April 28, 2012

Saturday: April 28, 2012

READ: Romans 7

BACKGROUND: In Romans 7 Paul discusses the process of sanctification as it relates to the Law. Specifically he deals with the issue of the Law convicting us of our sin, and the difficulty of believing in Christ yet remaining sinful.
By Verse:
1-6 – Paul uses the metaphor of a marriage to describe our relationship with the law. Because of our death with Christ we are released from our marriage to the law as a hope of salvation. That is to say that the power of the law to condemn us is now broken because of the sacrifice of Jesus. We are set free from bondage to sin and destruction through the cross.
9 – Paul thought he was alive, but then he learned the law and realized how sinful he was in comparison to God’s holiness.
12 – The Law is essentially good, but its negative function is that it helps bring the magnitude of our sin to light. The Law doesn’t condemn and destroy us. It simply helps us be aware of the sin in our lives that condemns and destroys us.
15-25 – Paul commiserates with all of us as Christians. He believes in Jesus and he wants his life to reflect that. But it doesn’t sometimes. He continually finds himself doing what he wished he hadn’t or not doing what he wishes he had. Ultimately, his hope is in Jesus that he will be transformed more and more throughout his life into a better reflection of Christ.

THINK: My softball team played our first game of the year on Thursday. We lost 33-0. I’m still not sure how to even process that. We were just awful. We got mercy ruled in the 4th inning. We only had 2 baserunners the whole game. We made at least 10 errors. It was one of the worst collective efforts I’ve ever been a part of. I didn’t really do my part either. I almost tripped myself and fell flat on my face when I turned to chase down a ball that was hit over my head, and then I proceeded to swing at a terrible pitch and tamely hit the ball off the handle of the bat to the pitcher. For a team that’s been pretty good over the last few years, we were brutally bad Thursday night.

As I read Romans 7 I couldn’t help but flash back to the game. Romans 7:15 is one of my favorite verses in the entire Bible: “I don’t understand the things I do. What I want to do I don’t do. The things I hate, I do.” Our whole team experienced this on a softball level. We didn’t hit or catch the ball well. We did – twice! – strike out and generally hit the ball quite poorly. We just couldn’t seem to do the things we really wanted to do. And we kept on making errors – doing the things we really didn’t want to do.

This is so true for our spiritual lives a lot of the time. Paul struggled with it and so do we. We know the right things to do. It isn’t a matter of knowledge or confusion. We know what God is calling us to do, but we just don’t do it. And we know that there are a number of things he calls us not to do, but we can’t seem to stop doing them anyways. Sometimes all of echo Paul in not being able to understand the things we do. We have hope, though, in 2 things: 1. Being made like Christ is a lifelong process that none of us will ever complete while we’re living, but by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us we can get closer and closer every day, & 2. We are washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ and so we’re set free from the horrible consequences of our sin. We need to live in that hope, and we also need to constantly allow God to continue transforming us so that we do more of the things we know are right and less of the things we know are wrong.

ASK: Have I done anything lately that made me feel like “I don’t understand the things I do?” Is the amount of time that I give God in my life reflective of a heart that truly desires to stop sinning and be more like him?

Posted by on April 28, 2012 in Epistles.

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April 27, 2012

Friday: April 27, 2012

READ: Joshua 15-17

BACKGROUND: This section deals with the inheritance in the Promised Land that each tribe and family received when they finally arrived. For a further – and hopefully challenging and convicting– understanding of why there are so many pages devoted to this in this Bible, check out the Through in 2 post from Thursday, April 19th.
By Verse:
15:1 – The tribe of Judah gets to go first because they are the stewards of the Promise. That is, the Messiah will come from the line of Judah.
17 – Othniel served as one of the judges of Israel. See Judges 3:7-11.
16:1 – Ephriam and Manasseh are often referred to as the “half-tibes.” They were split and they occasionally had conflict with one another, but collectively they make up the tribe of Joseph.
17:3-4 – This is a hugely important couple of verses! In every other culture that surrounded them, women were barely treated as human beings and they certainly weren’t allowed to own property. God does not treat them in the degrading way that culture does. He promises them that they, too, can receive an inheritance in the land.

