Today’s passages: 2 Kings, chapters 18-19; 2 Chronicles, chapter 32; James, chapter 5
Scripture: 2 Kings 19:27-34 (NRSV) – “But I know your rising and your sitting, your going out and coming in, and your raging against me. Because you have raged against me and your arrogance has come to my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth; I will turn you back on the way by which you came. And this shall be the sign for you: This year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that; then in the third year sow, reap, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. The surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward; for from Jerusalem a remnant shall go out, and from Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city, shoot an arrow there, come before it with a shield, or cast up a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return; he shall not come into this city, says the Lord. For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” Observations: The king of Assyria was arrogant. Why not? He had conquered every nation around. He had captured Samaria a few years before, and now he was marching against Judah. He had sent his messengers to declare to the people of Jerusalem that he was coming, and that they should not trust in the Lord to save them, because no other country’s gods had been able to save them. Thankfully, Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem remembered that God is not like other gods! Instead of surrendering, or trying to fight in their own power, they went to the Lord in prayer. It’s interesting that the answer that God gives them includes a message for the King of Assyria – although there’s no indication that the king ever got this message. The first two verses of this passage are what God “says” to the king, although he’s really just talking to the people of Jerusalem. God was reminding his people that God knew everything that the king had done, and everything he had planned. Because you have raged against me and your arrogance has come to my ears… Sometimes we think and act as though God is waiting for us to figure out what to do. No. God always has his plan in place; we need to seek his will and do only what he tells us to do. That’s hard for us; we always feel that we should be doing something. But unless we know what God’s plan is, anything that we do – no matter how “good” it might seem – may only serve to hinder God’s plans rather than fulfill them. Applications: God is reminding me of two related things today. First, no matter how much time we spend praying and seeking God’s direction, we probably need to spend more. Second, God does not like arrogance and rage – no matter who they come from. I’m reminded again of Paul’s great song of praise to Jesus in Philippians 2. He starts by saying that our attitude should be the same as that of Jesus, and then he goes on to talk about Jesus’ humility and obedience. Arrogance and rage are the attitudes of the world – the attitudes of the enemy. No matter what our goals are, we must never fall into the trap of using the world’s tools to achieve them. That brings us back to prayer. When the people of Jerusalem prayed, God delivered – and they didn’t need to do a thing. “That very night the angel of the Lord set out and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; when the morning dawned, they were all dead bodies.” (19:35) The king then went home, and was murdered by his own sons. God provided the victory for Jerusalem; all they needed to do was to trust God. Prayer: Father, thank you for reminding me that rage and arrogance are never to be the attitudes of your children. Thank you, too, for the reminder that prayer is the first step that we are to take in approaching each situation, each problem, each day. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray each day that you would guide us – away from temptation, away from the enemy, and into the ways of your Kingdom. Thank you for the promise of your Spirit’s voice to say, “This is the way, walk in it.” Amen.
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Today’s passages: 2 Chronicles, chapters 29-31; James, chapter 4
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 30:13-22 (NRSV) – Many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the festival of unleavened bread in the second month, a very large assembly. They set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for offering incense they took away and threw into the Wadi Kidron. They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed, and they sanctified themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. They took their accustomed posts according to the law of Moses the man of God; the priests dashed the blood that they received from the Levites. For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves; therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to make it holy to the Lord. For a multitude of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “The good Lord pardon all who set their hearts to seek God, the Lord the God of their ancestors, even though not in accordance with the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness.” The Lord heard Hezekiah, and healed the people. The people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the festival of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, accompanied by loud instruments for the Lord. Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the Lord. So the people ate the food of the festival for seven days, sacrificing offerings of well-being and giving thanks to the Lord the God of their ancestors. Observations: The thing that caught my attention in this passage was the fact that many of the people came to celebrate the Passover without having made the proper preparations to do so. The priests, the Levites, and King Hezekiah could have condemned them, thrown them out, and refused to allow them to worship – but they didn’t. The Levites, who had sanctified themselves prior to the festival, helped out by sacrificing the Passover lambs for the people; and Hezekiah prayed that God would pardon all who set their hearts to seek God, the Lord the God of their ancestors, even though not in accordance with the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness. Hezekiah recognized in these people the desire to seek the Lord, and to worship him, so rather than condemning them and casting them out of the Temple, he prayed for them that God would look on their hearts and forgive them. And that’s just what God did. What difference might it make if we were quick to help people who come to worship the Lord, instead of criticizing them? What difference might it make if we prayed for them – if we looked at their hearts rather than their conduct, and asked God to do the same and forgive them? Wouldn’t people feel much more welcome coming to worship if they knew that they would be celebrated, and helped, rather than condemned? How might things be different if we actively sought ways to help people to come to God and worship him? Applications: The Lord is reminding me today of a couple of things. First, I read a devotional this morning that talked about Jesus’ disciples picking grain on the Sabbath, and Jesus saying that he is Lord of the Sabbath, and the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. That thought tied in with this passage from 2 Chronicles, and reminded me that God looks on our hearts, and he longs for us to come into his presence to worship him. Second, God reminded me that Jesus said that God judges our hearts – he looks at the inside, rather than the outside. Since we’re not able to do that, we shouldn’t judge each other, because appearances can be deceptive. That doesn’t mean that we ignore sin, or that we tell people that sin doesn’t matter; it simply means that we should help people who want to draw near to God to do so. God can deal with any sin issues in their lives; we need to help them come into his presence. Prayer: Father, when we pray that your Kingdom would come, this is one of the things that we pray for – that people would seek you. When we pray that your will be done, we’re also asking you to help us to lead people into your presence. Help me today to point people to you; keep me from doing things that would push them away from you. Help me, like Hezekiah, to pray that you would pardon them when they set their hearts to seek you. Help me, like the Levites, to assist them in coming to you, so there might be no barriers between them and you. And help me to rejoice when people come to know you more. Amen. Today’s passages: 2 Kings, chapter 17; 2 Chronicles, chapter 28; Psalm 46; James, chapter 3
Scripture: 2 Kings 17:28-41 (NRSV) – So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel; he taught them how they should worship the Lord. But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the shrines of the high places that the people of Samaria had made, every nation in the cities in which they lived…They also worshiped the Lord and appointed from themselves all sorts of people as priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. So they worshiped the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away. To this day they continue to practice their former customs. They do not worship the Lord and they do not follow the statutes or the ordinances or the law or the commandments that the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel. The Lord had made a covenant with them and commanded them, “You shall not worship other gods or bow yourselves to them or serve them or sacrifice to them, but you shall worship the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm; you shall bow yourselves to him, and to him shall you sacrifice. The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandments that he wrote for you, you shall always be careful to observe. You shall not worship other gods, but you shall worship the Lord your God; he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.” They would not listen, however, but they continued to practice their former custom. So these nations worshiped the Lord, but also served their carved images; to this day their children and their children’s children continue to do as their ancestors did. Observations: When the people of Samaria were carried off by the Assyrians, the Assyrians brought people from other countries in to resettle Samaria. But this was land that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants, so when the new people moved in, they knew nothing about the Lord, and did not worship him. “Therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them.” (2 Kings 17:25) That may strike us as a bit harsh, but the fact is that God sometimes uses difficult situations to get our attention and turn us toward him. The king of Assyria sent back a priest to teach these new people about the Lord, so they could worship him. So they began to learn about what it meant to worship God. But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the shrines of the high places that the people of Samaria had made…So they worshiped the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away. They thought that they could worship God, and still worship their other gods, too. That’s the same error that the Israelites made when they first moved into the land – the same error that God had warned them against time and time again before they went in. The Lord had made a covenant with them and commanded them, “You shall not worship other gods or bow yourselves to them or sacrifice to them…The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandments that he wrote for you, you shall always be careful to observe. You shall not worship other gods, but you shall worship the Lord your God…” The Israelites had started to worship these other gods, and sacrifice to them, contrary to God’s command. They thought they could worship God and worship these other gods, too – and that led to their downfall. The same danger faces Christians today. God’s command that we worship him and him alone still stands – yet so many times we try to worship God and still hold on to our former customs. “Worship” is not just participation in a religious ritual, not just saying nice things or acknowledging God from time to time. “Worship” means to act in a