TRUSTING IN GOD

Today's reading: 1 Chronicles 5-9

"There were 44,760 skilled warriors in the armies of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They were all skilled in combat and armed with shields, swords, and bows. They waged war against the Hagrites, the Jeturites, the Naphishites, and the Nodabites. They cried out to God during the battle, and he answered their prayer because they trusted in him..." 1 Chronicles 5:18-20 NLT

These fellas had skills. They had manpower. They had weapons.

One might be led to believe these soldiers won the battles they waged...but that's not true.

God won the wars for them.

By His strength.

In His might.

With His power.

All because these mighty men trusted in Him.

Makes me pause and assess all the things I'm attempting to do on my own. 

What about you? 

SERVING AS A MERARITE
Today's reading: Numbers 1-4

"Now take a census of the clans and families of the Merarite division of the Levite tribe. Count all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are eligible to serve in the Tabernacle. Their duties at the Tabernacle will consist of carrying loads. They will be required to carry the frames of the Tabernacle, the crossbars, the pillars with their bases, the posts for the courtyard walls with their bases, pegs, cords, accessories and everything else related to their use. You must assign the various loads to each man by name." Numbers 4:29-32 NLT

I'm thinking this morning about the enormous privilege God has placed on the shoulders of His children to be 'load carriers' for each other.

To be selected to help another with their burdens.

To be allowed the honor of speaking to God on behalf of the heart need of another.

It goes beyond, way beyond, just knowing a person's business.

It goes deeper, much deeper, than just being aware of a brother or sister's prayer requests.

It goes farther, way farther, than just to the ears of our Heavenly Father.

These 'loads' we carry for each other intertwine our lives and our faith to the point that a tightly woven community of hearts function, thrive and grow.

We should cherish each and every prayer need shared with us by another believer. We should take these desires directly to the Lord for His way and will. We should be ready to celebrate God's moving in the needs of our church family.

We should all serve as Merarites in our body of believers!

PREPARING FOR SUNDAY

Today's reading: 1 Timothy 1-3

"So wherever you assemble, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy." 1 Timothy 2:8 NLT

Let's get ready for Sunday.

Yes, on Thursday.

Let's prepare to assemble with fellow believers, fellow sons and daughters of God.

In that preparation, we will get rid of any and all anger and controversy we might hold against another in our body of believers.

-past sins

-current character flaws

-annoying behaviors

-previous moments of unkindness 

-translation differences

Get rid of anything and everything that might distract you from coming together with the sole intent of worshiping the Lord.

Mindless chatter going on in your head.

Unnecessary lists and grievances.

Unkind thoughts and attitudes.

Whenever, and wherever, we assemble for the purpose of glorifying God, let that be the only thing on our hearts and minds!

MY RESPONSE

Today's reading: John 3-4

"Then Jesus told her, I am the Messiah!" John 4:26 NLT

The scene is this...

The woman has met a man at the well, one who offers Living Water, one who knows her--inside and out.

In her attempt at small talk, and to quite possibly distract from the 'husband issue' he has brought up, she discusses religion and the anticipation of the long awaited Messiah.

Then Jesus tells her, I am the one you've been looking for. Your whole life.

The One who will fill the empty places in her heart.

The One who will accept her just as she is and help her become more.

The One who will never leave her.

The One who will release her from the bondage of sin.

And she believes him. She believes him so entirely that she leaves her water jug and goes to tell the whole town.

Jesus is the Messiah. The Savior. The King. The Lord. The One for whom your soul has been seeking.

What's your response? 

WHAT DO THEY HEAR ABOUT ME?

Today's reading: Daniel 1-6

"So Daniel was brought in before the king. The king asked him, Are you Daniel, who was exiled from Judah by my predecessor, King Nebuchadnezzar? I have heard that you have the spirit of the gods within you and that you are filled with insight, understanding and wisdom." Daniel 5:13-14 NLT 

Just what is it people are hearing about me?

That I grumble and groan about commitments I have made...

That I fuss and mumble about slow drivers in front of me...

That I am controlling...

That I sometimes lose my temper...

Or that I am filled with God.

Imperfect, but filled with God.

Lead by the Spirit, guided by the Word, a part of the Church, willing to share the Good News?

That I serve because of a grateful heart, desire to honor God in all I do, allow Jesus to be seen in me?

What do people hear about you?

GATHERING OUR THOUGHTS
Today's reading: Proverbs 16

"We can gather our thoughts, but the Lord gives the right answer." Proverbs 16:1 NLT

Today I'm planning on presenting to the Lord all the thoughts, opinions, reactions and remarks I accumulate throughout the day.

I intend on putting them all together and giving them to Him.

To sort out.

To disregard the inappropriate ones.

To correct the wrong ones.

To apply His filter to any and all that aren't honoring to Him or needful in my interactions with others.

I will spend more time gathering these thoughts than I will giving them wings.

I will be more mindful of them before I unleash them.

I will be more careful in applying love to them before I brandish them like weapons.

I can busy myself gathering these thoughts and prayerfully laying them at His feet.

I can intentionally wait for His response and on each and every one! 

