Thursday Devotional - More Answers

After last week, did God help Joshua figure out who had sinned?

Joshua 7:16, 19-21, 24-26 ¹⁶ Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was chosen…  ¹⁹ Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

²⁰ Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: ²¹ When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

²⁴ Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor.²⁵ Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.”

Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. ²⁶ Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

This seems harsh, especially after Achan confessed to his sin. However, this is what God instructed Joshua to do (Joshua 7:15 – all destroyed by fire).

Sin is serious and it doesn’t just affect us. It affects those in our family, community, work place, nation, etc.   

Similar today, we can’t expect God to support us, defend us, help us, and go with us if we choose to live in sin, condone sin, or try to hide sin. It won’t go well for us as a country or as individuals. It must be removed.

As Jessica talked about last Monday (1/14/19) about mourning our sins, let’s examine ourselves. Where might you and I be living in, condoning or hiding a sin? It can be very painful to remove the sin, but the benefits and blessings to ourselves and others are well worth it in this life and the life to come. God wants to help us in those areas, if we will truly repent and ask for His help to remove it and move forward in obedience.

Alice

How Am I With God?

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:4-7

My wife says that I worry about too many things.  When I was young, I was a worrywart.  As I have gotten older, I believe I have learned to worry about the big things instead of the little ones.  I focus on how my daughter’s schooling is, and how I can help her to perform better.  I look at my team and think about how I can help them get better.  I spend time with my wife, and ask how I can love her better.  There are things that I do not have control over that at times will overtake me and become one of those worries as well.  The political environment, a person afar who is struggling with something personal, and ‘are my grandchildren ok’ are all things that can float into my stratosphere of ‘worry,’ and it won’t let me go.  Notice all these things I mentioned, and there was one thing I did not mention; God.  How does that happen?  Shouldn’t my greatest worry be a simple question of, “How am I with God?”

We all need to add a level of intentionality where we can reconnect with God because with Him, we find true peace.  The dangers of worry are these: it takes time away from those things that matter most and prevents us from looking ahead.  In reading these verses, we are reminded of the importance of our relationship with Jesus Christ.  From Paul’s perspective, there are numerous keys to having a worry-free life.  “Being full of joy in the Lord,” speaks of knowing the Spirit of God flows through us.  Then pray.  It does not mean separate those things you control from those you don’t.  He says, “Pray about everything!”  Next, we are to tell God what we need, and be thankful for all He has done.  These must be done together.  If we are focused on just being thankful, we are not truly bringing everything to God, and if we only focus on what we want, we are not embracing all God has done to bring us to this point.  I read these verses over and over, and with each review, I felt closer to Him.  Furthermore, I felt I could earnestly go to God with the right heart and mindset (note the last part of the 7th verse).  Only there did I find my peace and connection with God.

In a world of chaos and mayhem, God is our oasis away from it all.  The prophet Isaiah said, “Open the gates to all who are righteous; allow the faithful to enter. You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (Isaiah 26:2-3)  There are so many things that can subtly but certainly distract us from God.  If we focus on those things that worry us, we will be unable to see what God has ahead for us.  Let us untie ourselves from those things that hinder us from connecting with Him and trust our worries through prayer to Him.  What things are most troubling you today?  What is it that you need to let go of and let God?  My prayer is we find serenity and peace through Him so we can answer the question, “How am I with God?”  Amen.

Disguised Opportunities

“But I want you to know, brethren, that

the things which happened to me have

actually turned out for the furtherance of

the gospel, so that it has become evident

to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest,

that my chains are in Christ; and most of

the brethren in the Lord, having become

confident by my chains, are much more

bold to speak the word without fear.”

     Philippians 1:12-14 (NKJV)

Paul had an eternal perspective on his imprisonment, realizing that it fulfilled prophecy for the work God intended him to do (Acts 9:15). What may have seemed a hardship from an earthly viewpoint actually furthered the Gospel rather than hindering it.  Paul could have been depressed and discouraged when his plans seemed to go awry but instead he realized God was still at work and his chains were part of His plan.  So Paul changed his focus from missionary journeys to prison ministry and rejoiced in what God was doing through him.

