Jeremiah 44:16-18

As for the message that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we are not going to listen to you! But rather we will certainly carry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths, by burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, just as we ourselves, our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had plenty of food and were well off and saw no misfortune. But since we stopped burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have met our end by the sword and by famine.

The Israelites had just experienced a horrible time of famine, war, and persecution. God had already spoken through the prophet Jeremiah that it would come because of their turning from Him and committing spiritual adultery with the "queen of heaven." No one believed him though, and continued in their ways, trusting God would still protect them despite their false idol worship. When the testing did come, they turned from their idols and sought God, but now it was too late. God's judgment had come and they were not repentant, only remorseful for their mistakes. This is shown in the verse above in that when God tells them to stay in the land and not go down to Egypt. They did not associate their suffering with their spiritual adultery but rather their abandonment of it! Their past had caused their current pain but they sought to return to their past sins, glorifying it's joy and fulfillment of their desires. Don't allow yourself to believe this lie either. We can sometimes be tempted to look back fondly on our sinful life and remember the good things, forgetting the bad things like pain, suffering, and lack of real fulfillment. Remember the good things you have when you follow God, even if it is hard for a season; eternal life, forgiveness, and the love of the Creator of the Universe! That far outweighs even the greatest pleasure of your past sin life. Don't forget this!

Luke 4:1-2

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. - Luke 4:1-2

Jesus just had an amazing moment in His life; He was baptized, the Father declared Him to be His beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in full view of many people. It must have been an utterly amazing moment for Him, but then the Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted for 40 days! Why would the Holy Spirit lead Jesus into a trial and temptation? The answer is that this trial made Jesus stronger, and that was what God wanted for Him at this point. Sometimes we fall into the temptation to believe that because God wants good things for us that life will be easy and calm. This is not the truth! When a parent wants their child to be healthy, they have to take the child to the doctor, give them food that isn't sugary, and get them to sleep at a decent hour. This is not pleasurable for the child but it will help the child be healthy and happy. Likewise God will often give us Spiritual food that isn't our favorite "flavor," take us to places where we receive a Spiritual "checkup" and maybe a shot or two to keep sin away, and cause us to rest when we just want to do something. In these times, we need to trust God as a child has to trust their parents. Don't give into the sin of doubting God's love or good plans for you. Trust Him and you will see the good fruit that results.

Luke 1:1-4

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

Have you ever been told in school "Don't ask why, just trust me. I know what I'm talking about?" This is the response of someone who is afraid to challenge his concepts and beliefs. They may even be aware of some hole in their understanding and are afraid you will open that doubt in them again. This is not what we, as Christians, are supposed to do. In 1 Peter, the apostle Peter says we should all be ready to defend our hope. How can you do that unless you have investigated and searched the truth for yourself? Faith in Christ is not an exercise in trusting what someone else says about Him but experiencing and growing in it yourself. Then, you can share what you have learned with someone else and encourage them to investigate it themselves. Don't be afraid to open yourself to your doubts and fears but accept them, investigate them, and allow God to answer them. Questions are not the enemy of faith, but the fertilizer that helps it grow.
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. - Matthew 7:7-8

2 Cor 7:4-6

Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction. For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within. But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus; 2 Cor 7:4-6

Our troubles can seem so overwhelming at times. I have often been in the middle of a tough time and felt in my heart an overwhelming desire to just stay home, alone, and just sleep. It seems like that is the most comforting thing I could do in those times, but that is not the case. Paul had suffered greatly when he came to Macedonia, both physically and spiritually, but in the midst of that trial, he was comforted by the visit of his friend and fellow believer; Titus. In this visit, Paul realized that God had sent Titus to comfort them and welcomed it with open arms. When we are in trials, like Paul, we might feel that the last thing we want is a visitor or to go to church, but that is exactly where we need to go! It is there that God can speak to us, comfort us, and encourage us through each other. Don't allow the enemy to disable the great source of strength and healing that is the fellowship of believers. Get out of your pit of despair and allow God to shine some light into the darkness, giving you a proper perspective and view of your trial. Then, you can face the trial with renewed faith and trust in God's ability to show you His love, grace, and power, even in this time.

