Sunday, November 26, 2017

GOD KNOWS

God Knows
Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.—Matthew 6:4
When Denise met a hurting young woman in her church, her heart went out to her and she decided to see if she could help. Every week she spent time counseling her and praying with her. Denise became her mentor. However, some church leaders didn’t notice Denise’s efforts and decided to assign a church staff member to mentor the woman. No one, they commented, seemed to be taking care of her.
While she was not expecting any credit, Denise couldn’t help but feel a little discouraged. “It’s as if I wasn’t doing anything at all,” she told me.
One day, however, the young woman told Denise how grateful she was for her comfort. Denise felt encouraged. It was as if God was telling her, “I know you’re there for her.” Denise still meets with the woman regularly.
Sometimes, we feel unappreciated when our efforts don’t get recognized. Scripture, however, reminds us that God knows what we’re doing. He sees what others don’t. And it pleases Him when we serve for His sake—not for man’s praise.
Perhaps that’s why Jesus gave us an example by telling us to do our giving “in secret,” so that “your Father, who sees what is done . . . will reward you” (Matt. 6:4). We need not look to others for recognition and praise; we can take heart that God knows when we’re faithful in serving Him and others. —Leslie Koh
Lord, forgive me for the times when I crave others’ recognition and praise. Help me to serve for Your glory alone.

God sees everything we do for Him.

INSIGHT: In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6-7), after Jesus’s strong caution against hypocrisy He gives us the proper motivation for our service to Him. Our reason to share with open hands and to raise our hands in prayer is out of love for the Father, who is the source of all that is good. The approval of the Father is better than any praise we may receive from others. It is the reward from Him that we should desire and pursue.
Because God sees everything we do and knows the motives of our heart, how might we seek to please Him this week in our service?  J.R. Hudberg


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BEING HUMAN BEINGS

Being Human Beings
All of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.—1 Peter 3:8
When asked to define his role in a community that was sometimes uncooperative with law enforcement, a sheriff didn’t flash his badge or respond with the rank of his office. Rather he offered, “We are human beings who work with human beings in crisis.”
His humility—his stated equality with his fellow human beings—reminds me of Peter’s words when writing to first-century Christians suffering under Roman persecution. Peter directs: “All of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble” (1 Peter 3:8). Perhaps Peter was saying that the best response to humans in crisis is to be human, to be aware that we are all the same. After all, isn’t that what God Himself did when He sent His Son—became human in order to help us? (Phil. 2:7).
Gazing only at the core of our fallen hearts, it’s tempting to disdain our human status. But what if we consider our humanness to be part of our offering in our world? Jesus teaches us how to live fully human, as servants recognizing we are all the same. “Human” is how God made us, created in His image and redeemed by His unconditional love.
Today we’re sure to encounter folks in various struggles. Imagine the difference we might make when we respond humbly—as fellow humans who work together with other humans in crisis. —Elisa Morgan
Father, help us to be humble as we respond to one another, human being to human being.

Humility is the result of knowing God and knowing yourself.

INSIGHT: Have you noticed that when people receive a great honor for their accomplishments they often acknowledge their humble roots? Even legendary athletes admit that they were just an everyday kid from somewhere—just like us.
Peter sees how important it is for those who know they are God’s representatives to remember who they were. In recognizing their high honor (1 Peter 2:9), Peter urges followers of Christ to remember that once they had no sense of belonging to God; once they had not received mercy (2:10). Later in the same letter he reminds those who are leaders among the Lord’s people to recognize their own accountability to God and not to lord it over those entrusted to their care (5:3).
At best we are all common folks from somewhere who have been called to love others as God has loved us.
For further study see the Discovery Series booklet The Mind of Christ at discoveryseries.org/q0209. Mart DeHaan

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APOLOGETICS IN A POSTMODERN AGE

APOLOGETICS
IN A POSTMODERN AGE

For more great blogs as this one go to Daniel’s blog site at:  www.Mannsword.blogspot.com

pastedGraphic.pngWhile theology attempts to answer the question, “What to believe,” apologetics attempts to answer, “Why believe.” Admittedly, doing apologetics in the postmodern West has not been very fruitful. This has led many Christians to claim that the old methods no longer work. They say that we need to find new methods, namely, those that bypass rational proofs, since postmodernists are not amenable to what they call “modernistic reasoning.”

