I Corinthians 1"""

I Corinthians 1  Paul addressed this letter to the church at Corinth and to "... everyone everywhere who calls on the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, their Lord as well as ours."  ( v 2; CJB)  

To us!

He begins right off addressing the issue of divisions in the church.  His admonition is that they be "restored to having a common mind and a common purpose".   The Messiah, Paul reminds them, has not been "split in pieces"!  What really matters the most to all of the church is the gospel - the message of the cross. This is what unites all believers and this is our singular purpose - the Good News of Jesus!

The message of the "execution-stake" as the Complete Jewish Bible calls it, "is nonsense to those in the process of being destroyed, but to us in the process of being saved it is the power of God."  God has chosen to make the wisdom of the world "look pretty foolish".  The world cannot come to know Him by "using its own wisdom", Paul writes. "Therefore God decided to use the 'nonsense' of what we proclaim as his means of saving those who come to trust in it." 

"But God chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise;"

"God chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the strong;"

"..and God chose what the world looks down on as common or regards as nothing in order to bring to nothing what the world considers important."

"... so that no one should boast before God." 

" It is His doing that you are united with the Messiah Yeshua. He has become wisdom for us from God and righteousness and holiness and redemption as well!"  

"Let anyone who wants to boast, boast about Adonai"

We come to God our Lord, our Adonai, by grace - it is His doing!  We come to Him by faith, trusting in the message of the cross - that Jesus Christ, "God's power and God's wisdom" died to pay our ransom. 

The wisdom of people cannot grasp this truth. It is foolishness to the world, but "God's 'nonsense' is wiser than humanity's 'wisdom'".   No man can grasp salvation through intelligence, strength, or power. 

There is only one way to be saved and that is through faith in Jesus Christ!

Father in heaven, we boast of Your grace and of Your glory and of Your wisdom and power.  You alone are worthy of all praise!  Thank You for uniting us with Jesus Christ the Messiah.  He is our all in all!

In Christ we find all wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and salvation.  We fix our eyes on Jesus only!

Keep us, Your church, focused on our common purpose with a common mind - the good news of the cross of Jesus Christ our Lord. It is in His name we pray, amen. 

Deuteronomy 31-34

Moses turned 120 years old.  He died "with eyes undimmed and vigor undiminished" on Mount Nebo. These last 4 chapters ( Deuteronomy 31-34)  contain a song, a blessing, and a eulogy.  Before Moses died, he knew that Israel would not remain faithful to Adonai their God.  He knew that the land they were going to possess would eventually be left behind as they were exiled.  He had done all he could and there was nothing else that he could do.  He fulfilled the role that God had called him to do and died in the Presence of the One he loved so much. 

We all will leave a legacy behind.  The kind of life we live will affect the next generations.. for good or for evil. It must have been heartbreaking for Moses to hear that the people he had led for those 40 years would not remain faithful to Adonai.  They didn't know Him like Moses did - face to face.  Tozer wrote this, "We can never know who or what we are till we know at least something of what God is. "  It is vital that we seek to know Him.. to know that we are totally dependent on Him , that without God there is no creation - including mankind. May we leave a legacy of faithfulness and love for God, walking in the Truth of His Word. 

I pray that we will not fall away as Israel did.  They were God's chosen people and they threw it all away for dust.. for nothing.  Our world is filled with people who are choosing Self instead of God. Sin has become so common that it is considered "natural".  We need a new awakening so that God is made known as He truly is.. "See now that I, yes I, am He; and there is no god beside me.  I put to death, and I make alive; I wound and I heal; no one saves anyone from my hand."  ( Deuteronomy 32:39)

Father in heaven,  You alone are God and there is none like You. Open our eyes, circumcise our hearts, and increase our knowledge of who You are.  Fill our hearts with a hunger and thirst for Yourself. Lift our thoughts above the emptiness  of the things of this world, to see Your glory!  Help us to know You so that we can know who we are.. Your creation.. Your servants.. Your children.   May we be able to declare with great joy- "I am Yours and You are mine."  Amen and amen!

Deuteronomy 29-30

The generation of Israelites that were adults as they fled from Egypt had made a covenant with God at Sinai, but then failed to keep that covenant when they rebelled, refusing to trust Him and enter the Land of Promise.  Forty years later, they were all gone except for Caleb and Joshua.  Moses leads the surviving generation to enter their own covenant with Adonai in the land of Moab.  He has reminded them of the laws and instructions that God commanded them to obey and the promises of blessing if they continued to keep His commands.  He also reminded them of the curses and consequences for turning away from God. 

