Time for a Holy Spirit Refreshing - Galatians 3:2-5

"Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?" The Apostle Paul interrogates the Galatians by asking a series of rhetorical questions in these verses. Paul despairs that the Galatians have come under the influence of false teachers and so he reminds them of their experience when they first came to know Christ. Paul explains how irrational it is for the Galatians to seek a fuller Christian life through observance of the law. God gave them the Spirit and worked miracles among them because they heard the gospel and believed it. Christians receive the Spirit when they are saved in order to sanctify and empower them in life and various kinds of ministry. This experience was apparently so real and vivid for the Galatians that Paul knew they would recall it. How fresh is your experience with God? Can you vividly recall the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit in your life? Maybe it's time for a Holy Spirit refreshing. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and perfect you by convicting you of sin and empowering you with faith in your daily walk with God.

Jesus Inside - Galatians 2:20

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Paul tells the Galatians his own life experience as an example to show that trying to gain justification by the law only exposes not exonerates sinfulness. Once Paul gained God's approval through the justification that is in Christ, he no longer had to try to meet the impossible burden of trying to earn acceptance with God through his own efforts. God personalized salvation and so an amazing transformation took place in this new relationship to God. Now Christ directs and empowers all that Paul does because Christ's crucifixion was a personal expression of His love for people individually. Therefore, Paul trusts Christ moment by moment and Christ works in and through him to give spiritual effectiveness to all that Paul does. Paul's life is now controlled by God's love and not by the law. Like Paul we should find an amazing new freedom in living a life that is devoted to Jesus, the Son of God, Who redeems each of us individually because He loves us and now lives inside us. But our devotion should be focused on living in a way that pleases God and not in a way that tries to earn our salvation.

What Does Apostasy Look Like? - Zephaniah 1:6

"Those who have turned back from following the Lord, who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him.” Judah alone remained to serve as God's chosen people since Israel was exiled to Assyria in 722 B.C. Yet, the presence of a righteous king such as Josiah (vs. 1) was not enough to avert God's judgment from Judah when other officials and the people were persisting in evil. In this verse Zephaniah is naming those people whom God will cut off from His redemptive purpose. Among those who will be cut off are the the people who who have become apostate and left their first faith. What specifically was their apostasy? They no longer sought the Lord or inquired from Him, meaning they looked for answers elsewhere besides God. Do you continually seek God? Do you pray and ask Him to guide your life and help you make the right decisions? Be among those seeking and inquiring of the Lord as the time for His coming draws near.

The Jump and Run Strategy for Avoiding Disaster - Habakkuk 3:19

"God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places." Habakkuk questioned God as to why He allowed injustice to prevail and evil to go unpunished in Judah. God answered Habakkuk that He is going to punish the wickedness in Judah by sending the Babylonians to invade it. Then Habakkuk questioned God as to why He would use those less righteous to punish those more righteous. God answered that the righteous live by their faith and that ultimately He will punish the wickedness of the Babylonians. Habakkuk concludes that God's righteous will prevails and though calamity or disaster may come upon him, he will still rejoice in the salvation of the Lord. "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation" (vs. 17-18). Habakkuk is determined to be faithful and persevere no matter what-—to rejoice in the Lord not just when things go right but especially when things go wrong, even when things go very wrong. Just as a deer can sense danger and quickly jump and run to the mountains to find safety, when you are faithful to God, He will give you strength like a deer to jump and run to Him for safety from disaster (vs. 19).

The Measure of Your Faith - Habakkuk 2:4

"But the righteous shall live by his faith." Habakkuk is proclaiming a prophecy against the Babylonian nation and its king. God tells Habakkuk that the Babylonians are "puffed up" (vs. 4a) or proud and so they are not righteous before God (although they may think so because of their pride and vanity). It will take faith to wait patiently for God's plan to unfold, but the righteous believe that God will accomplish it. A proud person relies on himself, whereas a righteous person relies on God. The phrase," but the righteous shall live by his faith, is quoted in the New Testament to emphasize that people are saved by grace through faith (Galatians 3:11, Ephesians 2.8) and should live by faith (Hebrews 10:38-39). The kind of faith that Habakkuk describes here is a mature faith, a continuing trust in God that clings to God's promises, even in the darkest days. This kind of faith is better described as faithfulness. Faithfulness is the measure used to determine how large or how small one's faith is. So let faithfulness be the the basis for your eternal relationship with God.