THINK: Watch this short clip from Pastor Francis Chan.

It’s a powerful video, huh? I think so often in our lives it’s easy to take “the Middle Road” and convince ourselves that that’s okay. But when we do, we rob ourselves of God’s best for us. That’s what the nation of Israel did continually. Even in this passage, tucked amidst the seemingly endless list of names is a repeated phrase or idea in Joshua 15:63, 16:10, & 17:16-17. The Israelites did not fully conquer the people of Canaan or drive them out of the land. God commanded them to do that and promised that he would help them and delivered military victories to them all the time. But they got really comfortable when they got into the land and settled for the Middle Road. They kind of did what God commanded, and they kind of didn’t. They didn’t follow after him wholeheartedly. And it cost them dearly because time and time again the Canaanites living among them pulled them away from God. Eventually it cost them the very land that God desired to give to them in the first place. Taking the Middle Road may seem appealing, but it will always you way more than you ever wanted to pay.

ASK: Am I following the Leader, or am I taking the Middle Road? What are some specific ways in which I can step out in faith and live the way God is calling me to live instead of continuing to settle for something less?

Posted by on April 27, 2012 in History.

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April 26, 2012

Thursday: April 26, 2012

READ: Isaiah 12-14

BACKGROUND: Isaiah 12 is a hymn of praise that closes of the section talking about the world that God will create one day. Chapter 13 kicks off a new theme of judgment and the ultimate destruction of the wicked – specifically the nations that oppressed God’s people.

By Verse:
12:5 – We ought to be a people of hope who share that hope with the world. If we really believe in Heaven then we should tell people about it.
13:3 – God isn’t talking about Israel here. He’s talking about the Medes and using “consecrated ones” to indicate that he is using them to accomplish his purposes.
12 – This verse is really scary, and it’s a powerful visual of God’s judgment.
16 – Why children? To eliminate the future military power of the nation. Destruction and punishment isn’t just a current thing , it’s a consequence for the future.
14:1 – Israel will ultimately return to her land. God’s promise is always a real, tangible place.
12 – A reference to Satan and his rebellion
13-14 – This details the fall of Satan. He wished to occupy heaven, God’s own dwelling place. He wished to exalt himself above all other creatures. He wanted the glory that belongs to God alone.
17 – Jesus says in Luke 4:18 that he came to set the captives free!
24-27 – The fulfillment of this prophecy is found in Isaiah 37:21-38.

THINK: Short thought today because I know that the passage was long. Again, I’m drawing from The Princess Bride because…well…it’s a brilliant movie! 🙂

There is a scene in The Princess Bride where Wesley, still too weak to actually fight, psychs out Prince Humperdink by throwing him off guard. Humperdink is prepared to fight “to the death” but Wesley refuses, demanding instead that they fight “to the pain” before unleashing a terrifying explanation of what that looks like. Check out the scene here.

The idea of being left “in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever” is unspeakably horrifying. The very idea is enough to defeat Humperdink in this scene. But here’s the harsh reality: that is exactly what an eternity without God will be. An existence in the punishment of hell, cut off entirely from the presence and love of the Creator will be nothing less than anguish and freakish misery. God doesn’t hold back when he describes that reality for us.

His day of judgment is coming. Are you ready? Do you know him? Have you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? What about your friends and loved ones? If they don’t know him they need to, and you are God’s plan to reach them!

PRAY: Ask that God would forgive you for the wrong you’ve done, and thank him for the incredible salvation he has made freely available to us though we don’t deserve it. Ask God for the boldness and the courage to share him with all of your friends, classmates, neighbors, & coworkers who are headed for eternity without him.

Posted by on April 26, 2012 in Prophecy.

