We have [the hope of God's promises] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain[.]

Hebrews 6:13-20

We have [the hope of God's promises] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain[.] Hebrews 6:19

I continue my study of Hebrews, and in the text today - Hebrews 6:13-20  - the author of Hebrews builds on v12 (which shares how believers inherit God's promises) by describing how solid God's promises are - that He is faithful. Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.  

• What do we learn from the text about God?: God is so good and gracious.  He knows that people are prone to be weak in their faith.  So He gave Abraham (see also Genesis 22:16-17) not just a promise but also an oath to reassure him (and his descendants, including all believers) that He is faithful - vv13-18.  It seems as if God is distributing grace in advance by sharing this reassurance.  We know Abraham needed reassurance.  He was not perfect and his faith wavered. Vv17-19 also share how it is "impossible for God to lie," how this gives us "strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us," and how this hope serves as "a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul." 
• What do we learn from the text about people?: People waver in their faith and the only way to not waver is to abide, to walk continuously and closely with God.  God then transforms our hearts, minds, and lives to think and live more in His image (Romans 12:2).  We are then encouraged and hopeful as we rest in the certainty of God's promises (2 Corinthians 1:20), particularly how the victory over sin and death - for every believer - is already assured. 
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?):   

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves and You are faithful!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You love, save and deliver faithfully on all of Your promises.  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.

In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

John 16:33

In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. John 16:33b-c

I continue my study of The Character of Jesus.  For this morning, I focus on chapter 13: The Optimism of Jesus where I highlighted in my Kindle version the following excerpts:

• Ever since the Fall (Genesis 3), the world has known pain, sorrow, etc. These are all the consequences of sin and separation from God.  We all sin and need a savior who can both save us the condemnation of sin and reconcile us to God. 
• Jesus is this Savior.  "Jesus of Nazareth was not a man who could shut his eyes to the sorrow and the heart-break of the world. Never were eyes wider open than his. He saw everything. He saw things which the world had passed by unnoticed. He saw suffering in its every form — it tugged at his heart strings. The tired, sad faces of human beings haunted him, they spoke to him of the tragedy of the world's disordered heart. He had ears which caught every shriek of agony, every cry of distress, every sigh of want. He saw with eyes which pierced."
• "Underneath the tragedy of suffering he saw the blacker tragedy of sin. Down underneath the surface of the world's life he Saw the cancer which was eating up its strength and its hope and its joy. He recognized as none other the tremendous power of evil. He saw with open eyes the roads which lead to death.  He knew, as no other has ever known so well, that evil must be resisted, that sin must be faced and grappled with, that it is only by struggle, suffering, and death that the victory can be won. But he remains nevertheless undaunted. He never loses heart. He sees all, and he hears all, but he never gives up hope."
• "The New Testament is a gospel, a bit of glorious news, because at the center of it there lives and works the world's greatest optimist....Jesus is the prince of optimists — his optimism is the optimism of God Himself."
• "Let us try to find the secret of Jesus' optimism. The secret is written large across the pages of the Gospel. It was a secret too good to keep — he gave it to everybody who had ears to hear. It was an abiding confidence in God. We are sure of Him — sometimes. Our faith is clouded and it is intermittent. It floods and ebbs like the tide, Jesus never doubted. His vision was unclouded. His trust was absolute. To him God was an ever-present Father. This was his new name for God. The prophets and poets of Israel had only seldom ventured to think of God as father, and then only by way of dim surpise. With Jesus, God was always Father. This is the name he carried on his lips when a boy of twelve, it was on his lips when he passed from this world into the other. He placed it on the lips of every man who followed him. It constantly amazed him that men had so little faith in God. "Have faith in God!" This was the exhortation with which he braced the hearts of those who wished to live his life and do his work. The words came with the power of a revelation, because warm with the blood of a heart which knew the secret of perfect trust."
• "Along with unswerving trust in God there went an unshakable confidence in man. Jesus believed in human nature.  He saw the possibilities and capacities of the human heart. He saw men's littlenesses, frailties, vices, sins, but underneath all these he saw a soul created in God's image....He called Simon the son of Jonas a rock, when Simon was counted the most fickle and fluctuating man in all the town. Jesus saw that which was deepest in him. He had confidence not only in people who went to church, but also in people who never went. He had hope of the Publicans and sinners. He knew that Zaccheus could repent and that Matthew could become a preacher."
• "Can eternal foundations be laid in human hearts? Yes, says Jesus, and without a doubt of the fidelity of his apostles, he rolled the huge world upon their shoulders and went away. Nor could any experience break down this trust in the divine capacities of human nature."
• "Jesus trusted men. He did this in the teeth of experiences which swept over him like a dark and devastating flood. His entire career was a tragedy. He was suspected, misrepresented, hated. He was surrounded by liars wherever he went. No matter what he said his sentences were twisted, and no matter what he did his motives were impugned. Such treatment is apt to sour the heart of any one who is long subjected to it. Jesus was mistreated all the way....[But] he never gave up faith in human nature."
• "There are in every community men and women, soured on the world, suspicious of everybody, clinging to the conviction that there is nobody in whom one can trust. Would that all such cynics might come to Jesus and learn from him to expect large things from human nature everywhere. He sees the shallowness, the paltriness, the frailty of the heart; but he also sees its capacities, its possibilities, the mustard-seed germs of virtues and graces which the Spirit of God can unfold. We measure men too much by their powers, and not enough by their capacities, by what they are to-day and not by what they may become later on. It was because the eyes of Jesus swept the future that he could stand around the wreckage of a race in ruins and say, 'Be of good cheer!'"  
• "This indomitable Optimist has confidence in you. You have no hope for yourself. He has. You see your weakness, sordidness, vileness; he sees deeper, and seeing deeper he has hope for you. He sees you: capacity of God. He knows what you can do when you have come to yourself. He sees deeper also into God. You have no adequate conception of the patience or the mercy of the Infinite Father. He has. You do not know what Infinite Love can accomplish. He does. Because of your transgressions you have lost faith in yourself. He has not. Because you have failed a thousand times you say there is no use trying any more. He says, 'Try again!' If you give yourself to him, he will make of you an optimist!"

