Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Everybody Else Has One...

Day 57:  Exodus 7, Psalm 57, 1 Samuel 8

We always seem to want what we can't or what we shouldn't have.  Too often we seek God last instead of first.

It was God who led Israel out of Egypt.  He who delivered them from Pharaoh's hand, crushing his army and saving the people of Israel.  He revealed Himself in a pillar of fire and cloud - something that had never been done before.  He turned bitter water sweet, made the sun stand still, routed armies before Israel even assembled for battle.  He was with His people and they were led by men who were His voice to the people.  When they obeyed God and served and worshiped Him alone the nations around them trembled.  They all knew what God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt and to every nation that oppressed the people of Israel so that they feared the God of Israel.  But none of this was good enough.

When the prophet/judge Samuel was advanced in years the people came to him and asked for a king to rule over them.  Their reasoning was two-fold:  1, Samuel would soon die and his two sons were not like him.  They did not serve the people before God honorably.  2, They wanted to be like all the other nations around them who had kings.

Can you believe that?  They had the perfect setup.  The God of the universe had chosen them to be His people.  He fought for them, protected them, provided for them and had a great plan for them as a people, but they wanted to be like everyone else.  So even though He revealed Himself to them through incredible signs and wonders they still worshiped other gods - idols of wood and stone and metal.  And if the division of their hearts was not enough they chose a mere man to lead them instead of God-of-the-angel-armies.

So God gave them what they wanted.  He laid out all that would go wrong with their king but gave them what they wanted.

I sometimes have to do this with my kids.  Explain that what they think they want will change their lives in ways they can't understand and won't like but, then, let them have their way.

God does the same with us today.  He will not force Himself on you.  If He did there would be no "freedom in Christ."  His desire is that we would choose Him because of who He is and what He has done, but He does not force Himself on anyone.

Yet, we constantly choose to look like the world around us.  We idolize people and worship them.  Whether they be athletes, movie stars or simply characters from a favorite book or movie.  We want to dress like them, look like them, act like them.  And little by little they become our gods.

If you are a believer listen to me.  God will let you go off and follow your own pursuits.  He will let you become a servant to whatever king you choose.  He warns... but allows.  However, this is never to your benefit.  Whatever is king over you soon ends up taking from you instead of giving.  Your best ideas, your youth, your beauty, your strength, your focus and maybe even your life.  God, on the other hand, wants to give to you.  He wants to give you life.  He wants you to have eyes to see your own beauty.  He becomes your strength and pours out creativity.  He even makes your youth count for something beyond you.

Every other king we may choose to lift up will take from us, but God, our invisible yet clearly perceived King wants to give us everything we ever wanted.  Sometimes, what everybody else has isn't what you really want anyway.

Seek FIRST His Kingdom...

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Why Should He?

Day 56:  Exodus 6, Psalm 56 and 1 Samuel 7

In Exodus 6 God hears the groaning of the Israelites under the heavy burden of their slave drivers.  They aren't really crying out to God, since when God enters the picture through Moses and Aaron they are pressed harder in their work.

I have groaned to God before.  I probably shouldn't have though.  My problems are infinitesimal to those of others.  But it is still comforting to know that God hears me, even when I'm just whining.  And He also knows when I am truly in trouble.  He is God after all and can tell the difference between my belly-aching and when I really am feeling oppression.

Sometimes though, that oppression comes from God.  Not in a punishing kind of way, like it did with the Israelites, but in a corrective way.  God is allowing my life to get crazy to help me focus on Him and cut out the garbage.

That's what is happening in 1 Samuel 7.  The Israelites have once again sinned and started worshiping other gods and part of that worship was a whole host of sexually immoral acts committed under the guise of "worship."  To correct this behavior God allowed the Israelites to be punished, ravaged, oppressed and raided but he Philistines.

So when it gets bad enough they cry out, just like their ancestors in Exodus 6, except this time, they deserved the "correction."  So Samuel makes this statement to the people in verse 3, "If you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and Ashteroh poles (the places where the sexual immorality would take place) from among you and direct your hearts to God and serve Him alone; He will deliver you."

