For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

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 1:18-25. Here the emphasis is the contrast in how God's wisdom (the Word) saves and has power - even as God uses ordinary and weak people as vessels through which He delivers the Word - in contrast to worldly wisdom and power which God manifests in kingdoms that are brought low and humbled at His will.  The text starts today by describing how God's Word is "folly" to those who spurn its teachings but the Word is God Himself and it is power for believers (John 1:1). The text then rhetorically challenges us to look elsewhere in the text where we may identify wisdom in the world, but are challenged us to see how God is the source of wisdom and how God both raises up those in power and also tears them down - all at His whim.  The text continues to state how God is not known through worldly wisdom, but instead through humans to whom God reveals Himself - ordinary and weak people such as Peter - and how God uses ordinary and weak people to save.  The world often seeks "signs" and "wisdom" just as the Jews and Greeks did (v22), but Christ - who died and rose again - and His Word is all that is need by those who are called and believed through faith.  This is of course very hard to understand by those who don't believe and that is the point - belief and faith is through God alone who chooses to reveal Himself to whom He chooses - not through any wisdom that is gained through human effort - it is divine!  We should be thankful that God chose us not through our own effort but through grace and election at God's will alone.  I am drawn to Isaiah 55:8 where it is written how God's ways and thoughts are not easily understood by the weak human mind - however sharp it may be by earthly standards. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who IS wisdom, gives wisdom, and who saves - all by grace.  Thank You for my salvation and for the wisdom You provide to guide me as a lamp for my feet and life. I am not deserving of my salvation and for the wisdom You alone provide.  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.  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 Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

1 Corinthians 1

For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 1 Corinthians 1:17

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 and study - assisted by the commentary - of 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, which the commentary unpacks via a main idea* and four (4) divisions*:

Main Idea: The family of God should unite with one another in Christ, refusing to create divisions or to elevate anyone as more important. 

In the introduction, the commentary describes how the church in Corinth fought over a "cult of personality" where (see v12) instead of everyone focusing and following Jesus, some followed Paul, some Apollos, and some Cephas. It continues by sharing*: "[d]ividing into political parties may be the way of the world, but it should not be the practice of the people of God. There could not be a more relevant word for the twenty-first-century church. Our eyes and ears need to be wide open to the counsel of God’s appointed apostle here. God is speaking through him. So, let us explore what divides and even destroys a church."

1.  You Stop Thinking Like Jesus (1:10): Paul appeals to the Corinthian church in a gentle manner and invokes Jesus' name to ensure the church sees how it is God who seeks unity - not simply an opinion of Paul. The commentary refers us to Philippians 2:2, 5, and 4:2 where Paul discusses how the entire church should think and act as one with one purpose - to glorify God in all that they do and to bring the Good News to all nations. Paul believes the Corinthians had lost this unity and single-mindedness and were not demonstrating love of God and others.  
   
2.  You Start Fussing and Fighting with One Another (1:11). The commentary reminds us how church infighting (in person, online, and behind people's backs) distracts the church from its mission: "a watching world was being turned off the gospel of Jesus Christ in the process."
   
3.  You Buy into the Cult of Personality (1:12-13).  The commentary* describes each of those called out in v12: "(a) Paul: their founder, who was just an average preacher; (b) Apollos: the eloquent preacher from Alexandria; (c) expositor extraordinaire Cephas (i.e., Peter): the Jewish apostle and pillar of the church from the inner circle of Jesus; (d) Jesus: the Savior!."  The commentary* reminds us that we should avoid "put[ting] a person on a pedestal that belongs only to Jesus." We are to "take pride in Jesus and only him!"  On these notes, the commentary refers us to Colossians 1:18 and Galatians 6:14.
   
4.  You Forget What Matters Most (1:14-17).

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves and who is full of grace and mercy for me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and blessing.  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.

*Akin, Dr. Daniel L.; Merritt, James. Exalting Jesus in 1 Corinthians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

I appeal to you, brothers,[a] by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

1 Corinthians 1

I appeal to you, brothers,[a] by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 1 Corinthians 1:10