Similar to my post on chapter 8: The Originality of Jesus, we have hope in Jesus.  Paul viewed himself the "foremost" of sinners (see 1 Timothy 1:12-16), yet on the road to Damascus, Christ revealed Himself to Paul, and his life was transformed in an instant - from the foremost of sinners to biblical hero who was used by God to start churches and save many for Him.  Similarly, Jesus healed lepers facing death, blind men, those unable to stand or walk, etc.  Such miracles are real and Jesus' transforming power is undeniable - start by confessing Your sin and surrendering Your life to Jesus.  There is hope - it is found in Jesus.   

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My Prayer: Jesus, what an awesome God You are that You save and give new life that is transformed through sanctification.  We find hope in You - hope that is eternal.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such hope and salvation.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please 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. 

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.

Malachi 4:1-6

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction. Malachi 4:5-6

I continue my study of the last four books of the Old Testament, having already covered Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and most of Malachi.  My study leans on the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series volume which covers these books. This morning I continue with Malachi 4:1-6, focusing on a commentary-assisted review of 4:5-6, including commentary for this fourth and last division, which the commentary entitles Looking Forward in Hope, Anticipating Restoration, as well as the commentary's conclusion for the entirety of 4:1-6.  Excerpts from the commentary for this division and the conclusion:

• 4:5-6: "Malachi announced in 3:1 that the forerunner to the Messiah would come. We know from the NT that the forerunner is John the Baptist. But he says here in verses 5-6 that there would be another person, another forerunner, to come before the Day of the Lord. We know this forerunner cannot ultimately be John the Baptist because this day ends with fathers turning their hearts to children and children turning their hearts to fathers. If this prophecy was completely fulfilled in John, we might ask why Jesus was still rejected by the Jews. So what is He talking about here? Although Jesus said in Matthew 11 that John the Baptist is the forerunner, something happens in Matthew 17 to prove that yet another Elijah will fulfill Malachi’s prophecy. In Matthew 17 Jesus leads the disciples up to the Mount of Transfiguration, where both Elijah and Moses appear, talking with the Lord." In Matthew 17:11-12 (The Transfiguration) specifically, Jesus shares that "Elijah is coming and will restore everything" and the commentary shares that "the key for our purposes is the future tense “will restore.” At the time Jesus is speaking, John the Baptist is already dead. So we know that he cannot be the Elijah of Malachi 4:5. In addition, John the Baptist cannot be this Elijah because this Elijah is going to reestablish all things. John the Baptist was hindered from doing this because of the wickedness of the people’s hearts.  Thus, Jesus is stating that He is the Elijah-like figure, initiating His kingdom at His resurrection and completing it at His second coming when He will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers—a time of great repentance."
•  Conclusion: The commentary shares how Malachi and the Old Testament end by providing both a warning to those who do not fear the Lord and how they will be eternally condemned, and an encouragement to those who do fear God that will see God's perfect justice carried out during end times and how God is saving us from eternal condemnation.  
  

In addition to my commentary's thoughts on Malachi 4:5-6, a quick review of John Piper's thoughts on this text also offer me great encouragement as a father that has been very critical of a son - see Piper's sermon here.

