QT 30 May 19, Gen 16:2, Some ideas are just bad, especially when they ignore God's commands

Genesis 16:2 (ESV) — 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

NOTE: There is a reason God forbids certain actions, and there a reason certain activities are called sin. There are direct consequences: relational, emotional, spiritual, etc. And then there are indirect and unintended consequences to sin. God gives us his word and commands for our good, not for our hurt. When we disobey his rule, we suffer needlessly, because we are not designed that way. Unfortunately, in our human way of thinking, we discount God's wisdom in his commands. We think of ways to solve problems and justify the activity based on what we see as the outcome. Somehow, we think it will work, just this one time.

PRAYER: Father, protect us from ourselves, from our sinful flesh that wages war against the spirit. Forgive us when we let the flesh control our thinking or actions. Give us strength through your spirit and the power of your word to stay true to your commands for our lives. We are weak and stupid vessels otherwise.

QT 28 May 19, Gen 15:7-8, God's graciousness with our weaknesses

Genesis 15:7–8 (ESV) —

7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

NOTE: God had just told Abram what he was going to do, and Abram asks the question, "how am I to know?" In one sense, we might question Abram's faith. When shown the stars as the number of his offspring, he believes, but when shown the land, he is not so believing. Abram is a bit of a mystery, showing great faith, peaks of excellence, and then following it up with weak faith, valleys of despair. He is just like us. The best part of this verse is that he questions God, and God in his patience answers his "how" question graciously by performing a human covenant transaction with some modifications to include God as one of the party.

PRAYER: Father, there are days when I do well and live in faith, and then there are those where I struggle. Thank you so much for your patience with me.

QT 27 May 19, Gen 15:12,18, The unconditional land covenant that gives Israel the land between the Nile and the Euphrates

Genesis 15:12 (ESV) — As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.

Genesis 15:18 (ESV) — On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,

NOTE: This is really the best of agreements--Abram is asleep as God cuts the contract. God places the burden for fulfillment completely upon himself. It is unconditional. The land is Israel's. It is not the churches or to be dismissed in some metaphorical sense as some reformed theologians do. This is Israel's land because of God's contract with Abram and his descendants (represented in Abram). And he will fulfill it just as he promised. Even now it is not fulfilled as it is intended to be the land from the Nile to the Euphrates, and that has only happened for a short time during David's reign. It matters not who lives there now. God has given the land to Israel and it is theirs. In the millennial kingdom when Christ rules on the earth, the promise will be completely fulfilled.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you that I am a part of the church, an entity made of Jews and Gentiles who have believed in Jesus. We are not Israel and you are not finished with Israel. I am part of the body of Christ and I am part of the bride of Christ. I have a special place in your kingdom. Thank you for the gift of salvation that has secured such a wonderful future for me.

QT 23 May 19, Gen 14:24, Listening to God's spirit

Genesis 14:24 (ESV) — 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”

NOTE: Abram was entitled to the loot. It was an assumed practice in warfare that the conquering force looted the defeated force. Abram shows shrewdness because looting creates the roots of future warfare. Abram gives back everything except the food they have eaten and the share of loot that his "soldiers" (servants) would have expected for risking their life in battle. It is a very fair deal. It prevents any source of future misgiving from the battle from resurfacing years later. Included in the amount that is held back appears to be 10 percent which is given to Melchizedek.

This also would have been the opportunity for Lot to reconsider his living arrangements. Instead, Lot returns to Sodom. God gives us wakeup calls routinely in life. But do we listen before we lose everything?

PRAYER: Father, open my eyes to see what you are doing. Help me to be sensitive to the work of your Spirit in my life. I do not want to be like Lot. I want to obey the gentle whisper of the Spirit. Help me to have open ears.

QT 22 May 19, Phil 23-24, Christianity has nothing in common with the lone ranger

Philemon 23–24 (ESV) — 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

NOTE: So much for the idea of Christianity as the business of lone rangers. I can only think of one time in Paul's entire life when he was actually alone. I believe it was when he was in Athens and it was a rather short period. Paul recognized that Christianity has nothing to do with the idea of a lone ranger. Christianity is about fellowship, the body of Christ, and reaching out to the world. Staying home because your faith is "private" is a copout, an error, and an affront to the idea of the bride of Christ. Yes, the bride has a number of warts, and we contribute to those warts, but the healthy growing church is one where the people meet, worship, fellowship, and reach out to friends and neighbors.

