The Call of a Slave - Jan. 21

Exodus 2:24, 25 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the people of Israel and God knew…

Luke 21:28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

The history of Israel’s children is one of oppression and agony. It is hard to imagine the impact that the slaying of all the baby boys during Moses’ time had on that generation. The heartache no doubt turned into defeat and eventually in to despair. To see the flicker of hope smothered countless times before their eyes. History, however, records that this wasn’t the last time that attempts were made to completely annihilate Jacob’s descendants from the face of the earth.

Jesus tells his disciples that more persecution is on the way. It would seem that fear and hatred will be perpetuated clear to the end of this world and this age of humanity.

As for myself, I often feel like a stranger in my own time and place. Though I can’t say for certain that people are actively attempting to eliminate me, I have little doubt that there are some that would at least welcome the idea. However, on a much larger scale, and definitely in a more serious manner, there are those who would seek to destroy my spiritual life and affect more eternal destiny. These spiritual forces constantly barrage my defenses and plague my existence.

There are times where I find myself calling out from beneath the chains of the Egypts in my life, as I groan from the ruthless treatment of those who hate me. It is an encouragement to know that God hears and that he remembers His promises. I am fully aware that I possess nothing that would my redemption a profitable proposition for God, yet He chose to make promises of life to me nonetheless.

I do earnestly await the exodus that God has for me; I long for the hour in which my redemption shall be completed. Slavery has left me marred and tainted, but freedom is not far off.

Dear Father,

I long for Your redemption; I pray that you would find me faithful.

The Scoundrel Son of a Scoundrel - Jan 19

Genesis 49:8 Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you.

What does God see in the scoundrel? From what we know of Judah, he was not a great man. He lived a life a spotted by obvious flaws and indiscretions. Yet, God chose him from the twelve to put His name on. Joseph would seem the logical choice by all human reason, but God chose the scoundrel.

The only redeeming quality in Judah’s life is during the incident in which Joseph tells the brothers that they may leave but that Benjamin must remain. At this point Judah readily sacrifices his life that his brother may go free and that his father would not be destroyed by sorrow. It is an act of redemption purchased with the price of his own life.

God, it would seem, overlooked an awful lot and chose rather to remember a single incident as the one that Judah would be defined by. Or perhaps there was more to Judah than history would record. Perhaps there was tenderness and forgiveness beneath the blunders that only God could see.

It is amazing to me how God seems to have a special affection for the redeemed tragedies. Perhaps it is the opportunity to display His grace, or perhaps He is attracted to broken, humbled hearts, or perhaps it’s merely because he who is forgiven much, in turn, loves much. One thing is clear; the portrait of repentance followed by redemption is illustrated throughout Jesus’ lineage until He himself completes the work with final strokes crimson.

When I look at my life I see a scoundrel defined by failures, it is my hope that God sees more. He knew the end from the beginning and still at various times and various ways he chose to use me. Did David’s songs as a boy in the fields mean any less because God knew that David would fall? If there’s any solace in this lifetime it is in the fact God’s plan will move forward unhindered by my failures and that in the light of eternity our futility will be short-lived.

Dear Father,

Eternity seems so vague at times. I long for it yet I fear it. I only ask for your assurance and I will carry on. I pray that whatever You saw in Jacob and in Judah that You found was worth redeeming that You would find it in me. It’s my prayer that my tragedy would have a happy ending.

Lessons in Stumbling

Genesis 25,26

Psalm 6

Luke 10

Genesis 26:24,25 …I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake. So he (Isaac) built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord.

Isaac was met with many of the same situations and struggles as his father, Abraham. He followed in his father’s footsteps in regards to leaning upon his own craftiness to deal with adversity and insecurities. However, like his father he too learned to trust in the Lord to be his strength.

It is interesting that in both generations, God allowed the men time to learn and to grow. He simply gave the command and was patient. I’m ever so grateful for God’s patience. Sometimes I we can all spend a great deal of time stumbling about until we finally come to out senses and simply obey completely. When we arrive in that place, we will hear God’s voice guiding us to that next step. We will also have learned a valuable lesson in spiritually maturity that is gained painstakingly through experience.

Isaac, like his father Abraham, was prone to building altars in the places where the Lord had spoken to him and had made promises to him. These altars are important monuments in the life of the believer, a physical reminder of God’s graciousness.

There are many reasons that an altar important, but several come immediately to mind. An altar speaks of sacrifice. To build an altar is to say to God, that nothing, no possession, is equal to the richness of standing before Him. It displays a willingness to surrender anything and everything in order to display appreciation and affection. An altar also gives a person a physical reference point in their life to return to the place of worship and adoration.

It is so easy at times to get away from the simple life of seeking to worship God. It constantly amazes me how fast I can get away from that place of sweet communion with God. False motives and pointless pursuits compete for my time and energy and I am swept up in them.

