Romans 8:31 1/31/2023*

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”

The phrase, “These things”, is referring to struggles the Roman Christians were facing.  Paul is questioning their anxieties as they face those challenges. I think he might ask us the same question… ”When did fear become our default emotion?” 

America thrives on anxiety. Fear has become our national pastime… We embrace it, promote it, and attack anyone who refuses to be scared with us. No one is immune and neither side has a monopoly on the method. Dividing us with fear has become the most common technique on the political landscape.

Even some churches today have stopped declaring the power of God and instead have become obsessed with the evil plans of people… We have stopped preaching and started whining… We don’t boldly stand on God’s omnipotence; we tremble at the attempts of sinners to change His plans. 

How foolish can we be?  

The Bible says, “The LORD Himself goes before you”… Why waste another day fixated on man’s attempts to thwart God’s plans? They will not prevail.  God is God. He is not worried or dismayed… So why are you?

James is not suggesting that you ignore dangers. He’s suggesting you stop letting fear control your life. Prudently assess threats… make good choices…and find peace in the confidence you have in your Heavenly Father. Fear isn’t from God, and it won’t improve your decision making. 

Turn off the media for a few minutes and read your Bible… Remember that this is the day the Lord has made and rejoice knowing He will control it.  Stop turning inward and trembling, look outward at the power of God… Instead of feeling threatened by people who disagree with you, try loving them like God loved you when you were lost.

Every Tuesday we discuss choices, and you have one to make today. 

Either follow the crowd and spend the day looking for reasons to be fearful… Or be different and trust God.

If you choose fear, you’ll blend in… If you choose faith, you’ll be distinctively peaceful, and people will be drawn to you like moths to a flame… Tell them God’s bigger than their problems... Let them know they can trust God and that today was created for something more productive than being anxious.

“Worry ends where faith in God begins.” – Anonymous 

Genesis 5:32 1/24/2023*

“Now after Noah was five hundred years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”

Noah’s dad Lamech was 182 years old when Noah was born, His grandfather Methuselah, was 187, and his great grandfather Enoch, was 65 when they started having children. So, Noah came from a prolific family with godly lineage.  But it took Noah twice as long to begin having children as any of his ancestors. 

In those days kids were seen as security. Sons were needed to work as parents aged. Noah probably prayed for a large family to insure his future. Yet for centuries the answer was “no”…or at least “wait”. 

This was problematic because Noah had no one to help him….and because childlessness was seen as a curse which impacted Noah’s social standing as well. He most likely prayed passionately for a son…yet God was silent.

What happens when you pray for something but hear no answer? Do you see it as punishment, or as an indicator that your prayer life needs work?  Consider that in this instance… God waiting to answer Noah’s prayer was not a punishment, but an act of mercy. 

Noah had no idea the world would be destroyed by a flood. He couldn’t foresee the problem a large family would face trying to survive on the Ark for a year. By keeping Noah’s family small, God insured none would be left behind … God’s timing was perfect, allowing Noah’s sons to become married men who could continue the human race - but not allowing the family to grow so big that they couldn’t all get on the boat. How merciful of God to save Noah from that dilemma. 

God’s plans are harder to understand for those of us who cannot see the future. Is there something you’ve been praying about for what feels like a long time?  Keep praying… Remember who you’re talking to and bear in mind that His vision is better than yours. Lean into the trial, trust God,  and look for His plan. 

Remember that Noah had years of waiting for an answer… which he probably questioned. He may have even gotten angry, convinced that his plan was better than God’s.  But my guess is that all that changed - as soon as it began to rain.

Never make the blunder of trying to forecast the way God is going to answer your prayer. – Oswald Chambers

Joshua 3:15 1/17/2023*

^“And it will come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, ...”

We have discussed this verse before, as part of a larger passage but it contains a concept that deserves its own devotional. God is telling His people that His plans usually require faith. In this case, a miracle is promised, but it will be triggered by the Priest stepping into the water. 

If you’re like me, you would prefer for the water to stop before taking the step… but that is seldom God’s way.  In most cases, even with a promise from God, we must get our feet wet. 

God wants faithfulness from His people… Trusting Him cannot be just one of many solutions you are considering. The Lord is interested in knowing if we are committed - or just assessing options.

