I Am Your Redeemer

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People


Isaiah 44:21-26 (The Message)
 ^21-22"Remember these things, O Jacob.
   Take it seriously, Israel, that you're my servant.
I made you, shaped you: You're my servant.
   O Israel, I'll never forget you.
I've wiped the slate of all your wrongdoings.
   There's nothing left of your sins.
Come back to me, come back.
   I've redeemed you."
 ²³High heavens, sing!
   God has done it.
Deep earth, shout!
   And you mountains, sing!
   A forest choir of oaks and pines and cedars!
God has redeemed Jacob.
   God's glory is on display in Israel.
 ²⁴God, your Redeemer,
   who shaped your life in your mother's womb, says:
"I am God. I made all that is.
   With no help from you I spread out the skies
   and laid out the earth."
 ^25-28He makes the magicians look ridiculous
   and turns fortunetellers into jokes.
He makes the experts look trivial
   and their latest knowledge look silly.
But he backs the word of his servant
   and confirms the counsel of his messengers.
He says to Jerusalem, "Be inhabited,"
   and to the cities of Judah, "Be rebuilt,"
   and to the ruins, "I raise you up."
He says to Ocean, "Dry up.
   I'm drying up your rivers."
He says to Cyrus, "My shepherd—
   everything I want, you'll do it."
He says to Jerusalem, "Be built,"
   and to the Temple, "Be established."

For Reflection
How did God move in your life? In times of difficulty, how did you get the courage to get on with life?  God tells the Jews in the face of catastrophe, to inhabit, rebuild, become established.

Pray
to be freed from memories that trip you up.  Pray for the hope that drives you toward your future.  Pray that you recognize your role in the body of Christ.

Assured of the Future

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People


Isaiah 44:6-8 (The Message)
 ^6-8God, King of Israel,
   your Redeemer, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, says:
"I'm first, I'm last, and everything in between.
   I'm the only God there is.
Who compares with me?
   Speak up. See if you measure up.
From the beginning, who else has always announced what's coming?
   So what is coming next? Anybody want to venture a try?
Don't be afraid, and don't worry:
   Haven't I always kept you informed, told you what was going on?
You're my eyewitnesses:
   Have you ever come across a God, a real God, other than me?
   There's no Rock like me that I know of."

For Reflection
What does it take to believe the good news of God's redemption?  I mean truly believe, strong enough to act on it.  How does your belief affect what you do?

Pray
Pray for the confidence to act on your belief in redemption. Pray that your trust in God displaces all fear.

Redeemed to Be Heirs

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People


Galatians 4:1-7 (The Message)
 ^1-3Let me show you the implications of this. As long as the heir is a minor, he has no advantage over the slave. Though legally he owns the entire inheritance, he is subject to tutors and administrators until whatever date the father has set for emancipation. That is the way it is with us: When we were minors, we were just like slaves ordered around by simple instructions (the tutors and administrators of this world), with no say in the conduct of our own lives.  ^4-7But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, "Papa! Father!" Doesn't that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you're also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.

For Reflection
What does it mean to come of age?  Do you  remember your sixteenth birthday?  Do you remember the anticipation of the freedom it represented? And yet you were not entirely freed to do as you pleased.  Aha, but at eighteen...  The privilege of emancipation came at age twenty one.  Between sixteen and twenty one, you began to realize that freedom came with strings.  You both enjoyed and suffered the consequences of your decisions.  Without a safety net, life is scary.  One may think he leaves the household of God, but God never abandons him.

Pray
for those who think they have to face life's challenges alone.  Pray that they will accept the invitation to turn towards God's comforting arms.  Pray that they will experience the peace only God can provide.

Know that I Am with You

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People

Genesis 28:10-17 (The Message)

^10-12 Jacob left Beersheba and went to Haran. He came to a certain place and camped for the night since the sun had set. He took one of the stones there, set it under his head and lay down to sleep. And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground and it reached all the way to the sky; angels of God were going up and going down on it.
 ^13-15 Then God was right before him, saying, "I am God, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. I'm giving the ground on which you are sleeping to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will be as the dust of the Earth; they'll stretch from west to east and from north to south. All the families of the Earth will bless themselves in you and your descendants. Yes. I'll stay with you, I'll protect you wherever you go, and I'll bring you back to this very ground. I'll stick with you until I've done everything I promised you."
 ^16-17 Jacob woke up from his sleep. He said, "God is in this place—truly. And I didn't even know it!" He was terrified. He whispered in awe, "Incredible. Wonderful. Holy. This is God's House. This is the Gate of Heaven."

For Reflection
In his dream, Jacob saw the hard wired connection between God and mankind.  At that point Jacob realized that the earth upon which he walked was holy ground and no matter where he went he was in God's house and under His protection. How does one act in the house of God? If we are in the household of God, each of us has a purpose to fulfill. What is your task?

Pray
to listen closely for the task for which God has prepared you.  Pray for the courage to follow God's direction.

My Redeemer Lives

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People


Job 19:23-27 (The Message)
 ^23-27 "If only my words were written in a book—
   better yet, chiseled in stone!
Still, I know that God lives—the One who gives me back my life—
   and eventually he'll take his stand on earth.
And I'll see him—even though I get skinned alive!—
   see God myself, with my very own eyes.
   Oh, how I long for that day!

For Reflection
I want you to think about time. For us there is only a chronology, a time to be born, a time to live, and a time to die.  However, for God time is defined by the word "is,"  past, but not just past; future, but not just future. God's sense of time is reflected in his own description of Himself, "I am."
It is a little like  knowing the Christ event.  Jesus exists before His birth, during His presence on earth and exists after His death.
As we move now through Christ;s birth to His resurrection, we see dimly as God sees -- not only a chronology, one moment at a time but also, we, through memory, see the whole Christ event time. In a single instant we know what was, is and will be.  We get a glimpse, as Job wished, of a vision of God.  What is salvation if it is not restoration to the arms of  the omnipotent  "I am?"

