Some Things Never Change

Scheduled Reading: 
Jeremiah 32:1-44; Psalm 119:87-93; Proverbs 26:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:11-2 Thessalonians 1:4

Selected Passage:
Psalm 119:89-93

Some Things Never Change

Well, I know ONE thing never changes... and that is the eternal & living Word of God. This Psalm extols that marvelous fact very well.

• It is eternal - lasting forever. 
• It stands firm in the heavens - stable and strong where there is no other stability or strength.
• It continues through all generations - though the generations change, have worship wars, and strange hair styles, God's Word always applies. 
• Want proof? Take a look at the how the very Earth is established and endures beyond explanation. (Evolutionists cannot come up with even a remotely satisfactory explanation outside of an Ingenious Creator - not just an intelligent designer)  
• His law endures - No matter what is legislated or persecuted or warred against (jihad, for example) - His law endures, applies and is proven right.  
• ALL THINGS serve to glorify Him - even those determined and purposed not to, those too will bow the knee. 
• His law has the power to preserve those who will heed it.

So, are you looking for stability, certainty, something dependable? Look no further than your nearest Bible.

• Open it. 
• Read it. 
• Devour it. 
• Learn it. 
• Memorize it. 
• Obey it. 
• Share it.
• Teach it.

No One Knows

Scheduled Reading:
Jeremiah 29:24-31:40; Psalm 119:81-86; Proverbs 26:13-14; 1 Thessalonians 4:9-5:10

Selected Passage:
 1 Thessalonians 4:13ff

No one knows the day or the time when the Lord Jesus will return for His church. But what a glorious day that will be! No more tears. No more worries. No more sickness and death. Death will be swallowed up in victory. Sin will be utterly defeated. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!

In just this week,

• I have gotten word of 3 faithful, generous, and active church members struggling to make ends meet in this depressed economy
• reports are getting to me of those whose hearts have been revived (myself included) facing a barrage of discouragement, troubles, and abuses - some at the hands of fellow church members.
• Just yesterday I had 3 different people ask me "are we going back to the way things were before revival?"
• Even today, I struggled to open God's Word to hear from Him. But I'm glad I did.

All our griefs, no matter how trivial or how great become annoying distractions in the light of His imminent return and great glory. I say again... come quickly, Lord!

God Bless America

Scheduled Reading:
Jeremiah 27:1-29:23; Psalm 119:74-80; Proverbs 26:10-12; 1 Thessalonians 2:17-4:8

Selected Passage:
Jeremiah 29:7

There is a popular movement among Christians today away from traditional church settings and duty to country toward a more house-church setting with a disposition toward separatism from government. I must admit that the philosophy has intrigued me. I have sat up, on occasion, late into the night debating the concept with dear friends in the faith who hold tightly to the philosophy. Their arguments are very convincing.

On one hand, they long for the simpler days - when "doing church" was not so... so... complicated... so cumbersome... so bureaucratic... Their desire resonates with me. It sounds nice. But just today, JUST NOW, I realized we DO have that in the modern church! We just call it Sunday School! Our Sunday School classes come together into a common community where we worship together in mass, and we call that "church".

On the other hand, this movement is also away from loyalty to country and toward loyalty to Christ alone. This was a tenet of the philosophy that I understood the least. In my view, my loyalty to Christ is first and my loyalty to country exists only as long as my country is loyal to my Savior. I have always felt like it was my duty to impact our society (and government) to help us remain loyal to Christ as a nation. I still do.

Never have I believed that Christians should legislate maters of faith. Nor should we condemn the non-believer for not living a Spirit-filled life. But influence society - as salt influences food, as light influences a room or a path - definitely.

And today, we read in Jeremiah 29:7 - God instructed the Israelites to assimilate into their captor's godless nation, even to seek its peace and prosperity and to pray for the nation. The reasoning: if the nation is blessed and prospers, they, too, will be blessed and will prosper. So I believe we are on solid Biblical ground when we say "God Bless America."

