April 29, 2009 - Romans 2

I wonder. I read Paul's words in Romans 2 and admire, again his boldness in proclaiming the truth of scripture and the message God had given him. The message so forcefully presented in this chapter is that obedience and a relationship are what God seeks from us, not being born into a certain race or being physically marked (circumcised). This was radical thinking and preaching for Paul's time, but nevertheless true to God's Word and plan. I wonder what the 'boldly proclaimed' message in our day would focus on? Would it be about racial reconciliation, the plight of the homeless, or the protection of the earth? Would it discuss our material possessions, the difference between the have and the have-nots, or the Third World AIDS epidemic? Maybe it would be something like nationalism versus our commitment to a relationship with God. I don't know what it would be, but I know there is a bold message from God calling us to the same obedience and relationship that He seeks from us now as then. I guess the question becomes two-fold, will we listen and will we share it?

April 27, 2009 - Psalm 8

So often I find that the Psalms express thoughts that I would like to think I have thought. Even more amazing is that the writer put these thoughts into beautiful words, far beyond what I believe am capable of. Psalm 8 is today's example. The thought of how great God is and how wondrous and magnificent His creation. I have thought that thought many times, but I have never found such beautiful words with which to express it. This is why I choose to read a Psalm every day. I find so often that it helps me express my thoughts and prayers to a God whose thoughts and ways are far beyond my own. Even though this Psalm says he made us the ruler over these works of His hands and a little lower than the heavenly beings, I think there is a much larger difference between how we are made and God's nature. For that I am grateful!

April 23, 2009 - Acts 24

Were we writing the story we would probably include a fairy tale ending, but that is not what happened.  Paul had a great opportunity.  He had several occasions to speak with the Governor Felix, some publicly and some privately.  Of course the price to Paul was pretty steep, he was a prisoner at the time, but I am sure he considered it worth the price.  Acts 24 records these encounters and Felix’ response.  It even says that one time he was afraid, told Paul to go away and that when he found it convenient he would send for Paul.  I think the lesson for us has to be that when we share our faith we are not always going to see the fairy tale ending of the listener coming to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.  If it wasn’t always the case for Jesus or Paul, it won’t be the case for us either.  But we must not be discouraged and deterred.  We must continue to share, even with that same person, as the Spirit prompts and provides opportunities.  Remember it is God that gives the increase; we are just planters and waterers.

 

April 22, 2009 - Leviticus 22

Have you ever seen some of the things that are given to the church?  Some are old toys for children, some are items of furniture, and some are pianos.  The ones I am thinking of are the ones that are obviously passed any form of useful life, but rather than throw them away people give them to the church.  I think God addresses this kind of gift very early in His dealing with the children of Israel.  In reading Leviticus 22, God is very specific as to what kind of animal makes an appropriate gift for sacrifice and what does not make the grade.  It is, after all, an offering to God.  Is He not worthy of our best?  Why then do we think that we gain anything when we give Him, or His Bride, the things that are no longer good enough for use in our homes?

April 21, 2009 - Acts 22

We all like good stories. As Christians, we like the dramatic conversion stories. Paul certainly had one of those. Luke must have liked dramatic conversion stories, too because he records Paul's three separate times in the book of Acts (Chapters 9, 22, & 26). The fact that Paul went from persecuting Christians to traveling the world trying to persuade people to become Christians is too much for many of us to resist. In looking back, we can see how God perfectly positioned him to be His instrument to reach many, especially Gentiles. Will hindsight give us the same benefit when we view our lives? We don't have to have been through the depths of addiction, abusive relationships, worldly pursuits, or otherwise far from God to experience the drama of turning away from sin toward the love of God. That is all the drama that is necessary for our conversion and for us to be an instrument in God's hand.

April 20, 2009 - Proverbs 20

Words and thoughts are important, but, like the old saying, actions speak louder. Words can be deceitful and thoughts can be hidden, but actions are most often the reflection of our true innermost thoughts. That is why Proverbs 20:11 says, "Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right." Our actions define who and what we are, much more than our words. Our words are often much more about who we desire to be, but our actions show us, and others, who we are. That doesn't mean we can't change, but it is a matter of changing our actions, not just our words. Chances are we all know of a 'squirrelly' boy from Sunday School that all the teachers dread to try and teach. He is well known for his actions. But, he doesn't have to stay that way. In fact, many of those boys grow up to be some of our finest preachers and leaders! Still known by their actions.

