Exit Gensis and skip on over to Job - this reading schedule is developed to chronologically take you through scripture. Historians believe that the events in Job fit into the history at this point - and that's why you may be feeling like you've been asked to take a side road, but you are right on track!
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%201-5&version=NIV
If you’ve had a bad day, I can guarantee it was nothing like what happens to Job in chapter one. Here’s why I think God included the book of Job in the Bible – because no matter how bad you circumstances look, you can always read Job and know that things could be worse!
But what is amazing about Job is that despite his circumstances, he remained faithful. That is not to say that he doesn’t struggle. As a counselor, I probably would have diagnosed him with circumstance and grief induced depression – and who could blame him. Job certainly questioned God and I’m sure his faith at times was weak – but he is the picture of perseverance. See, to persevere does not mean not to struggle or suffer. To persevere means that as your struggle and you suffer, your faith remains intact and comes out stronger. Listen to what God says about it in 1 Peter 5:10 – “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
And so as we look at the list of questions to keep in mind as you read, today I’d like to share with you my answers for whether there is an example to follow.
Job’s response to hardship is an example to follow. He looses his 500 yoke of oxen, 500 donkeys, 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, his servants, and all ten of his children. One of those losses would be painful – all of them practically unbearable – and all in one day. But listen to the response of Job. He says:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” – Job 1:21
Despite his pain and loss, Job knew God to be the source and rightful owner of everything he had. If it was the Lord’s to give, then certainly it was the Lord’s to take away. And then his health is destroyed, and still he does not turn from God.
Now keep in mind – the Lord himself did not do these things, but he gave Satan permission. That’s a little tough to grasp sometimes. How can a loving God, a God who promises a shield around his righteous ones (Proverbs 2:7-8), remove that shield and allow Satan to attack the life of those he claims to love?
I believe the answer is that he is all-knowing and so he knows – he knows exactly what we can and cannot handle. He knows what the end results are and that they will be good. When we are facing trials, we must rest there. We must rest on the covenant promise in Jeremiah 32:40 – that He will never stop doing good for us. We must rest on His word in Romans 8:28 – that all things work for our good. God is sovereign, he is confident of the end results because he knows and will go test us beyond what we can handle (1 Cor. 10:13). It is with this confidence that God gives Satan permission to attack Job’s livelihood, his family and his health. It is with this confidence that Satan will see a display of a faith so strong that the glory of God is brilliantly reflected through Job.
Watch and learn as you read the story of Job, as you see him struggle, as he perseveres. Watch and ask God how you can have a faith like that.
Friends, the book of Job is rich. It gives us valuable information about our enemy, his tactics, and God’s dominion over him. I pray that you will read and ask questions about his and develop knowledge of the enemy you face every day.
The book of Job is rich in do’s and don’ts for dealing with friends who are suffering and experiencing grief. Watch Jobs friends – they start of well as they just sit with him. But then the open their mouths and I’m thinking they didn’t seek God’s wisdom in the words they spoke. Learn from them.
Ask the questions, search for answers, asks God to reveal truths to you. Share with us what you’ve learned.
Is there a:
Promise for me to claim?
A sin for me to avoid?
A command to obey?
An example to follow?
A teaching to believe?
Today's post was submitted by Carol Bartels
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Day 3: Genesis 8-11
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%208-11&version=NIV
When you read the word of God, a good approach is to ask questions as you read – here are some that are recommended:
Is there a:
Promise for me to claim?
Sin for me to avoid?
Command to obey?
Example to follow?
Teaching to believe?
I will share what I came away with as I read Genesis 8-11 – that doesn’t mean you should walk away with the exact same thing because God’s word is alive and active and speaks into each person’s life individually for what they need to know that day.
There’s an example to follow in the faith and perseverance of Noah – and a promise to claim in the fact that God will remember us and step into our circumstances:
I love the way chapter 8 begins – because no matter what is going on in our lives, we always have this phrase to hold on to. “But God….” When circumstances seem bleak, when dreams seem dead, when your entire world is covered with water and there no land in sight, there is the guarantee of a “But God…” in your future. (By the way, from the time the flood began to the time Noah left the ark more than a year had passed, in case God’s timing seems slow to your right now.) What does a 'But God' mean in your life?
