“Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’”

 Malachi 3:13-15

“Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’” Malachi 3:13-15

I return to 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 start a focus on a commentary-assisted review of Malachi 3:13-18. The commentary for this text provides two divisions as well as a main idea, an introduction and conclusion - today I focus on the main idea, introduction and the first division.

Excerpts from the commentary's main introduction and for the text's first division:

• Main Idea: "God’s commitment to His covenant demands a response from His people, and those who fear God are set apart as His treasured possession."
  
• Introduction - The Fear of God: Believers are reminded that God's promises always come true and these promises equip us to weather all trials and suffering.  We are also reminded that we belong to God, are sealed by Him with our salvation and this is the core promise to which we should remain anchored. We are referred to Luke 24:36 where after his death and resurrection Jesus appears to His disciples sharing "peace to you" encouraging the disciples (and us) to be free from fear and anxiety. We are commanded to live in reverent fear of God - this should be out of respect of who He is and how He reigns over all - we should certainly be obedient to Him.  This reverent fear should not however, drive us to be afraid of God Himself as He encourages us to approach Him confidently (Hebrews 4:16), knowing He wants us to be in relationship with Him.  
  
• The Wicked Respond in a Spirit of Legalism, Expecting Reward for Obedience (3:13-15): God sees a heart problem with His people and the commentary describes how God sees those who are following Him, and those who have wandered from Him.  V13 shares how those who have wandered see obedience as "vain" or useless.  However, God sees through this because their obedience was not a result of reverent fear of God but instead out of a feeling of obligation, and expecting something in return.  We should all remind ourselves that we deserve death for our sin (Romans 3:23, 6:23).  God wants us to treasure and love Him above all and it is out of this love where we week to please Him through our obedience.  Our heart condition and our motives are most important.  See Romans 12:1 where God does not want us to go through the motions, but He wants all of our lives to reflect a love and worship of Him. The commentary then defines both license and legalism - both of which reflect an inaccurate understanding of what God seeks from us. "License is the idea that, since we’ve been saved by grace through Christ, we are free in the Spirit to do as we please and indulge whatever we want, even if it opens the door for sin. These individuals see the promise of God’s forgiveness as justification to do whatever they want. The law seems useless....On the opposite swing of the pendulum from license is legalism—putting fences around the law to protect yourself from breaking it."  The commentary points us to scripture that warns us about both license and legalism: see Matthew 23:23-24, 5:17 then shares that "[t]he people of Israel in Malachi’s day did not understand this, and therefore they saw the law as burdensome."  We are encouraged to know God as deeply as we can (through spiritual disciplines) and as we deepen our knowledge of God we grow in relationship with Him and seek more and more to become more like Him, submitting our lives to Him.  This of course prevents us from wandering.   
  

Comment and discuss this post. 

My Prayer: Father God, what an incredible God You are that You free us from the law, give us Your Son Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and Your Word so that we can know You, love You, and please You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings....my sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me and help me turn from such 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.

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

1 John 5:1-4

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 5:2-4

I continue my preparation for leading Sunday school at my church on 20OCT, where our class will be looking at 1 John 5:1-4.  For this morning, I lean on DesiringGod.com's Look at the Book video for this text.  Excerpts from the video:

• Faith: being born again is what produces faith; our spiritually dead hearts are made alive by Christ and we can begin to see Him in His glory for who He is; we are then drawn to believe; we are warned not to believe in this as a fact because even Satan believes Jesus is the Christ - instead our belief is driven not by logic but a change in spiritual condition.
• Faith: believing in Jesus (new birth) results in love for the Father
• Love for Father results in love for God's children (other believers)
• Love of Father and His children also results in obedience to Him
• Love of God results not just in obedience but in an obedience that is NOT burdensome and Piper explains that this is breakthrough relative to the OT and ceremonial law given how this law was burdensome - instead the law as given by Jesus is joyful
• Our love of God and His children overcome the world including sin, death, everything that makes the commandments of God burdensome (see also 1 John 2:15-17) > we treasure God so much that the world is exposed as unsatisfying
• Piper lays out the sequence as described in the text: new birth > faith > love of God > overcoming the world > we keep His commandments joyfully > this is what John calls loving believers.
  