Over and over Moses emphasized that the people needed to "choose life".. chose to love the Lord their God, choose to pay attention to the Words of God, and chose to obey...  "for this is the purpose of your life"!   (Deuteronomy 30:20)

God is the One who gives understanding, who circumcises hearts, who  gives purpose for living.. if we pay attention to what He says and cling to Him with ALL our hearts and all our being!   Like Israel we have been given the Word of God.. freely.. so that we can live.  We need to keep our side of the new covenant that was provided to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. We are His people and He is our God!  (see Hebrews 8:10)

Father in heaven,  help us.. open our eyes and circumcise our hearts so that we will live fully committed and obedient to Your Word. May we cling to You and love You and know You more and more.   Fulfill Your purposes for us by the power of Your Spirit we pray. In Jesus' name, amen. 

Deuteronomy 26-28

 Deuteronomy 26-28

These three chapters  instruct Israel about the blessings that were theirs if they would listen, observe, and do the things that Adonai commanded them and the curses that would come upon them if they didn't  listen and obey His Words.  It was all spelled out for them.. the blessings were beyond their greatest wishes.. the curses where beyond their worse fears. 

This is still the truth of God's ways towards mankind.  If we choose His ways in obedience and love, our Lord will provide for us abundantly more than we can ask or imagine.  But, if we refuse, the result is our own destruction.  It is our choice. 

If we belong to our Lord fully, we will listen to His voice and obey His commands.  He promises to bless us - wherever we are, in all that we do, whenever He chooses.  But, if we go our own ways and refuse to listen to His voice and obey His Word, then the curse will cover every area of our lives also... wherever we are, whatever we are doing, and whenever He chooses. 

Deut. 28:63 tells us that Adonai took joy in doing good for Israel when they obeyed His commands, but that He would take joy in causing them to perish and be scattered for their disobedience.. " Adonai will give you there anguish of heart, dimness of eyes and apathy of spirit." (v 65). 

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have been blessed "with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ". ( Ephesians 1:3).  Our Father has "lavished upon us"  His grace. He has made known to us "the mystery of His will".  He has given us an eternal inheritance.  He has given us "wisdom and insight".  He takes joy in blessing us with hope and peace and unending love.  We, in turn, worship Him, listen to His voice, and follow Him with all our hearts. 

But, for those who refuse to believe, to listen, and to obey the Word of God.. their end is destruction.  The Word of God warns us clearly.. over and over again that the deeds "of the flesh".. those things that are against the Word of God.. must be "put to death".. "crucified"  - deliberately and thoroughly dealt with in surrender and repentance in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 5:24) 

Father in heaven,  holy and sovereign God, we hallow Your Name.  You alone are God and there is no other.  Father, I pray that You will open our eyes to Your Truth.  Remove the veil from our eyes and the apathy in our spirits.  Bring a new, fresh awareness of Your Presence and power made available to us through Jesus Christ our Lord, that we might put aside.. crucify every fleshly desire and choose Life in love and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ.  Do a new work in us.. in Your church... and in our land, we pray in Jesus' name. amen. 

Deuteronomy 22-25

Deuteronomy 22-25 -  These chapters are full of various laws that are strict and sometimes uncomfortable for us.  Yet, the bottom line is that God's desire for His people is that they are holy and that they love one another perfectly:

Loving your neighbor includes returning anything that he has lost and not ignoring it. 

It would include helping when you find something that belongs to your neighbor hurt or in need. 

It would include treating a wife.. or any woman with respect and kindness. 

It would include fairness in business and kindness to the poor. 

People of God who want to live holy lives should act in loving ways towards each other, respecting their marriages and the marriages of others.  They should keep their vows.  They should keep their homes free of things that are indecent or unholy in the Lord's eyes.  And they should take responsibilities seriously, pleasing the Lord in all they do by obedience to His Word. 

Most of all, Israel was reminded time and time again that the Lord had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt.. so they should treat others in the same way that they were treated.  Jesus taught,  "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure it will be measured to you." ( Matt. 7:2) We have been forgiven much.. .we are called to forgive others.. even 70 times 7 times. 

Even though some of these laws are difficult.. we can see them summed up in what Jesus said, " You shall love the Lord Your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind...You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  These are the greatest and foremost commandments according to Jesus.  As people of God, believers in Christ, it is our love that should shine through all we do - love for God and love for others.  ( Matthew 22:37-39)

Father in heaven, You are holy and righteous in all Your Ways. We fall far short of Your standards. Thank You for salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. Fill us with Your love so that we might live out that love towards others and that in obedience to Your Word we will love You with all of our hearts. Sanctify us that we might be Your holy people filled with Your love.  We desire to worship You alone and pray that You will be glorified in our lives and in Your church. Amen. 

