Author: Aaron Hufty

Re:Verse reading–Philemon 1-25 (day two) I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. vs. 10-11

Do you remember when you were applying to college, for a scholarship, or even for a job and it required a letter of recommendation? When choosing who will write letters it is most critical to get people who will sing your praises. I’m not sure Onesimus would have wanted Paul to call him “fomerly useless” in his recommendation letter. Not really a ringing endorsement.

Paul, however, understood the nature of conversion. Prior to his own encounter with Jesus, he was ‘useless’ to the church. His hostility and anger were in opposition to the work of the Holy Spirit. Then God showed up.

This is your testimony too. God has given you value that is of heavenly worth. This is the only kind you need.

Re:Verse reading–Acts 12:1-19 (day two) And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands. vs.7

This story immediately calls to mind a similar episode with Paul and Silas later in the book of Acts. As they are imprisoned their response is to pray and praise…to sing and glorify. This was their custom, not unlike Daniel whose story we studied a few weeks ago.

…and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. Acts 16:26

This very real experience for Peter, Paul, and Silas is also the metaphor for our bondage to sin. We are held, kept captive by the enemy, and closely guarded. What the enemy cannot do, however, is control our response. Whatever the circumstance, Jesus is near. Call out, let the miracle of a prison break happen in your heart. Go ahead and praise him in your captivity, and see if he doesn’t show up in a miraculous way.

Re:Verse reading–John 3:1-21 (day two) 

This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. Vs. 19

The truth in a nutshell: if you have seen the light and hope of Jesus, and refuse to surrender your life to him, then you love sin more than salvation. We can wrap it in a different package, and make it more palatable, but the reality is what it is. This method of delivery might not be the best form of evangelism coming from any other mouth than Jesus. He was not trying to shame Nicodemus into heaven. He was simply offering an insight only Jesus can provide. To truly know him, is to surrender. Anything else…is sin.

Re:Verse reading–Mark 9:14-29 (day two)  Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” vs. 24

Sounds a bit confusing, doesn’t it? You either believe or you don’t. Right? Perhaps, but faith isn’t always that cut and dried. What this father recognizes early, the disciples took longer, and maybe didn’t get at all. To say that we believe does not mean that we understand or fully comprehend. This father is desperate to help his son, but doesn’t just say yes to Jesus for a quick fix. He acknowledges Jesus’ power, but then quickly acknowledges how little he truly understands. Rarely, if ever, will we be able to say that we completely understand the plans and methods of God. He doesn’t ask us to. Submit that he does have the power to save, and leave your trust and need for details there.

Re:Verse reading–Hosea 1, 3, 14 (day two) For the ways of the Lord are right,
And the righteous will walk in them, But transgressors will stumble in them. 14:9b

You, through your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me. Psalm 119:98

One of the ways that we use the Word of God and his statutes is as a diviner between good and sin. It will always point out where we have fallen short, but it is constant. Trying to perfectly keep the law is daunting, to say the least, but it is in its constancy that we find hope. We have a perfect example, a Father who has made provision for us to be redeemed, and the Spirit to continually encourage and guide. The way of the Lord should be your delight, for through it is the hope of salvation. Those who do not receive this will only find disappointment.

Re:Verse reading–Daniel 6 (day two)

…and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously. vs. 10b

The deliverance of Daniel was not due to a random selection by God. Daniel’s faith was secure, and had been for some time. He didn’t experience some last minute epiphany that he should be a righteous man. Daniel’s routine, his custom, was to spend time with the Lord. Whether there was a decree or not, Daniel would have been seeking after the Lord. The miracle of the lion’s den was simply a manifestation of the work the God was doing in the heart of his servant.

What is your custom? Is your daily walk reflective of a crisis, or is it a pattern you have followed for years? There is no need to wait for struggle to come to commit to a righteous existence. Daniel had no fear. Not because he knew the Lord would deliver him from the lions, but simply because he trusted completely in the Lord.

Re:Verse reading–Jeremiah 29:1-14 (day two) 

Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’ Vs. 7

I write this post in Seattle, Washington at the beginning of the week as the Chapel Singers begin their week of service with the Seattle Union Gospel Mission. This organization seeks to engage the enormous plight of homelessness in the city by meeting physical needs and addressing their spiritual condition. We are called to engage, to help, to care for these people. Their welfare is our welfare. Will you pray for these young people as they expand their hearts this week? Please pray that God will continue to stretch them for continued service throughout their walk.

Re:Verse reading—Psalm 27 (day two) 

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to meditate in His temple. vs. 4

David was a king who was well acquainted with conflict. He knew what it was to be chased and hunted. He also knew what it was to taste conquest and victory. His story is filled with great victories on the battlefield. At his heart however, he was still a shepherd who longed for the quiet and solitude that caring for sheep provided him. That time where he could sing his songs of devotion to the Lord.

No matter what may surround you, or how the world buffets against you may your testimony be more concerned with longing to be near the Lord than to be victorious.

Re:Verse reading—Psalm 23 (day two) I shall not want. vs. 1b

 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13

One of the things we teach our children is the difference between need and want. Recognizing a desire from a necessity is not always easy when our emotions get involved. One of the by-products of dwelling with Jesus is a way to help clearly differentiate the two. Being content is not about being apathetic, it is about understanding a dependency upon Christ for our source of fulfillment. Ultimately we will want what he wants for us. That leads to a restored soul.

Re:Verse reading–2 Kings 5 (day two)  But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Behold, I thought, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’ vs. 11

Naaman was a leper. How much worse could it get? His affliction would have been a constant aggravation a source of revulsion from others. Even so, when offered a cure Naaman is displeased with the method of miracle. He had it in his head that Elisha would stand over his head and utter the magic words. It never occurred to him that he had no idea how the cure would come, Naaman was sure he knew how the whole thing would play out.

Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? And yet…how often do we miss the forest for the trees? We get an idea in our heads and hold on so tightly that we simply cannot, or will not open our minds to the best way forward. What gave Naaman the idea that he knew how to cure leprosy? Why wouldn’t he be open to any remedy offered to him? Why aren’t we? This is surely one of this times where we should let go of preconceptions about God and his sovereignty, and allow his Spirit to do the work in our lives.