April 30, Day 120

Today's Reading

Psalms. Yesterday I mentioned that I was trying to discern God's will.  He answered our prayers and clearly confirmed the decision we needed to make.   Today I am praising Him for His faithfulness.

21 And so the LORD’s fame will be celebrated in Zion, his praises in Jerusalem, 22 when multitudes gather together and kingdoms come to worship the LORD. Psalm 102:21-22 (NLT) I have been working on a message from the second chapter of Zechariah, which mirrors these verses that will ultimately be fulfilled at the return of Christ.  The exciting thing is that God has chosen various times to "show up" in the neighborhood and draw people to Himself.  Are we entering one of those?  I hope so!

April 29, Day 119

Today's Reading

1 Chronicles. We have (finally) moved from the list of names to the narrative. Saul lost the kingdom because of disobedience. He tried to hold onto it by his personal power. Have you ever made similar mistakes?  Even as I write this (I am normally a couple of days ahead in my reading), I am trying to discern God's will about an important decision.  I am cautious because I rushed such a decision many years ago and it was extremely costly.  I could force this decision to happen, but it would probably be disastrous.

April 28, Day 118

Today's Reading

Psalms.  O LORD, I cry out to you. I will keep on pleading day by day.(Psalm 88:13 NLT) The longer I walk with God, the more I understand this verse.  On the journey through this world, God's people encounter numerous needs and problems.  Even when we personally have all we need, we recognize the pain of the world around us and are called to plead for them.

April 27, Day 117

Today's Reading

1 Chronicles. In much the same way that monarchs come through a single family line, the Old Testament priests were from the line of Aaron and the tribe of Levi.  In Christ, Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave and free are all one.

April 26, Day 116

Today's Reading

Psalms. Again, I was struck by a few verses in Psalms today.  How I thank God that He gave us these words to search our own hearts and express ourselves to Him.

21 Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. 22 I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. 23 Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. Psalm 73:21-23 (NLT) I discovered that the word "bitter" (v. 21) is the same word as "leaven."  It can mean sour.  I was struggling with stress when I recently met with my accountability partners.  "I'm overwhelmed," I told them. Hoping for a word of kindness or encouragement, I was shocked to hear one of them say, "That happens when you are trying to control things you can't control."  He further told me I needed to repent!  After some thought, I realized he was right.  I repented, turned over the situation to the Lord and my stress symptoms went away.

19 Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters— a pathway no one knew was there! Psalm 77:19 (NLT) Our lives are full of impossible challenges and impassable trails.  Thank God that He knows the answers and has paths we can't see!

How about you?  What do you see today?

April 25, Day 115

Today's Reading

1 Chronicles. Those who compiled this particular Chronology have obviously kept us reading some chapters to completion, even though they historically hadn't happened in tandem with other history we are reading.  For instance, 1 Chronicles 3 fast-forwards through a list of the kingly descendants of David all the way to the end of the Old Testament era.  We won't read of them in detail until a few months from now.

Don't forget to pause for a moment to reflect on Jabez and his prayer in Chapter 4.  The Prayer of Jabez is a very encouraging little book, if you haven't read it.

April 24, Day 114

Today's Reading

Psalms. As you have probably guessed, our current reading is from the historical era when many of the Psalms were written.  I encourage you to take time and allow them to speak to you.  You will find some treasures for your heart.  For instance, I ran onto this: "8 Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough 9 to live forever and never see the grave." (Psalm 49)

Since we live in a culture where many think they are acceptable to God because they are good people, this jumped out at me.  Which verses speak to your heart?

April 23, Day 113

Today's Reading

1 Chronicles. It's easy to drown in this sea of names, isn't it? I suggest you skim over them to get a semblance of the order and the family groups. I'm not sure how this part of Scripture came about, but it's possible that it was the result of beginning to write down history that previously had been passed on by word of mouth from one generation to the next.

For instance, I have cousins who grew up near me. One part of our family trees are the same. Yet we each had another side of our family that wasn't related to the cousins. Each side of those families has a history, often told from one generation to the next. If someone were writing a "Chronicles" today, they would gather each of those histories and compile them, telling the "high points."

Reading in chronological order means that we must go back now and catch up with the family trees before we move along with the narrative.

April 22, Day 112

Today's Reading

Psalms. The days are rare when I don't spend a chunk of time in the Scriptures.  I have been doing so for many years and it feels natural to view the world through their lens.  I enjoy taking a few minutes each day to work on this little blog; it's recreational for me to open the day's reading and think about how to help you as you are reading it.

