Importance of the Choosing

Scripture: Ulam’s sons were prominent warriors who were expert marksmen with their bows. These men had 150 sons and grandsons, and they were all from the tribe of Benjamin. 1 Chronicles 8:40

Observation: After eight chapters of prominent Jewish lineages, echoing all the way back to Adam, this section ends in this manner ... calling out that the great great great great great great great great grandsons of King Saul were prominent warriors. It is Saul who gets the position of honor as the final lineage discussed, taking a line from Benjamin to Saul, then continuing linearly to Ulam's sons.

David is the great king of Israel, the man after God's own heart. However, Saul was the first anointed King of Israel. Regardless of his failings, he was and is special to the history of God's people, and even the eighth generation of his offspring remain part of their protection from enemies. Even as he failed to obey the Lord, he had once been chosen by the Lord to serve, and that remains important.

Application: I have been chosen by the Lord to serve others. I don't always know how, and I certainly do know that I have failed at this. However, I am still chosen, and that is important. I have a role in God's kingdom and in his plan

Prayer: Lord, I say again today that I do not know the purpose of my life, but I do know that I am to walk with you and follow your direction. I strive to do so today and every day. May I learn better how to succeed at what you would have me do. Amen.

Come Over for Dinner

Scripture: When God’s children are in need, you be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night. Romans 12:13

Observation: Several times in scriptures, we see conversations about taking travelers and strangers into one's home. This is a command to care for travelers in Israel, but the activity in the bible predates that (for example, Lot takes in the two angels, and Abraham feeds them an the additional stranger first).

Times were different - hotels and restaurants were not a 'thing' - so there was a different dependency on hospitality. However, Paul is discussing this activity of feeding others as a way of meeting basic need. There is an instruction to help others with practical needs. When doing so, one is doing God's work, extending God's love, and empathizing with others.

Application: My wife and I love having meals with friends. However, we don't host people just out of the blue. We are much more reclusive on a day to day basis than I think we would like to admit. In this way, we are missing out on God's work ... the work of sharing our blessing, empathy, and kindness with others over a simple meal.

God always blesses the giver far beyond that which they are giving. It would be worth our time to invite others over from time to time, even some people we may not know well. Paul tells us to "invite guests home for dinner." It is certainly a worthy practice.

Prayer: Lord, guide is in the way of hospitality. We have learned to keep our distance and not trust others, and will need your help to branch out in new ways. Amen.

Careful Not to Get Broken Off

Scripture: Watch out! Remember that those branches, the Jews, were broken off because they didn’t believe God, and you are there only because you do. Do not be proud; be humble and grateful—and careful. Romans 11:20

Observation: Paul is providing the Roman gentile believers with an understanding of how God has provided salvation through Jesus, yet the "chosen people" - the Jews - are missing out on that salvation. While the metaphors he uses work, this summary hits the mark ... the Jews "didn't believe God" and thus have missed out on salvation. Gentile believers do believe God through faith in Jesus, and thus do receive salvation. However, there is a warning, which is to be careful of stumbling into unbelief, but instead be humble before the Lord.

The point of Jewish unbelief is important, as it is rooted in a belief in God's word. Historically, God gave the Jews his laws, the first of which was to have no other gods. This came with warnings from Moses, Joshua, and many other prophets. When the Jews ignored the law, and ignored the progressive warnings, they were exiled. This all tied back to a lack of belief in God ... belief in his authority, power, love, and the words of his prophets to those ends.

In the same way, the Lord pronounced his future Messiah, a savior foreshadowed in history and ritual, and explicitly described by the prophets. When Jesus came in fulfillment of everything that had been promised and said, the Jews rejected him. Some didn't believe the signs, some didn't believe such a savior was even promised, and all of this reflects a lack of belief in God's authority, power, love, and the words of his prophets.

So Paul is warning the faithful gentiles ... believe in the Lord, and in his authority, power, love and the words of his prophets! Do not be proud and thus think that you have understanding and control outside of the Lord. Be humble, knowing your salvation is a gif from God. Be grateful and give thanks to the Lord. And be careful not to lose your belief in the Lord - do not elevate other things and do not reject his words - as he retains judgment.

Application: I believe in the Lord with all my heart, and today I can reaffirm that.

I believe in the Lord's authority over all things on heaven and earth, that he is the Lord of all creation.

