Crumbling Kingdom and the Prophets “Changing the Present”

S = Isaiah 58:6-9

“Is not this the fast that I choose:
    to loose the bonds of wickedness,
    to undo the straps of the yoke,
    to let the oppressed go free,
             and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
    and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
    and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
    the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
    you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’…”

O = We are studying the work of the prophets during the “Collapsing Kingdom” years in Israel and Judah. Their primary function was to speak God’s Word for today (challenging social and personal injustices and any form of idolatry or wickedness) not predicting the future. Their message was crucial, but not popular because they said the hard things that people didn’t want to hear. The more power and wealth a person had the less open they were to listen to God’s messenger the prophets. At the same time that the prophets warned of coming judgment because of their hardness of heart (towards both God and people), they gave hope to those who would repent and look forward to the restoration that God will bring (e.g., Jeremiah 29:11-14; Isaiah 35:8-10) after the time of exile. We see God’s tender fatherly care for his children (Hosea 11), but front and center is his concern for the just treatment of the poor and powerless. He makes it very clear that we can’t compartmentalize our lives. If we are not treating our family and neighbors with respect and love then our religious activities mean nothing.

A = I need to live an authentic spiritual life so that I am not just doing religious things to buy myself a little favor from God (which doesn't work), but that I am responding to his love for me with love for him and those he has made. That inner change works its way outward and doesn’t stop at the door of the church. I want to decorate with this kind of Christmas light this year…the light of God’s love poured out for the hopeless and helpless.

P = O Lord, may my heart be quickened by your amazing love to make a difference in those around me. Let me see what isn’t working and hear from you what I can do about it. Break down the internal walls I tend to put up to separate my life into manageable parts, instead, shape me into one consistently shining lamp of your love. Help me to make others merry this Christmas! Amen.  

The Messengers: Elijah “The Journey Is Too Great For You”

A SOAP Journal based on 1 Kings 18-19

S = 1 Kings 19:4, 7-8  But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” …And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

O = Elijah, was a godly and miracle-working prophet faithfully brought God’s message to the Northern Kingdom of Israel, to Ahab & Jezebel the most wicked king and queen of all (1 Kings 16:30). In chapter 18, we see that Elijah had just confronted and defeated 450 wicked false prophets, prayed for rain to end a runs a marathon to beat Ahab’s chariot back to town (18:49). Then, at Jezebel’s threat Elijah fled to Beersheba (111 miles), putting the Southern Kingdom of Judah between himself and Jezebel. Finally, Elijah was utterly spent and asked that he might die. Despite all the amazing things Elijah had done, he was a man just like me, limited, flawed, no better than his fathers (19:4).

A = “The journey is too great for you” is something I realize almost every day. I wouldn’t have made it as far as Elijah that’s for sure! There are many practical lessons that I can learn from Elijah’s experience. I know that failure comes often on the heels of success and I need to keep my guard up. I need to do good self-care, eating and sleeping regularly or I will tend to doubt God and run from challenges. Yet, in Elijah’s despair there is an important lesson for me. I need to be willing to confess my need and be willing to surrender my life completely into God’s hands (v.4) not as the end of my ministry…but as the beginning step in a fuller understanding of the presence of God. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6-8). I must surrender my life into God’s hands more completely each day…before I get to the end of my rope. 

P = O Lord, I need you more than ever. You know me better than I know myself and as I make my plans, I trust you to interrupt if you need to and to determine my steps. As I seek to find my rest and strength in you, draw near to me today and always! Empower and encourage me to face the challenges which I face today and in the days to come. Let me live for your glory alone! Amen.

The Heart of the Big Story "In This Way..."

SOAP Journal based on John 3 “In this way…”

S = 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

O = This verse we considered this week is probably the best know verse in the Bible…but I think we don’t understand it as well as we think. This verse ties in as the heart of God’s Big Story from Genesis to Revelation. God has always been the same and his mission has always been to reconcile his fallen creation back to himself. The Greek word translated “so” literally means “in this way.” It is in this way that God loved the world! We need to adjust the way we look at what the Bible says about what God is like. As one affective theologian said, “God is not a Judge who loves when he can, but a Lover who judges when he has to.” Another important bit of context is that Jesus says this in a conversation with Nicodemus a Pharisee, who by training and practice would have looked around in condemnation of others. Jesus was dealing with Nicodemus’ faulty views of God, of others, and of how someone can have relationship with God. It is grace by faith, not law by works.

