Tag Archives: Christianity

My Prayer for Parents

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1 Chronicles 22

Here is a father’s heart.

In David’s charge to Solomon we see a man devoted to the work of the Lord. Yes, he would not build the temple, would not realize his longing to do something amazing for God. So instead, he poured out his heart to his son and challenged him to carry on.

“I’ve provided what you need, son. Now go do something amazing for the Lord. You will succeed if you carefully follow God’s law. Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.” (from 22:13)

Parents, do you recognize your own heart’s desire here? Are you devoted to the work of the Lord? Do your children see your passion for the Truth, for the Gospel to reach lost souls? Do they see you actively taking part in the Great Commission? And are you equipping your children to carry on when you are gone? Can you honestly say you are giving them a firm foundation on which to build their lives and ministry?

I think it’s a bit like teaching your child to ride a bike. Do you remember what that was like? You probably provided them with training wheels at first and let them get used to maneuvering the bike with the help of four wheels instead of two. Did you talk to them about balance and show them how to move the handle bars to control the direction of the wheel?

Then the time came for removing the training wheels. Did you grab the seat and run along side the wobbly bike for a distance until you felt your child was balancing the bike on their own? What was it like to finally let go and watch that precious one take off? “Don’t be afraid,” you might have said. “I’ve given you everything you need to be successful. Be strong and courageous.”

Parents, spend time with your children. Read the Bible with them. Talk about what you are reading. Answer their questions. Show them what serving God looks like. Go to church with them and teach them reverence for God’s house. Because one day that child will get on that bike and ride away. He or she will walk out your door and head toward a life you can’t control.

My prayer is on that day, you’ll be able to say, “I’ve given you what you need. Now go do something amazing for the Lord. You will succeed if you carefully obey God. Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.”

Given

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1 Chronicles 6

When it says these towns and pasturelands were “given” to the Levites, I wonder what that looked like. Were the residence of the towns agreeable? Did they have to give up their homes to make room for the new residents? Surely there were shepherds already using that pastureland. I wonder what they thought.

And who did the “giving” anyway? Was it decided in a boardroom? The US is rearranging voting districts in some states. Lots of red tape. Lots of debate. Lots of anger. I know God was in the assignment of land as we read in Chronicles. But there were people involved, too. I wonder what that looked like.

And… what would God say to us through the oft repeated genealogy and geography lesson?

First, I am reminded that the “giving” was not earned. The very fact the Jews were living in the Promised Land is a picture of God’s grace. God had the authority to give and take, assign and reassign according to His will for His children. Not because they deserved it. But because He is who He is.

Secondly, it reminds me that God has a place in His kingdom for all of us who are His through the blood of Jesus. None of us deserve what is given us. Yet because our gracious God has showered us with blessings, we are free to serve Him.

These chapters might be tedious reading, but it’s also beautiful! It shows us that God is intimately, personally involved in each of our lives. He knows us by name, and He has given us real estate in His kingdom. You are where you are today by the grace of God, and this little mission field you have has been given to you for a reason.

I’m thanking God for grace today. I’m thanking Him for allowing me to live in this part of His beautiful creation. And I’m thanking Him that not only does He know my name, but He is with me to use me right here for His glory.

What God has “given” me, I give back to Him to be used as He desires. May He be glorified today.

A Deafening Silence

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Joshua 24

When Joshua addressed the Israelites for the last time he said, “get rid of the foreign gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” (vs 23)

He had been reminding them of God’s history with their ancestors, how blessed they were with God protecting them and providing for them and fighting for them. He warned them that if they abandoned the Lord by worshiping foreign gods, God would turn against them and, although He had been very good to them in the past, He would destroy them as He’d destroyed their enemies.

Then Joshua said they should worship God only, so they needed to get rid of any lingering idol they might be holding onto. Get. Rid. Of. Them.

Here is Israel’s sad reply: “We will worship the Lord our God, and obey HIm.” (vs 24)

Did you catch the silence? What is missing in their vow?

Repentance.

Getting rid of their idols would mean an acknowledgment that those idols were sin in their homes. It seems they weren’t ready to turn from their sin. They were only agreeable to turning toward God. Is that even possible?

