Mad at God - July 31 Readings: Job 11-12, Acts 23:12–35, Psalm 89:21–27, Proverbs 19:5–6

Links to Today's Readings

Have you ever been mad at God?

Of course, you were raised in the church and you know better to call it that, right? You are discouraged, depressed, down-hearted, disappointed - and probably several other words that start with d! Life hasn't gone the way you want and you feel you've gotten a raw deal. You may take in out on your spouse and kids, or on the guy who cuts you off in traffic.

But at the root of it, the person you are angry at is God. You thought if you gave your life to him he would come through in ways he hasn't. You thought he would provide things he hasn't provide, deliver in ways he hasn't delivered, protect you from things he hasn't protected you from.

I've gone through times in my life when I was mad at God - deep in my heart. I might not have admitted it to myself, but that is where I was. Angry. Upset. Hurt. Why, God?

I remember a time during my previous pastor when I was invited to a "party" at the church. I so badly did not want to go, and when I did I sequestered myself in my office because I didn't want to be around anyone else. All my expectations at that church had come crashing down around me. After a time of genuine revival and renewal, there was one crisis after another arising - out of nowhere. At one point I counted 8 major problems that had arisen within the congregation and I couldn't understand it. I felt like God had let me down.

At that moment, though, I didn't realize that was what I was feeling. I was blue and I hated life! So, I hid in my office. There was a knock on the door and all the young couples came inside. I found out that this was not just a party, it was a "Pastor Appreciation" party. I felt stupid!

Job knew what it was like to blame God for the bad times in his life. As his three "friends" dropped the hammer on him, as they blamed him and said that his problems were his own fault, God's punishment for his sin, Job began to lose hope and lose perspective. He was growing angry at God. There were two things that Job knew.

1) He knew that God was in control and that what was happening to him was not outside of God's sovereign work.

Who among all these does not know   

that the hand of the Lord has done this?  Job 12:9

Though Satan was the agent of the destruction, God permitted the suffering for his own reasons and never shirked responsibility. We ought never assume when we suffer that somehow Satan did an end-run around the plan of God. Job did well to remember that God is in charge in this world. 

2) What he had forgotten was the goodness of God!

He had lost sight of the fact that the sovereign God is also the good God. 

If he tears down, none can rebuild;    

if he shuts a man in, none can open.

If he withholds the waters, they dry up;    

if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land. Job 12:14-15

The God he had joyfully worshiped is now a God who "tears down" and "shuts a man in." He works to dry up a man's life. He no longer believes that God has his best interests at heart. Read verses 16-25. It is not that these verses are inherently untrue - God does at times bring down the haughty and arrogant. But the problem here is that Job now views God as a capricious and cruel God who is messing with him for entertainment. 

Life makes it hard to hold on to both of these truths. God is God and God is good. He is the sovereign ruler of this world and he is a good God. There are many times when my life gives no evidence of that goodness. When Job's life lost evidence of God's goodness he stopped believing in it. We must hold on to this belief by faith when we cannot know it by sight. 

When there is little evidence in my life of the relentless goodness of God, when I cannot see how this impossible situation can work out, when I do not understand how God can bring his glory and my good from this tragedy, when I'm losing hope and out of joy - that is when I need to hold on to the hope of Jesus by faith. I need to believe the Bible and what it says. I need to hold on to the truth that God will reveal himself in time!

A year and a half ago, I was angry and feeling abandoned by God (again - you think I'd learn). The details are not important here, but it had to do with a real estate deal that went south. Why was God angry at me? Why was he punishing me? Why? In a month, my granddaughter  (and her parents) will move into that home and will grow up there. God had a plan all along, one I could not see. All the things I thought were God's punishment were his rod and staff guiding me! He is a good shepherd. My job is to stop being such a difficult sheep!

Father, next time, help me to trust you and remember that you are good, even when I cannot see it!

A Theology of Despair - July 30 Readings: Job 9-10, Acts 22:22–23:11, Psalm 89:14–20, Proverbs 19:3–4

Links to Today's Readings

Job 9 is the beginning of a turn for Job in his verbal sparring with his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. At first, he had been too overwhelmed with grief to say anything and for seven days they sat in silence with him. Then, Job spoke, crying out to God in anguish, confusion and grief. Instead of simply expressing sympathy and compassion, his friends took the training wheels off their theologies and tried to straighten him out. Theology is great, but bad theology is one of the most destructive forces on earth! The gist of their view is that God is a righteous God and if all these things happened to him, it must be his fault. Repent and God will forgive you, Job, they have said, and will say time and again.

In chapter 9, Job begins to react negatively to their views and fight back. Each time he speaks, each time he responds to their judgment, he gets a little more strident, a little more angry, a little more confused - despair begins to overwhelm him. Chapter 9 gives several hints of the pain he is going through and what he is feeling as a result of his friends' words. Instead of leading him into the arms of a loving God, they added to his suffering.

Let us examine some of what Job was thinking and feeling in his despair. His circumstances (not to mention his friends' bad advice) were leading him to believe that life was unfair

First, he had begun to believe that there was no justice in the world. His friends said that God was just and so there must have been sin in his life that caused his problems. Job knew that he, while not perfect, had committed no sins so extreme that these terrible things were justified.

Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him;

    I must appeal for mercy to my accuser.  Job 9:15

I may be in the right, but God is not interested in giving me justice! I can beg for mercy, but God isn't going to listen to my appeal, to my case. 

Second, Job was starting to believe that God was distant, unfeeling and unconcerned with his plight. 

If I summoned him and he answered me,

    I would not believe that he was listening to my voice. Job 9:16

Why bother? God's not going to listen to me. I'm small and insignificant; why would he bother to take the time to hear my cries? Job knew that God was sovereign and that God was holy, but he seemed to be unaware that God was also imminent, a God who revealed himself and entered into relationship with us. 

Next, Job was actually beginning to believe that God was cruel, angry, capricious and punitive. 

For he crushes me with a tempest

    and multiplies my wounds without cause;

he will not let me get my breath,

    but fills me with bitterness. Job 9:17-18

His view of God was warped - God was a heavenly bully who seemed to enjoy pushing Job around, battering him and multiplying his wounds; relentless in his bitter wrath. Christian, God is not mad at you. He loves you; he is working to bring his best into your life. Even non-believers are recipients of God's mercy here in this world. Yes, this sinful world can be tragic and God does sometimes break in with judgment. But when you begin to see God's wrath and anger as his primary characteristics, you are not understanding the God of heaven. 

When your view of God is that warped, it is not surprising that despair and meaninglessness seem to take over. 

I am blameless; I regard not myself;

    I loathe my life.

It is all one; therefore I say,

    ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’

When disaster brings sudden death,

    he mocks at the calamity[c] of the innocent. Job 9:21-23

Can you hear the hopelessness in his tone? I don't care about my own life! You even see self-destructive ideas creeping in - I renounce my life. "It is all the same," he says. There's no point in any of it. No point in doing good, in obeying God, in living for him. All this can still come crashing down on you. It's just not worth it. God doesn't care. Despair drips from his words.

