Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.

Mark 14:12-25

Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. Mark 14:25

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on an unassisted review of Mark 14:12-25, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary. Observations of the text based on the Sword Bible Study Method: 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: Jesus was a teacher - His disciples sought direction and guidance from Him - see v12. He provided guidance and direction - see v13.  Jesus knew what was soon going to happen to Him after the Last Support: His arrest and His crucifixion.  He knew and orchestrated the plan - see vv14-16.  Even the betrayal of Jesus by Judas was orchestrated and known in advance by Jesus - vv18-20.  Jesus predicts the condemnation of Judas - v21.  He provides both a prophecy of His death and a means by which to remember and "celebrate" His death and sacrifice - vv22-24. Jesus knows He is about to die but be resurrected - v25.
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: His disciples and those who follow Jesus seek direction, guidance, and wisdom from Him.  Followers of Jesus are obedient - see v16.  His followers love Him and are saddened by any prospect of His betrayal - see v17.  
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): We should not betray Jesus - this is a result of one whose commitment to Him is weak or non existent. We should be confident that all of Jesus' prophecies/promises come true (2 Corinthians 1:20) about his death resurrection - they occurred just as He said it was going to be in vv22-25. We should follow the example set by the disciples to seek His guidance and direction (via prayer) and also to be obedient. We should remember Jesus' and what He did for us via communion.  

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and who saves!  You willingly went to the cross - knowing and orchestrating even Your arrest - and died for me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of Your ultimate sacrifice - the greatest gift of all time.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

“Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’”

Mark 11:1-11

“Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” Mark 11:2-3

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on an unassisted review of Mark 11:1-11, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary. Observations of the text based on the Sword Bible Study Method: 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: Jesus continues towards His death on the cross, fulfilling prophecy from Zechariah 9:9 where the text shares how "your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." There are no signs that He is not willing nor will He not fulfill all of scripture including His gruesome death.  Once again we have a faithful God - He says how He fulfills the law and He is accurate. All of the prophecies pointing towards Jesus and His crucifixion are about to all ring true.  2 Corinthians 1:20.  
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: The disciples are growing in obedience to Jesus as they grow closer to Him - they do what He asks without question more of the time.  Here they do not question Jesus' request to find and get the colt/donkey Jesus rides into Jerusalem.  Others initially question the act (v5) but ultimately obey hearing how it is Jesus who is requesting the colt/donkey (v6).  Some may question God but not Jesus - an appropriate response to Jesus' call.  Similarly we see those who greet Jesus as He enters with praise and worship (vv8-10) - again an appropriate response to Jesus.    
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): God wants to obey Him - to do what He requests.  Just as Jesus was humble, we are to be humble.  We can claim and rest on Jesus' faithfulness; just as Jesus fulfills all prophecy every other promise He makes will come to pass.  

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and who is faithful - we can rest knowing that all of Your promises will come to pass - praise Jesus!  I am not deserving of Your faithfulness nor how You save.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.

Zephaniah 2:1-3

Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD. Zephaniah 2:3

I resume my study of Zephaniah using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For this morning, my focus is an unassisted review of Zephaniah 2:1-3.  Here, Zephaniah pivots from chapter 1 where as messenger of the Lord he shares God's anger at Judah and how God will soon declare judgement and punish Judah.  As chapter 2 opens, we see a pause in tone from God as Zephaniah shares that "perhaps [Judah] may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD" (v3b). God's wrath has yet to come to pass and He is giving Judah an opportunity to repent "before there comes upon you the burning anger of the LORD" (repeated 2x in v2). Before judgement day is upon anyone - and it will be upon everyone - God gives unbelievers an opportunity to repent and be saved by confessing sin and believing in Jesus.  This is Good News indeed.  Zephaniah 2:3 in full gives us what God seeks from us - humility, obedience to God, and righteousness.   

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - my sin is great yet You continue to offer mercies that are new every morning and never cease.  Thank You Jesus! Of course, I am undeserving.  My sin IS great and continues daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from and overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

[T]his is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.