There was no fallback position in this plan to cross the river. The Priests would have looked ridiculous standing knee deep in the Jordan if The Lord had not stopped the water… Declaring your trust in God is easier than stepping into the river, and He wants to see your faith, not just hear about it.

Am I willing to risk embarrassment,  or do I need a miracle before I move?  Will I risk looking foolish for God, or do I need a way to “save face” if God doesn’t deliver? 

Faith is only faith when you depend on it…. You may like a chair;  be impressed by its workmanship… You might even study the chairmaker …but you don’t have faith in the chair - until you sit in it. 

In the same way – you can be impressed by God, enjoy talking about Him, even study His history – but until you depend solely on Him for your salvation …. You haven’t demonstrated faith in God.

Being a Christian means I must be like the Priest walking out into the Jordan river with only two options ….drown or be rescued by the Lord.

Will I step in the river today…or do I plan to just stand here waiting for the water to stop?

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

1 Peter 4:1 1/10/2023*

"Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves with the same resolve, because anyone who has suffered in his body is done with sin.“

You can’t spread the gospel without accepting the risk of persecution. The threat of being ostracized when speaking the truth is real…In many places physical consequences are possible as well. But Peter is saying that some things are worth suffering for, and that enduring persecution diminishes the  fear of it.  

This passage also implies that the pain of persecution emboldens you by making you choose between a fleshly, or spiritual mindset.  This refines your view of sin and solidifies your goals.

If a running back’s only goal is to avoid getting hurt, he will be unproductive. Being preoccupied with injury will not only get you hurt, but it will also make you an ineffective football player.  It slows down your reflexes, makes you second-guess your movements, and causes hesitation. But if you accept that violence is part of the game, and stop being anxious about it, your focus becomes the endzone. You may still avoid collisions as part of your strategy to reach the goal line, but it will not be because you’re afraid of being hit.  

Spiritually we must seek the goal line as well. And fear cannot permit other objectives to get in the way. Pursuing popularity may interfere with speaking the truth. Needing acceptance, may cause you to preach tolerance at the expense of righteousness. Focusing on fund raising might cause you to water down hard truths. All of these can lead to ineptitude, and injuries in your spiritual life, and in the lives of those you love. 

To be effective you must choose your King and accept that opposition is inevitable. Arm yourself with the resolve that Jesus had and look persecution in the eye without blinking.  Begin today persuaded that you have one goal…  Don’t seek confrontation, but don’t avoid it either, if it means modifying the message. 

Your job is to inform others that truth and righteousness is provided and defined by God alone. Some people will be offended by that.  But no amount of disapproval should alter your resolve to speak the truth in love. 

God’s command was clear….”Go and make disciples”…regardless of the cost. 

“When we preach Christ crucified, we have no reason to stammer, or stutter, or hesitate, or apologize.” - C.H. Spurgeon 

Zephaniah 3:17 1/3/2023*

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing.”

I have learned to see God as my Father. My sin is covered by His sacrifice, and He is not angry with me.  I also envision God as a Warrior who protects me. ….But I still struggle to see Him so pleased with me that He would rejoice and sing over me.

When my nephew was an infant, he was very sick, and I remember seeing my mother softly singing over him in the hospital. Her love for him was evident. But how could God love me like that? How can God sing over someone who is guilty and unclean?

The life I have lived is not worthy of that kind of affection. That sounds like modesty, but that focus is the problem… when I concentrate on my own unworthiness, it is not humility – it is doubt.  It is questioning the power of the blood of Christ.  In God’s plan, it doesn’t matter who I WAS…It matters who I AM. The question is,  have I placed my faith in Jesus, and am I walking in His righteousness?

If you think you're not good enough for God to love…you are looking at the wrong set of qualifications…YOUR actions don’t deserve His love …But HIS actions …make you perfect and qualified. 

How liberating it is to realize that salvation is based on His love and power… Once I accept the gift of grace and take my eyes off me - it is easy to envision His wonderful song as I bring Him joy by walking in the holiness of His Son. 

By accepting His grace - I instantly become free to do good …Not so He will love me, but because He loves me… And I begin serving God from a position of security and strength…as a cherished child – not an imposter desperately trying to earn their way into His presence.  

Put joy in this new year by abandoning your efforts to be good enough for God to love, and instead rest in the completed work of Christ. Then you can focus on the unfinished work of spreading the gospel - which is what set you free in the first place. 

“It is finished” – Jesus