Tag: Trust

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Do You Believe?

Daily Reading

John 5-6

Daily Thought

In the 1850’s, tightrope walker Charles Blondin crossed Niagara Falls several times on a rope two-inches thick and 1,000 feet long. On his first attempt, the bets were against him, but as he succeeded, and succeeded again and again, the crowds grew and the crowds believed. Everybody loves a good show, but when Blondin asked the crowd if any would ride on his back while he crossed, there were no takers. Belief only goes so far.

Rumor of Jesus coming to town brought people out of their homes “and a large crowd was following him because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick” (John 6:2). Everybody loves a good show. The crowd was expectant and Jesus did not disappoint. A boy with five loaves of bread and two fish provided all Jesus needed to feed the thousands. From this small basket of loaves and fish, Jesus kept pulling out more and more, passing them to the crowds until all had plenty, with leftovers. Now they were following him, “not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves” (John 6:26).

Then Jesus told them of a better bread, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Jesus said he is bread from heaven, claiming God as his Father. The crowd disagreed, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?” (John 6:42). The crowds had first followed because they were curious, then because Jesus was interesting, and finally because he filled their stomachs, but were any prepared to put their life in his hands? Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever,” and he invited them to, basically, ride on his back. “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him” (John 6:66). 

No one truly believed in Charles Blondin, not enough to put their life in his hands, but his manager, Harry Colcord, did. Colcord climbed aboard and Blondin gave his manager these instructions, “Look up, Harry, you are no longer Colcord, you are Blondin. If I sway, sway with me. Until I clear this place be a part of me, mind, body, and soul.”

It is easy to believe until it’s not, and then you find out if you truly believe. Jesus asked the twelve who remained, his faithful followers, “Do you want to go away as well?” Peter shook his head for all of them, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” ~Galatians 2:20

Daily Prayer

My Lord and God, Author of Life. Everything about why I am here, You are the answer. I love You and promise to follow You. I know it will be hard because Your truth is difficult. People want to do things their own way, and You demand that we follow You to find full and everlasting life.

I choose to stand for You, to stand with You, God. Thank You for standing with me because, really, I am not that strong (You knew that already.) But, in the power of Your Spirit by the authority of Your Son, I will stand for Your truth and live a life fully committed to You.

Amen

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A Virgin Betrothed

Daily Reading

Luke 1

Daily Thought

“The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary” (Luke 1:26). Gabriel is the same angel who 600 years earlier visited Daniel. Gabriel seems to be the angel that God sends when he has a really important message. Mary, a virgin betrothed, is a pure young woman, legally engaged to be married. This is an important detail. Here is the important message.

 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ~Luke 1:30-33

This is a huge announcement, but Mary zeroes in on one detail. “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34). First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage. She is a virgin betrothed. She knows the facts of life. She knows how babies are made. She wants an explanation. 

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” ~Luke 1:35

That was the explanation, and it is the wonder of heaven, but Mary knew it is not going to play well on earth. Nazareth and Bethlehem are small towns. Tongues will wag, her reputation will be lost. Mary’s life will change forever. Gabriel may have called out to Mary, “Greetings, O favored one” (Luke 1:28), but Mary knew she is about to become a woman of shame. Mary is a young teenage girl, engaged to a righteous man, and she is about to be pregnant. That is the situation presented to Mary by the angel Gabriel, and this is her response. “And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’” Do not miss two small words, “to me.” Mary knows what is being asked of her. “And the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:38). Enough said, Mary heard all she needed and so did Gabriel.

Daily Prayer

My God, You announced the coming of Your Son to humble people hidden in Judea, and they believed in You and faithfully obeyed. You showed Your great love and gave them Jesus and their life was never the same. Neither has been mine. You change everything.

God, I don’t need to know the details, I need to know You, better and better. My faith in You is not blind, even if I do not know what is to come. I know You, and that is enough. 

Amen

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Death Can Wait

Daily Reading

Mark 4-5

Daily Thought

The daughter of Jairus is at death’s door. “Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live’” (Mark 5:22-23), What an opportunity, to save the daughter of a prestigious man. This would do much to advance the mission of Jesus. You would think. “And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him” (Mark 5:24).

Then, from the crowd, a woman, we do not even get her name, “came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment” (Mark 5:27), and she was made well. For twelve years she had a bleeding illness no doctor could cure, but one touch healed her. And Jesus stopped. Jairus and his daughter and death would have to wait. “And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my garments?’” (Mark 5:30). “Everybody!” thought the disciples. “You are in a crowd. Hurry up Jesus. You have to get to the home of Jairus. This is important,” but the immediate is never more important than the eternal. “The woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease’” (Mark 5:33-34). Jairus’s was not the only daughter who needed the touch of Jesus.

