Author: BJ Armstrong

Deuteronomy 1-3, Psalm 36, Luke 5

Rebellion is such a strong word.  I am no rebel.  I mean, rebels have tattoos and piercings and probably ride motorcycles.  They cause trouble everywhere they go creating arguments, disrespecting authority, and private property.  Rebels are bad actors.  We put people like that in jail.  That’s not me.

It’s true, that is not me.  I am much more covert.  My insurgency is cleverly disguised.  I like to complain, for example.  I complain about the resources I have.  Money is a primary one.  That’s why I cannot give more.  Time is another one.  I’m too busy with my kids and my job to serve.  I just don’t have time!  According to Deuteronomy, complaining is rebellion.  It creates arguments and it disrespects authority.

The Israelites had the same problem.  In Deuteronomy 1, we find them at the threshold of the promised land.  God is ready to fulfill all his promises.  He says, “here you go, come on in.”  But, they refused.  Rather than move, they complained about the Amorites.  “They are too big,” they said.  “They will slaughter us” (Deuteronomy 1:26-27).  They took their focus  off of God, convincing themselves that “God must hate us.”

I wonder what would have happened if the Israelites would have just trusted.  I’m sure it would have been better than they could have ever imagined.  That conclusion creates new problems for me though.  If I know it would have been better for them, doesn’t that mean that it would also be better for me?  There is only one way to find out.  Next time I catch myself complaining, I’ll replace it with trust, gratitude, service and giving.

Numbers 22-25, Luke 1

As I read today, i wanted to post about Balaam and his donkey, but quickly realized that Jennifer had already done it, brilliantly.  Here is is:

In Numbers 22 yesterday, we were introduced to the Moabite King named Balak.  He was afraid.  Knowing what the Israelites had just finished doing to the Amorites, King Balak and his people were distressed as they looked out and saw thousands of Israelites camped on the plains of Moab.  As any good leader would do, Balak took action.  He sent for Balaam, a “diviner” with an impressive track record, to help him take care of the situation.  “Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed” (Numbers 22:6).

I find it interesting that Balaam is not a prophet of God. He is a diviner or sorcerer.  However, God still steps in and provides Balaam instruction.  God tells him not to go with the Moabite princes and not to curse the Israelites because they were God’s chosen people.  Balaam desperately wanted the riches and honor King Balak had promised him.  So he persisted with God, hoping to change God’s mind.  Surprisingly, God compromised and let Balaam go. And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; but only do what I tell you” (Numbers 22:20).  So far so good, Balaam was getting what he wanted (or at least he thought so)!  Here is where it started to get crazy…

Balaam set out on a donkey, but God sent angels to block the way. Balaam was frustrated and beat the donkey because it wasn’t going where he wanted it to go.  THEN, God opened the donkey’s mouth and he started talking to Balaam!  (What, a talking donkey?  This sounds like a bad television show.)  After the donkey made Balaam feel bad for the beating, God opened Balaam’s eyes to see an angel of God standing in the donkey’s way.  Balaam fell on his face.  While he offered to change direction / to turn back and not go to meet King Balak, the angel affirmed God’s earlier instruction, “And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word I tell you (Numbers 22:35).  So far so good, Balaam is still getting what he wants!

When we get to Numbers 23, Balaam has King Balak set up alters and offer sacrifices to God. But the outcome was not a curse on the Israelites like King Balak requested.  Rather, having to speak the words God instructed, Balaam blessed the people of Israel.  Four times King Balak requested a curse and received a blessing in return.  By the end of Numbers 24, Balaam and Balak part ways.

This story is hard to follow. I’ll admit, a talking donkey is kind of weird and somewhat entertaining, but what is God teaching us with this story?  Remember – All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  A few key lessons to consider:

• God is sovereign – The plans of influential and powerful men, like King Balak, will not prosper without the Lord’s permission. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand, (Proverbs 19:21).
• God uses a variety of means to accomplish his purpose – In Numbers 22-24, God used both a pagan sorcerer and a talking donkey to accomplish his plan. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”, (Isaiah 55:8-9).
• Outward appearances aren’t enough – Balaam gave the impression he was God’s prophet; he had King Balak build alters and offer sacrifices to God; he spoke God’s words of blessing on the Israelites. But make no mistake about it, he was clearly in it for himself. Later in Numbers, we will see Balaam wreak more havoc on the Israelites. Unfortunately he never truly put his faith in God.  For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart (I Samuel 16:7).

This last key lesson is where I think the rubber meets the road for many of us.  Remember, God’s plan for salvation requires us to take action. …if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved, (Romans 10:9-10). It isn’t enough to be a good person, to go to Church, to say the right things, to “hang out” with God and to sound godly.  God requires more. He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8-11).

God requires our hearts.  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength (Mark 12:30).