Deuteronomy 19-21

Deuteronomy 19-21  These instructions are given to Israel to guide them in the new land that God was giving them.  Chapter 19 deals with handling accidental deaths and intentional murder.  God gave them a way to handle both cases. An accidental death was to be handled differently than an angry pre-meditated murder.   It is written very clearly here, that a murderer would not receive pity but be put to death. That is God's view of justice.  ".. you must put an end to the shedding of innocent blood in Israel."  

Another important instruction in chapter 19.. "One witness alone will not be sufficient to convict a person of any offense or sin of any kind; the matter will be established only if there are two or three witnesses testifying against him."  A false witness was to be dealt with severely - " you are to do to him what he intended to do to his brother."  

Chapter 20 gives instructions for war.  Chapter 21 deals with how to handle unsolved murders, marriage to a woman captured from the enemy, and inheritance rights for the firstborn son, even if he is the child of an unloved wife.  Verses 18-21 give the law for a rebellious unrepentant son, commanding that he be stoned to death.  

Verses 22-23 are significant - ".. a person who has been hanged has been cursed by God - so that you will not defile your land which Adonai your God is giving you to inherit."   

Paul quoted this passage in Galatians 3;13 "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us -for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree' - in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." 

It is significant that Jesus died on a cross. 

 Justice is sometimes harsh. It is final. We take it far too lightly. It belongs to God...   "For Adonai your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty and awesome God, who has no favorites and accepts no bribes. He secures justice for the orphan and the widow; he loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.. You are to fear Adonai your God, serve him, cling to him and swear by his name. " (10:17-20)  

Justice demands death - the penalty for sin... murder, rebellion, false testimony.. whatever the offense -

 "...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" ( Romans 3:23)  and "the wages of sin is death.. " ( 6:23).  There is nothing that we can do; God will not show favoritism or partiality.  He will not ignore our sins, no matter who we are.. We are all guilty and we are all are under that curse - unless we come to Jesus Christ and receive the forgiveness that He provides for us.. the "free gift of God" for He became "a curse for us" by hanging on a tree. 

Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, God of gods and Lord of lords.. You are great and mighty and awesome in all Your ways.  Thank You Jesus for taking our place, for becoming a curse for us that we might become righteous by Your abundant gift of grace.  Oh how we praise You and worship You. You went to the cross and paid the ransom for our souls.  You rose again from the grave, conquering death forever more!  It is finished!  Praise God!   We cling to You and we serve You alone.  Adonai, my Lord, there is none like You.  All glory and honor and praise to You forever and ever. Amen. 

Deuteronomy 18

Deuteronomy 18 - There are three distinct topics in this chapter:

First, a reminder that the Priests and Levites belonged to Adonai - and He was their inheritance. They would get their support from the sacrifices and first fruit offerings presented to the Lord by all the other tribes.  "For Adonai your God has chosen him from all your tribes to stand and serve in the name of Adonai, him and his sons forever." 

Second, a reminder and warning about the "abominable practices" of the nations that God was removing from the land that He was giving to Israel.  Included in these things that God considers
"detestable" are "anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through fire, a diviner, a soothsayer, an enchanter, a sorcerer, a spell caster, a consulter of ghosts or spirits, or a necromancer."  All of these things are still detestable to God.  Our society wants to say that these are entertaining - too many movies and tv shows promote what God calls "abominable"!  We, as believers, need to be discerning about such things.
"You must be wholehearted with Adonai your God!"  He will not allow such practices among His people.

Thirdly,  we are given a wonderful promise in verses 15-19 , "Adonai will raise up for you a prophet like me from among yourselves, from your own kinsmen. You are to pay attention to him... I will raise up from them a prophet like you... I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I order him. Whoever doesn't listen to my words, which he will speak in my name, will have to account for himself to Me."   Peter quoted this passage in his second sermon after Pentecost, showing us that Jesus is the One who completely fulfilled this promise. ( Acts 3: 22-26)

Father in heaven, help us to be wholehearted with You, every day and in every way.. listening to Your Word and doing what You say.  Grant to us the wisdom that come from above, which is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering and without hypocrisy. Fill us with Your Spirit and sanctify us through and through!  We thank You for the salvation that is through Jesus Christ the Lord, and it is in His name that we come. amen.