faith – BibleJournal.net

Aligning Actions with Values

Today’s readings are 2 Kings 22-23, Psalm 73, and 2 Corinthians 5.

The local financial planning firm I represent used to have part of our mission statement which said, “aligning actions with values.” We all have certain values, whether they be in our mind or we’ve written them out. As Christ followers, I would assume and hope some, if not all, of those values line up with our Christian faith. The questions for us today is, are we actually living those out? Would others who you know well or others who meet you for the first time know you are a Christ follower? 2 Corinthians 5 discusses how we should live life differently as a follower of Jesus. It challenged me to ask myself, am I?

2 Corinthians 5 talks about how our body is a tent, a temporary dwelling for our eternal soul. As result of knowing our citizenship is really in Heaven, there are some things we should be doing to live life differently which others would recognize and possibly cause them to turn to Christ as well.

Live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)
Allow the love of Christ to control us (2 Corinthians 5:14)
Live for Him and not for ourselves (2 Corinthians 5:15)
Do not regard others by their flesh which is weak (2 Corinthians 5:16)
Be an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20)

Jesus’ last words, which must be important since they were his last, in Matthew 28:18-21 instructed us to go and make disciples of others. This sounds a lot like 2 Corinthians 5:20 which tells us to be ambassadors for Christ.

This again challenges me to ask myself if I’m being an ambassador for Christ based on my actions through living by faith, showing Christ’s love in my actions, living for Him and not myself, and regarding others by their soul and not their outward physical appearance and actions (seeing them how God sees them).

The great news is that although I’m sinful and have a lot of work to do in these areas, God tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:21…

“For our sake He made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

For more reflection on these areas, check out 2 Kings 22-23 where we see King Josiah of Judah aligning his actions with his values and leading his people to follow God, as well as Psalm 73.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of

my heart and my portion

forever.

Psalm 73:26

It’s Not How You Start..It’s How You Finish!

Today’s reading is 2 Chronicles 15 and 16, 1 Kings 16, and Philemon.

In 2 Chronicles 15 and 16, we learn about the life of King Asa of Judah.

King Asa turned to the Lord after Azariah, the son of Obed, spoke truth to Asa saying in 2 Chronicles 15:2.

²and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

Azarariah went on in 2 Chronicles 15:4 to describe how Israel was without God but when they turned to Him, He found them. King Asa responded with courage by turning to God putting away all the detestable idols (2 Chronicles 15:8). He was on fire for the Lord following God for many years.

However, in his last years, something changed. He turned away from God for an unknow reason in his 36th year of his reign. He took the treasures from the house of the Lord and gave them to the king of Syria as a covenant to get them to break their covenant with Baasha who was the king of Israel and it backfired. Syria did not support them.

Then, Hanani, the seer, delivered the famous verse in 2 Chronicles 15:9…

⁹For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless towards him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

I wish the story of Asa had a happy ending, but it doesn’t. In the 39^th year of his reign, he got a disease in his feet and even then did not turn to the Lord. In the 41^st year of his reign, he died without turning to God.

Unfortunately, Asa did not finish well. As with most things in this life on Earth, it’s not how you start but how you finish.

The criminal on the cross next to Jesus in Luke 23:49-43 may not have started well, but he gave his life to Jesus and Jesus said they would be together in Heaven. He finished well!

Have you not started well with this life on Earth? That’s ok…we can learn from the man on the cross next to Jesus…it’s how you finish that matters!

Have you started this life pretty well following Jesus? Let’s learn from Asa and continue to stay close to Jesus throughout all of our lives and finish well!

The Story

Today’s reading is Joshua 5-8, Psalm 14, and Luke 15.

Despite the fact that I like to think that I’m a “good person” (and I have to believe most are like me and think they are), I know I sin if not through actions or word, through thought, probably ever hour of every day. Sin is not in God’s nature whatsoever. It is exactly the opposite of His being and who He is. Today’s readings are a humbling reminder of what God thinks about sin, and yet also a reminder of his grace and love. It is also a reminder of how pleasing it is to Him when we show faith and trust in Him and turn back to Him after we fall away. Obeying Him does not mean immediate gratification like a dog shaking and getting a treat, but a continued path living a life of filled with intentional sin and disobeying Him will surely lead to destruction. And turning back to Him will lead to grace, forgiveness, and ultimate victory through eternal life no matter how far we have fallen away.