It is natural for people to go through feelings like this in the middle of suffering. That natural response is made worse when people like Job's friends come along, attempting to force their twisted views of God on those who are hurting.

Our God is both holy and loving. Today, many have forgotten his holiness and think his love is permissive and without standards - as if God encourages us just to do whatever we feel like doing. But in the middle of suffering, sometimes we begin to forget the love of God entirely and believe that God is angry and cruel. He is not. Everything he does, all that he allows to happen to us is part of his purposes to glorify himself, redeem a people and transform them to be like Christ. God is love and God is good.

Don't let your circumstances lie to you. Don't believe the whispers that you hear from the happenings and events of the world. The truth is that God loves you, even when you can't understand him, even when events seem to indicate that perhaps he does not. God is there and will never leave you.

Don't believe anything else!

Father, thank you for your faithful love, so faithful that it is still real and powerful even when I forget about it. 

Trusting a Confusing God - July 29 Readings: Job 7-8, Acts 21:37–22:21, Psalm 89:7–13, Proverbs 19:1-2

Links to Today's Readings

What did Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar do that was so wrong?

At the end of the book of Job, after God has broken in and ministered to Job, after he has restored Job and strengthened his soul, he turned his attention to the friends. They came under his withering judgment. But why? What did they do that was so wrong?

In Job 8 we hear from the second of Job's friends, Bildad the Blowhard. Educated Eliphaz has already given his analysis of things and the rantings of Zealous Zophar will follow in later chapters. But in this chapter we see in Bildad some of the root problems of the friends response.

At the root of the problem is this simple issue. In the early days of a tragedy, when someone is dealing with deep pain and agony, even good theology is often not of great help. But the kind of weak theology that Bildad and the others were operating under was of no help at all. When someone is suffering, it is not our duty to explain all of God's workings - because we can't. It is our job to remind the hurting of what we know is true. God is good even if we can't see it. We can trust him even when we don't understand his workings.

That is the ultimate sin of the friends. They acted as though they had God figured out, as if every action of God could be categorized and explained. God's workings in this world are often beyond our understanding and explanation. Bildad had a simple theology. If you do bad things, bad things happen to you. If you do good, good things happen. So, the bad that happened to Job must have been evidence of his own sin. He had it all figured out. And his pushed his false view of the world on Job. That drove Job to despair.

Here's the truth. This world is messed up. Badly. In this messed up world, messed up things happen - even to good people. Godly men and women get sick, get in accidents, suffer tragedies. People sometimes do terrible things to good people, to people who love and serve Jesus. Having a relationship with God does not shield us from hardship or tragedy.

The three friends failed to understand that Job was not abandoned by God, under God's judgment, but that he was still under the mighty hand of God. Though terrible things had happened to him, God was still at work to accomplish his wonderful plan in his life. Job couldn't understand it and neither could his friends, but God was still at work.

Bildad erred by thinking that he could force God to act within the boundaries of his theology or that he could explain every action of God according to his own understanding. Our job is not to always understand, but to trust the sovereign God we often do not understand. Eventually, Job learned that lesson and came to trust the God of heaven.

Father, may I trust you even when I am confused, even when I do not understand. 

When You Do Right and It All Goes Wrong - July 28 Readings: Job 5-6, Acts 21:17–36, Psalm 89:1–6, Proverbs 18:21–24

Links to Today's Readings

Paul's ministry changed the church - entirely, in every way. It began when God sent Peter to Cornelius, but things really got going when God tabbed Barnabas and Saul and sent them off on their missionary quest. A funny thing happened - Gentiles got saved. A lot of them. In fact, by the time time that Paul returned to Jerusalem in Acts 21 to meet with the remaining apostles, the church beyond the borders of ancient Israel was a majority Gentile body.

And there were a lot of folks back in Jerusalem who didn't like it one bit. After Paul recounted the glorious things that God was doing among the Gentiles, James and the other leaders rejoiced, according to verse 20. They were glad, but they were also nervous, because the gospel was also spreading rapidly among the Jews in the homeland. Unfortunately, among these Jewish converts there was still a loyalty to the old ways, to the Jewish traditions, and there were stories circulating about Paul's ministry.

You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. Acts 21:20-21

I don't know how to process this here. I hope that James tried to confront the lies that were being told about Paul, but one wonders if he had some reservations about Paul's ministry, if the council of Acts 15 had resolved all the issues related to the Jewish nature of the church. But James had a suggestion for Paul. There were four men going to the temple to finish a vow. Paul could go with them and demonstrate that his loyalty to Judaism was still strong and that the rumors  that were coming back from Paul's enemies were false.

Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow;  take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law.

So Paul did exactly that. Though he had done nothing wrong and was proclaiming the true gospel to all men and women, Paul submitted himself to James' desires and in an effort to make peace he went to the temple as he was asked. 

And it all worked out great. Everyone joined hands, hand a giant group hug and sang Kum-ba-ya together. Right? 

Actually, no. The opposite happened. Verses 27-36 tell us about this turning point in Paul's life. Some of his enemies from his travels in Asia (Asia Minor, likely in Ephesus) recognized him and stirred up the crowd against him with lies. He was arrested and if the soldiers had not intervened, he might well have lost his life. 

Paul tried to do the right thing and everything went wrong! It can happen folks. In fact, whoever said that doing the right thing was a guarantee that everything would work out and that everything would go well for you evidently didn't have a Bible! God's holy and perfect Word is full of stories of people who did the right thing for the right reasons and everything went wrong. That's life in this wicked world. 

But God was still in charge and even this evil led to the furtherance of the work of the gospel. You cannot judge the rightness of your work by how well things work out in the world. That's not how God judges. He looks for obedience and faithfulness. There's no guaranteed outcome - in this world. You may, like Paul, suffer hardship. But God is faithful and will continue to use you even in the most difficult of circumstances. 

Father, you are great. Help me to faithful and obedient whatever the outcome. 

What Do I Say? July 27 Readings: Job 3-4, Acts 21:1–16, Psalm 88:11–18, Proverbs 18:19–20

Links to Today's Readings

I stared at him like he was an alien, with horror and embarrassment. We were looking at old pics of our high schools days and I saw one with someone I didn't recognize. "Who is that?" I asked. "That's my brother," he responded. His brother, during his college years had become despondent and committed suicide. What should I say? How should I respond? I didn't know. I panicked. I said nothing as the awkward moment passed. I'd love to go back to those days, with what I know now, and offer my friend a word of encouragement.

You might have had a moment like that, when you did not know what to say to minister to someone in a time of grief and pain. There is a lot to learn from Job's friends, both positive and negative, about situations like that.

Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, performed one of the most amazing acts of friendship anyone has ever seen. When they came to comfort their friend Job, after he had lost his wealth, his home and his children in horrible accidents, they sat with him in silence for seven days. They simply sat there and let him know that they cared and that they were there to help him.

They communicated to Job, by their presence and their silence, the two most important messages hurting and grieving people need to hear.

• I care about you. 
• I am here for you. I'm going to be here for you. 

