Wrapped in light

Psalm 104:1-3

"O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.  He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.  He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind."

As I read these verses, the imagery and language really made God come alive.  Reading poetry like this helps put things in perspective.  I had a sense of the 'bigness' of God.  He is so far above us, and all around us!  It's great just to sit for a few minutes and think about his glory and power.  This can be a spiritual act of worship.

Generosity overflowing

Doesn't it hurt to be generous sometimes?  I don't know about you, but even though I want to give freely to God's mission, or those in need, or just enjoy a good time with friends, there's something in me that says, "No, this is mine.  This is my money, my time."  But how liberating would it be to just let go?  If we have the right attitude, we would receive back one-hundred-fold the reward if we were generous versus reticent.  If we do it grudgingly, and all the while think about what else could have been done with our resources, there's really no point, although after a while it might become a little easier to do.  If you're one of the ones who finds it difficult to be benevolent, ask that God would develop that gift in you, and you'll see a difference.

Godly sorrow

2 Corinthians
Sometimes, sorrow and grief are necessary.  As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 7, we need to feel the pain of our mistakes in order to correct our behaviour and move on.  The key is that this sorrow comes from God's Spirit in us. Sometimes we can feel bad for no reason and try to change ourselves, or we feel bad because we got caught.  With godly sorrow, God's Spirit in us will work on our conscience and we'll be grieved because we disobeyed God.  When the Holy Spirit is involved, we have a far better chance at repentance and new life than we would on our own.
When you experience grief, sorrow, or guilt over your actions or lifestyle, ask God to work in your heart and he can renew you.

Obedience is better than sacrifice

1 Samuel
Today I learned that even if we think we're doing God a favour, we aren't if we have not followed his commands.  That's where this verse comes in - 1 Samuel 15:22 - Obedience is better than sacrifice.  Saul had just waged war against the Amalekites, as the Lord had asked.  However, God had also told Saul to kill all the Amalekites, both the people and their animals.  Saul killed the weak ones, but left the king alive, as well as the choicest sheep and other animals.  He was going to sacrifice these animals to God, thinking he would be pleasing God. However, this is what Samuel the prophet tells Saul: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."
God is not interested in our offerings if we can't actually follow his word.  In the end, it will go better for us, even if we can't seem to understand that right away.  Here's what happened to Saul - Samuel killed the Amalekite king, and God took the kingship away from Saul and gave it to David.
It seems to me that living within the will of God is far better than trying to get on his good side in our own way.

Clearing out the temple

Mark
Jesus wasn't just concerned about clearing out the moneychangers and livestock market from the temple.  The temple area where these people were conducting business was meant to be the court of the Gentiles, the place where Gentiles could come and worship God.  They couldn't move any farther into the temple, but they could come to this outer court to worship and pray.  When the place was full of animals and people trying to do business, the hubbub was so loud that others could hardly think, let alone try and pray to God.  When Jesus cleared out the temple (Mark 11), he said "My house is a house of prayer for all nations."  He wanted all people to be able to come and worship God, not just the Jews.  God is available for all of us!

Light and momentary troubles

2 Corinthians
It sounds so nice and simple - our "light and momentary troubles" are achieving for us an eternal glory.  And yet, when we're living through these circumstances, they don't seem so light and momentary.  That's where our weekly gatherings with other Christians come in handy - we can encourage each other to keep going, to remember that there are far better experiences in store for us.  When we're all alone, it's a lot easier to get tunnel vision and start thinking that what is here and now is all there is.  Let's encourage each other to lift our eyes to a higher power and stay focused on God's kingdom, not ours.  With that new mindset, we'll be able to withstand anything!

