___________________
April 12

... If you are walking in darkness,
without a ray of light, trust in the Lord ...
Isaiah 50:10

I love that verse!

a) A problem is presented -- darkness surrounds us.
b) A solution is given too -- trust in God.

What has brought darkness into your life? Chances are it's caused by one of three things -- situations, depression, and sin.

When we put ourselves in bad situations through poor choices or sin, trusting more in God is obviously a better alternative.

But so many of life's hurt's are not by our choice. What happens when the situation is our company going bankrupt? Lay-offs, for example, can be a dark situation. What happens when another person's sin harms us? Paralysis can be a darkness that is caused by a drunk driver. And what happens when our body chemistry seems to betray us and we fall into the darkness of depression.

We are not responsible for all of life's hurts and darkness can set in. I've known people who are truly "without a ray of light." What's the solution? True trust is knowing that God is light even when you can't see it. True trust is knowing that "Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning" (Psalm 30:5). True trust is believing that there will come a time when "death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more [and God] will wipe every tear from [your] eyes" (Rev 21:4).

In Christ's Love,
a guy who has more crust than trust some days

____________________
April 11

"Do not fear or be dismayed at this great multitude;
for the battle is not yours but God's."
2 Chronicles 20:15

Yesterday's verse was "do not worry." Today's is "do not fear."

Think about it a minute ... do you know what we ultimately worry about and fear? Death.

+ We fear our death and worry about things like our health.
+ We fear a loved one's death and worry when our kids don't arrive home on time.
+ We worry about money because how will we live (i.e. not die) if our circumstances change.
+ We fear being embarrassed because when people think less of us, it's like dying a thousand little deaths.

All people -- even people of faith -- worry. Nevertheless, a growing faith is the best antidote to fear. Why? Because death is not as scary the more confident we are in heaven. And embarrassment and earthly judgments are not as scary when we realize our true worth in God's eyes -- loved!

This battle of life is not yours. As this passage suggests, trust in God's plan for victory!

In Christ's Love,
a guy who wants to be a tag-team wrestle
with God as his partner ...
because the battle is always his!

____________________
April 10

"Do not begin to be anxious"
Philippians 4:6

I don't know what the PBV translation of the Bible is, but I love this translation of this verse. I'm accustomed to the more familiar translation -- "Do not worry about anything." But without going to the Greek to see how accurate it is, I love the Barney Fife logic of this translation: "Nip it in the bud!" Stop it before it starts.

Wait ... not worrying is easier said than done, but after watching moments of worry-plagued paralysis in my life and in the lives many friends, it's a desperate need for many of us.

Now, all people -- even the most faithful people -- eventually and inevitably worry. Nevertheless, not worrying is truly a matter of faith. It is believing that God holds a good future in his hands. Therefore, the best way to lessen the effects of worry and grief is to grow our faith.

In Christ's Love,
a guy who's doing great today
... except for ... well ... oh no ...
what if that thing happens ...
and then ... wait ...
"do not begin to be anxious"

____________________
April 9

I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them;
I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.
Ezekial 11:19

Describing the differences between men and women, someone told me recently that ...

+ Men are waffles and
+ Women are spaghetti.

Imagine a fuss at home in the morning. The man goes to work and compartmentalizes. He leaves the fuss at home in the home box. When he gets to the office, he operates from the work box. When he goes to the water cooler, he talks to his buddy from the sports box. Men are waffles.

Women, on the other hand, are spaghetti. Everything is interconnected. No matter the task the bride is supposed to be doing -- work, shopping, kids -- the fuss with her husband is at the forefront of her heart. Spaghetti.

Re-read today's verse. God -- through Ezekial -- is not just talking about waffle-hearted men when he says we have a divided heart. When it comes to spiritual matters, virtually all of us have a godly box and a worldly life. Too often we worship on Sunday and forget God -- at least to a degree -- throughout the week.

The key to transformational faith is not being waffles.

In Christ's Love,
a guy who's loved blueberry syrup
(and the world) a little too much

____________________
April 8

The Lord blessed the latter days
of Job more than his beginning
Job 42:12

Here's the ultra-quick summary of the book of Job: Job lost everything. His friends pondered where God was. Job kept the faith. And God blessed him in the end. Quick enough?

Well, I had a wise old man come up to me once, saying, "In the beginning, Job lost everything -- his cattle, his sheep, his children. At the end, everything was restored to Job ... and not just restored, all was doubled ... except his children. Why?" said the old man, "Why did God double the return on Job's lowly sheep, but not the return on Job's precious children?"

"I don't know," I said.

"Pastor," said the old man, "you're thinking from a worldly perspective. From a heavenly perspective, it was unnecessary to double those children ... because those children were never really gone. Rather than being lost, Job would be near them again throughout all eternity!"

In Christ's Love,
a pastor who needs to be occasionally reminded
to think from a heavenly perspective


+

April 7

Like an eagle that rouses her chicks
and hovers over her young,
so he spread his wings to take them in
and carried them aloft on his pinions.
The Lord alone guided them;
they lived without any foreign gods.
Deuteronomy 32:11-12

The most important part of these verses is that God's people -- for once -- lived without any foreign gods and worldly priorities. The most important news is that they allowed the Lord -- and the Lord alone -- to guide them.

That's the most important part ... but not the most fun! The most fun part is the image of the eagle.

I'm told that the way a mother eagle teaches her young to fly is to take them to terrifying heights and then drop them. The eaglet falls and falls. And the mother just hovers aloft and aloof.

This free-fall must be absolutely harrowing for the young creature that's never stretched its wings. If the youngster is able, he'll set his wings and rise in triumph. If the youngster is not able, the mother will swoop in at the last moment and grasp the infant in her terrible -- and in this case, comforting -- talons.

Deuteronomy tells us that God is like a mother eagle. He "rouses." He "hovers" tenderly. He spreads is wings over us when trials come. He sometimes lets us fall from terrifying heights, knowing a) that falling will teach us to fly or b) he'll catch us before life and gravity crush us.

In Christ's Love,
a guy who's never sky-dived
(but may need to if I'm ever going to fly spiritually)

___________________
April 6

"And he took them,
and went aside privately
into a desert place"
Luke 9:10

Jesus frequently went to deserts and deserted place. The wilderness for him was frequenty a place of deep prayer. Away from the busyness and distractions, deserted places are often sanctuaries for transformation.

I think it's interesting that Jesus took them to the desert and deserted places. By definition, when a crowd arrives, it's not deserted any more!

And yet ... here's the challenge: In our busy world with cell phones, highways, instant messaging, and incessant carpools, rarely will we ever find a truly deserted sanctuary. Life will always intrude. So the question is, How do you craft a time and space for renewal in your life?

In Christ's Love,
a guy who's often needed a desert
so he can thirst more fully for God

____________________
April 5

And after the earthquake a fire;
and after the fire a sound of gentle stillness
1 Kings 19:12

We worshiped in the shadow of the mountains. They were still black and smoldering from the fire that had devasted our town. And I read that day this story from First Kings.

God's prophet Elijah was running from the evil queen Jezebel. He couldn't understand how he could do God's will and still be tormented. Repeated in this story -- though not in this one short verse -- is the phrase, "but God was not in the _______." For example, God was not "in" the earthquake, God was not "behind" the fire that destroyed our town, and God was not "in" the persecution that threatened to undo Elijah.

God was, however, "beside" Elijah during times of trial, and "with" us through the haze of fire and smoke, and "drawing near" to those during the recent earthquake in Haiti.

