From My Bible

Acts 17 The Unknown God

2009-03-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

Act 17:16-20 While Paul was waiting in Athens, he was upset to see all the idols in the city. He went to the Jewish meeting place to speak to the Jews and to anyone who worshiped with them. Day after day he also spoke to everyone he met in the market. Some of them were Epicureans and some were Stoics, and they started arguing with him. People were asking, “What is this know-it-all trying to say?” Some even said, “Paul must be preaching about foreign gods! That’s what he means when he talks about Jesus and about people rising from death.” They brought Paul before a council called the Areopagus, and said, “Tell us what your new teaching is all about. We have heard you say some strange things, and we want to know what you mean.”

If we let our eyes flick just a little bit before this we see Paul, Timothy and Silas have been ministering in Thessalonia and Berea and then Paul continues on to Athens alone and is waiting for his friends to join him before they continue on to Corinth.

We next read that while he was waiting in Athens he became upset at the level of idolatry and lostness of the people in the city. So much so that he begins to go and speak at the synagogue and the marketplace. Did he intend to minister in Athens? Maybe…. Maybe not… but God stirred his heart – he provoked Paul and Paul had to respond by going to the market to talk to people about Jesus.

In our lives we must allow God to stir our hearts and then in response we position ourselves with lost people, ready and willing and sharing the message of Good News.

Athens is an interesting city…. Though past its glory days it was still a center for philosophy and religion, art and architecture. Idols were on every corner, incorporated into every civic building and part of the very fabric of the city. The people there were renown for their “spiritual thinking” and desire to talk about new things. They had double the feast days of any other city in their time. Paul went to the very heart of the city, not just visiting the Jews in the synagogues but going to the marketplace. The marketplace wasn’t just where you went and brought your produce, but it was where you went to hear the latest news and gossip, to meet with friends, discuss new ideas – it was the pub or student café, the facebook of the past….

Paul had a message for the people of Athens. He saw they were interested in spiritual things but that they did not know the truth about God. He saw they were hungry to really know the truth about God, but they hadn’t discovered it yet… They had statues and idols and alters all around their city… even one to The Unknown God… The Unknown god was not so much a specific god, but a placeholder for whatever god or gods actually existed but whose name and nature were not revealed to the Athenians or the world at large yet.

Paul’s message was that he knew this God and that because of Jesus they could too. Our message is the same as Paul’s - it is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of the world. We are given the work of sharing God’s message about this peace with God. We are sent to speak for Christ and God is through us begging the people to hear the truth. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask people to find peace with God. Christ never sinned but God treated him as a sinner so that Christ could make us acceptable to God. (2 Corinthians 5:19-21)

In the Greek it says we are ambassadors for Christ and ministers of reconciliation. You don’t have to be a paid member of a church staff to be a minister. We represent Christ. We speak for Christ. If we read on in 2 Corinthians 6:1 it says we are fellow workers with God, some translations say we are partners with God in the work of salvation. This is what Paul was doing. He was moved and upset by the lostness of the people of Athens. He was provoked to action – provoked to every day go to where the people were, both in the synagogue and also to the marketplace and every day he went there and talked with everyone he met. He went into the marketplace and talked to people about who God is and about salvation, how they can meet peace with God.

We ourselves must allow God to stir our hearts – to provoke us – to open our eyes to the lost condition of the people around us. We are not called to hide away the good news but to proclaim it – to proclaim that God is knowable and near – to be his ambassadors. We are called to make known the unknown God to those around us. Every day we go to our own marketplace – to our schools, or our jobs, or the supermarket – every day we can follow Paul’s example and talk to those around us about Jesus. Paul was just not a minister on Sundays, but he was a minister every day of the week. We must challenge ourselves to live intentionally, to make decisions that position ourselves with people who need to know Jesus and then to use conversation as a means of sharing the Good News.

Judges 6 Gideon The Mighty Man of Valour

2009-03-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

There are some people in the bible that you just want to take by the shoulders and shake them or give them a slap… right?

We know the end of the story and if only THEY knew what we knew eh… We have the hindsight, or the foresight… since it hasn’t happened to Gideon yet to know the great things that God is going to do to and in and through and for Gideon…

Judges 6:1-6 Then once again the Israelites started disobeying the LORD, so he let the nation of Midian control Israel for seven years. The Midianites were so cruel that many Israelites ran to the mountains and hid in caves. Every time the Israelites would plant crops, the Midianites invaded Israel together with the Amalekites and other eastern nations. They rode in on their camels, set up their tents, and then let their livestock eat the crops as far as the town of Gaza. The Midianites stole food, sheep, cattle, and donkeys. Like a swarm of locusts, they could not be counted, and they ruined the land wherever they went. The Midianites took almost everything that belonged to the Israelites, and the Israelites begged the LORD for help.

Judges 6:11-16 One day an angel from the LORD went to the town of Ophrah and sat down under the big tree that belonged to Joash, a member of the Abiezer clan. Joash’s son Gideon was nearby, threshing grain in a shallow pit, where he could not be seen by the Midianites. The angel appeared and spoke to Gideon, “The LORD is helping you, and you are a strong warrior.” Gideon answered, “Please don’t take this wrong, but if the LORD is helping us, then why have all of these awful things happened? We’ve heard how the LORD performed miracles and rescued our ancestors from Egypt. But those things happened long ago. Now the LORD has abandoned us to the Midianites.” Then the LORD himself said, “Gideon, you will be strong, because I am giving you the power to rescue Israel from the Midianites.” Gideon replied, “But how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest one in Manasseh, and everyone else in my family is more important than I am.” “Gideon,” the LORD answered, “you can rescue Israel because I am going to help you! Defeating the Midianites will be as easy as beating up one man.”

As much as I want to slap Gideon – I also love him. He is an ordinary man living in difficult times that has an extraordinary encounter with God that changes his life. And it shows each one of us that we can trust the Word of God and that we can trust the promises of God and that with God we can do all things!

In fact I think Gideon would describe himself as even less than ordinary… in his first conversation with God he calls himself the least of his family, which is the least in his tribe, which is the least in all the tribes of Israel. He is threshing wheat hiding in a shallow pit instead of out in the open so the chaff blows away… Israel is oppressed and subdued by the Midianites and life is really really hard. In order to stay alive you didn’t stick your neck out and children were taught to survive, not succeed…

All of us hear the Word of God in the context of our life and the challenge is to not respond out of context but to take the truth of what God says and make that real in our lives….

Gideon heard the word of God – heard God calling him a mighty man of valour and he put it in the context of hiding in a shallow pit and calling himself a useless weakling.

Again God calls him a strong warrior, promising to be with him.

That is the key – God with us. In ourselves we are just us… human. Ordinary. Gifted yes, unique yes. But still human.

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us;

One God plus one weakling is always a majority in any fight. ‘I will be with you’ God tells Gideon, and that is all that we should ever need to know.

Remember Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Gods word is truth. Truth. Nothing changes that. We cant dumb it down to our context. We need to lift our faith and experience and live it out, trusting God. God sees all and he knows all. He sees the past and the present and the future. He works in us to complete his plan and purpose.

The challenge for each of us is to not look at what God says in context of our lives and even the way we feel about ourselves, but to fix our eyes upon HIM and his truth… the God with us part. It is him that makes us succeed and overcome.

We need to know that God is with us and when God is with us we can do all things! We need not self-confidence but GOD CONFIDENCE – confidence in who God is and that he will act exactly as he says he will! We can have faith in God! Today we need to put our hope and our trust in God and step out and be all that God has called us to be. We need to believe His Word and what He says about us. We may feel small and insignificant but God takes our lives and demonstrates himself through us. Nothing is impossible with God and that means that when he is with us nothing is impossible for us! All things are possible because of the might and glory and power of God. Have confidence in God. Go and change the world!

Throwing The First Stone

2009-03-20T16:05:00.001-07:00

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses brought in a woman who had been caught in bed with a man who wasn’t her husband. They made her stand in the middle of the crowd. Then they said, “Teacher, this woman was caught sleeping with a man who isn’t her husband. The Law of Moses teaches that a woman like this should be stoned to death! What do you say?” They asked Jesus this question, because they wanted to test him and bring some charge against him. But Jesus simply bent over and started writing on the ground with his finger. They kept on asking Jesus about the woman. Finally, he stood up and said, “If any of you have never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her!” Once again he bent over and began writing on the ground. The people left one by one, beginning with the oldest. Finally, Jesus and the woman were there alone. Jesus stood up and asked her, “Where is everyone? Isn’t there anyone left to accuse you?” “No sir,” the woman answered. Then Jesus told her, “I am not going to accuse you either. You may go now, but don’t sin anymore.” John 3:8-11

Did you notice that Jesus was the only one there who had done no sin and so by right could have cast the first stone and stoned her to death?

Did you notice that he did not?

Did you notice that he forgave her and set her free and changed her life?

Did you notice his love and compassion and grace and mercy?

Did you notice his authority and power and truth and justice?

John 7 Living Water

2009-03-20T16:04:00.001-07:00

On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, “If you are thirsty, come to me and drink! Have faith in me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you, just as the Scriptures say.” John 7:37-38

Jesus answered, “You don’t know what God wants to give you, and you don’t know who is asking you for a drink. If you did, you would ask me for the water that gives life.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. Where are you going to get this life-giving water? Our ancestor Jacob dug this well for us, and his family and animals got water from it. Are you greater than Jacob?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again. But no one who drinks the water I give will ever be thirsty again. The water I give is like a flowing fountain that gives eternal life.” John 4:10-15

God satisfies. He satisfies every need and emptiness we can feel. He gives us peace for our restlessness, hope for our hopelessness, purpose for our present. He walks with us in the storms of life giving us comfort and perspective. We fix our eyes upon him and live our life for him and his glory. He fills us with his Holy Spirit and we never will be alone or empty again. Are you feeling dry? Jesus promises that we will have life giving water flowing from deep within, from within our spirit. The source is Jesus. He is the one who gives the water.

What stops the water flowing in our lives?

But no one who drinks the water I give will ever be thirsty again. The water I give is like a flowing fountain that gives eternal life.” The woman replied, “Sir, please give me a drink of that water! Then I won’t get thirsty and have to come to this well again.” Jesus told her, “Go and bring your husband.” The woman answered, “I don’t have a husband.” “That’s right,” Jesus replied, “you’re telling the truth. You don’t have a husband. You have already been married five times, and the man you are now living with isn’t your husband.” The woman said, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. My ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say Jerusalem is the only place to worship.” Jesus said to her: Believe me, the time is coming when you won’t worship the Father either on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans don’t really know the one you worship. But we Jews do know the God we worship, and by using us, God will save the world. But a time is coming, and it is already here! Even now the true worshipers are being led by the Spirit to worship the Father according to the truth. These are the ones the Father is seeking to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth. The woman said, “I know that the Messiah will come. He is the one we call Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” “I am that one,” Jesus told her, “and I am speaking to you now.”

Jesus told the samaratian woman about the water he offers and then challenges her about her lifestyle and heart condition. She responds by revealing her desire to know the true God…. For more than just religion and rules and restrictions… but to know God in truth and to worship him… to know the Messiah who would write on their hearts and make them God’s children and God their God… What stops the water flowing? When we don’t relate to God, when we are separated from him by sin and restriction, when we have drawn away.

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. As we develop our relationship with God we are like the trees psalm 1 talks about, planted by the streams, fruitful, growing, established, strong, alive.

John 9 On The Way

2009-03-20T16:03:00.002-07:00

John 9:6-7 After Jesus said this, he spit on the ground. He made some mud and smeared it on the man’s eyes. Then he said, “Go and wash off the mud in Siloam Pool.”