2 John 1

[T]his is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 2 John 1:6

I continue my study of 1,2,3 John using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for these books.  Today, my focus is an unassisted review of 2 John 1:1-13. John is seemingly writing a more personal letter to a mother and her children that he knows among his church family.  John starts the letter by sharing the love they share as they are brothers and sisters in Christ, sharing truth and faith - forever (vv1-2).  John is well pleased that this mother and some of her children "walking in the truth" - obeying the commandments God gives us from His Word (v4).  He then reminds this mother to love one another and he describes love as "walk[ing] according to His commandments (vv5-6).  We are warned of deceivers...in the world (vv7-11). See also 1 John 5:3 where John shares how obedience to God is not burdensome as it is a natural response from believers who are overwhelmed by the love of God and seek to please, honor and glorify the One True God. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You were obedient to death and Your death - and resurrection - gives me life to the full now and forever in Heaven with You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a gift and blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

 1 John 2

Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 1 John 2:9

This morning, I continue my study of 1,2,3 John using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for these books.  My study today focuses on an unassisted review of 1 John 2:3-11. 

V3: If we truly know him, we will follow Him and be obedient, not out of obligation but out of love for Him because as we more fully understand God and His attributes we know that He is Holy, good, true, just, loving, faithful, etc. It is also in response to what He has done for us and that we are all undeserving of the grace He pours out for us. See also 1 John 5:3.

V4: Similar to 1 John 1 where it is written how we cannot claim to be without sin and how if we do so, we make a liar out of Jesus, here it is written that if we truly know Him we cannot be seen to not follow Him or to be disobedient.  This would make us liars.  

V5: A healthy relationship with Jesus where we consistently (i.e. daily) study His word, pray, and seek Him, will result in sanctification where God's love is perfected in us and we become more like Him.  We will bear fruit.

V6: We are expected (ought) be obedient if we say we know Him; as we grow closer to Him more is expected of us as God makes us more like Him (see also Luke 12:48)

Vv7-11: We must not hate anyone - as this is murder.  We should instead love and seek to save all. If we hate we remain in darkness/sin.  See also 1 John 3:15.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are good, true, perfect, just, loving, etc. and You pour out grace and blessings for me every day that are overwhelming...I desire to be obedient - help me be who You intend for me Jesus! I need You to help me battle sin daily because I know my sin is great and it is daily.  Please forgive me Jesus for laziness, etc.  Help me overcome and turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

For "[w]hoever desires to love life and see good days...let him turn away from evil and do good[.]

1 Peter 3

For "[w]hoever desires to love life and see good days...let him turn away from evil and do good[.] 1 Peter 3:10-11

 

 For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at 1 Peter 3:10-11 and how Peter gives hope to believers to obey hard commands.  John Piper starts the devotion by explaining how "[t]here is only one basic reason why we disobey the commands of Jesus: it’s because we don’t have heartfelt confidence that obeying will bring more blessing than disobeying. We do not hope fully in God’s promise."  Piper then highlights from the text today - in its broader context - how we are commanded to avoid vengeance - the natural inclination to seek harm from those who harm us.  Peter's hope reminds us of the blessing realized from the promise of obedience.  Piper provides Mark 10:29-30 as another text where the blessing (a hundredfold!) is realized despite loss of family and property.  Piper wraps the devotion by sharing: "[t]he only way to have the power to follow Christ in the costly way of love is to be filled with hope, with strong confidence that, if we lose our life doing his will, we will find it again and be richly rewarded forever."  Be encouraged and have confidence that obedience produces blessings!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are good and Your promises always come true - including that I will be blessed by following You regardless of the cost.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love you with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.

Daniel 1

But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. Daniel 1:8

I pause in my study of Hebrews to study Daniel in conjunction with a disciple/small group study with my church's men's wake up call. This morning my focus is Daniel 1 and my unaided observations of this chapter.  Tomorrow, I review the same text and lean on commentary provided the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series for Daniel. Here in Daniel 1, we read about how Babylon, under the reign of king Nebuchadnezzar, sieged Jerusalem and brought back to Babylon "vessels of the house of God" as well as youth of Israel to serve in Nebuchadnezzar's palace.  Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, whom the chief of eunuchs renamed Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  They were given the same food and wine that the king ate and drank, but Daniel "resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank" (v8).  He requested vegetables and water and proved to the chief of eunuchs that he would not be any less healthy or strong, so ultimately allowed Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to eat and drink vegetables and water (v16).  The text remarks twice how "God gave" and blessed the young men, first "God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs" (v9), then "God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams" (v17). From the text this morning, similar to how Joseph in Genesis found himself in difficult circumstances, Daniel and his companions, although they found themselves taken as slaves to serve in Nebuchadnezzar's palace, they held firm in their faith of God and chose to continue in obedience to Him - trusting that He would provide...and of course He did.  We see in v17-20 how God blessed these young men with spiritual gifts that made them stand out among all the other slaves, and how they were "ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom."  Regardless of our circumstances, God wants us to continue in obedience to Him.  He places us in these circumstances for a reason - to glorify Him. 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who blesses me, equips me, and provides for me - regardless of my circumstances.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews 5