I believe in the Lord's power and might, and that he has the ability to manage, control, and effect all things for his purposes.

I believe in the Lord's love for me and for others, and that he provides salvation through faith in Jesus as the true manifestation of that love, as he desires all to be saved.

I believe in the Lord's word, manifested in the bible, and alive today through the Holy Spirit that continues to teach and instruct.

I believe.

Prayer: Lord, I believe. Please help my unbelief. When I am afraid, when I struggle with life, when I feel hopeless, when I look around at our society and just cannot find any possible way forward, please help my unbelief. Amen.

God's Plans are Unstoppable

Scripture: Judah had three sons by Bathshua, a girl from Canaan: Er, Onan, and Shelah. But the oldest son, Er, was so wicked that the Lord killed him. Then Er’s widow, Tamar, and her father-in-law, Judah, became the parents of twin sons, Perez and Zerah. So Judah had five sons. 1 Chronicles 2:3-4

Observation: This lineage echoes back to one of the strange events in Genesis. Er dies and widows Tamar, who is then married to Onan who dies, so she is then obligated to Shelah but Judah fears he will die too. So Tamar poses as a prostitute and lures in Judah in order to have children. From this, the line of Judah, through Perez, leads to King David and thus to Jesus.

This passage eliminates the full story, but provides a new detail ... Er was killed by God because he was "so wicked". While the Lord had a plan to advance his eternal purposes through the tribe of Judah, he killed Judah's first born due to his evil ways. Yet that death didn't even derail God's plan, as Tamar still had a child and propagated the lineage. Death and evil didn't slow or redirect - let alone stop - God at all!

Application: I trust that God has plans for my life, but I often wonder if I have missed them. I have done so little that would count as progressing ... anything. My life is often just a stagnant set of worldly activities, and I don't see how I'm contributing to God's kingdom. Sometimes I think that God probably had things he wanted me to do, but I have failed, so he's moved on to his Plan B.

However, nothing can stop God's plan. Er's wickedness couldn't. My failure can't. It's more likely that God hasn't even changed any plans, and my future activity will simply be what the Lord intended all along. Yes, I would like a better idea about my purpose, and specifically about God's purpose for the back half of my life. However, I can't really mess up God's purposes.

Prayer: Lord, I do seek your direction, but in the little matters of today, and in the larger sense of mission, purpose, and plan. I desire to align myself to you. I would rather be Tamar, the person who figured out how to get things done for your purposes, than Er, a man who needed to be removed due to his evil ways. May I walk hold your hand today and every day. Amen.

The Lord Rejects Earthly Leadership

Scripture: The things my people do are as depraved as what they did in Gibeah* long ago. The Lord does not forget. He will surely punish them ... All their wickedness began at Gilgal;* there I began to hate them. I will drive them from my land because of their idolatry. I will love them no more, for all their leaders are rebels. Hosea 9:9,15

Observation: The significance - and relationship between - the two referenced places (* added) is interesting. Gibeah is the site of the most horrific act in Judges, the rape and murder of the concubine that triggered the war between Benjamin and the other tribes. However, the connection between Gibeah and Gilgal is this: Saul was from Gibeah, and was publicly anointed king at Gilgal.

"All their wickedness began at Gilgal; there I began to hate them." This is the Lord's sentiment about earthly leadership. Saul was the king chosen to show the people that their perception of leadership - a tall, strong man of action - was flawed. Israel didn't learn the lesson. After David and Solomon, kings truly chosen by the Lord, they reverted to simply handing the monarchy to anyone strong enough to take it. They didn't ask God who should lead them, and therefore God did not act through their kings for their guidance and protection.

As God told Samuel, Israel asking for a king was a rejection of the Lord himself as their sovereign. However, at first they at least allowed the Lord to appoint the king. He showed them why that was important by first showing them that the kind of king they wanted would never work ... he never could defeat the Philistines, created a bad government, consumed resources for his own comfort, then went mad to protect his power. The Lord then showed them the kind of king that would work ... a leader who, despite still being a sinful human, put the Lord first in his heart and in all his decisions. The result was a nation of prosperity and total peace. Within one generation, Israel reverted to the former model.

