Shine On

“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,

shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;

they do not know what makes them stumble.”

     Proverbs 4:18-19 (NIV)

I’m an early bird and enjoy watching the sun rise. Of course, dawn doesn’t break and immediately we have full sunlight; instead, there’s the “first gleam of dawn” and then the sky gradually lightens.  Similarly, God’s word is a light to our path (Psalm 119:105), step by step, not a floodlight showing the full road ahead.  I sometimes wish more light would shine in certain areas of my life where I’ve been praying for wisdom and discernment because I get impatient. But even when the path seems dim, believers are assured that God’s true light will guide us if we wait and trust in Him.

By contrast, those in the world are in darkness and because they are without the Light, they stumble and don’t even know why.  I see so much darkness in the people around me (my family, friends, neighbors) and they don’t seem to realize they’re lost; and what’s worse, they don’t want the light (John 3:20).  This can be the case even for those who claim to be Christians.  I’ve recently been quite shocked to hear things from several people I know that don’t line up with God’s word; their words and actions seem to indicate they aren’t truly following Christ. . .and yet, they don’t want to hear the truth, they don’t heed it.

At times like this, I can start to feel overwhelmed, even hopeless; what can I say or do?  I try and shine my little candle, but how can that bit of light make a difference?  Then I’m reminded of something a pastor I know pointed out:  Not all the street lights are clustered on one corner; instead, they are spread out in all the dark places around the city; that’s how they make an impact.  Even a small candle seems bright in a dark place; in fact, the darker the room, the brighter it seems.  So I pray for strength to continue interceding for people and for boldness to keep “shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”  On that day, we won’t need the sun because we will be in the presence of the Son forever. Amen!

Thursday Devotional - The Entire Bible

Have you ever read the entire Bible? Maybe you have, but it’s been a while since you read through the entire Bible. I’ve been part of in-depth Bible studies for years, but it’s been a while since I’ve read certain parts of the Bible. Recently, as I was studying II Samuel, I felt God challenge me to re-read the Bible start to finish in a short amount of time. God re-iterated that challenge through re-reading Joshua and reading some articles on the Biblical illiteracy of professing Christians.

As we saw the last few weeks with Joshua and the Israelites, knowing and remembering God’s commands is vital. With the defeat at Ai (after Jericho) and Achan’s disobedience, Joshua stops to re-read and re-write God’s commands to Moses.

Joshua 8:30-32, 34-35      ³⁰ Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, ³¹ as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses—an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the Lord burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings. ³² There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses…  ³⁴ Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law. ³⁵ There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.

If you haven’t ever read the entire Bible, I challenge you to consider listening to it to and from work. It will only take about half a year if you average a 20-minute commute. Or, there are great One Year Bibles (mine has an O.T./N.T./Psalm/Proverb each day).

We can’t truly love, honor and obey God without knowing Him and His Word!

Alice

Removing The Veil

Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ.  Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  2 Corinthians 3:12-16

What is it you are afraid of?  You might be worried about offending someone or hurting their feelings.  You might lose a relationship or show that you are flawed like everyone else.  But there was one fear of mine that I am going to share with you today.  It’s the one that superseded all other ones.  It was the one that haunted me because no matter what I did or how I tried to avoid it, it always found me in some fashion or another.  My greatest fear was what did everyone think about me.  You see, the only time I truly saw ‘me’ was when I looked in the mirror.  Other than that, I was just a man who fought every single negative stereotype that’s ever been said about people that look like me.  My view was if I ever wanted to get ahead in life, I had to do everything I could to be the very opposite of the worse things people could see when they saw me.  I talked better.  I worked harder.  I took inappropriate jokes easier.  I ignored things because any hint that might seem different would force me into that stereotypical box people had.  And the fact is I did such a great job of it that I lost the real me.

