Though He Slay Me

This post was written by Greg Hazelrig. He is a United Methodist pastor in the Mississippi Conference.

Forgive me, but I just had to use a portion of my own devotion this morning for Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest.

"Because you have kept My command to persevere..." (Revelation 3:10)

Perseverance means more than endurance - more than simply holding on until the end. A saint's life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, but our Lord continues to stretch and strain, and every once in a while the saint says, "I can't take any more." Yet God pays no attention; He goes on stretching until His purpose is in sight, and then He lets the arrow fly. Entrust yourself to God's hands. Is there something in your life for which you need perseverance right now? Maintain your intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through the perseverance of faith. Proclaim as Job did, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" (Job 13:15). - Oswald Chambers

Is there anything you're struggling with now and are telling God "I can't take on any more" or "I can't do it anymore"? Could God be strengthening you to let you fly like the archer's arrow? I think that often times when we're struggling with something we look to God for comfort when what we need is the faith that He's doing something in us that might hurt now, but will be great in the end.

An Unusual and Painful Story

Devotion by Mark Roberts is a pastor, author, speaker and blogger. From 1991 through September 2007, he was the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California.

Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah). [Matthew 1:6]

One of the distinctive features of Matthew's list of Jesus' ancestors is the inclusion of four women, each of whom had an unusual and painful story to tell.

Take Bathsheba, for example (2 Sam. 11-12). While she was bathing on the roof of her home, King David spotted her and lusted after her. He used his sovereign authority to have her brought to him so that he might have sex with her, even though he knew that she was married to a man named Uriah. When she became pregnant, David tried to get Uriah, who served in the king's army, to sleep with his wife so that David's immorality might not be discovered. But Uriah refused out of loyalty to his fellow soldiers. David responded by having Uriah placed at the front of the battle line so that he might be killed.

As judgment upon David for his gross sins, God took the life of the child he fathered through Bathsheba. Later, he again slept with her, after he had taken her as one of his wives. This time Bathsheba gave birth to a child who lived: Solomon. And he became one of the legal ancestors of Jesus.

Talk about amazing redemption! God used even David's abomination in his plans to save the world. This in no way excuses David for what he did with Bathsheba and Uriah, but it does testify to God's amazing grace and inscrutable sovereignty.

If God can work even through a man like David, then he can work through people like you and me. If God can bring good out of David's egregious sin, then he can redeem our lives as well.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How has God brought good out of bad things in your life, or the life of your family? If God can bring good out of evil, does this lessen our desire to do what's right? Or does it increase it? Why?

PRAYER: Gracious Lord, I marvel at the wonder of your grace, and the mystery of your sovereignty. You execute your will, not only in spite of our sins, but sometimes even through them. You can take the worst of actions and turn them around for good. That doesn't excuse the wrong, of course. But it does testify to your incredible mercy and love.All praise be to you, my Redeemer, for taking the mess of my life and working it out for good. What a wonder you are, dear Lord! Amen.

Quiet

A man prayed, and at first he thought that prayer was talking. But he became more and more quiet until in the end he realized that prayer is listening.
---Søren Kierkegaard

Moving to the City?

The ultimate challenge of Jesus’ ministry was to go to the city, the city of Jerusalem. This city, which was the center of education, religion, and politics, was also the place where corruption and crimes abounded. Yet, Jesus went there anyway. Following Jesus to the city was a risky business. Many would-be followers dropped out when they saw this ultimate danger. What will it require of us to move to the city? I ask this question whenever I find myself wanting to settle down in the comfort of material well-being. God may not ask us to physically move to the city, but God does require that we reach out to hurting people with the gospel, wherever they might be.

- Kyungsig Samuel Lee (Korean Family Devotions)

Cast the first stone.....

This post was written by Greg Hazelrig. He is a United
Methodist pastor in the Mississippi Conference.

At dawn [Jesus] appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?""No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."John 8:2-11 (TNIV)

The biblical word for cheating on one's wife or husband is adultery. And it's frowned on heavily by God. As a matter of fact, the prohibition of it made it into the Ten Commandments (number 7). The reason God abhors it so much is that it ruins the relationship between a man and a woman. And God's greatest desire is for us to have relationships…relationships with each other and with Him.

