Year: 2018

Blessed Anniversary

Sept 8th is our anniversary, and in years past, we would have spent it at an expensive restaurant for an hour or so and then went back to life as usual. But this year, we spent it together making and serving free icees at a downtown festival where our church provides free food, rides, etc for the community. And Mandee, Mia, and I worked hard, side by side for 4 hours, serving, loving, and encouraging friends, neighbors, and strangers. And when people asked “How much?” I got to tell them that “”Jesus paid it all, have as much as you like for free!” And Mandee and I realized this was the longest we had been together, side by side, in a while. It was a blessing much more than “free stuff” — its the blessing of seeing the Lord more active and visible and effective in our lives. We are learning more and more that the Lord truly is so, so good.

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
Psalms 34:8 NLT

I’m realizing the is a big difference between “taste and see that the Lord is good” and “taste and see that the world is good”. I hear many times people wanting the Lord to give them more of the world. I see people who want to use religion for personal gain, those who want God to be their personal genie that answers whatever they ask for, people whose concept of “blessings” stops at health, wealth, and prosperity.

Even though the Lord might get our attention with the “free blessings” of things, they are meant to reveal to us something so much greater than just health, wealth and prosperity in this life.

A related article you may want to read: https://medium.com/@anthonymays/what-the-gospel-really-says-about-prosperity-5ca084410779

Lord, help us to rely on your grace, and to seek to know you personally and intimately, and to do you will, and to serve and love together in unity, and to understand that these are the greatest blessings. Amen.

This is the Time

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT

Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.
Esther 4:13‭-‬17 NLT

Sometimes we forget the importance of the day, the divine providence that has brought us today — how many events in the length of history all led up to the moment, place, time, and circumstances we face RIGHT NOW. And sometimes we forget that we are not promised tomorrow, that any breath could be our last, that our time is so, so short here in comparison to all of history and all of eternity.

But today, I pray the Lord will remind us that He has made us for such a day as this. I pray that we won’t squander the opportunities to love, to serve, to repent, to obey, to resist evil, and to embrace God’s will and experience His presence. Help us, Lord, you are our strength. Amen.

What Matters?

So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT

Yesterday, I got to talk to our new owner and CEO, Frank Mobley, in the break room for the first time casually — and I also got to speak with several leaders, Josiah Magnuson, Jamie Jordan, Rob Nelson, William Renfro, and several others, at the South Carolina Christian Chamber of Commerce meeting during lunch on the topic of “transformational leadership”.

And while there could have been conversations had with them about business strategies, etc. — I found myself having much more personal conversations with them instead of “hustling” to “make connections”, or “gain favor”, or “sell them on my ideas”. But I realize that there was another time when everything I said and did “had an angle” and was carefully constructed in my mind to get me to the next place that I wanted to be. My “old way” was to use people like what the CIA would call “assets”, and to develop them by building trust so that you can manipulate them, extract valuable information from them, and use them for accomplishing your own goals.

Some people can “hustle” and it is clear and evident to everyone around them exactly what they are up to — and that’s why I used to hate business gatherings for “networking” because it was so fake and superficial and self serving — and for the same reasons, I hated visiting churches, because it seemed they either didn’t care about me at all, or they wanted to “be the one that saved me” to get some kind of credit with God for proselytizing yet another religious convert. Now I know this unseen “stench” that we can seem to spiritually smell in those situations is the smell of lovelessness, and we can hear Paul speak of this lack of love in 1 Corinthians 13.

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:1‭-‬3 NLT

I found myself speaking with these leaders, and listening more intently to what they had going on personally than what success they might want to share about their professioal lives because it isn’t what is “seen” that matters most. And it wasn’t something that I made a conscious effort to do so that I could gain trust to then leverage at a later date — I actually wanted to get to know them and encourage them and be a friend and a helper.

And this seems so different to me than how things used to be, so I have to accept and believe that God is truly at work, changing my desires and my ways to be more like Him, in a way that isn’t burdensome and isn’t me just trying to live up to some list of guidelines and rules to be followed. There is something going on underneath, below the surface, that isn’t just superficial and temporary.

It’s a “transformation”!

