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We live in a time and culture where there is great confusion related to truth, appropriate conduct, and spirituality. The Bible is now considered a threat by many and Christians are cast in a light where we are the problem in our nation.

In the spiritual chaos of our time, it seems a lot like what it must have been like during the time of the Judges. The summary of that time was “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 17:6). Everyone lived by what they felt was best for them instead of by the absolute truth of God’s Word and under his leadership.

A verse that impressed me today because of these observations is Jer. 10:10a which says,

“But the LORD is the true God;
he is the living God and the everlasting King…”

At the time of Jeremiah’s writing, there were many “gods.” The problem is that they were all created by man! Jeremiah is reminding his readers that In contrast to those created idols, we serve THE TRUE God, THE LIVING God and THE EVERLASTING God. Our God is THE one and only God.

Father, it is a comforting reminder to call to mind who you are! You are the true God because you are the truth! You are the living God and all life comes from you. You are the eternal God who always has been and always will be. Thank you for your greatness and for your desire to have a relationship with me!

Following Jesus with you,

In our crazy and complex world it is hard to find peace. Often our minds and hearts are racing trying to keep up with all of the demands and desires of our lives. Yet, God makes an incredible promise in Is. 23:6 which says,

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

A few observations about this passage that hit me:

1) God is the one who gives us this peace. It is not something we manufacture. He is the source. Peace comes from him.

2) The kind of peace he offers is “perfect peace.” This is describing complete peace. Peace the way it was meant to be. “Peace (Hb. shalom) had a much richer connotation than the English word does since it conveyed not merely the absence of conflict and turmoil but also the notion of positive blessing, especially in terms of a right relationship with God.” (ESV Study Bible)

Wow! The peace God wants me to have is so much more than the lack of turbulence in my life. He wants me to experience the blessing of having a right relationship with him!

3) My responsibility in this process is to use my mind correctly. In our passage, the word “mind” carries the connotation that we “have a ‘frame of mind, perspective, constitution’ … that is ‘steadfast’… which implies an undeviating commitment to a purpose, conviction, or person” (New American Commentary)

4) This frame of mind that I need to have is described as “trust.” The word for “trust” here “is the feeling of safety and security that is felt when one can rely on someone or something else” (Complete Word Study Dictionary). I need to go through my day always relying on God. I need to leave my life in his hands.  When I have tried to take back the control of my life in the past, it has always made me worried rather than peaceful.

So how can all this all be summarized? God will keep in complete peace, the person who continually has the frame of mind where he chooses to trust in, depend on and rest in God.

When my mind starts to doubt, or I try to take control of a situation that only God can handle, I need to refocus and lean on him. The fruit of my unwavering trust in him means, I will experience his peace. This peace comes from letting go and trusting in him.  Relying on God to fulfill his promises does not mean I should not do my best, but that I should yield my life and heart to him and trust him to care for me the way he knows is best.

Father, thank you for this amazing verse. Thanks for thinking about me in such a way that you know I need peace. This peace comes from a right relationship with you where I trust you completely and continually. Help be to keep my mind focused on you and your trustworthiness so that I can experience your peace in spite of my circumstances.

Following Jesus with you,

All of us experience “crossroads” in life. We are confronted with choices, situations, and circumstances that will force us to make a choice. Often this choice will be whether or not we will trust God and his promises even when things seem beyond hope.

Ahaz, the king of Judah, had such a crossroad. Assyria was becoming the dominant power in the land, and all other nations were fearful of being conquered. It seems that Ahaz had established or was considering building a pact with Assyria to protect them. This possibility made the kings of Israel and Syria decide to attack Judah to force them to join them in fighting against Assyria.

As Ahaz heard of the approach of these armies, notice what it says in Isaiah 7:2,

“The heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.”

I can’t imagine the fear that he must have experienced and how tempted he must have been to approach Assyria for help. So what was his crossroad? His dilemma was, would he choose to trust in God for protection or Assyria when things looked about as bad as it could get?

God makes his expectations clear to Ahaz when the prophet Isaiah says,

“If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.” (Isaiah 7:9)

I can get discouraged in life as I am sure you can. I see here a timeless principle for the disciple of Jesus. I must stand firm in my faith in God and his promises regardless of what my circumstances might tell me.