The Bible is replete with many other instances of God using difficult situations to become great opportunities, for the good of His people and for His glory.  The stories of Joseph and Esther come to mind as just a couple examples. And that’s how God works in our lives too. The challenge for us is to see afflictions and trials as disguised opportunities for spiritual growth, to trust God's purposes for us are being fulfilled through them.

I have a dental appointment this morning.  God helped me so much in the past to overcome my fear of going to the dentist, and yet now that I'm in Minnesota with a new dentist, I’m anxious all over again.  Yet, I remember God’s faithfulness in the past:  I’ve felt His sure presence during procedures, calming and strengthening me, helping me through it all.  And I’m trusting He will be with me this time too.  This is a great chance for God's faithfulness to be proven to me once again, so that I will know His sustaining grace and my faith will be strengthen as a result.

What difficult circumstances are you facing?  I encourage you to adopt an eternal perspective and see them as disguised opportunities for God to work in your life.  Press in to Him and remember His past faithfulness. Trust the Lord to use the situation for your good and His glory.

Thursday Devotional - Distraught after Victory

Back to Joshua…

The first battle in the promised land, the battle of Jericho, was miraculous and significant, as we saw several weeks ago (11/15/18). God moved first and then made it easy for the Israelites to do their part. It also gave them confidence in God to move forward against the other people in the land. However, the Israelites’ very next battle failed. Joshua was distraught and confused.

Joshua 7:7-12           ⁷ And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! ⁸ Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? ⁹ The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?”

¹⁰ The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? ¹¹ Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. ¹² That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

I can understand Joshua’s frustration, confusion, and distraught feelings. However, God had promised to defeat their enemies if they fully obeyed Him (Deuteronomy 28:7), but if they didn’t carefully follow His commands He would cause them to be defeated by their enemies (Deuteronomy 28:25). I don’t know why Joshua didn’t think about this, especially since God specifically reminded him of this on the 7^th day circling Jericho (Joshua 6:18  But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it.). Maybe Joshua never dreamed someone would take things belonging to God after such a miraculous victory God brought at Jericho!!!

When you and I are distraught and confused by God, let’s remember that He doesn’t ever change. He doesn’t make a mistake. We’re the ones that don’t see the big picture and are missing something.

Joshua was ready to give up. However, he did the right thing by going to God with his questions and frustrations and God had the answers! Let’s remember to be like Joshua.     

Alice

Simple And Complex

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.  All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.  1 Corinthians 13:11-12

A pastor challenged me the other day saying, “We all know that we sin because we are sinners.”  There is great truth to that, and I agree wholeheartedly with that statement.  However, it felt like for lack of better term ‘generic.’  The statement seemed hollow because it was too simplistic.  We are sinners, and thus, we sin.  But our issue with sin is much more complex than that.  I worried I was overcomplicating the situation, but that was not the case.  When we first came to know God, it was a very simple generic understanding of these simple truths: 1) There is a God, 2) we are not Him, and 3) He loves us unconditionally.  Today, I write 500 or so words on one facet of each of those truths He has taught me, and He connects with me through many different interactions.  The homeless man on the street, the woman holding her baby, a couple praying together, and even a phone call from my mom remind me that God is everywhere.  So, which is it?  Is our connection with God simple needing repetition, or is it complex in meaning and value as many of our relationships are?

Our relationship with God is both simplistic and beautifully complex.  The simplicity of it is as the pastor pointed out to me is God must be our provider.  We are like children; dependent on Him for everything and trusting that He knows what is right and just.  This concept is easy to grasp.  However, God is also beautifully complex.  I emphasize the word ‘beautifully’ because as we learn more of Him and grow in our faith, we build on our understanding of Him, and since God is good, what the relationship produces is the same.  It is what moves us to tears as we gain greater knowledge of His will, and it opens our eyes toward finding His purpose for us.  It is incredibly complex because while we are inextricably linked to Him and each other, no two pathways are the same.  That is His intention, and as one of my churches preaches, a mosaic of people cannot be obtained by everyone looking and thinking the same.  It is only through challenging and sharing that we gain greater understanding of His kingdom.  It is why we can look at verses like today and see both the child and adult in us.  The child harkens to Jesus’ teaching of one must be like a child to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (see Matthew 18:3, 19:14).  Yet we must be foundationally solid to better recognize the innerworkings of our spiritual growth that makes us stronger disciples for Christ (see Hebrews 5:12-14).