While I have nothing against finding new methods, as long as they are biblically supportable, I don’t think we should discard the old. In fact, a rationalistic defense of the faith is part of the entirety of Scripture.

Apologetics is not just a matter of a few isolated verses like Jude 3, 1 Peter 3:15, and 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. All of Scripture rests squarely on a foundation of reasons for believing. Luke prefaces his Gospel with several of these reasons. He claims that he has thoroughly investigated what various eyewitnesses have reported and has drawn up an orderly account:

       Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:3-4, emphasis added)

Clearly, Luke had no hesitations about the use of “modernistic reasoning.”

The Apostle John, as an eyewitness to the events, assured the readers of his Gospel of his apologetic intent in a similar way:

       Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31, emphasis added).

John’s ultimate goal was for his readers to believe and to “have life in his name.” But the process wasn’t entirely magical. John understood that his readers needed food for their minds, reasons to believe. Therefore, John provided evidence—apologetics—including the miracles of Jesus.

Far from supposedly outgrowing our need for evidence, we still need the testimony of John and Luke to provide us with a rational basis for our faith. Therefore, while it is important to explore new ways to reach our generation, we must not forget the old, which continue to sustain us.

Peter also insisted on the importance of evidence—reasons to believe. He wanted his readers to remember certain truths. Therefore, not being content to merely state the truth, Peter offered reasons for why the disciples should believe what he was saying:

       For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when
we were with him on the sacred mountain. We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable. (2 Peter 1:16-19, emphasis added)

Peter cited the fact that they, the Apostles, were eyewitnesses to the things they were claiming, but that wasn’t all. He also cited the evidence of the “prophetic message”—Scripture.

Furthermore, it is clear that none of the Apostles ever asked believers to take a blind leap of faith. As they understood it, faith had a powerful and necessary evidential basis.

v v v

Classical apologetics is even part of the fabric of the Bible. In fact, we find apologetics in all of the evangelistic sermons of the Book of Acts, starting with Pentecost!

The crowds had heard the Apostles speaking with the supernatural gift of tongues. Some of the crowd concluded that they must be drunk. However, Peter portrayed this divine outpouring as a proof for the faith, a fulfillment of prophecy:
“Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.’” (Acts 2:14-20)

Peter understood that this fulfillment of the prophecy of the Prophet Joel was evidence for the new Christian faith. However, Peter was on an apologetic role. He also centered his proof of the faith on the resurrection:
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’” (Acts 2:22-28)

First, Peter mentioned the miracles. They all knew about these, but didn’t the crucifixion put to death this Messianic hope? No! By quoting Psalm 16, Peter tried to prove that the resurrection had been prophesied. Peter then explained the meaning of the Psalm and how it pointed to the resurrection:
“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. (Acts 2:29-31)

Peter then offered testimonial evidence of the resurrection that anyone could ascertain by speaking to the many witnesses. Then, he cited Psalm 110, also regarded as Messianic by the Israelites:

This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:32-36)

According to Peter, the evidence was enough to produce certainty.” What was the result of such apologetic preaching?

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:41)

Admittedly, argumentation alone does not save anyone, but neither does any salvation message. Both must be accompanied by the Spirit who changes hearts.

During Paul’s first recorded evangelistic message in Antioch in Pisidia, Paul also brought forward evidence to establish the Person of Jesus:
Of this man’s [King David’s] offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.  And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’ Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. (Acts 13:23-31)

First, Paul identified Jesus as David’s promised offspring, in accordance with prophecy. Then he cited John the Baptist’s testimony, followed by allusions to prophecies of the death of the Messiah. This, of course, was followed by the evidence of the resurrection – eyewitness testimony of those who are still alive. He was now ready to provide the Scriptural evidence for the resurrection:
And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’ And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ Therefore he says also in another psalm [16], ‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. (Acts 13:32-38)

Again, both of the quoted Psalms were regarded as Messianic. This would avoid any controversy as to whether or not prophecy was fulfilled by a Messiah. Meanwhile, God too had been providing His own evidence:
So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. (Acts 14:3)

If God provides reasons-to-believe, we should not be hesitant to also provide reasons.

