Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.

 Colossians 1:24-2:5

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. Colossians 1:24-26

I continue my study of Paul's prison epistles - Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.  Today my focus is Colossians 1:24-2:5, where Paul moves from describing the preeminence of Christ to sharing the purpose of his ministry work.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.  

• What do we learn from the text about God?: V25: Paul's ministry is stewardship of both the Word and spiritual gifts given him from God to share and teach the Word.  Vv25-26: God's Word is made fully known through Christ and revealed to believers, implying that some will not see the gospel (not be saved) as believers do.  Vv2:2-3: Christ is the source of "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" - see also Proverbs 1:7 and 9:10.        
• What do we learn from the text about people?: V14: Paul starts by sharing the first of his purposes of his ministry - that (according to interpretation by John Piper) his sufferings represent an extension of Christ's sufferings for those who were unable to personally witness His sufferings on the cross.  Vv25-27: Paul continues by sharing that his suffering furthers the effort to make the Gospel fully known to the Gentiles - that they comprehend and appreciate the riches of Christ glory.  V28: Paul then moves to further define what is meant by fully known and he does so by sharing that those who know and accept Jesus mature in Christ. Discipleship is key - we are called to not to just know Christ but to grow in Christ. V29: Paul emphasizes that he toils and struggles for this end....and Christ works powerfully in him to equip him.  This same equipping power is within all believers - the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. V2:1: Paul loves (and lays down his life in a manner similar to Christ) those whom he has not met at Laodicea - we are to love other believers as God loves us - see also John 13:34-35. Vv2:2: Paul seeks to encourage believers to appreciate that they are "knit together in love," and that they mature so that they comprehend the "full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery."  V2:4: Paul seeks these things so that believers may defend against false teaching. 
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): We must avoid sinful influences that distract us and pollute God's Word. Claim the promise that Christ is the source of all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge - know and accept Him!  Follow Paul's example to allow sacrifice and suffering to extend the suffering of Christ to allow God's strength to shine through your weakness.  Know and mature in Christ.   

Comment and discuss this post

My Prayer: Father God, thank You for my salvation, for never leaving or forsaking me, and for working in me to equip and strengthen me to serve through sacrifice and struggle. I am not deserving of my salvation nor any of the blessings You pour out for me daily.  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.

“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land to which I bring you and when you eat of the bread of the land, you shall present a contribution to the LORD. Of the first of your dough you shall present a loaf as a contribution; like a contribution from the threshing floor, so shall you present it. Some of the first of your dough you shall give to the LORD as a contribution throughout your generations.

Numbers 15:1-21

“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land to which I bring you and when you eat of the bread of the land, you shall present a contribution to the LORD. Of the first of your dough you shall present a loaf as a contribution; like a contribution from the threshing floor, so shall you present it. Some of the first of your dough you shall give to the LORD as a contribution throughout your generations. Numbers 15:18-21

I continue my study of Numbers, and in the text today - Numbers 15:1-21 - while Israel remains in the wilderness, God gives Moses and the people laws for sacrifices that they are to make upon entry to the Promised Land.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.

• What do we learn from the text about God?: God seeks a relationship with Him and one of complete dependence on Him, recognizing that all that we have is because of Him and not of our own effort - see James 1:16.  Read along with Deuteronomy 26:1-11, the text focuses on how the people are to remember, celebrate, and be thankful for how God rescued the people from bondage in Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land.  God heard Israel's cries, responded and delivered them.  Of course, we should daily be thankful for God, who He is, what He has done, how He provides, and how He saves!  God is good!  Our response should be joyful and we should give as the text directs the people to do - and we are to give freely as a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). 
• What do we learn from the text about people?: The people up to this point have been grumbling and complaining and now God is turning their attention to a promise He made and how He is going to be faithful and bring them into the Promised Land.  We need constant reminders of God's goodness and faithfulness - otherwise, we are prone to wander, grumble and complain as Israel did.  God gives us His Word as His Daily Bread and we are to consume it!
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid grumbling and complaining.  Claim the promise that God delivers us and He is saving a place for us in Heaven - whatever we are experiencing is temporary and God is good....all the time.  Follow the example of those who responded joyfully upon entering the Promised Land and gave cheerfully.  Consume God's Daily Bread!   