Pray
Neal before our timeless God.  Give thanks for His invitation to redemption. Pray that you grasp the restoring power of God and fulfill its promise.  Pray that you take back your life and stand with God giving your life as Christ did to what with God you shall become.

I Will Be with You

Merry Christmas

The Lord is with You

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People

Matthew 1:18-25 (The Message)

The Birth of Jesus

 ^18-19The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.  ^20-23While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—'God saves'—because he will save his people from their sins." This would bring the prophet's embryonic sermon to full term:

   Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
   They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us").
 ^24-25Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.

For Reflection
Remember the story.  Remember Joseph's's obedience.  Remember Mary's ordeal.  Remember those who came to witness the birth of a King.  Remember the stable. Remember the birth of freedom, truth, and salvation.  Never forget.

Pray
and sing songs of joy.  Offer prayers of thanksgiving.  Rejoice in the Lord, all ways.

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People

Haggai 1:7-15 (The Message)

 ⁷That's why God-of-the-Angel-Armies said:
   "Take a good, hard look at your life.
   Think it over."
 ^8-9Then God said:
   "Here's what I want you to do:
   Climb into the hills and cut some timber.
Bring it down and rebuild the Temple.
   Do it just for me. Honor me.
You've had great ambitions for yourselves,
   but nothing has come of it.
The little you have brought to my Temple
   I've blown away—there was nothing to it.
 ^9-11"And why?" (This is a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, remember.) "Because while you've run around, caught up with taking care of your own houses, my Home is in ruins. That's why. Because of your stinginess. And so I've given you a dry summer and a skimpy crop. I've matched your tight-fisted stinginess by decreeing a season of drought, drying up fields and hills, withering gardens and orchards, stunting vegetables and fruit. Nothing—not man or woman, not animal or crop—is going to thrive."
 ¹²Then the governor, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak, and all the people with them listened, really listened, to the voice of their God. When God sent the prophet Haggai to them, they paid attention to him. In listening to Haggai, they honored God.
 ¹³Then Haggai, God's messenger, preached God's Message to the people: "I am with you!" God's Word.

For Reflection
Take a hard look at your life.   Have you put your house before the house of God? What have you done to honor God.  What can you do today to honor God?

Pray
That you will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.  Pray for the lord's guidance in all matters.

Obey and Find Mercy

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People

Jeremiah 42:7-17 (The Message)

 ^7-8Ten days later God's Message came to Jeremiah. He called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers with him, including all the people, regardless of how much clout they had.
 ^9-12He then spoke: "This is the Message from God, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your prayer. He says, 'If you are ready to stick it out in this land, I will build you up and not drag you down, I will plant you and not pull you up like a weed. I feel deep compassion on account of the doom I have visited on you. You don't have to fear the king of Babylon. Your fears are for nothing. I'm on your side, ready to save and deliver you from anything he might do. I'll pour mercy on you. What's more, he will show you mercy! He'll let you come back to your very own land.'
 ^13-17"But do not say, 'We're not staying around this place,' refusing to obey the command of your God and saying instead, 'No! We're off to Egypt, where things are peaceful—no wars, no attacking armies, plenty of food. We're going to live there.' If what's left of Judah is headed down that road, then listen to God's Message. This is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies says: 'If you have determined to go to Egypt and make that your home, then the very wars you fear will catch up with you in Egypt and the starvation you dread will track you down in Egypt. You'll die there! Every last one of you who is determined to go to Egypt and make it your home will either be killed, starve, or get sick and die. No survivors, not one! No one will escape the doom that I'll bring upon you.'

For Reflection
One can not escape this world.  The consequences of human interaction will follow one everywhere.  What do you fear so intensely that it challenges you faith in God's willingness and ability to help?

Pray
for the courage to follow the will of God.  Obey God and trust in his merciful and comforting presence.  Have hope in the rightness of your choice.

God Forgets Our sins

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People

Isaiah 43:22-28 (The Message)

 ^22-24"But you didn't pay a bit of attention to me, Jacob.
   You so quickly tired of me, Israel.
You wouldn't even bring sheep for offerings in worship.
   You couldn't be bothered with sacrifices.
It wasn't that I asked that much from you.
   I didn't expect expensive presents.
But you didn't even do the minimum—
   so stingy with me, so closefisted.
Yet you haven't been stingy with your sins.
   You've been plenty generous with them—and I'm fed up.
 ²⁵"But I, yes I, am the one
   who takes care of your sins—that's what I do.
   I don't keep a list of your sins.
 ^26-28"So, make your case against me. Let's have this out.
   Make your arguments. Prove you're in the right.
Your original ancestor started the sinning,
   and everyone since has joined in.
That's why I had to disqualify the Temple leaders,
   repudiate Jacob and discredit Israel."

For Reflection
Sinning is like eating potato chips, once you start you just can't stop.  Soon you lose hope that you will ever be able to stop sinning. You feel unworthy of redemption.  But God doesn't see it that way.  God is not the Holy Gotcha.  All He asks is that you repent.  He takes your burden as his yoke.

Pray
for forgiveness.  Pray for all those whose sin is so pervasive that they feel unworthy of redemption.  Pray that they will find sanctuary in the hollow of God's hand.

