Deuteronomy 15, Psalm 102, Isaiah 42, Revelation 12

Throughout history, God has continued to pursue people – providing for the poor, rescuing the prisoners and releasing the debtors. Not only does He display constant care and loving kindness for all of mankind, He gives us instructions to do the same to one another.

From Deuteronomy 15 –

“At the end of every seventh year you must cancel the debts of everyone who owes you money…”

“Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.”

“…in the seventh year you must set that servant free.”

and Psalm 102 –

“Tell them the Lord looked down

from his heavenly sanctuary.

He looked down to earth from heaven

to hear the groans of the prisoners,

to release those condemned to die.”

and  in Isaiah 42, we see His great care for us through His servant Christ.

God sends His this suffering servant, the One who will…

demonstrate (His) righteousness.

be a light to guide the nations.

open the eyes of the blind, and

free the captives.

He will not…

shout or raise his voice in public.

crush the weakest reed

or put out a flickering candle.

Do we deserve such treatment? Sometimes it is easy for us to blame ourselves for not measuring up. We feel inadequate and undeserving. We even think we are totally to blame for the messed up state we are in. We tend to see ourselves as our own worst enemy.

finally from Revelation 12 – we get a glimpse of a bigger story that has developed behind the scenes:

“For the accuser of our brothers and sisters

has been thrown down to earth—

the one who accuses them

before our God day and night.”

“…But terror will come on the earth and the sea,

for the devil has come down to you in great anger,

knowing that he has little time.”

“And the dragon (Satan, the devil) … declared war against… all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus.”

We have an enemy who is set on robbing, killing and destroying us. I’m not suggesting we have an excuse for moral poverty or our failure to keep God’s instructions, but I do think its possible that we just might not be our own worst enemy.

paul

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Deuteronomy 1, Psalm 81 & 82, Isaiah 29, 3 John

Sometimes the clarity of God’s message reaches out and grabs me, pulling me from the fog, just before I veer wildly off course.

In Deuteronomy 1, Moses begins a chronological recap of the Israelites adventures with God – out of Egypt, to the edge of the Promised Land, only to be turned back into the wilderness for 40 years of wandering. Why? Because they failed to listen (trust, obey, etc…)

Occasionally faithful, sometimes stubborn, and too frequently self-willed… an entire generation failed to realize their inheritance… they perished in the wilderness without setting foot in the Promised Land.

God’s desire for the Israelites and for us as well is simply that we would listen and take His instruction to heart. Everything He calls us to do is actually what’s best for us.

Like Israel, I’m also ‘occasionally faithful, sometimes stubborn, and too frequently self-willed…’ Isaiah described me all too well.

“But you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God and refused to go in. You complained in your tents and said, ‘The Lord must hate us. That’s why he has brought us here from Egypt—to hand us over to the Amorites to be slaughtered. (Deuteronomy 1:26-27)

“Oh, that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways! (Psalm 81: 13)

And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. (Isaiah 29: 13)

The Apostle John’s heart beat much like his Father’s. John’s desire was to see his children in the faith walk in the Truth and in this he took great joy!

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. (3 John 4)

Walking in the Truth, bringing my Father joy, really is my hearts desire – but the fog of disbelief, distrust, and self-will, constantly threatens to engulf me… from inside and out.

Lord, You take great pleasure in leading me out of the fog and into the Light. You’ve brought me to the edge of my Promised Land, my inheritance, and invited me in. May I cast off my doubts and my fears and let go of my foolish self-will. Lord teach me to walk in the Truth of Your Son. Amen.

paul

Numbers 22, Psalms 62&63, Isa. 11&12, James 5

Here is a short summary of the verses on prayer found in James 5:13-18

• Is anyone suffering? Pray.
• Is anyone sick? Call for the elders and let them pray over him.
• The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.
• Pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power.
• Elijah was a man and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, for three years and six months it didn’t rain. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

I’ve been thinking a lot about spiritual disciplines lately – maybe it’s normal in the midst of a “spiritual lull” to be considering and re-evaluating the practices that draw us into the presence of God. There are a few disciplines I am faithful in, and there are several that I’m not good at – prayer is one of my weak points. Why? Because I am notoriously bad at doing things I don’t understand.

