persecution

Yesterday seemed to be about trials, today it's about persecution. Jesus prayed, "I have given them Your word and the world has hated them." I think I understand this but then I read Prov.16:7, "When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him." Which is it? I'm confused. If you have been reading this blog and not commenting this is the time to jump in. Two verses come to mind. First is 2Sam.11:17 "But the thing David had done displeased the Lord." Today's 2Sam. reading is the fruit of David's sin and seems to prove the Proverb. The other verse I thought of is, Rom.12:18, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." I really do want to hear from you today. My hope for this blog is that it becomes a discussion and not just me rattling on and on. Someone once said, "When I do all the talking, the only thing I learn is what I already know!"

Trials

John 16:29-30 is a climax moment of faith for the disciples. Jesus is pouring out His heart and they are starting to get it! In a matter of hours, this new faith would be crushed as they watched Jesus be condemned to death. I can't imagine the grief or the questions they must have had between Friday and Sunday. Do you remember the poster of the kitty holding on to the knot at the end of the rope? When we go thru times of testing, sometimes all we can do is hang on to what we know for sure and look for that peace that surpasses understanding. The psalmist sheds some light on this: he says,"Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I obey Your word." V.67 "It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees." V.71 He even says, "in faithfulness You have afflicted me." V.75 Sometimes it is difficult to remember that Jesus "has overcome the world"! John 16:33 and that "The Lord works out everything for His own ends."Prov.16:4. David's affliction was the result of his own doing but the Lord used it to shape David's life.- read Psalm 51.

I love how John 15 and Psalm119 go together. Jesus tells us to obey His commands and the psalmist says that he will "hasten and not delay to obey". Then, just so we don't get confused, Jesus tells us that His command is to love each other. Prov. says that our motives are weighed by the Lord. When we look at David's life, it is easy to focus on the mess he made with Bathsheba and miss the act of love toward Mephibosheth. It is comforting for me to know that our Father is pruning out the unfruitful parts, the unloving parts and cultivating His love in us.

John 14:15-31, These words of Jesus are so precious to us as believers. Words spoken right before His death. I never really noticed the question asked by Judas(not Iscariot),"But, Lord, why do You intend to show Yourself to us and not to the world?" This is a good question. I have felt this way before. Wouldn't it be easier if the Lord just revealed Himself to the world? Then everyone would know that we Christians are not crazy, that we speak truth. But Jesus answered that only the ones who loved Him and obeyed Him would know Him. Jesus then promised to come back. That's when every knee will bow. How privileged we are to know Him now! The attitude of the psalmist is so amazing. He loves and delights in God's rules and commands. This fits so perfectly with the words of Jesus that we just read. It is Holy Spirit revelation that sees obedience as the road to freedom. Prov.15:33 Wisdom and humility are the result of spending time with Jesus. David's reaction when he went and sat before the Lord in 2Sam.7:18-29 is exactly what I have seen today; humility and awe that I have been included in God's people!

John 13:18-19

It seems that the disciples are still pretty clueless about many things. Jesus not only knows what is going to happen and why He knows what questions will come up down the road. Faith crumbling questions like: If Jesus is God why did He pick someone like Judas? Did Jesus make a mistake? So Jesus answers the question before it is even asked, "I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill scripture." I believe God's word has answers to all the tough questions. Ps.119 equates it to great riches. I am so thankful to have a Bible that I can read and with the Holy Spirit's help understand.

1Sam.30

Today's reading was so rich! I want to share something from John Courson's commentary on 1Sam.30. I'll try to paraphrase the highlights. When our kids have been carried off by the enemy there four things we should do following David's example. #1 Encourage yourself in the Lord. #2 Inquire of the Lord. #3 Do what He says, don't be passive, take that step of faith. #4 Be generous with all the Lord provides. So many of us have kids that have been carried off and ripped off, I thought this was awesome insight for today.

Prov. 15:23

I love this proverb. One of my favorite things is having the right thing to say at the right time. When someone has a question in women's Bible study and a scripture just pops into my head, it is wonderful! My challenge is to always recognize that this is the Holy Spirit at work and never let it go to my head. In 1 Sam. 15:12 we see Saul setting up a monument in his own honor. I would never do this outwardly but what do I say in my heart when someone say's, " You are sooo wise."? I hope I can think of my friend Cecilia and just point to Jesus.

