Read the Instructions

Day 216: Matthew 10

The calling of the twelve apostles is such a fascinating story. In Matthew, we aren't given much detail about how any of the apostles but Matthew are called. However, Matthew writes down the name of each apostle and even includes the instructions that Jesus gave them when he sent them out.

1. They were not to go to the Gentiles or Samaritans--only the Jews.

2. They were to announce that the kingdom of God is near.

3. They were to perform acts on people: heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons, to give as freely as they have received.

4. They were not to take any money with them or a suitcase. They were to accept hospitality from people because "they deserve to be fed."

5. When they enter a place, they were to search for a worthy person and stay there until they left the town. They were to bless the home. If the home turns out to be worthy, then the blessing stands; if, however, it does not, they were to take back the blessing. For those households or towns that doesn't welcome them or listen to their message, they were to shake its dust from their feet as they leave.

Jesus was preparing his apostles for the journey. The mission was not an easy one, and the journey would be long, tiring, and hard. These men were going to be like "sheep among wolves (v. 16), and Jesus wanted to warn them what they were getting themselves into--floggings, whippings, hatred, persecution, loneliness. These are not easy things, but Jesus also offers them hope when he tells them:

"But everyone who endures to the end will be saved."
 
"But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!" 
 
“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

“Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 

This journey was not going to be easy, but they believed in Jesus, his teaching, his mission. And they followed him. In spite of all the hardship they would suffer--and they all suffered for their faith--they still obeyed and left their old lives behind. It was all for the sake of Christ. What amazing trust and faith they had in Jesus.

Why don't we act like these apostles did. We don't--at least in America--suffer like these people suffered. We are selfish and individualistic. We may try to be an example and to tell others about Jesus, but our fear of rejection usually reminds us that we're too weak, too insignificant. But through Jesus, we can. When we trust ourselves, we have these feelings of insecurity and inferiority, but God can deliver us from these feelings. He just wants us to trust him. To give our lives to him. It's a lot to ask, and the journey won't be easy, but the reward, oh the reward, will be great.

An Unfaithful Wife

Day 192: Hosea 1-4

God tells Hosea to marry an "adulterous wife." So what does Hosea do? He marries Gomer. I'm not sure if she is a prostitute or not, but basically she provides a metaphor for the relationship between God and Israel. Israel is unfaithful, yet God is continuously faithful. The metaphor of the unfaithful wife can also be applied to us today and how often we turn from God. I'm just now into the beginning of the book, but the key thing to understand here is that God is always faithful--no matter how we respond. God loves us unconditionally. He always will. But he wants us to turn to him and live the life that he has envisioned for us. The New Testament discusses how we are the brides of Christ. May we all become more faithful to the Lord God and Jesus.

How Will You Respond to Tests?

Day 190: Daniel 5-8

Just as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego resisted temptation and stayed faithful to God, in this passage Daniel does the same thing. He does not follow King Darius' edict and bow down to him. Instead, three times a day he goes to his room, gets down on his knees, and gives thanks to God, just as he had been doing before the edict was passed. And even though King Darius wanted to rescue Daniel, he instead had him thrown into a den of lions. But God protected Daniel. He shut the mouths of the lions and not harm came to Daniel. And what happened next? Darius threw the men who had falsely accused Daniel and their families, including women and children, into the lion's den. They were immediately eaten up and killed. The king then issued an order saying that everyone should fear and reverence the God of Daniel. What an amazing story of faith and trust in God.

Every day we are faced with the decision to trust God or to not. We may not realize it, but this decision is a common one for us. Bad things happen to us. People can be mean and hurtful to us. Temptation can knock on our doors. We can get into fights with our spouse or our children. We sin. We experience pain and suffering, even death. Each day we must ask ourselves the question of how will we respond. Will we trust God, or will we look out for ourselves and our own self-interests? The men in Daniel chose to trust God. They put their faith in Him and were not shaken. And interestingly enough, they were rewarded for it. They did not get eaten up by lions or burned up in a fire. Instead, they lived. And they were even promoted in the earthly kingdoms in which they lived. They also were witnesses to others, both times leading a king to come to know and believe in the one true God.

Today, we experience God in different ways than they did. We are not often--at least in America--sentenced to death for believing in God. However, we are like the people in the OT in that we are daily confronted with whether we will live a selfish life--one that looks only to our self-interests--or an unselfish one that trusts God and puts our lives in his hand. As we go about our days, look for those moments when you are called to make a decision about something. How will you respond? What will you do? Will you respond like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Or will you choose to trust yourself and others instead? How will you experience God and show Him that you trust Him with all that is in you, even if it means death at the hands of others?