Lord Jesus, help me see the world as unsatisfying and not love anything in it above You.

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 - despite my sin.  Thank You Jesus for Your amazing grace!  I am not deserving of my salvation, nor any of the mercies and blessings You pour out for me every single day.  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.

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

2 John 1

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

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

Comment and discuss this post.

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

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

1 John 5

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3

I continue my study of 1,2,3 John using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for these books.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of 1 John 5:1-5. 

Per the commentary for this text:

Main idea: "True Christians will display evidence of being God’s children, including right beliefs about God and holy living before God."

Excerpts from the introduction:

• "Birthmarks" of being children of God include "right belief (the doctrinal mark), right love (the moral mark), and right behavior (the ethical or social mark)."
• The text today describes "six specific identifying evidences that a person is a child of God."
• John seeks to assure believers that they are "born again, that they belong to Jesus, and that they can enjoy right now the gift of eternal life (5:13)."
  

Divisions:

1. We Believe That Jesus Is the Messiah (5:1): All believers must confess that Jesus is the promised Messiah from scripture - this makes us children of God. He is the Prophet, Great High Priest (see Romans 8), and King of the Church.  "[I]f you can heartily and earnestly say, I accept Jesus Christ of Nazareth to be Prophet, Priest, and King to me because God has anointed Him to exercise those three offices....then...you have the faith of God’s elect[.]" 
   
2. We Have Been Born of God (5:1,4): "Being born of God and believing in Jesus are intertwined in the Bible and cannot be separated....In this new birth God does not just give you a new name; He gives you a new nature. He gives you the very nature of God Himself as you enter into His family.  Jesus did not come to die on a bloody cross to make us kinder and nicer persons. He came to dramatically, personally, radically, and eternally transform us and make us new people. It is by the new birth that He accomplishes this glorious work. Therefore, you must be born again."
   
3. We Love the Father and His Family (5:1-2): Nothing matters more than our love for God.  "The word “love” appears more than 30 times in 1 John 4:7–5:3. It occurs five times here in verses 1-3."  We must not only love God we must love what He loves and as such we must love our brothers and sisters in Christ.     
   
4. We Obey His Commands (5:2-3): "John is saying that in the new birth I receive a new nature. With this new nature comes new affections, passions, treasures, and values. Because I now love God instead of hating Him, I treasure and value Him above everyone and everything else. And because I treasure and value Him above everyone and everything else, I delight in obeying Him. Now I find His commands not to be a burden, but a blessing." See also Psalms 1:1-2, 35:27, 37:4, 40:8, 112:1, 119:14, 16, 24, 35, 47, 70, 77, 143, and 174.  "Loving God rightly, therefore, is not just external behavior and outward obedience. It is a longing to do His will from the heart, out of gospel gratitude for who He is and what He has done for us in Jesus."
   
5. We Have Overcome the World (5:4): "This is a fifth authenticating mark of the children of God." Our faith is noted as "another spiritual weapon that grants us victory over the weapons of the world in our spiritual battles[.]...Overcomers, via the new birth and faith in Christ, are no longer consumed by what they don’t have (lust of the flesh and of the eyes) or what they do have (pride in lifestyle; 2:16)."  
   
6. We Believe Jesus Is the Son of God (5:5).

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 defeating sin and death for me and for never leaving or forsaking 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.

