2 Corinthians 2 Paul loved the church at Corinth. He was distressed when they were allowing sin.. allowing the Adversary.. to cause disunity and strife. He wanted to come to them with rejoicing, not discipline. But, the church did follow Paul's instructions and dealt with the problem as they should. Now, Paul taught - forgive, restore, encourage and comfort the repentant sinner.
How is it that we are quick to point fingers at those who fall, but slow to forgive and restore the one who repents? It is hard to trust someone again after they have fallen... yet we all have stumbled at one point or another. Perhaps the one we fail to trust or forgive is our loved one.. or even.. ourself. Paul's teaching is for us too , to- "forgive.. encourage.. comfort" .
Verse 14 " But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place." This is an excellent word to pray for those who minister the Word of God.
Father in heaven, bless Your servants who preach the Word, near or far, that as they preach the truth of Jesus Christ - it will be a sweet aroma that leads to life and salvation . Have mercy on those who are now lost and blind, those who smell only death... for only by the power of Your mighty Hand can these be found, receive their sight, and brought to life again.. Send workers into Your harvest fields, Lord, to speak the Words of Life and may the fruit of changed lives bring glory and honor to Your holy Name. Amen.
Friday, July 31, 2020
Thursday, July 30, 2020
2 Corinthians 1
Back to the NT - 2 Corinthians 1
Paul gives praise to God, the Father.. "compassionate Father, God of all encouragement and comfort; who encourages (comforts) us in all our trials, so that we can encourage (comfort) others in whatever trials they may be undergoing with the encouragement (comfort) we ourselves received from God."
This word "encouragement" or "comfort" comes from the Greek word parakaleo - "to call near, invite, exhort, invoke, pray, implore, console." We recognize the word parakletos - which Jesus used for the Holy Spirit in John 16:7 "... if I do not go away, the Helper ( the parakletos) shall not come to you but if I go I will send Him to you.. ".
So, we could say - our compassionate Father, who comes near to us- to encourage, comfort, console and help us.. who gives us His comfort - calling us near to Him in prayer, exhorting us through His Word, and filling us with His Spirit - helps us in our trials... that we might help others in theirs. We can come near to them, pray for them, share the Word with them, and help them by the power of God's Spirit at work in us.
Paul goes on to do exactly this! He and his team had gone through some great trials. "The burden laid on us was so far beyond what we could bear.. In our hearts we felt we were under sentence of death." They certainly needed the nearness and comfort and help from God - and He provided!
".. this was to get us to rely not on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead! He rescued us from such deadly peril and he will rescue us again! The one in whom we have placed our hope will indeed continue to rescue us."
May we also be comforted, encouraged, and drawn near to our heavenly Father by daring to believe that this is Truth for us too! We may feel we are "under sentence of death".. that the "burden" is too hard to bear; that these trials are too much. We must not forget- indeed may we rejoice and give thanks - that we have a God who never changes, a God of compassion, who never leaves us or forsakes us, and who will rescue us.. again and again! May we encourage and comfort one another with these Truths!
Father in heaven, praise to You, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who fulfills every promise in Him! We rely on You, not ourselves, for every need in the trials of our lives.. for You are the God who raises the dead. There is nothing that You cannot do! Your mercy is.. "an infinite and inexhaustible energy within the divine nature which disposes [You] to be actively compassionate." (Tozer) -towards us! May we never forget, never forsake, and never turn away from Your great mercy, freely bestowed upon us in Jesus Christ our Lord. We put our hope in You alone! Amen and amen!
Paul gives praise to God, the Father.. "compassionate Father, God of all encouragement and comfort; who encourages (comforts) us in all our trials, so that we can encourage (comfort) others in whatever trials they may be undergoing with the encouragement (comfort) we ourselves received from God."
This word "encouragement" or "comfort" comes from the Greek word parakaleo - "to call near, invite, exhort, invoke, pray, implore, console." We recognize the word parakletos - which Jesus used for the Holy Spirit in John 16:7 "... if I do not go away, the Helper ( the parakletos) shall not come to you but if I go I will send Him to you.. ".
