QT 13 Apr 15, Heb 11:7, Pleasing God is acting on what God reveals to our heart

Heb 11:7 (ESV) By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

NOTE: The more I think about this chapter, the more I realize that the actions displaying faith have a few common characteristics. Very few have anything to do with the 613 OT commandments (maybe one out of the 30 odd examples). Almost all the exercises of faith are accompanied by action--action that follows through on what God laid on the individual's heart. So faith is responding to the voice of God in a our life. And so also, it can be different for different people as evidenced by chapter eleven of Hebrews. None of the ancients pleased God out of religiosity but rather from the heart. Even if you use Abel as an example since he gave an offering, you have to recognize that Cain did as well, but God accepted Abel's offering and not Cain's. Some might try to argue that one was a blood offering and the other was not. But scripture is not completely clear, nor is there any command in scripture at that point that requires a blood offering. So one would need to read in something to make a point that the text does not support. But the text does support a difference in the heart or attitude, as God warns Abel about sin crouching at the door.

So what is God speaking to my heart? Where am I required to walk by faith? What do I need to do?

QT 9 Apr 15, Heb 11:1-2, The hope is in a return to Eden

Heb 11:1-2 (ESV)  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation.

NOTE: I think the most difficult part of this verse is determining what the author meant by "things hoped for." Far from being a blank check to exercise faith in any wish list item, I think it is more limited. First of all, if it is anything, it would have to be limited to God's will because that is what Jesus taught about prayer to the disciples. Secondly, it would have to be for our good, or otherwise prayer and faith would harm us. So, for those reasons, I don't think it has anything to with things in the earthly sense. In fact, later in the book, it tells us that none of the ancients received what they hoped for, they only welcomed it from afar. What is the thing they hoped for and did not see? A heavenly home, a city whose foundations are built by God. They hoped for Eden--a return to the original plan. Man failed to obey God in the garden, but is given one more chance in this life to seek God, so that he can obtain the real life that God had planned for him from the beginning. A life of purpose, meaning, relationships, eternality, and without the evils of this world. That is the promise, that is what we need to hope for.

QT 8 Apr 15, Luke 23:28-31, A great judgment is coming

Luke 23:28-31 (ESV) But turning to them Jesus said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.  29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!'  30  Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.'  31 For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"

NOTE: Matching the phraseology of verse 31 "Mountains … fall on us and hide us," places this event in the first half of the tribulation (Rev 6:16). It is the sixth of the seven seal judgments. A lot of people have died in the war, famine, pestilence, and earthquake that precedes the sixth seal. Jesus says that the trees were green 'now' but soon would be dry. Literally it could mean that the trees at that time will be ready to burn as well. Metaphorically, it could mean things are not yet near as bad as they soon would be. We have no idea how bad things will really get. We can't imagine pain so great that we want to die. A coming judgment is near at hand--yes, that has been said for almost 2000 years--but, God's word will be accomplished. It may be in the next 20 years, it may be sooner. What are we doing to warn people of the coming wrath? Are we bold with our testimony or do we shrink back? Lord, help me not to shrink back. Give me courage.

QT 7 Apr 15, Ps 4:2, We choose the narrative--what we want to believe--over God's word

Ps 4:2 (ESV) O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?

How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?

NOTE: This is our culture today, where the narrative (what we want to believe) is more important than the facts. We have raised a self-generated dogma to the status of absolute truth while at the same time denying the existence of absolute truth. We have chosen to believe what we want to believe because we like it, not because it is necessarily true (which it can't be anyway since we say there is no absolute truth). We rebelled against God in the garden because we did not want his rules nor him to rule over us. That rebellion continues today. And yet when disasters happen--the consequences of a world where God does not rule--we scream at God and say that this proves that a loving, all-powerful God can't exist. The disasters and evil that we see should remind us that we chose a world without God, and God in his mercy gave us what we wanted in the hope that we might see the ugliness and futility of it all. Disaster, pain, injustice, evil, etc, are megaphones that all scream the same thing--we rebelled and we need to repent. If God stepped into our rebellious world and fixed every bad thing that ever happened, I seriously doubt we would all worship him or believe in him. And so he does the best thing that he can do, he gives us the consequences of our rebellion. But he did step into our world as well, and showed us his great love for us through many miracles, the most important being the resurrection. We deny it all, because we don't want God's solution -- we like being gods.

