The Eye in the Sky

Scheduled Reading:
Ezekiel 10:1-11:25; Psalm 122:7-123:3; Proverbs 28:3-4; Hebrews 4:1-5:9

Selected Passage:
Hebrews 4:12

The Eye in the Sky is not just an Alan Parson's Project song.... (To listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1IXQ1pKl_Q - my generation of 80's fans will appreciate that). I am not about to try to throw my lot in with the scholars who have struggled to understand Ezekiel's vision of the wheels. However, a way to try to understand one aspect of the wheels - the fact that they and the cherubim were covered with eyes - is to say that the Lord God sees all and knows all; a fact not ignored by the New Testament writer of Hebrews 4:12 many years later.

God sees all and knows all about all. Everything is laid bare and vulnerable before HIM. We WILL give an account to HIM one day for all that he saw in our lives. That fact alone sends a shudder down my spine. The verse just prior to the mention that God knows and sees all is the fact that Scripture is alive and active; penetrating to the very heart of the matter; dissecting our thoughts and motives. His Word is infallible, authoritative, and gives life to those who heed it.

Spending time feasting on God's Word, letting it change our hearts, attitudes, and perspectives is the surest way to bring pleasure to the "eye in the sky" and bring a measure of hope and confidence to that day of reckoning we all so quickly approach.

Sunday, November 14, 2010
Ezekiel 7:1-9:11; Psalm 121:8-122:6; Proverbs 27:27-28:2; Hebrews 2:10-3:19

Saturday, November 13, 2010
Ezekiel 3:16-6:14; Psalm 121:2-7; Proverbs 27:25-26; Hebrews 1:1-2:9

Do Hard Things

Scheduled Reading:
Ezekiel 1:1-3:15; Psalm 120:2-121:1; Proverbs 27:22-24; Philemon 1-25

Selected Passage: same

Recently I acquired a book from Life Action Ministries called "Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations". It is written by two young men, Alex & Brett Harris, twin brothers who took on challenges to do more with their life than the culture expected from them. They have since accomplished a great deal before the age of 19. Some of these things include leading efforts in a grass-roots political campaign, speaking to large international audiences, publishing a good-selling book, and authoring a popular blog for teens (http://www.therebelution.com)

All the passages in today's reading deal with doing the difficult; obeying God even when it is hard, even painful, to do so.  It is easy to SAY we must be obedient. But when it comes to having to make willful decisions to obey God that will most certainly result in less comfort and security for US, we often have second thoughts, and third, and fourth, and so on until the urge subsides. (I speak from experience).

Here Ezekiel was "deeply distressed" by what he knew he had to do. The Psalmist spoke up for peace among a people who were bent on war; he was lied about and persecuted for his words and actions. The Proverb pointed out that only idiots don't respond to corrective pressure from the wise or the Spirit of God, but the pressure does come. And then Paul did a most difficult thing in sending Onesimus back to his rightful owner, even though he had no obligation to do so.

I leave it to you to examine how has God called you to obey Him in recent days. Has he called you to do something uncomfortable? Has He called you to go out on a limb? Has He called you to confront a person or a people like Ezekiel? Is He grinding some character flaw from you and are you resisting His refining work in you?

Do the hard thing: submit yourself to God and His leading. Obey Him with all your heart. Don't listen to your flesh scream "NO! ARE YOU CRAZY??" Yeah, you are. It's OK. The ways of the world (and our flesh) seem right, and God's sometimes make no sense to us. But trust HIM. He's right.

Never Satisfied (But We Keep Trying)

Scheduled Reading: (click below)
Lamentations 3:8-5:22; Psalm 119:172-120:1; Proverbs 27:20-21; Titus 2:11-3:15

Selected Passage:
Proverbs 27:20

 How easily we give up on those admirable or virtuous things toward which we should be ambitious. Weight loss goals, savings goals, efforts to share the Gospel with friends or family, etc. Yet how difficult it is for us to abandon our pursuit of those vices away from which we should flee. Our eyes are never satisfied, but we keep trying.

Consider our predisposition toward lust. I am not speaking of sexual lust exclusively. Our eyes can lust after many different things. To name a few: money, food, pornography, possessions, power, prestige, respect... Lust is eagerly wanting something that does not rightfully belong to you.(Click the link at "lust" at the beginning of this paragraph for a more comprehensive study of the word.) The implication of this proverb is that our lust will be our downfall. Our lust can never be satisfied, so don't even try. Crucify the flesh.

Curious thing about our crucified flesh though...
I find my flesh, though thoroughly crucified, quickly recovers and is perfectly healthy in a remarkably short period of time.

How to Trip Your Boss

Scheduled Reading (click to read):
Jeremiah 52:31-Lamentations 3:7; Psalm 119:165-171; Proverbs 27:17-19; Titus 1:6-2:10

Selected Passage:
Titus 2:1-10

Attractive Gospel vs The Stumbling Block. How to trip your boss may not sound like a good idea, and it never is - not in a physical sense nor in the spiritual. In Titus 2 we read some specifics on what a virtuous man, woman, and slave (or in our case - employee) should look like. Specifically, I'd like to look at what a good employee looks like.

The single most emphasized characteristic Paul chose to point out is TRUSTWORTHINESS. Don't steal from your master. Since most people reading this devotional, or should I say, since both people who read this devotional, are not slaves, I will say that our closest application of this principle would be toward our bosses. Essentially Paul is saying that if we serve our bosses honestly and do not steal from him - either by cheating on our time or by stealing his product, supplies, or intellectual property - we make the Gospel attractive, and have a chance at reconciling him or her to The Lord God Almighty.

