A solitary place

Mark 1:35 - Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Finding time to pray and rest, and just reflect is so important.  Even though it may seem like we don't have the time to spend to do this, if you do it, you'll end up maximizing your time because you'll be able to think through what's important in your life.  Instead of reacting to various situations or feelings, you'll be able to plan what you want to accomplish, put it in God's hands, and then actually be able to accomplish it.  Try taking five minutes a day (or more if you can) and spend it in quietness and prayer, seeking God's will and planning for your week.  It may make a big difference in your life!

Josh and the Big Wall

Joshua
Today's reading in Joshua (chapters 6-7), about the destruction of Jericho, reminded me of an online game I played a few times on Big Idea's website (the Veggie Tales company).  It consisted of having a few Israelites walk around the walls of Jericho and avoiding the grape slurpees that the evil Peas of Jericho were trying to throw on them.  I just checked, and the game is still up: http://www.bigideafun.com/veggietales/arcade/josh/info.htm.  It's a simplistic reproduction of this story from the Old Testament, but it's a fun way to get kids involved!
As for chapter 7 and the account of Achan's sin, I was concerned about verse 25, which seemed to suggest, in the NIV, that Achan's sons and daughters were stoned with him for his having taken the devoted things (silver and gold) when destroying Jericho.  This punishment of his children didn't seem so just, so I'm inclined to agree with Clarke's Commentary, which states that other versions of the text (Hebrew, Greek, Latin) seem to suggest that only Achan and his possessions, such as his cattle, sheep, tents, etc. were destroyed.  For more info on that topic, click here (to go to bible.cc).

The earthquake at Adam

Joshua
In the past when I've read the story of the Israelites crossing the Jordan, similar to that of them crossing the Red Sea, I've always thought that God would sort of have come down with his hand and stuck it in the water and made a dry path.  But I read a footnote in my bible today that said that the town of Adam, mentioned in Joshua 3:16, often experienced earthquakes.  The latest one, in 1927, ended with a large part of the embankment shearing off and falling in the river, effectively creating a dam and stopping the flow of water down the Jordan for approximately 21 hours.  So there's actually a scientific reason for the dry path that the Israelites crossed.  Still, what expert timing on behalf of God so that the Israelite priests were at the river the second the river stopped flowing.  Amazing!

A psalm of David

Psalm 72:18-19

Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.  Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory.  Amen and Amen.

A life well lived

Key verses
Romans 16:25-27 - "Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him— to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen."

 Deuteronomy
What a guy!  Moses had a super productive life, and to top it off, he died well.  His strength wasn't gone, and his eyes were still good.  He just walked into the mountains and died.  He was so well respected and the Israelites grieved his going for a while, and no one after him compared to his godliness.
I've been reading The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey lately, and one of the habits is to begin with the end in mind.  Ultimately, we should have in mind what kind of legacy we want to leave behind when we die, and what we want people to think of us when we're gone.  And then, we take that idea or legacy, and work toward achieving it.  I want to be respected, and be considered by God as a good and faithful servant, such as Moses.  Think about what you want to achieve, consider whether it's worthwhile, and work toward it!

Mary and Mary and the resurrection

Matthew
When the angel of the Lord came down to roll the stone away from the tomb, the guards were so scared, they "became like dead men".  That must have been a sight!  And yet, the two women, Mary and Mary, although afraid, were completely receptive to the angel's message and hurried off to tell the disciples of the good news about Jesus's resurrection.  Perhaps the spirit of God resonated within them and helped them believe these almost outrageous news.  As they were running to the disciples, Jesus himself appeared to them.  I wonder if he did so just to reinforce the truth of the message.  I'm impressed by these women.  We aren't privy to the entire story or all the details, but they really seem to have it together during this supernatural experience.

The Shroud of Turin

Have you heard of the shroud of Turin?  Matthew 27:59 mentions the cloth that most people believe to be what is now called 'the shroud of Turin': "Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,...".   Basically, after Jesus was crucified, Joseph of Arimathea was able to take his body, and then he wrapped it in a burial cloth, and put it in the tomb.  This burial cloth is the shroud of Turin (so some believe, but no one has conclusive evidence).  It is so called because the shroud was found in Turin, Italy.  There are tons of website dedicated to this subject, http://www.shroudstory.com/ is just one of them.  Greg Koukl had a guest speaker, Gary Habermas, on his weekly radio show this past week, and Habermas talked about the shroud, so if you want to know more, that is also a resource to use.  Here is a picture of the shroud:

My point about the shroud is this: regardless of whether it is the burial cloth of Jesus or not, it should have no effect on our faith, nor should it become an object of worship.

