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10aday: when to flee, when to stay

May 29, 2011
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recap #12: exodus 25-34, first samuel 27-31, second samuel 1-6, job 13-22, psalms 75-84, proverbs 13-22, jeremiah 9-18, john 7-16, acts 19-28, romans 1-6, colossians 1-4, first timothy 2-6, second timothy 1-4, titus 1

 

when to flee, when to stay
john 15.20 and second timothy 3.12 are both very clear that believers will face persecution.  its not a matter of if, but when.  if we are living rightly and being bold in proclaiming the message of Jesus, then we will be mocked, hated, ridiculed, and sometimes physically harmed.  i think sometimes people seek these things in an effort to feel more holy or righteous, but Jesus never says to seek suffering, but rather to persevere and know that it will come.

 

but, my question is, when to flee and when to stay? as you read the gospels and acts you see that sometimes Jesus flees and sometimes he stays to face persecution.  for Jesus, i think it is much more clear as to the timing of when he fled and when he embraced the persecution.  Jesus was on a mission and fled when His mission wasn’t finished and, in the end, stayed when He knew His time had come.  but, how did paul make those decisions.  we know that paul was beaten, flogged, stoned, etc, but we also see times when he fled (acts 17.10).  why did he decide sometimes to flee and sometimes to stay? 

 

i actually don’t have an answer.  there doesn’t seem to be one in acts.  it seems like sometimes he is willing to keep preaching until he is imprisoned and sometimes he flees in the night.  i often wonder what i would do if the russians came back to czech and a lock-down occurred…would we flee and go back to the states to avoid persecution? or would we stay to continue to message of Jesus.

 

i really don’t know.

 

sabbath
i’m not the best at taking a sabbath.  i used to be way worse, but getting married has forced me to prioritize and to make an effort to take full days off.  but, i am still in the mindset that during the busy seasons, its ok to work everyday, because sometimes life is just busier.  i still think that’s true to some degree and that there is grace and sabbath rest that we can find in Jesus, but i was struck in reading this week.

 

“six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest.  in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.”  _ exodus 34.21

 

i don’t know anything about farming, but i can imagine that there are seasons that are much more chill than others.  when plowing and preparing the ground, while difficult work, it is all preparatory for the harvest time, which is where you bring the fruit in.  or maybe its the opposite, the plowing and prep is the hard work, while the reaping is the easy work (that’s true, spiritually isn’t it?).  but regardless, the message is clear…take a sabbath no matter what time of year it is.  rest whether you are in your busy season or your light season.

10aday: bring your swords!

May 6, 2011
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recap #11: exodus 16-24, first samuel 18-26, job 4-12, psalms 66-74, proverbs 4-12, isaiah 66, jeremiah 1-8, luke 22-24, john 1-6, acts 10-18, ephesians 3-6, philippians 1-4, first thessalonians 1-5, second thessalonians 1-3, first timothy 1
bring your swords!
i’ve often thought that peter was an idiot for attacking and cutting off the ear of the guard as they came to arrest jesus.  i felt like peter was short sighted and still didn’t understand what had to happen.  i couldn’t even imagine why peter would bring a sword to such an event.  they had just concluded the passover meal and were heading to a garden to pray, but peter brought his sword.
but then i read luke 22.36, “but now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack.  and let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.”
he who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one?
now, its pretty clear from the context that jesus is talking about when the disciples go out and proclaim him later on.  he’s comparing this future going out with the former time they went out and brought nothing with them.  in the future he wants them to be prepared.  he wants them to have what they need as they go out and that they would have protection as they do.
somehow, though, out of all the things Jesus said to them, this idea of swords stuck out to them, because a short time later, when the chief priests and crowd came they remarked, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” and peter did.
out of all the things Jesus said about leaving them, about being betrayed, about having to die on the cross, the disciples remembered no of it.  instead, they remembered to bring a sword.
its not too odd that they did though.  we love violence.  we were appalled during 9/11 when many in the muslim world celebrated the death of thousands of americans, yet when osama was killed, we too went to the streets to celebrate death.  while watching the czech-finland hockey game two nights ago, we all were watching with mild interest until a fight broke out, then we all stared.
there is something in us that like violence, so its no surprise that when Jesus told the disciples to buy a sword, they were all too eager to use it when Jesus was being arrested.  but their love of the sword overshadowed Jesus’ real message during that time which was love.  Jesus was leaving them to be beaten, mocked, and to die on a cross.  He was doing it for love.  He was doing it for peter.  He was doing it for the soldier whose ear was cut off.  He was doing it for me.  He was doing it for you.
proclaim to another generation
i love thinking about what my faith will be like when i’m older.  its one of the things i love most about following Jesus.  in most other professions or hobbies, old age limits you.  your body doesn’t respond as it should.  you leave or retire from your job.  but in following Jesus, we should become more like him as we get older! we should become more gentle, more humble, move loving, more sacrificial.  its really beautiful to see an old person who has been following Jesus for a long time.
i read a verse this week that beautifully described the heart of the elder follower of Christ and is my goal for when i am old.
so even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until i proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come.
that is the heart that i want.  i want to be a man who longs to live, not for my own sake, but so that i have the opportunity to proclaim God’s might to another generation!