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:14

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which is entitled The Key to Spiritual Maturity.  Here John Piper unpacks an essential realization all believers must have, and it is important, according to Piper, so that we might "save...years of wasted living."  He points to "[g]etting ready to feast on all God’s word" as primarily (and first) a "moral challenge" vs an intellectual one.  He then challenges believers who spend time on worldly (and sinful) pursuits vs leaning into God, exhorting believers to pursue God instead and allowing Him to work the sanctification process through renewal of the mind (Romans 12:2). Piper then lays out how we achieve spiritual maturity.  We must taste God, know that He is Truth and Light, and that He is Our Savior.  We then seek to please God in response to His grace - our desire to become obedient and to glorify Him is key.  The devotion is summed up nicely in this key statement from Piper: "[t]he pathway to maturity and to solid biblical food is not first becoming an intelligent person, but becoming an obedient person."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God and You are SO good for how You made me one of Your elect and You then drove sanctification in my life - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.

Isaiah 28-29

Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. Revelation 3:10

I resumed my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series. Today, looking at Isaiah 28-29, I move along to the remainder of Lesson 11, Day 3, which looks at primarily how God warns us of destruction due to our inability to listen and heed His Word.  Isaiah first warns of destruction in Isaiah 28:2 as a result of the pride of Ephraim (28:3).  Isaiah then is more explicit in Isaiah 28:22 where he delivers a message from God warning of destruction "against the whole land." We are encouraged to refer to Revelation 3:10, where encourages believers that have "kept [God's] word about patient endurance" - those who have done so are protected "from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world." God delivers the same message from Isaiah that He does in Revelation - LISTEN to me and OBEY my Word!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God indeed and You seal me forever from eternal damnation - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and protection.  My sin is great and it is daily - I know You saved me out of GRACE and not from anything I did.  Thank You Jesus.  I KNOW that I am not deserving.  Please forgive me Jesus for my sin and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.

Leviticus 26-27

I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. Leviticus 26:11-12

 

This evening, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing chapter twenty-three (the final chapter) - Either-Or - covering Leviticus 26-27, looking specifically at the second theme for the chapter - God Blesses Our Faithfulness.  Here, the commentary for today focuses on v3-13 which describes how God blesses our obedience to Him in response to His commands, all of His commands, including the commands He gave in v1-2 (see also post yesterday) where we are to worship Him and not other gods and how we are observe Sabbath.  Leviticus 26:3-13 describes blessings that, according the commentary, can be categorized as prosperity, protection, and His presence - of course all wonderful and amazing blessings. Yet, lest believers fall into the trap of believing that God promises us (in return for faithfulness) health, wealth, and other earthly blessings, the commentary (and John MacArthur and John Piper) warns us to not read into Leviticus 26 to find the keys to health, wealth, etc. While God does promise blessings for obedience in v3-13, the commentary instead makes the following points, emphasizing that "we should apply such promises in a way that is consistent with God's entire revelation in the Bible": 

1. "God made these promises not to individuals, but the Israel as a whole"
2. "God does bless our faithfulness, just not in the way the prosperity preachers claim.  In some places in the world, faithfulness to Jesus results in persecution, not prosperity.  When some Muslim people leave Islam to follow Jesus, their families disown them and sometimes physically assault or kill them.  Does God take care of them? He takes care of them for eternity! He blesses our faithfulness forever in heaven." See also John 16:33
   
3. "God blesses our faithfulness in many ways, best of all with Himself." See also John 1:14  
   

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Jesus, You are amazing and I know You bless me in ways that the world does not understand and in ways that I will fully appreciate when I meet You face to face in Heaven - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You bless me.  My sin - of many kinds - continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life....ow the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Chapter 42: Pages 597-606

He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life....ow the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:6,17-18

This morning, I continued John Piper's book Providence (purchased from Amazon Kindle Store) with Part 3 "The Nature and Extent of Providence", moving to Section 8 "Providence Over Christian Living" - moving to chapter forty-two "Working in Us That Which Is Pleasing in His Sight".