Righteousness, peace, and joy

Romans 14:17 - For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
This verse alone (though read in context) should be enough to keep the church from petty fights over how we 'do church'.  Unfortunately, we let ourselves get too caught up in the small things and end up completely missing out on what God was really establishing among us - an life of righteousness, peace, and joy! I want to take part in that!  So let's set our minds on things above and work toward this kingdom.

Authorities are God's servants

Key verse
Deuteronomy 25:10 - That man's line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled. (I put this verse up mostly because I found it amusing.  To check out the context, read Deuteronomy 25:5-10.)

Romans
Read Romans 13:6-7.  Actually, I'll post it here so that you can easily refer to it: "This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor."
I think almost everyone realizes the necessity of paying taxes, even if they don't enjoy it.  As I read these verses, I thought, of course, taxes, I pay those.  But then I read the last part, about paying honour and respect to those in authority.  Taxes are one thing, but honour and respect??  Just look around in the news, and see the advertising of political parties, and it certainly doesn't seem like they deserve honour and respect.  Petty fighting and insults are the way they treat each other; it certainly doesn't seem like they want or deserve our respect.  But the people that God has placed in authority are there to govern us; they have huge responsibilities, even if it doesn't seem like they use them well sometimes.  If we pray for them, show them respect, and honour them, perhaps they'll raise the standard and become the type of people that we would readily respect and honour.

Faithful in Prayer

If there's one thing I feel I could do better in, it's prayer.  Romans 12:12 says "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer."  As I just typed that out, I realized being patient in affliction could use some work in my life as well.  In making friends out of enemies, you'll need both of these things in good measure.  Today, practice patience, and while you're being patient (or trying to be), pray!

Psalm 66

The beginning of Psalm 66 is filled with such joy and praise, I thought I would simply post verses 1-4.  Let these verses become a shout of praise from your own mouth to God.

Shout with joy to God, all the earth!

Sing the glory of his name;

make his praise glorious!

Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!

So great is your power

that your enemies cringe before you.

All the earth bows down to you;

they sing praise to you,

they sing praise to your name.”

Olive shoots and salvation

Consider this passage from Romans: Paul is talking about grafting in wild and cultivated olive shoots.  Gentiles are the wild shoots and the cultivated ones are the Jews, who have grown up with a belief in God.  Paul says that they were cut out of the tree because of unbelief (in Jesus) and we were grafted in, but we shouldn't take pride in this fact, because they can easily be re-grafted into the tree (of faith in Christ).  Romans 11:30-32 states "Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you.  For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all."
That last sentence always confused me because of the word 'bound'.  But we have to understand it not as an involuntary sinfulness, but as voluntary.  God has allowed us to be disobedient (by our own choice), but in our sin he comes near and provides a way out - salvation by grace through Christ - and thereby shows his glory and majesty to all men.

God in the Old Testament

I was listening to Greg Koukl's radio show (via podcast) from this past Sunday, February 13.  In the last hour, he interviewed Paul Copan, who wrote Is God a Moral Monster?  Basically, Copan talks about how God is still righteous, gracious, and loving even though a lot of people misread the Old Testament and think that God is a big bully.  For instance, we read today in Deuteronomy about how God will rid the promised land of foreigners and the Israelites will triumph over their enemies.  The Israelites didn't participate in divine ethnic cleansing, however.  Deuteronomy 7:5 specifically states that the Israelite were to destroy the religious aspects of the other nations.  God was setting Israel up to be an example, a light, for all others; they were going to reflect the Lord's glory, and so they had to destroy the pagan relics.
Another interesting point Copan makes is that the laws Israel had to follow were mainly another way to remind them that God was involved in every aspect of their life, and that in every way, they were to remain set apart from the rest of the world and be different.  For instance, they weren't supposed to mix two different kinds of fabric together, nor were they to plant more than one type of crop in any given area.  They were to keep things pure and set apart, just as they were to remain pure and set apart from the pagans.
These are only a few examples, partially gleaned from today's reading in Deuteronomy, explaining why God is not the maniac some people think he is.  He didn't change from one testament to the other.  He is the same God in both the Old and New covenants.

