Author: Aaron Hufty

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.

Re:Verse reading–Ruth 2:1-12, 17-23; 4:1-14 (day two)

May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge. vs. 12

 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men…Colossians 3:23

Can you think of a more beautiful blessing for your labors than what Boaz gave to Ruth? Word of her faithfulness to her mother-in-law had reached the ears of many. Ruth’s commitment to Naomi was not for financial reward or gain. She did not seek to “get ahead” by a political alliance. She did what was right. Her focus was not on herself. The Lord honors that. Not always financially, but in kingdom-sized investments that cannot be measured. Where is your heart? Where is your treasure? Find your reward where the Lord is waiting.

Re:Verse reading–Genesis 37:14-28, 50:15-21 (day two) When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!” 50:15

Jacob/Israel had been the buffer between Joseph and his brothers. At least, that is what the brothers had come to believe. Years had passed, but they had never moved past that violent and heinous act against Joseph. Although God had used and shaped Joseph’s life since being sold to the Ishmaelites, the brothers were caught forever in that moment. It had likely shaped everything they did since that moment of sin. It surely impacted their relationship with their father. They had to lie to him and watch him grieve the loss of a child.

Sin is often easy, but truly never is. The sin of Joseph’s brothers would shape most of their adult lives. How you you ever expect to live, really live if you are haunted by your choices. We are not perfect. Joseph was not perfect, but Jesus is. Wouldn’t you much rather have your life shaped by Jesus, than by your sin?

RE Verse reading–Genesis 22:1-19 (day two) 

He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” vs. 2

Our RE:Verse study this quarter begins similarly to the beginning of our last study in 1 Samuel. A parent after desperately longing for a child, gives that child back to the Lord.

 For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.  1 Samuel 27-27

Hannah and Abraham understood the role of God in their lives. Once we have children we often order everything in our lives around them, not so for Samuel and Isaac. Everything was surrendered unto God’s plan and authority. How would our children characterize our actions surrounding them? How have we given the Lord a preeminent place in their lives, or have we put our children ahead of him?