I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.

John 17

 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them. John 17:26

Once again, I pause on my studies of both Isaiah and of Proverbs to listen to today's Solid Joys daily devotion on DesiringGod.com.  John Piper's devotion today starts with Piper asking us to "[i]magine being able to enjoy what is most enjoyable with unbounded and increasing energy and passion forever."  This is certainly a worthy endeavor!  Piper then acknowledges how - from an earthly perspective - things get in the way of our joy, including love of the world consumes us more than love of God, our human abilities our limited, things of this world come to an end.  Piper then moves to Jesus' prayer in John 17, where specifically, in John 17:26, Jesus prayers that God's love for Jesus be in believers and Jesus in believers (as the Holy Spirit).  Piper describes God's love for His Son Jesus as totally pleasurable because Jesus is infinitely worthy of love or lovely.  In praying that this love be in us, "then the object of our pleasure, Jesus, will be inexhaustible in personal worth. He will never become boring or disappointing or frustrating. No greater treasure can be conceived than the Son of God. But add to this what Jesus prays for; namely, that our ability — our energy, our passion — to savor this inexhaustible treasure will not be limited by human weaknesses." Amen!  We must acknowledge this treasure that we have and not cease in our praise and gratitude of Jesus.  We must also live lives that demonstrate that we have this incredible treasure and that we share it, bringing others to Jesus.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible treasure and thank You for giving me the love that is the same love between You and the Father - incredible and eternal!  I am not deserving of such love.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Enter into the joy of your master...These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Matthew 25 and John 15

Enter into the joy of your master...These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. Matthew 25:23 and John 15:11

I pause on my studies of both Isaiah and of Proverbs to listen to today's Solid Joys daily devotion on DesiringGod.com.  John Piper offers that God is happy God.   He starts by citing 1 Timothy 1:11 which refers to God as blessed, and Piper writes that "[i]t was inconceivable to the apostle Paul that God could be denied infinite joy and still be all-glorious. To be infinitely glorious was to be infinitely happy."  He also refers to Jonathan Edwards who stated "[p]art of God’s fullness which he communicates is his happiness. This happiness consists in enjoying and rejoicing in himself; so does also the creature’s happiness."  Piper then describes how the gospel is inherently happy: "[n]o one would want to spend eternity with a gloomy, unhappy God."  He then uses both Matthew 25:23 and John 15:11 to further bolster this claim that God is a happy God.  Before we depart from this topic, it should be understood that God does indeed seek for us to be joyful and we must appreciate how this is a supernatural joy - not an earthly joy delivered through idol worship or love of the world.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who is full of joy, and as a believer, You allow me to experience this supernatural joy - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues, including how often I seek my comfort first - over You.  This is sinful.  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.

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Proverbs 1:8-7

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

As part of my D-Group's study of Proverbs using the Knowing the Bible study series for this book, I continue with an examination of Proverbs, moving to week 3, which focuses on Proverbs 1:8-7.  Today, I covered the final two questions of the study, looking at Proverbs 6 and 7.  Today's study also included a review of the commentary associated with Proverbs 1:8-7, and the commentary (is it always is) is broken down into: (a) Gospel Glimpses (how wisdom, and ultimately salvation is a gift from God; how we should look at discipline from God as His way of sharpening us and purifying us for His glory; how we should pursue steadfast love and faithfulness to God and others-modeled after Jesus); (b) Whole Bible Connections (contrasting light from darkness; warnings about adultery and the seriousness of this sin; and how "double-mindedness" or lack of full devotion to God is to be avoided as any opening for Satan will be used for our peril; (c) Theological Soundings (how God may ultimately hand us over to our sin-and our destruction-if we persist in it and do not seek to repent, follow God and stay near to Him; a reminder that wisdom and salvation are both gifts from God-not from our own doing). 

It is the double-mindedness James writes about that I seek to avoid - in particular this morning as I am prone to be distracted.  I am prayerful that I can avoid the double-mindedness that may take me away from God's commandments. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who loves me and who is full of grace and mercy for me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such grace and mercy.  My sin is great - including double-mindedness - 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.

When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me,“Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.

