Month: March 2019

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 346 – 2 Thessalonians 1-3; Luke 5 summary!]

Judges 20-21 offers us the pathetic story of how Israel judged the tribe of Benjamin for their heinous crime against the Levite’s concubine. All Israel went out in battle against Benjamin and nearly wiped the tribe from the face of the earth, but not until the Benjamites had killed thousands of Israelites from the other tribes. When the fighting had ended, only 600 men of Benjamin remained. The Israelites wept that one of the tribes had been eliminated from Israel. The people had vowed not to give any of their daughters as husbands to the men of Benjamin, so it did look as if the tribe would perish. Then a plan was developed that provided 400 young women from Jabesh Gilead as wives. The remaining 200 men were given permission to “take” wives from Shiloh. This didn’t break their vow not to “give” their daughters in marriage to Benjamites, but it treated their daughters with little respect. At the end of chapter 21, we read once again that there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes. That statement is so accurate. As we reflect on the Book of Judges we see how over and over again, the Israelites abandoned God, turned to worship false gods, found themselves enslaved by the people of the land, cried out to God and received deliverance. But they didn’t learn from the experiences. They fought with each other. They abandoned God, and they received punishment for their actions. This illustrates what it’s like to do what is right in our own eyes. We have all experienced this rebellion and its results in our lives, whether when we were non-believers, or when we reject God’s leadership in our lives now. As we move from Judges, let us learn the lesson the book teaches: Those who turn away from God will bear the consequence of rejecting Him, and it will never be better when we’re in active rebellion against Him.

As we return to John 18 once again, we remember Jesus’ arrest, His examination by the priests and Pilate and Peter’s denial of Him. We’ve now read these accounts twice in Mark and twice in John, yet the impact of how easily the people of Israel found it to reject the Son of the living God of the universe might not yet have set in. Every time I read these passages, I think, “How could they not have seen what they were doing? How could Pilate have gone along with the crowds when he knew Jesus was innocent? The short answer to every question we could ask about this terrible time at the end of Jesus’ life is: God planned for Jesus to die for us. He was going to die. It was the time for Him to die. Nevertheless, it always seems to me it shouldn’t have been so hard for everyone to see who Jesus was, to repent and turn to Him. The religious leaders of all people ought to have recognized Jesus. But they were more concerned with their own short-term “salvation,” than about their long-term salvation. As we go about our days living on the resurrection side of Easter, let’s not fall into the same trap of putting our selfish desires before faithfulness to Jesus. His condemnation, death, and resurrection were God’s means of saving us from sin and death. They are therefore, the greatest opportunity for us to remember how much God loves us, and to live into our relationship with Him in Jesus’ name and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Day 346 – 2 Thessalonians 1-3; Luke 5

Today we turn to the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the church at Thessalonica. In this brief letter, Paul encourages the Thessalonians once again to remain faithful. He corrects the erroneous proclamation of some that Jesus had already returned and reminded them this wouldn’t happen until “the man of lawlessness” had been revealed. He urged them to continue to pursue the work of the Lord, and admonished them that the ones who weren’t willing to work ought not to eat, that is to be provided for by those who were working. Paul was not speaking of those who “could not” work, but those who “would not” work.

In 2 Thessalonians 1, Paul gave thanks to God for the believers there, and called out God’s punishment on those who hurt them or spoke against them. 

In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul started by telling them he had not sent a letter saying Jesus had already returned. This concern emphasized the Thessalonians preoccupation with Jesus’ return. While we must be ready for it, the best position to take is not to be preoccupied with Jesus’ return, but always living in such a way we will be ready when He comes Paul reminded those who were concerned, that Jesus wouldn’t return before the “man of lawlessness,” was revealed. Most biblical scholars, consider this man to be one and the same with the anti-Christ.

In 2 Thessalonians 3, Paul urges the believers to work diligently and to be found at work when the Lord returns. He reminded them how he had said that those who wouldn’t work ought not be able to eat. That reminds us of the importance of working if we are able. We aren’t to rely on others to provide for us, un less we can’t work, and then of course it is the responsibility of the believers to provide. As those who live in our current age of entitlement, here in America, it is a helpful reminder to be diligent in our work, so long as we can. In that way, we will be able to help others who need it, and when our time comes to need help, we will have brothers and sisters to help us!

As we return to Luke 5, Jesus called the first disciples. This account is extended in comparison with those of Matthew and Mark. Here we find Jesus intervening in the fishermen’s lives and helping them catch many fish. Peter’s response to the miracle was fear.  He told Jesus to leave because Peter saw himself as a sinful man. But Jesus’ response was, “Don’t be afraid…” Jesus saw Peter’s self-denigration as a sinner, as a revelation of Peter’s fear.  Jesus promised to take away the fear and make Peter and the others fishers of people.

Next, Jesus healed a man with leprosy, followed by healing a paralytic. Both of these miracles saw Jesus doing something that set Him apart from others. Jesus touched a leper, which ought to have made Him unclean. Instead, the leper became clean! Jesus forgave the paralytic’s sin, before healing his physical ailment. This rightly caused the religious leaders to notice. “Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” they asked. Good question. Jesus isGod, which is why He could take such action.

Jesus then called Levi or Matthew, the tax collector to follow Him. This cause Matthew to rejoice and throw a party at his house, to which he invited Jesus and all his “sinner” friends. The religious leaders couldn’t handle this, but Jesus reminded them the healthy don’t need a physician, but the sick. That’s why He had come to call the sinners, not the “righteous” to repentance. I put “righteous” in quotes, because none of us are righteous apart from the saving power of Jesus in our lives.

The chapter ends with Jesus having a discussion about fasting, and why His disciples didn’t fast, when the religious leaders and John’s disciples did. The short answer was Jesus’ presence meant a party was going on, and we don’t fast during parties!

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 345 – 1 Thessalonians 1-5; Luke 4 summary!]

In Judges 17-19 we read two accounts that are summed up by the words we read in Judges 17:6: ⁶In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. Judges 17:6 (NLT) In the first account, we read of Micah, a man who stole more than 1,000 pieces of silver from his own mother. When he confessed his sin to her, she blessed him and had a silver ephod made out of the silver.  Micah started to worship the ephod, and later when a Levite came to his home, he offered the Levite the opportunity to be his personal priest. We can find many things wrong with that picture, but the picture soon got worse.

Some men from the tribe of Dan came to Micah’s house, and eventually stole Micah’s “gods” and bargained with the Levite to become their priest, rather than Micah’s. It was bad enough that one man was worshiping a silver ephod, but now hundreds from the tribe of Dan worshiped it. The Levite’s willingness to leave Micah’s service, because he would be able to have a bigger “congregation,” and undoubtedly better pay, makes it clear he wasn’t serving the LORD, but rather his own personal benefit and gain. As we look at this account, we are reminded what happens when people have no godly vision or leadership. The men from Dan had a vision, but it wasn’t godly. They turned from God to worship the silver ephod. The Levite wasn’t serving God either. He looked for his own gain rather than serving the LORD and the people.

In Chapter 19, we read the first half of an account, which we’ll finish tomorrow. In it a man from the tribe of Levi had a concubine, who left him and returned to her father. He went after her, and eventually was welcomed by the woman’s father when he came to the father’s house. After a couple days of partying, provided by the father-in-law, the Levite decided it was time to go home. He left in the afternoon, which meant he couldn’t make it home before nightfall. He decided to stay in Gibeah, a city settled by the tribe of Benjamin. No one welcomed the man into their home for the night, until eventually an older man of the town, offered him and his concubine a place to stay. We’re told some “troublemakers” from the town gathered and demanded to have the Levite sent out so they could have sex with him. The man offered to have his virgin daughter and the man’s concubine go out, but the men refused. Apparently, during the argument the Levite shoved his concubine out of the house and closed the door.  The men raped the woman all night long. In the morning, when the Levite went out to get her, he found her outside the house. She was dead. This horrendous story ends even more horrendously as we will see tomorrow. No excuse can be made for what happened. According to Mosaic Law, the “appropriate” response was “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life. While that seems extreme to us, tomorrow we’ll see the response of the Levite and the nation of Israel was even more extreme. The response starts at the end of chapter 19, when the Levite cuts his concubine into twelve pieces and sends a piece to each of the tribes of Israel. The response of the entire nation was to ask, “What are we going to do?”  Remember, there was no king to decide, so they would decide the matter corporately, and as we’ll see tomorrow, they did.