Had Job ended with chapter 2, these men would have gone down as three of the greatest men who ever lived. But everything changed in chapter 3 when Job began to cry out and express his grief, depression and despair. Look at Job 3:3-5.

“Let the day perish on which I was born,

    and the night that said,

    ‘A man is conceived.’

Let that day be darkness!

    May God above not seek it,

    nor light shine upon it.

Let gloom and deep darkness claim it.

    Let clouds dwell upon it;

    let the blackness of the day terrify it..

That's when the trouble started. They lost their chance to go down in history as some of the greatest men who ever lived when they opened their mouths. Instead of supporting their friend, they wheeled out their faulty theology and tried to force Job's situation into it's parameters. They tried to explain everything God was doing, fit everything neatly into their cliched spiritual box and by doing so, drove Job to anger and even to sin.

All the troubles that Job went through could not cause him to sin. He faced the loss of his wealth and his family with faith and dependence on God. But when his friends tried to force their false and simplistic theology on them, it did what Satan's machinations could not.

In chapter 4, we are introduced to "Educated Eliphaz" who acted like God's professor, explaining everything God did based on his outlook. Next we will meet Bildad the Blowhard and Zealous Zophar. Each has a different view but they all say the same thing - it's your fault, Job. Your sin brought this on and you need to repent.

If only they'd kept their mouths shut!

When someone is suffering, you don't need to try to do the Holy Spirit's job. You cannot explain all of the activity of the sovereign God. But you can communicate two messages to them by your words and your deeds.

• God loves you and is not going to abandon you no matter how things look. Trust God even when you don't understand him. 
• I love you and I'm not going anywhere!

Just don't be like Job's friends, who smugly thought they knew everything and that they could explain all of God's workings to a hurting man.

Father, I trust you even when I can't understand you. Help me to be a friend to those in need, not like Job's friends, but a true friend!

Bigger than the Enemy - July 26 Readings: Job 1-2, Acts 20, Psalm 88:4–10, Proverbs 18:16–18

Links to Today's Readings

The first two chapters of Job raise so many questions - the kind that will never be answered until we stand face to face with our Savior. Then, frankly, we likely won't care about the answers! If God loved Job, why would he allow him to go through all of this suffering? Does Satan really have that kind of access to heaven? Does he really challenge God to contests with us as the battleground? The list goes on.

The sad part about Job is that many never study the heart of the book - the conversation between Job and his three friends, between Job and Elihu, and the finale, an answer from God. They justy read the first two chapters and the last. But there are some important lessons we can learn as we read Job 1 and 2. These chapters are only the appetizer for the main course that is served in chapters 33-41, but the appetizer has some tasty morsels.

First, we learn that no amount of righteous and godly living can shield us from suffering in this world. Watch out for the charlatans who promise freedom from pain, hurt, sorrow and hardship if you simply follow their teachings. Job would shake his head at them. He was a good and godly man, and he suffered worse than any man ever has, except for Christ himself.

In fact, the opposite can be true. Job actually became a target of the enemy because of the righteousness of his life. Righteous living doesn't shield us from suffering, it may put us on the front lines of battle. But the moral of this story is that God is faithful on those battle lines!

It is also clear from this story that our comfort and prosperity is not God's primary goal. Job had been greatly blessed by God, but such was not a guarantee. I don't understand why God got involved in this cosmic contest with Satan, but he did, for his perfect reasons. God's purposes in the world and even in Job's life matter more than Job's prosperity, happiness, and comfort. God was willing to permit Job great pain to lead him to a place of new insight and to use him in his divine plan. Some things matter more than ease and pleasure.

Perhaps the greatest lesson is the one so often missed. We focus on the great evil done to Job by Satan and try to figure out how all of that works. But the lesson we need to remember is key - Satan cannot attack the child of God without the permission of the Father. Whatever he did to Job was under the sovereign hand of God and was meant to accomplish the greater purposes of God.

What is the greatest evil ever done? The crucifixion of Christ would have to be the answer. But that evil accomplished the eternal purposes of God. God's power is so great that he uses even the evil of Satan to accomplish his mighty works of power. Here, Satan sought and received the permission of God to do horribly things to Job, but the end result is the glorious work of God.

Our God is powerful and good. Job would have a hard time understanding that, and often so will we. But God is power and he is good! We must hold on to that even when evil seems to be working its work. Know that the evil is ultimately only able to accomplish the purposes of the sovereign God in this world!

Thank you, Father, for being a God bigger than the enemy, bigger than my problems, bigger than anything this world can throw at me. Help me to trust you, no matter what! 

In the Dark Valley - July 25 Readings: Esther 9-10, Acts 19:21–41, Psalm 88:1–3, Proverbs 18:14–15

Links to Today's Readings

Have you ever been trapped in the middle of that "dark night of the soul," that time when the whole world seemed to be crashing down around you, when nothing made sense, when the joy of life had been taken away completely? I've been there once or twice myself. We all pass through that valley at some point in our journey.

What do you do when you get to that place? To whom do you turn? How do you find the strength to go through the valley and find solid footing on the other side?

Of course, the easy answer to that for anyone who believes is Christ is, well, Christ. It is by finding refuge in the harbor of our Savior's love that we find solace, comfort, strength, and hope when the lights have gone out all around us. That is truth, not a cliche. Jesus is the answer. In my darkest moments it is the "Light of the World" who has been the light of my soul.

But there is more to it than that. In Proverbs 18:14, there is a tidbit of wisdom that we need to remember - no, that I must remember. I am not the touchy-feely type. There's a story of the man whose wife came and complained that he never told her that he loved her anymore. "Look, woman," he said. "I told you I loved you when we got married. If anything changes I'll let you know." I don't think I'm quite that bad (Jenni reads these, she might have an opinion?), but I'm not someone who is always quick with the word of praise. You will never see me advertising myself on an infomercial as a motivational guru!

But then I read this verse.

A man's spirit will endure sickness,    but a crushed spirit who can bear?

"A man's spirit will endure sickness."  What is Solomon telling us? Human beings have a remarkable ability to endure hardship and trial. I visited a lady yesterday whose life span now is measured in days, perhaps weeks, but her spirit is strong. How? She knows the Lord, of course, but there is something else. She has a husband beside her who loves her and has walked with her every step of the way through this terrible illness.

It is when our spirit is crushed that we lose our ability to hold up. I think of the times my spirit has been crushed, when I've walked through the "valley of the shadow of death" and there is one common denominator. In addition to often failing to seek the comfort and strength of Christ as I should, I've felt alone. Isolated. I'm on an island all by myself! Do you know what I mean?

Every one of us is going to walk the valley, to come to that moment of the dark night of the soul when everything is wrong and life hurts. That's a given. When that happens, first and foremost we need to seek the Savior, the One who gave himself for us on the cross, who loves us with an infinite and everlasting love.

But we also need each other. We need to be encouraged. When I feel like there is someone walking with me on the road, my spirit is not crushed. I am strengthened both by the work of Christ and by the fellowship of the saints.