In Athens, Paul reasoned with them as Gentiles. He appealed to argumentation and reasons that might make a difference to them. Therefore, it does not seem that he cited Scripture. Instead, he appealed to what they already knew and valued–-their own thinkers:

Yet he [God] is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. (Acts 17:27-29)

Paul reasoned from what they knew to what they didn’t know – that the Athenians should not worship idols, their own creations. Even their own poets had asserted that “we are indeed His offspring.” If this is so, then God cannot be “an image formed by the art and imagination of man.” Instead, He (the Cause) must be greater than we, the results of His work.

Apologetics, the “why” of belief, is woven into the very fabric of Scripture. It had also been integral to the Hebrew Scriptures and the experience of Israel, as Moses had reasoned 40 years after the Exodus:
“For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever heard of. Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live?  Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him. (Deuteronomy 4:32-35)

God purposely performed miracles throughout Israel’s history so that all would know that He is God. Consequently, Israel had no reason for their unbelief and rebellion. They knew better. Even the Canaanites knew better (Joshua 2:10; 9:3).

Jesus was also cognizant of our need for evidence and even evidential reassurances. After John the Baptist had been arrested, he underwent a crisis in faith. He had declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God:

John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.” (John 1:15-16)

However, John, now in prison, instructed his disciples to find out if Jesus is truly the One. When they found Him, Jesus could simply have told them, “Tell John to just believe.” However, He provided them with evidence to reassure John:
And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. (Matthew 11:4-5)

We need food for both our hearts and our minds. Consequently, Jesus never instructed His followers to turn off their minds but instead to love Him with all their hearts, souls, and minds (Matthew 22:37). He also counseled His followers to not believe Him without evidential support (John 10:37-38; 5:31-38).

By insisting in evidence, Jesus was merely following the Biblical requirement that everything had to be established by at least two witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15). Consequently, we too must be evidentially minded.

While there are good reasons to think of new ways to communicate the Gospel to our postmodern generation, we cannot abandon the old. To do so is also to abandon Scripture.



New York School of the Bible: http://www.nysb.nyc/


THE HEART'S TRUE HOME

The Heart’s True Home
[God] has . . . set eternity in the human heart.—Ecclesiastes 3:11
We had a West Highland Terrier for a number of years. “Westies” are tough little dogs, bred to tunnel into badger holes and engage the “enemy” in its lair. Our Westie was many generations removed from her origins, but she still retained that instinct, put into her through years of breeding. On one occasion she became obsessed by some “critter” under a rock in our backyard. Nothing could dissuade her. She dug and dug until she tunneled several feet under the rock.
Now consider this question: Why do we as humans pursue, pursue, pursue? Why must we climb unclimbed mountains, ski near-vertical slopes? Run the most difficult and dangerous rapids, challenge the forces of nature? Part of it is a desire for adventure and enjoyment, but it’s much more. It’s an instinct for God that has been implanted in us. We cannot not want to find God.
We don’t know that, of course. We only know that we long for something. “You don’t know what it is you want,” Mark Twain said, “but you want it so much you could almost die.”
God is our heart’s true home. As church father Augustine said in that most famous quotation: “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
And what is the heart? A deep void within us that only God can fill. —David H. Roper
Help me, Lord, to recognize my deep longing for You. Then fill me with the knowledge of You. Draw me near.

Beneath all our longings is a deep desire for God. 

INSIGHT: Ecclesiastes was written by one who calls himself “the Teacher” and identifies himself as the “son of David, king in Jerusalem” (1:1). In this book, Solomon shows that a life not centered on God is without meaning and purpose (1:14; 2:11). He also shows how and why God must be a part of our lives. In chapter 3, he paints a picture of a life trapped between birth and death, experiencing the mundane repetition of life’s recurring seasons and cyclical activities (vv. 1-8). Such a life is both frustrating and burdensome (v. 10). But Solomon hints that life is not supposed to be like this. We were made for far grander things—God created us for Himself “in his own image” (Gen. 1:27). And God has “set eternity in the human heart” (Eccl. 3:11). We were created for fellowship with the eternal God. C. S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, put it this way: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” Without God, life will be purposeless and meaningless.
What are some ways that our culture offers false fulfillment? Sim Kay Tee