It has been a while, though, since my soul was thirsty for a fresh word from the Word.  Today I didn't need a word to preach or teach, I needed a word for me.  The combination of Easter week and a variety of critical tasks have left me feeling overwhelmed.  The physical repercussions of the stress are starting to drag on me as well.  Therefore, some verses from Psalms today were like drinks of fresh water...

7 I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.8 I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. (Psalm 16)

12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.13 Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19)

4 He asked you to preserve his life, and you granted his request. The days of his life stretch on forever. (Psalm 21)

April 21, Day 111

Today's Reading

2 Samuel begins at the inception of David as king. Notice how David didn't fall into the temptation to rejoice over Saul's death. Proverbs teaches that we are not to rejoice when our enemy falls. This was an Amalekite -- remember that Amalek in the Old Testament symbolizes the power of our flesh -- who came with this news (and he lied about killing Saul). David grieved for Saul and God honored him.

David finally became king over all Israel, but at what price? Many people had been killed by their own relatives. Plus, Joab and Abishai had gained such military strength that David felt he couldn't control them. Even though David was victorious, it was a tragic picture.

April 20, Day 110

Today's Reading

Psalms. A friend of mine recently visited the Holy Land and spoke of a day they ascended up ancient Mt. Zion reading the Psalms of Assent.  Since we are reading five of them today, I did a quick search and found this page to be a helpful explanation.

My mom loves mountains and lived on one when she was young.  She loved the poetry of Psalm 121: "I lift up my eyes to the mountains; where does my help come from?"  She always thought of mountains as places of refuge and peace.  It was a shock to her when she learned that this Psalm is a warning to NOT look to the mountains, but to the Lord.  When the Psalm was written, pagan worshipers had built altars to other gods on the tops of every mountain possible.  People looked to the mountains because they looked to those false gods.

What false gods am I tempted to run to?

April 19, Day 109

Today's Reading

1 Samuel. Several of you will have questions about the medium/witch at Endor. The answer is that we don't know for sure what happened. Because of other Scriptures, I think it's possible that she called up a spirit impersonating Samuel. Obviously, much of what the spirit told them was true. However, the truth drove Saul into fear and despair rather than toward God's comfort. Therefore, I believe it was probably an evil spirit.

Despite all his maneuverings, Saul died. What a horrible, tragic picture of life. God had chosen him and blessed him, but he was so insecure that it was never enough. Someone said that we carry two buckets around with us: a bucket of water and a bucket of gasoline. Much of the content of our days depends on which bucket we use when the fires of adversity come upon us.

Today's reading concludes with Psalm 18, David's celebration of thanks when the trial with Saul was finally ended.  I fail to celebrate enough at the end of large challenges.  My personality is to run to the next challenge.  I need to work on this area of my life.

April 18, Day 108

Today's Reading

Psalms. As you read each of these Psalms, think about the pressure David and his men were under.  They were being chased by Saul.  They found a fragile refuge with an enemy king.  They still had to fight in order to eat.  They were clearly in a place between what had been and what was to come.

Are you in such a place today?  Let these Psalms feed your soul!

April 17, Day 107

Today's Reading

1 Samuel. David spared Saul's life and Saul "repented" from trying to kill David. What do you think that meant?

Near that same time, David's men had been protecting the property of people out in the wilderness where they were hiding. It would have been common to "pay" the protection service and David's request wasn't haughty. Nabal's answer, though, was. When David married Abigail, he most likely received all of Nabal's estate. He seemed attracted to Abigail for the honorable way she had dealt with the previous matter.

Finally, David sought refuge from Saul by turning to his enemies, the Palestinians.  In modern terms, it would be a bit like someone from the U.S. turning to China to seek refuge from the North Koreans.  David was surrounded!  But it was a defining moment in his life.  Tomorrow we will read some great Psalms that came out of the pressure cooker.

April 16, Day 106

Today's Reading

Psalms. I reflected today on those days of life when we get hemmed in by circumstances.  A loved one is having surgery and we find ourselves spending hours in a hospital waiting room.  Or our car is being service and we are sitting in the guest room at the dealer.  Or our trip to the mountains is interrupted by a huge storm, confining us to the cabin.  You know how those days go.  We are ripped from our plans and forced to sit and wait.

Those were David's circumstances as he wrote these Psalms.  He wasn't just forced to wait; he had to hide for his life!  Yet he reflected on God.  He thought (Psalm 120) about the pilgrims climbing the hills toward Jerusalem and the Temple.  He reflected on God's protection.  He cried out for God's mercy.  He even name one of his tunes: "Dove on Distant Oaks."

Reflection times are a gift, even when they aren't in our calendar.  We can think much on God in those times.  We ought to.