Early on in today’s readings we are reminded that God freed the Israelites from slavery and kept His word to lead them to the Promised Land. But, we also learn in Joshua 5:6 He let them wander in the desert for 40 years and did not let the generation He freed go into the Promised Land (including Moses who God thought highly enough to have attend Jesus’ transfiguration in Matthew 17) because “they did not obey the voice of the Lord.” Yet, we see it is pleasing to the Lord and He “rolled away the reproach of Egypt” when the next generation obeys His instructions to Joshua that all the men be circumcised (Joshua 5:9). They keep the Passover, God sends a commander of His army to speak to Joshua (Joshua 5:14), and God instructs Joshua in Joshua 6 how he and his army are to march around Jericho for 6 days quietly and on the 7th day they are to march around the city 7 times. On the 7^th time of the 7^th day, they are to blow the horns and shout and the walls of Jericho would fall down before God would give them victory in battle. The Israelites could have said to Joshua, “yeah right…these walls are just going to fall when we blow our horn and yell…give me a break?!” However, this time they obeyed, and God gave them victory. What great faith and belief they showed! As promised in Joshua 6, the only family God protects in Jericho is Rahab’s because she helped the Israelite spies in Joshua 2.

As we read on in Joshua 7, we see going against God’s word leads to a path of destruction. God gave specific instructions in the conquering of Jericho that the gold and devoted things be given to the Lord (Joshua 6:18-19). But Achan took some for himself and hid it which was displeasing to God resulting in him being stoned and thus the Lord let Israel first be defeated at Ai before later giving them victory (Joshua 8). We read later in Joshua 8 where Israel turns back to God by building an altar to Him on Mount Ebal just as Moses commanded be done. Joshua honored God by also writing the law of Moses on the stones (Joshua 8:32) and by reading all the words of the law, every single one, to all the people of Israel (Joshua 8:35) which was no doubt pleasing to God.

I love the parallels of our verses each day from the Old Testament, including the Psalms, and the New Testament. Psalm 14 speaks of the corruption of man God sees as He looks down and sin which displeases Him (Psalm 14:2-3), yet promises Jesus’ coming to give salvation in Psalm 14:7. Then, we read in Luke 15 where Jesus tells how God seeks out sinners to give them a chance to repent and turn to Him through the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and of course the amazing story of grace in the story of the prodigal son.

Think of some of your favorite movies and books. What is a common theme in most all of them, especially the ones that really tug on your heart strings? Most all have a story of redemption from someone who has either done wrong in the past or just didn’t have things go their way for a while. Why do you think those stories get to us, and why do we love them so much? Maybe that’s because it’s our story. It’s the story God has laid on all of our hearts because we are all part of God’s story and plan to save us from our sin (Romans 5:8) when we turn to Him. And while we read today how much God hates sin, we see in Luke 15 how much more joy He has when a sinner turns to Him for grace and forgiveness. Do you remember Rahab, the prostitute we mentioned earlier who decided to turn from her sinful ways and help the Israelites? She was not only spared in the destruction of Jericho, but ultimately became part of the bloodline of Jesus (Matthew 1:5)!

Please watch this short video from Spread Truth and pray for God to lay on your heart someone who needs to hear it and know God’s love and that they are part of His greater Story.

https://youtu.be/f0gfIvN9zv4

Here is the children’s version as well.

https://youtu.be/XbrsAF2_BOk

Looking to Jesus

Today’s reading is Numbers 3-5 and Hebrews 12.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and all sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2

As a kid, I remember it being said I “idolized” Michael Jordan. While he just gave an awesome gift to Make-A-Wish Foundation of $10 Million in the last few weeks, it has become well known over recent years that Michael, like many of us, has made some mistakes throughout the years. I would say in general, it is a natural tendency of mine to look up to and admire other humans who may be celebrities or even people I know personally and respect greatly. As we found out with Michael, we usually find out with most celebrities eventually that they’ve made their share of mistakes and often times what I’ve learned is that as I’ve grown closer to people I admire who I have a personal relationship with, they are not perfect either.