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April 25, 2012

Wednesday: April 25, 2012

READ: Genesis 13-14

BACKGROUND: Genesis 13-14 continue the narrative of Abraham as he grows in understanding of everything that God’s promise means to him and as he lives a righteous life and finds God’s favor.
By verse:
13:6 – Since the majority of their wealth consisted of livestock, it was difficult for all of the herds to be contained in one place.
8 – Brothers = Relatives, throughout most of the Old Testament.
9 – Abram gave Lot the ability to choose because he understood that anything he accomplished or any wealth and success he acquired came only from God so it didn’t really matter which way he went.
10 – Lot didn’t have that same understanding.
14 – Abram looked to God. Lot looked to himself.
14:3 – The Salt Sea = The Dead Sea
14 – “Trained men” is not found anywhere else in the Bible. This term provides a very clear indication of Abram’s wealth as it refers to armed guards. It was like his personal trained military force.
18 – Melchizedek is a fascinating figure – mentioned again in the Bible only in Psalm 110 and in the book of Hebrews. His name means “King of Righteousness” and Salem means “peace.” So he is a priest-king of righteousness and peace who blesses Abram as a greater man would bless a lesser man. Remind you of anyone? Pages could be written on Melchizedek, but here’s the short form answer: Melchizedek is a proto-Christ. A typology of what Jesus will be. He is a symbol of an eternal priesthood & kingship that affords direct communion with God himself. Hebrews says that Jesus is a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. (If you have questions, post in the comments section and I’ll give you more info.)
21 – The king is basically trying to look good and fool Abram. Abram did the conquering. All the stuff already belongs to him (as evidenced by the fact that he gave a tenth of it to Melchizedek). The king is trying to make it look like he let Abram keep it. And Abram wisely declines because of his faith in God.

THINK: Now that I have 2 kids, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and reflecting on things I observed from parents – my own and those of my friends – while I was growing up, and I’ve been trying to decide what parenting techniques I want to imitate and what ones I want to avoid like the plague. I have a fairly extensive list for each one. (And I’m quite certain that my kids will end up with a very extensive list of parenting techniques they want to avoid like the plague – at least if they’ve been paying attention so far!) But one of the things that always stuck with me that I thought was a great idea that I wanted to copy some day was this: I saw a parent handle the issue of fairness with great success. Both of her kids wanted a piece of cake, but there wasn’t much cake left. Instead of cutting it herself and watching them fight over who got the bigger piece (and subsequently having to listen to the loser complain that she wasn’t fair) she gave her son the knife and instructed him to cut the cake with the caveat that his sister got to choose first. This created an incredible situation, because he had to cut them as evenly as he possibly could in order to avoid getting the small piece after his sister picked…and he took great care to do so.

I’m really not sure why that small memory has stuck with me for enough years that I can recall it as I think about the way that I’m going to parent my kids, but I think it has something to do with what it revealed to me about human nature in the moment. We’re self-focused, self-absorbed, self-centered creatures who will always try to take the bigger piece whenever we can. And that notion, of taking what you can and ruthlessly pursing success – even at the expense of others – is, sadly, built into the fabric of our society in 21st Century America. And the inherent problem isn’t taking advantage of opportunities that have been placed before us. The problem is that it becomes so easy for us to put our trust in those opportunities. To put our faith in our stuff or and in our wealth. To put our hope in ourselves and try to find our security in anything other that God.

This is what Lot did. Abram didn’t care which way he went. He didn’t care if Lot got the bigger piece of cake. Not at all. And he didn’t care because he knew that his hope and his security and his future were ultimately in God’s hands. He had faith that God would accomplish his will no matter what. Lot didn’t have that faith. Instead, without consulting God, his eyes were greedy and he grabbed for the bigger piece because he thought that the wealth of the land would bring him security and prosperity. And his problem wasn’t that he chose to go the way he did – Abram gave him the choice. His problem was that he went that way because he trusted in himself and his own eyes rather than in God. His hope as he set out in the new direction was in his wealth and not his God. And ultimately, as we’ll see later in Genesis when the story unfolds, it led to his ruin.

ASK: Do I find it easier to trust God or to trust myself? How would I live differently if I had an unshakable belief that God would provide what’s best for me and that my hope was in him and not in money, wealth, possessions, popularity, success, etc.?

Posted by on April 25, 2012 in Law.

