Tag: Devotion

Check it Out to be Sure

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It’s always good to check out what people say about the Bible, make sure it is true. How many times have you heard someone say that “something” was in the Bible, only to discover it’s not. Many people never discover the truth, they just continue to pass on the misinformation.

And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth. (Acts 17:11)

Yesterday, Skip challenged us to finish out this season of Lent with a 27-day challenge: spend 15 minutes or more in God’s Word every day and see if you can form a new habit.

Habits can be good because they prevent us from forgetting to do things. Getting into the habit of reading the Bible daily is good; however, habits can also go under the radar without much thought given to them. Like the people of Berea in the verse, don’t forget your passion when reading God’s words. They listened eagerly, and researched faithfully.

Read it not just for information, but for developing a relationship with God. These words we read in the Bible apply directly to our lives everyday.

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When God Has Other Plans

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We spend most of our younger years planning our lives… which college, which degree, job choices, spouse choices, where to live, what to drive, where to vacation, retirement goals. What happens when all of a sudden you realize that all your plans and dreams have fallen short of your expectations? Perhaps you find yourself somewhere totally different than what you had planned? Let’s look at the prophet Ezekiel.

The Introduction: Ezekiel ministered to his generation who were very sinful and totally hopeless. Through his prophetic ministry he attempted to bring the people to immediate repentance and to confidence in the distant future when God would bring the people back to the promised land. He taught that:

  1. God works through human messengers
  2. Even in defeat and despair God’s people need to affirm God’s sovereignty
  3. God’s Word never fails
  4. God is present and can be worshiped anywhere
  5. People must obey God if they expect to receive blessings
  6. God’s Kingdom will come

Take a look at this passage of the Bible:

On July 31 of my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. This happened during the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity.  (The LORD gave this message to Ezekiel son of Buzi, a priest, beside the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians, and he felt the hand of the LORD take hold of him.) (Ezekiel 1:1-3)

The first three verses of Ezekiel introduce us to the prophet and his unexpected calling. In Ezekiel 1:1, the prophet explains the context of his encounter with God. He was thirty years old and in Babylon with other Jewish exiles. They had settled along the Kebar River, and there, Ezekiel tells us, “I saw visions of God.”

Ezekiel 1:3 was added by an anonymous editor of Ezekiel’s book, in order to help the reader understand more about the prophet and his peculiar calling (notice the parentheses in the text). We learn interesting information…

  1. We learn that Ezekiel was a priest, the son of Buzi.
  2. We learn that the word of the Lord “came expressively” (NASB) on him and the Lord “took hold of him.”
  3. We learn that it was “in the fifth year after King Jehoiachin’s deportation”
    1. The year would be 593 B.C. (see 2 Kings 24:8-17)
    2. The date would be July 31, The text actually says, “On the fifth day of the fourth month,” but refers to the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. A number of dates in Ezekiel can be cross-checked with dates in surviving Babylonian records and related accurately to our modern calendar. So the NLT tells us this event occurred on July 31 of that year.

The Irony: It would be easy to miss an ironic and moving element in this parenthetical introduction. Ezekiel 1:1 indicates all this happened in the thirtieth year, which was likely Ezekiel’s age at the time. As a priest (Ezekiel 1:3), he would have had the extreme honor of serving in the temple in Jerusalem (Numbers 4:3, see below). No doubt he spent much of his young life looking forward to this opportunity. He would have been eligible for priestly service when he turned thirty years old, but his hopes were dashed because he was exiled to Babylon during the time when he could have been serving in the temple. It’s not hard to imagine Ezekiel’s disappointment with how his life turned out.

The Interpretation: God had other plans for Ezekiel. When the priest turned thirty, the Lord began to reveal amazing visions to him. God spoke to him and told him to speak his word to God’s people. Ezekiel would have the chance to serve God in a most influential and difficult way, as a prophet of judgment and hope. God took Ezekiel’s plans and reinterpreted how he would be of service to the kingdom.

The Intersection: God has plans for each one of us and at times his plan must intersect with our plans. Sometimes God’s plans line up with our expectations, but often, they surprise us. We have plans for our life, but God may have other plans. His plans are always the best, though they might come in the midst of disappointment, discouragement and difficulty. They might also lead us into greater challenges than we would have chosen for ourselves.