So this isn't a matter of watering down the Gospel to make it more appealing. It is a matter of obeying the teachings of Jesus to make our faith believable.

Our actions should make faith in Jesus more attractive. Jesus said that HE would be the stumbling block, not us.  There are those who use this statement to justify extremely offensive actions such as saying "God hates fags" or bombing abortion clinics or burning copies of the Koran. I do not believe that this is what Jesus had in mind. Far from it. His Gospel is simple, yet unbelievable. It requires FAITH in Jesus. This requirement in itself is enough to cause many to stumble.

Jesus DID NOT mean that OUR actions should be an obstacle to people entering the Kingdom. In fact, the polar opposite is true. Once people encounter the obstacle of faith in Jesus, they should be able to look at others who claim they have placed their faith in Him for their salvation. When they do look at us, they should see a lifestyle that confirms such a belief.

To do anything else is to trip our boss into hell. It won't be faith in Jesus that keeps him or her out. It will be you and me - living out a life that denies OUR faith in Jesus - that sticks our foot out into their path. Woe to us who provide such an obstacle to those who would seek Jesus.

Scheduled Reading
Jeremiah 52:1-30; Psalm 119:159-164; Proverbs 27:15-16; 2 Timothy 4:9-Titus 1:5

Selected Passage:
Jer 52:1ff

I found myself reading the account of the new king of Israel - Zedikiah with a great deal of hope and expectation for Israel and his new leader. Finally, after chapter after chapter of Jeremiah's warnings to repent or disaster will strike, to point of becoming wearisome for the reader-  (imagine preaching that and listening to that constantly at the time!)-  I was hoping for "a change we could believe in". After all, this was the GRANDSON of JEREMIAH! Surely he, of all people, could turn this thing around.

But what do we find out of this young, 21 year old, full of potential, ascendant to the throne? We found potential alright. Potential for more and greater harm in record time. He ended up with his city routed and destroyed and before having his eyes put out, he witnessed his own sons being executed by the King of Babylon. It was to be the last sight he'd see in his long miserable life to follow.

Such disappointment. Such a w3aste. The young ruler could have fulfilled his potential in the other direction. Instead, he chose the path of stiff-necked pride and determination to do things his way. In so doing, he destroyed his nation.

I leave to you to draw comparisons and your own conclusions as to how this applies to your own life and our nation.

Monday, November 8, 2010
Jeremiah 51:9-64; Psalm 119:152-158; Proverbs 27:12-14; 2 Timothy 3:1-4:8

Scheduled Reading: Jeremiah 48:1-49:6; Psalm 119:133-138; Proverbs 27:5-6; 1 Timothy 6:1-21

Selected Passage:
1 Timothy 6:20

Less Pointless Talking More Good Doing
We talk too much. Godless chatter, is what Paul called it. Seems to me often times church people are just as bad, if not worse, about it as non-church people. I've heard the expression "It's like a train wreck... you just can't help but watch." Sure, curiosity is natural. But many times a crises is looming, and there are those among us who seem almost eager for the trains to collide so they can watch the carnage that follows. They find it entertaining. I find it sickening; especially among God's people. 

Perhaps we should "entertain" ourselves by keeping busy doing good for those hurt in the carnage of the crises instead of talking about them and how horrible it is. That is how Jesus did it. He touched the lepers.  Jesus ate at the home of the sinners and tax collectors. Jesus told the "righteous" to go ahead, throw the first stone at the one caught in sexual immorality, if you are innocent of sin. Jesus didn't talk much, except to put the "righteous" in their place and restore the sinner by His grace.

Let the Church be more like Christ, and less like the accuser. 
It occurs to me that Satan, the accuser, eagerly anticipates the chaos and carnage that follows a crises among God's people. He stands ready to condemn the sinner, accuse the innocent, and mock the Church. 

 Let the Church be more like Christ and less like the accuser: Less pointless talking, more good doing. Don't just drop the stones and walk away. Drop the stones and go to work restoring those hurt by the carnage of sin and the accuser.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Scheduled Reading: Jeremiah 45:1-47:7; Psalm 119:126-132; Proverbs 27:2-4; 1 Timothy 5:3-25


Selected Passage: Proverbs 27:3

Dude, That's Heavy.

I can remember filling sand bags and placing them around my home to prepare for a forecast flood a few years back. We lived in a flood-way. This is different than a flood zone or a low-lying area prone to street flooding. A flood-way is the path of the moving flood water as it rises and drains away! My young son and I filled sand bags by hand at the local community sand pile provided for this purpose. We then loaded them up in the back of my pick up truck, hauled them to the house, and began to strategically stack them around areas we feared water would enter our house. The work was arduous. In fact, after the storm passed and the threat subsided, we stacked those sand bags behind our fence. The reason was so that we would at least not have to fill and haul them again when next needed.

Have you ever been taunted by idiots? If you lived through Jr. High School, then most definitely. Many workplaces have similar traits. The proverb compares the provocation of a foolish person to the heaviness of sand and stone. Hauling that sand was exhausting work. The labor of it was wearisome. Even as an adult, I have endured Jr. High-like work environments, where only adults were present. Working & ministering in such an environment was indeed wearisome labor. But we all do what we must.

The author of that Proverb doesn't offer any advice on how to deal with it. He just acknowledged the problem. At least we can take comfort in knowing that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger and that God can work even that out for His glory and our good. That alone makes it worth enduring to the end.

Oh, what's that you ask? Did my house flood? No. No, the forecast flood waters were greatly exaggerated that day. The effort didn't go to waste though. God is glorified today with this illustration, my son and I bonded over the project, and we had a waiting supply of sandbags, just in case.

See? God if faithful... in everything.