God is our everything.  He is the foundation of our faith and light at the end of the tunnel.  He can help us get through the most difficult of times and keep us on the righteous path when we don’t.  Paul’s point in today’s verse is not to say we have all the answers.  Instead, it is to challenge us to seek them.  It is to not settle for where we our in our relationship.  It is to continue to push, struggle, and fight for it is only then that true growth is achieved.  Don’t overcomplicate the journey.  Trust that Christ is there to guide you through it.  How can God’s simple truths reassure you today?  Where can you embrace the beauty of your complex relationship with God?  My prayer is that we grow spiritually by understanding our simple and complex relationship with God.  Amen.

Be Comforted

Matthew 5:4

Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.

This scripture is often used to comfort someone going through a loss.  Have you ever looked at the content of it though?  The beatitudes are really digging in to how we should live.  So, what is it that we are to mourn in order to be blessed?  We are to mourn our sins.  It is when we really repent of our sins and mourn what we have done, that is when we will be comforted. 

I often tell my son that saying sorry does not mean anything if you just turn around and do the same thing again right away.  The same is true when we sin and ask God for forgiveness.  Yes, he will forgive us over and over again, just as we would do with our child.  But it is not until we really realize what we are doing and start to mourn over that sin that we truly repent and receive the comfort that is talked about in this verse.

Today I want to encourage you to seek out if there is some sin in your life that you need to really mourn.

A New Thing

“Brethren, I do not count myself

to have apprehended; but one thing

I do, forgetting those things which

are behind and reaching forward to

those things which are ahead, I press

toward the goal for the prize of

the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

  Phil. 3:13-14 (NKJV)

“Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth.”

     Isaiah 43:18-19 (NKJV)

January is a great time for a fresh start.  Of course, the past doesn’t disappear with the calendar changing to a new year, but we would be wise to take Paul’s testimony to heart.  He said he’s “forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.”  We shouldn’t let our failures and mistakes from the past year hinder us from our Christian walk this year.  Learn from them, then move on.  Don’t let the enemy use our stumbles to keep us down and out of godly service.

I also think we’re to let go of any successes we’ve had in the past year.  Pride can keep us from depending on God in all that we do.  Self-sufficiency is not the Christian way.  Satan can get to us in this area as well—puffing up our egos so we boast and take credit where we shouldn’t.  Whatever we’ve done well is due to God’s help and grace, and He alone should get the glory.

Isaiah also counsels us not to “remember the former things nor consider the things of old” because God “will do a new thing.”  We can trust that He who has begun a good work in us will continue to work in us (Phil. 1:16).  That should give us confidence as we start this new year, regardless of what is behind us and no matter what lies ahead.  Take a few moments to reflect on God’s many blessings you experienced last year.  His faithfulness in the past will be with us this year too.  God is good and He never changes!

With God’s grace, we can start afresh this year.  Indeed, because His mercies are new each morning (Lam. 3:22-23), we can begin anew each day.

Thursday Devotional - What is Good?

Psalm 34:8-10     Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

I think we often misuse the word “good” and therefore misunderstand it when we read it in the Bible. Good isn’t based on our definition of good, but God’s definition.

When describing a person, only God is good (completely and totally perfect in moral character).  

Matthew 19:16-17a Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good.”

As Paul states:

Romans 7:18a “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.”

When describing things or situations, good is anything God deems beneficial. Good is anything that is pleasing and honoring to Him.

Genesis 1:31a “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”

Hebrews 10:1 “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves.”

For those in Christ, we truly lack no good thing (as Psalm 34:10 states) because we have all the eternal benefits provided by Jesus’ sacrifice. As you and I think about what is “good” and “bad” this coming year, let’s ask God to help us think about it from His perspective.