In our Scripture reading the Pharisees bring a woman who has been caught in the act of adultery to Jesus and ask him point blank…what do you say that we should do with her? On one hand, the Law of Moses says to stone her. On the other hand, Roman law prevented this kind of punishment.

And then there's the fact that if he said, "Let her go", the Pharisees could say that he didn't adhere to Jewish Law. Of course if he said to stone her, he would go against everything he taught.

What was he to do? He simply wrote in the dirt (maybe the question – where's the man). And when pressed, he gave an answer that's like one of those great lines from an old movie. One that will last forever in people's memories…kind of like Frankly my dear Scarlet…or I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Toto…or of all the gin joints in all the…. He said, "He that is without sin cast the first stone." And that line has been repeated over and over through the centuries.

Wow! What could they do? Uhhhh Ummm! Can you imagine them looking at each other. "You do it. No, you do it." Then one by one, beginning with the oldest (probably because they were the wisest) they dropped their deadly weapons and slunk away. Even they weren't hypocritical enough to claim that any of them were without sin.

When all the Pharisees were gone, Jesus asked the woman, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?" "No", she replied. And then we hear those wonderful words of grace, "Neither do I. Go and sin no more."

The original Greek means that Jesus deferred judgment. He didn't say to her, "Forget it. It's no big deal." What he meant was: "I am not going to pass judgment on you now. Go out and live a different life and do what you can to become a different person."

In a round about way, isn't that what he's told you before? I know I've heard those words before. He says to us, I don't condemn you. Instead, I forgive you. Now, I want you to change and try to become the person you're meant to be. At that point...it's up to us.

Lying Lips

Hatred is an acid that corrodes its container. ---Tonya Baker

He who conceals his hatred has lying lips,and whoever spreads slander is a fool. Proverbs 10:18

Dead by Midnight?

Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster,and do so with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again. -Og Mandino

So teach us to number our days,That we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

GOD’S MISSION: ADOPTION by Max Lucado

When we come to Christ, God not only forgives us, he also adopts us. Through a dramatic series of events, we go from condemned orphans with no hope to adopted children with no fear. Here is how it happens. You come before the judgment seat of God full of rebellion and mistakes. Because of his justice he cannot dismiss your sin, but because of his love he cannot dismiss you. So, in an act which stunned the heavens, he punished himself on the cross for your sins. God’s justice and love are equally honored. And you, God’s creation, are forgiven. But the story doesn’t end with God’s forgiveness.

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God (Rom. 8:15–16 NASB).

But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons (Gal. 4:4–5 NASB).

It would be enough if God just cleansed your name, but he does more. He gives you his name. It would be enough if God just set you free, but he does more. He takes you home. He takes you home to the Great House of God.

Adoptive parents understand this more than anyone. I certainly don’t mean to offend any biological parents—I’m one myself. We biological parents know well the earnest longing to have a child. But in many cases our cribs were filled easily. We decided to have a child and a child came. In fact, sometimes the child came with no decision. I’ve heard of unplanned pregnancies, but I’ve never heard of an unplanned adoption.

That’s why adoptive parents understand God’s passion to adopt us. They know what it means to feel an empty space inside. They know what it means to hunt, to set out on a mission, and take responsibility for a child with a spotted past and a dubious future. If anybody understands God’s ardor for his children, it’s someone who has rescued an orphan from despair, for that is what God has done for us.

God has adopted you. God sought you, found you, signed the papers and took you home.

Headed Home (Max Lucado)

“He chose us in Him before the foundations of the world.”Ephesians 1:4 NKJ

Search the faces of the Cap Haitian orphanage for Carinette…The girl with the long nose and bushy hair and a handful of photos…The photos bear the images of her future family. She’s been adopted.