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of amazing grace and compassion for me. Thank You!  I am not deserving.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus.  Help me turn from and overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please 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 for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

Zechariah 9:9-13

As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Zechariah 9:11

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 a commentary-assisted review of Zechariah 9:9-13, which the commentary outlines as the second of three divisions for the text 9:1-9:17 (9:1-8, 9-13, 14-17). The commentary of course discusses the messianic prophecy in v9, and it describes in detail the peace that Jesus will bring.  Of course we know this to be the "peace which surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:6-7).  Vv11-13 is also emphasized in how with Christ we have a new covenant (vs OT covenant based on recurring animal sacrifices) based on the shedding of His blood on the cross - see also Hebrews 12:24.  V11 in particular is highlighted for how Jesus provides hope for those in bondage due to our fallen state.  Jesus saves!  This hope calls to mind the interaction Jesus has with the Samaritan woman at the well and for those who drink the water Jesus offers they will never thirst again (see John 4).  

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My Prayer: Father God, Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves, saves and is full of amazing grace.  Thank You Jesus.  I know that I have the living water and I will never thirst again...thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings nor my salvation.  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.

Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.”

Zechariah 3:1-10

Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.” Zechariah 3:8-10

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 3:8-10, which the commentary outlines as the sixth of six divisions for the text 3:1-10 (3:1, 3:2, 3:3, 3:4-5, 3:6-7, 3:8-10).  These verses of course offer a clear messianic prophecy - that God "will bring my servant the Branch."  Branch is then capitalized, indicating that this is a specific, named, and significant branch.  God's message will be engraved on a single stone with seven eyes, and this number in scripture is often referred to as perfection, rest, abundance - all attributes of Jesus.  This Branch will "remove the iniquity of this land" and God's people will - through the Great Commission - "invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree." See also John 15 where Jesus is referred to as the True Vine.  Thank You God for sending Your Son to seek and save the lost!  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who came to save me!  Thank You Jesus for my salvation!  I am not deserving of such a gift and the blessings that come with this gift.  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. 

Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments.

 Zechariah 3:1-10

Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. Zechariah 3:3

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 a commentary-assisted review of Zechariah 3:3, which the commentary outlines as the third of six divisions for the text 3:1-10 (3:1, 3:2, 3:3, 3:4-5, 3:6-7, 3:8-10). The commentary shares Satan Wants Us to Feel Innocent When We Are Guilty as the title for this single verse 3.  The commentary then shares two ways that Satan seeks to keep us from going to God for forgiveness when we sin.  The first way is to make us feel "hopeless," that God cannot and will not forgive us.  The second strategy God uses to keep us from going to Him for forgiveness is when we feel normal - that nothing is wrong with our sin - when we sin, so we continue in the sin.  This latter strategy is in play with v3.  The commentary then describes Joshua's condition in the Hebrew translation as being "filthy" in the strongest possible terms, including excrement.  The commentary shares that "Joshua is standing there, trying to serve the Lord, yet he is absolutely contaminated. The irony, though, is that Joshua seems to think he is acceptable. After all, he is “dressed,” showing that he considers himself to be prepared to serve and minister in the temple. He is standing before the Angel of the Lord, apparently believing that he is ready to do God’s work and to be in the Lord’s presence. He thinks he is fine. This is a portrait of how Satan will work when we are contaminated with sin. He will try to convince us that we are innocent, even when there is great guilt in our lives."  We are referred to 1 John 1:8 and 10 where John shares that we all sin and need a savior - all of humanity.  We are encouraged to practice the spiritual disciplines, particularly daily Bible study and prayer as a means for us to abide and remain in Him and Him in us. See also John 15:1-11. We need to stay close God for God to stay close to us.  The commentary wraps with "we open ourselves us to Satan’s deception. He wants us to feel innocent when we are guilty so that we deceive ourselves and continue in our sin."  Draw near to God!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God that helps me - by giving me faith, and by giving me mercies that are new every morning and never cease!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings nor my salvation.  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.

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

 Zechariah 3:1-10

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. Zechariah 3:1

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 this morning, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Zechariah 3:1, which the commentary outlines as the first of six divisions for the text 3:1-10 (3:1, 3:2, 3:3, 3:4-5, 3:6-7, 3:8-10).  For the entirety of 3:1-10, the commentary shares this historical context: "[t]he people of Judah have come back to Jerusalem after spending years in Babylonia in exile. They have been back in the land of Israel now for about 20 years. God’s people have started rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. But because they faced great opposition from the others who live in the area of Jerusalem, the people have stopped rebuilding the temple. Zechariah, who prophesied 520 years before the time of Christ, has been sent as God’s messenger, calling them to return to the Lord. With the guidance of an interpreting angel, God has shown Zechariah eight visions, of which this is the fourth." The commentary then (1) outlines three actors in this vision, Joshua, angel of the Lord, and Satan, and (2) provides "six principles regarding what Satan does and what God does concerning our guilt. These six principles are actually three pairs of principles. The first half of each pair shows how Satan deceives us in our guilt, while the second half shows how God tells us the truth."