A = When I read this verse I have to overcome the familiarity that says I’ve read that verse a thousand times, and pause to listen for what it says about the nature of God. If God really loves (even me) and didn’t come to condemn, then the way I look at people should begin to reflect God’s love not my condemnation. If this week I can begin to look for ways that God’s love and grace are working all around me instead of focusing on the shortcomings of those I see, meet, work with, and live by, it will not only add to my joy in this season, but I will be able to encourage others more effectively. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict us of sin (so that we repent and return to Jesus) and I choose to not do his job for him this week!

P = O Lord, thank you for taking my place, for assuming my frailties and failures. Your love amazes me, heals me, and changes the way I see others. I pray that they could see your love at work in me this week. Show me Lord how you would have me participate in your great mission to reconcile the world to you and to each other! May you work your righteousness in me as I respond to your love poured out for me! Amen.

The Prophets: Habakkuk "Yet I WIll Rejoice in the Lord"

S = Habakkuk 3:2, 17-19
3:2 O Lord, I have heard the report of you,
    and your work, O Lord, do I fear.
In the midst of the years revive it;
    in the midst of the years make it known;
    in wrath remember mercy…

3:17-19

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
    and there be no herd in the stalls,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
¹⁹ God, the Lord, is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the deer's;
    he makes me tread on my high places.

O = Habakkuk lived during a time characterized by violence… wickedness… strife… people ignoring the law… where justice is perverted. He cried out to the Lord, as I know I have done, “How long?” When would God come and deal with the social injustice, oppression, and personal corruption? God’s answer surprised Habakkuk. God was going to use the Chaldeans (Babylon) to judge his people. Habakkuk asked a second question, “How come them?” for they seemed to be worse than Judah. In chapter 2, God assured him that the Chaldeans would be judged for their own sins [Ambitiousness (6-8); Covetousness (9-11); Violence (12-14); Moral Shame (15-17); Idolatry (18-19)]

In Chapter 2 there are three significant verses containing truth even beyond the need of the immediate context:

• 2:4b “…but the righteous [just] shall live by his faith…
• 2:14 “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD.”
• 2:20 “The LORD is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silent before Him.”

God is seen as sovereign over nations and history. Habakkuk was facing a very difficult season of time and did so by drawing near to God in honest communication, simple trust, and heartfelt worship.

A = I am impressed by Habakkuk’s honesty with God about his questions and his resolve to pray, to remember God’s work in the past and worship the Lord through whatever frightening circumstances may come. I need to be able to do likewise. I have found it helpful to re-write 3:17-19 from my own situation. I would suggest that it might be helpful for those reading this as well.

P = O Lord, I know you are just and righteous and will deal with the evil in the world. You will do it in your way and in your time. I will rest in the embrace of your plan though at times it frightens me I will trust in your goodness and mercy! I pray that this week you would set my feet securely where I can give thanks and rejoice in you. Amen.

Judges & 1 Samuel 8 "The Kingdom"

SOAP Journal based on Judges & 1 Samuel

S = Judges 17:6 & 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

1 Samuel 8:5b,7-9 “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” …And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. ⁸ According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. ⁹ Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”

O = After the time of conquest under Joshua, the nation of Israel was repeatedly oppressed by surrounding nations as a result of their disobeying God. God told Israel ahead of time that this would happen if they chose to turn away from the Lord, and the people had agreed (Deut. 11, 29-30). The book of Judges narrates the downward cycles of rejection, rebellion, repentance, and rescue. Everyone did as they saw fit. That is a problem. The people were to be looking to God as their king but generally didn’t. They wanted to be like every other nation. God lets the people have what they wanted but warns them ahead of time what a king would cost them.  

A = I would do well to learn from these examples in the Bible. Firstly, is there in my own heart a turning away from following and worshiping the Lord alone? I resign any claim to self-direction and self-salvation…they don’t work anyway. Secondly, what kind of leaders do I tend to follow (Deut. 17:15)? Are they godly or worldly? Thirdly, I know I need to pray for my community, state, and country more consistently—that people might see the emptiness of idolatry and immorality and long for the fullness of joy and peace in the Father, through Christ, by the Spirit! It might also help me if I began to think of God as my King and to actively seek his input before launching into just any old thing on my own.

P = O Lord, send your Spirit to search my heart and reveal—any bitter root which needs to be pulled up, any area where I have begun to coast instead of pressing in relationally, any imaginations that I have raised up against you—and redeem my life from the pit I would surely dig if left to my own devices. Be my king today and always! Amen.