Beside ... with ... and drawing near ... We often find God's presence, when silence the terror of the moment and look for God in the stillness.

In Christ's Love,
a guy who's learned that God is
definitely not in the busyness

____________________
March 28 - April 4

Just when I started to post these on the web again, we had a congregational emergency.

On a Saturday, he was hospitalized.

On Monday, it was diagnosed as a tumor.

On Wednesday, surgery was successful.

On Friday, the biopsies essentially confirmed that it was benign.

On Sunday, Easter was even more joyous.

And yet, as we said during Easter worship, it could have just as easily gone the other way. Therefore, would Easter have been joyful? Absolutely!!! Easter is the promise of hope and life and resurrection the pull us through hard times ... even hard times like a sick little baby.

And it's Easter that gives us the confidence to face the grave and celebrate all of life.

Christ is risen!
He is risen, indeed. Alleluia!

+

___________________
M A R C H 2 7

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised”
Job 1:21

Most of us wouldn't complain if we had a little more money. But I remember having to counsel someone once who was taking the wrong attitude toward getting it.

The person was upset that their parents had adopted the philosophy, "I want to live so fully that I'm cashing my last check when I die." Yes, they were traveling some and playing more. Yes, they had made arrangements -- insurance, etc. -- in case they were incapacitated. But mostly, they were giving it away. They were joyfully investing in the kingdom.

"My inheritance!" cried this friend.

How do you think my friend would have reacted if I said they're living God's purposes: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart"?

How do you think my friend would have reacted if their motto became, "May the name of the Lord be praised"?

In Christ's Love,
a guy who already has a great inheritance
... it's eternal and from God

___________________
M A R C H 2 6

Let the one who believes in me drink.
As the scripture has said, "Out of the believer's heart
shall flow rivers of living water."
John 7:38

"Which came first the chicken or the egg?"

That question comes to mind because of the two principles in this verse: 1) "Believers drink living water." 2) "Believers overflow with living water."

The question is: Which comes first?

If we want rivers, waters, fruit, and faithfulness to flow from us, first we need to drink, abide, worship, and know the living God. Indeed, the inward act of drinking in God's presence preceeds the overflow of love, joy, and peace.

In Christ's Love,
a guy who wants to be sailor
(surrounded by so much living water
he can't see any land)

___________________
M A R C H 2 5

Jesus said ...
Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat,
but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail
Luke 22:31-32

When we pray, "Lead us not into the temptation and deliver us from evil," we are praying that "Satan [won't] sift [us] like wheat" and that "[our] own faith may not fail."

On the night Jesus was betrayed, it wasn't the disciples praying these petitions for themselves. It was Jesus who was praying for his disciples.

Are you Jesus disciple too? Isn't it comforting that you're not alone in your prayers for less temptation and stronger faith. Rejoice, because Jesus is praying for you!

In Christ's Love,
a guy who doesn't want to be nicknamed "Buckwheat"
(because I'd rather draw close to Christ
than be sifted by Satan)

+

Day 5 + read Genesis 37, 41, 50

"37:5 Once Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more."

"50:20 Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today."

Those two verses are a perfect introduction to the story of Joseph. It tells us two important things today:

1. How does God speak? Sometimes God speaks through dreams.

2. How does God act? Sometimes God redeems human actions.

You probably know the story of Joseph. His jealous brothers wanted to kill him, he was sold into Egyptian slavery, and he was thrown into prison.

God redeemed, however, what others intended for harm: By speaking to Joseph through dreams, God enabled Joseph to rise to power in Egypt. Joseph’s position as governor allowed Joseph to save his brothers -- and indeed, the fledgling nation of Israel!

What does God say?

Sometimes God speaks through dreams.

What does God say to us?

First and foremost, I am not about to suggest that every dream is from God!!!

Generally my dreams are too weird and selfish and generally irrelevant to be godly! Nevertheless, my dreams often draw up what’s pressing on my heart -- anxiety, insecurity, anger, greed, lust, or guilt.

One of the most helpful devotional practices I ever tried was to write down my dreams in the morning. Then I would write a prayer that addressed the concern that was subconciously weighing on me.

I offer this as an idea that you might wish to try ... or you might not.

Two tips if you do:

1. Don’t pretend you’re Joseph! If I thought most of my dreams were instructions from God, I’d probably be in jail before the end of the month! Use the dreams simply to spark your morning prayer.

2. Write them down before your feet ever hit the floor! If you do anything else first, the dream (and the emotions) are gone.

What does God say?

In Genesis 37, when Joseph dreamed of eleven sheaves of wheat bowing down to the one, God gave Joseph and his brothers a glimpse of their future.

In order to eat in the midst of a famine, the eleven would need to do the unthinkable -- bow down humbly to the one.

What does God say to US?

For the people of Israel, salvation came by bowing down. In what ways do you need to humble yourself and bow down?


(Hint: If you didn’t say, "Bow to God," now would be a very good time to say, "Oh, yeah, and humble myself before my Lord most of all!!!")

What does God say?

In Genesis 41, Joseph correctly interpreted the dream of Pharoah. Seven fat cows meant seven years of plenty, and seven slender cows meant seven years of famine.

What does God say to US?

God says there will be times of plenty in your life and there will be times that are lean. Using the wisdom from above, what should we do in times of plenty? What should we do in seasons of lean?


Please note that the principles from this dream are not just about rich seasons, lean seasons, and economic wisdom.

God tells us through his Word that there is "a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace" (Ecclesiastes 3:2-7).

Which of these principles do you need in your life most today? Why?

P.S.

"50:20Even though you intended to harm me, God intended it for good." God didn’t say that. Joseph did. That’s why I put this as a "P.S." instead of a "What does God say?" Nevertheless, this is one of the most important principles in life, spurring an important question ...

What harmful, painful, tragic, sinful thing has the world tried to work in your life that God has nevertheless redeemed and enriched you through?!



Thank God for his goodness!

Day 4 + read segments from Genesis

Genesis 33:1-12
then Back to 28:10-19
then to 32:22-30

What does God say?

Yesterday, we heard that Abraham had a son named Isaac. A generation later, Isaac too had a son named Jacob. Actually, Isaac had twins -- Esau the elder, and Jacob who came out clinging to his heel. In fact, Jacob would spend the rest of his formative years trying to grab hold of all the blessings intended for his older brother.

Our story picks up today after Jacob had stolen his brother’s birthrite (Gen 27).

Now, based on today’s readings, I’ve obviously told this story with the end first -- reconciliation between two brothers. The question is why did I tell it backwards?

Why? Because as powerful and instructive as any glimpse of reconciliation can be, we’re not looking (in this Bible study) to discover what humans do. We’re seeking to discover what God himself teaches and says.

Therefore, I wanted you to see the end of the story (reconciliation) and then go back and consider what might have moved the conniving Jacob to get to that point!

What moved Jacob?

A vision and a wrestling match.

God spoke to Jacob first through a vision. We call what he saw "Jacob’s Ladder." What it really depicted was God’s greatest desire. God desires to create a bridge between heaven and earth!

Some commentators go on to say that this ladder was really a prefiguring of the cross of Christ. The cross, after all, is the great connector between heaven and earth. God’s prophetic hands must not be ignored! Nevertheless, let’s stick with what Jacob knew for the moment: God desires there to be a living connection between heaven and earth.

Jacob’s second glimpse was a wrestling match with God himself!

Again, is this a prefiguring of Christ -- God in human form? But again, let’s stick to what Jacob knew ...

On the morning side of this wrestling match, what was God’s message? "32:28You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, [which means] you have striven with God ... and prevailed."