As we return to John 17, and Jesus’ “high priestly prayer,” let’s focus on one statement. Jesus said, “They (that is Jesus’ followers-including us) don’t belong to the world any more than I do.” What a powerful statement. It’s easy to see why Jesus would say He didn’t belong to the world. After all, He is the Son of God. He came from heaven, to live His life on earth. We did not. Yet, after we’re born again, we become citizens of heaven. The Apostle Paul would pick up on that them and use it extensively in his letters. Sometimes he used the term explicitly and at other times implicitly. The key is: we are bound for heaven. We are going to live our lives here for days, weeks, months, years, or decades, but we will live for eternity with Jesus. Always remember that. When we go through the loss of loved ones, which is always painful and difficult, we can remember that for those who trust Jesus, the pain, suffering, and even death are short-term realities. I don’t say that lightly, or flippantly. I have lost many who were close to me: our first child, through a miscarriage; my Mom died what seemed to be far too soon to me; my Dad; Jim, my oldest brother; and most recently Cheryl Marshall, my sister-in-law. At those times the pain is eased when we know we will see our loved one again.

As we go about this day, let’s live as those whose first citizenship is in heaven. That doesn’t mean we won’t be good citizens of the United States of America, or of whatever nation we are citizens. It means, we will always serve Jesus first, and be ambassadors for Him to the world. When we live fully as citizens of God’s Kingdom, we will make the best citizens of whatever earthly nation or kingdom we call home!

Day 345 – 1 Thessalonians 1-5; Luke 4

Today we turn to the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica. We know from the Book of Acts, Thessalonica was not the most noble of the places Paul ministered, because we’re told the people in Berea were more noble or honorable than the people in Thessalonica.  Yet, the Thessalonian church was filled with strong believers, and Paul took the entire first chapter to greet them and honor their willingness to suffer for the cause of Jesus. Both letters have a strong emphasis on the end of time, and the Thessalonian believers seemed to be preoccupied with it. Paul’s responses, particularly in 1 Thessalonians 4, offer a dramatic picture of what it will be like when Jesus returns.

As noted in the introductory paragraph, 1 Thessalonians 1 is Paul’s greeting to the church as well as his affirmation of their willingness to suffer for the cause of Jesus. Paul noted that his ministry there was one that demonstrated the Holy Spirit’s power. As is often the case when God’s workers move into an area with no gospel presence or witness, the Holy Spirit’s activity draws the people’s attention to Jesus.

In 1 Thessalonians 2, Paul reminds the believers of the opposition he faced in presenting the gospel, and the opposition they faced in receiving it. He also point out that he worked night and day, so as not to be a burden to them (financially). While he could have been a burden, he worked (as a tentmaker) so he could present the gospel with no thought of the motive being greed. Paul tells of being taken away from them involuntarily, and how much he wanted to return. Paul points out these believers are his “joy and crown,” showing us how much he cared for this particular group of believers.

In 1 Thessalonians 3, Paul tells of sending Timothy to see how the church was faring, because he was concerned that just as he had been persecuted for his faith, they were being persecuted, too. Paul’s concern was it might have been too much for them to handle. Thankfully, Timothy’s report of them was their faith remained strong. Imagine, living in a world where it wasn’t possible to know what was going on with people a hundred or two hundred miles away, without sending someone to walk and find out! 

In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul starts by reminding the believers to live holy lives. He speaks specifically against the harm done by sexual immorality. As we move to the second half of the chapter Paul addresses the matter of what happens to those who “fall asleep” i.e. die before Jesus returns. The concern of the Thessalonians was those who died before Jesus return missed out on Jesus’ return. Paul’s initial response is so helpful. He tells us we don’t grieve as the rest of people who have no hope. In other words, we dogrieve when loved ones die, but we know we will see them again. The remainder of the chapter portrays how dramatic it will be when Jesus returns. He tells us the dead in Christ (those who have died) will rise first, and then those who are living. Some have taken this statement to mean when we die we “sleep,” also known as “soul sleep,” until Jesus returns. It could be understood that way, but it’s always important to interpret one part of Scripture in light of the rest of it. Because Jesus told us the dead are even now alive and with God, see Matthew 22:23-33, we can assume when we die, we do get to be with God immediately.  It’s a point that is hard to argue, because the moment we die, time ceases to be an issue for us, as we enter the realm of eternity.  I don’t argue the matter of soul sleep, because whether our resurrection is instantaneous, or takes place after a period of soul sleep, to our senses, it will be immediate, and we willbe in God’s presence!

In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul closes his comments about Jesus’ return by reminding us we don’t know the when, but we do know we’re called to be ready. As I say so often, “I’d rather be on the welcoming team than the planning team, when it comes to Jesus’ return. Paul closes the letter with these vital commands:  ¹⁶Be joyful always; ¹⁷pray continually; ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ¹⁹Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; ²⁰do not treat prophecies with contempt. ²¹Test everything. Hold on to the good. ²²Avoid every kind of evil.1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 (NIV) 

As we return to Luke 4, Jesus went into the wilderness after His baptism. There the devil tempted Him after (and during!) His 40 days of fasting and prayer. The devils temptations included a challenge to convert stones to bread to assuage His hunger; to bow down to the devil to receive the world, and to jump off the Temple, because God’s angels would protect Him. In each case, Jesus was tempted to take a short cut to the end of redeeming humanity. Each time, Jesus responded by quoting Scripture to the devil and ultimately sent Him away. Jesus then went to Nazareth where he started His public ministry. Quoting a messianic passage from Isaiah the prophet, Jesus told the people there who He was and what He came to do. The people were amazed, but then Jesus told them they wouldn’t accept Him, because no prophet is honored in his hometown. He was right, and the people drove Him out. Even so, Jesus healed many people, taught and cast out demons. While this was an incredible beginning to His public ministry, and the people begged Him to stay and do more, Jesus told them He had come to preach in the synagogues of Judea. Jesus knew His mission, and He wouldn’t let a preliminary success keep Him from pursuing it in its totality. How important this is for us to remember: A great beginning is just that–a beginning. We must continue to seek God’s face, to obey His commands, and persevere to the end.

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 344 – Colossians 1-4; Luke 3 summary!]

Judges 13 starts off with the people of Israel turning against the LORD and being subjected to the Philistines for forty years. This is nothing new to us, because the pattern continues to repeat. We know what’s coming: a new judge. Yes, and this is perhaps the most infamous of all Israel’s judges: Samson. I use the term infamous, rather than famous, because Samson had everything he needed, to bring the LORD glory and honor and to go down as one of the greatest leaders in Israel’s history. Instead, as we will see, he took the blessings of the LORD and used them for his own, selfish purposes. The LORD’s gifts and selfishness never go well together as we will see. But let’s not get ahead of the story. In chapter 13, the future parents of Samson, who are childless at the outset, are visited by the angel of the LORD and told they will have a son, who will become a Nazarite.  The son was born. They named him Samson, which means “sun” or “brightness.” What a hopeful start to the story of Samson’s life!

As we turn to Judges 14, we see the beginning of the end, while Samson is a young man. First, Samson chose a wife from the Philistines. His parents were concerned, but the woman seemed “right” to Samson. We’re told God was going to use the situation against the Philistines, but Samson’s motives weren’t to overcome the Philistines. He just wanted what he wanted. In his book Fight, Craig Groeschel tells us Samson displayed a common set of claims that would ultimately destroy his life. He would say, “I want it. I deserve it. I can handle it.” Samson wanted the woman from Timnah. He thought he deserved it, because she seemed right to him. He thought he could handle being married to a Philistine woman, because he was a Nazarite.  He was wrong on all three counts. He ought to have used this set of claims:  I want God. I deserve to burn in hell, but I get to be on the LORD’s side, and I can’t handle anything without the Spirit’s power. Samson demonstrated another example of I want it. I deserve it. I can handle it, when it came to killing a lion and then eating honey from a honey comb that bees built inside the lion’s carcass. Nazarites weren’t supposed to touch anything dead. No Israelite was to do so, or they would be unclean for the day. Samson saw the honey in the lion carcass and wanted some. He deserved it–after all, he had killed the lion. He knew he could handle it, and he gave some to his parents without telling them, because, of course, he knew better than they did how to do things.

One result of Samson eating the honey was he developed a riddle concerning it that he shared at his wedding reception. He didn’t just share the riddle but turned it into a bet with a number of the guest. The result of that was the guests threatened to burn down the house of his wife and father-in-law, if she didn’t tell them the answer. She got Samson to reveal the answer, which meant he lost the bet. That resulted in Samson killing thirty Philistines in another town and giving their clothes to those to whom he had lost the bet. We see Samson making one “fifteen-minute” decision after another. (Decisions that feel good for fifteen minutes, but which have negative consequences in the long run.) This pattern will ultimately lead to his death and to his falling far short of His potential in serving the LORD. In the short-term, it cost him his new wife.

