God’s Wedding Plans: Part 3 – The Plans

Reading for today: Revelation 19:6-9

“And I will betroth you to me forever…” ~ Hosea 2:19

I worked my college summers at a camp, spending evenings around the campfire, singing songs like Shout to the Lord, Shine Jesus Shine, Light the Fire, and Awesome God.

One of my favorites was Jesus, Lover of My Soul. It’s a beautiful song by Hillsong based on Psalm 40. It’s an easy song to learn, with repeating lyrics, so I brought it with me to Taiwan to teach my English Bible study students.

One of the pastors heard the song and asked me not to teach it to the students. He argued that calling Jesus a “lover” was racy and irreverent.

There is no doubt that the word “lover” has some baggage. But the Bible clearly depicts God as a relentless, pursuing lover. Excluding this kind of intimate, covenantal love, limits our understanding of the depth and multidimensionality of God’s love for us.

Through the 15 years of marriage to my lover, God has graciously taught me more about His unbelievable steadfast love and faithfulness. And I am still learning.

In love, God pursues us, He proposes to us an everlasting covenant, and He promises us the ultimate wedding feast to come.

On that great day, when we stand like a bride in front of the church, we will no longer rely on faith to carry us through to God’s kingdom. On that day, we will see, we will feel, and we will experience the full measure of God’s perfect love for us…forever.

Dear God, Give me the faith to believe your great love for me. Give me the strength to love You and others as You have first and always loved me. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Toby and I at our wedding feast (Aug 2002)

There is nothing like a good piece of wedding cake (or in my case, good wedding pie), shared at a happy, wedding feast.

God is preparing the ultimate wedding cake and feast for us. He promises that Jesus will one day come again to sweep His bride (the church) off her worn and weary feet and bring her to the greatest wedding feast ever.

Read through some of God’s wedding plans this week.

Day 2 – John 14:1-6

Day 3 – Hosea 2:16,18-20; Isaiah 25:6-9

Day 4 – Luke 14:15-24

Day 5 – Psalm 23

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God’s Wedding Plans: Part 2 – The Proposal

Reading for today: Ephesians 5:25-33

“…the Lord loves you…” ~ Deuteronomy 7:8

The night Toby asked me to marry him, I had no idea that he was about to propose. We went for a walk along the beaches of Kaohshiung, Taiwan. It could have been a romantic walk except that it was late at night and pitch dark.

As we walked down to the beach, a pack of wild dogs had congregated, making me increasingly nervous. On the other side of the beach, bang! Bang! Pow! A gang of drunken men were suddenly setting firecrackers off over the ocean.

As I fearfully searched for Toby’s hand in the dark, I stumbled backward over him. He had gotten down on one knee and was holding a ring out to me. I was so surprised. But because it was dark, I couldn’t see the ring. I kept asking, “Is this real? Is this for real?”

“Yes!” he assured me, laughing. “This is for real!”

Like Toby’s proposal in the dark, God is proposing to us. He loves us. He relentlessly pursues us. And in the middle of our darkness, surrounded by uncertainty, He reaches out and offers to completely commit Himself to us forever… for real.

Dear God, I can’t believe that you want to commit to me. Thank you for reaching into my darkness with your amazing light. God, make me committed to you. Make me worthy of Your great love and give me the power to reach into the darkness of those around me. Amen.

God committed Himself to His people from the very beginning. Read through the passages below to learn more about His loving commitment to us. Note: Even though these passages are speaking to followers thousands of years ago, know that it applies to us today.

Day 2 – Deuteronomy 7:6-9

Day 3 – Jeremiah 29:11-14; 31:31-34

Day 4 – John 17:6-23

Day 5 – 1 Corinthians 13

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Something for Nothing: Lent Series – Week 2

For these weeks leading up to Easter, we are studying how God works miracles out of nothing.

Reading for this week: Hebrews 11:8-11

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” ~Genesis 18:14

Out of an unbelieving family, God called Abraham to be the father of all believers. Out of the old, barren womb of Abraham’s wife, Sarah, God promised a child. Out of nothing came generations, nations, kings, and blessings upon blessings.