This week, it has greatly saddened me that the church we attend and some pastors have been accused of some serious wrongdoings, some of which have been confirmed. My heart aches for so many, and I’m praying for everyone involved. Maybe that’s why in reading these verses, the following parts of Hebrews 12:1-2 stuck out, ‘looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,” and speaking about Jesus later it says He “is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

I’ve been reminded this week through these events and through these verses that we are not to put our full faith in any person or even one church who are not blameless…our full faith must be in one person and one person only, Jesus. We can even read and know our “heroes of the Bible” such as Moses, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, David, and Paul just to name a few made many mistakes despite their faith and trust in God. Jesus did not. He is the only one who was perfect that could be the perfect sacrifice on the cross and who now is the only one that sits at the right hand of the Father as verse 2 tells us.

As I reflect on this, I hope to teach our children this. I don’t want them to put their full faith in anyone other than Jesus, not even me. I promise to do my absolute best to not do anything that would bring disgrace to them or our family and work to live in a way that will make them proud, but I do mess up. They already know this at very young ages because when I realize I messed up I do my best to apologize which happens far too often. Jesus does not mess up though. He did not sin. He will NEVER let them down.

He will not let you down.

He is good. He’s the only one who’s truly good…all the time.

He should be the king of our heart.

He’s the one we should look to and put our full faith in as we run the race with endurance.

https://youtu.be/EpqSbKYxd9Y

Here Be Dragons

Leviticus 26-27, Psalm 112, Hebrews 10

Long, long ago, world maps were incomplete. This was a real problem for people who were traveling long distances. Many were not willing to face the uncertainty. But, a few adventurous souls would throw caution to the wind and set out into the unknown. When they failed to return home, friends and loved ones could only guess their fate, fabricating awful and spurious stories. To warn future travelers of the dangers, they highlighted the unknown territories with dangerous creatures, like dragons. In some ways, this practice still lives within us.

Think of your most significant opportunity. Maybe you have been asked to speak publicly. Perhaps it’s confronting a negative situation at work. Hastily, you say, “yes, I am going to accept that challenge.” As time passes, however, your commitment wanes. You consider all the negative possibilities, and fear shows up. Left unchecked, fear builds to the point of capitulation. We call in sick for the public speaking event and avoid our negative work situation. Both are horrible endings. Why? Because God created us for more. To become who we are created to be, we must live by faith.

The church in Hebrews had a similar problem. They lost their confidence and replaced their hope with fear. The writer of Hebrews is encouraging them to endure. “Just a little longer; trust me, everything will turn out well.” (v23)

Don’t you know that medieval sailors had similar situations? Knowing that a shorter trade route was possible, they set sail. Upon entering the unknown, they experienced storm after storm. Their fear builds until they are faced with a choice. Continue, or quit.

The truth is that we all have these opportunities. It is our choice whether we advance with faith in God’s promises or retreat. Hebrews 10:33 calls it “shrinking back.” The result of shrinking back is destruction. That’s the same as death.

Responding through faith, however, we are able to press on. Not just once but every day. With faith, we travel into the unknown with full assurance of what we hope for and the things that we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1).

Can I Please Have Your Attention?

Today’s reading as part of our journey through the Bible this year is Exodus 10-12 and Ephesians 2.

Who do you most relate to in the story of the Israelites being enslaved in Egypt and their ultimate departure? Do you relate to Moses who did not think he was capable because of his past sin and lack of confidence in his ability to take on a significant leadership role? Do you relate to Aaron who played a key role in the communication with Pharoah on behalf of the Israelites but who maybe didn’t get the credit his brother Moses did? Or do you relate to the Israelites being enslaved for many years?

Most of us probably would not say we are most like Pharoah. However, we may be more like him than we would like to admit. After the 7^th plague..yes 7^th…Moses and Aaron went and delivered a message from God to Pharoah in Exodus 10:3 asking, “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?” He would either refuse to let the Israelites go like God instructed or he would say he would release them but later change his mind or refuse to let them all go along with their property…even after 7 plagues!