Judges 15 offers us an example of Samson’s amazing strength.  When he returned to Timnah to get his wife, her father told him he had given her to the best man at the wedding, because he didn’t think Samson was coming back. He offered Samson his younger daughter, but Samson destroyed some of the Philistines’ fields in revenge. This caused the Philistines to kill Samson’s wife and father-in-law. We see how revenge could escalate in those dates. Eventually, it led to the Philistines retaliating against the Israelites. That led the Israelites to turn Samson over to the Philistines. While Sampson was in custody, the Spirit of the LORD came upon him.  He freed himself and killed 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. Samson was parched with thirst after this and he cried out to the LORD. The Lord provided water from a rock, which shows us the LORD’s hand was still with Samson. We would hope this would be a turning point, and Samson would take his role as leader and judge in Israel seriously. We would be disappointed…

In Judges 16, Samson’s tragic story of Samson ends. First, he returns to the land of the Philistines to spend time with a prostitute. Then he returns and meets Delilah. Delilah turned out to be the cause of Samson’s demise. The Philistines bribed her to find out the secret of Samson’s strength. Even after she demonstrated repeatedly her goal in finding it was to turn him over to the Philistines, Samson revealed it was his long hair. As a Nazarite, his hair had never been cut. While Samson slept, Delilah had men come and cut his hair. Then she woke him, telling him the Philistines were there. Samson woke up, but his strength was gone. The Philistines bound Samson, gouged out his eyes and put him to work as if he were an ox, grinding grain.

Eventually, Samson’s hair regrew, and he called on the LORD to give him strength one last time. He was brought out as entertainment at a large gathering of Philistines. He got his guard to position him between two pillars, which held up the building where they were, and the LORD gave him strength to push them over. 3,000 Philistines died, along with Samson. We’re told at the end of the chapter: Samson judged Israel twenty years. Did he? Not really. Samson occasionally killed a few or many Philistines, but most of the time he indulged his own desires. Samson had all the potential in the world, but he wasted most of it. The LORD gave him unique strength, but he used it primarily for himself. What do we learn from Samson? We learn at least this:  When we’re inclined to think: I want it. I deserve it. I can handle it, we need to remember where that line of thinking led Samson. Remember: I want GOD.  I deserve death, but God is so gracious.  I can’t handle anything without God.  Samson shows us what happens when we forget these realities and pursue our own ends.

As we return to John 16, we return to Jesus’ reminders to the disciples that His death, and His return to heaven would be to their advantage, because He would send the Spirit. I have often thought of that promise: It is better that I go, so you can have the Holy Spirit. If you and I were part of the original group of disciples, could we have believed we would be better off without Jesus? I can’t imagine how amazing life would have been with Jesus. Listening to Him teach, watching Him heal and cast out demons, even walk on water, and calm storms. How could His leaving be “better”? The truth is the way it’s better is the disciples would be empowered by the Holy Spirit, so they could heal sick people, and cast out demons. They would be different in a good and powerful ways when Jesus left them. Even so, it must have been hard to believe it would be “better.” That would have been especially true later that night when Jesus was arrested, and the next day as they watched Him be crucified and die.

We live on the resurrection side of all those statements of Jesus. We know He was telling the truth. We also have the Holy Spirit in our lives as we trust Him as Savior and Lord. Yet, I think often of the time when we will get to see Jesus, to be with Him. That day is coming. It will be better than now. The truth is Jesus was right that it is better for us that He left. It is also true it will be better once again when He returns. That puts us in an enviable win-win situation as Jesus followers. That’s why the Apostle Paul wrote, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Day 344 – Colossians 1-4; Luke 3

Today we turn to another of Paul’s brief letters: the Letter to the Colossians. The church in Colosse had some challenges, and Paul takes the time to instruct them both on proper theology and proper practice in following Jesus. 

In Colossians 1, Paul offers a positive introduction, and reminds the believers there he is praying for them. He turns immediately to instructing the Colossians in the primacy of Jesus. He isGod, and they need to worship Him as God. The chapter closes with Paul reminding the Colossians of how much he was struggling for them and for the sake of advancing the gospel.

In Colossians 2, Paul continues to remind them of his struggle for them and for all the believers he hasn’t met personally. This reminds us we don’t have to meet someone face-to-face to influence them for Jesus. Paul calls the Colossians not to fall for the false teaching that is seeking to infiltrate their city and church. He calls them to remember who they were and who they are now. That’s another important reminder for us. We must always look forward and follow the leading of Jesus, than backwards to what we were before Jesus became our Savior and Lord.

In Colossians 3, Paul uses the image of clothing and tells the Colossian believers they must “put on” new characteristics. He offers us a “laundry list” of the sins they used to commit and live out daily. Now they are to put on traits that are similar to the fruit of the Spirit, and over everything to put on love. In this way we will be able to let Christ’s peace rule in our hearts. He then commands them, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of God the father, giving thanks to Jesus Christ, through Him. Paul them moves on to instructions for Christian households. Wives are to submit to their husbands as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands are to love their wives and not be harsh with them. Children are to obey their parents in the Lord, and fathers are not to provoke their children, which will lead to their discouragement. Included in these instructions, are instructions for slaves to obey their masters. As we move to Colossians 4, Paul instructs slave owners to treat their slaves justly and fairly knowing they have a Master in heaven. We could wish Paul would have condemned the practice of slavery, but his words would have helped make the relationship much better than was typical in his or any other day. Paul closes out the letter with final instructions to be steadfast, to pray, and to be watchful. As usual, he offers some closing greetings and salutations.

As we return to Luke 3, Luke tells us of John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus, and of Jesus’ baptism. After this, Luke includes the genealogy of Jesus. A couple points to note concerning this genealogy and that in Matthew’s gospel: The names aren’t exactly the same. Is that a problem? Not a real problem, as in any family line, we can take a different route to get to the same end. The second difference is Matthew traced Jesus’ lineage only back to Abraham. That’s because Matthew was a Jew, and Abraham was the “father” of the Jews. Matthew saw no need to go back farther in the line. Luke, on the other hand, was a Gentile. He traced Jesus’ lineage all the way back to Adam. That means Jesus’ line goes back to the beginning of humanity and therefore, He is “related” to us all. 

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 343 – Philippians 1-4; Luke 2 summary!]

Judges 10 starts by telling us of two judges: Tola and Jair. Each of them judged Israel for a little longer than twenty years. We aren’t given much detail about them, but after their leadership ended, we read a familiar account: After Jair died the people of Israel turned from the LORD and worshiped the Baals and Ashtaroth. They lived according to the customs of the indigenous peoples, and broke from following the Lord’s command. Once again, the LORD gave them over to their desires and they ended up enslaved to the Philistines and the Ammonites. By the middle of the chapter the Israelites cry out to the LORD and promise to return to following Him. Once again, God agrees to deliver them.

In Judges 11-12 we read the tragic account of Jepthah. He was the son of Gilead, but he was not born of Gilead’s wife. We’re told his mother was a prostitute. That led to Jephthah’s rejection by his family, but in Israel’s time of need they turned to him to be their leader. He agreed. He made a terrible decision as he led the people off to battle against the Ammonites: he vowed he would sacrifice the first thing that came out of the door of his house when he returned, if the LORD would give him victory in battle. The vow seems strange, because wouldn’t you think what would come out of the door of your house would be one of your family members? In 21st century America we would think that, but in Jephthah’s time, chickens and other animals would be kept in homes, so that was what he must have been thinking. The LORD gave Jephthah and his troops victory, but when he returned home the first “thing” that came out of his house was his daughter.

Think about that: you have vowed to the LORD if He gives you victory in battle you will sacrifice the first thing out the door of your house when you come home, and the first thing is your daughter. What would you do? Jephthah upheld his vow. He sacrificed his daughter. I have thought about this one dozens of times over the years. Having two daughters of my own, and now three additional girls who are part of our family, what would I have done? I would not have kept my vow. Yes, the culture is different. Yes, a vow is a vow. But and this is an important but: the LORD is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He didn’t give Jephthah victory because of his rash vow. He gave Jephthah victory, because He loves His people. I would have counted on that love for the people to include my daughter, and I would have repented before the Lord of making a foolish vow, asked forgiveness, and taken whatever consequences came with that.