PRAYER: Father, I am by nature a loner. I know I could easily barricade up in my little bubble. Protect me from Satan's evil strategies. Give me a love for the unlovely and a desire to help others rather than just helping me help myself.

QT 21 May 19, Phil 22, The softer side of Paul

Philemon 22 (ESV) — At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.

NOTE: We get a little insight into the personal side of Paul. I seriously doubt that Philemon was going to start preparing a guest room for Paul or even to leave it open for the next year. More likely, Philemon had a guest room that was always open for visitors. While that may not have been true of most people, we have indications that Philemon was wealthy. The church met in his home and he apparently had servants. Also, since Paul never directly visited Colossae and he knew Philemon well, suggesting that he had met him while Philemon was traveling.  And so the statement is made almost tongue in cheek. Paul didn't need to say anything, but his humorous comment tells Philemon that he is hoping to visit if released. Of course, he is also hoping to go to Spain as well. Paul had a lot of dreams and not all of them were fulfilled, showing that dreams and desires are not necessarily indicators of God's will.

PRAYER: Father, help me to separate dreams and your will. Give me contentment in the place that you have "placed" me.

QT 20 May 19, Phil 19-20, Do we really live up to the standards of our faith?

Philemon 19–20 (ESV) — 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

NOTE: This seems a little harsh or strong for Paul, and yet he must have known Philemon well enough to say it. His challenge to Philemon is to forget the loss and expense that was incurred by Onesimus actions. Rather, see the eternal gain of a new brother in Christ. If Paul's ministry has had any effect--yes, Paul should expect actions consistent with the gospel and not the world. Philemon needs to act as Christ would and accept back his brother in Christ. That is our problem in the church today. The love of Christ is not shown. There is anger and bitterness when people don't get their way. Jesus said, "by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Rather than focusing on ourselves, our loss, our embarrassment, our whatever …, we need to act in a manner consistent with the life of Jesus Christ who gladly was mistreated for the benefit of all.

PRAYER: Father, it is easy for me to get mad at personal assaults or affronts. I know it is wrong and I ask your forgiveness. Far more important is to love others and forget the hurts. Help me to live as you want me to live and to love as you want me to love.

QT 16 May 19, Phil 17-18, Loving first

Philemon 17–18 (ESV) — 17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.

NOTE: Paul displayed the Christian attitude to loss, anger, and misunderstanding. He took it upon himself. He was not in the wrong, but he was willing to bear the burden of the wrong. It did not matter who paid the loss. It was just money. It was just an internal sense of right and wrong that isn't even always biblical. The bigger issue was healing hurts and reconciling people. I find it is a lot easier to assume the fault to rectify a relationship than to get the other person to admit their error. So what? God will reveal it to them in time. It is not my job to play junior Holy Spirit. Now if it is a regular pattern, I may need to reevaluate that position. But God says, it is His to judge and to repay a person for their actions.

PRAYER: Father, help me to let go of hurts quickly. Help me to love others independently of how they might act. My job is to love first. Work in all of our lives to change us and to make us more like Jesus Christ.

QT 15 May 19, Phil 14, Giving is never to be under compulsion

Philemon 14 (ESV) — but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.

NOTE: Onesimus is a runaway servant of Philemon. He comes to Christ through Paul's witness. And now, Paul is sending him back to fulfill his obligations as a bond-servant. There is no teaching of slavery in this passage, but rather the typical Christian teaching of obeying government authorities according to the culture and time. I don't know if Onesimus was a forced slave or one who sold himself into slavery to pay off debts. In the latter case, that is no different than many professional sport contracts where a person sells his services for a certain number of years. In our culture, it pays very well to be a servant to a wealthy land owner. The main point Paul argues is that while Paul might be able to use him as payment for Paul's ministry to Onesimus, he argues that giving should not be by compulsion but rather a person's choice. There is no discussion of tithing or the law's requirements. The New Testament teaches that each person gives as he has made up his own mind, not under compulsion, for God loves cheerful givers.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for the mercy and grace of the new covenant. Thank you that we are not compelled to give. Thank you that giving is truly giving from the heart. I pray my heart for giving might continue to grow.