While Jesus is not hurrying, while he is taking valuable time to talk to this woman, who was already healed, by the way, the news Jairus feared arrives. “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” (Mark 5:35), but the limits we place on God are not God’s limits. “But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe’” (Mark 5:36). The immediate is never more important than the eternal.

A little girl on the edge of death was next on the agenda, except Jesus was interrupted by a woman. Death could wait while Jesus paused to heal this woman, but death did not wait and the little girl died. No matter, the King of kings is the Lord of life. “Little girl, I say to you, arise” (Mark 5:42), and she did.

Daily Prayer

My Great God, what an amazing story, Your Son born a baby to Mary. No earthly father, but a Heavenly Father, a poor family, peasant shepherds announcing His birth, a Friend of sinners and outcasts, and yet Jesus is King of kings and the Lord of lords. Big things come in small packages.

You came humbly and changed the world. You defeated all enemies, including the last enemy – death. You have established an eternal kingdom of peace and declared the good news of salvation. I’m listening and believing, and my life has been changed forever. Thank You, my God and Savior.

Amen

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God Is God

Daily Reading

Jeremiah 49-50

Daily Thought

God is God. That seems obvious, yet humankind continually acts as if it has a say in the matter. Edom believed her wisdom sufficient, Damascus its fame, and the possessions of Keder and Hazor gave them a false security. These nations built idols reflecting their passions and desires, trusting in things they hold rather than the One who holds them, rejecting the God who can and will determine their future. Each stood against God and, like Ammon, “trusted in her treasures, saying, ‘Who will come against me?’” (Jeremiah 49:4). God will answer. Nation upon nation swaggered against the might of God and met his sword. At the end, even great Babylon fell, “for it is a land of images, and they are mad over idols” (Jeremiah 50:38).

God’s prophets tell of his judgment against the nations, “‘For I have sworn by myself,’ declares the Lord, ‘that Bozrah shall become a horror, a taunt, a waste, and a curse, and all her cities shall be perpetual wastes’” (Jeremiah 49:13). If we cringe at its fierceness, it has done its job. It is not God’s duty to accommodate our sensitivities, as if God should “play nice.” God’s justice reflects the truth of “in the beginning, God created” (Genesis 1:1) and “behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). We have made it bad, then wonder at God when he picks up his sword. He is making it good again.

Daily Prayer

My heavenly Father, You deal with nations that, I admit, act the way I act. When things go well, I neglect You; when poorly, I complain. Sometimes, God, I am tempted to trust in things I can hold. I should rather trust in the One who holds me. Too often, You are the last to whom I turn. If You had not made Yourself known to me, I would have ignored You. Thank You for Your love and grace, which compels.  me to Your holiness, the more because I do not deserve it.

You are God, that is the most wise thing I can say. Everything else comes after that. May my devotion reflect that truth and be displayed in everything I do.

Amen

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Trust and Treasure Go Together

Daily Reading

Jeremiah 32-34

Daily Thought

Jeremiah spoke a terrible and terrifying truth, “Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am giving this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall capture it. The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city shall come and set this city on fire and burn it” (Jeremiah 32:28-29). Then he spoke of a hope and a future, “Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God” (Jeremiah 32:37-38). It was a package deal. As sure as there was something terrible about to happen, (Jeremiah 32:2, “the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem” at that very moment”), there was a certain hope to come.

So sure was Jeremiah of the truth of his word that he put his money where his mouth was, he put his treasure into the land of Israel, “I bought the field at Anathoth from Hanamel my cousin, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales” (Jeremiah 32:9-10). He would have a place to build when he returned.

There is a coming judgment of my deeds, and there is good news of God’s Kingdom through the grace of Jesus Christ. How sure I am of God is revealed by where I put my treasure.

Daily Prayer

My God, Creator of all, Creator of me, You and You alone are worthy of my worship and devotion. Everything I see is awesome. I know I use that word a lot, but it truly applies to Your handiwork. I am awe-struck at the majesty, the intricacy, the wisdom, the beauty.

I have concerns, needs, issues, problems in my life. We all do. No wonder we pray to You. You have created a grand universe, and paid attention to the tiniest details. I can trust you with anything, big or small. How I spend my money and my time reveals my trust in You. I trust You with me, all of me, all that I have.

