Author: BJ Armstrong

Ok, you have to read Hosea 1.  Are you in disbelief?  I am!

How could a good and perfect God command such a thing for the prophet Hosea?  Seriously, this is His good and faithful servant. Yet, God asks him to marry a prostitute and raise the children that she bears that are not his!

What?!  This angers me and makes me question if I really know God.  The life given to Hosea is not what he deserves.  Why God is paying for good with evil? How can this be?  Maybe God is not who I know him to be.

No, God is exactly who he says he is and God does exactly what he says he will do.  His promises are real.  Consider another man named Jesus.  He was righteous.  He was perfect in every way.  He loved God more than every other man, ever born.  Yet, God asked him to do the unthinkable.

Just like the life of Jesus, Hosea’s story does not end with pain and suffering.  Thankfully, he was willing to be used, in any capacity that God chose.  This faith and obedience give birth to hope and that hope gives way to true life.  This is when God is again able to call us “my people,” and “the ones I love” (Hosea 2:1, NLT).

What do you love?  Today, in Mark 12:18-44, Jesus reminds us that we are to love the Lord your God with all your heart.  So if you answered “I love Jesus,” do you love him with all your heart?  Let’s look at the evidence.

Our choices provide the evidence of our love.  You’ve probably heard that the easiest way to show what you love is to look at your calendar and your bank statement.  In other words, the things that we love show up in our priorities.  There is one more place, however, that doesn’t get talked about nearly as much and is far easier to hide.  Our thoughts.  What do you dwell on?

I don’t know about you, but I find it difficult to be perfectly honest answering that question.  Partly because I know the “right” answer and partly because I don’t want to face the judgement and wrath that comes with the full truth.  Problem is, it shows up either way.  In his book Winning the War In Your Mind, Craig Groeschel explains that “our lives is always moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts.”

If Groeschel is right, the quality of our lives is directly correlated to the quality of our thoughts.  Now, consider this.  There are at least four voices in our heads.

1. Holy Spirit
2. Satan, or the unholy spirit
3. Spirit of my fears and desires (Jeremiah 17:9)
4. Spirit of the times

I find that this list helps me evaluate the quality of my thoughts.  More importantly, it helps me honestly answer the question, “what are you dwelling on.”  You see, if I am not dwelling with the Holy Spirit, I cannot possibly be loving Jesus with all our heart.

Thankfully, today is a new day.  And…

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.  His mercies never come to an end.  They are new, every morning.  (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Habakkuk 1

I have a business coach.  Part of her job is to hold me accountable to my goals.  Often that means making sure that I do something that I do not want to do.  Her method is an interesting one.  She will ask me to send her a check for $1,000 made out to my competitor.  Now, if I perform, she will tear it up and we move on.  If, however, I fail to do what I said I would do, she will mail it.  Clever strategy, huh?  We see a similar use of accountability today in Habakkuk 1.

Let’s start with verses 1-5, it’s a familiar story.  The Israelites are acting up, again.  The prophet, Habakkuk, lists several things in his lament to God.  He complains of violence, evil deeds and misery everywhere.  He is exhausted by people that love to argue and fight.  It’s so bad and there are so many wicked people, he continues, that justice no longer exists.  What, he laments, will you do about it God?

This is the ironic part.  God answers Habakkuk’s prayer, just not in the way he expected.  Instead, God says don’t worry, I’m on it.  Then he proceeds to tell Habakkuk about how he will have Israel destroyed by the Babylonians, their worst enemy.

Habakkuk is stunned.  How could God use such a horrible people to do his work?

His argument makes sense to me.  But so does God’s.  I mean, do we really expect God to look away forever?  When I think of how many promises, I have made to him – and broke – I get it.  At some point, there must be accountability, and beware, God is willing to use whatever means necessary to get it.

Luke 11:1-13

Today, in Luke 11, Jesus promises to give us whatever we want.  So, what do you want?  What are you asking him for?  What?  What did you say?  Did you say that that’s not really what Jesus meant?  I did.  In fact, I’ve been contemplating this scripture and come to the conclusion that I am wrong.  My doubt is not a product of God’s failure to perform, but the result of my failure to complete the task.  Let me explain.

Think of something you have prayed for, but not gotten.  Don’t filter it.  What did you pray for?  Was it money?  Maybe love?  Health? Now, consider Jesus’ teaching about prayer.  First, he tells us to ask.  This is the simplest part.  But, we must be clear.  If you want health, what is that exactly?  Whatever it is, Jesus promises in verse 9 to ask, and “it shall be given.”