QT 14 May 19, Phil 6, Living like Christ all the time

Philemon 6 (ESV) — and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

NOTE: I think we share our faith in two ways and in two directions. In general our faith is shared in words and also in actions (where action is a very broad category to include love, acts of mercy, service, kindness, gentleness, compassion, etc.). The two directions are toward unbelievers and believers. In the first case, unbelievers are left to question their pre-conceived ideas of faith because of the representation of our life. Hopefully, the opportunities where we live out our faith will lead to opportunities to express words, answering questions about our faith. For believers, we tend to call this direction fellowship and it is equally important. Many people live worldly lives in the church -- they really aren't any different than the world around us, and they don't encourage people to live upright and godly lives. They don't build up the faith of believers. The end result is sterile Christianity.

PRAYER: Father, wake us up to the extreme importance of a witness that truly reflects a loving Jesus Christ to believer and unbeliever alike.

QT 13 May 19, Philemon 1-2, We need close church relationships

Philemon 1–2 (ESV) — 1 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:

NOTE: At first I thought I could make out who was who, but on further thought, I am not sure of the relationship of the three to each other. I am pretty sure Archippus is an elder and leads the church, but that is based on Col 4:18. Apphia appears to be married to one of the two, but could be a daughter to one and a sister to the other. While the letter is primarily to Philemon, it directly affects the other two, either because they are leaders in the church or because they are related to Philemon. In any event, it is nice to see ministry in the home and to see Paul's acknowledgment of such (as he does often in his letters). Sometimes our big building and large congregations cause us to miss out on the intimacy of the early church. A small group, of some kind, or small bible study, brings us back to the spiritual relationships that existed in the first century.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for fellowship and the friendship and relationships of  close brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray that others might experience the close of a small group within their church and not settle for just Church and Sunday School.

QT 7 May 19, Jude 23-24, Someday -- I will be blameless

Jude 24–25 (ESV) — 24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

NOTE: He is able to keep me from stumbling and my part is to turn to him and seek him. Needless to say, I fail at the latter far too often. There is a combination of effort and grace in walking with God. Some might call that heresy, but it is true. We need to work out our salvation. We need like Paul, to work harder than everyone else. We need to put on the armor of God. We need to take off our sinful habits, replacing them with godly behavior. We need to pray and meet with God in his word every day. And as we take these steps, as we put effort into our walk with God, God provides grace. Both are true. God changes us, and we work to see change happen. Failure is doing it all in our strength and failure is believing God will do everything.

PRAYER: Father, I'm far more comfortable living in this reality then either of the other two extremes. I will fail. I will struggle all my life. But by your grace, something beautiful will emerge.

QT 6 May 19, Jude 23, Sin is deadly

Jude 23 (ESV) — … save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

NOTE: The verse seems to suggest that these "people" do not know the savior, and they need salvation. I think this "fire" is hell, but there are other cases in scripture where it is a physical fire, like the one that would destroy Jerusalem (which this letter precedes by only a few years). Still others are to be shown mercy, but why? Is it because they are believers, just deceived by Satan? That would seem to make the most sense, since the first part of the verse deals with the unbelieving "Church attendees," and this part deals with the believing but misguided "Church members." The warning is to be careful, that is to be fearful, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. These members are in terrible sin. The sin is tempting, and getting too close can even affect the rescuer.

PRAYER: Father, give me wisdom as I try to help believers and unbelievers escape the clutches of the evil one.

QT 2 May 19, Jude 22, We are so impudent in our non-understanding

Jude 22 (ESV) — 22 And have mercy on those who doubt;

NOTE: In one sense, I do this well, but in another sense, I am quite poor at it. I feel a lot of sympathy and mercy to those who are being bombarded by the world and its worldview. And I feel it is my job to dispel the false conclusions of the world and the myths that it creates in its attempt to destroy the word of God or people who believe in the God of the bible (the only true God). But when it comes to teachers who doubt, I am not merciful. I distaste teachers who breed doubt because they add their own human understanding into their teaching. In my mind, these are false teachers. I realize that not everything can be known and understood. But there are certainly better explanations than to question the authority of the scriptures. My rule is that the bible is true, so therefore how do I understand this truth in light of other biblical evidence and outside evidence. It will fit together, although not always in my feeble, less than one cubic foot, brain. God is infinite in his knowledge and understanding. The fact that I might not understand something that he understands should not at all be surprisingly. And my knowledge or even the cumulative knowledge of the world is not enough to find God at fault.

PRAYER: Father, forgive us for our impudence. We are so stupid despite being so cocky and arrogant. Have mercy on us. Open the eyes of our believing teachers to dig deeper into you word. I pray they would reverence your word.  Your word is truth, absolute truth.