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April 24, 2012

Tuesday: April 24, 2011

READ: Proverbs 3

BACKGROUND: This chapter deals with some of the benefits of wisdom in our lives.
By Verse:
3 – Really cool imagery here. Helping us to understand that we ought to let love and faithfulness and God’s commands be such a part of who we are that we wear them around like a necklace and have them written on our hearts.
6 – “Make your paths straight” refers to removing the obstacles and difficulties.
11-12 – A reminder that everything isn’t always perfect for righteous people. We all experience God’s discipline because he loves us and wants us to be the people we were created to be.
14 – Wisdom is more valuable than any earthly possession.
17 – The word for “peace” (or “prosperity” in some translations) is shalom. This is a holistic concept that extends beyond just peace and prosperity and means wholeness, fullness, love, joy, perfection, etc.
24 – Being able to lie down and sleep without fear is also listed as a covenant blessing in Leviticus 26:6, Job 11:18-19, Micah 4:4, & Zephaniah 3:13.
34 – Makes me really, really want to be humble and not proud!

THINK: The day before his 52nd birthday, Abraham Lincoln left Springfield, Illinois, to become President of the United States. With the threat of civil war looming, he said goodbye to the friends and neighbors who had come to see him off. “I now leave,” he told them, “not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of the Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail. Trusting in Him who can go with me, and remain with you, and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.”

Lincoln’s reliance on God for guidance and strength reflects the instruction of Solomon: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:5-6).

[When we think about Abraham Lincoln] we celebrate his kindness, integrity, and courage. And we can also learn from him how to face a daunting future with confident hope in the Lord.

– From Our Daily Bread, David C. McCasland, February 12, 2009

ASK: When I face difficult situations am I more likely to lean on my own understanding to solve the problems or am I more likely to stop and pray and seek God’s wisdom first? Do I really value God and pursuing after him more than any of the material things of this world?

Posted by on April 24, 2012 in Poetry.

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April 23, 2012

Monday: April 23, 2012

READ: Psalm 9

BACKGROUND: In this Psalm David praises God for his righteousness, his protection, and his deliverance.
By verse:
1 – “I will tell…” The phrase here means to publicly proclaim. Psalms are hardly ever limited to just a personal, private conversation between God and the writer. They’re almost always public declarations – or promises to make public declarations – about what God’s goodness and his glory.
5 – God is a God of justice.
9 – God is a safe place and a refuge for us during the difficult times of life.
18 – A reminder that God does not forget the needy and the oppressed, no matter how dire their situation becomes.
19 – David is confident that the wickedness of men will not overcome the righteousness of God. God will win the day and judge the nations.

THINK: Sometimes I think it’s easy to take all of our blessings for granted. That seems ridiculous in the United States of America because we have so many of them. But having a lot of them allows us to overlook them. I was recently with a group of people and the question was posed: “What are you grateful for?” The response: crickets. It was at least 30 seconds of silence before anyone spoke and even then most people in the group didn’t have an answer. And I think the major issue isn’t that they aren’t thankful people or that it was a particularly entitled and self-absorbed group, it’s just that we all get so busy that we don’t often take time out to think about all the ways in which God has blessed us. And the problem with this it twofold: 1. We miss out on growing closer to him by seeing the amazing things he’s doing in our lives on a daily basis, & 2. We miss out on the opportunity to tell others about what God is doing and publicly proclaim his goodness and love.

My prayer is that we can echo the words of David in Psalm 9, “I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” And I challenge you today to do something a little different.

DO: I challenge you to get a blank piece of paper and a pen and spend 5 minutes brainstorming all of the things that you’re thankful to God for. And think about spiritual and relational things (not just material blessings and possessions and stuff). Just write down everything that pops into your head – there are no wrong answers. Then, spend some time praying and thanking God for the incredible things he’s done in your life, and ask him to give you an opportunity to follow in King David’s footsteps and tell someone else what he’s done for you. You might be surprised how awesome this experience will be and how it will help you grow – and if you think it’s awesome you could even take it one step further and keep a journal of what you’re thankful for each day. Doing this is an amazing way to see God’s work in your life and grow closer to him. Try it out today!

Posted by on April 23, 2012 in Psalms.

