You Surpass Them All

Scripture:
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also praises her:
"Many women have done noble deeds,
but you surpass them all!"
Proverbs 31:28-29

Observation: This entire chapter is about the good and noble wife. Over and over, wisdom tells us how great it is for a man to find a good woman, and to avoid the bad woman who is nothing but a temptress. Here now is what that woman does, and it can all be summarized in one word ... kind. The good woman takes care of more than her family, caring for strangers and other villagers and market workers all the same. She is doubly prepared to care for her home and family. In all of this, others view her husband as wise and he is recognized as a peer to the other wise men of the village, because he was indeed wise enough to marry a wife such as her.

Application: My mother in-law has the first part of verse 28 embroidered on a pillow. However, all of this actually applies to my wife, especially verse 29.

My wife is an amazing person. She is a person who set aside a very successful career in finance to become the best possible mom, then years later returned to work as a wonderful pastor. She is good at everything she tries, and to the extent she has flaws, those flaws are never a matter of her heart and her caring for others, especially her family.

Sure, many women are good and have "done noble deeds", but my wife truly surpasses them all. And every other element of proverbs is true because of this fact ... I am a blessed man. Yes, I can be foolish and flawed and arrogant and proud. Oh yes, I can be proud. However, I am richly blessed because of how wonderful my wife is, and I know it.

Prayer: Lord, in my darkest times, when I was such a fool I didn't even know what wisdom was, you provided me with your love and the richest blessing of my life. I thank you. I give praise to you as my Lord and God, but I praise her with this compliment, she surpasses them all. Again I say thank you, Lord. Amen.

Only in the Temporary Time

Scripture: I hereby issue a decree concerning what you are to do, so that the elders of the Jews can rebuild the house of God: The cost is to be paid in full to these men out of the royal revenues from the taxes of the region west of the Euphrates River, so that the work will not stop. Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of the heavens, or wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—let it be given to them every day without fail, so that they can offer sacrifices of pleasing aroma to the God of the heavens and pray for the life of the king and his sons. I also issue a decree concerning any man who interferes with this directive: Let a beam be torn from his house and raised up; he will be impaled on it, and his house will be made into a garbage dump because of this offense. Ezra 6:8-11

Observation: The gentiles around Jerusalem, upset that the Jews are rebuilding the temple, have asked the king to stop it. The king, discovering that his predecessor ordered the rebuilding, sends this response ... all of you who are complaining are actually required to pay the Jews for doing this work, provide them with all they need for both construction and worship, and if you fail you will receive a death sentence and your family's home will be destroyed.

What a reversal! While it was 70 years between the exile and the return, it must be understood that those complaining about the Jews are descendants of those who celebrated when Jerusalem fell. As punishment from the Lord, their nations weren't just exiled, but were defeated and scattered ... the Edomites and Ammonites and Moabites don't exist anymore, by prophetic declaration of the Lord. And now, here come the Jews, not just existing but rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple, and when they try to stop it instead the king declares they must FUND it upon pain of death.

Application: This is just one example of what happens to those who oppose God's plans. Sure, they may succeed for a while (building had stopped for a time), but not only will they not prevail, they will fail spectacularly. They will not only fail, but their contrary efforts they will be put down with a definitive finality.

These Jews were justifiably afraid of all the people around them. They could not fight for their right to build and had to stop, waiting for the situation to somehow be resolved in their favor. This is what happened, by God's own hand.

So when I see this happening with issues designed to attack God's people now, I need to remember that we are only in the temporary time ... the time when the plots and schemes of evil appear to be overpowering and cannot be overcome by earthly might or logic or fighting. This is the time to wait for the situation to be resolved by God's own hand.

I want to fight against all the issues, but I can't and so I must not. God's got this.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you today for this reminder, that you are in control even of the evil plots and plans occurring all around, and you will even use them for your glory and purposes. I am not patient in such matters, so I lean into your patience from the Holy Spirit. To you be all glory and honor and praise, forever and ever! Amen and amen.

Supernatural vs. Impossible

Scripture: But after three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them. At that moment a violent earthquake took place, a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming soon! Revelation 11:11-14

Observation: The first woe, which was the fifth trumpet blast, called out the legions of terrible hornet-locusts with scorpion stings to plague the earth for months. The second woe (sixth blast) released two hundred million mounted troops on fearful horses that carried plague, killing a third of the world. Then an interlude where we see the "two witnesses" testify for three and a half years ... or at least we thought it was an interlude! Instead, these years are part of the woe, which does not end until the witnesses are taken up into heaven.