Even though God promised to work a miracle through Abraham and Sarah, they laughed because they believed what God had promised was impossible. But their laughter was not from joy. It was from cynicism and doubt.

Abraham laughed and said, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old?” Sarah also laughed and asked, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure [in a child]?”

Retrieved from – http://dohlesdevos.blogspot.com/

But God replied to their laughter with his own laughter, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

God forgave their mistakes, he worked through their limited understanding, and he brought forth a son from the empty womb of Sarah.

As she looked in amazement at the baby boy in her arms, she said, “God has made laughter for me.”

Praise God that when he chooses to work his greatest miracles, he does not require our understanding. He can work through our cynicism and doubt. And in his mercy, he can bring joyful laughter into a life that otherwise had nothing.

Dear God, I am able to do nothing, yet you have chosen to work through me, even when I get in the way or stumble. Thank you for your forgiveness and steadfast love. Amen.

God called forth a nation out of an empty womb. From that nation would come a Savior for all nations. Let’s read about Abraham and Sarah’s story this week.

Day 2 – Genesis 12:1-4; Genesis 15:1-6

Day 3 – Genesis 16:1-3; 15-16

Day 4 – Genesis 17:15-21

Day 5 – Genesis 18:9-14; Genesis 21:1-7

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Help!

Reading for today: Psalm 121

Last night I dreamed that I was in a small diner, eating homemade peanut butter cups. While I was enjoying this precious “me” time, the phone rang at the front desk. The manager of the diner answered the phone, looked around until she saw me, and then said with surprise, “It’s for you.”

I took the phone and heard my daughter crying. “Are you ok?” I asked. She couldn’t answer. “What happened?”

More crying.

“What happened? Are you okay? Do I need to come home?”

No answer. Just crying.

My daughter was in need of help, but couldn’t ask for help. When I woke up from my dream, I knew exactly what that meant. Because one of my biggest fears as a parent is that my children will need help, but won’t know how to ask for it.

My mother has said, if you are ever in need help, but have trouble talking to God, just cry out one word: “Help!” It doesn’t sound like a prayer. But it is. And God, our Father, has promised to hear our prayers, even the hurt, desperate, confused one-word utterances. And when we cry out to Him, He has promised to help.

Dear God, Help! __________________ Amen.

This week, let’s read about others who have cried, “Help!” For each story, record how they cried out, then if told, explain how God responded.

Day 2 – Exodus 3:7-12

Day 3 – Jonah 1:17-2:10

Day 4 – Luke 22:31-34; 22:54-62; John 21:15-17

Day 5 – Mark 9:20-29

 

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The Cubs, The Election, and The End Times

 

 

 

 

 

 

If the Cubs winning the World Series didn’t bring thoughts of the end times, then maybe last’s week election did.

Our reading for today is about the end times. It was the topic of Toby’s sermon yesterday; and the following devotional is an abbreviated version of his sermon.

Reading for today: Luke 21:5-28

Here we are getting ready to feast on Thanksgiving meals, thinking on all we’re thankful for. Here we are at the doorstep of the Advent season. Here we are getting ready to remind the world of Christ’s birth… and I want to talk about despair and end times. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas everyone!

But there is a reason why we talk about despair and end times right before we talk about Christ coming to earth at Christmas. For a hint as to why that is  – look at the very last words of our reading for today.

Redemption is near.

I bring you here to the end of the passage, not because I want to spoil the end the story for you, but to remind you that as we struggle through these “end times”, you might be tempted, like so many people, to fall back into those feelings of despair or fear. But do not be afraid! God has a plan of redemption for you and for me and for all people.

Trickled throughout this doomsday passage are promises for us. Promise of opportunities to share the Gospel. Promise of wisdom and the Holy Spirit’s help. Promise of protection. Promise of eternal life. Promise of redemption. And the greatest promise of all – Christ will come again!

This is why we talk about the end times right before Advent. Because while Advent is a time of waiting in hope for Christ’s first coming, these times, these tumultuous times that we live in right now, these are the days that we wait in hope for Christ’s second coming.

Come, Lord Jesus, come! Amen.

Many people close to you may be scared, confused, or hurt by what’s going on in this world or by what’s going on in their own lives. This week, focus on 4 things to remember and practice as you talk to those around you.