Jephthah ended up in a battle with some of the other tribespeople of Israel, because he didn’t include them in the battle against the Ammonites. Jephthah made it clear the people knew about the battle and they would have been welcomed had they come, but they didn’t. It’s always easy to claim we have been subjected to injustice, but Jephthah pointed out an important truth: We don’t have to wait to be asked to do the right thing. We ought to be like the old Nike commercials, and “Just do it!”

As we return to John 15, we review Jesus’ analogy of Him being the vine, and we being the branches. The illustration offers us a powerful picture of how vital our relationship with Jesus is. After all, a branch of a grapevine that is cut off from the main vine dies. Our relationship with Jesus isn’t dependent on us, but on Him. We can’t sustain ourselves as spiritual beings, without a connection to Jesus, who is the source of the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. As we go about the day, let’s remember Jesus is the source for everything we need today. As we abide in Him the result will be “fruit,” “more fruit,” or “much fruit” in our lives. We exist to glorify God and to enjoy His presence. As we do that, the “fruit” we produce will be the fruit of the Spirit, which the Apostle Paul identified in Galatians 5, and other people’s lives turning to Jesus and trusting Him as Savior and Lord.

Day 343 – Philippians 1-4; Luke 2

Today, we turn to the Apostle’s Paul’s brief letter to the Philippian Church. As we read the letter, Paul’s tone is that of a loving leader who cares deeply for the church. He doesn’t have much in the way of correction, although the Judaizers have made their attempt to infiltrate this church, too. There’s a bit of internal struggle between two female leaders in the church, which Paul addresses. Overall, though the letter is much more one of encouragement than correction.

Paul opens the letter with a warm greeting, and prayer for the Philippians to continue growing in their faith. Then he tells the Philippians of his imprisonment for the gospel. While he is in prison, others have been emboldened to preach the good news. He notes some have done this for their own benefit, while others do it out of genuine desire for people to know Jesus. In the end, Paul asks what it matters, because the key is that Christ is being preached. Paul again mentions his struggles and says he may even die for his faith in Jesus. With regard to that, he makes it clear he is ready to die as he writes, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” He then closes out the first chapter by pointing out it is necessary for him to remain and to strengthen the Philippian believers, so he believes the Lord will give him that opportunity.

As we move to Philippians 2, Paul offers us one of the clearest statements of how we are to follow Jesus in humility found in the entire New Testament. He tells us we must have the same attitude that was in Christ, who though He was God, didn’t consider equality with God as something to be grasped. Rather He “emptied Himself” and became one of us. In that form, he was obedient even to the point of death. For that reason, God, the Father, has given Him a name that is above every name. Paul reminds the Philippians to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, because God is at work in them to will and to work for His good pleasure. He tells them he will be sending Timothy to visit them, but first Epaphroditus, one of their own will come. Paul tells them of how Epaphroditus was sick and nearly died, but God spared him, which would bring great joy to them as it did to Paul.

In Philippians 3, Paul refers to the Judaizers. He reminds the Philippians not to take any consideration of their appeal to circumcision or the Law. He reminds them if anyone could make such appeals it would be him. He was a zealous Pharisee who persecuted the church. Now, he considered all that to be garbage compared to the great privilege of knowing Jesus, and of suffering for Him. Paul reminds us all that we must not worry about where we are right now, but must strive to move forward, always heading toward the prize–the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. He closes the chapter by reminding us our citizenship isn’t here, but in heaven. That means we must focus on the matters of heaven, and not let our bodies, and specifically our stomachs be our gods.

In Philippians 4, Paul calls on his fellow workers, Euodia, and Syntyche to get over their disagreement and work together. He then calls on others to help them do this. After this urging, Paul calls the believers to rejoice in the Lord always. He calls them again to rejoice. He reminds them the Lord is near. In other words, Jesus will return soon! He closes out the letter by reminding them to pray fervently and thankfully, rather than being anxious. He calls them to focus on the higher things, and reminds them that we can do all things through Jesus who gives us strength. Paul closes out the letter with some final greetings.

As we return to Luke 2, we return to the most extensive record of Jesus’ birth. We’re told of Mary and Joseph’s trip to Bethlehem, and how they found no place to stay when they arrived, because of the crowds of people there for the census decreed by the Roman Emperor, Augustus.  Jesus’ birth took place in the humblest of places and circumstances, with no family there to comfort Mary and Joseph. The Lord made the birth known to the shepherds who were guarding their sheep that night, and they came to offer their worship and praise. My favorite aspect of Luke’s record is he tells us the shepherds returned to their flocks after visiting Jesus rejoicing and praising God, because everything was just as they had been told. All too often, when we’re looking forward to something “big” in our lives, it doesn’t live up to the advertisements. But everything the shepherds experienced was just as the angels had told them.

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 342 – Ephesians 4-6; Luke 1 summary!]

Judges 7 reminds us the LORD was always the one who won the battles the Israelites fought against their enemies. As we read the account, Gideon gathers an army to go against Midian, but the LORD tells Gideon he has too many men–32,000 to be exact. When they defeat Midian, they will take the credit for the victory. The LORD shrinks the army by having Gideon tell everyone who was afraid to go home. 22,000 men went home. Now, with 10,000 men, Gideon was ready to face Midian, but the LORD told him the army was still too big. He had Gideon divide the group by the way they drank water from a stream. It turned out 9,700 of them did it one way, while 300 did it another. The LORD chose the 300 and sent the 9,700 home. Now, with only 300 soldiers, everyone would know any victory won over the mighty Midianites would be the LORD’s. That’s precisely what happened. God used the 300, and He defeated the Midianites. What a powerful reminder to us, that whatever the LORD is in doesn’t require large numbers of “troops” to be successful. We’re also reminded to rely on the LORD and not on ourselves. How easily we forget both of those powerful truths.

Judges 8-9 show us once again how quickly the people of Israel could turn back from following the LORD. Even though, the LORD was the obvious victor over the Midianites, the people immediately turned away from Him. They worshiped the Baals. They worshiped a golden ephod Gideon made from the spoils of the battle with the Midianites. They battled against each other, especially after Gideon died. Gideon’s son by one of his concubines, Abimelech convinced the people to make him king. He killed 70 of Gideon’s sons, his step-brothers, to ensure the people would continue to follow him. Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon, escaped and told a parable that made clear to everyone, they had backed the wrong leader, in choosing Abimelech. Eventually, Abimelech killed many of those who turned against him, and a woman in one of the cities besieged by Abimelech threw an upper millstone from a tower. It struck Abimelech and would have killed him, but he had his armor bearer kill him first, so a woman wouldn’t get the credit for killing him. In the end the people of Israel were in disarray and following false gods once again. This picture repeated itself over and over again through the period of the judges. The details changed, but the picture remained the same: God delivered the people from suffering and slavery. The people rejoiced, and perhaps followed Him momentarily. Then they rejected Him again, and God turned them over to their enemies once again. The people cried out, and God would once again deliver them. Hopefully, we can learn from these cycles of rejecting God, being enslaved, crying out to God, and being redeemed, that the best part of the cycle is being redeemed by God, and remember our redemption in Jesus. Then we can live in victory over sin instead of permitting it to enslave us.

As we return to John 14, we return to Jesus’ conversation with the disciples on the night before He was crucified. John 14 makes it so clear to us this life is not all there is, and those who follow Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life, will experience the next life with Him. Jesus makes several promises to the disciples during this talk with them. The most powerful of the promises is we will do greater things than He did, because He was returning to His heavenly Father. The thought of doing greater things than healing the sick, casting demons out of people, and raising the dead is hard to imagine. But the scope of the technology in our time, makes Jesus’ words so easy to fulfill. As we rely on Him, we can take His good news of salvation virtually anywhere in the world. We can feed thousands of people with the resources we have. We can preach to tens of thousands of people at one time. The key is putting Jesus first. As we do that, we can and will do the greater things He promised we will do in His name!

Day 342 – Ephesians 4-6; Luke 1

As we turn to Ephesians 4-5, we move to the “walk” portion of the letter. In chapters 4-5, Paul offers extensive instruction to the Ephesian believers about what it means to follow Jesus together, individually, and in their families. Let’s look at some of the specific learnings we gain from these two important chapters.

First, Paul reminded us to live out the calling we have received, which is a calling to unity. Next, Paul told us Jesus had given specific gifts of leadership in the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor/teachers. The role of these leaders was to “equip the saints” (saints here means believer, not a “stained-glass” member of a small calss of believers) to do the work of ministry. The purpose of this process was to build up the Church, and to mature, so we will all be like Jesus. As Paul gave these commands, he also reminded the Ephesian believers, when we live this way, we won’t be fooled by the tricks of the devil or of people, but will speak the truth in love and will grow up in every way to Him who is our “head,” that is Jesus.  Paul closes out chapter 4 and moves to chapter 5 by offering a “laundry list” of actions we must do and those we must not do if we are going to walk in the “light.” 