QT 2 Apr 15, Matt 27:11-14, The resurrection is the single most important event in history

Matt 27:11-14 (ESV)  Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You have said so."  12  But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?" 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

NOTE: He had nothing to prove. He stood above everyone in the room. None could match him in authority and power, and yet, everyone thought of themselves as more important. He did not have to argue for his life, he had already struggled with that option and chosen death out of a love for humanity. Everything now was just a formality, except the pain and the separation from the father. Pilate was perplexed, his wife trouble, the Pharisees angry, the crowd lost, his disciples scared, and we, about to receive the greatest gift of all time. He was perfect. He never sinned. His love was greater than any love the world had ever seen. The miracles, though denied by generations today, validated his claim. The empty grave is a historical fact and is conveniently ignored by most people today. But the resurrection is the single most important event in humanity. Satan has done all he can to obfuscate the facts. Men don't want to investigate the claims, because men love their sin. They choose rebellion to God instead of walking with God. And consequently, men are lost because walking without God is aimless, pointless, and fruitless. Lord have mercy on our arrogance.

QT 30 Mar 15, Heb 10:30, God calls us to be his witnesses

Heb 10:39 (ESV) But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

NOTE: Am I embarrassed by my faith? Do I stand up for what I believe in, even when it is not popular? I think all of us struggle at times in this pluralistic culture with identifying with our faith. Our culture has worked so hard at destroying every aspect of our faith, although mostly without knowledge. Their arguments are poor and in error, but usually reside in catchy phrases and slogans and half-truths that sound good. It is not as if God needs defending, he will have the final say, but if we don't speak up, people will never know the truth. And besides, God has called us to be his witnesses and ambassadors to the nations. We really don't have a choice if we want to be obedient.

QT 26 Mar 15, Heb 10:1, The law was only a shadow

Heb 10:1 (ESV) For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.

NOTE: The law was never intended to be permanent since it was always only a shadow of the good things to come. There are a number of purposes for the law and the OT. One is provided here. It is a shadow, a type of the true covenant. It bears resemblance to the true covenant since it is a copy of the things in heaven. It shows the importance of blood and death. It shows the degree of sin and the separation of man from God. It shows the need for a mediator. It shows the need for a perfect sacrifice. It shows the need for a better sacrifice, one that can truly cleanse our conscience from acts that lead to death.

QT 25 Mar 15, Ps 84:10, Pleasure must be pursued in the right order

Ps 84:10 (ESV) For a day in your courts is better

than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

NOTE: The tents of the wicked are tempting. The fares appear to bring pleasure, but the cost is too high. The price is felt within our souls, for as David says elsewhere, "against you, you only have I sinned, and done what is evil." Sin is against God. It strikes at our spiritual nature and tears us down from within. It is a fleeting pleasure. It is a twisting of something good into evil. Afterwards the cost is extracted upon our lives. A good pleasure has the cost paid beforehand. It is the result of doing the right thing in the right way. It does not tear us down, but it builds us up. The pleasure seems similar on the outside, but the difference is great. God protect me from the shortcuts and from evil steps. I want to enjoy your pleasures from your hands. I don't want to sin against you.

QT 23 Mar 15, Eph 6:11, Leaving off armor pieces leaves us vulnerable to certain attacks

Eph 6:11 (ESV) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

NOTE: I think are problem is that we don't fully equip ourselves. We will put an item or two of the armor, but leave other pieces off. The problem is that leaves gaps or weaknesses that the enemy can exploit. The armor is designed to work together as a whole. A shield alone can't protect from an enemy wielding two weapons. It is better than nothing, but only using bits and pieces leaves us exposed. We need to cultivate a lifestyle that naturally puts on all the pieces of the armor. What is the piece that I have been omitting? I think I can admit to more than one. My feet shod with the gospel of peace is one I don't think about enough. How hard do I look for opportunities to be a witness as I walk through this life?

QT 19 Mar 15, Luke 12:1-3, We cannot hide from God

Luke 12:1-3 (ESV) In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  2  Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.  3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

NOTE: We think we can hide. We think our sin will not find us out. We know what is right, but we don't want to face the truth some times. I think the Pharisees convinced themselves that things that were wrong were right for them. But God knows our hearts and sees our actions. He is not fooled by anything, even if we do manage to fool ourselves. The verses that follow remind us to fear God, not men. Lord, we need your mercy. We are frail and weak. We give in to the flesh and emotions. We react instead of think. We think like the world instead of using your wisdom. Forgive us and have mercy on us. We depend upon you. We are more valuable than sparrows and is some ways, more delicate as well. Guide us in truth. Amen.

QT 17 Mar 15, Col 3:19, Called to treat our wives considerately, kindly, and gently

Col 3:19 (ESV) Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.