April 17, 2009 - Psalm 146

I guess I have had the subject of hope especially on my mind this week, so Psalm 146 was very meaningful for me this morning. The subject of hope has come from a couple of different sources. I am excited and anxious for Dave Ramsey's 'Town Hall for Hope' event next Thursday evening, which our church is hosting. He will be talking about how our hope for our economic problems is not coming from Washington, D.C., but instead from the work and responsibility we take on ourselves. The other source is the celebration of Resurrection Sunday this past week. I heard a preacher say this week that the word 'hope' appears like 80 times in the New Testament and all but one time it appears following Christ's Resurrection. Is there a subtle message there that our true hope comes because of Christ and His Resurrection? I think so. Psalm 146 is a beautiful reminder that our trust should not be in princes, they are only human. Instead our trust, our hope, should be in the Lord 'the Maker of heaven and earth' 'who remains faithful forever'.

April 16, 2009 - Acts 17

Paul must have been a real instigator.  I mean one of his primary spiritual gifts was for causing trouble.  In Acts 17, and many other places, we see him boldly proclaiming the gospel to the point that people are upset and trying to do him in.  We may think that we are all supposed to be that way.  But what I noticed this morning is that Silas and Timothy must not have been, at least not to the same extent.  Luke records for us in verse 14 that the brothers sent Paul away from Berea when he caused an uproar, but Silas and Timothy stayed.  That certainly implies that they had not so fractured relationships nor inflamed emotions to the point that they could not be a part of an ongoing effective ministry.  I think that is important for us to see.  Not everyone can, or should, be the ‘flamethrower’ that Paul was, at least at times.  The church also needs those like Silas and Timothy who will still be bold enough to speak the truth, but can build relationships to serve for the long haul.

April 15, 2009 - Acts 16

When do you sing?  It is tax day, are you singing?  Do you sing at midnight?  Do you sing when things are going well or are you more likely to sing when things are going poorly?  In Acts 16, we see Paul and Silas at the end of a very long and trying day.  Paul had become so ‘troubled’ that he cast a spirit of divination out of a girl.  That action caused an uproar that led to Paul and Silas’ arrest, beating, and imprisonment.  But when we find them at midnight in the prison, do you know what they are doing?  That’s right, they are ‘praying and singing hymns to God’.  We all probably know the rest of the story, there’s an earthquake, no prisoners leave, the jailer is so impressed that he asks Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved, and immediately he and all his family were baptized.  It’s a great story, but my question is this, would we have missed the rest of the story were we in Paul and Silas’ place because we failed to pray and sing at midnight?

April 14, 2009 - Acts 15

Acts 15, the Council at Jerusalem, another watershed moment for Gentiles coming into relationship with God. I anticipated all day yesterday, reading this today and what I might write. This is finally what hit me. There was a significant group of Jews who wanted Gentile Christians to come to Christ like they had. They wanted the Gentiles to know what it was to be Jewish, to have those thoughts and feelings, and to experience Jesus just as they had. This would produce more Christians that looked, thought, and acted just like them. But that was not what God had in mind. Do we do the same thing as those first-century Jews? Do we think that new Christians have to have our thoughts and feelings and experience Jesus just as we did? Once they have come to Jesus, do we expect them to look, think, and act just like us? If they don't, do we doubt the authenticity of their conversion or commitment? The Council at Jerusalem agreed on four essentials, how many do we need? People's chief need is for Jesus! He can change their life, that is not our role. We can point to Him and his teaching, provide some guidance. Producing look-alike followers is the mark of a cult, not Christianity.

