JULY 23, 2017

“And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.” 
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

PSALM 34-40

3Trust in the Lord and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him and he will do this:

6He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

your vindication like the noonday sun.

7Be still before the Lord

and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when people succeed in their ways,

when they carry out their wicked schemes.(37:3-7)

ACTS 22-23

12The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13More than forty men were involved in this plot. 14They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. 15Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here.”

JOURNAL 

Trusting God in the midst of trouble...David speaks of it in the Psalms and here is Paul with death plots being hatched all around him. How do they persist? How do they have confidence in the midst of such dire circumstances? 

It can only be the spirit of God...the same spirit that comforted Jesus and guided him his whole life. The same spirit that gave confidence and passion to David, Joseph, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Peter etc. The spirit of God transforms the weak into the strong. It transforms evil into righteousness. It makes the fearful courageous and the hateful loving.

God's spirit is a living, moving power that cannot be contained, it moves and transforms in ways that are beyond human understanding. 

14For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.^f And by him we cry, “Abba,^g Father.” 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

ROMANS 8:14-17

JULY 20, 2017

"If you want to figure out the players that will go on to bigger and better things, look at how they fail, in a game of failure. It’s easy to stand tall in baseball when things are going well. But those who stand tall while getting shelled – which happens in baseball often – and shake it off prior to the next outing or at bat, those are likely the players to look for in the multi-tiered stadiums at a later time." ~ https://crawdadsbeat.com/2015/07/18/surviving-low-a-confidence-in-the-midst-of-failure/

PSALM 31-33

16No king is saved by the size of his army;

no warrior escapes by his great strength.

17A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;

despite all its great strength it cannot save.

18But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,

on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,(33:16-18)

ACTS 21:15-40

27When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, 28shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” 29(They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.)

30The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. 31While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

33The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. 34Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. 35When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. 36The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Get rid of him!”

JOURNAL 

So Paul had a bad day...This was predicted and Paul is facing it head on...he is not retreating or complaining or whining. This is a life transformed by God, this is a life that has been infused with the spirit and will change the world. 

Today is a glorious day...it is a gift, yet it will only be so if I see it as such. What makes it great are not my circumstances, not what I get to do or don't get to do. What makes it great is that I am here, I am breathing, thinking and have the capacity to make decisions and take action. 

I must always consider that because that is the truth of today. To dismiss it and not embrace it is to make trivial God's gift. To see it as a gift is to approach it with joy and passion. Paul saw the day...knowing he would face persecution and walked boldly right into the fire. He could only have done this if he understood the gift of the day, the gift of his life and that his gift to God was his obedience and humility in living and giving his best. 

To my knowledge I am not facing a death mob, or any kind of persecution. To my knowledge I am facing a day with opportunities in a country that is at peace. I have no excuse not to give my very best in all moments today. To encourage, to love, to work, to seek God in all things. What a glorious day, what a wonderful life. 

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^a whenever you face trials of many kinds,

JAMES 1:2

JULY 19, 2017

“As an act of goodwill you must sacrifice all the futures you might have for the one that he designs for you.” 
― Dexter Palmer, The Dream of Perpetual Motion

PSALM 28-30

 11You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.(30:11-12)

ACTS 21:1-14

10After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ”

12When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

JOURNAL 

Sacrifice is part of life. In order to live it fully and with integrity and passion it requires giving certain things up. Paul understood this...he was at peace with the reality that in  being zealous for Christ and the gospel it would lead to his ultimate death. Yet Paul did not shrink back...he did not moan about how unfair this was or how cruel God could be. This is why James says to consider it "pure joy" to suffer as a result of the gospel. 

Why is this?  Really it is just logical, despite our desires...we can't have everything. You can't go left and right, you can't pursue goodness and evil. If I pursue one path then that means I give up the other. Otherwise I become a wishy washy fence straddler and ultimately get nothing. When Jesus tells us to be either hot or cold...that's what he means. In choosing...we surrender. 

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^a whenever you face trials of many kinds,

JAMES 1:2

JULY 18, 2017

“The difference between an admirer and a follower still remains, no matter where you are. The admirer never makes any true sacrifices. He always plays it safe. Though in words, phrases, songs, he is inexhaustible about how highly he prizes Christ, he renounces nothing, gives up nothing, will not reconstruct his life, will not be what he admires, and will not let his life express what it is he supposedly admires.” 
― Søren Kierkegaard, Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard

PSALM 25-27

13I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

14Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord.(27:13-14)

ACTS 20:17-38

32“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

JOURNAL 

Paul's whole objective has been simply to give his life in preaching the gospel. That's it...no other ulterior motive...he trusts that whatever happens to God and God alone. This is beyond what I have seen in my life. Life as I have lived and seen others live is full of motives that stray far beyond simple obedience. Does that mean that I am distracted and am not sold out to following God? Maybe...at least on the surface it seems so. 

Living in our culture the distractions are immense...There is a definite pull toward leisure and comfort. The american dream...as often advertised...seems to be to end up in a peaceful, protected existence with no real responsibilities or struggles. Wealth, power and good times often seem to the the ultimate objective. Are these wrong and how am I to live in this world, in this country, in this community and narrow my objective down to just following God?

This is the rub...this is what makes it hard and a constant battle. First off I know that I have to come to God every morning with no agenda.  I have to clear my mind and heart of any objective, goal, wish etc. I must be grateful for the simple privilege of life, breath, a working mind and body. Then dig into God's word and open my heart and mind to whatever he calls me into doing. 

It is then and only then that I can begin to allow my family, my friends, my community into the sphere of my objectives and mission. Considering all this gives me my marching orders for the day...it is only after all of this that I can allow myself to consider the more tangible aspects of life and they must only be considered in context of those first things. 

This is hard...this goes against the more carnal, physical immediate desire for good times, leisure, fun etc. It is not that any of those things are evil or wrong...however they can become evil and wrong if they supplant God, family, community and living out my mission and purpose. 

22“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

ACTS 20:22-24

JULY 17, 2017

“Every man gives his life for what he believes. Every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing, and so they give their lives to little or nothing. One life is all we have, and we live it as we believe in living it…and then it’s gone.

But to surrender who you are and to live without belief is more terrible than dying – even more terrible than dying young.” 
― Jeanne d'Arc

PSALM 22-24

1The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

3he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

for his name’s sake.

4Even though I walk

through the darkest valley,^a

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6Surely your goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.(23)

ACTS 20:1-16

7On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” 11Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

JOURNAL 

The first line of the 23rd Psalm says it all..."The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing." Seeking anything else in order to complete me is foolish. We have all that we need for this life when we recognize God as God. When we recognize that we serve him and his purposes. Then anything and everything else is simply icing on the cake. It is lagniappe...as referred to in Louisiana. 

This means that I can take comfort and confidence in God and God alone. I can trust that I have everything I need to fulfill my purpose in life...a life of greatness. That greatness means living a life of action and love in obedience to God. Whatever happens, happens and my obedience will be justified and honored either in this life or the next. I simply must trust that God will honor it as he promises. 

He says he will set a table before me in the presence of my enemies. To me this means that God will give me comfort and all that I need no matter the direness of my circumstances. No matter who opposes me or why...God will strengthen me and give me all that I need. 

32Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 

HEBREWS 10:32-35