I continue my study of 1 Corinthians.  I am assisted in my study by the Christ-Centered Exposition Series commentary for this book.  This morning my focus is a review - unaided by the commentary - of 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. Here, the text focuses primarily on Paul's words to the church in Corinth that they avoid divisions by chasing a culture of personality - I say this because Paul refers to "quarreling among you" in verse 11 and in verse 12 he clarifies by saying "what I mean" where he describes this culture of personality in v12-16.  Specifically, Paul was warning about worship of a teacher/pastor vs worship of Jesus.  In general, a church may face disagreement and conflict across many areas - some key areas (i.e. doctrine), other areas less important (i.e. church music, decor of church, about whether to have a program or not/and how to have it, etc.).  It is most important to agree on the matters of doctrine - and to be aligned with scripture on these matters. Everything else is less important and disagreements can be tolerated as along as handled with grace.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who is full of grace for me - even when I have criticized and complained about church leadership - thank You for Your grace and forgiveness.  I am not deserving of such grace and forgiveness - my sin continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me with my sins of commission and omission.  Help me overcome and turn from such sins and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of m y 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 is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 1

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9

I continue my study of 1 Corinthians.  I am assisted in my study by the Christ-Centered Exposition Series commentary for this book.  This morning my focus is a review and study - assisted by the commentary - of 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, which the commentary unpacks via three (3) divisions:

1. God Builds His Church in a Specific Way (1:1-3).* > emphasis on how Paul is called by God and given apostolic authority "as an emissary of the Lord Jesus Christ." Sosthenes is also called out by the text and the commentary describes him as the same man mentioned in Acts 18:17 and it posits that he became a "missionary serving alongside Paul in Ephesus." The commentary then describes several attributes of the church in Corinth - which can be applied all churches: (a) the church as "positional[ly] sanctif[ied]" (vs "experiential[ly] sanctif[ied]") - where the church as a whole defined as "God's holy people in Christ;" (b-c-d) church members as saints - those who in faith call on Jesus Christ as Lord; God's people as saints are a global body - not "contained by borders or...walls"; (e) "the Lord builds his church and blesses his saints with two essential kindnesses: grace and peace" which the commentary further shares as "God's Riches At Christ's Expense (GRACE)
   
2. God Gives Gifts to His Church, with Nothing Missing (1:4-7).* Here the emphasis in the text, as shared by the commentary is how graciously God provides, in particular through the distribution of spiritual gifts. It shares that "Paul draws attention to the gifts of 'all speech and all knowledge, '" and how "all spiritual gifts generally fall under one of three categories: knowledge, speaking, or service....Indeed, in Christ we get all that we will ever need to be pleasing to God and effective for God....[n]othing is missing."  
   
3. God Provides Hope for His Church with Powerful Promises (1:7-9).* The church is encouraged to hold fast to the faith and to be in expectant hope based on the promises of Christ's return and eternal rewards. The commentary describes the hope and encouragement for the church in Corinth as shared in the text in v9 - despite the church's challenges: "[t]he church at Corinth may be fragmenting and headed toward a split, but God nevertheless has a hold of the believers there by his Son. He will not let his people go, no matter what. He may have to exercise some tough love, but they are his and will remain his forever. You can count on it." 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good and You are so faithful! I know I can count on You and find a yes and all of Your promises!  Thank You for the hope and encouragement that only You can provide.  I am not deserving of the grace and blessings You pour out for 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 sie 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.

*Akin, Dr. Daniel L.; Merritt, James. Exalting Jesus in 1 Corinthians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (p. 6). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:4-8

I push on with my study of 1 Corinthians.  I am assisted in my study by the Christ-Centered Exposition Series commentary for this book.  This morning my focus is a review - unaided by the commentary - of 1 Corinthians 1:4-8.  Here, Paul, knowing he will ultimately focus much of this book to admonish the church in Corinth, starts the letter by reminding the church in Corinth who they are, as he encourages them to remain obedient and faithful.  This reminder serves all churches well - regardless of the health and vitality of the church.  Paul emphasizes how this letter greets not just the church in Corinth but "all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (v2).  We must remind ourselves how we (1) we're given grace, (2) were enriched by the teaching by Paul and others, (3) are not lacking anything. In light of this we are remain obedient and faithful. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and I know I am blessed, having been given grace, being enriched and sanctified by You, and having provided all things - thank You for these blessings Lord 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. 

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”

1 Corinthians 1

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.  For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”1 Corinthians 1:10-12