So to summarize, the second woe involves:

-- Plagues that kill hundreds of millions of people

-- Two witnesses testifying, defying attacks, polluting water, and causing plagues

-- Those witnesses being killed by some enemy, prompting worldwide celebration

-- In view of the world, the witnesses being resurrected and taken up to heaven

-- An earthquake destroys much of Jerusalem, killing thousands

Only then does the woe pass. However, also, only then does those who oppose the Lord begin to "give glory to the God of heaven." They didn't do so when supernatural acts were occurring all over the world, but rather it required the impossible act of raising the two witnesses in full view of the world.

Application: I see the debate all the time on the internet when people wonder why God doesn't just "reveal" himself. I fully understand the answer as it relates to self-determination based on faith and love. However, one of the other issues is clearly the human ability to ... dismiss God's work and evidence.

The Lord has revealed himself in so many ways. He does so daily in small ways to almost every person, and has done so in extraordinary and supernatural ways to all mankind many times. And humans dismiss it. Now here in Revelation, we see humans dismiss wild and crazy events like global torture from a new breed of insect and the mass depopulation of the world as if they are just unfortunate issues, and not evidence of God's supernatural wrath. They have to see a literally impossible act - two bodies, dead for three days, and under constant live streaming on the internet, suddenly alive, made whole, spoken to by God, and levitated up into heaven - to begin to believe. Even then, they "give glory" to God but don't repent of their ways.

There are people who won't believe in Yahweh, the Lord God almighty, creator of heaven and earth. Amazingly, the Lord loves those people SO much, that he will both attempt to present himself and his greatness and his love to them over and over again, AND allow them to believe whatever they want about such evidence, even to the point of rejecting him.

Prayer: Lord, you are so great, so loving, so powerful. I see you in everything around me, and in everything you've done, and in everything you do every day. May others open their eyes, too. Amen.

Choosing How to Live

Scripture:
Four things on earth are small,
yet they are extremely wise:
...
A lizard can be caught in your hands,
yet it lives in kings’ palaces.
Proverbs 30:24,28

Observation: The writer of this proverb makes an interesting observation about four very simple creatures, and effectively that though they are small and weak, they make wise choices about how to live their lives. One of these is the lizard, an animal of so little strength and wisdom that any person can catch one without any special tools or weapons. However, they are often found in nice places, living in locations that would make humans jealous.

Application: I have seen geckos in Hawaii all the time, often hanging out by the pool at the resort ... a place we humans daydream of being.

This proverb makes me think about how I live, and especially what I do to live here. I live in relative safety and comfort, in a place that is completely provided by the Lord himself. Sure, I have a job, but what I do is meaningless in the scale of God's universe, and yet from it I receive resources for earthly living. This is the Lord's blessing.

I wish to live within the Lord's blessing like a lizard. I don't want to be dangerous, I don't care if I'm strong, and I don't want earthly wisdom. I do want to see that where I am is effectively the king's palace ... it is the Lord's kingdom and creation and provision. I want to live knowing he is my protection and shelter, and that the place where I am has a beauty and wonder that others may even desire for their own lives. In other words, I would like to choose a way of life that makes others consider me wise, while I know that I have no wisdom except for that which the Lord grants and guides me toward.

Prayer: Lord, you know very well I don't always live wisely. In fact, I do foolish things. Please forgive my terrible sins, and please forgive me when I turn away from your directions and instructions and commands and precepts. Again today I ask for you to lead me by the hand. May your Holy Spirit be near me and in me, so I may live in a manner more pleasing to you, while I meekly walk about within your great palace. Amen.

I Know this Prayer

Scripture: Another angel, with a golden incense burner, came and stood at the altar. He was given a large amount of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up in the presence of God from the angel’s hand. The angel took the incense burner, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. Revelation 8:3-5

Observation: In heaven, the prayers of the Lord's people rise before him like a fragrant offering. In this time, an angel takes those prayers, mixes them with burning incense, and ... initiates the destruction of all mankind. Hurling this mix of components initiates all kinds of disasters, followed by the terrible trumpet blasts (destruction of life, poisoning of water, damage to the sun and stars, with the last three being the great woes).