So, here's our lesson for the day. If I need that, I need to be that! I need to be an encourager, a helper, a strengthener! I need to turn people toward Christ, but I also need to be a shoulder people can both lean on and cry on when they need. I need to be the agent of Christ to comfort those in need.

What I need when I am hurting I need to be to those who hurt today!

What does "encourage" mean? Simply, it means to put courage into someone's life, to help them and give them strength! In this hurting, horrible, harsh world, let us be encouragers, let us be spirit-lifters, courage-givers, those who help the hurting find hope!

Father, may I be a man of encouragement and grace, who seeks to lift the spirits of those around me. May people find courage to face life because of what you are doing in and through me. 

Don't Mess with My God! July 24 Readings: Esther 7-8, Acts 19:1–20, Psalm 87, Proverbs 18:11–13

Links to Today's Readings

Having recovered from his humiliation when he was forced to parade Mordecai around the city in honor, Haman's spirits were lifted by his invitation to again dine with the king and Queen Esther. By himself. How many people get invited to an intimate dinner party with those two? His ego was strengthening after the severe blow it had just taken.

He sat through the dinner, enjoying the food and the wine, until at the end the king once again asked Esther to tell him what she wanted as a reward for the excellent repast (and his general regard for her). "Whatever you seek, even half the kingdom, will be done." He was jovial and generous.

But her request was different. It was not for power, prestige or possessions. It was for the protection of her people from one who was attacking them. Esther 7:3-4 records her plea.

“If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.”

Now the king was incensed. Who was this scoundrel who was seeking the destruction of his beloved queen and her people? Who dared to do such a thing? You can almost imagine Esther turning, pointing her finger and saying, in verse 6,

"A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman."

Suddenly, all of Haman's plots and schemes came crashing down on his own head. He had not secured the destruction of God's people, but he had placed his own life in jeopardy. Esther was a Jew. Who knew? And now he was in big trouble.

The king left the room to cool down and Haman fell at the feet of the queen to beg from her the forgiveness and mercy he had planned to withhold from all Jewish people. But he stumbled and fell upon the queen as she reclined at the table. The king walked in and saw him, assuming that he was trying to molest the queen. That was pretty much it for Haman.

In a divinely-ordained irony, he was hanged on the gallows he had constructed for Mordecai's execution. And the Jews were protected by a royal decree from the attacks Haman planned. And Esther was given ownership of all of Haman's property. And Mordecai was given Haman's ring and place as a trusted adviser.

The lesson is pretty clear.

Don't mess with God's people. 

God loves his people and will act to protect them when they are doing his work. That does not mean that we will never suffer harm - sometimes God allows our suffering for his purposes. But it does mean that those who come against the people of God come against God himself, and that is not a wise choice. Ever. Child of God, know that you are never abandoned by God and that as you serve him, he will be your rock, your fortress, your deliverer, your protector - your mighty God.

Father, thank you for the certainty I have that you will not abandon me and that you will work in your power when this world comes against me. 

Sovereign Unseen - July 23 Readings: Esther 5-6, Acts 18:18–28, Psalm 86:9–17, Proverbs 18:9–10

Links to Today's Readings

Esther is a strange book. It recounts some strange behavior from Esther and Mordecai; actions hard to square with the Law of God. But the oddest thing is that from the first verse to the last God's name is not mentioned a single time. How strange that a book of the Bible, inspired by God, free from error, should fail to even once mention the God who is over all.

But though God is not mentioned in the book, he is certainly present in it. He is working behind the scenes, in the background, accomplishing his purposes and protecting his Chosen People from yet another genocidal maniac. The sovereign God of the universe may be unseen and unmentioned in this book, but he is ever-present.

Chapter 6 is one of the funniest stories in the Bible. Haman hated Mordecai so much that he went off the rails and schemed to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom. He devised a plot and suckered the king into signing off on it. But in the meantime, while God was at work behind the scenes to protect Israel from destruction, he also was working to bring the haughty and hateful Haman down a few pegs.

The king had a sleepless night and took to reading the chronicles of days gone by - a sort of stroll down memory lane. He came upon a story of a plot against him that was foiled by Mordecai, who informed palace officials of the plan. The assassination attempt failed, the traitors were hanged, and life went on. The king asked his attendants if anything had been done to honor Mordecai for saving his life, and they told him no. So, the king determined to right this wrong and honor his savior.

He approached Haman, his top adviser, the next day and asked him how he should go about giving a proper fete for someone he desired to honor. Haman immediately assumed that the king was going to honor him - enamored of his own greatness, he could not imagine the king had anyone but Haman on his mind - so he came up with a plan, recorded in Esther 6:8-9.

"Let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown is set. And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king's most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, proclaiming before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.’”

He could hardly wait for the parade to start, probably already daydreaming of the glory he would feel as he was paraded through the city square with people cheering him. But then, the king spoke words that cut deep into Haman's heart. Look at verse 10.

“Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king's gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.”

Be honest. Wouldn't you love to see a recording of the look on Haman's face as the king said that? T
he man he hated most in the world would be honored with the parade he had designed for himself. Not only that, Haman was tasked with leading him through the streets and bestowing this honor. It was the worst day of his life (up until in his effort to get revenge on Mordecai he brought about his own death - but that story comes later).

Bad luck, eh? No. No. No. This is not a world of coincidence and luck. It is a world run by a sovereign king. Sometimes his work is clear and plain - manifest for all to see. Sometimes, he is the sovereign unseen who works behind the scenes to accomplish his purposes, protect his people, punish his enemies, and glorify himself.

You may not always see God's work, but he is at work. You may not always understand God's plan, but he has one. You may not always hear God's voice, but he is speaking and working and acting and guiding. Just because he is sometimes unseen does not change the fact that he is the sovereign over all.

Father, I thank you for those times your work is clear and plain. But I also know there are times when your hand is unseen and your plan is unclear. Help me to trust you, serve you and obey you whether everything is clear and plain or there is fog and clouds block the light. 

In the Darkest Hour - July 22 Readings: Esther 3-4, Acts 18:1–17, Psalm 86:1–8, Proverbs 18:6–8

Links to Today's Readings

The Psalms have such variety. They ascend the heights of God's glory and plumb the depths of human wickedness. There is hardly an emotion, a life issue or an aspect of a man's relationship with God that is not explored at some point.

But the most common of all of these topics is human pain and suffering. The Psalmist asks why. He rages and moans. He calls out to God for sustaining grace, provision and protection. In Psalm 86, David delves into many of these issues.

We don't know what the provocation was for this psalm. It could have been betrayal by one of his friends, an attack from an enemy, or some other grief or hardship in life. Perhaps it is best that we do not know what was troubling David, since each of us has different struggles and troubles, none of which was likely common to the king of Israel. One of you who reads this may be struggling with illness, dealing with the devastation of a diagnosis that horrified you. Or perhaps it is finances - you are drowning in debt or your job is in jeopardy. Many suffer with the most common and painful of struggles as they live with their daily concern over a spouse or a child or some other family member who is far from God and making choices that are foolish and destructive. There are myriad struggles that life can throw at us, but David's response to his struggle is a model to us all.