Over the last couple of years, something changed.  God forced me to be different.  He challenged me to be something I had never been comfortable with; me.  It forced me to acknowledge some very tough truths.  One was to love the person I had become.  This was easy because I had a beautiful God-fearing wife who told me as much.  Even when I could not believe who I was, she believed in me.  Next, was to embrace who I am.  I’m not perfect.  I am a sinner.  But I am God’s child, and I am so blessed to have a savior like Christ.  The toughest one of all was simply tell the world who I am.  That is the hard one.  Why?   Because that’s the one that says I’m not like everyone else, and there are things I now say that will ruffle others feathers.  I’m black, and I’m proud.  I am not some militant angry person.  I am Christian, and with all those things together, there are some things that I just simply won’t tolerate anymore.  For example, I will no longer accept someone telling me that I need to respect a leader who under any other circumstance I would not respect at all (easy to figure who that might be).  I will listen to you, and empathize.  I will always show both compassion and care for others, and I will always love as Jesus loves us.  But I am God’s child, and I no longer have to apologize for who I am.

The verses today remind us that we are free to be who God intended us.  Paul’s comparison of the old and new covenant is very telling.  In the old covenant, the Israelites were forced into this feeling that they were to serve God, and this was best done by following His rules or order.  When we think of it, the problem was easy to see.  They were slaves to the law but not God.  This of course was not God’s intent.  Thus, the new covenant through Christ liberated them to serve God in an entirely different way.  It was to love God first and foremost, and through love they would both see and understand those things which God coveted most; our heart, mind, and soul.  They thus had confidence to try to go farther than before for even as they would fail, they would simply get up and strive to be better servants.  This is what changes everything for us.

God did not make us to be meek.  Jesus Himself is humble, compassionate, and loving.  But He is not soft!  He has no problem calling out issues, and was willing to call out the Pharisees even as they would crucify Him.  He chose Saul, a persecutor of Christians, on the road to Damascus to make him a leader of the new covenant.  Do not be afraid of who you are!  God made you exactly as you are to do His will.  It does not mean we won’t have to grow and change.  What it will mean is that we will be stronger and better than we could possibly imagine if we trust Him.  What do you need to remove from your life today to better see Christ?  My prayer is that we are bold as the verses say and remove the veil.  Amen.

Lift one another up in Prayer

Don’t put your Pastor on a pedestal where he can be knocked off.

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Put your Pastor on a Prayer List where he can be lifted up.

This weekend I found out some very disturbing news about a former Pastor of mine.  It got me thinking about the above saying.  Those who teach the Bible, in any form, certainly should not be put on a pedestal, rather lifted up in Prayer.  Yet at the same time, James tells us that those who do accept the calling to teach, will be judged more strictly. 

James 3:1-2

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.  We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

Why is this?  Well, because they need to practice what they preach, and not just say words if they are not going to live them also. 

Yet each person that steps up to teach is also a sinner so brothers and sisters, we need to be lifting them up in prayer, that they would be able to maintain the purity that they have been called to.  We also need to be lifting one another up in prayer as we each having a calling to be a teacher at some sort of level. 

Today I want to encourage you, if you need some sort of prayer request, please don’t hesitate to reach out to any of the devotion writers.  Today I pray for each of you.  Whether I know you by name or not, I am praying that God would lift you up today.

Cold Blessing

“He sends out His command to the earth;

His word runs very swiftly;

He gives snow like wool;

He scatters the frost like ashes;

He casts out His hail like morsels;

Who can stand before His cold?”

     Psalm 147:15-17 (NKJV)

Here in the Midwest and other parts of the country, we have been greatly impacted this week by the dangerously cold weather. Yet the Apostle Paul exhorts us to  “rejoice in the Lord always.” (Phil. 4:4 NKJV)  Can we rejoice even in a polar vortex?  Yes indeed! 

Sovereignty:  As the Psalmist points out, the snow and cold and frost come from God, so we can have assurance that even in these weather conditions, God is sovereign, He is in control—and that is a blessing!

Salvation:  With some extra free time on my hand this week, I listened to some of the music from decades ago that I used to enjoy.  That flash from the past brought some good memories, but it also reminded me that back then, I was lost in the world and my sin, and I didn’t even realize it.  It brought such gratitude to my heart once again that God saved me and I praised Him for his amazing grace!  And in checking on one of the musical groups, I discovered that the lead singer is now a professing Christian—another blessing!