2 Sam 6:6-9

But when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset it. And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God. David became angry because of the LORD'S outburst against Uzzah, and that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. So David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, "How can the ark of the LORD come to me?" - 2 Sam 6:6-9

There is a strange trend in our generation to try to reduce role models and authority figures to normal people through mockery or acting like they are our best friends. We see this spill over into Christianity with the idea that Jesus is my best friend, for example. This idea turns the Creator of the universe and sustainer of all things into one of the dudes I play poker with every week while smoking a cigar or the girl I have a coffee and long conversations with. While Jesus is the lover of our souls and desires a real relationship with us, He is also the Holy God. Because of this, He desires us to be holy, as He is holy, and to respect Him for who He is. Uzzah was trying to do a good thing when he tried to stop the Ark of God from falling over, but he didn't honor the holiness of God by doing so. This is why God struck him dead. It seems harsh to us maybe, but we need to understand that God had given specific ways to carry the ark and to handle it with reverence. When the people failed to do that, He was gracious enough to allow them to continue, but when they stepped over the line, He had to act. Today, God often withholds His judgment of our sins because of His love, but we shouldn't expect Him to allow us to continue in an irreverent and unloving attitude with Him. He is a holy God and needs to be treated as such. We need to be close to God, but in His way and according to His terms. Then and only then can we be set free from fear and truly enjoy the love and grace of God.

2 Corinthians 2:6-8

Sufficient for such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the majority, so that on the contrary you should rather forgive and comfort him, otherwise such a one might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. Wherefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. - 2 Cor 2:6-8

Everyone likes to see justice finally come to someone who has done something horribly wrong. There is a need within us all to believe that every bad deed will be punished and every criminal will be repayed for his crime and when we see that about to happen, something within us rejoices. In Corinth, there was a man who had sexual relations with his own mother and had claimed the freedom in Christ to defend his actions. This was wrong and Paul instructed the church to cast him out of the church "so that his spirit might be saved." This they did, and it had the intended effect; the man repented and desired to be forgiven. However, the church wasn't doing that. This man was desiring to be restored but the church didn't want to restore him. This poor man was filled with sorrow and repentance and yet those who most closely represented God would not forgive and restore him! This was a horrible example of the love and forgiveness of the Father! While his sin had been great, his repentance was real and deserved to be responded to. This is why Paul instructs the people to now forgive and restore, lest the man turn from God in his sorrow. God does not turn His back on anyone so long as their repentance is real and honest, and neither should we. As Jesus taught in Luke 6, "Treat others the same way you want them to treat you... Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned." (31, 36-37) If there is someone who has hurt you or sinned against you, shows repentance, and desires to be forgiven and restored, do not withhold that from them. If you don't, you will become a living demonstration of God's nature and you yourself will receive the forgiveness and restoration you so badly need from the Lord as well!

Change of plans

Sorry anyone reading this for not updating for almost two months! EEK! I have discovered the time commitment to update every day is a bit much so I am going to try once a week and see how that goes. I hope and pray these posts have and will continue to be encouraging to people and that God blesses someone through them. So, here goes the weekly experiment!

- Shane

Psalm 45:3

Gird Your sword on Your thigh, O Mighty One, In Your splendor and Your majesty!

When most people think of Jesus today, they think of the buddy Jesus or hippie Jesus, but not warrior Jesus. To connect the teachings of Jesus with the Bible's representation of a just warrior King is hard, but it is the truth; Jesus is a warrior and that is part of His majesty. Don't allow yourself to get caught up in the idea of today, thinking that Jesus is just a warm fuzzy teddy bear. Remember His strength, power, and justice. He is rightly to be feared and respected, even though He loves us immeasurably. Trust in God, not only for your salvation, but also for your protection and to bring justice when you are wronged. He is fully capable.

1 Sam 30:23-24

Then David said, "You must not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us, who has kept us and delivered into our hand the band that came against us. And who will listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike."