This morning I started a new study of Paul's letters, beginning with those that follow Romans, with the first being 1 Corinthians.  I am assisted in my study by the Christ-Centered Exposition Series commentary for this book. The introduction of the commentary provides an overview of the entire book and it describes how church is messy because it is "filled with people" who are by definition fallen and sinful - demonstrating "flaws, defects, and weaknesses"*. The commentary highlights Corinth as the one church that best "exhibited [the sinful nature of humanity within the church] more[so] than [any other church] in the first century....It was a mess theologically, practically, and morally."*  Paul does not waste much time getting to the many challenges within this church, which he planted and where he spent significant time, first sharing how the church should be united and not following a "cult of personality" as described by the commentary.  By way of application, while it is not necessarily a bad thing to prefer a church based on the sermons delivered by its pastor(s), from my own personal experience, a church is appropriate for us based on how it supports - holistically - your entire family's journey with Christ.  This is difficult to assess from sermons alone or from a single individual (i.e. pastor) from the church, and it takes time to engage with as much of the church as possible to determine its fit. As I jump into this book, it's important to emphasize what the commentary shares as Paul's intent for this letter to the church in Corinth: "to correct the worldly attitudes and arrogance of the church and to encourage them to pursue a godly lifestyle and doctrinal purity."*

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your grace as I - as well as all those who attend church - are sinful and undeserving of our salvation and the blessings that follow.  We are no better than Corinth.  Thank You for Your grace.  Again I am not deserving...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.

*Akin, Dr. Daniel L.; Merritt, James. Exalting Jesus in 1 Corinthians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word[.]

 Ephesians 5

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word[.] Ephesians 5:25-26

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at how God's unconditional love is not the "sweetest experience of [God's] love" according to John Piper.  First, the elephant in the room for many regarding the highlighted text is that Piper is not focusing on marriage and how husbands are commanded to love their wives.  Instead, Piper first describes how God does have unconditional love for us and this is the basis for our election, justification and salvation as we are not deserving of such love and blessing but God provides for these things unconditionally.  Piper then proceeds to describe how the sanctification process is where God loves us conditionally based on the extent to which that sanctification process matures and we progressively become more like Him, reflect His glory and please Him.  Piper shares: the "sweetest experience [of God's love] is conditional on our transformation into the kind of people whose emotions and choices and actions please God....When [God] unconditionally chooses us, and sends Christ to die for us, and regenerates us, he puts in motion an unstoppable process of transformation that makes us glorious. He gives us a splendor to match his favorite kind: his own." Piper moves from Ephesians 5:25-26 to verse 27 where Paul writes how Christ "present[s] the church to himself in splendor."  Piper concludes the devotion by writing: "[i]t is unspeakably wonderful that God would unconditionally set his favor on us while we are still unbelieving sinners. The ultimate reason this is wonderful is that this unconditional love brings us into the everlasting enjoyment of his glorious presence. But the apex of that enjoyment is that we not only see his glory, but also reflect it." In closing we are referred to 2 Thessalonians 1:12.  We should all seek to please God by progressively reflecting His glory.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves us and who not only loves us unconditionally, but also never leaves or forsakes us and continues to be with us working in our hearts and lives such that we are transformed into more of Your likeness that we can enjoy You more and You can be please more with us!  Incredible - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and blessing.  My sin is great and it continues...please forgive me and help me turn from such sin and overcome it 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 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.

Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

 Romans 1

Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Romans 1:22-23

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today provides an admonishment to those who turn away from the Creator, focusing instead on creation.  Having just returned from a vacation in the U.S. southwest, including the Grand Canyon and Sedona - both places rich in stunning natural beauty - I can easily see how some may go down the path of worship of creation vs the Creator. Reading the surrounding verses in Romans 1 - beyond what John Piper highlights today (v22-23) - it's hard for me, as a believer, to see how creation does not reflect the Creator and His intelligent design.  I agree with Paul where he writes in Romans 1:19: "what can be known about God is plain to [the unfaithful], because God has shown it to them." Piper also highlights Psalm 19:1-2 where David writes: "[t]he heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge." As I did not spend quiet time with God yesterday, I am reminded how easily, even for the faithful, it is to step away and ignore God.  God please restore me to Yourself and keep me close to You!  Help me worship the Creator!  All glory to God!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are great and You are the source of all things in Heaven and on Earth.  Your glory is plain for all to see!  Thank You God how You provide creation for us to enjoy - just one of the many blessings You pour out for Your children.  I am not deserving of this or any of the blessings You pour out for me.  Please forgive me for my neglect of You.  Help me turn from my neglect and turn towards You.  Help me daily run to You and stay near 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 the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the peoples praise you, O God...let all the peoples praise you!

