APRIL 10, 2022

 “You cannot find peace by avoiding life.” 

 - Virginia Wolf

1 SAMUEL 4-6

 10So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

LUKE 12:35-59

49“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

JOURNAL 

This word  is extremely disconcerting. First of all God allows the Philistines to capture the Ark...then Jesus here claims that he came to bring division, not peace. What do I do with such difficult words?

Although none of the characters in the Bible knew how it all was going to work out. I do...I get to see the finished story, I get to see how God flips the tables on what most often seems to be doom and gloom.  I know that God redeems the Israelites, that the Ark is returned without a fight. I know that Jesus is crucified and comes back and comforts the disciples and gives the gift of the Spirit.

Life is hard, tough things happen. Although at times seemingly absent, God is there and he sees the story through. This is the comfort I have in the difficult seasons and also the warning in the times of Plenty.  "Trust God and lean not on my own understanding..."

 4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

APRIL 9, 2022

 “Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'.”

― Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

1 SAMUEL 1-3

6“The Lord brings death and makes alive;

he brings down to the grave and raises up.

7The Lord sends poverty and wealth;

he humbles and he exalts.

8He raises the poor from the dust

and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

he seats them with princes

and has them inherit a throne of honor.

“For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;

on them he has set the world.

9He will guard the feet of his faithful servants,

but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.

“It is not by strength that one prevails;

10those who oppose the Lord will be broken.

The Most High will thunder from heaven;

the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.(2:6-10)

LUKE 12:1-34

Do Not Worry

22Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life^b ?26Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

27“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

32“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

JOURNAL 

This scripture always gets me. Today is a gift. I looked up the statistics on daily death and discovered that on average 164,000 people die every single day. I believe one of the reasons Jesus emphasized this point is that it's a reality that most humans take for granted. What's even crazier is that in addition to this gift of life, as believers we have so much more. 

As a believer I also hold the trump card of all trump cards. I have the spirit of God living in me. This is almost too much to process. I have the God of David and the spirit that led him to slay Goliath. I have the spirit of Moses and the boldness that drove him back into Egypt and to stand up to Pharaoh. I have the spirit of Joseph and the persistence and endurance to hold onto a dream through 15 years in prison. I have the spirit of Daniel and his courage to stare down hungry lions and escape unscathed without compromising his integrity. I have spirit of Paul, Peter, John and all the disciples and apostles that endured opposition and persecution. Because ultimately I have the life and spirit of Jesus living in me, the one that will never leave me or forsake me. 

Reality is that I have no excuses...I have all I could ever want or need. No need to wait or process or find more courage or inspiration. Today is the day, today is what I get, today I am to turn it loose. Father I pray that this thought is the most present in my heart and mind. I pray that all my actions are done in ways that honor you and the gift of life. I trust that you will use my actions to bring encouragement, love and hope to a world that is starving for your grace and often is blinded by fear and anger. Thank you for today, Thank you for 51 amazing years on this earth. Thank you for all the blessings, the lessons, the triumphs, the heartaches, the relationships, the opportunities...all of it. 

33“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light." 

LUKE

APRIL 8, 2022

  “To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.” 

― Mahatma Gandhi

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

― Marianne Williamson

RUTH 1-4

16But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.(1:16-18)

LUKE 11:29-54

37When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. 38But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.

39Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

42“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

43“Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.

44“Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.”

45One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”

46Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

JOURNAL 

Ruth's dedication is sacrificial and life-giving. She stayed because of her oath and refused to take advantage of Naomi's release. Ruth refused the easy way...she had a free release from her obligation but she chose the harder way and gave her life completely to see it through. Jesus is confronting the Pharisees because on the outside they look good and are respected yet they are unwilling to see their commitment through, they aren't really living what they say they believe in.

God has given us a brain, a free will and an ability to choose our actions. How we respond in moments of choice is key to who we really honor and serve. If our actions are done out of love and obedience to God, then they will be bold, loving, giving, honorable and will demand faith and trust.

Too many times in my life I walked away from things because they were hard, because they demanded a fight, because I doubted my ability and my talent. Too many times I allowed other people and the world to dictate my path instead of following God and trusting in his direction. Jesus never backed down...when any opportunity came to display God's truth and his talent he let it shine. The Bible is full of characters who did the same. 

David boldly walked into a place he had no business being and slayed Goliath in a way that defied all decorum and convention. Noah endured ridicule and ultimately saved his people and family. Abraham left the comforts of home and struck out into the unknown.  Joseph persisted and followed his dream even though any onlooker would have declared his dream ridiculous. Moses obeyed God and walked into the greatest kingdom on earth, after having run away in shame 50 years prior, and demanded that Pharaoh let his people go. Daniel trusted God even in the face of hungry lions. Paul and the disciples endured prison and beatings and ultimate death in order to see the Gospel preached.

Over and over and over again God asked his people to take the hard road, to stand in the face of adversity and to let his light shine. In those stories are examples of  the strength to move forward, stand in the storm, persist against convention, obey in the midst of doubt and let my light shine. God gave me the gift of life, talent, wisdom, intelligence and a heart for his truth. To shrink back and play small is not humility, to shrink back is disobedience.

33“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. ”

LUKE 11:33

APRIL 7, 2022

  “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” 

― Calvin Coolidge

JUDGES 20-21

25In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.(21:25)

LUKE 11:1-28

9“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

11“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for^f a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

JOURNAL 

Again the stories in Judges are just bizarre. The Benjamites go to war after they rape and kill the wife of a Levite...all because the all the Israelite tribes wanted to discipline the men responsible. In the end thousands are killed on each side as well as all the Benjamite women. These are some of the stories in the Bible that are not talked about or preached about. They are disturbing and makes me wonder why...yet I go back to the fact that Israel was without a king and this was the result. 

The gift of God is the Holy Spirit...when we ask for things God will grant something greater than anything we ask and that is his presence within our heart and mind. So often I fail to remember that the challenge of life is in facing difficulty...struggle...heartache and walking through it with the same hope, passion, joy and love as when things are easy and going my way. I write this as I have had to come to terms with disappointment. It is easy to get discouraged, angry and feel like you have been singled out and unfairly punished. Yet when I really consider my life and all it's blessings I am reminded again of God's grace, love and the wondrous gifts he allows every moment of every day. 

19When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

GENESIS 39:19-23

APRIL 6, 2022

  “God's definition of what matters is pretty straightforward. He measures our lives by how we love.” 

― Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

JUDGES 18-19

1In those days Israel had no king.

And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 2So the Danites sent five of their leading men from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all the Danites. They told them, “Go, explore the land.”(18:1-2)

LUKE 10:25-42

25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^c ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^d ”

28“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two denarii^eand gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

JOURNAL 

Some of the stories in Judges are really strange. I often wonder why they are in the Bible...yet it is in these moments that I realize that one of the reasons is that they are true. Truth often is messy and doesn't fit neatly into my preconceived notions of how life should go. As a result it is sometimes difficult to see and accept the truth of my own life. Just as it is difficult to accept the truth and reality of someone else's life. 

This is the beauty of the story of the good samaritan that Jesus tells to the "expert in the law". He described a scenario that socially was taboo but yet framed it in a way that made the point that all humanity and everyone who is hurting and in need is our "neighbor". Our lives are to be lived in service and sacrifice and often that will mean clashing with socially accepted norms. 

7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

1 JOHN 4:7-12