Month: October 2022

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Wilderness Laps

still looking or wandering

Matthew 16-19 When the Lord teaches us a lesson, we often forget it. It is then that He sends us around the wilderness, so to speak, to re-learn it. Some of us “get it,” and others are still out there wandering like the Pharisees and Sadducees who are blind and leading the blind into the pit. They came seeking a sign, not just any sign, but they wanted a sign from heaven. Even today, people want to have a sign that Christianity and God are authentic. Some read the Bible but say it is too hard, so they put it down and walk away. Others say I will read the Bible when I find the true one. Others ignore and go on their merry way, not realizing that their destiny hangs in the balance. Jesus rightly pronounced that it is a wicked and adulterous generation that seeks for a heavenly sign. [Matt 16:4]

Blessed reader, God has given us His Word to be read and understood. It is hoped that you are doing just that each day. Otherwise, you may find yourself wandering in the wilderness lap after lap after lap.

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Jesus as our example

Jesus is our example

Matt 12-15 Why multitudes followed Jesus

Over and over, Matthew reminds his readers that the multitudes followed Jesus because they saw in him the traits of God. He also shows us the response of the multitudes to King Herod, which was one of fear. They knew how he raged against his enemies and even went so far as to kill them. How different than Jesus, who taught, preached, and healed. He didn’t kill his enemies but loved them because that would be what God would do. “Love your enemies and pray for those who would persecute you.” [Matt 5:44]

So what am I to do when faced with an “enemy” or somebody who doesn’t like my Christianity or me? I am to love them because that is what God would have me do. An example of this was when Jesus asked the religious leaders if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath, but they were silent, so He showed them what the heart of compassion looks like healing the man with the withered hand. Then he turned and asked them; what is the answer to my question? They were silent.

And that is one reason the multitudes followed Jesus and not Herod!

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My To-Do List for Today

Let your walk and talk match

Matt 5-7 Jesus had a to-do list, and it included teaching, preaching, and healing. His sermon on the mount gave the people clear principles of how to walk and talk in the world around them. He reminded the listeners that if they wanted to be blessed by God, they needed several character qualities because “God does not view things the way people do. People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” [1Sam 16:7] Our work proves our faith, and that work includes how we relate to others or, as we say, our walk and talk should match. Later, Jesus’ half-brother James, said much the same. “So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself.” [James 2:17]

So the question is: Am I walking around with just a facade of holiness, or am I true to what I say I am? My faith should be seen in my walk and talk.

So what is on my to-do list for today? Is it to be poor in spirit? How about mourning over sin? Am I hungering and thirsting for righteousness? Am I being merciful to others who don’t deserve it, but God calls me to take that step?

This is some of my to-do list. What is included on your to-do list for today?

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Welcome, Long Awaited News!

Messiah has come

Matt 1-4 It has been 400 yrs. of silence since Malachi closed the OT. It was as if God rolled up the heavens like men roll up a scroll. What was He doing? What was He saying? What took place in those years? Today just as long ago, people were born, lived, and died. Rulers came and went, and nations have come and gone on just as before. Today’s newspapers and headlines read like the Jerusalem Post, which people read looking for that blessed hope that was promised so long ago through the prophets of old. They read the scriptures over and over, thinking that in them they would have eternal life in them; yet it is these that testified about Messiah’s coming. [Jn 5:39]

And then, with a word from heaven, the scroll unrolled to reveal the words of Malachi [Mal 4:5] “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet to prepare the way of the Lord.” And Isaiah’s words came true! A virgin would conceive, and Messiah would come through her, as Isaiah had said. [Is 7:14KJV] He would be able to trace his lineage through the royal halls of men and women such as Tamar, Ruth, Rahab, and Bathsheba. He would come to prove that God’s silence was but for a moment. Messiah came just as He promised!

Are you hungering and thirsting for righteousness? [Matt 5:6] Are you waiting for Messiah to come? He came just as He said. Have you met Him? He is waiting to reveal Himself to you.
Messiah, open the eyes of the blind to see You, open their ears to hear You, and open their hearts to receive you.

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Read, Rehearse, Remember

The scroll of remembrance

Malachi 1-4 The Three “R’s”
Today if you speak to people about church attendance and Bible reading, they often turn up their noses and say, like the Israelites of old, it is useless, and besides that, there are hypocrites in the church. [Mal 3:14] They have a warped view and, like Asaph in Ps 73, see with their physical eyes that it is not the godly who are blessed but those who cut corners. So they ask, why then do I need God? Asaph learned, and Malachi also reminded the Israelites that God, who is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, sees all. He has a book of remembrance of those who are faithful and true. [Mal 3:16] Will your name be there? God challenges them to test him and bring their tithe into His storehouse and see that He will pour out a blessing that is so great it will be beyond their wildest imagination. [Mal 3:10]

People think all they need to do is good works, but Isaiah wrote: our works are like filthy rags. It isn’t just enough to do good works; one must “read” and must “rehearse” His Word over and over, which causes one to “remember” what God has said. God never changes; He is the same today as He was yesterday. [Mal 3:6] His blessings are new every day. [Lam 3:23]

Is your name on the scroll or book of remembrance?

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Celebrations of Blessings!