1Sam.20-21

Sometimes it's hard to read about all the trials and hardships that David endured. Saul had none of these hardships. He went directly to being king but the power and praise went right to his head. David, on the other hand, learned to praise God in the difficult times. He learned what it meant to go without and to be unjustly accused. This was the place to learn humility before being greatly used. I always try to wiggle out of every inconvience that comes my way. Then I wonder why I'm not being used more.

Sunday May 17

John 9 starts out with Jesus and His disciples walking along and seeing a blind man. The disciples first question was not, "Lord can You heal him?" or "Lord will You heal him?". They wanted to know why he was blind. I find myself asking the same question. I think it is because I am hoping to avoid a similar fate. If I can assign fault then I don't have to worry about it happening to me. Faith takes a different approach. Faith puts all security in a loving Father and is then free to act with compassion and a desire to see God glorified. I want to choose faith!

John 8:31-32

The truth shall set you free! How often has this part of a verse been quoted completely out of context? It has become a mantra of the world to excuse all sorts of odd behavior. But when I read it in context the words of Jesus are very specific and conditional. To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said,"If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." Jesus then goes on to explain that the freedom He is talking about is freedom from sin.
OK I'll get off my soapbox. It just really bugs me when people who have never read the Bible misquote it.

John 8

As Jesus spoke, some argued with Him, determined not to believe in Him. While others, who heard the same words at the same time became believers. I always feel that if I did a better job telling people about Jesus then more would respond. I think that this is just the enemy trying to get me to shut up. Jesus' own brothers did not believe until after He rose. We are called to witness to what Jesus has done in our lives and the rest is up to the Holy Spirit. I loved Psalm 111 It is a good place to meditate. Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. If my meditation is on Him my words will reflect it.

1Sam14:43

Here is a portion of Scripture that I find confusing. This interaction between father and son even has the translators confused. KJ and ESV end Jonathan's words with a period, as if to say he was agreeing with the death sentence. NIV ends with a ? which looks like he is argueing. Then NASB and NKJ use a ! which leaves it up to the reader to decide Jonathan's tone. It seems to me that Saul was way out of line in calling down this curse but he was king. Wasn't Jonathan also out of line for complaining about his father even though he was right? It looks like there were problems in their relationship, starting with Jonathan not telling his dad what his plans were. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I tend to get snagged up with these kind of questions and miss the main point.

John 7 & 1Sam. 12

Publicly Jesus is met with crowds who just wanted to see miracles and be fed. Privately Jesus is met with unbelief. Being misunderstood has got to be one of the worst feelings I know, especially when you know the truth and no one will believe you. In times like this, let me not lash out, let me have a tongue that brings healing. Prov.15:4 In 1Sam.12:23 Samuel says,"As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you." I think that prayer for the unbelieving in our lives must always go before interaction with them. Samuel says that it's a sin not to.

1Sam. 10

Lets start with yesterday's reading. My first thought after reading ch. 10 was, "wouldn't it be nice to have a Samuel to tell me exactly how my day would go and what to expect?" Then I read Courson's comments and saw that Samuel's words are for all of us. There were three things that Saul was going to encounter. First, he would learn of his father's concern for him. Then there would be sharing of bread by the men carrying wine, bread and young goats. Lastly he would meet prophets and would join them in prophesying. The Father's love, fellowship with the Son and anointing with the Holy Spirit are what each of us should expect every day. Then there's the line in verse 6 "and you will be changed into a different person". Carol asked what this meant. I think for Saul it meant that he woke up that day a farm boy and ended it as the king of Israel. For us, every encounter with the Living God is life changing.
I'll talk about today's reading in a new post.

Mother's Day

Just a quick note on this Mother's Day eve. Did you notice where Samuel chose to call home? It was Ramah. That is where his mother lived. She sacrificed so much to dedicate him to the Lord, but as he traveled around judging Israel, he always came home!