Remember God's Mercy

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People

Isaiah 63:7-14 (The Message)

All the Things God Has Done That Need Praising

 ^7-9I'll make a list of God's gracious dealings,
   all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
   his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
   love extravagant.
He said, "Without question these are my people,
   children who would never betray me."
So he became their Savior.
   In all their troubles,
   he was troubled, too.
He didn't send someone else to help them.
   He did it himself, in person.
Out of his own love and pity
   he redeemed them.
He rescued them and carried them along
   for a long, long time.  ¹⁰But they turned on him;
   they grieved his Holy Spirit.
So he turned on them,
   became their enemy and fought them.
 ^11-14Then they remembered the old days,
   the days of Moses, God's servant:
"Where is he who brought the shepherds of his flock
   up and out of the sea?
And what happened to the One who set
   his Holy Spirit within them?
Who linked his arm with Moses' right arm,
   divided the waters before them,
Making him famous ever after,
   and led them through the muddy abyss
   as surefooted as horses on hard, level ground?
Like a herd of cattle led to pasture,
   the Spirit of God gave them rest."

For Reflection
Time and time again God has rescued his people.  Not because they were perfect, but rather, because they recognize their imperfection.  We know we know god because we recognize good and evil.  God helps us recognize the difference.

Pray
that you will always remember what God has done for you.  Pray that you will rely on His redeeming Grace.

His Mission -- Our Mission

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People


Matthew 28:16-20 (The Message)
 ^16-17Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.
 ^18-20Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

For Reflection
How do we instruct? Some instruct directly, but most of us  instruct best by living our lives as God has intended us to live.  By devoting your life to God and behaving accordingly, you instruct; perhaps more effectively than those who instruct directly.

Pray
that you are an influential witness to the Holy Spirit in your life.  Pray that those who interact with you are moved by the grace of God which flows through you.

Peace us Given to You

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People


John 14:25-31 (The Message)
 ^25-27"I'm telling you these things while I'm still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I'm leaving you well and whole. That's my parting gift to you. Peace. I don't leave you the way you're used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don't be upset. Don't be distraught.
 ²⁸"You've heard me tell you, 'I'm going away, and I'm coming back.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I'm on my way to the Father because the Father is the goal and purpose of my life.
 ^29-31"I've told you this ahead of time, before it happens, so that when it does happen, the confirmation will deepen your belief in me. I'll not be talking with you much more like this because the chief of this godless world is about to attack. But don't worry—he has nothing on me, no claim on me. But so the world might know how thoroughly I love the Father, I am carrying out my Father's instructions right down to the last detail.
   "Get up. Let's go. It's time to leave here."

For Reflection
Stop the world, I want to get off!  Well, "Get up. Let's go. It's time to leave here."  The Holy Spirit will guide you.  The Spirit will help you see the world so differently that you will swear you entered a parallel universe.

Pray
sit quietly. close your eyes. Turn off the sights, sounds and smells of your world.  Relax. Listen for the for the voice of God   Let the Holy Spirit flow into you.  Arise and approach the world in peace.

Peace with God

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People
Romans 5:1-5 (The Message)

Developing Patience

 ^1-2By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.  ^3-5There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

For Reflection

In sync.  That's what God wants for us -- to be in sync with Him.  To be in sync with God is to know ultimate peace. Angst disappears and trust an hope emerge. It is not that we fear death so much, it is that we fear dying with out reaching our potential for living well.

Pray
for patience as you wait or the peace of God to engulf you.  Pray that you discover the essence of your self that is made in the image of God.  Pray for the insight That leads you to be in sync with God's intention for you.

The Gospel of Peace

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People

Ephesians 6:13-17 (The Message)
 ^13-18Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

For Reflection
Life is a bite too big to chew.  The best way to get through it with out indigestion is to take little bites and wash it down with the living water.  Have faith, trust and hope in the Lord. No ulcers for you.

Pray
that you put your trust in the Lord.  Ask for God's help. Pray for all of us who need to experience smaller bites of life. Pray that you will bolster others and lead them to trust and hope in the Lord.

The God of Peace

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People

Romans 15:25-33 (The Message)
 ^25-29First, though, I'm going to Jerusalem to deliver a relief offering to the followers of Jesus there. The Greeks—all the way from the Macedonians in the north to the Achaians in the south—decided they wanted to take up a collection for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem. They were happy to do this, but it was also their duty. Seeing that they got in on all the spiritual gifts that flowed out of the Jerusalem community so generously, it is only right that they do what they can to relieve their poverty. As soon as I have done this—personally handed over this "fruit basket"—I'm off to Spain, with a stopover with you in Rome. My hope is that my visit with you is going to be one of Christ's more extravagant blessings.
 ^30-33I have one request, dear friends: Pray for me. Pray strenuously with and for me—to God the Father, through the power of our Master Jesus, through the love of the Spirit—that I will be delivered from the lions' den of unbelievers in Judea. Pray also that my relief offering to the Jerusalem believers will be accepted in the spirit in which it is given. Then, God willing, I'll be on my way to you with a light and eager heart, looking forward to being refreshed by your company. God's peace be with all of you. Oh, yes!

For Reflection
In Christ there is peace.  It is a peace, however, that is not without tension. The apostle is doing the work God intends.  It is the work of a God who seeks reconciliation, not dominance.
And yet, Paul prays that the help he brings will be accepted in the spirit in which it was intended.  Think of a time when your peace offering, your attempt at helping was not accepted and your effort misinterpreted.  Peace-making is not always easy.

Pray
that the grace of God will flow like a fountain through you and make your efforts to help others a fruitful God centered experience.  Pray for those whose lives are dedicated to peaceful reconciliation.  Pray for those whose godlessness discourages peaceful reconciliation.

I Am Your God

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People

Isaiah 41:17-20 (The Message)
 ^17-20"The poor and homeless are desperate for water,
   their tongues parched and no water to be found.
But I'm there to be found, I'm there for them,
   and I, God of Israel, will not leave them thirsty.
I'll open up rivers for them on the barren hills,
   spout fountains in the valleys.
I'll turn the baked-clay badlands into a cool pond,
   the waterless waste into splashing creeks.
I'll plant the red cedar in that treeless wasteland,
   also acacia, myrtle, and olive.
I'll place the cypress in the desert,
   with plenty of oaks and pines.
Everyone will see this. No one can miss it—
   unavoidable, indisputable evidence
That I, God, personally did this.
   It's created and signed by The Holy of Israel.