While each of the commands is important, when we get to Ephesians 5:15-21, we find Paul reminding us to make the most of the time, because the days are evil. He commands us to “be being filled” with the Holy Spirit, and as a result we will worship and praise God, give thanks to God for everything in Jesus’ name and submit to one another out of reverence for Jesus. The reason I put “be being filled” in quotes is because Paul’s command was written in the present passive imperative in Greek, which means the action is to be ongoing, not a one-and-done action. Being passive, it means we can’t do it on our own. He didn’t tell us to fill our selves, but to be filled. That means we must open ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s filling, but the Spirit is the one who fills us.

Paul closes chapter 5 with an extensive analogy, which speaks of how husbands and lives are to live together in marriage. The analogy is Paul is also talking about Jesus and the church, His “bride.” The key focus is husbands are to love their lives as Jesus loved the church, and wives are to submit to and respect their husbands as the church is to do the same to Jesus. The commands are impossible without the power of the Holy Spirit, but when we live them out in the power of the Holy Spirit, the world gets to see God’s intention both for marriage and for His Church!

As we move to Ephesians 6, Paul offers instructions for children, and how they are to live toward their parents. Then he tells fathers how to live toward their children. Next, he tells slaves how they are to live toward their masters, and how masters are to live toward their slaves. While we could all wish Paul would have condemned slavery, the instructions remind everyone that slaves and masters are brothers, and that we all serve Jesus as our master.

The bulk of Ephesians 6 focuses on the spiritual war we face, the armor we must wear both to protect ourselves and to go into battle against the devil, and a call to prayer, and specifically praying in the Spirit as a means of overcoming the devil, and as a support to Paul’s efforts to do the same. These verses remind us the devil is real, and while he is powerful, we are assured of victory, when we defend ourselves with the right “armor,” and attack with the sword of the Spirit – God’s word!

As we return to the Gospel of Luke, let’s remind ourselves Luke was not a disciple. He was a doctor of Gentile background. His emphases bear that out. In Luke 1, Luke tells us both of Zechariah’s visitation by an angel to tell him he and Elizabeth, his wife, would have a son, who would prepare the way for the Messiah, and of Mary’s visitation by the same angel, to receive word she would become the mother of Jesus. The chapter is filled with long poetic passages, speaking of God’s glory, God’s grace, and God’s plan to redeem His people. It closes with John being born and the world, unknowingly at the moment, being poised to receive the birth of her Savior! 

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 341 – Ephesians 1-3; Matthew 28 summary!]

Judges 4-5 record the cycle of judgment and release of the Israelites with the Canaanites. The Canaanites subjected Israel to slavery for twenty years. Then two leaders arose who God used to break the cycle of slavery: Deborah and Barak. Deborah challenged Barak to take the lead, because God would be with him, but Barak was unwilling to go into battle unless, Deborah went along. Thus, Deborah received the most glory in the battle, or I should say the second most. The LORD received the greatest glory as we read in Judges 4:15: ¹⁵And the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot. Judges 4:15 (ESV) The mercy of God toward the Israelites is incredible. Time after time they abandoned Him, yet He continued to fight for them. In this battle, God used Deborah, and another woman, named Jael, to overcome the enemy. Chapter 5 contains “The Song of Deborah,” which recounts the victory.

We would think this great demonstration of God’s power and mercy would have caused the Israelites to follow Him out of gratitude for their freedom from slavery. Not so. Chapter 6 begins with the familiar statement, “The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD gave them into the hands of…. This time it was Midian who subjected the Israelites to their rule, but once again it was not the power of Midian that caused this to happen. It was the judgment of God. When the Israelites cried out to God for deliverance, God sent a prophet to remind them how God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt and established them in the Promised Land. He also reminded them of the LORD’s command for them to obey Him, and no other gods. They had disobeyed.

But once again, God’s heart softened toward the Israelites and the Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon. He told Gideon the Lord was with him. Gideon responded, “Please, sir, if theLORDis with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now theLORDhas forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” Judges 6:13 (ESV) How often our perspective leaves out our part in our circumstances. We can see why it didn’t seem to Gideon that the LORD was with them, but Gideon wasn’t seeing the Israelites role in their situation. Their sin was the direct cause of their situation. Even so, God had come to call Gideon to overthrow the Midianites.

Gideon’s call involved two important acts: First, Gideon tore down the altar of Baal. The people of the town wanted to kill Gideon for doing that, which shows how entrenched they were in forsaking God. Gideon’s father reasoned with the people, so they spared him.  Second, Gideon asked the Lord for two, separate signs it was really He who was calling him. You have probably heard the expression, “putting out a fleece.” It comes from Gideon’s request that the LORD confirm His intention to use Gideon, by making the ground dry and a fleece wet, or a fleece dry and the ground wet to show it was God. God gave both signs to Gideon and as we’ll see tomorrow, Gideon took leadership as Israel’s next judge.

As we return to John 13, the time is nearing for Jesus’ death. As we know, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, the ultimate act of servanthood–next to dying on the cross for them and all of us! He gave them the command to love one another. He told them one of them would betray Him. The detail in that experience that always troubles me is not a single disciple was certain it wouldn’t be he who denied Jesus.  Peter asked John to have Jesus tell him which one it would be. Also, John tells us when Jesus identified Judas Iscariot, by giving him a piece of bread to eat that “Satan entered Judas.” What a chilling statement. Satan can only be one place at one time. We read often in the gospels of demons entering people and possessing them, but this was not a mere demon entering Judas–Satan himself entered Judas to ensure the betrayal of Jesus would take place. As we consider our lives as Jesus’ followers, how important it is not to become so sure of ourselves, or too sure that we will never deny or forsake Jesus. Only in the power of the Holy Spirit do we have the power to remain faithful in every situation. Let’s call on the Holy Spirit to fill and empower us right now, that we will remain faithful whatever today’s circumstances bring us.

Day 341 – Ephesians 1-3; Matthew 28

Today we turn to the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus. Biblical scholars believe he wrote it around 60 AD, while in prison in Rome. The first three chapters focus on what we believe as those who have been redeemed by Jesus. The final three chapters focus on how we live out those beliefs individually, as a church family and in our biological families. The letter comes to a close with the power message of our need to put on the “whole armor of God” in the spiritual war we face against the devil.

In Ephesians 1, Paul greets the believers in Ephesus, reminds them of God’s providential hand in choosing him and them for salvation, and gives thanks and praise to God for them. This salutation is much different from the one we read to the Galatian Church. Here Paul offers a much more affirming and even affectionate tone, because the believers in Ephesus have been faithful from the time they heard the good news of Jesus to the current time. While the letter does contain points of correction, it is far more positive in its tone than the letter to the Galatians.

In Ephesians 2, Paul reminded the Ephesians they were once under the control of the devil, as was everyone at one point. Now, though, by God’s great grace they (and we) get to sit with Christ in the heavenlies. The great Bible teacher and pastor of the last century, Watchman Nee, summed up the letter to the Ephesians in a book he wrote about it by titling itSit, Walk, Stand.  As we see here, we are to sit with Jesus in our position as His children. In chapters 4-5, we will read what it means to “walk” in Jesus’ ways. Then in chapter 6, we will read what it means to “stand” firmly against our enemy, the devil. Paul reminded the Ephesians in the powerful words of Ephesians 2:8-10, that we are all saved by grace and not works, so none of us get to boast.  As we read the remainder of chapter 2, Paul reminds the Ephesians it doesn’t matter what they once were (pagan Gentiles), because now God has brought the two (Jews and Gentiles) together as one.

In Ephesians 3, Paul tells of how God called him to bring the good news to the Gentiles. He admits he wasn’t worthy of the task, but God gave it to him, and he carried it out faithfully. Midway through the chapter, Paul breaks into a prayer for the Ephesians and to recognize the glory of God. He concludes the prayer with the often quoted statement,“²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

As we return to Matthew 28, we return to the best news ever: The tomb couldn’t hold Jesus! While the women came to the tomb to “finish” the task of embalming Jesus early on that first Easter morning, Jesus had already risen. The tomb was empty and the soldiers left to “guard” the tomb were frozen like stone out of fear of the angel who came to open the tomb. Jesus met the women and sent them to tell the disciples He was alive and would meet them on the mountain in Galilee where He told them to go. Meanwhile, the soldiers woke up, realized what was happened, and went to the Jewish authorities to tell them. (They went to the Jewish authorities, because had they gone to their own superiors and told they fell asleep at their posts, they would have been executed immediately.) The leaders came up with the ludicrous story that Jesus’ disciples had come in the night and stolen His body, while the guards slept. The story is ludicrous for two reasons: 1) if they were sleeping, how would they know what happened? And 2) If they had fallen asleep, their lives would have been forfeit, which is why Roman soldiers didn’t fall asleep on the job! In any case, the story continued to circulate, because as is often the case, people will believe what they want to believe, regardless of evidence at times.