What does God say to us?

God’s message to us is, "strive and struggle with me." Wrestle with God!

Too often when we face trials, we seem to struggle either:

1. with ourselves and within our own mind, or

2. against God and heaven.

Many of us lack sufficient boldness to struggle with God ... to lay at his feet our anger ... to refuse to release him without an answer to our doubts.

Why do we hesitate?! Piety ... and pride. We’re either afraid to admit our vulnerability or unable to accept God’s love. But trust me -- a guy named after Doubting Thomas -- God is big enough to handle our questions and frustrations. All he wants is for you to wrestle with him until you "32:30see[] God face to face."

Right now in your life, do you feel like you’re seeing God face to face?

What do you need to wrestle with God about? Ask him about? Cry to him about? Shout at him about?

P.S.

If you have difficulty being brutally honest with God, remember Jacob’s ladder.

In the midst of Jacob’s self-induced exile, God set up a symbol (a ladder, a cross) as a bridge. Through it, our Lord was saying, "Friend, you are broken and on the run, but I still desire to forge a living connection between heaven and you."

Wrestle some more ... and when it’s time, thank God through Jesus Christ for the living connection that he has forged between heaven and you!

Day 3 + Read first verse of several chapters

Genesis 12:1-- 4
Genesis 15:1-- 6
Genesis 16:1-- 4
Genesis 17:1-- 8
Genesis 19:1-- 5 (15-- 26)
Genesis 21:1-- 4
Genesis 22:1-- 18

What does God say?

The story of Abraham and his family is long and important. We like to think of our Bible heroes as heroic. But several great characters in a row have let us (and God) down -- Adam ate the apple, Noah got humiliatingly drunk, and Abraham had a child with the maid.

What does God have to say about that?

"17:16I will bless [you]."

What a strange and wonderful God we have! He blesses broken people! (And I don’t know about you, but that’s definitely a blessing for me!)

What does God say to us?

Many of us live paralyzed lives. We’ve done something shameful in our past. We can’t forgive ourselves for that transgression; therefore, deep down, we fail to believe that God can forgive us for it.

But do you know what God said to Abraham and Sarah? It’s the same thing he says to you: "18:14Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?"


Spend a moment or two confessing the big sins you cannot seem to forgive yourself for ...


Now spend more time thanking God for the power of his forgiveness!


What does God say?

"19:17Flee for your life [and] do not look back."

What does God say to us?

"When you flee from your sins, do not look back."

Wait ... God didn’t actually say that! Is using this verse in this way stretching it’s original intent? Probably! And yet, when we flee our past -- as Lot and his wife fled the depravity of Sodom and Gomorrah -- I don’t think it’s stretching the truth to say that God wants us to leave it behind ... to not look back ... and to finally be set free.

What do you need to be set free from and leave completely behind?


What does God say?

"17:12I will make you ... 14[the father of many nations]*."

*"Abraham" means "Father of many nations."

What does God say to us?

In spite of your past, God wants to make something of you!

After having put your past behind you, start asking God what he desires to make of you!



What does God say?

"22:2Take your son, your only son Isaac, ... and offer him ... as a burnt offering."

What does God say to us?

For most of my life, I tried to ignore this story.

It sounded absolutely barbaric.

Therefore, this story quickly became one of those passages I wrote off as silly, old, out-dated literature that had nothing to do with the soft and squishy God of Niceness. (If you’re like me, as soon as you start labeling your non-favorite stories as silly and old, you soon have few hundred passages in that file. In fact, if you’re like me, as soon as you start taming God, your soft and squishy God of Niceness seems more like a marshmallow than the "consuming fire" that it talks about in Hebrews 12:29. Wait ... a consuming God of fire seems scary, let me put that in the old and irrelevant file too ... or should we not?!)

As barbaric as this story sounds, what is it really all about? Is God really asking Abraham to sacrifice his son?

No!

By the end of the story we see that God has been planning to provide a substitute all along.

So why bother asking such a terrible thing?

First, it’s a test. God wants to know if Abraham will really obey him or not.

Second, God wanted to show that he is different than all the other "gods." In Abraham’s day, the other gods frequently required child sacrifice. Thus, Abraham was saddened by God’s call, but he was not surprised. Fortunately, God had a magnificent surprise in store! He is wonderfully different than all the other gods we can turn to (or create in our own imagination). Not only does God not ask us to give our sons, but God, instead, gives his only begotten Son!

That’s a long introduction to finally ask, "Therefore, what does God say to us?"

Well, I hear God saying, "All of life is a test and a trust." Indeed, God says, "Like Abraham, I will ask you to do many things in this life. Some will make sense. Some may not. The question is, will you follow my calls and commands -- and my Word -- even when it doesn’t make sense to you?"

What hard thing is God asking you to do?

And do you trust him -- if you truly step out in faith -- to provide a ram, a solution, a hope, and a way?"

P.S.

At the beginning of today’s lesson, we talked about Bible "heroes" who let us (and God) down. In spite of all the failures along the way, our story today ends with Abraham’s faith and trust.

Has your life known failure? How can you begin writing a new ending today?

Day 2 + read Genesis 6,8,9

What does God say?

Yesterday we ended with a picture of God’s desire for fellowship, relationship, and intimacy with us. Adam and Eve broke that relationship and by doing so, broke God’s heart.

Genesis 6 begins with God’s heart again. What breaks it this time?

Sin ... again: "5The Lord saw that the __________ of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their ____________ was only evil continually." God’s Word goes on to say that "6the Lord was _________ that he had made humankind on the earth, and it __________ him to his heart."

What does God say about sin?

God reveals his hurt and his heart when he says, "7I will blot out ... human beings."

That’s a word of judgment, isn’t it?

I don’t know about you, but I’d often like to pretend that God doesn’t judge. Therefore, you and I have two choices for how we can respond to passages like this: 1) we can ignore it, saying, "I can’t believe in a God like that," or 2) we can embrace it.

Embrace it? Are you serious?!

Yes, we can choose to say, "God wants a relationship with me so passionately that he hates anything that puts a divide between us."

What does God say to US?

Scripture notes that "6:5every inclination of [those olden] hearts was only evil continually."

Now, I sincerely doubt that every inclination of your heart is evil. Nevertheless, if we’re honest, we may need to admit that our hearts struggle more than occasionally with sin. And we would certainly do well to remember that every sin hurts the heart of the Lord who simply wants a close relationship with us.

Therefore, now might be a good time to spend a few moments confessing your sins ...

What does God say?

Often one of the most hopeful words in all scripture is "but." In this case, we hear that all of humankind was wicked, "8but Noah found favor with God."

Over the next few chapters, God will ask the improbable (perhaps impossible) of Noah. For example, God says, "6:14Make for yourself a 15three hundred cubit long 14ark [and] 19bring two of every kind [of animal] into the ark."

What does God say to US?

Occasionally throughout our life, it may sound like God is asking us some strange, improbable, hard, and unsavory things. The question is: Will you respond like Noah?

Scripture doesn’t waste words on Noah’s obedience: "22Noah did this." What big and improbable thing do you know that God is calling you to do, and how are you responding?


What’s keeping you from just "d[oing] this"?


What does God say?

"18I will establish a ___________ with you."

We are back to God’s desire for a relationship with us again. A covenant is a promise, a contract, an oath, that seeks to formalize a relationship or bond. God promises to protect Noah through the midst of the biggest gullywasher of a trial that humanity has ever known.

What does God say to US?

God wants to forge a bond and relationship with you! What is the greatest trial you are currently facing in your life right now?