Here, Piper seeks to demonstrate that "God brings about obedience in his people[.]"  We are encouraged to step back and reflect on the ultimate purpose of God's providence; that it "necessarily includes the Christ-exalting (2 Thessalonians 1:10,12), grace-praising (Ephesians 1:6), God-glorifying (Philippians 2:11) holiness and happiness of his people...[and] happiness in God as our supreme treasure is the essence of holiness." Our holiness was predestined, promised, purchased, and performed by God - with the latter being the core focus of this chapter.  Under the Old Covenant, "[o]bedience was commanded but not created."  Ezekiel 36:27 was highlighted in my last post, and Piper draws the connection from this Old Testament prophecy to that and how God causes obedience in believers and it is from God and the Holy Spirit - 2 Corinthians 3:6,17-18 and Hebrews 13:20-21 both serve as scriptural evidence. "[The] transformation-conformity to Christ that God commands and creates-is required not because the righteousness imputed to us in justification is insufficient to bring us instantly into God's eternal favor.  At the moment we are united to Christ through faith, his sin-bearing punishment and perfect obedience are counted as ours."

Piper wraps up the chapter by stating that our obedience is an "effect of our acceptance with God, not a means to it. Our acceptance with God is the root of our obedience, not the fruit."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who gave me a heart of flesh and are working in me to cause obedience and ever increasing conformity to Yourself - for Your glory and my happiness.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You work in my life.  I fall short, with sin...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Chapter 38: Pages 543-554

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

This morning, I continued John Piper's book Providence (purchased from Amazon Kindle Store) with Part 3 "The Nature and Extent of Providence", moving to Section 8 "Providence Over Christian Living" - moving to chapter thirty-eight "Forgiveness, Justification, and Obedience".

Here, Piper begins (continues through chapter 43) to explore "God's saving providence between conversion and eternal glory." Piper wants us to understand "what [God] command[s] from us and commits to do for us so that we will have vigilance and confidence for every hazard." He then moves on to state that "[t]he provision of God's providence for our perseverance does not begin with the commandments to persevere, or with God's power to help us."  Forgiveness, justification (Christ's perfect righteousness counted as ours) and and obedience are all preceded by both Christ's death (once for all) and resurrection and our conversion. Piper uses Romans 3:28, 4:5, 5:1, and Galatians 2:16, 3:8) to clarify that although justification occurs "the moment we believe...[t]he obedience of Christ, the basis for our justification, was completed once for all before we existed (Romans 5:19)." 

As a lead in to the next five chapters, Piper sums it up by stating that "forgiveness and justification are indispensable starting points for the Christian life. And they form the ongoing foundation of every act of Christian obedience."  We are encouraged to avoid chasing acceptance but instead charged to see that we have already been justified through Christ's blood and our conversion.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who both forgives and justifies me through Your death on the cross - thank You!  I am not deserving of such a gift - the greatest gift of all time. My sin is great and it will continue until I die - including my sin today.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12

I continue with my study of - Ten Men of the Bible: How God Used Imperfect People to Change the World - eBook by Max Lucado (for purchase). This morning, I continue with the story of "Joseph: Shaky Limbs and Unanswered Questions*".

*Title of lesson six from the Max Lucado study.

The commentary* of day four starts with Max Lucado speculating how Joseph must have felt with the impending birth of Jesus - confused about why God was doing what He was doing and of course about what He was doing.  Joseph had so many questions about God's plan.  Lucado wants us to appreciate how our understanding and full clarity of God's plan is not a prerequisite for our obedience.  If it is clear that we have a command to follow, it does not matter what we do and don't know about God's plan or about our circumstances, we are to obey.  We exist to glorify God so we must be obedient to His commands.

One day we will see God face to face and have the clarity we so deeply desire but until then we must simply obey.

Lucado uses the following verses to help us more fully understand the importance of obedience.

• Luke 6:47-49
• John 14:21
  
• James 1:22-25

Comment and discuss this post here. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and whose Word is a lamp for my feet - even when I don't know what the plan is, I can trust in You to provide, to guide, to protect, to heal, etc. You will never leave or forsake me and You always love me - this I know with certainty.  I am deserving of how You love me.  I often fail to be obedient, and my sin continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

Genesis 6-9

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” Genesis 9:12-16

I continue with my study of - Ten Men of the Bible: How God Used Imperfect People to Change the World - eBook by Max Lucado (for purchase). This morning, in preparation for leading my Friday morning men's Bible study peer group, I am going to summarize my key takeaways from a review of Genesis 6-9 and the story of "Noah: Hope When the Floodwaters Rise*".