Amen

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Believe Him

Daily Reading

Isaiah 45-48

Daily Thought

God used prophets such as Isaiah to teach his hard-headed people to trust him, “Because I know that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew and your forehead brass, I declared them to you from of old, before they came to pass I announced them to you” (Isaiah 48:4-5). 

So, for instance, Isaiah said, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Seven hundred years later, an angel appeared to a girl named Mary and told her she will give birth to the son of God (Immanuel means “God with us”). Mary responded,  “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34).

“The former things I declared of old;
they went out from my mouth, and I announced them;
then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass” (Isaiah 48:3).

“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,” announced Isaiah (11:1), “in the tent of David” (16:5). The first verse of the first Gospel begins “the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, and Jesse the father of David the king” (Matthew 1:1, 6). 

John the Baptist announced Jesus, “preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 3:1-2). Isaiah, 700 years earlier, announced John, “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God’” (Isaiah 40:3). 

Isaiah even knew how and why Jesus would die, “he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5), and Jesus said to his disciple, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe” (John 20:27).

“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). 

God speaks and it happens. 

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come” (2Peter 3:9-10). 

Believe him. Trust him.

Daily Prayer

Saving God, Immanuel, God with us. You promised a Savior, You sent Your Son. Thank You for Jesus Christ, my Savior, my Lord, my God. I trust You in all things. You are the God of Your Word. May I be a man of my word, as well.

O Lord, You are faithful and true. You said Your Son would come. He did. You said He is to come again. He will.

Amen

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Bee Stings

Daily Reading

Isaiah 23-27

Daily Thought

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Jesus prays what Isaiah prophesied, “In that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain at Jerusalem” (Isaiah 27:13). The kingdoms of this world illude power and pleasure, but deliver destruction and death. Isaiah declares a day to come when we will return to the mountain of God, where the Lord “will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces” (Isaiah 25:8). Isaiah is speaking of Jesus.

This world offers us pleasure today. We can hold it now, which is the power of temptation. It is in our grasp, but comes with a sting, the terror of sin and promise of death. At six years old, I was scared to death of bees, and a bee flew into the car. Dad rolled the car windows down, offering escape, but this bee was intent on terrorizing me. Finally, Dad reached over and caught the bee in his hand and held it. I did not see it sting, but I know it stung because he opened his hand and showed me the bee. Dead. Dad plucked the stinger out of his palm, and I was brave again. “’O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Corinthians 15:55-57).

God offers us joy forever in a day to come. It comes with a cross, the triumph of sacrifice and the promise of life. We can be sure of it, which is the power of trust. That is the choice we must make, between today and tomorrow, between temptation and trust.

Daily Prayer

My Savior God, You warned me. You told me that sin leads to death, and yet I like to sin. And so, I deserve death because I choose a life of sin over a life of obedience. In astonishing love, however, You took the death I deserved, even while I continued to sin. No wonder I learn love only because You first loved me.

It’s an amazing grace You offer me. Through faith, I receive the righteousness of Your Son. I do not need to obey to earn Your love because You freely give it to me. So, now, I obey, not because I need to, but because I want to. You have changed my desires, God, and now I want nothing more than to follow You.

Amen

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Do Nothing

Daily Reading

1Chronicles 15-17

Daily Thought

David had learned to trust God when he had something to do, something to accomplish, something to conquer. When he was young, David stood before Goliath, a giant warrior, ”You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head” (1Samuel 17:45-46). Such was David’s faith and God was with him. David learned to seek God before each battle.as he did in his most recent, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up, and I will give them into your hand” (1Chronicles 14:10), and David trusted God and fought the Philistines and won.

David intended to build a house for God and this was a good intention. David saw that he had a house and God did not, “Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent” (1Chronicles 17:1), so build him one. Nathan the prophet agreed, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you” (1Chronicles 17:2). Then God visited Nathan and said, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: It is not you who will build me a house to dwell in'” (v 4). God had other plans, but for a man of action, “Do nothing” is difficult to hear. For David, a hands-on guy with a vigorous faith, this may be the tougher test. Sometimes the hardest thing God wants us to do is nothing. David must trust God when he has nothing to do, nothing to add or accomplish. 

“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). So David trusted God and did nothing.

Daily Prayer

Lord God, You delight in me. There is nothing I can add to Your worth or Your wealth. You have no need of my offerings or my sacrifices. You desire them, not for Your gain but for mine. When I give I gain. My faith and trust grows. My relationship strengthens.