God's charge against Israel surrounds their worship of other gods. However, he ties this fateful path to their choice of leadership. A nation that chooses to be led by God - and thus by leaders who are especially selected and anointed by God - may thrive. I nation that choose to be led by power-hungry, egotistical people full of pride and arrogance, whose motivation is to retain their positions of leadership ... is doomed to be led down a terrible path.

Application: Is there any possible doubt that the United States has chosen this path of doom?

Even the best "political leaders" in our country fit the very model of people who are clearly not selected by God, and whose primary motivation is their own re-election. Our nation - by the tone of our debates, the challenges of our populations, the ideals we promote and celebrate, and the direction of our laws - is receiving the logical outcomes of this fact. These outcomes are ... conflicts, riots, animosity, and rampant fear.

How can we find a way to rediscover 'anointed' leadership?

Prayer: Lord, please save our nation. Please help us find a way back to you. Amen.

Satan's Lie About the Law

Scripture: So as far as I was concerned, the good law which was supposed to show me the way of life resulted instead in my being given the death penalty. Sin fooled me by taking the good laws of God and using them to make me guilty of death. But still, you see, the law itself was wholly right and good. But how can that be? Didn’t the law cause my doom? How then can it be good? No, it was sin, devilish stuff that it is, that used what was good to bring about my condemnation. So you can see how cunning and deadly and damnable it is. For it uses God’s good laws for its own evil purposes. Romans 7:10-13

Observation: In considering the law, Paul differentiates between the law and sin. The law is good, as it is God's perfect instruction in how to live. Sin is anything that violates the law. No one can actually achieve a sinless, perfect life, and thus we all sin. However, there is a third element at work, and that is evil ... which influences us through our response to both the law and sin. Some respond to the law as if it is a death penalty, for they know they cannot comply. Some respond to sin with great guilt, frustration, and doom, seeing it as their destruction.

The original law addressed this. While some extreme sin carried with it a punishment of death, the vast majority did not. Certain acts were inevitable, and required a response from the individual ... a period of time, a washing, a sacrifice, a presentation to a priest, etc. There wasn't an idea that sin resulted in permanent damnation, but rather that violating the law resulted in acknowledging such and then taking the prescribed step to return to God's company.

In Jesus, this prescribed step is now simply faith. We should still pray for forgiveness as part of acknowledging our sin, but Jesus is the sacrifice - the ceremony - we rely upon for return us to God's company.

It is the evil enemy that makes us hate the law, and then to despise God for thinking that the law creates both an unattainable goal and condemnation both/either on earth or for eternity. It is this lie that turns people against that which is clearly intended to help all people live a wonderful life, and it is this lie that turns people against the Lord due to a perception of him being full of judgmental wrath.

Application: Hosea reminds me today that the truth about God goes even beyond this truth about sin and the law ... that the Lord desires my love, not my sacrifices; He wants a relationship with me, not compliance from me.

The law will guide me to living a great life. When I sin, I'm the one really hurt, because I'm missing out on something better. Yes, I need forgiveness of that sin, but no one should live in fear and guilt.

Harder still it must be for non-believers in our society who believe this warped lie about God's nature and "rules". They think their options are either to believe there is a God who judges their current lives and hates them for it, or to reject the idea that God exists. The liar of this world has told them this great lie about 'the law' and they have no life-giving way forward into God's truth ... this love, mercy, and free gift of salvation.

I don't want depression in my life anymore. One solution will be to live better into the great life God has designed for me. I hope I can help others realize the same.

Prayer: Lord, I pray it again today, please permanently remove depression from my life. I know it is real and it impacts me and my family. You know I cannot find the strength to seek help. We both know that all I really need is you and your healing love. May I live in your law now, without guilt of missteps, but instead with joy found in your grace through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Motivation of a Slave

Scripture: I speak this way, using the illustration of slaves and masters, because it is easy to understand: just as you used to be slaves to all kinds of sin, so now you must let yourselves be slaves to all that is right and holy. Romans 6:19

Observation: Paul uses the terms associated with slavery over and over, and while he continues to do so, he explains why he is using this metaphor. It is because it is very easy to understand. Everyone - in Rome, in Paul's time, and for all time, even now - understands the relationship between a slave and master, or a boss and employee. One tells the other what to do, and the other does it. A slave is motivated by the very relationship to do whatever is the wish or need or command of the master.

