MARCH 20, 2018

“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” 
― John C. Maxwell

JOSHUA 1-3

7“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”(1:7-9)

LUKE 1:57-80

76And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;

for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

77to give his people the knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins,

78because of the tender mercy of our God,

by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

79to shine on those living in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

80And the child grew and became strong in spirit^d ; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

JOURNAL 

Joshua becomes the leader of Israel after the death of Moses. He leads the Israelites into the promised land. John is born and it is prophesied that he will prepare the way for Jesus. Such an amazing story and God's love and redemption through it all is clear. Even though the end is brutal for John as is Jesus for that matter. The fruit of their lives is what provides the direction and the basis for my own salvation. 

Joshua will have many battles and many trying times but he succeeds in leading the people into the promised land and setting up the establishment of Jerusalem and God's kingdom. This is my spiritual heritage...this is why we are called to obey God and give our lives to him...to trust him and follow him wherever he leads, this is the spirit that is promised and has been fulfilled in our hearts.

As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

JOSHUA 1:5-6

MARCH 19, 2018

“If man had his way, the plan of redemption would be an endless and bloody conflict. In reality, salvation was bought not by Jesus' fist, but by His nail-pierced hands; not by muscle but by love; not by vengeance but by forgiveness; not by force but by sacrifice. Jesus Christ our Lord surrendered in order that He might win; He destroyed His enemies by dying for them and conquered death by allowing death to conquer Him.” 
― A.W. Tozer, Preparing for Jesus' Return: Daily Live the Blessed Hope

DEUTERONOMY 33-34

29Blessed are you, Israel!

Who is like you,

a people saved by the Lord?

He is your shield and helper

and your glorious sword.

Your enemies will cower before you,

and you will tread on their heights.”(33:29)

LUKE 1:24-56

46And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord

47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48for he has been mindful

of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

49for the Mighty One has done great things for me—

holy is his name.

50His mercy extends to those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

52He has brought down rulers from their thrones

but has lifted up the humble.

53He has filled the hungry with good things

but has sent the rich away empty.

54He has helped his servant Israel,

remembering to be merciful

55to Abraham and his descendants forever,

just as he promised our ancestors.”

JOURNAL 

Here we have the end of Moses' life and his last words and the beginning of Jesus'. God is faithful and works in the lives of all people. For all of my 46 years I have seen God work and it is never predictable. Although his ways and methods seem cruel and heartless and dismissive at times...the reality is that they are so far above my understanding that the glimpses that I do get into his reasons and ways, never fail to astound me in their goodness and perfection. 

To be able to truly have a God that I can connect to at any moment, that promises to never leave or forsake me and that will always forgive me for my foolish wanderings, is overwhelming. "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so..." It is true and it is the fuel that sustains me and propels me every day of my life. 

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

LUKE 15:21-24

MARCH 18, 2018

“And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” 
― Meister Eckhart

DEUTERONOMY 31-33

7Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”(31:7-8)

LUKE 1:1-23

11Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

JOURNAL 

It's really interesting reading the mission for John and what is said about him. Fascinating that God's spirit is with him even before birth. His mission is to "turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous-to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Of all the things...turn the hearts of the parents to their children.  Well doing research this comes from the Malachi and the last words of the old testament...5“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”

So how does John the Baptist do this? Baptism...Wow...people become new. Not physically but spiritually and are then adopted into the Kingdom. 

 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:^a The old has gone, the new is here!

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17

MARCH 17, 2018

“God would not bring you through a Red Sea and turn around and allow you to perish in a fish pond.” 
― Johnnie Dent Jr.

DEUTERONOMY 29-30

19This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.(30:9-20)

MARK 16

6“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ”

8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.^a

JOURNAL 

God makes it very clear...we are to "choose life". He is that life...it is the same for the women upon coming to the tomb. Nothing is really explained...they are just told to go and Jesus will be waiting for them. The hurt and pain of the crucifixion is over, it's a new day and they are told to go. 

Surrender to God everything, seek him in all things, choose life and go as he commands. This is the essence of the Gospel, yet we make it far more complicated. I think it becomes more complicated because, for me, I don't fully trust God, all the time and in all things. Meaning I don't seek him constantly...

This is the rub, this is the dance with sin. This is why I need these reminders, every moment of every day. But I can see and feel how a life lived this way would be. It would be one where I fully trusted the future, was at peace with the past and was sold out to the present moment, living to give and be my best in obedience to God. Why do I not do this??? I think it's because I don't fully trust the future, I am not at peace with the past, therefore I am not sold out to the present. 

So while I do need God in the present...where I really need to trust him are in the things that are out of my control...the past and the future. Surrender those fully to God and obedience in the moment becomes much more attainable. 

34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^c 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^d 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

MATTHEW 22:34-40

MARCH 16, 2018

“I'd made it this far and refused to give up because all my life I had always finished the race.” 
― Louis Zamperini, Devil at My Heels

DEUTERONOMY 27-28

9The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him(28:9)

MARK 15:33-37

33At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).^b

35When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

36Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

37With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,^c he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

JOURNAL 

A life lived in it's fullness from birth to death is a beautiful thing. Why was it that the centurion...seeing how he died said "Surely this man was the Son of God!"? I think it's because integrity, obedience and passion in the midst of adversity is one of the great revelations of the divine. Jesus persisted, obeyed and did not waver all the way to the end, even when he felt betrayed by God...he didn't restort to renouncing or vengeance but rather accepted his fate, accepted his path and finished. 

Everyone has a cross to bear, everyone has adversity to encounter. How do we handle it? How do we persist? When we submit to follow God all the way to the end. Then our life becomes a gift that God uses in bringing his Kingdom on earth. 

28Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

JOHN 19:28-30