Little by Little

I find God's following words to the Israelites in Exodus 23:29-30 to be very interesting: "I will not drive [the Canaanites] out ahead of you in a single year; otherwise, the land would become desolate, and wild animals would multiply against you. I will drive them out little by little ahead of you until you have become numerous and take possession of the land" (NIV).

Little by little. Sounds interesting, doesn't it?

You know, it's amazing to me how growth works. Sometimes it comes in spurts, and other times it seems like nothing at all is happening! This is true with both physical and spiritual growth.

I remember when I was growing up (and I still am!). I shot up in about my junior year in high school. Now, those of you who know me, know that I'm not very tall (only 6' or so), but I wasn't even this tall for the longest time. Then "BOOM"! I don't know what happened. All I can say is that I hit a spurt!

Of course, this has been true of my spiritual life as well. It seems that there are seasons when everything I read in Scripture jumps off the page and transforms my life in measurable ways. Then there are other seasons when I find myself wondering if God and I are in the same galaxy. I don't "feel" His presence. In fact, all I feel is the weight of my failures, frailties, and fallen finitude!

But we live by faith not by "feelings" (see Hebrews 11). Feelings are fickle, but faith is firm. Why? Because faith rests on the facts of God's Word, and God's Worth never changes. Isaiah 40:8 declares, "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever" (NIV). In fact, I think one of the major lessons every Believer struggles to learn over the duration of their entire Christian life is simply how to trust the facts of God's Word rather than his or her feelings. I'm not saying feelings are worthless. I'm just saying they're oftentimes tricky, and while they're beneficial to help us process both the pleasures and pains of life, they should never been trusted when they contradict the truth of Scripture.

For example, take my words above. Should I trust my "feelings" when they scream at me that God is not with me? Absolutely not! Why? Because God says in His Word, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5b, NIV). We should always trust the facts of God's Word over our fickle feelings whenever the two contradict one another.

And listen, the pattern of growth in our lives is by God's perfect design. Remember: The Lord is the only One who makes things grow (see 1 Corinthians 3:6-7). He's the One who began the good work in you and will finish what He started (see Philippians 1:6). Isn't this great news? I mean, how many times have I started a project but haven't finished it yet? I just glanced over my shoulder and to my right as I'm typing this blog in my study to look at two pieces of wood beneath my windows that I've still not painted! But before you judge me too harshly, are there any "unfinished projects" around your house you haven't finished either? An unread book? An exercise DVD (you still haven't watched all the way through!)? A picture you haven't framed? Etc. We all start things and don't finish them sometimes. But one of the great things about God is: He ALWAYS finishes what He starts! And you can rest assured that the good work He began in you, He will complete.

Before we wrap this up - did you happen to notice God's reasons for why He brought Israel into the land little by little? He says that He did this so "wild animals" wouldn't multiply against them and so they would be "numerous" enough to take possession of the land. In other words, God knows what He's doing. No news flash here, right? Listen, God's plan is good. Be patient by the power of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). The reality is that God does a great work "in us" before He does a great work "through us". If Israel entered the land to quickly and easily, they would not be strong enough to sustain their occupation of the land. So God developed the nation with an infrastucture to fill the land before He brought them into the land. It's been well-said that God's not interested in sprints but marathons. He's working for eternity not just tomorrow!

This reminds me of a story I heard and I'm planning to include in the resource Reaching the Next Level. One day a man was walking along when he saw something curious. A cocoon was twitching on the ground. When the man got on his knees to take closer look, he noticed a butterfly struggling to break free from its cocoon. In an effort to help the little creature, the man carefully and meticulously tore the cocoon, but to his utter surprise, the butterfly didn't burst into graceful flight. Instead, it toppled to the ground where it remained in the dirt. Its wings were shriveled, and its body was bloated.

You see, the man didn't realize that God made butterflies to struggle before they could soar. As a butterfly presses against the sides of its cocoon in its struggle to break free, fluid from its body spreads into its wings. This causes the butterfly's wings to enlarge and strengthed. Only when the wings are large enough and strong enough to break the cocoon are they also large enough and strong enough to give it flight, too.

The point is clear: We must struggle before we soar. Isaiah 40:27-31 says, "Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, 'My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God'? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will walk and not be faint" (NIV).

Little by little, my Friend. Sometimes we feel like Israel, don't we? We cry out, and God seems silent. But when God is silent, He's not still. He's still at work. He's knows what He's doing. Both His ways and His timing are perfect.

Let me close with this thought. Have you ever seen the cartoon An American Tail: Fievel Goes West? It's awesome. It's the story of a family of Russian mice who are trying to flourish here in America. They're leaving the slums of the city for the great, wide-spaces of the West. Fievel is a young, small, but adventurous little guy who can't grow-up fast enough or figure the complexities of life out soon enough. And at one point in the movie, Fievel's discouraged because his wise, aged father's trying to explain something to him, and Fievel just doesn't understand. In frustration, Fievel asks his Dad, "When will I understand, Papa? When?" Then Fievel's father compassionately and wisely responds, "Fievel, if growing up was easy, it wouldn't take so long."

I agree. Growing up takes time. God's not in a hurry. In our culture of fast food, instant grits, and sit-coms where everything falls completely apart and comes back together in about thirty minutes without any major, lingering consequences, it's hard for us to understand or appreciate God's timing many times. But again, His ways and His timing are perfect.

Little by little. He's conforming you to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. And that won't happen over night. But you can always trust Him.

Freedom Isn't Free

On Sunday (5/30) of this Memorial Day weekend, we observed the Lord's Supper. Of course, communion is always a powerful time to reflect on the body of Christ that was broken and the blood of Christ that was spilled for sin. Yet, with the Lord's Supper taking place on Memorial Day weekend, I turned my thoughts more specifically to "freedom" on this Sunday than perhaps I have in the past.

Freedom isn't free. I mean, it's free to us. We gather with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ for worship publically and without any fear whatsoever. But we enjoy this freedom because others have and are paying a huge price. Countless members from all branches of the military have lost their lives in the fight for and defense of freedom over the years. Others have sacrificed limbs, and all have sacrificed time away from their families and endured untold pain so we could stand to worship in freedom. It's clear: Freedom isn't free! It is purchased at a very high price.

Likewise, our spiritual freedom in Christ isn't free. Again, it's free to us. We certainly could never earn it with our works (see Ephesians 2:8-9). But Christ paid the price for our freedom with His own blood. If you want to try to catch a glimpse of all Jesus suffered for us, watch The Passion of the Christ. This film tries to capture some of the physical torture Christ endured to pay the price for our freedom. But a camera lense simply cannot bring into focus the spiritual agony of Jesus' death. Even the sun refused to shine on the day Christ died. Listen as one theologian tries to capture something of the incomprehensible suffering of Jesus on our behalf - here's how he describes Christ's agony on the cross as He bore God's just wrath on our behalf when He took our sins upon Himself:

[T]o bear the guilt of millions of sins even for a moment would cause the greatest anguish of soul. To face the deep and furious wrath of an infinite God even for an instant would cause the most profound fear. But Jesus' suffering was not over in a minute - or two - or ten. When would it end? Could there be yet more weight of sin? Yet more wrath of God? Hour after hour it went on - the dark weight of sin and the deep wrath of God poured over Jesus in wave after wave. Jesus at last cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Then at last Jesus knew his suffering was nearing completion. He knew he had consciously borne all the wrath of the Father against our sins, for God's anger had abated and the awful heaviness of sin was being removed. He knew that all that remained was to yield up his spirit to his heavenly Father and die. With a shout of victory Jesus cried out, "It is finished!" (John 19:30). Then with a loud voice he once more cried out,"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" (Luke 23:46). And then he voluntarily gave up the life that no one could take from him (John 10:17-18), and he died. As Isaiah had predicted, "he poured out his soul to death" and "bore the sin of many" (Isa. 53:12). God the Father saw "the fruit of the travail of his soul" and was "satisfied" (Isa. 53:11). [Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 577.]