However, this is just a metaphor, even as Paul continues using these terms, he is clearly stating it is just a model that is universally understood. By saying believers were a slave to sin, Paul is not saying that sin is a literal thing or person who orders someone around, and punishes them for poor performance. Paul is saying that sin can control a person's heart to the point that their every action is motivated by pursuing that sin. So likewise, when Paul now says believers should be slaves to all that is right and holy - slaves to righteousness - he is simply saying believers should be motivated in their hearts to pursue the things that are right and holy.

Application: The Lord is my master. However, it is sad how some people are put off by God and the bible because they have heard passages like these in Romans and think they are saying the Lord is a tyrannical taskmaster who demands performance and punishes missteps.

I actually wish I were better at complying with the Lord's commands. I know he forgives my missteps, but I do wish I were better motivated in my heart to pursue only that which is right and holy. I am not motivated by punishment, but rather by my knowledge of the good love of the Lord I have already received.

Prayer: Lord, my master, may I find more and more motivation in my heart to follow your commands, and do what is right and holy. I strive to help others today, to simply know peace and joy. Amen.

Living in the Coming Day

Scripture: “In that coming day,” says the Lord, “she will call me ‘My Husband’ instead of My Master.' ... “At that time I will sow a crop of Israelites and raise them for myself! I will pity those who are ‘not pitied,’ and I will say to those who are ‘not my people,’ ‘Now you are my people’; and they will reply, ‘You are our God!’” Hosea 2:16,23

Observation: The Lord provides the prophesy through Hosea that he will give up on Israel due to their continued idol worship. He illustrates this through Hosea's marriage to a prostitute, who gives birth to children that are not his. The Lord declares he will remove his favor from Israel, but also that there will be a day when his favor is restored. Israel will again be faithful, and he will again claim them as his people. However, there are two differences to that future relationship.

The first is that the people will understand their relationship with God differently. Israel has previously thought of God as a master, a supreme entity to be obeyed and feared. The master gives laws, and they comply. They could not even bring themselves to say his name out of fear and respect. In the future state, the relationship will be familial. It will be more like a marriage. Yes, it will involve the honor a wife gives to her husband, but it will involve communication and love and conversation. They will know each other. This is a relationship of honor and trust, not obedience to orders.

The second is that there will be a a new kind of "Israelite". There will be a people who are not raised by themselves as a nation, but rather raised up by God himself. From people who are not God's people - not currently the chosen descendants of Abraham - God will call new people to him. He will say to them that they are now his people, and they will respond that he is their Lord. God himself will "sow" this crop ... it is not that they will become God's people because their ancestors taught them laws and rules, but rather that God himself will touch their lives and they will acknowledge his greatness.

Application: Jesus brought this "coming day" is so many ways. It is by Jesus that I am now part of God's people ... part of the new crop of Israelites! Jesus made a way for me to become someone that God himself could pity, and allow me to respond that his is my Lord and my God. Jesus also created a better way for everyone to understand the Lord, as a familial and loving God, rather than a God who judges within the confines of the law. The Lord is more like my father. He is more like the husband to me and his church, his wife. I honor and obey, but I do so in the glow of his love and care and provision.

Prayer: Abba, I thank you for bringing the promised coming day, and for calling me and my family and all of us your people. You are my Lord and my God. You are my father. You are my husband. I desire to obey you in response to your love. May I do so today in a manner that pleases you. Amen.

God's Will on My Terms

Scripture: "Please kill me, Lord; I’d rather be dead than alive when nothing that I told them happens." Then the Lord said, "Is it right to be angry about this?" Jonah 4:3-4

Observation: After Jonah has pronounced judgement on Nineveh and the people of the city repent, the Lord relents from punishment ... and Jonah is angry. He says this is why he didn't want to take on this mission, because he knew God, in his love and kindness, would forgive, and he wanted to see Nineveh punished and destroyed. So Jonah broods, declaring he would rather die than see his obedience result in the forgiveness of a huge city (cited as 120,000 people).

Jonah has a strange history as a prophet. He appears twice in the bible. In his own narrative, he refuses to do what the Lord tells him to, then gets angry with the Lord over the resulting success of bringing an enemy to belief in Yahweh. In 2 Kings, Jonah is said to have declared a restoration of the land of Israel, which did happen but was later undone as the nation was defeated by the Assyrians. And of course the largest Assyrian city was ... Nineveh.