So, we could say - our compassionate Father, who comes near to us- to encourage, comfort, console and help us.. who gives us His comfort - calling us near to Him in prayer, exhorting us through His Word, and filling us with His Spirit - helps us in our trials... that we might help others in theirs. We can come near to them, pray for them, share the Word with them, and help them by the power of God's Spirit at work in us.
Paul goes on to do exactly this! He and his team had gone through some great trials. "The burden laid on us was so far beyond what we could bear.. In our hearts we felt we were under sentence of death." They certainly needed the nearness and comfort and help from God - and He provided!
".. this was to get us to rely not on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead! He rescued us from such deadly peril and he will rescue us again! The one in whom we have placed our hope will indeed continue to rescue us."
May we also be comforted, encouraged, and drawn near to our heavenly Father by daring to believe that this is Truth for us too! We may feel we are "under sentence of death".. that the "burden" is too hard to bear; that these trials are too much. We must not forget- indeed may we rejoice and give thanks - that we have a God who never changes, a God of compassion, who never leaves us or forsakes us, and who will rescue us.. again and again! May we encourage and comfort one another with these Truths!
Father in heaven, praise to You, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who fulfills every promise in Him! We rely on You, not ourselves, for every need in the trials of our lives.. for You are the God who raises the dead. There is nothing that You cannot do! Your mercy is.. "an infinite and inexhaustible energy within the divine nature which disposes [You] to be actively compassionate." (Tozer) -towards us! May we never forget, never forsake, and never turn away from Your great mercy, freely bestowed upon us in Jesus Christ our Lord. We put our hope in You alone! Amen and amen!
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Joshua 22-24
Joshua 22-24 Israel had taken possession of the land and had found rest from their enemies. Joshua gives leave to the soldiers belonging to Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh to go home, on the other side of the Jordan. They are warned to stay faithful to Adonai, "following all his ways, observe his laws, cling to him and serve him with all your heart and being." Wanting to make sure that they were included in the nation of Israel, the men built an altar to the Lord. This caused an uprising among the other tribes because they were afraid that it would bring judgement over the whole nation. This misunderstanding was cleared up as they vowed to obey God alone.
Joshua gives a farewell address to all of Israel reminding them of all that God had done, starting with Abraham's calling out of Ur and up to the provision of this promised land. He challenged the people to "choose today whom you are going to serve." Over and over again the swear to serve Adonai.
Joshua is 110 years old when he dies and is buried in the land that was his inheritance. He had made his choice to serve the Lord, his God. He remained faithful throughout his whole life.
Today.. and every day.. we make a choice to serve, worship, cling to, and obey the Lord our God.
We make that choice by never giving His place to any other.. even to our own egos. He is the only One worthy of our worship and our service. May we be faithful to serve Him all the days of our lives.
Father, we know that You alone are worthy of worship. We will give no place to any other. You are holy and righteous. You are Infinite and Amighty God. May we be men and women who serve You with all of our hearts and beings. Thank You for bringing us into Your Kingdom, to be Your people who have entered into the rest of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Joshua gives a farewell address to all of Israel reminding them of all that God had done, starting with Abraham's calling out of Ur and up to the provision of this promised land. He challenged the people to "choose today whom you are going to serve." Over and over again the swear to serve Adonai.
Joshua is 110 years old when he dies and is buried in the land that was his inheritance. He had made his choice to serve the Lord, his God. He remained faithful throughout his whole life.
Today.. and every day.. we make a choice to serve, worship, cling to, and obey the Lord our God.
We make that choice by never giving His place to any other.. even to our own egos. He is the only One worthy of our worship and our service. May we be faithful to serve Him all the days of our lives.