I think that all too often we think that God should deliver us from our correction before we correct our behavior.  We cry out to God for help and say things like, "if you deliver me from                        then I'll serve you" (go to church more, give more, whatever).  But it doesn't work like that for followers of Jesus.  He expects us to give up those things that are bringing the correction before He steps in.  If He stepped in every time I whined without waiting for me to change my behavior, I would soon realize that a change in what I was doing was not necessary - God's gonna bail me out so why stop?

This is not alway how He works with those who don't already believe.  In those cases He is revealing Himself to them through some form of salvation so that they might learn to trust Him with their lives.  That happens on the front end, once your relationship with Him is established why would He allow you to continue to sin just so He has to continue to save your back side?

So, the next time you're feeling oppressed consider these questions first - In what areas have I left the Lord?  What am I worshiping instead of Him?  Is there immorality in my life?  How can I focus my heart back on God?

When you discover your sin, confess it and repent of it, He will get involved and deliver you.  And just like David in Psalm 56 you can say, "when I am afraid I will put my trust in You...what can mere men do to me?"

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Have You Settled?

Day 51:  Exodus 1, Psalm 51 and 1 Samuel 2

When a new king came to power in Egypt they were fearful of the Israelites who were in the land of Goshen, a bottleneck between the nations of the East and Egypt.

Two different decisions were made in this story, one by the Egyptians and one by the Israelites.

First, the Egyptians made a decision about the Israelites based on nothing but their location.  They were afraid that the Israelites would join forces with anyone who came to attack them in an effort to overthrow them.  So the Israelites were forced into slave labor because the Egyptians thought they might one day turn against Egypt.

Second, the Israelites really had it made in Goshen.  It was a fertile land between the Mediterranean sea to the North and the red sea in the South.  It was a perfect place for them to graze their flocks and herds.  Once they moved to Goshen to let Joseph care for them they became comfortable in their new digs.  They thought they had everything.

How many times have you made a decision based on what you thought might happen?  When we do this we take God out of the equation and run our lives by our own smarts.

Have you ever found yourself settling for what you think is perfect instead of what has been promised?  You find what you think is the perfect situation and you settle instead of pushing forward to God's promise.

Here's the problem, God was not in the land of Egypt.  The Israelites had settled in a perfect land without God.

When we jump to conclusions we take God out of the equation.  And when we settle we may have a good place but we don't get God.  Either option keeps us from God's best.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Thankful I Don't Have To Be Perfect

Day 50:  Genesis/Psalm 50 and 1 Samuel 1

Don't judge me until you've walked a mile in my shoes.  Surely you've heard that said before.  At the center of this statement is the idea that it's difficult to criticize someone else's choices/decisions if you haven't been through the same things they have.  When reading the Old Testament we should approach it with the same caution - we haven't walked in those shoes, er, sandals, so some of the things we read may seem strange.  But it was a different time, it was a different covenant between God and mankind (the word testament means covenant or contract) and so some of the concepts we think are outrageous were simply part of the every day life for the people involved.

It is this difference that I am really happy for.  Look with me at the last verse of Psalms 50.  It reads, "He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me; and to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God."

Here are the reasons I am happy about this:

  • I'm happy I don't have to offer any sacrifices for my sin - my two dogs and one gerbil are happy too!  (and they'd be gone in about 10min I'm afraid!)
  • I'm happy that I don't have to live a perfect life - but just be found in the perfect Savior.
  • I'm happy that the Salvation of God is given to those who believe in Jesus, not those who always make the right decisions.
In the Old Testament salvation came through obedience, perfection really, was needed in order to be saved.  Of course no one really could live up to that standard.  Today, we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ - not the perfection of our lives, but the perfection of the Savior in whom we believe.

So while I attempt to make the right choices  and "order my ways aright" I realize that I will make mistakes and that makes me thankful for my perfect Savior.