In this, we see a pattern of Jonah's relationship with the Lord, Israel, and Assyria. Jonah lived at a time when the future of Israel was precarious due to their evil ways. Jonah had an interest in the survival of Israel, giving prophesy that the nation would actually thrive, and actively wishing that their enemies would be destroyed. However, Jonah may have had a challenge with aligning his wishes with the Lord's plans, as he ran away from the mission to deliver a message of warning to the Assyrians, then was outright angry when they turned to the Lord and were forgiven.

Application: Like Jonah, I often wish that God's will would align to my terms. I wish his vision of right, wrong, judgment, and blessing would coincide with my thoughts about who is right, who is wrong, who deserves judgment, and who deserves blessing.

While serving an evil king, Jonah desired the expansion - not destruction - of Israel. He meanwhile viewed other lands as evil and desired their failure as a nation above their repentance and salvation as God's created people. That is a normal human thought, to wish for the success of "your" people, tribe, and nation, above or even to the detriment of others. When it comes down to it, while I lament the current political, cultural, and moral state in the U.S., I greatly desire the success of 'my' country over all others.

Certainly, my desire for which tribes, people, communities, and nations deserve wrath, and which deserve mercy, do not align to God's perfect vision of mankind. Where I see evil, he sees hope and the potential for love. And just as likely, where I see the hope for revival, he sees the prime example of evil.

In the way that I seek to do God's work but within my priorities, and the way I see people groups, and the way I grow weary of outcomes not aligned to my personal expectations ... I am probably far more like the negative traits of Jonah than I wish I was.

Prayer: Lord, I clearly do not see, know, or understand your plan beyond this simple fact, that you desire all to repent and love you, and to find faith in Jesus Christ. May I better accept both the implicit and explicit ramifications of that plan. Amen.

The Once and Future Sin

Scripture: But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, evil men who push away the truth from them. For the truth about God is known to them instinctively; God has put this knowledge in their hearts. Since earliest times men have seen the earth and sky and all God made, and have known of his existence and great eternal power. So they will have no excuse when they stand before God at Judgment Day. Yes, they knew about him all right, but they wouldn’t admit it or worship him or even thank him for all his daily care. And after a while they began to think up silly ideas of what God was like and what he wanted them to do. The result was that their foolish minds became dark and confused. Claiming themselves to be wise without God, they became utter fools instead. Romans 1:18-22

Observation: Paul outlines his understanding of the issues pertaining to nature of the issues of the Roman way of life as this ... while all mankind knows that God exists, they choose to reject him, create their own ideas, and intentionally live a life aligned to their wishes instead.

Application: If Paul were writing to the "Church in Seattle" in 2021, he would clearly say ... the EXACT same thing.

I often consider the fact that ~71% of people claim they are not Christian, and yet every single one of them either knows something of God, or has an understanding of God's nature, and makes explicit decisions to reject this knowledge for various alternative truths they choose. Some believe they are rejecting God and God's nature based on scientific observations, or based on a perception of justice, or based on a preferred concept of love, or based on their own self-sufficiency. Paul goes on to tie this to sexual acts, and that is re-enforced in modern life ... where foolish minds create concepts like gender fluidity, that respect involves how we use pronouns, and all kinds of ideas that even the proponents describe as confusion.

But the core issue is this: People actually know of God. He has put knowledge in their hearts. All people long for meaning, purpose, and understanding of creation. They have as their first thought about it all, the truth ... that there exists a creator with great eternal power who desires love and good for all. And they instead push away that truth and come up with silly ideas about what God is really like, then work beyond that to find dark confusion about the world, and ultimately fall into foolishness.

Paul says that their judgment will be based on this fact ... they actually know deep down that God exists. If for no other reason, they know this because they have made - and usually re-make often - a decision to actively reject God.

The great sin - the sin of Israel and Judah, the sin of Rome, and the sin today - is rejecting God in favor of a different priority to worship. It always has been, and always will be.

Prayer: Lord, I was once someone who consciously rejected you, so I understand that thinking. If I can be used to help others rethink that decision, here I am. Amen.