The man went and washed in Siloam, which means “One Who Is Sent.” When he had washed off the mud, he could see. Did the blind man know that the name of the pool ment “One That Was Sent”? was there significance – a big picture layer – in the name of the pool? The One That Was Sent – the Messiah, the Sent One, the Annointed One – is the one who heals us and saves us.

How far was it from where Jesus spit on the man to the pool of Siloam?

How long did it take for the blind man to get there?

How did he FEEL on the way to the pool?

Did he wrestle with fears and doubts on the way to the pool?

Was he amazed that Jesus took time to heal a mere begger?

Did you notice: He took clay and made eyes – in the beginning God made man with clay….

Galatians 4

2009-03-20T16:03:00.001-07:00

But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law, so he could set us free from the Law, and we could become God’s children. Now that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father. You are no longer slaves. Galatians 4:4-7

Luke 23:37 Saving Us

2009-03-20T16:02:00.001-07:00

Luke 23:37 They said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!”

Jesus was saving the world not hmself. In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself so taht we can have peace with God. Jesus wasnt saving himself because he was saving us. He was sacrificing himself so that we can be acceptable to God. Jesus himself said in the garden at his arrest that there were legions of angels ready to rescue him, if he only said the word. but he didnt. he had a greater goal and purpoe and he kept his eyes fixed upon the goal and the salvation of the world. Jesus IS and WAS the king of the Jews. He was exactly who they said he was.

Exodus 17:1-2 Does God Really Know?

2009-03-20T16:01:00.000-07:00

In our lives we sometimes wonder if God is aware of where we are on the journey….

Exodus 17:1-2 The Israelites left the desert and moved from one place to another each time the LORD ordered them to. Once they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for them to drink. The people started complaining to Moses, “Give us some water!” Moses replied, “Why are you complaining to me and trying to put the LORD to the test?”

Did God not realize they had no water there?

Did he not check his map or google earth before stopping the cloud of his presence?

Did he forget to check the list of required “stuff” at this location?

Was God not aware of the needs of the poeple?

God sees all and knows all.

He was fully aware of where HE was and where the people were.

He totally comphended the needs of the poeople.

He knows OUR needs and sees where we are in life. He knows the desire of our heart.

There was a bigger picture at work - a purpose for the poeople to stop at Rephidim.

God was teaching them to have faith in him and to trust him and to follow him and to see the wonders he could work. He is the almighty God who parted the sea and provided manna and quail. He is the God who delivered them from Egypt and slavery.

How did the people respond? With faith and prayer?

No - they complained and dissed God. THey did not trust him.

Where are you at in your journey? Are you in a place with streams of water? Are you in a dry and thirsty place? Do you have a job? Are your relationships going well? Are you healthy? Are you feeling fulfilled?

Are you trusting God?

Are you fixing your eyes upon Him and His might rather than looking at your circumstances?

Trust in the Lord Your God wth all your heart, all your mind, all your strength, all your understanding and dont rely on your own understanding of life.

Living Called

2009-03-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

God has been kind enough to trust us with this work. That’s why we never give up. We don’t do shameful things that must be kept secret. And we don’t try to fool anyone or twist God’s message around. God is our witness that we speak only the truth, so others will be sure that we can be trusted. 2 Corinthians 4:1-2

We are called and we should live CALLED. we should act called and think called. we should think and act as ministers of the gosepl - holy and righteous, determined and focused and the goal is spreadingthe good news of God’s wonderful kindness, dmonstrated through our own lives.

Its about credibility. its about keeping the main thing the main thing. its about following God and loving him and loving his opinion more than we love our own selfish desires.

Galatians 5:13-14 My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love. All that the Law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself.

Galatians 5:16-17 If you are guided by the Spirit, you won’t obey your selfish desires. The Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should.

We are human and we do make mistakes. we are redeemed forgiven people who are living our lives not for our own but for God and his ways.

2 Corintians 4:5-7 We are not preaching about ourselves. Our message is that Jesus Christ is Lord. He also sent us to be your servants. The Scriptures say, “God commanded light to shine in the dark.” Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ. We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us.

in this age of grace we can often go overboard on excusing our humanness or we dont even realize we are comprimising. we’ve dumbed sin down and call it a mistake. we dont hold people to the requirements of God and challenge them to surrender to him and to be transformed.

We are called to be holy. We are called to be ambassadors of God. we are called to be children of God.

Mark 5:21-28 Two Healings

2009-02-05T18:44:00.000-08:00

Mark 5:21-28 21Once again Jesus got into the boat and crossed Lake Galilee. [d] Then as he stood on the shore, a large crowd gathered around him. 22The person in charge of the Jewish meeting place was also there. His name was Jairus, and when he saw Jesus, he went over to him. He knelt at Jesus' feet 23and started begging him for help. He said, "My daughter is about to die! Please come and touch her, so she will get well and live." 24Jesus went with Jairus. Many people followed along and kept crowding around.
25In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. 26She had gone to many doctors, and they had not done anything except cause her a lot of pain. She had paid them all the money she had. But instead of getting better, she only got worse.
27The woman had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him in the crowd and barely touched his clothes. 28She had said to herself, "If I can just touch his clothes, I will get well." 29As soon as she touched them, her bleeding stopped, and she knew she was well.

There was a crowd waiting for Jesus on the shore. A crowd of desperate seeking people. What made these two people in the above passage stand out and be healed:
1. A man bold enough to talk to Jesus and beg
2. A woman bold enough to touch Jesus’ clothes
Jarius had a daughter who was dying. He made his way through the crowd and DESPITE his position (maybe people moved out of his way for him to get through…. But he still humbled himself and begged).
The woman was very ill and dying and was considered unclean. No one made a way for her to get to Jesus, she made a way her self and pressed through the crowd and got her breakthrough.

They both had the same goal. Healing. The power of God. Help. Hope.
They both faced insurmountable odds and had to overcome things to get to Jesus – position and pride and inferiority and fear.

What matters is we connect with Jesus. That we overcome and receive our healing.

Mark 5:18-20 The first missionary

2009-02-05T18:30:00.001-08:00

Mark 5:18-20 18When Jesus was getting into the boat, the man begged to go with him. 19But Jesus would not let him. Instead, he said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how good he has been to you."
20The man went away into the region near the ten cities known as Decapolis [c] and began telling everyone how much Jesus had done for him. Everyone who heard what had happened was amazed.

The man begged to go with Jesus, but Jesus told him instead to “go” – as his messenger of good news and the power of God – this man was sent as a missionary and living demonstration of the power and grace of God through Jesus Christ. And he obeyed and he went and preached and proclaimed! Looking again at verse 19 Jesus told the man to go home to his family and tell them – the man did this and did not stop! He told EVERYONE! He told them of the wonderful kindness of God!

Mark 5:2-7, 15 Terrifying!

2009-02-05T18:24:00.000-08:00

Mark 5:2-7, 15 2When he was getting out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit quickly ran to him 3from the graveyard where he had been living. No one was able to tie the man up anymore, not even with a chain. 4He had often been put in chains and leg irons, but he broke the chains and smashed the leg irons. No one could control him. 5Night and day he was in the graveyard or on the hills, yelling and cutting himself with stones.
6When the man saw Jesus in the distance, he ran up to him and knelt down. 7He shouted, "Jesus, Son of God in heaven, what do you want with me? Promise me in God's name that you won't torture me!"
15When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had once been full of demons. He was sitting there with his clothes on and in his right mind, and they were terrified.

What terrified the people? NOT the mass suicide of the pigs into the sea but the freed man, clothed, calm and restored, sitting with Jesus. The man who had being terrifying and dangerous and possessed was now terrifying because he was delivered. The power that set him free scared the people. They had witnessed the mans possession and tried to help or at least contain him to no avail, but here he was – whole and healed. This was power they had not encountered before and it terrified them. That power demonstrated the reality of God – that God was real and almighty. It demands a response – right living, relationship, repentance.

Jeremiah 42 Obedience

2009-02-05T18:19:00.001-08:00

Jeremiah 42:1-4
1Johanan, Jezaniah, the other army officers, and everyone else in the group, came to me 2and said, "Please pray to the LORD your God for us. Judah used to have many people, but as you can see, only a few of us are left. 3Ask the LORD to tell us where he wants us to go and what he wants us to do." 4"All right," I answered, "I will pray to the LORD your God, and I will tell you everything he says."
Jeremiah 42:10-17
10I am sorry that I had to punish you, and so I now tell you to stay here in Judah, where I will plant you and build you up, instead of tearing you down and uprooting you. 11Don't be afraid of the King of Babylonia. I will protect you from him, 12and I will even force him to have mercy on you and give back your farms.
13But you might keep on saying, "We won't stay here in Judah, and we won't obey the LORD our God. 14We are going to Egypt, where there is plenty of food and no danger of war."
15People of Judah, you survived when the Babylonian army attacked. Now you are planning to move to Egypt, and if you do go, this is what will happen. 16-17You are afraid of war, starvation, and disease here in Judah, but they will follow you to Egypt and kill you there. None of you will survive the disasters I will send.

God where God tells you to go and stay where God tells you to stay. Obedience ALWAYS is rewarded with favour. Disobedience is bad. No matter what the circumstances may look like live in obedience to God. Nothing is impossible for him and he will bless you and make a way for you in response for obedience. Though Judah was ravaged and destroyed God said he would bless and plant those who obeyed and stayed. Circumstances said find greener grass but truth is to obey God. What looked like a better way brought destruction to those who went to Eygpt.

Genesis 32 - The God of Jacob

2009-02-05T18:13:00.000-08:00

Genesis 32:9-12 9Then Jacob prayed:
You, LORD, are the God who was worshiped by my grandfather Abraham and by my father Isaac. You told me to return home to my family, and you promised to be with me and make me successful. 10 I don't deserve all the good things you have done for me, your servant. When I first crossed the Jordan, I had only my walking stick, but now I have two large groups of people and animals. 11Please rescue me from my brother. I am afraid he will come and attack not only me, but my wives and children as well. 12But you have promised that I would be a success and that someday it will be as hard to count my descendants as it is to count the stars in the sky.

The first part to connecting with God for Jacob (we’ve established that Jacob did NOT have his own faith or relationship with God… his knowledge and faith was based on his parents faith) was to acknowledge that he could not do it all himself and that he needed God.

Jacob said, "I have seen God face to face” Genesis 32:30

The turning point for Jacob with God and faith was THIS moment – he saw God face to face and God became the God of Jacob.

Romans 3 - Awesome Good News!

2009-02-05T18:08:00.001-08:00

Romans 3:21-26 “Now we see how God does make us acceptable to him. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus. All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. But God treats us much better than we deserve and because of Jesus he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered his life’s blood so that by faith in him we could come to God.”

Mark 3:10-12 Discerning Evil Spirits

2009-02-05T18:06:00.001-08:00

Mark 3:10-12 10After Jesus had healed many people, the other sick people begged him to let them touch him. 11And whenever any evil spirits saw Jesus, they would fall to the ground and shout, "You are the Son of God!" 12But Jesus warned the spirits not to tell who he was.

The evil spirits saw Jesus as he was, plain as day. They saw him not as a carpenter or a good man or a rabbi but as the Son of the Living God. Humbled in human frame he still was the messiah and the son of God. The evil spirits KNEW his power and his authority. They had more discernment than most people around him…. ;o)

Mark 3:5 Stubbornness

2009-02-05T18:02:00.001-08:00

Mark 3:5 Jesus was angry as he looked around at the people. Yet he felt sorry for them because they were so stubborn.

Don’t let stubbornness prevent us from seeing the truth and been free. Don’t let stubbornness blind us to opportunity. Don’t let stubbornness make our hearts hard. Be soft and teachable.