The Inspiration: God wants to use you for his purposes, perhaps as he once used Ezekiel. How will you respond to his call for a new direction or ministry? How will you respond to the call of God on your life, family and work? Are you willing to hear what God wants you to do, even if it’s not what you were expecting?

NOTE on the age of service for a priest: Numbers 4:3 tells us that the priest begins his service age age 30, and must retire at age 50. But also notice that Numbers 8:24, 25 indicates that 25 is the minimum age for service. So, what’s up? It is likely that age 25 began the priest’s five year apprenticeship, before he was fully prepared to be a leader.

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Being a Man of God

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We ask our young children all the time, “What would you like to be when you grow up?” Then we often expect a reply in terms of career choices.  In Paul’s letter to his protégé, he didn’t instruct Timothy to become a power pastor of a megs-church; rather he reminded him of who he was; that he was a “man of God” (1 Timothy 6:11, 2 Timothy 3:17).

Interestingly, as far as I can tell, there’s only one person in the New Testament who’s called “a man of God,” and that’s Timothy. This term is frequently used in the Old Testament. In fact, it’s used about 70 times and always in reference to a spokesman for God—someone whose duty and responsibility is to speak the words of God.

Here in 1 Timothy 6:11-21, Paul points out four characteristics that mark a man of God:

  1. He flees: “Run” (1 Timothy 6:11). This is the Greek verb fuagay from which we get the word fugitive. In other words, the man of God is a man on the run. He’s constantly fleeing the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10), ungodly behavior (1 Timothy 6:20), lust, and sin (2 Timothy 2:22).
  2. He follows: The man of God pursues “righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). These are worthy goals.
  3. He fights: Not with his wife or others, but using the truth, the man of God is engaged in daily warfare against the kingdom of darkness. He’s not coasting toward the gates of heaven (1 Timothy 6:12).
  4. He is faithful: The man of God “holds tightly to the eternal life to which you were called” (1 Timothy 6:12). He views faithful Christian living and service as his necessary responsibility to God (1 Timothy 6:20-21).

If someone asks you, “What would you like to be?” would “I want to be a man of God” be your response? That type of man personally belongs to God, proclaims His Word accurately, and lives his life as an example to others.

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Partnership Potential

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Baptists need to work together, that is the beauty of the Cooperative Program. We can do so much more together than we can do alone. Works for people, churches and denominations. Paul mentions partnership in the New Testament:

Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. (Philippians 1:4-5)

Partnership is the ability to accomplish more together than apart. It recognizes that a team is stronger than an individual. A group committed to each other will help the struggling and those who have fallen.

  • Mother Teresa said, “You can do what I cannot do. I can do what you cannot do. Together, we can do great things.”
  • An anonymous author wrote, “It is better to have one person working with you, than three working for you.”
  • Andrew Carnegie confessed, “I owe whatever success I have attained, by and large, to my ability to surround myself with people who are smarter than I am.”
  • John Wooden, perhaps the greatest basketball coach of all time, reminded his team, “The man who puts the ball through the hoop has ten hands.”

Call it whatever you want–teamwork, association, synergy–partnership is the remarkable ability of two or more people working together to accomplish more than what each could do alone.

This truth is an appropriate reminder to God’s people that when we are working together in harmony, the talents and gifts of the body minimize the weaknesses and shortcomings of the body, thereby making a stronger unit (1 Corinthians 12:14). Just as a baseball team needs nine players on the field or the game is forfeited, the local church needs everyone participating, or the strength of the body is weakened and the advancement of the gospel is threatened (1 Corinthians 12:26). If you took away one musician from an orchestra, the symphony would be incomplete. So, too, if one member of the family of God is missing, the church is incomplete.

We need each other. You need someone, and someone needs you.

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Taking Responsibility

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During the course of life, situations will not always go as planned or expected. Some events will be insignificant when compared to others that will have an effect on the lives of people. When faced with situations like these, a leader can react in a number of different ways.

  1. Like congress, they can kick the can down the road.
  2. They can run away from the issue.
  3. They can attempt to place the blame on others.
  4. Or they can stand up and admit responsibility for their actions or decisions.

A successful leader will take the latter option.

