The Lord has need of it

The Donkey at Bethphage - James Tissot, 1886-96

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 11:1-11

TO CHEW ON: "And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it." Mark 11:3

Jesus' curious instructions to His disciples to just 'take' someone's colt have always fascinated me. He could have told them to buy it, which would have been less controversial. But instead, it was to be a loan or an outright gift.

The unquestioning and generous response of the donkey's owner is beautiful. Did he know that when the disciples said, "The Lord has need of him" they were referring to Jesus? Do you suppose that later he witnessed Jesus' ride into Jerusalem on 'his' colt? What a thrill that would have been.

I ask myself, would I have been as willing to let the disciples just take possession with the simple explanation, "the Lord has need of it"? Would you?

Perhaps a better question to ask is, are we as welling to give the Lord what He asks for when He comes with a claim on the stuff we consider ours—our time, our friendships, our hospitality, the use of our car for a trip to the airport, help with grocery shopping?

Did the disciples ever return that colt with the explanation of what they had used it for? Whether they did or not, I hope that generous man had the satisfaction of knowing that the release of his possession into Jesus' use was a significant and essential part of God's plan.

I wonder, If we felt that the fulfillment of God's plan was connected to whether or not we give Him what He asks of us, would we be as possessive and protective of what we feel is ours?


PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I love the unquestioning generosity in the owner of this colt. Help me to be just as generous when You come to me with "I need it"—whatever 'it' is. Amen.

MORE: Palm Sunday

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday, the day we celebrate Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem (our reading today). Here are a few Palm Sunday facts (gleaned from the notes to Mark by J. Lyle Story, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1371).

• When Jesus rode into Jerusalem in the way He did, he was fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9.

• The fact that the colt had never been ridden (Mark 11:2) was significant since objects used for sacred purposes must never have been used for any other reason (Numbers 19:2; Deuteronomy 21:3; 1 Samuel 6:7).

• Spreading clothes on the road (Mark 11:8) was the customary way for a king's subjects to pay homage to him (2 Kings 9:13).

• "Hosanna" means save now. It came to be a customary shout of praise, like 'Hallelujah.'

The Gospel according to Isaiah

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 61:1-11

TO CHEW ON: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,

Because the Lord has anointed Me

To preach good tidings to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted

To proclaim liberty to the captives

And opening of the prison to those who are bound." Isaiah 61:1

In my Bible, this chapter is titled "The Good News of Salvation" If good news means gospel, we might subtitle it, "The Gospel according to Isaiah."

That Jesus is the "Me" speaking in verse 2 is easy to establish. For He turned to this very passage at the beginning of His ministry in Nazareth, read from it and then said, "Today is this Scripture fulfilled in Your hearing" (Luke 4:16-21).

I tend to equate the Gospel of Salvation as the good news that I can be saved from judgement and reconciled with God through faith in Jesus' life, death and resurrection. Of course it is that. But this chapter reveals that salvation is so much more. See the many facets of salvation that make up this good news? It includes:

- Healing - Isaiah 61:1
- Liberty - Isaiah 61:1
- Comfort and consolation - Isaiah 61:2,3a
- New life - Isaiah 61:3b
- Renewal and rebuilding - Isaiah 61:4
- Exaltation before enemies - Isaiah 61:5,6.
- New career of service - Psalm 61:6
- Honor - Isaiah 61:7,10.
- Justice - Isaiah 61:8 (and an aspect of this is the 'vengeance' mentioned in Isaiah 61:2).
- Joy and celebration—especially celebration of God Himself - Isaiah 61:3,10.
- Fruitfulness - Isaiah 61:3,11.

I ask myself, what aspect of salvation do I need and trust God for today? What about you?

• Are we grieving? We can trust Him for comfort.

• Have we been treated unfairly? He will make it right.

• Are there broken things (relationships, dreams, even physical wreckages) in our lives? He can rebuild those destroyed things.

We could go on...

There is a sense in which Jesus is all these things to us today by faith. There is also a sense in which we need to trust Him for the full revelation of this multi-faceted salvation in the future.


PRAYER: Dear Jesus, the many-sided salvation You bought with Your life, death and resurrection stretches my hope and challenges my faith. Help me to live in this salvation by faith now, even when my life is far from ideal, as I cling to the hope that someday I will experience it in its entirety. Amen.

MORE: The Gospel—perfect for your needs

"...the Bible is so thick—because there are so many different needs that you have. And there are suitable places where the gospel is unfolded for you, so that if you immerse yourself in the whole book, always with an eye for what Christ has wrought for you and purchased for you in this thick, glorious history of God’s interaction with people, he will give you what you need.


Therefore, everything in me says, and I hope to say until the day I die, “Now, to him who is able to strengthen me, according to Paul’s gospel, to him—to that God—be glory forever and ever.”


God came into history in Jesus Christ; he died in order to destroy the power of hell and death and Satan and sin; and he did it through the gospel of Jesus Christ" - By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org, excerpt from "The Gospel in Six Minutes."