For Reflection
God is a part of our misery.  He is part of our love.  He is part of our punishments and our humiliations. He weeps at our sorrows and rejoices in our celebrations.  He is our God  who reveals Himself in mystery and in the fulfillment of his promise for restoration.

Pray
pray that you will go forth with the assurance of salvation.  Pray to become open to the unexpected and to follow with confidence of one who is armed with authority and humble in its practice.

Do Not Fear

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People

Isaiah 41:11-16 (The Message)
 ^11-13"Count on it: Everyone who had it in for you
   will end up out in the cold—
   real losers.
Those who worked against you
   will end up empty-handed—
   nothing to show for their lives.
When you go out looking for your old adversaries
   you won't find them—
Not a trace of your old enemies,
   not even a memory.
That's right. Because I, your God,
   have a firm grip on you and I'm not letting go.
I'm telling you, 'Don't panic.
   I'm right here to help you.'
 ^14-16"Do you feel like a lowly worm, Jacob?
   Don't be afraid.
Feel like a fragile insect, Israel?
   I'll help you.
I, God, want to reassure you.
   The God who buys you back, The Holy of Israel.
I'm transforming you from worm to harrow,
   from insect to iron.
As a sharp-toothed harrow you'll smooth out the mountains,
   turn those tough old hills into loamy soil.
You'll open the rough ground to the weather,
   to the blasts of sun and wind and rain.
But you'll be confident and exuberant,
   expansive in The Holy of Israel!

For Reflection
One of the most powerful motives for what we do is FEAR!  We cheat because we are afraid of losing.  We boast because we fear rejection.  We lie because we are afraid of  undesirable consequences of our action. We condemn others because we are afraid that some how what they do contaminates us. Instead of being confident in the protection of our Lord and Savior, we are contaminated by the ought toos and the shoulds and measure our strengths by our perception other's weaknesses.  Over the next several days, examine your actions.  What have you done that may have been motivated by fear?

Pray
for the confidence and trust in the God of Jacob, of Israel and of us. Pray to remove judgmental actions from our behavior.  Pray for help and guidance and become loamy soil for God's cultivation.

A God of Hope and Mercy

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People
Psalm 71:1-6 (The Message)
    I run for dear life to God, I'll never live to regret it.
   Do what you do so well:
      get me out of this mess and up on my feet.
   Put your ear to the ground and listen,
      give me space for salvation.
   Be a guest room where I can retreat;
      you said your door was always open!
   You're my salvation—my vast, granite fortress.

 ^4-7 My God, free me from the grip of Wicked,
      from the clutch of Bad and Bully.
   You keep me going when times are tough—
      my bedrock, God, since my childhood.
   I've hung on you from the day of my birth,
      the day you took me from the cradle;
      I'll never run out of praise.
   Many gasp in alarm when they see me,

For Reflection
Do you remember High School?
Last weekend my wife and I had a weekend visit from one of our high school friends.  We have reminisced before, so we didn't spend much time remembering the past, but just having her and her husband with us for an ex trended period sparked my recollections of those high school days.  We were never part of the "popular" crowd. and spent most of our time doing our own thing -- she in her father's '57 Chevy and I in my aunt's '56 Olds Starfire.  I remember those days of pressure to confirm to the teen culture. I am eternally grateful to the God of love who provided a church based sanctuary where we could be accepted as we were.  God freed us from the grip of the teen cultural bully.  As the song goes, He was there to hear our birthing cries and He'll be there when we go on -- and at our side through all of our journeys in the past and yet to come.

Pray
Thank God for the protection He has provided you.  Pray that you remember His steadfast love and encouragement.  Realize that your life is no accident, but rather a testament to the Living God.

A God of Grace and Mercy

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People

2 Chronicles 30:6-9 (The Message)
 ^6-9 The king gave the orders, and the couriers delivered the invitations from the king and his leaders throughout Israel and Judah. The invitation read: "O Israelites! Come back to God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that he can return to you who have survived the predations of the kings of Assyria. Don't repeat the sins of your ancestors who turned their backs on God, the God of their ancestors who then brought them to ruin—you can see the ruins all around you. Don't be pigheaded as your ancestors were. Clasp God's outstretched hand. Come to his Temple of holy worship, consecrated for all time. Serve God, your God. You'll no longer be in danger of his hot anger. If you come back to God, your captive relatives and children will be treated compassionately and allowed to come home. Your God is gracious and kind and won't snub you—come back and he'll welcome you with open arms."

For Reflection
Who's got your back?  God wants reconciliation.  He offers invitations to return time and time again.  No matter what we do, He asks us to return to the comfort of his loving arms.  God has my back.  I trust Him.

Pray
for those who refuse to acknowledge God's overtures for reconciliation.  Pray for those who think they are not worthy of being loved for who they are.  Pray that you will be a living testament to Divine acceptance.

A God of Love

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People

1 John 4:13-19 (The Message)
 ^13-16This is how we know we're living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He's given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we've seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God's Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we've embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.

To Love, to Be Loved

 ^17-18God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.  ¹⁹We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.

For Reflection
How grateful we are to be aligned with a god of love.  Look around you.  Who professes an allegiance to a god of retribution, a god of revenge, a god of vindictiveness, a god of hate, a god of jealousy, a god of domination? These gods embrace fear, use fear to coerce others into alignment.  Not our god who stretches his arms out in service to us, who lives inside of us and infuses us in the knowledge of good and evil and transfigures us in His image to reject evil by embracing good.  He loves so that we may love.  How do you love?