Comment and discuss this post

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves.  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.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Matthew 6:9

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Matthew 6:9

I continue my study of The Character of Jesus.  For this morning, I focus on chapter 24: The Reverence of Jesus where I highlighted in my Kindle version the following excerpts:

• "No analysis of the character of Jesus would be complete which failed to recognize his reverence."
• "We know what reverence is, and yet we stumble in trying to define it. It is respect, regard, esteem, and honor; yes, and it is more than these....The basis of reverence is respect or honor, but it is respect or honor working with unwonted energy. It is a deep movement of the soul. It is respect or honor squared and cubed. And then again there is an elevation in the word "reverence" which respect and esteem do not have. Reverence is respect and esteem moving at high altitudes. It is one of the loftiest of all the emotions of the soul, and that is why it eludes us when we try to capture it in the meshes of a definition. What is it ? It is homage and obeisance and devotion, yes, and something more. It is awe and fear and adoration; yes, but even these do not tell the full-rounded story. The fact is, reverence is a complex emotion, made up of mingled feelings of the soul. There is in it respect and also affection and also fear, and along with these an abiding consciousness of dependence."
• "The wise men of Israel were convinced that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Their effort was to make men conscious of the existence of a God of infinite power and wisdom and goodness. He was the High and Holy One who inhabits eternity, and is therefore not to be approached carelessly or thought of lightly."
• "God is majestic and holy and can be approached only by a humble and prostrate heart."
• "This fear of the Lord was mighty in Jesus. God was continually before his eyes. His soul was pervaded with the sense of His presence, and all that he said and did was bathed in an atmosphere created by this consciousness of the fellowship and favor of the Eternal. To illustrate this is not easy. Jesus' entire life is an illustration of it."
• "No matter what Jesus is saying or doing, we feel we are in the presence of a reverential man. Would you see illustrations of his reverence, read the Gospels! The earnestness with which he was always pleading for reverence in others is proof that in him reverence was a divine and indispensable possession."
• "Probably no other words in the Lord's prayer have been so frequently slurred and overlooked as "hallowed be thy name."
• "Jesus is careful to place this petition at the very forefront of all our praying. Unless this desire is uppermost in our heart we are not in the mood of prayer. If our first thought is of ourselves and not of God, then we are not praying after the fashion of Jesus. When he tells us to put this petition first it is because he always put it first himself. Any low or unworthy thought of God was to Jesus' mind abhorrent and degrading. Living always with an eye single to the glory of God, he urged men everywhere so to speak and act and live that others seeing their good works might glorify their Father in heaven."
• "His respect for men was due not to what men were in themselves but to what they were in the eyes of God. They were God's children and therefore no matter how poor or degraded, they were worthy of respect and honor. Any cruelty in word or inhumanity in action toward a human being caused the heart of Jesus to flash fire, because such treatment of God's children was in his mind an insult to God Himself."
• "His reverence for his Father made the whole world holy, and because of his adoration for the Creator he could not turn his back upon any created being. "Honor all men" was one of the earliest exhortations of the apostles. It had its roots running down into Jesus' immeasurable reverence for God."
• "[The temple] was the house of God. It was erected for God's worship. It was a shrine for the adoring heart. It was intended to be a solace for men's woes and troubles, the very gate of Heaven....Jesus believed in the worship of God....So long as the spirit of reverence lives the worship is meaningful and beautiful; but when the spirit disappears, then the worship becomes demoralizing and corrupting. The worship of the Pharisees had lost out of it the spirit of adoration. It was cut and dried, dead, mechanical, without a heart and without a soul, and therefore odious to God and all right-thinking men."
• "Reverence is beautiful and renders beautiful whatever form it chooses in which to express itself; but when reverence dies, then the forms of reverence become corpse-like and contaminate all who handle them."
• "The soul of Jesus was reverent. He found it easy to bend the knee. It was natural for him to look up. He looked into his Father's face, saying at every step, "Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God!" Here, then, we have a virtue upon whose beauty we should often fix our eyes. We do not have as much reverence as we ought to have. We are not by nature or by training a reverent people. There are those who say we become less reverent as the years go on."
• "One finds this lack of reverence even in the church. In every community there are those who treat the house of God as they treat a street-car, entering it and leaving it when they please. Even habitual church attendants often surprise and shock one by their irreverent behavior in the house of prayer. Those persons are not ignoramuses or barbarians; they are simply undeveloped in the virtue of reverence."
• "Fear is one of the elements in reverence, and there is a popular impression that all fear is degrading. Fear is of two kinds, — there is a godly fear and a fear which is ungodly. The latter has terror in it and throws a shadow and brings a chill. But there is a fear which all unspoiled spirits feel in the presence of the high and holy."
• "If mortal man, stained and marred by sin, is not awed by the thought of a Holy God, it is because he has lost the power of feeling. If there is a fear which degrades and paralyzes, there is also a fear which cleanses and exalts. The fear of the Lord is not only a virtue to be coveted by men, it is a grace lacking which angels and archangels would be incomplete."
• "Reverence is the atmosphere of heaven. Let us come often then to the reverent Man of Nazareth who by his awe-struck obeisance to his Heavenly Father shames us out of our irreverence and makes it easier for the heart to kneel."