So, what's the take away? Here it is: Go to Sunday School, stay for church and pray for America!

Who Dat, don't be makin' no sense?

Scheduled Reading:
Jeremiah 13:1-15:21; Psalm 119:35-41; Proverbs 25:23-25; Philippians 4:1-23

Selected Passage: Philippians 4:1-23:

Who Dat, don't be makin' no sense? 

Paul certainly practiced what he preached! In Philippians 4, he started off instructing his readers to always rejoice in the Lord, being gentle, knowing that our Lord Jesus is near.  That perspective should help us not be be anxious about anything. If our perspective is that the Lord is near, then it will come natural for us to bring our worries to Him. After all, our control of our circumstances is an illusion. He alone is in control. He alone can deliver. He alone can bring about His glory and our good out of difficult situations. With this perspective, we have that inexplicable peace, that defies comprehension. The watching world simply cannot understand such peace in the midst of hardship. THAT RIGHT THERE can bring God the glory due Him! Our hardships become worth it on that basis alone! Hence the title: Who Dat, be don't makin' no sense? in respect to our beloved Saints!

  But the benefits do not stop there! Paul says that when we are careful in this area, God PROTECTS our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus! I don't know about you, but my stray thoughts often gravitate to my worries. What a relief when we realize we can give those to Him - who can do something about it for His glory and my good - and then I am freed up to concentrate on more worthwhile things, like:

  whatever is true, 

  whatever is noble, 

  whatever is right, 

  whatever is pure, 

  whatever is lovely, 

  whatever is admirable

  things that are excellent or praiseworthy

as Paul admonishes us to do.

Then, as if that wasn't enough, Paul demonstrated how he himself is held to that same standard for his worries. (spacing and punctuation added for emphasis & clarity)

I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me.

      I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances:

          I know what it is to be in need,

          I know what it is to have plenty. 

          I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, 

                 whether well fed or hungry, 

                 whether living in plenty or in want. 

      I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Counter Intelligence

Scheduled Reading: 
Jeremiah 10:17-12:17; Psalm 119:29-34; Proverbs 25:21-22; Philippians 3:1-21

 Selected Passage: Proverbs 25:21-22

Counter Intelligence

When I was a kid, I can remember getting so angry at one of my brothers that all I could think about was getting even. Finally, my oldest brother must have tired of hearing about my diabolical plots against the sibling. Whether he realized he would suffer some sort of blame for what I had in mind or he just knew my scheme would only back fire, or whether he was really trying to teach me a spiritual principle, I'll probably never know. But, I have never forgotten what he said.

My brother brought his Bible to me and showed me Romans 12:17-21 . He helped me understand that it wasn't my place to take revenge on my brother, whom God loved too. He also pointed out that God will do a much better job of defending me or getting even than I could ever hope to do. In fact, if I let GOD do it, I couldn't get in trouble for it! 

Good advice. Now, 30 or so years later, I have no idea what started the quarrel. I am sure it was just good clean fun between siblings that was starting to get out of hand. I honestly have no idea if God avenged me or not. It really doesn't matter. The point is that my oldest brother taught me a very valuable lesson that day. It was a lesson that had nothing to do with revenge. He taught me that Scripture has the answer to every problem or concern I could ever face. He taught me to seek God's counsel before I act. He taught me that if I have God's Word hidden in my heart, I will be able to avoid sinning against Him, and save myself from regret.

But the Scripture he used in that teachable moment was counter-intuitive. My heart, my mind, my sinful nature were all screaming "GET EVEN!" If I had asked my friends, they would have helped my plot my next move. (I doubt they would have come to comfort me in the punishment from my parents that would have surely followed!) The Bible was the only source of counter-intelligence to be found. And my brother showed it to me. I listened. I learned. The choice was mine to make.