Leviticus 21-23, Hebrews 8

Warren buffet has 10 rules for investing.  When you read them, you will agree that they make total sense.  In fact, they are not even hard.  Look for yourself:

1. Invest in what you know
2. Focus on company quality
3. Seek value
4. Be patient
5. View market fluctuations as opportunities
6. Invest for the long term
7. Reinvest profits
8. Avoid debt
9. Build a concentrated portfolio
10. Know when to sell

Just think, you could be a billionaire too, if you follow these simple rules.   Take one look at my bank account and you will see how good I am at following these “simple” rules.  If only there was another way.

Wait, what if there was?  What if someone came to you and said, hey, I have a better way.  A new deal.  I am going to wipe away all those rules.  Instead of the rules, all you have to do is follow me.  Give me all of your attention and I will take care of you.  Just believe.  Would you do it?

Isn’t this exactly what Jesus did?  Nobody could keep the rules – the law – so, he changed them.  Once and for all, he eliminated the need for priests and intermediaries, providing a direct pathway to God himself.  He dispenses with the sacrifices too.  Instead, Jesus “is the one who mediates for us.”  But that is not all.  Jesus provides “a far better covenant with God, based on better promises (Hebrews 8:6 (NLT)).” These better promises include mercy for our iniquities and their complete erasure from God’s heart (Hebrews 8:11).

For many, this promise is too much.  It’s easier to believe in the law.  Sure, the failure rate is brutal, but at least I have control over it.  The new way is tougher.  Not because of what I have to do but because of what I don’t have to do. and If I can’t physically do things, I have to rely on one thing; faith.  Do you believe it?

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 (ESV)

Leviticus 1-3, Psalm 27, hebrews 2

What do you want?  What would make you happy?  Go ahead, make a list.  My list is dominated by relationships and money.  Those things, I think, will bring the happiness and fulfillment my soul is searching for.  I can break my want list down a little further and get vacations, cars, furniture, promotions, and health.  Now, consider your prayers.  How are your prayers shaped by what you want?  If I am honest, this is where most of my prayers are focused.  They stand in stark contrast to the prayer of David in Psalm 27.

The one thing I ask of the Lord—

the thing I seek most—

is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

delighting in the Lord’s perfections

and meditating in his Temple.  Psalms 27:4 (NLT)

There is something that David figured out that I often miss.  He knew that living in the presence of God, every day, was the only thing needed.  In God’s presence, fear is eliminated, protection is provided, and confidence rendered. While those things are great, David understands that there is more to fulfillment.  He delights in simple moments contemplating the beauty of the Lord.

Exodus 28-31, Phil 2

What is humility?  Google says that humility is “a low or modest view of oneself.”  I don’t like that.  Humble people can still be confident.  God never asks us to take a low view of ourselves.  How could he?  Remember, he created us in his image!

Another, common definition says that “humility is not thinking less about yourself, it’s thinking about yourself less.”  That’s better than Google, but it is still weak.  It lets me off the hook.  It makes me think that I can be humble, and maintain my position, my dignity and my status.  This is not what the Bible says.

Perhaps the best definition of humility comes from Philippians 2:8.  It equates humility to obedience.  It reads, “And being found in human form, [Jesus] humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”  In short, humility is obedience.  That is a very demanding definition.  It’s obedience, even when it costs us everything.  Jesus was robbed of his position, his dignity and his status.  That did not stop him.  He also lost his life.

Or, did he?

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  Matthew 10:39 (ESV)

Exodus 10-12, Ephesians 2

I pray more for success than glory.  Whether myself or for a project is irrelevant, it’s the same thing.  The mistake comes in thinking that they are the same thing for God, that his glory comes also from the success of the project.  While this could be true, it might be absolutely untrue.  The hardest prayer is for His glory.  “God, be glorified” puts my project and my personal well being secondary.  They may be scuttled to achieve the objective of exalting God.  This was true of Moses too.  His plans to free the Israelites were scuttled over and over.  They were thwarted by the very God that called him to the job.

Ten times, God called Moses to approach Pharaoh.  Ten times, Moses stepped up and planned for success.  Ten times, God hardened Pharoah’s heart. Ten times, Moses failed. Or, did he?

I think Moses would have gone back eleven, or twelve, or twenty times.  Did you notice that Moses never asked God why?  He didn’t complain or resent the failure, he just kept saying yes.  Instead of asking God, “show me what to do,” or “fix this situation” Moses kept working for God.  So, how many times in would Moses go back to Pharaoh?  “Enough,” says Albert Mohler, “that there is no possible way anyone could have mistaken the outcome to be anyone’s other than God’s.”

Genesis 49-50, Galatians 4

Today, we finish the story of Joseph.  We’ve witnessed his many trials and his extraordinary success.  It’s a fantastic story.  So good, in fact, that it overshadows another story.  The story of the brothers.  Did you pay attention to them?  They are in trouble.  The death of their father, Isaac, has them worried that Joseph will now retaliate.  Genesis 50:15 says, “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.”  They were scared.  They knew their guilt, and they deserved what they had coming to them.