A song for all us lost sheep

"Christ, Savior of Mankind" - Unknown Flemish master, 1590s, Alabaster.

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 52:13-53:12

TO CHEW ON: "All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned every one to his own way

And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:6

Our reading today is the final Servant Song. I don't think there's any doubt about who the Servant in it is; it's obviously Jesus. My Bible's notes say about this grand passage:

"It is one of the greatest passages in the Bible, the mountain peak of Isaiah's book; the most sublime messianic prophecy in the O.T. relating to so may features of Jesus' redemptive work" - Nathaniel M. Van Cleave New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 936.

In it we see a multitude of prophecies:

• Jesus' incarnation and early life: "He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant ... a root out of dry ground" - Isaiah 53:2.

• His rejection: "He is despised and rejected... He was despised and we did not esteem Him" - Isaiah 53:3.

• His suffering: "His visage was marred more any any man .... He was wounded ... He was bruised...", He suffered "chastisement" and "stripes" - Isaiah 52:14; 53:4-5.

• His death: "He was cut off from the land of the living... they made His grave with the wicked—But with the rich at His death" - Isaiah 53:8-9.

• His triumph and exaltation: "He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high .... Kings shall shut their mouths at Him .... Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong" - Isaiah 52:13,15; 53:11-12.

Significant is Isaiah's explanation of how Jesus will be the substitute lamb—that sacrifice for sin that will appease a holy God (Isaiah 53:4-6). I love how he makes it personal, implicating even himself in this unthinkable action:

"All we like sheep have god astray, we have turned every one to his own way and the He has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

And that is, finally, the personal message of Jesus' passion for each one of us. He didn't die because of some theoretical idea. His death wasn't to restore a blurry mass of people. It was an "offering for sin" for me and you because we "turned to our own way" and are full of "iniquity" and have no merit of our own on which to approach God.

All these thousands of years later, this Servant Song still has significance and application to each one of us on the most personal level. Jesus still invites us to come to Him and promises that God will accept us on the merit of His (Jesus') life, death and resurrection. Hear Him say it Himself, using the imagery of sheep and shepherds:

"I am the door of the sheep ... I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture .... I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly" - John 10:7-10.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You that You who had no sin became sin for me that I might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Help me to forsake sin every conscious moment and to live the life of rich abundance You promise. Amen.

MORE: Prophecies fulfilled

Did the prophecies of Isaiah's come true? Indeed they did. A handy table in my Bible details the prophecies in today's reading with their fulfillment:

- He will be exalted - Isaiah 52:13
Fulfilled - Philippians 2:9

- He will be disfigured by suffering - Isaiah 52:14; 53:2
Fulfilled: Mark 15:17,19

- He will be widely rejected - Isaiah 53:1,3
Fulfilled - John 12:37-38

- He will bear our sins and sorrows - Isaiah 53:4
Fulfilled - Romans 4:25; 1 Peter 2:24-25

- He will make a blood atonement - Isaiah 53:6
Fulfilled - Romans 3:25

- He will be our substitute - Isaiah 53:6,8
Fulfilled - 2 Corinthians 5:21

- He will voluntarily accept our guilt and punishment - Isaiah 53:7
Fulfilled - John 10:11

- He will be buried in a rich man's tomb - Isaiah 53:9
Fulfilled - John 19:38-42

- He will justify many from their sin - Isaiah 53:10-11
Fulfilled - Romans 5:15-19

- He will die with transgressors - Isaiah 53:12
Fulfilled - Mark 15:27; Luke 22:37

- From "The Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53:12)" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 937.

WWJD?

Jesus in the Midst of the Doctors - Alexandre Bida

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 50:1-11

TO CHEW ON: "The Lord God has given Me

The tongue of the learned,

That I should know how to speak

A word in season to him who is weary.

He awakens Me morning by morning,

He awakens My ear

To hear as the learned

The Lord God has opened My ear

And I was not rebellious

Nor did I turn away." Isaiah 50:4-5

By the context it's easy to identify the Servant in this Song as Jesus (Just go on to Isaiah 50:6 and compare to Matthew 27:30). We have in Isaiah's words a wonderful Jesus-template on which to pattern our lives.

• Wisdom

We see Jesus' wisdom on display already when He is 12 and talking with the temple rulers. We acknowledge our own need for wisdom, praying along with young king Solomon: "But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties..." (1 Kings 3:7 NIV). But do we take James seriously when he tells us what godly wisdom consists of: "...pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy..." (James 3:13-17)?

• Appropriate speech

Jesus' speech wasn't always meek and mild. He could be fiery and funny, probing and gentle. Of course His speech was tied to His wisdom (Matthew 13:34) and ours needs to be too (Matthew 5:37; Colossians 4:6; James 3:2).

