God Moved Heaven and Earth for You

Have you ever done something that made you wonder if God had finally given up and turned away from you? I have. And if you’re honest you will admit that you have too. All of us have. The Scripture says. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). You. Me. The most religious person in the world and the most ungodly criminal on death row. God could – and rightly should – wash His hands of us and walk away. It’s what we deserve. But He never will.

Paul posed an important question in his letter to the churches in Rome: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31). That raises another question: How can we be certain God is for us? Look at the next verse: “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all . . .” We can be sure God is for us because of the cross. Because God sent His one and only Son to live in human flesh and die a cruel and painful death to atone for your sins and mine and redeem us – to buy us out of condemnation. Jesus didn’t deserve to die. He had no sin of His own, but He took on our sins and died for our freedom. If the cross doesn’t convince you then nothing will. This verse begs another question: Why would God be for us? We are steeped in sin and have nothing to offer in response to His mercy. Why would a holy God have any concern for a sinful wretch like me? One word. Four letters. Love. Paul added, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any power, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (vs. 38-39). It was not our sin that sent God’s Son to the cross, it was His love for human beings – for you and me.

I’ve been writing these devotionals for more than ten years and I’ve covered a lot of topics and Scriptures. But if you forget every word, take this to heart: God loves you and He is for you. He will move heaven and earth to save you. Come to think of it Beloved, He already has.

The Protection and Power of God

One of my favorite Bible accounts is where Elisha and his aide were pinned down by the Arameans who had surrounded the city to capture Elisha.  The prophet’s aide saw the army with its horses and chariots and soldiers and cried to his master “O my lord, what shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:15) 

Ever been there?  Me too, when all I could do was look at my life and cry, “O my God, what am I going to do?”  Elisha told his aide, “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.  And “the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (v. 16-17).  The Lord’s army had encircled Elisha and stood between him and the enemy.  The man of God – and his aide – were divinely protected.

God has promised to take care of you – but it requires spiritual eyes to see Him surrounding you, standing between you and whatever difficulty is bearing down on you.  He goes before you (Deut. 31:8) and He is your rear-guard (Isaiah 52:12). You are surrounded by His unfailing love and faithfulness (Psalm 32:10; 89:8). 

But wait. There’s more. This is from a post I wrote seven years ago. God (and Facebook memories) brought it to my attention this morning. And then He brought something else. “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 Jn 4:4). Who is “them?” “The spirit of the antichrist” (v. 3). The driving force of evil in the world and the enemy of God and His people.

Who is the “one who is in you?” The Holy Spirit. The indwelling presence of Christ. The very same Spirit that brought Jesus back to life (Rom 8:11). Do you understand what this means? Not only is the Lord God before you and behind you and all around you – He is also in you filling you with Jesus’ power and strength and wisdom and discernment and faith – “. . . everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3). I don’t know about you, but that blesses my heart.

Beloved, whatever surrounds you today, whatever is bearing down on you, remember this, God has surrounded you with His presence and filled you with His Spirit. Now “Go in the strength you have” (Ju 6:14). His strength – and His victory.

Wait for God

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits. And in His word, I have put my hope.  My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning.  More than watchmen wait for the morning” (Ps 130:5-6).

Waiting on the Lord is never futile.  It may be uncomfortable, it may be nerve-wracking, and even a bit frightening, but it always ends with His blessing.  The key to waiting is to put my hope in God – not in an outcome, but in the Person.  The outcome I hope for may or may not come to pass.  But I can put my hope in God because He never fails.

The Psalmist understood that. The city slept as the watchman kept vigil, waiting for the sunrise.  As he stood guard in the black of night, he never once doubted that the morning would come. It came yesterday.  It came all the days before.  Yes, it was dark through the night, but the morning never failed to come.

 You and I can hope in God through the dark night because He never fails to come. I know this from personal experience.   He comes just as surely as the sun rises morning after morning.   Even more than this – He is the reason the sun rises morning after morning.  Yes weary one, God always comes.  No power in heaven or earth could keep him from coming for His child, not even death.

He comes every morning with new mercies (Lamentations 3:23).

He comes with glory (Exodus 16:7).

He comes with redemption (Ruth 3:13).

He comes with listening ears (Psalm 5:3).

He comes with rejoicing (Psalm 30:5).

He comes with strength (Psalm 59:16).

He comes with wonders (Psalm 65:8).

He comes with unfailing love (Psalm 143:8).

