October 10, 2013

Thursday: October 10, 2013

READ: 2 Chronicles 18-19

THINK: Julius Caesar was masterful at creating alliances that furthered his military and political career in Rome. In fact, the Roman Empire might never have come to be in the manner it did if Caesar hadn’t joined with two other powerful generals, Pompey and Crassus, in an alliance known as The Triumvirate. Eventually that alliance fell apart. Crassus was killed and Caesar and Pompey essentially fought a war for control of Rome. In the early 40’s BC Caesar made another alliance with a man name Marcus Brutus. Brutus was a highly ambitious politician whom Caesar saw as useful in governing the affairs of Rome so he made Brutus a part of his inner circle and gave him a number of important offices.

Eventually Brutus was a member of the Roman Senate at a time when Caesar had consolidated his power and been named “Dictator for Life.” There were a number of Senators that were wary of Caesar who wanted to move against his growing power, but Caesar counted on his ally Brutus, among others, to defend him in the Senate and help his cause. On March 15, 44 BC he learned just how costly a bad alliance could be. As he arrived at the Senate chambers he was brutally attacked and stabbed by a number of Senators and he looked up and saw Brutus among them. He had been betrayed. It is said that when Caesar saw Brutus among the attackers he covered his head and resigned himself to his fate, possibly even uttering as his last words, “Et tu, Brute?” – Even you, Brutus?

Not all alliances are mutually beneficial. In fact, some can be very costly. In 2 Chronicles we read the story of Jehoshaphat, the God-fearing king of Judah, joining in an alliance with Ahab, the wicked king of Israel, to fight against Syria. The narrative doesn’t explain why Jehoshaphat joined in the foolish bond, what he hoped to get out of it, or how he came to the conclusion that allying himself with Ahab in any way was wise. And clearly it wasn’t.

Ahab’s wickedness shows through his actions very clearly. Why did Ahab disguise himself for the battle but then encourage Jehoshaphat to put on his kingly robes? He knew the Syrians would go after the king and attempt to kill him. He thought he could save his own life and his own power by putting Jehoshaphat in harm’s way. But after Jehoshaphat was surrounded – just as Ahab had planned – he cried out to God and was saved. And Ahab ended up getting killed by a stray arrow.

Even though Jehoshaphat was saved, it is still clear in this passage that his choice to ally himself with Ahab was a wrong one. Instead of trusting God completely, he decided to team up with an evil, vile, wicked king. He aligned himself with someone who wasn’t aligned with God. And it nearly cost him his life and his kingdom.

It is important for us to love lost people and to reach out to those who are far from God. But we need to be careful how we are aligning ourselves with them. We need to be cautious about the temptation to hitch our horse to their wagon, so to speak. Loving people is key. Aligning ourselves with those who hate God is dangerous. It is deadly. Right and wrong simply cannot be partners; one will always lose.

PRAY: Thank God today for the way he provides and for being worthy of our trust. Ask him to help you show love to broken people while exercising great wisdom and discernment in you interactions with them. Ask him to help you not to partner with evil, even when it seems like the easy or logical thing to do.

Posted by on October 10, 2013 in History.

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October 9, 2013

Wednesday: October 8, 2013

READ: Titus 2

THINK: Read the following passage (Titus 2:11-14 from The Message) out loud, picturing the words being spoken by someone you look up to and admire.

God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available for everyone! We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness.

Which of these rich words or phrases stands out to you? Why do you need these words and ideas at this moment in your life?

Now, read it one more time, picturing yourself saying the words to someone you wish to encourage.

PRAY: Spend some time today asking God to guide you in one or all of these movements of growth:

– Turning your back on a “godless, indulgent life”

– Taking on a “God-filled, God-honoring life”

– Believing that “this new life is starting right now”

– Being “energetic in goodness”

LIVE: Consider God, who is “energetic in goodness.” Inhale that goodness. See how much God wishes to bring you along. Try on the belief that this new life starts now.

– Adapted from Eugene Peterson in Solo

Posted by on October 9, 2013 in Epistles.

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October 8, 2013

Tuesday: October 8, 2013

READ: Numbers 21-22

THINK: A few days ago (Saturday) we read John 3, that great chapter which contains possibly the most recognized and repeated verse in the Bible: John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

But right before this verse, as Jesus is explaining what his life and his impending death are all about to Nicodemus, he recalls the events of Numbers 21. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” – John 3:14-15

While they were wandering through the desert the people of Israel got to a point where they were bitter and they sinned by rejecting God and complaining against him. And there was a price to pay. God sent venomous snakes and they attacked the people and caused a number of them to die. The wages of sin is death. It has always been this way. Sin has a cost, and that cost non-negotiable.

