On Every Word

Matthew 4:1-4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Daylight savings time change over signals a change in season for many. It also tends to coincide with the beginning of Lent. And the season of Lent is one of several times of the year when my hunger to dive deep into the word of God peaks. Granted, I like many believers have a regular bible reading program. For me it arrives before I wake up in the form of an e-mail. The daily reading e-mail systematically walks me through the old and New Testament over the course of a couple of years. This is a system that works for the nerd in me. 

But there is another aspect of studying the word that takes a believer much, much deeper. Spending time in the Word in an in-depth study is so very enriching to your faith walk and spiritual growth. Using a concordance to review instances where a specific word (bread for example) is used can open up you to some wonder learning experiences. Using a Topical Bible to research various topics or people. The Nave's Topical Bible is a great resource to use in digging deep into scripture in a systematic manner to further your knowledge. Thematic Bibles have a similar use in helping you to research the scripture behind a specific theme, like faith, resurrection, redemption, etc. and then there are applications for your PC's, Mac's, smart phones & tablets. And audible Bibles are a great resource for times when reading is impractical but listening is not. All of these are tools that can be used to open up our hearts and minds to what God our Father wants us to know. Scripture is the word that comes from the mouth of God. This is the gift that keeps on giving to guide us and fill our hearts with His love. His word is available in so many different forms that there are fewer and fewer reasons to not have that Word with you at all times. When we spend time in the Word we are closer to God because we can hear His voice speaking to us. This is the voice of the Good Shepherd calling His sheep. Friends, please take time to open up your hearts to the Word of God on a regular basis. Let His love fill your hearts through study of the scriptures.

PRAYER: Father, Thank You for Your Written Word, Amen

Some Of The People Went Out On The Seventh Day

Exodus 16:4-5 & 26-27 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

“Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”

Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none.

Why do you suppose some people find it so difficult to obey God? Simple instructions from God go unheeded. Warnings of dire consequences have been ignored for generation upon generation upon generation. And yet the disobedience goes on. It simply boggles the mind. Something so simple as love the Lord Your God with all your heart mind and strength is disregarded as if it was a suggestion from an ill-advised source. Really, seriously they are the ten commandments not the ten suggestions. Surely you and I are more enlightened than the rest of humanity. Well, probably not. And in the words of Leslie Nielsen, “Stop calling me surely.”

We are created by a loving God our Father in Heaven to love Him and to love others. Seems simple, yet we are no more enlightened than those who have gone before us. All too often our love of self gets in the way of our love for others. We are tempted to take on the perspective of “I  earned what I have, let others pull themselves up by their boot straps and earn theirs too.”  Are you as guilty of that as I am? It is a growth area for most of us. How about the love God first thing? I once heard church on Sunday described as having to compete against every other thing in the world to do on a Sunday morning. Have you placed worshipping God second in your life?

Okay enough with the guilt trip. Face it, we are all flawed in how we honor God and His commandments. We try, but we are by nature sinful and prone to placing God and others second. The Apostle Paul in Romans 6:1-4 reminds us of our condition and our cure. What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. We are saved from ourselves by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Jesus bore our sins on the cross, overcame death and left behind an empty tomb for all to see and know that through Him we have everlasting life. We all can do better in living our lives as God intended us to live. And through His Holy Spirit we can have the faith to do just that.

PRAYER: Almighty God and Father, we poor sinners fail in loving You as we should. We place ourselves first in front of You, and in front of others. Help us Dear Lord to be better than we are. Send down Your Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with the faith we need to become better than we are. Give us the daily bread to fill our hearts with Your love. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Bread The Lord Has Given You

Exodus 16:11-16 The LORD said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’” That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’”

Of late, I have been working through a bible study on 1 Corinthians. Much of the latter part of that book in the Bible is devoted to spiritual gifts. These are the specific abilities we are blessed with by God to serve Him and His kingdom. From 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. 

We who are richly blessed have been given much by a loving God. We are given so much that we often take what we are given for granted, because of its abundance. In some cases we may even forget that what we have is given to us by God. We may foolishly think we are the source of all that we have. Similarly we may misuse what we have been blessed with. That temptation is all too easy to fall into and many are trapped in that lifestyle. 

When we look at the situation of the Israelites in Exodus 16 above we see a nation that is totally dependent upon The Lord. The quail are provided in the evening and the manna in the morning. There was no extravagant life style. They were at a subsistence level of existence. We can, most certainly should take a lesson from Exodus 16. We are given what we need by The Lord. When we seek to have more we must ask ourselves why and to what end will the "more" be used. A good introspective look within ourselves asking how much is enough is needed. And along with how much is enough, ask what are we doing with what we have? Lent is a great time to remember the lesson of the Israelites with the quail and the manna and apply it to our lives. The words of Exodus 16:15 should be seriously considered. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.

PRAYER: Father, You provide us with all that we need. Our families, our homes, our jobs our food are all from You. We are truly blessed. As we go about our day, help us to see how You would have us use what we are given. Guide is how's we share what we are blessed with. And lead us in using our spiritual gifts is serving You. We as this in the name do Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

I Will Never Disown You

Matthew 26: 32-35 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you,” And all the other disciples said the same.