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April 22, 2012

Sunday: April 22, 2012

READ: Romans 6

BACKGROUND: In Romans 5:20, Paul makes the statement, “where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” This statement is sometimes looked at as an excuse for Christians to sin. Kind of like a hall pass for sinning. We sometimes think, “Since God’s grace will continue to cover me – I guess I’ll keep sinning the same way I always have.” We learn in Chapter 6 that God’s grace is no excuse to sin since it’s through God’s grace we’ve died to sin and it’s in God’s grace we’re free to live as God’s instruments. (6:13)

By Verse:
1-14 – We are dead to sin…but alive in Jesus.
1-2 – When you said YES to Jesus and became His follower, you said NO (died) to satisfying your sinful desires.
3-4a – One of the ways we publicly confess faith in Jesus is by baptism. Baptism demonstrates on the outside what Jesus has done for us on the inside of our lives… dying to our sin.
4b-7 – The best part of baptism comes when we are raised from the water. We are making the statement that we’re ready to live in the new life Jesus has to offer us. Just like Jesus didn’t remain in the tomb He was buried in, we don’t remain in the sin we once lived in. We’re free in Jesus to live because we are no longer slaves to sin.
8-10;14 – If we die with Christ, we may also live with Christ and since death and sin has no power over Him we also live in the freedom of sin having no power over us.
11-13 – Letting sin hang around in our life is foolish when we have committed our life to Jesus. God wants for us to be used as His “instruments” to bring glory to Him and reach others for His name’s sake.
15-18 – We choose who we will obey (become slaves to)… either sin and death or obedience and righteousness.
19 – Living our lives for God leads to holiness.
20-21 – Living our lives for sin leads to death.
22 – Being free from sin and living our life for God produces good fruit in our lives and in the end gives us eternal life.
23 – Our paycheck (wage) for sin equals death. Sin always equals death. We are reminded one last time in this verse that God gives us another option through Jesus Christ… Eternal Life!

THINK: Hey my name is Tony – I’m a youth pastor in Iowa and I’m super excited about this amazing resource that Pastor Mike is putting together! I want to share a little bit about how God has challenged me over the course of the last year through Romans 6.

During the fall semester of 2011 my youth group did a series called “I AM SECOND.” We watched testimonies of famous athletes and actors who shared their personal stories of choosing to serve God with their talents and abilities rather than put themselves first and serve their sinful desires. You can check out some of those videos at iamsecond.com. Our group was amazed and challenged by the ways these individuals surrendered of themselves as they pursued Jesus. We quickly realized that each one of us has an option of who we will serve with our lives.

The truth is, God has gifted and hard-wired each of us with unique talents and abilities. We have the choice to serve either ourselves and the sinful desires rooted in us or bow our knee to the creator of life and offer our everything for His service and plan for our lives. Paul doesn’t mince words in Romans 6:16. He says we are SLAVES to the one we obey – our sin or Jesus Christ .

So the question to you is who will you bow to? Will you hold on to sin in your life and be controlled by the consequences sin always brings? Or will you choose to surrender, putting God in first place and using your gifts to further God’s kingdom while you are here on earth?

DO: (1 John 1:9) Confess and repent if there is sin in your life that you are currently enslaved to.
READ: 2 Corinthians 5:17-20
PRAY: Take a minute or two to ask God how He would want you to join the ministry He has in store for those who believe in Jesus Christ. Ask God to show you what it will take to put Him in 1st place in your life.

Posted by on April 22, 2012 in Epistles.

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April 21, 2012

Saturday: April 21, 2012

READ: Isaiah 9:8-11:16

BACKGROUND: This is a powerful prophecy against the nation of Israel for falling away from God, ignoring him, and living wickedly. God promises that he is going to bring about the destruction of the nation, and that he is going to send foreign, pagan kings to destroy them.