Read Paul Copan's book to find out more about this issue.

Sharing the good news

Romans 10:14-15 - How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
I believe these verses speak to the need for all of us to actively participate in passing along the good news that Christ has died for our sins.  God has chosen us to be the medium of his message, and if we don't participate in that, we completely miss out on part of his mission for us.  Granted, God will get his message out regardless of what we do, but our ability to share the gospel should be considered a blessing for us, not a duty.

Our salvation

Psalm 62:1-2
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Do we have free will?

What do you think about Romans 9:18? "Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden."
As I read this verse, I wondered how free will could come into play when God can harden whomever he wants, or have mercy on whomever he wants.  It doesn't seem like a situation where we could ever choose to follow God.  But Jesus himself said "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44).  However, perhaps God is calling all of us to him, drawing all of us to him, and not all of us are responding.  This would make sense because, as 2 Peter 3:9 states, God "is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
Does Romans 9:18 then mean that God hardens those who have already decided to ignore him?  In what other way could God harden someone and still allow them to have made a choice?

The first among many brothers

Romans
"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."  I present this verse from Romans (8:29) not to start into a debate on predestination, but to focus on the second half of the verse.  As Christians, we have become brothers and sisters with Jesus Christ, God the Son!  Not only can we cry out for our Father (as we read yesterday), but we have a brother who intercedes for us on our behalf.  Therefore, we can be more than conquerors!  When that sin that entangles us comes upon us, we cling to Jesus and can be freed.

Abba, Father

Key verse
Psalm 59:16 -  But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

Romans
Romans 8:15 - For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
This verse brings me joy because it is liberating!  We don't have to be afraid of sin and death.  Granted, that doesn't mean that sometimes I won't be afraid, but the promise this verse brings is amazing - through the Spirit of God, living in me, I can call on God and not worry or fear. 

A life of integrity

Key verses
Romans 7:21-25 - So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.  What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

 Matthew
 I'd like to continue from yesterday's theme of Jesus's return.  Matthew 24:42 says that we do not know the day or the hour that Jesus will return.  Do we live in disregard of his message, then, and simply carry on as we please, hoping to get at least some notice of when we should clean up our act?  By no means!  Living a life of integrity is the better way, like the "faithful and wise servant" mentioned in verse 45.  First, we won't be caught off guard when the end does coming (whether through the second coming or through our own physical death), and secondly, having consistently followed God for the rest of our lives, we will be far better prepared for heaven than we would be otherwise.  Certainly, heaven will be something beyond our imagination, but by seeking after God here, somehow I think we'll be in a better position to continue being with him there.

Signs of the end of the age... do they matter?

Key verses

Psalm 57:9-11 - I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.  For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.

Matthew
Matthew 24:15-35 is one of those passages that gets people thinking about the end of the world and Jesus's return.  At one point, this type of prophetic message really interested me as well, and I was curious to know what would usher in the "end times".   I have since learned and come to understand that what is really important is my relationship with God.  It shouldn't matter when the world will end, because regardless of when that is, I'll be striving to get to know God better.  We won't ever get to the point where we'll know God completely, not in this world, but if we're wholeheartedly on the journey of getting to know him and apply his character to our lives, what else is there?

The bronze snake

Key verse
Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Numbers
The story about the bronze snake in Numbers 21 almost seems a bit idolatrous.  At least, the snake could lead to idolatry, in that the Israelites would look at the snake alone for healing, rather than having the bronze snake be a symbol of God's healing touch.  In fact, years later, Hezekiah ended up destroying this bronze snake that Israel had kept all along, because it had become a god to them, and they were burning incense to it (see 2 Kings 18).
When God provides an avenue for us to worship him or call on him, or a tool to use in developing our relationship with him, we need to avoid idolizing that tool as a god, and instead remember that it is only a means to God.