Numbers 13-14 “The Journey Pt.2 ”

S = Numbers 13:30-31 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.”

Numbers 14:1-4 Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

Numbers 14:20-23 Then the Lord said, “I have pardoned, according to your word. But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.

O = Caleb and Joshua saw that they were able to go up and occupy the land precisely because God was giving it to them. The others only saw the strength of their enemies and complained against God. They blamed God for bringing them out there in the first place and wailed that their little ones would become “prey” for the Canaanites. Don’t miss the irony of  14:31 "But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected.” God was nothing like how the people portrayed him. They consistently rebelled against God and challenged him as to his character.

     What was their problem? How could they fail to recognize the amazing works of a loving God in their midst each day? After being delivered from Egyptian slavery, from the army pursuing them, through the barrier of the Red Sea, the Lord provided manna and water so that they didn’t starve or die of thirst. Their shoes and clothes didn’t wear out, they had shade from the sun and light and warmth at night, as well as protection from their enemies and neighbors alike. Yet they refused to believe. Were they stupid or uninformed? No, the problem was in their desires. They desired evil instead of the Lord (1 Cor. 10:6). As a result they could not see the loving care of Yahweh on their behalf and doubted his character.

A = I wonder if we do the same thing today. I know that Paul wrote to the church at Corinth (1 Cor. 10:1-10) and specifically called them out using the sin of Israel in the wilderness as an example. They too were beginning to desire evil, of which he gives four examples (idolatry, sexual immorality, testing God, and grumbling). So I should probably “go to school on them” and examine my own heart for these thorns, these invasive desires that seek to choke out my love for the Lord…

• Idolatry—is there something I value more than Jesus?
• Immorality—do my relationships reflect the love of God or the lust of the world?
• Testing—is there some area where I repeatedly doubt the goodness of God?
• Grumbling—are there areas in my life where I am neither thankful to, nor trusting of, the Lord and his promises?

      How could I be fed, led, protected, delivered, shaded, illuminated, and instructed on a daily basis and not learn to see and trust the loving hand of Jesus in my life? I need to pause today to actively trust and thank God for his goodness towards me. So I sit and look out my window at the sun hitting the south side of the Columnar Maples in the parking lot—causing them to glow like pillars of fire that hints of the Creator’s glory present amidst the mundane.

      All I deserved was hell and death and what I have received is so much better than that! He is always at work around me; I just need eyes to see.

P = O Lord, help me to trust you completely and then open my eyes to see what you are up to…and thank you for it all. Jesus, please keep me from desiring anything less than you and your loving plan for my life. May many others be blessed by the light of that love this week. Amen.

Hebrews 3 & 1 Corinthians 10 “Lessons from the Journey (Part 1)”

S = Hebrews 3:7-8, 12-13 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you will hear His voice,

Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,

In the day of trial in the wilderness…”

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 

O = This passage quotes from Psalm 95:7-11 words that every Jew at the time of Christ knew by heart “because its opening line served as a call to worship every Sabbath evening in the synagogue with these words. Hebrew ears perked up at their sound.” (R. Kent Hughes, Hebrews, 99). I have long meditated on the first phrase of this passage, “Today, if you hear (NIV) / if you will hear (NKJV).” It doesn't imply that we might hear His voice if the Spirit chooses to speak, but rather we will hear if we desire to listen. The issue here is not about His will, but about our heart, i.e., He is speaking today and we can hear Him if we want to listen. I am instructed by the original context in the wilderness that God did not create them to die in the wilderness, and that they had to choose it by hardening their hearts.

A = If “these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction” (1 Corinthians 10:11) then I need to ask myself some tough questions today, such as:

·         What might keep me from passing the trust test?

·         What might cause God to be angry with my generation?

·         So what have I seen God do, but remain unmoved? (Israel had seen 10 plagues, Red Sea parted, pillar of cloud/fire, manna, water, etc. The readers of Hebrews had heard or seen Jesus feed 5000 & 4000, heal the sick, deliver the possessed, calm the storm, rise from the dead, fill believers with the Holy Spirit, and fulfill all the prophesies—would they remain unmoved or respond in faith? Will I?

I know I miss the message all too often, but today I want to listen and encourage others to do the same… as long as it is still “Today”!