The fall of Jericho

Today's post doesn't have anything to do with today's readings, but it does relate to something else I read today.  I'm reading Paul Copan's book "When God Goes to Starbucks".  He was giving reasons for believing that God does indeed participate in this world, as opposed to the belief of Deists, who think that God set the world in motion and then basically forgot about it.  Anyway, God interacts with us through natural events and through miracles.  Natural events follow the laws of nature, but the timing of such events was directly affected by God, while miracles are events that cannot be explained through natural causes.  For example, an earthquake is a naturally occurring event, while someone coming back to life when they were physically dead is a miracle as that conflicts with natural laws.  All this is to say that perhaps the fall of Jericho wasn't a miracle, so to speak.  I always read this story and thought that the Israelites blew the trumpets and the city fell.  Copan mentioned in passing that God could have timed the two events - the blowing of the trumpets and the falling of the city - at the perfect moment so that when an earthquake hit Jericho and it collapsed, the Israelites just happened to be blowing the trumpets on their final round around the city.  Sort of like when the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry land due to an earthquake upstream.  It's amazing to see how God may have used such natural occurrences to achieve his goals.  What are your thoughts on this version of Josh and the Big Wall?

The eye of a needle

Mark

Jesus said that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it was for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10:25).  Some people have suggested that a camel going through the eye of a needle referred to a small gate into Jerusalem, where camels had to get down on their knees in order to go through it.  Such a task was very difficult, but not impossible.  However, Jesus was likely just referring to a real sewing needle, in which case it would be impossible for a camel to go through the eye of the needle (referenced from the Archaeological Study Bible).  This latter interpretation is supported by Jesus’s later statement in Mark 10:27 – “With man this is impossible…”.  That is, it is impossible for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God on his own.  But the good news is that “with God all things are possible”.  Not to say that following Christ will not be difficult at times, because Jesus also goes on to say that we have to leave family and possessions and follow him wholeheartedly.  But we’ll receive more than what we left behind when we go after God.  The hard part is that we have to give it all up in order to receive.  Ask God today to help you loosen your grip on this world so that you’ll be able to receive more abundantly from the next – eternal life with God!

Trust of a child

Mark
A child has a much easier time trusting people.  It's somewhat unfortunate that we can't keep that same trust as adults.
Jesus says "Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
This statement brings to mind the trust that we must place in God for our salvation.  Many children understand this right away, but as we grow up, we feel the need to examine this trust.  We test God to see if he really is worthy of the trust.  It is good to examine our beliefs and to make them our own, but at some point, we need to realize we won't get all the proof we were hoping for, and we'll have to take God on faith that he knows what he is doing, just like a child believes that his father knows all.

The God of all comfort

2 Corinthians
The following passage from 2 Corinthians 1 brought to light (for me) a potential new way to think about suffering:

3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

8We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our^a behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. 

Our experiences aren't for us alone.  What God has done in our lives should be shared with others to help them grow and mature.  We aren't alone in the world.  The stuff we've gone through, good and bad, can connect us with others.  The comfort that God has given in all circumstances can be a powerful tool in ministering to others as we demonstrate that through God, we can endure all things.

Why couldn't we heal him?

Mark
Jesus's comment about the healing of the demon-possessed boy was interesting.  See Mark 9:29 - "This kind can come out only by prayer."  He said this in response to the disciples' question about why they couldn't heal the boy.
Using God's power effectively requires a relationship with God.  Jesus had just spent a long time on the mountain, where he was transfigured and spoke with Moses and Elijah.  The majority of the disciples had remained behind, and didn't have the benefit of close contact with Jesus during this time.  Jesus, however, had just been renewed in his relationship to his Father, and so was ready to go back into the world and continue his mission.
We have access to an inordinate amount of power, through Jesus Christ, from God.  Are we remaining in Christ, and so using that power, or are we going about our way, trying to work miracles on our own strength, when we really need prayer and God's intervention?

Acts of kindness

Ruth
Today's reading in Ruth chapters 2 and 3 provides a perfect example of how to fulfill the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.  That is, here is Boaz, a wealthy landowner, who decides to let Ruth glean wheat in his field.  He purposely makes it easy for her to do so.  Ruth was a foreigner, and he had no real compulsion to help her out, except that he wanted to do her a good turn.  We need to learn from Boaz, and ultimately Jesus, and watch out for our neighbours and others around us who could use our help.  Random acts of kindness should become less random and more normal in our lives as we grow closer to God and desire to take on his character.  Today, look out for someone like Ruth, who you could help.  You don't have to go as far as Boaz did, who eventually married Ruth, but I'm sure we could all find someone who could benefit from a gift of our time, money, or other resources.