Here's how I try to live now, I offer willing sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise to God who orders my ways aright and has given me salvation in Jesus Christ.

Remember that the life of faith in the New Covenant (Testament) is about persistence not perfection.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Some Old Testament Smack Down

Day 44:  Genesis/Psalm 44, Judges 20

So yesterday was a tough one and today, well, it's not much better.

In Genesis 44:16 Judah (the son of Jacob and brother of Joseph) says to Joseph, "God has found out the iniquity (which means premeditated sin) of your servants..."  I can only assume that he is referencing the sin of he and his brothers in selling Joseph to into slavery all those years ago.

Then in Judges 20 the punishment for Gibeah's sin is doled out.  But it isn't just Gibeah that faces loss.  First the whole tribe of Benjamin refuses to hand over the men of Gibeah who committed the sin and instead join them in battle with 26,000 men arrayed for battle.  So Israel gathers 400,000 men armed and ready for battle.  But it isn't a slaughter.  On the first day of battle 22,000 men of Israel fall.  On the second day another 18,000 men from Israel fall - yes, they are supposed to be the ones who are winning!  On the third day, finally, Israel defeats Benjamin dramatically.  With little losses on the third day Israel puts to the sword over 25,000 of the 26,000 men of Benjamin - only something like 600 remain.  But that's not all.  The people of Gibeah are all killed and the city destroyed along with several other cities of the tribe of Benjamin.

The point of this is that sin is costly.  The punishment for sin often extends not only to those who committed the sin but also to those who allowed it.  Sin infects and spreads like a cancer.  It eats away at you, sometimes slow and sometimes fast.

But here's what I'm thankful for today.  I do not have to face the punishment of my sin.  Unlike Judah and his brothers and the people of Benjamin God does not hold my sin against me.  I am not punished for my sin because Jesus paid that price a long time ago.  Jesus died for sin, He took our punishment. The punishment that I deserved (and you) was put on Him.  So God punished Jesus instead of me.

As a believer in Jesus Christ I am not longer punished for my sin but I am corrected.  There is a big difference.  God punished those in the Old Testament for their sin out of His wrath.  But since He poured out the full cup of His wrath on Jesus there is now no punishment for sin for those who are in Christ Jesus.  We are corrected in love, not punished in wrath.

I am so thankful that:
1.  I had parents who loved me enough to bring me up in a Christian home (not perfect, but full of love) and helped me understand the God of love and His Son Jesus Christ.
2.  That Jesus was willing to go to the cross to take that punishment so that I could receive grace instead.

Thank you Father for your plan of salvation and that through faith in Jesus' life, death and resurrection I am no longer and object of wrath because of my sin but an object of your grace and love.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

What's The Point: A Must Ask Question

Day 43:  Genesis/Psalm 43, Judges 19

Let me admit right off the bat that the subject matter and the situation in today's reading in Judges 19 is very difficult to deal with.  It is one of those stories in the Bible that I just really wish would have been left out.  The social, sexual, gender and physical injustices are almost too much to bear.

As I read today's chapter I found myself upset with the father-in-law for not allowing his son-in-law to leave when he planned.  Then I was frustrated with the son-in-law for not being more direct and leaving when he intended.  Because, I assumed the whole ugly mess from this chapter would have simply been avoided.

I was angry that the events of this chapter were perpetrated by people who were supposed to be God's people and should have all been caring for the travelers as the man who invited them into his home.  I was disgusted by the fact that no one invited them in because they either knew what going to happen or they were planning it.

It makes us angry to think that the host would offer his very own daughter and the concubine up as offerings to the mob.  I have a daughter and can't imagine doing that.  I would fight to my last breath to protect her.  I'm irritated that the men of the city, Israelite men, wanted to have sexual relations with the men, an act clearly forbidden by Jewish law (which was God's law).

We are outraged that the man would 1) be able to sleep all night peacefully while his concubine was outside having all kinds of unspeakable things done to her, and 2) that the man simple says, "get up" when he finds her dead on the doorstep.