This absolutely begs the question, what were God's saints praying? What is being asked for that, when mixing it with fire from the alter of heaven, results in this reaction? Honestly, the answer seems clear. The Lord's people - who have been witness to the terrible actions of non-believers for years, and especially during the time of the seven seals - are praying for the end. They actually want it all to stop and be cleansed, society brought down to nothing, turned over to the will and judgment and mercy of the Lord, and nothing more.

Application: I know this prayer. I have said this prayer, though at other times I have also prayed for peace, patience, and more time delivering good news to the poor in spirit. But like I said, I know this prayer. I know the prayer that asks begs Jesus to come again, right now, and take us away. I know the prayer that calls to the Lord to make himself known with power and righteous might, smiting all evil and wiping out evildoers. I know the prayer that declares we are okay with the death of billions and the destruction of mankind's earthly 'stuff', so we can all just be with the Lord in heaven. I know the prayer that hopes the tribulation is real and we are taken away before the Lord lays waste to the evil of this world, but is actually okay with whatever the process is as we have hope in eternal joy. I know the prayer that, if ignited by holy fire and put into action, would put every disaster into motion.

There will come a time when the Lord's people - the saints who know Jesus as their Lord and savior - will speak this prayer with such vigor that the Lord will respond. That time is not yet, but it seems too close.

Prayer: Lord God almighty, creator of heaven and earth, today I am sad for your creation and what it will go through someday. May all of use who have placed our faith in you be in your hands at all times. I resign myself to your love and your protection; in fact, that is the perfect place to be. Thy will be done. Amen.

How we Weary the Lord

Scripture: You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you ask, “How have we wearied him?” When you say, “Everyone who does what is evil is good in the Lord’s sight, and he is delighted with them, or else where is the God of justice?” Malachi 2:17

Observation: Malachi begins with accusations against Israel from the Lord. He spends two chapters discussing how they have rejected him, which is manifested in how they have rejected every word and teaching and instruction he ever gave to them. As the last, special straw, he now declares that he is weary of them because not only do they reject what he has told them, but they declare that evil is good. They take that even a step further, stating that certainly the Lord is delighted in evil doers because of his own justice; since he hasn't openly punished (judged) such people, he must therefore accept their acts.

This - the very act of declaring that which the Lord has said is evil as being acceptable because the Lord loves people so much he offers an opportunity for repentance, forgiveness, and mercy - wearies the Lord. And the Lord's response will be to ... send "the Messenger of the covenant you delight in".

Once again, we see that one of the worst things humans do toward the Lord is reject his good teaching, and instead make our own decisions about good and evil. This is especially true when we use the Lord's own nature to justify the acceptance of evil. The Lord has grown so exasperated by this that he will send the Messiah to give final teaching and deliver a teaching that says ... forgiveness is available, all will be given a chance to repent, but judgment awaits those who do not. And that should be the end of this twisting of God's truth.

Right?

Application: Oh my!

I simply cannot read SO many passages in the Bible without thinking ... what in the world are these churches thinking? Now we see that Jesus ushered in the truth that should have overcome this concept that people who disobey the Lord are still "good in the Lord's sight" simply because the Lord doesn't smite them immediately. The Lord offers Jesus' death as a substitute for their judgment, if they will claim it by faith and declare him as their Lord and savior. That does NOT make their present actions good and acceptable.

Perhaps, therefore, it is a sign of faith to be wearied by these flawed actions and ridiculous conversations.

Prayer: Lord, may I do your work and your will today. I am far from perfect, so please forgive my sins, and help me to not judge others in their thoughts and actions, for I am very, very unqualified to judge. Instead, I seek your path today. Please take my hand and lead me. Amen.

Just Reporting the Facts

Scripture: The first living creature was like a lion; the second living creature was like an ox; the third living creature had a face like a man; and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. Revelation 4:7

Observation: In describing the Lord's throne room, John describes the "four living creatures" as having the appearance of four different created animals. It seems like there must be some significance to these, though it seems hidden from human logic. In fact, one of the creatures looks like a human, which actually complicates the thinking on this as they are not therefore just 'animals' as we would understand them.

Application: I was educated in understanding symbolism, well learned in various traditions for such metaphorical imagery. Yet I don't even have a beginning thought about what these four animals in combination may represent. By my thinking, that makes this image even more real. The author isn't trying to invent some hidden meaning, or creating a riddle to be solved about what is being told of. Instead, the author is just reporting what he saw. There were four living creatures that looked a certain way, and did certain things. There are numbers of beings, there are actions being done, there are animate creatures and inanimate objects that have certain appearances. These are just facts.

