Posts

Inquiring of the Lord

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Joshua 9-11; 1 Corinthians 6   “The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.” Joshua 9:14, 15 The Gibeonite deception of Israel reminds us how much we need the Lord’s perspective in matters of discernment and all of life. “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (1Samuel 16:7). The Israelite leaders illustrated that “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end, it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12). By trusting the Gibeonite evidence of having been on a long journey, the Israelites leaders forgot the living presence of God who was parting the Jordan River, defeating Canaanite kings, and knocking over Jericho’s walls. How quickly we fix our eyes on what it is seen rather than what is unseen (2Corinthians 4:18)! Will we fix our eyes on Jesus today in each matter of discernment, in each obstacle, and in ...
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Flood Waters

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Joshua 7-8; Psalms 69; 1 Corinthians 5   “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me…Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters…You know how I am scorned, disgraced, and shamed…” Psalm 69:1, 2, 14, 1 David’s call to leadership came from the Lord as Samuel anointed him with oil and the Spirit of God filled him. Later, as he faced betrayal, opposition, and a campaign to destroy him from his father-in-law Saul and later his son Absalom, David found refuge in God. Rather than fight those who opposed him, David asked God to fight his battles for him. The “flood waters” which seemed to drown David were a metaphor for relational conflict. The mud and mire of a slander-campaign gave David no foothold on which to stand.   When we are “scorned, disgraced and shamed,” where do we turn?   David cried out t...
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Standing Stones

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Joshua 3-6; 1 Corinthians 4   “…’In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’’…He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” Joshua 4:21, 22, 24 Standing stones of remembrance kept the story of God’s miraculous parting of the Jordan River always in front of the Israelites. Standing stones can be represented by pictures, mementos, or objects, used to help us remember what God has done. In remembering, we receive encouragement, new courage to step out with risk-taking obedience into the next assignment the Lord has for us. Standing stones are also a witness to those around us of our stories of faith. They teach us and those who come after us to always fear and follow the Lord. “Lord God, thank you for standing stones which mark my faith-journey with you, for your glory.”
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You Together are that Temple

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Joshua 1-2; Psalms 37; 1 Corinthians 3   “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17 The immature ‘worldly’ behavior Paul rebuked in the Corinthian church was not related to their clothing or entertainment choices; but rather, to jealousy and quarreling which led to factions in the church. This divisive behavior was destroying it. The enemy of the church, Satan, still sends people to destroy the church as we read in Paul’s epistles to the churches. However, most divisive people don’t realize they are being used by the enemy. They believe they are defending an issue of integrity, justice, equity, or tradition that serves God’s mission, not destroys it. The Church is the Bride of Christ. Paul said the Spirit dwells in our midst, not just in individual believers. We together, as God’s people, are the temple of...
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The Foundation of our Faith

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Deuteronomy 32-34; 1 Corinthians 2   “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” 1 Corinthians 2:4, 5 We reproduce who we are. We can only give to others what we ourselves have received. Paul had the theological training to use wise and persuasive words in laying the foundation for the church in Corinth, yet he chose not to. Rather, Paul relied daily on the living presence of Jesus within him by the Holy Spirit to demonstrate Christ’s power to deliver, heal, and forgive. Seekers in Corinth experienced the presence of Jesus before they understood all the truths of God’s Word. Their faith rested on God’s presence and power to change their lives. In a generation that is asking if God is real, rather than whether God’s Word is true, this is important. If we bring our experience in the living Christ through the power of the Spirit, we, too, wi...
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The Gift of Humility

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Deuteronomy 30-31; Psalms 40; 1 Corinthians 1   “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 The Lord loves humility! The Lord deliberately chooses the foolish, weak, lowly, and despised things of this world as recipients of his grace and a testimony to his saving power. Why these dramatic testimonies? – “…so that no one may boast before him” (1 Corinthians 1:29). Our continual dependency on the Lord for all things, not just our salvation, is God’s best for us in Christ. The momentum in church multiplication is not coming from the wealthy, educated West; but rather, from the ‘margins’ of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It is the poor who are becoming rich in salvation. It is those without proper medical care who are ...
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Restore Gently

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Deuteronomy 28-29; Galatians 6   “Brothers [and sisters], if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:1, 2 The law of Christ was that we would love one another as Christ has loved us. This love is tested when our brother or sister is caught in a sin. Our tendency can be to judge that person, gossip about them, or separate ourselves from them. Instead, Paul calls us to gently restore that person to right relationship with God and others. We restore one another gently because we recognize sin’s deception, our own vulnerability to temptation, and Christ’s incredible mercy and gentleness toward us. When we walk with each other in this ministry of restoration and soul care, we are carrying each other’s burdens to the feet of Jesus and inviting Christ to heal, cleanse, free, and restore. This ministry of caring fo...
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