But the people cried out and God provided a way for them to be cured – a way for them to avoid the natural consequence of their sin. God told Moses to make a fiery serpent of bronze and put it high on a pole, and he promised that anyone who looked at it, after being bitten by a snake, would be healed. And this seems, at least to me, to be kind of a weird way to do it. God could have just taken the poison away, instantly healing all of the people who had been bitten. He could have just instantly killed the snakes. But he didn’t. In order to be healed the people had to look up at a picture of the very hideousness that had caused their pain in the first place. And they had to choose to do it. It was easy. It was free. But it was a choice. God didn’t compel it or do it for them. He simply provided the snake on the pole.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up…

The wages of our sin is death. We’ve rejected God and there is nothing less that we deserve. But God has graciously provided a way. He doesn’t compel us to be forgiven, doesn’t demand that we comply. He simply invites us to gaze up at the grotesque picture of the very source of our problem – a man broken and stained by sin – suspended there above the earth. The solution is easy and it’s free to anyone who would choose it. Forgiveness for sin and escape from the death that is its consequence is available for anyone who would look at Christ upon the cross and believe. God so loved the world that he sent his only Son that whoever believes should not perish but have eternal life.

PRAY: Thank God today for the gift of salvation. Thank him for providing a way for us to be forgiven and healed and blessed with eternal life.

LIVE: Imagine that you were in the desert as a member of the nation of Israel. If you heard about the cure from Moses and you knew that your friends and neighbors didn’t know about it yet – but that many of them were suffering and dying from snake bites – how quickly would you run to tell them? How motivated would you be to save their lives?

Live with that same urgency in sharing Jesus with them! It could not possibly be more critical!

Posted by on October 8, 2013 in Law.

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October 7, 2013

Monday: October 7, 2013

READ: Jeremiah 44-46

THINK: “And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the Lord. But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go.” – Jeremiah 5:5

Are you seeking great things for yourself, instead of seeking to be a great person? God wants you to be in a much closer relationship with Himself than simply receiving His gifts— He wants you to get to know Him. Even some large thing we want is only incidental; it comes and it goes. But God never gives us anything incidental. There is nothing easier than getting into the right relationship with God, unless it is not God you seek, but only what He can give you.

If you have only come as far as asking God for things, you have never come to the point of understanding the least bit of what surrender really means. You have become a Christian based on your own terms. You protest, saying, “I asked God for the Holy Spirit, but He didn’t give me the rest and the peace I expected.” And instantly God puts His finger on the reason-you are not seeking the Lord at all; you are seeking something for yourself. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you . . .” (Matthew 7:7). Ask God for what you want and do not be concerned about asking for the wrong thing, because as you draw ever closer to Him, you will cease asking for things altogether. “Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8). Then why should you ask? So that you may get to know Him.

Are you seeking great things for yourself? Have you said, “Oh, Lord, completely fill me with your Holy Spirit”? If God does not, it is because you are not totally surrendered to Him; there is something you still refuse to do. Are you prepared to ask yourself what it is you want from God and why you want it? God always ignores your present level of completeness in favor of your ultimate future completeness. He is not concerned about making you blessed and happy right now, but He’s continually working out His ultimate perfection for you – “…that they may be one just as We are one…” (John 17:22).

This is the firm and immovable secret of the Lord to those who trust Him— “I will give your life to you . . . .” What more does a man want than his life? It is the essential thing. “. . . your life . . . as a prize . . .” means that wherever you may go, even if it is into hell, you will come out with your life and nothing can harm it. So many of us are caught up in exhibiting things for others to see, not showing off property and possessions, but our blessings. All these things that we so proudly show have to go. But there is something greater that can never go— the life that “is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

Are you prepared to let God take you into total oneness with Himself, paying no more attention to what you call the great things of life? Are you prepared to surrender totally and let go? The true test of abandonment or surrender is in refusing to say, “Well, what about this?” Beware of your own ideas and speculations. The moment you allow yourself to think, “What about this?” you show that you have not surrendered and that you do not really trust God. But once you do surrender, you will no longer think about what God is going to do. Abandonment means to refuse yourself the luxury of asking any questions. If you totally abandon yourself to God, He immediately says to you, “I will give your life to you as a prize…” The reason people are tired of life is that God has not given them anything – they have not been given their life “as a prize.” The way to get out of that condition is to abandon yourself to God. And once you do get to the point of total surrender to Him, you will be the most surprised and delighted person on earth. God will have you absolutely, without any limitations, and He will have given you your life. If you are not there, it is either because of disobedience in your life or your refusal to be simple enough.

– Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest

PRAY: Abandon yourself to God today. Give up your selfish pursuits and ambitions and give all of yourself to him so that he might give you your life.

Posted by on October 7, 2013 in Prophecy.

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October 6, 2013

Sunday: October 6, 2013

READ: Titus 1

THINK: Read the following thoughts from the great Rev. Charles Spurgeon, preaching on the manner in which Titus 1:15 – To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted – is a searching test for all of us who claim to follow Christ:

Anything that happens may be used two ways—and the pure shall see in every event something which he can turn to God’s Glory! And the impure can see in everything a means by which he may indulge himself. Now it is so if you mingle with the sons of men and see their sins. We are grieved at them. But when the Christian sees sin, he thinks, “This is what I would be but for the Grace of God.” So he praises God for His Grace. “This is what I shall be,” he says, “if I am not watchful.” So he becomes the more watchful and out of the very sin of his fellow men, he extracts some reasons for greater holiness and grows more pure because he observes the loathsomeness of impurity and turns from it the more earnestly. But the ungodly man is carried away by the evil example—his conscience is more deadened by it—and he becomes bolder in sin in consequence of what he sees in others! I am sure you will have observed it so, that where the good man gathers grapes, another finds nothing but poisoned apples—and where the Christian turns over this man’s depravity and finds in it a reason for greater holiness in his own person, the ungodly man only sees more excuses for himself for the past—and the greater license for himself in the future! Take another list of things, namely, the treatment of men to us. Suppose men praise us? The Christian says, “I must be watchful, for the praise of man is often inconsistent with the favor or God.” The ungodly man says, “Everybody praises me! What a silly fellow I must be!” There is a foulness of pride which comes upon him. The man who lives near to God, if he is sneered at by the sons of men, says, “It comes upon me for God’s sake. By His Grace, I will bear it. ”But the other says he will not have any more of that and turns aside from a path which becomes rough, even though he knows that path to be right! How often has unjust treatment driven the ungodly man to anger, and in some cases to malice and to resolutions of revenge! To the impure an injustice makes him more impure. But see the Christian who is like his Master. Every injustice makes him cry for Grace to forgive—and when yet more injustice is heaped upon him, he forgives the more and tries to heap yet more coals of fire upon the head of his enemy by doing him the greater kindness, if by any means he may win his soul! So out of the worst of things the Christian extracts the best, while from the very best of things an unhallowed mind may extract the worst!

Let us close—though there are many, many illustrations that might be given of this. Here you have, tonight, means afforded for judging yourselves. Do you find in God’s Book that which makes you angry with God? Do you find in the Gospel that which makes you complaisant with yourself while you are unregenerate? Do you find in Providence that which irritates you, or which seems to excuse you in sin? Then your mind is impure, for these things are with you according to what you are. “It is dark,” you say. It is your eyes that are dark—the Light of God is light and bright. “It is bitter,” you say, when we bring you the honey of the Gospel. It is not the honey that is bitter—it is your mouth—it is your mouth that is out of order. How often ought people to recollect this when they hear a true Gospel sermon! George Herbert says, “Judge not the preacher—he is your judge.” And very often when a man has condemned the sermon, he had far better condemn himself! He has not agreed with it? No, if he had, it would not have been true! When sometimes we have heard some man of low life railing at us, we have said, “Thank God! Supposing that wretch had praised us, we would have known there was something amiss about us! There are public papers which, if they praised a man, you would know at once that the man deserved hanging, or something near approaching to it! Their censure is the only homage they can give to that which is right. So when any soul kicks against Christ—the precious blood of Christ, the Gospel of God, the purity of God—do we condemn God because this man condemns Him? No, but God is glorified by the unrighteous nature of this man rebelling against Him! If God were other than He is, an unrighteous man might love Him, but being hated and despised, and forgotten of ungodly men, it does but prove that God is not such as they are, but infinitely superior to them! Let us judge ourselves, then, by this.