How might trusting in the God of the covenant who is with you through the storm, give you more confidence to face this trial?


Let’s end today by giving thanks to the God of covenants and relationships for providing us with everything we truly need in the midst of the storm. (Note: That, in fact, is a powerful way to pray. Praying "God be with me" is good, but an even better prayer may be: "Thank you that you are already with me ... already building a life raft ... already fashioning an escape route ... already setting my feet back on dry ground.")

P.S.

Did you notice how the story of Noah ended? The most faithful man in all the world planted a vineyard, got drunk, and shamed his sons.

No matter how perfect you try to be, you will fail. Let me say that again ... You will fail ... You will fail ... You will fail.

So where’s the good news? It’s in confession. Confession removes the divide between you and the God of relationship who stands ready to throw the life line!

Day 1 + read Genesis 1,2,3

What does God say?

I don’t know about you, but I like to do things my way.

I like to be in charge.

The three musketeers used to cheer, "All for one and one for all." Me, myself, and I were once the three musketeers, and "All for me and all for me" used to be the cheer.

Pondering creation, though, was the first step in silencing a little bit of self. When I finally contemplated the complexity and enormity of creation ... when I finally realized my tiny, temporary, fragile stature ... when I finally said "wow" to God and "whoa" to my pride ... I finally began to hear the magical sounds of God’s creation. I finally began to know God.

In Genesis 1 -- over and over -- what two things does God say?

1. To create, God simply says, "Let there _ _ . . . "

2. And when God surveys his creation, God says, "And it was _ _ ."

Did God need to rub two sticks together to create? No. He simply needed to speak a word, "and it was so" ... and "it was good!"

Then after making humans the crown and culmination of his creation, what does God say? "31It was _________ good."

What does God say to US?

If God calls humans "very good," then you are "very good." Wait ... write that in big, BIG letters: God’s view of me is: V____ G_______!

Some people suffer from low self-esteem. What keeps you from seeing yourself as very good?


On the other hand, others of us suffer from the opposite problem -- too much pride. How might the enormity of creation help keep your pride in check?


Why do we often believe in our assessment of ourselves rather than God’s assessment of us?


The invitation is to not believe in ourselves but to believe in God!


What does God say?

In Genesis 2, God mentions the first thing that is not good, "18it is not good for the man to be alone."

What does God say to US?

If it is not good for people to be alone, who do you know who is lonely and in need of your friendship? (List them ... then befriend them!)


What does God say?

In Genesis 3, we have a picture of "the way it’s supposed to be."

God wanders through the beauty of his garden and expects to encounter friendship and intimacy with Adam and Eve. He obviously doesn’t. They have broken a rule. And what happens when they break a rule? They break something even more valuable. They shatter their relationship with God.

That’s what sin does. It puts a wall between us and God. That’s what that fig leaf was -- a literal barrier, a shame-filled divide.

Therefore, when God cries, "9Where are you?," do you hear his heart? He longs for intimacy, but with that relationship shattered, his heart is broken.

What does God say to US?

"Where are you?" That’s been God’s cry to you for years and years! He loves you. He wants nothing more than deep friendship with you and with me.

As you begin this 60-day journey, begin by answering two questions:

1. "Where have you been?"... lately? ... in your relationship with God?


2. "Where would you like to be?" ... at the end of these 60 days?

Know God - intro

Introduction

It was 10:30 at night and the kids were crying when we finally pulled off the interstate and into the hotel.

My wife did all the feeding and bathing as I carted every suitcase, diaper bag, baby toy, food bag, pack ’n play, pillow, blanket, and teddy bear up three flights of stairs.

It had to be at least 11:30 by the time we laid the last one down and turned out the lights.

You’d think I would have fallen fast asleep because I was exhausted. But what I was really doing was listening for the sounds of sleep.

As my family slept, I crept into the bathroom to feed a growing addiction.

I sat on the cold bathroom floor as I pulled out all the necessary paraphernalia.

I rolled up my sleeves, and started to ... read the scriptures.

The Bible-in-a-Year!

Four-chapters-a-day.

I was addicted.

Never had life made so much sense as when I was in the Word every day. Seemingly "random passages" seemed to speak to every situation.

That’s my goal for you.

Maybe not addiction, but certainly life making more and more sense.

The Bible is a guide book. But it is so much more. As Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, where else would we go? You have the words of eternal life."

God yearns to speak to us. Indeed, he yearns to pour life into us -- eternal and abundant. Therefore, in these next thirty days, we’re going to listen for God's voice. We’re going to survey the entire Old Testament (and on day thirty-one tell you how to get even more from the New Testament when you’re ready to make that part of your plan)!

But all this begs an important question: How will we know when it’s God’s voice and not just our own opinions?

In putting together this study guide, I followed a specific method: I looked throughout the Old Testament for wherever it tells us that "God says ..." That's what we'll study for the next 30 days! God spoke directly to Abraham, Moses, Elijah (and even to Balaam’s ass)! And if he spoke to a donkey, don't you know he yearns to speak to you too? As we begin to listen to what God said to them, we will begin to hear what God is saying to us too!

The method of this study is simple: Read three chapters a day (and trust me, these are some of the very best chapters in the entire Bible). Then read a page of the Know God commentary -- to help it make sense. That adds up to about twenty short minutes a day.

Actually, it adds up to a whole lot more than that! Hearing God more clearly in your life is one of the best gifts you can ever give yourself.

Let's listen in?!

Hosea 10:13 + Harvest

Hosea 10:13 You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice, you have eaten the fruit of lies.

It's harvest time. The pumpkins are plump and available at many roadside stands. We think of the harvest as good because that's the way God intended it.

But as the old saying goes -- Galatians 6:7,8 -- "we reap whatever [we] sow. If [we] sow to []our own flesh, [we] will reap corruption from the flesh."

That, of course, is the negative side. It's harvest time. Let us "sow to the Spirit!" and let us "reap eternal life from the Spirit" (Gal. 6:8).

God, I want to harvest the fruits of Galatians 6 -- love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness. Therefore, help me sow today faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

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Hosea 8:1 + Remembering

Hosea 8:1 Set the trumpet to your lips! One like a vulture is over the house of the Lord, because they have broken my covenant, and transgressed my law.

I don't know how we got on the subject -- and it's not pleasant -- but yesterday someone told me about driving a long country road to work. In the morning he'd often spot a dead deer along the side of the road. Returning in the evening, he said, "the deer would be picked clean by vultures. How did they do it so fast?"

Through Hosea we are told to "set the trumpet to []our lips." This isn't time for music; it's time to sound the alarm -- "1 one like a vulture is over the house of the Lord." It might be tempting to think that the judgment here is pronounced about the vulture ... but no. Vultures do what vultures do. The judgment is against God's own people "1 because they have broken my covenant." God takes it seriously when we "1 transgress[] [His] law."

Do we ever ...
+ "3 Spurn the good"?
+ "4 Ma[k]e kings [and priorities], but not through [God]"?
+ Do we ever make "4 idols [of] silver and gold," or plastic and self-centered desires?
+ Do we ever "7 sow [in] the wind" and wonder why we "4 reap the whirlwind"?

Conclusion ... "14 Israel has forgotten his Maker."

O Lord, you are holy and mighty and just and ... and ... hmmm ... I forgot what I saying ... I forget whom I am praising ... I forget who I truly am ... humble me ... and remind me that I am yours.

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Hosea 7:8,9 + Integrity

Hosea 7:8 ... Ephraim is a cake not turned. 9 Foreigners devour his strength, but he does not know it ...

