Author Archives: Steve

The Regular Practice of Prayer – Job 1:5

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“He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, ‘Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.’ This was Job’s regular practice” (Job 1:5, NLT)

Job was a was wealthy man who had seven sons and three daughters.

He was known in heaven and on earth as a man of great personal integrity and faithfulness to God.

Job’s faith was more than a religious ritual; it inspired his behavior. So his “regular practice” was to rise early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of his children.

Job loved God and he loved his family and he was concerned about the spiritual well-being of his children.

The Hebrew word barak used here for “cursed” literally means “blessed” but is used as a euphemism for cursing. Job was concerned about his children’s behavior and their relationship with God. He wanted to intercede for any sinful behavior they may have committed.

Job’s example would indeed be a worthy New Year’s resolution!

So start the new year by making it your regular practice to get up early in the morning and offer the sacrifice of prayer and intercession for your family.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT)

Comings – Revelation 22:17

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“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ Let anyone who hears this say, ‘Come.’ Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.” There are two comings requested in this verse and they seem to be inclusive of one another. The first request is for Christ, the bridegroom, to come and is made by the bride, the Church, who is inhabited or indwelt by the Holy Spirit. But the invitation to come is also to those who have not yet come to faith in Christ and His salvation. And we can assume that the Spirit and the bride make this second request as well. Throughout the centuries, God’s people have waited for, prayed for, hoped for, and watched for Christ’s return. This intercession for Christ’s soon return is clearly demonstrated in the closing words of John’s revelation: “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (vs. 20). But this blessed hope is an entirely evangelistic proposition because it’s a shared hope! You can’t want the Lord to come without wanting people to come to the Lord. Thus, the coming of the Lord is inclusive of the coming to the Lord. And when others come to believe in Christ, then they join in the matrimonial chorus of intercession for His soon return. With the coming of the new year let our prayer be “Come quickly, Lord Jesus” and let us put our prayers into action by inviting others to come to the Lord Jesus.

Why Does God Allow Evil? – Revelation 12:7-11

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“Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, ‘It has come at last— salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.'” This passage from John’s revelation of the future indicates there is a rebellion against God that is of epochal or universal proportions. And this world and humanity are the battleground for this war. This passage explains that the dragon to which it refers is Satan and that he deceives the world and has a following of other angelic beings. Some interpret this time of the dragon’s defeat and ejection from heaven as referring to the incarnation, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Nevertheless, three principles arise from this passage that help explain the presence of evil in the created order:

  1. The events of this world are decreed and managed in heaven. God actively presides and rules over His created order. Thus, ultimate control and supreme authority over the universe emanate from God.
  2. The evil that exists in this world is of cosmic proportions. The evil of this world transcends earthly events and its fundamental nature is ultimate insubordination to God’s authority.
  3. Evil is fundamentally a spiritual issue and, therefore, must be addressed in the spiritual realm.

Our ancestors effectively joined Satan’s rebellion and so by being born human we are co-conspirators in this rebellion. God’s justice system requires supreme restitution for the crime of rebellion, but Christ received the punishment for this high crime on behalf of all human beings. In other words, Christ has come to defeat the rebellion of Satan and those of humanity who join Satan in this rebellion against God’s Kingdom: “But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.” (I John 3:8). While the mastermind of this rebellion, Satan, has enjoined humanity in his sedition, is it the result of a cosmic error in planning by God? An unintended consequence of free will? Collateral damage to the created order? Absolutely not! The redemption of human beings has always been God’s plan since the creation of the world: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). The redemption of humanity is not to fix any galactic mistake or oversight God made in creation. We know from the biblical record and from our own human experience that we often learn best by learning from our mistakes. The biblical narrative is replete with well-intentioned and some not-so-well-intentioned people not obeying God. Regrettably, people often better understand God’s will by not doing it! Mercy is better received by those in need of it! John’s revelation clearly discloses that God wins! God ultimately defeats the evil that has infiltrated this world though He may allow it to reside for a time to advance His redemptive plan. God is almighty and His plan is supreme, even to the extent that He can use the evil acts committed by persons and even the devil himself to work His good purposes. It seems that God is best able to redeem people in a world that is occupied by evil.

Ruling the World – Daniel 7:27

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“Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him.”

In the book of Daniel the focus shifts from from a historical narrative to a prophetic narrative in Chapter 7, which records the first vision of Daniel.

The vision given to Daniel used animal symbolism to tell the same story that was told in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Chapter 2 about the future rise and fall of nations.

Daniel makes it clear that world history culminates in the establishment of God’s Kingdom: “As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed” (vs. 13-14).

Not only does Daniel describe the establishment of God’s Kingdom at the end of the world, but he reinforces the fact that God’s people are co-rulers along with Jesus over God’s new world–and he states it multiple times in this chapter (vs. 18, 22, and 27).

To prepare you for eternity, God wants to hone your leadership skills in this life so you can help Him rule the world of the future!