Why You Should Believe the Bible - Romans 15:1-4

"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." The Apostle Paul expresses confidence in the Old Testament scriptures indicating that that all of the Old Testament was written down for the instruction and encouragement of God's people. In making this statement Paul implies that all the words written in the Old Testament scriptures are the words of God that He providentially directed to be written not only for His purposes at the time they were written but to endure for the instruction and encouragement of later generations of God's people. According to the Apostle Paul, you can have confidence that what the Bible says, including the Old Testament scriptures, should be understood as God's instructions for building your faith and hope in Him. Therefore, let us put considerable effort into studying and understanding the Bible.

What Really Matters- Romans 14:16-17

"So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." The Apostle Paul explains what really matters for life in Christ. God's Kingdom is about love for Christ and one another; it is not a set of rules and regulations, policies and procedures. Therefore, the strong in faith should not act or behave in ways that can be misunderstood by the weak in faith or those with no faith, but the strong should refrain from questionable conduct for the sake of the weak or the faithless. For if the strong in faith do not act out of love but for their own satisfaction, then the goodness of the gospel may be wrongly misconstrued as evil. If another perceives the good you are doing as evil, then it does not accomplish any good for God's Kingdom. So what really matters to establish your life in Christ is not formulating a set of do's and dont's or when's and how-to's to live by, but rather experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you to enable God's righteousness, peace, and joy to subsume your life.

Making Merry Before the Lord - II Samuel 6:21-22

"And I will make merry before the Lord. I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” David had recently been anointed king over all Israel and one of his first official acts was to move the ark of the covenant to his new capital city, Jerusalem, making Jerusalem both the political and religious capital of Israel. The ark was the visible sign of the holy presence of the Lord and the focal point of God's actual presence among his people. God manifested his presence in a special way where the ark was. David accompanied the ark on its journey to Jerusalem. David and those with him were "making merry before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals" (vs. 5). During the journey they rejoiced (vs. 12), danced (vs. 14), and shouted (vs. 15), while playing musical instruments (vs. 15) to celebrate the coming of the ark and the presence of God to the new capital city. David removed his royal robes and dressed like everyone else (the priests and Levites) in the procession. When David's wife (Saul's daughter) saw David leaping and dancing before the Lord sans his royal robes, she despised his actions and told David he was making a fool of himself in front of everyone, especially the young female servants. David told his wife that he was willing to make himself even more contemptible by making merry before the Lord and while she perceived his zeal for God as something despicable, the female servants would respect his passion for the Lord as something honorable. Let us take our cue from David and learn to make merry before the Lord in worship. Too often our worship is detached and methodical. We need the passion of David in our worship. Shouldn't our worship reflect our zeal for God with rejoicing and shouting--and maybe even some occasional dancing? We need to be zealous for the Lord, sometimes to the point of contemptibility!

Be a Living Sacrifice for God - Romans 12:1

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." The Apostle Paul uses the language of Old Testament sacrifices to explain metaphorically the new life of Christians. When Paul says to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, he means the whole person--both body and soul. In contrast to the dead animal sacrifices of the past, you should present yourself as a living sacrifice because you are alive from the dead and experience new life with Christ. Neither will you be put to death as Old Testament animal sacrifices were because of the sacrifice of Christ that fulfilled those dead animal sacrifices. While Old Testament worship focused on offering animal sacrifices in the temple, Paul says that offering one's whole life to God is your spiritual worship. So if you are a living sacrifice, you should be holy, not conformed to this world but transformed to spiritual service by the renewing of your mind (vs. 2). Your whole life should be lived as a sacrifice to God, albeit, a living sacrifice walking around performing service to God.