That’s too easy, right?  Maybe.  Jesus does provide us with another step to get what we want.  He says that we need to seek.  This is altogether different than asking.  Seeking is active.  Have you ever lost your wallet?  I bet you “seeked” all over the house until you found it!  Unfortunately, many of us are good at asking, but lousy at seeking.  For those that are willing to learn, however, Jesus promises that if we seek, “we will find.”

So maybe you asked, and were even diligent in searching, but still, you got no answer.  I wonder, did you knock?  I like the way Google defines it.  To knock is to strike something noisily to attract attention.  Hmmm….that’s a little more aggressive. But that’s not all.  According to Jesus, it’s the “impudent” knocking that gets results.  Read back through verses 5-8.  Jesus describes a man being rewarded for his impudence.  That trait is depicted as cocky, contemptuous, and disregarding others.

As I consider these activities, it becomes more clear to me why God does not always answer my prayers.  Worse yet, I see how my previous failures have fostered doubt about who God is and what he wants for me.

Today, in Luke 11, Jesus promises to give us whatever we want.  So, what do you want?  What are you asking him for?  What?  What did you say?  Did you say that that’s not really what Jesus meant?  I did.  In fact, Ive been contemplating this scripture and come to the conclusion that I am wrong.  My doubt is not a product of God’s failure to perform, but the result of my failure to complete the task.  Let me explain.

Think of something you have prayed for, but not gotten.  Don’t filter it.  What did you pray for?  Was it money?  Maybe love?  Health? Now, consider Jesus teaching about prayer.  First, he tells us to ask.  This is the simplest part.  But, we must be clear.  If you want health, what is that exactly?  Whatever it is, Jesus promises in verse 9 to ask and “it shall be given.”

OK, maybe that’s too easy.  Jesus does provide us with another step to get what we want.  He says that we need to seek.  This is altogether different than asking.  Seeking is active.  Have you ever lost your wallet?  I bet you “seeked” all over the house until you found it!  Unfortunately, many of us are good at asking, but lousy at seeking.  For those that are willing to learn, however, Jesus promises that if we seek, “we will find.”

So maybe you asked, and were even diligent in searching, but still you got no answer.  I wonder, did you knock?  I like the way Google defines it.  To knock is to strike something noisily to attract attention.  Hmmm….that’s a little more aggressive, but, according to Jesus, it’s not enough.  In verses 5-8, he describes a man being rewarded for his impudence.  That trait is depicted as cocky, contemptuous, and disregarding others.

Believers ought not to be discouraged, if they do not immediately obtain their desires, or if they find them difficult to be obtained: for if, among men, importunity of asking extorts what a person would not willingly do, we have no reason to doubt that God will listen to us, if we persevere constantly in prayer, and if our minds do not slacken through difficulty or delay. ~ John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries

Be careful what you pray for.  Have you ever heard that warning?  It’s often followed up with the phrase, “because you might get it.”  But, that’s not all of the story.  Far too often we pray for God’s intervention, his help, and his guidance only to reject the answer.  Consider today’s reading of Jeremiah 42.

You recall that our reading has been covering the invasion, and now occupation of, Israel by the Babylonians.  Well, in chapter 41, a man named Ishmael and 10 of his buddies went to see their Babylonian governor.  During dinner, the men jumped up and killed him.  Now, this seems like the kind of thing you do when your city has been seized by the enemy, but it still comes with consequences.  Specifically, someone is going to come looking for you.  Ismael and his buddies got scared.  Real scared!

Have you ever been so scared that you started to pray?  That’s exactly what they did.  In fact, they went to Jeremiah, the prophet, and asked him to pray for them.  They were specific too.  They asked God to “show them what to do and where to go” (v3).

Of course, God answered.  That’s what God does.  He always answers us, we just are not always listening. Or, at least not openly listening.  In this case, God’s answers were empowering.  He said “stay here” (v10), “do not fear the king of Babylon” (v11), and “I will be merciful” (v12).  It’s the perfect answer!

God is promising to return them to their land.  He is offering them peace and freedom.  But, if you read on through chapter 43, you will see that they reject it.  Instead of staying, they flee to Egypt!  Why? Why? Why?

The answer seems so easy as I sit here and read the story.  But in my heart, I know that it is not.  We all fall victim to this scenario.  We pray for the answer, but when we get it, we do what we want anyway.  Not because we think our way is better, we know that it’s not.  It’s just easier.  Sadly, it also perpetuates our pain and suffering.

So now, be careful what you pray for.  Better to know this before you start asking.  God will answer your prayer.  And, his answer will require that you become someone bigger and better than you are today.  It will take courage, surrender, and faith.  If that’s not what you want, maybe you should consider not asking.

