Repeating History

Focus verses: I Corinthians 10:1-13

My grandmother used to say "He who will not learn from history is condemned to repeat it." Our culture today seems to be dedicated to chasing the new and not regarding the past at all. In our schools, history is no longer taught the way we were taught half a century ago. Our children may have to repeat history because we are not teaching them correctly.

In this passage, Paul is writing to the church at Corinth. Corinth was a notoriously wicked place in its day. Believers were in danger of yielding to the current culture rather than standing firm in their beliefs.

So Paul takes them back to the wandering in the desert with Moses as their leader. The fact that they were following Moses didn't save many of them from the consequences of their own actions. When they grumbled against God and Moses, they were bitten by snakes. But God made a way out for them with the bronze snake.

Notice that the way out requires obedience. When they look upon the bronze snake - when they do what the Lord says - then they are cured.

You see, looking to the Lord is the answer to any problem. When we are in a quandary, the answer is before us if we take the time to focus on the principles of God. When we focus on the problem, it seems insurmountable. When we look at God, the problem fades into perspective as the small matter that it is.

We need not repeat history. We can learn from it. But we must be reading the correct history text. The Bible is the history of mankind on a spiritual plane. That is the territory we must cover when we learn from history.

Father, God,

Teach us to look to You as the source of all wisdom and knowledge. Grant that we may never be so taken with our own intellect that we are beyond teaching. Give us a humility of spirit that we may be forever your students and disciples.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Unfailing Love

Focus verses: Psalm 44

"Rise up and help us; redeem us because of your unfailing love."

The hand of the Lord reaches to His people because of His love, not because of anything we have or have not done. There is none pure enough to stand righteous in the face of God on his own merits.

We are a weak and sinful creation. Left to our own devices, we fall into sin and wantonness. We tend to follow the lust of the flesh rather than the love of God. We satisfy our immediate appetites regardless of the consequences. We behave as if there were no consequences.

This psalm should be our prayer for our nation today. Look at all the things we've done.

We've allowed prayer to be stripped from our schools.

We have gagged the word of God and removed symbols of our faith from public lands.

We've misconstrued our own Constitution and the amendments thereto, twisting them to read that not only can government not interfere with religion (which was the original intent), but religion can have no say in government (which was not true even when the constitution was written).

The Declaration of Independence refers to a Supreme Being three times. Look for these three phrases: "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" - "endowed by their Creator" - "the Supreme Judge of the world."

The foundation of our freedoms lies in our understanding of God and His moral laws. Having flouted those laws and turned our backs on the Author of those laws, we are now reaping the consequences of His disfavor.

Father, God,

Remember our beginnings. In Your unfailing love, draw our nation back to Yourself. Restore us to the values of our roots and cleanse us from our iniquities.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

God's Ultimate Will

Focus verses: Ezekiel 33:1-20

Today's reading talks about responsibility. There is a responsibility for the individual. There is a responsibility for the watchman (or teacher or preacher - they are almost the same thing).

The watchman is responsible to sound the alarm. For those who heed the alarm, there is safety. For those who choose to ignore the alarm, there is judgment.

That judgment is the natural consequence of the action of the person being judged. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to the saving knowledge of His Son, Jesus.

That may be why God waits so long for all to come to Him. He gives the people chance after chance to change their wicked ways and turn to Him in obedience.

He knows that our obedience to Him will create the best life possible for us. He has our best interest at heart as much as we do. But he has an unfair advantage. He is omniscient. He knows everything, past - present - future.

We don't have that advantage. Therefore when we make choices based solely on our own knowledge, we'll often miss the mark. If we make choices after submitting them to God in prayer, we have a much better chance of going where we want to go and accomplishing what we want to accomplish. Especially if we've been listening carefully to His answer.

The disobedience of a formerly righteous man is his undoing. And the obedience of the formerly wicked man is his salvation. (Remember we are in the Old Testament here.) Obedience is the acknowledgment of our trust in God and belief that He knows best in all things.