NOTE: So, this is a very shortened version of the same message to the Ephesians. A comparison of Eph 5 and Col 3 shows the similarity of the message. So when Paul boils it down to a much shorter section, in this case, one verse versus nine verses, what is his emphasis? First, he tells the man to love his wife, much as was told in Ephesians, with the additional detail in Ephesians that the love is to be a sacrificial love like Jesus' love for us. He also has a negative command--don't be harsh. Some people pay more attention to negative commands than to positive commands. Negative commands also highlight poor current behavior. So, in saying that the husband is not to be harsh, he is also saying the husband is to be considerate, kind, and gentle. The husband is to lead the family (other passages tell us this) but not in a demanding or forceful way. His leadership should be considerate, kind, and gentle.

QT 11 Mar 15, Rom 7:21-25, It is not good but it is normal to struggle with sin

Rom 7:21-25 (ESV) So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

NOTE: So, Paul's struggle here is clearly a struggle as a believer, and not before he came to Christ or just theoretical. He says in vs 22 that he delights in the law of God in his inner being. He also says that he has been delivered by Jesus, yet also he says that in his flesh he serves the law of sin. There is a war that we struggle with all the years of our life on earth. It does not excuse our actions. It does not obviate the need to struggle and war against the flesh (as it wars against the mind). It is a real thing that we all deal with but in different ways. The worst failure is to think you have no struggle, because I would argue then that sin has won (in pride for sure, but in other areas as well). Father be merciful to us. We are weak creatures.

QT 9 Mar 15, Isa 58:6-10, Do we love God most when we love others first?

Isa 58:6-10 (ESV) "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 8  Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am.' If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 10  if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.

NOTE: What does it mean to put God first? What is more important to God, the sacrifice of our body, or love expressed to his children? Do we love God more when we love others? If a person denies his faith to save his children's lives, is he wrong, as a story about a family forced to convert back to Islam relates? Can loving others so much be wrong? If we love our lives, then the answer is yes. That is wrong. If we are trying to save our lives, then yes that is wrong (in my opinion). But to save the life of another, how can we be so sure? I don't know what I would do, but I don't doubt I may have acted as the Father did. A renunciation of your faith does not change your faith. That is inside and no person can separate us from the love of God. They may force our external behavior to be different, but they cannot change what is in our heart. No one can take the HS from us.

QT 2 Mar 15, 1 Sam 13:19-23, What do I need to do, not what do I need?

1 Sam 13:19-23 (ESV) Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, "Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears." 20 But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle,  21 and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads.  22 So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

NOTE: It is an interesting way to control people, by taking away certain skills. I'm not sure if they made it illegal or if they killed all the blacksmiths, but the result was that the whole nation went to the Philistines for blacksmith services. Consequently, there were no weapons, except weapons that remained for the King and his son. This may even explain why later, Goliath's sword was such an important item. What do you when you don't have the required tools? In this case, you do the best you can. You bring your axe, and your hoe. You bring a club and a knife. And most importantly, you bring faith that God can give the victory if your heart is right with him. You do the right thing, even when it doesn't seem possible to do the right thing. What is the right thing? Deep down, I think we all know.

QT 25 Feb 15, Matt 3:7, Wrath is coming

Matt 3:7 (ESV) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

NOTE: The wrath to come is usually viewed in an eschatological sense. Jesus' coming "begins the end." The wrath is post rapture and occurs during the final 7 "days" of Daniel's prophecies. Right now, those seven days are interrupted. A mystery has appeared, the church. The body of Christ is taking the gospel message to the world. At some point soon, the body will be removed from the earth, just as Jesus rose from the earth, and tribulation (the wrath to come) will be poured out on mankind. Before the very end, the Jews will return to the Messiah, and Jesus will come down to rescue his people, and then the Messianic kingdom will start. Many of the seeds of these final days have already been sown and some are near. An attack on Israel by Iran (Persia) and Russia is the next major event. Also some movement toward a world order is also necessary, probably precipitated by an actual use of nuclear weapons between Israel and Iran, although Israel will be untouched. The world will try to create another system just as it did after WWI (league of nations) and WWII (united nations) to prevent any future nuclear wars. The time is close. It is hard to imagine another 20-30 years without seeing these events happen. The time is at hand. Are we doing all that we can to live and share our faith with those around us?

QT 23 Feb 15, Heb 13:5, Don't live for pay raises

Heb 13:5 (ESV) Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

NOTE: There are a number of practical instructions in this section that also give insight into the struggle of the Hebrew believers. Apparently their new faith has resulted in closed doors for financial gain. If they go back to their Hebrew faith, potentially these doors reopen. God's response is that too much emphasis is being placed on monetary gain. The real key is not gaining more money but learning to be content with what you have. God promises to never leave us, so why do we worry about gaining more money.