By verse:
9:10 – Stone and cedars (replacing the bricks and fig trees) are expensive and powerful materials. Israel is trusting in their wealth and their stuff rather than their God.
12 – “Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.” This is an idea found back in Isaiah 5:25 that is repeated in 9:17, 9:21, & 10:4. God’s hand is seen as the instrument of his wrath. His hand upraised means that his wrath is coming.
17 – Here, as so often in the Bible, we see God’s heart for the poor, the orphans, & the widows.
10:5 – God is going to send the King of Assyria to conquer Israel and capture it’s people. The King of Assyria is being used as an instrument of God.
13 – The King of Assyria is prideful. He thinks it’s his greatness that brought about the conquest rather than God’s greatness and purposes. So, he too will be destroyed.
16 – In 701 BC 185,000 of Sennacherib’s soldiers were wiped out by a plague (See 2 Samuel 24:15-16, 1 Chronicles 21:22-27)
20 – The phrase “In that day…” is here and again in verse 27. This phrase is found all throughout the Prophetic writings of the Bible. That day refers to the day of the Lord when evil will be fully conquered and all things set right.
33 – When God talks about trees & forests he’s talking about soldiers & armies here.
11:1 – This imagery of a shoot from a stump is hope filled. Though everything is destroyed and cut off, there will yet be new life.
2 – Like David, the Messiah will be guided and directed by the Spirit.
4 – Righteousness & justice are exactly what the leaders of that day lacked.
6-9 – What a picture!
10 – The banner was the symbol of belonging and home. You found your identity under the banner of your king. In that day we will find our identity and belonging and hope and home under the banner of Jesus Christ.

THINK: In the early 1990’s Nike unleashed maybe the greatest marketing campaign in the history of sneakers. It was a series of videos directed by Spike Lee, starring Lee as a nerdy basketball wannabe named Mars Blackmon who followed around Michael Jordan trying to learn how he could be like Mike. And no matter what transpired or what Michael told him, Mars always came to the conclusion, “It’s gotta be the shoes!” He was convinced that what made Michael so great as basketball was his awesome Air Jordan Nikes. This, of course, was exactly the subliminal message that Nike was trying to deliver to the masses, but it was laughably ridiculous. The shoes didn’t hurt – and they certainly made him look cool out on the court – but Michael could have played barefoot and been transcendent. I’m seriously sad for all of you who are too young to have seen him play. Watching Michael Jordan play basketball was the aesthetic equivalent of listening to Beethoven’s 5th Symphony or seeing Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. And anyone who saw him play understood that the man made the shoes awesome, not the other way around.

Sometimes in life it’s really easy to get really full of ourselves and think that we have accomplished great things all on our own. It’s easy to cut God out of the equation, to forget about him entirely, and to swell up with pride at the things we’ve accomplished as though our success is entirely of our own making. The truth, though, is that we are the shoes! Everything that we do and anything worthwhile that we accomplish is by God’s grace and through his equipping power.

God used Sennacherib to destroy wicked Israel, but then Sennacherib got prideful and thought it was his greatness and might that had delivered the victory. And God’s response in Isaiah 10:15 is both hilarious and convicting. “Does the ax raise itself above the one who swings it, or the saw boast against the one who uses it? It’s as if a rod we’re to wield him who lifts it or a club brandish him who isn’t made of wood.”

We are instruments in the hands of a sovereign and mighty God, and it’s critical that we remember this and keep our pride in check. We cannot forget that God is in control and we are instruments in his hands. And it is a great privilege to be used by him for his Kingdom building purposes. Remembering this allows us to be rightly thankful for the things he allows us to accomplish and also sets us free from the pressure of believing that ultimately things are in our control and up to us. Be the shoes!

ASK: Do I ever stop to thank God for all the blessings he has given me, and the things he’s done in my life? How can I remind myself regularly that I’m just the shoes?

Posted by on April 21, 2012 in Prophecy.

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April 20, 2012

Friday: April 20, 2012

READ: Romans 5

BACKGROUND: Paul lays out clearly here that sin entered the world through Adam and condemned us all, but salvation entered the world through Jesus and is available to us all as his free gift if we will only choose to believe.