The broad theme specifically for the first division - v1 - is that "[w]hen we are legitimately guilty [of sin] before God, Satan uses our guilt to make us feel hopeless so that we will stay far from God."  V1 depicts Satan standing with Joshua "pointing to his sin."  The commentary wants us to understand that Satan is real: "according to God’s Word, Satan is indeed real. He’s not merely a representation of evil or a fantasy character invented to frighten people. The Bible talks about Satan as a real spiritual personality. And just as he accused Joshua the high priest, Satan is our accuser. He opposes and attacks all of God’s people."  We are referred to Revelation 12:10 where Satan is described as accusing and opposing believers day and night before God. The commentary also points us to John 8:44 where Satan is described as a consummate liar.  We are warned about Satan as he seeks to separate us from God and the love and hope He provides. The commentary concludes by sharing: "[Satan] comes into the presence of God and tells the truth about us. We are sinners. We are sinful. We have done, said, and thought things that offend and displease our holy God. But Satan’s accusations against us are always accompanied by hopelessness. He not only accuses us of having sinned, which is true, but he also tells us that we are beyond God’s reach, which is a lie. Satan uses our guilt as his weapon to make us feel hopeless and to keep us from God."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who gives sinners like me hope - I know that You have already defeated sin and death, and that I can come to You for mercies every morning that never cease.  Thank you Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus.  Help me turn from and overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

“I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;and I will cut off from this place...those who have turned back from following the LORD, who do not seek the LORD or inquire of him.”

Zephaniah 1:4-6

“I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;and I will cut off from this place...those who have turned back from following the LORD, who do not seek the LORD or inquire of him.” Zephaniah 1:4,6

I continue my study of Zephaniah using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For this morning, I lean on my commentary for a review of vv4-6. The commentary emphasizes that while God is clearly angry at His people for their idol worship and for turning their back on God, we are not to view God as vengeful.  We are rhetorically challenged to view God rightly.  "God is a God of grace and compassion. In light of that, then, how are we to understand His anger, especially toward His own people?"  The commentary points to Jesus and how in Romans, Paul describes that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1-2). We are then encouraged to see how we are all fair game for God's corrective discipline and referred to Hebrews 12:5-6. Finally, the commentary urges us to see the grace of God in Zephaniah where God's anger should be viewed as an opportunity to repent and return to God.  The Old Testament is an example of God's patience for His people - yes, He did rebuke and punish His people, but not because there were not deserving.  Also, throughout redemptive history, God was faithful in His promises, and He pointed to Jesus and gave people hope through the promise of a coming Messiah.  Jesus is the One.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a God of grace and compassion as You took on flesh and died for me so that I could have forgiveness of sins and eternal life.  Thank You Jesus for my salvation.  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.  

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.

Ecclesiastes 7-11

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.  Ecclesiastes 7:14-18

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is a commentary assisted review of Ecclesiastes chapters 7-11 and the commentary's third division for these chapters - The Gospel Is the Answer to Our Brokenness and Meaninglessness.   

 Excerpts and highlights from the commentary on this division: 

• "Solomon exposes us to the brokenness of the world—a brokenness that really hurts and brings emptiness—for the positive outcome of causing us not to build our lives on things or people other than God. Ecclesiastes is God’s goodness to us because He refuses to allow us to wallow in our broken futility.  Our frustration over the absurdity of life drives us to God and His gospel. That is the answer to brokenness and meaninglessness."
• The commentary shares how "Ecclesiastes encourages faith in God and His gospel in two ways in Ecclesiastes 7-11.  First God is in control and working things out according to His timing and plan.  Therefore Ecclesiastes 7:14-18 exhorts us to fear God."
• We are referred to Ecclesiastes 9:13-16 which tells the story of of poor man who saves a city from a siege but this poor man is soon forgotten - the story of course points to Jesus and how He, while many believer He is forsaken, He is not as He rises from the grave to Heaven to be seated at the right hand of God. Jesus is the answer to our worlds sin, brokenness, and resulting meaningless.
• The commentary for this division closes by describing how "Jesus is the Savior who rescues us from brokenness. Jesus is the wise man who makes us wise. Jesus is the poor man who makes us rich. And yet He was rejected too! Mark Dever points out that Isaiah 53 explains the wisdom and foolishness of Ecclesiastes 7–11. The righteous man got what the wicked deserved, so the wicked could get what the righteous deserve (Dever, “The Ungodly”). The poor, wise Savior who rescued the world is rejected and despised because the wisdom of God is foolishness to the world and the wisdom of the world is foolishness to God (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). It pleased God to save through a cross that looked like foolishness. Turn to Jesus, and He can free you from your brokenness and meaninglessness. Let Him turn your foolishness into wisdom."  Amen!
  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves us and is full of grace and compassion - taking on flesh and willingly laying down Your life so that I could have life now to the full and for eternity with You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a gift - the greatest gift of all time.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins....See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

Ecclesiastes 7-11

Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins....See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.  Ecclesiastes 7:20, 29

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is a commentary assisted review of Ecclesiastes chapters 7-11 and the commentary's second division for these chapters - Sin Leads to Brokenness and Meaninglessness.  