This amazing account concludes with Jesus meeting the disciples. They worshiped Him, but some doubted. We don’t know why they doubted other than people don’t die and then come back to life three days later. In any case, Jesus gave them their marching orders before He returned to heaven. He told them He held all authority in heaven and on earth, and He was giving it to them, so they could make disciples of all the nations, while they went from that place to the ends of the earth. He commanded them to baptize these disciples in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them to do everything Jesus had commanded. He also told them He would be with them to the end of the age. What a powerful final message. It must have been so difficult to “lose” Jesus through death, then to have Him return only to “lose” Him again as He returned to heaven.  Thankfully, upon His return to heaven, Jesus came to His followers again through sending the Holy Spirit to live in them (an us) and to empower us to carry out His commands to the ends of the earth!

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 340 – Galatians 4-6; Matthew 27 summary!]

Today we turn to the Book of Judges. This marked a major turning point in the history of Israel. Chapters 1-2 sound a great deal like the Book of Joshua. The people of Israel continued to take the Promised Land by force, defeating the indigenous people, but we see trouble brewing. In most of the battles the Israelites left some of the people. They were unable to drive them out totally. This became more and more prevalent as we move from chapter 1 to chapter 2.  Chapter 2 records the death of Joshua once again and tells us Israel remained faithful to God for as long as the people who knew Joshua remained alive. The statement seems to have a sense of foreboding, and indeed it does.

When that generation died, chapter 3 tells us a new generation arose who didn’t remember Joshua, or the works of the Lord. They quickly rebelled against God and started following after the Baals and Ashteroths and the other gods of the indigenous people. They did precisely what God commanded them not to do. He had warned them the consequence of such disobedience would be He would turn them over to the peoples of the land. That is precisely what the LORD did. As we read chapter 3, we read the first several of many “cycles” of events that went like this: 1) the people abandoned the LORD and went “whoring” after other gods. (This label that equates the people’s sinning with other gods with sexual immorality is found throughout the Old Testament. God considered the people of Israel His “bride,” just as Jesus considers the Church His “bride.” That makes the language of sexual immorality apropos for the situation.) 2) God turns the people over to slavery to the very people they had defeated during the days of Joshua. 3) After years or decades, the people of Israel cried out to God for deliverance. 4) The LORD provides a deliverer a “judge” to redeem them–that is to set them free. 5) During the life of the “judge” and for years or decades thereafter the people had peace and followed the Lord. 6) The people abandoned the LORD… which started a new cycle.

The reason I put the word “judge” in quotation marks is these leaders were not judges as we think of judges. They were charismatic leaders, gifted by the LORD to lead the people of Israel to overcome their enemies. Some are mentioned by name such as Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar in chapter 3. Others are not named.  As we read through the Book of Judges, we will see this cycle repeat over and over. We might ask ourselves, “Why didn’t they ever get it? Why did they keep turning away from God? Why didn’t they remain faithful to Him? But then, if we’re honest, we need to ask ourselves the very same questions. Why don’t we ever get it? Why do we keep turning away from God? Fallen human nature is sinful. Even after we’re redeemed by the blood of Jesus, we still struggle with the flesh, so it’s no wonder the Israelites who lived so long before the coming of Jesus struggled, and failed so often.

As we return to John 12, let’s focus on one particular verse, because it sums up the entire chapter. It is John 12:24: Jesus said, ²⁴Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24 (ESV) Jesus’ words applied to Him and they apply to us. Jesus’ death which was coming in less than a week from the moment He made this statement, would bring “much fruit.” Millions of people have been saved from sin and death, through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. Millions more will be, if Jesus tarries in His return.

But what does it have to do with us? For us to bear fruit, we must “die” to ourselves. We must put our sinful nature to death daily and live in the newness and power of the Holy Spirit. If we fail to do that, we will continue to be nonproductive. I have heard many people say Jesus doesn’t call us to be fruitful. He calls us to be faithful. The truth is Jesus calls us to be faithful and in so doing we will be fruitful! When we faithfully die to ourselves, pick up our crosses daily and follow Jesus, the result will be fruit. The fruit will come in the form of our own spiritual maturity, and in others trusting Jesus as Savior and Lord through our witness. This is a hard teaching. No one wants to “die,” literally or figuratively. But it’s the only way to be reborn, and to produce abundant fruit for Jesus and His Kingdom!

Day 340 – Galatians 4-6; Matthew 27

In Galatians 4, Paul reminds the Galatian believers again of how important it is for them to live into their freedom rather than subjecting themselves again to the Law. He uses a couple of illustrations, the first about an “heir” being the same as a slave until reaching the age of maturity, and then of the difference between Sarah and Hagar. Again, Paul uses mainly Jewish images, even though the Galatian believers came primarily from a Gentile background. He wanted them to understand how important it was for them not to align themselves with the Judaizers, because to do so would be to give up the freedom they received through being born anew in Jesus.

Galatians 5 offers us an important qualification to what Paul has been writing. While he wanted the Galatians to live in freedom, he reminded them not to let that freedom become an opportunity for the flesh or the sinful nature. In other words, we are set free from the Law by the blood of Jesus, and our new life in the Holy Spirit is a life of freedom, butthat freedom is not to do whatever we want to do. It is a freedom to live in alignment with the Holy Spirit’s leading. Paul went on to tell the Galatians, and through them, us of the struggle we face as Jesus followers. The struggle is a war between the Holy Spirit and the flesh or sinful nature. That battle continues throughout our lives and means we aren’t free to do what we want. Paul concludes by saying when we are led by the Spirit, we are not under the Law, that is we don’t need the Law to guide us, because the Holy Spirit leads us to do what Jesus wants. Paul concludes the chapter by listing the deeds or “fruit” of the flesh, which includes a long list of sinful behaviors. He tells us when we live this way, we will not inherit the Kingdom of God. He then says the better way is to live according to the “fruit” of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. As Jesus followers, we have “nailed” the sinful nature to the cross and are not free to live in the Spirit’s power.

Galatians 6 offers Paul’s closing reminders of what it means to live in fellowship with one another as Jesus’ followers who are led by the Holy Spirit: we are to help each other out of sin; we are to sow goodness and blessing, because we will reap what we sow; and we are to persevere in doing good, because we will reap a harvest if we don’t “faint.” Paul offers one more closing volley against the Judaizers, reminding the Galatians that circumcision of the flesh means nothing, and to remain faithful to doing God’s will. Paul reminds the Galatians that he bears in his flesh the marks of Christ, that is the scars from the beatings he received as a result of proclaiming Jesus. This is one final reminder of Paul’s credibility and evidence they ought to trust him rather than the Judaizers.

As we return to Matthew 27, we read again of Jesus’ trial before Pilate, of Judas hanging himself, of Pilate finding Jesus not guilty, but listening to the crowd and turning Jesus over to be crucified. We read of Jesus going to Golgatha, and being crucified. People mock Him, Jesus cries out at being abandoned by His Father, and dies.  Jesus is buried in Joseph’s tomb, and the religious leaders ask Pilate to post a guard so no one could steal Jesus’ body.  If that were the end of the Gospel of Matthew, we would have the tragic story of a Jewish martyr, a good man, but nothing more. Thankfully, we will read Matthew 28 tomorrow! 

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 339 – Galatians 1-3; Matthew 26 summary!]

Joshua 21 records the distribution of cities and pasturelands to the Levites. According to Moses’ instruction, the Levites didn’t receive a territory in the Promised Land along with the other tribes. Instead, they received cities and pasturelands in each of the territories of the other tribes. The strategic value of this distribution is obvious: Levites would live throughout the entire land of Israel. They would be able to help guide their relatives to carry out the practices of worshiping God faithfully. At the end of the chapter we read:
⁴⁵Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. Joshua 21:45 (ESV) While not surprising, the statement is so powerful. God is always good, and His good promises to us always come to pass, not one of them has ever failed or will ever fail. We can stand on that solid rock in our lives, regardless of what we might be enduring at any given moment.