By Verse:
1-11 – What’s really cool here, is that Paul helps us understand that justification (being counted right before God) isn’t just a stale theological term or just a think we believe. It is a constant source of blessing in the life of the believer who has been saved by Christ’s great sacrifice and – through that – counted right before God.
6 – Christ died for us before we were righteous when we didn’t deserve it.
10 – Christ’s death and resurrection are the grounds for our hope of salvation.
11 – We “have received” the reconciliation. Already! We don’t have to live the same way once we know Christ. We are set free to be transformed by him and live changed and reconciled lives.
13 – Paul is saying that even though people who don’t know God’s law aren’t charged with specific violations (since they didn’t know what was wrong) sin is still sin and it’s a violation of God’s holiness.
17 – Adam brought sin. Jesus brought salvation. In one we cannot escape our guilt. In the other we can find salvation if only we’ll accept it.

THINK: The first ever mix-CD that I made Jenny was full of sappy love songs. I was young and dumb and I barely knew what love even meant, but I wanted to express my undying affection for her putting together a mix of the most powerful love songs I knew. (Side note: I’m not as young anymore, but I am still dumb and the more I learn about love the more convinced I become that I have a lot left to learn.) Anyways, one of the songs – and not just any song, but one of the main, most important tracks on the whole CD – was Everything I Do by Bryan Adams. (Side note #2: Turns out the official music video is hilarious because it’s for the terrible Kevin Costner version of Robin Hood.) Among the passionate lyrics of this song: “Take my life, I would give it up, I would sacrifice…Don’t tell me it’s not worth dying for…Yeah I would die for you.”

“I would die for you” is a fairly easy thing to say, but I can imagine that it would be significantly harder to actually live it out. Think about it for a second. How many people could you honestly say you wouldn’t hesitate to give your life for? I mean, the only people who show up on that list for any of us are loved ones and family members that we’re super close to. And even then, would we unequivocally die for them? What if they did something wrong and they earned the death sentence? Would we still willingly take their spot? Maybe. But I think it becomes incredibly clear, if we really stop and think, that giving up our lives for someone else is an act that can only be motivated by a massive amount of love. Huge, deep, incredible love.

Paul talks about this in Romans 5. He says that only in the rarest of cases would someone give up his or her life for even the best of people. And certainly that none of us would think about dying in place of a vile criminal who earned a death sentence or dying in the place of someone who has been cruel and abusive towards us. And yet, that is exactly what Jesus did. We were the vile criminals – many times over – who earned a death sentence. And we rejected him and turned to evil things that made his heart break. There was nothing – is nothing – inherent in us that makes us worthy of his sacrifice. But while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! It was an act of love. Huge, deep, incredible love.

PRAY: Take a few moments now to stop and think for a bit about that love – about how amazing God’s love is for you that he would die for you even though you didn’t deserve it. Rest in God’s outrageous love, and praise him for it.

Posted by on April 20, 2012 in Epistles.

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April 19, 2012

Thursday: April 19, 2012

READ: Joshua 12-14

BACKGROUND: This is the beginning of a section that describes in great detail – complete with crazy names that are impossible to pronounce – the division of the Promised Land among the tribes and families of Israel. One thing you might notice repeated, time and again, is that the Levites didn’t receive any of the land – that they weren’t a part of the inheritance in that way. This is not because they were sinful or they were being punished. It’s because God had specifically set them apart, and called them to be his priests. They survived off of the faithful giving of the rest of the nation.

By Verse:

12:1 – This begins the list of those Moses conquered on the East of the Jordan.
7 – This begins the list of those Joshua conquered on the West of the Jordan.
9-24 – Why does it keep saying “one” after each king? Just to show how many there were. Strange to think about how prosperous that land was at the time to sustain so many kingdoms. It’s pretty barren now – the result of its people rejecting God.
13:1 – God tells Joshua what remains to be conquered and tells him to divide up what has been conquered.

THINK: Have you ever had an assignment in school where you weren’t sure what the purpose was – where you wondered if the teacher had some sort of sinister motives because you had no idea why the material would ever be applicable to your life? I know that answer to that. 🙂 We all have. And sometimes it’s easy to feel that same way about certain parts of the Bible. Parts like Joshua 12-14. But, much like assignments in school, they are always given with a purpose – even if it isn’t evident on the surface.

