THE LORD SPOKE (July 15)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Nehemiah 7-8

It was a great day! After the 52 days of wall construction everyone came together to celebrate the conclusion of the project. Beginning on "the first day of the seventh month" (Neh. 8:2), it coincided with Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) or the New Year's Day of the civil calendar. Both Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (Tabernacles) fall in the same month and are alluded to here as well (see Neh. 8:14-18 and Neh. 9:1-2).

Interestingly, Ezra is the one brought to the front to lead the ceremony. That tells you something about Nehemiah. He could have made a case for it being his party but he didn't. And did you notice? There's no mention of King Artaxerxes and his proclamation. There is however lots of mention of God and His Word. Check it out:

• they had it open and placed in front of the people (Neh. 8:1,2)
• they made sure everyone could see and hear (Neh. 8:5)
• the people stood up and listened attentively (Neh. 8:3, 5b) - literally, "they had their ears to the book"
• besides being read out loud so everyone could hear, they gave the explanations so everyone could understand (Neh. 8:8)
• specially trained instructors took it from there (Neh. 8:7,9)
• the result was repentance and confession of sin (Neh. 8:9; c.f. 9:3)
• another result was "great joy because they now understood the words (Neh. 8:12)
• they dug in deeper yet (Neh. 8:13) and found more (Neh. 8:14) and this continued "day after day" (Neh. 8:18)
• they didn't keep it to themselves but went "to proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns" (Neh. 8:15)

Study it carefully, think of it prayerfully,
‘Till in thy heart its precepts dwell.
Slight not its history, ponder its mystery;
None can e’er prize it too fondly or well.

Accept the glad tidings, the warnings and chidings,
Found in this volume of heavenly store.
With faith that’s unfailing and love all-prevailing,
Trust in its promises of life evermore.

May this message of love from the Father above
Unto all nations and kindreds be given;
Till the ransomed shall raise joyous anthems of praise,
Hallelujahs on earth and in heaven. (author unknown)


New Testament: I Timothy 6

A man of God is one who follows God’s ways. Paul has a lot to say to and about a man after God’s own heart and this chapter is one of the best. A genuine man of God is known by:

1. what he flees from (I Tim. 6:9-11),
2. what he follows after (I Tim. 6:11b),
3. what he fights for (I Tim. 6:12), and
4. what he is faithful to (I Tim. 6:14).

One area that deserves and gets special attention is money. There is no sin in possessing riches - sin comes in being possessed by them. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Mat. 6:24). Paul cautions Timothy (I Tim. 6:6-10) that a love of money will bring temptation and ruin. It’s a trap. It leads to many other foolish and harmful desires. Those who become eager for money are likely to wander from the faith.

“Money is one of the most unsatisfying of possessions. It takes away some cares, no doubt, but it brings with it quite as many as it takes away. There is trouble in the getting of it. There is anxiety in the keeping of it. There are temptations in the use of it. There is sorrow in the losing of it. There is perplexity in the disposing of it. Two-thirds of all the strife, quarrel, and lawsuits in the world, arise from one simple cause - money.” - J.C. Ryle, Practical Religion

Paul’s admonition is to pursue “godliness with contentment”. That’s a winning combination that will “treasure up for [you] a firm foundation for the coming age” (II Tim. 6:19). How can we pursue “godliness with contentment” with regards to money?

1. Reach a clear personal understanding of what your needs are. Define what you genuinely need. Paul mentions specifically “food and clothing”. There are probably some other legitimate needs (shelter, community, etc.) but by honestly considering and then narrowing down your own range of genuine need, you will discover just how much is extra.
2. Turn your mind away from money. Money isn’t the problem, it’s the love of money that is a cause of every kind of evil. By dwelling on money, or the lack thereof, we focus on all the wrong things. No wonder the result is grief and a wandering away from the faith.
3. Learn to live with less. You really don’t “need” to stuff your garage with ever more toys and unfinished projects. Practice some discipline. Learn to say no to more stuff. (By the way, it will have an affect on your eating habits too.)
4. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Make yourself a list and check yourself against it daily. Start with this one given by Paul in the next paragraph. How are you doing in these areas? Is there some visible progress? Keep at it!
5. “Take hold of eternal life.” That’s how Paul says it (I Tim. 6:12). Fix your eyes on eternity and all the stuff of this life will quickly lose most of its significance. Don’t put your hope in wealth because it won’t be there when you really need it (I Tim. 6:17).
6. Be rich in good deeds...be generous and willing to share (I Tim. 6:18). That is what creates real treasure!