Even If He Does Not

Day 189: Daniel 1-4

Daniel is one of my favorite books of the Bible. It has so many great stories in it and is full of many wonderful lessons and examples for us today. Daniel trains and serves in King Nebuchadnezzar's court. He is a wise person and makes a great impact on the king. He even interprets the king's dream and saves all the wise men in the court from death. Daniel is promoted to a place of honor within the kingdom, much like Joseph was in Pharaoh's court.

King Nebuchadnezzar seems like he is moved by Daniel's belief in the Lord God, but this is not so. Eventually, King Nebuchadnezzar sets up a a golden image and requires all people to bow down to it. There are some Jews, however, who refuse. When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not bow down to the idol and refused to acknowledge the king's threat, the king grew furious and turned the furnace up seven times hotter than usual.

Listen to what the three men say to King Nebuchadnezzar,
"King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If the God we serve is able to deliver us, then he will deliver us from the blazing furnace and from Your Majesty's hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Then, the three men were tied up and thrown into the furnace. But a fourth image was also walking around in the fire and Nebuchadnezzar was distraught and scared and ordered the men to come out. When they came out, Nebuchadnezzar praised God and promoted the three men in Babylon.

There is much to comment on here, but I'll focus here on two main areas: Nebuchadnezzar and the attitude of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

First is King Nebuchadnezzar. I typically think of the king as a bad, power-hungry man. He required men to bow down and worship an idol and he killed people if they did not do so. However, it's interesting to note that Nebuchadnezzar is constantly being pulled through his circumstances to worship the one true God. He worships the Lord when Daniel interprets two of his dreams. He believes again when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are not burned in the fiery furnace. And he does so again when his power and glory is taken from him. Nebuchadnezzar believes. He witnesses miracles, extraordinary events, and he is impacted by them--even though it goes against his other beliefs. He witnesses the miraculous God and believes. Yes, he makes mistakes, but ultimately, he believes.

The other thing to discuss are the attitudes of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, three extraordinary men who stay true to their belief and faith in the Lord God. They were not going to bow down to an idol even though they knew it would mean being thrown into a fire and killed. We don't really know if they were scared or not; I would imagine that they were. And yet, they looked Nebuchadnezzar in the eye and told him that they do not need to justify their behavior to him. They even go so far as to say that they trust God that he will deliver them and let them live. They have complete and utter faith that he will save them.

And yet. "Even if he does not." They will still not serve his gods or worship the idols he has constructed. Wow. What faith! They trust God and believe he will do what they ask, but even if he does not, they will still trust God and believe in Him. What a testament to faith these men are. I hope to have the type of faith these men have, a faith that asks God for things and trusts that, even if he does not answer my prayers the way I want him to, I will still trust God and stay faithful to him.

Isaiah's Admonitions to Trust!

Day 154: Isaiah 30-33

Our friend Jenny is doing even better this morning. Last night I went to sleep praying for her and her family. Things did not look good when I was going to bed, and many were fearful that this would be her last night. But no! God had other plans. He is working miracles up there, and thousands of people all over the world are praying for her. Thank you, God, for your miracles.

Isaiah reminds us of all the nations who turn away from God, of all the people who don't trust him at his word. These nations will be punished and destroyed and when God destroys all the earth, they will perish. Let's not be one of those people. Let's remain faithful and trusting, fervent in prayer and hopeful that God will restore the earth.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

Day 153: Isaiah 26-29

I am praying hard today. A college friend named Jenny Bizaillion, is not doing so well, and we are praying for her and her family. God, please work your miracle on her health so that she can come out of this. A lot of people are praying. Facebook is just amazing for stuff like this. Who knew that this is one of the results of this social networking tool. I bet the founders never envisioned stuff like this. But, wow. It's amazing. We're praying for you, Jenny and Dave and family.

The reading in Isaiah was so encouraging to me. Isaiah tells us to TRUST in the Lord, and that is just what we're doing with Jenny, and just what we do every day of our lives. God is in control, and He wants us to trust him. We will "keep in perfect peace" (26:3) and we will "worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem" (27:13). 

Praise the Lord for he is good. I will trust in you for all the days of my life. You will protect me. Although I will experience pain, I know that you are there for me. You are my comforter, my counselor.

The Word Hate, and God?