David's men had won a great battle and recovered everything that had been taken from them. However, some of David's men fell behind and couldn't keep up. The men who fought became frustrated at the laziness of those who didn't fight and decided to leave them out of the spoils from the battle. David makes a good point though; they might not have helped in the fighting, but they did help in protecting what they had. While this didn't actively help in the battle, it did keep them from loosing more than they already had lost. This deserved some respect and shouldn't be punished but rewarded like everyone else. In today's world, it's easy to dismiss or forget about those who do little to help with the work visibly, but in God's kingdom, the ones who will receive the greatest reward are those we didn't even know helped. Don't neglect to think about those who help in the ministry of the church in a less visible way. God will not forget them.

Exodus 10:7

Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not realize that Egypt is destroyed?"

Pharaoh had surrounded himself with men who would do whatever he said and tell him what he wanted to hear. Though they sought to please Pharaoh and not tell him the truth, even they knew there was a time to "wake up and smell the coffee." How much better for Egypt everything would have been if Pharaoh had had quality people to give advice from the beginning, and he had listened to them. Don't allow yourself to be surrounded by people who only seek to please you. Seek advice from those you know will tell you the truth, no matter how much it hurts, and then listen to them! Don't allow your entire world to be destroyed simply because you want to follow your ideas and not God's. Submit to Him and you will see His plans will reap rewards far greater then any loss you might suffer from following Him.

1 Cor 15:10

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

Today's society sees independence and self reliance as a virtue and strength. We look up to those who beat the odds and overcame their limits. The problem is that God did not design us that way, and He actually considers independence and self reliance a sin! In realty, nothing we have came from ourselves, so even "pulling ourselves up by our own boot-straps" necessitates someone giving us the arms with enough strength and boot straps strong enough to pull ourselves up with. It is only by the grace of God we can do anything, including drawing our next breath. Don't allow yourself to believe the lies of Satan and the praises of this world. You are not the one responsible for anything in your life that is good, only God. Thank Him and praise Him for His goodness and power. Then, you will not sin in pride and fall into the trap of many; relying on yourself to accomplish what only God can.

Mark 9:5-6

Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified.

In this part of the Gospel of Mark, Peter, John and James are taken aside with Jesus and witness an amazing sight; Jesus, Moses and Elijah, with Jesus transformed into the image of a glorious king rather than the humble servant of mankind, all right before their eyes. This, clearly, terrified all three of them. However, Peter, true to his nature, says something silly. He was excited because he saw the Jesus he had expected to see Him all along and in a state mixed with fear (the now obvious power of Jesus was frightening) and excitement (all of his hopes might now be met) he speaks. "Yes! This is how it should be! Let's stay like this forever!" The problem was that this isn't what God wanted for the world. Jesus, on a hill, with Moses and Elijah... What would that solve? It might have solved the temporary problems of Rome and the Pharisees, but it would only bring condemnation and death to the world, not life. God's plan wouldn't solve the problems of Rome or the Pharisees the way Peter wanted, but it would solve the eternal problem of sin. We need to remember that our plans are not always what God wants. Don't be like Peter and try to stay in the times of glorious revelation. Rather, allow God to move you to the next stage; testing and trials, for it is there that you will be shaped into His image and there that His power can change the World.

Jeremiah 14:13-14

"Ah, Lord GOD!" I said, "Look, the prophets are telling them, 'You will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.'" Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds."

The prophets of Jeremiah's day were saying a lot of things about God, but none of them were true. They were promising prosperity and safety from trouble, but God was saying just the opposite to Jeremiah! Jeremiah asks God about this problem and God's response is simply that He didn't send them. Later, He predicts that they will die by the very things they were predicting wouldn't come. Guess who was right? The point was the false prophets were promising good things, even though the people were in rebellion to God. Jeremiah was warning of problems because of their rebellion. One was a false message of comfort and security in sin, the other was a warning of the consequences of staying in sin. Never forget that God loves us and His grace is what saves us for eternity, but there is no safety or security promised for us in the temporal world when we are in sin. God will not speak words of comfort or love when you are slapping Him in the face and rebelling against Him. He desires to love you, but if you will not accept it, then beware of the consequences of your sins. You might be saved from hell, but if you stab yourself in the leg, you will still bleed. This is the difference between the words of false prophets and the words of God; God seeks to keep you from stabbing yourself, the world attempts to cover the wound and allow you to bleed to death.