 LISTEN TO HIS VOICE

Today's reading: Psalm 93-95

"...Oh, that you would listen to his voice today!" Psalm 95:7 NLT

From the perspective that God has created us, and all that surrounds us, shouldn't we be listening to His voice?

Considering He loved us enough to send His Son to die on the cross for our sins so that we might spend eternity with Him, shouldn't we be listening to His voice?

Given the track record each of us has when we go about doing things on our own in comparison to His wisdom and scope, shouldn't we be listening to His voice?

Oh, that we would all listen to His voice today!

BUT DESPITE ALL THIS

Today's reading: Leviticus 25-27

"But despite all this, I will not utterly reject or despise them while they are in exile in the land of their enemies. I will not cancel my covenant with them by wiping them out. I, the Lord, am their God." Leviticus 26:44 NLT

We can break God's laws.

We can crush His heart with our disobedient ways.

We can turn our backs on Him and all that He has to offer us.

But despite all this...

Despite all this, He will not turn His back on us!

He may very well punish us.

He will undoubtedly chastise us.

He will not, in the middle of our wayward ways, make things easy on us.

But He will not forget us or how very much He loves us.

God's love for us does not change due to our behavior.

 

MISSION AND MISSIONARY

Today's reading: 2 Thessalonians

"Finally, dear brothers and sisters, I ask you to pray for us. Pray first that the Lord's message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you. Pray, too, that we will be saved from wicked and evil people, for not everyone believes in the Lord." 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 NLT

Paul, Silas and Timothy were out and about doing the Lord's work.

They traveled from town to town, telling the Good News of the resurrected Savior.

As they moved from house-church to house-church, they asked for the folks in each body of believers to pray for them, this time the church at Thessalonica.

But what I notice about the prayer is the order...

Firstly, Paul asks that the Lord's message be spread.

Secondly, Paul asks that they be kept safe as they spread that important message.

What an example for us!

If each and every morning I were to ask God to--

1. Use me to spread the Good News about Him to the world.

2. Keep me safe from the struggles and trials of spreading that word.

To be honest, I usually get the two needs in reverse...I'm more concerned with my comfort, safety and acceptance than I am about the message reaching the mission field He has set me on.

That changes today.

Use, me Lord, to tell the world about You. And then, only then, keep me safe as I do it.

It's a matter of what's more important, you see...the mission or the missionary!

NOT THE LIGHT

Today's reading: John 1-2

"John himself was not the light; he was only a witness to the light." John 1:8 NLT

I'm here this morning to remove a whole lot of pressure off you as a believer.

To take a load off your heart, head and shoulders.

To clear up a very common misconception.

You are the not the light the world needs to see.

Nope. Not at all.

It's not up to you to shine convicting power on every unsaved soul you come in contact with.

It's not up to you to 'draw all men' unto you for teaching and correcting.

It's not up to you to shine with a brilliance that comes from hours-a-day Bible study.

It's up to you to tell about the Light you know, have been saved by and are walking in.

Aah, what a relief!

They, the world in general, do not need to see us. They need to see God shining through us.

We aren't the Light, we are mirrors reflecting the Light to the world!

WHAT'S YOURS IS YOURS

Today's reading: Ezekiel 43-48

"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: If the prince gives a gift of land to one of his sons, it will belong to him and his descendants forever. But if he gives a gift of land to one of his servants, the servant may keep it only until the Year of Jubilee, which comes every fiftieth year..." Ezekiel 46:16-17 NLT

Some of us have forgotten that, as saved, born again believers in Jesus Christ, we are now God's children.

Children of the Most High God.

Kids of the King of Kings.

Royalty. Princes and princesses.

Heirs of the Creator.

As such, we must remember that what He has given us, no one can take away.

No poor choice.

No moment of disobedience.

No enemy attack.

No failed attempt at resisting temptation.

Our gift of salvation remains our gift of salvation--given to us by God!

So, if you've forgotten--

Or if you're prone to doubt--

Or if you are being told by unlikely sources that you have lost all right to the God of your salvation--

Remember, He gave it to you and it remains yours because of His decree!

FEAR OF THE LORD

Today's reading: Proverbs 14-15

"Fear of the Lord is a life-giving fountain; it offers escape from the snares of death." Proverbs 14:27 NLT

Do you fear the Lord?

Not His ability to strike you down with lightning bolts or snap His fingers and make you back into dust.

But do you fear Him?

Revere Him?

Stand in awe of Him?

Have a firm grasp on just who He is, and who you are not?

Fearing the Lord is having an honest evaluation of His might, magnitude and mercy.

It's being amazed by His scope, His depth, His love.

It's living in wonderment of Him, His abilities and how deserving He is of you living a life that honors Him in every way.

Do you fear the Lord?

 

 IN THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY

Today's reading: Psalm 90-92

"Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91:1 NLT

One needs be pretty close in proximity to someone in order to stand in their shadow.

To have the outline of their very being shading you.

So close, one might say, that every time they turn, they bump right into you.

God invites us into a walk with Him that calls for that level of closeness, intimacy, relationship.

Is that how closely you are walking with the Lord? Living with the Lord? Following after the Lord? Are you finding the rest that only comes from being in His shadow?