Excerpts from the commentary's second division Sin Leads to Brokenness and Meaninglessness:

• "When it comes to brokenness in this world, we need to realize two things. Sometimes we are broken because of our own sin, and sometimes we are broken because we live in a cursed, broken world."
• "Ecclesiastes makes something abundantly clear: all of humanity—including you—has sinned and departed from God’s wise design for the world. When we rebel against our design, we end up broken. We know this to be true experientially. After all, anytime you attempt to use something in a way that its designer did not intend for it to be used, it gets broken or does not work."
• "Some people think intimacy will fix their brokenness so they go from relationship to relationship trying to fill the void, but they end up hurt and unsatisfied each time as they look harder and harder for something they will not find. Others look to success in a job, or making lots of money, or hundreds of other things, but these things never bring lasting satisfaction. So much of our futility and brokenness is due to our own sin and our own idolatry in which we turn good things into ultimate things. We worship money, pleasure, sex, success, power, and much more. Instead of seeing those things as gifts from God to be used as He intended, we see them as ultimate and seek to get from them what they cannot give. So often the things we think we want so badly fail to provide what we think they will, and we end up empty. That is the brokenness of departing from God’s good design. We all sin, and we are all broken."  See also Ecclesiastes 7:20, 29, and Romans 3:9-20.
  
• "God made the world crooked in response to Adam’s sin (7:13), and man cannot fix it! Solomon says, “Consider the work of God, for who can straighten out what He has made crooked?” All humans experience the meaninglessness and brokenness of this world where things do not work right. Sin and brokenness are equal-opportunity destroyers."
• "Things do not work the way we think they should. The righteous suffer while the wicked prosper (7:15). The wisdom literature honestly recognizes that things do not always work out as they ought immediately in this world. Some scholars want to act like Ecclesiastes is a corrective to the overly optimistic wisdom of Proverbs, but that is simply not the case. Proverbs recognizes these discrepancies and points them out as well, but Ecclesiastes simply dwells on them more."  See also Ecclesiastes 8:10-17.
• "Shockingly, not only is there no justice, but sinners prolong their lives while the righteous receive the retribution the wicked deserve (8:12,14). We see this reality and we say, “That’s not fair!” But that is the world we live in. The problem is not just the random injustice of things not working out right but also the ultimate mystery that happens to all of us. Death is the ultimate problem, and it comes to all regardless of how we live. You may not experience brokenness until death, but it will come to all of us regardless of how successful we are in this life. Your effort makes no difference. Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 that no matter how well you live this life, you will eventually be caught by time and chance. The Grim Reaper is faster than us all. He never grows weary, and when he shows up, we often never saw him coming!"

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6), the Living Water that you drink and will never thirst again (John 4:13-14), and He is the reason for the hope believers have (1 Peter 3:15).  Surrender your life to Him!

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.  Thank You Jesus for giving me faith, hope, and everlasting life!  I am not deserving...no way not by a long shot.  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.

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Genesis 50

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. Genesis 50:20

This morning, as I am in between studies - just ended study of Jude and my next study is TBD - I lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today uses the life of Joseph to illustrate how faith helps produce patience.  For those familiar with Joseph's story, you know that Joseph (starting in Genesis 37) endured several hardships where he was solid into slavery and ultimately wrongly accused of a crime and imprisoned in Egypt.  However, Joseph did not resort to anger (which might lead to seeking revenge) towards those who wronged him.  Instead, he turned to God, who calls us, regardless of our circumstances, to trust Him.  In Potiphar's household, it says that the Lord was with him (Genesis 39:2-6).  While imprisoned, Joseph rightly shares that his gift of interpreting dreams is from God (Genesis 40:8 and 41:16).  When Joseph comes face to face with his brothers that originated his suffering, Joseph once again shares how God worked through this suffering for good...in his life and in the lives of his brothers (Genesis 45:5-7 and 50:20). The devotion emphasizes the key for Joseph (and for us all) and poses a challenge to us: "[w]hat would have been the key to patience for Joseph during all those long years of exile and abuse? The answer is: faith in God’s sovereign, future grace — the sovereign grace of God to turn the unplanned place and the unplanned pace into the happiest ending imaginable. That’s the key to our patience as well. Do we believe that God is working for us in the strangest and most painful turns of our lives?"