Preparing for Departure

Scripture: There was no other king who so completely turned to the Lord and followed all the laws of Moses; and no king since the time of Josiah has approached his record of obedience. But the Lord still did not hold back his great anger against Judah, caused by the evils of King Manasseh. 2 Kings 23:25-26

Observation: Josiah has heard the prophets declare that God will destroy Judah due to their sins, then he discovered the book of the law, and he went on a major cleansing of Judah. Josiah addressed ... everything. He eliminated every abomination to false gods, he eliminated the hilltop alters, he destroyed personal shrines. He did this this throughout the temple, throughout Jerusalem, throughout Judah, and then even went and did it through Samaria even though the Israelites has already been utterly destroyed and were no longer even there. Josiah literally took care of everything throughout the entire promised land.

But ... it wasn't going to change the outcome. Josiah would die, and within three years Babylon would attack and the course was set for the total destruction of Judah and the exile of all Israelites.

Application: So I ask myself, if Judah's destruction by God was a done-deal, what was the point - from God's perspective - of Josiah even trying to correct the situation? I think the answer is this ... there would come a time of restoration in the future, and the land needed to be put in order for that future purpose.

This seems like a person who cleans their house before going on vacation. The goal isn't to have a clean house while gone, nor is the goal to do futile busy work before departing. Rather, the goal is so that, upon returning, the house is in proper order. Nothing is rotting in the fridge, or attracting pests on a counter, or in need of immediate attention. This is good for the person returning so they feel comfortable, but it is also good for the house so that it will not experience issues while not being lived in and cared for.

When the exiles return - 70 years after being taken captive, and ~8 years after the cleansing of Josiah - all they will want to do is restore the ONLY element of their faith that existed, which is the temple. They high alters, shrines, and idols to other gods won't be considered because they didn't exist. The Jews that go into exile have their hearts and memories now prepared so that, when restoration comes, they can engage the Lord properly. Meanwhile, the land will go into its Sabbath rest without places that are cursed by God due to the horrors of foreign idols, alters of child sacrifice, and remnants of selfish acts.

Josiah was a king like no other king of Israel or Jerusalem. His legacy was to prepare both the land and the people for the exile, likely knowing that it wouldn't change the fact they would be destroyed. He did so faithfully, and no other king every approached his obedience.

Prayer: Lord, I sometimes think that our nation may not be recoverable. While I know you can do all things, I also know you may choose not to bring a revival to the U.S. If this be the case, may we still act as Josiah, remaining completely obedient and faithful, so that perhaps sometime in the future there would be hope for a future generation. Amen.

God's Curse is Autonomy

Scripture: So I am letting them go their blind and stubborn way, living according to their own desires. Psalm 8:12

Observation: As the psalmist laments the downfall of Israel by giving the reasons God turned away from them, he also provides this insight into exactly how God turned away from Israel ... he simply allowed them to pursue their own ways. God didn't attack or kill or destroy Israel, but rather he let them as a people do whatever they wanted to do, knowing that such a path leads to violence and destruction.

This played out in the book of 2 Kings, as Israel tries many ways to establish their own strength. As a nation, they ally with Egypt and Syria, and rebel against Assyria. As the people of God, they worship many gods, maintain shrines to concepts like fertility, and observe practices that are not ordained by the Lord. And God just sits back and watches as Assyria captures the entire nation. Assyria doesn't just send Israel into exile, he re-settles the land with foreigners, then gives them a corrupt version of faith that is a similar blend of worshipping Yahweh plus all the other gods combined.

Application: This is how God "curses" people ... by simply allowing them to pursue their flawed agendas. People pursuing their own goals creates conflict, and it is earthly conflict that brings true sorrow.

Our world - and especially our nation right now - has nothing but conflict. Even "good" ideals are pursued through conflicts, be they word or action. Everyone tells everyone else what they should think, what they should do, how they should feel, and why they should change, and none of these messages have anything to do with ... what the Lord has told us to think, do, and feel.

I desire to pursue the Lord's ways, but part of that must also include setting aside my own desires. I must avoid my own blind and stubborn way. If I put God first, he will in fact guide me instead of allowing me to walk in that way. All I am to do is take his hand and walk with him.

Prayer: Lord, I do wish that everyone in our nation desired to pursue you first. I know this won't happen. Therefore, I will focus on my own heart. Please keep my heart soft, seeking your will daily, desiring a relationship with you, and worshipping only you in my life. I never want autonomy. May I walk with you, on your path, this day and every day. Amen.