Someday I hope to see the four living creatures, and to just accept them as who and what they are, as part of the Lord's creation, just like me.

Prayer: Abba, your love is so wonderful, and your creativity in creation is so wonderful. May I never cease to marvel at your creation and beauty all around me. Amen.

Hurt People Hurt People

I was told this fact years ago and didn't understand it ... until a person greatly hurt me, and the Lord revealed to me that this person had been hurt so badly that they couldn't resist hurting others. In listening to this song today, after today's reading, I realize that even the uber-evil Haman was a man so hurt by SOMETHING in his life that, upon discovering that one meaningless man wasn't going out of his way to honor him, he constructed a plan to kill an entire people-group, paying $381 million(!) for the right to do so.

Here is the takeaway ... God's love will heal our hearts! Everyone fights a battle, and those of us with the love of God within us must accept the idea that "life bruises unequal". It is up to us to stop the cycle and forgive, even when it isn't asked for. Grace where grace is needed!!

Time to be Afraid

Scripture: I know your works—your love, faithfulness, service, and endurance. I know that your last works are greater than the first. But I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat meat sacrificed to idols. Revelation 2:19-20

Observation: This is the second church in a row where Jesus' pronouncements are effectively as follows ... your faith is good, however some of you commit sins related to both recognizing the Lord as the true God and thus disobeying the commandments (with sexual immorality the prime example). In this case, these people are doing so because they claim to have discovered some hidden wisdom - they actually call it the "secrets of satan" (v24) - which is a teaching they now publicly profess.

And Jesus also declares the outcome of such actions ... they will be struck with afflictions and illnesses, and their children will die. This is consistent with other such declarations in scripture; even in Psalm 140 as part of today's reading, declares that those who oppose the Lord and his believers will have hot coals poured out on them and thrown into the fiery abyss of hell, and while on earth they will be evicted from their land and homes and hunted by violence itself.

The Lord gives time for repentance from doing wrong (v21), but in the end he will bring punishment on those who disobey, both in eternity and also in this life.

Application: Once again, as I have lamented before, the description of those cursed by their repeated and persistent disobedience is so very like our current society. I mean, this exactly describes modern cultural thinking ... 'through our better compassion and understanding of people, we now must understand, accept, and embrace all kinds of sexual behavior'. Is that not a "secret of satan"? Are these messages not originated by people who declare themselves to have some great insight like a prophet would?

And once again today I say, I am afraid for what will befall - and is already befalling - our society. Jesus pronounced the outcomes, reenforcing the word of God given to us even earlier, and we are not heeding his word. I don't fear for myself, but for our world.

Prayer: Lord, in the long-term plan of salvation, I am strong in your promises and I am not afraid of the long-term future. However, I know our earthly society is heading into a time of major problems. Please keep myself, my family, and your Church, in your loving hands. Amen.

Compromise Where Satan Lives

Scripture: I know where you live—where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding on to my name and did not deny your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness who was put to death among you, where Satan lives. But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block in front of the Israelites: to eat meat sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. So repent! Otherwise, I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Revelation 2:13-16

Observation: The portion of this section directed to the church at Pergamum is very clear and direct. They live in a place overrun by the influences of Satan, yet to their credit they continue to declare their faith to Jesus. However, they have embraced compromise. The teaching of Balaam was one of compromise for the sake of practicality ... that the Israelites should eat food offered to idols because, after all, it is just cooked food, and the Israelites didn't participate in the sacrifice and worship. Meanwhile, the teaching of the Nicolaitans goes a step further, invoking the idea that there is no hard-and-fast morality for Christians since we are forgiven by faith for any and every act.

The end result of both of these teachings is that there are no truly forbidden acts for those who believe in the Lord and accept Jesus as Messiah. While there may be some level of morality necessary for a functional society, everything can be compromised so long as one holds onto their core faith. Jesus is clear to the church at Pergamum ... no, this is not correct. Repent! Otherwise, Jesus himself will fight against them with the "sword of my mouth", which is God's word.

Application: To the angel of the church in Rome ... to the angel of the church in Louisville ... to the angel of the church in Atlanta ... to each angel at every church in the denominations that have openly declared compromise with the word of God ... repent!