Shall I dare ask the question: Is freedom free? Yes, it's free to us because we could never pay the price, but Jesus - the sinless Lamb of God who ALONE could pay the price - paid the price!

And what is our response to this great salvation offered by God's grace? Paul tells us: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship" (Romans 12:1, NIV). Of course, our complete surrender to the Lordship of Christ isn't a "pay-back" for His death. It doesn't "earn" His salvation. But it is our response, by the power of God's Spirit, to His salvation. Those who truly understand grace don't see it as a license to sin but as liberty from sin.

He paid a debt, He did not owe;
I owed a debt, I could not pay;
I needed Someone to wash my sins away.

And now I sing a brand new song,
"Amazing Grace," the whole day long!
Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay.

[The above images were copied from the following sites:
http://www.homeofheroes.com/gravesites/unknowns/0_unknowns_sentinels.html
http://hollywoodjesus.com/passion_photo.htm]

Relationship and Rules

I noticed something in Exodus 19:3-6 I've never seen before. Isn't that how reading God's Word usually is? I like to tell people the Bible is like an ocean: You can dabble your toes in it, or you can wade out so far into the deep that you'll never touch the bottom! Let's keep going deeper!

So here's what the Lord showed me in Exodus 19:3-6. His relationship with us always preceeds His rules for us. You know, this is so important. If we're not careful, we can allow our relationship with Christ to deteriorate into a laundry list of "Thou shalt's" and "Thou shalt not's." But in in Exodus 19:4-6a - the chapter just before God outlines the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 20) - God says this to His people: "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagle's wings and brought you to Me. Now if you will listen to Me and carefully keep My covenant, you will be My own possession out of all the peoples, although all the earth is Mine, and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation" (HCSB).

Did you pick-up on the order here? I think it's crucial. The Lord first tells Israel: "I carried you on eagle's wings." Wow! What a beautiful image, right? Next, God tells Israel: I "brought you to Me." It's clear that the Lord is emphasizing how His relationship with Israel began with HIM. He's the One who took the initiative to form a relationship with His people.

Now, in light of this relationship God created, He calls them to obey Him. So Israel's obedience to God's rules don't form their relationship with God. No. Rather, their obedience to God's rules give evidence of their relationship with God. I like the way Jesus put this same truth in the New Testament: "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (John 14:15, NIV).

It's obvious: Love is the basis for obedience. A relationsihp is the basis for rules. Try thinking of it like this: I didn't walk outside one day, pick out a couple of kids, give them a list of rules, and after they obeyed them for set probation period say to them, "Okay, you guys have been on parol for a few months and now that you've obeyed me, I'm going to call you my sons, Joseph and Joshua!" No, indeed. God brought them into my life - He created our relationship. Now I'm seeking to teach them. Our relationship isn't created from a set of rules. Instead, the rules reveal the relationship already exists!


God loves us, Friends. This is why He gives us His rules. We don't obey to earn our relationship with the Lord. This would mean our works create our relationship with Him, but this isn't the case at all according to Scripture. The Biblical truth is that if we've repented and placed our faith in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection as provision for our salvation, then we're saved by grace through faith alone (see Ephesians 2:8-9). Of course, if we're truly saved, then our faith will bear fruit in the form of works which demonstrate we're God's children (see James 2:14-26).

So here's the bottom-line: Obedience doesn't create your relationship with God, but it does substantiate that your relationship with God is real. Thank God for His grace which creates our relationship with Him, and our response to His great mercy to is "offer [our] bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is [our] spiritual act of worship" (Romans 12:1b, NIV).

Faith, Doubt, and Growth

Exodus 14-15 boggle my mind and sound eerily familiar all at the same time! Here's what I mean.

In Exodus 14, the Israelites see God's power demonstrated in an incredible way. He delivers them from Pharaoh's pursuing army by supernaturally parting the Red Sea. In fact, when Israel stands on the other side of the Red Sea after God closes the waters on Pharaoh and his army, Exodus 14:30-31 says, "That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant" (NIV). So here we see Israel believe in the Lord.

But in Exodus 15, we see Israel sing a song of praise to the Lord for His great deliverance in basically the first twenty-one verses of the chapter. Then they doubt God in the final six verses of the SAME chapter! Of course, through this time of struggle, God reveals His power again, demonstrates His love for His people, and teaches them to trust Him for every need. And, of course, if you've read the Old Testament before, you know that this pattern of faith, doubt, and growth constantly repeats in the life of Israel on their wilderness trek to the Promised Land.

Yet, this is what sounds eerily familiar, doesn't it? We might think to ourselves: How could Israel see God part the Red Sea and destroy an army in one chapter, and then doubt God's power to give them something to drink before the very next chapter is over? I mean, if God can control a "Sea" with His power, I would think He could handle getting me a drink of water when I need one, right?

Well, let me ask you a question or two: How can we trust God to save our soul, but we struggle with trusting Him to take care of the electric bill? How can we trust Him to hold the whole world in His hands, but we doubt He can handle our busy schedule this weekend? Etc. It's interesting to me how we can stand in a wroship service and sing about God's greatness, but we're worried sick over some thing before the leave the parking lot in our car! Is God only "God" in worship services? Or, is He "God" all the time? We know the answer to this - God is God all the time!

You get the idea, right? We all struggle with faith and doubt, and yet, this is what God often uses to cultivate deeper spiritual growth in our lives. If we were honest, many of us would say that we've prayed many times like the father in Mark 9:24b, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief" (NIV)!

Again, we all struggle with faith and doubt. This is how we grow (see James 1:2-8). So press on in faith by God's power (see 2 Peter 1:3)!

Christ in the Old Testament

There are many times I read something in the Bible, and I think: Man, I wish was a fly on the wall when....

Nwo let me tell you one of those times - It's when Jesus talked to the two on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:27 and "beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Christ] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself" (NIV).

Wow! Could you imagine sitting in on THAT Bible study led by Jesus Himself? Well, while we don't know the details of that particular message Christ shared, we obviously know that Jesus talked about how He is revealed in the Old Testment, and I want to share three things Jesus may have shared with these two as the walked along the road.

First, Christ is the Passover Lamb. We read in Exodus 12 how the last plague in Egypt took life of the firstborn unless the blood of an animal without defect was applied to the doorpost (Exodus 12:5). Of course, the Lord speaks these very powerful and memorable words in Exodus 12:13, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (NIV). Now we learn in 1 Corinthians 5:7 that "Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" (NIV). You see, the reason Jesus is our "Passover Lamb" is because when His blood is applied to the "doorpost" of our lives, God's judgement passes over us. We live and don't die because Jesus died and shed His blood for us!

Second, in Exodus 16 we read about how God provided bread from heaven, manna, so the Israelites could eat and survive. Of course, as Jesus talks about the manna the Jewish forefathers ate in the wilderness He plainly says in John 6:48-51, "I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (NIV). So you can see again that Christ is the true Manna from heaven that gives eternal life to all whom come to Him in repentance and faith!