When we come to New Testament time, that obedience is the outward reflection of our trust in Jesus Christ. When James says "Faith without works is dead" he means that lip service faith is not enough.

Father, God,

Strengthen our faith into works. Help us to be so fully grounded in Your will that there is no question about our actions. Make everything we do and say point to Your sovereignty and magnanimity.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

False Prophets

Focus verses: Ezekiel 13:1-16

Being a prophet is a fearful thing. One must be very careful to speak only what the Lord has spoken or shown in a vision.

When a prophet has had some little success in this, it is easy to be drawn away into wishful thinking and create visions of his own. But there is a dire consequence for this.

The Lord's hand is against all false prophets. They will be cut off from the house of Israel (and by extension from the grafted in gentiles of the church). Their names will not be listed in the records of the house of Israel. The Lord will send a violent storm to destroy the false prophecies and the false prophets.

The Lord's wrath will fall hard upon the false prophet. So if you have the gift of prophecy, you need to be very sure that the words of your mouth are coming from Him and not from your own wishful thinking.

Father, God,

Grant us discernment in the cacophony of life to hear Your voice clearly at all times. Speak to us with love and direction. We will listen, obey, and teach only Your words.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Cause And Promise

Focus verses: Jeremiah 16:1-21

God's judgment on the nation seems harsh and His separation of Jeremiah from all society seems even harsher. Jeremiah is not to marry, not to enter a house of mourning, not to enter a house of celebration.

And God tells Jeremiah the reasons why this disaster is coming upon the land. It is because the fathers of this generation were unfaithful to the Lord and followed after idols. But more than that, it is because this generation is even more wicked, following after the stubbornness of their own hearts.

God tells Jeremiah that He will scatter the nation to various lands, chiefly to the north (Babylon). But there will come a time when He will not be known as the God who restored Israel from Egypt, but as the God who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where He had banished them. He promises to restore them to the land He gave their forefathers.

Actions have consequences. And like any good parent, God will not stand between His children and the consequences of their own actions. Israel has separated itself from the Lord time and again. Her momentary repentances and fidelities have been many - and short lived. She always goes back to her own devices, following the dictates of the human heart without regard for God and His laws. This fickleness has brought on the diaspora.

When people ask about how a loving God can consign anyone to hell, they are missing the point. God does not consign people to hell. He lets them go their own way. People make the choice, not God.

There are only two places to live in this universe. One is in the presence of God. The other is away from God. The first is heaven; the second is hell.

If you choose to live in the presence of God, acknowledging His sovereignty over all things, you can live in a little piece of heaven on earth. He will honor your choice, and you will have the fullness of His presence in heaven for eternity.

If you choose to live without regard for God, ignoring Him at every turn, He will not push Himself on you in eternity. If you have chosen to live absent of God on this earth, He will honor your choice in eternity. You will have chosen hell over heaven.

Father, God,

Thank You for making it clear that Your judgments are just and righteous. Thank You for promising to restore the remnant. Help us to remain part of Your faithful remnant.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Fallen Away

Focus verses: II Kings 21:2-16

Today's reading shows us two things. Manasseh was the son of Hezekiah. Hezekiah's reign in Judah was one of spiritual renewal. But Hezekiah died when Manasseh was only twelve years old, so Manasseh didn't have the maturity in the Lord to keep the faith that his father had passed on.

We are not told whether Manasseh had bad advisors, or whether his mother, Hephzibah, could have influenced his waywardness, but he fell back into idolatry and pagan worship.

God has no grandchildren. Each must come to God of his own free will. It is a unique relationship. It makes no difference if your father was a priest or a pagan. It isn't important whether your mother was a servant of God or a princess of Baal.

The relationship with God is unique to each person. Just as a parent loves each of his children differently, God loves each of us differently -- not less nor more -- but taking into consideration the uniqueness of the relationship with each child. Each of us must come to the knowledge of God on his/her own.