There are two kinds of cooks -- artists and scientists. Scientists are precise and measure. Artists are creative -- a little of this, a little of that. Can you guess which I am? Well, let's just say that the creative side of me doesn't bake well. Baking requires, of course, a little precision. So maybe I'm not the best person to talk about today's repeated baking images; nevertheless, that's how God speaks to his people today. Their "4 adulter[y] [is] like a heated oven." So is their "6 anger [which] smolders." These two characteristics -- "7 hot as an oven" -- ultimately "devour[s] their [own] rulers."

But there's also a deeper warning here. Today's verse tells us that overheated infidelity and the flames of anger are ultimately cannibalistic. "8 Ephraim" -- one of Israel's twelve provinces / tribes -- has become in this oven "8 a cake not turned." The result "9 foreigners devour his strength." In a sense that's not cannibalism -- a foreigner is devouring him. But here's the point for today, when our anger and unfaithfulness burn, aren't we devouring our integrity from the inside out? We're destroying our structural integrity, and it's not hard, then, for the world to finish the job.

Dear Lord, General Electric, KitchenAid, Maytag, and Jenn-Air are some of the best known brands of ovens. Don't add my name -- Ed -- to the list of toasters. Help my heart burn only for you.

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Hosea 6:1 + Repentance

Hosea 6:1 "Come, let us return to the Lord; for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck down, and he will bind us up.

In this passage, God tells us plainly what he "6 desire[s --] steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than [what Israel assumed he wanted, the famous old] burnt offerings." Unfortunately, God says that instead of steadfast, "4 [our] love [ought to be compared to] a morning cloud, [to] dew that goes away early." Therefore, God "1 t[ears] ... and heal[s]; ... str[ikes] down ... and ... bind[s] us up."

What does that mean? We like the image of healing and binding up and bandaging, but many of us refuse to picture as contradictory a good god who might also tear up and strike down. My simple response is that I sometimes need to be brought to my knees.

Here's a way to picture this:
+ Imagine a plus mark in the center of a page.
+ Imagine, then, an infinity symbol -- a sideways 8 -- intersecting all four of the plus-mark's quadrants.
+ Below the horizontal line is negative and painful. Above the line is positive and freeing.
+ Have you ever fallen on your knees in guilt and shame? I hope so.
+ But what rescues us from that negative quadrant? God's grace ought to make us stand up and cheer as we follow the path of the infinity symbol upward to a positive quadrant.
+ Grace, then, is wonderful and freeing, but we humans often turn the freedom of grace into permissiveness and sin (dipping into the negative quadrant).
+ That's when we need to fall on our knees in repentance -- which in a healing way draws us along the infinity symbol to the other positive quadrant.
+ There are magnificent benefits to the fear (and respect) of our Lord -- the healing, for example, that comes from forgiveness -- but when we dwell too long on this side of the plus mark, the fear of the Lord can often become fear and guilt sinking us downward into shame.
+ As soon as the health of repentance turns negative, we need to rise to our feet in the light of God's grace.
+ And then when the freedom of grace becomes too permissive, we need to fall to our knees in repentance.
+ And journeying along the lines of infinity, we need to constantly fall into the repentance whenever grace turns into permissiveness, and then rise in freedom whenever repentance turns into guilt.

Gracious Lord, you have told us that "on the third day [you] will raise us up." Join my life to Christ's and to the pattern of third day resurrections. In fact, Lord, every three days is not a bad cycle for me to fall in repentance and leap for joy at your amazing grace. Maybe I ought to do it every three hours! Repenting, rejoicing, remembering you. 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock, 3 o'clock, rock.

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Hosea 5:1-2 + Leadership

Hosea 5:1 Hear this, O priests! Give heed, O house of Israel! Listen, O house of the king! For the judgment pertains to you ... 2 ... but I will punish all of them.

What happens when our leaders go astray? That's the question from today's reading.

The judgment pertains to the "1 priests" and the "1 house of the king," "but [the] punish[ment will effect] all of them." I obviously added the word "will effect." "Trickles down to" might be even more accurate.

In every kingdom ... church ... or family, don't you know that there are faithful souls who are led down darkened paths by their leaders. It wasn't their idea. It wasn't their plan. But we brought along nonetheless. We are called, therefore, to be very wary of the values, morals, and priorities of those we salute too. Why? Because they're likely to draw us down their path ... whether we like it or not.

Why? An even more important answer is that we're called to only and ultimately salute to God.

Lord, steer all the leaders in our lives toward your path. Steer us too.

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+ Hosea 3:1 + False Gods + Priorities

Hosea 3:1 The Lord said to me again, "Go, love a woman who has a lover and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the people of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."

That's one of my all-time favorite verses.

I howled with laughter the first time I read it.

How in the world is "1 lov[ing] raisin cakes" somehow comparable to "1 turn[ing] to other gods"?

It seemed so odd that for many years I intentionally tried to NOT find out what raisin cakes meant!

What it does mean, however, makes a rather important point: Grapes -- and thus raisins -- were a symbol of the fertility of the earth. The "1 other gods" that Israel chased like an "1 adulterous" were pagan fertility gods. "1 Lov[ing] raisin cakes" was essentially the pagan version of desiring holy communion.

Raisin cakes represent a false and dangerous priority.

What is your raisin cake? What priorities do you desire in life that take you even one degree away from God?

Lord, help me not be a spiritual adulterer ... and steer my diet away from raisins and cake.

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+ Hosea 2:9 + Discipline

Hosea 2:9 Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my wine in its season; and I will take away my wool and my flax, which were to cover her nakedness.

Nakedness ...

Before the Fall -- Genesis 2 and 3 -- Adam and Eve were "naked and not ashamed." The first thing they realized after their first sin, however, was both their nakedness and their shame. Fortunately, by the end of Genesis 3, God in his mercy does what? He covers both! And that's a powerful picture of God.

By the middle of Hosea 2, however, God is reversing this grace again. Therefore, the question for today is, why does the generous God who gives "9 grain" and "9 wine" and "9 wool" and "flax," also and occasionally choose to "10 uncover [our] shame"?

Why? The answer is love and discipline.

The history books of the Old Testament are a roller coaster ride of up and down, faithfulness and unfaithfulness. So is Hosea. The bride in Hosea -- which is clearly Israel -- is guilty of "2 adultery" and "2 whoring." How will God respond? Anyway he can in order to try us draw us wanderers to himself!

Sometimes God will woo and "14 allure her (us)." Other times he will "9 take back" and discipline. He will "9 cover" and "10 uncover." His whole passion is to draw us to himself. The question is: Which one do you need in to draw you right now?

Lord, when I am broken, woo me gently. When I am proud, discipline me. Mainly, just don't give up on me.

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Hosea 1:2 + Faithfulness

Hosea 1:2 When the LORD first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, "Go and marry a prostitute, so some of her children will be born to you from other men. This will illustrate the way my people have been untrue to me, openly committing adultery against the LORD by worshiping other gods."

Hosea is one of my favorite prophetic books ... but not because it's pleasant and easy. I like Hosea because it's message is sharp, clear, and chilling.

First point ... being a prophet is a crummy job. God asks his servant to marry a prostitute.

Why a prostitute? Second point ... because God wants Hosea's life to be a living picture of Israel's (humanity's) infidelity to the Lord.

Third point ... God wants to use every aspect of our lives. For example, the names of every one of Hosea's children with Gomer has a purpose.