He comes with a sustaining word (Isaiah 50:4).

He comes with justice (Zephaniah 3:5).

He comes with resurrection power (Luke 24:1-6).

He comes with daily provision (John 21:4).

He comes with His Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4).

He comes with the Morning Star (Revelation 2:28).

He comes with peace.

He comes with Joy.

He comes with promise.

He comes with faithfulness.

He comes with unfailing love.

Oh, Beloved, are you surrounded by the darkness of a long night?  Put your hope in the Lord.  Morning is coming. Like the sun that rises at dawn, He always comes.  Keep watching.  Keep waiting.  Keep hoping.  The Lord your God is coming.

Do You Believe God?

Do everything without complaining or arguing.” Philippians 2:14

Three days. That’s all it took for the complaining to start. The Israelites were three days out from crossing the Red Sea in miraculous fashion, and they were already complaining. They fled Egypt, carrying the wealth of their captives with them. They saw the waters part and felt the dry ground beneath their feet. They sang and danced and rejoiced, proclaiming their trust in Him, “In your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed…You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance.” (Ref. Exodus 15:2, 11, 13, 17.) Then they found themselves in a desert with no drinkable water and the grumbling began.

Admit it, we’re the same way. We fail to believe that the God who sent His Son to die on the cross for us will also provide for, protect, and bless us. Paul “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, gracious give us all things?” (Rom 8:31-32). Why do we, like the Israelites, fail to trust the Lord who has proven Himself faithful again and again and again?

In a word: unbelief. The very same unbelief that demoralized the faith of the Hebrew nation undermines our faith and confidence in God today. The exodus from Egypt should have been their defining moment of faith, but they whined instead. “All the Israelites grumbled…and the whole assembly said, ‘Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?’” (Numbers 14:2,3).

Are you believing God today? The cross is God’s ultimate expression of love to us. Every day we are surrounded by reminders of His care and devotion. Yet when we face a challenge, we grumble. We doubt. We question. We whine and complain. And God asks, as He asked of Israel, “How long will these people refuse to believe me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?” (Num. 14:11).

Jesus asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth” (Luke 18:8)? We need only to read the Scriptures and look at the world around us to know it is not far away. How will you answer His question, Beloved? Will Jesus find faith in you?

Jesus Saves!

I’ve seen a disturbing trend in the church that is evidence of the cultural influence infiltrating God’s people. It is the “victim mentality” which says I am not to blame for my mistakes and failures and it has made its way into the teaching of the church. We even have a Scripture to support us. Grab your Bible and read Romans 7:7-23. Paul confessed his struggle with sin in these verses.

He said that his sinful nature takes every opportunity to indulge itself – even the very commands of God intended to lead him away from sin become temptation instead. He wrote, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (v. 15). He lamented his sinful nature, saying he wanted to do good, but kept on doing evil. I can relate, and I am sure you can too.

Here is the verse that cultural Christianity has claimed as its own: “Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it” (v. 20). There’s our excuse. “It’s not my fault.” “I was born this way.” “It’s just who I am.” “I can’t help myself.” We somehow separate our sinful nature from ourselves as if it is an entity all on its own and outside of our control. I am sure Paul would not be pleased with how we have twisted his words to approve of sin.

If you did read the passage I suggested, you will notice that I stopped you short of the end. That’s where cultural Christianity stops. But Paul continued and laid the blame squarely where it belongs: “What a wretched man I am!” It is all me. I am a sinner. I am responsible for the evil I keep doing. Paul owns it – but he doesn’t stay in his misery. First, he pleads for someone to rescue him “from this body of death” (v. 24) then breaks out in praise for the answer to his petition: “Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! (v. 25).

Jesus is the answer to our miserable state! Jesus can rescue us from sin and our constant pull to evil. And above all, Jesus can rescue us from the condemnation that hangs over our sinful heads. Beloved, you do not have to give in to sin. Thanks be to God—Jesus will save you. Just as He saved a wretch like me.

Acts: Funny Money

Facebook. Instagram. Twitter. Blogs. Articles. Books. Everyone has an opinion, and we all want to be heard.  Whether it’s politics, childrearing, fashion, or religion, the world is quick to share its thoughts on any given subject. And yes, I’ve added my own declarations to that loud cacophony of voices. How do you know who to believe? How can you know who is telling the truth?