April 13, 2009 - Proverbs 13

Several times in Proverbs 13, the writer speaks of the importance and value of good instruction and its source. It reminded me this morning of my maternal grandfather. He was not well-educated in a school sort of way, but he was very wise. I learned early that he was a man that I should listen to and that many others did. One of the things he told me that I remember best was to always 'consider the source'. In a true evaluation of someone's words and their potential value to you, it is always wise to consider who they are, what they have been through, and what they may have learned from their experiences. If someone's words are just 'theory' and not the fruit of experience, they should be weighted differently. The Proverb writer here tells us that we should value instruction from our fathers. This makes sense because our fathers have likely been where we are and truly love us and want us to succeed. The Proverb writer also helps us see the value of instruction other places in this chapter, but the culmination is verse 20, "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." By and large we don't become better than the company we keep, which I think includes the books we read and the other ways we expose ourselves to peoples thoughts and ideas. Do we 'consider the source' and protect our minds so that we can grow wise?

April 12, 2009 - Acts 13

Barnabas and Saul (Paul) are commissioned from the church at Antioch to go out and make disciples. (Acts 13) After making their way through a few preliminary stops, they come to Pisidian Antioch. Luke writes, for the first time, one of Paul's sermons. It is an impassioned telling of the history of Israel and the promise of God. He then uses several scriptures, being a scholar of what we call the Old Testament, to prove that Jesus fulfilled the scriptures and God's promise. The highlight, of course, is the reason we celebrate today, like every Sunday, the resurrection from the dead. Paul's conclusion that day still serves as an excellent reminder for us today, (verses 38-39) "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses." Jesus' resurrection is the proof of His Sonship and His sacrifice for us. The celebration is too great to be contained to once per year, so we celebrate every Sunday, if not every day!

April 10, 2009 - Good Friday

With this being 'Good Friday', I thought it especially fitting to focus our thoughts today on Jesus' cross. In thinking about the cross, one of His seven statements from the cross has stood out to me this year. This statement is recorded only in the gospel of Luke. It is, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Luke doesn’t go on to tell us who Jesus is specifically speaking of forgiving and I think that is intentional. Who do you think Jesus is thinking of?

Is He thinking of forgiving the soldiers who are in the physical act of crucifying Him?

Is He thinking of forgiving the Jewish teachers and leaders who forced His arrest, unjust trials, and ultimate punishment?

Is He thinking of forgiving Pilate and the Roman authorities who bowed to the political pressure and consented to give the order for Jesus’ sentence?

Is He thinking of the Jewish mob who, on Sunday welcomed Him into town with shouts of “Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” and on Friday joined in the shouts of “Crucify Him!”?

Or is it possible that He is looking through the years of time and seeing you and me and the forgiveness that we so desperately need?

Listen to the words of Peter, an eyewitness to Jesus, and one who knew the need for forgiveness and experienced the gift of forgiveness from Jesus: (I Peter 2:21-24) “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps, ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”

Jesus provided the availability of forgiveness for every one of us. This is what we remember and why this is 'Good' Friday for us.

April 9, 2009 - Acts 10

Watershed moments. We are in the midst of remembering the final week of person whose life was truly a 'watershed moment' in history. So much so that the way time is measured changed based upon His life time on the earth. For those of us who are Christian, but were not born into God's chosen people, Acts 10 records another 'watershed moment'. This is when the first Gentile convert was recorded and clearly accepted by God. This allows all of us not born as children of God to be adopted children of God. The key phrase is Peter's summary in verses 34 and 35, "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right." Namely, accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of our lives. Cornelius was a seeker. He found a relationship with God through Christ. So can we all.

April 8, 2009 - Proverbs 8

Proverbs 8 contains an interesting portion of scripture, namely verses 22-31. Here wisdom is personified and the writer relates that wisdom was the first creation of God. He goes on to describe how wisdom was present throughout the remainder of the creation of the world. I have found this fascinating the last several times I have read it for a couple reasons. What I thought of first was Steven Covey's saying that everything is created twice, first mentally, then physically. I wondered if God's creation of wisdom first was somewhat similar to our creative process as described by Covey. God first set the order of things, then created a world that fulfilled that order. I also think that the more science discovers the more we find that the world makes sense, even to our small way of thinking. The things that we find that don't yet make sense to us, I am sure do make sense to our God, the Creator. I am often reminded, and grateful, of Isaiah's words (55:8-9), "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." The second thought occurred to me this morning, this is kind of a foreshadowing of how John describes Jesus and His role in creation in the first three verses of his gospel. I just found these things interesting and hope you do too.