But after all those feelings I had to ask God, "What's the point?"  I think it's important to ask this question because honestly, it's easy to get sidetracked with the evidence and not zero-in on the crime.

I think the point is that once again Israel has fallen completely away from God.  There is no judge at this time it appears and no king and everybody seems to be doing whatever they want.  They have disregarded the law of God and so quickly after God had given them the land He promised.  We see in this chapter the sin of not showing hospitality to guests (at least by the city at large).  The sin of homosexuality and how distasteful it was to the host that he was willing to sacrifice his daughter to the crowd to keep them from committing this sexually immoral act.  There is the sin of rape and murder - which the mob doesn't seem to care about at all.

It is so easy to focus on all of these details that we forget the point.  The point is that sin had run rampant.  There was no moral compass.  There was no restraint.  The mob in the city is simply living off their basest instincts.  They are driven by desire and lust and this is what happens when those feelings are left unchecked.

This chapter is not about the details but about the hight from which this tribe from Israel had fallen.  This chapter is in the Bible to show us what happens when we live for ourselves only and only to fulfill our sexual or physical desires.  It stands as a warning to everyone who says, "it's okay."  "I'm not hurting anyone else."  "If it feels good..."  This is what you get when you do whatever you want.  Wrong becomes right.  Day becomes night.  We become a people not just ruled by our lusts but driven by them to a place where our sin is not just tolerated but celebrated.

I'm thankful that I know what happens in chapter 20.  But I'm also thankful that, while I don't always succeed as I would like, I try to live my life not based solely off my own desires, feelings or passions but by the commands and precepts of my God who said, "love God and love others."  If either of these two commands would have been followed that night in Gibeah this chapter would not have been written.

This chapter is an example of the place that unbridled sin leads us to and chapter 20 will be the conclusion.  So when you come across a difficult chapter or text in the Bible ask yourself, "what's the point?"  And see if it doesn't give you a fresh perspective.

NOTE:  While this chapter references some behaviors that we simply can not understand - namely the way the men treated the women they were supposed to love - remember that this is an entirely different culture.  And before you get so upset that you just close your bible and quit reading I want you to realize that this sort of thing happens today, yes today, in other countries around the world.  Women were in that culture seen as they are in many Middle Eastern cultures today, as property.  A man could do what he wanted with his wife/daughter.   Make sure that you focus on the point and not the periphery.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

God + Nothing

Day 42:  Genesis/Psalm 42, Judges 18

I'm going to go back a little bit to Sunday's reading in Judges about Samson and Delilah and mix it up with Judges 18.

When Delilah was begging Samson to tell her the secret of his strength he finally gave in.  He told her that he was a Nazarite to God since birth and that the secret to his strength was his hair.   In Samson's mind I guess it was God + hair.

In Judges 18 men from the tribe of Dan came to the home of Micah and find a Levite priest there who is acting as his personal priest inquiring of God on Micah's behalf.  But in the house there are multiple idol images that Micah and the Levite have incorporated into their worship of God.  It's God + the idols.

But God has never shared the stage well.  The olympics are going on right now and I just watched USA win it's first ever medal in the Luge.  The American will be sharing the stage with two others.  God doesn't do silver and bronze.  It's Gold and it's all God's.

It is true that Samson did lose his strength when his hair was cut but his strength came from God - not his hair.  His hair was the visible sign of his covenant with God but God was the source.  And Micah's priest was seeking to worship God through the idols that they had made.  But idols are nothing.  God is everything.

Mankind has an inherent problem with trying to always do God and... but it has always been God only.  We try to get to God by church attendance or giving or service as though salvation comes through God + our effort or good works.  We talk about the Christian life at times in terms of God + our hard work.  We will say super-spiritual things like, pray as though it all depends on God, work as though it all depends on you.  We think God + the perfect spouse (our one true love) will gain us a perfect life.  God + a good job will meet our financial needs.  God + a healthy dose of                          will get us what we want.  God + our dreams will help us achieve greater things.