THE LORD SPOKE (March 07)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Numbers 28-29

These were literal appointments. It was something you wrote down in your date book and something you prepared for in advance. You didn’t just wake up in the morning and say, “How nice. It’s a holiday. Guess I’ll sleep in.”

Several of the days required some advance preparation like the lamb and house-cleaning for Passover, or the harvest to gather at the Feast of Weeks, or the sukkah (hut) to build at Tabernacles. And these two chapters (Num. 28-29) indicate that there were numerous sacrifices to prepare and offer. It took some forethought and advance preparation. Without a doubt, that would raise the question, “Why am I doing this?” The answer to that question was critical!

• If the answer was, “because this is how we’ve always done it”, you were in for trouble. Tradition is nice but it won’t get you into heaven and the first generation that tosses it aside breaks the link in the chain.
• If the answer was, “because it’s what’s expected of me”, it wasn’t going to have much value. Going through the motions without conviction drains it of all real meaning.
• If the answer was, “it’s a nice thing to do - it makes me feel better”, you really missed the point. Each of these holidays had deep theological meaning and prophetic significance. It wasn’t about feeling better.
• If the answer was, “this is my ticket to heaven”, you’re not on the right track. That train doesn’t go far enough. True religion is not just the performance of certain duties - it’s a matter of the heart.

Each of the biblical holy days was packed with theological significance. Together they represented, as a foreshadow, the truth about Messiah, the Lamb of God who would come to take away the sin of the whole world. That was the reason for the multiple sacrifices of these holidays - everything pointed to the Savior who would make all further sacrifice unnecessary.


New Testament: Luke 22

They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this. Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. (Lk. 22:23-24)

Can you believe it? They’re having their last meal with the Master and they’re arguing over who’s the greatest. Okay, maybe they didn’t realize this was the last meal but they certainly knew something momentous was about to happen. And all they can think about is who’s numero uno?

It’s worse than that. Jesus had just told them that one of them was rotten to the core. Besides any individual concern as to the identity of that one, shouldn’t there have been some corporate concern for how such a thing could come about within their ranks after 3+ years of living together? Who could possibly do such a thing? Isn’t it significant that they couldn’t figure out which one might be the most likely candidate?

Instead, they’re disputing about who is the greatest.

At the close of the meal, there is an interesting exchange with Peter that involves the others also. “Satan has asked to sift you [Gk. plural, “you all”] as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.” (Lk. 22:31-32). And then, a few hours later, in the courtyard of Caiaphas’ house, Peter stumbles miserably. He’d made a brash promise, slept while the Savior suffered in the garden, lashed out and cut off a man’s ear just after Judas’ fatal kiss, ran away just like every one else, but then cowered back to watch. The third denial came with an oath and then the harsh sound of a rooster hit his ear. And the soft words of the Lord hit his heart. In the midst of the confusion in Caiaphas’ kangaroo court, “the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter” (Lk. 22:61).

It probably wasn’t a look of reproach. That’s not like Jesus. It was a look of compassionate reproof. It was a look of loving rebuke. It was certainly a look of kind reminder, to move Peter towards better things. And it did. Oh, how it did. There was yet another major encounter between Jesus and Peter (John 21) before the derailed train was back on track. But once it was, Peter became a mighty locomotive for the Lord.

Jesus is looking at you too. What does He see? Do you need to talk to Him about it?