Date: 05-11-2020

Title: How I See God

(S) cripture:
    2 Samuel 22:26-28 (NASB) “With the kind You show Yourself kind, With the blameless You show Yourself blameless; 27 With the pure You show Yourself pure, And with the perverted You show Yourself astute. 28 “And You save an afflicted people; But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You abase..

    2 Samuel 22:26-28 (NIV) “To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, 27 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. 28 You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.

(O) bservation:
    These verses are part of David’s Song of Praise he sung after being delivered from the hand of his enemies. David is quick to give praise and credit to the Lord. In the song he gives us an insight into how we see God or how God shows Himself to us.

(A) pplication:
    I have read this many times before but this morning I saw something quite different than I had seen before. I have often wondered why when I see God as faithful unbelievers do not see God that way. Why is it when I see God as good unbelievers do not see Him that way. In fact most often, it seems, unbelievers see God as arbitrary and hard and cold and uncaring and distant. They see God as shrewd and looking to bring them down. These verses shed light on this issue. God shows himself faithful to the faithful. In order to see God as faithful I must be faithful. If I am not faithful I will see God as shrewd and out to bring me down. I should not be surprised when my unbelieving friends do not see God as I see him. He has not shown himself to them that way. We all see through the eyes of experience and sometimes my experience clouds or blurs the truth. Although God has revealed himself as faithful and blameless and good in many undeniable ways in nature and in his mighty acts still the unbelieving heart has a hard time seeing through the cloud. Today I want to see God as faithful and blameless and pure therefore I will seek to live out my faith that way. The best thing for me to do is to focus on Jesus and do what He instructs me to do. Living my life by faith in the Son of God certainly affects how I see God. How I live opens my eyes to see God as he shows Himself to me.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, live through me today and let me see you as faithful, blameless, pure, and encouraging, lifting me up to experience all you have for me today, Amen

Date: 05-10-2020

Title: A Little FROGgy

(S) cripture:
    Psalm 55:22 (NASB77) Cast your burden upon the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

(O) bservation:
    David is lamenting his circumstances to the Lord. He cries out about his companion who cannot be trusted because he says one thing but means another. David then receives this instruction from the Lord’s heart, “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” David, give your cares to the Lord He will not let you fall. Our strength and protection come from God not from ourselves.

(A) pplication:
    How often do I take these matters into my own hands to settle? When I do I find myself fretting and frustrated. Why is it that I think I can take care of things in my life better or more efficiently than the Lord? It is my pride that gets in the way here. I want to think that I am capable and able to stand on my own, after all isn’t that the great American Spirit? I have been taught so much independence that I miss the joy of depending on God. I recall a “T” shirt that said FROG – Fully Relying On God – I think that today I need to be a lot more “FROGgy”. I do not want to fall or fail in the work or life the Lord has called me to. I must rely on Him and one way to show that is to cast my cares on Him. On this, my first Mother’s Day without my Mom I am reminded of how she lived and all she taught me about following Jesus. She lived and modeled “Fully Relying On God”. I am thankful to be called her son and to have been taught many spiritual lessons by her.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, thank you for Mom and all she taught me about following you. Continue to teach me to rely fully on You. Make me aware of when I am trying to do things on my own. Take my cares today and make me the person You want me to be. Use me today I pray. Amen

Date: 05-09-2020

Title: Jesus Claims to be God

(S) cripture:
    Matthew 27:43 (ESV) He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.'”
    Matthew 27:54 (ESV) When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

(O) bservation:
    Over the years many have said that Jesus never claimed to be God. Dan Brown in his book The
Davinci Code indicates that it was Constantine who declared Jesus as Divine. Many others have picked up on this theme. It is clear from this passage that those critics have never closely read the Gospels, that are eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life, ministry and teaching. In this passage it is clear that those who sought his death and the guards that oversaw his death recognized that He claimed to be God. There was no doubt in their minds and shouldn’t be any doubt in our minds either.

(A) pplication:
    In making a decision I will choose to listen to eyewitness testimony rather than testimony from someone far removed in years from the events. I must trust that Jesus was Who he claimed to be and that makes him different from every other religious founder or leader. C.S. Lewis makes the argument that Jesus is either God as he claimed or a liar or a lunatic. I choose to believe Jesus and will serve him as the Son of God. That gives Jesus the right to make demands on my life. I give myself to Him and will follow Him.

(P) rayer:
    Thank you God for sending your Son to die for me and to forgive my sins. Let me now live in the power of his resurrection. Let me share his sacrifice for others and point them to the one who was God incarnate. Amen

Date: 05-08-2020

Title: The Power of Silence

(S) cripture:
    Matthew 26:59-64 (ESV) Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.'” 62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

(O) bservation:
    The religious leaders were looking to put Jesus to death and so they were seeking something to charge him with. False witness after false witness came and Jesus remains silent to their accusations. Finally two came that agreed and when the high priest asked for a response Jesus remained silent. The high priest then commanded Jesus to answer and tell them if he was the Christ, the son of God. Jesus answers by telling the high priest that the high priest had it right when he said so.

