Learning who God "is"

S - Deut 4

29 But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. 31 For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.

Psalm 36
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
    People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house;
    you give them drink from your river of delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
    in your light we see light.

O-  My observation is influenced heavily by the imagery and story of "The Shack".   I realize that God has given us his word and many examples in the bible of who He is and how much he loves us.    The movie helped me colorize the picture that I have of God, and how my own past hurts influence this picture I have.    God is...  there is no changing who He is, however we all have so many different perceptions of who He is and what He should do,  we can have a unclear or even false picture.  This scripture exorts us to seek the Lord with all our heart, and He will reveal himself to you.   David is the psalm proclaims how priceless God's love is ,  he knows this because he has spent his life seeking him.

A -  The application for me is to recognize that I must continue to seek the Lord and be transformed into the understanding of who He truly is, and not hampered by the hurts, sins, and lies of my past.   God is the same,  only I am changing in my understanding of who He is.  I can trust though in His unfailing love, and goodness,  and must wait on the Lord to continue to do a work in my beautiful mess of a life,  always asking the Holy Spirit to help me weed and sow, and nurture what is of God. 

P -  Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's lesson, may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you would continue to heal and reveal to me who you are, and help me to life and love with an understanding of who you want and need me to be.  I pray  all this in Jesus name, Amen.

Serving confident in Gods provision

S- Mark

17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they replied.
20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
They answered, “Seven.”
21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

O-  My observation is to see myself sitting in that same boat with the disciples having toured with Jesus, in the moment of wearniness and trying to understand why Jesus said beware the yeast of th pharisses.    The yeast of the pharisee is thinking of what is good for you and worrying about your own needs, vice giving thanks to the Lord and trusting in His provision.   Jesus point to the disciples is to remind them of this more than bountiful provision god.

A -  the application to me is to never forget again the abundant provision the Lord has given me, and not allow my thoughts and actions to be driven by a fear of not having something, or comparing my provision with someone elses's.     My attitude should be to be that of a servant wherever God's has me.

P - Dear heavenly father, thank you for you provisio and for your grace.  I recognize how much you have provided in my life and my hearts desire is to steward it well.   Lord give me the mind of Christ, so I might process things through His eyes.  In Jeus name I pray.

Correcting back to love

S  - 1 cor 13

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails.

O-  I know our devotions go to this love chapter for a reason, and Paul goes here for a reason as well.  Love is God, and God is love, and in love lies the perfect plan of God.   It is here that Paul reminds us of the attributes of love, because we are God's instruments of love and need to behave accordingly.  Not just to discipline ourselves to do the things of love, like being kind, not easily angered,  not keep record of wrongs,  etc,  because this is both the character of our God and the character our hearts should desire to portray.

A -  I confess I lost sight of God's love for me and my love for others according to the scripture.  I would start with my wife and kids, and move outward to members of the church and into the workplace and the world around me.    I confess I have let envy, self seeking, anger,   and keeping records of wrongs to taint my perspective of life and my attitude toward others.

P - Dear lord,  forgive me for having wandered from the love you have shown me, and not carrying forward in my love of others.  I pray Lord that you ignite the fire in me o be a agood and faithful follower who loves my wife, kids, friends, and those in my life well.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

Sabbath revealed

S -
Number 15
32 While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 34 and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. 35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” 36 So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Mark 3
4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.
5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

O -  Here we see two opposing views of the Sabbath, and it often forces me to ask am I too emphathetic to the man in numbers who is stoned for gathering wood on the sabbath, and yet the pharisees are continually try to catch Jesus working on the sabbath, and Jesus intentionally uses this a learning moment.  The truth in scripture says God/Jesus are the Lord of the Sabbath, and they determine what is righteous and what is not.   The Lord created the sabbath for man, for rest and reflection.   Only God can judge the hearts of men to know the intentions of mens hearts.  In the case of the numbers wood gather, the lord assessed the intentions of the mans heart and determined it was not for good and therefore judged him righteously.   In the case of Jesus,  he realized mens hearts had been hardened and become too religious because they would literally see God at work, and yet condemn the works of the Lord on the sole basis it was on the sabbath.

A -  The  application for me is to bring my hearts intentions on the sabbath before the Lord and test my own intentions and be ready for correction and direction.  I  have probably become complacent in my love of the sabbath without utilize it for a time of rest and reflection on what the Lord is doing and saying, and simply using it for my own recreation.

P -  Dear God, help me honor the sabbath, in a way that honors you and your intent for the sabbath in my life. In Jesus name, amen.

wait on the Lord

S- Acts 27
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?
....
    the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.
13 I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

O-   Davids psalms always set the example for me.     In times when my faith is strong and life is good they are words that embolden me to walk in confidence in the Lord's plan in my life.   In times of uncertainty or despair, they are words and truth to hold onto, the lord is my salvation and stronghold and is working to lead me and clar the path for His ways in my life. 

A -  The application for me is to recognize that I am coming out of a season uncertainty and to some extent despair, but it is clear the Lord has been making the way before me,  and I need to remain confident that I will continue to see the goodness of the Lord , if I continue to wait on Him.

P - Dear heavenly father, I pray no for strength to press through today and the next few months hanging on to you, I pray for an encouragement and strengthening of my heart to move forward with confidence and faith in the road ahead.  Lord heal me of my doubts, protect me from my fears, and help me keep my eyes on you.  In Jesus name, amen.

Following the Holy Spirit - ministry Jesus' way

S - Acts 28

But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
7 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. 8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. 9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10 They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

O - Paul's testimony even to those on the island of Malta where he was shipwrecked followed the direction Jesus had taught the disciples.  Go into a community and if they welcome you, show them what God can do.   And it this case it was a ministry of healing that Paul provided through the holy spirit. 

A -  The application for me is to use the spirit of God in me to guide me in where he is moving.  Rely on the hospitality of those you serve and the presence of the Holy spirit.  For me this is at work today and especially a word for as I travel to Puget. 

P-  Dear heavenly Father, thank you for todays word, may it stir in me a service unto you and unto thse you place in my life. In Jesus name,  Amen.

Confession - a reset opportunity

S - Ĺev 26

40 “‘But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors—their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me, 41 which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, 42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.

O-  Confession is such a big part of having a relationship with God.  This passage is a message from God to the people of Israel after he has brought them out of slavery in Egypt.     He see's that even under those awesome circumstances of salvation the people have a wandering heart, and sinful hands.    Part of what he has set up so He can live amongst them and lead them, is a means for them to get right with God, and this in part is understanding and admitting where they have departed from God's way and gone their own way.  

A - The application for me is to recognize I need to continue to examine myself, confess my sins when they occur, and as he describes, even confess the sins of my ancestors  before me.   That means to me that though I have been saved and filled with God's spirit, I am still sinning in my heart, and even with my hands.  Today my sins are not serving my wife and children well, giving into to idols such as t.v.  From my family I believe I carry the sin of unforgiveness, a propensity to not honor the marriage covenant well.

P -   Lord I confess all these things so that I may once again be right with you, and able to hear your voice and follow your ways for my life.  I have battled the depression which makes me vulnerable to satan's attack, and have allow myself to be vulnerable by isolating myself from others, I know this is wrong. I pray Lord that you would heal my depression, and show me your ways, and once again revitalize the spirit in me of love, and service unto you and others.  I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.