• A disciplined spirit

Have you noticed how many times Jesus sneaked away from His disciples to be with His Father? Sometimes he got up early. Sometimes He went off by Himself after a long day of teaching and doing miracles. Sometimes He stayed up all night. His words to His disciples about disciplined prayer are a warning to us too: "...Stay here and watch ... Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation" (Matthew 26:38,41).

• A personal relationship with God

"He awakens me... He awakens My ear" are the words of Christ through Isaiah. We get the sense of not dutiful but joyous voluntary meetings. Jesus' heart for us is to have such a relationship with Him and the Father (John 17:20-26).

• A compliant heart

Who can forget the scene of Jesus praying in Gethsemane and how He battled through to pray "Not as I will but as You will" (Matthew 26:39)? He brought home to Peter the necessity of such total surrender when they met after Jesus' resurrection when He accepted Peter back into ministry with the simple "Follow Me" (John 21:19,22). They are the same words He says to us (Luke 9:23).

What would Jesus do (WWJD)? We have many answers to that question in this Servant Song. Will we follow His lead?

PRAYER: Dear God, Jesus' example life is beautiful but impossible for me to copy without the activity of the Holy Spirit in my life. Help me to live out these qualities of wisdom, good speech, a teachable spirit, and a compliant heart. May my relationship with You be personal, honest, and strong. Amen.

MORE: "Lily of the Valley" - David Ruis and Kelly McMechan

Israel, God's servant

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 49:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "And He said to me,

'You are My servant, O Israel

In whom I will be glorified.'" Isaiah 49:3

Chapters 49 to 55 of Isaiah talk much about the Servant of God. They are sometimes referred to as Servant Songs. In answer to the question, who is the servant, Halley's Bible Handbook says:

"In some passages the Servant seems to be Israel, the Nation, and in other passages the Messiah, the ONE in whom Israel would be Personified. And the passages are pretty well blended, the context itself indicating which is meant" - Halley's Bible Handbook, p. 303.

Taking Mr. Halley's comment as permission to interpret who the Servant is by context here, it appears that the first two verses of Isaiah 49 refer to the Nation-of-Israel-Servant. In them, Isaiah mentions things about Israel that help explain the large role this nation has and is playing in world events:

• God has called her into existence:

"The Lord has called Me from the womb

From the matrix of My mother He

has made mention of My name"

(Got to love the NKJV alliteration—the humming sound of all those 'm's. I count eleven!)

• Her influence is powerful, far exceeding what one would expect from such a small nation: "And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword."

• Her defense has been unusually effective: "(He has) made Me a polished shaft"

• She experiences God's protection: first nurtured within the womb, then "...hidden in the shadow of His hand ... in his quiver."

• Her existence and role have and will serve God's glory: "You are My servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified."

Israel is much in the news these days as she mulls over whether or not to do something about Iran, whose leaders have openly stated they want her destroyed and whose nuclear capability Israel perceives as a threat to her very existence.

As those who have read the end of the book, we believe that Israel will not be destroyed. In the interim, let's:

1. Interpret world events through the lens of the Bible, realizing that God is sovereign and not puzzled or confounded by any of the things happening in the Middle East or on the world stage.
2. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6) and for wisdom for her current leader, Benjamin Netanyahu.
3. Continue to give Israel—the "apple of God's eye" (Zechariah 2:8-9) our political and moral support.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your plans in which the nation of Israel has played and is playing a vital part. I pray for wisdom for her leaders and protection for her people. May You get the glory from Your servant Israel. Amen.

MORE: Following events in the Middle East

If you are interested in following events in the Middle East and getting help with interpreting them from a biblical perspective, author and speaker Joel Rosenberg is a great resource. On Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog (Tracking events and trends in Israel, Russia and the epicentre) Rosenberg posts links to current articles and opinion, keeping readers in the loop about world events in ways that the mainstream media never will.

He has also written numerous books—fiction and non-fiction—that deal with Israel and end-time prophecy.

If you have an opportunity to attend one of his lectures or simulcasts—take it. I attended one last year; it was excellent.

Of bruised reeds

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 42:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "A bruised reed He will not break

And smoking flax He will not quench." Isaiah 42:3

It is Sabbath. Jesus enters the synagogue in Galilee, and it is as if the Pharisees have been lying in wait for just this moment. Almost immediately they approach Jesus with a man in tow — a man with his right hand skinny as a bird claw and clenched against his chest.

Look at their eager eyes. They have the net, now to haul in the catch!

Their spokesman parks the man right in front of Jesus and asks, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"

The challenge in his voice together with his station and authority are enough to cow anyone, and Jesus' companions hold their collective breaths. What will their Rabbi say to this?

He answers with His usual thoughtful wisdom and clever turning of the question back on them: "What man is there among you who has one sheep and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."

And then, with a Creator's compassion for a bit of His broken creation, He heals the man's hand.

The Pharisees leave the crowd that has gathered, humiliated and incensed and plotting "how they might destroy Him."