way that acknowledges God’s supremacy – his “worth.” Real worship is an all-the-time thing; it is not just once a week, or even once each day. God made this clear when he said to the Israelites, “The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandments that he wrote for you, you shall alwaysbe careful to observe.” We often think, “Well, we’re not under that old system of law any more; we’re under grace.” That’s true – but it doesn’t mean that God has no commandments for us. Jesus said that he had not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it, and he also said that all of the commandments could be summed up in “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (See Matthew 22:36-40) We’re no longer bound by the cultic regulations of the old covenant, but that doesn’t mean that God’s commandments no longer apply to us. We are still called to mediate God’s presence in the world – to live in ways that reflect God’s values and God’s character. We’re still called to worship God alone – and that means that we need to regularly search ourselves to be sure that nothing else has claimed our worship. And we’re still called to leave behind our old way of life – not to continue to practice our former customs (2 Kings 17:34, 40). If we’re in Christ, we’re new creations; “the old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV) Applications: God is reminding me today how easy it is for us to think that we can worship him and still hold on to our “former gods” – the things that governed our lives before we came to know Christ. Jesus made it clear that we cannot serve two masters; no matter what the other “master” is, no matter how “good” it may seem. To worship God means to live in such a way as to acknowledge his sole authority in our lives. That’s why it’s so important to stay connected to him through reading his Word – because we need him to guide us each day, to make sure that we’re not slipping into habits and practices that give authority to someone or something else. Everything that God gives us is good, and he longs to give us good things – but we can never allow those things to become our master. To worship God means that everything in our lives is submitted to him. Our “former customs” led us toward spiritual death; God leads us to life. Prayer: Father, you have called us to be part of your kingdom. That means that you’re the King – and everything in the Kingdom is subject to your control. When I start to drift into habits or practices which threaten your authority in my life, remind me that you alone are God. Thank you for the knowledge that your ways are good – that “you are good, and your mercy endures forever.” Help me today to live in ways that acknowledge your sovereignty. May your Kingdom come in greater measure today – on earth, and in my life, as in heaven. Amen. Today’s passages: Isaiah, chapters 32-35; James, chapter 2
Scripture: Isaiah 33:2-6 (NRSV) – O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble. At the sound of tumult, peoples fled; before your majesty, nations scattered. Spoil was gathered as the caterpillar gathers; as locusts leap, they leaped on it. The Lord is exalted, he dwells on high; he filled Zion with justice and righteousness; he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure. Observations: In the midst of prophecies about conquest, exile, and destruction, God directs Isaiah to speak words of hope. I was drawn to these few verses this morning because of what they say about our relationship with God, and the way that we are to live in response to the hope that he offers us. The first line, O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you, is an acknowledgment that we are dependent upon God’s grace. In a world where power and riches are glorified, we must daily affirm our need for God’s grace. The ancient nation of Israel was formed by God’s grace, as he rescued the descendants of Abraham from slavery in Egypt and led them to the land he had promised to their forefathers. But when they were established, they forgot their need for God’s grace and instead believed that they were responsible for the blessings they had received – and that always leads to trouble. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble. The Lord is exalted, he dwells on high reminds us that regardless of how things look on earth, God is still in charge. In Isaiah 32, the prophecy of “Government with Justice” (the heading in the NRSV) contrasts what God’s reign will be like with the way things were: “A fool will no longer be called noble, nor a villain said to be honorable. For fools speak folly, and their minds plot iniquity: to practice ungodliness, to utter error concerning the Lord, to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied, and to deprive the thirsty of drink. The villainies of villains are evil; they devise wicked devices to ruin the poor with lying words, even when the plea of the needy is right. But those who are noble plan noble things, and by noble things they stand.” (Isaiah 32:5-8, NRSV) If we are longing for God’s reign – if we pray, O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you– we need to act in accordance with what God’s reign will be like. When we pray, “Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we’re committing to do God’s will – to live on earth in ways that bear witness to God’s Kingdom. In the context of today’s passage, that means exalting God, acknowledging his rule, and acting with justice and righteousness. He filled Zion with justice and righteousness; he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom and knowledge. When we trust in God, when we declare our dependence upon his grace, when we act with justice and righteousness, then God will be our strength – the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure. Usually when I read Old Testament prophecies and promises, I replace “Zion” with “the Church” to see if the promise extends to us. In this case, I think it’s obvious that it does. The fear of the Lord is the Church’s treasure – not “fear” in the sense of “dread” or “terror,” but “fear” in the sense of “proper respect and acknowledgment of his