Here’s what I don’t understand.  Joseph forgave them.  Fully and openly.  Joseph has no animosity; he only has love.  Joseph doesn’t want revenge on his brothers; he wants to reward them. In fact, he does reward them.  Genesis 45:18 promises “I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.” They are receiving the best of the best from Joseph.  So why are they now afraid?  Something inside of them keeps reverting back to who they were and remembering what they deserve.

Our response to Jesus is often the same.  He came to save us.  He came to give us life, abundantly (John 10:10).  He came to be our provision.  Jesus wants to reward us.  For what?  For nothing.  That’s the problem.  I still feel guilty for what I have done, and I still feel inadequate for what I haven’t done.  Why would Jesus ever want to reward me?  Because he loves us.  He loves us ridiculously, unreasonably and unconditionally.  There’s only one catch.  We have to allow Him in.

Genesis 35-37, Psalm 12, Mark 14

Today, in Mark 14, Jesus and the disciples are in the garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus is distressed.  He knows the day has come.  This is it.  They are coming to take him away.  He knows his fate.  In his grief, he turns to prayer and additional support from Peter, James, and John.  Heading off on his own, he tells them to “keep watch.”  To keep watch means to be on guard.  To be alert.  But for what?  On guard for Judas, the betrayer?  On guard for an angry mob?  Not this time.  Jesus already knew he would be taken away.  He’s accepted his fate.  He wasn’t looking to guard against that. No, Jesus wanted them to “keep watch” so that they would not fall into temptation.

Normally, when I think about temptation, I think about cookies and ice cream.  But that’s too simple.  Temptation also shows up as gossip, complaining, jealousy, envy, lying, and cheating. Are these what Jesus wanted the disciples to “watch” for?  Not this time.  There are two major temptations that show up in times of crisis, doubt and distrust. 

Our first temptation when under self—preservation is doubting God’s power.  Imagine you are one of three people on a sinking ship and there are only two life preservers, what do you do?  Jesus says, “keep watch.”  We may also be tempted go doubt God’s provision.  Envision you and two others are on a deserted island.  You have a bag of rice that nobody knows about.  What do you do?  Jesus says, “keep watch.”  The temptation, of course, is to hoard resources.  That does not work in Jesus’ economy.  If we are keeping watch, we are guarding our hearts from these temptations.  A successfully heart,  has an outward focus of love rather than an inward focus of self.  To be like Jesus, we must “keep loving one another earnestly, and show hospitality” (1 Peter 4:8). Especially in a crisis.

We are in crisis mode far more than we realize.  They range frozen water lines, to chaos in Israel.  I hear Jesus calling us to “keep watch.”  Our response to today’s crisis is an opportunity for others to experience Jesus.  John 13:35 says it best, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35 (NLT)

Genesis 26-27, Mark 10

I am humbled today by Isaac’s patience and humility. This starts in the beginning of Genesis 26 when there was a famine in the land. To continue providing for his family, Isaac needs to relocate.  As he is deciding where to go, God has an interesting message for him. In effect, he says, “Don’t go to Egypt. Don’t leave. Stick around here and hang out in this land. If you stay, I will be with you and bless you. In fact, remember the promise that I gave your father, Abraham? I told him that he would be the father of nations. If you hang out with me here, you will be the one who helps me establish my promise to him.” That is a serious honor. Isaac does what any of us would do with such huge prospects ahead of us. He stays, settling in Gerar, the land God suggested.

God kept his promise.  He blessed Isaac making him very wealthy, very quickly.  But this causes a problem.  King Abimelech and the Philippines don’t like it.  They demands that Isaac and his family leave the valley.  How would you respond?  Think about it.  You find land to work and you work hard.  The land produces and you are successful.  Then, your competitor comes along and says, “Leave.”   

“No way,” I would insist.  “It’s mine.  In fact, God gave it to me.”  Not Isaac.  He doesn’t seem to mind. Without delay, he packs up and moves on, displaying incredible patience.  Where does this patience come from?  Perhaps Isaac has bolstered his patience with the prospect of using his father’s old wells.  Surely he considered these to be part of God’s provision.  I certainly would have. Unfortunately, he quickly discovers that the old wells were no longer useful.  Out of spite, the Philistines filled them in.  Isaac was not deterred. He rebuilt the wells.  Then, he gave thanks.  It seems to be an odd response for getting kicked around.

As I read through this story of Isaac, God reminds me that His promises are good, trustworthy, and guaranteed. That does not mean that the path will be easy.  Isaac faced  trouble everyday, never taking God’s promises for granted.  He worked hard and gave thanks.  God took care of the rest.