Thanks, John, for taking the time to teach your pesky little brother to seek the answers he needs from the Word of Life. You always were and still are a good brother and friend. I am a blessed man to have two great older brothers and parents who love each other and the Lord with all their hearts.

Scheduled Reading:
Jeremiah 8:4-10:16; Psalm 119:22-28; Proverbs 25:18-20; Philippians 2:1-30

Selected Passage:
Philippians 2

It has been over a month now since our revival services at FBCS came to a conclusion. But the heat from the revival flames can still be felt. In fact, just last night, by all reports I have heard, the revival was still quite evident in the congregation. I rejoice with the one who accepted Christ's offer of salvation from the penalty of sin last night!

During the days of revival we learned about obedience to Christ, no matter the personal cost. Many of us took the badly needed steps toward reconciliation and forgiveness between our brothers and sisters in Christ. I find that still happening in many people's relationships today, even a month later. I pray it will continue. Because only then will the Spirit's power among us be sustained and continue His purifying work among us.

I know from my own experience, how gut-wrenchingly difficult it can be to swallow our pride and start those difficult conversations. I pray that some how we will all continue to summon the strength and courage to do those difficult things to which God leads us to do. "Let us not grow weary in doing good" has taken on a new dimension for me these days.

Monday, October 18, 2010
Jeremiah 7:1-8:3; Psalm 119:16-21; Proverbs 25:16-17; Philippians 1:9-30

Friday, October 15, 2010
Jeremiah 2:1-3:5; Psalm 118:25-119:2; Proverbs 25:8-10; Ephesians 5:3-20

Selected Passage: Jeremiah 2:36-37

Why do you go about so much, changing your ways? Seems like an odd question from the weeping prophet, Jeremiah. Isn't he calling the people to repentance?

Scheduled Reading:
Isaiah 60:1-63:6; Psalm 118:6-11; Proverbs 25:1-2; Ephesians 2:14-3:13

Selected Passage: Isaiah 58

The Church of the Walking Dead
Wow, revival has continued at FBCS for over a month now. It is hard to believe that our Life Action Ministries team has been gone now for just under 30 days. But the effects of their leadership and God's stirring here are still very much with us. We seem to be developing the habit of applying the scripture "confess your sins to each other so that you may be healed" on a weekly basis now.

As I thought about it, I began to be concerned. It seems that so many of us now are struggling with our fleshly desires. Our sinful natures are taking control again - even with a vengeance, it would seem. At first I worried that we were headed back to the way things were. We had crucified our fleshly desires, and had reckoned ourselves dead to sin, but somehow those dead things were resurrecting everywhere! In my mind, it was beginning to look like a scene from some cheap horror flick "The Church of the Walking Dead" or something! But I thought again...

No! The way things were before, were exactly the same except for ONE thing...Before, we ignored the problems. We kept silent. We pretended that everything was OK. And we CERTAINLY did NOT "confess our sins to each other", lest we be judged!

No indeed! Things are NOT the way they were before. It's just that when we confess our sins to each other, the healing begins. It's not pretty. It's not pleasant to watch, but it is beautiful at the same time. Broken and contrite hearts before God almighty are not despicable in His sight!

I say, let's keep on confessing our sins to each other so that we may be healed! Come in Lord Jesus. Come in!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Isaiah 56:9-59:21; Psalm 117:1-118:5; Proverbs 24:32-34; Ephesians 1:15-2:13

Blessings All Mine, with 10,000 beside!

Scheduled Reading
Isaiah 44:24-47:15; Psalm 115:12-18; Proverbs 24:22-24; Galatians 4:1-20

Selected Passage: Mixed
Blessings All Mine with 10,000 beside! 

I find it remarkable how so often these seemingly random selections of Scripture reading that appear in our schedule on the same day speak complimentary with each other. Of course, I am not sure why I am so surprised... there are no contradictions to be found in the 66 books of the inspired & living Word of God!

Today, is just such an example.