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are always at work - thank You Jesus for this and for never leaving or forsaking me.  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 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. 

[E]veryone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

1 John 2:28-3:3

[E]veryone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 1 John 3:3

I continue my study of 1,2,3 John using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for these books.  This morning, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of 1 John 2:28-3:3. 

Per the commentary for this text:

Main idea: True believers will remain in fellowship with Christ and experience the blessings that come through communion with Him.

Excerpts from commentary introduction:

• "Because I am going to be like Him in the future and for all eternity, such a promise has a wonderful transforming power in the present. My future impacts my life today!"
• "Now in the present text he adds the exhortation to abide in Christ and pursue a righteous life as they live in the hope of His coming (2:28–3:3)."
• "In fact, such a spiritual posture will result in four wonderful blessings—blessings that are promised to everyone who keeps on abiding in Christ."
  

Divisions for this text:

1. You Will Be Confident at His Coming (2:28): With the command to abide in Christ, we are encouraged by John to pursue "consistent action."  Thus we will be prepared for Christ's second coming. The commentary also shares how shame at the second coming may await those who are not really saved - pointing to Mark 8:38, Revelation 6:15-16. We know we are truly saved based on our confidence that Jesus is coming again and that we are abide in Him in preparation.
   
2. You Will Be Certain You Are His Child (2:29–3:1): "[C]hildren of God will grow to look like God their Father. Our practice is proof of our parentage. The righteous Savior produces righteous saints." Children of God receive the blessing of a forever love that never leaves or forsakes us (see also Hebrews 13:5). The privilege of being a child of God means that "[t]here is no place for either an inferiority or a superiority complex. I am who I am by gracious adoption and regeneration. That fosters humility. I am who I am as God’s child." We should also not be surprised when the world does not recognize believers and how we act - see also John 15:18-19.
   
3. You Will Be Conformed to Christ (3:2):We do not fully comprehend or appreciate how our sanctification will result in glorification/perfection and that we will see Jesus face to face but we can be confident in both. We can also be confident that Christ knows us fully. "We don’t know all that being made like Jesus means. What we do know is it will be better than we could ever hope or imagine, and it will be the occasion for an eternal lifetime of praise, worship, and adoration."
   
4. You Will Be Consistent in Your Consecration (3:3): Our hope of glorification and of seeing Jesus face to face one day should motivate us to continue abiding in Christ and pursuing a life of obedience and righteousness.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good - as Your love of me as a Heavenly Father surpasses that of any love any earthly father can provide for me.  And You will never leave or forsake me.  I KNOW that I will be perfected and glorified one day and I will also see You face-to-face - what a glorious day this will be indeed!  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.

This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder[.]

2 Peter 3

This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder[.] 2 Peter 3:1

As I continue to ponder what to study next, my Bible study this morning once again leans on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today serves as a Lent devotion with Easter approaching.  John Piper highlights 2 Peter 3 and aims to "stir up our thankfulness and joy and admiration and amazement at what the resurrection of Jesus means for us. The curse of our fallen nature is that what once thrilled us becomes ordinary. The reality hasn’t changed. We have changed." To stir us up, Piper gives us additional scriptures to remind us of what God has done:

• Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we are born again to a living hope. (see 1 Peter 1:3)
• Because of Jesus’s resurrection, he now has the glory for which we were made. Our ultimate destiny is to see him as he is. (see 1 Peter 1:21, John 17:5, 24)

Be excited about Your faith and for how Christ died but rose again so that we could be saved, have life to the full now, and for eternity in Heaven!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are awesome indeed and worthy of all glory, worship and honor for who You are, what You have done, and that You freely give salvation to those, including me, who accept You as their Lord and Savior.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not deserving of what You have done 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 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 even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace.

Galatians 1

But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Galatians 1:15a (NLT)

As I continue to ponder what to study next, my Bible study this morning once again leans on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today is entitled "The Sweet Designs of God."  The devotions looks at Paul's life as persecutor of Christians, then as a "God-chosen, soon-to-be-made-Christian missionary" (arguably the greatest of these in history).  John Piper starts by referring us to Galatians 1:15 and how God designed Paul's life from the very beginning (as He does with all life) and how Paul was "an already-chosen, but not-yet-called, instrument of God."  Of course, Piper also refers us to Paul's conversion in Acts 22, including key excerpts where he was called by God on the road to Damascus (vv6-7), and how God's direction for Paul's life as a missionary was a non-negotiable sovereign act of God (v10). Piper then highlights that God could have called Paul sooner but instead describes how God did not, and instead allowed, used, and redeemed Paul's sins as part of a broader plan.  Piper shares a rhetorical question which he immediately answers: "Do we have any idea what the plan for those sins might have been? Yes, we do. They were permitted for you and me — for all who fear that they might have sinned themselves out of grace."  Piper's answer refers us to 1 Timothy 1:13, 16.  Piper concludes by sharing how those who believe are too far from God's salvation due to their own hardness and sins, should have hope...hope that only comes from Jesus.  