greatness.” When we acknowledge God as our only sovereign, our only ruler and King, God will lead us and bless us as he has promised. In contrast to the “dangerous alliances” that I wrote about yesterday, we are to put our hope and trust in our Father, our Lord and our King. That is what will bring us deliverance from our enemy, Satan, and all of his treacherous plans and attacks. Applications: God is reminding me today that the message of the Church is a message of hope, not of gloom and doom. There are consequences to sin, to be sure, and we are not to avoid acknowledging that fact. But God longs to restore people to relationship with him; that’s the reason that Jesus came to reveal God to us. God calls us to live in ways that demonstrate the peace that comes from knowing him, and to help others to find that peace as well. When I read the sentence, Be our arm every morning, our salvation in time of trouble, I’m reminded that “arm” refers to strength, and the Bible also tells us that “the joy of the Lord is our strength.” When we allow circumstances to steal our joy, we lose our strength; but when we remember that God is our salvation and our hope, his joy fills us and strengthens us. As Isaiah 35:3-4a says, “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.” Prayer: God, I thank you for the reminder of my daily need for your grace, and of your promise to be my strength and my help. Be gracious to me; I wait for you. Help me today to live in ways that demonstrate your joy, and the peace that comes from knowing you. Help me to witness to your grace and your love in ways that lift Jesus up, so people will be drawn to him. Lead me in your paths today. Amen. Today’s passages: Isaiah, chapters 29-31; James, chapter 1
Scripture: Isaiah 30:1-5, 8-15a (NRSV) – Oh, rebellious children, says the Lord, who carry out a plan, but not mine; who make an alliance, but against my will, adding sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt without asking for my counsel, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt; Therefore the protection of Pharaoh shall become your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt your humiliation. For though his officials are at Zoan and his envoys reach Hanes, everyone comes to shame through a people that cannot profit them, that brings neither help nor profit, but shame and disgrace… Go now, write it before them on a tablet, and inscribe it in a book, so that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever. For they are a rebellious people, faithless children, children who will not hear the instructions of the Lord; who say to the seers, “Do not see”; and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.” Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: Because you reject this word, and put your trust in oppression and deceit, and rely on them; therefore this iniquity shall become for you like a break in a high wall, bulging out, and about to collapse, whose crash comes suddenly, in an instant; its breaking is like that of a potter’s vessel that is smashed so ruthlessly that among its fragments not a sherd is found for taking fire from the hearth, or dipping water out of the cistern. For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. Observations: For a number of years I have had a sense of unease about the Church’s ever-growing identification with political parties. Depending on our view of the Church and of its role in society, we identify ourselves with the parties which promise to work toward the goals that we think are most important. The danger is that when we do that within the context of the Church, we tend to spiritualize our views and assume that God agrees with us. That becomes more dangerous because no matter which views we adopt, we can find Scripture to support them – and then we demonize anyone who disagrees with us. As I was reading this passage today, one phrase that struck me was this: Oh, rebellious children, says the Lord, who carry out a plan, but not mine; who make an alliance, but against my will, adding sin to sin…Whenever we align and ally ourselves with other people on any basis other than their membership in the family of God, we are at risk of acting outside God’s will. (Being “unequally yoked together.”) And whenever we take it upon ourselves to decide who is “really” part of the family of God, we’re at risk of violating Jesus’ command against judging others. I was talking with someone the other day about the danger of making those sorts of judgments. At one place in the gospels, Jesus says, “Whoever is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30; Luke 11:23), while in another place he says, “Whoever is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:40; Luke 9:50). Those two statements are not the same! “Whoever is not against us is for us” is a much broader statement. Paul puts it this way: “Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3) We have a tendency to judge people on how much they look like us, sound like us, and act like us, rather than on their confession of Jesus as Lord. When we start evaluating each other on how we obey God’s Word, we need to be careful, because we have a tendency to decide which parts of the Word are “most important.” Jesus told us the answer to that question: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.” When we need help understanding what it means to love, we can go back and read 1 Corinthians 13 again. I need to be clear about something: I’m not telling anyone not to participate in the political process. Every Christian should be informed, and every Christian should vote. I’m not telling anyone not to support candidates and parties that they believe offer the best policies for the country. I’m not telling anyone not to run for office as a candidate, if they believe that God is leading them to do so. But it is very dangerous to judge someone’s spiritual state by their politics – to say, “If you’re really a Christian, you have to agree with this…” I’m reminded of John Wesley’s quote on this subject: “I met those of our society who had votes in the ensuing election, and advised them, 1. To vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy; 