June 5, 2008
still working
June 4, 2008
The Battle Before Us
Scripture: 1 Kings 1, Psalm 123, 2 Timothy 1-2
Observation:
“14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.”
It has taken me a minute to figure out that he is talking about the gospel (“the good deposit”). I know there’s a really important message in this passage (v.3-14), I just need to dig a little deeper to really understand it.
It appears to me that he (Paul) is first reminding Timothy of his calling, which I’m not exactly sure about, but sounds like he was set apart for full time ministry and evangelism like Paul:
“6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
And to carry out this ministry he will need this spirit of power, love and self control that God has given him.
8 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace,”
Okay, so, be bold, be willing to speak the truth and share in the suffering that Paul knows all to well is coming upon believers and ministers of the gospel, and do it by the power of God. That same power that saved us and called us to this ministry by nothing of our own doing.
“12 But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.”
He talks about not being ashamed again, and I’m thinking it has to do with his imprisonment. That mostly everyone has abandoned him now and he is about to die in prison. Not a glamorous way out for someone who’s given their life to fight for the King of the universe. This sentence seems to me like he is acknowledging that his work is almost done, he’s about to die, but he’s not worried about what is going to happen to this huge assignment that’s been given to him (preaching the gospel), because the Lord will guard it and find servants to carry it on.
“3 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.”
So to Timothy, follow the pattern of Paul’s teaching…it will take faith and love that are available to us in Christ. And back to verse 14, By the Holy Spirit, guard the gospel that has been entrusted to you. I guess this means guard it because it is under attack. Hold fast to the truth. Guard it from misinterpretations and false teachings. Fight for it. Be willing to die for it, like Paul is about to. Don’t forget that this is your mission in life.
I get this picture of a Platoon leader or military officer (whatever they are called) dying on the battlefield, talking to his favorite soldier, reinforcing what it is that we are doing here, strengthening him and spurring him on to fight the good fight. This is reinforced in the next passage when he says,
“3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. … 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”
Part of guarding the gospel then, is taking care not to get entangled in civilian pursuits. Isn’t this so true!? Worldly pursuits do entangle. They are a perfect distraction, disguised as harmless, and usually sold to us as something “people just do”. Keep your eyes on the Lord, the one who enlisted you. It is his mission you are carrying out. No soldier who can see very clearly the war right in front of him is thinking about anything other than what he was trained to think of. He’s giving his all to obey his leadership and fight for his cause because his life (and the lives of others) depends on it.
My prayer is that my eyes would be opened to the battle that is in front of me, and my heart would be strengthened and spurred on by the Holy Spirit to live only for the purposes of God.
June 2, 2008
God will keep me
Scripture: 2 Samuel 22, Psalm 121, 1 Timothy 1-3
2 Sam 22:2 “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
3 my [1] God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold and my refuge,
my savior; you save me from violence.
4 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.”
Psalm 121:7-8 ”The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.”
These verses bring about so much peace for me. They are like a fire extinguisher to fear. But 6 weeks ago they would not have been. Why? I think I was just bound up in the lie that I could not trust God. That his will might be destruction to me and my family, and how could I bear that from a God I’ve given my whole life to? The truth didn’t change. God has always been in every way good and worthy of my trust. He has always offered his protection and deliverance. He never claimed to be safe and predictable, yet he says he will keep my life from this time forth and forevermore. He says I can call upon him and he will save me. These are truths that are so very important to know and remember and call upon to extinguish the fires of life where the enemy comes in to plant doubt and fear and rebellion.
I need to spend some time asking the question, “do I believe this about God?” Do I believe that he will keep my life from this time forth and forevermore? That he is always there to save me when I call upon him? That he will come near when I come near to him? And I mean to really live these things, not just speak them in my mind and heart and to others. To walk with the knowledge and confidence and assurance that the God of the universe has got me covered; that when fear or circumstances begin to cripple me, he is right there to apply truth to them and extinguish them. That he sees what is really going on and he invites me to have eyes to see it too. And more, that he will fight for me because I am on his side and I am given over to be an instrument of his glory. There is so much freedom there.