Water from the rock

Numbers
And just like that, Moses and Aaron, the leaders of Israel, were not allowed to enter the promised land.  Numbers 20 tells us the second story of the water from the rock.  Moses and Aaron were to go to the rock and Moses was to speak to it, and water would come out so the people could drink.  But when they got to the rock, Moses was too angry to speak to it, and just struck the rock (like he was commanded to a while back the first time God made water come from the rock).  Because Moses and Aaron didn't have enough trust in God, they were no longer able to enter the promised land.
Let that be a lesson to us.  Sometimes what God asks us to do seems so lame, or we think we have a better way to do it.  But God's way really is the better way, and if we don't go his way, then we're missing out on an important lesson or a great blessing.

Breaking the Sabbath

Key verse
Romans 5:19 - For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.


Numbers/Matthew
I would have liked more information about the man who broke the Sabbath (see Numbers 15:32-36).  He was gathering wood on the Sabbath, and those who found him brought him to Moses and Aaron, and he was stoned to death outside the camp, on God's orders.  Was it because he didn't trust God to provide the wood after the Sabbath, or he hadn't thought of God's day the day before, so he was had to gather wood on the Sabbath?  The story doesn't offer many details, and I'm left hoping that God didn't just have him stoned out of an unintentional sin.  But here is where we have to go on faith that God is gracious and compassionate and has proven himself to be such time and again.
In some ways, it is easy to see how the Pharisees became so focused on the letter of the law (see Matthew 23:23).   Looking at stories like this one from Numbers could lead them to think that breaking the Sabbath by doing any work is completely out of the question, or else you'll suffer the consequences.  But Jesus had the right attitude - it's not the outward appearance, but what's going on in the heart that God really looks at, so that is what we must focus on.

Doing God's will

Numbers
Why is it often difficult to see the fulfillment we can get out of doing God's will rather than our own?  It takes great faith to go out into the unknown and trust that God will deliver you.  But we can rest on previous experience and knowledge too, that we know God will come through.  The entire bible is a testimony to the grace of God, the trustworthiness of God.  The Israelites had to make a hard choice: invade a land of enemies and trust that God will prevail, or turn away from God's promised land and not have to face a hard situation.  Instead of doing what they did, and turn away, when you're faced with a clear opportunity from God that will bring immense joy and peace, go for it!  It may be tough work or take a lot of faith to get to that promise from God, but he'll see you through.  He was with the Israelites, even when they ignored him, and they eventually got to where God wanted them to go.  He is faithful.

The greatest commandment

Matthew
22:36-40  “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 

Jesus's wisdom is so impressive.  Today, I just want to highlight his response to the Pharisees regarding the most important law.  He summed it up so nicely, and it seems so obvious, but would we have known this to be the truth if it wasn't recorded for us?

A broken and contrite heart

Key verses
Matthew 22:21 - "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

Romans 3:21-24 - But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Psalms
Psalm 51 is another psalm that makes me read through it twice.  It is so comforting to see that even after grievous sin we can approach God, humble at heart, and know that he will respond in grace and mercy.  God's unfailing love and great compassion, shown through Jesus's death on the cross, will come through for us time and again, if we come with a broken spirit and contrite heart.

The Lord's blessing

For today's post, I thought I would just pass along the blessing that Aaron and the Levites would bestow upon the Israelites on behalf of God:

‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."'

I pray that you also would experience this blessing.

Numbers aren't always boring

Numbers
Well, Leviticus is done!  I must admit, it got a little boring reading all those laws.  I thought Numbers would be similar, seeing as the first three chapters were about counting the fighting men.  However, I read a footnote in my bible that made these numbers seem a little more interesting.  It was saying that this census, which occurs at the beginning and end of Numbers, was more than just taking a count of the nation.  They were only counting the fighting men because at both times they were preparing to invade the promised land (the first attempt failed because they weren't courageous enough to go through with it).  In addition, the men were counted within family units, and organized into family units, so that they're co-fighters would be close family, and more precious to them than simply an acquaintance from some other tribe within Israel.  These numbers can actually teach us a lot about God and his people, if we know what to do with them.

Matthew
Today's reading in Matthew (latter part of ch. 21) reminded me of an Adventures in Odyssey episode.  This is a children's radio drama show that has been going on for about 25 years.  The episode that I'm referring to is a re-enactment of some of the parables in Matthew - the parable of the tenants, the parable of the two sons, and also the section on the authority of Jesus questioned.  The episode is called Over the Airwaves, and it originally aired on January 19, 1991.  You can read mroe about the episode here.