In those times, there can be sense of bewilderment and perhaps panic. How does one find his way back after drifting? An altar can provide that physical beacon. I must return to doing those first things that I once did when the Lord’s voice was so clear in my life. It doesn’t require much, only kneeling in submission and placing upon that altar everything that we esteem so valuable. There in the quietness of total surrender and obedience, we should expect to hear God’s voice once again.

Lord,

Bring me back to the altar and show me what is that I might surrender that will be pleasing in Your sight. Teach me obedience, for I know that you desire that above all and that worship always begins with obedience. Your commands are good and Your Word is life…

Exposed

Genesis 22:12 Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.

Luke 8:17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.

When Abraham left the land of his fathers, he agreed to compromise. Perhaps it was a small compromise, seemingly insignificant in the grand scope of things, but small compromises are compromises nonetheless. The problem with compromises, even compromises that are built on misleading truths and appear to be easily justified, is that they open up the door for sin.

Abram agreed with Sarai to lie about they’re relationship. It wasn’t a complete lie for they were stating an undeniable fact. The problem was in the purposeful omission of the greater extent of they’re relationship. As it would happen, and as it always happens, this omission, this lack of faith was made evident. Abram and Sarai’s compromise nearly resulted in tragedy on at least two occasions. (In Egypt and with Abimilech.) However, the greater extent of their nearsighted decision what that the Messiah was to come through Abraham and Sarah. One small decision made with poor judgment and a lack of faith nearly tainted the line through which the Messiah was to come.

Fortunately, Abraham’s history does conclude with this anecdote. Somewhere along the line, Abraham learned to trust God. He was finally willing to surrender the details of God’s plan to God, to be obedient without needing to see the whole picture first.

Once again God put Abraham in the position of revealing his character through the decisions he made. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son. How Abraham’s heart must have sunk! Could there be a worse requirement for obedience than to sacrifice your only son? What a truly horrible thing for God to ask? But it did at least two very important tasks. First, it brought Abraham’s faith to light. Abraham was now an example of faith. Second, it revealed to Abraham and his descendants the price that God Himself would have to pay. There would come a time in history where Father would have to sacrifice His only Son but there would be command to prevent the son from being damaged and destroyed for the sins of humanity.

God’s love was made manifest through His actions.

Through obedience, Abraham was able to see the very heart of God.

For good or for bad, our actions will be made visible. There is nothing hid from God. He sees it all and will expose our actions at a time that He knows to be best. Sometimes, it can be an area of compromise, no matter how small, or perhaps He may reveal to us the quality of our faith. Regardless, He knows what is best for us and will use our lives for His glory.

Father,

Show me those areas of compromise that need to be removed. Open my eyes and ears to Your correction. Test my faith, to reveal any contaminations that lay hidden. Improve the quality of my faith through Your purifying flame.

The Call - jan 5

Genesis 12-14
Luke 5

Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you."

Luke 5:11 ...they (Peter, James, and John) left everything and followed him.
Luke 5:28 ..and leaving everything, he (Matthew) rose and followed him.

God called one man Abram out of the land of Ur. He required that Abram leave everything and to follow Him into a land in which Abram was a stranger. In turn, God blessed Abram. It is important however, to note that God's blessings hinged upon Abram's obedience.

It's not so much that God was waiting for Abram to "get it right" in some sort of cosmic test of faith, rather, the blessings were specific to a time and place, and Abram needed to be there in order to receive the blessing.

I have heard speculation or perhaps even complaints as to why God chooses one man over another. What made Abram more special than every other man of his generation? It is entirely possible that Abram was not the only man with a call. It is certain that God has a plan and a purpose for every life that He has placed upon this earth. The question is then, what became of those that we never read about? What became of God's for their lives?

All too often God's perfect will for a life is frustrated by that very person's free will. Many times there are distractions, areas in a life that are that surrendered. These will hinder God's will until they are removed.

God made a promise to Abram that was dependent upon Abram leaving his country, his kindred, and his father's house. God does not peak again to Abram until Abram is obedient. For far too many, this level of obedience never comes and God's perfect will for their life lives is never realized.

When Jesus called His disciples, they left all to follow Him. Never do we read of an individual becoming a part-time disciple. Jesus required a full-time commitment. Jesus asked others to join Him, but they were distracted by things of this quickly fading earth. It's not so much that Jesus was testing them and casting them away for being flakes, it's just that in order to be Jesus' disciple we need to be where He is. Anything else is only keeping us from Him.

In our lives we need to ask ,what hinders us from following completely? Is there anything that we can't live without? Is Christ and Christ alone sufficient? Does He completely satisfy? If there remains anything else it will become a burden and a hindrance that most likely will serve someday as our downfall.

Is there anything that God has asked us to do, that we are currently neglecting? We cannot expect to hear anything new from the Lord until we have done those first things He has commanded us to do. He does not change His mind.