April 15, Day 105

Today's Reading

Psalms. If you are following the chronological plan, I hope you find today's "day in the Psalms" refreshing.  Remember where we are in the sequence of historical events: David was being pursued by Saul who wanted him dead at all costs.  Those of us who know where the story is going, can relax as we watch Saul relentlessly pursue and David weave and bob his way past the troubles.  What we can forget is that David didn't know how it was going to end.  Yes, he had promises from God that he would someday be king, but those promises no doubt seemed far off as David dodged Saul's spears and hid from his armies.  How did he cope with the stress of that season?  He wrote out (and surely sung out) his cries to God.  For example...

God is my shield,  saving those whose hearts are true and right.

Do not turn your back on me.  Do not reject your servant in anger.  You have always been my helper.  Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me,  O God of my salvation!

My future is in your hands.  Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.

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

But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God.  I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.

Timeless words written in troubled times.  I'm so glad I have them.  How about you?

 

April 14, Day 104

Today's Reading

1 Samuel. At every turn, Saul thought himself the poor victim.  That thinking gave him "permission" to do whatever he wanted to defend himself.  He could have yielded his life to God; he would have still lost the kingdom, but he could have had a good reign.  Instead, he lived in hatred and fear of David.  His consuming passion was David's destruction.  His enemies got strong and God actually helped David through it.

David, on the other hand, sought God instead of the kingdom.  He refused to take matters into his own hands.  When God was his passion, God orchestrated everything else on David's behalf.  It's a great lesson to remember today!

April 13, Day 103

Today's Reading

1 Samuel.  I'm not sure that I fully understand why Jonathan signaled David that his life was in danger, then told him face to face. Why the signal if they could just meet and talk? What I do understand is that Jonathan knew David was selected as the next king. He said, "May the Lord be with you as he used to be with my father."

Psalms. Today we get one of those privileges to see how David wrote Psalms as he dealt with the pressures of his life.  Thank God that we can read them and let them speak to us as we are facing trials!

April 12, Day 102

Today's Reading

1 Samuel. Saul faced the same kinds of temptations that we face. Amalek was a tribe of people who symbolized that part of us that Paul -- in the New Testament -- calls the flesh. We are at war with our flesh, which is like a gateway to sin in our lives. We are to deal with it mercilessly and not allow it to lead us astray in our walk with Christ. Saul didn't obey with Amalek and we have the same problem with our flesh.

Don't be misled by the term "tormenting spirit from God." A better way to say it for us would be, "an evil spirit which God allowed to torment him." Saul was vulnerable because of his own sins.

David was so different than Saul! Saul was insecure and David had confidence. Saul seemed to take responsibility for battle on his own shoulders and David gave it to God. Saul tried to hold onto the glory for himself and David gave it also to God.

April 11, Day 101

Today's Reading

1 Samuel.  Saul, in his insecurity, was too impatient to wait on God's timetable. By making the sacrifices himself, he sinned against God and cut off his future from God's blessing. It's a tragic story. I wonder how many times I have missed God's best because I got in a hurry.

Saul's son, Jonathan, had all the makings of a great leader.  He was bold, took appropriate risks and didn't care who got the credit.  His humility was countered by the pride and manipulations of Saul.  Notice today's passage how Saul foolishly lays a requirement of "no food" on his men.

Are you tempted to just push harder when your plans aren't being blessed by God?

April 10, Day 100

Today's Reading

1 Samuel. This is the beginning of the reign of Saul. He was ill-prepared for being a king. He seems to have had little leadership experience and immediately used the threat of force to accomplish his first military battle, which (by God's grace) was a victory. As we watch Saul, notice how he never becomes confident about who he is. His insecurity brings great heartbreak to many, including his own family.

April 9, Day 99

Today's Reading

1 Samuel.  This is a story so powerful that you can just see it. The idol of Dagon was worshiped as a god. Yet, for two days in a row, the idol fell face-down before the Ark of God. "Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." Wow!  Then, when the ark was given back to Israel, 70 men died because they looked into it.  I think it was 70 men (The Sanhedrin was 70 plus the High Priest in Jesus' day.) who gathered for worship and convinced themselves that, as men of Israel, they had the right to do what God had clearly forbidden.

The description of what a king would take from the people reminds me of the frequent greed among our leaders today.  Claiming to care for the people, they line their pockets with wealth at the expense of the people.

What did you notice today?  What questions do you have?