10aday: jesus’ tatoo, being rich, plagues

April 17, 2011
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recap #10: exodus 8-15, first samuel 10-17, job 1-3, psalm 58-65, proverbs 1-3, 27-31, song of solomon 4-8, isaiah 58-65, luke 14-21, acts 1-9, galatians 1-6, ephesians 1-2, revelation 15-22
jesus has a tatoo?
maybe its just magic marker.
maybe its henna.
maybe it is one of those poor bic pens that never really write easily on skin.
or maybe
just maybe
Jesus has a tat!
revelation 19.16 says, “on his (Jesus’) robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” is it a tat? is it some sort of prophetical misunderstanding or speculation. do we put this in the same category of does Jesus really have a sword coming out of His mouth?
john definitely saw something when he was given this vision. something was written on Jesus’ thigh…I choose to believe it is a tat.
hey, at least it isn’t a dolphin over His ankle!
the rich can enter into eternal life!
the story of the rich young ruler not only troubled the disciples, but troubles us today. is it really almost impossible for the rich to enter into the Kingdom of God? can it really be that hard? many of us in the evangelical west know many rich people who are Christians, so our experience of the verses found in luke 18 can be hard to mesh with our understanding of those around us. but one thing that i discovered in my reading this week is that shortly after the rich young ruler leaves Jesus, we come across a rich young man named Zacchaeus! and his response to Jesus is not only in stark contrast to the other rich young man, but is a perfect example of what it looks like to be rich and follow Jesus.
when Jesus gets to Zacchaeus’ house Zacchaeus doesn’t ask Him about salvation, but rather already knows what he must do. first this young man declares that he will give half of what he has to the poor. in today’s world, that may mean giving one of two cars away, downsizing from a 4-bedroom house in the suburbs to 3-bedroom condo in the city, and giving half of your $120,000 salary away. but, then he goes on to say, that he will also give back four-fold to those who he has defrauded. now, for a tax-collector who had made his living off of cheating and taking advantage of people this is a big deal. maybe he had to take all of his savings and divide it out among the people he had cheated…who knows.
then Jesus says what the other rich young ruler longed to hear, “today salvation has come to this house.” Zacchaeus turns his entire life around. he may have continued to work as a tax-collector, but as one who treated people fairly and with dignity. maybe he got fired because the rest of the tax-collecters were looking bad because Zacchaeus was acting righteously. regardless of the outcome, Zacchaeus was able to turn his life completely over to the authority of Jesus…and do it as a rich man.
plagues…proof of obedience
i’ve often wondered what it would be like to live through the plagues of egypt. to see the land ravaged by locusts, to watch the nile turn to blood, to see all those frogs! i’ve also wondered what the egyptians were feeling. we know how Pharaoh responded and that God was hardening his heart, but what about the rest of the Egyptians? Did they start to believe in this God of the Israelites? Did some of them start to be obedient? We do see that some of them did! Exodus 9:20 says, “then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses.” There were some who were being obedient to the Lord even though they weren’t Jews! I love that! I love that it is possible that some Egyptians decided that they too would put blood over their doors and that their firstborns would be saved. I love that God’s love, though specific to His people, is available to all! Anyone can be a part of God’s family!

conversely, it is possible that some Jews chose not to believe. Maybe they were lazy. Maybe they just didn’t believe. Whatever happened, the plagues were a test of obedience. They challenged all to look and see the power of the Lord and then respond in obedience or to ignore His warnings and suffer the consequences. But it wasn’t just for the Jews…even the Egyptians had the opportunity to follow the Lord!

