Vulnerable Indestructibility

ALL – Psalm 113:1-114:8
ALL – Proverbs 27:18-20
OT – Ezekiel 31:1-32:32
NT – Hebrews 12:14-29

Interesting passage for the day: Since we have a Kingdom nothing can destroy, let us please God by serving him with thankful hearts, and with holy fear and awe. For our God is a consuming fire. – Hebrews 12:28-29, The Living Bible

Thought: If you made yourself indestructible, you’d probably be proud. But if someone gave you a way to be indestructible, wouldn’t you be thankful?

God’s done that for us. He’s the only truly indestructible one ever—and forever. But He’s created an indestructible kingdom, and He’s made those who believe in Him into a new, indestructible creation. So as far as earth’s challenges are concerned, we’re indestructible. Oh, it might look like we’ve been destroyed, but we’ll be back.

On the other hand, our God is a consuming fire. He is still quite capable of destroying us. He fully intends for us to live our indestructible lives for Him.

Between gratitude for His gift of an indestructible life and fear of His consuming wrath, don’t we have some good reasons for service and obedience?

Question: What motivates you to serve God more? Looking forward to the fulfillment of His promises when you become indestructible? Or looking back at the fire of His wrath and trying to move as far from His fury as possible?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Living Here, Aiming There

ALL – Psalm 78:26-58
ALL – Proverbs 24:27
OT – Jeremiah 8:8-9:26
NT – Colossians 3:1-17

Interesting passage for the day: Since you became alive again, so to speak, when Christ arose from the dead, now set your sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven where he sits beside God in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts; don’t spend your time worrying about things down here. – Colossians 3:1-2, The Living Bible

Thought: If heaven is supposed to fill our thoughts, are we supposed to despise life down here? Are we supposed to ignore the people we love, the places we cherish, the joys we experience? Are we supposed to pretend that nothing in the world is ugly, broken or painful? Is this world pointless?

No. It’s not. We live here. For now, we live here.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not arguing with Paul (or with the Holy Spirit, for that matter). I’m saying that I don’t think that “setting your sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven” and not “spend[ing] your time worrying about things down here” means ignoring the world we live in.

I think it means experiencing this life more fully. Not “worrying about things down here” means allowing yourself to see this world’s brokenness more clearly than you ever have before. Life down here can be totally futile! No matter how often I make my bed, it gets messy again. No matter how hard I exercise, I sooner or later lose my strength. No matter how much I teach my children, they end up making their own mistakes. No matter how hard I work, my work’s never done. And sometimes life is just plain painful. Unfair. Bitterly disappointing. Other people are jerks. I am a jerk. We’re supposed to experience all this more fully because we know Jesus. We’re supposed to stop pretending that we don’t see how overwhelming life is, how much of a struggle relationships are, how awful it is even to exist in a place of sickness and selfishness. And when we stop living in denial, it is then that we need to stop worrying—not because the world gives us less to worry about (we’re seeing reasons to worry more clearly now, remember?). No, we stop worrying because we are calling out to Jesus, and we know that He’s going to take care of us.

Which brings us back to the good side of this life. I love sports, the outdoors, friends, smart phones, and good stories. And food. I love food. Am I supposed to pretend that I don’t? Absolutely not! Instead, because I now know that every good gift is from above (acc. to James), I am supposed to enjoy them MORE. I am supposed to overflow with wonder at how good some things in this life are. And as I’m awed by the speeds, tastes, sights, sounds, displays of intellect, joys and satisfactions of life on earth, I should be grateful to the God who gave them to me. And at the same time, the wonders of His good gifts down here should remind me that the God who can make this world seem like a great place to live must have something tremendous in store for me above, where there is no sorrow or pain. And so I “set [my] sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven”—not just for myself, but for others, too. I set my sights on the wonders of heaven, even as I’m surrounded by the joys and pleasures God has given me down here, and urge myself not to be so stupid and selfish as to insist on enjoying life down here so much that I neglect to give my family and my friends and my neighbors the opportunity to know the joys I’m looking forward to with Jesus in heaven. I enjoy life down here more fully, but I crave it less. I’m looking forward to something better—way better, and I want others to get something better, too.