Pray
asking God to show you the way to love ourselves and others.  Pray that God will drive fear from our hearts and minds so that we may rely on acts of love.  Pray that we express the love of God and open ourselves to the Spirit of the living God to work His miracles through us.

The Highway for God

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People

Isaiah 40:29-31 (The Message)
 ^27-31Why would you ever complain, O Jacob,
   or, whine, Israel, saying,
"God has lost track of me.
   He doesn't care what happens to me"?
Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening?
God doesn't come and go. God lasts.
   He's Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath.
   And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired,
   gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out,
   young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
   They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don't get tired,
   they walk and don't lag behind.

For Reflection
Isaiah's image of hope is expressed as a highway to home.  Each time I returned from a trip to or through West Virginia, as I crested the mountain at Flat Top, I 77 stretched out in front of me, a high way to home.  Home -- a place of comfort -- of support -- the familiar warm place -- a sanctuary.   Isaiah's words of hope ask us to wait on God's highway to  become energized and soar.  Think about someone who have offered you hope when you felt hopeless. Perhaps he or she was God's emissary.

Pray
that you will offer hope to someone who has little hope.  Pray for the care givers who selflessly offer them selves as conduits for God's grace.

God's Glory above the Earth

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People

Isaiah 40:25-26 (The Message)
 ^25-26"So—who is like me?
   Who holds a candle to me?" says The Holy.
Look at the night skies:
   Who do you think made all this?
Who marches this army of stars out each night,
   counts them off, calls each by name
—so magnificent! so powerful!—
   and never overlooks a single one?

For Reflection
So many things to keep track of, but, He knows your name.  His grace surrounds you.  You are permitted to live in the hollow of His hand.

Pray
prayers of thanksgiving for the One who protects and guides you.  Pray that all peoples know His name.

God's Glory above the Nations

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People

Isaiah 40:12-17 (The Message)
The Creator of All You Can See or Imagine
^2-17Who has scooped up the ocean
   in his two hands,
   or measured the sky between his thumb and little finger,
Who has put all the earth's dirt in one of his baskets,
   weighed each mountain and hill?
Who could ever have told God what to do
   or taught him his business?
What expert would he have gone to for advice,
   what school would he attend to learn justice?
What god do you suppose might have taught him what he knows,
   showed him how things work?
Why, the nations are but a drop in a bucket,
   a mere smudge on a window.
Watch him sweep up the islands
   like so much dust off the floor!
There aren't enough trees in Lebanon
   nor enough animals in those vast forests
   to furnish adequate fuel and offerings for his worship.
All the nations add up to simply nothing before him—
   less than nothing is more like it. A minus.

For Reflection
God is the director of the universe.  Think about a time when you were at one with the universe.  Can you picture the moment?  What were the circumstances?  How did you feel?

Pray
to understand your place in God's universe.  Pray to have confidence in His promise of everlasting life. Pray to be humble in the face of His glory.

God's Glory Declared

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People

1 Chronicles 16:28-34 (The Message)
 ^28-29 Shout Bravo! to God, families of the peoples,
      in awe of the Glory, in awe of the Strength: Bravo!
   Shout Bravo! to his famous Name,
      lift high an offering and enter his presence!
   Stand resplendent in his robes of holiness!
 ^30-33 God is serious business, take him seriously;
      he's put the earth in place and it's not moving.
   So let Heaven rejoice, let Earth be jubilant,
      and pass the word among the nations, "God reigns!"
   Let Ocean, all teeming with life, bellow,
      let Field and all its creatures shake the rafters;
   Then the trees in the forest will add their applause
      to all who are pleased and present before God
      —he's on his way to set things right!
 ^34-36 Give thanks to God—he is good
      and his love never quits.
   Say, "Save us, Savior God,
      round us up and get us out of these godless places,
   So we can give thanks to your holy Name,
      and bask in your life of praise."
   Blessed be God, the God of Israel,
      from everlasting to everlasting.
    Then everybody said, "Yes! Amen!" and "Praise God!"
.
For Reflection
Nothing moves one's emotions with greater effect than music.  We are fast approaching the season of joyous celebration.  Handel's applause - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_RHnQ-jgU - Shout Bravo!  God Reigns. Yes! Amen! Praise God!

Pray
Praise God for the gift of human creativity through which flows the grace of God.

God's Glory Revealed

Assuring Hope
Comfort for Gods People
Deuteronomy 5:22-27 (The Message)
 ²² These are the words that God spoke to the whole congregation at the mountain. He spoke in a tremendous voice from the fire and cloud and dark mist. And that was it. No more words. Then he wrote them on two slabs of stone and gave them to me.
 ^23-24 As it turned out, when you heard the Voice out of that dark cloud and saw the mountain on fire, you approached me, all the heads of your tribes and your leaders, and said,
 ^24-26 "Our God has revealed to us his glory and greatness. We've heard him speak from the fire today! We've seen that God can speak to humans and they can still live. But why risk it further? This huge fire will devour us if we stay around any longer. If we hear God's voice anymore, we'll die for sure. Has anyone ever known of anyone who has heard the Voice of God the way we have and lived to tell the story?
 ²⁷ "From now on, you go and listen to what God, our God, says and then tell us what God tells you. We'll listen and we'll do it."

For Reflection God, through Moses, gives us hope in the form of moral guidance and a path for obedience, the Commandments. The hope for a Christian society is lodged in each individual's adherence to Christian principles.  Every time a Christian makes a choice, he or she turns a central part of him or herself into something a little different than it was before.  Only by making those choices in obedience to God does a person turn him or herself into a righteous person.  Think about the choices you have made in your lifetime.  Some were God centered and some were not.  Which ones now dominate your paths?  Which choices have given you hope?

Pray
for those who know not good or evil.  Pray for the wisdom and courage to make God-centered choices.  Give thanks that you know both good and evil and can distinguish between the two.