10aday: moses

March 30, 2011
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recap #9: exodus 1-7, first samuel 3-9, psalms 51-57, proverbs 20-26, ecclesiastes 9-12, song of solomon 1-3, isaiah 51-57, luke 7-13, acts 23-28, second corinthians 7-13, revelation 8-14

 

thoughts on moses
in reading exodus this week i was surprised at some of the things that stood out about moses.

 

first off, he was old.  i think most of us (from my generation) think of moses as the young kid from prince of egypt, but as i was reading this week i was reminded that moses was 80 and aaron was 83 when they first started pushing pharaoh to let them go.  this changes every mental image i have of these classic biblical scenes.  the image that now keeps flashing through my mind is closer to grumpy old men, than the prince of egypt.  i can imagine that pharaoh wasn’t very impressed with these two crotchety old dudes who kept coming to him demanding that they let his people go.  but, we know from paul in 2 corinthians that God is shown in our weakness.  there is no doubt that as this image of moses changes in my mind from a young, energetic man going before pharaoh to an old (probably frail) man, that God receives more glory.

 

its also interesting how moses tried to come up with many excuses why he shouldn’t be I Am’s representative for the people of Israel.  his first excuse was that “they would not believe him” (exodus 4.1).  then after God gives him signs (a staff that turns into a serpent and a cloak that turns his hand leprous) he then comes up with another excuse that he “is not eloquent”.  this time God responds by pointing moses to himself as creator of our mouths and ensures that God will teach him how to speak.  then even after all of that, moses finally just asks God to “send someone else”.  finally God gets angry and relents and tells moses that aaron will speak for him.  this made me wonder how many time i miss opportunities to do big things for God because i am unwilling.  moses was given a huge opportunity to do something for God…to be used in a way that he never could’ve been and yet he abdicated his role, so God added aaron to the mix.  we know that God has “created good works for us to walk in” and i wonder how many we miss because we a) are preoccupied with the things of the world or b) are unwilling to do it or c) don’t know God enough to hear his voice amidst the rest of the voices crowding in around us.

 

but, in the end moses does go and aaron does help him.  maybe it was different than how God was planning on using moses, but he still calls him to an enormous task and instead of choosing someone else, God sticks with His man and adds someone else to the mix to help him accomplish his work.  this is God’s grace.  even when we abdicate the role and the plans that God has for us, if we are willing to step forward in faith-however so small-God will still use us to do big things for Him!

10aday: škodolibý and the roman card!

March 17, 2011
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recap #8: genesis 46-50, ruth 2-4, first samuel 1-2, psalms 46-50, proverbs 15-19, ecclesiastes 4-8, isaiah 46-50, luke 2-6, acts 18-22, second corinthians 3-6, revelation 2-7

 

škodolibý
this is one of the first czech words i learned.  it was at my first camp in 2001 and we were in our discussion group after evening program.  it was sometime during the middle of the week, so my students and i were getting closer and they were getting to know me better.  during the discussion group, a girl named zuzka accidentally knocked over her drink and it spilled all over the table.

 

my response: laughter.
their response: ty jsi škodolibý.

 

they didn’t know what the english word was, so they tried explaining it to me.  škodo means pity or misfortune and libý is to enjoy, so it basically meant to enjoy misfortune.  but i still wondered if there was an english equivalent so i looked it up: malevolent! i knew that it was too strong of a translation, but the word always stuck with me.  i was someone who laughed at others misfortunes…obviously not wishing or laughing at the BIG things, but the small misfortunes of life gave me joy?!

 

proverbs 17.5 stuck out to me this week, “whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.”

 

almost ten years have passed since that night and i’ve surely grown since then, but i don’t want to be someone who “insults my Maker”.

