Clever Lies

In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.

-- 2 Peter 2:3 (NLT)

If you are reading this from the Internet, then you no doubt have seen or received countless emailings offering you great sums of money from someone you've never heard of, and all you have to do is accept and hold an even greater sum for a little while. Or perhaps you have an item for sell and someone offers to pay far more than you are asking, but they need you to give them the excess back. Or you have won a lottery in a foreign country worth millions of dollars and all you have to do is pay $319.42 for processing the payout and local taxes. Or... The variety is great, but the goal is the same: to separate you from your money. Con artists, swindlers, frauds and cheats, they tell clever lies in their attempts to take some portion of your hard earned income or savings, and the more they can get the better. In a very true sense, they try to take advantage of our own greediness, offering a lot for a little. Of course, they have no intention on delivering anything, let alone a fortune.

If we are too greedy and fall for their trap, we lose. We lose what we have toiled long for, we lose some portion of our self-respect, we may even suffer some loss of respect from our loved ones. But Peter makes it clear that those who make up and spread these clever little lies in their desire to defraud you have already been condemned by God, and their destruction is assured and imminent.

Greed serves no one but Satan.

Father, thank You for promising swift judgment on those who seek no greater goal than to rob their neighbors. Please blind our eyes and deafen our ears to their appeals, their clever lies. Please remove all traces of greed from our own hearts, that we might use our blessings to better serve You and our brothers and sisters in this world. Amen.

Let the Music Play

Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the Lord on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.

-- 2 Samuel 6:5 (NKJV)

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that music has always played an important role in worship. Every worship service I can remember employed music in some form or another. Sometimes soft and in the background, sometimes just from one or two people, sometimes from everyone, sometimes loud and full of life and spirit. It was this last aspect that is recorded for us in 2nd Samuel: music played loud, on every manner of instrument, filling the streets, lifting a joyful noise unto God on high!

Too often we think that only the music we play is right for a church service, that those other churches are going to far in what they include in their service. All those electrically amplified instruments and voices, with big screens showing pictures and the words to the more contemporary songs, and people clapping and even dancing, and ... And isn't that just a little too much for a church service? Are we here to be entertained, or to worship God?

We're here to worship, and however we do so is not as important as just doing it with all our heart and with joy bursting from our inner core and spreading to all those nearby! Based on the above verse and others in the Bible, David and the whole house of Israel would have employed any of the more modern means of worship and more. Think of all that God has given you. Jump up and down, shout out your thanks, acknowledge your King! If you can play an instrument, then play. Even if you can't carry a tune in a bucket, sing. If nothing else, speak the words of glory and praise for your God has given you the greatest gift imaginable, He has made the greatest sacrifice possible, just so that you can have everlasting life with Him. So let the music play!

Father, thank You for giving us voice to sing of Your glory. May we never be afraid or ashamed to shout Your praises to the world. Let us ever honor You and thank You with the music we offer up from our instruments and our lips. Amen.

Brought Near

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

-- Ephesians 2:13 (NKJV)

One of the most memorable illustrations I have ever seen of how the cross serves us is that it became a bridge for us to return to God. A great chasm opened between mankind and God when Adam and Eve sinned. No matter how long or how hard he tried, man has not been able to span that gap of his own power. Then God sent His Son to us and sacrificed Him in payment of our sins. The instrument of Christ's death provides a crossing for us to be together with God once again.

Paul was speaking to the church in Ephesus, a gentile audience, when he wrote the above. He noted that they had been without Christ, without God, since they were not Jews or did not live in the land of Israel. But because Christ had defeated death for them, they could now share in the glory of heaven. The cross of Christ bridges the chasm and brings them near, His blood washes them clean, and they can now approach God.

Jesus, our wonderful Savior, thank You for giving us a bridge we can cross to return to You, to God. Thank You for washing our sins away with the blood You shed on our behalf. May we sing of Your glory for ever and ever. Amen.

