Scripture: But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:10-11
Observation: In his formal benediction, Peter reminds his audience that satan is on the move in the world, attacking believers and causing suffering. However, after that suffering, the Lord will be with us all. The Lord does not prevent the suffering per se, but rather he steps in and gives us strength and comfort. The four words he uses in this translation are perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle.
-- Perfect: The Lord acknowledges our increased holiness by our faith.
-- Establish: The Lord provides us a new, firm place and purpose by the outcome in our life.
-- Strengthen: The Lord gives to us new skills, authority, and/or knowledge by what we endured.
-- Settle: The Lord comforts are hearts and minds by his love.
In other words, after the hardships and suffering inflicted on the faithful by Satan and his workings in this world, we are promised ... a changed life, improved understanding, renewed faith, and tangible love.
Application: I feel especially confident that what I just wrote as my understanding of this verse is good because I personally feel all of these things in my life today. I have thought many times that I am not delighted with where my life has gone in the past 18 months. However, I know two things. First, that satan worked hard to defeat me during the dark times. And second, that today I have been provided with a new direction in life, a better understanding of certain types of hardships that I can share with others, even more direct understanding of God's work in my life, and a feeling that God actually does care about me.
I did not get saved from the hardship. I got something better ... the promised outcomes.
Prayer: Abba, my Lord and my father, I thank you for seeing me in my hardships. Like many people, I still struggle with fears of this world, despite how often you tell us not to. However, I do now know how you can and will see me through all situations. May I be better in my thoughts and deeds every day, responding to your love. Amen.
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Monday, November 25, 2019
The Lord is Among Us
Scripture: All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE. Ezekiel 48:35
Observation: As the Lord provides a new vision to Ezekiel of the future land and lays out his instructions, he gives this name to the city at the center. It may also be considered the new Jerusalem, but it is named after a promise ... the promise that the Lord will always be there among the people.
With the arrival of Jesus, the Lord is now always 'there'. He is always among us, around us, with us. He has this new name - Yahweh Shammah - as a promise to be with us. Jesus himself reinforces this when he declares that he will be with us even to the end of the age. The Lord is here with us.
Application: The Lord has been with me. He sees me and comforts me and guides me and corrects me and councils me. The Lord is here with my family, in my house, at my work, at my church, in our neighborhood. His city is everywhere, the Lord is there as he promised.
Prayer: Lord, Yahweh Shammah, thank you for being here with me every day. My I seek you in my actions, knowing you are at hand and that your love is around me. Amen.
Observation: As the Lord provides a new vision to Ezekiel of the future land and lays out his instructions, he gives this name to the city at the center. It may also be considered the new Jerusalem, but it is named after a promise ... the promise that the Lord will always be there among the people.
With the arrival of Jesus, the Lord is now always 'there'. He is always among us, around us, with us. He has this new name - Yahweh Shammah - as a promise to be with us. Jesus himself reinforces this when he declares that he will be with us even to the end of the age. The Lord is here with us.
Application: The Lord has been with me. He sees me and comforts me and guides me and corrects me and councils me. The Lord is here with my family, in my house, at my work, at my church, in our neighborhood. His city is everywhere, the Lord is there as he promised.
Prayer: Lord, Yahweh Shammah, thank you for being here with me every day. My I seek you in my actions, knowing you are at hand and that your love is around me. Amen.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
A Future Beyond the Future
Scripture: You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. Hebrews 12:4
Observation: As the writer of Hebrews encourages believers to be strong in their faith and to persevere through hardship, he sets this standard as the height of hardship ... death. If, as a believer, you have not yet been persecuted to the point of bloodshed - being physically killed - then your hardships remain less than Christ himself suffered for us.
Application: My church is now associated with people who will - not might, but will - be persecuted to the point of death. They will tell others the good news of Jesus, and as a result be jailed, tortured, and executed. And they know it, even as they go through training as ministers, teachers, and preachers. They worship with full understanding of their future, because they also know their future beyond that future.
Meanwhile, here in the U.S., I continued to lament in thoughts about the trajectory of laws and civil norms of our society. Lies are accepted, then normalized, then celebrated ... Truth is ignored, then marginalized, then castigated. I declare I am sad and a bit fearful for our future, and yet I also know that we are nowhere near the point of it being as bad as it could be.
And that is the day I truly fear, not for my safety, but for the people of this part of the world. A people who already ... chase their dreams but without hope, run races without a way, strive and toil without purpose, live and grow old without true love. And all the while, they actively reject - and even mock - that hope, way, purpose, and love.