'But God' means that God’s mercy will enter into your life – it means that God will remember you – and remember you with favor.
Here’s what my study bible says about when God remembers you and steps in:
“To ‘remember’ in the Bible is often not merely to recall people to mind but to express concern for them, to act with loving care for them. When God remembers his children, he does so ‘with favor’."
'But God' means that you will be brought back to solid, dry land.
'But God' means a mountain top in your life.
'But God' means that you can’t help but build an altar and worship God for the things he has done.
And then there is the obvious promise to claim represented by the rainbow – the promise that God would never again destroy the earth.
There are several errors or sins to avoid.
The first is in chapter 9, beginning in verse 20 when Noah planted a vineyard, made some wine, drank it and got drunk. This was the first recorded drunkenness in history and wouldn’t you know it, the first person to drink wine drank to excess. Excessive use of wine led to immodest behavior as Noah lay naked in his tent. From the beginning of time, God warned us about the effects of drinking to excess. It is a sin to avoid.
And as the story continues with a sin to avoid as Noah’s son Ham dishonored his father by broadcasting his immodesty – resulting in a cursed generation.
The next sin to avoid is that of excess pride. The human population, united in language, decided they needed to make a name for themselves by building a tower. They desired to be exalted by their own efforts and outside of their creator. The results – confused language and the human race is scattered across the earth. Imagine how different the mission field would look had this never happened. Any effort to exalt ourselves outside of or above the name of God will ultimately and humbling consequences.
So there are just a few of the answers to questions I got as I read. What do you find today?
When you read the word of God, a good approach is to ask questions as you read – here are some that are recommended:
Is there a:
Promise for me to claim?
Sin for me to avoid?
Command to obey?
Example to follow?
Teaching to believe?
I will share what I came away with as I read Genesis 8-11 – that doesn’t mean you should walk away with the exact same thing because God’s word is alive and active and speaks into each person’s life individually for what they need to know that day.
There’s an example to follow in the faith and perseverance of Noah – and a promise to claim in the fact that God will remember us and step into our circumstances:
I love the way chapter 8 begins – because no matter what is going on in our lives, we always have this phrase to hold on to. “But God….” When circumstances seem bleak, when dreams seem dead, when your entire world is covered with water and there no land in sight, there is the guarantee of a “But God…” in your future. (By the way, from the time the flood began to the time Noah left the ark more than a year had passed, in case God’s timing seems slow to your right now.) What does a 'But God' mean in your life?
'But God' means that God’s mercy will enter into your life – it means that God will remember you – and remember you with favor.
Here’s what my study bible says about when God remembers you and steps in:
“To ‘remember’ in the Bible is often not merely to recall people to mind but to express concern for them, to act with loving care for them. When God remembers his children, he does so ‘with favor’."
'But God' means that you will be brought back to solid, dry land.
'But God' means a mountain top in your life.
'But God' means that you can’t help but build an altar and worship God for the things he has done.
And then there is the obvious promise to claim represented by the rainbow – the promise that God would never again destroy the earth.
There are several errors or sins to avoid.
The first is in chapter 9, beginning in verse 20 when Noah planted a vineyard, made some wine, drank it and got drunk. This was the first recorded drunkenness in history and wouldn’t you know it, the first person to drink wine drank to excess. Excessive use of wine led to immodest behavior as Noah lay naked in his tent. From the beginning of time, God warned us about the effects of drinking to excess. It is a sin to avoid.
And as the story continues with a sin to avoid as Noah’s son Ham dishonored his father by broadcasting his immodesty – resulting in a cursed generation.
The next sin to avoid is that of excess pride. The human population, united in language, decided they needed to make a name for themselves by building a tower. They desired to be exalted by their own efforts and outside of their creator. The results – confused language and the human race is scattered across the earth. Imagine how different the mission field would look had this never happened. Any effort to exalt ourselves outside of or above the name of God will ultimately and humbling consequences.
So there are just a few of the answers to questions I got as I read. What do you find today?
Monday, January 4, 2010
Day 2: Genesis 4-7
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%204-7&version=NIV
Okay friends - here is why reading the whole Bible will rock you faith - because you get to see a glimpse of God's larger purpose and plan in everything he does. Our Creator is such a purposeful and wise creator. As I read Genesis 1-3, I found myself worshiping.
