're living for. A life lived for God does not happen by accident. Freedom from slavery from sin doesn't work itself out. We must make a conscious choice for ourselves. God will notice, and so will those people who are waiting for us to slip up at any moment.

Father God, remind us what we're living for today. Help us to choose to let go of sin and grab hold of You. Use our lives to show others who are watching is that You are real and that Your ways really are different from our national laws. Let others see our love for You in everything we do. Amen.

Leading by Example

2011-10-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Titus 1

Priests abusing children. Strict fathers who try to control their children's every move and thought. Angry people who are bound and determined to conquer the world with their beliefs and way of life. Politicians who make a show of faith at day, but enjoy their vices at night. Is this a good depiction of Christian leadership? How do you feel when you hear about people claiming to be Christians and acting this way? Are you still proud to be called a Christian, or do you want to back away?

Anybody can claim to love God and not mean it. And while we believe we are saved by grace, we still look at a person's actions to determine the truth of a person's heart. Really, does a person who lives for his or her own pleasure show God's love? Those who lead in our churches are important examples. Whether church leaders like it or not, fellow Christians look to their example to model their lives and beliefs.

Paul describes to Titus the kind of character and behavior church leaders should have. But let's take this one step further. I suggest this is the character and behavior we should strive for as Christians, regardless of our official position in the church. Those who know us as Christians are watching to see if we walk the talk. They want to know if we really believe what we preach. Seeing people live it is more powerful than hearing them preach it.

Father God, continue to reshape us into Your image. We want Your love and truth to be reflected in our lives. Let us be walking sermons to those who know us. Thank you for the grace and forgiveness You offer when we mess up. Use even these mess ups as opportunities to share Your love and truth. Amen.

Nothing But the Truth

2011-10-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

2 Timothy 4

Whether we realize it or not, we have a bias toward what we believe to be true. This can get in the way of discovering what is really true. For instance, when doing research, one can inadvertently try to prove what a belief rather than let the evidence speak for itself. Assumptions can easily be made based on what we believe to be true. This is why we create rules for research. Unfortunately, we still find ways around our intellectual safeguards. Some are willing to honestly report data concerning causes they feel strongly about to try to effect change. Others will not entertain alternate theories because of their beliefs. This is a dangerous place to be, because it closes the mind to what may, in fact, be true.

This happens in spiritual beliefs, as well. Whether we grow up believing one way or we simply don't like another belief, we can find ourselves looking to prove our beliefs with the Bible rather than looking to see what is really true. Paul warns Timothy about people like this, a subtle reminder not to fall into this trap.

It takes a lot of time and effort to discover truth sometimes. And we don't always like what we find. But in the end, we want to believe what is true. If we don't, we stand to live a fairy tale. This is why the truth is rarely convenient. At the same time, this inconvenient truth can set us free. Free from the slavery of sin and selfishness.

Father God, we want to know Your truth today. We want to take the time to look into Your word to find that truth--even if it isn't simple or convenient. Use this truth to setup free. Teach us how to stand for Your truth, even when it isn't popular. Amen.

God’s Words

2011-10-24T07:10:00.001-05:00

2 Timothy 2:22-3:17

It was easy to just go to church and listen to the pastor tell me what the Bible said. After all, that was his job and he was good at it. He seemed sincere enough. I didn’t think he was trying to trick me in any of this. No problem. I had gone to church every week nearly my whole life. I knew what I believed.

Then something happened I didn’t anticipate. I made friends with someone from a different church. What’s more, her father was a retired minister. They had some different beliefs and Bible verses to back them up. Had our church been mistaken on some of these things the Bible talks about? Surely it was my friend and her dad who were mistaken. But how could I know?

I decided I needed to read the Bible for myself. I could no longer take anyone else’s word for it. Fortunately, we live in a time when the Bible is available everywhere, anytime. In Paul’s day, one had to go to the Synagogue to hear the Old Testament being read or to read it for one’s self. Many Jews did not read Hebrew at this time, so if they would need to find one translated into Aramaic or Greek. The New Testament was still being written. Still, Paul tells Timothy that the Scripture they have, the Old Testament, was inspired by God and a good tool for shaping our lives. Exposing ourselves to God’s instructions not only helps us to know what is true, it helps us to live a life that brings us closer to God.

Father God, we don’t want to trust someone else to tell us the truth about who You are. We want to know You for ourselves. Thank You for providing us with whole Bibles that tell us about Your love, Your truth and Your ways. Let them saturate our hearts and shape our lives today. Amen.