The Definition of Rich

Scripture: Better poor and humble than proud and rich. God blesses those who obey him; happy the man who puts his trust in the Lord. Proverbs 16:19-20

Observation: Many of the proverbs address pride. Interestingly, many that cover this topic draw parallels with financial well-being ... humility is aligned to being poor, and pride is aligned with wealth. However, this is often this other element also included, which is that blessing is aligned to obedience (which itself is reflected in humility).

Thus, a man who is obedient to the Lord is humble, which produces blessing and happiness. A proud man will not receive these from the Lord, though he may make himself rich. Thus it is better to be poor, as in not pursue wealth but rather pursue the Lord's ways.

Application: In all these proverbs, it feels like "rich" or wealth has a different definition, that being of extreme wealth that involves much more than one would need for their comfort. I hope that is not just my wishful thinking, for I know that I am - by worldwide standards - very well-off.

In the past, I was proud of my work and my position, and God removed both from me. He reminded me that it is all just his blessing in my life, and I have never forgotten that, nor will I ever forget it. I would like to remove even more pride from my life. I sincerely desire to not put myself first in my daily activities. There are times I struggle with this. For example, I enjoy playing golf and sometimes prioritize that over things that may better serve my family. I would desire to find better balance through humility in this matter.

And yes, I desire God's blessing! I won't deny that I feel best when I experience his love and blessing. I am motivated to humble obedience by desire for blessed happiness. That doesn't seem wrong ... it seems ... relational.

I have more than enough. I don't need more, and I do not want to be richer, for that certainly bring pride into the picture. I hope I am humbly obedient to the Lord, and thus not only receive his blessing, but can use that blessing to overflow to others.

Prayer: Lord, may I do exactly this today, pay forward your blessing to others. I desire to hold what is yours with an open hand. Amen.

Ruling on the Resurrection

Scripture: It was something about their religion and about someone called Jesus who died, but Paul insists is alive! I was perplexed as to how to decide a case of this kind and asked him whether he would be willing to stand trial on these charges in Jerusalem. Acts 25:19-20

Observation: When Paul is put on trial, his first hearing is before the Roman governor Festus. This is how Festus himself summarizes the issue when speaking to the Jewish king Agrippa ... that it was actually about a disagreement about the resurrection of Jesus. Festus declares he was "perplexed as to how to decide a case of this kind."

The issue, it seems, is that somehow the case presented to Festus had nothing to do with civil unrest and conflicts that occurred. They didn't even have to do with the issues of Jewish law and accusations of risking Roman authority. Instead, it was all about whether or not Jesus is alive. Festus declares the case ... totally inconclusive.

If this is all there is to the case, Festus could easily see that there is no crime and thus no guilt for Paul. So instead his lack of a decision must rest on more complex information, and that information could be ... a 20 year investigation conducted by both Roman and Jewish authorities, which has documented both that Jesus died, and that Jesus was later alive. Festus therefore cannot decide the matter not because he doesn't know how to apply the law, but because he would then himself be making a declarative decision in a matter - the resurrection - that is considered an open matter of belief.

Application: Faith in Jesus Christ involves belief in his resurrection. God managed the situation so that the largest and most powerful empire in the history of the world ... never found evidence contradicting the resurrection, and never made a legal declaration opposing the possibility.

By failing to rule either in favor of or against Paul, Festus is ruling that the issue of the resurrection - ultimately the only issue presented to to him - remains open. It never was proven either way.

I choose to believe hundreds of eye witnesses, backed up by centuries of supporting circumstances, over a handful of Jewish priests acting out of fear. Even this situation - Festus unwilling to declare the matter either irrelevant OR impossible - reveals divine intent. God can work with such neutrality to reveal his truth.

Prayer: Lord, I believe. May I believe more and more in everything about you, every day. Amen.

How Great Thou Art

With the continued progress of Cameron Mendez becoming our future worship pastor, here is an AMAZING rendition of this classic, coordinated by Yeshua Ministries.

