Weekly Devotion 5.22.2011

God has a Plan

Deu 2:2-7 NLT - [2] "Then at last the LORD said to me, [3] 'You have been wandering around in this hill country long enough; turn to the north. [4] Give these orders to the people: "You will pass through the country belonging to your relatives the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. The Edomites will feel threatened, so be careful. [5] Do not bother them, for I have given them all the hill country around Mount Seir as their property, and I will not give you even one square foot of their land. [6] If you need food to eat or water to drink, pay them for it. [7] For the LORD your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the LORD your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing."'

If one were to spend forty years wandering in a desert, he would be ill inclined to believe  the one guiding him had any sort of reasonable plan.  What faith it would take to trust God during all those years!  And yet that is exactly what God asks Moses and Joshua to  do.  Alas, God tells them that they "have been wandering around in this hill country long enough; turn to the north."  God didn't forget.  He is always faithful to keep His promises.  I've never known the Lord to turn back on His word.  His direction is clear and firm:  "turn to the north."  He tells the Israelites to pass through the land of the Edomites, heading north towards the Promised Land.  This would mark the end of the wandering and the beginning of a series of campaigns the Israelites would undertake to take the land God promised them.  

Regardless of how long God commands us to wander, if we follow Him, He will direct us.  He told the Israelites that "during these forty years, the LORD your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing."  God promises to lead His children and provide for them.  Remember that whatever plan God has for your life, it has a clear purpose and direction, and you will have all the resources you need to accomplish His purposes.    As He led the Israelites, so will He lead you.  Listen and obey!  He will lead you to the Promised Land!

Weekly Devotion 5.15.2011

God Has a Plan During Destruction

Amos 3.7

"Indeed, the Sovereign LORD never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets."

Jer 29:10-14 NLT - [10] This is what the LORD says: "You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. [11] For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. [12] In those days when you pray, I will listen. [13] If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. [14] I will be found by you," says the LORD. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land."

I drove through Concord, AL yesterday and today.  The most devastating horror of the entire scene is not merely the destruction, but the fear of the unknown.  What is next?  How will the state and Southeast rebuild?  The loss of familiarity haunts man the most.  Times of uncertainty are certainly the most painful and trying spans of our lives.  I think of the Israelites and all they went through when I consider times of great destruction and distress.  Here in Jeremiah the Israelites have lost everything.  They had been exiled to Babylon with no hope of returning to their homeland.  Much of their family had been killed, their homes wiped out, their possessions plundered.  Uncertainty loomed in their minds.  And yet, through all of this, God did not forsake His children.  He writes in Amos, in the prophecies of the destruction of Jerusalem, that "the Sovereign LORD never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets."  

Refreshing!  God's plans are always well-thought and well-executed.  His allowance of this storm to destroy lives and homes ultimately had a purpose drawn out in the midst of the wreckage.  Like a Picasso painting viewed close up, we cannot perceive any meaningful semblance, but after we are drawn back from it a moment, the image is clear.  Driving through the disaster area, little order aside from the government and charity efforts is visible.  Yet years from now, when hearts have learned to heal, when homes have been rebuilt, when order is restored, we will step back and recognize some wonderful, blindingly obvious facet of God's plan that He had all along.  Trust in Him.  I promise from experience in a situation such as this, He has wonderful things planned!  
  

Weeky Devotion 5.8.2011

The Honor of a Mother

I Kings 2.19

When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king's mother, and she sat down at his right hand.

On Mother's Day we honor those who have given birth and brought up each one of us.  While generally conceived as a western convention, the honor of the mother is widely held throughout the world, and is especially evident in the Bible.  Solomon and Christ are two figures widely seen to hold great love and admiration for their mothers.  In I Kings we read that, "When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat on his throne."  Solomon honored his mother by lavishing on her the gifts worthy only of the kingship, and in this notable act we see him regarding his mother as higher even than himself by bowing down to her and "[having] a throne brought for [his] mother."  