No! Regardless of what Satan would have you believe. You simply cannot serve two masters. God will not share your devotion with anyone or anything. Not a family member. Not a job. Not yourself.

Too may Christians think they can worship God on Sunday, and live for themselves, or blend in with the world the rest of the week. They would call themselves Christians, but a true Christian cannot ride that fence.

“I’m a Christian, but I cuss.”

“I’m a Christian but I affirm gender choice, or abortion, or all religions.”

Or, and here is what I see in Joshua 24, “I’m a Christian but I will stay silent about sin.”

Our tolerance of sin, our dabbling in sin, our silence in regard to sin and its consequences speaks volumes. It’s a deafening silence. And what it is shouting is the admission, “My Christianity is a lie.”

Dear One, you can’t follow Jesus AND follow the world. You can’t die to yourself AND live for yourself. You can’t be separate from the world AND blend in. The scary truth is: you can’t be for Christ AND against HIm.

I say scary because many of us have tried to blur the lines. I don’t now how much clearer God can be than what He has written in Scripture. You are either all in, or you’re not in at all.

I pray that each of us will search our hearts for lingering idols, sins we consider secret or tiny, harmless sins. I pray that we will guard against the temptation to think God somehow is ok with that sin in your life even though He’s clearly against it in others. I pray that we will recognize the inclination we have of putting ourselves on the throne, then telling God that He should just be happy we’ve included Him at all.

I pray that each of us will consider what our silence is saying. Because, friend, it can be a deafening silence that is revealing loudly and strongly, where your heart truly is. People are listening to your silence. God is certainly listening to your silence. And He knows exactly what you are saying.

Rejecting God Is Serious Business

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Joshua 9-11

Once again we read that it was God’s intention to harden the hearts of Israel’s enemy. I know some people read this and interpret it as an indication that God’s sovereignty means His total control over everything that happens, every choice that humans make. God wanted Israel to have the land, so He must have manipulated the people already living there in order to make that happen. But, are we to believe God caused them to reject Him? Does God make certain people sin in order to accomplish His will?

if that is your position, I wonder if you really know God at all.

Every one of those kings and nations had heard about God and how He fought for Israel, how He revealed Himself through miracles. They all knew there was something different about Israel’s God. Yet they rejected Him in favor of their powerless, pretend gods. They chose to fight against God instead of surrendering to Him.

Do you know why I know they all had the opportunity for surrender? Gibeon surrendered. They’d heard the same stories about Israel’s God and chose to surrender, become slaves, instead of fighting against Him. Their choice saved their lives. The choice of every other king ended their’s.

Like what we see in Egypt’s Pharaoh, every rejection of God causes a heart to harden against Him. Yes, that hardening comes from God, but God wants us to know the hardening is His punishment for rejecting HIm. God does not harden hearts so that He can punish them. I will die on that hill. Why?

When I look at God as He reveals Himself in all of Scripture, I see a God who is patient, long-suffering, slow to anger, abiding in love, gracious and merciful (His description of Himself). I see God who promises to forgive anyone who confesses and repents of sin. And I see a God who warns us that He is holy, He hates and punishes unrepented sin, and He will not let the guilty go unpunished. I see God who is not willing that anyone die without Him, and that His will is that everyone come to Him to be saved.

Whether you side with Calvin or not, we all should be able to agree that God takes rejection of Himself very seriously. The only hope we have of getting out of this life alive, is through the blood of Jesus, surrendering to the Way, the Truth, and the Life, because that is the only way to God.

My prayer is that all of us will do a heart-check. When faced with the Truth of Almighty God, are we eager to surrender, or is there a hint of rejection of Him? Take inventory, my friend. Because rejecting God is serious business.

A Pile of Rocks

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Joshua 1-4

After leading the Israelites across the Jordan River on dry ground, God instructed Joshua to collect 12 stones from the riverbed and set them up as a memorial, just like He’d instructed Moses when they crossed the Red Sea.

“In the future,” God said, “when people ask about the stones, tell them about the miracle I performed on your behalf.”

I wonder why God thought the people would need a tangible reminder of the amazing show of His power. Wouldn’t the miracle itself be enough?