Alice

Vegas Rules

“Here I stand.  Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed.  Whose ox have I taken?  Whose donkey have I taken?  Whom have I cheated?  Whom have I oppressed?  From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes?  If I have done any of these, I will make it right.”

“You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied.  “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”  1 Samuel 12:4-5

Does anyone know what the term ‘Vegas Rules’ is?  If you remember not so long ago, there was a commercial that talked about getaways in Las Vegas.  The commercial would usually end by saying, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”  This stuck with me in my walk of faith particularly when having controversial and private conversations.  I know one should not hold secrets, but there are times where it is paramount that we do so for it is written, “A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.” (Proverbs 11:13)  Early in my career, a person at work had a problem, and they did not feel comfortable talking to anyone.  They asked if they could talk with me.  Not knowing this person very well, I was curious as to their motives.  So, I asked why they did not feel comfortable talking with their significant other?  They said two things that stuck with me.  First, they felt that I was a good man who would give them wise counsel.  And second, they knew they could trust me, and did not feel they could talk with anyone else.  The first one was easy to buy into because I was Christian, but the second one?  Now let’s not construe this as my doubting my own trustworthiness.  However, this was more about my reputation.  They had friends who did a lot of talking, and in their inner circle, my name came up as someone to be trusted.  It became a theme as this would be the first of many conversations I would have with people who I at times barely even knew.  Whenever someone felt unsure of opening up, I utter the two words are started with: Vegas Rules.  At that moment, they immediately began to talk.

As Christians, we have fundamental principles of not only love but also trustworthiness to uphold.  We cannot survive without God’s word.  Thus, what are we without our word?  Not worth very much.  The story of Samuel is a case and point.  He was a man so trusted, he was allowed not only to name the first King of Israel but also an additional one.  Why?  Because he always followed God’s will from the moment he was called by God to do so.  The impressive thing about this is that Samuel did not even know who God was when called upon, but yet, God trusted him.  And He was rewarded as Samuel followed God faithfully until his death.  He was often chosen by God to bear witness to His greatness, and because he was faithful to God and his word, the people of Israel entrusted him with all important decisions, including the naming of their kings.  We, too, must be vigilant in following the word of God not only in reading, but in living.  Someone told me long ago that the word of God is a living thing.  It lives within each of us, and as our lives embrace its teachings, we become living testimony of it.

Trustworthiness is paramount in our relationship with God.  Jesus spoke of this when discussing of readiness for the coming of the Lord saying, “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required (Luke 12:48b).”  Like Samuel, our words carry weight only by us following Jesus’ example.  That is what gives our word meaning.  Our desire to follow the example set by Him makes our words credible.  Let us make every effort to be the people God trusted us to be.  Can you be trusted with that which God cares for?  How can you use your position of trust to share God’s vision with others?  My prayer is we live out God’s will to where others confide trusting us like ‘Vegas rules.’  Amen.

Being tested

Imagine getting through a wonderful Christmas with your family, having a new little one due any day and then your world turns upside down completely.  Your young son starts having seizures and spikes a fever.  You get him into the ER and he passes away the next day.  Day after that, his big brother spikes a fever.  How can you go on?  Thank the Lord that son recovered quickly.  The next day, Mom, who is 9 months pregnant breaks her leg and has to have surgery.  Doctors are monitoring unborn baby to determine if they need to take him or wait for it to happen naturally. 

I cannot even begin to imagine what this would be like.  Job certainly comes to mind when I hear about the story above that happened the past 10 or so days to my friends cousin.  While Job was tested beyond anything I can even imagine, he stayed focused on God and trusted God.  In the end, God blessed him. 

Job 42:16-17

After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation.  And so Job died, an old man and full of years.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, it is my prayer that no matter what kind of adversity that you face, that you will seek God through it all.  That you will know that he is faithful and will carry you through the tests of time.

By the way, the baby was born this weekend and is doing well.  Mom will continue to be wheelchair bound for a couple of months.  Please be praying for this family.