Third, Exodus 17 tells us how God provided water for the Israelites from a rock. Of course, Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 10:3-4 that "the spiritual rock that accompanied them . . . was Christ" (NIV). In John 7:36b-37, Jesus says, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will from within him" (NIV). Christ alone is the Living Water who quenches our sin-parched souls with Himself who gives us eternal life!

Now, these aren't the only places where we can see Christ in the Old Testament. For example, Jesus also told Nicodemus in John 3:14-15, "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up [on the cross in death], that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life" (NIV). We'll read about this story in Numbers 21. But these places in the Old Testament point to Christ and show us that He is the only source for eternal life.

Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ! We need to hear and heed Paul's words to Timothy when he says, "As for you, continue in what you have learned and become convinced of, because you know those from whom you've learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures [the Old Testament], which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timohty 3:14-15, NIV). Christ is in the Old Testament, too. In fact, all of Scripture points to God's only plan of redemption through His Son, Jesus Christ!

Let Us Not Grow Weary in Doing Good

On Monday (5/24) I had an interesting experience. I was sitting in a meeting with about 10-12 local pastors and Church leaders. They were taking turns sharing some of the exciting things the Lord's been doing in their respective fellowships. And then one of the pastors shared this story...

He talked about how the baptistry in his Church was in need of repair. According to him, it sounded like when they filled it with water, they had to hope it held the water long enough to actually let them have the baptism the next day. So they decked the inside of it with wood and hired someone to fiberglass it. Now, it's a nice looking piece of work! But the pastor said he prayed something like, Lord, we need You to send someone to us now so we can baptize them in the nice baptisry You've given us.

Then the pastor proceeded. He said that recently, like the last two weeks or so it seemed like, he had a conversation with a young man who said he trusted Christ, and He wanted to take a stand for Jesus. The pastor knew him as the boyfriend of a girl in his Church. He had attended services before so the pastor knew the young man had heard the Gospel several times. But in order to make sure he understood what a commitment to Christ was all about, the pastor talked with him about his decision to surrender to Jesus.

And this is where the story got really interesting to me. By this time, I was simply sitting, listening, nodding, smiling, and rejoicing with all the other pastors and Church leaders as I listened to how God worked in this young man's life and drew him to Himself. But then the pastor telling the story shared specifically how and where the young man made his decision to trust Christ. The pastor said something like this: As I mentioned, the young man had attended Church before with his girlfriend so I knew he'd heard the Gospel several times before. But then [the pastor pointed his finger across the room towards where I was sitting as he continued] he and his girlfriend went Judgement House, and he said that's where the Lord brought everything together for him, and the Lord opened His heart to respond to the Gospel. And He's going to be the first one we baptize in our "new" baptistry!

Wow! I sat there a bit shocked and pleasantly surprised. I wish every person who was a part of Judgement House - and I know it was an army of folks - could have been sitting there with me because God used everyone who as a part of Judgement House in any and every way to be a part of the awesome work He did in that young man's life. I'm not even sure of the young man's name, but now his name's written in the Lamb's Book of Life. And God used everyone who was a part of Judgement House in any way to be His ambassadors in bringing this young man to repentance and faith in Christ.

Read carefully what Paul says in Galatians 6:9-10: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

You know, sometimes we "see" the fruit God grows from the seeds of the Gospel we sow, and other times we don't. Think of it this way: God has a garden - it's His Kingdom. Woodland Park is one "row" in God's garden. Sometimes the seed we scatter falls in our row, and God causes it to spring to life right before our eyes. But other times its springs up out of the ground in another row in God's garden. Yet, the key is the growth of God's Kingdom, not necessarily only the growth in our row. Remember: We're commissioned to make disciples of all nations (see Matthew 28:18-20), and we're empowered to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth (see Acts 1:8).

We need to ask God to help us to always be "Kingdom" minded. We're interested in seeing God's Kingdom grow! While we constantly sow the seed and ask God to cause growth to spring up so we can be a part of discipling people directly, the reality is that God's Kingdom is advancing, and it's our privilege to a part of it whether we see it flourish in our row or not.

So let's rejoice in this great truth! Let's not grow weary in doing good because God is causing a harvest to grow. Remember: He's the Lord of the harvest (see Matthew 9:36-38)!

Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven...

Worse Before Better

Have you ever heard someone say, "Things are probably going to get worse before they get better?" It's not very encouraging, but it's oftentimes true. In fact, sometimes when God calls us to step out and obey Him, the bottom seems to drop out from under us. And whenever things go wrong, we're tempted to look to the heavens and wonder if we "missed God" completely.

This must have been how Moses felt in Exodus 5. I mean, he debates with God about going back to Egypt to begin with because he's sure the Lord needs to send someone else to confront Pharoah about letting the Israelites go free (see Exodus 4:13-17). Then when he gets to Egypt and actually delivers God's message to Pharoah, everything explodes in his face! The Hebrews aren't freed; their burden of slave labor actually becomes more intense. Now, instead of proclaiming Moses as their hero, they're really ticked-off at him for making their lives worse (see Exodus 5:19-23)!

But God has a plan. In reality, everything about the story of the plagues sort of makes this point in one way or another: God is positioning people in the right place for Him to display His power in the most remarkable and memorable ways possible. Just look at God's first words to Moses after he complains about the fact that everything seems to be getting worse as opposed to better: "Now you are going to to see what I will do to Pharoah: he will let [the Israelites] go because of My strong hand; he will drive them out of his land because of My strong hand" (Exodus 6:1b, HCSB).

So be encouraged today. Yes, sometimes things do appear to get worse before they get better, but if God's called you to do something, He has a plan. He's working out everything according to His power. Proverbs 16:4 says, "The Lord has prepared everything for His purpose - even the wicked for the day of disaster" (HCSB).

It's true: There's no sunrise without a night. There's no moutain peak without a valley. And there's no empty tomb without a cross.

God knows what He's doing. He isn't tyring to "figure things out;" He's accomplishing His purpose so all people may see and know that He alone is the one, true God!

Go, God! Wait a Minute, Me Too?

You might find the title of this blog to be interesting or maybe just plain confusing. So let me try to explain it.

I find that many times I want God to act, especially in difficult situations. And in these moments, I shout, "Go, God!" It's almost like I'm a part of a screaming fan base, cheering God along as He works on the field.

But then, sometimes I think God stops on the field, turns on His heels, points at me in the stands, and says, "You go!" And this is when I say, "Wait a minute!" It's almost like I love to see God work, but I'm not sure I want to be a part of it myself.

You know, I find it interesting that when God works in difficult situations in Scripture, He uses His people. He mobilizes His servants to be a part of His mission. We're not called to remain in the safety of the stands; we're called to join Him on the field. And of course, this means we're going to get hit. Hence, our selfish hestitation.

Just think of some Biblical examples:

• Moses. God says in Exodus 3:9-10, "The Israelites' cry for help has come to Me, and I have also seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. Therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharoah so that you may lead My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt" (HCSB). I can almost hear Moses as I paraphrase his response to this shocking news in Exodus 3:11 - Who, Me go? No! Wait a minute - I want You, God, to do something about the problem, but I don't necessarily want to be a part of it. I just wanted to sit back in the stands and watch You do something about the problem!