Her adoptive parents are friends of mine. They brought her pictures, a teddy bear, granola bars, and cookies. Carinette shared the goodies and asked the director to guard her bear, but she keeps the pictures. They remind her of her home-to-be. Within a month, two at the most, she’ll be there. She knows the day is coming…Any day now her father will appear. He came once to claim her. He’ll come again to carry her home. Till then she lives with a heart headed home.

Shouldn’t we all? Our Father paid us a visit too. Have we not been claimed? Adopted?...God searched you out. Before you knew you needed adopting, he’d already filled out the papers and selected the wallpaper for your room.

If you believe.... (Max Lucado)

“If you believe, you will get anything you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:24

“If you believe, you will get anything you ask for in prayer.”

Don’t reduce this grand statement to the category of new cars and paychecks. Don’t limit the promise of this package to the selfish pool of perks and favors. The fruit God assures is far greater than promotions and proposals.

God wants you to fly. He wants you to fly free of yesterday’s guilt. He wants you to fly free of today’s fears. He wants you to fly free of tomorrow’s grave. Sin, fear, and death. These are the mountains he has moved. These are the prayers that he will answer. That is the fruit he will grant. This is what he longs to do.

The God Who Follows (Max Lucado)

“The upright shall dwell in Your presence.”Psalm 140:14 NKJV

Lazarus was three days dead in a sealed tomb when he heard a voice, lifted his head, and looked over his shoulder and saw Jesus standing. God had followed him into death.

Peter had denied his Lord and gone back to fishing when he heard his name and looked over his shoulder and saw Jesus cooking breakfast. God had followed him in spite of his failure.

God is the God who follows. I wonder…have you sensed him following you? We often miss him…But he comes.

Through the kindness of a stranger. The majesty of a sunset. The mystery of romance. Through the question of a child or the commitment of a spouse. Through a word well spoken or a touch well timed, have you sensed his presence?

I Am ........... (David Jeremiah)

[John the Baptist] said: "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said." John 1:23

God said, "I AM WHO I AM." Abraham said, "I am old." Jacob said, "I am Esau your firstborn." Moses said, "I am not eloquent." Gideon said, "I am the least in my father's house." Ruth said, "I am a foreigner." Nehemiah said, "I am doing a great work." Job said, "I am a brother of jackals." Jesus said, "I am the door, the light, the bread, the Good Shepherd." Paul said, "I am the chief of sinners."

How would you answer the question, "Who are you?" When John the Baptist was asked that question, he spoke without hesitation: "I am the voice." John was not confused and he did not stutter. He knew exactly who he was and what he was called to do. He was "the voice." His calling was to speak—to announce the coming of the kingdom of God and of the Messiah of Israel. It didn't bother John that he wasn't the Messiah. The only thing that would have bothered him was not to speak clearly. John was a satisfied man, confident and content in his knowledge of himself.

Can you say the same about yourself? Take a moment and fill in the blank: "I am ......."

Then decide, "How happy am I with my answer?" If you're not sure about either, ask God for His insight.

In For the Long Haul?? (by Sky Lowe-McCracken)

This is written by Sky Lowe-McCracken. He is a UMC pastor near Paducah, Ky. His blog is at: http://revdsky.blogspot.com/

We all make New Year’s resolutions that we usually end up breaking. Diets, television habits, being more involved in something, spending more time with loved ones. They, like the things we say we will give up for Lent, are often temporary or short term.

But what about for the long haul? Our faith walk and discipleship require more than just temporary or short term sacrifices and actions. It’s life long. And we choose to keep the resolutions we make, just as we consciously choose how to live out our discipleship.

We have seen witness to that in years past. Our church has been actively involved in mission work to Alabama and Mississippi the past two years to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina. Yes, that was two years ago. Had some folks not been committed for the long haul, the victims that are still homeless and in despair would now be receiving no help at all.

As human beings, we are very short-sighted and our memories are short-term. We often choose to ignore or rationalize the challenges and opportunities that confront us daily on our walk with Christ. These were the very things the Apostle Paul warned us about when he shared with us the costs of discipleship.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I
have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness,which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. – 2 Timothy 4:7-8

But being in for the long haul has its rewards, too. There is joy in finding that God can use us as a part of His plan. And there is peace in knowing that our sacrifices, just as Jesus’ sacrifice, are not in vain, and that we are redeemable people.