The Inescapable God
God Protects

Psalm 139:1-22 (The Message)

A David Psalm

 ^1-6 God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.
   I'm an open book to you;
      even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.
   You know when I leave and when I get back;
      I'm never out of your sight.
   You know everything I'm going to say
      before I start the first sentence.
   I look behind me and you're there,
      then up ahead and you're there, too—
      your reassuring presence, coming and going.
   This is too much, too wonderful—
      I can't take it all in!
^7-12 Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
      to be out of your sight?
   If I climb to the sky, you're there!
      If I go underground, you're there!
   If I flew on morning's wings
      to the far western horizon,
   You'd find me in a minute—
      you're already there waiting!
   Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
      At night I'm immersed in the light!"
   It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you;
      night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you.
 ^13-16 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
      you formed me in my mother's womb.
   I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
      Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
      I worship in adoration—what a creation!
   You know me inside and out,
      you know every bone in my body;
   You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
      how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
   Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
      all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
   The days of my life all prepared
      before I'd even lived one day.

For Reflection
One cannot escape the presence of God. Listen closely, see clearly, touch the hand of God.

Pray

Psalm 139:23-24
^23-24 Investigate my life, O God,
      find out everything about me;
   Cross-examine and test me,
      get a clear picture of what I'm about;
   See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong—
      then guide me on the road to eternal life.

The Expanse of God's Knowledge

The Inescapable God
God Protects
Psalm 139:17-21 (The Message)
 ^17-22 Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!
      God, I'll never comprehend them!
   I couldn't even begin to count them—
      any more than I could count the sand of the sea.
   Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!
      And please, God, do away with wickedness for good!
   And you murderers—out of here!—
      all the men and women who belittle you, God,
      infatuated with cheap god-imitations.
   See how I hate those who hate you, God,
      see how I loathe all this godless arrogance;
   I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred.
      Your enemies are my enemies! 

For Reflection
Today is Thanksgiving.  Amid all the turkey, dressing, potatoes and giblet gravy, we give thanks to God' for beautiful advantage we have, being born Americans.  Take time to reflect on the differences between our nation's governance system and the oppressive systems under which others suffer.  Know by that comparison how fortunate we are.

Pray
prayers of thanksgiving.  Thank God for the separation of church and state that prevents one man's vision of a godly order from dominating.  Give thanks for living under a system of governance that does not try to out guess God.  Pray for all those oppressed by those who perversely misinterpret Gods intention for peace, justice and reconciliation.

The Expanse of God's Understanding

The Inescapable God
God Protects

Psalm 147:1-6 (The Message)
    Hallelujah! It's a good thing to sing praise to our God;
      praise is beautiful, praise is fitting.

 ^2-6 God's the one who rebuilds Jerusalem,
      who regathers Israel's scattered exiles.
   He heals the heartbroken
      and bandages their wounds.
   He counts the stars
      and assigns each a name.
   Our Lord is great, with limitless strength;
      we'll never comprehend what he knows and does.
   God puts the fallen on their feet again

For Reflection
When was the last time you allowed your emotions to rule your perceptions of God's handiwork?  Remember a time when you were overwhelmed by God's presence in your life.

Pray
singing songs of praise.  Let your heart soar in admiration of God's rule in your life.

The Expanse of God's Presence

The Inescapable God
God Protects

Job 23:8-13 (The Message)
 ^8-9 "I travel East looking for him—I find no one;
   then West, but not a trace;
I go North, but he's hidden his tracks;
   then South, but not even a glimpse.

 ^10-12 "But he knows where I am and what I've done.
   He can cross-examine me all he wants, and I'll pass the test
      with honors.
I've followed him closely, my feet in his footprints,
   not once swerving from his way.
I've obeyed every word he's spoken,
   and not just obeyed his advice—I've treasured it.

 ^13-17 "But he is singular and sovereign. Who can argue with him?
   He does what he wants, when he wants to.
He'll complete in detail what he's decided about me,
   and whatever else he determines to do.
Is it any wonder that I dread meeting him?
   Whenever I think about it, I get scared all over again.
God makes my heart sink!
   God Almighty gives me the shudders!
I'm completely in the dark,
   I can't see my hand in front of my face."

For Reflection
One might not see God, but He is always there, helping one to realize His plan for one's self.  To what extent do you seek God's advice and treasure it?

Pray
for the loyalty of Job.  Pray that you listen to God's direction. Pray for the confidence in God to complete His plan for you.

God Keeps Watch Over All

The Inescapable God
God Protects

Proverbs 15:1-7 (The Message)

God Doesn't Miss a Thing

 ¹ A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.

 ² Knowledge flows like spring water from the wise;
   fools are leaky faucets, dripping nonsense.

 ³ God doesn't miss a thing—
   he's alert to good and evil alike.

 ⁴ Kind words heal and help;
   cutting words wound and maim.

 ⁵ Moral dropouts won't listen to their elders;
   welcoming correction is a mark of good sense.

 ⁶ The lives of God-loyal people flourish;
   a misspent life is soon bankrupt.

 ⁷ Perceptive words spread knowledge;
   fools are hollow—there's nothing to them


For Reflection
God doesn't miss a thing.  He delivers gentle direction.  It is we who choose to follow or ignore his influence.  "Welcoming correction is a mark of good sense."

Pray
for a gentle tongue and words that heal.  Pray for the wisdom that spreads the knowledge of a God-loyal life.