But provided we are obliged to come to the conclusion that our minds are not pure, we need not end there, for there are means by which they may be made so! Glory be to God, if my mind and conscience are defiled, they need not always be so. There is cleansing. I cannot effect it for myself, nor can any outward forms do it—

“No outward form can make me clean,

The leprosy lies deep within”

But God has set forth Christ to be a Savior—and He shall save His people from their sins—from their sinfulness, too, and whoever believes in Christ Jesus, that is, trusts in Him, there is already in him the beginning of purity! God the Holy Spirit will give him more and more of the likeness of Christ, for he that believes shall be saved from sin, from indwelling sin, from all sin, from the power as well as from the guilt of it! Faith will cleanse him, applying to him the precious blood and the water which flows from the side of Christ! Faith will, by the Holy Spirit’s power, become a cleansing as well as a saving Grace! God grant it to us, and may we all be among the pure, unto whom all things shall be pure. We ask it for Christ’s sake! Amen.

PRAY: Thank God for salvation in Christ and pray that he would cleanse you and help you be counted among the pure.

Posted by on October 6, 2013 in Epistles.

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October 5, 2013

Saturday: October 5, 2013

READ:  John 3

THINK: This is one of the great chapters in the entire Bible, containing the most quoted and memorized verse of all. Reread verses 9-16, putting yourself in the shoes of Nicodemus. Imagine yourself standing there on the rooftop in the moonlight listening to Jesus’ words. Try to imagine what it would be like – without any context – to hear Jesus say that you had to be born again, or born from above and then to have him explain it.

ASK: Which words or phrases stand out to you? Which words or phrases totally rock your world? Why?

PRAY: Thank God for the gift of eternal life! Thank him for the gift of being born from above. Think about those words and phrases and all they mean to you, and just worship God in gratitude.

LIVE: Go share it. It doesn’t matter where. Do not let the sun go down today before you have shared the message of John 3 with at least one person who doesn’t know Jesus. If this passage is truth then it’s the greatest truth ever. And we cannot keep it to ourselves!

Posted by on October 5, 2013 in Gospels.

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October 4, 2013

Friday: October 4, 2013

READ: 2 Chronicles 16-17

THINK: An ancient Indonesian fable tells of a turtle that could fly. He would hold on to a stick with his mouth as it was carried by geese. When the turtle heard the onlookers on the ground saying, “Aren’t those geese brilliant!” his pride was so hurt that he shouted, “It was my idea!” Of course he lost his grip. His pride became his downfall.

For 41 years, Asa was a strong and humble king. He brought peace and prosperity to the kingdom of Judah. During the early years of Asa’s reign he prayed, “Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You” (2 Chronicles 14:11).

But toward the end of his reign, when the army of the northern kingdom of Israel confronted him, Asa sought help from the king of Syria instead of from God. Because of his foolishness, his rule weakened and his nation experienced wars. What went wrong? Proud of past achievements, Asa had forgotten to depend on the Lord, so the Lord was no longer showing “Himself strong” on Asa’s behalf (16:9).

God is still looking for those who will allow Him to show Himself strong in their lives. Living a humble, God-dependent life is truly a brilliant idea! No one is stronger than the one who depends on God.

– By Albert Lee in Our Daily Bread

PRAY: Admit the times when you have stopped relying on God and been caught up in what you believed to be your own success and giftedness. Humble yourself before God today, and ask him to help you always be a vessel through which he can show his strength. Pray that you might become less so that he might be made greater in you!

Posted by on October 4, 2013 in History.

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October 3, 2013

Thursday: October 3rd, 2013

READ: 2 Timothy 4

THINK: There is nothing better than a brand new package of crayons! The beginning of the school year was always the best for that reason. New, sharp, beautiful crayons. I never wanted to use them because they looked so nice- and you know as soon as you’ve used it once, twice, three times, the paper starts getting torn, the tip isn’t as sharp, and if you press to hard it might even break in half.

Now think about that perfect, sharp, brand new crayon as us. Full of potential and beauty that the Lord has given us. But how useful is a crayon that never comes out of the box? Never gets used? It can be labeled with a big fat WORTHLESS!

Paul says in verse 6 that he is being “poured out like a drink offering.” Later he talks about the harm done to him, how people have deserted him, and how God is delivering him. If Paul was a crayon- what do you think he looked like by this point in his life? He’s physically hurting, he’s cold, and most likely he’s dying. My guess is that Paul was used up. Not only had he been broken and had his paper torn off of him; I believe that since he was at the end of his life- he had used every bit of himself for the Kingdom of God! Paul left nothing of himself because he had given it all to God.