Our family devotional this morning was on “The Poor Rich Man”:

And I can remember times in my life where I ws decided and isolated and so self centered that I didn’t want to have anything but superficial attachments to anyone around me — one night stands, folks to party with, business connections to close deals with, etc. But I didn’t want to let anyone “in” — I wanted everything away a safe distance where the was no real relationship, no real friendship, no real “investment” of myself into yet another person who would just be the first to use me as their “asset”. It was a game of staying on top, being in control, limiting risk — and it was all a lie and was worthless and futile.

Now, I have to tell you that I’m not yet perfected in these areas, and that I am still tempted many times to retreat into my shell, but I have something stronger than my own insecurities to guide me. My strength comes from the Lord. And as prideful as it may sound for me to be sharing how I have seen the Lord demonstrating victory in this area of my life instead of speaking of how this message “revealed sin and convicted me to repent and confess” — sometimes we have to praise the Lord for the victory He has won and is revealing in our lives! And since these are the words He has for me today, Hallelujah, because I know that discipline comes when it is due as well.

So my question becomes, “What matters?” Moreso, “What truly matters in the scope of eternity?”

And, “Will my life reflect that today?”

Let’s not be so short sighted with our distractions, grumbling, lovelessness, unforgiveness, selfishness, and doubt that we miss out on what is truly valuable today!

Lord, open our eyes to see what is unseen, those things that are our purpose and calling in this short journey , those kingdom riches greater than rewards of gold and diamonds, the richness of your very presence leading us, changing us, molding us, sanctifying us to believe who you say we are in Christ so that we can live lives that are not stumbling others, but that we might be able to say, “Come, walk with me, and you will see God at work!” And that we would say it and mean it in a humbled, awe stricken manner that makes it clear that we do not think so very much of ourselves, but that we trust in you, oh Lord, so greatly. Because you have won the victory, and you are great and worthy to be praised — and you use even people such as us to accomplish your will, on earth as it is in heaven. Hallelujah! Amen!

Work Hard

NOTE: It’s pretty cool to me that on this Labor Day weekend, I ended up on the subject of “Hard Work” in my studies, not by my own plan or design. And this lesson especially convicted me about at times I fall into grumbling about others in my workplace. I repent, Lord. Strengthen me to resist this temptation.

—-

And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” – Acts of the Apostles 20:35 NLT

Work hard.

Help those in need.

Give.

These are a burdensome calling for the proud and the selfish, right?

“Well, I’m not going to help X, because he doesn’t deserve it!”

Or…

“Well, I’m not going to help THEM. They are good for nothing.”

The Lord says that your best works are filthy rags in His eyes (Isaiah 64:6). He says that you are nothing outside of Christ (John 15:5,Psalm 16:2). He says that there is no good in you at all (Romans 7:18).

Do you believe what He says about YOU?

Man, it’s humbling to accept that I’m no more worthy than those people I grumbled about today to my friend or co-worker, right? Or maybe you’re better than me in that particular aspect but you fall short in another?

Father, forgive us. Show us the way. Give us the faith to follow you. Teach us to forgive, to be patient, to love as you love. Change our desires. Make us more like you. Convict our hearts and minds against sin, and deliver us from evil. You have all the power, all the glory, all the honor in the great work you will do in us and through us. Amen.

Labor Day

According to Wikipedia:

Labor Day in the United States of America is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the country. It is the Monday of the long weekend known as Labor Day Weekend. It is recognized as a federal holiday.

And today, we will be working on our basement and house to prepare it for the arrival of my grandparents who are moving in with us, and to prepare it for beginning to have small group Bible studies and fellowship here in our home again after a break for the summer.

Our morning devotion spoke of good works and how they cannot buy your way into heaven, because the requirement is faith, but that good works are the inevitable outcome of true, saving faith. So I thought it’s would be good to see what the Word of God says about Labor in particular.

Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
Proverbs 6:6‭-‬11 NLT

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.
Colossians 3:23‭-‬25 NLT

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free. Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.
Ephesians 6:5‭-‬9 NLT

“I have never coveted anyone’s silver or gold or fine clothes. You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me. And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
Acts of the Apostles 20:33‭-‬35 NLT

Hopeful Rejoicing

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
Romans 12:12 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.12.12.NLT

Our household has quickly, in the span of 3 months, grown from a population of 3 to become a population of 8 in the next few weeks. And in this same time frame, we’ve had so much change going on around us. It has been trouble, and at times it has tasted like we’ve been handed “a pile of $#!+”, but isn’t it amazing how the Lord uses just that type of thing as fertilizer?