I worshiped at the power of the voice of God.
I worshiped at the fact that the Creator of light continues to create light from darkness in lives daily (2 Cor. 4:6).
I worshiped that the one who breathes and life is created is till breathing life into us each day.
I worshiped that God rested, that he blessed rest and called it Holy.
I worshiped that God created Man and Woman for one another - with distinct difference that created a perfect complimentary relationship.
And I worshiped that God created us in his own image - that he molded us with great care - and gave us the great priviledge to reflect him.
And then I mourned - I mourned at sin, I mourned at the loss of the garden - and I continued to mourn today as I read chapters 4-7. I mourned at how deep and dark man's sin so quickly became. I mourned that God regretted his creation.
And I mourned something that jumped out at me like it never had before. This is what I read - "When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image;" (5:3)
What? No, that can't be right. I was created in God's image. I want the right to say that. I want to look in the mirror and know that in some way people see God when they see me. I want to look at my friends Kelly and Jenifer and Chad and Joseph and everyone in our class and believe we are reflecting God to one another. But the truth can't be denied. I am a descendant of Adam - and so I bear not the image of God, but the image of man.
So is that it for me? Too bad, I lose. Did my garden-losing ancestor's screw up the chance for me to be an image bearer? Not so my friends. See, we have the whole story from beginning to end. Even as he created man in his image, God had a plan. Even as he watched Eve pick that apple, God knew he would redeem her choice. Even as he watched sin increase throughout the earth to the point of regretting his creation, he had a plan of redemption. He had a plan of redemption that first became evident with Noah and a promise in a rainbow. Here's the rest of the story:
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
- 2 Corinthians 3:18
Here the story is reaching completion. Through Christ our Creator is creating new life and new light. Here is why we can still be a reflection of the image of God to one another. And I have to say, there is no greater beauty, nothing more handsome, then the reflection of God in the faces of my precious brothers and sisters in Christ - and at that, I worship.
What verses struck you as you read today? We would love to hear your thoughts, insights, and inspirations.
Today's post was submitted by Carol Bartels
Okay friends - here is why reading the whole Bible will rock you faith - because you get to see a glimpse of God's larger purpose and plan in everything he does. Our Creator is such a purposeful and wise creator. As I read Genesis 1-3, I found myself worshiping.
I worshiped at the power of the voice of God.
I worshiped at the fact that the Creator of light continues to create light from darkness in lives daily (2 Cor. 4:6).
I worshiped that the one who breathes and life is created is till breathing life into us each day.
I worshiped that God rested, that he blessed rest and called it Holy.
I worshiped that God created Man and Woman for one another - with distinct difference that created a perfect complimentary relationship.
And I worshiped that God created us in his own image - that he molded us with great care - and gave us the great priviledge to reflect him.
And then I mourned - I mourned at sin, I mourned at the loss of the garden - and I continued to mourn today as I read chapters 4-7. I mourned at how deep and dark man's sin so quickly became. I mourned that God regretted his creation.
And I mourned something that jumped out at me like it never had before. This is what I read - "When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image;" (5:3)
What? No, that can't be right. I was created in God's image. I want the right to say that. I want to look in the mirror and know that in some way people see God when they see me. I want to look at my friends Kelly and Jenifer and Chad and Joseph and everyone in our class and believe we are reflecting God to one another. But the truth can't be denied. I am a descendant of Adam - and so I bear not the image of God, but the image of man.
So is that it for me? Too bad, I lose. Did my garden-losing ancestor's screw up the chance for me to be an image bearer? Not so my friends. See, we have the whole story from beginning to end. Even as he created man in his image, God had a plan. Even as he watched Eve pick that apple, God knew he would redeem her choice. Even as he watched sin increase throughout the earth to the point of regretting his creation, he had a plan of redemption. He had a plan of redemption that first became evident with Noah and a promise in a rainbow. Here's the rest of the story:
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
- 2 Corinthians 3:18
Here the story is reaching completion. Through Christ our Creator is creating new life and new light. Here is why we can still be a reflection of the image of God to one another. And I have to say, there is no greater beauty, nothing more handsome, then the reflection of God in the faces of my precious brothers and sisters in Christ - and at that, I worship.
What verses struck you as you read today? We would love to hear your thoughts, insights, and inspirations.