You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth. (Revelation 5:10, NIV)

Learning to Be the Light – 1 John 1:7

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“But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” The Apostle John declares that God is light (vs. 5). So, if you are in fellowship (in a relationship) with God, then His light shines on you so that you are living in the light. A Canadian band, Newworldson, recorded a song that expresses the heartfelt desire of all who are living in the light of God to learn to be His light to others. The lyrics of the chorus of the song say:

It’s so much brighter living in your world 
Savior what you did for me 
You gave me something I want everyone to see 
When we stumble and it all goes wrong 
Only you can make it right 
So I say I’m learning to be the light 

God doesn’t want you just to bask in the warmth and illumination of His light. He wants you to reflect His light to others. When you live in the light of God’s reality, then sooner or later you must start reflecting the light of God’s reality–you must learn to be the light. God wants you to be the light so that the light of His reality can be seen in this world in you! “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house” (Matthew 5:14-15).

Soul Food – John 4:34

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“My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.” Jesus makes these remarks near the well in the Samaritan village of Sychar. Jesus had just told a Samaritan woman who was drawing water from the well that she should drink from the living water that He gives. She went and told the people of the village that Jesus was the Messiah and many came to see him and believed in Him. While all this was occurring, some of Jesus’s disciples urged Him to eat. Just as Jesus told the woman at the well He was the source of life-giving water, He told His disciples He was the source of life-giving food: “I have a kind of food you know nothing about” (vs. 32). So Jesus can supply spiritual nourishment for the hungry souls of people. Furthermore,  Jesus is our model for obtaining spiritual sustenance. He, Himself, was spiritually sustained by doing the will of God and finishing God’s work in His life. In the same way, our spiritual nourishment should be doing the will of God in our own lives to the extent that we complete the work that God intends each of us to do. When Jesus fed the five thousand men (plus women and children) with five loaves of bread and two fish, He commanded His disciples “You feed them” (Matthew 14:16). The disciples responded that they had only a small supply of of bread and fish. “Bring them here” (Matthew 14:18) Jesus told the disciples. Jesus was prepared to miraculously provide nourishment for the large crowd of people by blessing the obedient action of His disciples. When you continuously offer the little that you have to Jesus, then you are enabled and empowered to do God’s will and complete the work He plans to do through your life.

God’s Measure for Success – Ezekiel 3:17-21

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God's Measure for Success - Ezekiel 3:17-21

“Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately. If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths. If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me. If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too” (Ezekiel 3:17-21, NLT).

God commissioned Ezekiel to conduct a twofold prophetic ministry–warn the wicked to repent and warn the righteous not to sin. Ezekiel was called to be both an evangelist and a pastor.

God told Ezekiel that he was appointed to be a “watchman for Israel.” The watchman was a lookout for the community and was responsible for providing advance warning of approaching enemies so that the people could take refuge in time.

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In Training for Eternity – Hebrews 12:1-2

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“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.”

The Hebrews writer uses the metaphor of running a race to describe the life of faith.

Referring to the many examples of faith the writer identified in the previous chapter, he now advances the discussion to the matter of faithfulness–faith that endures.

Runners wear light clothing because any extra weight hinders them when they compete. Sin can “weigh” a person down who is running the race of life. But the Hebrews writer tells us how to shed the weight of sin from our life of faith: stay focused on Jesus.

Jesus is like a racing champion because He has already lived, died, and been resurrected. He sets the pace for the race we are running.

When we do, He sends us a personal trainer for our faith, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit trains us by perfecting our faith so that we will finish the race.

This life is a training ground for eternity. When you keep your focus on Jesus, then God can train and discipline you in a way that strengthens your endurance and makes you more like Him.

“But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way” (Hebrews 12:10-11, NLT).

Faith-Confidently Looking Forward – Hebrews 11:8-10

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“Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.”Hebrews 11:8-10

In Hebrews 11, the “faith” chapter, the Hebrews writer defines faith and provides several biblical examples.

One outstanding example of faith the Hebrews writer describes is Abraham. The Hebrews writer reminds us how Abraham left his native land in obedience to God’s calling and went to Canaan where the nation of Israel was ultimately settled.

While Abraham traveled the full extent of the “promised” land, he never settled in one of the Canaanite cities but lived as a nomadic herdsman. Abraham’s son, Isaac, and grandson, Jacob, both lived the same way.

Since Abraham was promised the land of Canaan by God but never possessed it, the Hebrew writer says Isaac and Jacob inherited the promise of the land (vs. 9). Of course, we know that Abraham’s descendants never actually possessed the land of Canaan until after being a slave nation of Egypt for hundreds of years.

So what do we learn about faith from Abraham’s example? Faith is a confidence based on: (1) hope–confidence in a promise that has a future fulfillment, and (2) obedience–confident action in response to what God has made known.

Faith gives life purpose and meaning because faith allows us to live our lives confidently looking forward to what God has promised us in Christ regardless of present circumstances or events.

Two Secrets for a Happy Life – Philippians 4:6,12-13

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happinessIn the book of Philippians the Apostle Paul shares several secrets for a happy and fulfilling Christian life. Two such secrets for happiness are found in Chapter 4.

The first secret for a happy life is to overcome worry: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything” (vs. 6). The way to stop worrying is to start praying. Instead of worrying about it, pray about it.

And if you pray about everything, then there’s not anything left to worry about! Worry can’t reside where prayer abides!

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