Three names and fourth point ... "Jezreel" is the valley where Israel will be crushed; "Lo-ruhamah" means "not loved," and "Lo-ammi" means "not my people." Harsh names. Hard truth: the God who protects can also remove his hand of protection. Or in other words, our fidelity and faithfulness matter.

Fifth point ... "But" is often the most wonderful word in scripture. Yes, God can remove his hand of protection; "10 but the time will come when Israel will prosper and become a great nation ... 11 the people ... will return from exile together. What a day that will be ... when God will again plant his people in his land. Yes, "but" is one of the most wonderful words in scriptures because God's overwhelming grace, salvation, and victory is the ultimate and final word!

Gracious Lord, don't let me prostitute myself in big ways or small.

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+ Daniel 11 + King + False gods + Priorities

Daniel 11:36 "The king shall act as he pleases. He shall exalt himself and consider himself greater than any god, and shall speak horrendous things against the God of gods. ... 37 He shall pay no respect to the gods of his ancestors ... 38 He shall honor the god of fortresses instead ...

Daniel 11 is talking about the Antichrist again. It's understandable to think he will "36 exalt himself ... and ... speak horrendous things against the God of gods." He's evil, right?

But how about us? In what ways do we "37 pay no respect to the [G]od of [our] ancestors"? In what ways do we "36 act as [w]e please[]"?

I'm surely not suggesting a moral equivalence between us and the antichrist! And yet, in what ways do we act like our own god -- following our own path, doing as we please, and subtly ignoring God in the way we live our lives?

O God, you are my God. Help me to always praise you.

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Daniel 10:12-14a + Angels

Daniel 10:12 ... "Do not fear, Daniel, ... I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me twenty-one days. So Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia, 14 and have come to help you understand what is to happen to your people at the end of days.

Four points ...

1. "The end of days": That's what this passage -- and much of the apocalyptic book of Daniel -- is ultimately about.

2. Angels must be awe-inspiring enough to evoke a little human terror because, again, "Do not fear" is the first word. (I'm glad their on our side!)

3. If we admit that there are angels, the angel tells us to be aware that there are forces that opposed the angels and aligned against each of us. The apostle Paul puts it like this: "For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Eph 6:12).

4. The angel came to Daniel "because of [his] [prayer]." Think of it like this. We live in the material world. But scripture tells us that the atmosphere is alive with unseen "spiritual forces ... in the heavenly places." Prayer is a bridge between these two worlds.

Lord, thank you for the gifts of this material world, but make me less blind of the other world around me. And help me grow in prayer as bridge to see more of you.

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Daniel 9:19a + Prayer

Daniel 9:19a O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, listen and act and do not delay.

Which of these petitions do you need most in your life? Do you need God to ... hear you ... forgive you ... listen to you (which is more active than just hearing) ... act on your behalf ... or act without delay?

Actually for me, instead of pondering which one I might need, I need to admit that I desire them all ... and in this order. In fact, this could be a wonderful order for your prayers.

"O Lord, hear," is like a knock on the door. "I'm just letting you know that I'm here again, Father."

"O Lord, forgive," is then our first approach. "I don't deserve for you to open the door and to be in your presence, so I need you to start by washing me clean."

And then we pray for God to hear again -- but not just hear, not just notice the knock on the door -- what we're really asking is for God to pull up a chair and give us his undivided attention. That sound presumptuous; except, God repeatedly invites us to take him up on this offer of friendship and care.

And then we ask for God to act on our behalf. Like a child asks for breakfasts and trusts that mom will act, we are invited to ask for things big and small. There's the old saying that sometimes God says yes ... and sometimes God says no ... and sometimes he says wait. But it's faith that asks because in asking we are believing that God is who he says he is and we are therefore trusting that he will act.

And furthermore, we're invited to pray with a little passion and urgency. "Do not delay!" Faith is not afraid to be bold! And yet faith is bold enough sometimes to endure a little patience.

O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, listen and act and do not delay.

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Daniel 8:12 + End Times

Daniel 8:12b ... it cast truth to the ground, and kept prospering in what it did.

The first words of the first commentary I read today were: "Daniel chapter 8 is a preacher’s nightmare." The summation was that if even the dream interpreter himself -- Daniel -- didn't have the foggiest notion of the vision’s meaning, what prayer does the average preacher have!

One common intrepretation is that Alexander the Great became the eventual great goat horn who defeated the two rams horns -- the Medes and the Persians. But those aren't really the primary focus. It's the little horn that really matters. And a common interpretation is that the little horn -- after the four smaller horns -- was Antiochus IV (who nicknamed himself "Epiphanes," the illustrious one) who, about 200 years before the birth of Christ, persecuted Israel and blamsphemed God.

But that's only part one of the prophecy. Gabriel tells Daniel that what will factually play out in history will repeat itself at "17 the time of the end." In this view, history gives us a little horn named Antiochus Epiphanus. The end times gives us the same pattern and the same horn known as the Antichrist. Both, we are told, will "12 cast truth to the ground" and will "12 k[eep] prospering" in its evil.

Our reflection always needs to be: how is truth cast the ground in our generation and what are we doing to keep it from prospering in our midst?

Gracious Lord, make me a brave and grace-filled defender of your truth.

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Daniel 7:9,10,15 + Prophecy

Daniel 7:15 As for me, Daniel, my spirit was troubled within me, and the visions of my head terrified me.

How many of us -- when reading chapters like Daniel 7 -- feel troubled, terrified, or at least confused?

Many readers find a powerful symmetry when reading Daniel. Many find links between the first and last chapters, and then between the chapters 4 and 5 (proud rulers humbled), 3 and 6 (faith saves from lions and furnaces), and 2 and 7 (the four kingdoms). In chapter two, the four kingdoms predicted four key eras of human history (clay, iron, bronze, and more precious metals). In chapter seven, the four kingdoms predicted the beastly character of four coming empires -- Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman (or possibly others).

Now ... it takes a much, much, much longer analysis to discuss the apocalyptic visions and writings of Daniel! So let's simply focus on this: Daniel had an overwhelming vision, and in it, he glimpses God. Troubled? Terrified? Let's leave today with AWE!!! And let's turn verses 9 and 10 into a prayer ...

Lord, "I watch[]", I wait, I want to know you.
Your "throne[ is] set in place."
You are "Ancient of Days."
"White as snow," your purity is beyond my comprehension.
"Pure [as] wool," your holiness is as comforting as a blanket.
And yet, there are "fiery flames"
to remind me that I must bow before your majesty.
Allow me to join the "thousand thousands [who] serve" you today.

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Daniel 6:26,27 + Resurrection

Daniel 6:26 [King Darius said,] "I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people should tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: For he is the living God, enduring forever. His kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion has no end. 27 He delivers and rescues ..."

King Darius was tricked. "Make a law against praying," he was told. Daniel, refusing to bow down to the gods of the world, continued to pray to God. The penalty? King Darius was required to throw his top governor, Daniel, into a lion's den.

You probably know the rest of the story: Sleep "18 fled" from Darius. An angel shut the lion's mouths. Daniel was saved. And those who schemed had their evil plots turned back on them.

But do you know what? That's not really the rest of the story! The key to the rest of this story is that all "people should tremble and fear before ... God."

"Fear of God" has fallen out of favor. We are told that God is loving -- true, True, TRUE! -- but somehow we've been seduced into not fearing, honoring, or respecting. Though God is awesome, we've ceased to bow.

So fear of God is the key to this story, but -- and here's the best part -- what does a key do? It unlocks the door! It rolls away the "17 stone [that] sealed" the would-be tomb. It discovers life where there was supposed to be devouring. It discovers the God who "27 delivers and rescues."