Father, thank you for the lesson found in this story. I am sorry that I doubt you, your promises and your love for me at times. Help me to remember this timeless principle of my responsibility to stand firm in my faith. If I don’t choose to remain steadfast in my faith in you, I won’t make it.

Following Jesus with you,

Peter makes an interesting statement in 2 Pet. 3:11-12. He says,

“What sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God.”

In the context Peter is letting the readers know about the inevitable end of all creation when God makes a new heaven and earth and that God is waiting to return until all who will, repent. Given the certainty of the end, Peter asks, What kind of people should we be? In other words, how should we live now knowing the inevitable future of creation and knowing that God has delayed his return to allow as many to repent as possible?

The first thing he says is that as we are holy and godly, we should “wait.” The sense of the word “wait” is “designating the eager expectation believers should have for the coming of Christ and the fulfillment of God’s future promises” (Wuest). The readers should not have a nonchalant attitude about the impending end of creation as we know it. Instead, they should have an eager anticipation of God’s Triumphant Return! Am I eagerly looking forward to the Lord’s Return?

The second thing mentioned is that we should “hasten” the coming day of God. The implication is that when we live with a repentant heart (3:8) and help others do the same, we will contribute to speed up the day of God.

This in no way implies that we can twist God’s arm to do what we want, but that from our perspective, we can hasten the Lord’s return when we live the way he desires. As Gangel states,

“How do believers hasten it? The godly lives of the Lord’s people, their praying, and their witnessing help bring others to repentance.”

Constable says it this way,

“Believers affect God’s timetable by our witnessing and our praying as we bring people to Christ (cf. Josh. 10:12–14; 1 Kings 20:1–6; et al.).”

This realization makes me ask, “Am I living in holiness and godliness so that I can assist with hastening the day of God by helping others be restored to a relationship with God through repentance? This is a call to me to live in light of the certainty of the end knowing that my faithfulness is helping to bring God’s Kingdom more quickly.

Father, thank you for your Word. Thank you that we know of the end of the story as we live our lives now. Help me to anticipate your Kingdom eagerly and live a life that contributes to hasten the coming of your Reign.

Following Jesus with you,

The very well known story of David’s sin with Bathsheba is found in 2 Sam. 12. Frankly, it is surprising that this account is recorded in scripture! God’s chosen king sins and experiences strong discipline for it.

Why was this event included in the Bible? There may be many reasons for this, but one certainly is to show the character of David. Even though he had committed atrocious sin, when he was confronted by Nathan the prophet, he did not debate or dodge the accusations. Instead, he confessed. Psalm 51 which was written at this time shows us that David was in great distress over his sin and would welcome a way to be restored to fellowship with God.

The second question that flows from this story is why David is forgiven, and his child still dies? I think Bill Arnold answers this question well by clarifying the difference between forgiveness and consequences when he says,

“The child’s death is a result of David’s sin, but this is not the same as punishment. It is a fundamental principle of life that God may forgive and cleanse us of all wrongdoing, but the consequences of our sin may, and in fact often, remain. The innocent suffer for crimes committed by someone else, but such suffering is not punishment for those crimes. A crack baby may die soon after birth because the mother used crack during pregnancy. The child dies; the mother lives. The child’s death is not the punishment but the consequences of the mother’s sin.”

Our sins can have implications for others. Often sin is not just between God and me as the Evil One wants us to think. Therefore, I must remember that how I live can impact others for good and for ill.

The third thing that stood out to me on this reading of the story is what is said in 2 Sam. 12:24-25,

“Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went into her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the LORD loved him and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.”

David had addressed his sin and experienced God’s forgiveness and cleansing.  In that restored state of fellowship with God, he sought to comfort Bathsheba as God had comforted him.  That again is a great picture of David’s character.  I doubt his motive was to have another child.  He wanted to care for Bathsheba, and she became pregnant with Solomon.