In Isaiah 46 the prophet speaks of God rescuing and sustaining His fallen chosen nation, Israel.
In Psalm 115 the writer extols the blessings of almighty God.
In Proverbs 24, well, OK, maybe not a perfect example!
In Galatians 4, we are heirs with Christ, no longer slaves to sin!

Yes, indeed, God delights in blessing His children, but I don't believe it is for the same reasons as many of our "health and wealth" gospel preachers say. I honestly do not believe that God is all that concerned with my comfort, my health, my wealth, my retirement. I do believe He is all about His glory! And rightly so. It is His glory that draws us to Him, so that we may be saved in the first place!

To the degree that my life, my health, my possessions will glorify Him - that is the degree to which I want His blessings. To the degree that I will allow those things in my life to glorify ME, that is the degree to which I want Him to with-hold them from me.

To HIM alone be the Glory!

Is History Repeating Itself?

Scheduled Reading: 
Isaiah 41:1-42:25; Psalm 114:7-115:5; Proverbs 24:17-19; Galatians 2:11-3:5

 Selected Passage: Isaiah 41:20-25

Which of you will listen to this
       or pay close attention in time to come?

Is History Repeating Itself? 
Is history repeating itself? Is history repeating itself? Where have I heard that before? The more things change, the more things stay the same. How true. Isaiah was describing the calamity that befell Israel, God's CHOSEN nation. That nation enjoyed God's favor and protection for many years. Then, they got fat and happy, content and over-confident, arrogant and idolatrous. God removed his hand of protection, for their own good. He allowed other nations to over-power them, removing their comfortable contentedness. He stripped every ounce of self-reliance from the nation of Israel. Isaiah painted a terrifying scenario:

²² But this is a people plundered and looted,
       all of them... hidden away in prisons.
      ...with no one to rescue them;
      ...with no one to say, "Send them back."
 ²³ Which of you will listen to this
       or pay close attention in time to come?
 ²⁴ Who handed... over Israel to the plunderers?
       Was it not the LORD,
       against whom we have sinned?
       For they ... did not obey his law.

Imagine this were us, in the coming days or weeks. The USA attacked by godless nations. Our citizens carried off and hidden away in prisons... with no one to insist on our safe return.  Will any of us listen or pay attention IN TIME TO COME? Who will it be that could do this to our nation? Is it not the LORD against whom we have sinned? We do not obey his law or even respect the sacrifice he has freely given for all who would believe.

So I ask again... is history repeating itself?

Mutually Exclusive?

Scheduled Reading
Isaiah 39:1-40:31; Psalm 114:1-6; Proverbs 24:15-16; Galatians 1:10-2:10

Selected Passage: Galatians 1

Mutually Exclusive? 

I find it Interesting how Paul contrasted trying to please men with serving Christ. In fact, he implied that the two are mutually exclusive! How foolish it is, then, for me to even try to please men! For it would seem that to do so, I would have to stop serving Christ.

Since I find myself often trying to please men, I do find comfort in this passage in that, when servants of Christ are truly serving (or trying to serve) Christ, we tend to be pleasing toward each other. It is usually when one of the servants of Christ is being rebellious, disobedient, or misled that we can find ourselves in conflict. And for this, God has also made provision - forgiveness and reconciliation.

So, there we go again - keeping short accounts with God and each other - quick to forgive, quick to reconcile, quick to move on and back to serving God and each other! Praise be to God for His glorious grace and provision!

Sunday, October 3, 2010
Isaiah 37:1-38:22; Psalm 113:3-9; Proverbs 24:12-14; 2 Corinthians 13:1-Galatians 1:9

Saturday, October 2, 2010
Isaiah 34:1-36:22; Psalm 112:7-113:2; Proverbs 24:10-11; 2 Corinthians 12:1-21

Friday, October 1, 2010
Isaiah 31:1-33:24; Psalm 111:10-112:6; Proverbs 24:7-9; 2 Corinthians 11:16-33