So make some good resolutions this year. But make some that will stick. And more importantly – make some that will, in the long haul, make a difference in God’s Kingdom.

The Last Few Weeks (by Jim Martin)

Written by Jim Martin, the pastor of Crestview Church of Christ in Waco, Tx. http://godhungry.org/ ----I especially like the part about reading the Psalms.

The last few weeks, I have spent time just trying to clear away clutter. The motivation? I came across a brief, one page article by David Allen, author of Getting Things Done. (Allen’s book has been very helpful to me in many ways.) So the other day I stumbled upon an article that Allen recently wrote about beginning a new year. The short article motivated me to clear out some clutter. Last weekend this included a closet that needed cleaning, my desk at home that needed overhauling, and several "stacks" that I had been ignoring.

The last few weeks, I have been skimming through a number of book reviews. You may have noticed on the sidebar of this blog a section for book reviews (i.e., The New York Times, Books and Culture). These book reviews are very helpful to me in terms of keeping up with what is being written and discussed. It only takes a trip to Barnes & Noble for me to realize that there are far more books coming out than I will ever have the time (or inclination) to read. However, I do want to have an awareness of what is being written that is either significant or has become a part of the conversation in this country.

For a minister, this is one reason why a site like Scot McKnight’s Jesus Creed is so helpful. He regularly reviews many books that I at least want to be aware of. In the last few years, I have read a number of these books. His review of a particular book will often help me notice an author I want to read and spend time with.

During the last few weeks, I have been thinking about some projects I have actually been avoiding. Sometime around Thanksgiving, I began to realize that there were several big projects lurking out there that I had been avoiding. A few of these relate to work and a few of these relate to our house. I began to notice that I would acknowledge to myself that the project was there but I would never break it down into the steps I needed to take. Consequently, I didn’t get anything done on the project. These have a way of becoming like dark gray clouds looming overhead. Anyway, I made a short list of these and then began to think about what I needed to do with each one of these.

The last few weeks, I have done some thinking about my Bible reading. For several years, I have spent much time in the Psalms. I have done this for my own nourishment. On one occasion, I read through the Psalms highlighting in yellow every attribute of God, every description of God, etc. I was amazed and strengthened by what I saw. This kind of reading nourishes and strengthens me.

I am finding, though, that there is another kind of Bible reading I need to do. Tim Keller speaks about "rapid Bible reading." That is, there is value in reading through the Bible in such a way so as to regularly be exposed to the vast terrain of Scripture. This is not a substitute for slow, thoughtful and prayerful reading of Scripture. I want to continue to do that. However, I realize that it has been a long time since I have read some significant books of the Bible. So, I am thinking about a way to do this slow reading and yet also have time to read at a rapid pace.

Finally, during the last few weeks, I spent some time thinking about my/our future. Far too often, I get so wrapped up in what I need to do today or this week that I don’t really step back and look at the past/present/future as one big picture. I especially want to do this as I think about what it is that I believe God wants me to be about today, tomorrow, and in months and years to come.

I don’t know if any of this is helpful to you as you think about your own life. (It certainly helps me, though, just to think about it as I write.)

HE LOVES TO BE WITH THE ONES HE LOVES by Max Lucado

Holiday travel. It isn’t easy. Then why do we do it? Why cram the trunks and endure the airports? You know the answer. We love to be with the ones we love.

The four-year-old running up the sidewalk into the arms of Grandpa.

The cup of coffee with Mom before the rest of the house awakes.

That moment when, for a moment, everyone is quiet as we hold hands around the table and thank God for family and friends and pumpkin pie.

We love to be with the ones we love.

May I remind you? So does God. He loves to be with the ones he loves. How else do you explain what he did? Between him and us there was a distance—a great span. And he couldn’t bear it. He couldn’t stand it. So he did something about it.

Before coming to the earth, “Christ himself was like God in every-thing.… But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born to be a man and became like a servant” (Phil. 2:6–7 NCV).