 

the roman card!
paul was a roman citizen.  this citizenship was a high privilege of the times…you could be born into it or purchase it, but regardless it gave you certain rights that were invaluable.  paul ended up using his roman citizenship to get him transferred to Rome to get an audience with caesar.  but yesterday i was totally caught off guard when i realized how long paul waited to use his “roman card”.

 

from acts 22.23-25: and as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this.  but when they had stretched him out for the whips, paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a roman citizen and uncondemned?”

 

what was paul waiting for? i’m pretty sure that once i heard the word “flogging” i’d be shouting about my citizenship.  but paul waited, let them tie him up, take his shirt off, stretch him out and then before the first whip crossed his back, said, “oh, yeah, i almost forgot, i’m a roman citizen, so you can’t do this to me!”

 

i don’t know if we can really know what paul was thinking here or why he waited so long, but it reminds me of an important leadership concept.  we never want to use a position of authority to make someone do something.  we should always talk through things with the people we are leading.  the burden is on us, leaders, to motivate and lead our people in such a way where they see the good in what we’re doing and they choose to do it.  this can be for the big vision or it can be for the small daily tasks, but the last thing we want to do is use our “roman card” by saying “i’m the boss, you do this, because i said so.”  i’m not sure if paul was just waiting so that they had the benefit of the doubt to choose not to treat him this way.  or maybe he wanted more time to share about Christ with them.  or maybe he was just holding out to the last second because he only had one shot to use his “roman card”.  that is often true for us too.  we can rarely use our “roman card” without causing some damage to the relationship or the joy of the person we use it on to be apart of what we are doing.  so, we too, should wait to the last minute to use our card!

10aday: suffering, arrogance and other things that intrigue me

March 10, 2011
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recap #7: genesis 39-45, judges 16-21, ruth 1, job 39-42, psalms 39-45, proverbs 8-14, ecclesiastes 1-3, isaiah 39-45, mark 11-16, luke 1, acts 11-17, first peter 4-5, second peter 1-3, first john 1-5, second john, third john, jude, revelation 1
suffering
i have always been intrigued by how suffering brings us closer to God.  one of the best sermons that i ever preached (based on post-sermon response and how much i learned myself) was on suffering.  i’m always fascinated with how God uses something so terrible to help us to understand him better.
but, should we seek after suffering?
if its so great for knowing God and growing closer to Jesus, then shouldn’t we pursue it?
this week i read a couple of interesting passages on the subject.  first is genesis 40.14 after joseph has spent years in jail (innocently) and he has just interpreted dreams for the cup bearer and the chief baker.  he has suffered plenty, but doesn’t desire to stay in this place of suffering, but rather, pleads with the cup bearer, “only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to pharaoh, and so get me out of this house.”  the other instance is in acts 14.5-7 while paul and barnabas are in iconium.  they learn that there is a plot against them and that both the gentiles and the jews were plotting together to mistreat and stone them.  instead of hanging around in iconium to embrace their suffering, they fled!
now we won’t always have times where we can run away from our suffering…so what should we do then? first peter 4.12-13 says, “do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.  but rejoice insofar as you share in Christ’s suffering, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”
arrogance
it is absolutely wrong and kinda weird of me, but sometimes i love arrogance…not my own, but when i see an arrogant character in a movie, i’m sometimes drawn to that character…it seems so weird to write it and even weirder to admit it.  sometimes i feign arrogance too…i think its fun to be arrogant.  what the heck?!
but, i was really convicted by reading this verse in psalm 40.4
blessed is the man who makes
the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!
pride is directly contrary to the character that we should have.  Jesus gave up everything by becoming a baby and taking the form of a man and humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross (phil 2.5-9).
we i need to have this mind in myself.
temple cleaning
i’ve often thought of Jesus’ cleansing of the temple as a somewhat rash and impulsive response.  it seems totally out character, but i saw something this week that opened my eyes.
in mark 11.11, after entering Jerusalem during the festival, Jesus went to the temple, looked around at everything, but since it was late he left and went to Bethany.  Then the next day, Jesus came in and cleansed the temple.  this helps me to understand Jesus much better.  he knew exactly what He was doing and why He was doing it.  He didn’t act impulsively…in fact, he was very patient.  He saw what was happening the day before, waiting, and the next day acted with righteous anger.
discoveries like this help me love Jesus so much more!