Today's post was submitted by Carol Bartels
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Jan 4, Day 1: Genesis 1-3
My dear friends, I am so thrilled to be taking on this challenge with you. I am praying that as you read, God will open your eyes to his glory, his grace, and his love. That you will see the true character of God and that your relationship with your creator will take on a new and amazing life. Take a few minutes to pray before reading and after reading each passage. These first three chapters are so jam packed full of insight!
Here are a few things to think about as you read:
Here are a few things to think about as you read:
- How big our God is who created the heavens and the earth and everything in it
- The relationship between man and woman
- Satan’s relationship with man and woman
- The tactics Satan uses to hinder our relationship with God
- Our relationship with God
- The impact of sin – how it separates us from God
- From the beginning, our God who loves us gave us a glimpse into his plan of redemption (3:15)
Feel free to leave a comment about what spoke to you as you read.
Don't have your Bible with you? Follow the link below to the passage on Bible Gateway. You can even listen to the passage by clicking the little action button at the top of the passage that looks like a speaker.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%201-3&version=NIV
Today’s post submitted by Kelly Coxe
PS - Here is the reading plan for the first week. We’ll post the entire year in a printable format asap (technology challenges):
Mon, Jan 4 – Genesis 1-3
Tues, Jan 5 – Genesis 4-7
Wed, Jan 6 – Genesis 8-11
Thur, Jan 7 – Job 1-5
Fri, Jan 8 – Job 6-9
Sat, Jan 9 – Job 10 -13
Sun, Jan 10 – Job 14-16
Relentless Pursuit
“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Phil 3:10-11 (NIV)
What are you passionate about? What makes you jump out of bed in the morning in excitement? Where is your focus these days? What goals do you pursue? Career goals, fitness goals, financial goals, relationship goals…passionate pursuit of these types of goals often tend to get in the way of our passionate pursuit for a relationship with Christ. Paul, on the other hand, relentlessly pursued a relationship with Christ. He wanted to know Christ as his complete Savior who suffered and died on the cross and rose from the dead. That is what Paul was passionate about. He wasn’t a task master. He wasn’t wrapped up in a routine. He wasn’t robotically obedient to his calling. He was a relentless, passionate follower of Christ.
The truth is, we live in a fallen world where the “enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Many ambitions and goals are competing for our attention, luring us away from our first love (Rev 2:4). We are inundated with lies from the media, pop culture, marketing campaigns, and false teaching. I encourage you to assess your own level of pursuit for a relationship with Christ. Take a second look at your goals for 2010. Where does developing your relationship with God fit in? Is it a relentless & passionate pursuit? What is getting in the way of your growth? Where can you cut out that which is hindering your time with God? How can you get to know Christ and the power of his resurrection? Will you return to your first love?
Two ways to grow your relationship with Christ is through prayer and Bible study. I encourage you to take the challenge and join us as we read the entire Bible in a year beginning tomorrow, Monday, January 4. The reading will take about 20 minutes per day. If you tie in a few minutes of prayer and a few minutes of reflection, you will invest about 30 minutes a day of your time to get to know your Savior. I promise you that you won’t regret it! Begin your relentless pursuit! Return to your first love!
Today's post is submitted by Kelly Coxe
What are you passionate about? What makes you jump out of bed in the morning in excitement? Where is your focus these days? What goals do you pursue? Career goals, fitness goals, financial goals, relationship goals…passionate pursuit of these types of goals often tend to get in the way of our passionate pursuit for a relationship with Christ. Paul, on the other hand, relentlessly pursued a relationship with Christ. He wanted to know Christ as his complete Savior who suffered and died on the cross and rose from the dead. That is what Paul was passionate about. He wasn’t a task master. He wasn’t wrapped up in a routine. He wasn’t robotically obedient to his calling. He was a relentless, passionate follower of Christ.
The truth is, we live in a fallen world where the “enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Many ambitions and goals are competing for our attention, luring us away from our first love (Rev 2:4). We are inundated with lies from the media, pop culture, marketing campaigns, and false teaching. I encourage you to assess your own level of pursuit for a relationship with Christ. Take a second look at your goals for 2010. Where does developing your relationship with God fit in? Is it a relentless & passionate pursuit? What is getting in the way of your growth? Where can you cut out that which is hindering your time with God? How can you get to know Christ and the power of his resurrection? Will you return to your first love?
