JULY 10, 2023

  “Do ordinary things extraordinarily well.” 

― Gregg Harris

Psalm 1-3

1Blessed is the man

who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

or set foot on the path of sinners,

or sit in the seat of mockers.

2But his delight is in the Law of the LORD,

and on His law he meditates day and night.

3He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

yielding its fruit in season,

whose leaf does not wither,

and who prospers in all he does. (1:1-3)

ACTS 16:1-15

1Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. (16:1-5)

JOURNAL 

The first Psalm is so clear and direct and yet how complicated I tend to make life...rather than trusting God and his word "meditating day and night". 

In this part of Acts, Paul meets Timothy. The book of Timothy has been a great blessing for me, his letter to him in 2 Timothy has been a critical cornerstone in my faith. In essence Paul's words and all the words of the Bible are an echo of heaven.

Those words hit me this morning, echo of heaven...Words God spoke to me years ago while journaling..."The challenge of each day is to first surrender to greatness ( which is the spirit and essence of God ) ...then its to seek, identify and grow the echoes of heaven."  This is what it means to be and create Outposts of God's Kingdom. 

Each day I am bombarded with the reality that this is not heaven, whether from my own aches and pains, to the news, to social media, to death and destruction...all of it screams that this world is far from the idea of paradise that stirs deep in my soul. Yet also within the stark reality of a world that fails to match this hope are glimpses of that hope and promise. The beauty of nature, the kindness of a stranger, the amazing technologies that swirl all around us...they are there as outposts of God's promise. They are there to encourage, build hope and stir us to keep going, keep hoping, keep loving and keep living. 

The day awaits, God has provided...it is my privilege and joy to live it to the full!

6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 8So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 9He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.

2 TIMOTHY 1:6-9

JULY 9, 2023

 “I do the very best I know how, the very best I can, and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.” 

― Abraham Lincoln

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” 
― Martin Luther King Jr.

JOB 40-42

7“Brace yourself like a man;

I will question you,

and you shall answer me.

8“Would you discredit my justice?

Would you condemn me to justify yourself?

9Do you have an arm like God’s,

and can your voice thunder like his?

10Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,

and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.

11Unleash the fury of your wrath,

look at all who are proud and bring them low,

12look at all who are proud and humble them,

crush the wicked where they stand.

13Bury them all in the dust together;

shroud their faces in the grave.

14Then I myself will admit to you

that your own right hand can save you. (40:7-14)

ACTS 15:22-41

Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

JOURNAL 

Job is humbled and then is honored by God. Paul and Barnabas disagree but commitment to the calling is not hindered but rather God uses it to spread the word further. 

Through all of the suffering, Job never gets an answer to why. He is humbled and accepts that God and his wisdom are immensely greater than anything Job can imagine. He is forced to accept his suffering and all that transpired. God then blesses Job and the rest of his life is lived in peace. 

What do I learn from this? To me it is that God is God. Some things are far beyond my understanding and can't really be understood in my limited existence or capacity for comprehension. There is no pattern to why and how God blesses. God is God and acceptance of all that happens is part of the joy of living. The ultimate lesson is that God has blessed me with life and ability and the only true satisfaction in life is to accept my circumstance...look for the good and find joy in each day by working my heart out as an outpost for his kingdom.  Commit to using my opportunities, talents and resources to make my own unique life and role a true masterpiece.

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

HEBREWS 12:1-3

JULY 8, 2023

  “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.” 

― Abraham Lincoln

JOB 38-39

1Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:

2“Who is this that obscures my plans

with words without knowledge?

3Brace yourself like a man;

I will question you,

and you shall answer me.

4“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?

Tell me, if you understand.

5Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!

Who stretched a measuring line across it?

6On what were its footings set,

or who laid its cornerstone—

7while the morning stars sang together

and all the angels^a shouted for joy? (38:1-7)

ACTS 15:1-21

19“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

JOURNAL 

God shows up...God speaks and immediately puts Job in his place so that he will listen. Paul and Barnabas realize the difficulty of freedom and how the Gentiles need to understand things in process.