Jesus quietly gets out of town. When the multitudes find Him, He "heals them all," but also warns them not to make Him known...

All of which proves, says Matthew, the teller of this story (Matthew 12:9-17) that Jesus is the one Isaiah spoke of when he said (and he quotes the first part of today's reading verbatim):

"Behold! My servant whom I have chosen,
My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!
....A bruised reed he will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench..." Matthew 12:18-21.

The story of Jesus healing the man with the withered hand seems the perfect illustration of "a bruised reed He will not break..."

How often we too are bruised reeds, damaged, hurt and paralyzed physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Or we're smoking flax with just a spark of fire left in us.  How wonderful it is to know that Jesus understands and deals with us gently and justly ("He will bring forth justice for truth - Isaiah 42:3) and successfully ("He will not fail nor be discouraged" - Isaiah 42:4).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for being the example of compassionate servanthood. I need such treatment from You, and pray for Your Spirit to help me to be compassionate and gentle when dealing with the hurt and almost extinguished people around me. Amen.

MORE: "Tender Reed" by Lisa Bevill

The years leave their marks
Like wounds on the heart
An aching where once there was none
The bitter winds blow
So where does one go
To heal when the damage is done


CHORUS:
Oh tender reed
Although you're so fragile
Tender reed
Although you've been bruised
The gentle hand that grew you from a seed
Will be all the strength that you need


I know that it seems
You're feeling more grief
Before the last heartache could mend
But one thing is sure
God knows you'll endure
He won't let you break, only bend


CHORUS


So hold fast
Even if it takes awhile
God the Father
Will not forsake His child



(From the archives)

Great leaders use the servant entrance

TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 12:20-36a

TO CHEW ON: “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me, and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him will My Father honor.” John 12:26

“Servanthood is the time-tested entrance prerequisite for trustworthy ministry,” begins a sidebar article in my Bible. “Since God’s Word seems to reveal such service as the basis for any advancement in leadership, we are wise to be cautious if such credentials are not found in a rising leader today.” – Joseph Garlington Sr. New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1466

Have you noticed how many Bible leaders first served?
- Moses served Jethro - Exodus 3:1.
- Joshua served Moses - Exodus 24:13.
- Elisha served Elijah - 2 Kings 3:11.
- David served Saul - 1 Samuel 16:21.

If we dream of having ministries and being leaders, we’d better get used to the idea of being servants.

How comfortable are you with serving? I often watch the Customer Service clerks at our local Superstore with admiration. The best ones handle grouchy, complaining customers with  a humility, grace and willingness to help that puts me to shame. Personally, volunteering in our church’s Alpha program has made me even more aware of some of the hang-ups about serving that I have. It has shown me I have a lot to learn about this unlikely, Kingdom of God route to greatness - Mark 9:33-35.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to have a servant’s heart in everything I do – not to prove my greatness, but because You were a servant, and I follow You. Amen.

MORE: Feast of the Annunciation
Today the church celebrates the Feast of the Annunciation. This is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the Angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. 

The liturgy for today begins with this collect:

"Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought to the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen." 

(From the archives)

God's writing on our minds and hearts

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Jeremiah 31:23-37

TO CHEW ON: "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God and they shall be my people." Jeremiah 31:33

If you've ever raised kids you'll know how much easier it is to get their cooperation and compliance if they are motivated from within by love, respect, and a desire to please. Such inner motivation is more effective than the threat of punishment.

Here God tells the people of a day when the nation will be in such an inner-motivated state spiritually. The drive to obey will come from within. Pleasing God will be so uppermost that it will be as if His laws are written on their minds and hearts.

Interestingly, the writer of Hebrews quotes this very passage in Hebrews 8:8-12 and again in 10:16,17. He tells us this compliant state comes about as a result of the "new covenant."

This new covenant came about through Jesus. His death in our stead, paying the penalty for our sins, is the transaction with God that brings this it into effect.

How are our minds and hears so radically changed under it? Through the Holy Spirit living inside us. An endnote to my Bible's Hebrew's 8 passage says:

"Jesus' ministry is performed under the covenant of God's grace, wrought within the minds and hearts of believers by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus God established a new personal covenant relationship with His people, based not on a compelling force from without, but on an impelling power from within." New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1738 (emphasis added).

This is all well and good on paper. But how does it work in practical everyday living? We still have the choice to resist the Holy Spirit or yield to Him (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Even under this new covenant God never takes over life's controls against my will or yours. But He does promise to come to each of us and live in us if we let Him. His presence is that inner drive toward obedience and compliance, stronger than the threat of punishment, proving us His children (Galatians 5:18; Romans 8:14).

PRAYER: Dear God, I love the picture of Your principles and ways written on my mind and heart — so much a part of me that it's easier to obey than not. May it be so. Amen.