April 7, 2009 - Acts 8

We don't hear much about the man from Acts 8 that is commonly called Simon the Sorcerer, but his story is interesting and applicable to us today. Simon practiced sorcery and amazed all in his city. He had achieved quite a following. Then Philip the evangelist came, preached the good news and the people believed and were baptized. Luke tells us that even Simon believed and was baptized! Simon started following Philip around everywhere he went because he was amazed by the great signs and miracles that surrounded Philip. Luke then tells us that Peter and John came to this town and prayed for the people that they might receive the Holy Spirit. This really amazed Simon. So much so that he offered Peter and John money and asked that they give him this gift. Peter answers with a strong rebuke and tells Simon to repent. Simon's response is to ask Peter to pray for him. I think this shows us the importance of our motives for following Jesus and even seeking gifts to use in His kingdom. The main question is, are we seeking our glory or His? Even though it seems that Simon's motives were less than pure, it does seem that he was concerned when Peter rebuked him and that maybe he repented, sought forgiveness, and tried to grow through this experience. If this was the case, then he provides a worthy example for us. We are going to fail. It is vital how we respond to that failure.

April 6, 2009 - Psalm 130

As we enter what we typically call 'Holy Week', I thought it appropriate to write about forgiveness. Maybe, however, I can surprise you just a little bit with the source, Psalm 130. I read these words this morning and thought they fit so well in continuing the theme from our worship service yesterday, that I had to share them. Verses 3-4, "If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared." Verses 7-8, "O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins." If only the author of this psalm could know what we know. That indeed, there is forgiveness with God, through the redemption provided by His only Son, Jesus Christ. How right he was when he wrote those words hundreds of years before their fulfillment. As those living on the other side of the fulfillment, are we as sure where to put our hope as he was before Christ's coming? The remembrances this week give us an added opportunity to be mindful and thankful for that forgiveness and redemption.

April 4, 2009 - Psalm 119

We all know that the book of Psalms is classified as poetry. Many of us would know that Psalm 119 is the longest psalm, containing 176 verses. Have you read Psalm 119 and noticed how many times it talks about God's law, decrees, or His word? It doesn't contain the law, but it certainly describes the proper attitude toward God's law. To whet your appetite, here are just a few of those phrases:
I seek you with my all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in you law.
My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.
I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.
I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.
Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge.
It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.
The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.
Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.
To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless.
I hope these stir your heart as they have mine.

April 3, 2009 - Acts 4

It wasn't because they were handsome. It wasn't because they were the best and brightest. They were not the most popular or wealthy. They didn't go to the best schools or belong to the right clubs. They didn't have high-powered careers or positions at the top of the ladder. So what was it that made Peter and John successful in getting the crowd's attention and favor? Acts 4:13 gives us the answer: "When they (the rulers and elders of the Jews) saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary me, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." (emphasis mine) The fact that they had spent time with Jesus and were now filled with the Holy Spirit had changed their lives. They were now the 'fishers of men' that Jesus had called them to be and it was evident to all who came in contact with them. How has being with Jesus changed you?

April 1, 2009 - Acts 2

There are any number of topics from Acts 2 that could be discussed here, but what struck me this morning as I read it was a phrase that I am not sure I remember reading before. Toward the end of the chapter, after there have been 3,000 converts on the day of Pentecost, there is a description of the group of believers - the church. Luke tells us that they were devoted to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. He also tells us that they shared their possessions with those who were in need. He tells us that they met together daily in the temple courts and often ate together in their homes. Their hearts were glad and sincere and they praised God. Then, here's the phrase that caught me this morning. Luke records that they were "enjoying the favor of all the people". It wasn't too long before that Jesus had told them that they would be hated and persecuted (we discussed that here), and because we know the rest of the story we know that is coming. But, at this time, the church evidently enjoyed some favor. Is it because the church was being the church? It is obvious that the church was impacting the community. Isn't that what we should be doing? Not so that we can gain favor, but simply because that is what we are called to do.