I’ve been thinking about what Jesus meant when He said “Follow Me.” Maybe he intends for us to watch His every move and learn to do likewise… whether we understand it or not. I know He spent an awful lot of time praying and I’m certain He needed it less than I do.

As I read the biographies of the heroes of the faith, men and women God used to do amazing things, I see a common thread. They all appear to have had amazing prayer lives. They did what Jesus modeled. Through faith and obedience in prayer, they tapped into the same Power that Jesus did.

In a sense I’m beginning to wave the white flag, surrendering pride and stubbornness to faith and obedience. Maybe I should pray not because I understand how it works, but because the Bible repeatedly instructs me to do so.

If prayer happens to be your strong suit, please pray for me that I would learn to be a man of prayer!

Paul

Numbers 6, Song of Solomon 4, Psalm 40 & 41, Hebrews 4

Have you ever had that awkward sense of feeling slightly off kilter and not knowing why? Being uncomfortable in your own skin and not knowing what it is that is bothering you so much? Almost like there is something about yourself you don’t know?

There is an ancient Greek saying, know thyself… that encourages us to reflectively search our own hearts; to discover our inner thoughts, the source of our emotions, feelings and fears. It’s great advice, but can it really be done?

The prophet Jeremiah almost makes the task of knowing ourselves seem impossible as he makes this painfully accurate observation, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked…”  The statement is followed by this question, “…Who can know it?”

On the one hand, the Greeks are giving good advice, know thyself, and on the other hand, the Bible reveals the difficulty of the task and warns us of what we are sure to uncover – it’s not a pretty sight.

In a sense, maybe we know ourselves well enough to know we don’t really want to know ourselves! Maybe we are quite comfortable covered in fig leaves?

Part of me wants to know “the whole truth and nothing but the truth”, while part of me runs for cover – exposure is a frightening proposition, even self-exposure.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13)

I’ve read that passage four or five times now and the more I read it the faster my heart seems to race… I feel it penetrate the darkness of my own heart, like a searchlight that has finally found its target. I’m caught and there is nowhere to hide regardless of how hard I try, or how fast I run.

The heart can be known; in fact it is known by God. I too can know my own heart, by choosing to “expose” myself to God’s Word and allowing it to do it’s penetrating work. Or I can hide, but I can’t hide forever, one day I will give account.

God’s Word is far from being simply ink printed on pages. It is alive, powerful and penetrating – soaking in it can be a painful process, but it is always freeing. We can know the truth about ourselves and we can know who God really is. That truth that has the power to set us free.

He died so we could be free… not afraid.

paul

Lev. 19, Ps. 23 & 24, Eccles. 2, 1 Tim. 4

Solomon, in all his wisdom, struggled with finding and embracing the core truth that could give meaning to all the apparent absurdities of life. With unlimited resources, he pursued every type of pleasure, and even the pursuit of wisdom. In the end, Solomon found all such pursuits “vanity and chasing after wind” i.e. in and of themselves, they had no eternal value and in the end were pointless.

“So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind.” (Eccles. 2:17)

David (Solomon’s father) wrote the 23^rd Psalm. David’s experience and perspective stands in stark contrast to the words of Solomon. Where Solomon struggled to find meaning in the pursuit of pleasure and purpose, his father David pursued with his whole heart to know the Person from whom all meaning comes.

• Where Solomon said to himself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.”

• His father David concludes, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.”

• Solomon says, “Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”

• David in contrast, through his personal relationship with God, experiences‘(lying) down in green pastures and being led beside still waters.’

• Where Solomon came to ‘hate his life’, David’s ‘soul is being restored.’

• Solomon “turned about and gave (his) heart up to despair”, while David was being ‘comforted by the rod and staff of his Shepherd.’

• Solomon asks, “So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety?” and He concludes, “Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.”

• David confidently states, “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

I’ve experienced both the frustration of Solomon and the peace of David. I’ve grasped for things I thought would fulfill, only to be reminded time and again, that that which fills completely is given freely.

Lord, you are my Shepherd, there is nothing I need apart from you, nothing I desire more than you. You and you alone are the answer to life’s purpose. Amen.

Paul