Question: How do you keep your mind on heaven when life down here feels like hell? Even harder, how do you set your gaze toward heaven when life down here feels like heaven already?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

People Rewards

ALL – Psalm 75:1-10
ALL – Proverbs 24:17-20
OT – Jeremiah 1:1-2:30
NT – Philippians 4:1-23

Interesting passage for the day: Dear brother Christians, I love you and long to see you, for you are my joy and my reward for my work. My beloved friends, stay true to the Lord. – Philippians 4:1, The Living Bible

Thought: What more can I say? I’m in total agreement with this verse. I’m so thankful that God has put me in touch with all the brothers and sisters He has given me. I’m thankful for YOU, if you’re reading this. I am so thankful to know you. I wish we could see each other more often, and my deepest desire for you is that you be completely faithful to Jesus.

Question: Who has God put into your life as a result of your obedience to Him? How can you express your gratitude—not only to God, but to those you’re thankful to know?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

“Dayenu” - Persistent Joy

ALL – Psalm 73:1-28
ALL – Proverbs 24:13-14
OT – Isaiah 62:6-65:25
NT – Philippians 2:19-3:3

Interesting passage for the day: Whatever happens, dear friends, be glad in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you this and it is good for you to hear it again and again. – Philippians 3:1, The Living Bible

Thought: In the Jewish Passover Seder, at one point they begin to walk through a long list of God’s blessings:

“If the Lord had merely rescued us, but had not punished the Egyptians … Dayenu: It would have been enough.

“If He had only destroyed their gods, but had not parted the Red Sea … Dayenu: It would have been enough.

“If He had only destroyed our enemies, but had not fed us His food in the desert … Dayenu: It would have been enough.

“If He had only led us through the desert, but had not given us His holy day of rest … Dayenu: It would have been enough.

“If He had only given us His Words and Commandments, but not a Promised Land forever … Dayenu: It would have been enough.”

Who knows how many Passover Seders Paul had participated in throughout his lifetime? And having grown up with this yearly reminder that God has done enough—no, MORE than enough—for us all, and then coming to know that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins and rise to give us the hope of eternal life … No wonder Paul insisted on gladness and rejoicing!

When we consider how unworthy we are of God’s attention, let alone of His love, then it becomes clear why we should be persistently glad and thankful, no matter what happens. The history of God’s provision and work for us is enough reason to be thankful even when we are going through the roughest times in our lives! In those times, we should be crying out to our Jesus for help, salvation and deliverance; the fact that we have reason to rejoice in God does not mean that we have to deny the reality of hard times. But even in the midst of our pleading, we have reasons to be thankful. God has done so much for us. And even if Jesus’ death and resurrection, for instance, were all He had done for us … “Dayenu: It would have been enough.” It is only right to give Him thanks persistently.

Question: What is the number one reason you give thanks to God? When nothing else about life seems worthwhile, what has God done for you that gives you hope? How could you incorporate the discipline of persistent and joyful thankfulness, even in hard times, into your life?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Holy Agent of Change

ALL – Psalm 66:1-20
ALL – Proverbs 23:26-28
OT – Isaiah 39:1-41:16
NT – Ephesians 1:1-23

Interesting passage for the day: And because of what Christ did, all you others too, who heard the Good News about how to be saved, and trusted Christ, were marked as belonging to Christ by the Holy Spirit, who long ago had been promised to all of us Christians. – Galatians 1:13, The Living Bible

Thought: How thankful are you for the Holy Spirit? Do you realize that He has been given to us because of Jesus Christ? Peter tells us in Acts 2 that Jesus “poured out” the Holy Spirit on His disciples, and the Holy Spirit has been given to all believers since then. Romans tells us that if we do not have the Spirit of Christ, we do not belong to Jesus.