As amazing as Paul is I’m wondering if some of you are thinking how horrible that sounds. To spend all of yourself and have nothing left at the end? That’s not really something I’d like to sign up for, you might be thinking. But let’s go back to the passage and look to see what Paul knew he was gaining by giving up every last piece of himself.

Verse 8 tells us that God will give “all who have longed for Christ’s appearing” a crown of righteousness. And later in verse 18 Paul tells us that God himself is defending and protecting him and preparing to take him safely into his heavenly kingdom. So yes, on this earth, Paul had given everything and received very little. But Paul knew something greater was on it’s way. He had his eyes set toward heaven, set toward the glory of living with Christ and being awarded a heavenly crown.

So whether you are facing a trail, or being challenged to do something really hard for Christ- choose to give yourself up for God. That might mean you don’t look so pretty sitting in that box. It will probably mean that you have to be uncomfortable and you might get less human recognition and appreciation for what you do. But I ask you today to do hard things! By the end of your life, be that broken, used up crayon with your eyes on heaven!

PRAY: Spend some time with God now, asking him what hard things he wants you to do. Where does he want you to spend yourself on behalf of him? Or perhaps you are already doing this, ask God for the encouragement and wisdom to keep living for him.

Posted by on October 3, 2013 in Uncategorized.

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October 2, 2013

Wednesday: October 2, 2013

READ: Numbers 19-20

THINK:  Philippians 4 contains a number of well-known verses that I hear quoted fairly often in the church. Verse 4: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Verses 6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Verse 8: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

These are all really great passages to memorize and take to heart so it’s no wonder that they’re quoted often. But there is another verse, a verse sandwiched between all of these great ones, that I have rarely heard. In fact, it was one that I had skipped over and failed to notice for most of my life until re-reading Philippians 4 very recently. Verse 5 says, “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” I read it and it hit me like a ton of bricks!

My gentleness reflects God’s presence and God’s love to those around me. My lack of gentleness, well, I wish I could say that it doesn’t reflect God’s presence or that it demonstrates to those around me that I’m not following him well. But I don’t think that’s what Paul is saying here. And I am certain that’s not the lesson we learn from Moses in Numbers 20. See, I think it’s very clear that those of us who have been called by God and have been saved according to his purpose always reflect God to those around us. In fact, that’s what the word Christian originally meant – “Little Christs.” No matter what, whether we like it or not, those of us who claim Christ represent him to our world. Especially those of us who are leaders in any capacity. And we’ll never be perfect, but here’s my question today: Are you conscious of the way you’re representing Jesus to those around you? Is your gentleness so evident to all that they see you and know God is near?

The punishment that God gives Moses in chapter 20 may seem harsh at first reading. Here’s Moses, grieving the death of his sister, and then the jerky Israelites come to him and complain and whine and say they wish they were dead like his sister is and accuse him of being a murderer who brought them to the desert to die – as opposed to a liberator who freed them from hundreds of years of slavery but that’s just details right? And this feels, to Moses, like the 8 millionth time they’ve complained in the 4 decades he’s been leading them around (4 decades, by the way, caused by their own faithlessness and complaining). So Moses goes to God and asks what to do. And God tells him to speak to the rock and water will be provided.

And then the story takes a dark turn. Instead of speaking to the rock, Moses speaks to the people of Israel. Harshly. He yells at them for being grumbling whiners. And basically says, sarcastically “Shall we (read: Aaron & Me) bring you water from this rock you stupid jerks?” And then he strikes the rock twice with his staff. And water flows, because God is faithful even when we’re not. But something terrible has happened, and this is why Moses was dealt with so severely. In his lack of gentleness he reflected God wrongly to the Israelites! He gave them a really insufficient and inappropriate picture of who God was and how God wanted to deal with them.

First, God was not angry with the people. They were thirsty! They could have asked in a nicer way, but God wanted to give them water because they needed it and God loves providing for the needs of his people. Moses reflected the idea that God was angry and begrudging and that the people should be ashamed of asking for their needs. And also, importantly, Moses reflected the idea that God is insufficient. God instructed him to speak to the rock so that the entire assembly would know that God is all-powerful and that he is completely sufficient and that he is worthy of all their trust. Moses treated the situation as though he needed to do something, as though God somehow required his help. And he reflected this notion to the people by his actions. God held Moses accountable because, as this nation was being shaped into the people that God created and called them to be, it was critically important that they not misunderstand exactly who he was!

