February 9, 2010 Isaiah 29-33

Why would anyone choose not to live for God?  Why would anyone think that another person(s) can help them when in trouble better than what God can?  Why are people so foolish?

And, yet, for at least the last 2800 years, people have been doing that very thing!  Isaiah describes Israel as choosing to look to Egypt for their protection, rather than trusting God.  They are willing to send fortunes down to Egypt, knowing that Egypt has a history of breaking promises.  All the while, God is on His throne saying, "Hey, what about Me?  Does anyone remember Me?"

What a sad day and experience it is when we choose to look to others for our source of deliverance than to trust God!  It is all a matter of faith.  Do we truly believe that God is who He says that He is?  Do we truly believe that God can do what He says He can do?  Do we truly believe that God will do what He says He will do?

God tells Israel that they can trust Him!  God tells us that we can trust Him!  Will we?  Will I?  Will you?

February 8, 2010 Job 11-12

"With friends like these, who needs enemies?"  Wow!  Zophar has been sitting there alongside Eliphaz and Bildad, looking on at their friend Job.  They see him in his sudden peril and misery, and each has taken turns to share their insights as to what is going on.  It is now Zophar's turn, and he holds no punches!

Zophar asks Job, "Is a person proved innocent just by talking alot? Should I remain silent while you babble on?" (11:2-3, NLT).  Don't miss the sympathy in those words!  By all means, don't let the understanding slap you in the face!!! 

Really, it is just not there!  Zophar is basically telling Job that he needs to suck it up and realize that he has sinned and he needs to repent!  After all, how else can you explain the tragedy he is facing?

Although it will take a while for Job to fully figure it out, the fact of the matter is that God did not do this to Job!  He has allowed it, but He has not originated it.  This is the hand of Satan, and it is done only at the point that God has permitted it.  God's permission was granted only because He had a plan that would have Job prove his trust and confidence was in God, not in the blessings that God could provide!

I want to be very careful with this, because honestly I don't want to have to find out - I wonder how well I would do if God were to withdraw His protection and allow Satan to try to get me to surrender my trust in God!  I pray that I would prove myself as trustworthy as Job.  I pray that I would be able to stand against all ridicule and accusation and declare that "Though He slay me, yet will I serve Him!"

February 7, 2010 Psalm 15-17

In each of these Psalms, there is one verse or phrase that stood out to me.  First, is Psalm 15:1, David asks a very important question, "Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord?"  His answers in the following verses indicates that there are limitations.  Note that there is not a limit to who can enter, but who can worship.  Worship is only received by those who are in right standing before God.  Therefore, when we come to the Sanctuary, we must be prepared to be made clean so that our worship is acceptable to Him!  Mercy is free.  All we have to do is accept it.

Psalm 16: 3 is the second verse that stands out:  "The godly people in the land are my true heroes!"  We live in a day when heroes are selected by accomplishment as opposed to character.  In fact, often times when the lack of character is pointed out, the response is that it doesn't matter.  But, character does matter - it matters to God!  Who are the heroes of your life?  Who are those that you have dreamed about imitating in your life?

Finally, Psalm 17:3b has a phenomenal statement:  "I am determined not to sin in what I say."  The heading of the chapter indicates that this is a prayer of David.  What  a prayer!  In another prayer, David pleads, "Keep my tongue from evil."  Wouldn't these be wonderful prayers for us to pray?  Our prayers are so often comprised of what we want God to do for us, but why not add these to what we want God to do through us?  I would venture to say that our lives would have stronger relationships if we were to see the fulfillment of these prayers!

February 6, 2010 Judges 1-6

"The Israelites did evil in the Lord's sight."  Did you notice how many times that showed up in this reading?  Over and again, the children of Israel chose to do their own thing.  In fact, the KJV states that "every man did that which was right in his own eyes."

This mentality and lifestyle all started after Joshua died, and all those who knew Joshua.  The new generations did not know the Lord, thus leading them into a lifestyle of disobedience.  Then, disobedience led them into captivity and suppression by their enemies.  It was only then that Israel began to turn to God for their deliverance.  In an amazing demonstration of mercy, God would raise up a "Judge" (a deliverer) to lead Israel to overcome their enemies.  But, after everything was nice and cozy, "the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord."  This was an ongoing cycle recorded throughout the book of Judges.

Why was it like this?  It is because the older generation only passed down stories of God's greatness, but did not lead their children in experiencing a relationship with God.  The new generation had no roots in an experience with the Almighty, and so they felt no obligation to obey His commands.

Today, as a pastor, I am concerned that the same type of thing is happening in the Church!  There are far too many people who can only talk about the stories that have been passed down from previous generations, with no testimony of first-hand experience.  The older generation is not leading the younger generation to experience a relationship with God!  As a result, statistics show that by the time a person reaches 18, 60-80% will drop out of church!  Why? Because they don't have a relationship with God!  They only have historical knowledge of things that happened in the past.