Father, we know that You alone are worthy of worship. We will give no place to any other. You are holy and righteous. You are Infinite and Amighty God. May we be men and women who serve You with all of our hearts and beings. Thank You for bringing us into Your Kingdom, to be Your people who have entered into the rest of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Joshua 15-21
These seven chapters of Joshua (15-21) describe the division of the land according to each tribe's inheritance. Every tribe then gave a portion of the cities and land to the Levites for their use and for cities of refuge. The cities of refuge were located throughout the land so that no one would have to travel far if they needed to take refuge there.
Several tribes had difficulty driving out the Canaanites and instead forced them to be their slaves. Several tribes had to take more land for themselves and Judah actually had too much land, so part of it went to Simeon.
At the end of chapter 21 we find this summery, " So Adonai gave Israel all the land which he swore to give to their ancestors, and they took possession of it and lived in it. Then Adonai gave them rest all around, according to everything he and sworn to their ancestors. Not a man from all their enemies stood against them; Adonai handed all enemies over to them. Not one good thing that Adonai had spoken of to the household of Israel failed to happen; it all took place."
What a wonderful reminder we have through this Word - that all God says He will do - He does!
And all He does is good! Let me share another portion of Tozer's book, The Knowledge of the Holy:
"The goodness of God is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. He is tenderhearted and of quick sympathy, and His unfailing attitude toward all moral beings is open, frank, and friendly. By His nature He is inclined to bestow blessedness and He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people."
He goes on to say that if we want to know what the goodness of God is like, we only need to look at Jesus, "From Him we learn how God acts toward people...
Several tribes had difficulty driving out the Canaanites and instead forced them to be their slaves. Several tribes had to take more land for themselves and Judah actually had too much land, so part of it went to Simeon.
At the end of chapter 21 we find this summery, " So Adonai gave Israel all the land which he swore to give to their ancestors, and they took possession of it and lived in it. Then Adonai gave them rest all around, according to everything he and sworn to their ancestors. Not a man from all their enemies stood against them; Adonai handed all enemies over to them. Not one good thing that Adonai had spoken of to the household of Israel failed to happen; it all took place."
What a wonderful reminder we have through this Word - that all God says He will do - He does!
And all He does is good! Let me share another portion of Tozer's book, The Knowledge of the Holy:
"The goodness of God is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. He is tenderhearted and of quick sympathy, and His unfailing attitude toward all moral beings is open, frank, and friendly. By His nature He is inclined to bestow blessedness and He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people."
He goes on to say that if we want to know what the goodness of God is like, we only need to look at Jesus, "From Him we learn how God acts toward people...
the penitent will find Him merciful;
the self-condemned will find Him generous and kind.
To the frightened He is friendly,
to the poor in spirit He is forgiving,
to the ignorant, considerate,
to the weak, gentle,
to the stranger, hospitable."
Father in heaven, help us to rest and rejoice in Who You are.. in Your goodness, in Your wisdom, in Your faithfulness, and in Your infinite Being. You are God alone and our faith can rest in You for every need, every day and every hour. We cry out to You for mercy and healing, for we are living in a time of trouble in our land. You are our help and You are our Rock, Lord God, and it is to You that we cling. We want to be obedient to Your Word that exhorts us to be anxious for nothing...so in everything by prayers and petitions, with thanksgiving - we make our requests known to You. We pray for wisdom and discernment. We pray for revival and renewal. We pray for Your peace, that peace that is past our understanding, to fill our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. In His name we come. Amen.
Monday, July 27, 2020
Joshua 11-14
Joshua 11-14
Joshua led the army of Israel as the Lord ordered him. Every battle was won because God gave the land into the hands of Joshua and his army. Finally, "the land rested from war" ( 11:23) Chapter 12 gives the list of 31 kings who were defeated.
Chapter 13 starts with this statement, "Now Joshua was old; the years had taken their toll." Joshua was 103 years old according to the CJB commentary. He had accomplished a lot, but there was still much to be done. Joshua was instructed to divide the land according to the tribes. This would be done by lots. Joshua died at the age of 110. His testimony is recorded in chapters 23-24, but let me just quote one verse here, "Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed."