*Title of lesson one from the Max Lucado study.

The overarching theme of the study is one of hope, and how God provides this hope.  Our story starts in Genesis 6 where we see that a relationship with God is a basis for supernatural and eternal hope.  God is very disappointed in what He created with humanity (and humanity's wickedness) and so He set in motion a plan to wipe out all of humanity through a flood - except for one man and his family: Noah.  The first question we must ask ourselves at this point is why did God choose Noah?  Well, scripture tells us that "Noah pleased the Lord" (Genesis 6:8).  It also tells us that "Noah did everything that God commanded him" (Genesis 6:22, 7:5, 7:16).  God chose Noah and his family to be the basis for humanity after the flood because Noah "was a good man, the most innocent man of his time" AND he "walked with God" (Genesis 6:9).  Yet at the same time, we know Noah did not lead a perfect life because at least on one occasion (Genesis 9:20-21) he became drunk and the Bible is clear that this is a sin. We don't know the extent of Noah's sin; for example, whether he was an alcoholic; and we also don't know what OTHER sins Noah had.  We only know that he was "the most innocent man of his time". But it is fair to say that Noah is a great example of how God uses broken and sinful people to accomplish His will.  This should serve to both humble and encourage us.  We can all be used by God in ways that our human minds cannot even begin to fathom - all starting with a relationship with God and a desire to glorify and please Him. 

As the story unfolds, we see that the flood is not just overwhelming in terms of destruction but one can sense that it was overwhelming emotionally.  Scripture tells us "[a]ll that was left was Noah and what was with him in the boat" (Genesis 6:23).  We get this detail so that we can place ourselves in Noah's shoes - so that we can feel his isolation and loneliness.  Noah was probably isolated and lonely as he built the ark - likely mocked by those around him during this time who saw his building activities as foolish and laughable. Even though Noah had his wife and family (and a veritable zoo!) during the flood and its aftermath, the flood itself lasted more than a year (see Genesis 7:11, 8:3-5, 8:6, 8:13-14 for more hints on the timeline)! During this time of a pandemic we can both sympathize and empathize with Noah - this must have been rough!  We know (and scripture tells us) that we are designed to live with others together - supporting and encouraging one another.  Now, how did Noah get through the flood emotionally?  God gave Him hope.  After 150 days of flooding, "God remembered Noah and all the wild and tame animals with him in the boat" (Genesis 8:1).  He made a wind, made the water go down, and rested the ark on top of a mountain so that Noah had perspective and could actually see MORE of the land as the water receded (Genesis 8:2-5) - by giving Noah perspective, this in and of itself is encouraging as often just taking a step back and having perspective provides hope.  Also, after initially releasing a raven that eventually returned because it found no place to land (Genesis 8:6-9), Noah sent out a dove and this time it returned with an olive leaf, and then he sent the dove again, and then it did not return as it likely found a place to land and live on its own (Genesis 8:12).  In between rounds of sending the dove out, we see that Noah gained encouragement by what God was doing as it says "[t]hen Noah knew that the ground was almost dry" (Genesis 8:11). We see God providing hope as well when Noah and his family leave the ark and step onto dry land after the flood waters receded. Noah builds an altar to the Lord (Genesis 8:20), offers sacrifices, and God is pleased (Genesis 8:21-22).  Yet even as Noah and his family left the ark, their future was far from certain and this must have been lurking in their minds.  So God once again offers encouragement and hope as He blesses them and makes a covenant with them (Genesis 9:1-17). 

 Questions for discussion:

1. For those of you who became a believer later in life (and did not grow up in the church), can you share where you placed your hope and how this did not provide supernatural and eternal hope?
   
2. Assuming you agree that obedience to God is key to pleasing Him, are their commands that you find burdensome or harder than others?  Read 1 John 5:3
   
3. Can you share times in your life when you were overwhelmed in your circumstances but God gave you hope?
4. What other stories in the Bible give you hope and why?
5. What verses give you hope and why?
6. How have you used the hope God gave You to give hope to others?
7. Anything else you would like to share about Noah's story or about what we have discussed?

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who both gives me hope and who has given me hope when I have been overwhelmed in my circumstances.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the supernatural and eternal hope that only You provide.  I have sin...daily, including worry, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your messages for me today and every day.