Parents, we must do better!  We have been so busy ensuring that our children experience sports or dance classes, that we have failed to ensure that they experience God!  In fact, if the choice is between a practice, a game, or a recital, and church, it is far too typical that church is neglected!!!  But, what will happen 10-15 years down the road when your child is done playing sports or has given up dancing?  Will they be found in church?  Probably not.  And, it will be the parents' fault because they have taught their children that church is not a priority in life!!!  What is worse, they will have been taught that the development of a relationship with God is not a priority!  "Every man did that which was right in his own eyes!"

February 5, 2010 Genesis 20-23

"When will you ever learn?"  My mother used to ask that of my siblings and I when we were growing up.  It typically followed some incident in which we acted in a certain way when we really knew better!  In fact, there were many times that we did something, got in trouble for having done it, and then later, did the same thing again.  Then the question would come, "When will you ever learn?"

I wonder if that is how God feels at times.  Here is Abraham, going into a foreign territory, and in his attempt to avoid being killed so that the ruler could take his beautiful wife for himself, Abraham claims she is his sister.  It didn't work out to well the first time, and yet here he is trying it again!

(Have you ever considered how beautiful Sarah must have been?  On this occasion, it is a year before she gave birth to Isaac.  She was 89 years old!!!  And, yet, Abraham is concerned that Ahimelech would see how beautiful Sarah was that he would kill Abraham in order to have Sarah.  That is some beauty!  I'm just saying!)

When Abraham gets back to where he is supposed to be, he and Sarah realize the fulfillment of God's promise with the birth of their son Isaac.  God is always faithful, but He is never One to be figured out!  Who would have thought that a 100 year old man and a 90 year old woman would be starting their family?  That hadn't been done since before the flood!

But, then, God wants Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.  Through his act of obedience, Abraham then experiences the wonder of God's provision and a reiteration of His promise that Abraham's seed would be a great nation.

Guess what!  God does not NEED our assistance to fulfill His plans.  That's why Abraham did not have to lie about Sarah.  However, God chooses to include us in His plans and He is looking to see if we are qualified.  How do we become qualified?  Obedience!

February 4, 2010 Romans 9-10

This is a great passage for the Gentile believer!  Paul is sharing how that God had continually reached out to the Jews with His love and righteousness.  Many of the Jews thought that since they were Jews, that they automatically had a ticket to heaven.  Others felt that if they just kept the Law, that they were pleasing God.

Paul says neither are what God was looking for.  To those who felt that their "Jewish-ness" was all that was needed to qualify them, Paul points out that Abraham had a number of children, but that God only chose Isaac.  Just being a son of Abraham was not enough.  There was something on the divine level that would make the difference.

To those who focused on the Law, Paul shares that it is inadequate.  As he pointed out in Chapter 7, the Law only points to our flaws and failures, not to righteousness.  He declares that it is not the Law-followers that pleased God, but the faith-keepers - those who put their trust in Christ!

There is no way to get around it.  There is only one way to heaven, and that is through the cross!  Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No man comes to the Father, except by me!" (John 14:6).  And, since our citizenship in heaven is not based upon our earthly lineage, nor is it based upon our own accomplishments, then we all have access to the Father by faith in Jesus Christ. 

As for me, that is great!  I am not a Jew, and I fall far short of the measurement of any Law!!!  But, I have trusted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and fully believe that He is coming again soon to receive me and take me to heaven with Him!  "Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20)

February 3, 2010 Matthew 11-13

So, here is the question - "Who is Jesus?"  This is not a new question.  It is one that has been asked ever since He arrived in a manger.  Now that He has begun His public ministry in these chapters, the people of His day are asking the same question.  Could He possibly be the Promised Messiah?

Many of the "common" folk were saying that He must be!  Most of the religious leaders were saying He can't be!  The government leaders were actually declaring that they could care less!

So what's the problem?  Why is it so important to know?  The answer that one gives to that simple question and how they respond in kind to their answer determines their eternal destiny!  If He was simply a man who had nice teachings, and by the way performed great miracles, then it was nice that He happened to cross the pages of history.  If He was a crazy man, as some of the religious leaders would have liked to portray, then He should be ignored!

But, if He is indeed whom He proclaimed to be, "Christ, the Son of God," then we are compelled to sit up and take notice.  His teaching was noted as having been greater than any other.  His miracles were noted as being beyond the scope of imagination.  And, His character was noted as being beyond reproach and without sin!!!

Upon reviewing all of the evidence of the ages, it is difficult for me to understand why anyone would not recognize Him as the Son of God!  And, many people do.  The problem is that even though they have a factual recognition of who He is, they actually choose to ignore His teachings and exhortations!  They are no better than the Pharisees of Jesus' day.  And, they will be judged for their rejection of Him in their lives.

Let us give ourselves fully to the fulfillment of His Word that we might show the evidence of Christ living in us!