2. To speak no evil of the person they voted against; And, 3. To take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.” Applications: God is reminding me of two things: first, that part of my responsibility as a pastor is to encourage people to be informed about the issues, and to give them Biblical direction relating to those issues; second, to remind them of the supreme command to love one another. We should never allow political views to hamper our ability to share the gospel with anyone, and we should never allow political views to cause division within the body of Christ. Our supreme allegiance is to God and his Kingdom, not to any country, and certainly not to any political party. We need to be careful not to make an alliance which is outside God’s will, as God cautioned his people in Isaiah 30. Rather than trusting in candidates, and parties, and governments, we need to trust in God; as God says in the passage quoted above, in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. Prayer: Father, thank you for your faithfulness in speaking to me each day, and for your patience in helping me to understand what you’re saying. Help me to reflect the love that you call all of your children to demonstrate; help me to never let any purpose, goal, or alliance to become more important than daily seeking you and obeying you. Help me to seek first your Kingdom and your righteousness, and to trust that you will work according to your purposes through the obedience of your children. Amen. Today’s passages: Isaiah, chapters 25-28; Hebrews, chapter 13
Scripture: Hebrews 13:20-21 (NRSV) – Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Observations: There is so much in these two verses of benediction! I have always used this benediction at the end of a graveside service, because I think that it offers much encouragement and hope. But today as I read it, I recognized that there is a lot of foundational truth packed into it. (1) God is the God of peace. Yesterday, I noted in Hebrews 12:14 that we are called to “pursue peace with everyone.” The ultimate reason that we do this is because God is the God of peace, and if we are to be like him, and fulfill his purposes in this world, we have to pursue peace. (2) The blessing is that the God of peace would make us complete in everything good. When we are tempted to think that God has done everything in us that he needs to, this verse reminds us that we need God to make us complete in everything good. This reminds us that God’s work is always continuing in us, to make us complete (or “perfect”) – which we must acknowledge is a process that does not end in this life. Each day, God is at work, shaping and forming us in the image of Jesus, making us more and more like him – so long as we do his will. The point of the author’s repeated calls to obedience, and to not rebel against God like the Israelites did in the desert, is that disobedience hardens our hearts and makes it more difficult for us to hear and understand God. Obedience, on the other hand, softens our hearts, attunes our spirits to what God is saying and doing, and helps us to become more like Jesus. After all, Jesus is the one who ‘humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8) (3) God’s work in us is done through Jesus Christ. God is working to make us complete in everything good, and that work is made possible because of what Jesus has done. It’s hard sometimes to remember all of the context of our New Testament passages when we’re reading one chapter a day; things blur together, and when we include the Old Testament passages that we read each day, we may forget what we’ve read in Hebrews over the last two weeks. One major point of the book of Hebrews is that the covenant which God has established through Jesus is superior to the old covenant under the law. Everything that is available to us under the new covenant is possible because of what Jesus has done. We are forgiven because the blood of Jesus paid the price for the sins of all mankind. We are born again because Jesus’ death and resurrection opened the way for the Holy Spirit to come and regenerate us when we believe in what Jesus has done for us. We can come before God’s throne with confidence because Jesus has opened a new way for us through his death. And we can know God, his will, and his purposes for us because he has spoken to us through Jesus, his Son. (4) And because all of this (and so much more!) comes to us through Jesus Christ,the writer tells us that Jesus is the one to whom be the glory forever and ever. I’m intrigued by the word “the” – when the verse says that the glory belongs to Jesus, forever and ever, I think that means that all of the glory belongs to him. Logically, that means that none of the glory belongs to us. How hard that is for us to accept! We are very ready to give glory to Jesus, but in the back of our minds we expect that we’re entitled to a little bit, too! Whether we’re thinking about how much we’ve changed in our walk with Jesus, or how we’ve helped to lead others to faith, or how much we’ve served or given, there is always that insidious thought that someone ought to notice and praise us. I think one of the most important parts of the work that God has to do in us is to bring us to the place where we can willingly and cheerfully admit that all of the glory belongs to Jesus. Applications: God is reminding me today how hard it is to get to that point. We want to be noticed, and thanked, and appreciated, and even applauded – but those are very dangerous things. Jesus warned us, “Be careful when you do your ‘acts of righteousness’ that you do not do them in front of men, to be seen by them; I tell you the truth, you have your reward in full.” I don’t ever want to have to settle for the fleeting praise of other people, when the joy of God’s Kingdom is available. If I seek to exalt myself, God will humble me; if I humble myself, I can leave the exalting up to him. That’s one of the ways that God continues his work in me. Prayer: Father, I confess that it is easy to fall into the trap of wanting people to appreciate and applaud what I do. When I do that, I am prone to do their will, rather than yours. Thank you for reminding me how dangerous that can be, and that the glory belongs to Jesus, forever and ever. Help me today to give Jesus the glory that belongs to him, so others may be led to him. Amen. Today’s passages: Isaiah, chapters 22-24; Hebrews, chapter 12
Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-2, 14-17 (NRSV) – Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God…Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and through it many become defiled. See to it that no one becomes like Esau, an immoral and godless person, who sold his birthright for a single meal. You know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, even though he sought the blessing with tears. Observations: The first thing that catches my attention in this passage is the word “pioneer.” Other translations render this “author.” I’m not arguing about the validity of either translation; I’m just intrigued by the word “pioneer.” My kids and I have always enjoyed hiking and backbacking, and I’m always grateful for a trail that is clearly marked and well-worn by those who have hiked it before me. That’s what Jesus has done for us! He has clearly marked the trail, and after he blazed that trail, others have traveled it before us. It’s important for us to remember that – we don’t have to “reinvent the wheel” in terms of our faith, because Jesus is both pioneer and perfecter. “Perfecter” means, of course, that the faith is “perfect” – which means we don’t need to make any changes to it. (We may change the ways we talk about it, and live it in the context of our culture, but the faith doesn’t change.) The other thing that catches my attention is verse 14: Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Coming from a church in the Wesleyan-Holiness stream of Christianity, I’ve always focused on the second part of that verse, and there’s no question that the second part is important. But it’s the first part – Pursue peace with everyone– that is my focus today. There are two things that I sense God is saying: first, pursuing peace is just as important as pursuing holiness. The way that the verse is structured tells us that what the author is saying is “Pursue peace…and pursue holiness.” Second, I think that the idea of pursuing peace and pursuing holiness is another variation of “Love God and love your neighbor.” Pursuing peace/loving our neighbors is one way that our neighbors will see the Holy Spirit’s presence in us. Pursuing holiness/loving God is another way. Both of them are important. The peace that I have because of God’s work in me ought to overflow into my relationships with others, so that they both see and experience that peace. The holiness that I pursue through God’s work in me allows people to see that God’s work impacts both my spiritual life and also the way I relate to others. That doesn’t mean that everyone with whom I pursue peace will reciprocate; as Paul said, “As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18, NIV) Others may want to fight, to make everything in life a battle. We can’t control that; all we can control is our response. Pursue peace, and pursue holiness. Applications: God is reminding me today that “our battle is not against flesh and blood,” but against the spiritual forces of evil in the world. As I pursue holiness, the enemy will attack. As I pursue peace, the enemy will try to lead others to attack. But God can use my obedience to touch the lives of others – so I will pursue both peace and holiness. God will always be faithful to help me understand each day how to do that! Prayer: Father, I thank you for the reminder that Jesus is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith; I just need to walk in his footsteps. When I struggle with how to pursue both peace and holiness, remind me of the example of Jesus. Help me today as I pursue peace and holiness, to live in ways that bring glory to you. Amen. Today’s passages: Isaiah, chapters 19-21; Hebrews, chapter 11
Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-3, 13-16 (NRSV) – Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible…All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them. Observations: The explanation of what faith is in verse 1 follows this statement at the end of chapter 10: “But we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost, but among those who have faith and so are saved.” It’s almost as if the writer of Hebrews was imagining that those who were reading were asking, “What is this faith that you’re talking about?” Often, when we read Hebrews 11, we focus on the individual stories of the “heroes of the faith” that are contained in it. Today, though, God drew my attention to verses 13-16, which sets forth some basic truths about all of those who have faith. First, the faith that is the basis of our salvation leads us to recognize that we are strangers and foreigners on earth. When we start to get too comfortable here, we can lose our focus on God’s Kingdom and the fact that his principles and values are not those of this world. It’s interesting that the writer uses the phrase “strangers and foreigners,” because the Old Testament commands God’s people time and again to welcome those who are “strangers and foreigners” because they once were strangers and foreigners in Egypt – and we are strangers and foreigners on earth. Becoming too attached to anything of this world puts us at risk of losing sight of God’s promises and “settling” for this world instead of moving toward our real homeland. Remember this: no matter how “good” we think this world is, or how “good” we think we can make it, it will all be replaced by “a new heaven and a new earth” when God’s Kingdom comes in is fullness (Revelation 21:1). We are called to be like the faith heroes of the past, of whom the writer of Hebrews says, “If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return.” Jesus taught us to pray each day that God’s Kingdom would come and his will be done on earth as in heaven. We can be sure that for that to happen, things need to take place on earth that change the way things are here. If God were completely satisfied with