One of my mantras in 20-plus years of teaching the Scriptures is “Take it back to the Bible.”  If a “truth” cannot be supported by the Word of God – meaning more than one verse taken out of context – then it probably isn’t the Word of God. And it isn’t true. Another you will hear me say frequently is: “You can’t recognize a lie if you don’t know the truth.”  When banks train tellers to recognize counterfeit money, they don’t try to teach them all the ways a bill can be counterfeited, instead, they train them in every little detail of a real bill so that when the fake crosses their path, they can spot it immediately.  If I am immersed in the true Word of the true God then I am less likely to be fooled by a “fine-sounding argument.”

Let’s be honest – we get mentally and spiritually lazy – accepting as truth whatever we are told without bothering to examine the matter for ourselves. The advertising world depends on that. So do politicians. So do false teachers. Jesus said, “Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Shrewd means “wise, sensible” and its root meaning is “thinking, understanding.” Jesus said to think and understand and then make a wise and sensible determination about what you are hearing.

We need to be Bereans. Luke said the Bereans “were of more noble character” than believers elsewhere – not because they gave more money or spoke more eloquently or behaved better than the other churches. It was simply because they “received [Paul’s preaching] with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). Paul was teaching that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, the Son of God. They didn’t just take his word for it. They “took it back” to the Word of God as given to the prophets.

Beloved, you and I must wake up our dulled minds and think about what we hear – in the world and even in the church – and take it back to the Bible to see if it is true.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Mark tells two separate accounts of Jesus and His disciples, each with a trip across a lake. I had intended to write about one of these stories, but the Spirit gave me a word from both of them.

In Mark 4:35-41 Jesus had been teaching all day. That evening He told His disciples to prepare to cross the lake and go to the other shore. Jesus fell asleep in the boat. He was so exhausted He did not notice when a storm came up on the lake, even though it was “a furious squall” with waves breaking over the boat. The disciples feared for their lives and woke Jesus saying, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Jesus got up and rebuked the storm: “Quiet! Be still!” and the lake became completely calm.

In Mark 6:45-52 Jesus had fed five thousand people and needed some time alone with His Father, so He sent His disciples on across the lake again. Mark said that “the wind was against them” so they made very little progress. Jesus had them in view the whole time and saw them in the middle of the lake, their arms and backs strained from working the oars against the wind. It was the fourth watch of the night, between 3 and 6 a.m., and they were exhausted. Suddenly they see Jesus passing by their boat – walking on top of the water! Jesus joined them in their boat and the wind once again gave way to the Master.

The point of these accounts is the miracle-working power of Jesus, the Son of God and we must not overlook them. But I also see a word here for our hearts. Sometimes life comes at us with a storm – and it’s terrifying. The wind whips the water and we think we are going under. And sometimes life is just a long, hard, exhausting struggle. I’ve been in both scenes and so have you. And while they both have lakes and boats and wind in common, they also have Jesus. Oh, thank God for Jesus!

When the storm overwhelms you, Jesus is there to calm the wind and the waves – or perhaps to calm His child. And when life is hard and exhausting, Jesus is there to help you make it through. I know this is true because I’ve been in both scenes and He has always been faithful. Jesus knows your struggle and He will not let you face it alone. Beloved, He’s got this and He’s got you.  

Time to Change

Joy does not like to wear dirty clothes. She insists that she must change if she sees just a little spot on her shirt. Last weekend her Daddy took her to a trampoline place to jump to her heart’s content, which also got her clothes dirty. She protested until she got home and changed.

In Zechariah, Joshua became the high priest when the Jews returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity.  (Note: this is about a thousand years after Moses’ Joshua.)  In Zechariah’s vision, Joshua was standing before the Lord with “satan standing at his right side to accuse him” (3:1). The Lord God rebuked satan for his lies. Joshua represented Jerusalem, the city of the Lord’s temple.  Joshua was “dressed in filthy clothes” and the word used here means his clothes were soiled with human excrement. An angel came and removed his filthy clothes, symbolizing the Lord taking away the sin of Jerusalem. Then he put “rich garments” on Joshua and “a clean turban” on his head (vs 4,5). He dressed him in fine garments used only for a special occasion and crowned his head with purity. God cleansed Jerusalem and gave them back their dignity and purity as His people.

This is also a picture of Jesus, “the Branch who was to come” (v. 8). I hope you can see the prophecy clearly. Even the name “Joshua” was the Hebrew equivalent of “Jesus.” Joshua foreshadowed Jesus, the pure and holy Son of God who was stained with all the filth of humankind. But Jesus put off those filthy clothes and left them in the grave and He put on the garments of the priestly king (Heb 6:20; Matt 27:11). He is now in heaven clothed in majesty (Ps 93:1).  