We all have our desert moments. We have all been frustrated and angry and burnt out. And thankfully God extends grace to us – as he did to Moses by not striking him dead for so egregiously misrepresenting him to the entire nation. But we need to be careful. We need to remember that who we are and how we interact with people reflects, always, the God we serve. We need to strive to let our gentleness be evident to all so that they will see that God is near and turn towards his love. If we don’t, we send the wrong message about who God is and we turn away from the gospel those people who most desperately need it.

PRAY: Ask God to help you be gentle today! Ask him to help you cultivate a life of gentleness and love so that he might shine through you to those living in the darkness of this world.

Posted by on October 2, 2013 in Law.

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October 1, 2013

Tuesday: October 1, 2013

READ:  Jeremiah 41-43

THINK: On the morning of June 25, 1876 George Armstrong Custer led his regiment, the United States 7th Cavalry, in an attack on a large encampment of Lakota and Northern Cheyenne American Indians at Little Bighorn in Southern Montana. The battle has become immortalized in American folklore as Custer’s Last Stand. Custer’s troops were not only vastly outnumbered, but also they were up against some of the most skilled warriors under the command of the most brilliant chiefs in the history of the war against the Plains Indians. Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Lame White Man were all there.

The dumbest part about Custer’s decision to attack was that he had all of this information beforehand! He knew just who was camped down by the river. And he knew he was outnumbered. In fact, after gathering the information about the Lakota-Cheyenne force, Custer reported back to the commander of his brigade, Brigadier General Alfred Terry, asking for advice and indicating that he wished to attack. Orders returned from Terry telling Custer not to stand pat and wait for the rest of the army to catch up before engaging the enemy. Custer ignored the order and attacked.

No one can with certainty why he ignored the order because he died, and every single one of the men who was under his command died with him. There are various theories about believing he might lose the element of surprise, thinking Lakota scouts had discovered his trail, and more. But most historians agree that Custer was looking for an excuse to attack. That’s what he wanted to do. And his mind was made up to do just that even before he asked for Terry’s advice. His stubborn refusal to obey the order cost him his life. It cost hundreds of men their lives.

In this section of Jeremiah we find a pretty similar situation. The people come to Jeremiah and they’re afraid – and rightly so because there are some incredibly powerful military forces all around them whom they don’t have the capacity to fight. So they ask Jeremiah to pray and seek God’s direction. But it becomes clear really quickly that they’ve already made up their minds to flee to Egypt. They only ask for God’s direction to get confirmation for the plans they already have. So, when Jeremiah reports God’s words back to them – this amazing and incredible promise to protect them against the powerful armies if they only remain in the Promised Land – they promptly call him a liar and head to Egypt even though God told them explicitly not to do that. Why? Cause that’s what they were already determined to do.

It’s easy to read this story and think, “They were so stupid!” And they were! But I think we do the same thing to God all the time. I’m convicted of this in my own life. Too often I ask God for wisdom the same way my wife asks me which pair of shoes looks better with her outfit. I already know the answer and I’m just quizzing him to see if he gets it right so I can feel really good about the decision I’ve already made.

All of us do this. We pray for his guidance, and we ask other Christians what they think we should do, and we listen to our Pastors preach sermons that help us understand what the Bible has to say. And then…we go do what we want. We just pray and act and listen to get confirmation for what we want to do so we can feel better about it. But if we hear anything that conflicts with our plans and the desires of our heart, well, we effectively call it a “lie” and go our way. We ignore God, assume our friends in the church must be less spiritual than us because they gave us an answer we didn’t want, and convince ourselves that the words of our spiritual leaders – and even the words of the Bible itself – just don’t apply in our particular situation.

Then we go our own way and what happens? Bad stuff. We suffer. We encounter trials and frustration and brokenness and hurt. And then what do we do? We blame God. We wonder how in the world a loving God could allow such calamity. And the thing is, blaming God for the consequences of our actions after we’ve been disobedient is like Custer blaming Terry for what happened at the Battle of Little Bighorn. Every bit of pain and suffering we encounter in this life is not a direct result of our sin – please don’t think that. But a lot of it is. More than we’re willing to admit sometimes. We would do well to learn from this story in Jeremiah that there is blessing in obedience, even when we don’t want to obey. God’s commands and instructions are always for our good!

PRAY: Confess that you’ve acted like the Custer and the people in Jeremiah, that you’ve ignored God and gone your own way. Ask him for the wisdom to know the right thing to do and the strength to choose it even when it isn’t what you want to do.

Posted by on October 1, 2013 in Prophecy.

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