A Refuge for the Needy

The Inescapable God
God Protects
Isaiah 25:1-5 (The Message)
^1-5 God, you are my God. I celebrate you. I praise you.
You've done your share of miracle-wonders,
   well-thought-out plans, solid and sure.
Here you've reduced the city to rubble,
   the strong city to a pile of stones.
The enemy Big City is a non-city,
   never to be a city again.
Superpowers will see it and honor you,
   brutal oppressors bow in worshipful reverence.
They'll see that you take care of the poor,
   that you take care of poor people in trouble,
Provide a warm, dry place in bad weather,
   provide a cool place when it's hot.
Brutal oppressors are like a winter blizzard
   and vicious foreigners like high noon in the desert.
But you, shelter from the storm and shade from the sun,
   shut the mouths of the big-mouthed bullies.

For Reflection
Take a good look around you.  Who are the needy?  Who suffers from the tryanny of our times?  How can the "Big City" be reduced to rubble?  Spend some time this week thinking about Christ's life and ministry.  How does "The Way" counteract the "Big City?"

Pray
asking God to lead you to the resolution of little conflicts.  Ask Him for the courage and confidence you need to avoid the subtle perversion of our times.

God Delivers and Protects

The Inescapable God
God Protects

Psalm 91:1-6 (The Message)
   You who sit down in the High God's presence, spend the night in Shaddai's shadow,
   Say this: "God, you're my refuge.
      I trust in you and I'm safe!"
   That's right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
      shields you from deadly hazards.
   His huge outstretched arms protect you—
      under them you're perfectly safe;
      his arms fend off all harm.
   Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,
      not flying arrows in the day,
   Not disease that prowls through the darkness,
      not disaster that erupts at high noon.
   Even though others succumb all around,
      drop like flies right and left,
      no harm will even graze you.
   You'll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance,
      watch the wicked turn into corpses.
   Yes, because God's your refuge,
      the High God your very own home,
   Evil can't get close to you,
      harm can't get through the door.
   He ordered his angels
      to guard you wherever you go.
   If you stumble, they'll catch you;
      their job is to keep you from falling.
   You'll walk unharmed among lions and snakes,
      and kick young lions and serpents from the path.

 ^14-16 "If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says God,
      "I'll get you out of any trouble.
   I'll give you the best of care
      if you'll only get to know and trust me.
   Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times;
      I'll rescue you, then throw you a party.
   I'll give you a long life,
      give you a long drink of salvation!"

For Reflection
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound...Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; 'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home."
As Christians, we bear no special immunity to hardship.  In fact, we are called to suffer with the world.  The Gospel tune, "Amazing Grace," confirms the fact that God has led us through troubled times in the past.  Why should the future be different? How do you take refuge in God?

Pray
for trust in the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit.  Pray that you will affirm God's Grace each day, by trusting unconditionally in God's abiding love.

A Refuge for the Future

The Inescapable God
God Protects
Jeremiah 16:14-21 (The Message)
^14-15"On the other hand, don't miss this: The time is coming when no one will say any longer, 'As sure as God lives, the God who delivered Israel from Egypt.' What they'll say is, 'As sure as God lives, the God who brought Israel back from the land of the north, brought them back from all the places where he'd scattered them.' That's right, I'm going to bring them back to the land I first gave to their ancestors.  ^16-17"Now, watch for what comes next: I'm going to assemble a bunch of fishermen." God's Decree! "They'll go fishing for my people and pull them in for judgment. Then I'll send out a party of hunters, and they'll hunt them out in all the mountains, hills, and caves. I'm watching their every move. I haven't lost track of a single one of them, neither them nor their sins.
 ¹⁸"They won't get by with a thing. They'll pay double for everything they did wrong. They've made a complete mess of things, littering their lives with their obscene no-gods, leaving piles of stinking god-junk all over the place."
 ^19-20God, my strength, my stronghold,
   my safe retreat when trouble descends:
The godless nations will come
   from earth's four corners, saying,
"Our ancestors lived on lies,
   useless illusions, all smoke."
Can mortals manufacture gods?
   Their factories turn out no-gods!
 ²¹"Watch closely now. I'm going to teach these wrongheaded people.
   Starting right now, I'm going to teach them
Who I am and what I do,
   teach them the meaning of my name, God—'I Am.'"

For Reflection
You are the future.  You are the teachers.  God lives in you. The grace of the living God flows through you.  Read again God's promise.  How do you surrender to God's work in restoring the world?

Pray
Confess your reluctance to participate fully in God's plan for the world.  Pray for His help in sacrificing your SELF for the Kingdom of God.  Listen to His answer and pray for the courage to follow His word.

A Refuge for the Poor

The Inescapable God
God Protects
Psalm 14 (The Message)

A David Psalm

 ¹ Bilious and bloated, they gas, "God is gone."
   Their words are poison gas,
      fouling the air; they poison
   Rivers and skies;
      thistles are their cash crop.

 ² God sticks his head out of heaven.
      He looks around.
   He's looking for someone not stupid—
      one man, even, God-expectant,
      just one God-ready woman.

 ³ He comes up empty. A string
      of zeros. Useless, unshepherded
   Sheep, taking turns pretending
      to be Shepherd.
   The ninety and nine
      follow their fellow.

 ⁴ Don't they know anything,
      all these impostors?
   Don't they know
      they can't get away with this—
   Treating people like a fast-food meal
      over which they're too busy to pray?

 ^5-6 Night is coming for them, and nightmares,
      for God takes the side of victims.
   Do you think you can mess
      with the dreams of the poor?
   You can't, for God
      makes their dreams come true.

 ⁷ Is there anyone around to save Israel?
      Yes. God is around; God turns life around.
   Turned-around Jacob skips rope,
      turned-around Israel sings laughter.

For Reflection
What a depressing view of human kind.  Gassy people, they are pontificating their stink. They are limited by their own perverse view of the world. By their own action they are confined only to the happiness that comes from good fortune.  What happens when luck turns against them --  when all their carefully prepared plans turn to mush. To whom can they turn?  Some turn to death. What good can be expected from those who do not turn to prayer?
I would not suggest that this Steve Martin song is a contemporary psalm.  However, what joy can an atheist find in his godless world without a celebratory hymn.  Check out The Atheist Hymnal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFWA1A9XFi8

Pray
for those who live with out God.  Pray that they will find the grace of the holy spirit.  Pray that your word and deed will help them understand salvation.