Job 30:26

When I expected good, then evil came; When I waited for light, then darkness came.

Does it surprise you when bad things happen in your life? Did you believe that when you accepted God, everything would be easy and pain-free? Did you know that Jesus never promised that? Not only this, but He actually promised persecution and even death! God is not a spiritual piggy-bank and becoming a Christian doesn't create a savings account in God's bank. When we do good things or obey God, it doesn't add a credit to our account which we can use to get what we want later. Our good works do not produce wealth and comfort in this life, but eternal rewards in heaven. We need to remember this and not be discouraged when bad things happen, even when we are doing everything we can to please the Lord. God is not punishing us by allowing tragedy and pain in our lives, but giving us the opportunity to demonstrate to those around us that there truly is something different about us, something they need. This often cannot be seen when everything is going smoothly and we are happy and content. Don't be afraid when trials or troubles come, trust the Lord, and know that He is working both in you and through you in every situation.

Psalm 42:1-2

As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?

How much do you long to be with the Lord? Do you thirst for His presence the way you thirst for a swim in some cool water on a hot day? If not, then do you want it to change? Jesus promised to the woman at the well that He could give living water, and once she drank, she wouldn't thirst again. Are you in a place where worshiping the Lord has become dry and wearisome? Do you no longer desire to be with the Lord with all your heart? Seek again that living water and ask God to give you a renewed desire for it. As you do, you will find yourself fulfilled, no longer focusing on what you are not receiving or not able to do, but simply content to be with Him and enjoying His presence. Remember, Jesus alone is the living water, and only when you seek Him will you no longer thirst again.

1 Samuel 22:17-19

And the king said to the guards who were attending him, "Turn around and put the priests of the LORD to death, because their hand also is with David and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not reveal it to me." But the servants of the king were not willing to put forth their hands to attack the priests of the LORD. Then the king said to Doeg, "You turn around and attack the priests." And Doeg the Edomite turned around and attacked the priests, and he killed that day eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. And he struck Nob the city of the priests with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and infants; also oxen, donkeys, and sheep he struck with the edge of the sword.

Here we see one of many examples of why God rejected Saul as king. David, the man God had chosen to replace Saul, was helped by a priest. When Saul finds out, he wants to kill the priest and all his family! Talk about overkill! Saul's servants were wise in that they didn't want to obey Saul for these men were not enemies of Israel, (or even common men,) but the faithful servants of God! That didn't stop Saul though. He searched until he found someone who would do as he said, and he eventually found this person in a non-Israelite. This man not only did what Saul wanted, but he was cruel and unjust in his obedience. He killed the men, their women, children, animals, and even burned the town. We can look at this and agree with God that this is a horrible thing, but we can do something similar. When we want to do something, do we seek those who will tell us the truth or simply those who agree with us. If we only seek those who agree with us, we do the same thing as Saul, and it will always result in destruction and suffering. Don't surround yourself with people who agree with you, but seek the council of those who will speak plainly what God thinks, no matter what. Then you will be spared from making destructive mistakes and God will be present in your life in a mighty way.