Two ways to grow your relationship with Christ is through prayer and Bible study. I encourage you to take the challenge and join us as we read the entire Bible in a year beginning tomorrow, Monday, January 4. The reading will take about 20 minutes per day. If you tie in a few minutes of prayer and a few minutes of reflection, you will invest about 30 minutes a day of your time to get to know your Savior. I promise you that you won’t regret it! Begin your relentless pursuit! Return to your first love!
Today's post is submitted by Kelly Coxe
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Intentionality or Passivity
Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. – Jeremiah 6:16
Want to be intentional? Got a little extra time today? Hang out in the book of Daniel because you’ll find some awesome examples of some guys with rock-solid faith who practiced intentional living in a world trying to lure them into passivity. Let’s hang out for a minute in the story of the Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace – I’ll give you a little summary of their back-story to begin – you can read it yourself in Daniel 1)
Nebuchadnezzar is king of Babylon and has just besieged Jerusalem. He brought Daniel and other young men back to his palace. He didn’t bring them back and treat them like slaves though – “Nebuchadnezzar was a king well-practiced in conquering foes…Instead of killing the royal seed, he courted them. Instead of raising their defensiveness, he lowered their resistance with favors. He took the most intelligent and handsome of Israel’s royal and noble princes and sought to erase their nationality by changing their names, language, and eating habits. He sought to conquer them not with an iron fist, but with a velvet glove” (from Keeping the Secrets of Jesus – D. & D. Glenn).
Let’s stop here for just a moment because I want you to see the parallel between the King of Babylon and the one who had dominion over our world. Satan, like Nebuchadnezzar, is well-practiced in conquering foes – and he very intentionally works to woo Christians into passivity. He does this through the velvet glove of all the worlds riches and favors – food, drink, beauty, material goods and a million messages that tell us everyone is doing it, that tell us that we are bad if we take an intentional stand (especially if it offends) and good if we are tolerant of others and their beliefs. He tells us it is okay to participate in the same things that the world does – as long as we stay on the edges instead of diving all the way in.
And before you know it, you’ve lost your identify as one who is a child of God – you’re cloak of salt and light has been exchanged for the trappings that everyone else in the world is wearing. Welcome to Babylonia – you can do what we do, talk the talk, walk the walk, and we will embrace you like one of our own. You will be comfortable here, you’ll get to enjoy the choice foods and wine. Just forget that you were brought here as a captive or meant to be royalty in another kingdom. Jump right into the pool of passive living – it is so much easier than resistance – feel king of good, really, once you get used to it.
With that parallel in mind, let’s get back to our guys. Daniel and his homeboys resist the temptations set before them. Instead, they cling to their beliefs, to obedience to God’s laws, and they were able to stand when tested. And they where definitely tested. Pick up the story in Daniel 3 – again, I’ll summarize for you.
King Nebuchadnezzar, which no lack of pride, made an idol 90 feet high and nine feet wide and commanded all to fall down and worship the image – this was a way of pledging full allegiance to the newly establish empire (it’s believed that the image was the god Nabu – who forms the first part of Nebuchadnezzar’s name). Anyone who didn’t fall down and worship was told that hey would be thrown into a blazing furnace.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego where having none of that – not only did they remain true to who they where when not facing adversity, but in the face of a fiery furnace, they make this statement – one of the hugest statements of faith in scripture:
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the images of gold you have set up.
– Daniel 3:17-18
Oh, how I would love to always have a faith like that! They had a faith that God would come through – they proclaimed that faith with certainty. They had a faith that was to intentional and dedicated to the Holy sovereignty of God, that they refused to serve or worship any other god even if their God didn’t deliver in the way they expected. Why – because they knew and trusted the wisdom and purpose of God’s sovereign purpose.