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 hope and mercies that are new every morning and that never cease.  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.

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

1 Corinthians 15

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 1 Corinthians 15:12

I resume my study of 1 Corinthians, moving on to an assisted review of 1 Corinthians 15:2-19 using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary volume for this book.  From the commentary for this text:

Main idea: "If Christ has not been raised from the dead, Christianity collapses like a house of cards."

Key excerpts from the introduction:

• "What makes our faith so different and so distinct is not just the teaching of Jesus, or the life of Jesus, or even the death of Jesus."
• "If there is no resurrection and therefore Christ has not been raised, the results are truly catastrophic for both the church and the world."
  

Divisions per the commentary:

1. Our Message Is Meaningless (15:12-14): "The general resurrection of believers and the particular resurrection of Jesus are inextricably linked (vv. 12-13)....evidently, there were those in the church who had adopted the thinking of many in the Graeco-Roman world that the soul is immortal, but once the body dies it stays dead forever [see also Garland commentary]...Paul categorically denies that possibility. You cannot say that believers will not be raised from the dead but Christ has been risen, since being in Christ, we are linked with Christ, and our destiny is the same....Without a risen Savior, no sermon—regardless of how beautiful, how oratorial, how logical, or how stimulating it might be—is really worth hearing. Paul calls messages that leave out the resurrection “vain,” which literally means “empty.” If Jesus Christ is dead, not even the great apostle Paul had anything worth saying to anyone about this life or the next. There was nothing worth hearing."
   
2. Our Witness Is Worthless (15:15-16): "Paul essentially said that if Jesus Christ has not been raised from the dead, then he would be a liar, since he claimed repeatedly he would be raised from the dead. If Jesus Christ has not been raised from the dead, once again, Christianity collapses....if there is no resurrection for anyone, then Christ has not been raised. You cannot have your feet in both worlds: if you believe in the particular resurrection of Jesus, you must believe in the general resurrection of believers."
   
3. Our Faith Is Foolish (15:17a): "If Jesus is still dead and buried in the tomb, it strikes a deathblow to even the very concept of Christian faith (v. 17a)....the Jesus who is worthy of our faith is a resurrected Jesus. The Jesus who makes it worthwhile to live a life of faith is a resurrected Jesus. The one who serves as the foundation of our faith, gives feet to our faith, and replaces fear with faith is only a resurrected Jesus. It is simply foolish to place your faith in anyone—regardless of the quality of his life, the brilliance of her teaching, or the quality of his or her example—if that person died only to stay dead." 
   
4. Our Sin Is Sovereign (15:17b): "there is no salvation if there is no risen Jesus to believe in; without his completed work, there would be no grace to receive. Because that is true, then Paul’s conclusion here is logical: those assuming there is no resurrection “are still in” their sins (v. 17b). Sin is sovereign. Sin wins."
   
5. Our Loved Ones Are Lost (15:18).
6. Our Existence Is Empty (15:19): "Not only does a dead Jesus kill any hope for life beyond this life, but it also kills any hope for any meaning in this life (v. 19)."
   

"Thankfully, this is all hypothetical. The sad conclusions are not true, since Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, which is the theme not only of this chapter but of the entire New Testament." 

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 - thank You Jesus.  Thank You for Your Son who died and rose again so that I could live now to the full, and for eternity in Heaven. I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me for how my mind wanders and how I fritter away time.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of myheart, 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, family, my church and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

1 Corinthians 15

 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 1 Corinthians 15:19

I resume my study of 1 Corinthians, moving on to an unassisted review of 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. Building on my study of 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (see last post here), where Paul urges us to see the gospel, including the resurrection, being of "first importance" (v3), this morning my review of 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 challenges me to maintain my faith.  In the text this morning, Paul essentially shares how faith is in vain and futile as is the effort to share the gospel as Paul did.  He rhetorically writes about these questions that challenge the gospel and how if true, he would be "misrepresenting God."  V17 also shares how, if our faith is futile then we are still in our sins.  I know this is not to be true because I have witnessed in my own life and in the lives of others miracles that only occur through faith alone - faith in the one and only gospel that Jesus Christ appeared, lived a perfect life, died on a cross for all of humanity, then rose again to defeat both sin and death.  This same gospel gives believers in this gospel hope, not just today but for eternity.

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.  Thank You for the gospel and for my faith - I am undeserving of such grace 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.