• Jehoshaphat and Judah. In 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah are in a difficult situation as they're being attacked by several enemies all at once. Of course, they're no match for this battle. So they call a prayer meeting! But when God responds to their prayer with an answer, check out His message: "Listen carefully, all Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. This is what the Lord says: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. [Imagine a big sigh of relief as everyone smiles and starts to chant: Go, God! Go, God!] Tomorrow, go down against them.' [Dead silence. Everyone starts to cry and chant: No, God! No, God!]" (2 Chronicles 20:15b-16a, HCSB). You get the point, right? We're very happy to hear that the battle is God's, we just don't want Him to use us to fight it!


• Esther. Do you remember when the Jews are in Persia and Haman hatches his sinister plot to annihilate all of them? Now God has already positioned Esther in the palace so she can be a part of God's plan to deliver His people, but this is going to mean she has to risk her own life for the life of her nation. And what are Mordecai's immortal words to this young Jewish woman as she weighs her personal safety in the balance against the collective life of God's people: "Who knows, perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14b, HCSB)? Have you ever thought that the reason God gave you to vision for how He wants to work is so that He can use you to be a part of it even if it means tremendous sacrifice? Many people want to have the vision but not the burden.


• The Disciples. After Jesus saw the needs of the crowds in Matthew 9:35-38, He sent out His disciples in Matthew 10:1ff. Before Jesus ascended to the Father, He gathered His disciples and gave them His Great Commission (see Matthew 28:16-20). At the beginning of the book of Acts when the disciples were still wondering about the details for God's future plans for the nation of Israel, Jesus reminded them that He was going to mobilize them to be His witnesses in the power of the Spirit throughout the whole earth (see Acts 1:6-8). After Paul talks about how Christ makes us new creations in Himself, he tells us that God gives us the ministry of reconciliation and sends us forth as Christ's ambassadors so that He can urge the world through us to be reconciled with Himself (see 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

Isn't it obvious? God is on the go, and He wants to know if you'll join Him or just cheer for Him. His eyes are scanning the "stands" of the earth right now looking for someone who will be a part of His mission throughout the whole earth. Will it be hard? Sure. Will it require sacrifice? Absolutely. But is there any better place to be in life than laboring in the Father's vineyards? No!

Let God use your vocal chords to urge the world to be reconciled to Him. Let God use your hands to point others to Christ. Let God use your feet to lead the way to Jesus who is the only way. Remember: "To live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21b, NIV).

When God's Silent, He's Not Still...

I love Exodus 2:23-25 because it proves the ole saying is true: When God is silent, He's not still. Just think about it, in these verses we read about Israel's agony and the Lord's action. We reflect on Israel's crisis and God's compassion. Let's take a closer look...

In Exodus 2:23 we come face to face with Israel's difficulties. In fact, we find them groaning and crying out to God because of their oppressive slavery. And I'm sure as the time passed by while "their cry for help ascended to God" (Exodus 2:23, HCSB), they wondered if the Lord was planning to do anything about their dire situation!

But this is precisely where we find out that when God is silent, He's not still. Exodus 2:24-25 gives us no less than four verbs describing the actions the Lord took against the background of Israel's sufferings. First, God "heard" their prayers. Second, God "remembered" His promises. Third, God "saw" His people, and fourth, God "took notice" of their pain.

Now try to apply this to whatever valley and struggle your facing today...

• God hears your prayers. Aren't you glad this is true? First John 5:14-15 plainly says, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him" (NIV). Of course, the key phrase in these verses above is "according to his will." In other words, God doesn't just do whatever we want; He does His will which is perfect in every way. Yet, the great confidence we have is that He hears our prayers, and we know He'll answer every prayer according to His will.


• God remembers His promises. God always makes good on His promises. We see this point surface twice in the book of Joshua within the span of less than three chapters. For example, after Israel began to settle in the land of Canaan, Joshua 21:45 says, "Not one of all the Lord's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled" (NIV). And then again in Joshua 23:14, some of Joshua's final words to the people of Israel in general were: "Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed" (NIV). It's clear: God remembers His promises.


• God saw His people. Aren't you glad to know that God has His eye on you? I love all ways the Scripture talks about the "eyes" of the Lord. For instance, Noah found favor in God's eyes (see Genesis 6:8); "The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him" (2 Chronicles 16:9a, NIV); and Jesus saw Zacchaeus and saved him (see Luke 19:1-10). The simple truth of the Bible is that God "sees" you. In fact, there's not a single place you can go to escape His presence (see Psalm 139).


• God took notice of their pain. Not only does God hear, remember, and see your pain, but He's touched with it! This is so obvious in the life of Jesus. For example, "when [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them" (Matthew 9:36a, NIV). The idea here is that Christ was moved with love for the crowds. Also, Hebrews 4:15-16 crystallizes this truth for us when it explains: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (NIV). Again, it's pretty clear here: Christ takes notice of our pain. And this truth brings us back full-circle to the first point we mentioned - Since He sees your pain, He's ready to hear your prayers.

So there's strong Biblical support for the ole saying: When God's silent, He's not still. Of course, in the very next chapter, Exodus 3, the Lord reveals His action by mobilizing Moses. Pretty interesting thought, don't you think? God invites us to be His hands extended to touch others in their suffering so they can know His powerful deliverance.

But this sounds like another blog...

Everything Means Everything

You know, I don't pretend to understand all the ways God uses suffering in our lives for His purposes. But I do know God is weaving together the triumphant tapestry of His purposes even in the midst of our pain.

It's interesting to me that in the very last chapter of Genesis and basically just before Joseph takes his last breath, he catches a glimpse of how God used his pain for His purposes. Talk about "hind-sight-being-20/20!" Well, here's perhaps the best Biblical illustration of this truth.

Listen to Joseph's words from his own lips in Genesis 50:19b-21a, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result - the survival of many people. Therefore, don't be afraid. I will take care of you and your little ones" [HCSB].

I don't konw what else to say except, "WOW! God is awesome!" Let's try to unpack just a few practical insights from these powerful words:

• Am I in the place of God: It seems that anytime we experience pain, we think we have a better plan than God, and our plan is always to eliminate pain! Then, if we're not careful, we commit blasphemy as we speak accusations against God's perfect goodness as we speak of ourselves as being more compassionate or benevolent than God. For example, when we are hurting or someone we love is hurting, we might say something like, "If I were God, I wouldn't do this or that." Or, "If I were God, I wouldn't have allowed this or that to happen." I think it's here we may cross the boundary Job didn't violate after experiencing his first onslaught of pain when the Scripture says in Job 1:22, "Throughout all this [suffering] Job did not sin or blame God for anything" [HCSB].
• You planned evil against me: There's no doubt at all that you'll experience pain in this life. Jesus says in John 16:33b, "You will have suffering in this world" [HCSB]. But the great news is that while we'll suffer pain at the hands of others, we're not ultimately in their hands - we're in God's hands! Jesus finishes the quote above with these words of assurance about His sovereign triumph: "Be courageous! I have conquered the world" [HCSB].
• God planned it for good to bring about the present result: God has a plan, and He uses both our pains and our pleasures for His purposes because His sovereignty is perfect. He's not one dimensional in His power - only able to use what we consider to be "good" things. His sovereignty is absolutely perfect - able to use what we consider to be both "good" and "bad" things for His purpose. This is why when we say, "God uses everything for His purposes," we emphasize that everything means everything. Proverbs 16:4a says, "The Lord has prepared everything for His purpose." See that? Everything means everything.