The Holy Spirit marks those who have faith in Jesus Christ. His fruit is grown in our lives. He lifts our eyes to Jesus when we would otherwise get distracted or discouraged. He speaks to our conscience and encourages us toward what is best. He brings the newness of Christ’s life to dwell in our souls, and He navigates the new creatures we are safely through this world’s challenges to dwell in our heavenly home.

Question: Are you working with Christ’s Spirit or against Him? What difference do you think that His presence in our lives should make?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Ownership Blues

ALL – Psalm 51:1-19
ALL – Proverbs 22:24-25
OT – Song of Solomon 5:1-8:14
NT – 2 Corinthians 9:1-15

Interesting passage for the day: Yes, God will give you much so that you can give away much, and when we take your gifts to those who need them they will break out into thanksgiving and praise to God for your help. – 2 Corinthians 9:11, The Living Bible

Thought: I really struggle with ownership. I’m not saying that I have a hard time owning. I own much more than I need to own. But I struggle with that reality. On the one hand, I’m called to give thanks for God’s wonderful provision. On the other hand, I’m called to be generous. And I live with a sense of guilt that says I fall short in both areas. I’m neither as thankful nor as generous as I ought to be. And then when I start to think about how I ought to be managing our family finances and belongings in such a way that they grow to the point where I can still care for my wife when I get to old or weak to work, my sense of tension goes through the roof! How can I be thankful and content, yet seek more? How can I both build personal wealth and be generous to the extent that I believe God wants?

I can’t. I just can’t. I’m not perfect. And I don’t see perfection coming my way too quickly, either. In fact, I’ve come to the point that I believe this is a tension I’m going to have to live with for the rest of my life. And Jesus will grow me in all three areas as the years go by. Sometimes I’ll take a leap forward in gratitude. Other times I’ll learn more about planning for the future and providing for my family. And other times I’ll soar into higher levels of generosity. But I doubt they’ll all be at once, at least not usually.

Which will require faith. That’s what I hear Paul encouraging the Corinthians to display: faith. Faith that God is the ultimate provider. Faith that, because He is, they can be generous and provide for others. Faith that expresses thanks to God for all He does and will do. Faith that rests in God to such an extent that others in turn have the chance to thank God, too. Faith that at the end of the day, our ownership isn’t about ownership at all, but about God’s wonderful love toward us, providing enough for us all and giving us gifts that transform us into thankful recipients rather than prideful owners and managers. We may not get it all down to a T, but we can walk by faith that allows us to grow, because we can rest in God’s perfection rather than ours.

Lord, grant me the faith to provide, to give, and to be thankful through it all. And by the way…thank You. Keep taking care of us all.

Question: What have you learned about being an owner? How have you learned not to let your possessions own you? Or are you still learning? What’s the journey of faith looking like for you?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Thankful or Confused

Interesting passage for the day: Yes, they knew about him all right, but they wouldn’t admit it or worship him or even thank him for all his daily care. And after awhile they began to think up silly ideas of what God was like and what he wanted them to do. The result was that their foolish minds became dark and confused. – Romans 1:21, The Living Bible

Thought: One of the most important responses to knowing that God’s alive and well is not just to say so, but to thank Him for His daily care. God created each one of us. He saw us through the nine months in our mothers’ wombs, He helped us out the birth canal, He provided us with fathers and mothers, with protection and care and nourishment. God has given us every breath we’ve breathed. He’s seen us through sickness. He’s helped us grow in every way.

Thankfulness is so important. From Romans, you can see that when people refuse to thank God for His blessings they begin to pretend they know how to go through the paths of life on their own, and their lives become muddled, senseless and confusing.

Question: How long has it been since you have thanked God for anything? Especially for His “normal” daily blessings? Would it be hard to thank Him because it’s been so long? Would it help if you sat down and decided to write out a list of at least ten, fifteen, or twenty-five blessings, and then spent time thanking Him? Share a few snippets of how God has blessed you.

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.