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HARVEST AND THANKSGIVING

Harvest and Thanksgiving
Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field.—Exodus 23:16
Several thousand years ago, God spoke directly to Moses and instituted a new festival for His people. In Exodus 23:16, according to Moses’s record, God said, “Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field.”
Today countries around the world do something similar by celebrating the land’s bounty. In Ghana, the people celebrate the Yam Festival as a harvest event. In Brazil, Dia de Acao de Gracas is a time to be grateful for the crops that yielded their food. In China, there is the Mid-Autumn (Moon) Festival. In the United States and Canada: Thanksgiving.
To understand the fitting goal of a harvest celebration, we visit Noah right after the flood. God reminded Noah and his family—and us—of His provision for our flourishing existence on the earth. Earth would have seasons, daylight and darkness and “seedtime and harvest” (Gen. 8:22). Our gratitude for the harvest, which sustains us, goes to God alone.
No matter where you live or how you celebrate your land’s bounty, take time today to express gratitude to God—for we would have no harvest to celebrate without His grand creative design. —Dave Branon
Dear Creator God, thank You so much for the wondrous way You fashioned this world—with seasons, with harvest-time, with everything we need to exist. Please accept our gratitude.

What are you thankful for? Share at Facebook.com/ourdailybread.

Gratitude is the memory of a glad heart.

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Wednesday, November 22, 2017

MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE

Make a Joyful Noise
Read: Psalm 98
Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 18–19; James 4
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music.—Psalm 98:4
Back when I was searching for a church to attend regularly, a friend invited me to a service at her church. The worship leaders led the congregation in a song I particularly loved. So I sang with gusto, remembering my college choir director’s advice to “Project!”
After the song, my friend’s husband turned to me and said, “You really sang loud.” This remark was not intended as a compliment! After that, I self-consciously monitored my singing, making sure I sang softer than those around me and always wondering if the people around me judged my singing.
But one Sunday, I noticed the singing of a woman in the pew beside me. She seemed to sing with adoration, without a trace of self-consciousness. Her worship reminded me of the enthusiastic, spontaneous worship that David demonstrated in his life. In Psalm 98, in fact, David suggests that “all the earth” should “burst into jubilant song” in worship (v. 4).
Verse one of Psalm 98 tells us why we should worship joyfully, reminding us that “[God] has done marvelous things.” Throughout the psalm, David recounts these marvelous things: God’s faithfulness and justice to all nations, His mercy, and salvation. Dwelling on who God is and what He’s done can fill our hearts with praise.
What “marvelous things” has God done in your life? Thanksgiving is the perfect time to recall His wondrous works and give God thanks. Lift your voice and sing! —Linda Washington
Lord, thank You for who You are and for what You’ve done.

Worship takes the focus off us and places it where it belongs—on God.

INSIGHT: Psalm 98 is jubilant in its invitation to praise God. In verses 4-6, the psalmist exalts God as King. He enlists the harp, trumpets, and horn to accompany the human voices lifted in praise and adoration of the sovereign King. In verses 7-9, God is praised for being the righteous Judge. Marvelous word pictures are used to magnify His justice. The fullness of the sea is to roar, the rivers are to clap their hands, and the mountains are to be joyful together. Voice, instruments, and nature join in to praise God. We too can enter into this same spirit by joyfully worshiping the Lord for His mighty power and holy character.
Today ponder how you can worship God who is both our Creator and righteous Judge. Dennis Fisher


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HELICOPTER SEEDS

Helicopter Seeds
Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.—John 12:24 
When our children were young, they loved trying to catch the “helicopter seeds” that fell from our neighbor’s silver maple trees. Each seed resembles a wing. In late spring they twirl to the ground like a helicopter’s rotor blades. The seeds’ purpose is not to fly, but to fall to earth and grow into trees.
Before Jesus was crucified, He told His followers, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. . . . [U]nless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John 12:23–24).
While Jesus’s disciples wanted Him to be honored as the Messiah, He came to give His life so we could be forgiven and transformed through faith in Him.  As Jesus’s followers, we hear His words, “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me” (vv. 25–26).
Helicopter seeds can point us to the miracle of Jesus, the Savior, who died that we might live for Him. —David C. McCasland
Lord Jesus, we are amazed by Your love. Give us grace to serve You today as we long to do.