You know, I've gone through painful things in life that I would never want to experience again for a million dollars, but I would also never take a million dollars for them! Why? Because the things I learned about God during those times are priceless. So we're not being "sadistic" when we acknowledge that God uses our pain for His purposes because we're not looking for pain. Yet, we are being surrendered to God as we rejoice and acknowledge the liberating truth of His sovereignty - the fact that He uses all things, our pains and our pleasures, for His purposes.

Listen, no matter what you go through in life, always remember everything means everything.

No Such Thing as "Secret Sin" (Genesis 39)

There's so many truths we can glean from Genesis 37-39, but I want to focus on one practical insight from Genesis 39:9. Here we find Joseph responding to Potiphar's wife as she pressures him to commit immorality with her. It's very interesting that Joseph views this wicked act as not only a sin against his master (see Genesis 39:8-9a) - this is what we would totally expect him to say because it's completely true, but Joseph also acknowledges that this act of immorality is ultimately a sin against God (see Genesis 39:9b).

So what's the point for us? Simple. When we truly understand God's presence, this takes our passion for purity to new levels. You see, God's presence may be described as "omnipresence" which is a long word bascially meaning that all of God is everywhere present simultaneously! Let's break this down piece-by-piece:

• All of God - In other words, you're not experiencing a "piece" of God's presence wherever you are as you read this blog, and I'm experiencing another "piece" of God's presence as I type it where I am. No. All of God's presence is with you as you read, and all of God's presence is with me as I type.
• Everywhere Present - Simply put: God is everywhere. Check out what the Psalmist says in Psalm 139:1-12. This reminds me of the story I heard of a little boy who was standing by an apple tree one day and looking longingly at the delicious red apples. Then an elderly man approached the little guy and asked him, "Son, I'll get an apple for you if you can tell me where God is." The little boy looked at the man and said, "Mister, I'll get you a whole basket full of those apples if you can tell me where God ain't!" Let me use a double-negative to make the point: God ain't nowhere which means that He's everywhere! And all those who know good English just gringed at this double-negative, but while this statement is "bad English", it's "good theology" because it's true - God is everywhere.
  
• Simultaneously - Here's the final key word to describe God's omnipresence. All of God is everywhere present simultaneously. You don't have a "piece" of God's presnece with you and I don't have a "piece" of God's presence with me because all of God is everywhere present at the same time or simultaneously. While the idea of God's presence "everywhere" deals more with the idea of space - He's in every place, the idea of God's presence being everywhere "simultaneously" deals more with the idea of time - He's everywhere all the time.

Now, how does all this relate to what Josesph says to Potiphar's wife in Genesis 39:9 and the issue that there's no such thing as "secret sin"? Easy. Joseph knew that even if Potiphar never found out about his act of immorality with his wife, he knew he was always in God's presence. Of course, this is what David also said when he confessed his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and said to God in Psalm 51:4a, "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight" (NIV). While we may try to classify some sins as "public" and others as "private", all sins are "public" as far as God's concerned because He sees them all.

Of course, this truth of God's presence is a practical insight because it encourages us to pursue pruity in every area of life. It helps us focus on having true character and integrity. You know, it's been well-said that character is who you are when no one is looking. Well, we know God is always "looking" because He's omnipresent. So knowing that we're always within His sight urges us to live consistent lives of holy character regardless if other people see us or not. In fact, Hebrews 4:13 says, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (NIV). It's pretty clear: There's no such thing as "secret sin" because there are no "secrets" as far as God's concerned - He sees everything!

So the next time you think you're "alone" and you're tempted to sin, just remember: Jesus is there because you're always in His presence. Let the fact that He sees and knows everything because He's everywhere fuel your passion for personal holiness. This is the "practical" aspect of this practical insight!

Perseverance Pays Off!

On a personal note, I just finished an extensive editing process for my first book proposal, Reaching the Next Level: Partnering with Others for Spiritual Growth. This resources is basically a popular version of my doctoral project for New Orleans Seminary entitled Mentoring New Believers at Woodland Park Baptist Church, Hammond, Louisiana in the Basics of Spiritual Formation. At the encouragement of my wife, faculty mentor, and field mentor, I've worked over the last five months to edit the book into a publishable format. Also, while we've already used the book at Woodland Park for the second level of our personal disciple-making strategy, I'm hoping this more extensive version will make it better and more user-friendly.

So, if you're working on a project of any sort - high school graduation, college graduation, ministry goals, work projects, weight loss, personal Bible-reading (hint - hint for the blog!) - then, I don't mean to give you a canned word of encourage, but please keep on keepin' on! There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not a train - its the finish line!

Also, please pray for me. The Lord has given a few leads with publishers for the book, and I'm praying for His will to be done for His glory and honor. I plan to lead in a special teaching/equipping series throug Reaching the Next Level at Woodland Park on Sunday nights later this Fall so we can prepare more people to lead others through the resource. Remember: Christ's Great Commission is to go and make disciples of all nations (see Matthew 28:19-20).

By the way, I've already started my next book idea. It's focusing on sovereignty and suffering. Both from personal pain and pastoral ministry, I've faced suffering and found a wonderful shelter in the Biblical truth of God's sovereignty. Our Lord's sovereignty isn't one dimensional. In other words, He doesn't just use the pleasures of our life for His purposes; He also uses the pains of our life for His purposes! In fact, even our failures are fruitful in the hands of our soverign God who rules over all things and always. Again, I covet your prayers. If the Lord wills and I live, my goal is to have this manuscript completed (in all my free time) later this Fall. The ole saying is true: If you don't aim at something, you'll hit it everytime! Thanks for all your prayers, Friends.

Blessings...

Israel Takes Familiar Shape (Genesis 29-30, 35)

As you’re reading through the beginning chapters of Genesis, you may recognize some familiar stories. For example, Adam and Eve (Genesis 1-3), Cain and Abel (Genesis 4), Noah and the Flood (Genesis 6-9), the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11), and Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22) – just to name a few. Of course, there are other stories which may not be as familiar. For instance, the birth of Seth (Genesis 5), the rescue of Lot by Abram (Genesis 14), Hagar and Ishmael (Genesis 16, 21), the process of selecting a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24), and Jacob’s labor for Laban (Genesis 30).

But in Genesis 29:31-30:24 and Genesis 35, we find ourselves entering very familiar territory. Basically, it’s here we see how “Israel takes familiar shape.”

Here’s what we mean. As you read along through Genesis 27-29, you can get so caught-up in the intriguing details of the story that you almost miss what’s developing right before your eyes. You’re reading about deception – Rebekah and Jacob conspiring to steal Esau’s birthright. You’re reading about revenge – Esau’s buying his time as he awaits his aging father’s passing before killing his brother. You’re reading about love – Jacob labors for seven years for Rachel’s hand in marriage, but this only seems like a moment because of his deep love for her. Your reading about jealousy and pain – Leah’s giving birth to sons while Rachel’s womb is barren.

Yet, this is precisely where some key details emerge from the story. Did you notice the names of Jacob’s sons in Genesis 29:31-30:24. As he fathers children through Leah, Rachel, and their respective servants, we find some familiar names enter the picture – his sons names are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, and Joseph. Eleven sons.

If it still hasn’t registered, let me give you a hint: How many tribes make-up the people of Israel? Twelve, right? Correct. Now do you see it? The names of Jacob’s sons are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel!