Be The Love! - Micah 6:8

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

This verse is a response to the question posed in the previous verses (vs. 3-5), which is a question for all people in every age, 'What shall I do to please God?'

Micah answers the question by posing several questions concerning how much sacrifice is enough to offer to please God, and he proposes possibilities ad absurdum. In other words, there's not enough sacrifices one can offer, not enough good one can do, to please God.

So the answer to the original question as answered in this verse is that God desires a change of heart that expresses a reaction to his redemptive acts toward His people:
do justice,
     love kindness,
          and walk humbly with Him.

The best way to please God is to administer grace and forgiveness to those seeking redemption.

Rescuing the Exiled - Micah 4:6-7

"In that day, declares the Lord,I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted; and the lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time forth and forevermore." Have you ever wandered from fellowship with God and His will for your life? Maybe you have even felt like an exile from God! In these verses God expresses his covenantal faithfulness to those who have become separated from God and His will. These verses show how God wanted to regather and restore the exiled Israel and make them once again submissive to His will and ongoing fellowship with Him. In the same way, when you have strayed from God's will He wants to rescue you from your exile and make you strong again! God is faithful and His grace is irresistible. He wants to restore you to fellowship with Him and obedience to His will.

Is Jesus Lord of Your LIfe? - Romans 10:5-13

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved" (vs 9-10). In this passage the Apostle Paul reinterprets a passage from Moses' sermon to the Israelites when they renewed the covenant with God before entering the promised land (Deuteronomy 30:11-14). Paul contrasts the righteousness based on faith with the righteousness that comes from the law and considers this passage from Moses' sermon as now fulfilled in Christ. Paul says there is no need to travel to heaven to bring Christ to earth because God has already sent him into the world. And it is not necessary to bring Christ up from the realm of the dead because God has raised Christ from the dead. Just as Moses reassured the Israelites before they entered the promised land that God's commandments are not hard because His words are near, neither does it require superhuman effort on your part to be saved. Therefore, all you have to do is believe in Christ's resurrection from the dead, which infers that you also believe in and accept Christ's death and sacrifice to bear the sin of humanity. Paul says that saving faith is simply a deep inward trust in Christ, but it is a trust that is at the core of one's being (the heart). The evidence of that trust is demonstrated in the affirmation, usually by confessing with your mouth, that Jesus is Lord. Can you proclaim today that Jesus is Lord?

King David's Problem-Solving Strategy - I Samuel 30:6

"And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God." Do you ever feel like your problems are overtaking you? You think you may have more problems than other people! And why doesn't God work out your problems when you've been faithful and prayed for a resolution? Learn a lesson about problem-solving from David. Saul, the king of Israel and his army pursued David all over Israel to kill him because Saul was jealous of David. David had to live in the desert and in caves to avoid being caught. Every time he went into a town someone reported it to Saul. He had no food to eat and had an army of followers and their families to feed, so he had to take consecrated food from the priests of the tabernacle to feed his followers. Then he was ordered to go fight another king's war and while he was on this mission his town was raided and his family and the families of his followers were kidnapped by another enemy. Upon returning to his hometown his loyal followers were so aggravated with him that they considered killing him. And remember that all this was happening to a guy that knew God had called him to be the next king of Israel. Do you suppose he ever questioned God about why all these bad things were happening to him when he was anointed as the next king? We know he despaired at times from some of the Psalms he wrote; however, the way he handled it here was that he strengthened himself in the Lord. Rather than despairing, David turned to God in prayer and worship and I'm sure that God comforted and sustained him. God didn't take David's problems away; He just changed David's perspective about his problems: "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?" (Psalm 56:3-4).