When I think of the title for the series of devotionals for this week “Broken Trust” and try to put a name to that situation, the Disciple Peter comes to mind. In contemporary language, Peter went from hero to zero in a matter of hours. However, to stop there would only tell half of the story. The rest of the story, as they say, is the greatest story of restoration. Hold onto that thought for a bit.

When we set out to honor someone we ofttimes try to emulate their behavior or ideals. For example, a foundation may be established in the name of a departed famous person with the goal of continuing the charitable works of the one being honored. The noble goal of continuing to serve as the honoree would serve stands at the forefront of all they set out do. In some, but not all cases the new leaders stray from the path they first out to follow. Greed, ambition are often the causes of scandals that tear apart these organizations and bring dishonor upon the namesake of the organization. A trust is broken. And trust once broken is seldom restored in human terms.

Fortunately we have a loving God our Father. The commandments given in the covenant by God to Moses on the mountain that are so frequently broken by each of us would in the absence of His profound love mean death and eternal suffering for everyone. We each and every one of us dishonors our Father because we incapable of not sinning. If not for the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ we all would be toast. But Thank God For Jesus Christ! Each of us is restored just as Peter was restored by Jesus. The rest of that story is found in John 21:15-18. Take some time this week to read that marvelous story of restoration and love. You can find the encouragement to accept the love of Christ when you make the mistake you fear could permanently separate you from the love of God. The hope we grasp onto that comes from the empty cross and empty tomb stands strong today, tomorrow, the next day and on until Christ returns to fulfill His promise. We who are the recipient of the Grace of God must remember that in spite of ourselves we are loved and cherished. Please accept that unconditional love in your lives. And share that good news with those who do not yet have that hope.

PRAYER: Lord, You love us, in spite of who we are and what we do. Your unconditional love can be difficult to accept at times. Help us to have the faith we need to remember Your love and to remove the doubt that such love is given freely to all who love Your Son. Amen

The Sheep Of The Flock Will Be Scattered

Matthew 26: 31 Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.”

Being part of a group is a comforting experience. The old adage of “There is safety in numbers” holds true for many aspects of our lives. Being part of a ‘small group’ and holding regular Bible studies has been a transformative experience for me personally and a number of my close friends. Are part of a small group?

Each of us can suffer adversity, at any time in our lives. Illness or disease, loss of a job, loss of a loved one are just a few of the many adversities we may encounter.  Any adversity can attempt to challenge our faith or even seek to destroy our faith. Many have asked the question in times of adversity “How can this happen to me?” They will also say “Surely if God loves me, He wouldn’t let this happen to me.” The simple truth is adversity can, and will happen. How we handle adversity is important. If we try to handle adversity on our own, we stand an excellent chance of failing. If we chose to handle adversity with much prayer, we will find the strength to endure. We know this because of the assurance we have in 2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. When we suit up to take on adversity with the full armor of God (See Ephesians 6 for a full description) we are literally ready to take on the world. Trying to take on adversity naked and alone, without the armor of God is foolhardy. You can look around you at the many examples in our broken world of those who have failed in trying to withstand adversity. Our prisons are filled with examples of failed attempts. Our streets are littered with those who struggle without the same hope you and I hold onto. The sheep are scattered, satan can pick off each one at his leisure. No one survives alone. 

That small group I mentioned earlier, we have survived some amazing adversities. The list of adversities is really quite long. With Christ at the center of our group, the sheep did not scatter. The Good Shepherd stood by our side then, and will continue to do so in the future. He also gives us each other to offer support and encouragement. We have the lesson of the experience of the Disciples when Jesus was taken from them to reinforce our faith. We know the He is always there. The Disciples learned that lesson, and grew from the experience. Friends, my hope and prayer is that you will stay connected and not scatter in times of adversity. If you are not part of a small group, I hope you will prayerfully consider forming a small group or joining a small group soon. There truly is safety in numbers.

PRAYER: Lord, for those that reach out to You in prayer seeking peace in times of adversity we ask that you fill their hearts with Your love and comfort. Help them O’God to stand firm in their faith. Help them to share Your love with others when they have stood the test of fire. Let their faith be a beacon on the hill for all to see the love of Christ. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Surely, Not I Lord

Matthew 26: 22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely not I, Lord?”

There is a wise saying that goes something like this. “Never say never and do not ever say always. Life has a way of altering all conditions in ways you can scarce imagine.” Have you ever encountered anyone who was filled with pride, a person who could be called prideful? This type of person is very self confident, maybe even self reliant. Reliance on oneself can leave a person in a precarious position. That person is constantly on the precipice of being overwhelmed, but never thinking it could happen. Reality can be a harsh mistress.