So what in the world is the purpose of reading the lists of all the crazy names and places about the division of the Promised Land? It’s all about economics and God’s provision – and it tells us a ton about who God is and who he is calling us to be! Really? Yep. How? Let me briefly explain: First and foremost, we need to understand that the land was divided up between the tribes and the families with the knowledge that they got to live on those plots but the land never belonged to them. It belonged to God. In Leviticus 25, God says that land can never be sold permanently as a reminder that land – and ultimately everything we have – is owned by him and not by us and is given to us as a gracious gift. And every 50 years in Israel all land was transferred back to the original family who owned it. So, no matter what transpired and what land was sold, it ultimately was returned to its original owners. This was called the Year of Jubilee and it accomplished something incredibly important: It made it impossible by means of acquiring land – which was the primary means in an agrarian society – for multiple socioeconomic classes to develop long-term. Nobody could gain the kind of excessive wealth that allowed them to be oppressive, and, conversely, nobody had to exist in an unending cycle of generational poverty. Every 50 years it all reset so that everybody had enough. Not too much. Not too little. Enough.

The notion that God wants everyone to have enough – that this is directly tied to his heart – flows from this passage as well. We don’t see it as we read the Bible now because we’re unfamiliar with the particulars, but study reveals that God divided the land up based on need. He gave bigger tribes bigger sections of the land, and bigger families bigger sub-sections of that land. This is why it is recorded with such meticulous accuracy. So that the nation of Israel would: A. Know who the land goes back to in the Year of Jubilee, & B. Understand God’s great love for his people and his plan to provide all of them with enough. God gave each family enough land to sustain each family. And that amount was different based on the particulars of the family. It is critically important for us to understand this: It was not an even division. It was not a meritorious division (that is, not given based on who worked the hardest, earned, or deserved it). It was a need-based division. Everyone had enough.

God’s provision of enough for all of his people is a theme reflected throughout the Old Testament. Even when the Israelites were wandering in the desert and manna fell from Heaven each morning, he took care to ensure that everyone got enough. He instructed the people to all go out and work hard and collect all that they could and then to share it with one another based on need. So, those who had the ability to collect more than enough were called to give all of the extra (all – down to the very last extra grain because it spoiled daily) to those who weren’t able to collect enough. Everybody had enough.

So, what do we do with this in 21st century America? We live in the midst of the most affluent culture in the history of the world. We have way more than enough. But meritocracy is built into the very fiber of our society, and it permeates our thinking in ways that make it incredibly difficult for us to truly accept that everything we have belongs to God and comes from him and ought to be used for his purposes. Instead we believe that we earned it, and we worked hard for it, and we deserve it, and those who don’t have enough don’t deserve it because they obviously didn’t earn it or work hard enough for it. And so we justify keeping way more than enough and using it for our own selfish purposes instead of giving it – all of it – to those who don’t have enough. What would happen if we understood that it belongs to God and that his heart is for everyone to have enough? We have so much more than enough in America that our excess could cover the needs of every human being on our planet. The sad reality is that currently we don’t even use our excess to cover the needs of every human being in our country. And it breaks God’s heart.

If we want to be a people who truly reflect God’s heart to our world then we must be a people who freely give our extra to those in need. And it’s hard to do sometimes because we don’t feel that they deserve it or that they’ve earned it. We use broad brushstrokes to paint all those in welfare programs as lazy, and we point to the structural and societal failures in developing world countries as their own failures which prevent prosperity and produce poverty. And so we convince ourselves that they don’t deserve it. But here’s the catch: That hardly matters! Of course they don’t. But neither do we. That’s what God is revealing to Israel in this section of Joshua and throughout the Old Testament. It doesn’t matter how hard you work or strive or try, the only thing any of us deserve from God is punishment – death and destruction. Yet, in his love, he graciously provides for us so that we can have enough. And he calls us to reflect that love to the world by sacrificially giving to ensure that everyone has enough.

ASK: Why is it so hard to give sacrificially? If I truly believed that everything I have belongs to God and is given to me as his gracious, underserved gift would it be easier to give sacrificially? What would it look like for me to start reflecting God’s heart to those who don’t have enough?

Posted by on April 19, 2012 in History.

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