Mark 3:1-6 The Crippled Man

2009-02-05T17:59:00.000-08:00

Mark 3:1-6 1The next time that Jesus went into the meeting place, a man with a crippled hand was there. 2The Pharisees wanted to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong, and they kept watching to see if Jesus would heal him on the Sabbath.
3Jesus told the man to stand up where everyone could see him. 4Then he asked, "On the Sabbath should we do good deeds or evil deeds? Should we save someone's life or destroy it?" But no one said a word.
5Jesus was angry as he looked around at the people. Yet he felt sorry for them because they were so stubborn. Then he told the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did, and his bad hand was healed.
6The Pharisees left. And right away they started making plans with Herod's followers to kill Jesus.

I read this and immediately get suspicious…
- Was the crippled man paid to be there?
- Was he forced to be there by the Pharisees to trap Jesus?
- Did the Pharisees try to set Jesus up?
- Was the crippled man a plant?
- Did the crippled man usually go to temple?
- Was he there to hear Jesus?
- Was he there as his usual practice of worshipping God?
In any such way what was the crippled man thinking as things unfolded? Did he hear about the miracles of Jesus and hope that Jesus would heal him? Did he imagine what his life would be like with two good hands? Did he have hopes and dreams that could only be lived with two good arms? Did he imagine a life free from pain, worry and uncertainty? Did he put his faith in Jesus? He may have been there as a plant but I bet even if he is that deep in his heart he hoped and prayed for healing…

Genesis 31:5 The God of my Fathers

2009-02-05T17:52:00.000-08:00

Genesis 31:5 “the God my ancestors worshipped…”

It’s interesting to note that Jacob keeps on referring to God as the God of my father and ancestors. He told his father in Genesis 27:20 “the Lord YOUR God was kind to me.” Though Jacob goes through the motions of worship and having faith – even having encounters with God and hearing his voice – God is not yet his God – not yet MY God as Jacob would say. God is not yet personal to Jacob – or rather Jacob has not made God personal to him yet. God IS personal and doesn’t want to be the God of our fathers but OUR God. We cannot have faith vicariously through our parents. We ourselves must know God and have a personal salvation transaction.

Proverbs 3:11 Correction

2009-01-30T14:13:00.000-08:00

Proverbs 3:11 “my child don’t turn away or become bitter when the Lord corrects you. The Lord corrects everyone he loves, just as parents correct their children.”

Why do I correct my kids: so they…
Grow up safe
Grow up as contributors
Grow up into fulfillment and happiness
Grow up secure
Grow up and “fit in”
Grow up and make friends
Grow up and make a positive impression
Grow up with opportunities
Grow up to succeed

Correcting trains us into the right direction. It isn’t about punishment or things like that it is about training human beings. Correcting kids is about them managing their emotions and desires and wants and how they express themselves.

Likewise God corrects us because he loves us. He loves us even more than I love my kids.

When God corrects us don’t turn away or reject him and his lessons and correction. Learn. Embrace. Experience. Be humble. Pray. Draw near to him. Seek him. Don’t become bitter – but better, as the saying goes. Grow as a human. Grow as a child of God. Be more faithful. Be more like Jesus. Draw near to God. Be soft and not hard. Yield, don’t resist. Be willing, not willful. Have hope. Be teachable.

Romans 1:17 Awesome Verse

2009-01-30T14:06:00.000-08:00

Romans 1:17 “The Good News tells how God accepts everyone who has faith.”

Romans 1:14 Passion For Souls

2009-01-30T14:04:00.000-08:00

Romans 1:14 “It doesn’t matter if people are educated and civilized or if they are uneducated and uncivilized, I must tell the good news to everyone.”

Can you hear the blaze of fire in Paul’s heart? Can you feel the heat and intensity of his passion for souls? No matter who you are Paul wanted to reach you. He didn’t have a preference – If you had a pulse you were a candidate for hearing and receiving the good news. Paul had an unrelentless passion for souls… can the same be said for us???

Romans 1:5 He Chose Me

2009-01-30T14:01:00.001-08:00

Romans 1:5 “Jesus was kind to me and chose me to be an apostle.”

What a beautiful phrase and truth. Jesus is kind to us and manifests his kindness in so many ways but one major way for Paul, and for me too, is that he chooses to work through us. He chooses to use me and calls me. Despite all my past and my present failings and my need for more refinement, he has kindness upon me and uses me as a messenger of the good news – the good news I have received and experienced.

Genesis 29:32-35 Baby Names

2009-01-30T13:54:00.001-08:00

Genesis 29:32-35 Leah gave birth to a son and named him Reuben, [a] because she said, "The LORD has taken away my sorrow. Now my husband will love me more than he does Rachel." 33She had a second son and named him Simeon, [b] because she said, "The LORD has heard that my husband doesn't love me." 34When Leah's third son was born, she said, "Now my husband will hold me close." So this son was named Levi. [c] 35She had one more son and named him Judah, [d] because she said, "I'll praise the LORD!"
Footnotes:
a. Genesis 29:32 Reuben: In Hebrew "Reuben" means, "Look, a son!"
b. Genesis 29:33 Simeon: In Hebrew "Simeon" sounds like "someone who hears."
c. Genesis 29:34 hold me close. . . Levi: In Hebrew "Levi" sounds like "hold (someone) close."
d. Genesis 29:35 Judah: In Hebrew "Judah" sounds like "praise."

Leah names her sons with names that reflect what she was feeling and where she was at in life. It’s a sad refection in a way. She has her babies to win her husbands love and approval but it doesn’t work. She bases her self worth in her husband. Reading between the lines it seems she had an emotionally rough life. Unmarried. Unmarried in a culture that values marriage and puts worth in being married. And views not being married as a curse. Her younger sister falls in love and is betrothed before she is. Then her father swaps her into a marriage where she isn’t wanted. Her father probably thought he was doing the right thing but put yourself in Leah’s shoes. I don’t think it would fit the dream i would have of getting married and falling in love. And then her father agrees that the younger sister can marry her one true love too – and she is now the second place wife, with no place in Jacob’s heart. She longs for love and for true marriage. And does not find it. Certainly not with Jacob. Interesting to note her fourth son is called Judah, who grows to head the tribe that Jesus is decendend from – Judah’s name means I will praise the Lord. There is no reference to winning her husband or wanting his love. Has something changed in her life and heart? Has her emotional security changed? Is there new found security – not in her husband or in people’s opinions – but in the true and living God who loves her with an everlasting love? Had something happened for her to change the theme pattern of her baby names?

17 Things From Matthew 28

2009-01-30T13:34:00.000-08:00

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2028;&version=46;
Matthew 28

1. V1. As soon as they could the women went to prepare Jesus’ body and care for him. Despite his death they still had love and worship to give.

2. V2. Yay God!

3. V3. As bright as lightening! Cool imagery!

4. V4. The angel caused the guards to shake with fear and then faint/lose consciousness. The women saw the angels too but were differently affected.

5. V5. The angel tells the women – who were standing and conscious – don’t be afraid – which most angels in the bible say to humans they reveal themselves to.

6. V5. Jesus was nailed to the cross. This was a common execution style for criminals. People would have seen other crucifixions before. it was a way to punish and humiliate criminals.

7. V6. Jesus isn’t in the tomb! He isn’t there! He is alive! Risen!

8. V7. The angel invited the women into the tomb to see the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection.

9. V7. Now you’ve seen the proof – go and tell! The women FIRST got to tell of the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection! WOMEN! FIRST witnesses! Now days that doesn’t sound so immense and momentous or significant. But in Jesus’ day that was amazing. Women didn’t even get to testify in court. Their word was not counted as worthy enough. Yet God chose women as the first witnesses and declarers of the greatest miracle!

10. V8. “The women were frightened and yet very happy.” Good way of describing all the emotions they probably felt! Put yourselves in their shoes. Their teacher and friend was dead. But now he is alive! Oh the questions! And the wonder! And the hugs! And the “oh my God!” in the most reverent ways!

11. V9 SUDDENLY Jesus met them.

12. The soldiers woke up. They had fainted or lost consciousness when the angel appeared and rolled the huge tombstone away. They bravely then went and told their commander what had happened and how the body was missing. In turn they had to go and face the chief priests. The penalty for the guards to fall asleep on duty was execution. They would have been executed for failing in their duty. Instead of being executed though these guards are paid to fabricate a story and lie to everyone about Jesus’ disappearance. Part of the cover up story was that the soldiers were sleeping when the disciples snuck up and stole Jesus’ body. Does this sound logical? Yes, but not if you consider the context of roman discipline and soldiery. As I said the penalty was death for falling asleep on the job.

13. V16. All the remaining disciples went to the mountain in Galille to meet with Jesus. The remaining 11. Judas had hung himself. Peter had denied Jesus 3 times but he was still there. All the other disciples except John didn’t go and watch Jesus die. And they still came. Jesus called and they came. There was hope again. Perhaps the cross was not the end?

14. V17. They saw and worshipped but some of them doubted? Some of them on the mountain with resurrected Jesus doubted? What? Why? What were they doubting?

15. V18. Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth. ALL. ALL means ALL. Everything. ALL. He has all authority. There is no authority higher than his. He is the one who commands. All other authorities and powers are subject to his authority. Get this in all the way. Live with this perspective. Live under and in and through the authority of Jesus. Know his authority is in heaven and on earth. Submit to it and be secure in it.

16. V19-20 “Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teach them to do everything you were told.”
- Make disciples
o Wholehearted
o Commited
o Agree to teaching
o Learning
o Serving
- Don’t restrict the gospel. People of ALL nations. People of all nations were to be made disciples.
- Don’t restrict what you teach – they were told to teach everything that Jesus had taught them. Don’t hold anything back. Don’t create spiritual hierarchies.

17. “I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” V20

Judges 20:3-7 What Will Move Us?

2009-01-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

Judges 20:3-7 The Israelites called a meeting of the nation. And since they were God's people, the meeting was held at the place of worship in Mizpah. Men who could serve as soldiers came from everywhere in Israel--from Dan in the north, Beersheba in the south, and Gilead east of the Jordan River. Four hundred thousand of them came to Mizpah, and they each felt the same about what those men from the tribe of Benjamin had done. News about the meeting at Mizpah reached the tribe of Benjamin. As soon as the leaders of the tribes of Israel took their places, the Israelites said, " How could such a horrible thing happen?" The husband of the murdered woman answered: My wife and I went into the town of Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night. Later that night, the men of Gibeah surrounded the house. They wanted to kill me, but instead they raped and killed my wife. It was a terrible thing for Israelites to do! So I cut up her body and sent pieces everywhere in Israel. You are the people of Israel, and you must decide today what to do about the men of Gibeah.

What will it take to make the people of God to stand up and cry out for change and righteousness for their nation?

What will it take for the people of God to fall to their knees and pray for the nations to be healed and people to be saved?

What will it take for us to pray for the change only God can give?

The murder of a wife – cut up into 12 pieces and sent by courier around the country?
The murder of a 3 year old by her uncles?
P addicts taking hostages and causing a police stand off?
A drive by shooting that kills an innocent 2 year old sleeping in her bed?
The abuse and death of twin babies, allegedly by their father?
The murder of a wife and mother – her body stuffed in the boot of her car?
The rape of tourists staying in their van in a small town?
The hold up of a burger king joint?
The abduction and murder of a 5 year old girl in a red raincoat on her way to school?
Our preteen girls having sex in the school toilets?
Our boys joining gangs to belong?

What?
What?
What?

What will pierce our heart?
What will move us?
What will make us stand and kneel and pray?