Count your blessings

Zechariah 14 The Feast of Booths
What celebration brings joy to your heart and mind? Is it Thanksgiving or Christmas, or another? For Israel, it was and is the Feast of Booths/Sukkah to commemorate the release from Egyptian slavery thousands of years ago. It is a celebration of rejoicing over God’s provision. Long ago, God’s command was to return to Jerusalem and build “shelters” to sleep and live in for a week. Then, in the presence of the Temple, the religious leaders would read the Torah.

Imagine yourself sitting and sleeping in an “outdoor tent” and using this time to read about this feast in Leviticus. How might that impact your heart and mind?

Today, we celebrate a similar feast called Thanksgiving. At that time, do we stop and recall God’s blessings? Do we thank God for His provision this past year and look forward to this new year? Do we, like many Israelites, read not only Leviticus but also the entire book of Deuteronomy?

The last part of this celebration was for the adults to perform a ceremony to bless the children. First, the adults make a tent over the heads of the children and recite Genesis 49 as a prayer of blessing.

How do you celebrate God’s precious blessings to you?

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Honest or Hypocrite?

How pure is my heart

Zechariah 7-8 God and People Notice
When others hear my voice or see my actions, what does it tell them about my Christian walk and talk? The leaders in Bethel came to inquire about their practices of fasting. They expected to hear that all they were doing was righteous and pleasing to God, but they were in for a rude awakening! God responded not with words of affirmation but words that questioned their hearts and motives. Were you really fasting for me, or was it just for show? Did others see a genuinely repentant heart? Did your actions show that you were truly doing it for God? “OUCH!” 🙁 God revealed that they were hypocrites in heart and actions. How about me? Do I go to church, read my Bible, and speak words of kindness to get my “ticket punched” with God, or do I do it because the Holy Spirit has spoken and I have responded willingly and with a true heart?

When our heart is pure and righteous, we do that which God loves, and others take note! They want to know why God is blessing us. They want to know the secret of our peace. They say, “let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” [Zech 8:23] Are others asking those questions of you and me? Are we ready to answer anyone who asks us about the hope we possess? [1Pet 3:15]

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Accuser meets Advocate

Ready for battle

Zechariah 3-6 Saved, Sanctified, Service
Satan is the accuser of the brethren, but we have an advocate in Jesus Christ. He was the Advocate for Joshua, the high priest in Zechariah’s time, and he is our Advocate now. Why do we need an advocate? We need one because we are just like Joshua, blackened with sin, pulled from the fire by the gracious hand of the Almighty. As we stand in our filthy clothes, we hear” “I have freely forgiven your iniquity and will dress you in fine clothing.” [Zech 3:4] After our cleansing, we are now sanctified, set apart for the work of the ministry which is our service which is to introduce the Branch who is Messiah.” [Zech 3:8] We have been transformed by His grace to go and spread the gospel message.

Satan will always be the accuser, but we are cleansed, sanctified, and saved for service until His return. Until then, we must put on our armor because the battle will be constant. Even this a.m. I was baffled by thoughts from the enemy. When that happens, I must put on the helmet of salvation and grab my sword of the Spirit. I am saved and sanctified, but to do service, I will be walking in Satan’s realm. I won’t be wrestling with flesh and blood but spiritual forces unseen by the naked eye. [Eph 6:12]

Are you experiencing a spiritual battle? How can I pray for you?

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We pray God answers.

We pray

Zechariah 1-2 As one of three post-exilic prophets, Zechariah quizzes God about what he sees, and God answers. These people, the Jews, even as undisciplined as they are, are the apple of my eye. [Zech 2:8] I will send heaven and earth to reclaim them for My own. I will send 4 horses, 4 winds of heaven, and 4 craftsmen to punish the 4 horns (Assyria, Babylon, Greece, and Rome) who have taken advantage of my people. One day I “will be a wall of fire surrounding Jerusalem and the source of glory in her midst.” [Zech 2:5]

God has chosen to do the same for us sinners saved by His grace. He places a wall of fire around me and my loved ones as we go to and fro about the earth, for there are horns that seek our harm. [1 Peter 5:8]

Zech 2:5 is my “go-to verse” for my granddaughter C. as she leaves the theater each night near midnight after her performance. Each night I pray at 10 pm for her safety. “Father put a wall of fire around her so that the enemies of this world cannot touch her.”

What is your go-to verse?

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Consider your way or Pay attention.

God has provided

Haggai 1-2 God had sent the Israelites into captivity for their sin, but graciously God raised up Cyrus the Persian to release them and not just release them but provided them with all they would need to rebuild the Temple. He also asked them to pray for him as he leads. [Ezra 6:10] Jesus said the fields are white unto harvest; pray for workers to go into that harvest. [Luke 10:2] So pay attention! God has provided all you need to complete the work, yet, like Martha, we are busy with many things, but they are not the most important. We are busy with extracurricular activities but are we busy about the kingdom work? Just like in Haggai’s time, God calls us to pay attention and consider our ways.

Are we listening? The returning Israelites were faced with what seemed an impossible task of rebuilding the Temple as it lay dormant for over 70 yrs. They needed to trust God. How about us? Do we trust God to do what seems like an impossible task: witnessing and evangelizing? God’s “divine power has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence.” [2 Pet 1:3]

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