RE Verse reading–Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:22-25; 1 Timothy 6:1-2; Titus 2:9-11 (day seven) “Six days shall you labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.”–Exodus 20:9-10. Unless you’ve been on another planet for the past few years, you have heard (or heard of) the Disney movie, “Frozen” and the featured song, “Let it go”. As Queen Elsa “lets go” of her fears to embrace her strengths, believers “let go” of our fears to discover our strength in union with Christ. It is a weekly spiritual rhythm called sabbath. WORK for six days! This is the command of God. Get up! Think! Innovate! Achieve! Subdue! Rule! (see Genesis 1) But, on the sabbath learn a different skill. Let it go! Rest! Pray! Seek His face! Engage the world with courage, then retreat from it to declare your trust in Something higher. We are double-sided creations, dual-natured. God commands us to work, and then to let it go.
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Different Perspective Required
Re:Verse reading – Luke 6:27-36; Romans 12:17-21 (Day Five) Often times as believers, it seems a logical course of behavior and living would be to withdraw from society and forego the tension, unkindness, and overall lack of integrity found in secular culture. Its influences of scheming, cheating, and dishonesty bring unwanted problems and difficulties. But Jesus’ words in Luke 6 would indicate a different approach to this issue. Instead of insulation and isolation, Jesus promotes love, forgiveness, and compassion. He unapologetically presumes that believers should and will interact in secular culture and He truthfully shares what can be the result. Yet, when weighed against eternal perspective and promises (Luke 6:35), enduring these reactions and responses from “enemies” pales in comparison.
Good Friends
Re: Verse reading–Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; 1 Samuel 20:1-17, 27-42 (day two)
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. Proverbs 17:17
Have you ever heard the saying “I may have to love you, but I don’t have to like you”? It’s true that we are called to love one another, but does that mean that everyone must become your BFF (best friend forever)? Those who will share that privilege are very few. Jesus had a small circle of friends who shared everything together. David and Jonathan are the example that we are reading this week. These types of friendships challenge us and help us to grow. They sharpen us as iron would sharpen iron. They defend us and keep us accountable. Remember to thank God today for those dear and close friends.
Whose image?
RE Verse reading–Genesis 1:26-31; Romans 5:1-11 (day seven) “They brought [Him] a coin, and He asked them, ‘Whose IMAGE is this?’ ‘Caesar’s they replied.’ “–Mark 12:16. With a Mayoral election coming up on Saturday, my mind is on this story. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesars, but RENDER TO GOD THE THINGS THAT ARE GOD’S.” These are unforgettable words and wisdom from Christ. The backstory is from Genesis 1. Jesus knew, assumed we would know as well, that God stamped His likeness on us, His image in us. Like a Roman coin, we are marked off as God’s property for God’s purpose. While we owe something to the state, and should gladly return to it attentive and informed involvement, we owe everything to God, our very lives! So, go vote on Saturday, but come worship on Sunday (and every day of the week). All of us have two loyalties. One should always be higher than the other. We belong to God!
Remember
Re: Verse reading–Exodus 14:1-4, 10-31; 15:1-2, 20-21 (day five)
Exodus 14:12 Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
The people of God were already showing signs of “memory loss”. They had quickly forgotten about God’s power and faithfulness to act and protect them as they were being freed from Pharaoh’s captivity.
The Israelites had trusted God for their salvation (Passover) but were having difficulty in trusting God in their circumstances (wilderness). The cloud and pillar were close and present, but these people became less aware because of the tension, stress, and uncertainty of their circumstances.
The promise of Psalm 46:10-11 becomes our prescription for understanding and security 10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. We do well to remember God’s promises and power in the midst of our circumstances.
Inner honesty
RE Verse reading–Ezekiel 20:1-32 (day six) “As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me.” (v 2) When the elders of Judah got a “no comment” response from God, it must have been a shock. Isn’t God supposed to “let bygones be bygones”? Isn’t He supposed to be available whenever we are ready to talk? Yes, but the condition for such a conversation is inner honesty. What God is not willing to do is have a conversation with people who avoid the long issues that impact the relationship. Idolatry, a pattern of disobedience, disregard for the Sabbath, address these issues and the heart of God will open in mercy. Pretend they don’t matter and hear Heaven’s silence. “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom”–Psalm 51:6. Facing the truth about ourselves is always the hardest task. We all avoid it, but God requires it. “Come, let us reason. . .”
Set menu
RE Verse reading–1 Corinthians 15 (day seven) “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead?” (v 12) Have you been to one of those wok restaurants? You decide the ingredients and they stir-fry it up for you? Christianity is NOT like that. Not even a little. What we believe, what we teach is not subject to individual change or personal preference. Jude calls it “the faith once delivered.” Paul expresses the same idea. “How is it,” he asks with disbelief, “that you have the brashness to call yourself a believer and yet deny the proclamation of the apostles and church?” It is a bitter pill for moderns to swallow. The message is fixed and for all time. We are not free to omit the parts We don’t like. “How FIRM a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent word.”
Knowing Who not how
RE Verse reading–1 Corinthians 15 (day six) “Behold, I tell you a mystery;. . . we will all be changed. . . in the twinkling of an eye. . .the last trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable.” (v 51-52) Mystery is the Bible’s word for something we know via the revelation of God. We know because He has promised, not because we can imagine it or figure out how it works. Resurrection is one example. Will we be young? Will we look like ourselves? Will our friends recognize us? (I believe the answer is “yes”. When Moses returns in the transfiguration story, he is immediately recognized–see Matthew 18) What we don’t want to do is limit our confidence in this promise simply because it is beyond our imagination or logic. We trust the promise because we trust the Promiser. “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day.”
The facts of our faith
RE Verse reading–1 Corinthians 15 (day five) “For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that He was buried, and that he was raised on the third day.” (v 3-4) Good reminder. Christianity is not, first, an organized church, nor a theology, nor a moral system. It is first a set of facts. A report that God has acted in the world in a particular way with a particular meaning. 1)Christ died. For our sins. He was a substitute. “By His stripes we are healed”. 2)He was buried. His death was real. Not a swoon. 3)Christ was raised. Part of God’s character and activity is supernatural, super-scientific, miraculous. God is above the laws of nature because He created them. 4)All as scripture predicted. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet.” Christians believe/report these facts. Faith in them gives LIFE. Always has.
A father’s failure?
RE Verse reading–1 Samuel 8:1-10, 1 Samuel 12:1-5 (day six) “But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.” (8:3) I wonder. Did Samuel ever ask himself, “What did I do wrong?” Did he ever feel guilty or responsible for his sons’ character or choices? The scripture suggests no such blame. None. Faithful parents can have unfaithful children. The prophet Ezekiel warns us against typical logic. The old proverb was, “The fathers eat sour grapes, but the children’s teeth are set on edge.” In other words, the father’s choices are felt in the life of the child–for good or for bad. Not always so in spiritual things. ” ‘As I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son. The soul who sins will die.’ ” (Ezekiel 18:2-4)