1 Kings 3:1-17

I’m always on the lookout for a good book about leadership.  It supports my goal to become a better leader.  According to today’s scripture, I am chasing the wrong goal.  What if, instead of trying to be a better leader, I wanted to become a better person?  What would I look for?  Probably books about character, integrity, and love.  These traits are not skill-based, yet they are still developed but they don’t point to the mind.  They come from your heart.

King Solomon knew this.  In fact, he worked first to develop his heart.  We see that in verse 6.  Solomon went to the “bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered one thousand burnt offerings on it.”  This is where Solomon’s wish originates from.  A pure, worshipful heart.

Today, I’d like to ask God for better things.  I’m starting with “today, how will I fill my heart so that it overflows with the love of God?”

Psalm 79

The closest I’ve come to experiencing war is in front of the TV.  I remember it vividly.  The sky over Baghdad lit up like a Christmas tree.  The images and potential escalation of the war in Iraq gave everyone anxiety.  So, we carried with us the burden of war.  But this is different than living a war.  I still went to class.  I still drank coffee and did my laundry.  I even ate three or more meals per day.  Since then, there have been other conflicts, like Afghanistan.  Guess what?  My life didn’t change for that either.  That’s how I know war.

What if it were different?  How would you feel if enemy tanks had just crossed our border?  What would happen if missiles were rocketing overhead in search of a target nearby? Yes, my life would change and so would my conversation with God.

I would turn quickly from “thank you for protecting us,” to “what are you doing?!” I would question how God could allow an invasion from such vile people.  In today’s reading of Psalm. 79, the author is describing the Babylonian’s invasion of Jerusalem.  Here, the Babylonians, the most pagan, vile culture to ever live overtook God’s country.  Remember, Jerusalem was the Promised Land.  It was given to the Jewish people, by God himself so that they could live in harmony with him, forever.

Notice that the Psalmist quickly turns from “oh, no!” to “save us.”  Getting there requires that we remember God is God.  He knows all of this.  He controls all of this.  He can “make himself known and avenge the outpoured blood of his servants” (v10).  The Psalmist pleads with God for his intervention. More importantly, the Psalmist is faithful that God will come to their rescue.

As I write today, Ukraine fills my heart.  I cannot help but see it parallel to this story. Would you join me in praying this Psalm for Ukraine?  Take a moment to re-read the Psalm and replace the word Jerusalem with Ukraine.

Luke 18:18-30

Am I the only one that gets a little anxious when reading Luke 18:18-30? There is something about verse 23 that scares the snot out of me. As I ponder the reasons why that may be the case, I am confronted with a stark reality.

In reality, I am just like the rich young ruler (I’m speaking more about my heart than my bank account). That is to say that when God asks me to give something up in order to better serve him, I leave in sorrow, just as the rich young ruler did. Sometimes, I just don’t want to give up what I want!  It doesn’t matter what you call it; ambition, wealth, money, possessions, or fortune. At the end of the day, these things entangle our hearts. In this case, the rich young ruler chooses death. I really do not want to choose the same!

So what are we to do? Is there no hope? Are we doomed to live as slaves to our passions and ambitions, replaying this scenario over and over again? Thankfully, the disciples were onto this same question. It appears that they are just as freaked out as I am when they ask, “in astonishment, who can be saved?” (v26). I can hear the desperation in the question. They sense the impending doom. Thankfully, Jesus settles it with his gentle reminder, “with man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.”   When we focus on him, nothing else matters.

Father, remember us as you have remembered those before us. Even though we turn away and forsake your goodness, you are great in mercies.   You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. (Nehemiah 9:31 ESV)

John 3:22-36

What do you do when you are faced with competition?  First, you grumble and complain about the other party.  Then, you strategize and determine the activities you need to engage to ensure the win.  That’s where most of us stop.  We relish in the victory and move on to our next conquest.

This was not true, however, for John the Baptist.  He knew a better way.  He pursued a better victory. He lived for God’s glory.  What does that really mean?  The best answer is found in John 3:30.  It says, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  In other words, John the Baptist had no desire to become someone or something.  Instead, he used his thoughts, talents, deeds, relationships so that Jesus could become everything.

What would change in your life if your goal was to glorify God?   when glorification becomes my chief aim, my activities change.  Not just my activities, but also my goals.  My words change, my conversations are different, and my general attitude is adjusted.  Frustration is irrelevant because God can be glorified in all things, at all times, no matter what.  Failure is simply not possible.

So, how do we do it?  Just like John the Baptist with a simple choice that says “I must decrease so that he can increase.”