P = O Lord, open my ears to hear and my heart to trust. Let me not harden my heart in the desert of my circumstances and unmet desires but may trust spring up, and let me respond to your amazing love with a desire to follow you wherever you lead. I need to rest in the confidence that you are with me and that is always enough for my situation today. Amen.

Exodus 33 “Presence”

S = Exodus 33:3 “Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”

v.15-16 “And he [Moses] said to him [God], “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

O = God blesses the people, promises to give them the land, led by an angel, a land of great blessing…the best of everything but without God among them. The presence of God with his people is a major theme through the whole Bible from the Eden of Genesis 2 to the New Heaven/Earth/Jerusalem of Revelation 21-22. Here God addresses the elephant in the room. Their stubborn, rebellious sin will be the death of them if God is in their midst. So what would they do? They respectfully tell God that is he doesn’t go with them they don’t want to go. The presence of YHWH is what makes them different. They don’t want to lose that distinction.

A = I wonder if I would respond like Moses did if God gave me the same offer today? It frightens me to think that I could settle for less than God’s presence in order to facilitate my stubborn attitudes and actions. I want to follow Moses’ example here and see my value and really my identity as tied to the presence of God in my life today. God did work out a solution for Israel that looked forward to the death and resurrection of Christ and the sending of the indwelling Holy Spirit. I don’t want to try to find my identity in any lesser “thing” or “practice” I want to cling to Christ in my need. I am reminded of that verse in Matt Maher’s hymn,

“Where sin runs deep Your grace is more

Where grace is found is where You are

And where You are, Lord, I am free

Holiness is Christ in me

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You

Every hour I need You

My one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You”

P = O Lord, I do need you as the song declares. And in my need I give you thanks for not only delivering me from the Egypt of bondage to sin, and giving me a hope for the future in heaven, but for your abiding presence with me every hour of my day. Help me to remember you are with me and let me live like it today. Amen.

Exodus 19 & 20 “Love Before Law”

S = Exodus 19:4-6, 8

You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation...” ⁸“…All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do…”

Exodus 20:1-2, 24

And God spoke all these words, saying,

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery… In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.”

O = It has been noted that in God’s plan love came before the law, faith came before obedience. In these chapters, best known for containing the Ten Commandments (Ch. 20) as given on Mt. Sinai, God’s care for Israel is the context. The metaphor of being born up on eagles wings (19:4) is a deeply affective revelation of God’s sovereign care for his people. He loves them and has brought them to this place where they can freely respond to his deliverance by entering into a binding covenant with Yahweh or not. They chose to do all that God had said. We should all know the Ten Commandments by memory. [Many years ago, Dick Scott taught the church how to memorize them (in order) on our ten fingers about and I still remember…as do my former IML students.] I observe that the first four commands focus on our vertical relationship with God and the last six commands bring order to our horizontal relationships with others. This was the foundation of the law code for the nation of Israel. But even more, it was to be a path for God’s coming to bless his people (20:24).

A = Too often I slip into thinking and living like the plan of God is designed for me to somehow work my way into God’s holy presence instead of remembering that His plan was to come down to us. He is the Good Shepherd, the Lover and Pursuer of my soul! From Eden onward he has sought to come to his people and bless them. This week I rest in his care, putting my trust in his saving grace on my behalf. If I respond to the love he has poured out by his Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5) in kind, these commandments will be evident in my life. I will love God and love my neighbor, not because it is commanded but because I am loved first by God that changes everything. I will not have to grasp lesser loves for myself in wrong and harmful ways. I will review the Ten Commandments (on my fingers) again this week with an open heart ready to repent of any way that I am resisting his desire to come to me and bless me.

P = O Lord, open my eyes to see my own weaknesses so that I can bring them to you in humility. Open my ears to hear your loving encouragement and direction. Open my mouth to speak with you honestly. Breathe into my nostrils afresh your living Spirit that I might be more like you for my own works are dead in comparison. May others sense your presence in my life and may they be blessed by your love through me this week. Thank you for working these miracles! Amen.