God had brought them out of bondage and into the Promised Land with book-end miracles. But, as we humans do, once the water started flowing again, their thoughts turned away from the miracle and toward their circumstances, more hurdles, more battles, more miles to go.

If you are a believer, you have already experienced a greater miracle than the parting of the waters we read about in the Old Testament. You have experienced God Himself taking the death penalty you deserved so you can be free from the bondage of sin, and enter the Promised Land of His presence. Do you remember that glorious day when you stepped from death into life, when you surrendered and accepted God’s grace? Take a second and let yourself remember the miracle.

But the waters started flowing again, didn’t they? Life continued with all the ups and downs, blessings and trials. Sometimes our circumstances, or the temptation to go back to “Egypt” consumes us, causing amnesia. We forget the miracle.

God knew we, like ancient Israel, would need the tangible evidence of the miracle of our salvation to remind us. So He inspired men to write down His Words. You need the evidence? Open your Bible. The how’s and why’s and the assurance of your salvation are right there.

Some people look for a sign of God’s presence, the assurance of their salvation, by looking for a rainbow or a butterfly. I’m not saying God doesn’t reveal Himself in nature. But if that’s the extent of your assurance, I’m afraid you are looking for a feeling rather than the truth

If you’re looking for a tangible sign of God’s presence, the assurance of your salvation, read God’s Words. When you do, you are looking toward the Rock. The Bible is our pile of rocks that reminds us of the miracle of our salvation. And the beauty is, it doesn’t weigh as much as the rocks stacked across the Jordan River. You can carry it with you. You don’t have to travel far to take it in. You probably only have to go as far as your bedside table. (or open the phone in your hand).

The things written in the Bible are the tangible truth of your salvation. Look at it every day. Remember the miracle. Then tackle your day with the power of the Rock, the rock-solid Truth of God.

Are Borders Biblical?

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Numbers 33-34

I believe there is a repeated theme in these two chapters. Borders.

Every city, every territory the Israelites camped in as they traveled from Egypt (defined by borders) to the Promised Land had borders. We know from Scripture that if the ruler of one of those territories didn’t want the Jews crossing their border, they would refuse entrance, and the Jews had to take another route.

God Himself established borders to separate the Promised Land from the rest of the world. And with it came a warning: Drive out everyone who is not a Jew, or I will punish you as an enemy.

Yes, I believe in strong borders. I believe the USA is feeling the effects of allowing our borders to be breached. I believe we need to drive out everyone who is not a citizen or a legal immigrant.

Now, if you are still reading this post after that, let’s not make this only political.

Let’s talk about the border that ought to be protecting the Church. The Body of Christ is intended to be holy. This whole philosophy of welcoming sinners into our fellowship is like inviting one little cancer cell into our body, hoping it will heal surrounded by healthy cells.

“Invite your unsaved neighbor to church” is not only lazy evangelism, it is ignoring Jesus’ command to “You go. You make disciples.” I believe the Church is seeing the effects of having its borders breached. Watered-down theology. Homosexual pastors. Emotion driven false worship. It’s become more and more evident our borders aren’t just weak. We have no borders protecting the Church.

Let’s go deeper. What about the borders protecting your family? What do your kids see you watching on TV? What do you ignore concerning what your kids are being taught in school? How important is Scripture in your family life? Do you accept your child’s “furry” or trans friend? Do you entertain “pronouns” in your home? What music do you play in your home, or allow to be played in your child’s room? Do you know what your child is doing with his or her phone/computer? What of the world has found a crack in the border that’s supposed to be protecting your family?

Well, now that I’ve meddled a bit I might as well go the whole way. How is the border around your own heart? Do you strengthen that border every day by spending quiet time reading God’s Words, praying, listening to His voice through the words he inspired? Have you truly repented of sin, turned away from sin, or are there still sins you are holding onto – even just in your thoughts? How committed are you to live a holy life, not just a good life? If your heart has a weak border, you don’t really have a border at all.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 23:12)

And there’s the rub. The borders around the country, the Church, the family are crumbling because we haven’t guarded the borders around our own hearts. It starts – and ends – there. Scripture says that everything that happens in our nation, the Church, and our families flows from our individual hearts. Everything.