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases[.]

 Lamentations 3

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases[.]  Lamentations 3:21-22

This morning, I pause my study of 1 Corinthians to use DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today looks at how hope predicates itself on constant reminders of God's promises and how God is faithful in delivering upon these promises.  Drawing upon Lamentations 3:21-22 where Jeremiah shares how he has hope because of God's unceasing love. John Piper shares that both Peter and Paul (see also 2 Peter 1:13, Romans 15:15) used letters to remind believers in the power of God's promises.  Reminders of God's promises are found in daily study of God's Word and in prayer.  Piper points out that the Holy Spirit helps here as well as he shares: "[t]he main Helper in reminding us what we need to know is the Holy Spirit (see also John 14:26)...The mind has this great power: It can talk to itself by way of reminder....If we don’t “call to mind” what God has said about himself and about us, we languish....Without reminding ourselves of the greatness and grace and power and wisdom of God, we sink into brutish pessimism (see also Psalm 77:11-12, 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 access to the Holy Spirit that aids, comforts and provides reminders for me of God's promises - so that I can remain hopeful.  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. 

You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers....So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90

You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers....So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:5-6,12

I maintain a pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I continue using DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion. The highlighted text today mildly emphasizes a somber message on one hand - death - while largely focusing on the hope believers have how God offers renewal and new beginnings...appropriate for a year ending message.  John Piper entitles this devotion - Death Rehearsal - as he begins by describing how he treats year's end as a rehearsal for his actual death.  Of course because he has not died, Piper is able to reflect on the past year, and the extent to which he glorified God (pointing to Matthew 25:21).  Through this reflection, Piper looks back at positives and negatives, and how the Psalmist in the highlighted text describes how we should treat each day as something that is gone leaving us with fresh start in the new day.  Piper writes: "[n]umbering your days simply means remembering that your life is short and your dying will be soon. Great wisdom — great, life-revolutionizing wisdom — comes from periodically pondering these things."  Piper also refers us to 2 Timothy 4:7-8 as another example in scripture that gives a litmus test for how we should measure each passing year.  Piper concludes by sharing "...if we discover that we did not keep the faith this past year, then we can be glad, as I am, that this year-end death is (probably) only a rehearsal, and a whole life of potential faith-keeping lies before us in the next year."

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 - thank You Jesus.  I am not deserving of how You give me life and the mercies that are new every morning.  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.  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 you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.

John 17

As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. John 17:18

I maintain a pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I continue using DesiringGod.com's Advent devotions where I pick up on Day 18.  Here, John Piper highlights missions and how "Christmas is a model for missions. Missions is a mirror of Christmas."  Just as Christ came into the world on Christmas Day to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), we are to go out into the world - to all nations - to proclaim the gospel (Matthew 28:18-20).  The mission field is often very dangerous as there are many places where proclaiming the gospel or starting a church is against the law and persecuted harshly.  Piper shares how Jesus encountered resistance but we are go out just as He did: "Christ came to his own and his own received him not. So you also. They plotted against him. So you. He had no permanent home. So you. They trumped up false charges against him. So you. They whipped and mocked him. So you. He died after three years of ministry. So you."  Piper then shares the greatest danger - to lose faith and trust in God: "[t]he greatest danger a missionary faces is not death but to distrust the mercy of God. If that danger is avoided, then all other dangers lose their sting."  He concludes with hope and encouragement for those facing danger by stating that if believers "Conquer [temptation to distrusting God's mercy] and nothing can harm you for a million ages."

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 - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such grace and 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. 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

John 10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10

I maintain a pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I continue using DesiringGod.com's Advent devotions where I pick up on Day 15.  Here, John Piper unpacks how Christmas of course stirs up feelings of joy and family, etc. Yet during the Christmas season, many have lost loved ones and John Piper briefly shares a few words of how he and an older member of his church have experienced loss.  My own father died in December 1998 and my niece Marit passed just after Thanksgiving last year.  These are all painful things indeed.  John Piper does not want us to escape this pain as we may perhaps reflect on this during Christmas - Piper shares: "[m]any of you will feel your loss this Christmas more pointedly than before. Don’t block it out. Let it come. Feel it. What is love for, if not to intensify our affections — both in life and death? But oh, do not be bitter. It is tragically self-destructive to be bitter." Piper then refers us to John 10:10 where Jesus shares how He provides abundant life - and of course this is an eternally abundant life.  We are encouraged to focus here and how regardless of what we may experience in this life - our ultimate home is in Heaven with Jesus.  This in turn gives us hope to endure what we may experience now as we know that what we are experiencing is temporary until we are at home with Jesus. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves us and who is full of grace and compassion for us, providing life - abundantly - now and for eternity.  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 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.