 

Exodus 1-12 "The Deliverance"

S = Exodus 3:7-12 “Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and  I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and  to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land,  a land flowing with milk and honey… And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 

   But Moses said to God,  “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 

   He said, “But I will be with you…”

O = God was not impervious to the sufferings of his people. I notice the poetic layers of connection with which God speaks to Moses. “I have surely seen the affliction of my people…I have heard their cry…I know their sufferings…” If God had seen, heard and known them then is it a stretch to trust that he knows what we are going through today? Not at all! But what I love about this passage is that God doesn’t just see, hear, and know their suffering, He is resolved to do something about it, “I have come down to deliver them.” I also note that part of his doing something is to send a man, Moses, as an instrument of deliverance. Moses didn’t want to go. His, “Who am I that I should go?” is a question that many Christians ask when God calls us to do something about injustice in the world today. If I had to paraphrase God’s answer to Moses it would be, “It’s not about who you are…but about who is with you. I AM with you.” Remember last week’s passage from Genesis 12:1-3? In these chapter of Exodus God brings tremendous power to bear on Pharaoh and Egypt because of their persecution of Abraham’s descendants.

A = Do I need to have eyes to see what God sees and an ear to hear what he hears, or do I just need to have an available heart to respond when he sends me? I love the imagery in song about seeing the way God sees…but I think it would simply overwhelm me…blowing my heart and mind away with the sheer volume and intensity of the need that exists. I think that I would do better to aspire to simply listen to God’s call and commission on my life today, remembering that God is not asking because I am awesome, but because he wants to give me the privilege of participating in his awesome plan…to set people free.

P = O Lord, what are you asking me to do today that I have been resisting? I know that I am inadequate to the task…but perhaps that is what you have been doing in my life; showing me that it is not about my strength. So what is it that you have been preparing me to trust you for? How do you desire to involve me in your work this week? Let me hear your voice by the Word and the Spirit, and let me not turn away in fear, lag behind in laziness, dictate the terms in arrogance, or walk away in weariness. May I be enlightened by your wisdom, empowered by your Spirit, and emboldened by your love. May your name be glorified in my responses this week. Amen.

Genesis 12 & 15 "A Promise, A Clarification, & A Covenant"

SOAP Journal Based on Genesis 12 & 15

S = Excerpts of three sections for this devotional

• Genesis 12:1-3 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  (Promise)
• Genesis 15:4-6 “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”…And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”  (Clarification)
• Genesis 15:17-18 “When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land…”  (Covenant)

O = It really is too large of an assignment to pick one facet from God’s activity in the life of Abraham to journal about, hence my picking three. The Promise of God is the basis of our relationship with God. The law cannot make us perfect, but by faith we can enter into the gracious promise that God extended to Abram/Abraham (Romans 4:13). Sometimes we need God to clarify things for us and Abram was no exception. God spoke to him the clarification “your very own son” and Abram believed God. Later, God would further clarify that the promise was to come through Sarah’s son Isaac (Ch. 17) as the great plan was progressively revealed. It was Abraham’s simple belief or trust in what God had said that was credited to him as righteousness. The Apostle Paul argues that it is the same for us today (Romans 4). We trust that Jesus’ death and resurrection that it was enough to cover our sins and raise us up to everlasting life (Rom. 10:9-10). God even uses the graphic imagery of covenant to seal the deal in Abraham’s life. Since there is no one greater to swear the covenant by, the imagery suggests that God is swearing by himself as the pot and torch pass between the pieces (15:17; Hebrews 6:13-14). Will we respond today, as Abraham did long ago, to God’s love for us?

A = I know that I need to approach God by simply trusting in his faithful love for me, not by trusting in the excellence of my own works or character. It is a good thing, for like Abraham, I have been chosen by God’s grace, not because I am worthy, yet it is in trusting him  that he makes me worthy. This week I need to intentionally pause to remember what God has said about me (in the Bible), and live in light of that revelation. I realize that Abram didn’t know all the details at first, but only over many years did the specific details of the plan of God for his life become known (including a new name) …yet he walked in faith to what he knew. This week I will seek to walk in humble trust before the Lord, and quiet my heart to the unfolding of his plan for me personally.

P = O Lord, I am in awe to read of your commitment to bring salvation to your people, from Abraham and Sarah, to Moses and the Israelites, to David and the prophets, to Peter, Matthew and the other apostles, and down through history to me! Let me remember your faithfulness that is on display for me to see and live today with a heart filled with gratitude and praise for you. Amen

Genesis 3 "Adam, where are you?"

S = Genesis 3:8-11 ^“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” ¹¹ He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

O = There are so many things to be noticed in this chapter, but there are a few things that capture my attention today in regards to this chapter on the “fall of man” into sin. It changed all of creation, but it didn’t change God. Having our eyes “opened” actually brought about a distorted view that actually blinded us to many obvious things. It is not hard to see as we read that both human reasoning and relationships were both tragically twisted that day in the garden.