A mission from God

Mark

When Peter tried to dissuade Jesus from his mission (dying on the cross), Jesus said to him: "Get behind me, Satan!"
This statement seems awfully strong at first, but after I read a commentary by William Barclay, I understood more of the situation that occurred in this passage of Mark 8.
We can be fully intent on following our mission.  In fact, if it is a God-given vision that we need to carry through, we should stick to it wholeheartedly, regardless of the cost.  Jesus said in a later part of Mark 8 that we have to take up our cross and follow him, if we truly want to follow him.  Since he has already led the way, we can follow him with assurance that he will see us through.  However, it may still be difficult or painful at times, and our nearest and dearest friends might try to help us avoid the trials in our way, with good intentions at heart.  Peter was trying to help Jesus avoid this painful struggle he had to endure, and Jesus himself struggled with the idea of handing himself over to die (as evidenced in his prayer in the garden of Gethsemane).  How close to his heart would these words from a friend come, and how tempting to follow them?  Peter had to be rebuked quickly, so as to avoid even more temptation.
We have to be careful of advice from our friends.  It may seem like wise counsel, to avoid difficult situations, but if you truly have a mission from God, you need to follow through whatever the cost, knowing that Christ is on your side.

What's your motive?

1 CorinthiansIn the second half of chapter 14 of 1 Corinthians, we read about the need to regulate the use of the gift of tongues.  What Paul discusses here can be applied to any gift of the Holy Spirit.  That is to say, when we use our gifts, we should be glorifying God and helping others to grow closer to Him.  If we're just speaking in tongues to feel important, there's no point.  Likewise, if you're playing an instrument in worship to God, but are really focusing on how much people look up to you for that, there's no point.  You need to do these things for the glory of God and to help others to see His glory.  That's the point!  What's your motive?

From everlasting to everlasting

Psalm 90:1-2 - "Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.  Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God."

The feeding of the four thousand

Mark
The feeding of the four thousand is not discussed as frequently as the feeding of the five thousand.  I read something interesting about this story however.  William Barclay suggests the following.  The word used for 'basket' in Mark 8 refers to the kind of basket that Gentiles usually use, whereas the word for basket in Mark 6 refers to the basket that most Jews would carry with them.  Barclay suggests that perhaps these two events speak to the fact that Jesus came to give the bread of life to both Jews and Gentiles.  Further support is given to this hypothesis in that the crowd of four thousand was located in an area with a larger Gentile population.  With this in mind, we can take heart that God has come to rescue all mankind, and that his gift of life is open to all who would hear his voice.

Samson, a judge?

Judges
It's kind of interesting to read that Samson was considered a leader of the Israelites.  It seems to me that he was just a capricious, somewhat angry, man who had a serious grudge against the Philistines.  Granted, the Philistines were pagans and therefore mortal enemies of Israel, but Samson doesn't seem to have any sort of typical judge characteristics.  He never offered wise advice, nor did he rally the troops and rout the Philistines completely.  By God's Spirit, he was able to kill an inordinately large number of Philistines on his own, but to what end?  What did his life demonstrate to the nation?
Perhaps the story was meant to show that in the end, Samson was more concerned with God's plan for his life than his own plan (womanizing, etc).  Or that God has compassion on those who call out to him, as Samson did just before he brought down the pagan temple.
An article titled "Samson's Silver Spoon" by Bob Deffinbaugh summed up in more detail my curiosities about Samson.  Basically, Samson had huge potential based on his birth (foretold by an angel, blessed by God as a Nazirite) and yet he squandered it.  He sort of saved Israel, but not in a great way.  Fortunately, in Jesus Christ we have a saviour who makes the grade, so to speak.  In fact, only through Christ can we be saved, as mortal man cannot hope to aspire to be as righteous as God.  We can see this through the story of Samson, since he started out so well, and yet didn't quite reach his potential.  So don't rely on your own strength to carry you through, because it will inevitably fail.  Rely on God!

Many gifts and one Spirit

1 Corinthians
The first part of 1 Corinthians 12 discusses how there is one Spirit (the Holy Spirit) but he gives many gifts.  Paul lists out a number of gifts, such as healing, prophecy, knowledge, and tongues.  But he didn't mean for this to be an exhaustive list of the gifts that are available through the Holy Spirit.  Rather, these are examples of the abundant gifts that God has given us to grow in Him.  How has he gifted you to do his work?