My Help

My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

-- Psalm 121:2 (NKJV)

In the first verse of this Psalm, David comments "I will lift up my eyes to the hills", followed by the question "From whence comes my help?". (Psalm 121:1) This is likely a subtle (or not so subtle) mockery of idolatry. Paganism and idol worship were often practiced on hill and mountain tops in those times. But he can't find anything there, because he asks where is his help. So the first verse basically says he looked to the idols, the false gods, for help, but nothing came from them. No help was in sight. This doesn't mean that David himself worshipped idols or other gods. No, on the contrary, he was being sarcastic, deriding those gods as useless.

In verse two, David tells us where he truly turns for assistance: to the Lord Who made heaven and earth, to the one God, the true God. Why look to some impotent false idol for help, when you can seek out the most powerful being in all of creation, the very One who created everything else, the maker of the heavens and the earth? And isn't this still applicable today? If you're looking in a bottle or a syringe or a medicine cabinet to make you feel better, if you are turning to material objects or people with no moral compass for something you are missing, if you are lifting your eyes to the hills filled with false promises and broken dreams, you will never find your help. Look instead to God, the maker of all creation. He will always help.

Father, thank You for giving us a true, faithful, and ready source of help in all our needs and times of despair. Thank You for not failing us when we need You the most. Amen.

Walk Humbly

He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

-- Micah 6:8 (NKJV)

God has certainly shown us what is good. We can see His handiwork all around us. The beauty of His garden, the delight His creatures impart, the glory of the night sky, the wonder of a new born babe, and so much more speak a testament of all the good God provides.

And what little does He ask of us? Micah tells us we need only do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. To "do justly" and to "love mercy" both follow along with what Jesus instructed us: "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise." (Luke 6:31 (NKJV)) Simply be honest and fair with other people, be compassionate with them even if they do you or a loved one wrong.

The last admonition is to be humble in your walk through life, and, more importantly, in your walk with God. In this instance, showing humility means more than just being quiet or low-key. While we should not be overly inclined to jumping up and down while shouting "Look at me! Look at me!", we must also strive to always put other people first. Show humility by being deferential whenever possible. Jesus pointed this out to us when He was invited to a dinner at the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and he cautioned those in attendance not to clamor and compete for the best seats. (Luke 14:7-11).

Why is it so hard for us to treat other people, ALL people, the way we want to be treated ourselves? God asks so little of us. Can't we just be nicer to each other?

Father, thank You for encouraging us, through the words of Your prophet Micah and Your very Son our Lord, to treat each other with kindness, mercy, and respect. May we always walk humbly with you. Amen.

Who Rides the Heavens

"There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, and in His excellency on the clouds."

-- Deuteronomy 33:26 (NKJV)

"Jeshurun" is the poetic form of Israel and can mean Jacob, who was renamed Israel by God, the people of Israel or the land itself. Either of the three is appropriate in this verse, because "the God of Jeshrun" is the God of Jacob, the God of the land that bears his name, and the God of his descendants -- our God, the God.

Do you remember all the stories and tales where a knight in shining armor, or the good guy cowboy, would come riding in on a white horse and save the day? That is what I see when I close my eyes and visualize this verse. God comes riding across the heavens to help us. Not with flashing sword or blazing guns, but with all the power and might of the universe and His service. I see His hair blowing in the wind of His fast ride, a smile playing across His face as He comes, once again, to our rescue. He is in His excellency, His milieu, as He sweeps across the clouds, the sun (and the Son) beaming brightly in the distance.

There is indeed no one like God. He rides the heavens, just to help us.

Father, thank You for always coming to our rescue, for riding across the heavens just to be at our side. Thank You for sending Your Son that we might be saved. Amen.

Abide in His Love

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you;
abide in My love."

-- John 15:9 (NKJV)

As His final days drew close, Jesus shared one last meal with His disciples. He spoke quite bluntly with them that evening, speaking directly about what is expected of them, what the future holds. He knew His fate, and He wanted to prepare those who would carry on His work after He departed this world. But even with this pressing need, or maybe because of it, He felt it very important to reassure His beloved followers that His love for them would endure, that He would always be with them. He imparted this message for everyone, though, those there with Him and those not yet born. John recorded His words and they have lived for over two thousand years just so we could hear the very phrases Jesus spoke to us so long ago.