1. Sin can never be explained away. Our excuses, denials, and minimization never work with God. There is always a penalty (v.14-19), and there is always a need for a redeemer (promised in 3:15). That we cannot save ourselves is clear even from the beginning. All our best efforts are no more effective than fig leaves sown together.
2. Redemption (or reclamation) comes through sacrifice (v.21). God sacrificed animals to clothe them, but animals just cover guilt and that only temporarily. The whole of the Old Testament narrates God’s commitment to restore his people, speaking of the Redeemer that would one day come. The prophet Isaiah wrote of God’s rescue plan, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6)  And the apostle Paul, in the New Testament echoes this idea, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  (Romans 5:8) Christ removes our sin and guilt completely and brings us his robe of righteousness. 
3. The consequences God imposed were loving rather than vindictive (v. 22-24). We don't often think about the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden as an act of mercy but it was. It would have been a terrible curse for them to eat of the tree of life and live forever in their fallen, sinful state. Our loving God desires that we live forever in righteousness—which we receive only through Christ. We are not cursed to live forever in our fallen, sinful, shameful, fearful condition. There are loving consequences we experience when we sin. Scripture says that they are never pleasant at the time but that their end, our coming to repentance, is the result of God's love. The grace that God showed to mankind in the Garden of Eden is still available today (Romans 6:23)

A = In God’s question, "Adam, where are you?" (3:9), do I hear him speaking to me? I need to ask myself this question. Am I in a place of denial, minimization, or have I come to the point of confession and surrender?  If I picture myself at the scene at the cross, which thief do I want to be? As it is written in Luke 23:39-43,

"One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"
But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." 

Do I choose denial or confession, self-deception or the truth? (1 John 1:5-2:2)

In responding to the love of God in Jesus Christ we no longer seek to flee or hide from God. "For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."  (1 Peter 2:25) This week I want to be quick to confess and agree with God that he is God and I am not.

P = O Lord, thank you for showing yourself to be the faithful and relentless lover of my soul. I am amazed to see how you have planned to restore us since the beginning. Let me not forget who you are—that you are not some angry God that loves us when you can, but a loving God that disciplines us when you have to. I know that your loving discipline always works for good in me and in others, even when it is painful. May you have free reign to work in me today. Thank you for seeking me out on my wandering path, rescuing me from the pit of my sin, and giving me everlasting life!

Starting a New Series "God's Big Story" with Genesis 1-2

S = Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

v. 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26 “And God said, ‘Let there be…’ And it was so.”

v.31 “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

O = One of my first observations is that there is a literary technique being used in chapters 1 & 2 (where it almost appears that there are two creation stories) that needs explanation.  I like to think of a computer directory tree with the little file-folder icons. Gen 1:1 is the first level folder with the over view of all of creation. You want more detail you click on the folder and it lists the contents of that creation week. Day 1, Day 2, Day 3...etc. The author then does the same thing at chapter 2:4. It is like clicking on the Day 6 folder for more information about how God made the garden and made man. Two other observations, that jump out at me are: (1) What God says happens; (2) God forms the water, land, sky, and space (Days 1-3) and then he fills them with living creatures (Days 4-6) any other order of business would be neither loving nor wise; (3) All God does is good, and when all the “goods” come to completion it is “very good.”

A = I need to remember that if God says something then he will bring it to completion. There is no need for me to worry and doubt. His promises to me are powerful! I also need to give God room to work in my life according to his wisdom and love. First he forms and then he fills, I should practice patience this week knowing that when I pray God is working in me and in others to prepare us for his final answer.

P = O Lord, you are an awesome God! When I consider the “who” of creation I am overwhelmed by your power, wisdom, creativity, and loving care demonstrated in creation. I am humbled to think that you did it all to prepare a land for your people to dwell…and then in your abundant grace you chose me to be one of your people. May I be filled with faith in your creative power this week! Open my eyes to see your goodness reflected in what you have made.

2 Timothy 3:15-17 “All Scripture—Breathed out by God”

S =  “…and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

O = I have heard many sermons on the teaching, reproof, correction, and training part of this verse…it is truly amazing what the Bible can do to equip us as messengers of God’s love to the world. This verse is also used often to defend the authority and inspiration of all parts of the Bible, which is also correct. However, I think we often miss the forest for the trees. “All Scripture is breathed out by God” think about that for a moment. As I read those words I had the phrase “all scripture” echoing in my mind—referring to the whole not just the collection of the various parts we like to read. It is the whole thing, the great majestic story of God’s redemptive love for mankind that equips us. It is the whole counsel of the Word of God that corrects and trains us. We have to learn to see the parts in relation to the whole if we are to avoid error and imbalance.