Eternal Life Starts Now - Romans 8:23-24

"And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved." In this passage we see the tension between the already but not yet that permeates the Apostle Paul's theology. Paul argues that all creation was subject to corruption with the rebellion of humanity against God, leading him to conclude that even the cosmos awaits the full redemption of the children of God. It is important to understand that this eschatological dimension of our faith--where the future is warped around the present--is a supposition built into the fundamental framework of Christianity. In fact, as Paul aptly describes in Romans 8:18-30, Christianity is all about living a future hope in the present reality. The dilemma Christians face, however, is living in this present age with mortal bodies that are subject to sin while having entered into eternal life with immortal bodes that are subject to God's righteousness. N.T. Wright says Christians must live in the present by the rules of what will be the case in the ultimate future. In other words, eternal life starts now! Fortunately, the teachings of Jesus, the Apostle Paul, and other biblical teachings can help us find ways to resolve this dilemma and live productive lives for the future in the present. So let us learn to live our lives now in a way that anticipates our eternal life.

How to Be a Son or Daughter of God - Romans 8:14

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." The Apostle Paul seems to be telling us the main criteria for being a son or daughter of God is to be led by the Spirit. He uses a sort of reverse logic to make His point by first stating his premise and then making the arguments to support it. Those who are sons and daughters of God must be led by the Spirit because they have become part of God's family by being adopted by Him and receiving His Spirit (vs. 15). Then what does it mean to be led by the Spirit? The previous verse gives us some insight: "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live" (vs. 13). Those who live according to the Spirit and not according to one's own will and desires will live forever. Being led by the Spirit is a pattern of conduct that encompasses all of one's life. It means that through the power supplied by the Holy Spirit when you are adopted by God as His son or daughter (by receiving His Spirit) you quit making choices and quit behaving in ways that are self-serving and you start making choices and start behaving in ways that are in accord with the Holy Spirit's guidance.

God Our Father - Isaiah 64:8

"But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand." In Isaiah 63:15-64:12 the prophet recites a prayer to God for mercy on His people. Isaiah addresses God as "Father" in vs. 63:16 and then later in the prayer in this verse (vs. 64:8). Isaiah recognized the Father/child relationship that God has established with those who are His people and who faithfully serve Him. Isaiah confesses to God that Israel has sinned and rebelled against Him, but now he prays for God as their loving Father to withdraw His anger and forgive their sin: "Be not so terribly angry, O Lord, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people" (vs. 64:9). God is our Creator and our Heavenly Father. As a loving Father He wants to forgive your sins and engender a paternal relationship with you so that He can form you into an extraordinary daughter or son.

Being a Slave of Righteousness - Romans 7:6

"But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code." The Apostle Paul argues that you are a slave to what you serve or obey (vs. 6:16-18). According to Paul, the moral dilemma that confronts each of us is that we are either a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness. Those who have faith in Christ are set free from slavery to sin and are enabled to be the obedient servants of righteousness through the power of the Holy Spirit. We no longer have to try to avoid sin through compliance with a written code because the God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament. We serve and obey God's righteousness in the newness of life provided by Christ's sacrificial death and imputed to us by His Spirit. So be the slave of righteousness by yielding to the Holy Spirit Who dwells in you, renews your mind, and empowers you for service in God's Kingdom.

The Place Where Hopelessness Becomes Blessedness - Isaiah 61:1

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." The message of deliverance and salvation for the marginalized that is expressed in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-11) is also expressed in Isaiah 61 and other Old Testament writings. Jesus inaugurated His own ministry in Luke 4:16ff by reciting this passage from Isaiah. In the Beatitudes Jesus spoke the same message of hope in the deliverance and salvation of the Lord for the dispossessed as proclaimed by the Old Testament prophets and patriarchs. However, Jesus proclaimed that all the Old Testament promises of blessedness for the desperate and hopeless found fulfillment and accomplishment in Him and His Kingdom. In Jesus, what was formerly distant or out of reach to humanity, became close, accessible, and available to every individual human being. Jesus lowered the standard for admission to His Kingdom to the level of human need. Now, we who are the formerly hopeless of this world are the blessed ones of God's Kingdom!