In the U.S., we have begun to resist to the point of personal hardship. We have not resisted to the point of bloodshed. May we all love others, though, so that we would if called to do so.
Prayer: Lord, may I help bring your kingdom to this place today. May I provide a small bit of love and hope, with a message of purpose, to those who would even reject and deride me for faith. For in your great name and your amazing love is my only hope and future. Amen.
Observation: As the writer of Hebrews encourages believers to be strong in their faith and to persevere through hardship, he sets this standard as the height of hardship ... death. If, as a believer, you have not yet been persecuted to the point of bloodshed - being physically killed - then your hardships remain less than Christ himself suffered for us.
Application: My church is now associated with people who will - not might, but will - be persecuted to the point of death. They will tell others the good news of Jesus, and as a result be jailed, tortured, and executed. And they know it, even as they go through training as ministers, teachers, and preachers. They worship with full understanding of their future, because they also know their future beyond that future.
Meanwhile, here in the U.S., I continued to lament in thoughts about the trajectory of laws and civil norms of our society. Lies are accepted, then normalized, then celebrated ... Truth is ignored, then marginalized, then castigated. I declare I am sad and a bit fearful for our future, and yet I also know that we are nowhere near the point of it being as bad as it could be.
And that is the day I truly fear, not for my safety, but for the people of this part of the world. A people who already ... chase their dreams but without hope, run races without a way, strive and toil without purpose, live and grow old without true love. And all the while, they actively reject - and even mock - that hope, way, purpose, and love.
In the U.S., we have begun to resist to the point of personal hardship. We have not resisted to the point of bloodshed. May we all love others, though, so that we would if called to do so.
Prayer: Lord, may I help bring your kingdom to this place today. May I provide a small bit of love and hope, with a message of purpose, to those who would even reject and deride me for faith. For in your great name and your amazing love is my only hope and future. Amen.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Faith is an Outcome
Scripture: By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:5-6
Observation: In discussing Enoch, the writer of Hebrews defines a path or progression of faith. He states that Enoch was taken by God in his faith, because he pleased God, and that before anyone can please God he must first believe in him. This belief is more than just a 'believe God exists' type of belief, but rather it breaks down into at least two parts. First, belief acknowledges that the Lord cares for those who seek him. Second, belief involves an understanding of what it means to seek the Lord.
"Seeking" is clearly an active effort to pursue God, and manifests in obedience. In fact, throughout this passage, the author clarifies belief as an act of responding to God's instructions. Abel provides the honorable gifts, Noah builds the ark, Abraham leaves his homeland, and Sarah agrees to the promise of a child.
Some would say ... we believe there is a good and just God, so we have faith in God, then see God in action, and thus respond to God with prayer, worship, honor, and obedience. The writer would say that ... we believe there is a good and just God, so we respond with prayer, worship, honor, and obedience, then we see God in action, and thus we are judged to have faith. Faith, then, is the outcome of a relationship with the Lord.
Application: It is in this passage that I understand more about how believers - sometimes myself included - can lack faith. Faith is a more advanced form of belief, that is interconnected with the actions of God in our lives. When we fully participate in that connect ... we know God does and will act ... then we have faith. When we are unsure if God will act, then we have belief alone.
I strive to have more faith. I want that faith to come from more and more of the Holy Spirit stirring within me. I believe in the Lord, and have full belief in his provision in my life. I respond to God with my prayers, gifts, and worship. I try to respond better with my actions and obedience. By his power, I will do even better at this. I desire only to be considered a person who has faith, not just belief.
Prayer: Lord, may your Spirit move me today and every day. Stir me strongly and ever stronger in obedience and love for others. Thy kingdom come, and thy will be done on earth, as far as I am able to do it by responding to your power. Amen.
Observation: In discussing Enoch, the writer of Hebrews defines a path or progression of faith. He states that Enoch was taken by God in his faith, because he pleased God, and that before anyone can please God he must first believe in him. This belief is more than just a 'believe God exists' type of belief, but rather it breaks down into at least two parts. First, belief acknowledges that the Lord cares for those who seek him. Second, belief involves an understanding of what it means to seek the Lord.
"Seeking" is clearly an active effort to pursue God, and manifests in obedience. In fact, throughout this passage, the author clarifies belief as an act of responding to God's instructions. Abel provides the honorable gifts, Noah builds the ark, Abraham leaves his homeland, and Sarah agrees to the promise of a child.
Some would say ... we believe there is a good and just God, so we have faith in God, then see God in action, and thus respond to God with prayer, worship, honor, and obedience. The writer would say that ... we believe there is a good and just God, so we respond with prayer, worship, honor, and obedience, then we see God in action, and thus we are judged to have faith. Faith, then, is the outcome of a relationship with the Lord.