But the reality is that it is God + nothing.  He doesn't want to share the stage.  And the problem with Samson and Micah is the same problem we struggle with we try to edge ourselves or something/someone else on the podium with God and it doesn't work.

If you want a spouse who will love you and cherish you and build you up seek God only.
If you want a career that will fulfill you and meet your needs seek God only.
If you want to have a life of purpose and possibilities seek God only.
If you want to experience real life seek God only.

It's not God + spouse.  God + career or God + life.  It's just God.  If you want to experience all that God has for you in this life and the life to come it's God. Only.

Seek FIRST His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you as well.  Matthew 6:33

Your life and my life and this life are about one thing, God only.  When we figure that out He'll begin to work in our lives like we never dreamed.  What do you need to get rid of so it's God only in your life?

Monday, February 10, 2014

When God Makes A Move

Day 41:  Genesis/Psalm 41, Judges 17

Joseph has been called by Pharaoh to interpret a couple dreams he had.  Pharaoh's magicians couldn't interpret these particular dreams, though it appears they had had come success with dream interpretation previously.  But these dreams they can't figure out so Joseph is called in.

Joseph is able to interpret the dreams after making sure Pharaoh knows that it is not Joseph's smarts but God who will reveal the dream to Joseph so he can fill Pharaoh in.  This is an incredible story of how God  brings Joseph, a no-account Hebrew, into the second highest position in Egypt.

But lets look back at all the moving pieces here.

  • Joseph the spoiled child has to have some dreams about his brothers and family bowing down to him knowing that he is the kind of kid who would blabber his dreams to his family instead of keeping them quiet.
  • Joseph's brothers, sick of his spoiled attitude, decide to kill him, then leave him for dead in a cistern and finally, when a band of traders comes through at the exact right moment, they sell him and make a few dollars.  All the while they are thinking that they are rid of Joseph and surely now his dreams will come to nothing.
  • Joseph serves in Potiphar's house and is blessed and put in the highest position until the wife takes a liking to him.  But instead of giving in to her and possibly saving his job (for awhile at least) he runs away and is still thrown in prison for something he didn't do.
  • While in prison he's put in charge once again and there meets two men who work directly for Pharaoh who just "happen" to be in prison also.
  • These two men, the baker and the cup bearer have two different dreams with two completely opposite outcomes - both of which come true.  Neither of these men are followers or believers in God but they have dreams about eminent future events that only God could know.
  • Later, when Pharaoh has a dream the cup bearer remembers Joseph and he is brought to Pharaoh to interpret the dreams.  Pharaoh is not a follower or believer in the God of Joseph but he also has a dream about future events.
  • The magicians who would normally be able decipher Pharaoh's dreams (but not by God) although perhaps his dreams didn't come by God previously could not do so this time.
  • Joseph is able to interpret this dream and lays it out for Pharaoh.
  • The Pharaoh not only believes Joseph but trusts his interpretation so much that he makes puts in command of the entire nation.
Joseph is the only one who knows about God, yet God uses the dreams to three other men, an adulterous wife, jealous brothers, a band of traveling salesmen and a stretch in the joint to bring about His ultimate plan - the salvation of not only Israel (Joseph's family) but all of Egypt and much of the known world (all who came to buy grain from Pharaoh).  

Are you in a difficult situation right now?  Perhaps you're feeling like your in a pit like Joseph or maybe something just happened to you that you think is unfair or maybe you even found yourself in a cell that you didn't deserve.  Your life is not the only life that God has control over.  It is not ONLY your circumstances that He can rearrange.  Don't think that God is limited by your abilities, your bank account, your know how or your influence.  

God is unlimited.  He can use anyone at anytime for any reason He chooses.  AND, He is already working your situation out in ways you can't possibly imagine.  It may be that you have to spend time in the pit in order to get to the promise.  You may have to sit in a cell in order to accomplish your call, but He is faithful and you are His child.  He will always bring you to the promise.