King David had such a situation arise while he was leading the people of Israel. In Chronicles 21:1, we read that Satan put into David’s mind the desire to take a census. The problem with implementing such a plan involved David’s pride, because the census was meant to determine the size and strength of Israel’s army. David’s commander Joab objected to the idea (1 Chronicles 21:3), but the king’s decision prevailed (1 Chronicles 21:4). God knew that the census wasn’t a good idea and was not happy with David because of it (1 Chronicles 21:7). At this point, David had a choice to make as the leader of the people.

  1. Would he blame Satan for his decision?
  2. Would Joab be accused of wrongdoing?
  3. Would David distance himself from the issue?

Actually, David took none of these actions. Instead, he told God, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt for doing this foolish thing” (1 Chronicles 21:8). His admission of doing wrong was costly in terms of human lives, but by standing up and accepting responsibility, he prevented a worse fate.

Men, David’s example offers a good, though costly, lesson. When a situation turns out badly, when you are wrong, don’t run away or blame someone else. Instead, ask God for strength and admit your fault. Realize that others may suffer because of your mistake, but man up and accept the consequences. It’s the responsible thing to do.

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Getting to the Point

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I recently read about the effectiveness of an advertising campaign that you probably have heard about.

In the annals of US advertising history, one of the most efficient slogans ever is the California milk producers’ two-word question, “Got milk?” With that phrase, the group captured almost everyone’s attention. In surveys, the slogan was recognized by more than 90 percent of the people polled.

If “Got milk?” is so good at reminding people to drink “cow juice,” perhaps we can create some two-word slogans to remind ourselves to live more godly lives. My Sunday Bible study class is going through the book of James. While we are only into the second chapter, chapter four has some great two-liners that can help us live a godly life.

  1. Give in! James 4:7 tells us to submit to God. Our sovereign God loves us, so why not let Him run the show? Submission to God helps us resist the devil. I love the fact that when we submit to God and resist the devil, the enemy will flee from us!
  2. Get close! James 4:8 reminds us of the value of drawing near to God. It’s up to us to close the gap between us and God.One old saying is that when we feel as though God is far away, guess who moved?
  3. Clean up! James 4:8 also reminds us to make sure our hearts are clean. That happens through confessing our sins to God. It’s about being committed to purity in speech, intention, thought and deed. We are sinners by nature and by choice, which is the reason for our separation from God. So purify the heart, because our lives reflect that which is in the heart.
  4. Get down! James 4:6, 10 says we need to be humble before God, which includes viewing our sin as something to weep over. We won’t strut into the presence of God, we will come to him in humility, knowing that there is no human reason he should allow us into heaven. We come to him by his grace alone, through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), trusting in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Christ.

Give in! Get close! Clean up! Get down! I believe James is getting to the point, and being very concise. These pairs of words may not look as good on a T-shirt as “Got milk?” but they sure will look good on us.

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What Does God Want?

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It’s probably the most asked question in the early stages of our Christian experience. We understand the sacrifice of Christ, what he did on our behalf, and the question just comes out, “What do you want from me in return?” While our salvation is not based on our good works (Ephesians 2:8-9), God does have something for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). We are created for good works.

Perhaps we even offer to God some great sacrifice. The ascetics used to deny self to the extreme in order to appease God. Is that what God wants? Does he want me to be a missionary in Africa? Does he want me to sell all I have and give it to the poor? Does God want me to be in church every Sunday? Check out this verse:

“What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord. “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony? Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me! As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting—they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings. (Isaiah 1:11-13)

Wow, that hurts.

Maybe this image brings back memories. A small child pulls a variety of ingredients from the pantry and refrigerator (cereal, orange juice, potato chips, bread, ketchup, and other interesting choices) and blends them together in a bowl in hopes of surprising Mom with “dinner.” When Mom receives the “gift,” how do you think she’ll react? Despite the mess, both inside and outside the bowl, I’m sure she will express gratitude and joy, grateful for the sincere expression of love.

But what if the child missed the point and thought the gift was more important than the motive and attitude behind the giving? And what if the child continued to make similar presentations, year after year to Mom in hopes of appeasing her and earning her love? “It wouldn’t happen,” you answer. “Because the mother wouldn’t put up with it!”

Now look back at the Isaiah passage (Isaiah 1:11-13). God doesn’t sound very happy with the “gifts” of his people; because they had it all wrong! They had confused the animal sacrifices with the reason for making those sacrifices in the first place. So they worked hard at their religious works, and they missed the point. Did they really believe that God needed dead animals and blood? Didn’t they know that, instead, he wanted their hearts?