Provision: Yes, I’ve experience a bit of cabin-fever being inside all week. And yes, it was disappointing to have Wednesday evening church cancelled. But this enforced confinement has made me realize how much I depend on God and how gracious He is to provide so well.  I have a warm apartment, sufficient food so I didn’t need to venture out, and the much-appreciated ability to work from home.  Most of all, I’ve enjoyed His peace and presence with me.  Every good gift is from God (James 1:17) and I’ve been blessed with so much from His gracious hand!

Goodness:  In the midst of this extreme cold, the blare from the political divisiveness and cultural divide seems to have diminished just a bit for the time being.  It’s been so encouraging to read about communities and organizations coming together to help those needing shelter and other necessities, noting the bravery of first responders, bus drivers and others who needed to be out in the elements, and knowing that families have gotten some extra time to spend together.  These good things have brought a smile to my heart. 

So as this week and the polar vortex comes to an end, I rejoice in the Lord for He is good, all the time! If we know we're in the will of God for our lives, if we know Jesus and have His presence with us, we can be content in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.  I pray that is an encouragement to you today.

Thursday Devotional - If He'd Only Waited

Have you ever told a child (or yourself) “If you’d only waited…”?

I know I have many times!

God specifically told Joshua and the Israelites not to take any plunder from Jericho when He delivered it into their hands. As we saw last week, Achan disobeyed and took things anyway. He brought destruction on himself, his whole family and other Israelites. If he had only waited, God told Joshua they could take plunder from the next battle!!

Joshua 8:1-3, 27-28            Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. ² You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”

³ So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night… 

²⁷ But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the Lord had instructed Joshua. ²⁸ So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolate place to this day. 

Where do you and I need to be obedient and wait? Maybe there is something we really want and haven’t gotten yet. I can’t say for sure we will get what we want by waiting, but I can say for sure that if we disobediently go after something it won’t end well. Going ahead of God’s plans and His timing never works. It may bring temporary happiness (a few days for Achan) but not lasting joy.

Let’s remember Achan the next time you and I want to make something happen or have something now. God knows best. We can ask for His help to wait. We can seek His plans and timing.

Alice

Blessed Assurance

“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.  And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”  Jeremiah 1:6-8

What does it mean to have confidence?  As I mentioned previously, I can tend to worry about things and lose focus on what matters.  The other day, I had a challenge where for one reason or another, I could not seem to get a project done.  There were many distractions that prevented me from working on it, and before I knew it, I was hitting against a deadline.  In this case, there was this feel of calm that came over me as I began to work on the task at hand.  Deep down, I knew I would be able to get the job done because of the confidence in my abilities told me that as long as there was time the job would be done well.  And that is precisely what happened.

The word ‘confidence’ came to mind as I thought of how God is always there for me.  There were times where He seemed distant from me and others where I focused on things other than Him.  However, as I re-center myself and focused on Him things begin to align, and I felt comforted and assured.  One of my favorite hymnals from my early church is called ‘Blessed Assurance,’ which starts:

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine
O what a foretaste of glory divine

Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

We should have full confidence in God’s presence and His word.  In reading the beginning of Jeremiah, Jeremiah was called to serve by God.  Jeremiah spoke to God like many of us when a situation or circumstance overwhelms us.  We look at our obvious deficiencies or flaws.  In this case, Jeremiah’s self-describe flaw was his young age, which estimated by scholars was in his early or mid-teens.  Instead of focusing on his age, God simply reassured him (don’t say ‘I’m too young,’ don’t be afraid), and instilled in him confidence (I will be with you and will protect you) needed for His will to be done.  We all can fall into the trap of looking at our deficiencies in face of what God may ask of us.  We have many reasons such as lack of time, something we’ve never done, or that’s not our responsibility.  We must remember all God has done for us, and as listed in the verses today when God says, “(Y)ou must go whenever I send you,” it kinda leaves out the ambiguity, doesn’t it?  We should go forward with confidence that whatever we are lacking in, God will provide for us.