Seeing the World Differently

Scripture: “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For our army is bigger than theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” And the Lord opened the young man’s eyes so that he could see horses of fire and chariots of fire everywhere upon the mountain! 2 Kings 6:16-17

Observation: Over and over again, Elisha acts and behaves in ways that are out-of-step with the "reality" everyone else experiences. In chapters 4-6 alone, he ... eliminates poison by adding meal to a stew; feeds 100 men with one sack of corn; heals a Syrian general of leprosy by having him dip himself in the Jordan River; curses his own servant for accepting payment for his godly work; makes an axe head float in water by throwing a stick at it; greets and talks to an army whose entire mission is to kill him; and tells the king to serve a feast to said army instead of killing them.

Elisha sees the world differently, and here we see a glimpse of that. Elisha sees the spiritual realm of the Lord. By seeing the might of the Lord, and understanding the purpose of that might - to love and protect, not harm and destroy - he can choose to respond to situations differently. Instead of being afraid of ... poison, hunger, foolishness, poverty, loss, death, revenge ... Elisha embraces ... friendship, plenty, simplicity, provision, discovery, safety, forgiveness.

Seeing the Lord allows Elisha to enjoy a good and peaceful life, while those around him - experiencing the same things but seeing it through earthly eyes - repeatedly feel fear, anger, and greed.

Application: While it is very unlikely that I will ever see God's heavenly realm around me here on earth, would I behave differently if I truly believed and understood that it was there? Yes, of course I would ... most Christians would. I tend to see the worldly situations, without even trying to see how God might be positioned within the situations.

At Dothan, the Lord had a massive, fierce army positioned and ready to destroy, and thus Elisha knew he did not need to fear or fight. What does the Lord have around me? Angels with words of knowledge to guide my work? Filters to give others a positive impression of my actions? More than this, the fact the Lord is in my situations at all should give me cause to have a heart of ... friendship, plenty, simplicity, provision, discovery, safety, forgiveness.

Those would be good conditions to live within. Those sound like a life of peace and joy. If I would just see the world differently, knowing at all times that the Lord is in this place.

Prayer: Lord, Abba, my Lord God and my father in heaven, you are my portion and my provision. You are the God who sees me, and who sees to it. You are El Roi, and Yahweh Yireh. May I see you more, and live into this wonderful life you have created. I thank you for your daily provision, and for the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. I desire you more and more in my life, and I know that I can have that, for you are already right here with me. Amen.

Thinking about Good, Evil, and Neutral

Scripture: So the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom went to consult Elisha. “I want no part of you,” Elisha snarled at King Joram of Israel. “Go to the false prophets of your father and mother!” But King Joram replied, “No! For it is the Lord who has called us here to be destroyed by the king of Moab!” “I swear by the Lord God that I wouldn’t bother with you except for the presence of King Jehoshaphat of Judah,” Elisha replied. 2 Kings 3:12b-14

Observation: The kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom are heading to battle together, and as their supply lines run dry Jehoshaphat says they should seek a prophet for advice, and they go to Elisha. Elisha will help them, but he has words for Joram, who continues to lead Israel in the evil practices of idol worship. By having this exchange, Elisha is actually identifying three different kinds of relationships with the Lord:

-- Good faith that honors the Lord (Judah)

-- Evil that has actively rejected the Lord (Israel)

-- Neutral belief that engages in faith when it may be convenient (Edom)

As the descendants of Esau, we know that Edom believes in Yahweh, but are not his chosen people. Their faith exists, but is not of the standard of the "chosen people". In this effort to seek what to do, the king of Edom doesn't express an opinion, but goes along with the other kings. He is ready to listen and comply with advice, but is neither adamant about seeking the Lord's help, nor opposed. We know Jehoshaphat is actively seeking the Lord, and we know Joram - while he might desire any help in times of desperation - openly disobeys the Lord. The king of Edom ... can seem to take it or leave it. And Elisha doesn't acknowledge him, but also doesn't denigrate him.

Application: I am reminded again that there is a major difference between actively opposing the Lord, and simply not believing in the Lord. I can get fixated on the motions in our society that are clearly in opposition to the Lord - some of which actively declare opposition to Christianity - and forget that people who agree with such societal motions may do so out of simply neutral thoughts, not opposition.

Our message of hope can still be delivered very effectively to those who are simply following neutral to the idea of Jesus. Thus I need remain open in my heart to conversations with them, regardless of their position on various issues.

Prayer: Lord, may I serve you today by serving others. Where ever you have me, may I do your will. Amen.