Eternal Father, "26 [you are] the living God, [your] kingdom shall never be destroyed, and [your] dominion has no end. 27 [You] deliver and rescue." Lord, open my door, open my eyes, open my heart. Let me tremble, worship, honor ... and then see you.

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+ Daniel 5:4-6 + Pride

Daniel 5:4 They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 5 Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the wall of the royal palace, next to the lampstand. The king was watching the hand as it wrote. 6 Then the king's face turned pale ...

Yes, the expression "the handwriting on the wall" comes from this chapter.

A reveling King Belshazzar drank from the holy vessels which had been stolen from God's holy temple in Jerusalem ... until a mysterious hand appeared! Only Daniel could interpret the words from God: Belshazzar's kingdom would be "28 divided and given to the Medes and Persians." In fact, "30 that very night Belshazzar ... was killed."

There are at least three powerful lessons in this chapter ...

+ First, very few stories in life begin well when they start with these words: "2 under the influence of wine."

+ Second, stories quickly turn from bad to worse when we mock God as Belshazzar did -- "3 they brought in the vessels of gold and silver that had been taken out of ... the house of God in Jerusalem ... drank from them .... 4 and praised [instead] the gods of gold and silver ..."

+ Third, Daniel reminds Belshazzar of the humbling that his father, Nebuchadnezzar, endured -- "18 the most high God gave your father ... kingship ... 19 He killed those he wanted to kill ... 21 [So] he was driven from human society and made like that of an animal ..." And then comes the key verse: "22 You knew all this ... and [yet] have not humbled your heart." The question for us is this: What do you know is godly or ungodly and yet have refused to humble your heart and obey?

O God, let this be the handwriting on my wall. Let me see the hardness of my heart and turn from my sin.

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Daniel 4:25 + Pride

Daniel 4:25 [King Nebuchadnezzar,] you shall be driven away from human society, and your dwelling shall be with the wild animals. You shall be made to eat grass like oxen, you shall be bathed with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, until you have learned that the Most High has sovereignty over the kingdom of mortals, and gives it to whom he will.

King Nebuchadnezzar stood on the roof of a tall building, surveyed his kingdom, and said, "30 Is this not magnificent Babylon, which I have built ...?" Do you hear the pride? God's surely hears that kind of pride frequently from successful people.

Therefore, God sent Nebuchadnezzar a dream that all proud people would do well to remember. Imagine it like this: What would you do if God "25 dr[ove you] from society ... [made] your dwelling ... with wild animals ... and made [you] eat grass like oxen"?

It happened to Nebuchadnezzar. For seven years, he was stripped of more than his kingly glory. He was stripped of his humanity. He was a long-haired cow. And his response? Humbled, Nebuchadnezzar praised the real king -- "I blessed the Most High ... for his sovereignty is [the real and] everlasting sovereignty."

Lord, humble my pride before I need to be turned into a cow! Help me "27 atone from [my] sins with righteousness, and [atone for my] iniquities with mercy to the oppressed," and help me "37 praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all [your] works are truth ..."

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Daniel 3:17, 18 + Faith

Daniel 3:17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn't, Your Majesty can be sure that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up."

You probably know the story ... King Nebucchadnezzer set up a golden statue and under the threat of a fiery execution, demanded that all fall down and worship the statue (i.e. him). Three godly men -- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego --refused, and their response (our verse for today) is wonderful and instructive.

Point 1: When they state that God is "able" to save us, they proclaim that God is powerful, mighty, holy, and omnipotent.

Point 2: "Able ... rescue[r]" also proclaims that God is truly active in our world. He cares about his children and often chooses to act powerfully and directly in human lives.

Point 3 (and this is the best part): "God is ... able ... but even if he doesn't ..." Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are just like each of us. When times are tough, we hope and pray for a miracle. Sometimes it comes (and even better if it comes just when we want it). But even if the miracle doesn't appear, they are saying, "That's okay. It's not going to change my faith. God is strong, able, and present, and I trust in him no matter what!"

Lord, help me be more like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ... to trust you through thick and thin ... and even when earthly things seem at their worst to realize that "neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the incredible love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!" (Romans 8:38-39)

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Leviticus 23:42,43 + Remember

A second reflection for today because in my reading from Leviticus, I couldn't pass it up!

Leviticus 23:42 You shall live in booths for seven days; all that are citizens in Israel shall live in booths, 43 so that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Some people like to camp. Others feel like a three star hotel is as close as they ever want to get to camping. God, however, tells his people, Israel, to spend a week camping each year. Why? To help us remember. This was the Festival of Booths.

When God was leading Israel to the promised land, they lived in tents. To help you reflect on your regular, daily comforts and to help you remember how I am able to deliver you, God was saying, "Spend a week in a tent."

Lord, help me reflect on my comforts and blessings before I have to "rough it." And help me remember daily and always how you delivered me -- especially through the cross of your Son.

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Daniel 2:26,27 + Mysteries

Daniel 2:27 Daniel answered the king, "No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or diviners can show to the king the mystery that the king is asking, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries ...

King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about a huge statue. Since it haunted him, he called for his "2 magicians ... enchanters ... [and] sorcerers." Threatening to tear them "5 limb from limb," he asked them to interpret his dream BEFORE he told them what his dream was. Why would he ask anything so ridiculous? Because if they could tell him the dream, he knew their interpretation would be true.

Just before telling the king the dream -- and God's message through it -- Daniel answered the king, "No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or diviners can show to the king the mystery that the king is asking, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries."

Lord, I don't want to rely on human wisdom. Help me trust more in you -- the God in heaven who reveals mysteries and unfolds for us all truth!

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Daniel 1:20 + Temptation

Daniel 1:20 + In every matter of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king inquired of them, [King Nebuchadnezzer] found [Shadrach, Mesach, Abednego, and Daniel] ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.

When King Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem in about 600 AD, he took some of brightest young people home to Babylon and into his palace court. He trained them in the best of Babylonian wisdom and literature and fed them the best Babylonian food and drink. Four of these young men, however, refused the fat of Babylon. Their names, you may recall, were Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel. "17 To these four young men," it says, "God gave knowledge and skill."

Notice the pattern here: Avoid the fat and temptations of the world -- for godly reasons -- and God will pour knowledge and blessing into your life.

On a personal level, don't we all want God's blessing? But there's still a more important reason for undertaking this course. When we avoid the world's fat and temptations, that's often the first step we can take in helping transform our culture!

Therefore, notice the fuller pattern: 1) Avoid the fat and temptations of the world -- for godly reasons -- and 2) God will pour knowledge and blessing into your life. 3) Others will notice the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness -- "20 [King Nebuchadnezzar, for example] found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom" -- and 4) they'll begin to place their trust in you. And that's where the transformation of culture begins!

Lord, I want to help influence the hurting culture around me. Therefore, help me turn from fat and temptation and turn toward you.

+

John 14:6 + Amnesia

John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me"

A boy wakes up and finds himself in the middle of a city that he doesn't recognize. Amnesia. In this city, there are a million houses with a million fences and a million gates. Which house is home? If he makes his way through the wrong gate, the life in which he finds himself will be a lie. There's only one gate - one way - to his true life, his true destiny, his heart's true home. We live in a world of amnesia and lies, and Jesus is saying, "I am the only true gate to your heart's true home. Come home to the Father through me."

Lord Jesus, my heart longs to discover my true destiny by coming home.

+

Restarting Devotions!!!