Proverbs 3:5-6 God Clears The Road

2009-01-28T20:03:00.003-08:00

Proverbs 3:5-6 “With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. Always let him lead you and he will clear the road for you to follow.”

These verses are very familiar to most Christians. Yet today it just struck me, reading in the CEV that v6 is very relevant and fresh and cool. We may look at the road ahead of us and see great obstacles. It may seem impossible to step forward. But God clears the road ahead of us. It doesn’t specify how far down the road away from us God clears the road – and in life it is often only steps away that the way becomes clear. Continue to walk forward and trust. Don’t look at the obstacles and doubt. Don’t use our physical eyes to see the obstacles and be fearful and turn and run. Walk forward trusting God. He is the one who clears the road before us so we can continue to walk. Our job, or our role, is to trust him and have faith in him. God can move mountains. In his presence the hills melt like wax. God clears the road before us. Keep walking and don’t worry if the obstacles are still there and you only have steps to take before you are blocked. Keep walking. God clears the road.

Jeremiah 36:26 “But the Lord kept them from finding us”

2009-01-28T20:03:00.001-08:00

Jeremiah 36:26 “But the Lord kept them from finding us”

God supernaturally protected Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch. The king sent his guards to go and arrest them for the prophecies they gave. God kept the guards from finding where they were hidden. God is real and active and involved in our lives. We can pray and he answers. He is our refuge and our deliverer. He is not indifferent or afar but near and personal. We can trust God. Jeremiah and Baruch hid and trusted God to protect them. We live in a supernatural world – the supernatural is real and can affect physical things and people. Jeremiah and Baruch remained concealed by the power and work of of God.

Matthew 26:6 Healed and Restored!

2009-01-28T20:02:00.000-08:00

Matthew 26:6 “Jesus was in the town of Bethany eating at the home of Simon, who had leprosy.”

Simon had been healed by Jesus of leprosy. Before this he was an outcast having to call out “unclean” as he walked. He was isolated and lived outside the town boundary. Yet here he is. Home, hosting Jesus and his disciples. What a turn around! What a restoration! Simon is healed and at home. Nothing is impossible with God!

Matthew 26:7-10 Why Such A Waste

2009-01-28T20:01:00.002-08:00

Matthew 26:7-10 A woman came in with a bottle of expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus' head. But when his disciples saw this, they became angry and complained, "Why such a waste? We could have sold this perfume for a lot of money and given it to the poor." Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said: Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me.

Why such a waste? A waste??? This expression of worship, of giving, of love, of gratitude, of surrender – was seen EVEN by the disciples, as a WASTE? Jesus accepts her love and worship. He appreciates it. She had in her heart given her all to Jesus. There was nothing to small or too large to give or to do to express how she felt. It was all for his glory and his purpose. Did her spirit “intuitively” know the higher meaning of the oil – preparing Jesus for his burial in a few days time? Did she “get it” when he talked about his death and resurrection? Did she understand the significance of her actions and worship and so even more so consider it not as a waste but as the most precious gift she could give?

Her generosity and worship exposed the complacency in everyone elses heart. They made such a fuss about how much the oil cost and tried to dress up their outrage in righteousness by suggesting it could be used to help the poor. They tried to cover up their inadequacy by making her look bad and themselves look good and pious.

The oil did cost lots. It was expensive oil. It may of represented her life savings. It did represent her future opportunities. This woman gave her past and future and present to her king and savior. She worshipped him with all she had, trusting him to care for her from that moment on. She recognized who he was and worshipped him.

Matthew 26:28 Awesome Verse!

2009-01-28T20:01:00.001-08:00

Matthew 26:28 “This is my blood and with it God makes his agreement with you. It will be poured out, so that many people will have their sins forgiven.”

Acts 26:18 My Prayer Today

2009-01-28T20:00:00.002-08:00

My prayer today: “I want you to open their eyes, so that they will turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then their sins will be forgiven, and by faith in me they will become part of God's holy people." Acts 26:18

Acts 26:20 Proof of Life

2009-01-28T20:00:00.001-08:00

Acts 26:20 “Stop sinning and turn to God! Then prove what you have done by the way you live.”

There is evidence of God in our lives. The way we live is the proof of our salvation and relationship. Faith is worked out in what we do. It expresses itself in our lifestyle and choices. People should know you’re a Christian by the way you live your life. There should be external evidence of an inward spiritual life and change. It should effect the way we think, talk, act, relax, work, serve, give, relate – EVERYTHING!

Genesis 28:22 Jacob's Ladder

2009-01-28T19:59:00.002-08:00

Genesis 28:22 “In a dream he saw a ladder that reached from earth to heaven and God’s angels were going up and down on it. The Lord was standing beside the ladder…”

When this passage is mentioned most people stop at the angels going up and down the ladder. They talk about how awesome that is. They talk about open heavens and angelic encounters. What “gets me” and awes me is verse 13 “The LORD was standing beside the ladder.” THE LORD! As wonderful and awesome as angels are – forget them! Jacob had an encounter with the ALMIGHTY LIVING GOD! He saw HIM in his dream. THIS is what was significant about the dream and the encounter and the place. The Lord was there standing to Jacob.

Genesis 28:16-22 Spiritually Immature???

2009-01-28T19:59:00.001-08:00

Genesis 28:16-22 “Jacob woke up suddenly and thought, "The LORD is in this place, and I didn't even know it." Then Jacob became frightened and said, "This is a fearsome place! It must be the house of God and the ladder to heaven." When Jacob got up early the next morning, he took the rock that he had used for a pillow and stood it up for a place of worship. Then he poured olive oil on the rock to dedicate it to God, and he named the place Bethel. Before that it had been named Luz. Jacob solemnly promised God, "If you go with me and watch over me as I travel, and if you give me food and clothes and bring me safely home again, you will be my God. This rock will be your house, and I will give back to you a tenth of everything you give me."

Jacob awakens after dreaming about God. His actions further reveal his character and his need for transformation:
- Its all about me – go with me, watch over me, give me food, give me clothes etc. me me me! No “not my will, Lord but yours,” no, “here I am Lord send me,” but Jacob’s attitude seems more to be “hey God, tag along and be my ATM and security detail…”
- Bargaining with God… if I do this then you do that… its all about agenda not surrender…
- Jacob doesn’t seem to understand who God is and how to know him at all. I cant put my finger on it but it just seems that Jacob only ½ gets God. His above actions and his comments in the passage to me show spiritual immaturity….

Lots of Posts Today...

2009-01-25T14:58:00.000-08:00

you'll notice today i did HEAPS of posts... i hope that didnt cause any trouble... i havent been able to get on blogger for a few weeks so took the opportunity today to do heaps... blessings, claire

Acts 3:1 Everyday Business

2009-01-25T14:40:00.001-08:00

Acts 3:1 The time of prayer was about 3pm in the afternoon and Peter and John were going into the temple. A man who was born lame was being carried to the temple door.

Peter and John were doing their everyday thing. At 3pm they went to temple. On the way though God set up a divine appointment. Now if they had been occupied with themselves, getting a good seat etc etc etc they may have totally overlooked the wonderful opportunity to demonstrate the love and grace and power of God.

Likewise we also can flitter about our day, preoccupied with this and that and completely miss the whisper of God pointing to a divine appointment and adventure. Lets have open eyes and open hearts and open spirits!

Matthew 3:3 John The Baptist

2009-01-25T14:39:00.002-08:00

Matthew 3:3 “John was the one the prophet Isaiah was talking about when he said “In the desert someone is shouting get ready for the Lord! Make a straight path for Him!”

What John was doing was creating an atmosphere preparing for God. He stirred hearts to think about a personal God coming soon, he stirred hearts to long for redemption and forgiveness. He got people talking about spiritual things. He got people looking for signs of the coming Messiah. He prepared hearts and minds and lives for the messiah to come. He got people to think about sin and salvation on a personal level, not as religion or temple level. He took it out of the temple and the context of weekly rituals and sacrifice and temples and priests but brought it right down to you and God!

Matthew 3:1 Turn Back To God

2009-01-25T14:39:00.001-08:00

Matthew 3:1 “Years later John the Baptist started preaching in the desert of Judea. He said to them “Turn back to God!”

How do we turn back to God?
How do we turn away from Him?
How do we stay towards Him?

Ezra 1 All Things Are Possible

2009-01-25T14:38:00.002-08:00

Ezra 1:5 “Many people felt that the Lord God wanted them to help rebuild the temple and made plans to go to Jerusalem”

No writing in the sky. No major prophecies. They felt. They felt that God wanted to use and include them. And so they acted and moved and responded. They had an unction from God in their heart and spirits and they acted upon it. GOOD ON THEM!

Ezra 1 – the whole awesome chapter!

When it looks like there is no way God makes the way possible. The Israelites were in exile under a foreign unbelieving king who one day happened upon prophecy by Jeremiah that had his own name in it. Because of that he began to send the people home and encouraged giving and also returned the sacred temple objects to the priesthood. He supplied wood and other provisions for the rebuilding of the temple. A closed door became an open door. A mountain moved. Do not give up! God is able. He has all the timing in his hands. He can do all things. Continue to pray and believe. Things can change in the blink of an eye just as they did for the Jewish people in exile. They went from being captives to being released and restored to their Promised Land.

Genesis 3:1 Faith Overcomes

2009-01-25T14:38:00.001-08:00

Genesis 3:1 “one day the snake came to the woman and asked, “Did God tell you….?”

Our enemy has one aim and one objective – to make us lose our faith in God. He fires darts and questions at us that he intends to burn us and to cause us to think and question and doubt God and his greatness and goodness and his love for us. For if the enemy can make us question in such a way he can the erode away at our faith and our resolve to follow and obey God. If he can make God less good and great and real then we then make choices to live for ourselves and our selfishness. Questions and thinking and doubts in themselves are not evil nor always of the devil! We must process them in such a way that solidifies our faith in God and increases it. Sometimes that is through logical conclusions and other times it is by bringing our doubts and thoughts in line with the truth of the Word of God. Not brainwashing but faith. Faith overcomes the “did God really say?” of the devil. God is good all the time.

Jeremiah 12:1 Prayer

2009-01-25T14:35:00.002-08:00

Jeremiah 12:1 “Whenever I complain to you, Lord, you are always fair”

Its OKAY to complain to the Lord! God is conversational and relational. He doesn’t just want our praise or our petitions or our platitudes but our pain and our PERSONALNESS! God is near, not afar and calls us to pray and talk with him and to cast our cares upon him. It is not rude or wrong or ungodly or irreverent to complain to God – it is haring our heart with him.
DISCLAIMER: however there is a right way to complain and a wrong way. The wrong way is to just complain and winge and have a tantrum and continue to do that and to blame God and not trust Him. The right way, if I be so bold, is to complain and talk and be honest and stamp your feet if you want – it isn’t the action that makes it right or wrong – but the heart intent. In complaining we must fix our eyes upon God and cast our cares upon him knowing he cares for us and is at work in our lives and able, not to quick fix, but to walk with us and strengthen us and give us wisdom. In him we must find our peace. Ps, that is my humble opinion….

Joshua 18:6 Do Something!

2009-01-25T14:35:00.001-08:00

Joshua 18:6 “But the rest of you haven’t done a thing to take over any land.”

Why were the seven of the tribes no possessing land in the Promised Land. Why were they not living the dream? Because they had nothing to win the dream or to possess the land. They had not taken any action to possess their inheritance from God. Likewise as Christians there is a land to be won and enemies to overcome but unless we take action we will not overcome or possess but stay stagnant and captive.