Jesus calls us to give our lives in serving Him.

INSIGHT: Our passage today occurs shortly after Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. On that day Jesus rode into town on a donkey’s colt as a large crowd, who had traveled to the city to celebrate the Passover, threw palm branches on the road before Him shouting, “ ‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ” (John 12:12-15). Though Jesus came as a king, He knew that the people cheering Him on were expecting a savior to free them from Rome, not a savior who would suffer for their sins. He was the kernel of wheat who must die so His kingdom could grow (v. 24). Alyson Kieda


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TAKE A NUMBER

Take a Number
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.—John 14:27
We have an ancient cherry tree in our backyard that had seen better days and looked like it was dying, so I called in an arborist. He checked it out and declared that it was “unduly stressed” and needed immediate attention. “Take a number,” my wife, Carolyn, muttered to the tree as she walked away. It had been one of those weeks.
Indeed, we all have anxious weeks—filled with worries over the direction our culture is drifting or concerns for our children, our marriages, our businesses, our finances, our personal health and well-being. Nevertheless, Jesus has assured us that despite disturbing circumstances we can be at peace. He said, “My peace I give to you” (John 14:27).
Jesus’s days were filled with distress and disorder: He was beleaguered by His enemies and misunderstood by His family and friends. He often had no place to lay His head. Yet there was no trace of anxiety or fretfulness in His manner. He possessed an inner calm, a quiet tranquility. This is the peace He has given us—freedom from anxiety concerning the past, present, and future. The peace He exhibited; His peace.
In any circumstances, no matter how dire or trivial, we can turn to Jesus in prayer. There in His presence we can make our worries and fears known to Him. Then, Paul assures us, the peace of God will come to “guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). Even if we’ve had “one of those weeks,” we can have His peace. —David H. Roper
Dear Lord, thank You that I can come to You with every care and Your peace will guard my mind.

In the midst of troubles, peace can be found in Jesus.

INSIGHT: Are you struggling today? Thank God that you can take your cares to Him in prayer and ask Him to help you commit your situation to His care.


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SEEING MASTERPIECES

Seeing Masterpieces
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.—Psalm 139:13
My father creates custom quivers designed for archers to carry their arrows. He carves elaborate wildlife pictures into pieces of genuine leather, before stitching the material together.
During a visit, I watched him construct one of his works of art. His careful hands applied just the right pressure as he pressed a sharp blade into the supple leather, creating various textures. Then he dipped a rag into crimson dye and covered the leather with even strokes, magnifying the beauty of his creation.
As I admired my dad’s confident craftsmanship, I realized how often I fail to acknowledge and appreciate my heavenly Father’s creativity manifested in others and even in myself. Reflecting on the Lord’s magnificent workmanship, I recalled King David’s affirmation that God creates our “inmost being” and that we’re “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:13–14).
We can praise our Creator in confidence because we know His “works are wonderful” (v. 14). And we can be encouraged to respect ourselves and others more, especially when we remember that the Maker of the Universe knew us inside and out and planned our days “before one of them came to be” (vv. 15–16).
Like the pliable leather carved by my father’s skilled hands, we are each beautiful and valuable simply because we are God’s one-of-a-kind creations. Each one of us, intentionally designed to be unique and purposed as God’s beloved masterpieces, contributes to reflect God’s magnificence. —Xochitl Dixon
Lord, thank You for creating us in Your perfect love. Please help us to see ourselves, and others, as Your unique masterpieces.

God masterfully creates each person with uniqueness and purpose.