In chapter 14 we see Caleb, now 85 years old, come to Joshua to ask for the parcel of land that God would give to him. Caleb's testimony is simple: "I followed Adonai my God completely... Today I am eighty-five years old, but I am as strong today as on the day Moses sent me.. "
Joshua and Caleb were the only men left who had lived through the 40 years of wilderness wandering. They had remained faithful and served Adonai through it all. God was faithful to bring them into the Promised Land. He gave them an inheritance for their families. What wonderful examples to follow!
Father in heaven, You are altogether faithful. We can absolutely trust that You will do exactly as You say You will. May we have the kind of faith and perseverance that Joshua and Caleb had; to be able to say at the end of our lives, "We have followed the Lord our God completely" ( by Your grace) and that "we have seen that not one of Your good words have failed." We have such little faith sometimes, Lord. Forgive us and help us to "have a correct view of truth.. daring to believe everything that You have said about Yourself." ( Tozer) You will fulfill every promise to us who trust in Jesus Christ. Great is Your faithfulness! All glory and honor and thanksgiving we offer to You in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Joshua led the army of Israel as the Lord ordered him. Every battle was won because God gave the land into the hands of Joshua and his army. Finally, "the land rested from war" ( 11:23) Chapter 12 gives the list of 31 kings who were defeated.
Chapter 13 starts with this statement, "Now Joshua was old; the years had taken their toll." Joshua was 103 years old according to the CJB commentary. He had accomplished a lot, but there was still much to be done. Joshua was instructed to divide the land according to the tribes. This would be done by lots. Joshua died at the age of 110. His testimony is recorded in chapters 23-24, but let me just quote one verse here, "Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed."
In chapter 14 we see Caleb, now 85 years old, come to Joshua to ask for the parcel of land that God would give to him. Caleb's testimony is simple: "I followed Adonai my God completely... Today I am eighty-five years old, but I am as strong today as on the day Moses sent me.. "
Joshua and Caleb were the only men left who had lived through the 40 years of wilderness wandering. They had remained faithful and served Adonai through it all. God was faithful to bring them into the Promised Land. He gave them an inheritance for their families. What wonderful examples to follow!
Father in heaven, You are altogether faithful. We can absolutely trust that You will do exactly as You say You will. May we have the kind of faith and perseverance that Joshua and Caleb had; to be able to say at the end of our lives, "We have followed the Lord our God completely" ( by Your grace) and that "we have seen that not one of Your good words have failed." We have such little faith sometimes, Lord. Forgive us and help us to "have a correct view of truth.. daring to believe everything that You have said about Yourself." ( Tozer) You will fulfill every promise to us who trust in Jesus Christ. Great is Your faithfulness! All glory and honor and thanksgiving we offer to You in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Friday, July 24, 2020
Joshua 9-10
Joshua 9
All the kings in the land of Canaan joined together to fight against Israel. But, the Gibeonites decided to use a different strategy. They pretended to be travelers from far away, dressed in worn out clothes and even carried dried up bread and worn out wineskins to make it look like they had traveled a long time. They fooled Joshua and the leaders of Israel into making a covenant with them. Joshua failed to consult the Lord before making this covenant, even though he was suspicious. The Gibeonites became slaves to Israel. Gibeon also became an enemy of the other kings because of this and war came to them.
Chapter 10
Beginning with the attack on Gibeon, Israel began to attack and conquer the land. City after city fell to Joshua and his army. The Lord delivered the enemies into the hands of Israel. He even used great hailstones to destroy armies and made the sun stop moving to help them during a battle.
Joshua knew that Adonai, the God of Israel "fought for Israel". None of this would have been possible without the Lord's presence and power working His plan for them.
Like Joshua and the leaders of Israel we can be easily deceived if we are not careful to consult the Lord about our decisions. Like Joshua, we can trust the Lord to do what He has said He would do - knowing He will fight for us to accomplish His will in us. How blessed we are to know that our God is able to do anything! He is with us and He is for us when we trust Him and obey His Word. Nothing is too hard for Jesus!
