JANUARY 31, 2017

 The full acting out of the self's surrender to God therefore demands pain: this action, to be perfect, must be done from the pure will to obey in the absence, or in the teeth, of inclination. How impossible it is to enact the surrender of the self by doing what we like...” 
― C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

EXODUS 25-26

1The Lord said to Moses, 2“Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give.(25:1-2)

MATTHEW 21:1-22

12Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13“It is written,”he said to them, “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’^e but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’^f ”

14The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

16“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,

“ ‘From the lips of children and infants

you, Lord, have called forth your praise’^g ?”

17And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

JOURNAL 

So Jesus goes in and turns the Temple upside down, heals the lame and the blind and children begin to sing his praises.  I can only imagine the scene...it turns from a place of profiting off of peoples guilt and struggle to a place of healing and rejoicing. This is God's vision of the church...this is what we should aspire to create.

23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

COLOSSIANS 3:23-24

JANUARY 30, 2017

“... the possibility of pain is inherent in the very existence of a world where souls can meet.” 
― C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

EXODUS 22-24

21“Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.

22“Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. 23If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry.(22:21-22)

MATTHEW 20:17-34

24When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,27and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

JOURNAL 

When God truly becomes our God...our next course of action is to be completely sold out to love and serve others.  

13You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^a ; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^b 15If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

GALATIANS 5:13-15

JANUARY 29, 2017

“Self-sufficiency is the enemy of salvation. If you are self-sufficient, you have no need of God. If you have no need of God, you do not seek Him. If you do not seek Him, you will not find Him.” 
― William Nicholson, Shadowlands

EXODUS 19-21

2“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

3“You shall have no other gods before^a me.

4“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.(20:2-6)

MATTHEW 20:1-16

13“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

16“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

JOURNAL 

Commandments 1 and 2 set the foundation of the Bible. It is in these verses that all things take shape. God is to be our God and anytime something else takes his place we are ultimately broken and our sin is revealed.  The parable that Jesus tells here in Matthew affirms this point further, if God is truly our God, we would be grateful for whatever he gives us regardless of what someone else receives.

1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

1 JOHN 5:1-5

JANUARY 28, 2017

“In the same way a Christian is not a man who never goes wrong, but a man is enabled to repent and pick himself up and begin over again after each stumble--because the Christ-life is inside him, repairing him all the time, enabling him to repeat (in some degree) the kind of voluntary death which Christ Himself carried out." - Mere Christianity” 
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

EXODUS 16-18

13The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”

15Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”

17Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you.(18:13-19)

MATTHEW 19:16-30

16Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

17“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

18“Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony,19honor your father and mother,’^c and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’^d ”

20“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

21Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

26Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

27Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

28Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife^e or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.30But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

JOURNAL 

I love this interaction Moses has with his Father-in-law. It shows how God uses others in our lives. It also shows the importance of humility and being willing to give up control. This I think is behind Jesus' command to the young man. His wealth is a hindrance to him fully trusting God. Wealth has taken the place of God. 

37On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”^c

JOHN 7:37-38

JANUARY 27, 2017

“My idea of God is not a divine idea. It has to be shattered time after time. He shatters it Himself.” 
― C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

EXODUS 13-15

13Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”(14:13-14)

MATTHEW 19:1-15

13Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

14Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”15When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

JOURNAL 

It is hard to be still and trust God. It is hard to not panic when things are falling apart. I can't blame the Israelites for the panic that ensued when Pharaoh began to pursue them. Over and over again though the command of God is to have the faith and trust of a child. To believe as they believe, even in the face of terrifying circumstances.  

6But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

JAMES 1:6-8

JANUARY 26, 2017

“[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.” 
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

EXODUS 11-12

12“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. 13The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.(12:12-13)

MATTHEW 18:21-35

32“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

35“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

JOURNAL 

These verses are very hard to deal with...the difference between the old and the new testament astounds me at times. It is so hard for me to accept that God would intentionally kill young children because of the rebellion of one man. I have always just dismissed these verses but honestly they really do bother me. Especially when juxtaposed with Jesus words about not harming children. 

Then we have Jesus words on how we should cancel the debt of those who owe us money just as God has canceled our debt to him. This is easier to accept, however what is hard is the mental debt that I sometimes hold...especially when I feel that someone doesn't recognize my kindness or my efforts. I feel that they owe me and that is just as much a debt as someone owing me money. 

I believe that all of this ultimately goes back to trusting the heart of God in any and all situations. Bad things happen and God allows them. God still asks us to trust him in spite of all the sin and evil in the world. He asks us to trust him even when we are not guaranteed an easy or "positive" outcome. But that is why I trust God all the more...the Bible hides nothing, it doesn't make excuses for some of the hard realities. It doesn't make empty promises. It gives us the cold, hard truth and asks us to follow, trust, love and sacrifice. This is tough but there is a goodness in it that is hard to describe or define. It is what gives me the courage to follow and believe regardless of the messiness. 

33“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

JOHN 16:33

JANUARY 25, 2017

“Sometimes God allows what he hates to accomplish what he loves.” 
― Joni Eareckson Tada, The God I Love

EXODUS 9-10

10So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on people and animals. 11The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians. 12But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses.(9:10-12)

MATTHEW 18:1-20

10“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. [11]^a

12“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

JOURNAL 

The verses about Pharaoh have always troubled me, because it seems that Pharaoh doesn't have a choice. Over and over it says that God "hardened" Pharoah's heart. Doing some research on the subject I found that the problem is in the translation. Since it is in the past tense the wording is indicating that God allowed his heart to be hardened. God allowed Pharaoh to be stubborn. Just as God allows me to be stubborn and disobedient. 

God's heart is shown in Matthew when Jesus declares that God does not desire that any child should perish. It's God's desire for all to be reconciled yet he still allows us to choose. He gives us the means and the path to relationship with him, yet he does not force our hand. It is the same with my boys. I desire their love and relationship but I cannot force that. I can create situations and cause consequences etc...but whether they choose to love me or not is in their own heart and mind. 

26Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

JAMES 1:26-27

JANUARY 24, 2017

“Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right.” 
― Max Lucado, He Still Moves Stones

EXODUS 7-8

1Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 2You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. 3But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, 4he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. 5And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”

6Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them. 7Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.(7:1-7)

MATTHEW 17

18Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.

19Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

20He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” [21]^a

JOURNAL 

Faith is trust in God, but in order to truly trust we are required to commit our lives in devotion  to God and his purposes. I don't believe this verse in Matthew is to be used as a form of witchcraft in order to make things happen for our own benefit. I believe it goes to the heart of God and that we can be part of all God is doing if God is truly our God. Nothing will be too hard for us or too miraculous...but only if we are the tools of God being used by him. 

Moses surrendered to God and was used in amazing miraculous ways. Jesus is the perfect picture as God's son, completely devoted in every aspect of his life. Yet we know that even though he is...the human side of him will still struggle in faith and obedience. Yet ultimately Jesus obeys all the way to the cross.

13Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”^a

1 PETER 1:13-16