Thursday, February 6, 2014

Sin Zero

Day 38:  Genesis/Psalm 38, Judges 14

In a zombie movie that came out not too long ago those trying to solve the puzzle were looking for person-zero, the person who first had the disease.

In the Genesis reading today Judah has one problem after another.  In the end, after sleeping with a woman who he believed to be a prostitute, he discovers that he had actually slept and impregnated his daughter-in-law!

As I read through the chapter I wondered where did he go wrong?  So I looked back and discovered that sin-zero for Judah was when he chose a Cannanite woman for a wife.  This was forbidden from God, Judah, as an Israelite was to marry only another Israelite.  That first sin - choosing a foreign woman led toe the birth of sons who displeased God and then to Judah breaking his word to his daughter-in-law and then his sleeping with a "prostitute" and then he wanted to kill his daughter-in-law for getting pregnant, until he learned he was the father of her child and in the end simply says, that this woman who pretended to be a harlot was a better person than he.

Judah's life took a turn for the worse with one sin.  Sin-zero.  From there he made another and another and before he knew it his life had spun out of control.  If you're the type of person that thinks impregnating your daughter-in-law is a definition of "out of control."

In contrast, David, In Psalm 38 is praying to God as he recognizes he has sinned.  He talks about how the discipline of God is affecting him deeply and he's crying out to God because he is wasting away because of his sin.  Instead of continuing in sin, he recognized it, repented of it, sought restoration through it and wanted to then refrain from it.

Instead of letting his sin lead to another and another he stopped the process and allowed God to deal with it.  Judah never allowed God the time to deal with his sin he simply continued in it.

when you are going through a difficult time and feeling like your life is spinning out of control I suppose you've got two options, continue on the same path adding sin to sin assuming you'll find your way out sometime.  Or, you can stop.  Go back and find sin-zero and follow the pattern of David, recognize where you went wrong and stopped going God's way, repent of that sin in humility before God, seek to be restored to Him and those who've been hurt by your sin and then don't forget the last step, attempt to refrain from that sin that set you off on your own course.

So many believers throughout history have simply blown over their sin, making Jesus' sacrifice for our sin a small thing - easily earned and easily forgotten.  But when we recognize our sin for sin and humbly deal with it before God we can change the course of our lives and grow in faith and closeness with God.

Stuck in sin?  What's sin-zero for you?

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Pits Look Different Depending On Your Perspective

Day 37:  Genesis/Psalm 37, Judges 13

When I was a little kid, maybe three or four, my brother put me in a pit that our uncle and father had been digging.  I don't recall what it was for but it was big enough for me to fit into and was over my head.  Once at the bottom he and others kicked some dirt on me before I was rescued.  I've dug a lot of holes since then and am a little taller too, and I've noticed that no pit looks as scary from the top side as it does from the bottom.  At the top the sun may be shining and you look down and think, it's not that deep.  But from the bottom it's dark, the sun seems a long way off and the walls appear unscalable.

In Genesis 37 we begin to read of the story of Joseph.  I like Joseph's story.  Perhaps because I was the youngest child in my family and I had an older brother who liked to throw me pits!  Although, my older brother and my sisters would say it's because I was the favorite child.

What we hear of Joseph in chapter 37 is just the very beginning of his incredible story but I must say, he doesn't start off too well.  He appears to be a spoiled brat.  In verse two we find Joseph tattling on his 1/2 brothers.  In verse three we learn the reason for his tattling, he was his father's favorite.  And he knew it.  His father didn't even try to hide it!  In fact, he made Joseph a multicolored coat - a difficult and expensive thing at that time.

Joseph was so sure of himself that when he has a dream that clearly depicts him as a ruler over his brothers, he doesn't keep it to himself, ask his father for wisdom or guidance or just tell his friends, he runs right out and tells his brothers!  Who immediately hate him more!  And when he has a second dream that depicts not only his brothers but his father and mother bowing to him he tells them all!  The second half of verse eight tells us that his brothers hated him for his dreams (which they only knew about because Joseph told them) and his words (which he used to convey the dream).  All of that to say, Joseph made it easy for his brothers to hate him.