Indeed, the more one takes the time to read and earnestly study the Bible - not for academic purposes - but to search for Him and to hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6), there is no doubt that reverence for Him is the result.  The weeping prophet Jeremiah - speaking to disillusioned Israel in exile - delivers God's message sharing in Jeremiah 29:13 that "[y]ou will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." When you find God, You will inevitably drop to Your knees in worship in awe of Your creator, provider, and Savior.  Seek God.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are King of Kings and You do not need me.  Yet You loved me while still sinning and an enemy of You and You pulled me out of the pit, saving me from eternal damnation.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my salvation nor any blessing You pour out for me.  My sin is great and it continues...every day.  Please forgive me.  Help me turn from, overcome, 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 live in reverent fear and awe of who You are.  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.   

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

Mark 1:1-5

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Mark 1:1-5

I continue my study of The Character of Jesus.  For this morning, I focus on the chapter 3: Sources where I highlighted in my Kindle version the following excerpts:

• "This is the surprising thing that all the story of [Jesus'] life is contained in this one book. There were many Greek writers living in the days of Jesus, but not one of them wrote his life, so far as any scholar knows. Not a scrap of Jesus' biography at the hands of a Greek...[or] Roman [or] Jewish poet or historian has come down to us."
  
• "To be sure, there are apocryphal gospels and apocryphal acts and apocryphal epistles and apocalypses, but no one of these, nor do all of them together, throw any light on the character of Jesus which is not furnished by our New Testament. Everything that is positively known of Jesus of Nazareth is confined between the covers of the New Testament."
  
• "That the life of the greatest and most important man who ever lived upon the earth should be written on pages so small and few is one of the surprises."
  
• A study of the gospels reveals little about the completeness of Jesus' life. "They mention what he did or said only on from thirty to thirty-five days. That is, they confine their attention to one thirtieth of his public life, twenty-nine thirtieths being a total blank."
  
• "[The authors of the gospels] recorded many things which he said, but his recorded sayings can be spoken easily within five hours. They tell many things which he did, but nearly all of them might have been crowded into a day, so meager is their report of what Jesus said and did. It is evident then, that we do not have as much information as we want. The question is. Do we have as much as we need?"
• Jesus spoke in Aramaic, but "there are not a dozen Aramaic words left in the gospels." We are left with Greek and subsequently English translations. "We have no copies of the New Testament that run back beyond the fourth century — and this also is a surprise."
  
• From the gospels we know nothing of Jesus' personal appearance or his mannerisms - we are only left to study His character.
  
• Charles Jefferson - the author - encourages us to read Mark as it is "probably the oldest...shortest...most graphic" of the gospels and "seems to come nearest to Jesus as men saw him in the says of his humiliation."  Jefferson ends the chapter by sharing that "[i]t is a sad mistake for any man or any woman to leave religious matters entirely to the minister. The Roman Catholic who leaves everything to the priest does not grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord. The Protestant who simply comes to church and listens to the preacher speak, and who makes no earnest effort to study for himself the great literature in which are enshrined the oracles of God — that Protestant fritters away his opportunities and does not build up within himself those deep convictions and that enduring knowledge which will make him a power and blessing in his day and generation. In other words, I cannot study the character of Jesus for you, you must study it for yourselves. All that I can hope to do is to drop suggestions which may possibly assist you in your study."
  

It is this recommendation from Charles Jefferson, where I anchor myself this morning - to the study of Mark as an accompaniment to Mr. Jefferson's book.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an incredible God worthy not just of study but also of worship.  You are the One True God who saves! Thank You for saving me and giving me both new life but also eternal life.  I am not deserving...not by a long shot.  My sin - harshness and being critical being just one of my sins - 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.  

 

See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:15-18

See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.  Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18

Now that I have wrapped my my study of the last four books of the Old Testament (Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi), I start anew using a book that I never completed but I am now going back to - an homage to my brother in Christ and mentor Warren Snyder, who introduced me to this book - The Character of Jesus.  For this morning, I focus on chapter 2: Reasons for our Study where I highlighted in my Kindle version the following excerpts:

• "The world is filled with the inventions of human skill and genius, but there is a vast emptiness which neither science nor art is able to fill."
• Life is full of discontent in ourselves or in the world, and Jesus shares promises of rest, the bread and drink of Life, the Light of the World, peace, power, and joy (for example see Matthew 11:28, John 6:35, and 14:27).  "Bread and water, light and rest and peace and power and joy, are these not the seven elemental blessings which make human life complete? If this man promises to give us the things which the soul most desires, it is worth while to study his method and find out, if we can, how his proffered gifts can be most speedily obtained."
•  Jesus' "supreme concern is for the rightness of heart of the individual man. This moulder of empires gives himself to the task of moulding individual men. This arch revolutionist starts his conflagrations in the individual soul. He draws one man to him, infuses into him a new spirit, sends him after one brother man, who in time goes after a third man, and this third man after a fourth, and thus does he weld a chain by means of which Caesar shall be dragged from his throne."
• In transforming lives, Jesus does not care about the "nature or nurture" theory, where a man is in his station or how he got there. He uses other men to change the character of a man. "It is by the changing of the character of a man that we change the character of other men, and by changing the character of many men we change the character of institutions and ultimately of empires and civilizations. When Jesus says, " Behold I make all things new," he lays his hand on the heart of a man....He will introduce golden ages by giving individuals a character like his own." 
• "[T]here is no more effective worker for the world's redemption than the man or woman who in high or obscure places, strives, in season and out of season, to persuade men to conform their lives to the pattern presented to us in the character of Jesus; and no one is advancing so swiftly toward the golden age as the man or woman who by prayer and daily effort endeavors to build up in mind and spirit the virtues and graces of the Man of Galilee. Here then we find the supreme mission of the Christian clergyman: it is to help men to fall in love with the character of Jesus."
• Jesus is noted as "preeminently a man of prayer" and we are encouraged not just in our study of the Character of Jesus but at all times to be in prayer.  
  

It is on this last excerpt where I seek an anchor in scripture, looking specifically at text that emphasizes our need for prayer.  John Piper and DesiringGod.com provide a great pointer here.  In this short podcast, Piper unpacks 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 and answers the question how to pray without ceasing.  Piper shares first from the text that we focus on doing good in the face of evil (not focusing on revenge), and on doing good at all times, rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. He shares that the context here is that we should be doing these things at all times and in all circumstances.  He then stresses that the key themes we see in the text include a "spirit of dependence that should permeate all that we do," we should pray repeatedly and often, and that we should never give up on prayer.  Amen!

 Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who is SO good, and good to me. Thank You for the incredible grace You already poured out for me on the cross and for the grace You continue to pour out daily for me.  I am not deserving of this grace.  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 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 one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us...."For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life....In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace[.]

Romans 5:7-8, John 3:16, Ephesians 1:7

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us...."For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life....In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace[.] Romans 5:7-8, John 3:16, Ephesians 1:7

As I continue my preparation to lead worship at the Gardens and The Lodge on Sunday 30MAR (pausing on my study of the last four books of the OT using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume), I march forward in my use of DesiringGod.com's 40-day devotional Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die.  Today in an effort to catch up and read as much as possible as part of my 30MAR preparation, I am going to "triple-down" by reading three entries of the devotional.  These three entries look at the following three reasons why Jesus came to die:

3. To learn obedience and be perfected: The devotion shares that although Christ was divine He was also the incarnate Son of God and took on human form.  Yet even as a man, He was sinless and perfectly obedient, despite how he shared all of the "temptations and appetites and physical weaknesses" experienced by all of humanity. We are then referred to Hebrews 5:8 and 2:10 where the devotion describes how Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered."  The trials and suffering Jesus experienced did not make Him more perfect or obedient, yet it did "gradually fulfill...the perfect righteousness that he had to have in order to save us....If the Son of God had gone from incarnation to the cross without a life of temptation and pain to test his righteousness and his love, he would not be a suitable Savior for fallen man. His suffering not only absorbed the wrath of God. It also fulfilled his true humanity and made him able to call us brothers and sisters (Hebrews 2:17)."

4. To achieve His own resurrection from the dead: The commentary shares that "the Bible says he was raised not just after the blood-shedding, but by it." We are referred to Hebrews 13:20.  The devotion continues: Through Christ's death "the righteousness of God was completely vindicated. All that was left to accomplish was the public declaration of God’s endorsement [emphasis added]. This he gave by raising Jesus from the dead....If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then his death was a failure, God did not vindicate his sin-bearing achievement, and we are still in our sins."  See also 1 Corinthians 15:17.

5. To show the wealth of God's love and grace for sinners: The devotion describes how believers should view the measure of God's love: first by "the degree of his sacrifice," and second by "the degree of [our] unworthiness." Christ is described as not just our Savior but also as the One who "conquered the Romans, and brought peace and security to Israel....indeed [He is] king of the world (Isaiah 9:6-7)."  This context is important because it further emphasizes the great sacrifice Christ made on the cross: "it becomes clear that the sacrifice the Father and the Son made was indescribably great—even infinite, when you consider the distance between the divine and the human. But God chose to make this sacrifice to save us."  The devotion then shares how God's love increases all the more when we "consider our unworthiness."  We are undeserving of salvation due to our sin and condemned to death (Romans 6:23). God's grace and love is so great for us!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an incredible and awesome God who knows everything that I experience and can not only empathize with my circumstances, but equip me to overcome anything about my circumstances.  You also died and rose so that I am no longer dead in my sins.  Thank You Jesus.  You also died (and rose) as proof of Your love and grace for me.  Thank You Father God and Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and grace.  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.