Where does the grass grow greenest? In the stinkiest parts of the cow pasture, in the ground above our septic tanks. And all of creation testifies to how His ways are better than ours.

Our ideas of “order” and “beauty” have sharp, squared off 90 degree edges, have concrete and asphalt covering everything, and quickly grow drab and ugly over time. But while we can build something very quickly that is beautiful for a moment (while it is shiny and new) — His creation, and the winds and rains and rust and rot it brings to bear, will eventually claim that temporary beauty, and replace it with something a lot less “cookie cutter”, and a lot more beautiful.

So we can rejoice that He is doing the same type of work in us — tearing down and wearing down the polished, proud edges through trials and tribulations and opportunities for faith to be made manifest — to rise up yet another testimony, yet another praise that God is so good and that His ways are much higher and greater than any of our own plans or designs.

So even though it seems hard to be patient and to trust and to cling firmly to hope in times of real darkness, we can ask ourselves — do I really believe in things like Psalm 91 for these times of trouble?

Have you ever read about “the warrior’s psalm”? Do you believe that daily we are doing battle with unseen forces?

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord :

He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”
Psalms 91:1‭-‬16 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.91.1-16.NLT

What encouragement and what hope can be found in the Word of God!

So we can rejoice even in the midst of today’s challenge, our rejoicing doesn’t have to be contingent upon our current circumstances, because we know that even what was meant for evil, God will use for good.

I think of Joseph’s life, where he faced trial after trial due to the actions of people treating him wrongly and how the Lord used these injustices of the world as a great testimony of the difference in how Joseph treated others because he knew and trusted in the Lord:

After burying Jacob, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had accompanied him to his father’s burial. But now that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers became fearful. “Now Joseph will show his anger and pay us back for all the wrong we did to him,” they said. So they sent this message to Joseph: “Before your father died, he instructed us to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you—for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.” When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept. Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said. But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.
Genesis 50:14‭-‬21 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/gen.50.14-21.NLT

We think we have it bad when we face the consequences of our own bad decisions or lack of planning — but has your beloved family sought to murder you purely because the Lord has shown favor to you and not because you have wronged them, has your hard work, integrity and your refusing to give into temptation had you locked up and wrongly imprisoned? We can quickly make a mountain out of the mole hills and make ourselves out to be “suffering”, but have we truly lost everything like Job, still praised the Lord, and still received anguish and torment and ridicule from others around us? Or even moreso, have we lived a perfect and blameless life of living and serving others, only to be refused, tortured and displayed on a cross as if a criminal?

Almighty God has been so patient with us, so slow to answer, so quick to offer mercy, so we have every reason to trust Him in the storms — but when it seems like we’r don’t have the faith to do just that, maybe we should be like the father who knew his need, who heard Jesus’s words and who fell humble and contrite at His feet:

And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?” Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.” He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
Mark 9:14‭-‬29 NKJV

https://bible.com/bible/114/mrk.9.14-29.NKJV

So let’s rejoice!

Father God, you are so, so good to us. You have not given us what we truly deserve, but you have offered us forgiveness and mercy and salvation and rescue and deliverance. Even in the storm, you have a plan and a purpose. Heal our unbelief, give us the measure of faith to carry us through, you have gone before us and prepare the way, remind us that you will slay the giants, and you will cast the mountains into the sea. Glory be to God in the highest! Amen!

Family

I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.
1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1co.1.10.NLT

We had to talk last night with my grandparents about moving out of ther house they have lived in their whole lives and moving in with us. It was a hard discussion to have, and it could have gone much, much worse — if there was no unifying point of the Word of God for us all to reference and look to for guidance in this situation — if there was no still, quiet voice of the Holy Spirit guiding us and seeking to bring unity and not division.

It was me, my parents, and my grandparents, and the point that had to be made above everything is that we are one family, not three families — and that we need to be able to help each other, and love each other, and serve each other, and appreciate each other rather than being apart and divided.