Father in heaven, may we be more aware of Your nearness to us and Your love and care for us. You are here, beside us, in us, and around us - each of us; for You are the Lord God Omnipotent and Omnipresent. Help us to grasp and stand on these truths so that we can stand firm in You. In Jesus' name we pray. amen.
All the kings in the land of Canaan joined together to fight against Israel. But, the Gibeonites decided to use a different strategy. They pretended to be travelers from far away, dressed in worn out clothes and even carried dried up bread and worn out wineskins to make it look like they had traveled a long time. They fooled Joshua and the leaders of Israel into making a covenant with them. Joshua failed to consult the Lord before making this covenant, even though he was suspicious. The Gibeonites became slaves to Israel. Gibeon also became an enemy of the other kings because of this and war came to them.
Chapter 10
Beginning with the attack on Gibeon, Israel began to attack and conquer the land. City after city fell to Joshua and his army. The Lord delivered the enemies into the hands of Israel. He even used great hailstones to destroy armies and made the sun stop moving to help them during a battle.
Joshua knew that Adonai, the God of Israel "fought for Israel". None of this would have been possible without the Lord's presence and power working His plan for them.
Like Joshua and the leaders of Israel we can be easily deceived if we are not careful to consult the Lord about our decisions. Like Joshua, we can trust the Lord to do what He has said He would do - knowing He will fight for us to accomplish His will in us. How blessed we are to know that our God is able to do anything! He is with us and He is for us when we trust Him and obey His Word. Nothing is too hard for Jesus!
Father in heaven, may we be more aware of Your nearness to us and Your love and care for us. You are here, beside us, in us, and around us - each of us; for You are the Lord God Omnipotent and Omnipresent. Help us to grasp and stand on these truths so that we can stand firm in You. In Jesus' name we pray. amen.
Thursday, July 23, 2020
Joshua 7-8
Joshua 7 Jericho was a great victory for Israel, completely accomplished by God's powerful and gracious hand. Everything that was recovered from Jericho was supposed to be given to the Lord, an offering of the "firstfruits" of the land.
But...
Achan from the tribe of Judah, sinned by taking some of the goods for himself. A beautiful robe, 5 pounds of silver shekels, and a wedge of gold.
Because of Achan's greed and failure to fear God:
"The anger of Adonai blazed up against the people of Israel."
The army sent to take Ai was defeated.
Thirty-six men from Israel were killed.
Achan, his entire family, all his livestock, and the things he had stolen - were all destroyed.
Joshua 8
After the stoning and burning of Achan and his possessions, the Lord sent Joshua to conquer Ai.
This time it was the Lord who would hand over Ai, not the boasting army of 3000 Israelite soldiers.
This time it was 30.000 men sent to lie in wait behind the city and the rest of Israel in front to set a trap.
This time all of the spoils of the land were given to the people of Israel for their own.
If only Achan had waited on the Lord.
If only he had trusted the Lord a bit longer.
If only he had really known and feared the Lord so that he had obeyed.
After the victory over Ai, Joshua set up and altar and presented burnt and peace offerings to the Lord.
He brought all the people together and read every word of the Law to them..
"There was not a word of everything Moses had ordered that Joshua did not read before all Israel assembled, including the women, the little ones and the foreigners living with them."
They all needed to remember who their God was!
Achan saw something he wanted and he took it. He confessed his sins when he was found out, but it was too late. He was condemned and died. We all need to be reminded of how easy it is to fall into temptation - to take what we want; to do what we shouldn't; to forget that God sees everything. We forget that God holds each of us accountable for everything we do. We need to learn from Achan's failure:
We need to wait on the Lord... believing that He will provide all we need.
We need to trust the Lord.. for His timing is always perfect.