I do not want to see Jesus' Church requiring active correction from Jesus himself, and from the word of the Lord that they are ignoring. I want to see the Church as a light of both love and truth, able to declare both salvation by faith in Jesus, and joy by a relationship with the Lord.

Jesus knows where - and when - we live. He knows we live in the time of satan's authority over much of the world, and great influence through the culture he has corrupted. He knows we are holding onto his name, and not denying him as Messiah. But ... let's not hold to the teaching of Balaam and the Nicolaitans.

Prayer: Lord, Jesus, please correct your Church, and show us all how to repent. None of us want to fight you, for we do declare you as our Lord and savior, our Messiah and redeemer and protector. May we receive sound correction toward repentance in the areas we have compromised, and return to the full authority of your word. Amen.

A Matter of Compassion

Scripture: The Lord my God says this: "Shepherd the flock intended for slaughter. Those who buy them slaughter them but are not punished. Those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord because I have become rich!’ Even their own shepherds have no compassion for them." Zechariah 11:4-5

Observation: In relating the Lord's prophesies, Zechariah uses the metaphor of the shepherd. However, instead of this being about a 'good shepherd', it is instead about the reality of an 'earthly shepherd.' In such a context, the sheep are raised for slaughter. The shepherd ultimately sells the entire flock for prophet, and celebrates that profit as a blessing from God. Those who buy the sheep are then allowed to butcher them because that is just the way of it.

This is very different from the image of shepherds used by Jesus, and exemplified by people like David. Good shepherds raise the sheep, treating them as prized children. They will search for them when lost, and protect them from deadly danger. They lead them through valleys to the choicest field, calling them to follow, and the sheep know the voice of their loving shepherd and find confidence and comfort from him.

This metaphor isn't just a matter of timing, juxtaposing the care of the flock against its final destination. It is about the heart of the shepherd. As Zechariah says, this is a matter of compassion. One type of shepherd loves the sheep, and his goal is to keep them safe. The other type of shepherd loves payment, and his goal is to deliver them for a price. One shepherd has his heart with the present lives of the sheep, the other has his heart with the future death of the sheep.

Application: When we think about how to love others around us, one of the 'traps' is that we care about their salvation - or specifically their lack of eternal life - first and foremost. Yes, the curse of death that is upon non-believers is the most important element of their lives to address. However, telling them about eternal salvation with God doesn't seem valuable to a person who doesn't believe God exists. What they often need is someone to say ... you are loved, right here and now, the way you are, in your current circumstances.

Jesus did that a lot, dropping what he was doing to reach into the immediate issue of someone's life and simply show them they mattered, were seen, and are loved. That is the compassion our world of lost sheep needs. We need to spend all our time focused on how the flock is cared for now, and not about how we may be paid later.

Prayer: Lord, this is the mindset I wish to have in loving others, that I love them enough to simply be loving and kind and caring toward them as they are, this day. You do the saving anyway, not me. May I just be Jesus' hands and feet and heart with the current everyday world. Amen.

Nugget of Hidden Prophesy

Scripture: "The final glory of this house will be greater than the first," says the Lord of Armies. "I will provide peace in this place"—this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. Haggai 2:9

Observation: The exiles have returned to Jerusalem. At first, they failed to begin the rebuilding of the temple, and through Haggai the Lord told them this was wrong, they needed to rebuild the temple or else all their efforts to rebuild their own lives would fail. Now they have begun, and they are disheartened by the results. The new temple seems to be far inferior to the old one. Some elders have memories of Solomon's temple, and using the rubble and inferior local wood, the new one is a shadow of the old. However, the Lord provides this encouragement ... in fact, in this one passage, the Lord makes TWO bold statements:

1) This temple will be "greater" than the first.

2) The Lord will "provide peace" in this place.

Given the context of this entire passage - the fact it is prefaced by the idea that the Lord is going to "shake all the nations" and bring the people of the entire world to the second temple - these two statements could be better understood as follows:

1) This second temple will be grander in size and status, better known throughout the world and even throughout history, than the first.

2) Within this very temple, the peace of the Lord will be passed to the entire world, with such great power that it will reverberate across time.

Does the Lord actually fulfill this one, small passage? YES!

This second temple is built, then expanded, with such grandeur that it eventually becomes the best-known building in the entire Roman empire, considered an engineering marvel of the time. Even after being destroyed, the part of it that still remains is a pilgrim site for Jews, and known throughout the world by everyone as the 'western wall'. The second temple is very much bigger and better known that the first temple.