Coming back to add something to this: The Lord pointed out another important part of this promise, “The Lord will keep you from all evil;” – in him, the enemy has no power over me.
And,
31 “This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.”
May 29, 2008
How to cry out to God
Scripture: 2 Samuel 14-15, Psalm 119:153-160, 1 Thessalonians 1-2
Observation:
Psalm 119:145-152
145 With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord!
I will keep your statutes.
146 I call to you; save me,
that I may observe your testimonies.
147 I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I hope in your words.
148 My eyes are awake before the watches of the night,
that I may meditate on your promise.
149 Hear my voice according to your steadfast love;
O Lord, according to your justice give me life.
150 They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose;
they are far from your law.
151 But you are near, O Lord,
and all your commandments are true.
152 Long have I known from your testimonies
that you have founded them forever.
This is from yesterday’s reading. What resonates with me about this Psalm is that the Psalmist is making known his desperation. He is pleading for; crying out to the Lord. We’ve all been there. Time and time again when we’ve realized that the only thing that could save us is God himself and we are desperate for a touch from him. The difference is, most of us cry out on our own behalf and keep crying. The Psalmist knows the Lord and knows his promises. He rises before dawn to cry out for help and he hopes in the words of the Lord. He stays up all night to meditate on the promises of God. He trusts in him for salvation. And he wants to be rescued that he might again be an instrument of the Lord’s glory, that he would keep his statutes and tell of his love. Many of the scenerios that I need rescuing from are ones that I’ve brought upon myself through sin. I first approach God through a lens of selfishness that he rescue me for my own comfort and peace, or for my own faith. In contrast, the psalmist is not lacking in faith. He realizes that it begins and ends with God, and he’s not living caught up in his own small story. I can learn from the psalmists example of drawing near to God in faith, trusting in his promises and seeking him wholeheartedly and unselfishly in the midst of trials.
May 19, 2008
A life of faith
Scripture: 1 Samuel 22-23, Psalm 119:73-80, Galatians 3-4
Observation:
Psalm 119:73-76
“Your hands have made and fashioned me;
give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.
74 Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice,
because I have hoped in your word.
75 I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous,
and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
76 Let your steadfast love comfort me
according to your promise to your servant.”
Everything the Psalmist says points back to God. He realizes that without God he is nothing, that he needs more of God in order to even understand his commandments and experience him more deeply. He does not seem emotionally effected by his affliction, whatever it is, because he stands on the truth that God is good and faithful and promises to comfort and restore him. He knows the truth of the word of God and lives in it, which is why other servants of God would see him and rejoice.
Application: I think God is beginning a work in me regarding what it is I believe. More than simply believing in Jesus Christ as savior, and the sovereignty of God, but believing every promise in the word of God and trusting him for it. This requires studying and knowing the word (asking him for revelation and understanding), and believing it- living as if it were true, which I don’t always do. As I read through Galatians on living by faith and not the law, I realize there is more to this dimension of living by faith in Christ than simply believing him for salvation. There’s still a crisis of belief to overcome as we learn all of the truths and the promises of God in scripture, and he has given us this word and his spirit to help us to understand and ingest these truths as part of our life of faith. It’s not a one time deal living a life of faith. Faith in God is faith in all that he is and all that he says he has done, is doing and is going to do.
May 15, 2008
Obedience & Godly Grief
Scripture: 1 Samuel 15-16, Psalm 119:41-48, 2 Corinthians 7-8
Observation & Application:
““Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.”