The Reign of Grace - Romans 5:21

"So that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Paul teaches that those who have trusted in Christ have hope for the future. While Adam brought sin and death into the world, those who have believed in Christ are full of hope, for Christ has reversed the consequences of Adam's sin and has given his own life and righteousness to secure our eternal glory. Paul clearly teaches “original sin,” that all people inherit a sinful nature because of Adam's sin, and probably is also teaching that all people are guilty before God because of Adam's sin (vs. 12-19). Christ's one act of righteousness--His sacrificial death on the cross--grants righteousness and eternal life to all who have trusted in Him. Human beings were created and designed by God for eternity and for eternal life with Him. Therefore, you must let God's grace reign over your sinful nature and begin to live out your eternal life now.

What Are You Becoming? - Romans 5:3-5

"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." The Apostle Paul tells the Romans that access to God’s love is especially available through suffering. Suffering builds character that makes one's heart especially susceptible to the love of God. You see, in God’s Kingdom misery is not necessarily the antithesis of joy as we normally see it. In God’s Kingdom misery can be the bearer of joy, the path to fulfillment. Desperation often points the way to hope and misfortune can open the door to blessedness. Suffering is often the divine mechanism through which we receive God's love because suffering can produce hope for a better day or a better way. Suffering establishes a framework for living for the future in the present. In God's Kingdom our lives are not defined so much by our present circumstances but by what will be our circumstances in the future. So this note of encouragement from the Apostle Paul indicates that it's not so important what we are when we encounter God, but what we are becoming because of God’s love poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

Growing Your Faith - Romans 4:20-22

"No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness.” In his letter to the Romans the Apostle Paul provides a detailed argument as to why people are saved by faith and not by works. Abraham is the foremost example of one receiving God's salvation and His promises apart from the law. When the promise of God came to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:5), Abraham faced the fact that he and Sarah were too old to have children. But Abraham's faith actually increased as he waited on God because He continued trusting God. Abraham believed that God could be relied on to do what he had promised and as he trusted God, he honored and glorified him. If you want to grow your faith, do as Abraham did--keep trusting that God's promises will come true for you and thank Him and glorify Him for it. Giving glory and thanksgiving to God doesn't change God--it changes you and grows your faith in Him.

The Habitation of God Paradox - Isaiah 57:15

"For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite." God's abiding presence transcends this world to eternity so that the temporal is occupied by the eternal. But what's amazing, what's paradoxical, is that God Who inhabits eternity and dwells in the high and holy place of the heavenlies, also dwells with people who are truly sorry for their unrighteousness and sinful ways. God's omnipresence is also His reviving presence for all the penitent, for those who know that they need a big God to take charge over their lowly life.

A Beautiful Mind - Isaiah 55:8-9

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." The Creator is far above his finite creatures and beyond their ability to describe Him or comprehend Him fully. Although we may truly know Him, such knowledge is always partial and imperfect. God's consciousness is as high above human consciousness as the heavens are above the earth and divine thinking greatly exceeds the formulations of human cognition. In the immediate context this verse is an appeal by God for His people to exchange their sinful “thoughts” and “ways” for God's, which are a morally superior and just: “Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts" (55:7). However, there is also a reassurance here that God's is a Beautiful Mind. God is perfectly wise in all his thoughts and ways and so His people can take great comfort in Him when inevitably they are unable to understand the mysteries and tragedies of life.

The Way of Obedience - I Samuel 15:22-23

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry." King Saul was successful in defeating the Philistines and Amalekites, but he also tried to accomplish God's will for Israel in his own way or the way the people wanted even when it was contrary to the word of the Lord that was told to him. Instead of totally destroying all the spoil—sheep and oxen—from the battle with the Amalekites as God commanded, Saul justified taking the spoil from the Amalekites saying the animals would be used as sacrifices to the Lord. Samuel tried to make Saul understand the importance of obeying God on God's terms and not on Saul's terms. Samuel told Saul that obedience to God was more important to Him than performing religious rituals. Samuel told Saul that disobedience or rebellion was like the sin of divination—when you don’t obey God’s command it’s like consorting with evil spirits—and compared presumption to idolatry—assuming you know better than God is like making an idol of yourself. For Saul the consequences of his disobedience were severe—he lost his kingdom and his kingship. Learning to obey God's will in our everyday lives is often as hard for us today as it was for Saul. God's will defines the relationship we have with Him, so obedience to Him and His will is a lesson we must learn to be effective followers of Jesus.