One thing that I have failed to realize in reading through Job in the past is the subtle shades of gray over the truth that are embraced by both Job and his friends. His friends are right in their reverence for God. They are right in the fact that we are to honor God and not question him and his love for us. However, they err in ascribing God's reward and punishments. Job, on the other hand, is right in his assessment that the calamities that have happened to him are not a result of his sin. However, Job errs in assuming that God is unconcerned with his plight. 

To me, the whole point of this book of the Bible is to displace the whole idea that God's reward for us is pleasure, ease, and success. The reality is that God's reward for us is simply the gift of another day and the joy of living it with him as our God. That is the treasure in this life. It's not wealth, possessions, trophies or titles. Our greatest reward is the presence of God in our hearts and minds. 

But here is the gray area in my life and where my perspective is in need of correction. Because of my realization and truth that God's reward is not pleasure, ease and success, I often have conceded to half-ass a lot of things. I have allowed myself to mail it in and reasoned that "success" really is not what matters. There is my sin...mailing it in and finding a way to justify it. 

The reality is that if I am obeying God then every action, every pursuit, every relationship should be pursued with the relentless goal of perfection. That's my worship, that is my obedience. Whether it is honored or the world rewards my pursuit matters not. However the relentless pursuit is all that matters. 

This relentless pursuit can and will often lead to earthly pleasures and rewards but it just as easily can lead to persecution and death. Therefore his presence and the joy of his presence must be our reward. It must drive us to give our best, every moment of every day. It must drive us to furthering his Kingdom and making the most of the daily tasks before us. It must infect our hearts and minds in a way that strengthen us against the criticisms and praise. So that our only objective is serving him and encouraging others to do the same.

12Before a downfall the heart is haughty,

but humility comes before honor.

PROVERBS 18:12

JULY 7, 2023

  “My dreams are worthless, my plans are dust, my goals are impossible.

All are of no value unless they are followed by action.” 
― Og Mandino, The Greatest Salesman in the World

JOB 35-37

11If they obey and serve him,

they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity

and their years in contentment.

12But if they do not listen,

they will perish by the sword^a

and die without knowledge.(36:11-12)

ACTS 14

8In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. 9He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

11When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

14But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15“Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. 16In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” 18Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.

19Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

JOURNAL 

Jobs friend Elihu is convinced that the reward for obedience to God is prosperity and contentment. When I read of his friends response to his suffering, it is easy to see the ideology behind the prosperity gospel. Why would God not reward obedience with riches and a peaceful existence?

I think it goes back to the fact that this is not what we are made for. Human beings work best when working through problems and facing difficult circumstances. This is what calls out our strength, our love, our courage. This is what brings us to call out to God and lean into him. 

Reading this about Paul...we see him boldly preaching the Gospel and as a result being misunderstood and worshiped as a God. Then shortly after he is stoned and left for dead. So what does Paul do...gets up an walks right back into the city. 

This is faith...these are actions of a man that is consumed with bringing the Kingdom of God to earth. He has become an Outpost of Heaven...not for riches or comfort, but because this is the living out of his best self. 

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^a whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

JAMES 1:2-4

JULY 6, 2023

  “What is success? It is being able to go to bed each night with your soul at peace” 

― Paulo Coelho

JOB 33-34

7Is there anyone like Job,

who drinks scorn like water?

8He keeps company with evildoers;

he associates with the wicked.

9For he says, ‘There is no profit

in trying to please God.’(34:7-9)

ACTS 13:24-52

38“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.

49The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 52And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

JOURNAL 

Justification and forgiveness comes as a gift to anyone who will accept it. It no longer depends on good works, or good standing, or birth-rite. It is simply acceptance of this love, which then means accepting a life devoted to love and forgiveness. This idea is still very much a foreign concept in our world. Good works, good standing and birth-rite still very much are the foundations of identity and "success" in our world. 

God's gift though free to accept, does come with the price of surrender. That price means that I give up reliance on my old ways. It means I surrender to a new way of living and loving. It means I no longer rely on the world's approval but rather am content to depend on God's guidance and love. 

Acceptance of this love and path of life means that the spirit of God will guide and will comfort no matter the circumstance. Just as Paul and Barnabas were conspired against and were persecuted yet they were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. That is the treasure of God's love. That in every moment of life, I will have the joy of the spirit. 

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.^a

PROVERBS 3:5-6