In verse 1, we learn two things - both what he did and how he did it.

Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,    for I am poor and needy.  

He brought his pain and suffering to the God who cared about him and he came in an attitude of humility and weakness. He did not stride into God's presence in pride demanding his rights, but came as "poor and needy" asking God to hear and answer his prayers. He realized that even though on earth he might have been king, his earthly standing meant nothing before heaven. He needed God's grace as much as the pauper or beggar.

We see another attitude in verse 5 that is essential. He recognized sin as an impediment to prayer and he came to God for grace and forgiveness.

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
    abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

He was not coming to demand what he had earned, but to seek the grace of a God who forgives sin (through Christ, we now know!). He sought the undeserved favor of God. David lays claim, even in this psalm, to being "godly" and a servant of God. But he also realizes that he is what he is because of what God has done for him.

David was persistent in prayer, call out to God (verse 3) "all the day." His prayers were constant, fervent and faithful. God knows our needs and desires, and he hears our prayers, but the Bible makes it clear that he responds to persistent prayer by his people.

When life was hard, David turned to God and called out to him. And every time, he found God faithful. God heard his prayers and forgave him, delivered him, provided for him and protected him.

Father, when I am in distress, may I do as David did and seek you. Thank you for being a good, loving and forgiving God who gives me what I don't deserve - your forgiveness and love. 

The Green-Eyed Monster - July 21 Readings: Esther 1-2, Acts 17, Psalm 85:9–13, Proverbs 18:4–5

Links to Today's Readings

The Green-Eyed Monster! That description comes from Shakespeare's "Othello" in which the villain Iago says:

O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;  It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on; 

Jealousy is a work of the flesh, a true monster within our souls that feeds on our own hearts and brings destruction into lives, relationships and churches.

Jealousy was at the root of much of the opposition to Jesus and to the expansion of the early church. The religious leaders did not so much object to their teachings, their character or their actions. They opposed Jesus and his church because their position of power was threatened. Acts 17:5 says,

But the Jews were jealous...

They were upset because people were no longer honoring them, following them or living under their authority and control. Instead, they were putting their faith in Jesus and proclaiming him as Lord. Suddenly, the green-eyed monster reared its ugly head amongst these religious leaders.

Jealousy is a product of our sinful nature and is a marker of selfishness. If I walk in Christ's love and servant spirit, I rejoice with other's blessings, I seek for people to follow Christ, not me, and I live for his glory, not my own. If these things are true, there is no place for jealousy in my life.

If I find myself resenting the blessings others receive, when the green-eyed monster rears its ugly head in me, I can be sure that my eyes have strayed from Christ. I need to remember the One who gave it all for me and seek His glory.

Father, rid my soul of the green-eyed monster that envies other's blessings, that seeks control over others and gathers glory for myself instead of for you. 

Revive Us, Again! July 20 Readings: Nehemiah 11-13, Acts 16:25–40, Psalm 85:1–8, Proverbs 18:1–3

Links to Today's Readings

It is the heart-cry of so many believers today in this land, that God would revive his church and his people and reverse the moral and spiritual trends we observe. Could there be a true follower of Jesus Christ whose heart would not strongly desire such a revival.

Many of the Psalms are calls for God to renew and revive his people, Israel, who had fallen into sin. Of course, we Americans often act like America is the new Israel and Americans are the chosen people of God. It is not true. The church is the chosen people of God today and it is we who must seek the renewal of God. I do not believe it is an insult to say that our church needs revival today. Doesn't yours?

In Psalm 85:4-5, the Psalmist called out to God for forgiveness and restoration.

Restore us again, O God of our salvation,

    and put away your indignation toward us!

Will you be angry with us forever?

    Will you prolong your anger to all generations?

God is a righteous and Holy God who demands obedience and fidelity from his people, the church of Jesus Christ. Too often we have lived in the ways of the world, walked in the flesh and gone our own ways instead of God's. We cannot ask for God's blessings and renewal while we are walking in sin. Any sort of revival begins with repentance that brings us back into contact with God. 

But ultimately, revival rests in the faithful love of God. Whatever we do, we do because of what he did. We love because he first loved us. We return because he holds his arms out to receive us. We do not revive ourselves, but are revived by God's grace and love. In verses 6-7, the Psalmist calls out for that faithful love of God to restore the people. 

Will you not revive us again,

    that your people may rejoice in you?

Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,

    and grant us your salvation.

That is the cry of our heart today. Lord, revive us again. Return to us and restore us. Bring your church to repentance from all that displeases you. Show us again how great your are, how awesome and glorious. You have saved us once from our sins, now restore the joy of your salvation. Save us from this mess we find ourselves in today, a mess we've created with careless living and the love of this world. Your love and faithfulness, God, are greater than our sin and failure. 

Revive us again, fill each heart with thy love. May each soul be rekindled with fire from above. Hallelujah, thine the glory. Hallelujah, Amen. Hallelujah, thine the glory, Revive us again. 

Barnabas to Paul to Timothy - July 19 Readings: Nehemiah 9-10, Acts 16:1–24, Psalm 84:8–12, Proverbs 17:27–28

Links to Today's Readings

There is an old adage that Christianity is always one generation from extinction. It is, in reality, true, though if we believe the church is founded by Christ for God's eternal purposes, we also believe that hell cannot stand against it and though its success may ebb and flow, it will never be completely stopped. The thought behind the adage is still a good one. If we want the church to continue we must pass it along to younger folks who will continue the work.

Chapter divisions can be unfortunate, causing us miss continuation of important ideas. In Acts 16, it may prevent us from seeing an interesting juxtaposition. When Paul was Saul of Tarsus, enemy of the Cross, converted on the road to Damascus, one man stood beside him, put his arm around him, and brought him into the fellowship of the church. When young Saul went off by himself to learn the things of God it was Barnabas who went and found him and brought him to Antioch to get him involved in the ministry of that church. Barnabas and Saul headed out into the Galatian region to share Christ and plant churches. Paul became what Paul became because of the discipling and encouragement of Joseph, known as Barnabas, the son of encouragement.

Then, the sad events of the end of chapter 15 took place which separated Paul and Barnabas, at least for a time, and led to two missionary teams instead of one going out. Paul took Silas and headed back to the areas they had gone before and Barnabas told Mark, "Let's go west, young man."

So, as Paul's ministry partnership with Barnabas is being severed, what is the first thing he does? Acts 16:1-3.

Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

Paul, having absented himself from his mentor, found a young man whom he could mentor. This is conjecture, but perhaps Barnabas convinced him of the need to train young men. Paul was unwilling to make Mark that trainee, but in Derbe and Lystra he found Timothy and in him he found a young man into whom he could pour his life, a young man who could carry on the work when he was gone. A wise man is always looking for a younger man he can train to carry on the work when he is gone. Is that a lesson he learned from Barnabas? We'll have to ask him when we see him in glory, I suppose. 

What I do know is that there is truth in the old line:

Every man of God needs a Barnabas and a Timothy! (Women, it's true for you too!)