That’s the difference between “legalism” and “grace” and Christianity is all about grace. That’s why Jesus came to earth, to satisfy the demands of the law, to give himself as the ultimate sacrifice, to open the way for us to come directly to our Father (see John 3:16, 17, 18).

Yet, sadly, we often continue to mix our potions and religious ingredients and miss our reason for life, our Savior. Just like that loving mother, God is standing at the edge of the kitchen with arms wide open with an invitation: “Come to me, child. I want your love. I want your trust. All I really want is you.”

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Jesus on God as Father

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Being a father, my goal is to be the best I can be, at least, be the kind of father that God wants me to be. I often fail like all of us, but I thought it might be interesting to think about Jesus’ thoughts about the Father.

Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon” (Luke 11:2).

For those of us who have grown up praying the Lord’s Prayer, we find it familiar and comfortable to address God as Father. But it’s hard for us to relate to the extraordinary invitation of Jesus as he teaches us how to address God. We can simply turn our hearts to God and say, “Father.”

Why is This So Amazing?

Well, before Jesus, people didn’t speak to God in such a personal way. Though the Old Testament sometimes pictures God as a father to Israel (for example, Psalm 103:13), and though Jews could address God as “our Father in heaven,” the simplicity and intimacy of Jesus’ “Father” is unprecedented.

The fact that Jesus referred to God as “my Father” or, more simply, “Father,” was a potentially scandalous presumption. Yet, given his unique relationship with his heavenly Father, we might allow Jesus this extraordinarily familiar communication. But the fact that Jesus invites us to address God as Father boggles the mind, or at least it should.

A Word Study:

The Aramaic word that Jesus used in this prayer was Abba (see Mark 14:36; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). Abba was a word used by children in the time of Jesus, something like “Papa” or “Daddy” in contemporary English. But Abba could also be used by adult children as a term of respect, much like “Father” for us. So, this word encourages us to come before God as free, open-hearted children, while it does not surrender the respect we offer to God as we approach the King of kings and Lord of lords.

A Word Picture:

Jesus himself offered a fascinating picture of God as Father in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). In this story, a father runs to embrace his wayward son, even as he reaches out to his obedient son as well. God as father extends himself in unimaginable love and forgiveness, always seeking reconciliation with us, his children.

Application:

  1. Do you address God as “Father” when you pray? Why or why not?
  2. What does it mean to you to speak to God as your father?
  3. If your father is lacking in honorable qualities, it may be difficult to address God as your Father, but we must understand the “ideal father” that Jesus set before us. How can you overcome any negative images of “father” in your heart?
  4. If you are a father, how are you embracing the characteristics of God as Father to your own children: love, acceptance, care, protection, familiarity, discipline, guidance, encouragement, comfort, support?

It is so amazing to speak to the God of the universe with such directness and intimacy. Sometime today, thank him for the invitation offered by Jesus to speak to God as he did. Thank him for his sacrifice that makes it possible for us to know God as our Father in heaven. Thank him for the mind-blowing, heart-filling privilege of being one of his children.

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Taste and See

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This is a great psalm of trust and hope. The historical occasion to which this heading alludes is found in 1 Samuel 21:10–15; however, there is nothing obvious in the context of Psalm 34 to make such a specific connection. Abimelech, like Pharaoh, was likely a dynastic designation, not a proper name.

Psalm 34 – The LORD, a Provider and Deliverer. A Psalm of David when he feigned madness before Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed.

1 I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul will make its boast in the LORD; The humble will hear it and rejoice.
3 O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces will never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.
8 O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
9 O fear the LORD, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no want.
10 The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.
11 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the LORD is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones, Not one of them is broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

Here is a little outline of what we find in this psalm:

  1. David’s Praise of the Lord (Psalm 34:1–3)
  2. David’s Prayer to the Lord (Psalm 34:4–6)
  3. David’s Prosperity in the Lord (Psalm 34:7–10)
  4. David’s Proclamation of the Lord (Psalm 34:11–14)
  5. David’s Preservation in the Lord (Psalm 34:15–22)

This is an individual song of thanksgiving, and according to the title, it originated in the days when David was “on the run” from Saul. A slight problem is apparent in the title in that David actually faked insanity and madness before the Philistine ruler Achish, not Abimelech (1 Samuel 21:10–15). On the other hand, Abimelech may be a title for any Philistine ruler. That seems to be the case in the dealings of the patriarchs with the Philistines (Genesis 20:1–18; 21:22–34; 26:1–17).