10aday: a baby’s hope

March 2, 2011
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recap #6: genesis 29-38, judges 6-15, job 29-38, psalms 29-38, proverbs 29-31, 1-7, isaiah 29-38, mark 1-10, acts 1-10, first corinthians 13-16, second corinthians 1-2, hebrews 7-13, james 1-5, first peter 1-3
baby zeke
while in the PICU following by brother-in-law, eric’s, surgery, i met the parents of baby zeke.  zeke was born with gastroschisis, a birth defect in which many of the internal organs stick outside of the body when the baby is born.  zeke was three-months old and had already undergone many surgeries on his little body.  when i met the parents they had just decided to take zeke off life support…he had suffered major brain damage and was being kept alive 100% by the machines.  the parents had given up hope that zeke would live.
first corinthians 15 we find out that we will receive new bodies in heaven.  as i talked with the aunt and grandparents we wondered aloud what zeke’s body will be like in heaven.  will he be a baby forever? will we recognize him? do we all receive our best body?  we had no resolution to what zeke’s body would look like later that day when he entered into eternity, but one thing was for sure…as we gathered around his frail body and prayed for him and the family there was a little less sting in the loss of this child as it is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
for we knew that Zeke’s suffering was about to end and that he’d have a new body soon.
no mighty works, except…
hopefully it is obvious that Jesus is my hero.  i want to be like Him.  i’m really excited to meet him someday.  if i had a Make a Wish, i wouldn’t make a wish to meet Jesus, because i already have and once i die i get to meet him face to face, but…well, you get the point.
so, i’m reading mark this week and i read this pretty remarkable sentence in chapter 6, “and he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid hands on a few sick people and healed them.”  no mighty works!
“what did you do today?”
“not much, read a bit, played some video games…how about you?”
“same…oh! i almost forgot.  i did heal some people, but it wasn’t much.”
i know Jesus raised people from the dead and fed thousands, but i’m pretty sure that i’d consider healing a mighty work.  i guess that’s why Jesus is my hero!
Paul and tongues
without getting into too much about tongues, i did notice one thing about Paul’s conversion experience that pokes some pretty large holes in the “tongues as a sign of salvation/holy spirit” theory.  in acts 9.17-18 when paul receives the holy spirit and is baptized, he doesn’t speak tongues.  we do know that paul speaks tongues from first corinthians 14.18 “more than all of you,” but apparently he gained this gift later on in his walk.  tongues, therefore, can’t be a sign of salvation or of the presence of the holy spirit.

10aday: you have said so

February 13, 2011
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week five: genesis 23-28, joshua 23-24, judges 1-3, job 23-28, psalms 23-28, proverbs 23-28, isaiah 23-28, matthew 23-28, acts 23-28, first corinthians 7-12, hebrews 1-6
you have said so
i remember being a student at ASU and taking a few different religion classes with one being the Bible as Literature (aka How to Prove That the Bible is a Work of Fiction).  I really enjoyed the class as it challenged a lot of my assumptions and caused me to read the bible in a more critical way.  one thing i remember from that class and have heard many times since is that Jesus never claimed to be God.
i love how Jesus rarely answers directly, but always answers straight.  Jesus uses a phase a few times to answer in the affirmative, but which scholars sometimes disregard.  that phrase is “you have said so”.  he uses it while sitting at the table during the Passover feast with His disciples when Judas asks if he will be the betrayer.  Jesus answers, “you have said so.”  then two more instances occur in which he uses the phrase to answer in the affirmative.  first, when standing before Caiaphas, the high priest, he asks Jesus if he is “the Christ, the Son of God” and Jesus responds “you have said so.” then again, when Jesus stands before Pilate and He is asked if He is “the King of the Jews”, Jesus answers, “you have said so”.
rebuke vs. love
i’ve learned in being married that i don’t really like conflict.  this may surprise many people who know me well, because i love to discuss, disagree, and debate, but when it comes to personal confrontation and conflict, i’d rather just forget about it and move on.
proverbs 27.5 says, “better is open rebuke than hidden love.”
proverbs by their very nature are wisdom sayings that aren’t always true, but that generally are true and will most likely prove true in real life.  so, there are certainly times when we need to hold our tongues, but the general truth here is pretty clear…true love shows itself in rebuke.  true love doesn’t hide things, but rather enters into conflict/rebuke when needed.
this verse has haunted me a bit this week as i’ve thought about how much i dislike conflict, but has also proven itself true to form as i’ve engaged in healthy conflict as well.
what are our law and prophets?
acts 28.23 says, “from morning til evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.”
i’ve often thought of paul’s job as being a bit easier than ours in sharing about the kingdom of God with unbelievers.  people knew the bible well, they had a basic understanding of who God is and he could use the bible itself to prove the existence of God.  there was no source criticism or JEDP or Jesus Seminar.  i’ve often asked what are our law and prophets? how do we contextualize the Gospel, so that people will know that Jesus is the Son of God.  but as i was thinking this morning i realized that while paul did work with some Jews, his primary mission was to the gentiles and his primary tool to those gentiles was the law and the prophets (the Old Testament).  paul was using the OT to convince complete unbelievers about Jesus.  granted, he did use other tools (athenian poem in acts 17.28), but his primary tool was the Old Testament.
i still think we need to look for ways in which the Kingdom is displayed in our cultures and utilize those to connect to people, but our primary and most effective tool is still the Bible, the Word of God, which has the power to pierce “to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