“And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the LORD. And you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.”

Zechariah 6:1-15

“And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the LORD. And you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.” Zechariah 6:15

I continue my study of the last four books of the OT (complete: Zephaniah, Haggai; to complete: Zechariah, Malachi) - using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For today, my focus is an unassisted review of Zechariah 6:1-15, which the commentary outlines as the third of three divisions for the text 5:1-6:15 (5:1-4, 5-11, 6:1-15).  Here Zechariah's visions from the Lord continue as he has a vision of four chariots coming out from mountains of bronze, and these chariots are being led by four horses of different colors - all traveling to the four winds of heaven.  Their purpose was to patrol the earth - suggesting protection for Israel and God's people.  God's Spirit is at rest in the north country.  As the vision continues, the Lord calls for specific exiles - Heldai (mentioned once in scripture - 1 Chronicles 27:15, during the period when Solomon is charged to build the first temple), Tobijah (also mentioned once in scripture - 1 Chronicles 17:8 during the reign of Jehoshaphat when the Book of the Law was taken throughout the land for instruction of the people), and Jedaiah (who is mentioned not just in 1 Chronicles, but also in Ezra and Nehemiah - which focus on the rebuilding of the temple and Jerusalem by God's people who have returned from exile) to return from exile to make a crown and set it upon Joshua (same Joshua from Haggai and earlier chapters in Zechariah).  Joshua is once again anointed as special in his role to lead the temple reconstruction effort and God's people - although once again we should be reminded that he was not a particularly extraordinary man but used by God nonetheless.  Joshua will sit on the throne.  God's hand in the reconstruction effort will be undeniable - see v15.  Believers do not deny that God exists, is real and reigns over all, and that He sent His Son sent to seek and save the lost, and that His Son Jesus died on the cross for the sins of all humanity so that we can have forgiveness of sins now and eternal life. Yet many doubted and denied God during the time of the temple reconstruction and many still do.  Similar to when the temple reconstruction took place, believers are to be a light such that it is undeniable that God exists and reigns, etc. We exist to glorify God.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion - giving me hope in my daily battle with sin.  Thank You Jesus!  Amazing grace indeed!  I am not deserving of such hope.  My sin 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.

From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.

Isaiah 64:1-4

From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him. Isaiah 64:4

This morning, as I prepare to teach and lead a Sunday school discussion on James 5:7-11, I review and fine tune my presentation one final time, and review another short podcast episode from DesiringGod.com entitled How Do I Wait for God.  Here, John Piper uses text from Isaiah where the prophet is talking to Israelites who are "in danger from enemies, Assyrians and then Babylonians. Now, the danger that God sees is not so much the Assyrians and the Babylonians, but the temptation to run to Egypt for help instead of to God. Instead of waiting for God’s help, he sees the temptation looming large that they’re going to go after human help."  We are referred to Isaiah 31:1 where God speaks through Isaiah warning Israel not to fall prey to self-reliance but instead to pray and trust and wait on the Lord.  As he describes what waiting on the Lord means, Piper emphasizes that in our challenges and trials, "the first thing that waiting on God means is this: before you make one peep of an effort to solve your own problem or hire a human agency, pray. Seek the counsel of God."  Piper then shares how sometimes God tells us to be still in our waiting - and we are referred to Exodus 14:13-14.   Piper concludes by sharing a third way in which God wants us to wait on Him - this is to wait and act but to act with a spirit of waiting (or expectancy) knowing that it is God that must work through us and get all the glory.  We are referred to God's counsel to David in 2 Samuel 5:19, Proverbs 21:31, and Psalm 33:16–17, 20–22.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - giving me Your Word and providing for all of my needs, most importantly my salvation.  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 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.

But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting.