The Small Stuff

2011-10-23T10:19:00.001-05:00

2 Timothy 2:1-21

The argument was intense. both sides were equally sure of their position and was not about to back down. They were arguing over the meaning of the original Greek of a translated text, and how it should be translated in English. Back and forth they went, each convinced that the nuance of this word had a monumental impact on the meaning of Scripture and ultimately a person's salvation. Tempers grew hotter until the two parties had to walk away from each other. But the real tragedy was there were new Christians who witnessed the exchange. New Christians who decided they didn't want to be party to such a volatile, fragile faith.

These two parties agreed on a lot more than they disagreed on. They both genuinely loved God. However, their insistence on winning an argument in public, to be recognized to be correct in their position, was costly. Paul warns about getting into arguments over words. He may say today, "Pick your battles wisely." Those whose faith is weaker need to be protected from friendly fire within the church. I'm not saying we shouldn't have friendly debates or try to find the truth of what Scripture says. I am saying consider the cost. Perhaps this argument is not worth discouraging others.

Father God, thank You for giving us the ability to study Your Word to discover the nuances of Your love and truth. Help us to remember that we as Christians agree a lot more than we disagree. Teach us to know when to argue for what we believe and when to let it go. We want Your church to be strong and united, not weak and divided. Amen.

Jesus Our Hero

2011-10-22T08:37:00.001-05:00

2 Timothy 1

There is one out left in the last inning of the baseball game. Just one run to tie the game and there is a man on base. Up to the plate steps . . . the player who has yet to hit a home run in the year. In fact, this player has struck out more than he has hit the ball. How’s your confidence in winning the game?

The case has come down to closing arguments. Throughout the trial, your lawyer has shown how little he really understands the law with his numerous legal blunders. Now as it is his turn to make a closing arguments, he scrambles to get notes together muttering how he doesn’t know how he’s going to pull this one out. Are you feeling good about this one?

When it comes to winning our salvation, we are the player who strikes out and the lawyer who loses the case. We don’t have the ability to save ourselves from the fate we are facing. This is why Jesus came. Not just to give us hope, but to give us confidence that He can save us. But He doesn’t ask us to just take His word for it, He shows us His power.

At first, it looks like He struck out. He is crucified and killed. I wonder if the disciples felt they had just lost the game on that Sabbath. But on Sunday morning, Jesus shows His true strength. He not just breaks, He destroys death’s power. He comes back to life and raises a number of others to life along with Him. He hits the grand slam to win the game. He makes the ultimate argument to win the case. This is someone we can know with confidence will keep His promise to not just give us spiritual salvation, but to bring us back from death in the end. He’s been there and won big. Trusting in Jesus for our eternity isn’t something we need worry about. He’s the all-star we want batting for us, the lawyer we want arguing for us.

Lord Jesus, thank You for going to bat for us. Thank You for winning the case against us. Remind us just how strong You are and how weak death is compared to You. Build our faith and our confidence so we are not timid or embarrassed about trusting You. Amen.

What’s It Worth?

2011-10-21T14:24:00.001-05:00

1 Timothy 6

What would you do for $100? Would you be willing to embarrass yourself publicly somehow? What about $1,000? Or $1,000,000? Would you be willing to eat something you find totally disgusting? Be subjected to your worst fears? As the price goes up, the more people are willing to bend their inhibitions and eventually their morals. You know, I would never do this, but for $1,000,000 it will be ok to do this once. God understands.

It’s easy to think that I would never knowingly sin for money. There are a lot of ways we can imagine that might happen. But, when does my desire and dependence on wealth become sin? Paul doesn’t money is evil. He says that loving money is evil. So at what point does my appreciation for money cross the line from being a healthy, kosher view to sinful and evil?

Paul gives us some pointers to help us see which road we happen to be on. He tells us to look at what’s going on in our hearts. Do we find ourselves wanting God’s love and character to fill our lives? Or are we more concerned about being the person who has it all? Do we trust God to provide us with whatever we need in any given situation? Or do we have to make those arrangements ourselves? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Christians should not plan ahead. Those who follow Christ will find that they trust God to make up for what we could not see coming or prepare for.

So what do we treasure most? God’s kingdom and His ways? Or this world and what we can get our hands on here?

Father God, we want You to have first place in our hearts. We want to know that You are there for us, ready to take care of us when things go wrong. There are a lot of neat things down here that we would love to have and enjoy. But we recognize that none of them are worth the cost of being close to You. We choose to pursue You and Your kingdom today. Amen.