Day 2 – God is in control. 2 Chronicles 20:6; Romans 8:28

Day 3 – Jesus will come again. Romans 8:18; Hebrews 9:28

Day 4 – Love God and Love others. Matthew 22:36-40; 1 Corinthians 13:13

Day 5 – Pray. 1 Timothy 2:1-4; James 5:16

 

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Faith: This is not as good as it gets.

We’re back in business! After the summer off, I am ready to study the Word with you again! But before I start posting, I wanted to showcase a bit of Toby’s thoughts. The following devotional is an excerpt taken from his sermon, preached yesterday (August 7, 2016). If you would like to hear his full sermon, it will be posted this Tuesday at http://www.crossview.net/sermons/

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Faith is difficult for so many reasons. Belief in Jesus Christ? How many of you here have ever seen this Jesus guy? And you believe he is the very Son of God come in the flesh? That he did all those miracles mentioned in the Bible? That his getting crucified somehow covers all the sins of the whole world?  That he then rose from the dead on the third day? Tell me, when was the last time you saw someone rise from the dead? And you believe this?

You see, this whole faith thing should be impossible. Yet you believe. You’re staking your life, and your life after death, on this Jesus guy you’ve never met. Your ability to believe all this has to be a miracle. Or else you’re crazy, we’re all crazy. All the millions and millions of us Christians who have believed the gospel and held the faith, in spite of all the things we haven’t seen. It’s crazy.

But just like God created and still sustains the universe, He created us in the faith, and sustains us in the faith. And all the problems that we have in this life are there to remind us that in spite of what the world might say, THIS ISN’T OUR HOME.

It’s not our home because Jesus told us we have a new home. Right before he was arrested he made a point to tell his believers, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in me, too ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if it wasn’t so, I wouldn’t have told you that I’m going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I’m gonna come back and take you to be with me so you’ll be where I am. ⁴You know the way to the place where I am going. Before long, the world won’t see me anymore, but you’ll see me. An because I live, you also will live.” (John 14)

That’s the promise that all this faith stuff is based on. It’s what we all rely on. It’s what gives us hope in the middle of everything that goes wrong, every day. It’s the firm substance that we believe gives our life meaning. We believe that one day, Christ will come again and that he’ll bring us to the home he’s preparing for us. And that we are going to live like we’ve never lived before!

Dear God, Give me faith! Amen.

Readings for this week:

Day 1 – Hebrews 11:1-16

Day 2 – Hebrews 11:17-12:3

Day 3 – 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

Day 4 – John 14:1-14

Day 5 – John 14:15-30

 

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Why Christmas is so important: Week 1

Reading for today: Genesis 3:1-15 (Click on the passage to read online.)

“He shall bruise your head.” ~ Genesis 3:15

As the sun set on the last day of creation, God saw all that he had created and it was good. Man, woman, everything in perfect communion.

But then, just pages into humanity’s history, something went terribly wrong. The devil started talking, interrupting perfection. Out of his mouth, the first lie was spoken. And overwhelmed by the conflicting words, the first woman believes the lie. She believes the lie instead of the truth of God’s word.

And then she speaks the lie to the first man. And he believes it. And with each lie spoken, the perfect communion that God had created quickly collapses, leaving the creation naked, vulnerable, and afraid.

But even as the first lie is spoken, the first promise is made. “I will restore humanity to myself,” God says to the devil. “And when I do, your lie will be forever crushed. It will be crushed by the offspring – the seed of woman.”

Why is Christmas so important? It is the day God’s spoken promise was born. Jesus was the word of God made into the offspring of woman. He is the truth and the final combatant of the devil and his lies. And his entire life was dedicated to the restoration of humanity to their God.

Dear God, Your truth is our salvation. Thank you for Christmas, the day your truth became real in the person of Jesus. Amen.

As you go about your week, think about the following passages and what they say about the importance of Jesus. (Click on the passages to read online.)

Day 2: John 1:1-5; John 14:6

Day 3: Isaiah 9:6-7

Day 4: Galatians 4:4-7

Day 5: Romans 16:20; Revelation 12:9

 

 

 

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