Jesus loves us. Just as God His Father loved Him, that is how much Jesus loves us.

No matter what may happen, regardless the lot life hands us, even if family and friends fail us, Jesus loves us. He always has. He always will. Abide in His love.

Dearest Jesus our Savior, thank you so much for always being there for us, for always loving us. Amen.

To Those Who Love God

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

-- Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

Paul assures us that when we love God, He will be directing everything to work together toward our ultimate good. We know what His final goal is, the Bible tells us this quite clearly. But sometimes we need to be reminded that all of this, everything that God does, is part of His master plan and that we will benefit from it in the end. Everything will be for our own good. God loves us so much, and when we love Him we become His called ones, helping to serve His purpose.

The Contemporary English Version puts this in a slightly different way: "We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose." Those who love God are the ones He has chosen. What more could anyone ask for? What greater honor could we enjoy than to be the chosen of God?

Father, thank You for working all things toward our good. Thank you for choosing us. To You be all glory. Amen.

Like a Scarecrow

"Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good."

-- Jeremiah 10:5 (NIV)

Jeremiah repeated the words God spoke to the children of Israel, warning them against the false gods of the people they found themselves living among. The imagery is excellent, if you think of a typical scarecrow. It hangs upon a post in a field. It is intended to represent a living being, to stand in place of something else, rather than live itself. It certainly cannot speak, for it has no voice. It cannot move of its own accord, but must be carried from place to place. There is nothing to fear in it: since it cannot move, it cannot do anything to you. And it really doesn't do much good, because even the birds soon learn not to fear it. No, a scarecrow is nothing more than a fading shadow of a real man.

God is no scarecrow. Not only can He move, He can move the heavens and the earth as well. He is to be feared, but only if we intend harm to His children. Even if we do wrong in His eyes, He is quick to forgive, always ready to accept a child back with open arms. And while He can indeed inflict harm upon those who will not listen, His acts of goodness and kindness are infinite.

What scarecrows have we carried into our fields, brought into our lives? What false gods to we worship? Is making a living more important than living a life of service to God and others? Is a ball game or fishing trip or family outing to the amusement park more important than a Sabbath of rest and worship?

Father, thank You for showing us the true face of the scarecrow, how there is nothing to fear nor to gain from them, that they are a poor substitute. Only You are God. Amen.

My Hope is in Him

Let all that I am wait quietly before God,

for my hope is in Him.

-- Psalm 62:5 (NLT)

What do you hope for? A raise? A new car? A bigger house? Getting the kids through college? Finding something to eat tonight?

As King of the Israelites, David was the most powerful man in the land. He could demand any material article or possession he desired. Perhaps this wealth helped him turn his thoughts from physical needs to what he truly needed, to what his eternal soul required.

Especially during the current economic downturn, we too often worry about the present or very near future. We do wonder if we will ever get another raise in salary, a better car, a bigger home. Too many of our brothers and sisters, old and young and everywhere in between, wonder where their next meal will come from. It is so easy to turn our thoughts toward the needs of the flesh when we have needs, perceived or real.

But when those needs are greatest, that is the time to pause and sit silently with God. Talk to Him, pray. Tell Him your worries, your concerns, express your needs and your wants. Examine your heart and see if your desires are for only yourself, or include others in their times of trial. Wait quietly before God. And then turn all those worries and concerns over to Him. When times are tough, we have no greater hope than in God. He is our rock. He is our salvation. In Him we can find strength to carry on. In Him we will find eternal life. And on that day when we sit at our Lord's side, we will no longer know fear or worry or pain or hunger or suffering of any kind.

Father, thank You for listening to our needs, for hearing our cries even as we sit quietly before You in prayer. Your faithfulness endures. All our hope is in You. Amen.

When You Are In Distress

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress.