how things are on earth, his Kingdom would already be here as it is in heaven. Faith means that we hear God’s call, and we act to move further into God’s will, understanding that this means that everything in our lives is subject to change at his direction. Abraham left the city where he was living and the people he knew and set out across the desert in search of a country that he had never seen, because God had promised him an inheritance. And God has promised us an inheritance – but we have to be willing to leave behind “our country” and “seek first God’s Kingdom.” That’s what it takes for us to really see God’s Kingdom come. Because the people of old believed and acted as they did, “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God.” The reason that he is not ashamed is because they believed and acted, because they recognized that this world was not their home. When our primary focus is this world, we are unable to fully appreciate and realize God’s call to our real home; when we recognize that we are just “strangers and foreigners” here, our priorities are changed to align with God’s priorities. Applications: Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how God would have me set my priorities and use my time. Like everyone, there are plenty of calls for me to do things that others think are important. It would be easy to accept the idea that it’s my “duty” to take part in this rally or that protest, to boycott this or speak against that. It would be easy to assume that God wants me to do everything that someone suggests, because otherwise he wouldn’t have put that “opportunity” in front of me. But God has reinforced for me this week that his call is for me to focus not on “the land that I left behind” (this world), but to focus instead on “a better country, a heavenly one.” There are only two questions that God has set before me at this time in my ministry: how am I helping people to come to faith? and, how am I helping people to grow in their faith? Every decision that I make about what I do is to be filtered through those questions. Prayer: Father, I confess that it is easy to get drawn into different causes and activities that other people think are important. Those things may be important for them – you may have laid those things on their hearts, and you don’t want me to disparage them. But you have made it clear to me where my focus should be. Help me to stay focused on you, and on the things that you have called me to do. Help me to do this with a humble spirit; guard me from any sense of spiritual pride. Help me to remember that I am only your servant, seeking to do what you have called me to do. You haven’t called me to be “important” or “successful,” only faithful. Help me today to walk in the faith that is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. Amen. Today’s passages: Isaiah, chapters 15-18; Hebrews, chapter 10
Scripture: Hebrews 10:19-27 (NRSV) – Therefore, my friends. since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. For if we willfully persist in sin after having received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Observations: It is a very uncomfortable thing to talk about judgment. We don’t like reading passages like those in today’s readings from Isaiah, where God talks about the land being ravaged, and people having to flee. We don’t like to think about the ultimate judgment, as Jesus described in Matthew 25, when the righteous are welcomed and the unrighteous are banished from God’s presence. It is easy for us to ignore the subject – to think only about our own hope of salvation, and not think about others who are in eternal danger. It’s easy to do that, that is, until we start reading Scripture. Then we are reminded – rather regularly – that a judgment is coming, and when that day comes, the choices which people have made to either receive Christ or reject him will be ratified for all eternity. We can look at passages like the ones from Isaiah and dismiss them, because they talk about judgment on Israel’s enemies – or even upon Israel itself, for its idolatry. But when the writer of Hebrews says that there is a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries, we cannot simply dismiss that. God is grabbing us by the shoulders, shaking us, and saying, “Wake up! People around you are in spiritual danger!” Not just people who live on the other side of the world; not just people in other areas of your own country; not even just the nameless people in your city, whom you drive by each day, or walk past in the grocery store. Your neighbors; your friends; your co-workers; your family members. People are around us each day who need to know Jesus, who need to see him enfleshed in us. God reminds us of the coming judgment, not to make us feel good about our promise of life together in his Kingdom, but to remind us that the fields are white for the harvest, and God calls all his people to be at work in those fields. The earlier part of the passage from Hebrews set out above reminds us of the importance of staying “on top of our game.” In the NRSV, this passage is entitled “A Call to Persevere.” The writer reminds us that Jesus has opened a new way for us into God’s presence, and then tells us to approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith. We should gladly come into God’s presence, and we should do it often. We come before God each day as we open his Word, as we open ourselves before him and ask him to speak to us. We do it as we come in obedience to Jesus’ instruction to pray each day for our daily needs, and for God’s guidance and direction to keep us from evil. We do it as we allow God to direct us in the many encounters we have each day, so others may see the love of God in us. This passage also reminds us of our obligations to each other within the body: Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. I’m intrigued by the word “provoke.” We normally think of that as a negative word, like “picking a fight” with someone. From what I can tell, though, this particular word avoids much of that negative connotation, meaning something more like “incite” in a positive sense. One of the reasons that