 THANKFUL FOR MY BIBLE

Today's reading: 2 Kings 21-25

"...We have not been doing what this scroll says we must do." 2 Kings 22:13 NLT

I'm ever so thankful for my Bible.

It directed me to the Lord as my Savior.

It brings comfort.

It gives me examples of godly living.

It instills peace.

It also tells me what I'm not doing right.

It points out where my attitude stinks. It highlights areas where I am allowing sin to squat on my heart's property. It pricks my heart when I've caved to tempting opportunities. It reminds me of what holiness looks like as I gaze into its mirror-like pages.

I'm thankful for my Bible...even and especially the pages where I am convicted!

THAT I MIGHT

Today's reading: Leviticus 22-24

"It was I who rescued you from Egypt, that I might be your very own God. I am the Lord." Leviticus 22:33 NLT

There are many reasons God could have chosen for freeing His people from slavery in Egypt...

-That His glory might be known all over the world.

-To put the pressure on those who oppose Him.

-To have a good story to tell.

But He did it, according to this verse, so that the Israelites would know Him as their own God.

Isn't that why He does everything He does?

That we might know Him as Lord and Savior.

Personally.

Intimately.

Individually.

Church-wide.

With our whole hearts.

That He be our very own God! 

REJECTING GOD

Today's reading: 1 Thessalonians 4-5

"God has called us to be holy, not to live impure lives. Anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human rules but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to us." 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 NLT

Think about the times throughout your day when you know better than God.

Oh, you'd never say it out loud...how preposterous.

But it's true.

When the Spirit leads you to do something, or to not do something, to say something, or to keep your mouth shut--and you don't, you are telling God that you know better.

You are rejecting His leading and guidance in your life.

You are, in all reality, saying--Step back, Lord, I know better than you.

While we would never, ever, consider that to be true, our actions tell on us.

Be mindful today as you hear the Spirit of the Living God attempt to direct your ways. 

PILATE

Today's reading: Luke 23-24

"Pilate turned to the leading priests and to the crowd and said, I find nothing wrong with this man!" Luke 23:4 NLT

Pilate spoke to Jesus face-to-face. He found him innocent of the crimes the religious leaders had accused him of. He attempted to release him, knowing the charges brought against him were wrong.

He had heard all that Jesus had done. He had seen, with his own eyes, some of the people Jesus had healed. He experienced the love Jesus spoke with, the peace he beamed with, he had to have felt the power that Jesus held within in his earthly body.

What he did not do was accept who Jesus was.

Personally.

In his heart.

Maybe that's where you are today.

You believe Jesus is a great guy. A good storyteller. A man who did some awfully amazing things.

You trust that what was written about him in the Bible is true. That he was good.

Maybe you even believe that he was perfect, without sin.

But have you accepted him as your Lord and Savior?

Have you personally asked him to forgive you of your sins?

Has he become ruler and king over your heart and life?

If not, you make no better choice about who Jesus is than Pilate did.

 

HOLINESS DISPLAYED

Today's reading: Ezekiel 37-42

"When I bring them home from the lands of their enemies, my holiness will be displayed to the nations." Ezekiel 39:27 NLT

I don't know what prayer request you have been praying on repeat, or for how long you've been praying it.

I don't know who it is you are praying back to the Lord.

I don't know how long you have been waiting on the Lord to do the work you have asked Him to do.

I know my prayer request. I know my 'lost one'. I know just how long I've been waiting.

I also know that me displaying His holiness is not, IS NOT, dependent upon my prayer being answered.

His holiness in me should be shining forth in the waiting.

His holiness in me should be what people see in the meantime.

His holiness in me should be very evident as I await His answer, His time, His ways.

God's holiness does not depend upon us getting what we want, but rather upon us trusting Him because of who He is.

Is His holiness being displayed in us as we wait? 

GET WHAT YOU WANT
Today's reading: Proverbs 13

"Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper and be satisfied." Proverbs 13:4 NLT

Is there a godly discipline that you've always wanted to install in your life?

Do you have a bad habit that you want to break?

Is there a goal you would surely like to reach?

I'll ask you what I have heard God ask me this morning...

How hard are you working to get it/break it/reach it? 

Few things fall into our laps. Fewer things stay there once they've fallen.

Working hard, alongside God, for a purpose that will bring glory and honor to Him, will bring about prosperity and satisfaction.

But you've got to want it...

You've got to want it bad enough that you push laziness aside in order to get it!

PROMISE KEEPER
Today's reading: Psalm 87-89

"But I will never stop loving him, nor let my promise to him fail." Psalm 89:34 NLT

When you think about the fact that God is a promise-keeping God, how do you react?

Are you assured? Comforted? Given peace?

Do you sleep soundly knowing that morning brings more of His love, grace and mercy than the day before?

Or, does it scare you?

Does the mere fact that He keeps His word, even and especially the ones He has spoken in regards to death, eternal life and punishment for sin, make you shake in your boots?

As His, we should glean comfort and rest from knowing His word stands. Forever. Unendingly. 

As those who might not have accepted Him as Lord and Savior, we should be afraid. Very afraid.