Actually, like Paul, we should seek several Timothy-types. Read through Acts and note that everywhere Paul went he took someone with him. I'm a ministry-loner. I study by myself. I work by myself. I visit by myself (most of the time). It's a failing in my ministry. Paul did everything in a group. 

Why? There are a number of reasons. It's great for accountability and mutual encouragement. There's less temptation in a group than there is when someone is by himself. When one person is blue, or upset, or discouraged, the others can lift him up. They can pray together and learn from one another. But more than anything, these young men got to watch Paul and learn. He was able not just to pass on some doctrines and teachings, but his very life. 

There is no greater heritage any of us can leave in this world than a small army of well-trained kingdom warriors who will carry on the work when we are gone. I can only fight the good fight for so long. But if I find a Timothy and a Titus, I can keep fighting through them even when I have gone to glory.

Father, may my life count in the lives of others. 

No Superheroes Needed - July 18 Readings: Nehemiah 7-8, Acts 15:22–41, Psalm 84:1–7, Proverbs 17:24–26

Links to Today's Readings

In one sense, the story makes me happy, in another, it makes me very sad. After the conference in Jerusalem that dealt with the conflict over Gentiles coming into the church, and and how Jewish the church would be, Paul and Barnabas decided the time was right to head out on another mission trip to visit the churches they had already planted and to extend the gospel even farther.

Then, according to Acts 15:36-41, a problem arose, having to do with Mark. Barnabas, always the encourager, wanted to bring him along and give him another chance - let him succeed this time. Paul was having none of it. The momma's boy had cut and run when they needed him and could not be trusted. This was important business they were doing and there was no way that they could trust a man like this again, at least not this soon. And the argument became pretty heated.

36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

 It is clear what makes me sad about this story.  Two great men, great friends, great servants of God, came to a parting of the ways because they could not work this issue out. Barnabas was the man who stood by Paul when no one else would and had been Paul's mentor, his discipler. Now, they were on the outs. It is a tragic story. 

But what makes me happy? It makes me happy that the Word of God is REAL. It is not fictional make-believe in which people never make mistakes. Ever read a biography of a great Christian? We have a tendency when writing the life stories of great men or women to build them up into spiritual superheroes who could leap tall buildings in a single bound. 

The Bible never does that. It tells us the real stories of real people. Jesus was perfect but the people who served him were not. Paul was a man - a man of God but also a sinner who had a temper and got his feelings hurt and struggled to forgive and - well, a man who was messed up just like me. Moses made mistakes. Elijah got discouraged. Abraham's faith failed him a time or two. David, the man after God's own heart, fell into grievous sin. 

I love that the Bible is not about spiritual superheroes but people like me who struggle to keep it together, who fail and start over and who do things they wish they hadn't. 

Fortunately, this story has a happy ending. Mark eventually became a useful friend and coworker, laboring with Paul in the gospel. We can hope that Barnabas and Saul's friendship survived this and thrived in the days ahead, though they ministered separately. God used even this sad episode to work his grace and to extend the kingdom. 

The good news for you and me today is simple - God is not looking for spiritual superheroes to accomplish his kingdom work. He takes people like  you and me, and Paul and Barnabas, and he uses us - regular, ordinary, flesh and blood, sinful folks! God infuses us with the power of Christ and fills us with his Spirit to accomplish his mighty work through us. 

Father, thank you for your grace. I am weak, but you are strong. Thank you that the only superhero in your kingdom is the One who rose from the grave and who is my Savior and Lord. 

That the Evil May KNOW! July 17 Readings: Nehemiah 5-6, Acts 15:1–21, Psalm 83:13–18, Proverbs 17:22–23

Links to Today's Readings

You may have seen the despicable video in which one of Planned Parenthood's officers explains how they sell the organs and body parts of aborted babies. It is sickening and makes you want to do terrible things to people.

The psalmists knew that feeling. The Psalms are full of prayers that pour out anger over the sin of the world - often called imprecatory prayers. Psalm 109 is among the most extreme of these, but Psalm 83 is definitely in the category. In it, Asaph calls on God to destroy the enemies of Israel and invokes previous instances in which that took place.

He asks God to make these enemies like Sisera (83:9), who was killed when Jael drove a tent peg through his skull while he slept. I've had enemies but I've never prayed that God would arrange tent pegs through their skulls. He mentions kings who came against Israel when Gideon was judge and were killed because they butchered Gideon's family. In verses 13 and 14 he calls out for God to make these enemies like whirling dust and chaff, and to rain fire down on them, to "pursue them with (his) tempest and terrify them with (his) storm."  That is harsh.

There are a lot of issues working here but the last verse of this Psalm explains the heart of this strident prayer-song coming from Asaph's lips. The fact was that these people had set themselves against God and against God's people. They were working against what God was doing and they were doing so with impunity. They lived as if there was no God in Israel who would take note of the evil deeds and respond.

So, Asaph prays, in verse 18,

That they may know that you alone,

    whose name is the Lord,

    are the Most High over all the earth.

The primary motivation of these prayers is the fact that people live in ignorance of the power and glory of God. They act as if they can do as they please, treat God's people any way that benefits them, and live with impunity. These sinful people need a wake-up call, a reminder that there is a God in heaven who sees, who will respond, who will accomplish his purposes, protect his people and to whom each of them must answer.

At its core, Asaph's prayer is that these sinful people will realize that there is a God and that he is sovereign over this world. 

When we pray for sinful, rebellious, destructive, abusive, hurtful people today, we need to pray the heart of this prayer. Jesus told us to love our enemies and one of the best ways to love them is to pray that they will see and understand God, that God alone is Most High over all the earth and that they need to live their lives in obedience and submission to him! We ought never pray for their destruction, but for their eyes to be opened to the power and glory of the God who created and rules this world and will one day consummate its history in his glory. 

Father, may we never be vengeful or destructive toward those who stand against you, against your church and who seek to hurt your people. But I pray that you would reveal yourself in such a way that these people know you are real, you are God, and you are all in all. 

Pray and Fight - July 16 Readings: Nehemiah 3-4, Acts 14, Psalm 83:6–12, Proverbs 17:19–21

Links to Today's Readings

Nehemiah was operating under the call and blessing of God, who had put it on his heart to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. God had further blessed him by granting him favor with the king who sent him on his way in favor. When he arrived, he was faithful to do the work of God carefully and diligently. The walls were being built.

Of course, that meant that everything went well, everyone cheered him on and supported his work and things fell into place. Amen?

Uh...no. There was a man named Sanballat, his friend Tobiah and many others who were opposed to the work Nehemiah was doing. They marshaled their strength to oppose the work that was being done. Sanballat was furious about the progress God's people were making.

The fact is, God's work will always be opposed. Jesus was opposed. Paul was opposed. Every great figure in the Bible experienced great opposition from the enemies of God, even sometimes from within God's people. When you determine to draw near to God, to seek him with all your heart, and to serve him in this world, expect that you will be opposed. Jesus promised that the world that hated him will hate us. Christians who walk in the flesh will oppose those who walk in the fulness of the Spirit. That is just the nature of things in this fallen world.