Why? Why did Jesus travel so far?

I was asking myself that question when I spotted the squirrels outside my window. A family of black-tailed squirrels has made its home amid the roots of the tree north of my office. We’ve been neighbors for three years now. They watch me peck the keyboard. I watch them store their nuts and climb the trunk. We’re mutually amused. I could watch them all day. Sometimes I do.

But I’ve never considered becoming one of them. The squirrel world holds no appeal to me. Who wants to sleep next to a hairy rodent with beady eyes? (No comments from you wives who feel you already do.) Give up the Rocky Mountains, bass fishing, weddings, and laughter for a hole in the ground and a diet of dirty nuts? Count me out.

But count Jesus in. What a world he left. Our classiest mansion would be a tree trunk to him. Earth’s finest cuisine would be walnuts on heaven’s table. And the idea of becoming a squirrel with claws and tiny teeth and a furry tail? It’s nothing compared to God becoming a one-celled embryo and entering the womb of Mary.

But he did. The God of the universe kicked against the wall of a womb, was born into the poverty of a peasant, and spent his first night in the feed trough of a cow. “The Word became flesh and lived among us” (John 1:14 NRSV). The God of the universe left the glory of heaven and moved into the neighborhood. Our neighborhood! Who could have imagined he would do such a thing.

Why? He loves to be with the ones he loves.

Been Fishing? (David Jeremiah)

Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:18-19

Pastor H. Edwin Young once explained the reason for the growth of his church in Houston, Texas. "Everything we do has a hook in it," he said. Their many activities, programs, ministries, and events are all designed to "catch" people. And that's biblical. In Luke 5:10, Jesus told the disciples to catch men.

This isn't just the job of churches in general, but of Christians in particular. If we're following, we should be fishing. A postal carrier in a southern city recently told a friend about his church, which had grown from 50 to 500 in a relatively short period. "Sixty of the new members are from my mail route," he said. "I find it easy to talk with people as I go up and down the streets, and I'm always looking for a way to turn the conversation toward the Lord."He's a fisherman for Christ.

Do you have any hooks in the water?

More Youth Ski Trip Photos

Fearless Leader?

Youth Ski Trip

This man is chaperoning our youth on the Ski Trip. More details to come.....

The Unlovable Guard (David Jeremiah)

If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 1 John 4:12

In the mid 1930s, a German Protestant pastor was abducted from his church. Suspected of aiding and abetting Jews, he was thrown into prison without a hearing, a trial, or even a phone call to his family. The prison guard outside his cell hated everyone associated with Jews and purposefully skipped the pastor's cell when meals were handed out, made him go weeks without a shower, and gave him the most difficult job on the labor gang. The pastor, on the other hand, prayed that he would be able to love this guard with God's love. As the months went by, the pastor smiled at the guard, thanked him for the few meals he did receive, and even got to talk about Agape love. The guard never said anything; but he heard it all, and one night he cracked a smile. The next day the pastor received two meals and was able to shower for as long as he wanted. Finally, one afternoon the guard personally made the long-awaited call to the pastor's family, and a few months later, he was released.

It is against our human nature to love someone like that prison guard; but through His power, God can give us the ability to love the unlovables.

"The love, even for your enemies, which Jesus commands, is not our work but His work in us." Thomas Green

A Great Promise for a New Year (Max Lucado)

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23:6 NKJV

Look at the first word: surely. David didn’t say, “Maybe goodness and mercy shall follow me.” Or “Possibly goodness and mercy shall follow me.” Or “I have a hunch that goodness and mercy shall follow me.” David could have used one of those phrases. But he didn’t. He believed in a sure God, who makes sure promises and provides a sure foundation. David would have loved the words of one his great-great-grandsons, the apostle James. He described God as the one “with whom there is never the slightest variation or shadow of inconsistency” (James 1:17 Phillips).

Our moods may shift, but God’s doesn’t. Our minds may change, but God’s doesn’t. Our devotion may falter, but God’s never does. Even if we are faithless, he is faithful, for he cannot betray himself (2 Tim. 2:13). He is a sure God.