(A) pplication:
    Jesus never took the bait of the false witnesses by trying to defend himself. By keeping silent Jesus gave the religious nothing additional to use against him. When finally accused by two witnesses the high priest shows his frustration by commanding Jesus in the name of God to answer. Here we see the power of silence. I wonder how often I have taken the bait and responded too quickly rather than remaining silent. Responding too quickly can lengthen the argument and raise the level of conflict. When I remain silent the venom of accusation will finally fade and dissipate. It simply runs out of energy. Silence also lets me hear the full scope of accusation. This is not a means to avoid admitting when I am wrong or receiving correction. Today I do not want to be so quick to engage in defending myself. I want to listen and then allow the Lord to bring resolution to the conflict. Where I am wrong, I want to make things right. When wrongly accused I want to remain silent and trust the Lord to work his will and plan for me.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, help me to hold my tongue, be quick to listen, make amends when needed and to trust you to work in every situation and circumstance. Amen

Date: 05-07-2020

Title: A Great Truth

(S) cripture:
Psalm 32:1-11 (ESV) Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. 7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. 10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD. 11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

(O) bservation:
David gives us a great picture of what confession does in our lives. For those who do not confess their sin there is being under God’s thumb. For those who confess there is a renewed experience of forgiveness. There is the opportunity to live guilt free. This is a great truth for those of us on this side of the cross. By faith in Christ our sin is covered and forgiven but it is the fresh experience of forgiveness and God’s provision and protection that comes to us as we confess that brings stability and blessing to our lives

(A) pplication:
One of the greatest lessons I have learned in my Christian life is that of confession of sin. When I confess my sin, God forgives the guilt of my sin. The sin was forgiven by Christ’s death on the cross and my trust in that sacrifice. I do not need to have the sin forgiven (Jesus already did that) but I do need release from the guilt that sin brings to my life. Not only does the Lord forgive my guilt but this psalm is filled with other benefits that come to me when I confess. God protects, delivers, instructs and counsels me when I confess. Today I will continue to confess my sin and ask the Holy Spirit to control my life and use me. I want my life to be characterized by this psalm.

(P) rayer:
Lord I trust you with my life and will continue to confess my sin. I want to have constant fellowship with you and to experience all you have for me. I want to seek after you with my whole heart. Amen

Date: 05-06-2020

Title: Living Rightly

(S) cripture:
    Matthew 24:42 (NASB77) “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.

(O) bservation:
    In this chapter of Matthew, Jesus is teaching about the end times and his second coming. He is clear that no one knows the day or hour. He gives some general signs that point to the time of the end. His emphasis is on living each day as if Jesus were coming back that day. We are to live expectantly.

(A) pplication:
    I had the privilege as a college student to attend a retreat where Hal Lindsay was the keynote speaker. That series of messages that became his book, The Late Great Planet Earth. At the end of one message I remember him saying that if Jesus came back before he finished the first one to the pulpit could have his Bible. When he finished the message we all rushed outside so that if Jesus came we would not have to go through the roof. It was a powerful message. His emphasis was on living each day as if Jesus were coming back that day because He might. Although some accused Hal of claiming to know the day and hour, he never even hinted at that when I heard him. That retreat was 50 years ago and my life was profoundly affected. There certainly are many false prophets today on radio and TV leading people astray in this area and the church needs discernment concerning the truth. Some are well meaning but mistaken. As a pastor/teacher I must continually remind people that we are to live faithfully each day. Whether Jesus comes back for the church or delays for another hundred years I am to live rightly and expectantly. If he comes to take only me or allows me to live another day or many years, I had better be ready and be found living faithfully. Today I will live so that if Jesus comes I will not be afraid but ready.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, teach me how to live fully for you each day. When you come for me I want to be found faithful. Help me to keep my focus on You. Let my life make a difference for you on this earth. Help me to be the witness I should be. And as John said at the close of Revelation, “Come quickly Lord, Jesus.” Amen

Date: 05-05-2020

Title: Rules and Ministry

(S) cripture:
    Matthew 23:23 (NASB77) ” Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

(O) bservation:
    This is in a list of eight “woes” that Jesus pronounces against the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the “most” religious people of the day and Jesus takes issue with how they live out their faith. In this woe Jesus tells them that it is possible to keep the rules and miss what is important to God. This is not to say the rules are unimportant but that without justice, mercy and faithfulness the rules do not mean or accomplish much. Too often we are caught up in rule keeping (legalism) to the neglect of ministry and growth.