I admit that I fall into this trap as well, although not because of my faith or at least I don't see my faith as an obstacle to better position and better pay. But the point remains, I need to be content with what I have. And I do have a lot. Why do I really want more? What is my purpose? Will it help me to be a better witness for Christ?

If God gives me an opportunity then so be it, but I must not worry about money. I must not let money rule my life.

QT 9 Feb 15, 2 Sam 5:22-25, Build habits of spiritual discipline

2 Sam 5:22-25 (ESV) And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 23  And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, "You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees. 24 And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines." 25 And David did as the Lord commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.

NOTE: This is one of those positive moments in the life of David. It was not free of conflict or stress or pain, but it was a time of victory and blessings. It is also a time of reliance, as David goes to God for direction. Prayer is often the missing element when we compare times of victory and times of stagnation and defeat--which is why it is so important to develop a habit of prayer. Hard times force us to our knees, but good times tempt us to forget God. Yet good times are the best times to develop good habits of prayer. Prayer needs to be a habit and is seldom successful without being a habit. A habit is "an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary (dictionary.com)." To be regular, you need a regular time and a regular place and a regular environment. The more things that are regular (the same), the easier it will be to develop a habit. It is not possible to develop a regular habit of prayer at irregular time and places during the day, unless you find the defining regularity. For example, standing in line, which is not regular in place or time, can be used as a device to initiate prayer. But better ideas will have additional regularity to it. My time is my half-hour drive to work in the morning. I do it 5 of 7 days for 35 minutes each day at the same time. It has become a habit to start praying as I drive out of my neighborhood.

QT 5 Feb 15, Matt 23:9, Humble yourself by learning to exalt others

Matt 23:12 (ESV) Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

NOTE: So this is the area where I can say in today's popular nomenclature--FAIL. And I do. I struggle again and again to just shut up. I don't need to exalt myself. I don't need to talk about my past accomplishments, authority, or awards. I just need to let it go and shut up. There are certainly advantages to people knowing your strengths. It is possible that it could increase trust. But it is just ugly to watch some puffed-up person, like myself, subtly puffing himself up. Well, at least I think I'm subtle, but probably not. So, it's hard to just stop doing something. Usually you need to replace it with some other activity. So my activity will be to lift others up and promote others. I need to change my thought process. How can I compliment or lift up another? What can I say to make that person look good? I don't know how well this will work, but this will be my goal today, at least as a start.

QT 4 Feb 15, Prov 16:9, God knows what he is doing in our lives

Prov 16:9 (ESV) The heart of man plans his way,

but the Lord establishes his steps.

NOTE: The verse doesn't say we shouldn't plan nor does it make any moral judgment on the decision to plan. Other scripture do, and suggest prudence and planning as wise actions. What it does say, is that God is never not involved. He may choose to allow us to experience the consequences of poor planning or lack of planning or selfish planning. He may intervene and he may not. But Rom 8:28 says that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him. So if he allows something, it is because he sees good that will come or if he intervenes, it is because he is working to bring good out of it. Of course, God's definition of good and ours may differ exceedingly. He can see into eternity, but we can only see a little bit ahead. Therefore, we will often not see something as good because we can't see it from God's perspective. Additionally, we measure things by a physical life and earthly treasures, and God sees the spiritual, and unseen things of eternity and heaven. So, in the end, we must trust that God is the one establishing our steps, not our plans.

QT 3 Feb 15, Eccl 7:10, Our attitude determines our evaluation of events

Eccl 7:10 (ESV) Say not, "Why were the former days better than these?"

For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

NOTE: In retrospect, everything seems better -- well, most things. Yet, at the time, if a person is honest, he will admit that he grumbled and wished for change, something different, back then. This section of scripture falls within Solomon's "Under the Sun" wisdom. It is generally true, but not necessarily spiritually true. It must be examined against the context and other passages. In this case, while the statement is completely true, the answer is not completely given. It is true that it is not wise to think this way. It is a distorted view of reality. Wisdom would be to 'ask different questions,' and to pray in a thankful manner. Our attitude determines our evaluation of events. So, the questions should be: what do I like about these days? What can I do that I could not do? What opportunities do I have now? What is God doing in my life? The prayers are similar, but rather than just asking "what can I thank God for," they should include, "what do I need to thank you for that I don't want to be thankful for?" Those are the prayers that change our attitude and give us wisdom to see what God is doing today, rather than wishing for days that are long past.