Notice, they didn’t panic, they didn’t try to talk the king out of his decree or reason with him. They didn’t try to take things into their own hands or try to plan their own escape. The simply did two things. The trusted and the stood – and God showed up and stood with them. The results – God’s sovereign power to save is revealed and God is glorified. Check it out:
“Then Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants. They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces of rubble, for no other god can save this way.’ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.” – Daniel 3:28-30
Ever feel like God has placed you in a fiery furnace. I think we’ve all been there at one – or several points in our lives. Some of us are in one right now. But here’s my question – How is your faith standing up in the face of the furnace? Are you trusting God’s sovereignty, his wisdom, his purpose – his promise that he will never stop doing good for you? Or have you decided that perhaps he isn’t everything he said he is. Is your furnace turning you in the direction of serving and worshiping other gods. Is your furnace causing you to rebel? Do things your own way? Reach out desperately for anything that will reinforce you, make you feel significant, make you feel okay just for a little while?
Friends – you need to know that you can have the kind of faith these men did. God doesn’t work this way for just the chosen people – God works this way for all who fully put their trust in the sovereignty of God. But you can’t live a passive faith, being wooed by the world into forgetting what you stand for, and stand up to the fire. You MUST be intentional.
You can experience the Kingdom of God while living in a different kingdom like these men in the book of Daniel – but you can’t expect God to just bring it to you. God wants your active participation. Take a note from those who have been able to stand in the face of the furnace. Take note from those who proved that it is possible to live a life of faith – through every conceivable spiritual assault – and experience victory. But you have to be prepared for the battle. Here’s what they did:
They refused to defile their bodies according to the royal food of the king, but rather they consecrated themselves and their bodies to God. They fasted and as a result God gave them spiritual insight. Their treatment of their physical bodies was part of their spiritual training.
They bowed the knee in prayer. Daniel himself, in the face of death, bowed his knees before God three times a day in prayer. Notice, it doesn’t say just that he prayed – but that he bowed the knee in a posture of submission and worship.
They surrendered their all to God – even their very lives. Through consecration and through prayer, their faith was so solid that they trusted God with their lives – literally.
Faith, obedience, blessing – this is theme of their story. And through them - their intentional faith, their battles, and their victories, God’s glory and sovereignty are revealed time and time again.
Will you be wooed into passivity, or choose this year to rededicate yourself to being consecrated to God, to living a life of prayer, to allowing him to sanctify you through and through, to surrendering your life to his sovereign will for the display of his power and glory through you?
Today's post was submitted by Carol Bartels
Want to be intentional? Got a little extra time today? Hang out in the book of Daniel because you’ll find some awesome examples of some guys with rock-solid faith who practiced intentional living in a world trying to lure them into passivity. Let’s hang out for a minute in the story of the Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace – I’ll give you a little summary of their back-story to begin – you can read it yourself in Daniel 1)
Nebuchadnezzar is king of Babylon and has just besieged Jerusalem. He brought Daniel and other young men back to his palace. He didn’t bring them back and treat them like slaves though – “Nebuchadnezzar was a king well-practiced in conquering foes…Instead of killing the royal seed, he courted them. Instead of raising their defensiveness, he lowered their resistance with favors. He took the most intelligent and handsome of Israel’s royal and noble princes and sought to erase their nationality by changing their names, language, and eating habits. He sought to conquer them not with an iron fist, but with a velvet glove” (from Keeping the Secrets of Jesus – D. & D. Glenn).
Let’s stop here for just a moment because I want you to see the parallel between the King of Babylon and the one who had dominion over our world. Satan, like Nebuchadnezzar, is well-practiced in conquering foes – and he very intentionally works to woo Christians into passivity. He does this through the velvet glove of all the worlds riches and favors – food, drink, beauty, material goods and a million messages that tell us everyone is doing it, that tell us that we are bad if we take an intentional stand (especially if it offends) and good if we are tolerant of others and their beliefs. He tells us it is okay to participate in the same things that the world does – as long as we stay on the edges instead of diving all the way in.
And before you know it, you’ve lost your identify as one who is a child of God – you’re cloak of salt and light has been exchanged for the trappings that everyone else in the world is wearing. Welcome to Babylonia – you can do what we do, talk the talk, walk the walk, and we will embrace you like one of our own. You will be comfortable here, you’ll get to enjoy the choice foods and wine. Just forget that you were brought here as a captive or meant to be royalty in another kingdom. Jump right into the pool of passive living – it is so much easier than resistance – feel king of good, really, once you get used to it.
With that parallel in mind, let’s get back to our guys. Daniel and his homeboys resist the temptations set before them. Instead, they cling to their beliefs, to obedience to God’s laws, and they were able to stand when tested. And they where definitely tested. Pick up the story in Daniel 3 – again, I’ll summarize for you.