1 Corinthians 9

But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. 1 Corinthians 9:15

I continue my study of 1 Corinthians.  I am assisted in my study by the Christ-Centered Exposition Series commentary for this book.  Today my focus is a review - unaided by the commentary - of 1 Corinthians 9:1-18. Here, Paul starts the text for today by asking a number of rhetorical questions about his rights as an apostle.  Paul has certainly worked as hard as anyone as one of the greatest Christian mission leaders ever - perhaps the greatest.  Yet Paul does not use this to boast and "puff" himself up as this is contrary to what he just discussed in chapter 7 (see post yesterday). Paul knows - as all believers should - that we are not deserving of anything, and that God provides for all of our needs - out of grace alone.  Workers typically are allowed to lay claims or rights to the fruit of their labor as compensation - see v3-12a. But Paul shares how he does not make such a claim for himself lest it be an "obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ" (v12b, 15).  Paul is willing to endure anything in his effort to spread the Good News (v12b). He would rather die than "be deprived of [the] ground for boasting" with this ground being the call and mission given to Him by Christ Himself to preach the gospel (v15-16).  Paul's reward is not bragging rights but that He shares in the gospel, and the blessings of seeing and experiencing God's harvest in calling people to Himself (v16-18). 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me, providing for all of my needs and giving me the blessing of seeing Your hand in my life and in the lives of others.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You provide and how You bless me.  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 by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me....To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15 and 2 Thessalonians 1

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me....To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:10, 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Today, I once again draw on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, where John Piper describes how grace is not just pardon for our sins but also power for our obedience.  Piper states: "[t]herefore, the effort we make to obey God is not an effort done in our own strength, but “by the strength that God supplies — in order that in everything God may be glorified” (1 Peter 4:11). It is the obedience of faith. Faith in God’s ever-arriving gracious power to enable us to do what we should."  Humility remains one of the cornerstones of our faith: faith is a gift (Ephesians 2:8) and we are not deserving (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8, Romans 6:23) and here we are reminded how this cornerstone of faith works with regards to grace and how it drives our obedience. Thank You Jesus!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who loves me and who is full of grace for me - for my salvation and faith, but also for my obedience and sanctification - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of any of these blessings - my sin 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.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

This afternoon, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter twelve Missions Exists Because Worship Doesn’t, pages 170-179.  Here, Piper outlines ten (10) Biblical convictions that drive missions: 

1. The fame of God's name: "God is passionately committed to the fame of his name, and that he be worshiped by all the peoples of the world—and this is not egomania; it is love.  Missions, global outreach, is about joining God in his passion to love the nations by offering himself to them for
   the overflowing joy of their praise." Psalm 96:3, Isaiah 12:4, Romans 15:9, Romans 9:17
2. A goal and a fuel for missions: "worship is the goal and the fuel of missions; missions exists because worship doesn’t. Psalm 22:27
3. Faith comes from hearing. Acts 4:12, Romans 10:17, 1 John 5:12, Matthew 28:19
4. Worshipers from every people. Revelation 5:9-10
5. Frontier missionaries: "there is a critical need for Paul-type missionaries whose calling and passion is to take the gospel to peoples where there is no access to the gospel at all." Romans 15:20
6. Worthy of God: "We must send global partners in a manner worthy of God." 3 John 6
7. Wartime mindset: "It is fitting for us to have a wartime mindset in the use of our resources as long as peoples are without the gospel and we have resources to send it." 2 Corinthians 8:2
8. Wartime walkie talkie: "Prayer is a wartime walkie-talkie, not a domestic intercom....One of the reasons our prayer malfunctions is that we try to treat it like a domestic intercom for calling the
   butler when we want another pillow in the den. But prayer is mainly for those on the front lines of the war effort, so they can call in to headquarters to send help. John 15:16
9. Suffering is the plan: "Suffering is not only the price for being in missions; it is God’s plan for getting the job done. This is not just the price many must pay. This is God’s strategy for victory. Matthew 10:25, Matthew 24:9, Matthew 10:16, Revelation 12:11
   
10. The mission will succeed. Matthew 28:19, Matthew 16:18, Matthew 24:14
    

Piper recognizes that not all will become goers, so he urges all of us who might not to be a sender and to encourage, pray and support those in the mission field.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has blessed me with those who have shared the gospel with me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the salvation You provided me.  I have great sin 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.  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. 

Think about what I am saying, because the Lord will give you the ability to understand everything.

Pages: 339-349

Think about what I am saying, because the Lord will give you the ability to understand everything. 2 Timothy 2:7

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter twenty-four: Active Reading Means Asking Questions.  Here, Piper continues to unpack his recommendations on natural reading - and how we can read actively and attentively by looking deeply at Scripture.  In this chapter, he focuses on asking questions as we read and by aggressively seeking answers to these question. He writes that we are to "habitually spot things that at first don't make complete sense, feel a disturbance in our minds, and then dig our way down to the beauty of truth."  He pleads that "with the profoundest respect for God's word, and with great confidence in its unity, we spot these puzzles and spare no effort to dig down till we find the unity [(that brings parts of the Bible together)]."

We are warned that "there is a direct correlation between what we understand of God and how intensely we admire him.  You can only muster only so much admiration for someone you don't know.  God is not honored by such admiration." 