The Gospel According to Isaiah - Isaiah 53:11

"Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities." This verse is taken from the fourth "Servant Song" in Isaiah that is frequently quoted in the New Testament and, of course, finds its fulfillment in Christ. In this fourth song Isaiah describes the "Suffering Servant" and explains that all the promises of God will come true for His people because the Servant removes their guilt before God by his sacrifice. This Servant is a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, and despised and rejected by people (vs. 3). Yet ,there was a divine purpose underlying the oppression of the Servant in which He becomes a guilt offering and the executor of God's plans and purposes (vs. 10). The outcome of the Servant's sufferings is not regret but the satisfaction of obvious accomplishment. His experience of grief and personal sacrifice results in the salvation of many because the Servant bears their sin. In this "Servant Song" Isaiah provides a clear explanation of the gospel of Christ centuries before the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yet, the message of God throughout the Old and New Testaments is the redemption of His people whom He exceedingly loves. Isaiah envisioned it before it occurred; we have the privilege to experience and live in the salvation of Christ that was obtained through His personal sacrifice and suffering and triumphant resurrection.

No Excuse for Disobedience - I Samuel 13:8-15

Saul summoned the army of Israel to gather at Gilgal to fight against the Philistines.Gilgal is one of the places where Samuel stopped on his circuit to judge Israel (7:15-16), the place where Saul had waited for Samuel to confirm his kingship with burnt offerings (10:8), and the place where Saul was publicly proclaimed king over Israel (11:15).

Now Saul was again waiting at Gilgal for Samuel to come and offer sacrifices to the Lord.

When Samuel didn't appear after seven days and many in Saul's army began to desert, Saul offered the sacrifices himself, which was in violation of the Lord's command (vs. 13).

Saul knew that he had violated the commandment that only a priest should offer sacrifices (Numbers 18:7) and started making excuses to Samuel as soon as he arrived at Gilgal.

Saul complained to Samuel that when he didn't come to Gilgal as planned and many in the army were deserting, Saul didn't want to start the battle without seeking the favor of the Lord.

These were certainly legitimate reasons to go ahead and offer the sacrifices except for one detail--none of these reasons took into account the command of the Lord for Saul not to make any move until Samuel gave him the word of the Lord.

Saul showed his tendency to be moved by circumstances and to rely on religious rituals to gain God's favor rather than having a personal knowledge and understanding of God's will and then actually trusting and obeying that will.

Samuel pronounced Saul's eventual downfall as king (vs. 14) because Saul was not trustworthy to obey the Lord.

There is no good reason that is good enough to do things your own way and not God's way.

There's no excuse good enough for disobedience!

Let God always find you trustworthy to accomplish His plans and purposes no matter how the circumstances appear.

"But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).

On Being a Weakling for the Lord - II Corinthians 12:9-10

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." The Apostle Paul told the Corinthians that because of revelations he received from God, God permitted Satan to afflict him with what he called a "thorn in the flesh" so that Paul would not become conceited. When Paul asked the Lord for deliverance from this affliction, God replied that His grace was all Paul needed because His power could best be expressed through Paul's weakness. If you want God to empower you for His service, then  you need to be weak! You see, it's really a control issue--who is in control of your life, you or the Holy Spirit? If you depend on your own abilities, then why do you need God's power? But if you want God's power operating through you, then you must be dependent on God for your enablement. The principle is quite simple but so hard for us to implement in our lives. God uses weaklings! If we want to be strong in the Lord, then we must be needful of His strength. "For when I am weak, then I am strong" (vs. 10).