King Nebuchadnezzar, which no lack of pride, made an idol 90 feet high and nine feet wide and commanded all to fall down and worship the image – this was a way of pledging full allegiance to the newly establish empire (it’s believed that the image was the god Nabu – who forms the first part of Nebuchadnezzar’s name). Anyone who didn’t fall down and worship was told that hey would be thrown into a blazing furnace.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego where having none of that – not only did they remain true to who they where when not facing adversity, but in the face of a fiery furnace, they make this statement – one of the hugest statements of faith in scripture:
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the images of gold you have set up.
– Daniel 3:17-18
Oh, how I would love to always have a faith like that! They had a faith that God would come through – they proclaimed that faith with certainty. They had a faith that was to intentional and dedicated to the Holy sovereignty of God, that they refused to serve or worship any other god even if their God didn’t deliver in the way they expected. Why – because they knew and trusted the wisdom and purpose of God’s sovereign purpose.
Notice, they didn’t panic, they didn’t try to talk the king out of his decree or reason with him. They didn’t try to take things into their own hands or try to plan their own escape. The simply did two things. The trusted and the stood – and God showed up and stood with them. The results – God’s sovereign power to save is revealed and God is glorified. Check it out:
“Then Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants. They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces of rubble, for no other god can save this way.’ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.” – Daniel 3:28-30
Ever feel like God has placed you in a fiery furnace. I think we’ve all been there at one – or several points in our lives. Some of us are in one right now. But here’s my question – How is your faith standing up in the face of the furnace? Are you trusting God’s sovereignty, his wisdom, his purpose – his promise that he will never stop doing good for you? Or have you decided that perhaps he isn’t everything he said he is. Is your furnace turning you in the direction of serving and worshiping other gods. Is your furnace causing you to rebel? Do things your own way? Reach out desperately for anything that will reinforce you, make you feel significant, make you feel okay just for a little while?
Friends – you need to know that you can have the kind of faith these men did. God doesn’t work this way for just the chosen people – God works this way for all who fully put their trust in the sovereignty of God. But you can’t live a passive faith, being wooed by the world into forgetting what you stand for, and stand up to the fire. You MUST be intentional.
You can experience the Kingdom of God while living in a different kingdom like these men in the book of Daniel – but you can’t expect God to just bring it to you. God wants your active participation. Take a note from those who have been able to stand in the face of the furnace. Take note from those who proved that it is possible to live a life of faith – through every conceivable spiritual assault – and experience victory. But you have to be prepared for the battle. Here’s what they did:
They refused to defile their bodies according to the royal food of the king, but rather they consecrated themselves and their bodies to God. They fasted and as a result God gave them spiritual insight. Their treatment of their physical bodies was part of their spiritual training.
They bowed the knee in prayer. Daniel himself, in the face of death, bowed his knees before God three times a day in prayer. Notice, it doesn’t say just that he prayed – but that he bowed the knee in a posture of submission and worship.
They surrendered their all to God – even their very lives. Through consecration and through prayer, their faith was so solid that they trusted God with their lives – literally.
Faith, obedience, blessing – this is theme of their story. And through them - their intentional faith, their battles, and their victories, God’s glory and sovereignty are revealed time and time again.
Will you be wooed into passivity, or choose this year to rededicate yourself to being consecrated to God, to living a life of prayer, to allowing him to sanctify you through and through, to surrendering your life to his sovereign will for the display of his power and glory through you?
Today's post was submitted by Carol Bartels
Friday, January 1, 2010
Offend Someone Today
John 4:3- 10
“3 When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. 4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
While watching a recent broadcast of Kay Arthur on Lightsource TV regarding this passage, it struck me again just how intentional the life of Jesus was. Kay focused first on verse 4 – “Now he had to go through Samaria.” What’s interesting about that verse is that during that time, Jews despised the Samaritans so much that normally, a Jew HAD to go AROUND Samaria; not THROUGH it. But Jesus lived an intentional life, and He was, as Kay put it, “About His Father’s business”. His goal was not just to get from point A, Judea, to point B, Galilee. His goal was to do what His Father called Him to do…to share the Good News. And that meant breaking the cultural norms of the times and going THROUGH Samaria.