Of course, the picture still isn’t complete because we only have eleven names not twelve. But everything wraps-up in Genesis 35. Here we see two key, finishing touches to God’s portrait of Israel. First, God changes Jacob’s name to Israel. That’s clear enough, isn’t it? And second, Rachel has a final son before her dying breath. His name? Benjamin.

Now the “family portrait” is complete! God reiterates the promise He made to Abraham and Isaac to Jacob/Israel - His promise to make Jacob/Israel into a great nation and give him the land of Canaan (see Genesis 35:9-12), and He summarizes the immediate branches of the family tree (see Genesis 35:21-26): God changes Jacob’s name to Israel and gives Him twelve sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

So there you have it: Israel takes familiar shape right before our eyes. Now that His people have taken this form, God begins to work with them in order to be a blessing to the whole world. Remember: The Lord told Abraham that He would bless him so he could be a blessing (see Genesis 12:1-3). Well, the whole known world is about to face a severe famine, but God will work through Joseph to preserve both His people and the world. Talk about blessed to be a blessing! Let’s keep reading…

A Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick (Genesis 25-27)

There's an old saying: God can hit a straight lick with a crooked stick! Yes, indeed, the Scripture shows this to be true over and over again. Here's what I mean: We're all imperfect human beings, and God still accomplishes His perfect plan through our imperfections.

Isn't this clear in Genesis 25-27? Just think of how dysfunctional Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob are. Yet, God still has a plan for them, and He's working it out even through their faults and failures.

What's God's plan? Well, the Lord says in Genesis 25:21-26 that the elder son in Rebekah's womb would serve the younger son. Now this is contrary to custom. Usually, the older or firstborn son received the blessing not the younger son. But God's plan here was to reverse human customs for His divine purpose.

And we can see how God accomplished His purpose even in through all the human flaws in this family. Let's just recap a few of their faults as we see them surface in this story:

1) Parental Partiality: Did you catch Genesis 25:28? Isaac was partial to Esau, and Rebekah was partial to Jacob. This isn't a good thing, and it's a recipe for disaster in this family, too.

2) Deception and Cowardice: Did you notice how Isaac followed right in his flawed father Abraham's footsteps in Genesis 26:1-11? Here's what we mean: Abraham lied not once but twice about Sarah being his wife (see Genesis 12:10-20; 20). It seems that the "apple doesn't fall too far from the tree" in this respect, unfortunately.

3) Deception and Scheming: Did you notice how Rebekah was "listening" (NIV) as Isaac told Esau to prepare him a meal and get ready to receive his blessing (see Genesis 27:1-10)? It appears Rebekah was hatching her own plan to hijack Isaac's blessing from their custom and the firstborn son he loved for the younger son she loved.

4) Deception (starting to see a pattern, yet?): While Jacob initially objects to his mother's plot, it's not because he's concerned about violating principles. He's just afraid of getting caught because he eventaully goes right along with things as planned (see Genesis 27:11-29). Talk about this family needing a good dose of integrity and the strength to let God work things out by His power and according to His timing instead of trying to manipulate people and circumstances for their selfish and sinful agendas.

5) Resentment and Violence: Although Esau refuses to shame his father with the murder of his younger brother while Isaac is alive, he decides he's going to "take care of business" after his father passes away (see Genesis 27:41).

So there's the family God is working through to accomplish His purposes! Definitely not a "picture-perfect" bunch, huh? Well, the point here isn't to suggest that since God can hit a straight lick with a crooked stick, you and I can simply cast away all restraint and responsibility to do whatever we please because God will clean-up our mess anyway. No, Romans 6:1-4 is God's definitive answer to that type of false thinking. We don't live in sin so grace can abound because God's grace isn't a license to sin; it's liberty from sin! Those who truly appreciate God's grace don't look for loopholes to abuse it but surrender their lives completely in appreciation for it!

The point here is to encourage you with this word: God not only can but does hit a straight lick with a crooked stick because He wants to use us to accomplish His purposes, and we're all imperfect human beings. But the repetitive message of Scripture is that God's purpose doesn't hinge on us but on Him. He's sovereign or in complete control, and He's forging His perfect plan even in the midst of all the failures of His imperfect people so that when everything's said and done, all things will be to the praise of His glorious grace (see Ephesians 1:4-6)!

The Power of Prayer (Genesis 22-24)

You'll hardly find a more vivid story in the Bible on the power of prayer than Genesis 24. As Abraham buried Sarah (see Genesis 23) and approached the sunset of his life, he wanted assurance that Isaac would have a wife to continue to his line and to remain in the land God promised to give him and his family (see Genesis 13:12-17).

So he calls for his chief servant and sends him on a mission to find a wife for his son. And here's where the power of prayer takes center stage in Genesis 24. The servant travels back to where Abraham's relatives are from and asks God to direct him to the young lady He has chosen to marry Isaac (see Genesis 24:12-14). Then Genesis 24:15a says, "Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder" (NIV). Next, everything unfolds just the way the servant prayed, and God answers his prayer in a powerful way.

Wow! What a simple but amazing story that teaches us a key lesson about prayer, and here it is. God was obviously answering the servant's prayer even before he voiced it, but the Lord used the servant's prayer to direct him to His answer. You know, some people ask: Why should I pray if God already knows everything anyway? Well, God wants us to ask and depend upon Him for our daily needs, and as we lift up our prayers to Him, we learn how He's working to provide and guide us each step of life's journey.

So, while God knows what you need even before you ask Him, He still invites you to bring your requests before Him. In fact, Jesus used this very point to encourage us to pray, not to discourage us from praying (see Matthew 6:5-15). Through the way the Lord answers prayer, you'll discover more and more about His power and provision for your every need. Basically, we need to understand that we're not "informing God" of anything when we pray, He already knows everything! But He does teach us more about Himself as we ask and receive His answers and direction through prayer.

Run the Race!

Have you ever heard of the Queen’s Baton Relay? This athletic tradition of the Commonwealth Games is amazing in terms of its symbolism and scope.

The ceremony commences at Buckingham Palace where the Queen gives a special baton containing her message to an honorary runner. The race concludes where it began as the last runner returns to the Queen who then receives the baton, removes her message, and reads it aloud to announce the start of the games.

The Queen’s Baton Relay has grown since it originated in 1958. For example, one source reports that “the Melbourne 2006 Queen’s Baton [traveled] an epic journey of more than 180,000 kilometres in a year and a day, and visited all 71 nations of the Commonwealth – home to almost one third of the world’s population.” (The above information and quote is taken from http://qbr.melbourne2006.com.au/?s=tradition.)

While we may be inspired by the symbolism and scope of this athletic tradition, every Believer throughout Church history has been a part of the King’s Relay. Jesus entrusted His message to us, His runners, and we’re racing towards the day when we’ll kneel before Him at the threshold of eternity.

While the Queen’s Baton Relay spans miles and months, the King’s relay has spanned the world over the past 2,000 years. Runners like Paul have finished the race and received their reward from the hands of Jesus (see 2 Timothy 4:7).

Of course, the Gospel baton has passed through many hands. For example, before Ignatius died for Christ in the teeth of lions, he said, “I am the wheat of Christ: I am going to be ground with the teeth of wild beasts, that I may be found pure bread.” The baton passed through the hands of Polycarp. Before he died at the stake, the aged martyr declared, “Eighty-six years I have served [Jesus], and He never once wronged me. How can I blaspheme my King, who saved me?” (Foxe’s Christian Martyrs of the World. Westwood, NJ: Barbour Books, 1985, 11.)