MORE: Holy Spirit: more than a guest

The Holy Spirit cannot be located as a Guest in a house, He invades everything. When once I decide that my "old man" (i.e., the heredity of sin) should be identified with the death of Jesus, then the Holy Spirit invades me. He takes charge of everything, my part is to walk in the light and to obey all that He reveals.- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, April 11 reading.

(From the archives)

Watery test

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 4:14-5:10

TO CHEW ON: "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:15,16

I am, at the time of writing this (February 9, 2012), going through a "temptation."

[Tempted - peirazo: To explore, test, try, assay, examine, prove, attempt, tempt. The word describes the testing of the believer's loyalty, strength, opinions, disposition, condition, faith, patience, and character. Peirazo determines which way one is going and what one is made of" - Dick Mills, "Word Wealth," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1820.] (Emphasis added.)

You see, yesterday the water main that supplies water to our townhouse complex burst at a point right beside our unit. By the time we noticed it, water was already pouring into our storage area and the downstairs den.

Today we are using precious water from a store-bought jug to take sponge baths and make coffee while waiting for the plumbers to do something about the water and a restoration company to cart away our stuff so they can rip up wrecked flooring, decontaminate, and fix. Life won't be back to normal for weeks. It doesn't help that this is the second time this has happened.

My default is to feel sorry for myself and whine, even though I know that in the scheme of things, this is peanuts. People are losing their houses due to floods, fires, storms and accidents all the time and generally facing far worse in the "test" department.

And so it is a comfort to read that Jesus was "tempted" in all the ways that we are - Hebrews 4:15. Whether the temptation/test is little or big Hebrews 4:16, is also significant. Because it tells us that because Jesus was tempted/tested as we are, we can count on His understanding us in our temptation. It follows ("Therefore...") that we can "come boldly to the throne of grace" for help."

"Come boldly," writes my Bible's commenter, "literally means 'without reservation, with frankness, with full and open speech.' We approach a throne of grace obtaining mercy for the past and grace for the present and future" - Guy P. Duffield commentary on Hebrews, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1734.

I love that invitation to come "without reservation and with full and open speech." No request is too big or too small. God is big enough for me to pound His chest in my frustration over my relatively small problem.

A double-duty of such tests is the way they show us (me, at least) how far we still have to go to reach maturity. It's easy to talk about trusting God and having a good attitude when things are going well, but quite another thing to live these things when life goes sideways.

I need mercy for the way I've reacted to this and other tests, and grace to be sweet and unruffled today as I trust God in my present circumstances, and tomorrow, for whatever that will bring.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for understanding me and for inviting me to bring the stresses of life to You. I bring to You the situation in my home. I need grace for whatever this day holds. Amen.

MORE: Whatever Comes - Brian Doerksen

Sin—not exactly as shown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 3:1-19

TO CHEW ON: "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called 'Today,' lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:12-13

I remember as youngsters, begging our parents to buy cereal because of the prize inside. Almost always, though, we were disappointed by that prize. For the large, sturdy toy pictured on the outside of the box almost always turned out to be a fraction of the size and often broke even as we were trying to put it together.

Sin is like that. It looks attractive, desirable, must-have, must-do. But it never ends up as good as the picture.

Sin and deceit

• Satan's deceitful depiction of sin's consequences (he said there were none) convinced Eve to disobey God and put us the sinful road we're on (Genesis 3:13).

• Deceit drags others into its net (2 Timothy 2:14).

• Deceit multiplies (2 Timothy 3:13).

• The deceived life is one of dissipation and selfishness (Titus 3:3).

• Continuing to live in deceit results in corruption (Ephesians 4:22) and death (Romans 7:11).

• We are to exhort our Christian brother or sister if we see them being deceived by sin (Hebrews 3:13).

The reason identifying sin's deceit is so important is because being fooled by it is the first step down the road that leads away from God. A footnote in my Bible says it well:

"Unbelief is caused by a hardened heart, which is caused by the deceitfulness of sin. The result is apostasy, departing from the living God .... Constant encouragement in the midst of a caring fellowship will help believers remain faithful" - Guy P. Duffield, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, notes on Hebrews, p. 1733.

I vaguely recall that often there was, beside those cereal box pictures, a disclaimer that read (in very small print) "Not exactly as shown." Next time we're tempted by sin's attractive image let's imagine those same words beside it: "Not exactly as shown."

PRAYER: Dear God, please open my eyes to sin's deceit. Help me to see past the pretty picture to the lie it represents. And give me the love and courage to exhort others when I see them being deceived. Amen.

MORE: "Sin lives in a costume..."

"Sin lives in a costume; that’s why it’s so hard to recognize. The fact that sin looks so good is one of the things that make it so bad. In order for it to do its evil work, it must present itself as something that is anything but evil. Life in a fallen world is like attending the ultimate masquerade party.

Impatient yelling wears the costume of a zeal for truth. Lust can masquerade as a love for beauty. Gossip does its evil work by living in the costume of concern and prayer. Craving for power and control wears the mask of biblical leadership. Fear of man gets dressed up as a servant heart. The pride of always being right masquerades as a love for biblical wisdom. Evil simply doesn’t present itself as evil, which is part of its draw.