Father,
Teach me obedience. Let me be a disciple. Let nothing stand between me and you, preventing me from that place of being in your will.

Peace through Isolation - jan. 4

Genesis 9-11
Luke 4

Genesis 11:4 Then they said, "Come let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens and let us make a name for ourselves lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.

Luke 4:42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place.

Cooperation and solid teamwork can be very powerful attributes. Many great things can be accomplished when people come together, set aside differences, and join in a common cause. There is a sense unity that comes from fellowship that is both empowering and invigorating.

Such was the case in Babel. There is no doubt that there was great excitement among the people. There were dreams and hopes tied up into the creation of this first great triumph of the human spirit as it is often referred to today.

The problem was not in the cooperation but rather in the dependency. Humanism in its many forms and definitions centers around a belief in humanity's ability to succeed on its own merits. When a society (or a man) no longer believes that it is reliant upon God, then it no longer has any need for God. His laws and statues, that are design for our protection, are abandoned for human reason and morality. When this occurs, man is truly capable of anything for the human mind is skilled in justifying any action to fulfill the desire of his heart.

Countless times throughout history,as clearly evidenced by every great empire, this progression has taken place. Pride has led to arrogance, leading in turn to moral collapse, followed closely by self-destruction usually facilitated by those would seek to take advantage of the weakened state.

Any peace that depends on the goodwill and cooperation of mankind is facade. In his heart, man is a lustful, sinful creature. He will destroy those around him in order to achieve the desires of his heart. The only remedy for this condition is the Spirit of God taking up occupancy within him.

Jesus, in Luke 4, sharply contrasts those of Babel. He removes Himself from the people. He purposely isolates Himself and spends time with the Father, alone. Jesus throughout His earthly ministry freely acknowledged His dependency on the Father, and His mission was unhindered by human pride.

It can be an uncomfortable situation to stand silently in the presence of the Creator of the Universe and listen to what He would say. But this regimen is so beneficial to the spiritual health of a believer. For to stand before the Father is to realize our dependency on Him. We are stripped of our pride and of our humanism, and in their place we are granted communion.

On an individual basis, it is easier than one might imagine to fall into the trap of creating our own rules and developing our own systems. We may even find those to agree with us and stand by us in our fallacies. However, it is important to acknowledge that how we feel and what we believe, though the whole world may support our position, does not change the truth of God's Word in even the smallest of degrees. Our positions our irrelevant to reality.

Take ever thought, belief, and pursuit and bring it before the Father in quiet meditation. He will perform the transformations that will bring your heart and mind into communion with Him.

Father,
Help me to find those quiet times. Let my ears be open to hear even Your faintest whispers. Teach me obedience and remove the pride that seems to be a recurring infection.

Within a Hand's Reach - jan 3

Genesis 6-8
Luke 3

Luke 3:9,10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. And the crowds asked him, "What then shall we do?"

Genesis 6:7,8 So the Lord said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them. But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

It is perhaps one of the most tragic passages in all of scripture, when God is sorry for making man. What must a child do in order to make a parent repent for giving that child life? But mankind had reached that point. The human condition apart from God is of all things most vile. It lustfully drinks full of degradation, and quickly devolves into self-destruction.

By God's grace, Noah built an ark. God wanted to offer the people a plan of salvation. He longed for obedience and repentance. He desired an excuse to reveal His mercy, even as He would, years later, in Ninevah. But while the plan of salvation was slowly constructed for all to see, Noah's generation instead decided to harden their hearts. Whether it was affection for sin or faith in the apathy of God that caused Noah's to turn a deaf ear, it is not certain. However what is certain, is that whatever their reasons may have been, those reasons perished with them. It is likely that many perished within a hand's reach of salvation.

God created man with a plan and a purpose. Noah's generation had moved so far away from that plan, that they no longer served any purpose and as a result only brought grief to their Father. This in many ways was the message of John the Baptist. He declared to His generation that God had given them a plan of salvation, and that this plan was beginning to unfold right before their eyes. However, in order to partake of this gift it was requisite that they return to plans and purposes that God had designed them for.

There's little doubt that many scoffed at John's message and proceeded to continue on, on their path to self-destruction. However, scripture records for us that at least some asked, "What then shall we do?" John's answer was manifested through baptism. Instead of waters immersing the earth to remove evil people, the people were immersed beneath the water to remove the evil. It was a picture of repentance.

Our generation, once again, lives within hand's reach of God's plan for salvation. Yet again, too many choose to perish in self-destruction rather than to embrace repentance. Noah did all that God commanded him to do and he pleased God. That is our divine purpose and the choice we are faced with.

Father,
Let me be always quick to repent. Let me always be fruitful to Your kingdom. Reveal Your divine will to me for each next step.