The King’s baton passed through the hands of Believers like John Wycliffe who labored to translate God’s Word into English in the face of great opposition. It passed through the hands of Martin Luther who refused to deny his writings and ultimately confessed before his accusers, “Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise.” (Roland H. Bainton. Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther. Nashville: Abingdon, 1978, 144.)

Now, Christ’s baton is in our hands. We must run the race with perseverance. While we may glance at the faithful witnesses who’ve gone before us, we cast our gaze upon Jesus (see Hebrews 12:1-2). Then one day when the race ends at His feet, we’ll hand the baton back to King Jesus. And the message we long to hear read and echo throughout the corridors of eternity is: “Well done, good and faithful servant[s]” (see Matthew 25:21, 23).

Persistent Prayer (Genesis 16-18)

Did you notice how Abraham was persistent in his praying in Genesis 18:23-33? This theme of persistent praying is emphasized in other places in Scripture as well. Just consider these passages:

1) When David prayed for his sick child, he never stopped until the Lord took the baby (see 2 Samuel 12:15-23).

2) When Daniel needed understanding for a vision, he prayed for twenty-one days before he received God's answer (see Daniel 10:1-14).

3) Jesus teaches us to "ask, seek, and knock" when we pray. The verbs Jesus uses here are present tense verbs in Greek which signify continuous action. In other words, some have said the best way to understand Christ's call is this way: Ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, and knock and keep on knocking (see Matthew 7:7-8).

4) One time a Canaanite woman, a non-Jewish woman from the region of Tyre and Sidon, asked Jesus to help her demonized daughter, and through her persistent faith, she received Christ's provision for her request (see Matthew 15:21-28).

5) Jesus tells the story of a widow who never stopped bringing her case before a judge until he responded to her (see Luke 18:1-8), and Christ says this is an example of how we "should always pray and not give up" (NIV).

6) When Jesus faced the cross, He prayed three times for God to take the cup of sin and suffering away from Him, and in this way, He demonstrated persistence in His own prayer life (see Matthew 26:36-46).

7) When Paul struggled with a thorn in his flesh, he asked three times for it to be removed, but Jesus assured Paul that His grace was sufficient to sustain him in his weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

So, it's obvious: The Scriptures teach us both with exhortations and examples to be persistent in prayer!

But there are two things I want you to notice both in Genesis 18 and in the Biblical illustrations above. First, it's interesting to note that Abraham asks a rhetorical question in Genesis 18:25b about whether or not God, the Judge of all the earth, will do what's right. Of course, both Abraham and we know the answer to this rhetorical question: A resounding "Yes"! God is righteous, and He only and always does what is right even if this means that suffering is involved (see Psalm 119:67-68).

Second, in the Biblical examples above, God answered some of the prayers with a "Yes" and some of them with a "No" response. For example, God gives a "Yes" answer to Daniel, to the Canaanite Woman, and to the Widow, but He gives a "No" answer to David and to Paul.

Okay, let's draw two major conclusions here. One: God "answers" every prayer. It's been well-said that God's answer is either yes, no, or or wait, but He answers every prayer! Two: Prayer is not a way to "strong-arm" God into doing whatever we want Him to do. No. Prayer is about seeking God's will to be done. Jesus says that when we pray, we should begin with a focus on God's will being done on earth as it is in heaven (see Matthew 6:9-10), and John tells us that whatever we ask according to God's will, we will receive (see 1 John 5:14-15).

So we are called ask God as we pray persistently. Yet, we need to follow Christ's example and close our prayer with His perfect example of surrender: "Your will be done" (Matthew 26:42, NIV). Prayer is another opportunity we have to be conformed into the image of Christ as we deny ourselves and follow Him (see Matthew 16:24; Romans 8:28-30).

We all struggle with being persistent in prayer, but God's grace is sufficient for us in all of our weaknesses, and His will and ways are perfect. Keep praying...

Justified by Faith (Genesis 13-15)

I don't know if you realize it or not, but you just read a little verse tucked into Genesis 15 that surfaces later in the Bible. Genesis 15:6 is only a few words long: "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness" (NIV), but it packs a powerful theological punch.

Here's why. Paul first makes the point Abraham is declared righteous by faith in Romans 4. In fact, Paul argues this declaration of righteousness came even before Abraham was circumcized (see Romans 4:10) to underscore the point that Abraham did nothing to earn righteousness before God. Of course, you and I already know Abraham wasn't perfect - he lied about his relationship with Sarah when he went into Egypt (see Genesis 12:10-20). Think about it for a second: In the same chapter God calls to Abraham (Genesis 12), we clearly see Abraham's NOT perfect.

Paul also makes this point in Galatians 3. He teaches us salvation is by faith and not by works, and this is obvious from Abraham's life. Look at it this way: You've been reading the Bible from the beginning, right? Okay. Have you read anything about God's Law (or the Ten Commandments), yet? No. Why? Because God hasn't given His Law, yet. In fact, He won't give His Law until the book of Exodus. So if a person is declared righteous by obeying God's Law, how could Abraham be declared righteous if he lived hundreds of years before the Law was even given (see Galatians 3:17)? It's because righteousness doesn't come from obeying God's Law but through faith, and Abraham is a powerful example of this!

So we can see here salvation is by God's grace through faith and not of works (see Ephesians 2:8-9). Of course, James stresses to us that true saving faith is alive and demonstrates itself in works (see James 2:14-26). There's not a contradiction here at all; rather, this point has been phrased this way: Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone. In other words, works never lead to salvation, but they certainly flow from salvation. Clearly, we are justified before God by faith and not by works!

God's Choice (Genesis 10-12)

Okay, we've seen God create, Adam and Eve sin, and now the Flood take place. Of course, now we're waiting to see who God will choose to work in and through for His purposes. And afer generations elapse after Noah, God calls to Abram (later, Abraham).

Let's make a brief comment about genealogies at this point. Some people wonder what's the point of all the lists of names in the Bible. In fact, if they're honest, they may even simply "skip-over" them. But don't do that. Every word in God's Word is inspired and crucial - the genealogies included! These lists of names serve different purposes (see earlier blog entitled Ohhh, So That's Why!). For example, Jesus' genealogy is given twice (in Matthew 1 and Luke 3), and some of the names we've just read are included in Jesus' genealogy in Luke 3 because it stretches all the way back to Adam (whereas Matthew's genealogy traces Jesus' lineage back to Abraham).

So God's not giving up on His creation. He chooses Abram, and He plans to work through him in order to bless all the earth. Here's another indication of God's promise to send the Messiah because Jesus is born as a descendant of Abraham (Remember: Matthew 1), and even Jesus Himself tells the Samaritan Woman "salvation is of the Jews" (see John 4:22), meaning, He's the promised Messiah, born supernaturally as a descendant of Abraham to save everyone who believes, both Jews and non-Jews.

God's plan is continuing to unfold, and we see Him working through generations to accomplish His great story of salvation for the world (see John 3:16)!

God's Promise in the Midst of Our Pain (Genesis 7-9)

Wow! The Flood has happened, and it's impact was absolutely devastating (see Genesis 7:17-24). What a graphic depiction of sin's consequences.