(A) pplication:
    We are to be faithful to the rules but are to focus on ministry. The rules give credibility and stability to our ministry. I know that the Holy Spirit will never lead me to act or live contrary to the scriptures. As I walk by the Spirit, I will be keeping the rules because that is how the Spirit leads. It is not rule keeping for rule keeping’s sake but rather living a life of faith. Ministry do not exempt me from the rules or the consequences that come from living contrary to them. If I am to be effective in the kingdom my life will need to reflect justice, mercy and faithfulness and when I live that way the rules are also satisfied. That is what I think Jesus is teaching and warning the Pharisees about. Today I want to walk by faith in the power of the Spirit and make a difference for Jesus.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, give me the strength and courage to walk by faith today. Let my life be characterized by your justice, mercy and faithfulness. Let me focus on you today and as I do the rules will take care of themselves. Make me aware of when I slip into a focus on rule keeping rather than walking be faith with you. Amen

Date: 05-04-2020

Title: Cool Under Fire

(S) cripture:
    Matthew 22:46 (NASB77) And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.

(O) bservation:
    The Pharisees and Sadducees tried their best to trip up Jesus. They peppered him with questions. Jesus knew their intent and yet never lost his cool or temper. But with stories and questions he quieted them. They were so frustrated that they knew not to ask any more questions because it only made them look more foolish.

(A) pplication:
    I have always been impressed with how Jesus would answer a question with a question, how he would never fall into their verbal traps. So often I find myself speaking before I really think things through. I sometimes speak to defend God and His Word when nothing really needs to be said. I get sucked into no win arguments. I leave thinking how foolish I had been to engage in the argument. Today I want to learn this lesson and practice being cool under fire. I will continue to work on responding like Jesus did. He promises to give us words to speak when we need them and when He does not give the words I need to learn to shut up. Arguments tend to accomplish very little and so today I will not argue but will look to respond with the grace and power of Jesus.

(P) rayer:
    Lord teach me when to speak and when to remain silent. Let me treat people the way you would. Help me to remain cool under fire. Amen

Date: 05-03-2020

Title: Through the Eyes of Children

(S) cripture:
    Matthew 21:15-16 (NASB77) But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant, 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus •said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘ OUT OF THE MOUTH OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABES THOU HAST PREPARED PRAISE FOR THYSELF’?”

(O) bservation:
    During the week after the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem Jesus does many wonderful and some miraculous things. The religious leaders see them and respond with contempt and outrage. The children see them and respond with praise and adoration. The children saw what God was doing and responded in praise. The religious leaders were blinded by their religious traditions and prejudice

(A) pplication:
    I must not end up like the religious leaders in this passage. I cannot let my religious prejudices and traditions keep me from seeing what God is doing and rejoicing in it. There are times when other ministries are doing things I do not understand but I must not jump to judgment. I must discern if God is at work or not and then decide what to do. I want to trust Jesus and praise him like the children in this passage. It was a simple faith that recognized who Jesus was, that he was at work and declared it openly. I want to have that kind of transparent and simple faith.

(P) rayer:
    Lord you know how easy it is for me to let my prejudices get in the way of what you are doing. Forgive me and let me see you clearly and rejoice in all you do. Keep me from the pride that prejudice and tradition brings. Let me rejoice in you today. Amen

Date: 05-02-2020

Title: Persistence

(S) cripture:
    Matthew 20:29-34 (NASB77) And as they were going out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. 30 And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 And the multitude sternly told them to be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 33 They •said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” 34 And moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.    

(O) bservation:
    These men knew that Jesus could restore their sight and so as he came by, they yelled to him. The crowd tried to silence them, but they yelled even louder. They were not going to let this opportunity pass. As blind men they were most likely outcasts in that society and therefore could have been intimidated by the crowd. Not these two, they wanted to get Jesus’ attention and be healed and so they yelled over the objections of the crowd. The result of their persistence was that Jesus heard them and healed them.

(A) pplication:
    I wonder if I let the crowd dictate to me how I should act. Do I get quiet when I need to yell because my crying out to the Lord upsets the crowd? Do I let the pressure from them keep me from crying out to the Lord? Am I more concerned with being proper than being persistent? Sometimes I am those things. Today I will be persistent in my prayer. It is not a sign of a lack of faith but rather a sign that I trust you to hear me and act. Some have wrongly said that to pray about something more than once is a sign of not really trusting God, but this passage teaches us to be persistent in our prayers. Today I will be persistent in trusting in God’s power to act.

(P) rayer:
    Lord I trust you. Teach me to pray persistently and to trust in your ability and power and desire to act. Teach me to trust you completely and to never be afraid to call on you. Amen