We need to know the Lord and to fear Him. Another quote from Tozer's book, The Knowledge of the Holy: "When men no longer fear God, they transgress His laws without hesitation. The fear of consequences is no deterrent when the fear of God is gone." This was Achan's failure.
Tozer continued, "In olden days men of faith were said to 'walk in the fear of God' and to 'serve the Lord with fear'. However intimate their communion with God, however bold their prayers, at the base of their religious life was the conception of God as awesome and dreadful. This idea of God transcendent runs through the whole Bible.. This fear of God was more than a natural apprehension of danger; it was a non rational dread, an acute feeling of personal insufficiency in the presence of God the Almighty".
Father in heaven, forgive us for our lack of knowledge that has led us to an absence of fear, the true fear of You, the Almighty and Transcendent God. Help us to trust You fully. Help us to wait upon You completely. Help us to worship You in fear and trembling.. and in love and submission. Have Your way in us today Lord. For all honor and glory and power is Yours. We are Your people, the creation of Your hand. Yet, You have made us Your children. How can this be? What great love and kindness You have lavished upon us. Thank You Lord. We come before You, wrapped in the righteousness of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who intercedes for us. Amen.
But...
Achan from the tribe of Judah, sinned by taking some of the goods for himself. A beautiful robe, 5 pounds of silver shekels, and a wedge of gold.
Because of Achan's greed and failure to fear God:
"The anger of Adonai blazed up against the people of Israel."
The army sent to take Ai was defeated.
Thirty-six men from Israel were killed.
Achan, his entire family, all his livestock, and the things he had stolen - were all destroyed.
Joshua 8
After the stoning and burning of Achan and his possessions, the Lord sent Joshua to conquer Ai.
This time it was the Lord who would hand over Ai, not the boasting army of 3000 Israelite soldiers.
This time it was 30.000 men sent to lie in wait behind the city and the rest of Israel in front to set a trap.
This time all of the spoils of the land were given to the people of Israel for their own.
If only Achan had waited on the Lord.
If only he had trusted the Lord a bit longer.
If only he had really known and feared the Lord so that he had obeyed.
After the victory over Ai, Joshua set up and altar and presented burnt and peace offerings to the Lord.
He brought all the people together and read every word of the Law to them..
"There was not a word of everything Moses had ordered that Joshua did not read before all Israel assembled, including the women, the little ones and the foreigners living with them."
They all needed to remember who their God was!
Achan saw something he wanted and he took it. He confessed his sins when he was found out, but it was too late. He was condemned and died. We all need to be reminded of how easy it is to fall into temptation - to take what we want; to do what we shouldn't; to forget that God sees everything. We forget that God holds each of us accountable for everything we do. We need to learn from Achan's failure:
We need to wait on the Lord... believing that He will provide all we need.
We need to trust the Lord.. for His timing is always perfect.
We need to know the Lord and to fear Him. Another quote from Tozer's book, The Knowledge of the Holy: "When men no longer fear God, they transgress His laws without hesitation. The fear of consequences is no deterrent when the fear of God is gone." This was Achan's failure.
Tozer continued, "In olden days men of faith were said to 'walk in the fear of God' and to 'serve the Lord with fear'. However intimate their communion with God, however bold their prayers, at the base of their religious life was the conception of God as awesome and dreadful. This idea of God transcendent runs through the whole Bible.. This fear of God was more than a natural apprehension of danger; it was a non rational dread, an acute feeling of personal insufficiency in the presence of God the Almighty".
Father in heaven, forgive us for our lack of knowledge that has led us to an absence of fear, the true fear of You, the Almighty and Transcendent God. Help us to trust You fully. Help us to wait upon You completely. Help us to worship You in fear and trembling.. and in love and submission. Have Your way in us today Lord. For all honor and glory and power is Yours. We are Your people, the creation of Your hand. Yet, You have made us Your children. How can this be? What great love and kindness You have lavished upon us. Thank You Lord. We come before You, wrapped in the righteousness of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who intercedes for us. Amen.
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