10aday: paul, just give the belt away!

February 2, 2011
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week four: genesis 18-22, joshua 18-22, job 18-22, psalm 18-22, proverbs 18-22, isaiah 18-22, matthew 18-22, acts 18-22, first corinthians 2-6, second timothy 4, titus 1-3, philemon
we are to judge
a huge criticism of Christians is that we judge others.  we sit in a place of self-righteousness and condemn those around us.  on the one hand, we view ourselves as better than others and on the other we declare aloud that we are just “sinners saved by grace”.  this week i was struck with the notion that we actually are supposed to judge others…but we are only supposed to judge those inside the church.  first corinthians 5.12_13a says, “for what have i to do with judging outsiders? is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside.”  we actually are to judge, but it is to remain inside the church as we protect the church’s holiness by calling out those who are continually doing evil and claiming to follow Christ.  yes, the church is a place for sinners.  yes, we are to have grace.  but, we are also to judge and call out those who are unrepentant and continue to sin.  we are too quick to judge outsiders and to slow to judge those inside.
it is also interesting that our role as judge is to extend even to area of personal conflict or dispute.  paul condemns those that go to secular judges to resolve disputes instead of handling it within the church.  he says in first corinthians 6.2, ” or do you not know that the saints (read believers) will judge the world? and if the world is to be judged (in the future) by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?” i’m not sure i’ve ever heard this preached on.  we have a role to mitigate our own affairs within the church.  if we will be given that responsibility in the future judgement, then why don’t we deal with our own affairs this way now?
God, the faithful One
i was struck this week by the beauty of God’s faithfulness to His promises.  i read both genesis 21 and joshua 21 on the same day and rejoiced the way God fulfilled promises years and years after making them, despite the unfaithfulness of His people.  the genesis one is perhaps the most familiar as we see the birth of isaac, the promised son, to abraham and sarah.  even despite their laughter at God’s promise in their old age, he proved faithful in giving them a son.  then in joshua we read, “thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give their fathers.  and they took possession of it, and they settled there.”  God, who hundreds of years earlier promised a land to Abraham and then to his children, despite the grumblings of His people during the exodus, finally gives the Promised Land to His people.  it is encouraging to see God’s faithfulness persevere over great lengths of time, so when i feel like God is not near to me or that all is lost, i can look at His faithfulness to others and gain confidence that He too will be faithful to me.
give the belt away
there is a story in acts 21 where a prophet named agabus comes to paul and tells him that he will be captured if he goes to Jerusalem and many people urge him not to go.  but, paul insists, goes, and gets arrested.  as i read the story i realized that paul made a critical error that could have saved him from imprisonment.  agabus’ prophesy went like this, “he took paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, ‘thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘this is how the jews at jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the gentiles.””  to which i say, “paul, give that belt away and get a new one!”