God desires obedience the first time every time. It’s something I say to my kids a lot. ”You need to obey me the first time. It’s for your safety.” It means nothing to me when they continue doing a naughty thing that I’ve asked them not to do until I get physically across the room to them and stare them in the face. Yet, this is usually when they stop. And as they’re on their way to go receive a spanking, they plead with me, “but I stopped, I obeyed, I won’t do it again!” I can see myself doing this with God. I often dismiss the inkling I feel from the holy spirit to choose obedience over sin, and wait for the confrontation, or the big showdown, where I can’t hide from it anymore. What’s worse, is sometimes it never comes. Sometimes he doesn’t confront me in that way, he leaves me alone in my sin. It becomes more ugly, more disgusting, until something breaks: either my heart and I submit to the will of God, or a piece of my life, where the circumstances humble me enough to go crawling on my knees to God begging for him to show me the way of obedience. I need to be shown because sin has clouded my vision, the enemy has lied to me, and God has withdrawn. But he is waiting with open arms for me to draw near to him and he will draw near to me. I have to be humbled and willing to be useful to the Lord again to bring him glory. Getting back to the verse above, I must seek to understand the Lord’s direction for my life and be obedient the first time, or I might as well be serving a false god, because I am not effectively serving Him.
“8 For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. 9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.”
This is something we were talking about last night at life gatherings. While we have forgiveness of sin through Jesus, we sometimes experience grief from it, and rightfully so when it leads us to a healthy repentance. And we should be on guard for if that grief were to lead us anywhere but repentance.
“10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 11 For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment!”
“16 I rejoice, because I have perfect confidence in you.” What beautiful words Paul uses to encourage them here!
May 12, 2008
Comfort and Deliverance
Scripture: 1 Samuel 9-10, Psalm 119:17-24, 2 Corinthians 1-2
9 “When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart.” Wow, a whole new heart! What do you have to do to get one of those?
26 “Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched.” God, touch my heart and change me, the way only you can.
3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” This is such a beautiful verse, and I always think of it when a believer near me is going through a tough time. I pray that God would help me realize this verse myself in my need for comfort, and use me also to comfort others who are in any affliction.
5″For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. ”
“For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.”
God, I choose you and you alone to raise me up and deliver me from my afflictions. You are my hope and my strength. Please turn this around for you glory. Amen.
May 10, 2008
Calling of Samuel & Prophesy & Tongues
Scripture: 1 Samuel 3-5, Psalm 119:1-8, 1 Corinthians 14
Observation: I don’t have much to say today.
It’s cool the way Samuel was called because it reminds me that God can call anyone to do anything he wants at any time. It says, “7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.” Then God simply calls him and begins his life as a prophet: “9 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord.
Maybe its the translation, or maybe its just me, but there’s a discrepancy here in 1 Cor 14 v.22-25 with regards to prophesy and tongues.
“22 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign [7] not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.”
Application: Seek to worship God with my spirit and mind and to build up and encourage the church. Know that God does what he wants when he wants with who he wants.
May 6, 2008
trusting God amidst tragedy
Scripture: Judges 19-21, Psalm 115, 1 Corinthians 8-9
Observation: From Judges, I’m impressed with the people of Israel in going back to God a third time after seeking his direction and being defeated twice by Gibeah.
6 “Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 And the people of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, “Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.”
They must have felt abandoned and broken. They had to have questioned whether the Lord was on their side, whether they really heard from God the two other times, whether they could trust him. They mourned, fasted, prayed, offered sacrifices and trusted God another time by sending another tribe out to fight. There’s no explanation of why God let 40,000 of them die in the first two battles and defeated them in the third. I want an explanation because I’m in this very place of being wounded and questioning God… Was this your will? Will good ever come of this? Can I trust that your heart and plan for me is good? And, can I gather the strength to go out and fight again? I can only imagine that the third tribe of Israel who was sent out to fight had to have felt considerably weaker than the first two. Knowing the defeat that was behind them and the uncertainty before them, they could only trust God that his will for them was good. Afterall, this is the same God that commissioned Judah to go out first, and look what happened to them. And what about the tribe of Benjamin- didn’t they belong to God as well? There had to have been so many mixed feelings, questions and uncertainty regarding this war. I am impressed that they chose to go out and fight a third time and that they trusted God for their victory.
Psalm 115:1 “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”
If I could just be concerned with the glory of the Lord over my own, a good deal of time life would come into better focus.
Application:
Prayer:
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