 Psalm 67

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the peoples praise you, O God...let all the peoples praise you! Psalm 67:3, 5

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at why God demands we praise Him.  John Piper opens today's devotion by quoting C.S. Lewis, who writes that people "delight to praise what [they] enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation."  John Piper goes further: "[t]here is the answer — the solution to the apparent egomania of God in demanding us to praise him! It is a demand for our greatest happiness." The ultimate end for Piper's reasoning is that God - if in Piper's words "loves us enough to make our joy full," He must advocate for Himself as this is the "the ultimately loving act" for us.  God loves us, is for us, seeks our joy, and our love and joy is complete in the praise of Him! Piper closes the devotion by referring us to Ephesians 1:12, 14 where Paul shares how God "preserves for us and offers to us the only thing in all the world that can satisfy our longings."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who gives Himself to us for our praise and joy in You.  Thank You Jesus!  The greatest gift of all time....I am not deserving of such a gift and the blessings that follow.  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 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.

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

 John 15

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at how God is "unshakably happy."  John Piper opens the devotion today by stating that "God is absolutely sovereign", referring us to Psalm 115:3.  He then describes how God is "not frustrated," as He "rejoices in all his works when he contemplates them as colors of the magnificent mosaic of redemptive history."  Piper further describe God's happiness by sharing how the foundation of such happiness is based in "the delight he has in himself." We are referred to Matthew 3:17 as an example of this foundation.  God is also pleased in creation - which Piper indicate "reflect his glory."  We are referred to Psalm 19:1 and 104:31 where this plays out. Finally, God delights in the praise of His people, as Piper points to Psalm 150:2 and 147:10-11. Piper concludes today's devotion by emphasizing that the praise of God by His people is not only a delight of God, but also "the apex of our joy....[as our p]raise is the consummation of the joy we have in seeing and savoring the greatness of God."  Experience the joy of a happy God!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God in whom there is fullness of joy!  Thank You Jesus for giving me life...to the full!  I am not deserving of such joy.  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.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in 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

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in 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 28:18-20

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at three attributes of Christ- which John Piper refers to as "massive peaks in the mountain range of Christ's character: the peak of his power; the peak of his kindness; and the peak of his purposefulness."  Piper uses Jesus's remarks to the disciples from the Great Commission in Matthew 28.  Piper's broad point today is how as humans we are wired to "long to see and know is a Person whose power is unlimited, whose kindness is tender, and whose purpose is single and unflinching."  Of course, no earthly person will ever meet this description.  Only Christ is these things...and so much more!  He is the real deal!  Worship the Risen Christ!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good and You are all powerful, kind beyond description, and single minded - worthy of worship!  Thank You for how You bless in SO many ways.  I am not deserving of how You love and 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.     

[I]f you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10

[I]f you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at what the resurrection means for believers.  John Piper opens the devotion with a provocative challenge - that believers truly examine what the resurrection means as posited in Romans 10:9.  Piper state that Satan believed in the resurrection - not as a heart matter but as an intellectual concept and perhaps as best a historical reality.  But Satan did not believe in the resurrection as a matter of faith, that God died on the cross, rose and defeated death 3 days later, and lives on through the Holy Spirit in those who believe and have faith in Him.  Piper shares: "[t]he resurrection is the promise of God that all who trust Jesus will be the beneficiaries of God’s power to lead us in paths of righteousness and through the valley of death. Therefore, believing in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead is much more than accepting a fact. It means being confident that God is for you, that he has closed ranks with you, that he is transforming your life, and that he will save you for eternal joy...It means being so confident of God’s power and love that no fear of worldly loss or greed for worldly gain will lure us to disobey his will. That’s the difference between Satan and the saints."  Piper concludes the devotion by pointing us to Deuteronomy 30:6 with the hope that "God [would] circumcise the hearts" of the readers of this devotion to "love the Lord [their] God with all [their] heart and with all [their] soul, that [they] may live." Amen!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good - and all of Your promises come true - You are SO faithful!  Thank You for the blessings of my salvation and Your faithfulness.  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.

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.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

Psalm 103

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Psalm 103:1

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at how David seeks to bless the Lord in Psalm 103.  John Piper highlights how David seeks for his soul to bless the Lord because for God to be truly glorified any act we do must be out of an overflow of love and reverence for God - which is of course a heart condition.  Piper continues that David knew this and Piper uses - by way of warning and contrast - Jesus's words from Matthew 15:8 where Jesus accuses the Pharisees of hypocrisy for their self-serving deeds of obedience to the law that did not reflect a genuine and true love of God - from the heart.  We should all go to God as much as we can to know Him, and in turn love Him with all of our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37).

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good...and worthy of all honor and glory forever and ever!  Thank You for all the blessings You pour out for me.  I am not deserving of such love and 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.

Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice....Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Psalm 51

Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice....Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:8,12

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at the root of sexual sin - and all sin for that matter - based on David's words from Psalm 51.  John Piper uses this Psalm to illustrate how David sought God versus "protected eyes and sex-free thoughts" the latter of which Piper rightly believes address only the symptoms of his sins of adultery, rape, murder, and malice towards God (see also post from two days ago).  Piper shares: "[p]eople give way to sexual sin because they don’t have fullness of joy and gladness in Christ. Their spirits are not steadfast and firm and established. They waver. They are enticed, and they give way because God does not have the supreme place in their feelings and thoughts that he should." Experiencing fullness of joy in God is what produces sanctification and freedom from sin - all believers should seek "hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matthew 5:6).

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You give me great joy in even the darkest and difficult circumstances - thank You Jesus for giving me life to the full!  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 Lia 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 Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God[.]

1 Peter 3

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God[.] 1 Peter 3:18

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at what John Piper describes as "the greatest good of the good news - the gospel - [and how it] is the enjoyment of fellowship with God himself." Piper shares how this is explicit in the verse highlighted in the devotion today - 1 Peter 3:18.  He continues: "[a]ll the other gifts of the gospel exist to make this one possible[, including:]

• "We are forgiven so that our guilt does not keep us away from God."
• "We are justified so that our condemnation does not keep us away from God."
• "God is propitiated so that his wrath doesn’t stand between us and God as our Father."
• "We are given eternal life now, with new bodies in the resurrection, so that we have the capacities for being with God forever and enjoying God to the fullest."

Piper concludes the devotion today by writing that the love of God is ultimately expressed in Jesus Christ.  Sin separates us from God but Christ restored us to Himself - not just once but for eternity.  And the result is that we have life to the full now and for eternity (see also John 10:10). Piper's final words for today are to refer us to Psalm 16:11. Amen and praise God!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good that You came so that I could continue fellowship with God!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You restored me to Yourself.  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.

And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.”

2 Samuel 12

And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.” 2 Samuel 12:13b-14

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at how God can be viewed as just in spite of how He forgives even the most heinous of sins.   John Piper uses one of the Bible's most glaring series of sins - David's sins of adultery, rape, murder, lies, and perhaps most glaringly how David "despised the word of the Lord" (2 Samuel 12:9).  Yet Nathan appears as a messenger from God (2 Samuel 12:1) and tells David that the Lord has put away his sin - Piper finds this outrageous.  David of course is not off with a pass as punishment awaits him not just with a son that dies (just as God says will happen) but with another son that seeks to dethrone David (see 2 Samuel 15-19).  To answer the question of how God can forgive David (and anyone with sins as heinous) and remain just, Piper refers us to Romans 3:25-26 where Paul describes how Christ is given over as propitiation (substitute) for sin.  Piper then shares: "God sees, from the time of David, down the centuries to the death of his Son, Jesus Christ, who would die in David’s place, so that David’s faith in God’s mercy and God’s future redeeming work unites David with Christ. And in God’s all-knowing mind, David’s sins are counted as Christ’s sins and Christ’s righteousness is counted as his righteousness, and God justly passes over David’s sin for Christ’s sake. The death of the Son of God is outrageous enough, and the glory of God that it upholds is great enough, that God is vindicated in passing over David’s adultery and murder and lying. And ours. And so God maintains his perfect righteousness and justice while at the same time showing mercy to those who have faith in Jesus, no matter how many or how monstrous their sins. This is unspeakably good news." Indeed!

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My Prayer:Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who died for my sin - thank You Jesus - the most amazing gift of all time.  I am not deserving of such love and blessing...of course not - 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.

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[.]

 2 Thessalonians 1

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[.] 2 Thessalonians 1:11

 

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at how faith fulfills good resolve.  John Piper first starts by unpacking what Paul means in the text by sharing: "we defeat sin and we do righteousness by faith, that is, by being satisfied with all that God promises to be for us in Christ in the next five minutes, five months, five decades, and into eternity."  Piper then provides three examples of how this may play out in the lives of believers:

• "If we set [our] heart to give sacrificially and generously the power of God to fulfill this resolve will come to you as you trust his future grace in the promise" of scripture, including Philippians 4:19, 2 Corinthians 9:6, 8
• "If you set [our] heart to renounce pornography, the power of God to fulfill this resolve will come to you as you trust his future grace in the promise" of scripture, including Matthew 5:8, 29 
• "[I]f you set your heart to speak out for Christ when the opportunity comes, the power of God to fulfill this resolve will come to you as you trust his future grace in the promise" of scripture, including Matthew 10:19.  