In verse 7, we see Jesus going against current culture again. He actually spoke to a Samaritan woman. Not only did Jews not associate with Samaritans, but it was also unheard of for men and women to have public conversations. And furthermore, He wasn’t just having a conversation with her, He actually asked her to give Him a drink of water. Samaritan women were considered so unclean by Jews, that drinking from her vessel would make a Jew unclean and invite evil into himself. But as Kay said again, Jesus was “about His Father’s business”. Here his goal really wasn’t to get a drink. His goal again was to do what His Father called Him to do…to share the Good News. And once again, that meant breaking the cultural norms and rabbinic law of the times.
At this point, Jesus has opened conversation with the Samaritan woman. He revealed to her that she needs a Savior and that He had come. The woman was overjoyed and verse 39 says “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.” All because Jesus went against culture of the times and was “about His Father’s business”. Jesus didn’t focus so much on the task of getting from Judea to Galilee and He wasn’t really focused on getting a drink from the well. He was focused on getting “about His father’s business”, the business of sharing the Good News, the business of saving lives. And He did it even if it meant breaking the culture norms of the times.
How many times have we been so set on getting from point A to point B, that we forget our main purpose? How many times have been so caught up in being “politically correct” that we miss out on going about our Father’s business? We live in a world where people are more concerned with offending someone from a different religion than we are about offending God our Creator. It’s a world where we send Christmas cards that say Seasons’ Greeting and Happy Holidays instead of Happy Birthday Jesus. With the new year beginning, I encourage you all to be intentional; to go against culture; to offend someone – not in the “judgmental, shove it down their throats” kind of way, but in the same kind and loving way that Jesus shares with the Samaritan woman. Make going about your Father’s business your top new years’ resolution and shake up the cultural norms of our day a little.
Today's post submitted by Kelly Coxe
“3 When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. 4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
While watching a recent broadcast of Kay Arthur on Lightsource TV regarding this passage, it struck me again just how intentional the life of Jesus was. Kay focused first on verse 4 – “Now he had to go through Samaria.” What’s interesting about that verse is that during that time, Jews despised the Samaritans so much that normally, a Jew HAD to go AROUND Samaria; not THROUGH it. But Jesus lived an intentional life, and He was, as Kay put it, “About His Father’s business”. His goal was not just to get from point A, Judea, to point B, Galilee. His goal was to do what His Father called Him to do…to share the Good News. And that meant breaking the cultural norms of the times and going THROUGH Samaria.
In verse 7, we see Jesus going against current culture again. He actually spoke to a Samaritan woman. Not only did Jews not associate with Samaritans, but it was also unheard of for men and women to have public conversations. And furthermore, He wasn’t just having a conversation with her, He actually asked her to give Him a drink of water. Samaritan women were considered so unclean by Jews, that drinking from her vessel would make a Jew unclean and invite evil into himself. But as Kay said again, Jesus was “about His Father’s business”. Here his goal really wasn’t to get a drink. His goal again was to do what His Father called Him to do…to share the Good News. And once again, that meant breaking the cultural norms and rabbinic law of the times.
At this point, Jesus has opened conversation with the Samaritan woman. He revealed to her that she needs a Savior and that He had come. The woman was overjoyed and verse 39 says “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.” All because Jesus went against culture of the times and was “about His Father’s business”. Jesus didn’t focus so much on the task of getting from Judea to Galilee and He wasn’t really focused on getting a drink from the well. He was focused on getting “about His father’s business”, the business of sharing the Good News, the business of saving lives. And He did it even if it meant breaking the culture norms of the times.
How many times have we been so set on getting from point A to point B, that we forget our main purpose? How many times have been so caught up in being “politically correct” that we miss out on going about our Father’s business? We live in a world where people are more concerned with offending someone from a different religion than we are about offending God our Creator. It’s a world where we send Christmas cards that say Seasons’ Greeting and Happy Holidays instead of Happy Birthday Jesus. With the new year beginning, I encourage you all to be intentional; to go against culture; to offend someone – not in the “judgmental, shove it down their throats” kind of way, but in the same kind and loving way that Jesus shares with the Samaritan woman. Make going about your Father’s business your top new years’ resolution and shake up the cultural norms of our day a little.
Today's post submitted by Kelly Coxe
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