The second thing we learn is that the consequences of infidelity are the same from generation to generation. A return to idolatry and pagan worship will be rewarded with destruction.

Father, God,

Help us to appreciate the uniqueness of our relationship with you. Teach us Your ways so that we can impart them to our children and lead them to the knowledge and worship of You.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Kings Without Consent

Focus verses: Hosea 8:1-14

God has spelled out the sins of His children. You see, He created man with a free will, and He will not override that freedom. That is the only place where we can limit God. Our free will is a double-edged sword.

If we choose wisely, we can live in God's approval. If we choose wrongly, we reap His disapproval. It's a frightening thought.

They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval. With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction.

This passage looks like it was written for the United States in these days. We leave God out of our politics and business dealings. We have done so for many years. We set up goals - all based on money in some fashion. Our politicians are not public servants as the early presidents were, but many are seeking self-aggrandizing power. Our businesses are built on greed. The consequences for this behavior are dire.

They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour.

In Kansas, we know the whirlwind. It's power is terrible, and it's path seems capricious. It is unpredictable. If one comes your way, you can only take shelter and pray. If it hits, you can expect enormous destruction. The hail that frequently accompanies those storms can thresh a field of wheat as it stands so that there is no harvest for the sower.

Do we not see the parallel? When we neglect God, when we put other things ahead of Him, we can only expect negative consequences.

Father, God,

Show us the right paths. Keep us seeking You and Your instructions at all times. We would be faithful, not faithless.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Faded Glory

Focus verses: I Kings 11:1-13

Solomon had it made! He had asked for wisdom from the Lord and received it. Because he asked for wisdom, not wealth or strength or power, God not only gave him the wisdom, but all the rest besides. What could possibly go wrong?

Well there is this small matter of disobedience. Against God's explicit instructions, Solomon married and married and married. He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. The number, however, is not the problem.

He married some from nations where the Lord had explicitly told the Israelites not to intermarry because the wives would turn the Israelites' hearts from the Lord to their own gods.

We don't know exactly what happened to Solomon as he grew older. Perhaps he wasn't as diligent to follow the Lords commands. Perhaps he became arrogant with his wisdom and decided that he was the exception to God's dictates.

Perhaps he simply took things for granted to the extent that he no longer had an appreciation of the blessings of God and failed to heed the message of God. He, with all his wisdom, chose an unwise course of action: marrying women from nations which God had forbidden intermarriage.

Whatever the pathway, he disobeyed. But notice this. He will not have the kingdom wrenched from him. That will be done to his sons! He has, in effect, disinherited his own children.

Consequences for actions are not always immediate. Sometimes they are delayed for generations. But actions have inescapable consequences. We need to keep this firmly in mind when we make our decisions about what to do.

Father, God,

Keep us ever mindful of the rich blessings You have bestowed upon us. Help us to remain faithful to Your precepts. Grant that we may see the consequences of our choices, no matter how far down the road the consequences are hidden.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

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The Power of the Tongue

Focus verses: Proverbs 18:20, 21

Today's reading is all about speech, appropriate speech and inappropriate speech. The tongue is a small member of the body, but it has great power.

My son, if your heart is wise,
then my heart will be glad,
my inmost being will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right.

Your lips can speak foolishness bringing all kinds of adverse consequences. If you speak wickedness many ills can befall you including the destruction of the city.

Flattery, slander, gossip, hurtful talk, quarreling, lying, all are condemned in today's reading. How many of us have said something in the heat of a moment that we wished we could "un-say."
It doesn't happen. Once a word is spoken and heard, it is forever in the memory of the hearer.

The closing verse for today says:

The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.

My grandmother used to say: "Let your words be sweet and tender; you never know when you may have to eat them."

Father, God,

Grant us the wisdom to speak only those things which are healing, uplifting, beautiful, profitable, honorable, and reverent. Help us to tame the wild tongue.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

The Fool

Focus verses: Psalm 53

"There is no God." These are the words of the fool.