It was a difficult talk, because change is hard for all of us to accept. I am going through change of employment as another company has bought out the division that I work for. And the unknown is usually something that naturally brings some level of anxiousness, apprehension, or fear. The fact that I had just recently experienced this myself, helped me greatly in relating to them and sharing that now that I’ve accepted it and have stopped fighting it, that I can now see the hope and new opportunities ahead of me.

I’m not going to lie, because a few times during the conversation it got a little heated, and a few times I had to speak some things honestly that probably stung a little bit, but all of it was spoken in love not in anger, and in the end we were all talking about wonderful things and even singing together.

And this wasn’t because we are somehow a really “good” family. No, we can be really awful to each other if we look back in our history of how we’ve treated each other from time to time. But we’r have been praying beforehand that God would go ahead of this talk and prepare both our hearts and theirs. And we prayed over our meal before heading over there that God would give us compassion, mercy, wisdom, and the right words to speak — and we prayed in the car on the way to their house — and we opened in prayer with them about unity and love and being there for each other — and we sang praise and prayed a prayer of thanks to God afterwards because God deserves all the glory for the god that will come from all of this.

https://app.soundstripe.com/songs/6259

I appeal to you, Heavely Father, I come to you boldly yet humbly by the authority given to us through our Lord Jesus Christ and by how the Word of God has taught us to pray to you, asking, seeking, even chasing your blessing that you would empower us by your Holy Spirit to live in harmony with each other. Lord, tear down divisions in the church, divisions in the body of believers. And even though you have come with a sword to set family member against each other in the flesh, let your love reign supreme and prove that Christ in us is greater than this flesh and the lies of the enemy. Help us to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. Amen.

?Good? Deeds

Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
James 2:18 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jas.2.18.NLT

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38‭-‬42 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/luk.10.38-42.NLT

One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
Luke 10:25‭-‬37 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/luk.10.25-37.NLT

“The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’ “Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your Father. And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either. “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are! “Blind guides! What sorrow awaits you! For you say that it means nothing to swear ‘by God’s Temple,’ but that it is binding to swear ‘by the gold in the Temple.’ Blind fools! Which is more important—the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred? And you say that to swear ‘by the altar’ is not binding, but to swear ‘by the gifts on the altar’ is binding. How blind! For which is more important—the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred? When you swear ‘by the altar,’ you are swearing by it and by everything on it. And when you swear ‘by the Temple,’ you are swearing by it and by God, who lives in it. And when you swear ‘by heaven,’ you are swearing by the throne of God and by God, who sits on the throne. “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel! “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too. “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness. “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed. Then you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets.’ “But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started. Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell? “Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city. As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time—from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar. I tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation.
Matthew 23:2‭-‬13‭, ‬15‭-‬36 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/mat.23.2-36.NLT

“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’ “All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ “But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’ “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’ “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.
Matthew 25:1‭-‬13 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/mat.25.1-13.NLT

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together! ’ “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Matthew 25:14‭-‬30 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/mat.25.14-30.NLT

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
Matthew 25:31‭-‬46 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/mat.25.31-46.NLT

Strip and Run

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
Hebrews 12:1 NLT

Just to give you some personal context —

Right now, we are in the midst of a lot of life change. We have a family working to get back on solid footing that joined us on the farm this summer, the teenage boy that moved in with us nearly lost his life in a freak go-cart accident shortly after joining us and is going through surgeries and rehab to regain full use of his arm and hand, my employer just got bought out by a competitor, and it looks like my grandparents are at a point in their lives that they need additional care, so they will be joining us on the farm soon as well. Our household went from a seemingly healthy, stable, quiet, boring population of 3, to what soon will probably be a population of 8 — with each of us having our own special challenges in this new arrangement.

And while the Lord is leading us through all of this crazy stuff and showing us such amazing things, not every step has been easy or comfortable — but He proves time after time that it is so good.

Even as I’ve had to give up some of Dave Ramsey’s advice and like a hypocrite after teaching his course to others, after having taught the dangers of credit cards, use them to finance what is food, shelter, and care for those at our doorstep in this time of need.

I’ve had to step away from engagements and responsibilities where I might be “up front” visibly leading evangelism/outreach programs and participating in scheduled church activities in order to meet the needs of my family and my household.