Nehemiah's approach to dealing with Sanballat and his minions is instructive. In verse 9, it says,

"So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard because of them day and night."

There are a couple of times in God's Word where his people were told to do nothing but stand and watch God work. "Stand still and see the salvation of God." Sometimes, they were told to do acts of obedience to display their faithfulness to God (like march around Jericho). But most of the time, God sent his people out to battle to fight against their enemies. The vast majority of biblical encounters follow this pattern.

Depend on God and fight hard. 

Nehemiah bathed everything he did in prayer. He asked God's wisdom to know what he should do. He asked God's blessing and protection as he did it. He never operated independently from God or live out his own agenda. He sought God faithfully.

But he also set a guard. The vast majority of the time throughout the Bible, God's people, depending on him, having prayed for his blessings, had to take up arms and fight. In the Old Testament that fighting was often literal. In the New Testament era the weapons are spiritual. But the fact is that we must not only pray for God's direction, wisdom and power, but we must fight the good fight. We must go out in this world and work in God's name. We must face down the enemies of God and stand in Christ's victory.

Father, forgive me for when I have failed to pray and seek your wisdom and power and gone out on my own. Forgive me as well for when I have prayed for your power to be revealed but failed to take up the weapons of warfare you have given me and gone to battle in your name. 

Failure Isn't Fatal - July 15 Readings: Nehemiah 1-2, Acts 13:35–52, Psalm 83:1–5, Proverbs 17:17–18

Links to Today's Readings 

(If you are paying close attention, you will realize I made one of my rare?? mistakes. This was supposed to be yesterday's devotional and yesterday's is supposed to be today's. Oh well.) 

Barnabas and Saul reached the coast city of Perga in Pamphylia ready to begin a gospel thrust into a region where no one even knew who Jesus was. It would be a productive time, planting churches in Pisidian Antioch, Lystra, Derbe, bringing the message of Christ to the Galatians.

But one of their number did not make the trip. A young disciple named John, whom we know by the name Mark, "left them and went back to Jerusalem." (Acts 13:13) Was he homesick? Did he miss his momma, or perhaps his wife? Was he just scared of the difficult task that lay ahead? We simply do not know, but we do know that his faith was weak and he cut and run.

This is just the beginning of an interesting story. Barnabas and Saul completed the journey and returned to Jerusalem to meet with the Apostles and elders to resolve the issues raised in the book of Galatians - the question as to just how Jewish people had to be to become Christians. After this issue was resolved, Paul and Barnabas decided that it was time to return to the mission field, according to Acts 15:36-41.

That is when the fur flew. Barnabas, the encourager that he was, wanted to give young John Mark another chance. He had grown up and matured. He was now, Barnabas said, ready to serve God and make up for his failure in the first journey. Wait a minute, Paul said. This young man let us down once. Our job is too important to trust it to someone who is going to shrink back in fear and run home when things get tough. The disagreement was so strong that Paul and Barnabas went their separate ways.

But, fortunately, the story doesn't end there. In 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul is facing death. He requests that Mark be brought to him, because he is useful and valuable in Paul's work. It took time, but Paul grew to have great confidence in this young man and all angst over the past was gone and forgotten.

Have you ever blown it like John Mark did? Maybe, like in his case, it was a failure of faith. You shrunk back and ran from the battle. Maybe it was a sin for which you are now ashamed. It could be any number of things.

The good news is that the redemption of Christ continues in our walk with him, and our failures are never fatal or eternal. God forgives the repentant, restores those who return to him and empowers them to walk in the ways of Christ. Just because there is a stain on your past does not mean it has to remain in your future. Jesus renews us daily!

Father, I thank you that all of the sins, failures and mistakes that have come from my life never get the last word. Your grace is greater than all my sin. 

When They Don't Applaud - July 14 Readings: Ezra 9-10, Acts 13:13–34, Psalm 82, Proverbs 17:14–16

Links to Today's Readings

The list of my failings as a man and a pastor is long, but one of my biggest struggles is dealing with people who reject me, criticize me or resist what I am doing. I tend to either get angry and strike back (usually with my big fat mouth) or I crumble into a puddle of goo and spend days in a dark mood obsessing over the criticism. Often, my response is some combination of the two extremes.

I need the wisdom and courage of the Apostle Paul. He was a human being and I'm sure the rejection and criticism hurt his feelings. But he never let these things destroy him or derail him from the work God gave him. As a matter of fact, it is one of the keys to success in God's work - anyone who serves God will be criticized. And anyone who wishes to make an impact for the kingdom will have to learn to deal with that criticism.

In Acts 13, Paul was in Pisidian Antioch on the first of his missionary journeys and as usual the reaction was mixed. Some latched on to his message and believed in Jesus Christ. Others, though, rejected what he taught. Usually, they did so because of personal reasons - their personal power and control was threatened.

Paul preached often about unity, about love, about trying to make things right and living in peace, but he did not let his critics control his life. He was not cruel or insensitive, but he continued doing God's work regardless of what others said, how they responded, or how they treated him. His life was about the Kingdom of God, not about himself, so what people thought of him was secondary to obedience to Christ.

In Acts 13:46, when the Jewish leaders rejected the gospel and rejected Paul, he simply turned his attention to the Gentiles and began to proclaim Christ to them. The response was enthusiastic. Many came to faith in Christ.

That did not make his detractors happy and the opposition grew, bursting out in verses 49-50 into a full-fledged persecution. What did Paul do then? According to verse 51, he shook the dust off his feet and moved on to Iconium to proclaim Christ there. He did not let criticism or resistance derail him from the purposes of God.

Again, this is no excuse for being calloused toward the feelings of others, but servants of God cannot be enslaved to criticism, opposition and false accusation. We serve him and must continue to do so whether people like us, whether they speak well of us, whether they support us, or not.

Father, too often I have lived by the opinions of others instead of giving myself fully to your work. Forgive me and strengthen me to live solely for your glory. 

Best Church EVER! July 13 Readings: Ezra 7-8, Acts 13:1–12, Psalm 81:11–16, Proverbs 17:12–13

Links to Today's Readings

It is an inherently silly question, I suppose, but I will ask it anyway. What is the greatest church in the book of Acts? The best ever? Of course, the Jerusalem church saw the day of Pentecost and it remained faithful to God in spite of suffering and persecution. They had great fellowship and Spirit-empowered generosity. It was a great church in so many ways.

But there is another church that would deserve consideration in this debate. After the persecution under Saul of Tarsus dispersed Christians, a church formed in Antioch that had some qualities that were worth emulation.

First of all, it was a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic church. The Jerusalem church was pretty much entirely Jewish, but when you look at the list of leaders in Acts 13:1, you see racial, ethnic and geographic diversity.

This diverse makeup led to their most important quality. They got hold of God's heart for the world. One day, while they were worshiping God together, the Spirit spoke to them and and told them to send Barnabas and Saul on the first missionary journey. While the Jerusalem church was a great one in every way, there never seemed to be an urgency to extend the church outside of its Jewish or Israelite roots. But Antioch was the first missionary society!