But we seem to have a whole society of fools. People run after wealth and possessions and power. We live as if God did not exist. We flout His laws and do abominable things.

When the consequences of our sins are upon us, we whine "why me?" We never stop to think that every action carries within itself the seed of its own reward or punishment.

Because God is a faithful parent, He never stands between a child and the consequences of his own actions. Children learn safe paths and acceptable behavior by the natural process of actions and consequences.

Of course, if we see a child on the highway in the middle of traffic, we pull him out. But we also admonish him about the dangers of playing in traffic. And he may lose a privilege as a consequence of his disobedience.

God has warned us about the consequences of actions. He has given us specific directions about what is and is not acceptable in His sight. We cannot sow the wind and not reap the whirlwind.

Just like any faithful parent, God grieves over those who go astray. Let us resolve never to grieve God.

Father, God,

You have given us an illuminated path to follow. Keep us faithful to your laws and let us not stray from the path you have given us. Help us not to grieve You.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

An Altar On A Threshing Floor

Focus verses: 1 Chronicles 22:1-16

Today's reading tells the beginning of the Temple, but it begins with the altar David had been told to build on the threshing floor.

Israel was again at peace with God and with itself. But David had numbered the fighting men without being told of God to do so. It was, in fact, a sin that Satan tempted him to. Whether he simply wanted to know the numbers or was planning some aggression in his heart, he took it upon himself to do this.

God was displeased, and He allowed David to choose the punishment. From three choices, David chose the hand of the Lord over discipline by other nations. David acknowledged his sin and returned to the Lord's way of doing things.

David's sins have precluded his building the temple for the Lord, but he started the planning and handed the job off to his son, Solomon. Best of all, he composed a song of dedication for the temple. (Psalm 30)

The music is back. When we agree with the Lord about our sins and have come through the consequences of our actions, the joy of the Lord's music can once again fill our spirits.

Father, God,

Help us to see where we have run ahead of Your plans and done what is displeasing in Your sight. Give us the grace to acknowledge our sins and turn from our selfish ways. Grant that we may always be filled with songs of praise for You.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

The Sacrifice of Obedience

Focus verses: 1 Samuel 15:10-23

We get a fearful lesson in today's reading. Saul was chosen by the Lord to be king of Israel. But Saul got carried away by his successes and decided that he knew better than God what he should do.

Saul's disobedience grieved the Lord, and the consequence for that disobedience was the Lord's rejection of Saul as king. When we reject the Lord, He withdraws His favor and leaves us to our own devices.

Every action carries within itself the seed of its own reward or punishment. No good parent stands between a child and the consequences of his own actions. Our God is a good and loving Father. He allows us to learn from our mistakes. But experience is an expensive teacher.

Saul could have avoided the negative consequences had he simply been obedient to the Lord.

"To obey is better than sacrifice." Mark it well in 1 Samuel 15:22.

When we know what to do and refuse to do it, we sin. Sin separates us from God. Not a good place to be.

Father, God,

Give us ears tuned to hear You. Make our hearts ready to obey. Keep us from the sins of arrogance and disobedience.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Wait Upon The Lord

Focus verses: 1 Samuel 13:2-15

God's timing is perfect. Our is flawed. Saul was preparing to fight the Philistines, but before he did, there was to be an offering. He waited for seven days, expecting Samuel to arrive to offer the burnt offering to the Lord. But the men were excitable and tremulous, so Saul took matters into his own hands and made the offering himself.

However, this was a huge mistake. He was not a priest. Samuel was appalled by this arrogance of Saul. With this arrogance, Saul forfeited his family's claim to an everlasting throne in Israel. God was seeking a man after His own heart.

We often find ourselves running ahead of God. We get impatient and do not trust Him to know what and when is best.

This impatience has consequences. For Saul, his family was cut off from the throne of Israel. For us, the consequence is that we miss God's best for us in favor of immediate gratification. How foolish!