An oath to the Lord

Judges
I think today's reading Judges (particularly chapter 11) gives us a pretty clear message on vows.  Don't make them too lightly!  Jephthah, a warrior from Gilead of the Israelites, made a vow that if God was with him in battle and he returned home in victory, he would sacrifice as a burnt offering the first thing he laid eyes on when he got home.
Lo and behold, his daughter, his only child, is the first thing to come out of his home.  Did he offer her as a burnt offering to the Lord?  Some say yes, he did sacrifice her.  More likely, he dedicated her to the Lord's service and she never married.  Regardless, he was not prepared to make this sacrifice.  Fortunately, he upheld his oath that he had made to the Lord, and therefore upheld his honour and the name of the Lord.
Lesson to learn?  As I mentioned, when making an oath, or vowing to do something, carry through on your promise, and realize when you're making it that a vow is not a fleeting fantasy.

Feeding the five thousand

Mark
The story about the feeding of the five thousand is a a wonderful retelling of one of Jesus's many miracles.  As I read it today, I thought about how the disciples must have been surprised to see the bread and fish just keep being dished out to the crowd.
Then I read William Barclay's commentary on this passage (Mark 6:30-44) and realized that this is the only story that is retold in all four gospels.  This particular miracle certainly did have a great impact on the lives of the twelve disciples since the four gospel writers found it necessary to include it in their books.
If this story is so important, what can we learn from it?  Barclay suggests an answer to this question.  Jesus so easily took the little food that was available and turned it into an abundance.  In the same way, he can take what little you have to offer him and do great things with it.  If you give him your life, imagine what amazing things he could accomplish, especially if he was able to take five loaves and two fish and and feed more than five thousand people.  I think that if you let him, he'll be able to do more than you could ever imagine with your life.

The Lord's favour

Psalm 85
This Psalm reminded me of the compassionate, forgiving, and loving nature of God.  I was still thinking about yesterday's post on trust, and so this psalm seemed to say to me that God does deserve our trust for all the great things he has done.  More than that, even when we don't rely fully on him, he will still forgive us for our folly and restore us to his fellowship.  Here are the verses that speak to this issue in particular.  Feel free to look up the rest of the psalm.

Psalm 85:1-3 - You showed favor to your land, O Lord; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins.  You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger.

Trust

Mark
Following Jesus requires trust.  Saying we follow Jesus doesn't require much work at all.  Lip service is easy.  But making head knowledge meet and coincide with the heart is something else entirely.  I can say, yeah I trust God to come through for me; I trust that he has my best interests at heart.  Deep down, I have surrendered myself to him.
Is that trust really true for your life?  When it comes time to act, are you relying on God, or desperately trying to find your own way, and blaming him that things aren't working out as you hoped.

Mark 6:8 says that Jesus sent out the Twelve disciples to go evangelize the nation.  Jesus told them "Take nothing for the journey except a staff - no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.  Wear sandals, but not an extra tunic...."  That's trust that Jesus knows what he is talking about, and that he will orchestrate what needs to happen so the disciples won't die in the wilderness between villages.  That's what I need to live out in my life.  Complete reliance on God, and the knowledge that he will come through, even if I don't see it.

A life of discipline

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 - "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

Suggested reading: Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster.

Not for the faint hearted

Whoever said that Christianity was only a crutch or was meant for little children certainly missed reading the book of Judges!  The stories of God working in the lives of the Israelites are certainly not fairy tales.  Take a look at this:

Judges 3:20-25 - Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his summer palace^g and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, 21Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly. 22Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. 23Then Ehud went out to the porch^h; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

24After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the house.” 25They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead. 

Ehud went on to lead the Israelites into battle against the evil king of Moab, and they struck down 10,000 men.

Again, God raised up another judge, Shamgar, and this is what is said about him (3:31) - After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.

Our God has the power to save!