Do you feel like nothing is going your way? Do you like you just keep taking right hook after right hook? If so, I think it should really cause us to pause and reflect on if we are humbling ourselves before God and giving our problem(s) and life to Him. Is it possible that He’s just trying to get our attention?

We must ask ourselves…

Am I putting God first in my life?
Am I giving my problem(s) to Him in prayer?
Do I think my problems are too big for God?
Or do I think my problems are too small for God to care?
What is God trying to teach me through these challenges?
Could He be letting things happen in my life to draw me closer to Him?
Could He also be using my challenges for His bigger purpose and glory in ways I might not be aware of yet or even ever will be on this side of eternity?

Ultimately, what God wants is our heart. He wants our faith in Him. He wants us to trust and rely on Him. He wants us to put Him first and humble ourselves before Him so that we cannot brag about anything but Him and His provision and grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 reads…

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Check Your Heart at the Door

Today’s reading is Isaiah 58.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is a very recognizable saying we hear said often, yet it is hard to do. We may think someone is rude because they don’t go out of the way to engage with us, and we may think someone who goes out of their way to talk to us is a great person who really cares about others. I’ve been around a lot of leaders and there have been those who said all the right things and made you feel like the world to them, but their actions may not have followed through. As where others were maybe a little socially awkward and didn’t say all the right things, but their actions later showed they really cared. Someone being introverted or extroverted does not tell us their true heart. You will know their true heart when you spend enough time with them.

God knows our true heart. In this chapter He is calling out His people for fasting for show. He tells them in Isaiah 58:3 you “seek your own pleasure” and “oppress all your workers.” He goes on to talk about when we truly fast in the right way the “glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard” in Isaiah 58:8 and Isaiah 58:9 He will answer our call. He goes on in Isaiah 58:10 to say if you help the poor “your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom shall be as the noonday.” He continues on throughout verses 11-14 about the good favor that will come to those who do good and who’s heart and motives are in the right place. God knows and God notices. Will we be rewarded in this life? Unfortunately…maybe not…but no doubt we will in Heaven based on what the Word tells us and eternity is much longer than our life here on Earth.

Will doing good get us to Heaven? Our son Deklin who is 10 has an amazing heart for others, but he and I were just discussing how as good of heart as he has it will not get him to Heaven. Romans 3:23 tells us all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, and Romans 6:23 goes on to tell us the wages of sin (singular..even one) is death. Romans 6:23 also tells us though “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

You’ve heard the saying, “Check your ego at the door.” While we really need to “check our heart at the door” to make sure we are doing things for the right reasons like Isaiah 58 speaks of, the most important thing we must check our heart for is Jesus. Is He in yours?

There is only one door that leads the way to Heaven.

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

All from a Seed…

Today’s reading is Luke 13:18-30.

Siri tells me that a mustard seed is just 1-2 millimeters in diameter which is very small, yet it grows to be on average 20 feet and can be as many as 30 feet tall, as well as can produce a crown nearly as wide. Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed a man sows in his garden.

Christianity all started when one man Jesus, a carpenter from a family who was far from royalty, gave His life for you and me over 2000 years ago. It spread when 12 men who were not educated scholars, famous, or had any worldly power risked their lives to spread the Word that Jesus was Resurrected 3 days after his death. From those 12, with the help of the Holy Spirit, there are now an estimated 2.6 billion Christians in the world. This is the number that are alive today..not to mention all those who have lived and died since who are now in Heaven. Pretty amazing, isn’t it?

The Bible tells us nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37, Matthew 19:26, Luke 18:27, Mark 10:27). This is pretty evident from the paragraph above.

Here are 2 questions for us to ponder…

Who do you need to plant a seed with about Jesus’ saving grace on the cross and Resurrection? Think of how many people have been saved over the last 2000 years. That fact and these verses tell us anyone can be saved. We need to remember that the gardener plants the seed…but does he see it sprout right away? No..it takes time. He must wait and have faith. Plant seeds and the Holy Spirit will water it and give it sunshine to grow.
What mustard seed has God planted in your heart as an idea or a vision you are ignoring which you need to water and help grow? It may seem impossible, but so did a baby from Nazareth born in a manager saving the entire world and 12 “average Joe’s” helping us know 2000 years later.