As for historic peace, it was the second temple that Jesus visited. It was here he spoke and taught. It was here he confronted hypocrisy and declared hope and peace and joy. It was here that, upon Jesus resurrection, the Church first met, adopting thousands of believers from nations all across the world, and from this location they were all sent to pronounce the gospel of Jesus ... which is a message of finding peace with the Lord and thus personal salvation through simple faith in Jesus as Messiah.

God told the remnant that this seemingly unworthy copy of the temple would effectively become so grand that it would be recognized as a great building throughout history, and it would become the epicenter of peace throughout the entire world ... and it did.

Application: Yes, I see these two sentences in Haggai as Messianic prophesy. The Lord declared that the hope of peace to all mankind would emanate from the humble efforts of broken exiles, and it did. There is no other situation in human history where such a positive movement ever existed, let alone originated from such a hopeless origin point. However, that's consistent with every act of the Lord throughout the bible, throughout the history of faith, and throughout each of our own lives.

I believe in the prophesies of the Lord, and am delighted to learn of them.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for your wisdom and knowledge, but most of all I thank you for your love and peace. May your Shalom be upon me, my family, my friends, your Church, and even all mankind, especially during this holiday season. I know peace begins with you. May it permeate the world. Amen.

An Object Lesson in Hope

Scripture:
I will bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name
for your constant love and truth.
You have exalted your name
and your promise above everything else.
Psalm 138:2

Observation: Psalm 138 is "of David" and scholars seem to agree it was written by David. In this verse, David calls out various elements of Yahweh that he is praising and giving thanks for, and these include the Lord's love, his truth, and his promise. However, David prefaces all this in with a very intriguing line. He says he will bow down "toward your holy temple" and of course ... in the time of David, no temple exists.

In other words, David has full confidence in all these aspects of God, and retains that confidence - to the point that he praises them in prayer and worship and public declaration - even if they aren't evident at that time. David knows there will be a temple, so he directs his praise as if there is a temple. David knows the Lord loves him, so he praises the Lord even when he is under attack. David knows the Lord himself has declared promises over Israel and over David's line, so he praises the Lord with the confidence that those promises will be fulfilled even after he himself is dead. He even continues on with how future kings and nations in all the earth will respond to the Lord, even though David doesn't even know what 'all the earth' looks like. He also declares God's love will last forever, without a real understanding of eternity. He just knows the Lord will do everything, and his outward act of this knowledge is to look toward the temple that doesn't yet exist.

We have a word for what David is doing, even though it doesn't appear anywhere in this entire psalm. That word is ... hope.

Application: What an amazing object lesson in hope from David. David has so much confidence - so much hope - that he can respond to a physical thing that doesn't even existing, and effectively instructing future generations to exhibit the actions he describes toward that thing, just knowing for certain that it will exist for those future generations.

I have great hope in the Lord, but I feel hopeless sometimes about our world. I am sure that is evident in looking at my devotions. I continue to appeal to the Lord for some revelation or revival in our society, but I also actively wonder if such a revival will happen, and lament how deeply our society has fallen into the evil trappings of the world.

I have confidence in what the Lord can do! I wish I had more hope in how the world will respond to the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, please forgive my shortcomings when it comes to hope. I hope our efforts tonight and every night at the lights bear the fruit you desire, and touch the lives you desire to touch. May the hope we do have in Jesus, in your love and in your free gift of redemption and salvation by faith in Jesus, manifest with power, and become physically apparent this Christmas season. Amen.

What We are Up Against

Scripture: But every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming; even now it is already in the world. ... They are from the world. Therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception. 1 John 4:3,5-6

Observation: John is very clear about this idea of the "spirit of the antichrist" ... it is a spirit, attitude, and message that is opposed to the truth of Jesus' love and salvation. However, here is the fact about this conflict between the truth and the lies. The truth originates from God, and in order to listen to the truth someone must know God and be prepared to hear it. The lies are from the source of all lies, the world, and in order to listen and believe the lies a person must be of the world.

Well ... everyone begins 'of the world' and so everyone begins predisposed to listen to the lies.

Application: I have had this said to me in a way that makes be believe it may be revealed knowledge ... there is a special place in hell reserved for those who originated and now aggressively champion the gender confusion concepts of our modern day. John has made it even more clear as to why they deserve such punishment, for they are imbued by the spirit of the antichrist, the very spirit within the world that has one purpose, which is to attack and oppose Jesus.