Day 106: Psalm 11-15

I like the part of Psalm 11 where the writer states, "The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne"(v. 4), but then I'm disturbed by the part where it says the Lord "hates with a passion" the wicked. The Lord hates? We aren't supposed to hate, are we? At least that's what we're taught. So it's a bit surprising to me that the Lord hates. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that the Lord hates the wicked; He is all about "good" and evil has no place in his presence. But it just shocks me because we are all evil; we are all wicked. Does God hate all of us? Or what else could it be? Could it be that this expression--this use of language--is only one person's interpretation of the Lord? Or could it be that this is true and that when Jesus came, he changed all this? I don't know. I'm sure I could ask someone or google this question, and I could get the "right" answer, or even one that explains it a little bit, but I guess I just want to say that I was a little shocked. Maybe I'll learn more about this idea as I pursue my reading.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Psalm 13 is a psalm of David, and his prayer here reminds me of Job's questioning of God. They both question the circumstances of their life. I like how David ends this prayer:

⁵ But I trust in your unfailing love;
       my heart rejoices in your salvation.
    ⁶ I will sing the LORD's praise,
       for he has been good to me.

David trusts the Lord and even though he doesn't understand everything that is happening to him, he trusts the Lord and will praise the Lord in the midst of hard times.

Loyalty (for later)

Day 50: Ruth 1

I have been sick in bed for three days now, and so, for today, let's suffice it to say that I read the first chapter of Ruth. Ruth decides to go with Naomi and remain loyal to her. I'm thinking here about an entire post on loyalty, but I don't have the energy or the brainpower to think it or write it. Maybe I'll come back to it later.

Please forgive me, dear reader, for today's post and yesterday's too. Hopefully, I'll be feeling better soon.

Gideon's Example

Day 46: Judges 6

If I have another child, I think I want to name him Gideon.

I don't think I know one person named Gideon, and considering how often people name their children after biblical people, I find this surprising, especially with how impressed I am with him after reading Judges 6. Now I haven't finished the story of Gideon and I don't remember what becomes of him, but in chapter 6, he is someone to admire.

I admire his courage, his boldness, his willingness to go to God on behalf of for the Israelites. Gideon feared God and yet he trusted God, too. He feared God and viewed him as holy, yet he also trusted that God would keep his word, that he would save the Israelites and answer his prayer. He even asks God to "prove himself" and God does it.

He has an interesting balance of fear and respect, but the trust is also apparent. Too often we struggle with being totally fearful and not being willing to ask God for anything, or we are at the opposite end where we will ask God for anything and everything, forgetting that He is to be feared and revered. Gideon is an example to us of how to balance these two aspect.

I hope you will read Gideon's story. You can find it here. I think you will be encouraged by him.

The Rock and The Cane Meet Again

Poor Moses. The people will not stop grumbling about being in the desert. This time they are complaining about the lack of water available to them. So Moses once again goes to God for help. God tells Moses to take his staff, gather the assembly together at a specific rock, and speak to the rock so that water pours forth.

Moses gathers the community together and is so frustrated with them that he lectures them about their behavior. Soon after, instead of speaking to the rock like God instructed Moses to do, Moses strikes the rock with his staff. Water still comes forth for the people, but God is not happy about Moses' disobedience and tells him that that he and Aaron will not be permitted to go into the Promised Land.

Poor Moses. He has put up with so much from these grumbling and complaining Israelite people; he even obeyed all that God has ordered him to do up to this point. But at one moment Moses loses his temper, disobeys God, and is forever punished for this sin. How tragic. How very tragic for Moses. I really like Moses and feel sorry for him not getting to see the land to which God led them from Egypt to see. This faithful servant is severely punished for disobedience, for lack of trust, and for his pride. I don't fault Moses any; anybody else would have probably done the same thing. I just wish it didn't have to happen. I wish he didn't have to be punished.

Moses is punished, however. I wonder how Moses felt about this. I wonder what he learned from this experience. What can we learn from this story? I think we can learn, once again, that God wants us to trust him. He wants us to put aside our egos and trust God that He will take care of things for us. What rocks are we striking right now instead of speaking to? What might God want us to do that we are not doing?

Day 30: Numbers 15 to 20

Trust in the Midst of Tragedy?

What does it mean to trust God?

That he will take care of us? That he will provide for us physically, emotionally, and spiritually? That he will fulfill the promises he makes in the Bible? Promises such as hearing our prayers, bringing only good things to us, or loving us. Or is it that we trust him to give us what we ask for in our prayers (non-material things, specifically)?