-- Psalm 20:1a

How often do we offer someone a wish when we feel we can do nothing else to help them? We listen, we console, we try to give comfort and hope and solace. But in the end there is little we can do to actually help someone through a difficult situation. So we offer up a wish that things be better for them. We offer up a prayer.

David did this so long ago, for all of us. We all experience our own times of distress and need help. And many times there is nothing anyone can do to affect the situation. David knew this, and so did what he could. He prayed to God that He might answer us when we find ourselves in trouble. Why would David do this, for all people from his life forward? Because he knew that in some circumstances, God is the only One Who can help us, and in all circumstances, the Lord will help if we only ask. Paul knew this also, when in Philippians 4:13 he said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

When our strength fails us, when no one else can help, when the situation we find ourselves in appears utterly hopeless, we can always turn to God and He will answer us in our distress. His strength will never fail us. He will always listen for our call.

Father, thank You for always being there for us, for hearing us in our times of despair. Be our comfort and our strength. Amen.

Exalting the Lowly

"And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, the Lord, have spoken and have done it.”

-- Ezekiel 17:24

Throughout the Bible, God provides encouragement to those who may be less fortunate than others, at a disadvantage when compared to others, suffer at the hands of others, yet remain faithful to the Lord. We are told that the meek will inherit the earth (Psalm 37:11, Matthew 5:5). We learn that the first will end up last and the last will be first (Matthew 19:30, Mark 10:31, and many other references). We see that those who serve may be considered before those who are served (Matthew 20:25-28, Mark 9:35, Mark 10:42-45).

While all these serve as examples of how we should live our lives, in service and humility, they also offer hope for when we fall victim to cruel fate or harsh circumstances. When everything seems to be going against you, when nothing goes right and everyone who crosses your path inflicts more injury and injustice, look to the words of our living Lord and Savior. Remember that God will exalt the lowly and make even the dry tree flourish. The Lord not only has spoken this, He promises us He has already done this. Praise God!

Father, thank You for giving us examples for living a life that will be pleasing in Your eyes. And thank You for promising to exalt us and make us flourish when we remember these words. Amen.

That the World Might Be Saved

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
-- John 3:17

John loved the Lord and Jesus loved him. Because of this great love, John frequently fills his passages with more passionate imagery. You can almost feel the admiration, gratitude, awe, and love within John as he writes these words that may be considered as explanatory to the more well-known verse before it, John 3:16. God sacrificed His Son for us because He loves us. Jesus did not come to judge or convict us, nor to destroy the world. He came to offer us a means of salvation. He came to pay the ultimate price for our sins against His Father. He died and defeated death so that we might escape eternal torment and pain. And what do we have to do to take advantage of all this? John already told us: believe in Jesus Christ.

I don't wish to make too light of this. Truly believing in Christ requires us to make great sacrifices ourselves, to give up our sinful ways, to put aside the wants and desires of the flesh, to follow the teachings in the Bible. Early Christians even gave of their own lives because of their belief, because they chose to follow Christ. But is any of that too great a price to live forever with God, to avoid eternal suffering?

It is easy to see why John was filled with so much admiration, why he was so grateful, and why he was so much in awe of this most precious gift.

Father, thank You for making the ultimate sacrifice just so that we, Your sinful children, might be saved through Your Son Jesus Christ. May we never lose our sense of awe and undying appreciation when we think of this wonderful gift. Amen.

Whom Shall I Send?

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me."

-- Isaiah 6:8

The Old Testament prophets often related seeing God or hearing Him speak. In the New Testament, normal people witnessed to Jesus, especially His disciples, reporting on miracles they saw Him perform, lessons they heard Him teach. And even today, many Christians know with absolute surety that they have felt God's urgings, heard Him speak to them in the silence of a dark night or the roar of a waterfall. But having heard God's voice, how do we respond?

Isaiah felt God within him, saw Him on His high throne, viewed His seraphim standing above Him, heard them singing "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts". And he felt fearful, knowing he was a mere man, a sinner, standing in the presence of God. But then one of the angels flew to his side and cleaned him. And God asked an amazing question: "Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?" Isaiah did not hesitate a bit when he shouted, "Here I am! Send me!"