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

1 John 5

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5

I continue my study of 1,2,3 John using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for these books.  Today, my focus is an unassisted review of 1 John 5:1-5. John first describes the identity of those born of Christ: those who believe that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God (v1a).  At the same time, if you love God, you must love those who are born of God (v1b). The bond is love as John has been discussing in 1 John 4 - God is love and the origin of love is God.  In v2, John provides a litmus test of knowing that we love those born of God (or children of God) - we know because "we love God and his commandments" (v2b). Obedience to God's commandments is another measure or litmus test of love - v3. Obedience is not seen as burdensome because we are moved to obedience as a response to God's overwhelming love for us and because God brings about our obedience through the Holy Spirit (see Romans 1:5).  Vv4-5 describe how those born of God overcome the sin and brokenness of the world, including victory over sin and death.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are greater than the world as You became part of the world, died a worldly death, but rose again to defeat both sin and death - thank You Jesus for Your sacrifice and how this gives me victory over sin and death.  I am not deserving of such blessings - 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 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.

Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

 1 John 2

Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 1 John 2:7-9

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

Per the commentary for this text: 

Main idea: "True followers of Jesus will have assurance in their salvation because they know, love, and obey Him."

Excerpt from introduction: 

• In this letter, John lays out a "threefold" test for believers to assess if we truly know Christ; (a) a theological test to determine if we "believe the right things about Christ", (b) a moral test to determine if we obey Christ, and (c) a ethical test to determine if we love others.  The text highlighted this morning examines the moral test in vv3-6 and the ethical test in vv7-11.
  

Divisions:

1. Obey Christ’s Commands and Enjoy the Assurance of Salvation (2:3-6): The commentary refers us to both Chuck Colson from his book Loving God, who writes that "the essence of the Christian life is obedience."  Dietrich Bonheoffer is similarly quoted (by Colson) that "only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  Knowing (via intimate understanding of the gospel/God's Word) and loving God are "wed" together in the text as these words are used more than 40 times each in 1 John. "Both lead to obedience." Guarding God's commands in our heart as a treasure serve to provide assurance of our salvation. "Because I know Him in all of His beauty, glory, and majesty, I delight in obeying Him. To obey Christ is not a burden. It is a blessing. It is my natural response to what He has done for me....In keeping and obeying His Word, my love for Jesus grows, matures, and is brought to its intended goal. And here is the beauty of the whole thing: the more I know Him the more I love Him, and the more I love Him the more I know Him....To truly abide in Christ means I will live (walk) like Christ." We are referred to John 15:4-5, 1 Corinthians 11:1, Ephesians 5:1, 1 Peter 2:21. "Like Father, like Son. Like Savior, like saint. Christ’s life becomes my life, my example, my goal, and my pattern." 
   
2. Love One Another and Walk in the Light of Salvation (2:7-11): "[T]he letters of John assume a knowledge of the Gospel of John," as the text today refers to John 13:34-35 as Jesus gives us a new command to love one another as He loves us. The commentary also refers us to Leviticus 19:18 where Moses also spoke of loving one another.  This supports John's claim that this is not a new commandment but one of old. As we experience and know God, and grow in our love of God, there is an evolving (new) "experience, emphasis, expression, and endurance" in our love of God and others.  We are reminded of a previous life in sin where we walked in darkness, blind to the love and light of Jesus.    
   

 As the commentary concludes, we are referred to the hymn Trust and Obey.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who loved me before I loved You.  You loved me while I was still hostile to You - as a slave to sin.  Yet You saved me nonetheless and continue to richly pour out blessings on me daily...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.

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

 1 John 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Comment and discuss this post.

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

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

1 Peter 3

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

 

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

Comment and discuss this post.

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.

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

Chapter 42: Pages 597-606

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

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

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

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

Comment and discuss this post here.

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

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Matthew 9, Mark 2, and Luke 5

 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

I continue with my study of - Ten Men of the Bible: How God Used Imperfect People to Change the World - eBook by Max Lucado (for purchase). This morning, I continue with the story of "Matthew: Redefining God's Family*".

*Title of lesson seven from the Max Lucado study.