Call Upon the Lord

The Inescapable God
God Protects

Psalm 18:1-6 (The Message)

Psalm 18

 ^1-2 I love you, God— you make me strong.
   God is bedrock under my feet,
      the castle in which I live,
      my rescuing knight.
   My God—the high crag
      where I run for dear life,
      hiding behind the boulders,
      safe in the granite hideout.

 ³ I sing to God, the Praise-Lofty,
      and find myself safe and saved.

 ^4-5 The hangman's noose was tight at my throat;
      devil waters rushed over me.
   Hell's ropes cinched me tight;
      death traps barred every exit.

 ⁶ A hostile world! I call to God,
      I cry to God to help me.
   From his palace he hears my call;
      my cry brings me right into his presence—
      a private audience!

For Reflection
Did you ever want to just crawl behind a rock and scream, "Stop the World?"  You can you know.  God will listen.  The world that enrages you, the world that frightens you, the world that never seems to care will seem trivial. Just ask and God will give you a private audience.

Pray
for Grace to lead you away from the worldly cares.  Pray for peace of God in the midst of overwhelming troubles.  Pray for those troubled people, that they will find comfort in the hollow of God's hand.

All Our Days

The Inescapable God
God Protects

Psalm 90:13-17 (The Message)
 ^12-17 Oh! Teach us to live well!
      Teach us to live wisely and well!
   Come back, God—how long do we have to wait?—
      and treat your servants with kindness for a change.
   Surprise us with love at daybreak;
      then we'll skip and dance all the day long.
   Make up for the bad times with some good times;
      we've seen enough evil to last a lifetime.
   Let your servants see what you're best at—
      the ways you rule and bless your children.
   And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us,
      confirming the work that we do.
      Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!

For Reflection
A righteous life is a life lived well. Where does one learn what it means to live life well?  What is the benefit of a life lived well?  What work constitutes a life lived well?

Pray
Teach us to live wisely and well. Surprise us with love.  Let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us.  Affirm the work we do.

An Eternal Weight of Glory

The Inescapable God
God Protects

2 Corinthians 4:13-18 (The Message)
 ^13-15We're not keeping this quiet, not on your life. Just like the psalmist who wrote, "I believed it, so I said it," we say what we believe. And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive. Every detail works to your advantage and to God's glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise!
 ^16-18So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.

For Reflection
How much more assurance of protection does one need?  Christ has lifted us up to the Father. We receive more and more grace.  Through us Grace finds root in all people.  The yoke is heavy but our burden is light. To what extent do you look beyond the urgent, to find fulfillment in Gods Hand?

Pray
that, like the psalmist, we say and do what we believe.  Pray that you live your life, aware of His unfolding grace.  Pray that you keep your eye on what is to come and aim your-self directly toward it.

God's Eternal Power

The Inescapable God
God Protects
Romans 1:18-24 (The Message)

Ignoring God Leads to a Downward Spiral

 ^18-23But God's angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.  ^24-25So God said, in effect, "If that's what you want, that's what you get." It wasn't long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes!

For Reflection
OK. So here are some questions.  Did God punish these folks for their failure to see the truth in God?  Or have we been created by God to make choices that can have disastrous consequences?  Did God withhold his power to fix things?  Or did God stand by, suffering the pain of his children's disappointing behavior, and comforting those who asked?  Did God wait for the silliness to end so that he could welcome the people, like prodigal sons,into his loving arms?

Pray
that you escape being trapped by the silliness of our times.  Pray that you trade the promise of progress for the promise of salvation. Pray for awareness of God'd direction in your life.

God's Eternal Purpose

The Inescapable God
God Protects

Ephesians 3:7-13 (the Message)
 ^7-8This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities.
 ^8-10And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels!
 ^11-13All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we're free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don't let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud!

For Reflection

You know, I didn't plan to begin writing these daily studies.  I hadn't even thought about it.  And then one day the Spirit moved me.  I never considered myself a writer.  I am a terrible proof-reader.  I guess, I don't need to tell  you that.  I can't even spell well.  And yet, here we are.
What about you?   What have you done because of a motivation that you can't explain?

Pray
for surprises.  Thank God for gifts. Praise God for His extraordinary plan for our lives.  Pray that you give in completely to His plan for your life.

The King of the Ages

The Inescapable God
God Protects

1 Timothy 1:12-17 (The Message)
 ^12-14I'm so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. The only credentials I brought to it were invective and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn't know what I was doing—didn't know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus.
 ^15-19Here's a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I'm proof—Public Sinner Number One—of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me off—evidence of his endless patience—to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever.

   Deep honor and bright glory
      to the King of All Time—
   One God, Immortal, Invisible,
      ever and always. Oh, yes!
I'm passing this work on to you, my son Timothy. The prophetic word that was directed to you prepared us for this. All those prayers are coming together now so you will do this well, fearless in your struggle, keeping a firm grip on your faith and on yourself. After all, this is a fight we're in.

For Reflection
We had a baptism yesterday.  Such a small person, wide eyed with wonder and blind trust.  It is the ritualized passing on of the work of the Lord.  George (his name is) will suffer the same as we all do.  He will experience the same doubts and feelings of inadequacy that we do.  But, in the end, he will grow up in the Christian tradition of his parents and the community of believers with which they surround themselves.  He will be equipped to handle God's call. He is hope. He is the evidence of ever and always.

Pray
for George and all children.  Praise God for His trust in us. Pray that we embrace our adequacy in doing the work of the Lord.