What do we learn about God through him allowing David to not only have a son through Bathsheba but that the son is Solomon? Solomon turned out to be the heir who would eventually become king in the place of David and through whom the Messiah would come! Answer: the God we serve is a gracious God!  David did not deserve such blessing from God, but God, being gracious continued the line of the Messiah through Bathsheba.

Father, I thank you that you love me as a father loves his son. Thank you for your patience with me and my imperfections. Thank you for your commitment to me and your endless grace that I experience moment by moment now and will continue for eternity. Help me to live with you being my primary allegiance!

Following Jesus with you,

The more I read about David, the more impressed I am with him as a man after God’s own heart. After David hears of Saul’s death and mourns for him and Jonathan, he does the following:

“After this David inquired of the LORD, ‘Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?’ And the LORD said to him, ‘Go up.’ David said, ‘To which shall I go up?’ And he said, ‘To Hebron.’ So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. And David brought up his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron. And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.” (2 Sam. 1-4)

Does anything impress you about David when you read that account? What impresses me is that he did not assume he was now king and should be crowned as such. He inquired of the Lord! He even asked, “where should I go?”

If I were David, I would have put the cart before the horse again and assume that I was supposed to be king because Saul is finally out of the way. It would have been easy to go directly to Gibeah, where Saul’s palace was and begin making plans for my right to rule!

Instead, David seeks the Lord, his will, and his direction. How many times have I assumed what God wanted for me because the circumstances were right and then acted without his counsel? David again models humility, a yielded life and a heart for God and his purposes.

Father, David is a man that lived a very impressive life in submission to your leadership. There were so many opportunities for him to force his will and timing in becoming king rather than waiting for you to work out the details when you thought it best! Help me to live a yielded life to your leadership and not live with my own agenda but seek yours for my life.

Following Jesus with you,

In 2 Sam. 1 tells an absorbing story. It is also a confusing account because of how David reacts to the news of King Saul’s death. In this passage, an Amalekite brings David the crown Saul wore and told him that Saul had been mortally wounded in battle. He then gives more details about Saul’s death.  He tells David that Saul asked him to end his life so his enemies would not take him alive. The man tells David that he did as Saul requested.

In some ways, you could see that this man was in an awkward position and decided to help Saul end his life. In another way of looking at it, he killed Saul by his recollection of the story. Notice how David responds as he interacts with the Amalekite,

“‘So I stood beside him and killed him because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord’… And David said to the young man who told him, ‘Where do you come from?’ And he answered, ‘I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.’ David said to him, ‘How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?’ Then David called one of the young men and said, ‘Go, execute him.’ And he struck him down so that he died. And David said to him, ’Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the LORD’s anointed.’ ” (2 Sam. 1:10-16)

What did David mean that the Amalekite’s blood was on his head? And why did David have him executed? Notice how the death of Saul was recorded one chapter earlier,

“The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, ‘Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.’ But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. (1 Sam. 31:3-6)

This summary of the death of Saul is different than the one told by the Amalekite.

The ESV Study Bible makes an excellent observation about this story. It says,

“The narrator (whom readers should believe) in 1 Samuel 31 says that Saul killed himself. Having already read that, readers know that this man is lying to gain favor with the person who was most likely to replace Saul as king.”

It appears that the plan of the Amalekite was to lie in a way that he thought he would gain favor in the sight of David who would be the new king of Israel.  He found out that his lies backfired! Instead of putting him in good standing with David, David saw through his testimony and his lies sealed his fate. Because of his deception, David had him executed.

Father, this story is a great reminder that lies will be found out. There can be grave consequences for such behavior. Help me to be truthful and not seek personal advantage through misleading statements.

Following Jesus with you,

If you are like me, there are times in life when it seems relatively easy to follow Jesus. That often can be when things are going well, and I am not experiencing significant problems. The real test though is how I respond when the pressure is on.

This thought hit me when I was reading about Saul and David in 1 Samuel 28 and 30. They responded to pressure differently.  In the first section, Saul is fearful because of the massive Philistine army that is ready to attack Israel. He is feeling the pressure, and he responds as follows,

“When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, ‘Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.’” (1 Sam. 28:5-7)

When God did not respond to Saul, he turned to a medium without any hesitancy! He wanted someone to answer him and did not seem to care from where the information came. He pursued what he thought was right regardless of what God wanted.