David began by urging others to join him in praising the Lord, and then he recounted how God had heard his prayers and delivered him (Psalm 34:6). Those who depend on the Lord will lack nothing (Psalm 34:10). Those who expect His blessings must keep away from from evil. When they do, they will see how faithful the Lord is. Evil will surely meet judgment, but the saints of the Lord will never be held guilty in His eyes (Psalm 34:22).

Today I want to focus on Psalm 34:8. I recently read a story about a woman who gave her young daughter four jellybeans and let her know that was all the candy she was going to receive.

After practically inhaling the first three candies, the daughter lingered over the last one. She sucked on it, took it out of her mouth, bit into it, sucked on it some more, then gnawed at the outer shell. Knowing that this was her last jellybean, she took a full 45 minutes to ingest the treat completely.

The mom observed her little girl with amusement. It occurred to her that she was watching a lesson of the value of savoring—enjoying taste and texture and learning to draw out every possible bit of flavor from the pleasurable experience.

When we read, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8), we can be sure that God wants us to “savor” His presence. He allows us to gain intimate and satisfying knowledge of Him. When we meditate on His Word, we will draw out a deeper understanding of who He is (Ezekiel 3:1-3).

Ezekiel 3

1 Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”
2 So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll.
3 And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.

As we taste of His goodness and love, God will reveal the distinctive flavor of His creativity, sovereignty, holiness, and faithfulness.

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Is Your Life in Balance?

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I read a book by a physician named Richard Swenson, The Overload Syndrome: Learning to Live Within Your Limits. Years ago I actually was able to be a part of a corporate retreat where Dr. Sewnsen was the speaker, talking about Margin in life. Perhaps you’re tired of running around wondering about what ever happened to your “spare time?” Do you dread going to work? Are your relationships strained from stress? Do you wish you could check into a hospital just to get some sleep?

Busyness. Stress. Overload. We all know the struggle of trying to handle the load of life in the American context. You don’t have enough time to do the things you have to, let alone those things you’d like to do. You feel tired, worn out, and burned out. These symptoms are signs that you’re suffering from a disease that affects millions of people, he calls it, The Overload Syndrome.

What can be done? A few of Swenson’s suggestions include:

  1. Make solitude a priority for resting and thinking.
  2. Deal correctly with possessions so they do not possess you.
  3. Combat media overload.
  4. Deal with information overload.
  5. Make wise choices.
  6. Lower expectations.
  7. Slow down and enjoy life.

I see much of our problem as being out of balance. Notice in this verse how Jesus grew in several ways:

Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people. (Luke 2:52)

A balanced life is characterized by order, peace, and wholeness. The parts of our life are as they should be and where they should be. Each part of the balanced life gets the right amount of time and effort at the right time. It’s not giving each part of life the same amount of time that makes life balanced; it’s giving each part the necessary amount of time.

The life of Jesus is a great example concerning balance. Throughout his life, Jesus was under constant pressure. Friends and enemies pursued him, yet when examining his life as recorded in the Bible, we see that he never hurried, that he never had to play catch up, and that he was never taken by surprise. He managed time well, bringing it under control, because he knew the importance of balance. Jesus’ life was well rounded. According to the Luke passage, he grew intellectually, physically, spiritually, and socially.

  1. Does your life reflect balance?
  2. Do you make time for intellectual growth? If you are too busy to read a book or engage in study that stimulates your mind, you are too busy.
  3. Do you make time for physical health? Many people burn out because of improper personal maintenance. Don’t be another fatality on the emotional highway. Take care of your physical self.
  4. Do you make time for your relationship with God? You always spend time with the ones you love. 
  5. Do you feel too busy for prayer, Bible study, meditation, or personal devotion? Psalm 46:10 can be translated, “Take time and know that I am God.” The question is, “Will we do it?”
  6. Do you make time for primary relationships? Is adequate time provided for your spouse, family, and friends?

Only you can answer those questions honestly, and only you can take the necessary steps to bring order, harmony, and balance back in your life. Why not start today?

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