Pray for President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton today as they host a historic summit at the White House with President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, seeking to discern ways to reduce threats to freedom in those nations and to strengthen security along their mutual border. Pray for God's presence, guidance and help in each part of the day...
1-2 Listen, everyone, listen� earth-dwellers, don't miss this.
All you haves
and have-nots,
All together now: listen.
3-4 I set plainspoken wisdom before you,
my heart-seasoned understandings of life.
I fine-tuned my ear to the sayings of the wise,
I solve life's riddle with the help of a harp.
5-6 So why should I fear in bad times,
hemmed in by enemy malice,
Shoved around by bullies,
demeaned by the arrogant rich?
7-9 Really! There's no such thing as self-rescue,
pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.
The cost of rescue is beyond our means,
and even then it doesn't guarantee
Life forever, or insurance
against the Black Hole.
10-11 Anyone can see that the brightest and best die,
wiped out right along with fools and dunces.
They leave all their prowess behind,
move into their new home, The Coffin,
The cemetery their permanent address.
And to think they named counties after themselves!
12 We aren't immortal. We don't last long.
Like our dogs, we age and weaken. And die.
13-15 This is what happens to those who live for the moment,
who only look out for themselves:
Death herds them like sheep straight to hell;
they disappear down the gullet of the grave;
They waste away to nothing�
nothing left but a marker in a cemetery.
But me? God snatches me from the clutch of death,
he reaches down and grabs me.
16-19 So don't be impressed with those who get rich
and pile up fame and fortune.
They can't take it with them;
fame and fortune all get left behind.
Just when they think they've arrived
and folks praise them because they've made good,
They enter the family burial plot
where they'll never see sunshine again.
20 We aren't immortal. We don't last long.
Like our dogs, we age and weaken. And die. (The Message)
"Wisdom is not the growth of human genius. It must be sought from above. And it is impossible that anyone should speak with the propriety and knowledge necessary for the edification of the Church, who has not, in the first place, been taught at the feet of the Lord.
"None can plead ignorance; for the deepest and most difficult doctrines are made plain to the most simple and unlettered of mankind.
"The promises of the Law were spiritual, and our fathers who embraced them were willing to confess themselves pilgrims upon earth, and sought an inheritance in heaven. The despairing fears which so many entertain when descending to the grave spring from the fact of their not commending their spirit to the preserving care of God. Let our faith be established in the great truth, that our soul, though it appears to vanish upon its separation from the body, is in reality only gathered to the bosom of God, there to be kept until the day of the resurrection."
(Commentary from Heart Aflame: Daily Readings from Calvin on the Psalms)
"Love, the Christian's Goal"
1 Timothy 1:5
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
"This love is the goal of all godly teaching." We need to help people learn to love God and their neighbors.
"What is your goal when you sit under biblical teaching? Is it to be equipped with knowledge for the sake of knowledge, or do you hope that your learning will make you more loving to God and neighbor? We are no better than the false teachers who were in Ephesus if we are not using the instruction we receive to serve the Lord and other people."
Week 3/Wednesday "The Bookends"
2 Peter 3:18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Ok, I'm asked to think of the different ways of growing in Christ as books on a bookshelf. To keep the books together, we need bookends.
The first bookend is the righteousness of Christ. Paul counted all of his "religious credentials" as garbage in order to gain Christ's righteousness.
The second bookend is the power of Christ. This is our power to live the Christian life. We have no ability within ourselves.
"The common element in these two bookends is the word dependence. We're dependent upon the righteousness of Christ for our acceptance with God, and upon the power of Christ for our ability to pursue spiritual growth."
Genesis 37-39; Psalm 13
It's been a while since I have visited this Bible journal. All of Israel's children have been born, now, and we launch headfirst into the wonderful story of Joseph.
Genesis 37 begins with the story of Joseph's dreams. This is what got him in trouble with his brothers in the first place. Well, that and the fact that he and Benjamin were obviously his favorites, which didn't sit well at all with the other 10. Right off the bat, we see that Joseph is a tattletale. That never endears anyone! Verse 2 says he "brought a bad report" to his father about his brothers. Bad idea. Then his father had that famous coat of many colors made for him. We aren't really sure what this means. It might simply be a long coat with sleeves. Whatever it was, it was nice enough that it made his brothers jealous.
Then he starts in with the dreams. He dreams that all of their sheaves bowed down to his. Then he dreamed that the sun moon and eleven stars were bowing down to him. This even disturbed his father, because that obviously meant that he and Joseph's mother would also be bowing down to him.
It probably wouldn't have been so bad if Joseph hadn't kept bragging about the dreams!
Finally comes the day when Israel sends Joseph out to find his brothers and see if they were doing well. They see him from a distance and immediately start plotting to kill him. Their hatred of him was very serious. Reuben saved him by convincing them not to shed any blood. So they took his coat and threw him in a big hole in the ground.
Along came some Midianite traders. "Hey!" they said. "Let's sell our brother to these guys!" So they did. Apparently, Rueben wasn't around when they did this, because he came back and found the pit empty and tore his clothes. (This was a common symbol of extreme grief and dismay in that day.) So they kill a goat, smear its blood on the coat and take the coat back to Israel, telling him that a wild animal killed his son.
Meanwhile, the Midianite traders sell Joseph to Potiphar, the captain of the Pharaoh's guard.
Chapter 38 is a strange side story about Judah (one of the sons of Israel) and his daughter-in-law, Tamar. Very disturbing story, and I really don't feel like getting into it right now.
Chapter 39...back to Joseph and Potiphar. God was with Joseph and blessed him so that he found favor with Potiphar. So much so that he was basically in charge of everything underneath Potiphar.
But then...one day, Potiphar's wife takes a liking to Joseph, who was "handsome in form and appearance." That's Bible for "hunk." :-) Potiphar's wife gave Joseph a "come hither" look and strongly suggested that they have sex. Joseph said, "No way!" She said, "Way." He said, "No way." You get the picture. One day, she actually got hold of his cloak and pulled it off of him as he ran away from her. Joseph was a wise man. But, she was clever, and when Potiphar came home, she showed him the cloak that Joseph left behind and accused Joseph of trying to rape her. Apparently, Joseph didn't even get to defend himself because he was quickly cast into prison, where, once again, he was so blessed by God that he wound up in charge of everything there.
There are a couple of lessons that I get out of this. First, just because God gives you dreams that predict your destiny, it doesn't mean you need to go shouting it from the rooftops. People will generally not appreciate you telling them that you're going to be in charge of them someday, because God said so.
Second, just as Romans 8:28 says...God is working everything out for good. Everything that happened to Joseph was part of God's plan. EVERYTHING!!
Third, even in adverse situations, if we trust God, he can bless us so that even our adversaries see the good in us and we wind up gaining their trust. Joseph, as far as we know, never compromised his own morals, yet he gained the trust of everyone he came in contact with.
Fourth, if the boss's wife comes on to you, make sure you don't leave you coat behind. Hahahah....
I also pray that when I do sit under teaching that it never be simply for the sake of obtaining more knowledge. I know that I have been guilty of that, and I confess it and ask for forgiveness. However, at this phase of my life, I am seeking to be more loving to my neighbors and to you.
I pray that I will be totally dependent on you for my righteousness and for the power to live this life.
And I pray for the faithfulness to be found trustworthy by even my enemies!
I add this prayer this morning, Lord: I have a friend who is undergoing surgery today. I pray that you be with him and the surgeons and that he comes through it okay. I pray for healing for his body and strength for his wife.
But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
Yes.
Grace and peace, friends!