Proverbs 1:3 Learning Righteous Living

2009-01-25T14:34:00.002-08:00

Proverbs 1:3 “you will learn what is right and honest and fair”

How do we learn to live with justice, righteousness, honesty and mercy? By the Word of God, in the Word of God, through the Word of God.

Psalm 2:12 Running To God

2009-01-25T14:34:00.001-08:00

Psalm 2:12 But He blesses and protects everyone who runs to Him.

How do we run to God?
What does running make you think/feel of?
What does running to God look like in real life?

Running to God to me feels removed from religion – it feels not religious. Religion is ordered, controlled, step by step, programmed. Running conjures up images of pursuit, passion, determination, purpose and in some way “uncontrolled”. God protects and blesses those who run to him – who trust him, and let go of themselves and their pride and their ways and are willing to do all it takes to know and follow Him.

Psalm 1:1 God's Blessing

2009-01-25T14:33:00.002-08:00

Psalm 1:1 “God blesses those who refuse evil advice”

God blesses people who make a stand for righteousness, truth and justice. He blesses people who intentionally live according to his ways. We have a choice to be silent or a choice to be righteous – to refuse evil by our actions and words.

Genesis 1:3 God Said

2009-01-25T14:33:00.001-08:00

Genesis 1:3 “God said “I command light to shine” And light started shinning.”

What God speaks happens. He commands and speaks and creates and continues to speak with power and authority in our lives. We can trust that when God speaks it will come to pass and that the light will begin to shine.

Genesis 1:1 In The Beginning

2009-01-25T14:32:00.002-08:00

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created….”
John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…”

When you marry these two beginnings up it is so powerful! Jesus IS God and IS the Creator and this Creator God who created all then came and dwelled and became flesh. He who created flesh became flesh.

Genesis 7:16 God Shut The Door

2009-01-25T14:32:00.001-08:00

Genesis 7:16 “God closed the door.”

To me this is such a poignant and touching phrase. God closed the door of the Ark, sealing in the family and animals into safety. He ensured their protection by closing the door of the Ark. He played a personal and physical role in their refuge. Closing the door just seems so personal, so God….

Genesis 5:22 Enoch Walked With God

2009-01-25T14:31:00.002-08:00

Genesis 5:22 “Enoch truly loved God.”

I have seen this written mostly as “Enoch walked with God” which for me is fab as I sometimes walk about our Christian relationship and experience as a walk with God – though sometimes the term doesn’t sit well with me. It becomes another Christian cliché. But when you equate walking with God and a personal walk with God as loving God it makes sense and has weight again. To walk with God is to love him. To love him is to know him and obey him. To know and obey God is to walk in relationship with him. It would be great to have on my tombstone (though Enoch did not require one!) that I truly loved God. What a challenge to walk out.

Genesis 4:4 Cain and Abel

2009-01-25T14:31:00.001-08:00

Genesis 4:4 “The Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering but not with Cain and his offering.”

When I first read this as a new Christian I was stumped. Until I remembered and realized that the words we have – the text we read – is just a sentence or two about their lives, upbringing and history. It is so imcomplete in a way to us. These were real people with real lives who learned about God and life. Their whole knowledge of God is not based on this small passage and this one encounter with God. It is based on a lifetime of learning nd relationship with their parents, Adam and Eve. Their parents would have talked to them about God, sin… the garden... faith in God. Their parents would have taught them about who God is and how to approach him. Abel listened and learned and respected and had faith in the ways of God. But cain wanted to prove on his own merits and terms. Perhaps even big picture – what they chose to do professionally – reflects their heart attitude towards God. Abel choosing to raise sheep and Cain farming the cursed land – overcoming it and breaking it by his will and works. Whatever that may be when the time came to make an offering both boys knew what was right in the eyes of God. They KNEW because they had grown up with learning it. Cain was not on a whim when making his choice. He chose to turn against all he had learned and knew about God – a lifetime of learning and experience.

Ezra 7 Rewards For Obedience

2009-01-25T14:30:00.002-08:00

Ezra 7:10 Ezra had spent his entire life studying and obeying the law of the Lord and teaching it to others.

Ezra 7:6 and the Lord made sure that the king gave Ezra everything that he asked for.

You may wonder why I have written verse 10 before verse 6. I believe that authority comes from intimacy and favour from faithfulness. Ezra dedicated his life to knowing God and making him known and God anointed and appointed him to lead his people back into restoration. Ezra was God’s man, he had a heart after God and his ways and desired to obey God. I believe this is why he was enabled to lead the people back to rebuild Jerusalem and why he found such favour with the king. Ezra was a man that said “yes God, here am I, send me”> and did you notice…. God worked in ANOTHER kings heart to return his people, the Jewish leadership, priesthood, provisions and the sacred objects for the temple. We can trust that God can and will work! Nothing is impossible for God. He makes a way when there is no way clear ahead. He is God!

Joshua 24:15 As For Me And My House

2009-01-25T14:30:00.001-08:00

Joshua 24:15 “My family and I are going to worship and obey the Lord!”

This is often written as “as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” To serve the Lord is not just about works and service, doing things – obedience, but about relationship – worship. Serving God isn’t just about doing things but is about knowing him. It goes to a deeper level that demands transformation and heart response to God and surrender in a way that “just doing things” will never do.

Joshua 23:7 The Cost of Obedience

2009-01-25T14:29:00.000-08:00

Joshua 23:7 Don’t have anything to do with the nations that live around you. Don’t worship their gods or pray to their idols or make promises in the name of their gods. Be as faithful to the Lord as you have always been…”

Joshua again reminds the people to wholeheartedly and intentionally worship and follow God, to not be distracted and deceived by the idol worshipping nations around them. There is a contemporary context – not that we live in isolation or separation from those around us but that we for freedom and righteousness sake restricted ourselves in what we do, view, hear, read and interact with in the world. Joshua warns his people not to marry unbelieves. Good advice. He cautions them to not worship or pray to any false gods, something that was as much ingrained in nations around them culture. Likewise the world we live in has a culture of idol worship – though not perhaps as obvious as bowing down to a statue. Worshipping a false god is about heart worship and actions and thoughts and intentions. Putting something or someone above God. Such as money, self, stuff, power, career etc in this modern world. We must not allow ourselves to be distracted from God by the world around us. There is a cost to doing this.

Matthew 9:12 The Wrong Crowd

2009-01-25T14:28:00.002-08:00

Matthew 9:12 “Jesus heard them and answered, healthy people don’t need a doctor but sick people do.”

Jesus ate with soooo the wrong crowd. He ate with the poor and with tax collectors and maybe even a prostitute or two. Not the best company for a up and coming religious leader. Not the norm for those who want to be the movers and the shakers. Not the best moves for those who want to be seen in the right café with the right people… but Jesus was interested not in his social status or relational opportunities – he was interested in seeking and saving the lost and the broken, those ready to hear and be set free. Jesus was interested in those who were at rock bottom and saw also the love and grace in Jesus , who loved them as they had never been loved before.

Matthew 9:5-7 Forgiveness

2009-01-25T14:28:00.001-08:00

Matthew 9:5-7 “Is it easier for me to tell this crippled man that his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and walk? But I will show you that the son of Man has the right to forgive sins here on earth.” So Jesus said to the man, “get up and walk. Pick up your mat and go home.” The man got up and went home.”

What is the greatest miracle? The healing of the crippled man’s legs or the healing of his spirit and soul – to be forgiven – REALLY forgiven as only God can do – making you pure and righteous and clean and new and acceptable to God – a healed heart and spirit that connects with God. That completes them. Healing of physical things is second to the miracle of a redeemed and rescued and healed heart. Jesus was just again life lessoning in his encounter with this man, who walked away, forgiven, a new man.

Matthew 8:23-26 Calming The Storm

2009-01-25T14:27:00.003-08:00

Matthew 8:23-26 “After Jesus left in a boat with his disciples a terrible storm suddenly struck the lake and waves started splashing into their boat. Jesus was sound asleep so the disciples went over to him and woke him up. They said “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” But Jesus replied, “Why are you so afraid? You surely don’t have much faith.”

This experience broadened the disciples view of who Jesus is. Not just that he calmed the storm but that he was not concerned by the storm and the waves or impending death by drowning. Why was he not concerned? He knew his destiny and purpose and he knew what his father was doing and had called him to do and trusted him. He was aware of the storm and was not worried because his Father God was more powerful and more in control.

Matthew 8:3 Touching Lepers

2009-01-25T14:27:00.001-08:00

Matthew 8:3 Jesus put his hand on the man.

This line never fails to move my heart. I hope you are familiar with the situation – Jesus is approached by a leper who says “Lord you have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to”. At this point Jesus touches the man and says “I want to” and the man is healed. The amazing thing is that it was “illegal” by Jewish law and medical sensibility to touch a leper. The lepers had to live isolated from their loved ones and lives and also had to walk around calling “unclean”. It was a hopeless life that I am sure not only destroyed the skin but also the soul. Jesus heals the man, he touches him. I am sure this did wonders I healing the man’s soul. Jesus was probably one of the few people to touch him in his condition and probably the only clean well man. The only non leper. Jesus shows love and compassion and power – he is not afraid of catching leperosy. And the leper shows great faith and boldness and courage in approaching Jesus as it was something he would have been punished for!

Ezra 9:3 Reacting To Sin

2009-01-25T14:26:00.002-08:00

Ezra 9:3 “this news made me so angry that I ripped my clothes and tore hair from my head and beard. Then I just sat in shock until time for the evening sacrifice.”

An overreaction do you think? When was the last time we reacted to sin like this??? Ezra is dismayed at the peoples sin. Despite his warnings and teachings they chose to disobey God and assimilate themselves culturally by marrying women that were not Israelites. Did the people learn NOTHING from their history and the prophets and their exile? Did the truth of God not penetrate their mind and hearts at all? You can see how Ezra reacts to the news of the intermarriage? He REACTS! Are we reacting and resisting sin in our own lives and in those we love and lead? Are we praying for a clean heart and a willing spirit? This is what keeps us close to God and obeying him. As we love him and draw near we desire to obey and his will is not hard to do and in fact to disobey and sin pains us and is unthinkable! I love Ezra’s heart for God. In the next passage v5-15 Ezra prays for his people, repenting and asking God to forgive and restore. He prays. This should be – MUST be – our response in the face of sinfulness. To pray. To seek God. To ask for mercy and forgiveness and transformation.

Ezra 9:1 Different People

2009-01-25T14:26:00.001-08:00

Ezra 9:1 “Many Israelites, including priests and Levites are living just like the people around them”

Right from day one the bible calls us to live lives that look differently from those in the world around us and are motivated differently. Our inside out should reflect the kingdom we belong to and there IS a difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world and that should be evident in our lives. People should recognize that we are “different”, not strange, but different in all the good ways that God calls us to be different.

Found, not lost.
Peaceful, not worried.
Eternal, not temporal.
Merciful, not judgemental.
Generous, not selfish.
Caring, not consumed with self.
God’s ways, not our own ways.
Love, not lust or hate.
Justice, not just for me.
Saved, not sinning.
Graceful, not superior.
Righteous, not self-righteous.
Faithful, not unfaithful.

Acts 9:31 Holy Spirit Encouragement

2009-01-25T14:25:00.004-08:00

Acts 9:31 The church became stronger, as the Holy Spirit encouraged it and helped it grow.

That’s cool. That is my prayer for my church, that the church would become stronger because the Holy Spirit was encouraging it and helping it to grow. What a beautiful phrase – the Holy Spirit encouraged it.

Acts 8 Growing The Church

2009-01-25T14:25:00.003-08:00

Acts 8:2 At that time the church in Jerusalem suffered terribly. All of the Lord’s followers, except the apostles, were scattered everywhere in Judea and Samaria.

