And I’m glad about that. Much like other great men in the Bible Paul wasn’t known for his oratory skills. Take for instance this statement in 2 Corinthians 10:10 about Paul: “For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.” Surprisingly I have some things in common with great men of the Bible, my oratory skills are sadly lacking too.
None the less we also see that Paul could be convincing when he spoke:
Scripture
“King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do.” Agrippa replied to Paul, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.” Acts 26:27-28 (NASB)
Observation
Thus is the power of God working through man. He has given a gift to believers packaged neatly, the Holy Spirit. When manifested through man great things can happen. I truly believe that King Agrippa felt the Spirit of God at work through this “unimpressive man” and quite openly admitted that the message of Christ has a persuasive power over even great kings.
We find reference to the Holy Spirit as being a helper that Jesus personally asked his father to send to use (John 14:16 NASB).
I’m glad that Jesus had a little forethought about our need (my need) for a helper. I suppose God was thinking ahead too, he was like “yeah, and James is certainly going to need all the help he can get”.
Application
So when God calls us to do things that are not exactly our strong suit we can be confident in our decision to simply follow. God has given us an amazing gift of a helper, and believe me, that’s a good thing.
So, we know that if we are walking in God’s will he will provide us with a helper in order to do his will. It’s important that we have a relationship with God so that we can know his will. If we try to do things in our own power we will inevitably fall flat on our face.
Prayer
God, thanks for having the foresight to send us a helper. Please help us be attentive to your voice so that we do not attempt to do things on our own. Knowing that you have things under control is really uplifting.
Not surprisingly the first part of numbers had a lot of numbers in it. I did kind of glaze over after the fourth sentence, but I tried to pay attention to the major elements of what was being said. Here is a verse that caught my eye:
Scripture
“From twenty years old and upward, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel, you and Aaron shall number them by their armies.” Numbers 1:3 (NASB)
Sounds like things are heating up a little. God is organizing his people, just getting prepared for something ahead. Sweet. Much like many men I love action movies. Explosions, gunfire, potential impending death at every corner. Tension is in the air. Setting that aside it also seems that God is creating a framework for success. [click to continue…]
Daily Reading
Numbers 1-2
Acts 24
Life is a Journey, Not a Destination
Scripture
27 After two years went by in this way, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jewish people, he left Paul in prison. (Acts 24:7)
Observation
God told Paul that he would be able to preach in Rome. His ticket there was his proclamation that he was a Roman citizen and that he had a right to a fair trial. Paul knew that he was going to be arrested in Jerusalem and even though his friends begged him not to go, he went anyway (Acts 21:14) I think Paul knew that he would eventually be tried in Rome and that was his ultimate goal.
How frustrating it must have been to be called before Felix for 2 years! Perhaps Paul would say to God before each meeting, “Lord, is this the day? Will some decision be made today? You said I could go to Rome, I know you did!” And each time he would be sent back without an answer. This was the first of many long imprisonments for Paul before he finally got to preach in Rome. What did Paul do during those times? Was he complaining as the Israelites did during their wandering in the desert, waiting for thier promise from God to be fulfilled? I don’t think so. The Bible says that Paul was under arrest, but had some freedoms. His friends came to him and tend his needs. He probably preached each and every time. We know that he wrote many of his letters from prison, so he acted as an encourager as well. He also used his time before Felix and his succeeding captors to tell them about Jesus. He knew that Rome was his destination, yes, but that the journey there was also ordained by God. He knew that the journey was just as important as the destination.
Application
How many times to we get a promise from God and then sit back and wait for it to happen? How many times do we find ourselves on a long journey, always looking foward to the destinatin, but fail to look around at the opportunities God presents to us along the way? How we handle the journey determines how successful we are once we reach the destination. The Israelites did not handle their journey very well and ended up spending another 40 years wandering in the desert! I know I’ve spent time in the desert because I wanted so bad to have what God promised me RIGHT NOW and complained to God that it wasn’t happening. The journey is where God prepares us and trains us.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, teach me to live for the journey. Help me to embrace each day and live for the moment. Don’t let me loose one single opportunity. I don’t want to wander in the desert. Forgive my complaining heart. Amen.
Daily Reading
Leviticus 25
Psalm 25-26
Acts 22
God, I Can’t Rest. You Don’t Understand How Busy I Am!
Scripture
18 “If you want to live securely in the land, follow my decrees and obey my regulations. 19 Then the land will yield large crops, and you will eat your fill and live securely in it. 20 But you might ask, ‘What will we eat during the seventh year, since we are not allowed to plant or harvest crops that year?’ 21 Be assured that I will send my blessing for you in the sixth year, so the land will produce a crop large enough for three years. 22 When you plant your fields in the eighth year, you will still be eating from the large crop of the sixth year. In fact, you will still be eating from that large crop when the new crop is harvested in the ninth year. (Lev 25:18-22)
Observation
God wants us to rest. The Sabbath day is for us to rest, the Sabbath year is for the land to rest, and the Year of Jubilee is to remind us that everything we “own” does not belong to us, but to God (“You are only foreigners and tenant farmers working for me.” v.23) This is an obvious simplification. God said we will be blessed if we rest. It is important to Him and should be important to us. Why don’t we do this? It seems such an easy task, and fun.
Application
Sheryl’s translation: “If you want to be blessed in what you do, love Me and follow my commands. Then your business will be successful and you will be secure. ‘But God (insert whiny voice here), how am I to be successful if I don’t work? It takes 25 hours a day for me to accomplish everything. If I take one whole day off a week, my business will fail, my security will fail, my kids will go hungry, I won’t be able to by the latest DS game!’ Oh, silly little disciple, be assured that I will send my blessing to you. I will make up the time you feel you have lost and there will be enough time left over! You will be way more successful in 6 days doing things MY way than you ever could dream of in the 7 days YOUR way! In fact, you will even have enough time left over the following morning that you can spend even more with ME! Imagine that! My economy is not the economy of this world.”
Prayer
Oh God who stands outside of time, help me to apply this truth. Give me the strength to live this out in my own life and not just talk about it. Take over my calender, my agenda, and prioritize it to fit into Your kingdom, not mine. Amen.
I’m taking a quick time-out from cleaning to rant. Yesterday, a friend and I were talking about how many other cultures have maids. Even in developing nations where there is a lot of poverty, it is unheard of to live without a maid and/or nanny. Why, then, in our blessed nation do we expect ourselves to do it all? I mean, we work full-time, keep the house clean, make sure there is food for eating, fulfill any extra-curricular obligations we or our kids have, etc. etc. etc. AND we are expected to do it all without yelling or getting upset! Why do we do this to ourselves? Well, I have tons of laundry waiting for me and the kids are hungry and I’ve pissed my husband off by yelling at the kids. Got to go.