Sometimes I have a hard time trusting God. If he’s not going to take care of me, provide for me, fulfill the promises he makes in the Bible, or give me what I ask for in my prayers, then how can I trust Him?

Trusting God is hard to do. And yet God still wants us to trust him. But trusting God is so hard to do.

Last night, a 21-year-old girl at the church in Gatesville where Shane was a preacher was killed in a car wreck. She has a 9 month old daughter that will never know how much her sweet mommy loved and adored her. She has parents who love her and who have now lost a child before her time. She has a church family who looked forward to seeing her each week.

Why do things like this happen? We trust God to take care of our children. We pray to God that He will protect them from harmful things. And yet…things like this keep happening. This question of why bad things happen to good people is age-old, but it’s still relevant today. We ask the same question: “Why,” but we don’t get a satisfactory answer. God’s ways just don’t make sense to us. How can we trust God when life doesn’t turn out like it should or like we want it to? What does trusting God mean anyway?

Unfortunately, the reading for today doesn’t bring much comfort to me and doesn’t bring many answers either. In fact, the reading actually makes me fearful because at this point in the narrative, the Israelites do two things wrong. First, the spies, except for Joshua and Caleb, come back from Canaan with a false report about how big and strong the Canaanites are. They don’t trust God to be on their side and they lack faith that he will fulfill his promise to give them the land flowing with milk and honey. As a result of their lies and lack of faith in God, God strikes the spies with a plague, and each one of them die (except Joshua and Caleb). Second, God punishes the entire Israelite community because of their grumbling that resulted from the spies report. They, too, didn’t trust God (or Moses and Aaron) to provide for them and fulfill his promise to take care of them and give them good things.

Moses pleas with God to forgive the Israelites and not to kill them (like God wanted to do). God does forgive them, but he also punishes them: none of the Israelites over 20 years old, except for Joshua and Caleb, get to see the Promised Land.

So from this reading I learn that I should trust God. I’m actually scared not to do so. But how can I trust a God that brings such pain to so many lives? He could have saved Kayla. He could have protected her. He could have timed things differently. He is all powerful and could have protected his child. But he did not. He could have saved her life. But he did not.

Why?

I don’t have any answers. I understand it’s important to trust God, but trusting God is hard to do when life doesn’t turn out like you expect. I am reminded, though, of one verse that I memorized as a little kid: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).

I don’t understand. I don’t understand it at all. However, this fact that I have a limited understanding actually brings me some hope. Only God can see the full picture. Only He knows why things happen. All he asks of us is that we trust him, trust Him that He knows better than us. And that is what I will do. I will trust God with all my heart and not rely on my own incomplete view. I will trust God that he will take care of Kayla’s family and friends. And I will also trust that God will take care of Kayla while she is with him in heaven.

We miss you, sweet girl.

Day 29: Numbers 13-14

Trusting God Is Hard to Do

Day 17: Exodus 14 to 17

After reading this section of text where the Israelites escape through the Red Sea and then wander in the wilderness, I am annoyed with them, yet I can identify with them. They whine and whine and whine. They doubt God and wonder what He is up to. They complain, complain, complain. And as a reader, this gets old. But as a human, I can totally identify with it because I do the same thing with God. When things are going well, I thank him for his gifts and blessings and when things go poorly or when I don't hear his voice at all, I whine and complain, whine and complain. God must be annoyed with the Israelites, and he must get annoyed with me, too.

Why is it so hard to trust God--to trust in God--to take care of us?

I think part of this answer lies with our American culture. We tend to trust ourselves and look out for number one. If things are going well, we give ourselves credit, and when things turn sour, we blame others. We don't stay in relationships long and when it looks like we aren't going to win, we give up. We also are very self-reliant; we don't want to trust anyone but ourselves.

If we apply these principles to our relationship with God, we may be one to only pray when we need something, or to only remember God in the bad times of our lives. We may even blame God when our poor choices have negative consequences. In addition, we are hesitant to trust others because so often we have been let down. And at times it seems that God has let us down, too, so we are hesitant to trust God.

I think another part has to do with our own insecurity. Would God really let this happen to us? I thought he wanted only what is good for me.

I also think that trusting God is hard because we don't know where trusting him might take us. We may be forced to give up things to which we are attached but that may not be good for us. Or we may be called out of our comfort zones to do things like giving up your possessions, your job security, or your home to move somewhere else.

Trusting God is hard.

But He shows us again and again that He will provide for us. The provision may not always look like we want it to be, but he does take care of us. He will take care of us. I can trust that; you can, too.