How is the Scripture described in this verse? I think we tend to jump to the word “profitable” to the point of overlooking that it is first “breathed out by God.”

What happened the first time the breath of God is mentioned in the Bible? It is in Genesis 2:7 “then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

A = What if I looked at the Bible as God’s breathing into me his life (Eze. 37:9), his Spirit (John 20:22)? How would it change the way I read it? What life does God want to breathe into my soul this week? What dry bones does he want to raise up to a life of effective ministry in me during the weeks to come? I find I need to read the Bible:

• quickly—so as to pick up the overarching story of God’s love.
• devotionally—so that I hear him speaking life and truth to me in the process.
• continually—so my bearings don’t become confused and love for him doesn’t grow cold.
• in community—so we can share and embrace what we are hearing.

P = O Lord, thank you for breathing out your Word for us—first in history lived out, then in words written on scroll or page so that your story could enter into and change our future for the better…that what was once dust and without life or meaning might become a living creature, and better than that a child of God in Christ by the Holy Spirit. May others catch wind of it and be joined together in your great story! Amen.

Matthew 18 "Who is the Greatest?"

SOAP Journal based on Matthew 18 “Who is the Greatest?” 

S = Matthew 18:1- 5 “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying,

“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

² And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³ and said,

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

⁵ “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me…”

O = The disciples were jockeying for a better pole position, trying to determine by what metrics greatness was measured in the Heavenly Kingdom.  Why? Not to help others but to achieve greatness. They, like people today, know what needs to be done to be seen as great in the world. They were wondering if Jesus’ kingdom would be the same. It most certainly was not, is not, and will not be like the kingdoms of the world. First, children were considered a gift from God but by they no means were considered “great” in the sense of leadership, power, and prestige. This would have given them theological whip-lash. Secondly, the appeal to hospitality would culturally have been very powerful. Yet it turned their values on its head. Instead of receiving kings, judges, politically connected people, or religious leaders in Jesus' name Jesus told them to receive a child. Could it be that children are emissaries from Christ himself? Sometimes what our kids say is a message from God to us!

A = Am I striving to be great by the world’s metrics—money, power, popularity, influence, Google searches, Facebook friends/Twitter followers, etc.? Why does greatness matter to me? I think it doesn’t matter to me, but it probably matters more than I am aware of. I wonder if a desire to be great in the kingdom comes because people want to please themselves or because they desire to please God? God doesn’t want us to approach him on a performance basis so we are to come humbly and openly in love like a child that has not yet been taught by a fallen world to stop trusting and stop loving. Verse 6 is a powerful reminder to us of how much God values those children.

(1) How can I humble myself like a little child?

• I can live more dependently upon my Heavenly Father, trusting him enough to honestly bring my cares and concerns to him in humbly expectant prayer.
• I can live with less disbelief in God’s nearness and power.
• I can approach Jesus without reservation, for his desire is to bless me.

(2) How do I make room in my life to “receive” a child in Jesus’ name?

To receive a child “In Jesus’ name” means to receive a child in the way that Jesus would. If I am going to do this then I will be determined…

• I can learn how Jesus treated and related to children…and do the same.
• I can take time to honor and respect children instead of dismissing them or acting like they are an inconvenience.
• I can look for others, the voiceless, the powerless, the marginalized ones in our culture, and “welcome them to my table.”

P = O Lord, your love for the little children is a window into your love for us all—thank you for that example. May I see that my efforts are not very effective without your help, but that you desire for me to come to you, to be blessed by you, and to walk with you. This week may I not allow anything to distract me from your loving care for me and may I always leave the assigning of greatness to you…and content myself to trust you as the psalmist did in writing Psalm 131:

¹O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
    my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
    too great and too marvelous for me.
² But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
    like a weaned child with its mother;
    like a weaned child is my soul within me.

³ O Israel, hope in the Lord
    from this time forth and forevermore.

Amen.

Mark 4-5 "Out of the Tombs"

S = Mark 4:35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”

Mark 5:2-9 “And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. ³ He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, ⁴ for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. ⁵ Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.

⁶ And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. ⁷ And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”

⁸ For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”

⁹ And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.””