The commentary* of day one starts with Max Lucado describing tax collectors during Jesus' day: "guys [who] ranked barely above plankton on the food chain...shunned". We've all felt shunned or insignificant in our lives at one point or another.  Lucado points to Luke 5:29-30 to show how the Jewish leaders felt about tax collectors.  He wants us to understand that it is our heart condition God is concerned about - He sees us as something the world does not.  See also how God saw David He says: 

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

We are to be encouraged that no matter what the world sees in us, God sees us as His creation and for believers as a new creation with God working in and through us, so we are not to measure ourselves against any yardsticks the world defines.

Lucado then turns to how Matthew must have felt leaving his old way of life behind, including his old friends.  We are warned in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 not to be yoked to unbelievers, but that does not mean we cannot still spend time with unbelievers, of course with the hope that we can be a light to them and give them cause to see (and hear) in you something that brings them to Jesus.  Jesus even participates in a celebration at Matthew's house with other tax collectors and sinners!

Finally, Lucado wants us to see how God offers "life to the full" and that we should not see following and being obedient to Jesus as a burden.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who provides life to the full...and so much more, including salvation - the greatest gift of all time.  I am not deserving of such a gift.  I worry and I have other sins.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa from cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

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

Genesis 6-9

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

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

*Title of lesson one from the Max Lucado study.

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

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

 Questions for discussion:

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

Comment and discuss this post here.

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

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord....Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.

Genesis 6-9

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord....Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. Genesis 6:8-9

This morning I align myself with the study chosen by my fellow men in my Friday morning Bible study group - Ten Men of the Bible: How God Used Imperfect People to Change the World - eBook (for purchase). Day one of this study focuses on Noah and the overarching theme of how God provides hope and how those of us given this gift of hope must use this hope to provide hope for others. 

The scripture reading this morning starts with God's disappointment and regret for what He had made with the human race:

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” Genesis 6:5-7

But the story quickly pivots to Noah and how one man living a righteous life stands to provide a basis for power and hope for all of humanity.  Late in scripture, we see how Jesus becomes this hope for all of humanity for all of eternity.  

Scripture also tells us how Noah was righteous and how he found favor in the eyes of the Lord.  Three times in Genesis 6-7 it says Noah "did everything just as God commanded him" (Genesis 6:22, 7:5, 7:9). I am going to refer to this as "hopeful obedience".  Hebrews 11 - often referred to as the "Hall of Faith" as it emphasizes great Biblical figures who lived by faith but did not "receive what was promised" under the First Covenant (Hebrews 11:39-40). In Hebrews 11 it says this about Noah:

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. Hebrews 11:7

It took one year and ten days (see Genesis 7:11, 8:14) for the flood to completely recede and for God to call Noah and his family to come out of the ark. Noah then builds an altar to the Lord (Genesis 8:20), and offers sacrifices to God. God finds this pleasing and promises (to Himself): 

Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” Genesis 8:21-22

God then blesses Noah and his family, and then makes a covenant with them (Genesis 9:1-17). Unfortunately, we end Noah's story with his drunkenness - not a particularly hopeful way to end his story but we still can clearly see how Noah was both faithful and hopeful.

Faith and hope go hand in hand - we cannot have one without the other. 

For me, the first key to Noah's story is how believers can remain hopeful because we find joy in obedience to God. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who gives me hope - an abundance of hope in this life and hope in the eternal rewards that await those in Heaven as God has saved a room for all of us.  Hope indeed!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of this hope by a long shot!  I have grave sin in my life, from murder (actual and in my heart) to worry and a host of other sins!  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sins to You Jesus!  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 how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.