A Heart Transplant - I Samuel 10:9

"When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart." In a private ceremony Samuel had just anointed Saul as the first king over Israel. Then Samuel gave Saul a set of instructions concerning the next steps he should take to confrm his appointment by God as the new king. When Saul turned to leave and do the things that Samuel has instructed him to do, God gave him another heart. It's like God performed heart transplant surgery on Saul! Later the "Spirit of God rushed upon him [Saul]" (vs 10). The act of God giving Saul a new heart is linked with the action of the Spirit of God rushing upon him and Saul is confirmed as the one to deliver Israel. When you accept God's calling on your life and start fulfilling that calling, God will give you a new heart and the Holy Spirit to empower you and enable you to accomplish His plans and purposes for your life.

The Lost Art of Spiritual Warfare - II Corinthians 10:3-6

"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete." Paul is defending his apostolic ministry to the Corinthians. Paul says there is a war going on in this world--the battle for the souls of men and women--so it is a spiritual war not a physical one. Thus, he does not use human plans and methods to win his battles. Paul continues the war metaphor to say that he uses divine power to attack strongholds where the enemy is entrenched and to take the enemy captive and make it subject to Christ its conqueror. A stronghold is an entrenchment that is fortified and protected behind strong defenses. Thus, wrong attitudes and behavior that are justified and defended by wrong thinking was then enemy Paul was battling here. By the power of the Spirit of God Paul attacks the strongholds of wrong thinking and behavior that are reflected in the lives of those who resisted his authority. We are engaged in the same spiritual war today but conducting spiritual warfare is somehow lost on most Christians. My pastor says that the Christian life is a battleground not a playground! Wrong attitudes and behaviors that are accepted, protected, and defended by a general consensus of a community or a segment of society have everywhere infiltrated this world. This entrenched thinking resists all attempts to overthrow it and persists in holding people in bondage, darkness, misery, despair, and disbelief. Unfortunately, Christians often lack the skills to battle these strongholds although we should have the same confidence and competence with the spiritual weapons of warfare that Paul claimed to deploy. However, you can refine your skills in conducting spiritual warfare through the disciplines of prayer, Bible study, meditation, godly living, and Christian service. God's divine power to destroy strongholds is available to those who are led by His Spirit.

The Cheerful Giver - II Corinthians 9:6-7

"The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." Giving of our time and money is an essential aspect of following Jesus. Furthermore, God doesn't just want you to give, He wants you to be happy about it when you do give--be a cheerful giver! Paul uses the well-known proverb, "You reap what you sow," as the basis for his appeal to the Corinthians. God does not command us to give a certain amount, but He does provide opportunities for us to give and to give generously. Those who sow generously will also reap bountifully in terms of bearing fruit for God's kingdom. God loves giving that is accompanied by joy because it expresses contentment in God's gracious provision for each one of us, which, in turn, makes every good work possible and results in thanksgiving and glory to God (vs. 8). I sincerely believe that when you make giving to God's Kingdom your top financial priority, then He will make provision for you to meet your other financial obligations and also grow your finances so that you can give more into His Kingdom. Additionally, what applies to giving of your money also applies to giving of your time. The complete and well-rounded follower of Jesus gives cheerfully of both time and money to the service of God's Kingdom!

How Not to Accomplish God's Will - I Samuel 4:1-16

This story of the Philistines capturing the ark of the covenant of the Lord is one of several occasions of misuses and abuses of political and religious power recorded in I and II Samuel. The ark of the covenant was the visible sign of the presence and power of God. Until this time the ark was housed in the tabernacle (tent sanctuary) at Shiloh as intended by God when the Israelites entered the promised land (Joshua 18:1). Now Israel is disastrously defeated by the Philistines and the elders of Israel realize that the defeat was the work of the Lord. However, there is no collective repentance or any other indication that they seek to know God's will in their war with the Philistines. Instead, they decide, apparently on their own accord, to remove the ark from Shiloh where it has been for over 300 years and bring the ark to the battlefield assuming that it will save them from defeat by the Philistines. It almost seems as if Israel is trying to force God to do their will instead of seeking God's will and then doing it. But the ark is not a magic charm and so Israel is defeated and the ark captured by the Philistines. How often do you think up a plan and then ask God to accomplish your plan? Should you not first ask God what His plans and purposes are for you and then align your plans with God's will for you?