Application: It is in this passage that I understand more about how believers - sometimes myself included - can lack faith. Faith is a more advanced form of belief, that is interconnected with the actions of God in our lives. When we fully participate in that connect ... we know God does and will act ... then we have faith. When we are unsure if God will act, then we have belief alone.
I strive to have more faith. I want that faith to come from more and more of the Holy Spirit stirring within me. I believe in the Lord, and have full belief in his provision in my life. I respond to God with my prayers, gifts, and worship. I try to respond better with my actions and obedience. By his power, I will do even better at this. I desire only to be considered a person who has faith, not just belief.
Prayer: Lord, may your Spirit move me today and every day. Stir me strongly and ever stronger in obedience and love for others. Thy kingdom come, and thy will be done on earth, as far as I am able to do it by responding to your power. Amen.
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
The Word of My Shepherd
Scripture:
I have gone astray like a lost sheep;
Seek Your servant,
For I do not forget Your commandments.
Psalm 119:176
Observation: This is how the longest psalm ends - with an appeal for the Lord to physically seek us out and save us as if we were a lost sheep, because despite our failures we do strive to remember the Lord's commands.
This last section - Tau - is full of this theme. The writer cries out the Lord, prays to him, praises him, speaks his word, works for him, longs for his mercy, delights in him, and lives for him. And in all of this, he does so as a means to deepen his understanding of the word of God. This, however, is more than loving the word, but also attributing his responsive actions to obedience to the word ... even when he has gone astray and fails.
Application: This is my favorite section, as it probably summarizes me. I love the Lord's word, and I strive to act in ways that are pleasing to God. Yet I also act in ways that violate and are contrary to the very word, and need God's mercy and forgiveness. I need God to bring me back to the fold when I go astray, and I pray fervently for that mercy.
Jesus used the same metaphor of a single lost sheep being sought out and brought back by the shepherd. It is typically a symbol of seeking out the non-believer and celebrating their redemption. However, it also applies to the saved soul who daily wanders and needs correction. In that case, it is the word of God that provides that correction, and it is our daily (or at least regular) reading that provides a measure of seeking for us to return.
Prayer: My Lord and my shepherd, I do go astray, sometimes on accident but sometimes knowingly. Thank you for your mercy and love that brings me back, and I do thank you for your word, precepts, laws, statutes, and commands. They are my guide and my wisdom, and I love your word. May they be in my heart and on my lips all the more often. Amen.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep;
Seek Your servant,
For I do not forget Your commandments.
Psalm 119:176
Observation: This is how the longest psalm ends - with an appeal for the Lord to physically seek us out and save us as if we were a lost sheep, because despite our failures we do strive to remember the Lord's commands.
This last section - Tau - is full of this theme. The writer cries out the Lord, prays to him, praises him, speaks his word, works for him, longs for his mercy, delights in him, and lives for him. And in all of this, he does so as a means to deepen his understanding of the word of God. This, however, is more than loving the word, but also attributing his responsive actions to obedience to the word ... even when he has gone astray and fails.
Application: This is my favorite section, as it probably summarizes me. I love the Lord's word, and I strive to act in ways that are pleasing to God. Yet I also act in ways that violate and are contrary to the very word, and need God's mercy and forgiveness. I need God to bring me back to the fold when I go astray, and I pray fervently for that mercy.
Jesus used the same metaphor of a single lost sheep being sought out and brought back by the shepherd. It is typically a symbol of seeking out the non-believer and celebrating their redemption. However, it also applies to the saved soul who daily wanders and needs correction. In that case, it is the word of God that provides that correction, and it is our daily (or at least regular) reading that provides a measure of seeking for us to return.
Prayer: My Lord and my shepherd, I do go astray, sometimes on accident but sometimes knowingly. Thank you for your mercy and love that brings me back, and I do thank you for your word, precepts, laws, statutes, and commands. They are my guide and my wisdom, and I love your word. May they be in my heart and on my lips all the more often. Amen.
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Foreshadowing the Future Wrath
Scripture: This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
"Disaster! Unheard-of disaster!
See, it comes!
The end has come!
The end has come!
It has roused itself against you.
See, it comes!"
Ezekiel 7:5-6
Observation: Through Ezekiel, who was one of the first exiles and now in Babylon, the Lord proclaims the final end of the Jerusalem and Judah and Israel. He pronounces their total destruction, and all the fear that will come from it. Keeping in mind that the story of Israel is a foreshadow of the Messianic age - things that happened to and in Israel were metaphors for what happened through and to Jesus, and to the Church afterwards - it is clear that there will come a similar disaster upon the world. The sins we all still hold onto instead of embracing Jesus will come back in judgment and the destruction of the people.