1-3 John

This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. 1 John 5:2-4

Day 360 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as I move further into the New Testament - today I read the letters of 1 John. My commentary* indicates for the first letter: "[t]oward the end of the first century the church begins to face serious challenges both from without and from within. Persecution and suffering are the shared fate of Christians everywhere. Yet an even greater enemy has come from within—the enemy of false teaching. The Gnostic philosophy, popular at this time, teaches that matter is inherently evil, and that human flesh is therefore evil. This philosophy has led not only to flagrant immorality in exercise of fleshly desires but also to the conclusion that God himself could not possibly become flesh....As if he were their father, John writes to his “little children” about the need to continue walking in the light of God’s righteousness. He warns his readers about the antichrists—those who teach that Jesus was not God in the flesh. Concerned with their daily walk, as well as their belief in Jesus’ deity, John exhorts them to lead lives befitting children of God. He points out that true believers can be distinguished from unbelievers by their mutual love, godly lives, and obedience to God’s commands. John concludes his letter by noting the assurance and security which God’s children have in Jesus Christ."

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

While there are three letters in 1 John, the first of the three dominate in terms of themes and of the themes the two core themes include warnings of false teachers and encouragement to love God, love one another, that our love of God and one another compels us to obedience to God's commands - and such obedience is not burdensome because it flows from our love of God.

Comment and discuss this post here. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who first loved me and sent His Son so that I would have forgiveness of sin and eternal life - the greatest gift of all time!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a gift.  My sin continues...including worry, etc. and other sin such as harshness of others.  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.

“Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.”

Psalm 42, 53, 58, 81, and 101

“Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.” Psalm 58:11

Day 125 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues my focus on 112 of David's psalms which my study has not already covered or will not cover through other daily devotions as part of a broader study within their historical context. This study of these 112 psalms groups the psalms into five major topical areas, and today I start a new grouping "Psalms Expressing a Variety of Sentiments".

Today's psalms focus on the importance of hoping in God when one is depressed, the universality of sin and its consequences, outrage against leaders who promote injustice, the continual stubbornness of Israel, and an expression of commitment to righteous living. Obedience to God and the promise of blessings for obedience run through several of the psalms this morning:

The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked. Then people will say, “Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.” Psalm 58:10-11

But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” Psalm 81:16

Many, including believers, view obedience to Jesus as a burden.  Yet true believers experience the freedom in Christ that David alludes to when he says the "righteous are rewarded".  There are also rewards in Heaven as God is saving a place for us.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:3

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who blesses me abundantly in this life and I know for eternity in Heaven - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin continues - I am easily distracted by the matters of this world.  Thank You Jesus for Your grace and compassion over my sin but I need Your forgiveness daily...please forgive me for my sin and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.

Joshua 6-8

Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them. Joshua 8:34-35

Day 68 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) focuses on the Israelites first victory in Canaan, Jericho, and the days that followed, including an initial attack on Ai which failed due to sin by Achan.  Achan coveted devoted things from Jericho (see Joshua 7:20-21), instead of placing them in the treasury as directed by Joshua (see Joshua 7:18-19) - and he was put to death.

The Old Testament is full of examples of harsh punishment in the face of disobedience to God.  I am reminded of Lot's wife, who looked back to see the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and was turned into a pillar of salt (see Genesis 19:23-26).  In the New Testament, I am reminded of Ananias and Sapphira, who willfully held back giving to the church and lied about it to Peter and the apostles (see Acts 5). 

YES - God does offer forgiveness for sin.  He also hates sin - ALL of it - willful and unwillful. 

God SEES all of our sin and is intimately involved in all of the details of our lives - He is in control (see free will).  He seeks complete obedience to Him (not a burden) and the details matter - we cannot claim that one small sin is too insignificant to Him - that is for Him to judge not us.  We don't get to decide what our punishment is.

As such, fear of the Lord should serve as a preservative and cause us to run from sin - ALL of it.  We need to draw closer and closer to God such that MORE of our heart and life become like Him.   Just as Joshua read ALL of the words of the law - we must strive daily for 100% devotion to Him.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who has transformed my heart and life to be more like You - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and blessing.  I continue to sin and I know there is more race to run and work to do...please forgive me for my harshness towards others.  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.