You’ll never understand sin’s sleight of hand until you acknowledge that the DNA of sin is deception. Now, what this means personally is that as sinners we are all very committed and gifted self-swindlers . . . . We’re all too skilled at looking at our own wrong and seeing good." - Paul David Tripp, Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy, p. 32 (quoted in The Glorious Deeds of Christ, "Why Does Sin Look So Good?")

Does God really keep His promises?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 89:30-52

TO CHEW ON: "Nevertheless My lovingkindnesses I will not utterly take from him

Nor allow My faithfulnesses to fail ...

But you have cast off and abhorred.

You have been furious with Your anointed.

You have renounced the covenant of Your servant

You have profaned his crown by casting it to the ground." Psalm 89:34, 38-39.

Ethan the Ezrahite closes his meditation on God's promises to David by expressing something that's really bothering him: the fact that God's promises and what's happening don't seem to agree.

The promise was: "His seed shall endure forever, his throne as the sun... established forever like the moon" Psalm 89:36,37.

But David's kingly line runs into problems. Ethan (a Levite, worship leader, and contemporary of Solomon - 1 Kings 4:30-31) sees that, and in this psalm brings to God's attention the way He is seemingly going back on His promise to David. Whether Ethan knew the extent of the demise of David's kingly line is unclear. But what he saw concerned him.

Did God lie to David? Or is there another fulfillment that Ethan couldn't see?

I believe there is. A footnote in my Bible draws our attention to it:

"This is a messianic psalm reaffirming the Davidic covenant in which his Seed shall reign. It shows that God is able to rescue His promise from the depths of the grave, if necessary, to fulfill it" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 755.

I believe that it wasn't quite as dicey as our commenter makes it sound. God wasn't stymied for a minute. He knew, from before creation, what would happen and didn't engineer an emergency "rescue" but executed His plan of establishing David's line through Jesus with the cool precision of foreknowledge.

This psalm underlines the fact that we can trust God's promises even when it appears He has gone back on them. To doubt God's faithfulness on the basis of what we see with our limited vision and understanding reminds me of another truth about God's ways:

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts" − Isaiah 55:8,9

When we're tempted to doubt God, let's review His promised faithfulness (e.g. 1 Kings 8:56; Romans 4:21; 2 Corinthians 1:20). Then, no matter what it looks like, let's carry on trusting in what God has said and praising the Lord, as Ethan does, even when we don't see:

"Blessed be the Lord forevermore!

Amen and Amen" - Psalm 89:52.

PRAYER: Dear God, even as I trust Your promise of salvation and eternal life, help me to depend on all Your other promises. Amen.

MORE: The importance of God's unchangeableness

"...if we stop for a moment to imagine what it would be like of God could change, the importance of this doctrine becomes more clear. For example, if God could change (in his being, perfections, purposes, or promises), then any change would be either for the better or for the worse.


But if God changed for the better, then he was not the best possible being when we first trusted him. And how could we be sure that he is the best possible being now?


But if God could change for the worse (in his very being), then what kind of God might he become? Might he become, for instance, a little bit evil rather than wholly good? And if he could become a little bit evil, then how do we know he could not change to become largely evil—or wholly evil?


...if God could change in regard to his promises, then how could we trust him completely for eternal life? Or for anything else the Bible says? ...


A little reflection like this shows how absolutely important the doctrine of God's unchangeableness is. If God is not unchanging, then the whole basis of our faith begins to fall apart, and our understanding of the universe begins to unravel. This is because our faith and hope and knowledge all ultimately depend on a person who is infinitely worthy of trust—because he is absolutely and eternally unchanging in his being, perfections, purposes, and promises" - Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 168 (paragraphing added to make it easier to read; emphasis as in the original text).

Let God father you

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 89:15-29

TO CHEW ON: "He shall cry to me, 'You are my Father,

My God and the rock of my salvation." Psalm 89:26

Dr. David Popenoe, a sociologist who researches fathers and fatherhood talks, without equivocation, about the importance of fathers: "'Fathers are far more than just "second adults" in the home. Involved fathers bring positive benefits to their children that no other person is as likely to bring.'" The article from which this quote was taken (to child protection workers in the U.S.) goes on to discuss how children with involved, caring fathers have better education outcomes, are more emotionally secure, and feel safer than children who grow up in homes without a father present.

In our reading today Ethan the Ezrahite draws our attention to the son-father relationship that David had with God (Psalm 89:26). Jesus too often talked about and referred to God as His Father (e.g. Mark 11:27).

["The word 'father' is ab. It is one of the first words a baby can speak. The Aramaic form of 'ab' is 'abba' which has become common in Hebrew as the word Israelite children use for 'daddy.' Jesus applied this toddler's word to His divine Father in Mark 14:36" - Dick Mills, "Word Wealth", New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 736.]