All that I am, God, comes from You. I am happiest when I pursue what You have created me to do. Take my desires God and shape them to Your will. You delight in me. I long to delight in You. May I desire You fully forever.

Amen

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Trusting God

Daily Reading

1Chronicles 3-5

Daily Thought

First Chronicles begins with 9 chapters of names, family genealogies fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham, “I will multiply your offspring as the sand that is on the seashore” (Genesis 22:17). One long list after another, but look closely, there are shiny objects hidden in the sand. For example, the oft-overlooked Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh, “valiant men who carried shield and sword, and drew the bow, expert in war, 44,760, able to go to war. They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. And when they prevailed over them, the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hands, for they cried out to God in the battle, and he granted their urgent plea because they trusted in him” (1Chronicles 5:18-20). Trusting God does not relieve us the responsibility to prepare ourselves, and these tribes came ready for battle, then followed God to victory. Neither is faith blind. God writes his greatness and goodness and grace in history and this history is recorded in his Word. His Word guides us to a mighty faith.

In the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” Indy is chasing the Holy Grail, the cup of legend, supposedly shared by Jesus with his disciples at the Last Supper. The bad guy wants the cup, too, so he shoot’s Indy’s dad, not dead, but dying.  “It’s time to ask yourself what you believe,” said the bad guy. Go get the Grail, Indy, it’s the only thing that can save your dad. Indy took a book, given to him by his father, that should lead him to the Holy Grail. Could he trust the book?

The book said, “Kneel.” Indiana Jones knelt, and blades of steel passed harmlessly over his head. The book said, “Proceed on the name of God,” and Indy stepped on rocks labeled I-E-H-O-V-A-H (with an “I” because it’s Latin) to safety. Then the book said, “Leap,” but there was nowhere to leap; just a deep chasm. He stepped forward anyway. It was a leap of faith, but it wasn’t blind, because the book had proven true. Indiana Jones trusted the book.

Followers of Jesus are those who trust the book. God’s Word proves true and we put our lives in the hands of its author. “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). We, like the Hebrews, discover and develop trust in God as we immerse ourselves in Scripture, even long lists.

Daily Prayer

God, You are faithful and true. I can trust fully in You. Build my faith, God, and strengthen my trust. You are certainly worthy of it. I know that if I seek You and only You, I do not need to worry or be anxious. All things are in Your hand. It baffles me how many things distract me when I only need to keep my eyes on One. You.

May I be faithful to Your Word, reading it, no, devouring it with delight. The more I am in it, the more I am overwhelmed by Your grace and truth. You search deep inside me with Your Words, and You clean house, and You lead me to a life fully of Your majesty and wonder.

Amen

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Bad Beginnings

Daily Reading

2Samuel 4-7

Daily Thought

David determined to bring the ark of God to the city of David, to Jerusalem. It began badly. After loading the ark of God on a new cart, the oxen stumbled, the ark thrust sideways, and “Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God” (2Samuel 6:6-7). The celebration turned to grief. What happened?

The problem: David determined to bring the ark. He talked to his leaders, “David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader” (1Chronicles 13:1). He talked to the people, “All the assembly agreed to do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people” (1Chronicles 13:4). Of course he talked to God, right? He always talks to God. Look how often, “David inquired of the Lord, ‘Shall I…?'”–1Samuel 23:3; 1Samuel 30:8; 2Samuel 2:1; 2Samuel 5:19. Except not this time. He did not ask God if God wanted his ark in Jerusalem. And, tragically, he did not ask God how to carry the ark.

God’s word was clear, but forgotten. “You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it” (Exodus 25:12-15). The ark was to be carried on the shoulders by four Kohathite men, and “they must not touch the holy things, lest they die” (Numbers 4:15). And “Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it.”

It began badly, because it began without God.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, I worship You and You alone. You are God and there is no other. May I worship You the way You want, the way You ask me to, the way that pleases You. God, too often I worship You to please myself and others.  May I be more concerned about Your pleasure than mine. I give You Sunday; may I worship You Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, as well, and may my worship be seen in my love for others. May my life be a living sacrifice.

God, help me be Your servant to the poor and the needy. Let me be one who reads Your Word and follows Your ways. To worship You, obedience comes before sacrifice. Keep me from becoming self-centered, world-centered. May I be heavenly minded and passionate about You. Mold my heart, so that it desires all things good and righteous.

Amen