This is also a picture of you and me and all who will believe in Him. We wore clothes stained with the filth of our sins, and satan was hurling accusations (Rev 12:10). But Jesus “Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Pet 2:24). He clothed us in “garments of salvation and robes of righteousness” (Is 61:10). We are now “clothed with Christ” (Gal 3:27). And with those new holy clothes, we have a new nature (Col 3:10), and even a new mind – “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor 2:16).

Dear one, it’s time to change. It’s time to take off the old filthy clothes and dress like who you are. Clean. Pure. Righteous. Holy. Step behind the curtain, Beloved. Jesus is waiting for you in the dressing room.

Wherever You Go

I write all over my Bible. Some people think that is sacrilegious, but there are notes on almost every page and prayers jotted on many tear-stained pages. If you flip through my Bible, you will see underlines and highlights and stars and exclamation marks and names, and every time you come across the word Joy, you’ll find a pink heart. But I love the verses that are marked with dates because they tell the story of my life with God.

I came across one of those verses in the book of Joshua. When Moses died and the Lord God appointed Joshua to succeed him as Israel’s leader, it clearly terrified Joshua. The first nine verses of Joshua 1 are God’s repeated words of encouragement to Joshua.

“I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (v. 5).

“Be strong and courageous . . .” (v. 6).

“Be strong and very courageous.” (v. 7).

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged . . .”

And here’s where all the dates are: “. . . for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (v. 9). I took this verse very personally.

“Medart, 2011.” Medart was a depressing place in a depressing time for our family. We were in dire straits living in a run-down shack way out in the boonies. But I grew much in my faith because God was there.

“Woodville, 2013.” Woodville was a huge step up from where we were, it was a bright, open, peaceful place where much healing happened – because God was there.

“Tuscaloosa, 2015.” Our dream come true, living in Crimson Tide country. Until the dream turned into a nightmare. Still, through it all God was there too.

“Home, 2018.” After twenty-three years away, God brought us back home, put us in a great house that allowed us space for Joy, and set me in the best job I’ve ever loved. Granted, we’ve seen some very hard times here, especially this year, but I know with all my heart that God is here. I sense His presence every day.

God is with you too, Beloved, wherever you are. In a run-down shack or a brand-new mansion. In the place you’ve always wanted to be or a place you wish you could escape. In the darkest season of your life or the most Joyful. God is there. How can you be sure? He has promised to be with you wherever you go. And He always keeps His word.

Giants

You know the story – it’s a staple in children’s ministry and a favorite plot line in books and movies. It’s the story of the underdog overcoming every obstacle to win the day. It’s the story of David and Goliath and we can take away countless lessons from this passage in 1 Samuel 17. I’ve taught and written about the little man with the sling and the stone versus the giant from many different angles. There is David’s great faith and courage and God’s deliverance. There is a warning against becoming paralyzed with fear and letting the naysayers discourage us and even a message about choosing your weapons carefully.  But something else stuck out to me this morning and I believe God would have me share it with you.

Goliath, that nine-foot-tall, loudmouth Philistine came out every day to taunt Israel’s army. The Israelites had heard this day in and day out and it wore them down. The Scripture said “On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. They were helpless against the giant – or so they thought. One day David showed up from the family’s sheepfolds. He had not heard the giant’s daily diatribe so when Goliath came out with his usual rant, David was shocked. He was shocked by his words and by the army’s defeated posture. He said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Sam 17:26). David knew that this giant must be taken down and he knew that God had sent him to do the deed.

Goliath didn’t just defy the men of Israel, he defied the God of Israel. Goliath thought he was superior to their Lord. You and I have Goliaths in our lives. They are also known as sins. They loom large and seem overwhelming and impossible to overcome. So we just let them stay and taunt us and shake their fists in God’s face. But David knew what you and I need to grasp. Giants must be defeated, not tolerated.

Sin must be defeated, not tolerated. It must be hated not cherished (Ps. 66:18).  You and I must fight against it, even “to the point of shedding your blood” (Heb 12:4). Even if it feels like it will kill us to give it up. It won’t. It will free you. Is there a giant – a sin – you need to let go of? Beloved, it’s time to pick up your sling and your stones and take aim.