10aday: circumcision as missionary prep? + weeks one & two

January 23, 2011
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week three: genesis 13-17, joshua 13-17, psalms 13-17, proverbs 13-17, isaiah 13-17, matthew 13-17, acts 13-17, romans 13-16, first corinthians 1, first timothy 5-6, second timothy 1-3


circumcision as missions prep?
i was blessed to spend five weeks (on two separate occasions) at mti in colorado for missionary training.  we went through tons of prep that not only benefits my life here in Czech, but is perfect for life in general.  both times i came away knowing more about myself and being better prepared to live and love well.  one thing that mti doesn’t do there is circumcisions…thankfully! but, in my reading this week i noticed that timothy wasn’t so lucky.  in acts 16.3, in preparation for his service with Paul to the Jews, Timothy was circumcised!
compassion
i have always loved the Lord’s compassion.  His compassion knows no bounds.  i was reminded of His great compassion in a few passages i read this week with one passage revealing more than i’ve seen in the past.  in matthew 14.14 Jesus has compassion on the people and he heals their sick.  but, what stood out to me most this time is that the Lord was grieving over the death of john the baptist.  He had purposefully left to go away and be alone upon hearing of john’s death and yet the crowds followed Him.  grief is a very internal and potentially isolating emotion.  when we grieve we focus on the sadness and deep emotion that seems to be lodging itself in our hearts.  yet, when faced with a crowd of people who had lived with grief (the sick, the dejected, the poor), Jesus didn’t run away to focus on His own grief, but rather overwhelmed with compassion, He healed those that came to Him!    would i be so selfless to identify with the grief of others even amidst my own grief.
peter and abram: men of great faith?
i was struck by two interesting stories this week that revealed the weakness of two of the men we look up to the most in the Christian faith.  first is the story of abram from genesis 15 & 16.  in the earlier chapter we see abram’s great faith as the Lord appears in a vision and based on abram’s faith, declares him righteous.  the Lord then follows with reaffirms His covenant with abram.  then, in the very next chapter, we read of abram’s great doubt and lack of faith that results in the birth of ismael with hagar.  the second story is of peter in matthew 16.  Jesus asks the disciples, “who do you say that i am?” and peter responds in great faith (and accuracy) that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God”.  but then, in the very next passage, when Jesus tells the disciples that He must suffer and die, peter responds by saying, “far be it from you Lord! this shall never happen to you.”  and Jesus responds, “get behind me, Satan! you are a hinderance to me.  for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
we often focus on the great success of abraham and peter, but how do we respond to their great failures? do we ignore it because we see the entire scope of their lives and we know that they redeem themselves? do we identify with it in secret knowing that we ourselves, are filled with such little faith at times, yet dare not say it to anyone? when those we know react in doubt, do we judge them and declare them as some sort of sub-Christian? do we give up on them? do we give up on ourselves?
we have the fortune of seeing with hindsight how the lives of these men finished. when we too lack faith or our friends lack faith, would we be slow to judge and quick to think of the end…ask ourselves this question, “how, amidst failure and doubt, can i help this person (or myself) to finish strong.” we can add to this list of failed men, david, who although being guilty of murder and adultery, was called “a man after God’s own heart,” and when confronted with his guilt, fell on his face in repentance.  would we, when we fail, be quick to repent and turn our eyes back to the One who saved us and was patient with those great men when they too failed and lacked faith.