God is always there for us.  He intercedes in ways where we will never know, and He provides for us when we do not see a way for us to do so.  This is how Moses was able to free the Israelites from Egypt after once asking God, “Who am I?” (Exodus 3:11)  It was how Peter walked on water when Jesus said ‘come.’ (Matthew 14:29) They, like Jeremiah, lacked the confidence to fulfill something, and God gave them all they needed to do the impossible.  Let’s us take from God’s word to have full confidence that He will always be there for us when we need Him.  Where in your walk of faith are you lacking confidence in Christ?  How can trust God more to fill in for what you see as a deficiency?  My prayer is that whatever troubles you today, you can have ‘Blessed Assurance’ that God will get you what you need.  Amen.

Be prepared for the storm

If you are anywhere near Michigan, you are likely being hit with a snowstorm today.  Pretty much all schools in Michigan closed last night.  Still as of this morning we hardly have any snow but we know it’s about to come and it would have made getting the kids home from school hard. 

When we have a heads up to a storm coming, we can prepare for it so much easier.  Our support team was able to tell reps that could work from home to do so.  Parents are better able to plan child care of the children with snow days.  People were able to make sure they had the groceries they needed.

John 16:33

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

We have been given a heads up that in this world we will have trouble.  So why are we not prepared when it comes?  We have been told that in this world we will have troubles.  As Christians, we know this is true.  Therefore, we need to be preparing ourselves for those times.  How do you do this?  You start with being in constant communication with God.  As we learn to draw close to him, we will be equip to handle the storms of life.

Are you prepared for the storm?

Yes and Amen!

“For all the promises of God

in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen,

to the glory of God through us.”

    2 Corinth. 1:20 (NKJV)

The Bible is filled with God’s promises and they are all true.  What a comfort that is to believers in Christ!  God and His word are not shifting sand, but a firm foundation for us to rest upon, an anchor for our lives.  At the church where I attend, our pastor is finishing up a Wednesday evening study in our identity in Christ.  We’ve studied promises of God that identify true believers in Christ.  Although there are more than are listed below, I thought it would be helpful to share these truths and the Scriptural basis for them:

               --Child of God (Romans 8:14-15);

               --Joint heir with Christ (Romans 8:17);

               --Unconditionally loved (Romans 8:35-39);

               --Unconditionally accepted (Eph. 1:6);

               --Forgiven (Col. 2:13);

               --God’s temple (dwelling place) (1 Corinth. 3:16);

               --New creature/creation (2 Corinth. 5:17);

               --Free from sin’s dominion (Romans 6:6-7, 11-18);

               --Servant of righteousness (Romans 6:18-19);

               --God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10);

               --Christ’s friend (John 15:15);

               --Enemy of the devil (1 Peter 5:8);

               --Stranger/pilgrim in this world (1 Peter 2:11);

               --Will be like Christ one day (1 John 3:2);

               --Citizen in heaven (Eph. 2:19; Phil. 3:20);

               --Salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13);

               --Light of the world (Matt. 5:14-16);

               --Part of the true Vine (John 15:1-2);

               --Servant of God (Romans 6:22);

               --Have the mind of Christ (1 Corinth. 2:16);

               --Bought with a price (1 Corinth. 6:19-20);

               --Established, sealed and anointed in Christ (2 Corinth. 1:21-22);

               --Been made righteous (2 Corinth. 5:21);

               --Minister of reconciliation (2 Corinth. 5:18-19);

               --Ambassador for Christ (2 Corinth. 5:20);

               --Member of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9-10);

               --Seated with Christ (Eph. 2:6);

               --A saint (Romans 1:7);

               --Possession of Christ (1 Corinth. 6:19-20)

               --Expression of His life (Col. 3:4);

               --Blessed (Eph. 1:3);

               --Have access to Him (Hebrews 4:16);

               --Have a divine purpose (2 Corinth. 5:14-15);

               --Have the spirit of power, love and a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7);

               --Have God’s promises (2 Peter 1:4);       

               --Complete in Him (Col. 2:10).

If you trust in Christ as Savior, if He is Lord of your life, then this is your identity.  For God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3). What glorious promises of God that we can know and take to heart! And all these promises in Christ are Yes and Amen! Meditate on them and let them bring you strength, assurance and joy.

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