Proverbs 1:8-7

When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me,“Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. Proverbs 4:3-4

As part of my D-Group's study of Proverbs using the Knowing the Bible study series for this book, I continue with an examination of Proverbs, moving to week 3, which focuses on Proverbs 1:8-7.  Today, I focus on the 5th through the 8th paternal appeal found in Proverbs:

• Proverbs 4:1-9 (including referral to Deuteronomy, Psalm 78:1-8, Matthew 19:13, and Ephesians 6:1-4) > parents must pass on a love of God and His law to their children and their children's children
  
• Proverbs 4:10-19 > understand the benefits and pitfalls of the contrasting paths of righteousness vs wickedness
  
• Proverbs 4:20-27 > focus on heart condition as this contains the key to avoiding falling into the snare of sin
  
• Proverbs 5 > avoid the allure of sexual immorality
  

I am prayerful that I am doing what I should and can to pass on my love of God to Zach and Dustin.

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

My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.

Proverbs 1:8-7

My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Proverbs 3:1-2

As part of my D-Group's study of Proverbs using the Knowing the Bible study series for this book, I continue with an examination of Proverbs, moving to week 3, which focuses on Proverbs 1:8-7.  The first four questions ask, in the context of:

• 1:8-19: what might loss of life include?
• 2:6-8, 9-22: what aspects of God's character discovered, how does wisdom benefit those who find it?
• 3:1-12: are the described rewards always experienced in tangible ways?  How best should we understand them?
• 3:21-35 (with James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5-6, Psalm 138:6): what do these passages reveal about the folly of pride
  

While all of these questions are of value to explore, the third question today is what strikes a chord.  A key statement made in the opening chapter of the study states that Proverbs, while they are "observations of how God has designed the world to work[,] they should not be taken as promises."  This said, as I try and reconcile this statement with 2 Timothy 3:16, which states about scripture: "all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness[.]"  As I answer the third question, I move to closer to reconciling how Proverbs should not be taken as promises per se, perhaps not tangibly, but instead as spiritual rewards and blessings.  Clarity of purpose (straight paths), emotional and spiritual healing, and spiritual/emotional wealth (eternal rewards), are all examples of how we experience tangible rewards of seeking God's wisdom (and seeking His love and glory).  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and You do bless by making paths straight, by spiritual/emotional healing, and by providing spiritual/emotional wealth - I have experienced all of these blessings - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of these blessings.  My sin is great and it continues - today I did not come to You first but instead sought earthly comfort over You - sinful!  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.

Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me[.]

Isaiah 44-46

Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me[.] Isaiah 46:8-9

I resumed my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series - today moving on to Lesson 17 day 4 and 5 where I reflect on Isaiah 46 after a read of my commentary's perspective on this chapter.  My commentary offers the following divisions for this chapter:

1. The gods of Babylon are a crushing burden, crushed in the end (46:1-2)
   
2. The incomparable God carries His people from birth to old age (46:3-5)
3. The idols cannot move, neither can they save (46:6-7)
4. Remember the God who plans and orchestrates history (46:8-10)
5. God's plan is to bring salvation near to those far away (46:11-13)

The two key applications recommended by my commentary include:

1. We should not "glibly" assume we have no idols; we should ask God to search our heart and expose them; "anything we put ultimate value on other than Christ is a "functional savior" and an idol
2.  Delight in a God who carries you

The core method God uses to show us the futility of idol worship is a comparison of idols to the One True God and of course NONE compare!  My commentary states very aptly: "[t]hough we may not go to a goldsmith with a bag of gold and ask him to melt it into a golden statue that we worship, our covetousness and materialism are every bit as idolatrous as that....idols are burdens that we carry around, burdens that will crush us someday if we do not cast them off. God has systematically exposed and destroyed all his rivals in every generation."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who is like no other - You are the One True God that carries burdens and saves - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You carry burdens and save.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.

Isaiah 44-46

I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it. Isaiah 46:11

I resumed my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series - today moving on to Lesson 17 day 3, which examines Isaiah 46. This chapter includes several core messages/applications:

• v1-2: the futility of idols - they cannot carry burdens nor save; Israel's kings and citizens had allowed themselves to fall prey to the religious practices of neighboring countries and disobeyed God's commands to love Him and to not have other gods before Him (see Exodus 20:3-4).
  
• v3-7: none compare to the One True God, the King of Kings who created everything, is before and in everything and holds all things together 
• v8-11: nothing can stop God from accomplishing His will
• v12-13: God promises a remnant of Israel that He will save them - a coming Messiah
  

Of particular note, we should take great comfort in knowing that when God makes a promise - He is faithful and He will accomplish His will.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who loves me and I take great comfort in how You are faithful.  All of Your promises come to pass.  Thank You Jesus for Your faithfulness - none compare to You.  I am not deserving of Your faithfulness, nor any of the blessings You pour out for me, including my salvation.  My sin is great and it is 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.