He wraps up the chapter by stating that we are to "aggressively ask questions to yourself and to the text.  Little by little, thread by thread, you begin to see the intricately woven fabric of God's revelation.  Over time you will be changed."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and Your Word is treasure indeed, sweeter than honey and more valuable than silver and gold.  I am sustained by Your Word and I see Your glory in Your Word.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of Your Word or anything You provide for me, particularly salvation - I have sinned gravely and I continue to sin.  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.

Most of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures ever comes from the prophet’s own interpretation. No prophecy ever came from what a person wanted to say, but people led by the Holy Spirit spoke words from God.

Pages: 303-312

Most of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures ever comes from the prophet’s own interpretation. No prophecy ever came from what a person wanted to say, but people led by the Holy Spirit spoke words from God. 2 Peter 1:20-21

This afternoon, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter twenty-one - The Ordinary Aim of Reading: Five Reasons to Define Meaning as What the Author Intended to Communicate.  Here, Piper seeks to build on the previous chapter by providing five reasons "for advocating for" reading to understand what the author intended to communicate. 

 First, "the Bible assumes it" - Piper provides a few examples, including 1 Corinthians 5:9-11, John 21:20-23, and 11:11-14 to help us see that "Jesus really does intend for us to pay close attention to his words in order to hear what he really intends to communicate."  He goes on to say that "[t]here is little good that will come if we bring a definition of meaning to the Scriptures that they themselves do not assume."

Second, we should pursue "this definition of meaning because it helps us treat others the way we would like to be treated."  Put another way, we should "[r]ead an author of any important communication the way you would like to be read if you wrote an important communication."  Piper goes on to say that "when we write important things, we want our readers to make every effort to see and honor our intentions as we wrote." Of course the implication is that the Bible an important communication and we should treat it accordingly!

Third, we read this way because we humble, assuming we seek to grow closer in our understanding of God.

Fourth, we read this way "our way of reading corresponds to the way the universe really is."  Piper shares that "there is a life-shaping objective reality outside of us that we cannot control and that we need to know and adapt to...God is absolute reality."  He goes on to say that "[h]uman authors have imparted their God-given intention to words.  Those words exist, and those meanings exist. They are objective realities outside of us.  It is our glory to seek them and find them-by reading."

Fifth, and finally, we read this way because it has authority over us.  The meaning cannot change.  The applications may change based on the individual reading Scripture and their circumstances, but the meaning is fixed. Piper writes that the Bibles teachings and their "unchangeability that lets their divine authority endure from age to age."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are indeed great, as is Your Word and the Holy Spirit and I see Your glory in both and I am both amazed and blessed - thank You.  I am blessed and undeserving of the blessings You pour for me.  I am selfish and I have other sins.  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.

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing”....Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.

Psalm 8, 9, 16, 19, 21, and 24 

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing”....Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. Psalm 16:2, 5

Day 117 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues my focus on 112 of David's psalms which my study has not already covered or will not cover through other daily devotions as part of a broader study within their historical context. This study of these 112 psalms groups the psalms into five major topical areas, and I start a new group today: "Psalms of Joy and Praise".

Today's psalms focus on praise for man's glory and status in God's sight, praise for God's judgement against the wicked nations, praise for joy and security of the righteous, praise for God's creation and for His laws, praise for the king's blessings and reminder of God's wrath, and recognition that the earth belongs to the King of glory.

Praise is a critical aspect of our prayer life - I have often heard and like to use the A.C.T.S. acrostic for prayer - Adoration, Confession, Thanks, and Supplication.  R.C. Sproul encourages us to follow this method and start with praise and "[he has] noticed over many years that as we grow in the discipline and in the delight of prayer, it seems that we naturally spend more and more of our time on this first element".  He has also noticed that other approaches, such as S.C.A.T., fail to give due time and effort to adoration, confession, and thanksgiving.

On a related note, John Piper tells us that, using the acrostic A.P.T.A.T., praise should be our starting point as part of "practical steps to walk in God’s power whenever you open your Bible".

My Prayer: Without a doubt, You are an awesome God who loves me and who provides for all of my needs and seals me for eternity - thank You Jesus!  You are an incredible God - yet I am not deserving of such blessings.  I am full of pride - please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Thank You Jesus for Your grace and compassion but I need Your forgiveness daily!  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.

The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.’” When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, and they called that place Bokim.There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.

Joshua 13, 15, 17, 24, Judges 1-2:5

The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.’” When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, and they called that place Bokim.There they offered sacrifices to the Lord. Judges 2:1-5

Day 73 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) focuses on the death of Joshua and Eleazar (Aaron's son), their burial, as well as the burial of Joseph's bones - this latter burial done at the request of Joseph at his deathbed.  Once Joshua passes, we also see the failure of the Israelites to conquer the remaining inhabitants of the promised land. Judges 1 details these failures. 