Application: The question is, is such a warning for the family of believers, or for all mankind? Certainly if the church were more faithful, mankind would be in better shape. But also certainly, Israel was condemned because of those who turned away from God, and there were some who were faithful but still endured the wrath.
I see a future day when God will bring his wrath upon the earth, and all who rejected God will realize their failure and attempt to throw away their worldly ways to repent, though it will be too late. I both weep and hope for that day. I love the Lord, and know his judgment will be right and just. I hope I do not suffer, and I know I will be redeemed in heaven. I am ready.
Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Monday, November 4, 2019
Establishing the Foundation
Scripture: Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. Hebrews 6:1-2
Observation: The write of Hebrews is striving to encourage his Jewish audience that they should ... already know more. He has already pointed out that they should have matured to the point of being teachers by now, not still those who need "milk" (aka basic teachings). In this, he provides here a list of those teachings that are basic and foundational, and which therefore he does not wish to cover further. They are ... repentance by faith and not works, the purpose of baptism, the practice of caring for others through prayer and laying on of hands, the truth about eternal life in Christ, and the similar truth about eternal judgment.
These are the basics; the lessons all believers - especially Jews - should understand and accept pretty willingly when it comes to Christian faith. They shouldn't even need to be discussed anymore, as they are so core to Christianity that one cannot be Christian without already understanding them. And in fact, reworded, these items constitute only three concepts that remain core to the Church:
1) Redemption by faith in Jesus alone
2) Salvation and eternal life through that same faith
3) Alignment to the great commission, to baptize others into the faith, and teach them to love one another
That's it.
Application: I know I need to continue to improve in loving others. This is the one area of my core understanding of Jesus where I struggle. Certainly, that has to do with my understanding of how others of treated me, and yet that is not something Jesus concerns himself with when he gives us the commands to love others. I am to love others not because they treat me well, but because God loves me first.
The love of others is so core, that it is simply part of 'the foundation' ... it isn't even worth discussing anymore because believers should just understand it already. My struggle with it, then, it what truly holds me back from deepening my relationship with God. It is the place where my foundation is a bit crumbly, and thus he cannot build more upon it.
Prayer: Lord, you have begun a work in my heart to correct and guide how I see others. Please continue that good work, softening my heart. I sincerely desire to love others more and more, for as I do I recognize it will also distance my mind from past hurt. I desire this, as I desire your love and your spirit in my life. Thank you for giving me opportunities to love others. May I grow more and more in this area, for your glory. Amen.
Observation: The write of Hebrews is striving to encourage his Jewish audience that they should ... already know more. He has already pointed out that they should have matured to the point of being teachers by now, not still those who need "milk" (aka basic teachings). In this, he provides here a list of those teachings that are basic and foundational, and which therefore he does not wish to cover further. They are ... repentance by faith and not works, the purpose of baptism, the practice of caring for others through prayer and laying on of hands, the truth about eternal life in Christ, and the similar truth about eternal judgment.
These are the basics; the lessons all believers - especially Jews - should understand and accept pretty willingly when it comes to Christian faith. They shouldn't even need to be discussed anymore, as they are so core to Christianity that one cannot be Christian without already understanding them. And in fact, reworded, these items constitute only three concepts that remain core to the Church:
1) Redemption by faith in Jesus alone
2) Salvation and eternal life through that same faith
3) Alignment to the great commission, to baptize others into the faith, and teach them to love one another
That's it.
Application: I know I need to continue to improve in loving others. This is the one area of my core understanding of Jesus where I struggle. Certainly, that has to do with my understanding of how others of treated me, and yet that is not something Jesus concerns himself with when he gives us the commands to love others. I am to love others not because they treat me well, but because God loves me first.
The love of others is so core, that it is simply part of 'the foundation' ... it isn't even worth discussing anymore because believers should just understand it already. My struggle with it, then, it what truly holds me back from deepening my relationship with God. It is the place where my foundation is a bit crumbly, and thus he cannot build more upon it.
Prayer: Lord, you have begun a work in my heart to correct and guide how I see others. Please continue that good work, softening my heart. I sincerely desire to love others more and more, for as I do I recognize it will also distance my mind from past hurt. I desire this, as I desire your love and your spirit in my life. Thank you for giving me opportunities to love others. May I grow more and more in this area, for your glory. Amen.