And here is what we are up against, we being the Church who possess the truth about Jesus: Those in the world won't - perhaps can't - listen to us, for they reject God himself.

I have continued to see this circular challenge in the bible, and desire to understand it, which is that belief in Jesus is the way to salvation with Yahweh, but belief in Yahweh is the first step to believing in Jesus. Perhaps the truth is that it isn't really a circle, but a progression. The basic is that one must believe in the Lord God creator of the universe ... they don't necessarily have to believe what he can do, or understand his mercy and justice, or have faith in his goodness in their lives, or accept that he loves them unconditionally, but they just need to believe he exists. In this, they can now believe that he sent his son as a way to teach and introduce all his ideals. When they believe in Jesus as Messiah, they now have eternal life and a path to learn all the rest about God's love and wisdom and plans.

Yet meanwhile, here we sit, in the world John told us about. It is a world where the lies of the world itself infect the people who don't believe in God, and thus they won't listen to the truth about Jesus. Instead of finding hope and joy in the truth, they live in festering despair and mental illness and depression and anxiety, while reconstructing every aspect of their identity to align to the lies.

I may find some level of personal gratification knowing that judgment awaits those who have perpetrated these lies. However, meanwhile here on earth, trying to be faithful to the great commission, this is what we are up against.

Prayer: Lord, we have way too many people dying on the inside because they believe in the world, and don't know you. Oh, how can we overcome?! It is only by your grace that the chains of this cursed antichrist spirit can be broken, and I ask you to do that. May the truth come that frees those enslaved by these terrible lies about identity and gender, and may it be heard. Amen.

Somehow I make Surrender Selfish

Scripture: Listen closely, my God, and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations and the city that bears your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before you based on our righteous acts, but based on your abundant compassion. Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for your own sake, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your name. Daniel 9:18-19

Observation: Daniel, now an old man, knows from the prophesies of Jeremiah - prophesies he would have heard first-hand when he was a young man in Jerusalem - that the exile is to last 70 years, so he begins praying for their redemption and return. He outlines and confesses everything that they and their ancestors did to warrant exile, all the sins they committed and all the warnings they ignored. And then he asks for the Lord's favor now. However, that ask is NOT based on the fact they have corrected themselves. Instead, it is based on the Lord himself.

The Lord is the one who can deliver justice. He is the one and only judge. He is responsible for all mercy. The Lord has made declarations about his judgment and the punishments, and so now, by his own name and to his own glory, is the time to restore Judah and allow the exiles to return to the land.

There is a new king. Darius is a Mede, not a Babylonian, which echos of the other prophetic words delivered by Jeremiah and Ezekiel about the lifecycle of the exile and even the punishment of the nations that attacked the Jews. However, the release of the Jews would still be extraordinary. Yet Daniel prays for it, and again not because the Jews have earned it by correcting their ways, but rather quite the opposite ... they were in fact completely deserving of the punishment they received, that Yahweh warned them of in advance ... so as part of the ongoing evidence of the greatness and wonder and love of the Lord, now is the time to restore Judah.

Application: As I struggle to keep my prayer life active, this is perhaps an instruction for me ... when I pray, I pray too often about me. I pray for what I want, and what I've done, and what I hope for. I pray for my correction, my direction, and my sanctification. I ask the Lord for things in my life, and in the life of my family. I may say 'thy will be done', but that is sometimes I'm allowing for the idea that the Lord won't do what I want. Somehow I make surrender selfish.

Daniel's model is the superior example. He declares all he and the Jews have done wrong, then simply says that whatever happens next should be because of the Lord, to his glory and honor. Does he want the Jews to be released? Yes, of course (though there is a sad irony that he himself will not return from exile despite being alive at the time the return was granted). However, Daniel sincerely does not want the exile to end as a 'reward' for the Jews, or as a response to their good work while in Babylon. Instead, he wants the exile to end because the Lord said it would, and doing so will be yet another miraculous proof of the Lord's authority over human rulers of all kinds.

Prayer: Lord, I do ask for your forgiveness today for all I do. I am wicked in my flesh, and I fail so often even just within my heart and mind. I am not worthy of your love, and yet I know you love me anyway out of your great nature. As we head into this season, may I serve you, not out of my worthiness, nor out of my goodness, but rather may I do so simply because you have a plan for this community, and you have allowed me to participate in it. May the next four weeks be all about your glory. Amen.