Solomon's act teaches us something fundamental concerning mothers:  that God has charged us with honoring, respecting, and loving them.  In some pagan religions, the woman is seen as superior to the man, as is evident by the incredible power and honor bestowed on the goddesses.  This is because the woman is seen as the giver of life--she who births and protects all the world.  

God has provided all of us, me especially, with wonderful mothers.  They deserve their own thrones, and we should honor them every day.  Have you thanked your mother today for all that she does?

Weekly Devotion 4.24.2011

The Resurrection Brings Hope

2Cr 4:7-14 NLT - [7] We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. [8] We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. [9] We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. [10] Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. [11] Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. [12] So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you. [13] But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, "I believed in God, so I spoke." [14] We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you.

Just as Christ suffered unto death at the Cross, so Paul outlines here in 2 Corinthians that the Christian, too, must suffer a similar crucifixion.  In Paul's time and in many places of the world today, it was and is in the literal sense.  But for many of us today, living the Christian life means enduring the emotional, mental, and spiritual temptations which surround us.  Thankfully, we are given a great hope, for "we now have this light shining in our hearts."  We "are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure."  What has Christ's resurrection given us?  Salvation, yes, but continual salvation! We are so weak and unworthy to receive the great treasure of salvation, but we are given it, and we must use it.  In Paul's time, Christians literally "share in the death of Jesus so that te life of Jesus may also be seen in [their bodies."  It is comforting to know that Jesus has endured what we must endure.  If he, God but full man, could endure death without sin, we know that we may endure death without losing our faith in Him.  That's such an incredibly powerful and hopeful message!

Ensure this day is not just another Easter to you.  Recall what the resurrection means:  what it gives us as Christians.  In it we have hope and security that, regardless of what life brings, Christ has been there and is here with us.

Weekly Devotion 4.3.2011

The Instruments in God's Hands

Exd 31:1-6 NLT - [1] The LORD also said to Moses, [2] "Look, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. [3] I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, intelligence, and skill in all kinds of crafts. [4] He is able to create beautiful objects from gold, silver, and bronze. [5] He is skilled in cutting and setting gemstones and in carving wood. Yes, he is a master at every craft! [6] "And I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the naturally talented craftsmen so they can make all the things I have instructed you to make"

In Exodus 31 God explains to Moses how he will provide the resources to build the Tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant.  It is here in Exodus that a major shift occurs.  We begin to see God using people as instruments of His will, rather than the more frequent miracles he portrays in the first part of Exodus.  Why is this?  I believe it is a lesson to the Israelites, and consequently to us, that God not only uses plagues of nature, pillars of fire, and manna from heaven to achieve His goals.  Most importantly, He uses us. 

Notice that the Lord says that He has "chosen Bezalel son of Uri" because He has "filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, intelligence, and skill in all kinds of crafts."  God also explains to Moses that he has "appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant."  God not only has a leader assigned to the position of building these places of worship, but he has an assistant and has "given special skill to all the naturally talented craftsmen so they can make all the things [He has instructed Moses] to make." 

Beloved, God has a plan to use us, just as He used the artisans in Exodus.  We often falsely believe Satan's like that God only uses missionaries and pastors, but Paul writes in Ephesians 4.11-13 that "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."  We are each a cog in the infinitely complex and perpetual machine of God's divine plan.  The machine won't run unless every piece operates.  Sure, we might compensate while others slack.  There are many Christians who are far overworked because they step in to fill void tasks left unfilled by those God is calling.  But God is calling us!  Just as He instructed Moses and the artisans, He is instructing us.  We are the instruments in His hands.  We are the love of God that the world sees.  If we are not love, then they see God not at all.

It is vital that we recognize the gifts God has provided us, and regardless of whether or not we think them useful, we must use them to the glory of God.  God equips us at just the right time for just the right purpose.  He knows when that time will come.  You must only listen to His voice and be the instrument in His hand.  Amen.