So when they are a long way from home and have the opportunity to get rid of their smug, dreamer of a brother they jump at the chance.  And later in the chapter we find Joseph stripped of his precious coat and sitting at the bottom of a dark, deep pit.  Instead of killing Joseph or leaving him in the pit to die his brothers make a bit of money off him by selling him to some merchants who just "happened" to be passing by.

And that begins the story of Joseph.

God gave Joseph a dream.  And because he chose to share that dream with his brothers he ended up in a pit, the first of two he will find himself in.  He was there because verse 20 tells us that his brothers were trying to keep Joseph's dreams from coming true.  They thought if they got rid of him by selling him into slavery that his dream of ruling over his brothers would never come true.  In reality, their treason actually created the opportunity for his dream to be fulfilled!  God used Joseph's favorite child status, his smug tattling and dream telling AND his brother's attempt to be free of him as the means by which He accomplished the result he had revealed to Joseph.

What this means to you and me today is this, when God gives you a dream it already INCLUDES every obstacle, challenge, detour and scheme of Satan.  God knew Joseph was a spoiled brat and would smugly tell his brother's the dreams.  He knew that the brothers would attempt to leave him for dead and he knew that at that exact moment the caravan would be passing by and the brothers would try to make a buck.  And God used all those twists and turns to grow Joseph into the man he eventually became.  The pit actually perpetuated the promise - it didn't destroy it!

Isn't that amazing?!  God gave Joseph a picture of the end result knowing every event, pit and peril and prison that would lead Joseph exactly where God wanted him to be.  The pit and even (as we'll see later) the prison are not detours they were part of God itinerary to get Joseph exactly where God wanted him to be exactly when He wanted him to be there.  God had already chartered Joseph's course through the pit to the promise.

Are you in a pit?  Is it dark and damp and stinky?  Does it look impossible to get out of?  Are you forgetting your dream because of the dilemma you're in?  God knew you would be exactly where you are right now.  He wants you to learn to trust Him.  He wants you to learn humility and a servants heart like His Son Jesus.  And He wants you to know that He knew you would be in the hole you're in.  He knew exactly how deep and wide your pit would be and He already knows how you're going to get out.

Don't lose hope, but seek His help.  Let your pit become your platform.  Because while you're at the bottom in the dark, He's at the top shinning His light on the rest of your journey.  Your perspective may be bleak, but His perspective is beautiful.

What's My Sin?

Day 36:  Genesis/Psalm 36, Judges 12

Today I want to pull a little bit from the reading of Psalm and Judges because I think there is a connection here that is worth noting.

In Judges Jephthah who is the current judge of Israel has crossed the Jordan river and fought against his enemy, the Ammonites.  Apparently Jephthah had requested help from the tribe of Ephraim, their brothers, but they refused to help, or didn't come to their aid fast enough, so Jephthah and the men of Gilead went out to fight Ammon on their own.  When they had successfully routed Ammon the men of Ephraim came to Jephthah and were angry that they did not get to share in the victory of the Ammonites.  Jephthah explains that they did not come soon enough.  In the end the men of Gilead went to war with their brothers from Ephraim.

Have you even been in a situation when you were upset because of how you perceived a situation and so you went on the offensive against someone you "thought" was your enemy?  Perhaps you even found out that it wasn't personal toward you but you were already angry and so you just couldn't let it go.  How did that turn out?  Did you end up fighting with someone for what turned out to be a ridiculous reason?

Anger clouds the mind.  It is impossible to think clearly and rationally when you're angry.  So you often end up doing things that should never have been done.  In fact, for me, I usually discover in the end that what I thought was the issue or the problem was not accurate at all and I end up going to war with someone or with some issue or challenge or problem and never needed to!

David says this in the first two verses of Psalm 36, "Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes.  For it flatters him in his own eyes concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it."