Piper wraps the devotion by encouraging us to lean into God in faith, and see how God "increase[s] our daily faith in the precious promises of God — promises of his inexhaustible, blood-bought, Christ-exalting future grace."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, I love You and I have seen the hand of Your grace in my life and I believe in the promises of future grace because all the promises of God are yes in Him!  Thank You Jesus for the gift of faith.  You are a great God and I am not deserving of 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.  Please 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.

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

 Psalm 42

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? Psalm 42:1-2

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at Psalm 42 and how the psalmist is not seeking relief from trial or challenge but instead is seeking God Himself.  John Piper shares "[i]t’s not wrong to want relief, and to pray for it. It is sometimes right to pray for the defeat of enemies. But more important than any of that is God himself.  When we think and feel with God in the Psalms, this is the main result: We come to love God, and we want to see God and be with God and be satisfied in admiring and exulting in God." Piper then explores what is meant in Psalm 42:2 where it asks "when shall I come and appear before God?"  Piper explains how this question can be translated into “[w]hen will I come and see the face of God?"  He points to John 14:9 and 2 Corinthians 4:4-6 where the answer is provided as the face of Christ.  Piper wraps the devotion by charging believers to seek that "the Lord increase [our] hunger and [our] thirst to see the face of God. And may he grant [our] desire, even today, through the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

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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 - giving me access to You through Yourself!  Thank You Jesus.  I am not deserving of such love and compassion.  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.

[W]e 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.

 2 Thessalonians 1

[W]e 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. 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at the "different tenses of grace."  John Piper unpacks this concept by sharing how grace is "God’s disposition to do good for us when we don’t deserve it — we call this undeserved favor”.  For example, salvation for believers (election and justification) is undeserved...and in the past.  Piper also describes grace as "a power from God that acts in our lives and makes good things happen in us and for us — which we also don’t deserve."  He further explains that "the power that actually works in our lives to make Christ-exalting obedience possible is an exertion of the grace of God."  Piper points not only to 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 but also to 1 Corinthians 15:10, where Piper describes how Paul shares that "grace is an active, present, transformative, obedience-enabling power."  Acknowledge and be grateful of grace past, present and future as both undeserved and as a power working in you!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and whose grace is an amazing power in life that is undeserved as well as active now and in the future as You work in my life - thank You Jesus!  Of course I am undeserving...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. 

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

 Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Psalm 51:1

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at the mystery of mercy, first by looking at David's cry for mercy in Psalm 51:1, which John shares that David reaches back to recall Exodus 34:6-7 as he writes Psalm 51. The text in Exodus emphasizes God's mercy and Piper describes how David did not understand the mystery of God's mercy in how some received it and some did not: 

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty[.] Exodus 34:6-7

Piper shares: "David knew that there were guilty who would not be forgiven. And there were guilty who by some mysterious work of redemption would not be counted as guilty, but would be forgiven. Psalm 51 is his way of laying hold on that mystery of mercy."  Piper wraps the devotion by sharing that believers better understand the mystery of mercy because faith in Christ unlocks this mercy.  Believers hold onto this mercy and be thankful!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good and Your mercies are new every morning - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of Your mercy - 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.

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

 Romans 5

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:9-11

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at the ultimate end (or prize) of the gospel that we receive as believers.  John Piper summarizes this end or prize by sharing:  "[t]he end of the gospel is “we rejoice in God.” The highest, fullest, deepest, sweetest good of the gospel is God himself, enjoyed by his redeemed people. God in Christ became the price (Romans 5:6–8), and God in Christ became the prize (Romans 5:11)."  Piper unpacks how this comes about: he starts by pointing to verse 9 where we are saved from the wrath of God.  He continues by describing how this is not the "highest, best, fullest, most satisfying prize of the gospel."  It gets better because we are "saved by his life" in verse 10. It then gets even better - all the way to the best in verse 11 as Piper shares that "[m]ore than that, we also rejoice in God[.]"  Justified = saved from His wrath > reconciled = saved by His life > reconciliation = rejoice in God.  Believers must stand in awe of God Himself in what we have received - God Himself!  The most amazing wonderful gift in the world!  My thoughts turn immediately to David from Psalm 16 where he writes that God is His portion (Bayleaf Baptist Church sermon - verse ) - referencing the Levites who did not get land of their own in the promised land but instead received land in the tribes of others but more importantly were able to get closer to God than anyone through their service and priestly duties. In the same vain, believers are able to get close to God - we should rejoice at this!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are worthy of rejoicing over as You saved me Your wrath, I am now reconciled to You, and through this reconciliation I have You!  Thank You Jesus!  The greatest gift of all time.  I am not deserving of this.  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.

 

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.