Joshua 22 tells us of the return of the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh to their homes on the eastern side of the Jordan River. They had fulfilled their commitment to help their kinsmen take the Promised Land, and now Joshua sent them back with His blessing. As these two-and-a-half tribes returned home they built an altar, which nearly caused a war. The remaining Israelites thought the altar was to offer sacrifices to pagan gods, but the Reubenites, Gadites and half-tribe of Manasseh explained the altar was for their children. They wanted their children to remember they were part of Israel. Living apart from the rest of the tribes, they foresaw a day when their children might forget that. The altar would remind them.  With that explanation all were satisfied and the situation ended peacefully.

Joshua 23-24 record the final words and instructions of Joshua to the Israelites.  He reminded them of how good God had been to them, and how God had fulfilled His promises and blessings to them. He also told them if they forgot to follow the LORD in the future, they would receive His curses. Joshua’s message was plain and clear: follow the LORD and be blessed; abandon Him and be cursed.  Finally, Joshua spoke a brief history of the Israelites and all the LORD had done for them. Then he offered the famous statement:  ¹⁵And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15 (ESV) Notice Joshua offered three choices to the Israelites: 1) They could serve the gods of their slavery, their past in Egypt; 2) They could serve the gods of the Amorites in whose land they lived at the moment; or 3) they could serve the LORD, who had been with them in the past, was with them in that moment, and would be with them forever. So often, we look to our past and hold onto something from it with the kind of intensity that is to be reserved only for the LORD. Sometimes we look around and grab onto something of this world in which we live, with an intensity that is to be reserved only for the LORD. The best action is to grab onto the LORD with that kind of intensity today, tomorrow and forever.

As we return to John 11, we return to the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Every time I read this chapter, I’m reminded of the absolute power Jesus has over life and death. He waited until Lazarus died to return to do something about Lazarus’ sickness. The mourners who gathered at the tomb murmured the same thing many of us have murmured as we have watched a loved one grow sicker and sicker and eventually die: “If He were here, our brother (friend, mom, child…) wouldn’t have died.” We see the short-term value of having our loved one with us. Jesus sees the eternal value of where all of us are going. The difference is Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus died and came back to life.  All my loved ones who have died, have stayed dead…but that is only from my perspective, from a physical perspective. One day each of us will die to this life, unless Jesus returns first. That means each of us will be in the tomb and hear what Lazarus heard: Arise! Wow! In the short-term it must have been such an amazing blessing for Mary and Martha to have their brother back. In the long-term, the eternal-term, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus will always be together with Jesus. That’s why the Apostle Paul wrote, “We don’t grieve as the rest of people who have no hope…” We grieve, and while our loved ones are sick, we pray for their healing, so we don’t have to grieve. But always, always, always–we have hope, because Jesus is the resurrection and the life, as we believe in Him, we have the promise that we will never die.

Day 339 – Galatians 1-3; Matthew 26

Today we turn to the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians. In this letter, Paul reminds the Galatians they received freedom from sin and death through Jesus. We might wonder why Paul needed to remind a group of pagans (most of the Galatians were Gentile idol-worshipers, before they were born again) to remember their freedom in Jesus Christ. The short answer is a group known as the Judaizers came after Paul, and told the Galatian believers they needed to follow the Jewish law to follow Jesus. The Judaizers caused problems wherever Paul went, because they couldn’t let go of the past, and their Jewish heritage. Paul reminded the Galatians they didn’t receive freedom by following the Law, and they wouldn’t keep it that way either. This is a helper reminder to us, because we don’t gain the freedom of Jesus in our lives by grace through faith in Jesus, and then keep it by adhering to a rigid set of laws.  We do good works after our salvation, but not to keep our salvation. We do them because we have salvation, and we want to demonstrate our gratitude for it.

In Galatians 1, Paul’s greeting is brief and he moves right to the point of his letter: he wants to know why they are trusting a “different gospel.” He reminds them he was once a zealous proponent of the Jewish faith, but after trusting Jesus as Savior and Lord, and being sent by Him to be a messenger of the gospel, he no longer trusted in his heritage, but in Jesus. The implication is they needed to do the same.

In Galatians 2, Paul notes he was received by the apostles in Jerusalem, and they did not seek to have him change his message to the gentiles. Indeed, Titus who was with him was not made to be circumcised as a sign of being a Jew. The leaders in Jerusalem gave their blessing on Paul’s ministry to the gentiles. Their only charge was that he remember the poor, which he writes he was eager to do. Paul also tells of Peter coming to Antioch and living among the believers there as a gentile, but when some of the Jewish believers came, Peter drew back from them. Paul’s response was to rebuke Peter to his face, for this change of behavior. Paul shows us both that he was of equal standing with Peter, and that when we have a problem with a brother or sister in the Lord, the proper way to address it is face-to-face.

In Galatians 3, Paul reminds the Galatians they were saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, and received the Holy Spirit through Him, and not through the Law. He asks them if they received the Spirit and the power to do miracles through the Law or through faith in Jesus? The answer is obvious. Paul goes on to point out that Abraham is the father of those who believe through faith, because God promised to bless the nations through Abraham. Abraham lived hundreds of years before the Law came into existence. The Law itself was given only to keep us on the right path until Abraham’s “seed” that is Jesus came to fulfill the promise God made through Abraham. Paul reminds the Galatians that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, but we are all one in Christ Jesus. Paul was not denying that individual differences exist among us as Jesus’ followers, but all those differences break down in our common salvation through Jesus!

As we return to Matthew 26 the beginning of the end has come for Jesus. He was anointed at Bethany, by a woman who used an expensive jar of perfume to anoint Him. While some complained the perfume could have been sold and the money used to feed the poor, Jesus affirmed the woman’s act and said wherever the gospel is preached she would be remembered. Judas then goes and agrees to betray Jesus to the Jewish leaders. After this the disciples eat the Last Supper with Jesus, and Jesus tells them one will betray Him, Peter will deny Him, and all will desert Him. After the meal, they go to the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prays, and the disciples sleep. Eventually, Judas comes with soldiers from the priests and they arrest Jesus. Jesus is tried by the religious leaders and found guilty. Peter is accused by a servant girl and others of being one of Jesus’ followers and he denies it. As Peter hears a rooster crow, he remembers Jesus’ prediction and goes out and weeps bitterly. The chapter reminds us, none of us is without fault when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. We do well not to be too hard on the disciples, because had we been with them, we would have been among those who deserted Him, or denied Him. 

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 338 – 2 Corinthians 12-13 Matthew 25 summary!]

Joshua 18-19 record the distribution of land to the final seven tribes of Israel that hadn’t yet received their portion. Before it took place, God had Joshua gather the people at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting. He asked the people how long they were going to hesitate before going in and taking their possessions. Isn’t that a powerful question? How often does God have something for us to take, possess, or live out in our lives, but we hesitate, we wait, we worry about whether God will do what He promises? But as we see in these chapters, the same process that happened in previous chapters happens again, a tribe is given land, the borders are described, and the cities listed. The people go into the land and it becomes theirs. This includes an inheritance for Joshua, their leader. By this time, we see what God promises, He does. We need to remember that the next time we hesitate to take possession of or to live into a reality God has promised for us.

In Joshua 20 we read about the cities of refuge, cities where a person who had committed murder accidentally could go to be safe from the retaliation of the dead person’s family. The rules for these towns had been established in the Torah. Now the carrying out of the plan was taking place. As we’ve read thus far in the Old Testament, we’ve seen God always had a plan. His plan was always the best plan for the Israelites. When they carried out the plan, the result was blessing, but when they failed to carry it out, the results were devastating. With all the testimony of the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, you would think we would have learned: Obedience brings blessing, and disobedience brings a curse. Yet, time and time again the Israelites forget that reality. So, do we! Let’s take the lesson from these passages and recognize again that our call is to follow where God leads us, because as we do our lives will always be the most blessed.

That leads right to our second time through John 10. As you’ll recall, John 10 records Jesus’ illustration of Himself as “The Good Shepherd.” Jesus tells us the sheep (that’s us!) will follow the Shepherd’s voice. He tells us the thief (the devil) comes only to kill, steal, and destroy, but He came to give us life in all its abundance. As we go about this day, and each day, how vital for us to listen for the Shepherd’s voice and then to follow where He leads. That always leads to a better outcome than following the competing and false voices of the world. The Good Shepherd has already laid down His life for us and risen again to demonstrate everything He says is true, and all His promises are faithful. Let’s follow where He leads us today.