The Great Commission did not tell us to seek to reach just our own people, but to go into all the world. Perhaps, in their struggle and suffering (or possibly because the time was just not right), the Jerusalem church never really bought into that. In fact, some resisted when the gospel extended to the Samaritans first and later to the Gentiles. But Antioch realized the heart of God. The promise of Acts 1:8 was that the Spirit's power would bring the church not only to Jerusalem (which they did very well) and to Judea and Samaria (the ancient nation of Israel). It was Antioch through which that last part of the promise came to pass.

Too often today, we miss the Antioch heart - the desire to fellowship with those who are not like us and to carry the gospel to the world. We get comfortable with our kind of people - people who we like and who are like us. Yes, our neighbors need to be reached. Absolutely. But it can never stop there. God loves people whose skin color is different from ours, who dress different, whose culture and heritage is different, whose standard of living is different. God loves people who speak different languages, hail from different countries and are loyal to different governments.

There is much about the church at Jerusalem that we ought to emulate. But the worldwide heart of the Antioch church is something we ought to passionately imitate as well.

Father, give me as a pastor and us as a church the passion in your heart to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire world; not only to those who are like us but also to those who are different in every way. 

I Want to Be Like Pete! July 12 Readings: Ezra 5-6, Acts 12, Psalm 81:4–10, Proverbs 17:9–11

Links to Today's Readings

He was scheduled to die the next day. He'd seen his friend James put to the sword by Herod and it was his turn the next morning. The church was fervently praying that their leader would be spared by God's power. Peter was chained to two guards and the door was guarded by two others. You can imagine the stress that Peter felt knowing that he was about to die, right? Act 12:6 tells us exactly how anxious Peter was.

He was sleeping.

That's right. With his life hanging in the balance, with the sword about to fall on his neck, chained and guarded by soldiers all around, Peter was at rest. He had such faith in God's plan that he was free of worry and care. If he died, he would see Jesus again. If he lived he would serve him. And he was leaving the choice in God's hand.

We know the rest of the story - and it is one of the funniest in the Bible, one I used to tell my children at bedtime! God set Peter free and he returned to the the church that was praying for his release and they refused to believe that he was really at the door. They were fervent in prayer but couldn't believe that their prayers were actually being answered by God. But he was free and by God's grace Peter continued to serve God for many years to come, until he finally gave his life for the cause of Christ. 

But that is not the focus today. Today we think of Peter's faith, his absolute confidence in the power and goodness of God. Just consider it, my friends. Facing death, he was at rest in the sovereign care of the Father. He trusted the Savior so much that suffering and even death seemed small things. 

I want that kind of faith. I don't have it, but I want it.  I want to trust God so much that live or die, good or ill, victory or defeat, riches or poverty, I rest in the hands of God and trust his goodness. No worry. No stress. No falling apart. No anger. Just faith and trust. That is the kind of man I want to be. I have a long way to go, but that is the goal.

I want to be like Pete!

Father, forgive me when I have been a faithless man, worrying and stressing over every little thing. Help me to trust you not only for my eternity, but for today.

Oh, and happy birthday Jenni Miller.

The Cold Water Committee - July 11 Readings: Ezra 3-4, Acts 11, Psalm 81:1–3, Proverbs 17:7–8

Links to Today's Readings

I've met them more times than I can count, the Jewish Christians of Jerusalem. Oh, the ones I meant weren't actually Jewish, nor were they from Jerusalem. But the similarity of behavior is unmistakable. In Acts 11, Peter returned to Jerusalem to regale the believers with the glories of God displayed in the salvation and Spirit-filling of the Gentiles in Caesarea. He was overjoyed with what God had done and reported that to the church.

And most of the church rejoiced with him. But not everyone. There were Jewish believers who put a high priority on Christianity remaining Jewish. They emphasized circumcision and the continued observance of all aspects of the Jewish Law. And Gentile believers who were uncircumcised and unobservant of the Law did not fit into their plan.

They were not happy at all when Peter reported the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles.

Did you get that? The Spirit of God was poured out on a whole new segment of humanity and many people were saved. It was a gospel breakthrough and these people were pouting. They were angry. God did something wonderful and they were angry because it did not fit their perception of how things ought to be.

And I have met them everywhere.

God does something wonderful, but it is not through people who share their theological, ideological or strategic perspectives and they are upset. A great thing happens, but it doesn't happen under the strictures of their control and doesn't follow their rules, so they reject it, criticize it and disdain it. We used to call them the "Cold Water Committee." They run around pouring cold water on anything that is not under their thumb.

We have to remember that we serve the Kingdom of God and not the other way around. It is God who is in control and not me.

It is interesting how Peter responded to the Cold Water committee - much better than I ever have. He did two things. He proclaimed the truth of God to them, showing how God revealed the truth of his heart for the nations. He also shared his testimony of God's work in and through him. The Word of God displayed in the daily experience of a believer is a powerful thing.

Peter patiently but firmly instructed them about what God was doing and God's Spirit convinced the people, even those who initially resisted, that it was truly God at work.

When the Spirit of God goes to work in us, there will unfortunately often be a backlash from the Cold Water Committee. We must, like Peter, gently instruct them as to the Word of God and the work of the Spirit in us, continue to the do the work of God and trust the Spirit to empower and protect us.

Father, may I burn with a fire that no amount of cold water can extinguish. 

God, Race, and the Church - July 10 Readings: Ezra 1-2, Acts 10:34–48, Psalm 80:9–19, Proverbs 17:4–6

Links to Today's Readings

When God speaks, it is often loud and clear!

In Acts 10, God spoke clearly and without equivocation about the nature of the church. He had not sent his Son to die to redeem a group of inwardly focused Jewish believers. Acts makes it clear that the Apostles and believers in Jerusalem never really got that. They lacked a sense of God's love for the world and his heart to see the nations come to Christ. They were content to keep the gospel contained among the Jewish people.

God would not let that happen. He sent persecution that forced the people out of Jerusalem and into the world. He sent Philip to the Samaritans and then to the Ethiopian Eunuch, who took the message of Jesus back to his homeland. Finally, God spoke to Peter and told him to go to Cornelius and proclaim the story of Christ's death and resurrection to the Gentiles. They were not unclean!

And that is when God spoke loudly.

In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples of Jesus Christ and were radically and permanently changed. God did a mighty work in them, birthing the church and empowering them to proclaim the saving message of Christ. Now, in an unmistakable way, God poured out the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles. Yes, that is right. The Gentiles!

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” Acts 10:44-47

God sent his Son to die for our sins and to establish Jesus Christ as Lord. But he also sent Jesus to break down the human walls that separate us from one another - race, socio-economic status, nationality, background - and to create One Body based solely on our common experience in Christ. 

Those with Peter were amazed. The gift of the Spirit was not given just to the Jews. It is not just for Americans, or white people or black, or rich or poor, or men or women. Jesus came to redeem people from every tribe and tongue on earth and to unite us in one color - the red of his blood!

Father, I thank you that my identity is not in my heritage, my gender, my race, or even my nationality, but it is in my Savior and the future he has given me through his death on the cross!