Theme for Today

In reading over my notes for today I noticed a theme running through the passages. It has to do with rebellion and how it blinds us to the truth. First in 1 Sam. judgment was coming. God had clearly predicted it, but instead of repentance and turning to God, they chose to rely on a religious object with disastrous results! John 5:39-40 Jesus said,"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life." Imagine studying Scripture and missing Jesus but Jesus says it is a choice. Psalm 106 tells of the unending cycle of God's goodness and blessing and man's rebellion. Then Prov.14:30 speaks of a heart at peace. That is truly our goal, isn't it? I think we see an answer in the life of Samuel. He lived in the tabernacle and ministered to the LORD. not just for the LORD but to Him. That is the place where I find peace and a taming of my rebellious heart.

John 5:1-23

Here is a man who had been an invalid for 38 years, now walking around with his mat and the only thing the people near by could see was the fact that he was carrying a mat on the Sabbath. This is the fruit of legalism. God had just done something huge, something wonderful and yet there were people who only saw more evidence for there case against Jesus. Jesus, on the other hand, who is walking in perfect obedience does not back down even in the face of the leaders death threats. They object to Jesus calling God His Father. In the next 5 verses, Jesus uses the terms Father and Son 7 times each. Jesus is the Truth! I love that I can stand behind Him even in Him! Ps.105:45, Praise the Lord!!!

Ruth

Oh yes! I love the book of Ruth. Especially after reading thru the book of Judges, it is so satisfying to see God's hand at work right in the midst of everyone doing what was right in there own eyes. Ruth, who is a picture of the church, "just so happened" to find her way to Boaz' field. Boaz the redeemer is a picture of Jesus. It is no accident that any of us found our way to Jesus. Ephesians 1:4 says "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world," There's something to chew on for awhile.
If you want to read something that's truly astounding on the book of Ruth, look up John Courson's topical study of Ruth 1-4 called, A Prophetic Overview Of Ruth. I have been reading Courson's commentary on the Old Testament each day after our OT passage and have found it to be rich in the anology and insight.

John 4:4-42

When Jesus went and sat at the well He was exactly in the center of the Father's will but from the disciples point view it seemed all a little off. First Jesus wanted to go thru Samaria (we might say this was out of their comfort zone), then He decides to sit down and rest awhile. The disciples hurry off to get some food, maybe that will revive Jesus so they can get moving. When they get back they find Him talking to a woman and not just any woman but a Samaritan with a bad reputation. They totally ignored her and more importantly they ignored what Jesus was doing in talking to her. Meanwhile, Jesus is being energized by seeing faith spring up in this lost woman. Doing exactly what God wants, in His timing, with His power is truly energizing, even when it is phyically taxing. God supplies the energy to do what He calls us to do.
Psalm 105:4 Look to the Lord and His strenth; seek His face always.

John3

These are pretty inspired words from John the Baptist. He shows such great insight- far more than the disciples- yet even John started to doubt when he was isolated in prison. This is good reason to visit those who can not come to church regularly. Prov.14:22-24 says to plan to do good and then work hard at it. Just talking about it is not good enough. This speaks to me. How often have I seen a problem and known what to do but put it off and ended up doing nothing?!! God forgive me.

The wedding John 2

I think that Mary must have been close to the wedding party because her son and all his friends were invited. She saw a need and took it to Jesus. She didn't tell Him what to do. She didn't even make any suggestions! She only stated the problem and then told the servants to do what Jesus told them to do. Jesus and His group of young strong fisherman friends could have gone into town and brought some wine back. I think that if Mary had requested that, Jesus would have done it. But Mary left it up to Jesus and Jesus chose to do a miracle that grew the faith of His disciples.
Wine is not a necessity. It is for enjoyment and Jesus made the best! When my joy has it's source in godly things, fellowship, praise, prayer, etc. , it is always sweeter with a better aftertaste then pleasure found anywhere else. Psalm 103:3 says that He satisfies your desires with good things.
I took from this today that it is always best to trust God to decide how to bless me.

Judges 13-14

The story of Samson always leaves me a little baffled. One on hand, he is divinely conceived, separated from birth, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. On the other, he is eating from dead animals, partying with the enemy, and marrying an unbeliever. Is he an example of how not to live? Or is God saying that he can use anyone no matter how they mess up? Maybe both. Are there any insights anyone has on Samson?