Weekly Devotion 3.20.2011

A God who Hears His People's Cries

Exd 6:5-8 NLT - [5] You can be sure that I have heard the groans of the people of Israel, who are now slaves to the Egyptians. I have remembered my covenant with them. [6] "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will free you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with mighty power and great acts of judgment. [7] I will make you my own special people, and I will be your God. And you will know that I am the LORD your God who has rescued you from your slavery in Egypt. [8] I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It will be your very own property. I am the LORD!' "

As we see the devastating situation in Japan unfold, we as a society inevitably ask the inevitable question:  where is God?  Why doesn't He hear us?  That is the great question of old.  It is the cause of atheism, agnosticism, and apathy towards religion.  The thought that there is no God or no God who cares for humanity is a frightening one.  How are we to know there is a God listening to us during times like these?  How are we to know whether our cries dissipate in a dark void with no one on the other side? 

The simplest explanation cannot arrive by philosophical argument; it must come from experience.  I have seen the Lord hear His people's cries firsthand.  Almost 13 years ago a tornado wrecked our entire community, and were it not for the grace of God, a group of young children and children ministers would not have been in the only room left standing.  There were stories of miracles and angels, of things apart from the natural order of things.  There are countless tales all throughout humanity of divine intervention, of a God who hears His people's cries and responds.

Look to the Israelites.   When the Lord calls Moses to the mountain, He proclaims, "You can be sure that I have heard the groans of the people of Israel, who are now slaves to the Egyptians. I have remembered my covenant with them."  I love this verse.  Moses' unique writing method often applies human attributes to God.  We can picture God literally hearing the groaning of His people with some infinite celestial ear.  This is how we ought to think about God during the times of trouble, when we scream to God and do not receive an answer.  His ear is surely large enough to hear you.  Yet it is often in our times of greatest desperation that God answers us.  Why?  Who can say?   It is the resolve of God to test us to strengthen our faith and to bring Him glory.  God often uses the pain existent in the world from sin as a method of redirecting badness into goodness.  He is like the chef who can take burnt food and somehow transform it into a delicious and edible dish.   Remember that when you are shouting out to God.  He hears you, and He is planning something wonderful for the cause of Christ!

 

Weekly Devotion 3.13.2011

The Power of a Living God

Exodus 9.13-15

Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says:  Let my people go, so that they may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.  For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.  But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

 

I've been reading about the plagues of Egypt during my one-year tour of the Bible.   I noticed something I've never noticed before:  the Lord gave Pharaoh teases of his power.  The Lord didn't need plague after plague to receive Egypt's attention.  With one sweep of his hand, the whole land could have been swallowed in His wrath.  This brings us to an interesting observation concerning the Lord's motivations:  his display of power demonstrates his sovereignty.  Notice what he says to Pharaoh:  "For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth."  You see, Pharaoh's magicians were able to duplicate most of the plagues the Lord sent.  They used "magic" to do this.  But the Lord proved he harnessed even nature itself.  He brought his display of power through the natural order of his creation.  Had he wished, he could have struck down Egypt with a plague from which they would never recover.  But he didn't.

 

Why did he refrain?  He explains to Pharaoh, "I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."  Can you think of times the Lord has performed wonders in order that he might receive glory?  One need only read the gospel accounts to realize this.  There is power in our living God.  The old hymn proclaims, "There is power, power, wonder-working power in the precious blood of the Lamb."  Do we really stop to consider what those words mean?  Do we really recognize the power of God?  The power to heal?  The power to restore broken relationships?  To save those we think unsavable?  Perhaps this is why we do not see more healing, restoration, and salvation—we have forgotten the power of God.

 

You see, the very God who brought wrath upon Pharaoh in order to demonstrate to his people his full power is the same God living in you and me!  Think about it.  Why do we so often live in defeat?  Why do we proclaim anything impossible?  The Lord who was raised from the dead, the Lord who spoke the universe ex nihilio, is the same God who can work in the lives of people TODAY. 

 

Will you allow the power of God to be shown in your life?  The world needs to see it.  We've already won the war, but we live too often as a defeated people.  Let us live in victory!  May the Lord's power rest upon us, and may he be glorified among the earth!