INSIGHT: Like a potter, God shaped man from clay (Isa. 64:8) and breathed into him the breath of life (Gen. 2:7; Job 33:4). Humans are the only creatures privileged to have the breath of God, setting us apart from other creatures, for only humans are created “in the image of God” (Gen. 1:27). Each person is a unique individual, possessing the mental, emotional, and spiritual consciousness of our Creator and the capacity to have a personal relationship with Him. The Old Testament patriarch Job may be the first person to acknowledge that “[God’s] hands shaped me and made me. . . . [You clothed] me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews” (Job 10:8, 11-12). The prophet Jeremiah proclaimed that God had preordained his destiny and life even before he was formed in his mother’s womb! (Jer. 1:5). David, celebrating himself as one of God’s masterpieces, says that he has been “fearfully and wonderfully made” by God (Ps. 139:13-16).
Do you see yourself as God’s masterpiece? Reflect on how God has uniquely created you. Sim Kay Tee

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HIDE AND SEEK

Hide and Seek
Read: Ezekiel 8
Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 8–10; Hebrews 13
In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.—1 Peter 1:3
“You can’t see me!”
When small children play “hide and seek,” they sometimes believe they’re hiding just by covering their eyes. If they can’t see you, they assume you can’t see them.
Naïve as that may seem to adults, we sometimes do something similar with God. When we find ourselves desiring to do something we know is wrong, our tendency may be to shut God out as we willfully go our own way.
The prophet Ezekiel discovered this truth in the vision God gave him for his people, exiled in Babylon. The Lord told him, “Have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The Lord does not see us’” (Ezek. 8:12).
But God misses nothing, and Ezekiel’s vision was proof of it. Yet even though they had sinned, God offered His repentant people hope through a new promise: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you” (36:26).
For us, God met the brokenness and rebellion of sin with His tender mercy at the cross, paying the ultimate penalty for it. Through Jesus Christ, God not only offers us a new beginning, but He also works within us to change our hearts as we follow Him. How good is God! When we were lost and hiding in our sinfulness, God drew near through Jesus, who “came to seek and to save” us (Luke 19:10; Rom. 5:8). —James Banks
Thank You for Your kindness to me, Lord. Help me to seek You and follow You faithfully today.

God knows us completely . . . and loves us just as much.

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Friday, November 17, 2017

SERVE AND BE SERVED

Serve and Be Served
You were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. —Philippians 4:10
Marilyn had been ill for many weeks, and many people had encouraged her through this difficult time. How will I ever repay all their kindnesses? she worried. Then one day she read the words of a written prayer: “Pray that [others] will develop humility, allowing them not only to serve, but also to be served.” Marilyn suddenly realized there was no need to balance any scale, but just to be thankful and allow others to experience the joy of serving.
In Philippians 4, the apostle Paul expressed his gratitude for all those who shared “in [his] troubles” (v. 14). He depended on people to support him as he preached and taught the gospel. He understood that the gifts provided for him when he was in need were simply an extension of people’s love for God: “[Your gifts] are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God” (v. 18).
It may not be easy to be the one on the receiving end—especially if you’ve usually been the first one to help other people. But with humility, we can allow God to gently care for us by a variety of means when we need help.
Paul wrote, “My God will meet all your needs” (v. 19). It was something he had learned during a life of trials. God is faithful and His provision for us has no limits. —Cindy Hess Kasper
Dear Lord, thank You for caring for us through Your people. May we graciously give and receive help.

Receive love. Give love. Repeat.

INSIGHT: Paul was a tentmaker by trade and often worked to support himself while he ministered to people in various cities (see Acts 18:3). However, at times Paul relied on the giving and generosity of others (see Phil 4:14-16). He also encouraged generosity among the churches, calling on members of the global body of Christ to meet each other’s needs (see 1 Cor. 16:1-4).
Many times God provides for us through the giving of others. Reflect on how God has provided for you or used you to meet the needs of others. J.R. Hudberg



A GOD OF LOVE OR JUDGMENT: A PLEA TO MY MILLENNIAL BRETHREN

A GOD OF LOVE OR JUDGMENT: A PLEA TO MY MILLENNIAL BRETHREN

For more great blogs as this one go to Daniel’s blog site at:  www.Mannsword.blogspot.com

God is both love and righteousness. He is merciful but also judgmental. For now, at least, the two must go together until the time comes when there will no longer be sin in God’s world. Interestingly, the center point of all history, the ultimate display of God’s glory (John 12:23-28), the Cross, was characterized by both grace and judgment.

Nevertheless, we are warned that we have to lead with mercy as does our Lord:
       If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well….So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:8, 12-13; ESV)

It was the mercy of God at the Cross that overcame judgment for us. We had deserved death, but through the judgment of Christ on the Cross, we received the free gift of life (Romans 6:23).