Humility is an admirable quality. For the humble person, things come easy. Self reliance, self pride do not hinder the ability of the Holy Spirit to fill their hearts with faith. Reliance on God to provide all things needed is readily accepted. And knowing God has a plan for all is how a humble life is lived. But for those who set aside humility, there is a nasty wake up call on the horizon. Think about the Disciples from Matthew 26:22. They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely not I, Lord?”  To say they were self confident would be something of an understatement. Betraying Christ would fall squarely first on the shoulders of one of their number. Judas was the first. But each, in their own way would betray Christ and all that he had called upon them to do and be. The once mighty would all fall.

Interestingly enough, one of the most bold, Peter would later share some very sage advice in 1 Peter 5:5-8 for each of us to follow. Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all you anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking someone to devour. That roaring lion looking for someone to devour is very real, and ever present. Do not make the mistake of thinking otherwise. Put aside foolish pride, cloak your life with humility and the love of God. Put on the armor of Christ. For if you think surely “Not I” will work then surely you will be in for a rude awakening. No one can stand alone. No one can survive this life. All will say good bye to their mortal life. And those who find safety and comfort in the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ will be brought home as a sheep of His flock. The same loving God who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will do just that for all who follow His Son. Stay close to that Good Shepherd and stay humble.

PRAYER: Lord, our world falsely preaches self pride and self confidence as qualities to admire. When in reality Father, Your Word reminds us to be humble and reliant on You. Your Word speaks truth. Our world speaks lies. Help us to ignore what our world tells us, and to follow the path of Your Son. We ask this in the name of the Good Shepherd Jesus who with the Father and Spirit are one God now and forever, Amen.

One Of You Will Betray Me

Matthew 26: 20-21 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”

When you think of opposites what comes to mind? Positive would be the opposite of negative. Light the opposite of dark, expensive the opposite of cheap and so on. When you think of characteristics of Jesus, what would be the opposite of His attributes?

Let us continue on with the self examination. We who are broken look at ourselves and plumb the depths of our character during Lent. When we look inward, what do we see? When God looks into our hearts, what does He see? Psalm 139 1-4 remind us that God knows us thoroughly. O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. We have no secrets from God. Jesus, in speaking to the disciples in Matthew 26 is very upfront in His assessment of the future. And while they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” One would step away from being a disciple, a follower and part of Jesus’ legacy to be the one to betray Jesus. The Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 1:8&9 that we, the living legacy are we are called to a holy life. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. How are we to live our lives? We need look no further that 1 Peter 2:1 for that information. Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. And 1 Peter 2: 9-12 sets out a course for us to follow. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. How are you measuring up? Remember no one is perfect, all fall short. 

We do these things out of love for Christ and love for others because we are saved by Christ. God sent His perfect and precious Son to die for each and everyone. Not just the good ones, every one. The proof is found in the empty cross and empty cross. Remember our brokenness and embrace the grace that abounds in the love of Christ. That love is what we need to share in our lives.

PRAYER: Father, we who are broken look to You for strength in our worship and ministry to this broken world we live in. Give us the faith to be courageous in reaching out to this world. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

What Are You Willing To Give Me?

Matthew 26:14-16 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Judas Iscariot is an interesting character in the Life and Passion of the Christ. Have you stopped to think about the role Judas played in the Passion? I am not going to be a Judas apologist in this devotional. Rather, I am going to walk you and I through how each of us, in our own way acts similar to how Judas acted. Bear with me please. The journey will be interesting and instructive.

Judas sold out Jesus for 30 silver coins. The full gravity of his betrayal would come later, along with his inability to deal with the magnitude of the betrayal. I am not suggesting you and I are the same as Judas. What I am suggesting is that each of us, in our own way can sell out Jesus in our hearts, our families, in our work place and other parts of our lives. We each in our own way, have an opportunity to place Jesus at the forefront. How we share, or chose not to share Christ in our families, or workplace, or wherever we encounter others is an opportunity to sellout. In exchange for not placing Christ first, we may chose to place something else first in our lives. We have asked the big question, “What are you willing to give me?” We may, or may not have 30 silver coins to show for the sell out. But the bargain has been made nonetheless. When people you know see you or hear you, do they see Christ? Maybe they see a pale version of Christ, or is Christ unrecognizable in how we act? Tough questions for sure. I know I do not like to confront myself with this. It makes me uncomfortable. This is part and parcel of that introspection we as believers take on at Lent. If it were an easy question to ask, it probably would not be worth asking. Please, take time and examine yourself. Ask yourself the question “What are you willing to give me?” Is there an element of your life that needs a bit of prayer for faith and help to improve? Think about it. 

Each of us is imperfect. And God our Father knows this. And yes, He loves us in spite of ourselves. He wants each of us to understand our brokenness and to grow from that knowledge. He also wants us to remember His grace is enough to fill that void. The Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 12: 8-10 after pleading three times with the Lord to remove the thorn in his flesh. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. God sent His perfect and precious Son to die for each and everyone. Not just the good ones, every one. The proof is found in the empty cross and empty cross. Remember our brokenness and embrace the grace that abounds in the love of Christ. That love is what we need to share in our lives.

PRAYER: Father, we who are broken look to You for healing of our hearts and our lives. Give us the faith to be courageous in sharing the love of Your Son. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.