 Proverbs 16

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. Proverbs 16:33

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at God's providence over all aspects of the natural order.  Quoting Matthew 10:29-30, John Piper starts by sharing that "[i]n other words, there are no events so small that he does not rule them for his purposes."  Providing another example of God's sovereignty over nature, Piper goes on to quote Jonah and how God "commands a fish to swallow a man (Jonah 1:17), he commands a plant to grow for shade (Jonah 4:6), and he commands a worm to kill it (Jonah 4:7)." He further describes God's sovereignty over the heavens, quoting Isaiah 40:26.  Piper closes today's devotion with a call to "stand in awe and be at peace, knowing that no natural event is outside of God’s wise and good purposes, and perfect control."

For a more extensive examination of this topic, see John Piper's book Providence.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who created all things, is in all things and holds all things together - and You have my life in the palm of Your hands.  You don't need me, and yet even though I am broken, You reach down into the details of my life - and You reveal Your love and grace to me - saving me from eternal damnation.  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.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

 Genesis 1

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at "the point of creation." John Piper starts the devotion by stating: "God made humans in his image so that the world would be filled with reflectors of God. Images of God. Seven billion statues of God. So that nobody would miss the point of creation."  Paul echoes this sentiment in Romans 1:20a where he writes that God's "invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world."  Of course, God created more than humanity - he also created nature and the heavens (see also this video - thanks to Rodney/Angela Britt from Sunday school for the reference).  Everything in creation, including humanity, nature, and the heavens point back to the glory of God.  John Piper provides additional scripture references to amplify his point:

• Isaiah 6:3
  
• Psalm 19:1
  

Piper wraps the devotion by sharing in response to those who wonder why God created vastness of the heavens and earth but left most of it lifeless and empty: "[i]t’s about God. And it’s an understatement. He is more glorious. Greater in power. Greater in scope. Greater brightness. Than all the galaxies combined....God created us to know him and love him and show him. And then he gave us a hint of what he is like: the universe." God is amazing!  All glory to God!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are truly amazing and the work of Your hands is amazing - including creation!  Thank You Jesus for what You have done in creation and in my life - You are so full of grace and love for me - and You don't need me at all.  I am not deserving of such love and blessing.  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.

"This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood."

 Luke 22

"This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood." Luke 22:20

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at how Jesus's death and resurrection sealed an unbreakable promise made in Jeremiah 31-32 - specifically Jeremiah 32:40, which says: "I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me." John Piper shares that Jesus sealed the "everlasting covenant - the new covenant - ...and purchased your perseverance if you are in Jesus Christ through faith." Piper continues by sharing: "[i]f you are persevering in faith today, you owe it to the blood of Jesus. The Holy Spirit, who is working in you to preserve your faith, is honoring the purchase of Jesus. God the Spirit works in us what God the Son obtained for us....God is totally committed to the perseverance and eternal security of his blood-bought children."  Praise God!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who loves me and who died on the cross to seal and secure the promise that I will persevere in my faith through Your Spirit working in my life and heart.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You work.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from 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 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 also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

Exodus 3

God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. Exodus 3:15

As I continue to be in between studies, having wrapped up my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul, I lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at attributes of God based on how He is referred to as Yahweh.  Piper highlights the exchange between God and Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3 to help us better understand who God is.  He then lists 10 attributes of God based on His name Yahweh or "I am":

1. He never had a beginning.
2. God will never end.
3. God is absolute reality. There is no reality before him. There is no reality outside of him unless he wills it and makes it. He is all that was eternally. No space, no universe, no emptiness. Only God.
4. God is utterly independent. 
5. Everything that is not God depends totally on God. 
6. All the universe is by comparison to God as nothing.
7. God is constant.  
8. God is the absolute standard of truth and goodness and beauty.
9. God does whatever he pleases and it is always right and always beautiful and always in accord with truth.
10. God is the most important and most valuable reality and person in the universe.
    

One attribute not discussed in today's devotion is how God is all knowing - omniscient.  This is important for believers because God's knows all about our sin yet He still loves and saves us...He poured out his grace and love for us by going to the cross for us...amazing grace!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who knows everything about me, including my sin, yet loves me enough to die for me.  Amazing....grace.  Thank You Jesus! Of course I am not deserving of such 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 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 whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Romans 8