Despite this close and even inseparable relationship between righteousness (judgment) and mercy, many want to separate the two. I have heard a number of millennials say:
       I cannot accept this Old Testament God of wrath and judgment who had ordered the extermination of the Canaanite people. However, through Jesus, I was able to see a different God and to accept the Gospel.

Admittedly, God ordering the destruction of the Canaanites is troubling. However, there are many other things we might find troubling about the God of the Bible. He had condemned His entire creation to death and decay, He destroyed all His creation during Noah’s flood (except for those on the Ark), and He had destroyed Sodom and all of the surrounding towns with fire and brimstone. Perhaps, even worse, He also promises the eternal destruction of the wicked. And we find this promise even in the New Testament.

Peter argued that we shouldn’t consider this promise a bluff or a parable. If God had judged the angels, now demons, flooded the earth, and destroyed Sodom, we cannot dismiss the future promised judgment of God (2 Peter 2:4-9). He is righteous, and we deserve to be treated accordingly.

Jesus was no less severe. He taught about the final judgment (hell) more than anyone else. Here is just one example:

       “And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left…And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:30-33, 46; John 5:22-27)

There is no way around this teaching. Our God is righteous, and He judges sin. When we reject the God of the OT, we also reject the God of the NT (Jesus). We cannot accept the God of love while we reject the God of judgment. When we marry, we accept our mate in their totality. Nor can we just choose the verses we like and reject those that we don’t. When we do this, we stand above Scripture to judge it and refuse to allow Scripture to judge us. Besides, this is not a religion that the Spirit will validate within us. Just look at the liberal churches who endorse a God of love but not of judgment!

How then can we make peace with the wrath of God and other His other characteristics that do not please us? We need to humble ourselves to realize that there is much we do not understand. This had been Job’s problem, even though he was the most righteous man in all the earth. He too was confident that he understood far more than he did. Consequently, he indicted God because of his suffering, accusing Him of injustice. However, God showed Job how little he really understood. He asked Job a series of questions to get across His point. Job was unable to answer one, and so he repented of his arrogance in dust and ashes (Job 40, 42).

We have a higher estimation of our judgments about God than we ought to have. The Prophet Jeremiah was like us. He too thought that God was too judgmental and had a lower estimation of the Israelites than was warranted, at least, too low of an estimation of the ruling elite. God had challenged Jeremiah in this regard:
       "Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city” (Jeremiah 5:1-2).

Jeremiah was convinced that God’s assessment of Israel was way off:

       I thought, "These are only the poor; they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the LORD, the requirements of their God. So I will go to the leaders and speak to them; surely they know the way of the LORD, the requirements of their God." (Jeremiah 5:4-5)

However, Jeremiah found that he had been woefully mistaken. Even his own family wanted to kill him. Consequently, he began to understand humanity in a very different light and pleaded for God to judge Jerusalem:
       LORD, you know all about their murderous plots against me. Don't forgive their crimes and blot out their sins. Let them die before you. Deal with them in your anger. (Jeremiah 18:23)

We only see the outer man until we become victimized. We are fooled by appearances. I don’t think that we have any idea of the depths of human rebellion and their contempt for their Maker. I couldn’t believe the Genesis 19 account of Sodom. I couldn’t believe that evil had become so deeply entrenched. I couldn’t believe what God had stated about humanity prior to the flood:
       The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)

How could it be that “every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually?” It was too much for me to believe. It seemed like something out of a comic book.

In contrast, this generation tends to believe “love will conquer all.” However, as I have walked with the Lord, my estimation of His judgments has changed. This doesn’t mean that I feel comfortable with every aspect of God’s righteous judgments. Abraham certainly didn’t when God asked him to sacrifice his long-awaited, promised child, Isaac. However, after walking with God for many decades, he had learned to trust Him even when he didn’t understand Him, confident that God would salvage what seemed to be a hopeless situation.

I too struggle for understanding, and sometimes it seems that I am grasping at the wind. However, I have learned to not trust in my own understanding but in Him (Proverbs 3:5-6). I thank Him for humbling me, but I do not abandon understanding. However, I have come to see, as had Job and Jeremiah, that it can fail me.


New York School of the Bible: http://www.nysb.nyc/