Exodus 7:10-13

So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and thus they did just as the LORD had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts. For each one threw down his staff and they turned into serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. Yet Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

God had told Moses to go and perform signs and miracles before Pharaoh so that he might let the people go and worship Him in the wilderness. One of these miracles was to turn his staff into a snake. While miraculous, it seems that Pharaoh's magicians could duplicate the effect, taking away the impact of the miracle on Pharaoh. However, note that they did not remove the one snake, but made more snakes. If you think about it, it doesn't really help the situation very much. The one snake could have bitten someone and killed them, but more snakes just added to the problem! Isn't it interesting that often times, man can duplicate many of the things that God can do, but most of the time, it just adds to the noise and confusion rather than makes it clearer? It's only when God's work produces fruit of righteousness that we can truly see clearly what is from God and what isn't. While God's work created the initial problem for Pharaoh and the magicians only added to it, it was God's work that cleared up the problem and protected Pharaoh in the end. Likewise, it is God's work alone that will eventually clear up the confusion and reveal the truth of God's greatness. The work of man will simply confuse and muddy the waters of our search for truth. Don't be fooled by things that appear to be from God. Test it, and only if it proves true, then believe it.

Jeremiah 8:8-9

How can you say, 'We are wise, And the law of the LORD is with us'? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes Has made it into a lie. The wise men are put to shame, They are dismayed and caught; Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, And what kind of wisdom do they have?

Have you ever watched a horror movie and found yourself shouting at the actor "Don't go in there! What are you thinking?!?" There is something within us that cries out when we see someone rejecting the "obvious wisdom" for the situation they are in. Usually they do this because there is some other form of wisdom in their hearts that makes them feel more comfortable, though it is clearly wrong to an outsider. They reject the obvious for the comfortable, and that usually ends in the movies with that person dying. Luckly, in life, that isn't always the case, or most of us would be dead now. What is even worse than this, though, is when someone in a position of power leads others to do this through purposely not sharing the truth. God isn't pleased with this at all. This is what the scribes, or the sole group of people charged with copying God's Word, were doing. They knew the Word and were in it all day, every day, and yet they did not tell the truth to the people who sought them for answers. God was not pleased, to say the least. We too need to be careful that we don't seek to change, lighten, or manipulate the Word of God to make it "easier" on people to receive God. While it might lead people to Christ, it won't please God and will make it harder for that person in the future when they realize the truth. Don't worry about making the Gospel more appealing or easier to accept. It is what it is and doesn't need any changing. Simply share it as it is and let God do the work. Be faithful to share the whole truth and watch God work.

Job 28:12-13, 23, 28

But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living... God understands its way, And He knows its place... And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.'

The world around us is filled with information. In our generation, there has never been more information available to the average man, and yet we are no wiser then those of the past. Wisdom is not simply having information about something, that is knowledge. Wisdom means using the information you have in a useful and powerful way. In that regard, we are truly no better then any other generation as many still do not understand how to apply the things they know in a good way. True wisdom begins with understanding that 1) there is a God, 2) we are not it, 3) we should listen to the One who is God. That is why God says the beginning of wisdom is to fear the Lord. This is not a natural thought though, since it is not a part of the "natural" world. Many Christians even shrink back from the idea of fearing the Lord, thinking that because God is love, there should be no fear in our hearts towards Him. We need to understand that God is mighty, awesome, and just! This shouldn't make us afraid as in a horror movie, but it should make us respect and honor that power and authority as it deserves. This is what it means to fear God; allow Him His proper place in our lives. When we do that, then everything else can come into focus and wisdom can begin to build up in our lives. If you don't fear the Lord in this way, then I pray you would begin today. You will see a change in your life that will truly make you wise for eternity, not just for a time.

Psalm 39:4-5

LORD, make me to know my end And what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am. Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah.

Do you realize how short our time is on this earth? One person, when asked what his greatest fear was, responded "I'm not afraid of hell, but of wasting my life." If we are lucky, we spend 80 years on this planet. In that time, we experience less than 1% of the world's history! We can accomplish things in this limited time, but many of those things will simply pass away into dust and air. Even the work we do today is quickly replaced with more work and more things to do. With this in mind, we can become like Solomon and think that "all is vanity." However, not all is vanity. Some things we do in this life have eternal meaning. These are the things that make those 80 (more or less) years worth it. So, the question before us is then, in light of the transience of our life, what, if anything, are we doing that really matters? If the answer is nothing, then start, today, to seek the Lord to see how you can make your life matter eternally.