I titled this post “Are Borders Biblical?” What is your answer?

Bitter Water

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Numbers 5

Modern feminism has made us hyper-sensitive to the roles of men and women. “Equality!” they cry. They see misogyny in the eyes of every male. So I imagine if your sympathies lie with the feminists, you went ballistic as you read this chapter.

“You mean if some jerk gets jealous of his wife – even without reason – he could take her before the church and force her to drink dirty water that could cause her to blow up like a balloon, in great pain, and maybe leave her unable to ever have children? He’s jealous… and she pays?”

I know. It’s awful if that’s what you get out of reading these verses. But is that really what we see here?

Notice this is a ceremony of a husband who recognizes HIS sin of jealousy. He brings a sacrifice to the priest to atone for HIS sin. Hearing his wife’s public declaration of her innocence, then watching her drink the cursed liquid without having all those horrible things happening to her, was proof that his jealousy was unwarranted, and he is right to confess his sin in order to be forgiven.

Do I think even one innocent woman suffered those physical ailments as a result of drinking the disgusting water? No.

Do you know why I’m 100% sure of that? Because God commanded a jealous husband to confess his sin in this way. And God doesn’t make mistakes.

Yes, more than likely there were women who had affairs, and maybe they did suffer the harmful effects of the bitter water. Scripture doesn’t say one way or the other. But I am looking at the innocent woman and the seemingly unfair treatment of her.

God is not a misogynist. In fact, I see a God who gave dignity to a women unjustly accuse You don’t treat women like that and expect God to be ok with it. This jealous husband who may have wanted to humiliate his wife, was publicly humiliated himself. His jealously was a sin everyone could see. He needed to repent of that sin.

If you were upset by what you read in Numbers 5, go back and read it again. This time remember the character of God, and see if you don’t recognize his love and mercy for both the man who needed to repent, and his wife who needed to be exonerated.

It’s in there.

They Did Everything. It’s a Miracle

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Numbers 1-2

God organized the Jewish people in a very specific manner. There were boundaries. You heard me boundaries. But I digress.

Each family unit was assigned their place within the nation. They knew where they were to pitch their tents, and where they were to get in line when they moved. I got to wondering what that looked like with thousands of tents pitched around the bigger tabernacle tent. Then I thought about what it must have been like to see them all pack up and move out.

I mean, the 600,000 number is the number of men who were of the age to serve in the army. So we are talking about maybe 2 million people counting women, children, and men too young or too old to be considered army-ready.

That’s a lot of people. Wouldn’t it be like trying to herd kittens? The word chaos comes to mind.

I’m a visual learner so I tried to picture what 2 million people would look like. I live close to Jacksonville, but their population in only 1,038,787. That’s not even close to the number of Jews we read about in the book of Numbers. And I thought Jacksonville was a big city.

I’ve never been to Houston but there are 2,435,715 residents there. I wonder what it would take to organize all of them to do what the Jewish nation did there in the wilderness.

I mean, I live on an island off the coast of Georgia with a population of a mere 16,800. Let me tell you what hurricane evacuation looks like here. Where’s Moses when you need him?

But here is what stood out to me as I read these numbers. The Jews did everything the Lord commanded Moses. They didn’t go rogue. They didn’t argue, or think they had a better plan. They listened. And they obeyed.

And because they did, God was able to miraculously lead them to the Promised Land. It wasn’t the organization. It wasn’t the leadership. It wasn’t even Moses. The people surrendered to the will of God.

The lesson? God can do amazing things in our lives when we submit our wills, when we humble ourselves and obey His Word. Every time we think we have a better idea, or for some reason simply ignore His Word, we just may be stopping God from doing something amazing.

They did everything God commanded through Moses. I think if we, if the Church stopped telling God what He ought to be doing, or tweaking the Word to say what we want it to say, and simply obeyed what He commands through His written Word, we would see miracles. We would see people come to Jesus. We would see lives changed, starting with our own.

Let’s open our Bibles and let God tell us His will. Let Him tell us what to do, where to go, when to go and what to say. Let’s do everything that God commands.

Then hold onto your hats. It will be miraculous.