You know, this reminds me of how painful sin is. It's total ramifications can't be quantified. Just think about it: Adam and Eve surely never realized how much pain their sin would bring into the world. They didn't realize their sin would lead to their son Abel being murdered, their son Cain being "marked," nor the world experiencing the Flood as countless people and creatures were literally swept away.

But this is how sin always works. Temptation always looks so "innocent" and "isolated". We think to ourselves: Well, "my sin" is "my business" because it won't hurt anyone else. But that's a lie. Sin always causes more harm than we can imagine and hurts more people we ever thought of.

One little saying about sin goes something like this:
Sin will always take you further than you want to go.
It will always cost you more than you want to pay.
And it will always keep you longer than you every wanted to stay!

Yet, the great promise in this painful passage is that God's gives us a glimpse of His hope in the midst of our hurt. That's right. A rainbow is the sign of God's promise that He'll never destroy the earth with a flood again. And a rainbow never shines as brilliantly as it does when God paints it against a dark sky! But don't take my word for it, just take a look yourself...


Of course, the rainbow as a sign of God's covenant, His promise/agreement, to never destroy the earth with a flood again (see Genesis 9:8-17) is a great foreshadowing of His covenant to take away our sin through Christ's blood shed on the cross (see Matthew 26:26-29; Hebrews 9).

Let's thank God for His promise even in the midst of our pain! Every time you see a rainbow in the sky, let it remind you of God's promise and the fact that He always keeps His Word. And let's always remember the blood Christ shed on the cross to give us the forgiveness of sins (see Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14).

And obviously, let's keep reading...

A Marred Image, A Rebellious Creation, and A Merciful God (Genesis 4-6)

How are you doing so far? Are you hanging in there with your reading? Beginning something is usually easy - just think of all your New Year's resolutions! But finishing something - well, that takes God's power to sustain us. Yet, let's rejoice in the "small" victories because every major victory is just a combination of many small ones!

Okay, Genesis 4-6 - we're seeing a pattern, aren't we? Sin is taking hold, but God isn't letting go of His renegade creation. Here's what we mean. Did you notice what Genesis 5:1 says? God created Adam in HIS (i.e., God's) image. Of course, we already know this from Genesis 1:26-27. But then Adam and Eve sinned in Genesis 3, and now Genesis 5:3 tells us Adam's son, Seth, is born in HIS (i.e., fallen and sinful Adam's) image and likeness. So every natural-born person comes into the world as sinful with the marks of a fallen image all over their life (see Romans 6:12-14).

And we can see how every person lives in rebellion against God. In the very next chapter, we read one of the most comprehensive statements describing human depravity anywhere in the Bible - Genesis 6:5. All the thoughts of humanity were only evil continually! Wow! Talk about a "blanket-statement" if there ever was one!

But while you might be tempted to think: Okay, the world is sinful now because of Adam's sin. But isn't it "harsh" for God just to wipe everyone out in the Flood? Listen, this question needs a two-pronged response. First, this question doesn't really take into account the holiness of God and the sinfulness of humanity. In other words, if we think of the Flood and scream, "This isn't fair!" Wait a minute. God said that if Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they would die (see Genesis 2:16-17). They ate, and they died. They died an immediate spiritual death in that they were separated from God's presence (see Genesis 3:6-23), and Adam eventually died physically (see Genesis 5:5).

So, if we want to talk about "fairness," we should really wonder why anyone even lived long enough to fill the space of three chapters in the Bible after Adam and Eve sinned (Genesis 4-6)! In other words, if God gave us what we deserved, the Bible would be a very short book. Basically, it would read: God created. We sinned. The END! You see, you would already be finished reading God's Word! In fact, we probably wouldn't even talk about reading "God's Word" - it would be more like reading God's "pamphlet". And then again, as my wife says, we wouldn't even be around to read it if God gave us what we deserved!

But the truth is God is merciful. This is God's mercy by definition. It's been well-said that God's mercy means He holds back from us what we really deserve. And this is the second part of our response to the question about God's "fairness". We can see a glimpse of God's mercy in the life of Noah. After the sweeping statement of human depravity in Genesis 6:5, we find this statement in Genesis 6:8, "Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the Lord" (HSCB).

Now, we know Noah didn't find "favor" because he deserved it or he was perfect. No, indeed. Just read Genesis 9:18-23 - Noah and his family were far from perfect. The point is that in the same way God spoke of promised redemption in the middle of His judgment in Genesis 3:14-19 (Remember: Genesis 3:15 is the protoevangelium or the "first Gospel"), God also gives us an insight into His mercy in the midst of humanity's sinful rebellion.

This is the whole story of Scripture - God's working out His plan to save us in the midst of our sin through His Son, Jesus Christ (see John 3:16 and Romans 5:8)! Let's keep going...

God's Goodness, Sin's Devastation, and Christ's Redemption (Genesis 1-3)

I want to invite to you join me on a journey. I finished reading through the ESV (English Standard Version) of the Bible yesterday. And today, I started reading through the HSCB (Holman Christian Standard Bible). Of course, some people jokingly refer to the HSCB as the Hard-Core Southern Baptist version of the Bible!

While I usually read five chapters per day, I'm planning to read three chapters a day this time which should be easier for you to read along with me if you like. It should only take you about 20-30 minutes a day. This isn't much time at all. I'm not "preaching to you" when I say this, but it's just the truth: For about the time it takes to watch a television sit-com, you can complete your daily Bible reading.

Of course, the big struggle you may have if this is your first time reading the Bible all the way through is consistency and discipline. So let me give you a little encouragement at the outset. Try to read in the morning if you can. It's not that there's anything necessarily more "holy" about the morning. Rather, it's just that you'll read at the beginning of your day and have Scripture in your heart and mind for the remainder of the day. But, listen, if you miss the morning, don't give up for the day. Carve out some time during the day or in the evening, and read your chapters. It's fine. Just keep on keeping on, okay?

Now, I want to share some thoughts along the way as I'm reading through the Scriptures. So here goes...

Wow! God is powerful to create everything out of nothing, isn't He? And did you notice that everything God made is "good" (see Genesis 1-2)? Of course, we know from James 1 that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights (see James 1:17). Yes, indeed, God is good and what He does is good (see Psalm 119:67-68).

But then sin enters the picture (see Genesis 3:1ff). And everything goes south from here. In fact, my wife shared with me an interesting thought. Before Genesis 3, there's no sin, but then sin crashes in like a flood once Eve gives into temptation and Adam follows in her steps. I mean, think about it: In the very next chapter (see Genesis 4), we're going to see one brother, Cain, kill another brother, Abel, and by Genesis 6, the entire world is going to be swept away in the flood because of the devastation of sin.

Yet, there's hope! Yes, indeed, in the very chapter sin enters the picture, Jesus enters in the picture. Of course, you may be asking: Wait a minute, I didn't see the names "Jesus" mentioned in Genesis! Well, while the name "Jesus" isn't mentioned, His death is foreshadowed in Genesis 3:15. In fact, scholars call this the protoevangelium which means the "first Gospel". Here we see the promise that Jesus will one day be born, and while Satan will strike at His heel, He'll crush Satan's head. In other words, Jesus will suffer for sin, but He'll destroy the Devil's devastating work through sin (see 1 John 3:8).

This is how the Bible opens: God's Goodness, Sin's Devastation, and Christ's Redemption! Buckle your seatbelts because we're in a for ride through the revelation of God's Word. Let's keep going...