My commentary* indicates "[t]he danger of an incomplete conquest is the lingering presence of pagan influence. As long as the Canaanites remain, the Israelites will inevitably intermarry with them, and, just as inevitably, turn to worship their pagan gods. Failure to drive out the inhabitants may indicate not only the softness of Israel’s resolve but also a certain fascination with the pagan culture about them. Whatever the reasons for their failure, God considers it a breach of covenant and knows that widespread idolatry is soon to follow."

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) . Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. "

God expects much of us and ultimately we will all be held to account.  As believers, we must get to work (see John Piper's post on this)!  We must in Peter's words, "make every effort" (mentioned 3x in 2 Peter 1).

“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:47-48

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and You have blessed me with much - my cup overflows.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  I often fail to make every effort - please forgive me Jesus!  Help me overcome and turn from such sin.  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.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. v10-11

Building on my post yesterday, John Piper gives another stem-winder of a post encouraging us to grow - using 2 Peter 1:5-11 as the basis for his post.

I know I must grow in my ability to pray - for more requests more of the time - among other things.

Please God help me become a prayer warrior.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and I have seen the power of prayer in my own life and in the life of others - thank You Jesus for hearing and responding to all of my prayers.  I know You do.  I am not deserving.  I know I could pray more...and continually.  Please forgive me for falling down in my prayer life.  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 do.  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 this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

2 Peter 1

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. v5-9

Both the MacArthur Bible Study Commentary (for purchase) and the Summaries of Every Book in Bible indicate that this general epistle written by Peter is primarily to help believers avoid damage to their faith (and the church) by falling prey to false teachers and teachings.  This last letter by Peter to the church seeks to push the church and believers to grow stronger and by wary of weakening influences.

Peter warns of how we can become "ineffective and unproductive in [our] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (v8).

The words "add" and 'increasing measure" are key here as growth and spiritual maturity are, in John Piper's words, "not optional".  Piper uses Peter's own words from his first letter.

We must grow in Christ.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has helped me grow in Christ - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving for how You have blessed me.  I 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.

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Hebrews 12

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. v14

We exist to glorify God and to bring others to Jesus (see also here) - plain and simple to save them. The author of Hebrews makes it clear in v14 that people are watching us (believers) and if they don't see "holiness" in us they won't be drawn to Jesus. 

V14-17 include other warnings/encouragements, including:
- to be on guard for bitter roots that prevent fruit or in other words for "hinder[ance]s and the sin that so easily entangles" (v1)
- to avoid sexual immorality or godlessness, using Esau as an example of someone who through the promise of quick earthly satisfaction (a meal) threw away his father's blessing (v16-17)

On the subject of v14, there are MANY other scriptures about how we are to be a light. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who came to save me and feeds me - well beyond what I deserve.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  I worry and I have other sins.  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.

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. v11-13

The author of Hebrews continues to warn us about falling away...towards sin and unbelief.  The author wants to avoid the fate of unbelief - a fate of struggle in this world and damnation eternally - see also John Piper on this rest.  I get it...life can be painful and full of struggle.  But God IS with us and gives us rest...a rest that is not available elsewhere in this life and an eternal rest...for those who believe.

A key point Piper raises is how disobedience is seen by God - He reveals it to us in our reading of the Word (so we should be reading the Word to stay obedient) and He knows all about all of our disobedience.  A fear of God knowing about our disobedience and fear of God's understanding of this disobedience should drive us closer to God. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who helps me understand my sin so that I can shed myself of these impurities - I desire to be refined by You.  Thank You Jesus for helping me in this way - I am grateful!  Yet I am undeserving of such love.  I 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 to me today and every day.

Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

1 Timothy 4

Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. v14

Timothy is known to have a gift of teaching and sharing the Word of God.  He has a passion for it.  Paul writes in 2 Timothy 1 to "fan into flame the gift of God".  What's important here is that we ALL have the gift of God, yet makes each of us unique is HOW God gives us different skills and how He wants us to use this gift of God.

Paul writes about the distribution of gifts in both Romans 12:4-8 and 1 Corinthians 12.

See also this post from August this year.

We should make every effort to determine and discern our gifts - ALL of us are valuable and indispensable.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.  1 Corinthians 12:21-23

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who loves and who has helped me better understand what roles I can play in the world and in the church - thank You Jesus for this as well as for putting others in my life who have blessed me with THEIR gifts.  I am grateful for how You have knit us together so that we can support and encourage one another.  Yet I am undeserving of such blessings and love - I know I sin and daily.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart soul and mind.  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.