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week one: genesis 1-6, joshua 1-6, job 1-6, psalms 1-6, proverbs 1-6, isaiah 1-6, matthew 1-6, acts 1-6, romans 1-6, first thessalonians 1-5, second thessalonians 1
circumcision of the heart
romans 2.29 says, “but a jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.  his praise is not from man but from God.”  this theme seemed to run through my readings this week.  this idea of circumcision (cutting away-for lack of a better term) and how it removes what is unnecessary.  i obviously don’t remember my circumcision, but i can only imagine.  but i think any of us who has experienced the cutting away at our heart, the stripping of something desired, the discipline of the Lord to peel away the shell around our heart, then we know what circumcision is like.  plus, this circumcision seems to be the one that the Lord desires more than any other.
as the israelites re-entered the promised land after wandering the wilderness, the first thing they do in this foreign land, with foreign enemies, is not destroy Jericho, its circumcision! all the men of the camp were circumcised.  this, therefore, means that the entire army, every soldier, every fighter, was laid up in recovery for weeks(?) as they camped in the plains of jericho.  circumcision alone isn’t vulnerable enough, but God orders that they are all circumcised on the doorstep of their enemy.  to me this is more of a circumcision of the heart than anything.  would the israelites trust their God, the one who had lead them through the desert for forty years, to protect them as they lie vulnerable? do they trust that this is good?
i think that sometimes our physical reality, whether it be proactive obedience or passive acceptance of life’s difficulties, is a means of circumcising our hearts to show our trust in the Lord.
(see also: job 1.20, first thessalonians 5.18, romans 5.3-5)
giving
another verse that struck me this week was matthew 5.42, “give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”
i have missed this verse for years.  its tucked in there right after “turn the other cheek” and “go the extra mile” and right before the golden rule, so i can see how it would get skipped.
i have often thought about giving and what our responsibility is with beggars.  surely we’ve all heard the story of the guy who makes more money begging than the one who works a real job.  or we all know that we shouldn’t give because they are just going to go and buy alcohol.  but, while we should use wisdom, i also think that we have used these two excuses to protect our pockets.  maybe we should just trust Jesus when He says to give.  what could it hurt to give a begging man a quarter/a five-crown piece/one złoty?
Jesus in the old testament?
i think i might have seen Jesus in the OT this week! in joshua 5, joshua meets with a man called, “the commander of the army of the Lord”.  my immediate thought is that this was an angel, but upon further review, it seems like it was actually a pre-incarnate Jesus.  the key seems to be that joshua falls on his face and worships him, calls him Lord, and the Man doesn’t tell him to stop! in most instances when a man worships an angel, the angel tells the man to stop worshipping him.  interesting!

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week two: genesis 7-12, joshua 7-12, psalms 7-12, proverbs 7-12, isaiah 7-12, matthew 7-12, acts 7-12, romans 7-12, second thessalonians 2-3, first timothy 1-4
two stonings
it was interesting to read about two stonings in one day as i read acts 7 and joshua 7 on monday morning.  one is the stoning of achan (joshua 7.10-26) and the other is the stoning of  stephen (acts 7).  one stoned because of disobedience (taking idols and lying).  one stoned because of obedience (proclaiming the risen Christ).  both equally gruesome deaths, yet one because of righteousness and the other because of sin.
we really have no idea how we are going to go.  will it be in my sleep or a heart attack or murder or a car accident or being martyred? we have no idea.  since we have no way to control how we die, then we have to be focused on how we live.
OT God is a gracious God
i often struggle with how harsh God is in the Old Testament.  i know most of the right answers, yet it still shocks me how many people God ordered killed.
because of that, i think it is easy to overlook when He displays his graciousness in the OT.  one such instance is in Joshua 10.  in the previous chapter Joshua and the Israelites make a treaty with a foreign nation (Gibeon) without asking “counsel from the Lord” (9.15).  this treaty was against what the Lord had commanded.
yet, as we move to chapter 10, we see God’s grace even after disobedience.  six nations decided to band together and defeat the Israelites and their new allies, so they set out to destroy Gibeon.  upon the appeal of the Gibeonites to Joshua, the Israelites came back to Gibeon to defend them and defeat their opposing enemies.  before going into battle, God said to Joshua, “do not fear them, for i have given them into your hands.  not a man of them shall stand before you” (10.8).  God, who had just been disobeyed specifically in regards to the Gibeonites, was now promising to Joshua that He would help defend them.
as i reflect on this passage, i see God’s grace displayed in such a powerful and beautiful way.  where we are used to seeing justice, the grace of the Lord shines beautifully.
all is good
i was reminded twice this week about the repeal of the Old Testament food laws.
acts 10 is the story of  peter’s vision of God declaring that all food is good.
first timothy 4.4-5 says, “for everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.”
as a response of thanksgiving, i ate this:

thank God for those passages!
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