Contrast Saul’s response to how David responded to pressure. While David and his men were out raiding the enemies of Israel, the Amalekites attacked his hometown and took everything including wives, sons and daughters.

If that happened to your family, how would you respond? For me, I probably would have reacted and took off after the raiding party without thinking. Instead, notice what David did.

“Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep… And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God… And David inquired of the LORD, ‘Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?’ He answered him, ‘Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.’” (1 Sam. 30:4-8)

David’s first response to unthinkable pressure was to strengthen himself in his relationship with God and seek his direction before he acted! Wow! I think I would have pursued the Amalekites assuming that is what God wanted. Instead, David yields to God’s leadership and makes no assumptions even regarding the desperate circumstances of his family.

How often do I naturally do what I think is best without seeking God’s leadership? Father, thank you for this amazing contrast between Saul and David and how they handled situations that were severe. Help me to be like David. Help me to seek you first before I do what I think is best. May I learn the lesson to strengthen myself automatically in you and seek your guidance as my normal course of life when times are good and when the pressure is on.

Following Jesus with you,

Going through challenges and difficulties is not fun. Have you noticed though that when you have made it through those trying times, we often can look back on them and see how we are better people because of them?

The Psalmist makes this observation in Ps. 119:71 which says,

“It is good for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.”

There is a form of affliction that the writer now sees as beneficial for him to have experienced. How could suffering be helpful for him? He says that it allowed him to learn God’s ways.

What may have caused this affliction to come upon him? The answer seems to be a couple of verses earlier when he said in verse 67,

“Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word.”

Experiencing the discipline of the Lord, as an earthly loving father would correct his children, is something that God can use to get us back on his path. It is not always the reason for trials, but it can be a reason. In this case, as the Psalmist reflected on his life, he saw that he was disobedient, and it was affliction that helped him see the error of his ways and get him back on God’s path. He now can say that he loves to keep God’s Word.

We all stray and God is not out there waiting to zap us, but when we persist in sin, he may discipline his children. That is why it is important to keep short accounts with God. Walk in moment-by-moment fellowship with him and confess sin when you become aware of it to get back on God’s path. Ask God for a pliable, teachable heart that is willing to follow him and his ways.

Father, thank you for loving us enough that you want us to live lives of faithfulness and obedience. Give us your grace to be teachable and keenly aware when we have strayed so that we can confess that sin and get back on your path for us. Help us also to become progressively more like Jesus and love your Word as he does.

Following Jesus with you,

One of the most amazing chapters in all of the Bible is Ps. 119. It is a masterpiece in its description of the value of God’s Word. Because of the Word’s great value, the psalmist says the following in verses 13-15,

“With my lips I declare
all the rules of your mouth.
In the way of your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.”

Three statements stand out to me in these verses. The Psalmist is actively responding to the truths of God’s Word. His first response is that he says that he will “declare” the Word. This means he wants to make the surprising truths contained in it known to others. He is so excited about the Word that he talks about it to others. How am I doing is declaring the value of God’s Word to others because they mean so much to me and have such value?

The second response to God’s truth is the writer says he will “delight” in it. This means that he will take great pleasure and find mental satisfaction in it. The more he thinks about it, the more he relishes the Word in his mind. His mind is thoroughly satisfied with the reality of God’s promises. I am so thankful that we have a Faith that can satisfy our minds and intellects. How am I doing in “delighting” in God’s Word?

The third response in these verses is that the Psalmist says he will “meditate” on the truths of God’s Word. The word for “meditate” means “to ponder…converse (with oneself)” (Strong’s Dictionary). The writer contemplates the great truths of the Word and has a conversation with himself about them! He thinks deeply about them and how they apply to his life. How am I doing in “pondering” God’s Word?

It takes discipline to respond to the Word as described here. I must tell others about it; I must satisfy my mind with it and I must ponder it deeply and discern how it applies to my life so that I can be careful to live it out.

Father, thank you for the surpasses greatness and value of your Word. May you help me to think deeply about it so that I can live it and tell others about it.

Following Jesus with you,