I woke up this morning with a hunger. I've missed writing and some of that time with God in faith. It's truly one of my best ways of devotion. But as cancer and recovery and exhaustion have filled our summer - and as surgery will more than fill our next week (please pray for Mary Louise next Tuesday) - I haven't been able to spend my personal life-giving hour writing. Time's too precious. But not spending time has left me a little empty.

What to do?

Shorter!

Not a whole Psalm, but one simple verse.

I can read a verse in the morning. I can turn it in my head as I go through my morning routine. (That by the way is what "meditation" is - turning a godly thought over and over in your head, letting it seep into and fill and change your being.) Then I can write. No more than 100 words (which was about 30 words ago . so quick, simple).

I haven't made it through the Psalms. That'll be for another day, another season of life. And that's okay. Today's season for me is . meditate . shorter . sweeter . forgive not reaching an old goal . set a new one.

My source for the verse of the day: http://www.topverses.com/ Sometimes I'll go in order. Sometimes I'll pull from what I'm preaching on this fall. For example, this fall our theme is: The five preachers - Jesus (Sermon on the Mount), James (James), John (1 John), Peter (2 Peter), and Paul (Titus). I might start with the top verses from our first book: Titus.

When will I start? I'll give you a taste today. I woke up meditating on John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (which, by the way, is top verse 3 - it deserves to be up there . I wonder who ranks them!).

But I won't start until after the surgery. Let's say the day after Labor Day - the unofficial start to fall.

Again, please pray for Mary Louise.

In Christ's Love,
Pastor Ed

Psalm 94

"Holy Superheroes!"

I can't help but read this Psalm through the window of the book I've just been reading. Greg Garrett's Holy Superheroes is a Christian examination of the "theology" behind our most popular comic books. For the most part, these "comics" and graphic novels emphasize two truths: First, evil exists. Second, good must have a code of justice.

Superman is this code's fabled ideal. At the time when the Nazi party was beginning it's dark march across Europe, Superman was first drawn by two Jewish teenagers as, in part, a symbol of truth, justice, and "the American Way." America, like its superheroes, used, essentially, the old Jewish code of justice: We are compelled to stand up against evil, but we must not cross the ethical line. Jewish justice, for example, did not allow the vengeful taking two eyes in exchange for the loss of one. It drew an ethical line against disproportionate revenge.

That, however, is not the only American story. America also had its wild west and vigilante justice. And Batman is the symbol of this edge of justice. The Caped Crusader has always walked a tightrope on the darker edges of that ethical line. Avenging the murder of his parents is what propels the Batman. In general, then, Batman always flirted with that line ... but stayed just. Newer comic creations, however, have flirted with that line and crossed it in terms of revenge.

Today's Psalm reflects pieces of this comic code. "3 The wicked ... gloat." "4 Evildoers boast." And "6 widows [and] orphans 5 [are] oppress[ed]." Faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive, it's natural to want "1 the God of vengeance [to] 2 arise." We send up "the Bat Signal." We pray fervently. But when "13 relief" doesn't come immediately, do we think that "7 the God of Israel doesn't care"? We wonder, "20 can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side?"

The Psalmist says, "8 Think again, you fools! 9 Is the one who made your ears deaf? Is the one who formed your eyes blind? 10 He knows everything."

There is no easy answer to the problem of evil. As long as there is sin, there will be evil. And as long as there are people, there'll be sin. Eliminating people, therefore, wouldn't be my first choice for eliminating evil ... because I'd be eliminated along with it ... and so would you.

What's our hope, therefore, in times of trial?

A simple prayer: "22 the Lord is my fortress."

God answers our deepest concerns in several ways:

+ The first is emotional comfort. When we ally ourselves with God, "19 your comfort [O God, will] g[i]ve me renewed hope and cheer." When God is our fortress, we will never be alone, and hope will cheer us.

+ The second is intellectual comfort. The last sentence started with, "19 when doubts filled my mind." How many of us find that the worst part of any trial is the doubts and worries that constantly assail us. We don't want just our hearts to be less troubled, we want our minds to be freed from worry and fear.

+ The third answer to our concerns is discipline. That's usually not our favorite answer; nevertheless, it's one of the most helpful. Evil wants to tempt us toward revenge. Evil wants us to join evil by joining in the dismemberment. The problem is that what we're dismembering is our own souls. Therefore, "12 happy are those whom you discipline, Lord." Being guided back to God's path -- truth, justice and the American, no, Godly way -- is a powerful answer to our concern about evil.

+ The fourth and final answer to evil found in this Psalm is justice. The Psalmist says, "23 God will make the sins of evil people fall back on them." In other words, although it's tempting to have a short-term perspective, faith calls for a long-term view. Why? Because God traffics in the eternal, and good will absolutely and always triumph in the end. "23 Sins ... [will] fall back on ... [the] evil," and grace will abound for the good.

Lord,

I don't understand evil.

But I do understand

[and trust]

that you are good.

Let me let you

be my fortress

instead of anger

and revenge.

Psalm 93

Do you know what I was hoping for today? One of the many Psalms that had us "crying to God in worry and in hope." In fact, I wanted an excuse this morning to apologize for not being more prompt with these devotions.

It's been a long summer ... and much longer for Mary Louise than for me. Healing takes a toll on the body, setbacks take a toll on the psyche, and all the options and decisions take a toll on the mind. We've been blessed. We've received mostly good news (including and especially "no need for chemo"). But it's tiring. Therefore, yes, I was looking forward to one of the many Psalms that had us crying to God in worry and in hope. It would have been easy to write on today.

What did I get instead?

Something better.

Psalm 93 is a wonderful reminder that 1) I don't have to be in change and 2) the one who is in charge is "4 might[y]," "5 hol[y]," and "2 everlasting." Chris Tomlin's song "How Great is Our God" begins with echoes of this Psalm's beginning. When Chris Tomlin and the Psalmist sing essentially, "The splendor of a King, '1 [Clothed] in majesty.' Let all the earth rejoice, All the earth rejoice," I am reminded that cancer is small and "the world ... cannot be shaken" and I need to rejoice.

Let me say that again. When I says that "I need to rejoice," I don't mean that I simply "ought" to rejoice -- even though I surely ought to. But I NEED to. I need to focus above the cancer, above "3 the mighty oceans," above the "4 raging of the seas," above the "3 thunder" in the skies, and discover ... again ... daily ... "4 the Lord who is mightier than these."

In last Sunday's sermon we recalled a recurrent New Testament theme that led to our old Lutheran Confession: "We confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean." This Psalm reminds us of the antidote to our brokeness: "5 The nature of your reign, O LORD, is holiness forever"

(For our nature see Joh 2:25 - Ro 1:20 - Ro 7:5 - Ro 7:18 - Ro 7:25 - Rom 8:1-9 [Show Context] - Ro 8:12 - Ro 9:5 - Ro 11:24 - 1Co 5:5 - Gal 5:13-19 [Show Context] - Ga 5:24 - Eph 2:3 - Eph 4:22-24 [Show Context] - Col 2:11-13 [Show Context] - Col 3:9-10 [Show Context] -- for God's nature see also Ro 1:20 - Show Context)

Our nature is broken and sinful, cancer-ridden and sick, angry and addicted, prideful and judgmental. If there is to be any hope, we must look up! "5 The nature of your reign, O LORD, is holiness forever." "Let all the earth rejoice, All the earth rejoice!"

Gracious Lord,

thank you for taking care of me, my wife, and my family

through this journey of illness and uncertainty.

I thank you for a wife that constantly looks up.

Her spirit buoys mine.

Keep me ever pointed upward

and save me from any worries, brokenness, or sin.