I’ve had to look at the faces and words of disappointment in church elders’ faces when I say that I can’t be at this or that function, or that I can’t run this or that program anymore because of my other responsibilities — and know that behind my back they judgementally talk about my absence as if I’m forsaking the Lord or have fallen into sin that is pulling me away from fellowship.

I’ve had to offer up resignations proactively for many posts that I love, knowing that the load that I have may not allow me to meet the expectations that were once on my shoulders to carry — and realize that some understand the weight and seek to help bear the burden — while others look at me as simply a pack mule for their own plans and purposes, as if I have wronged them in not being able to do the labor that they will not fulfill themselves.

And in all of this, I see how much I truly must trust in the Lord, and how much I truly must offer up mercy and prayer even for those who look down upon me as if I am not fit for their courts.

So in this time, where I feel Christ in me has put the true calling of Matthew 25’s sheep and goats ahead of the warnings of Matthew 23’s woe to the Pharisees — I am also seeking God even closer and more intimately and intentionally than even these storms and valleys have led me to “have to” trust in the Lord.

It’s no surprise that when the storm is seemingly about to overtake the boat that a man will seek out to summon the Lord awake with a question like, “Do you not care that we are about to die?” But after He has spoken, “Peace be still” will we sit at His feet in awe like Mary and like the Acts church, or will we just busy ourselves?

In this season, I am setting my focus on the Lord. I am not posting this so that you will think I am pious or holy or anything like that, because if I do this under my own strength and power alone, it is just religious filthy rags — in fact, I would be storing up wrath for myself.

But I am doing this because I want to draw close, even come up to Him from behind, to touch His garment, to pour my alabaster box out upon His head, to wash His feet with my tears and hair, and maybe He will turn to me and we will speak face to face like He did with Moses and so many others. And maybe if I fall down as if dead in His presence, He might touch me knowingly, lovingly, not in rebuke, but in kind recognition of that humble and contrite reaction to being in the presence of the Almighty, trusting in but not presuming upon His grace, and He might say, “Fear not, my good and faithful servant.” Oh what words to long to hear! Oh how amazing to know that He will make it so! Not because of who I am or what I’ve done, but because of who He is and what He has done!

So this season, knowing that even Jesus went into the wilderness, that even Jesus who said “these come out with prayer and fasting” did fast and pray and remove Himself from the noise and influence of the world, and He did deny His flesh even going so far as teaching us this key principal with tears of blood, “Not my will, but yours be done.”

Knowing these things, and feeling the draw, the desire, the need to “know Him closer and more personally” I want to set out on a 40 day time of fasting and prayer.

The reason I share this is that many people may think that such a thing is worthless, religious, or even impossible for them to set out on without failing — but I tell you that our strength comes from the Lord, not from ourselves in these things. And I have a schedule for a 40 day that has been helpful to me in past times to balance the physical and spiritual challenge with what my body can handle and still work a full time job, etc.

NOTE: I’m going to get a bit practical and pragmatic in my wording here, but hear me out to the end.

40 days is just 2 days shy of 6 weeks. So I divide it up into 6 weeks. Each week I plan to progressively drop something else off of my physical diet (starving the flesh), so it gets increasingly “restrictive or freeing” (depending on your perspective – I hope our is the latter, or will be by the end). And each week has a focus or a theme of something spiritual that I’m hoping to see watered and growing by the power of Christ in me.

And even though I plan these things at the week level, I do let the Holy Spirit make adjustments to “my plans” in the moment, so don’t take this and use it as a “religious system”. It is just a framework and starting place for a spiritual vacation with God, not rigid rules to be a burdensome trek in this world. The point is to draw closer to God and trust Him to strengthen and lead us, not to feel more pious or Holy because we are doing these things.