What a terrible and wonderful time for the church. It demonstrates how God uses all things for his purpose and glory – the persecution of the church scattered the believers all throughout Israel and Europe and Asia – which ment he Gospel was spread throughout the nations. What the enemy ment for evil – shutting the church down – God used for glory by increasing the church!

Acts 8:4 The Lord’s followers who had been scattered went from place to place telling the good news.

Acts 7 History Lessons

2009-01-25T14:25:00.001-08:00

Acts 7:

Stephens message may look like a Jewish history lesson and in a way it so is – it is the history of how God has been personal and drawn near to the Jewish people through calling Abraham and calling him to Canaan, and Moses and the law of God, and Joseph saving the Israelites from famine and extinction, to the tent of the Lord – he concludes by stating that God isn’t interested in a building or a tent but in relationship – he isn’t bound by four walls but is Almighty and Creator and personal. This is the personal God who has related with Israel through history, and then whom Stephen sees in all his heavenly glory as he is being stoned to death. This God is a God of love and mercy and grace and relationship.

Acts 4:10 The Power of Jesus Christ

2009-01-25T14:24:00.002-08:00

Acts 4:10 “this man standing here complete well because of the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You put Jesus to death on a cross but God raised him to life.”

Firstly YAY!
Secondly, lets travel back in time and put ourselves in the religious leaders shoes. They had executed Jesus and the heard rumours of his resurrection and even formulated a cover up story to explain away the empty tomb BUT NOW people were being HEALED in the name of Jesus, in the power of Jesus, the power of a dead criminal that they executed for blasphemy! How it must of felt and looked. Did they wonder at what had happened and what was going on? Or were they so entrenched in their own methods and power and structure and religion that they did not allow themselves to think that perhaps what these two men were saying was the truth. It was all so brand new. People healed in the name of a dead criminal! How preposterous that must of seemed! We are so accustomed to hearing about miracles in Jesus name (be it contemporary or from the bible) that we let the power and newness of that brush over us. We are unaffected by it and should remember how it must have been for the early Christians and “common folk”.

Judges 2 Seeing God

2009-01-25T14:24:00.001-08:00

Judges 2:9 “The Israelites were faithful to the Lord during the lifetimes of the men who had been leaders with Joshua and who had seen the wonderful things the Lord had done for Israel.”

THOSE WHO HAD SEEN – those who had personally witnessed the acts of God – those who had personal encounters with God. These men who had led with Joshua and seen the wonderful acts of God kept the people of Israel faithful. But it seems that they failed to pass on their faith or more importantly the PERSONALNESS of faith – the personalness of knowing God for oneself. We must learn from them and must ensure and teach our family and people how to truly know God. Knowing God personally encourages faithfulness. People will be faithful to God as they see him active in their lives, as they talk to him and hear from him and worship him and obey him. Its not enough to just tell people about God but we must connect people to God – put their hand in his hand so to speak. People don’t need to know facts and stories, they need to know God for themselves. God is real and personal and relatable.

Judges 2:10 After a while the people of Joshua’s generation died and the people of the next generation did not know the Lord or any of the things he had done for Israel.

Matthew 10:39 Losing My Life

2009-01-25T14:23:00.004-08:00

Matthew 10:39 But if you give up your life for me, you will surely find it.

Upside down world. If we lose our lives, we find our lives. If we hold onto our lives we are lost.

How do we lose our lives?
Surrender.
Deny self.
Obey God.
Deny flesh.
Follow Jesus.
Seek God.
Listen for his leading.
Follow the Holy Spirit.
Wait for God to lead.
Trust him.
Be refined.
Have faith.

Matthew 10:7-10 Take Nothing

2009-01-25T14:23:00.003-08:00

Matthew 10:7-10 “as you go announce that the kingdom of God will soon be here. Heal the sick, raise the dead to life, heal people who have leprosy and force out demons. You received without paying, now give without being paid. Don’t take along any gold, silver or copper coin. And don’t carry a travelling bag or an extra shirt or a walking stick.”

I read this the other day somewhere and it has come back to my thoughts again and again, so I’ve been pondering it a bit – it said it as “Don’t take anything with you.” The disciples were sent out to preach the message of the kingdom of God and to pray for the sick and work miracles. They were to travel from village to village sharing what Jesus had told them. They were to take nothing. It struck me that often when we go to minister somewhere – be it formal ministry – or just living our lives as ministry – that we often take things with us. We might take the great book we were reading, or the great blog post we’ve just read tee hee, the latest podcast we’ve heard or a preaching set of cds… we take baggage and our own views and rights and preconceptions. We take our knowledge and our learning. But are we taking revelation and encounter and the presence of God.

We are to take NOTHING! Why?

So that in taking our nothing we take the Holy Spirit and listen to him and follow his ways and not the 17 step programme to laying on hands, or the 4 step sniff and scratch way to discern demons etc. so we don’t rely on our own knowledge but rely on revelation. That we obey the Lord.

All we must take is Jesus. All we must take is his power. Take nothing of ourselves but all of Jesus. Trust him. Follow him. Be used by him.

Ezra 10:1 Praying

2009-01-25T14:23:00.001-08:00

Ezra 10:1 While Ezra was down on his knees in front of God’s temple, praying with tears in his eyes, and confessing the sins of the people of Israel, a large number of men and women and children gathered around him and cried bitterly.

I believe the prayers and repentance of Ezra opened a well revival. His prayers brought the Spirit of God which convicted their hearts and caused them to repent too. Ezra opened the door for revival. His actions stirred something in the people and in God. The Holy Spirit tangible transforming convicting encouraging revealing and mighty. It is he who moves and transforms us and convicts us. He came and did it on mass here with ezra and his people. He did it revivals in the past. I pray that he will do it again. In my life too. That I will respond to God like Ezra did.

Matthew 14:20 Feeding of the 20,000

2009-01-25T14:22:00.003-08:00

Matthew 14:20 “There were about 5000 mend, not counting the women and children”

What brought 20,000 people out to the desert? Jesus. And the peoples hunger for truth and healing and wholeness – they were seeking peace with God. The people were looking for spiritual truth and wholeness.

Matthew 14: 15-16 Feeding the 5000

2009-01-25T14:22:00.001-08:00

Matthew 14: 15-16 “That evening the disciples came to Jesus and said “this places is like a desert and it is already late. Let the crowds leave so they can go to the villages and buy food.” Jesus replied, “They don’t have to leave, why don’t you give them something to eat?”

This is a wonderful miracle in itself. Jesus DOES feed 5000 men and their women and children. He takes the small offering of a child and supernaturally multiplies it. He feeds the crowd and feeds them till they could eat no more, with plenty of left overs.

But it struck me are I read the other night that Jesus often teaches real life is MORE than food and that we need more the food that is the Word of God and the bread of life that is Jesus himself. Was this just a miracle about food? Was this just a lesson in multiplication and hospitality???

The people were in the desert seeking Jesus, not for dinner but for truth and answers and peace and life and hope and salvation. They went to see the man who may be their Messiah! They didn’t go to have their belly filled but their spirit and heart filled. Perhaps here is something in that in what Jesus said and asked the disciples. Perhaps it wasn’t just about food.

To me this passage shows that whenever I think I don’t have enough to give that Jesus is the one who multiplies the food. And I am not talking about food here. Whenever I don’t have enough wisdom, strength, peace or especially when I am leading or speaking – it is Jesus who gives the food through me. He multiplies my childlike gift and feeds the multitudes, satisfying the hunger of their spirit.

Matthew 15:8 Heart for God

2009-01-25T14:21:00.003-08:00

Matthew 15:8 “All of you praise me with your words but you never think about me.”

We can sing worship songs without thinking about God. We can use our mouth to make words but not mean them in our heart. We can clap our hands and sing words but not truly be loving God. We can sing worship on a Sunday morning but forget about God the rest of the week. Knowing God is relational, more than songs and words.

I know that I do not want God to say those words above to me. I want to be a worshipper and someone who knows him and loves him and thinks about him and to him. I want to be like enoch who walked with God and truly loved him.

Make space for God. Make time for God. The jewish people wore boxes and texts on their foreheads and wrists, bound to them, so that they would have a physical reminder to pray and think about God. Create a self culture in walking with God, reading the word, worshipping him. Devote yourself to relating to him.

Acts 14:3 Chicken or the Egg?

2009-01-25T14:21:00.001-08:00

Acts 14:3 “The Lord gave them the power to work miracles and wonders and he showed that their message about his wonderful kindness was true.”

The gospel message is the message of God’s wonderful kindness. Some preachers major on the hell and punishment side but forget to really speak about the wonderful kindness and grace of God. Perhaps balance is called for – people need to know the wonderful kindness of God and his mercy and grace and love, as they may also need to know the consequences of rejecting this kindness.

What came first, the chicken or the egg?
Paul and Barnabus went out speaking the gospel message and worked miracles as a sign and a wonder and “proof” or confirmation of the gospel. It was evidence of the power of God, NOT a sideshow or the main attraction. It was part of outreaching to the lost… are we NOT seeking signs and wonders because we are NOT speaking the good news??? Something to think about….

Genesis 16:7-8 God Knows My Name

2009-01-25T14:20:00.003-08:00

Genesis 16:7-8 “While she was there, the angel of the Lord came to her and asked, “Hagar, wehre have you come from and where are you going?”

God knows each of our names. No matter what our circumstance or our past, or our self-worth, he knows our name and who we are. And loves us. He wants to be able to draw near to each of us, to BE God in our lives – the helper, the comforter, the rock, the refuge, the Lord, the Father. He knew Hagar and her situation. He knew where she was coming from and where she was running to. He called her by name.

Jeremiah 25:3 "Successful" Ministry???

2009-01-25T14:20:00.001-08:00

Jeremiah 25:3 “For 23 years now I have been telling you what the Lord has told me. But you have not listened.”

23 years in ministry and no sign of fruit or outwards sign of success. No church growth. No one listened or repented or changed. 23 years of faithfully obeying God and trusting him and having faith despite the circumstances and opposition and “failure”. It shows us again that God merits us in different ways. Jeremiah was a huge success to God as he listened and obeyed. He looked to God for validation, not to his conversion statistics, tithing rate, book deals or amount of itinerant invitations he got… cheeky me eh… we must remember that God measures the inside of a man and values faithfulness, faith and obedience above external measures. He is the one that gives those outward results! It is God who works in hearts and brings success and transformation in peoples lives. It is not about numbers or success but in every day following Jesus and obeying him. Jeremiah got an A+++ in God’s book.

Nehemiah 5 - Good Leadership

2009-01-25T14:19:00.003-08:00

Nehemiah 5:14-19

Nehemiah sets a fine example for us all to follow if we are leaders or not. Live responsibly and compassionately. I think he sets a very high example if you put it in a contemporary context of spiritual leaders in the 20th and 21st century and their regard to money and lifestyle and personal wealth. What is personal wealth and gain for anyway??? What and who we are called to be and do? Put it in that context and balance your life and wallet accordingly. There are so many ways we can make a difference and money can help so many people.

Judges 7:16 Broken Jars of Clay

2009-01-25T14:19:00.001-08:00

Judges 7:16 “Gideon divided his little army up into 3 groups of 100 men and he gave each one a trumpet and a large clay jar with a burning torch inside it….. v20 The rest of Gideon’s soliders blew the trumpet they were holding in their right hands. They smashed the clay jars that were hiding the burning torches.

What brings victory? Light in a broken clay jar. What can bring victory in our lives? Treasure in clay jars. The power of God in our very earthly cracked vessels.