Jesus has promised to stand by our side when we face God. His blood has already washed us clean. When He asks, "Whom shall I send?", may we be as quick and as enthusiastic to answer as Isaiah. "Here I am! Use me!"

Father, thank you for sacrificing your Son so that we might stand before you cleansed, with our debt paid. May we never pause and consider when You ask us to carry out a task for You, but may we jump to our feet and shout "Use me, Lord!". Amen.

Safe from the Hour of Trial

"Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth."

-- Revelation 3:10

The Book of Revelations opens with a series of messages God wishes John to deliver to the seven churches of Asia Minor. He tells the church of Philadelphia that because they have been so dedicated to following God's Word, they will be kept safe from the trials about to befall the whole world. There are two points to consider in this passage, and the messages to the seven churches. First is the number of churches. Thos who study numbers in the Bible have concluded that seven is the complete number, denoting completeness. When used, it refers to far more than just seven, but to all possible occurrances. In this case, God intends his message to go out to everyone, all His children, all the churches throughout the world, the entire body of Christ on earth. Each of the churches directly addressed has some specific flaw that God wishes to caution about, or some specific good characteristic that God wishes to praise. And isn't that true of all of us? We have our good points and our bad. God wants us to know what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong, encouraging the good points while discouraging the bad.

The second concern of this passage addresses the concept of the Rapture, when Christ returns to take all His people home. There has been some debate over the years as to whether the Rapture would occur before or after the great tribulation described in Revelation. The subject verse today appears to clearly indicate that those who closely follow the teachings of our Lord and Savior and hold onto the Word of God will be kept safe from the coming tribulation. This would indicate that the Rapture will occur before the Anti-Christ stands in the Temple and the seven years of tribulation begins. What a wonderful, joyous thought this is for those who follow Christ, who suffer through this life on earth, who battle Satan, who persevere.

Father, help us keep Your command, help us persevere in the face of adversity, help us to maintain our faith when darkness surrounds us. Thank You for Your promise to keep us safe from the great trials that will test the peoples of the earth. In Your holy name we pray, Amen.

Fine Flour

"When someone brings a grain offering to the Lord,
his offering is to be of fine flour."

-- Leviticus 2:1

God instructed Moses to teach the Israelites the proper forms of offerings to make to Him. Here the instructions refer to a grain offering, what might be considered more lowly or less worthy than other sacrifices. But God says this offering should be of fine flour. Flour is made by grinding wheat; the more the wheat is ground, the finer the flour that results. If all one has to offer is grain, it should be worked until it is fine and made as pure as possible.

Even if we have little to offer our Lord, we should work hard at it, making it as pure and fine as we can, giving it our very best effort. This is true in all endeavors, for everything we do will reflect on God and be seen by Him. No matter the cause, no matter the task, no matter the intended result, we should give it our very best.

Dear Father, may we always give you our best, and may our offerings be acceptable in Your sight. Amen.

Setting the Example

When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.

-- 1 Peter 2:23

Such a descriptive phrase Peter turned: they hurled their insults. While Jesus hung from the cross - battered, beaten, struggling for each breath - the people who came to gawk taunted Him, cursed Him, jeered at Him. The people He came to save, the people He was about to die for, slung insults at Him as if flinging stones. And how did He respond?

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)

We who follow our dear Savior and identify with His name should follow His lead by seeking forgiveness for those who hurt us, rather than revenge.


Father, forgive us, for we still seem to not know what we are doing. Amen.

In the Beginning...

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1

One of the most well-known Bible verses is the first. It refers to the very beginning, before anything else. But the point is, God already existed, even before the "beginning". He was already here so that he could create the heavens and the earth. The beginning refers to the physical world as we know it. God exists outside of time. He always has been. He always will be. In that we can take great comfort, relying on the one true constant.


Father, thank you for always being there for us. Amen.