Father, God,

Help us to wait upon You. Give us the grace to wait patiently as we seek Your face. Grant us the wisdom to be still until we have heard Your voice and the strength to do Your will when we have heard.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Called Forth

Focus verses: Judges 13:2-5

The story of Samson is another familiar tale. Here we are told of God's plan for this child before his birth. He will begin the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines.

But Samson was not the ideal man of God. He did not hold fast to the Lord's commands. He womanized among the Philistines. He seems to have had a volatile temper. A woman's soft voiced pleading led to his downfall.

All of this, however, is beside the point.

God announced, before Samson was conceived, that this child would be born and what his role in Israel was to be. This is not an isolated incident. God announced that Abraham and Sarah would have a son who would people the nation of Israel. The angel of the Lord announced to Mary that she would be the mother of the Messiah.

These are not the only examples, but they are enough to establish that God has a plan for the infant before he is conceived.

We, however, live in a society that doesn't value the life that God gives. We decide to choose whether to let the infant live or die according to what is expedient or convenient for us. How long will God withhold His righteous anger before allowing us to reap the consequences of usurping His authority?

Father, God,

Forgive us our hardened hearts. Soften us and make us receptive to Your plans. Convict us of our indifference, and lead us to remedy the situation that devalues human life.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Consequences

Focus verses: Leviticus 26:3-45

In today's reading, God sets forth the consequences for obedience and disobedience. Consequences are built in ramifications of a course of action.

Look at the natural laws. If you drop a ball, it falls down, not up. If you throw a rock in a pond, there are ripples. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Every action carries within itself the seeds of its own reward or punishment. There are a hundred other platitudes that carry this same thought.

Verses 14 and following are frightening, considering the world in which we live. "But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and drain away your life."

"I will bring upon you sudden terror..." Ouch! Could the Lord be withdrawing His protective hand from the United States? Lets see, we are condoning activities which He declared unlawful, we are murdering the innocent, and we oppress the less fortunate. How patient will He be with us? Perhaps we ought to take stock.

Father, God,

Unseal our collective consciences. Touch the citizens of this land with your love so that it overflows to make us generous to the less fortunate, protective of the innocent, and bold to speak out against the unlawful.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

I Swear

Focus verse: Leviticus 19:12

Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.

This short, but somber, word can help direct the course of our lives. We do well to realize that when we claim the name of Christian, we become God's ambassadors to a chaotic and hurting world.

The children of Israel did not ever say the name of the Lord. It was too holy to be pronounced by profane lips. It was as if the name carried the essence of God himself. What is said in the name of the Lord needs to be just that holy.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

The Gospel of John opens with these words. "Word" is a reference to Christ Himself. Jesus Christ was the sacrifice for our sins and the means of reconciling man to God. And scripture calls Him the Word.

If scripture places such importance on Word, can we do any less?

Do not give your word and fail to keep it. Failure to honor your pledge brings disgrace to the name of the Lord. Consequences follow disgracing the Lord's name.

One of those consequences is that a poor witness can keep the unsaved from hearing the good news of the Gospel. To be a stumbling block to another person's salvation or faith has eternal ramifications.

Father, God,

Help us to keep our words and our actions upright, to reflect well upon Your name. Guard our lips that no thoughtless words fall therefrom.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

P-R-I-D-E

Focus verses: Deuteronomy 8:11-20

God knows us well. That's why He cautions us about complacency when things are going well. When the world around us seems to be kindly towards us and life is good, we have a tendency to think it's because we have done it for ourselves - the self-made man syndrome.

The children of Israel were warned about this syndrome. God delivered them from Egypt. God provided manna in the wilderness and water from the rock. God defeated their foes. God gave them the land. God is the mover and shaker in all this.

The duty of the children of Israel was to be faithful, to trust and obey Him. When they did, things went well. When they didn't, they suffered the consequences.

The world would have us think that all the answers are within ourselves. That we can be self-reliant. Poppycock!