Week 1 –

REMOVE: Addictives (processed sugar, caffeine, tobacco, social media, hobbies/obsessions/idols)

ADD: Additional private/personal prayer and Bible study

Week 2 –

REMOVE: Meats

ADD: Intentional Prayer Walks, Intercessory prayer

Week 3 –

REMOVE: Carbs (breads, pastas, noodles)

ADD: Intense Bible study, both topical and verse by verse

Week 4 –

REMOVE: Fruits

ADD: Intense Praise and Worship

Week 5 –

REMOVE: All solid foods

ADD: Increased Fellowship with Believers and Preaching/Evangelizing

Week 6 –

REMOVE: Everything but water

ADD: Rest, Peace and Trust in the Lord

Now, if you see all of the above as burdensome, not as an opportunity to free yourself from the things of the world and the flesh, the above might just be a worthless religious exercise for you in this time and season — but if you believe that being freed from the desires of the flesh and influence of the world would be an amazing experience for the Lord to lead you through, then pray and ask the Lord to have the Holy Spirit lead you in the way that you should go.

I know that the experience when God calls you into it is an amazing time, but when we just try to do it on our own it can be miserable both physically and spiritually.

God bless you and lead you in all things!

And remember the fast that God desires:

“Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don’t be timid. Tell my people Israel of their sins! Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God.

They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me. ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’

“I will tell you why!” I respond. “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers. What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord ?

“No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

“Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors! Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes.

“Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord ’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly. Then the Lord will be your delight. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob. I, the Lord , have spoken!”
Isaiah 58:1‭-‬14 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.58.1-14.NLT

Rejected

We have been going through a lot this summer. And this week, a major change came about with my job when our division was announced as being sold. So this morning’s devotional was timely as I found myself being sold off to new owners, as Mia finds herself in a new school year facing the prospect of making new friends and facing new rejections, and as we have all recently realized how our not cleaning up after ourselves after Mandee works so hard to maintain our household doesn’t demonstrate to her how much we value and appreciate her. It is natural for us to want to be noticed, appreciated, valued, and wanted — and that natural tendency to rely on the people around us to fulfill those “wants” — it leaves us open to be hurt.

How quickly we can become hurt when we feel we have been rejected, overlooked, forgotten. As we have been encountering a lot of unexpected surprises this summer that all have felt like “losses” at the time, I have to admit that as each successive one came, my eagerness to suffer for the glory of God has waned and I have realized that even my strength to “Trust in God” is something I must rely on Him to provide. I’ve realized that there is no pride or honor in the moment when we are truly “suffering well” — that would be standing in our own strength — but there is brokenness and full surrender and a realization that we must rely on something greater than ourselves.

When we are overwhelmed by the many circumstances of this life, when the unknown looms ahead of us like a dark cloud, when the sufferings and trials prove to be real and not just “theoretical possibilities” — it is here that we find ourselves necessarily humbled and contrite before the Lord.

And we can see in scripture that Jesus faced rejection on such a grander scale than we will know personally:

When Jesus had finished telling these stories and illustrations, he left that part of the country. He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?” And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.
Matthew 13:53‭-‬58 NLT

Oh, Lord, teach us too truly give all of our worries and cares to you. We don’t even know how to do that right on our own. We find ourselves saying “I trust you” but find ourselves stressed, anxious, worrying, and seemingly powerless against the very things you have told us to hand over to you. Father, you know our weakness even better than the enemy who would try to exploit them for wickedness — but we ask you humbly,

Come rescue us from ourselves, from our pride and expectations — from thinking that we “deserve” from others or from you — from our self centered thinking and planning — from so many tricks, traps, and snares that we so easily fall into.

And help us to be aware of how we might have slighted, forgotten, overlooked, dismissed, or rejected others around us as well. Help to repair those relationships, to heal those wounds, and to reshape us in the ways that are best.

And help us to remember how many times we have forgotten and rejected you, oh God. Not just when we have chosen TV, sports, jobs, friends, etc over you — but when we’ve refused to fully surrender and trust in you. Lord, you are compassionate and slow to anger, and that is very good, because we can truly be foolish time and time again. Help us to turn from our ways and trust in you — truly trust in you no matter where you have to take us, no matter how fiery the furnace, no matter how great the need, no matter how broken any dreams and expectations of ours need to become in order that your best, your abundant life, your perfect will be the door that is opened to us and that we walk through confident in you alone.

Amen.

Some great additional study resources:

The Bait of Satan, 20th Anniversary Edition: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense https://www.amazon.com/dp/1621365484/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_oquFBbJFC262A

Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310351804/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_HpuFBb47QBD1C