Judges 7:2-8 Gideon and Faith

2009-01-25T14:18:00.003-08:00

Judges 7:2-8
I love the story of Gideon and how God reduces his army and then defeats the Midianites. But we should remember that Gideon isn’t like us, in that he can turn the page and read the end of the passage and read the happy ending of their victory. To him the day worsens as almost all of his troops are sent home by God. To him the odds are impossible! We must forget the ends of the stories and try to put ourselves in the shoes of a real man and the thoughts he had and the prayers he prayed and the fears he fought within himself. When we do this it becomes real and we can see how it works in real life and we learn about God and how to follow him. Its all about faith and overcoming and obedience.

Matthew 16:19 Keys of Heaven

2009-01-25T14:18:00.001-08:00

Matthew 16:19 “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven and God in heaven will allow whatever you allow on earth.”

I should know the answers to the questions I have about this verse. I know I’ve read about the keys of the kingdom of God before. Perhaps in my cynical old age (I have been a Christian for about 15 years, so seen some “stuff” and “junk”) I have discounted what I have read and thought. Perhaps it seemed to fablish and not real enough for me.

I DO believe in spiritual things and want to be more spiritually minded. I want spiritual things to be the real in my life, living not by sight in what I see around me but in faith towards God and his realities.

What are the keys of the kingdom of heaven?
What does it look like to be effective in using them?
How do we use them in real life?
How do we use them in ministry?
How does the world change when we use the keys?
What does God do when we use the keys?
Is it connected in that way – does it operate like that?

God, reveal your truth. Teach me your ways.

Judges 6:11-13 Why Me?

2009-01-25T14:17:00.001-08:00

Judges 6:11-13 “One day an angel from the Lord went down to the town of Ophrah and sat down under the tree that belonged to Josah. Josah’s son Gideon was nearby, threshing grain in a shallow pit where he could not be seen by the Midianites. The angel appeared to Gideon – “The Lord is helping you and you are a strong warrior.” Gideon answered “Please don’t take this wrong, but if the Lord is helping us when why have all of thse awful things happened? We’ve heard how the Lord rescued our ancestors from Egypt and performed miracles. But those things happened long ago. Now the Lord has abandoned us to the midianites.”

Good question Gideon. Age old and current question. Why me? Why us? Why is this happening? Where is God in all of this? God does not change. He is the same today and tomorrow as he was yesterday. He is the same as he was long ago. God is faithful. It is we who are not and who create these awful situations. But God draws us near to him again and helps us and changes us and changes situations. Things are beginning to change for Israel and Gideon.

Jeremiah 23:23-24 This Is Our God

2009-01-25T14:16:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah 23:23-24 “I am everywhere – both near and far, in heaven and on earth. There are no secret places where you can hide from me.”

This is our God. Near. Personal.

Jeremiah 23 Lying Prophets

2009-01-25T14:15:00.003-08:00

Jeremiah 23:16 “Don’t listen to the lies of those false prophets. The message they preach is something they imagined and it did not come from me, the Lord Almighty.”

Jeremiah 23:18 “But I, the Lord, tell you that these prophets have never attended a meeting of my council in heaven or heard me speak.”

Council in heaven! We must seek the counsel of God. Seek his wisdom. Seek to hear his voice! Seek his power and his ways. We must hear from God. As leaders and prophets and children of God we should listen to God and hear from him. This is our duty as leaders and our privilege as children to hear from God. Jesus said that his sheep know his voice. It is a reality that God speaks. do we have ears to hear and hearts open to his truth???

Nehemiah 3:1 Rebuilding The Walls

2009-01-25T14:15:00.001-08:00

Nehemiah 3:1 “These were the people who helped rebuild the wall and gates of Jerusalem: The high priest Eliashib and the other priests rebuilt Sheep Gate and hung the doors.

The HIGH PRIEST mucked in and rebuilt the gates and walls. They joined in and rebuilt. They didn’t count themselves as above this labour. They did not count their position as exalted. Likewise so we must serve and rebuild. The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem was about the whole “body” joining in and doing their section of the wall, each family group did their part. We as the body of Christ must all join in and do our part. We all make a difference and all are essential for building the kingdom of God.

Matthew 16:16 The Messiah Here and Now

2009-01-25T14:14:00.002-08:00

Matthew 16:16 “Simon Peter spoke “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”

Imagine though what this revelation was like for these Jewish men in their day. All of Israel (okay, most of Israel!) longed for the Messiah and all the hopes of the nation were on his coming. The messiah brought hope of deliverance, the restoration of the mighty kingdom of Israel, healing and the power of God. The messiah was reigning king and all powerful one. T heir savior. He was the one they looked for and prepared for. Every feast was a shadow preparing for his coming. Every prayer was a please come now messiah. The messiah would change things and restore all things. That the Messiah was HERE and NOW must of rocked the socks off, and amazed his disciples to their core, especially as they SAW the package… was this was they expected? Was Jesus a “fitting” Messiah? Did he look like the Messiah was ment to look? Did he act like the Messiah? Perhaps not as they had always imagined or being taught… but Jesus IS Messiah and was fulfilling the law and God’s will. He was the embodiment of God and was doing the works of messiah, drawing people to God, healing their bodies and their spirits. There is coming a day, soon, when messiah will come as ruling mighty king. But first he came and he laid his life down for his people, for all humanity, to redeem us to God.

Matthew 16:16 The Messiah Here and Now

2009-01-25T14:14:00.001-08:00

Nehemiah 4:13 Guarding The Lowest Places

2009-01-25T14:13:00.004-08:00

Nehemiah 4:13 “and so I set people to guard the walls at the lowest places.”

Oh what a beautiful picture of life and church and pastor-ing. As leaders and friends we are to be guards in the lowest places of the wall, where people are hurt and vulnerable and weak. We are to guard and rebuild, not judge and tear down. How often do we so get it wrong. God calls us to defend the weak and to strengthen the weak, to bear their burdens as our own. We often though turn and kill our wounded with our words or our actions, gossip and rejection. We are to guard the walls where they are at their lowest places.

Nehemiah 4:4,9 Prayer

2009-01-25T14:13:00.003-08:00

Nehemiah 4:4,9 “But I prayed… but we kept on praying to our God.”

How do we overcome our enemies and win victory? Through prayer. Prayer makes our hearts strong and our faith grow. Prayer enables us to press on and press forward and overcome. Prayer changes things and changes us. It defends and encourages us. Without prayer the walls are not rebuilt and the enemies trouble us and we are overcome. With prayer we overcome and have victory by the power of God.

Matthew 13: 45-46 The Pearl of Great Price

2009-01-25T14:13:00.001-08:00

Matthew 13: 45-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a shop owner is looking for fine pearls. After finding a very valuable one, the owner goes and sells everything in order to buy that pearl.”

Sells everything.
Surrenders all.
Gives up all for the one.
Desires with all for the one.
Hope for all with all for the one.
Live for the one.
Keep the one.
Single focused, wholehearted, not distracted.

Matthew 13:3 Real Life Stories

2009-01-25T14:12:00.003-08:00

Matthew 13:3 “then he taught them many things by using stories.”

Its interesting (okay to me!) to note that many of the stories Jesus told are very earthy and “common” – about the land, the plants, the sea – things that are real and accessible and would have been part of the everyday persons lives in his day. Real people, common people, would have understood what Jesus was saying. Jesus spoke to the people. He spoke spiritual truth to the people in ways that would have been accessible and understandable to them, even in stories. He didn’t make things super spiro. He even made it relatable for WOMEN – comparing the kingdom of God to yeast in dough. He told stories for WOMEN! Radical. He spoke spiritual truth in stories to women in women speak! How cool is that!

Matthew 12:2, 7 The Sabbath

2009-01-25T14:12:00.001-08:00

Matthew 12:2, 7 “Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? If you knew what this means, you would not condemn these innocent disciples of mine.”

The disciples were doing nothing wrong in the eyes of God, in the eyes of Jesus. God made the laws of the Sabbath and gave them to Moses. Jesus of course knew the ins and outs and meaning in heart of the law as GOD intended, not as man or religious leaders intended or shaped it to mean. Jesus called his disciples innocent and rebuked the religious leaders for man-ifying the law.

Judges 3:1-2 Learning To Fight

2009-01-25T14:11:00.002-08:00

Judges 3:1-2 “The Lord had another reason for letting those enemies stay. The Israelites needed to learn how to fight in war, just as their ancestors had done. Each new generation would have to learn by fighting.”

To me this is profound. God enabled Israel’s enemies to stay in the land so that they would learn to fight. I see this as a picture of our lives and our faith. We are in a war against our own flesh, and against satan and against the world. We too must be equipped and prepared to stand and fight, to not back down but to resist and overcome. We learn little in times of ease, in fact we can become more complacent. In times of war and struggle we press in and we learn. We learn to fight and to trust God and his Word. We fight the good fight of faith, overcoming fear with faith, worry with peace, hopelessness with hope. We overcome win with obedience and self with surrender. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Satan seeks to kill, steal and destroy and he wages his war in the lives of the lost, blinding them to the truth of the good news of salvation in Christ. We wage a war with God in bringing the good news to the blind that they may see and know salvation. We must know how to fight and press in and pray and trust God. Satan wages his war in the lives of Christians to try and get us to doubt God and his power and his love. To sin and rob us of our peace and our devotion to God. To make our love cold that we stop praying and worshipping and serving him. Our weapons are not swords or guns but spiritual and prayerful. We are learning as we live. The enemies that remain in our lives may be sin or sickness or situations that cause pain and frustration. Look at them as opportunities to mature and grown and learn how to fight. We learn to overcome.

Matthew 18:21-35 Forgiveness

2009-01-25T14:11:00.001-08:00

Matthew 18:21-35 21Peter came up to the Lord and asked, "How many times should I forgive someone [a] who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?" 22Jesus answered:
Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times! 23This story will show you what the kingdom of heaven is like: One day a king decided to call in his officials and ask them to give an account of what they owed him. 24As he was doing this, one official was brought in who owed him fifty million silver coins. 25But he didn't have any money to pay what he owed. The king ordered him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all he owned, in order to pay the debt.
26The official got down on his knees and began begging, "Have pity on me, and I will pay you every cent I owe!" 27The king felt sorry for him and let him go free. He even told the official that he did not have to pay back the money.
28As the official was leaving, he happened to meet another official, who owed him a hundred silver coins. So he grabbed the man by the throat. He started choking him and said, "Pay me what you owe!"
29The man got down on his knees and began begging, "Have pity on me, and I will pay you back." 30But the first official refused to have pity. Instead, he went and had the other official put in jail until he could pay what he owed.
31When some other officials found out what had happened, they felt sorry for the man who had been put in jail. Then they told the king what had happened. 32The king called the first official back in and said, "You're an evil man! When you begged for mercy, I said you did not have to pay back a cent. 33Don't you think you should show pity to someone else, as I did to you?" 34The king was so angry that he ordered the official to be tortured until he could pay back everything he owed. 35That is how my Father in heaven will treat you, if you don't forgive each of my followers with all your heart.

I read this and feel so exposed and can only imagine how Peter and the other disciples must of felt hearing it from the mouth of Jesus, feeling his gaze upon them… Peter had asked how many times we are to forgive someone, citing 7 times as a generous number.

But Jesus then turns it on its head and tells a story that reveals how wrong we are to limit our forgiveness and he strips back our self righteousness and “rights.”

Are we not so blessed to be forgiven by God Almighty and made clean and whole. Are we not forgiven for every single sin we do?

Likewise we should demonstrate the heart and nature of God to those around us. We forgive because we are forgiven

Genesis 20 Falling Again?

2009-01-25T14:10:00.002-08:00

Genesis 20:1-2 Abraham moved to the Southern Desert, where he settled between Kadesh and Shur. Later he went to Gerar and while there he told everyone that his wife Sarah was his sister.