The Fabric of My Life

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Leviticus 11-13

I learned something today. The CSB uses the words, “warp,” and “weft” and I don’t remember hearing those words before. Google tells me they refer to the woven threads in fabric. One is the horizontal threads, the other the verticals ones. (The NIV uses the words “one side or the other.” The ESV says “warp and woof.” Whatever. It all speaks to me today.)

If there was a question about mold or disease on a piece of fabric, the priest evidently examined it closely enough to consider each thread. Sometimes a good washing took care of the problem Sometimes a diseased patch had to be cut from the rest of the cloth and destroyed. Sometimes the whole garment had to be burned. (lots of spiritual imagery there if you think about it).

But what occurred to me is that the spot in question was not ignored, dismissed, or pushed aside to be addressed at a later date, no matter how simple or drastic the treatment it required.

Looking at these chapters as a picture of Jesus helps me appreciate the cross even more. I can be assured that when Jesus examines my heart He doesn’t do a quick look-over. He carefully touches every thread in the fabric of my life, and deals with the microscopic disease of sin that, if left there would grow and contaminate my life.

Jesus absolutely took care of my “big” sins there on the cross. But He also dug deeper and died for the unclean thought, the unclean attitude, the little shift away from His Holiness. Now, when I am convicted at the first sign of disease, I can repent and know God forgives and cleanses me before that thought or attitude or shift begins to grow.

I thank God for a conscience, for conviction that addresses the uncleanness of the warp and weft in the fabric of my life. Those are signs of God’s loving, gentle. and personal care of my life to save me from a world of hurt later on if those things are left untreated.

May I – may you – allow God to cleanse us at the first sign of sin. The disease of sin is never stagnate. It either spreads left unchecked, or it is stopped by God’s hand. One leads to contamination. The other to holiness.

Let’s choose holiness.

The Facts of the Presence

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Exodus 39-40

The tangible, unmistakable Presence of God stayed with the Jews by way of a cloud by day, and pillar of fire at night. They had only to look toward the tabernacle, and there He was! How amazing is that? They saw with their own eyes the evidence that God was right there, leading and protecting them every step of the way.

I find myself wishing I could see God’s Presence with my eyes, too. Yet I happily exchange the physical signs of His Presence over the tabernacle, for the privilege of having His Presence in me, guiding and protecting me.

Yes, I have to use eyes of faith. But it doesn’t make His Presence less real.

I think one thing we Christians get wrong is the idea that we can and should feel the Presence. I’m not sure there are any verses that say that exactly. I could be wrong and would love if you would set me straight if that’s the case.

I think we’re wrong to pray for the Presence when God says He never leaves us. How insulting is that for us to say, “Holy Spirit come into our midst” when He’s saying, “Hello! Didn’t I promise I’d be here?” What makes us think the Holy Spirit needs our invitation when He’s the one inviting us to come to Him?

One thing I see in these verses is the fact that the Jews didn’t feel the Presence. We place so much emphasis on our emotions, I think we miss something precious. The Jews recognized the Presence even if they didn’t get that fuzzy feeling. Their assurance of the Presence didn’t depend on their feelings, but rather the fact that God was there regardless of how they felt. The cloud was there. The fire was there. The Presence was a fact.

It still is, if you are a Christian. Didn’t Jesus say He will be with us to the end of the age? Didn’t He say, “never will I leave or forsake you?”

Those are the facts. When we accept the grace of God, the forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes up residence. He doesn’t go on vacation. He doesn’t leave for a minute to run an errand. His Presence is in us even when we find it hard to smile, even when we’re facing the biggest challenge of our life. The Presence is with us 24/7.

That’s the precious truth I think we sometimes miss. You might argue, “But I don’t feel Him.” And I will give you the good news: You don’t have to! You don’t have to manufacture a euphoric feeling to know the Presence. In fact, that feeling is not the litmus test. The litmus test is the character of God. Either He is true to His word, or He isn’t. Either His Spirit is in you as a Christian, or He’s not.

Even if you can’t “feel” Him, the precious reality is you can know He’s there anyway, leading, protecting, loving on you every minute. Hold on to the truth of it. Use those eyes of faith and rest in the reality. His Presence is with you!

That’s a fact.