We too are God's children. He is our Father (2 Corinthians 6:18), a fact we accept by faith (Galatians 3:26). How does God father us?

• He forms us - Isaiah 64:8.

• He adopts us - Romans 8:15.

• He guides us - Jeremiah 3:4

• We talk to Him in prayer - Matthew 6:1.

• He promises to give us good things - Matthew 7:11.

• He gives us a heritage - Jeremiah 3:19.

• He will judge our performance fairly - 1 Peter 1:17.

• We have the promise that we will be like Him someday - 1 John 3:2.

Transferring the feelings that we have for our earthly fathers to our heavenly Father is always tricky—even if our earthly father was a good one. It is even more difficult if our earthly father was absent, abusive, or a negative influence. However, even in this God fathers us. For convincing us of the fact that we are God's children and what that means is one of the jobs of God the Holy Spirit:

"And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba Father'"- Galatians 4:6.

and

"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" - Romans 8:16.

Let's let God father us today.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for being my Father. Help me to learn more and more what this means in my everyday life. Amen.

MORE: "Father Me" by Brian Doerksen

Bore deep into God

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 89:1-14

TO CHEW ON: "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;

Mercy and truth go before Your face." Psalm 89:14

Who of us hasn't set some person on a pedestal only to find, when we get to know them better (or if they are a historical figure, we read about them), there are, running through the strata of their lives, veins of unrighteousness, injustice, falsehood, selfishness, or other failings? We will never experience such disillusionment with God!

God is righteous and justice at the deepest level: "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne" is expressed in the Message as, "The Right and Justice are the roots of your rule."

The result and evidence of His rule is love and truth: "Mercy and truth go before Your face" (NKJV) is translated "Unfailing love and truth walk before You as attendants" - NLT, and "Love and truth are its fruits" - Message.

Psalm 89:18 uses the adjective "holy" to encapsulate all God's good, sinless, peerless, authentic, above reproach qualities. He is called "The Holy One of Israel."

[holy - qudosh: set apart, dedicated to sacred purposes; holy, sacred, clean, morally or ceremonially pure...Holiness is separation from everything profane and defiling; and at the same time dedication to everything holy and pure" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 155.]

A commentary note in my Bible gives some ways to work the holiness of God, into our lives:

"Holiness is understood and learned by going directly to its source, the Holy One of Israel.

• Search the scriptures to learn the truth of God's holiness.

• Spend time worshiping God to be transformed by His holiness (2 Corinthians 3:18).

• Ask the Holy Spirit to enable you to walk in holiness (1 Peter 1:13-19) - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 756.

PRAYER: Dear God, I am so glad that You are holy through and through, that in You there is no hint of injustice or unrighteousness, no whiff of hatred or lies. I revel in Your name (vs. 16) — Your essence and reputation. Amen.

MORE: Thoughts on knowing God

"What were we made for? To know God. What aim should we set ourselves in life? To know God. What is the 'eternal life' that Jesus gives? Knowledge of God (John 17:3). What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight, and contentment, than anything else? Knowledge of God (Jeremiah 9:23 ff). What of all the states God ever sees man in, gives Him most pleasure? Knowledge of God (Hosea 6:6).


In these few sentences we have said a very great deal.... What we have said provides at once a foundation, shape, and goal for our lives, plus a principle of priorities and a scale of values. Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord" - J. I. Packer, Knowing God, p. 31.

(From the archives)

More good trouble

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 107:23-43

TO CHEW ON: "Whoever is wise will observe these things,

And they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord." Psalm 107:43

If ever there is a trouble that will cause us to cry out to God, it's one that has us hanging off the cliff edge of disaster. That's the scene of the first vignette of our reading today (Psalm 107:23-30). A seagoing businessman is carrying out his routine duties when along comes a storm that "melts his soul" and has the crew staggering like drunk men. At their wits' end, the sailors call on God, who calms the sea, allowing them to reach them to port.

Have you ever been there—at an emergency place where, unless something changes, unless God intervenes, something terrible will happen? Potential disaster whatever form that takes in our lives, can be a good thing when it draws us to God.

Trouble in the land is another goad that God may use to draw our attention to Him. Whether we are facing problems caused by the forces of nature or bad government, the psalmist reassures us God is big enough to help. He can change the course of nature (Psalm 107:33-35) and is not stymied by any ruler (Psalm 107:39-41).

Yesterday and today we've noted how God uses a variety of problems to drive us to Himself:

• Loss and homelessness (Psalm 107:2-7).

• Rebellion (Psalm 107:10-14)

• Our own foolishness (Psalm 107:17-20).

• Impending disaster (Psalm 107:23-30).

• Trouble in the land (Psalm 107:33-41).

Whatever trouble we're in today, whether it's of our own making or through the actions of others, let's prove our wisdom by going to God in it and looking for His lovingkindness to us through it.