Day 338 – 2 Corinthians 12-13 Matthew 25

In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul tells of a heavenly vision God gave him. He offers the testimony to demonstrate his authenticity as an apostle. He tells the believers he was given a “thorn in the flesh,” to humble him when he was tempted to pride because of God’s showing him the amazing vision. Three times Paul asked the Lord to take the thorn from him, but the Lord said, “No, my grace is sufficient for you.” Paul’s thorn reminds us, when we suffer, God’s grace is sufficient for us as well. 

As 2 Corinthians 12 closes and we move to 2 Corinthians 13, Paul offers final reminders of what will happen when he comes to visit, and how important it is to live faithfully before the Lord. He also offers closing greetings as the letter ends.

As we return to Matthew 25, we read tree power parables Jesus tells of His return. The first is the Parable of the Ten Virgins. They divided into two groups five wise virgins, and five foolish virgins. The wisdom or foolishness comes down to their being prepared or unprepared for the bridegroom’s coming. The wise virgins bring extra oil for their lamps, so if the bridegroom is delayed, their lamps won’t go out. The foolish virgins fail to bring extra oil. The bridegroom was delayed, so the foolish virgins had to go looking for extra oil in the middle of the night. When the bridegroom came, they weren’t there, so they missed entering the feast. We can take many lessons from this parable, but the chief one is: be ready. The “bridegroom,” Jesus, is coming, so be ready.

The second parable is the Parable of the Talents. In this parable a master leaves and entrusts his wealth to three servants. They receive differing amounts based on their ability. When the master returns, the first two servants have doubled what was entrusted to them. The first servant has two and a half times as much as the second servant, but each was equally faithful, so each receives the same reward: a commendation from the master, and an invitation to join him in his kingdom.  The third servant “buried” his masters treasure, and gained nothing, not even interest. The master condemns the servant for being lazy. Consider this: the servant didn’t lose anything his master gave him, yet was considered lazy, because he didn’t add or multiply to what he received! In the same way, we are called to be faithful with whatever Jesus has entrusted to us, so that it multiplies when He returns.

In the final parable, the Parable of the Sheep and Goats, Jesus offers us a clear message of what it will be like when He returns. People will be divided into two groups: sheep and goats. The sheep are those who steward their lives faithfully by carrying out faithful actions on behalf of Jesus. The goats are those who do not. While we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, and not by our works, this parable reminds us once we are saved, we will live lives of good works out of gratitude for our salvation. As James reminds us in his book, which we will read soon, “Faith without works is dead.” Jesus reminded us the same thing in this powerful illustration.

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 337 – 2 Corinthians 8-11 Matthew 24 summary!]

Joshua 14 offers us another look at Caleb, who along with Joshua had been the only two spies of the twelve Moses had sent into the Promised Land forty years earlier to come back with a good report. Caleb was eighty-five and as Joshua was distributing the land, Caleb had a request–Give me the high country! The older I get the more I love Caleb. He is the poster child (grandfather?) for living our lives fully for as long as God gives us good health and the strength to do it. Caleb took on some of the toughest of the land’s inhabitants, and after he and his people defeated them, settled where they had lived. The final words of chapter 14 are “And the land had rest from war.” That’s what happens when we follow the LORD fully. We gain victory, and ultimately rest from the battle. It might take longer than we think, after all, it took Caleb forty-five additional years to claim the piece of land he must have thought would be his shortly after he and the rest of the spies walked through the Promised Land the first time. I’m sure for Caleb it was worth the wait, as it is when we remain faithful for however long it takes for Jesus to give us rest from the wars we face spiritually, physically and in every way.

In Joshua 15-17 we read about the distribution of lands to the other tribes of Israel. The details are similar for each tribe. We’re told of the area of the land, and what its borders were on the north, south, east, and west; we’re told of some of the towns in the land; and we’re told some of the local people were not driven out. This last detail would prove to be a thorn in Israel’s side from that moment and for decades to come. As we’ll see when we complete the Book of Joshua and turn to Judges, these remaining people would eventually gain strength, because the Israelites abandoned their worship of the LORD and followed the pagan gods of these people. As a result, God would let the Israelites be subjected to slavery for a time. While we’re getting ahead of the story, the seed of the downfall of Israel was planted in their not fully rooting out the indigenous people of the Promised Land. The principle of one bad apple spoiling the whole bunch will be lived out in Israel’s history as we read forward through the Old Testament. The lesson for us is not to participate with those in our spheres of influence, when they follow the gods of this world, rather than the One, true and living God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We must remain faithful to Him alone and seek to draw those who are turning away from Him back to relationship with Him.

As we return to John 9, and the account of Jesus healing a man who had been born blind, I want to underline Jesus’ response to the disciples’ question about whether it was the man or his parents who had sinned that resulted in his blindness. Jesus said the answer was neither. No one sinned. The disciples, and the Jews of Jesus’ day thought all negative outcomes were the result of someone’s sin. Jesus made it clear the only reason the man had been born blind was so God could be glorified in his healing. Think about that. The man endured blindness all his life, for decades, so God would ultimately be glorified. It seems like a high price for the man to pay, especially given he wasn’t even aware it was happening. The principle is powerful: God brings good out of bad situations. It doesn’t matter whether the situations were caused by sin, or whether they were the result of living in a fallen world, where “innocent” babies are born blind, or deaf, or without limbs. I put innocent in quotes, because as the Apostle Paul reminded the Colossian Christians, we were all once enemies of God. None of us are innocent in the sense of having no guilt or blame, but a baby is as innocent as a human being can be apart from the shed blood of Jesus Christ washing away our sins. The blind man was made into an example by the religious leaders, because he confessed Jesus was the Messiah. He was kicked out of the synagogue. It was at that point when Jesus offered the man the opportunity to believe in Him, and also to show the religious leaders they were blind spiritually. Spiritual blindness is ultimately worse than physical blindness, because it keeps us from a relationship with Jesus, and from salvation in Him.

Day 337 – 2 Corinthians 8-11 Matthew 24

In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul urges the believers to give generously to a special offering being received to help those going through difficulty. Paul’s point is giving generously is a sign of our commitment to Jesus. So often, people tend to play the “we’re under grace not under Law” card when it comes to this area of financial giving. Paul reminded the believers in Corinth God had blessed them, and the reasonable response to that is generosity. It’s as natural for those who are blessed to give, as it is for those who are alive to breathe. The challenge is giving is a supernatural aspect of our lives. We are born “takers”, and when Jesus takes over our lives, we become “givers”. While we all know folks who aren’t Jesus’ followers who are givers, they have learned or have a natural tendency toward generosity, once we’re born again, our “nature” which is now a supernatural nature is to give, to be generous, to share in the nature of our new family: God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Paul continues to speak about giving in 1 Corinthians 9. Here he points out the principle of sowing and reaping: those who sow generously reap generously, and those who sow sparingly reap sparingly. Paul also reminds us God loves a “cheerful” giver. Our motive for giving is to be the joy we have in our new natures, because we get to give, rather than giving because we have to give. Paul reminds us when we give God blesses us, and those who receive the blessings of our giving also celebrate us before God and pray for our blessing.  The outcome of our generosity is blessing, because as Jesus reminded us in Acts 20, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

In 1 Corinthians 10-11, Paul defends his ministry. In these chapters, we see Paul’s ministry has been undermined in Corinth by a group of “super apostles,” who claim to have more authority than Paul.  Paul reminds the Corinthians he did not come to them with eloquent speech but with the power of God. He reminds them the battle is spiritual and not merely carnal or fleshly. He reminds them of his sufferings on their behalf and on behalf of the gospel. The challenge to Paul’s authority was real, and he wanted the believers in Corinth to remember that the sign of authority in the church isn’t how “great” we are, but how much we are willing to humble ourselves, to suffer, and to serve.

As we return to Matthew 24, Jesus tells His followers the signs of His return. While He hasn’t yet died and risen, Jesus offers testimony about what will happen in the future. He doesn’t tell us whenHe will return. He does tell us He willreturn. Throughout His testimony, Jesus reminds us how important it is for us to be ready. While many in these troubled times are spending their time scouring the pages of the prophetic books, Revelation, and passages such as Matthew 24, in Jesus’ own words, to determine whenHe will return, my goal as a leader in the Church is to tell those who don’t know Jesus about Him, and to prepare those who have trusted Him as Savior and Lord to be ready when He comes. After all, Jesus has entrusted us with the message of His salvation. He expects us to be multiplying it on the earth. That is the best way for us to be found faithful when He returns!