"I can do it myself" is the phrase of a three-year-old learning to tie his shoes. We all know how that ends -- delay in accomplishing the feat, shoes that come untied in moments, and frustration for both parent and child.

God, however, doesn't get frustrated with us. He merely lets us reap the natural consequences of our prideful actions. He does, however, want us to learn humility and dependence upon him. That's why He reminds the Israelite children about his deliverance and cautions them not to forget their dependence upon Him. We can take a leaf from that book.

Father, God,

Help us to remember all Your provision for us and our lives. Keep our dependence on You foremost in our minds. Teach us to seek Your counsel in all that we propose and give us ears to hear Your words to us.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Encounter

Focus verses: Genesis 32:22-32

Jacob is on shaky ground. He leaves his father-in-law surreptitiously and is uncertain about the reception he will receive from Esau when he returns home. And he has earned the negative consequences on both ends.

But those consequences never seem to materialize. What actually happens is that in a moment of solitude, he finds himself wrestling with God.

Did you notice that our encounters with God seem to come when we have been in the wrong and when we are alone?

It is only in solitude that we can hear the voice of the Lord as He seeks to deal with us. In this instance, Jacob is rewarded because he continues to wrestle with God until daybreak, not giving up or giving in, but literally wrestling his way through to a blessing.

How often do we seek solitude where we can hear the voice of the Lord? Especially when we have been in the wrong, we find it easier to avoid the solitude with Him. Besides, it's difficult in our busy lives with multiple interruptions to set aside time for God. But this time of solitude with the Lord is essential to our growth and finding His blessings in our lives.

When was the last time you set aside time for the Lord? And what was the outcome? When can you do it again?

Father, God,

Help us to prioritize our lives so the You come first. Time with You needs to be set aside first on our calendars. Save us from taking You for granted and show us your blessings.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Bethel - Emmanuel

Focus verses: Genesis 28:10-22

AARRGGHH!! Don't we ever learn?

Today's reading is full of egos, self-seeking and deceptions. Deceit has had serious consequences in the past and will again in this instance.

However - and this is a big however -- when Jacob obeys his father's directive to go to Paddan Aram to seek a wife, he sets his feet on a righteous path once again. And he is rewarded by this dream and promise from God.

"Surely the Lord is in this place."

Whether we are aware of it or not, God is with us. Day in and day out, He stands with us. It is our disobedience that builds a wall between Him and us. It's our wall. It is built brick by brick of little rejections of His call upon our lives.

Do you notice? God's promise to Jacob is not predicated upon his apology for his deceptions. It carries no contingencies. It is full, complete, absolute.

God knows and we are learning that every action carries within itself the seed of its own reward or punishment. That is called consequences.

But our God is omnipresent - present everywhere at once. With us, beside us, within us if we let Him be.

A few weeks ago we were singing "O come, O come, Immanuel." That's nice at advent and Christmas. But it's redundant. He has come. He is with us. Let us rejoice in His presence.

Father, God,
Help us to be ever mindful of Your presence with us. Teach us to rely on You at every moment.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen

A Mess of Pottage

Focus verses: Genesis 25:29-34

The story of Esau and Jacob is a reminder to us that gratifying immediate desire has consequences.

Esau was very hungry, but he was not starving. He could have waited and prepared his own meal. But he was into immediate gratification, so it was easier to bargain with Jacob.

This happens all the time today.

Look at our current financial crisis. Much of it has been brought on by the same mindset Esau carried into Jacob's kitchen.

"Gratifying my immediate want is more important then my future."

We say that every time we borrow money we don't have to get something we want now.

Just as Esau made himself and his descendants subservient to Jacob by this exchange, we make ourselves the servant of our lender.

We have it on good authority that no man can serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24 - KJV)

If we intend to serve God, we need to keep ourselves free from financial encumbrances that limit our ability to serve.

Father, God,
Help us to see the needs of the moment with a view to the future. Keep us from foolish profligacy and tune us to evaluate today's transactions in terms of the eternal.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.