PRAYER: Dear God, I pray that trouble will only draw me closer to You. Please remind me to seek You in it before I panic and go somewhere else to find help. Amen.

MORE: A sovereign protector I have

"A sovereign protector I have,

Unseen, yet for ever at hand;

Unchangeably faithful to save,

Almighty to rule and command.

He smiles, and my comforts abound;

His grace as the dews shall descend,

And walls of salvation surround

The soul He delights to defend."

- by Charles Wesley, quoted by J. I. Packer in Knowing God, p. 296.

Color trouble good

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 107:1-22

TO CHEW ON: “Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men.” Psalm 107:8,15,21

When we take today’s verse (a refrain that is occurs three times in this psalm) out of its context, we could assume the psalmist is drawing our attention to God’s general character of goodness and His amazing creation. But when we pay attention to the verses around we see the writer is looking at quite a different side of God’s goodness. Each repetition of the refrain comes after the memory of a nasty situation.

1. A time of loss and homeless (Psalm 107:2-7)
The Israelites wandered around in the wilderness after Egypt, hungry, discouraged, lost and homeless. But this bad scene became good when it caused them to look to God for direction. Then He settled them in a land they could call home.

2. A time of rebellion (Psalm 107:10-14)
Israel was often in a state of rebellion. God’s remedy – hard labor – didn’t look like a blessing on the surface. But it was, because it sent them running back to God for help.

3. A time of foolishness (Psalm 107:17-20)
The picture here is of trouble brought on oneself because of dissipation, addiction, or any kind of self-destructive behavior. Not a good thing. But again it is, when such a thing draws us to God.

Looking back, do you see evidences of any of these things in your life? Did they draw you closer to God? Take a few minutes today to review how God has turned trouble into blessing in your life. You could personalize your thankfulness to God.

PRAYER: I thank You, God, for Your goodness in ___________(name the bad situation), and for Your wonderful works to me. Amen.

MORE: In “Man of the Tombs”  Bob Bennett writes of the Gadarene demoniac  – a man whose life was a mess because he was controlled by demon spirits. Even that was a blessing in disguise when his condition drew Jesus' attention and He delivered the man from those monsters. The line of Bennett’s song: “He…mistakes his freedom for being free” can be said of most of us before Jesus liberates us.

“Man of the Tombs” by Bob Bennett




(From the archives)

Your destiny—planned from eternity

"The Calling of St. Matthew" by James Tissot

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ephesians 2:1-22

TO CHEW ON: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

Os Guinness begins the introduction to his book The Call:

"Are you looking for purpose in life? For a purpose big enough to absorb every ounce of your attention, deep enough to plumb every mystery of your passions, and lasting enough to inspire you to your last breath?"

He goes on to outline the three main answers to the search for purpose we moderns consider:

• The Eastern answer: "If the final reality is an impersonal ground of being (the so-called 'undifferentiated impersonal') what is the purpose of life for each of us individuals? ... Forget it and forget yourself."

• The secularist answer: "If the final reality is chance and there is no God (or gods or the supernatural) to consider, then purpose is up to each of us to decide and achieve for ourselves by ourselves. We don't discover it—we decide it."

• The biblical answer: "From this perspective the final reality is neither chance nor an impersonal ground of being but an infinite personal God who has created us in his image and calls us into relationship with himself. Our life purpose therefore comes from two sources at once—who we are created to be and who we are called to be" - Os Guinness, The Call, pp. vii-ix (emphasis added).

This is what Paul is writing about to the Christians in Ephesus—this purposeful life. He tells them that God's specific purpose for each individual was planned in the mind of God "beforehand"—before we ever came to be. God formed us with it in mind. We are his workmanship.

["Workmanship - poeima: The word suggests that which is manufactured, a product, a design produced by an artisan. Poiema emphasizes God as the Master Designer, the universe as His creation (Romans 1:20) and the redeemed believer as His new creation. (Ephesians 2:10). Before conversion our lives had no rhyme or reason. Conversion brought us balance, symmetry and order. We are God's poem, His work of art" - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1647.]

I believe this intentionality on God's part not only encompasses who He formed us to be physically but when and where we were born, the family to which we belong, our strengths and weakness, the experiences we've gone through. They all work and are working to form us into the people that fit into a foreordained place in God's eternal plan and purpose for earth and the universe.

Let's embrace who God has made us and seek to put ourselves more and more at His disposal to perform those "good works" He prepared for us from eternity past (raise those kids, teach that class, work in that food bank, visit those sick, write that book, compose that song, build that house...).


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You that there are no accidents, no "Oops" moments with You. Help me to discover and live the destiny for which You have formed me. Amen.

MORE: "Follow Me"

"Are you open to the possibility that there is one who created you to be who you are and calls you to be who he alone knows you can be? Then listen to Jesus of Nazareth and his two words that changed the world—'Follow me'" - Os Guinness, The Call, p. ix (emphasis added).