O = In this multi-faceted narrative from the ministry of Jesus, I find it interesting to notice the directional statements in the text. Starting with Jesus’ shocking statement that they would leave their growing ministry in Galilee where Jesus had been teaching through parables and miracles and cross the lake to the “other side.” The southeast side of the Sea of Galilee (Lake Gennesaret) to which they headed was the gentile region of Decapolis (lit., “ten cities”). It was not only the other side of the lake, but culturally and spiritually the “other side.” Jesus modeled the cross-cultural mission of the gospel for his disciples. “Other” is not something to be avoided for Jesus. Secondly there is the demonized man who came out of the tombs. The uncontrollable, unrestrainable, unreasonable, and inconsolable man, fell down at the feet of Jesus, with the legion of tormenting spirits begging not to be tormented.  Jesus sent the demons away out of the man into the pigs. It is as if Jesus came all that way just to free that man! The Good Shepherd seeking out the lost sheep, no matter how far he has to go! The man had come out of the tombs in more ways than one. He is no longer the living wretch that he once was. Now he is clothed, in his right mind and asking to follow Jesus. This gentile man once shunned by his people is now the one who will open their fearful eyes to the goodness of God. The next time Jesus would come to Decapolis crowds would come to listen to his teaching for days and he would miraculously feed the 4,000 (Mark 8 and Matthew 15).

A = How willing am I to cross over to “the other side” with Jesus? When circumstances are stormy beyond my control do I doubt Jesus or trust him to deliver me? Who do I allow to tell me who I really me…the unclean spirits, the fearful townspeople, or Jesus? This week I will fall before Jesus and allow him to deliver me from whatever has me in bondage, from whatever is causing my life to be out of control. And I will pray for opportunities to tell others what good things God has done for me! 

P = O Lord, I am slow to cross to the other side, to reach out to those different from me. Help me to see that you are working mighty things in them as well as in me. May we come to share the testimony of how we all have been changed by your powerful love! Help me to trust you through the stretching process of getting beyond my comfort zone for the sake of others!  And Lord, will you please give me the opportunity today to share something good that you have done for me with someone else. Amen.

Hebrews 2 "Drifting Away...from so great a salvation"

This SOAP Journal is based on the text of Sunday’s sermon by guest speaker, Pastor Keith Jenkins.

S = Hebrews 2:1-4 “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. ² For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, ³ how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, ⁴ while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

O = Two messages are being compared here: the Mosaic law and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This comparison takes place within a larger treatise showing the superiority of Jesus Christ over angels, which is now extended to our responsibility to keep/obey/believe the messages that they delivered. It is an argument from the lesser to the greater. If the lesser message delivered through angels was reliable and binding, the message now delivered by God incarnate in the Son is even more so. The author exclaims, “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” In other words, what could be worse than rejecting Jesus’ death for our sins with the indifference of a “Whatever.” What had they heard to which they needed to pay closer attention? The words of the Lord (Jesus Christ) and the testimony of the apostles and disciples who had listened to Jesus in person, the miraculous signs, wonders, and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

A = This idea of drifting comes when I no longer think there is any need to paddle when I no longer feel the need to get somewhere, or perhaps when I think I have “arrived” and there is nothing left for me to learn. I know that this is an attitude that pops up in me more than I am comfortable admitting and of which I repent again today. The other phrase I need to apply in my life is “We must pay much closer attention to…” I know that over the years I have paid close attention to the gospel message found in the Bible, but am I paying closer attention now than I did then? If I am not then I have started to drift. I shouldn’t think I can spiritually coast across the finish line of life. In the next chapter in Hebrews we twice read the command, “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion…” (Heb. 3:7-8, & 15). And in between these two reminders to not harden our hearts is this central warning,

“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end…” (3:12-14)

P = O Lord, deliver me from the deceitfulness of sin that would make me think that I am immune to sinning. Keep my heart that is prone to wander, from departing from your presence. May I encourage others to press in and keep paddling and may my Christian brothers and sisters love me enough to do the same for me. Lord Jesus, in your strong love draw me to pay closer attention to you than ever and less attention to worldly distractions day by day. Amen.

In his sermon, Pastor Jenkins shared these thoughts about “Drifting” (v.1)

1.    Drifting requires no effort—it just happens.

2.    Drifting is an unconscious process.

3.    We never drift upstream (1 Kings 11:1-4)

4.    The speed increases as we drift farther and farther downstream.

5.    There is always collateral damage as we drift.

6.    Drifting results in shipwreck.