Speaking in parables

Mark
Mark 4:33-34 is curious:
33With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
Why would Jesus specifically use parables?
Gill suggests that Jesus spoke in parables because the crowd would have up and killed him directly if he hadn't cloaked his message.  William Barclay, another theologian, suggests that Jesus spoke in parables to ensure that only the devoted followers would stick around to truly find out what he was all about.  My take is somewhat along the lines of Barclay's, that they wouldn't have accepted his message if he had just outright said it.  So, parables make some sense!  They require that the listener actually think about what was being said and work out the message that is hidden within, rather than taking the message at face value and probably forgetting about it soon after

Here is a link to sermon on Mark 4:33-34 by Charles Spurgeon (click here).

A witness between us

Joshua
The Reubenites and Gadites had land on the other side of the Jordan, opposite that of the rest of Israel.  When they finally went to live on this land, they built a large altar to God, but when the other tribes saw it, they thought it was to foreign gods.  But the Reubenites and Gadites set them straight, saying that they had built this altar, not to make sacrifices to foreign gods, but to remind the people on both sides of the river that they all followed the same God.  Joshua 22:34 says: "And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us that the Lord is God."
This altar is a great idea!  I think we should consider have some sort of icon, or altar, or something that can be put in your work place or home that will remind you and those who visit that the Lord is God and you serve him.

Humble pie?

Mark
Imagine hearing what your brother said about you to a large crowd of people.  You were coming to find where he was and to see why he was surrounded by entire villages.  Someone kindly passed along the message, and your brother eventually heard that you were outside looking for him.  And he said, "Oh, my mother, brother, and sister are right here in front of me" and gestured to the crowd immediately around him.  And if you brother had a real claim to fame, would it be even that much more humiliating to hear that?  There's no way you could say, "Hey, that's MY brother!" (Read, I'm so special because my brother is great!)  Check out Mark 3:31-35, because I'm talking about Jesus.
Do you think Jesus was purposely trying to make his blood family humble by suggesting that they had no special claim to him?  Or perhaps his family already thought he was kind of crazy, as did a lot of others at the time, and so this statement in Mark 3:35 didn't really mean much to them.  But when Jesus spoke, he usually had quite an effect on the crowd, so I'm guessing this statement was meant to get people thinking.
Maybe what he was getting at was that those who actually believed in him and followed him were more precious to him than those who thought they could get by simply on blood relationship, or by doing nothing, essentially.  I think a lesson we could learn here is that Jesus doesn't call us to a life of pride in the fact that we know God.  Rather, we're called to a life where we live out what we believe, every day in all we do, just like the people sitting closest to him in the crowd, because they were focused on following him.

Use good sense

1 Cor 6:12 - "Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything.

God's compassion

Psalm 78:38-39

Yet he [God] was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them.  Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.

Caleb

Joshua
Caleb's faith is a wonderful thing to read about.  Here he is, 85 years old, and still ready to fight the foreigners in the name of God.  He went and asked Joshua to let him take over some land in Canaan that still had some other nations living there.  Caleb said in Joshua 14:12 - "Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said."  Caleb had great faith in God's promise that Israel would be able to conquer the promised land.
We may not have to physically fight for land to fulfill God's promises, but we do have to move forward in faith that God will come through.  We can't idly sit around waiting for God to bless us.  We have to take part in advancing his kingdom, and in doing so, we will reap many blessings.

The secret things of God

1 Corinthians

What are the secret things of God?  Google leads you to more than a million different sites that suggest the answer or provide a definition of their own version of the secret things of God.  The top hit is a book by Henry Cloud - The Secret Things Of God: Unlocking The Treasures Reserved For You.  That book actually sounds kind of interesting.

I'm inclined to follow Barnes's interpretation that the secret is the gospel, the good news that God will save all mankind through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ.  God's plan was hidden in a mystery until the time of Christ, but now it has been made known to those he calls.  It's still a mystery to unbelievers, and sometimes seems kind of mysterious to those who do believe!  Justice is achieved through grace and mercy, and that is a mystery.

Fortunately, we don't need to try and solve the mystery or the secret anymore.  That's what is life-changing - God has clearly shown us the way to salvation, if we care to see the truth.  If we already have discovered the secret things of God, I believe it's our job to help others unlock the secrets for themselves.