God has called us together to be a part of the Body is so we can encourage each other, “spur each other on” in our service to God. This is not a competition, of course; pride and arrogance come too easily from competition, and pride and arrogance are universally condemned by God. The point that I take from this passage is that we can’t “incite” each other to good works if we’re not spending time together. As a pastor, I often struggle with people’s reluctance to regularly attend worship services. I’ve often thought about this passage only in that connection. (And I’ve heard numerous sermons in that regard, as most people have.) But as I think about it today, I realize that it’s hard to “provoke” people to good deeds even if they’re in church every week, if that’s the only time that they’re getting together with other members of the body. I’ve discovered that as I spend time in the Word, I want to be around other people who are doing the same. I want to talk with them about what God is saying to them, and how he’s working in their lives. I want to soak up the enthusiasm that flows from people who have a vibrant daily walk with Jesus, and I want them to be able to receive that from me, too. Applications: God is reminding me today of the importance of regular times together with other members of the body. That doesn’t mean that he wants worship services every day; the early church gathered to worship on “the Lord’s day,” but they met together every day to encourage one another. We need to look for more opportunities for people to come together, and I need to seek God’s direction on how to provide those opportunities through the church. But God is also reminding me that I need to do more “provoking”! Prayer: Father, it’s not easy to have to “provoke one another to love and good deeds.” It’s not easy to constantly talk about how important it is to not neglect meeting together. But it’s important. Thank you for reminding me today that it’s important for all of us to encourage each other in these ways, and for reminding me that when we do so in love, we can be confident that you will use our encouragement in the right ways. Help me today to encourage others in their walk with you. Amen. Today’s passages: Isaiah, chapters 11-14; Hebrews, chapter 9
Scripture: Isaiah 14:26-27 (NRSV) – This is the plan that is planned concerning the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? Hebrews 9:23-28 (NRSV) – Thus it was necessary for the sketches of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves need better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Observations: In these two passages we see two aspects of a central truth: God’s plan is moving forward toward its completion, and no one can stop it. From the time of the Fall, God knew what needed to take place: his Son would come and offer himself as the perfect, sinless sacrifice to pay the price for sin once and for all. Throughout the Old Testament, we see that plan coming together, moving ever closer to the time when the Messiah would come; the New Testament tells us of the Messiah’s coming, and instructs us on how we are to live as agents of God’s Kingdom in this world, while we wait for the Messiah’s return. The sacrifice is complete – Jesus does not have to continually offer himself to die for us. That sacrifice was once for all, as the writer of Hebrews puts it. But we have to continually receive the offer of forgiveness and life which Jesus makes. He does not force himself on anyone; the offer is open to “whosoever believes in him” (John 3:16). He calls those of us who have believed and received forgiveness and life to be his representatives in this world – to be those who are the points of intersection between God’s Kingdom and this world. What that means, at the most basic level, is that we need to stay connected to God each day, so we can be sure that we are operating within the framework of God’s plan. As Isaiah says, the Lord of hosts has planned. He’s not looking to us to come up with the plan; he simply wants us to fulfill our part within the plan. The New Testament makes it clear that while we are all called to make disciples, we have different gifts and abilities that God wants us to use within the framework of his plan. Not every believer is called to preach, to teach, or to shepherd the flock. Ephesians 4 makes clear that God’s plan is that all believers will be built up and strengthened for the works of service which God has planned for them. None of us should think, “If you’re really a Christian, you’ll do everything the way that I do.” God has a plan, and God has chosen roles for each of us within his plan. Let’s seek God’s role for ourselves, and encourage others to do the same; then let’s encourage each other as we fulfill the plans that God has for us! Applications: God is reminding me today how important it is for everyone within the Body to fulfill the role which he has for them. He hasn’t called me to pastor some other church; he’s called me to pastor the church which I serve. He hasn’t called me to be involved in other ministries or causes; he’s called me to focus on making disciples. God’s plan will be fulfilled when his people individually and collectively do what he has called them to do. This has been his plan from the beginning of the Church (see Acts 6, for example). That’s when we will see his Kingdom come, and his will be done, on earth as in heaven. Prayer: Father, thank you for reminding me today of the ministry that you have called me to – and the ministries that you have not called me to. Help me to walk today in the path that you have set out for me, and help me to be faithful in responding to the ministry opportunities which you provide. Help me not to focus on what others are doing; help me not to get caught up in wishing for other opportunities; help me to just be faithful and obedient to you today. Amen. |
Pastor Rick RicePastor Rick has served as Senior Pastor at TCNAZ since August 1999. He and his wife Jill have three grown children: Allen, David (Brianna), and MacKenzie. ArchivesPrevious blog posts can be found at "My Journey".
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