There were three types of sin in the Old Testament language:
1.  Sins - these were unintentional sins where a person just "missed the mark" they were aiming for.
2.  Transgressions - this was willful disobedience that was intentional sin.
3.  Iniquities - premeditated with out repentance so they were continuing in the iniquity.

David is saying that the willful choice to sin speaks to the heart of the ungodly where they "plan" out sin without considering the consequence or having any fear of God.  This sin speaks to him and flatters him so that the discovery of the act as sin and the hatred of it is covered up.

To be fair David is speaking to the ungodly, remember that.  However, sin is no less flattering to you and I when we engage in it.  Often, when we get angry about something sin creeps in and flatters us into thinking we are 100% right and the other person is 100% wrong.  The reality is that most of the time it is a 50/50 split.  Because we are not perfect in our behaviors and thoughts we can never fully blame the other person.  We might say it was all their fault but our own behaviors and thought patters fed into the situation.  Sin blinds us to our own failures while magnifying the failures of others.

That was most likely the situation with Jephthah and the Ephraimites.  Each was probably guilty of sin but instead of recognizing their own sins and seeking repentance and reconciliation they pushed ahead assuming each was faultless and the sin was all the others.

In the end, what could have been resolved peacefully is escalated to all out war.  Each side regretting the actions done in haste and anger.  At that point forgiveness and reconciliation is hard to come by.

So, if you are currently in a situation where you are blaming someone else for some perceived or actual sin against you ask yourself this question, "what is my sin?"  Ask God to reveal to you what your part in the situation was and how you can repent and reconcile for that.  And if you're thinking, "I didn't do anything wrong!"  Remember what the Bible says, "if you claim to be without sin the truth is not in you" (1 John 1:8) and that is sin.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

How Do You End Your Prayers

Day 35:  Genesis/Psalm 35, Judges 11

David's prayer in chapter 35 is once again written as he is pursued by his enemies.  This is not a movie or a play, this is real life.  David is actually being pursued by trained fighting men who want to kill him.  That's not something I understand.  I have never been pursued by those who want to take my life.  I've been called a lot things and been the focus of some real hate, but I've never been in fear for my life.  But just because my enemies are not flesh and blood doesn't mean they are not real.

Satan is the enemy of every believer in Jesus Christ.  The Bible tells us that his desire is to destroy us and kill us.  He wants to stop us from spreading the Truth about Jesus and connecting with others in a way that leads to changed lives.  He hates seeing people find real life in Jesus.  Hates it.

So Satan does whatever he can to stop us including killing us, destroying our faith or stealing our joy, peace or contentment.  If Satan can shut us down by any of these means he gets a win.  When we are silent, Satan wins.  So he wants to get us to shut up and he will use any means necessary.

David was God's man for God's time just like you and me.  So Satan wanted to get him to shut up.  To stop leading others in the ways of God.  So he was pursued.  Just like you and I are pursued.  And like David, you and I are spared by the grace of God.

But I often tend to get angry with God when in the midst of the pursuit.  I find myself asking, "why" even when I know the answer.  I get frustrated and remind God of all the "good" stuff I've done as though that should keep me from being attacked.  It doesn't.  In fact, the more vocal I am, the more effective my ministry, my more disciplined I am in my spiritual life the more Satan is on the offense.  The more He wants to shut me up.  The more he brings attacks.  And often, instead of running to God and standing in His strength, I whine and fuss.

But not David.  Here's how he ends this prayer in chapter 35, "My tongue shall declare Your righteousness and Your praise all day long."

What's been going on in your life?  Do you recognize that Satan is your enemy and is out to silence you?  Can you see that he is using your circumstances, relationships and situations as a means to keep you quite about your God and your faith?  When you are being pursued by your enemy how do you end your prayers?  Like I have all too often?  In frustration wanting some relief?  Or will you stand on your faith and the Truth that God is always out for your best.

When we are hotly pursued by the enemy we should be more vocal about God's righteousness and praise Him all day long.