April 8, Day 98

Today's Reading

1 Samuel.  My name comes from this heritage, for my mother was like Hannah: childless and offering to dedicate her firstborn to the Lord. Therefore, this story is extra personal to me.  (I didn't know about my mom's commitment until after I felt God's specific call into ministry when I was 18 years old.) It opens a great history of Israel and her people.

Religious corruption is not something new!  Samuel grew up in the midst of such corruption, but, "As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable." What a powerful statement. May people say the same about us!

April 7, Day 97

Today's Reading

Ruth. I'm blinking back tears as I read the story of Ruth and Boaz. Boaz was older and we know nothing of a wife previous to Ruth. Perhaps he was a widower or perhaps he had never married. Boaz grew up in a home where he learned about kindness to people regardless of their background. His mother was Rahab the Harlot, whom we met back in the town of Jericho (book of Joshua). Notice what Boaz said about Ruth's reputation during her short tenure in the region: 11 "Now don’t worry about a thing, my daughter. I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town knows you are a virtuous woman."

April 6, Day 96

Today's Reading

Judges. I can remember the shock I felt when, long ago, I first read today's chapters.  How could this be?  How could the people of God have such wanton disregard for others?  Today I thought about the Levite who pushed his concubine out the door to be abused all night.  In the morning he roughly said, "Get up; let's go!"  She was nothing more than an animal?  Was he blaming her father who kept delaying their departure?  Then, the way Israel found wives for the men of Gibeah.  It's disgusting!

Then the book concludes.  As I mentioned when we started Judges, the last verse is the summation of the whole book: "They had no king; everyone did what was right in their own eyes."  It's as if the last chapters are the bottom of a long, slippery slope of decline morally and spiritually.

I'll be ready for Ruth tomorrow!

April 5, Day 95

Today's Reading

Judges. Some of the best life lessons I have learned have come in the form of watching the way things change (for better or for worse) over a long period of time.  I reflected on this as I read today's passage.  At the beginning of Judges, Israel was more or less unified and were moving in one direction as a nation.  They pledged their allegiance to the one, true God and promised to follow His ways.  Judges unfolds over many generations.  Year by year their unity was shattered and the descended into all sorts of idolatry.  If nothing else, that's a big lesson for us.

How else can we explain the spiritual blindness of Samson, which long preceded his physical blindness.  Samson's hair wasn't the source of his strength; it just represented his obedience to God in one area of his life.  His capitulation to the ploys of Delilah are mind-boggling.  She used the same trick over and over again; he fell for it each time.

The story of Micah demonstrates just how far down they traveled.  Micah's priest was a Levite, dedicated to serve God from birth.  Yet his tools of worship included idols and and ephod which was the equivalent of some lucky charm to discern God's will.  It's pathetic, but it's also prophetic of the same mixing of paganism with Christianity that takes place all over the globe today.

April 4, Day 94

Today's Reading

Judges. Today begins the story of Samson. It is an account of tragedy and heroism. One note: the "angel of the Lord" was almost certainly God Himself taking on human form. Throughout Scripture, angels never accept worship from people because they, too, are created beings. This person accept the worship of Samson's parents.

I noticed the distinction between the faith of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist whose birth was announced by an angel.  Zechariah said, "How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” (Luke 1:18 NLT) Manoah, the father of Samson, said, “When your words come true, what kind of rules should govern the boy’s life and work?” (Judges 13:12 NLT)

At Stone Ridge, we just studied the Biblical concept of hope.  The doubtful, "I hope so" doesn't fit with the Bible idea.  Hope is what happens when we are waiting on something we are sure will happen; it just hasn't happened yet.  Manoah had hope.  Zechariah had doubt.

April 3, Day 93

Today's Reading

Judges.  As you read the tragic account of Jephthah today, remember the theme of the book: "everyone did what was right in his own eyes." The results sort of fly in the face of the humanistic idea that people are basically good and will internally want to do the right thing.

April 2, Day 92

Today's Reading

Judges.  The history in this book often baffles me. One thing it shows is that, when the people turned away from good, they were corrupted in all sorts of ways. What do you learn from the story of Abimelech?

April 1, Day 91

Today's Reading

Judges. Gideon struggled with God's plan for him. He looked at his own abilities and doubted. Have you done that?  Before judging Gideon for his lack of faith in requesting twice for the fleece to show him God's will, remember the spiritual darkness of his generation.  I have observed that it becomes more challenging to walk by the light when I am surrounded by darkness.

This is a vivid description of the defeat of the Midianites by Gideon and his 300 men. I would love to hear the review of this battle by some of our experienced military people. Suffice it for me to tell you that Midian's army was probably the most powerful fighting force of their day. God reduced the size of Gideon's army so that God Himself brought the victory.