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. Romans 8:30

As I continue to be in between studies, having wrapped up my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul, I lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at how believers should feel "as secure as God is faithful." Security is a key need for all of humanity.  Listening to the devotion made me think of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which of course is a secular view of how humanity seeks a higher order of needs once a certain level of needs is satisfied.  What is lost on this hierarchy is how all of these needs are in the context of creation that is wasting away and only temporary.  It is possible to move up and down this hierarchy depending on life circumstances which are beyond our control.  While my thoughts must evolve, my initial thought is that as believers experience the process of spiritual formation and maturity, we grow in feeling eternally secure which is the topic of today's devotion - and this eternal security is by definition temporal nor subject to the ups and downs of our circumstances.  John Piper, starting with Romans 8:30, in today's devotion, shares "an unbreakable chain" that "[n]o one who is predestined for sonship fails to be called. And no one who is called fails to be justified. And no one who is justified fails to be glorified. This is an unbreakable steel chain of divine covenant faithfulness."  Piper then goes on to refer us to Philippians 1:6 and 1 Corinthians 1:8-9 and use these verses as examples of "promises of our God who cannot lie. Those who are born again are as secure as God is faithful." Brother and sisters in Christ: pursue God and experience eternal security!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are so good to me and You give me eternal security with You - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the peace of mind this provides.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus.  Help me overcome and turn from this 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 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.  

[Y]ou were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 6

 [Y]ou were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:20

As I continue to be in between studies, having wrapped up my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul, I lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at why God created our earthly bodies, or for that matter any aspect of the physical-material universe (as John Piper puts it).  Piper shares that God created everything - including all of creation - for His glory.  Piper refers us to Psalm 19:1 where the psalmist writes "[t]he heavens declare the glory of God[.]"  Piper goes on to explore why God goes to the trouble to create something that is fallen, broken, and full of tragedy and suffering.  Piper says: "[b]ecause his Son paid the price of death so that the Father’s purpose for the material universe would be fulfilled, namely, that he would be glorified in it, including in our bodies, forever and ever."  See also Romans 12:1 where we are called to "present [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."  Simply put we exist to glorify God.  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who does not need me but nonetheless loves me and saved me - not out of anything I did but purely out of love and grace.  Thank You 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 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.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

Hebrews 2

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Hebrews 2:14-15

As I continue to be in between studies, having wrapped up my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul, I lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at death - a subject very few people ponder until they see it as imminent in their lives. Believers of course must look at death because scripture tells us not to fear death.  Piper urges us to see how Christ "deliver[s] us from the fear of death and set[s] us free to live with the kind of loving abandon that can “let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also”*.  Piper deconstructs Hebrews 2:14-15 to see how Christ does this:

• "Christ includes believers as His spiritual offspring that Christ shares "in flesh and blood..."
• Christ partook of the same [flesh and blood]...
• that through death...
• that he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil...
• and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."

Piper shares additional text, including Hebrews 10:12, Romans 8:33, Hebrews 9:14, and Romans 5:9 to further explain that "Christ defanged the devil...[b]y covering all our sin, [and that] Satan has no legitimate grounds to accuse us before God." Piper continues by sharing that "God justifies us... [t]hrough the blood of Jesus....Satan’s ultimate weapon against us is our own sin. If the death of Jesus takes it away, the chief weapon the devil has is taken out of his hand. In that sense, he is rendered powerless.  So, we are free from the fear of death. God has justified us. There is only future grace in front of us." Be encouraged to live fearlessly!

*From hymn: A Mighty Fortress

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who gives me freedom from the sting of sin and death - thank You Jesus.  What an amazing gift...of course I am undeserving...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.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

As I continue to be in between studies, having wrapped up my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul, I lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today builds on posts from the previous two days focusing on suffering - and today the devotional looks specifically at how our weakness reveals God's worth.  Piper start by sharing what for many, including Christians, might be a sobering thought: "God’s design for suffering is that it should magnify Christ’s worth and power. This is grace, because the greatest joy of Christians is to experience Christ magnified in our lives."  In 2 Corinthians 12:7-8 Paul describes how God gave him a thorn in the flesh" and Paul pleaded with God to remove it and God responds in 2 Corinthians 12:9a. Piper then further explains, using 1 Corinthians 1:29 that "[i]f we feel and look self-sufficient, we will get the glory, not Christ. So, Christ chooses the weak things of the world...[a]nd sometimes he makes seemingly strong people weaker so that the divine power will be the more evident." Piper then wraps the devotion by ensuring we are encouraged by Paul's response to God's grace - that Paul boasts of his weaknesses such that God get the glory as His power and grace is evidenced in Paul's life (see also 2 Corinthians 12:9b-10).  We are also urged to see how our faith means "being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace for me - in all things - thank You Jesus for how You have never left or forsaken me...through all of the challenges and trials.  I am not deserving of how You love and 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 other 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 spouse 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.