As we pursue spreading the Gospel and God’s will for our lives we can be assured we do not go alone. Jesus’ last words in Matthew 28:20 end with, “…and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

You’re In

Today’s Reading: Ephesians 3:1-21

It’s incredible to think back to how much of my life I have always just tried to fit in. I wouldn’t be inaccurate in saying that most likely, in all aspects, I have just tried to appear like I have it all together. As humans, we try our best to fit in; many of us will face this-worldly battle until there is no battle to fight on this side of the earth anymore. Thankfully we know that Jesus says, You’re already in. We can stop the daily hustle, grind, and race that wakes you up by the alarm and keeps you going until you fall asleep. I wish and pray that I have this down, but it would not be honest. There are still times I try to fit in at my job, with my parenting, with friends, in our marriage, and in any other daily interaction that requires my presence.

Give yourself some grace. Turn every moment of insecurity to Him. We attempt and try to be the All-Star in all we do. We spend a lot of time trying to live by the rules people set for us. I have now seen days where I’m parenting and forcing the world’s expectations into them at a young age instead of just my love and His promise that takes care of every aspect of life.

None of the rules of life or the attempted All-Star parenting measures up to the power the love of Jesus has for us. If I can teach others and my family, I want to show them how to live in grace like Jesus and to walk in love like Jesus. I need prayer to be their number one model. Will you pray for me?

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge– that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19

Bold In Our Faith

Today’s reading is Acts 7:44-8:3.

Our children wrapped up the school year at Cornerstone Christian Academy the last week in May. Our oldest Deklin finished 3^rd grade and his teacher gave them a sheet to complete with some reflection questions to wrap up the year. One of the questions the kids were asked was who their favorite person in the Bible was. Deklin said Stephen which I found interesting because he is not someone I can recall us talking about at home. Apparently, he is learning something at school even though most days when you ask what he learned today he says he doesn’t know! I’m sure many reading this can relate. He said the reason for choosing Stephen was his bravery to boldly proclaim the Gospel knowing he likely would be killed which he ultimately was.

As the saying goes I guess, “The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.” While I don’t think I would have answered Stephen if asked the same question as Deklin in 3^rd grade (not even knowing who Stephen was), at a young age I can remember reflecting on my faith and wondering if I was asked if I believed Jesus was the Son of God who gave His life for me and rose on Easter in facing a life or death situation based on my answer, would I boldly proclaim, “Yes?” The quick answer in my mind was absolutely I would, but deep down I knew it would not be easy. While there is no doubt Christians are persecuted in different ways in the US today and sadly even still killed in other countries, most of us thankfully will never have to face this life and death situation. What Stephen did was incredibly brave. By choice he was out proclaiming the Gospel voluntarily so people would know who Jesus was. And he did so to the same people who killed Jesus after seeing what they did to Him.

This should cause us to reflect on our boldness for the Gospel as well. Most people run for the hills at the mention of doing any sort of street ministry to share the Good News, even though physical danger is unlikely here in the US. While street ministry is great, our boldness for God doesn’t have to be even that extreme. It can come in a one on one conversation with a friend or acquaintance. Or, it can come in the little moments and decisions. When something bad happens to someone, do we give our sympathy and say we are “sorry and will be thinking about them?” Or do we say, “I will pray for you.” Better yet, do we have even more boldness and impact and ask, “Can I pray with you right now?” People have prayed for me right on the spot when going through some health challenges and let me tell you it is powerful. Do we ask if we can pray at a gathering of friends, or how about a work gathering? How about this simple one..it’s easier to pray with our children…but do we ask to pray with our spouse before going to sleep? Sadly, I’ve chickened out on that one and these others many times.

While I still believe if I faced possible death for professing my faith I would do so, Satan wins when I hold back in some of these “little” moments above and others. Today, I pray that we can learn from Stephen and not only profess our faith in big ways, but win the little battles in other ways to defeat the Devil and impact others for the glory of God and His Kingdom.

Will you join me in being a more bold witness to our faith and relationship with Jesus this week?