Why do we repeat our sins? We do we fall at the same thing? We do we not learn from our mistakes? We do we not change???

We do change – but usually it is not a click of the fingers change – but a process of falling and failing and learning – repeated mistakes and repeated forgiveness. New grace and new beginnings path the way for change.

We are humans, frail and fleshly. We seek to prtect ourselves – to fill ourselves – to support ourselves – to guide ourselves instead of letting God protect, fill and guide us. We fail to put our trust in God and that manifests itself in our mistakes.

Abraham perhaps was learning to trust God – to trust his promises for protection and a son and generations to follow. It manifests in his lies and attempts to protect himself.

What are our sins saying about us?

Matthew 20:28 Awesome Verse

2009-01-25T14:10:00.001-08:00

Matthew 20:28

The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master

but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people.

Matthew 21

2009-01-25T14:08:00.002-08:00

not sure what to do when reading the bible? not sure what to look for or to learn or be inspired by? need some freshness in your personal reading?

well here is an idea that someone suggseted to me the other day:
Get into the text and give me 20

“A simple but astonishingly helpful ‘exercise’ I use during initial passage study is what I call 20 observations. The idea is simple. Take one verse of the text at a time and force yourself to make at least 20 observations of each verse, soley from the text.
The beginning observations might be easy enough. Eg:
1) ‘Paul’ wrote this letter.
2) Paul is ‘an apostle’: a commissioned representative/messenger
3) Paul is specifically an ‘apostle of Christ Jesus‘ .
Usually, however, the last 5 or so observations really force you to look at every possible aspect of the wording in the various translations.” from Unashamed Workman

so last night i did this with my daily reading from the M’Cyehne Bible Reading plan.

here are my 20 things:

1. the donkey owneres KNEW who “the Lord” referred to and right away gave his donkey and donkey colt to the disciples. donkeys were a sign of wealth but this may have been the mans only donkey and colt, thus representing their livelihood and thus their worship. v.3

2. Jesus KNEW about the donkey and colt. he knew where they would be. he knows where every answer to every problem “is” and he knows where every provision to our need is. v2, v6

3. what were the disciples thinking during this time? were they wondering if Jesus would declare himself king and overthrow the political leadership? were they excited? were they thinking of their own ambitions and plans? v8-9

4. the crowd got so involved and laid down their clothes and worshipped him - or rather began calling Jesus the Son of David, thus declaring him the Messiah. were their declarations sincere? did they really believe that Jesus was the Messiah or did someone “stir” up teh crowd? were they trying to start a political rally designed to push Jesus into office???

5. teh crowd ask who can this be? they dont even know who tehy are honouring in teh parade! v10

6. everyone was excited. there must of been such an atmosphere and buzz. people were breaking down branches. taking their clothes off. waving palms. v10

7. Jesus turned the merchants out of the temple. it was dramatic, physical, noisy and chaotic. he turned out the selling and marketing of religion. the buyers and sellers were selling sacrifices, cornering the worship market. the sacrifices were ment to represent worship and repentance but became a way to make money and to rip off people. it also was a way to make yourself look good - but did nothing to draw people to God sincerely or to promote true inner holiness. v12

8. my home is a place of worship. i am now the temple of God. the Holy Spirit dwells in me. i am called to worship. v13

9. when the temple was clean of the choas and clutter of the marketers, and probably the judgmental selfrigheousness of the market sellers and leaders - the needy came to the temple. the blind. the lame. the sick. they came to the temple to meet with God. this is the true call of the temple. v14

10. jesus healed them all. v 14

11. those who were ment to be the leaders of God’s temple - those entrusted wtih teaching the people about God and demonstrating his ways - became angry at Jesus and what he was doing. ironic eh. v15

12. if you have faith when you pray you will be given whatever you ask for. v22

13. Jesus continues to teach. he doesnt declare himself king but carries on his mandate - teaching about the Kingdom of God. v23

14. it must of been so difficult for the religious leaders to comprehend how Jesus could teach as he did - let alone heal and work miracles. he was a carpenters son, a simple man from galilee… v23

15. the vineowner sent his own son and they killed him. they killed him to keep control of the vineyard they did not even own. likewise religious leaders were trying so desperately and violently to hang onto “their” religion and power. v37-39

16. did anyone connect the dots and wonder who the son was and how Jesus’ vineyard parable would play out in real life? v39

17. “i tell you that God’s kingdom will be taken from you and given to people who will do what he demands.” v43 - DEMANDS sounds kind of harsh and robotic/slave like - but if you read it softer it is beautiful and makes perfect sense. the kingdom of God will be given to those who will obey God wholeheartedly. to those who love him and who bow down to serve him. who listen and hear him and seek to do his will and his ways. to the meek. the loving. to the children of God.

so okay i only got 17 things, but not bad from a passage that i had read through and not got any super revelation from. looking for 20 things made me stop and think and take note and digest and examine and such.

Matthew 20:20-21 Dumb Prayers

2009-01-25T14:08:00.001-08:00

Matthew 20:20-21 “the mother of James and John came to Jesus with her two sons. She knelt down and started begging him to do something for her. Jesus asked her what she wanted and she said “when you come into your kingdom please let one of my sons sit at your right side and the other on your left.”

Often we read this and criticize James and John’s mother for been ambitious and rude and selfish. She’s a pushy woman we think. But really how many of OUR prayers would fall into the same category (aka dumb prayers!). we pray for good carparks, new tv, red shoes, a good discount… are these things important? Yes and no. yes because I reckon it is okay to pray about them and EVERYTHING. But no, because often that is ALL we pray for and we neglect to pray for things that really matter – salvations, open hearts, healings, restoration, revival, revelation… their mother BEGGED at Jesus. Are we begging and passionate in any of our prayers? Lets get a heavenly perspective. Lets get God’s perspective on life and pray and beg and seek his face and his ways.

Genesis 22 Three Days

2009-01-25T14:07:00.002-08:00

Genesis 22:2-32 The LORD said, "Go get Isaac, your only son, the one you dearly love! Take him to the land of Moriah, and I will show you a mountain where you must sacrifice him to me on the fires of an altar." 3So Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire. He put a saddle on his donkey and left with Isaac and two servants for the place where God had told him to go.

Three days. They travelled for 3 days. For us it is 2 small words we read on a page. But for Abraham and his beloved son Isaac it was 3 days of travelling, side by side, together, talking, walking, eating, sleeping, bonding, loving… was Abraham silent and thoughtful? Was Isaac excited and adventurous, not knowing the challenge before him? Was Abraham more and more heartbroken with every step? Were there times he wanted to turn around and return home?

Or was Abraham pondering at the wonder that God was going to do?

Hebrews 11:17-19 Abraham had been promised that Isaac, his only son, would continue his family. But when Abraham was tested, he had faith and was willing to sacrifice Isaac, 19because he was sure that God could raise people to life. This was just like getting Isaac back from death.

Trusting God that even if Isaac did die in this sacrifice that God had a plan and a purpose and that God is good always and that he is the Promise Keeper. He promised the generations to come THROUGH Isaac so thus Abraham was trusting that this was truth and that God would work a miracle of resurrection.

Abraham TRUSTS God (at last!). He has faith! “we will come back soon” (v5) he says to his men. WE. Abraham says WE will come back soon – both himself and his son. Abraham is trusting God for his deliverance and resurrection.

Genesis 22:14 Abraham named the place “the Lord will provide”

This is the SAME PLACE where Jesus was sacrificed and died. The Lord DID provide a lamb (v8) – the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.

Here are some interesting things to read:
Mount Moriah – The Geography http://crossroad.biblefox.com/2008/11/05/mount-moriah-the-geography/

Jeremiah 31

2009-01-25T14:07:00.001-08:00

1. V1. God promises that one day Israel will be restored, not only as a nation but as a people reconciled and in relationship with God.

2. V2. God has the time and ages in his hands and sees all and knows all. He is the sovereign mighty God.

3. V3. God appeared to Jeremiah. Jeremiah doesn’t describe the encounter or the glory of God or anything else like that. He just says “God appeared to me”.

4. V4. Israel is precious to God and God will rebuild the nation. God. Not a government or the UN or an army or a great leader. God.

5. V8. God will bring home also the weak, the blind, the lame, the pregnant. Those that are usually excluded will be included. To me this speaks that the nation will not be rebuilt with the might of man but with the might of God, that involves compassion and peace and wisdom and love and power, so much so that the most vulnerable of society are safe to be part of this process.

6. V9. “They will weep and pray as I bring them home. I will lead them to streams of water. They will walk on level roads and not stumble. I am a father to Israel, my favourite children.” God made and makes the way safe and secure for us. He provides all we need.

7. V10. God cries a decree to the nations around Israel that he is rebuilding and rescuing his people. Interesting to watch the news about Israel currently and to look into their history and see the work of God and the contention of the enemy (Satan) who seeks to destroy God’s chosen people.

8. V.12. “their faces will glow because of my blessings.” Moses’ face glowed because of the tangible presence of God. He met with God face to face and it had a physical effect on his body. Is this what Jeremiah is describing???

9. V18. “we were like wild bulls, but you Lord broke us and taught us to obey.” Obedience is learned. To follow the Holy Spirit is learned. It is a process. It is a process of lessons and trials and refinement and surrender. Our flesh needs to be brought into obedience and surrender to God. We deny our selfishness and live righteously. Learn the lessons that God is teaching you. Yield to God who is teaching you.

10. V25-26. Those who feel tired and worn out will find new life and energy and when they sleep they will wake up refreshed.”

11. V33. “I will write my laws on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my people.” What a radical statement! Did the people wonder what this would look like in real life? What it would look like in THEIR life? Did they long for this – to have the law in their hearts? God writes his law on the heart of his children… and the most important part that we need to have written in bold and underlined is that we love the Lord our God with all we are and that we love our neighbour as ourselves… this sums up the law, this is the heart of the law.

So you can go read Jeremiah 31 in the CEV version as I do…
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=30&chapter=31&version=46

Matthew 7:1-2 Don't Condemn Others

2009-01-25T14:06:00.003-08:00

Matthew 7:1-2 Don’t condemn others and God wont condemn you. God will be as hard on you as you are on others! He will treat you exactly as you treat them.

Be merciful. Be merciful. Be merciful. Be merciful. Be merciful. Be merciful. Be merciful. Be merciful. Be merciful. Be merciful. Be merciful. Be merciful. Be merciful. Be merciful.

Why is this so? Why are we commanded to not condemn others or else we will be condemned by God? Perhaps it is so we learn to be more like God – more merciful and compassionate, not judgmental and harsh. Perhaps it is more so that we have our eyes opened to our own sins and shortfalls than the sins and shortfalls of those around us. Perhaps it is so that we are intentional and intentionally growing and maturing in grace with how we treat and regard others…. Your thoughts?

Matthew 6:32 Trust God

2009-01-25T14:06:00.001-08:00

Matthew 6:32 “Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in Heaven knows that you need all of these.”

ONLY THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW GOD worry about such things. Those who DO know God don’t need to worry because we have a wonderful Father in Heaven who cares for us and knows us and sees us and provides for us. Know WHO God is and fix your eyes upon Him and you will see you don’t need to worry about food and clothes and things. Know that God is caring for you.

Matthew 6:30 He Gives Beauty!

2009-01-25T14:05:00.000-08:00

Matthew 6:30 “God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields. He will surely do even more for you!”

God will give you more BEAUTY – not just supplies and provisions – BEAUTY! God is LAVISH in his love and provision and care. He gives beauty, not just the bare necessities. He gives beauty!