When Morning Dawns

I watched the sunrise this morning. It was glorious! It had rained before sunrise, so the sky was still scattered with clouds. As the sun began to near the horizon the clouds became brilliant shades of orange and yellow, pink and purple, all cast against a dark sky turning blue. Amazing! I took pictures with my phone, but they are not comparable to the reality of it.

As I went back inside to study God’s word, the scene kept unfolding in my mind, and it spilled across the pages of God’s word giving it new understanding. I’ve been studying in Psalm 46 where the earth is in turmoil, everything is changing, and the world is fearful. But God reminds us that there is a place in His presence that is good and unshakable, a place where He has made wars to cease, and He reminds those of us in His presence that He will help us when morning dawns.

I thought about that beautiful sunrise that came on the clouds of the storm that had just passed. Without the clouds, the colors would not have been as vibrant. It was the rain storm that made the morning dawn that much more beautiful. I also thought about the truth that nothing could stop the sun from rising. The morning will dawn. You can’t stop it.

I think that’s what God wants us to know about Him in Psalm 46. Nothing can stop Him. Our world may feel scary and uncertain. Natural disasters or man-made wars may be changing the foundations of our lives, but in His presence, we can find peace and happiness. And when He comes to help us, nothing can stop Him! Morning will dawn! That’s why, at the end of the Psalm, God invites us to be still and know He is God and worship and praise Him.

I love knowing this about my God! This truth gives me strength and encourages me. And did you know that Jesus calls Himself “the bright morning star” (Revelation 22:16)? He promises to give those who overcome the darkness of this world “the morning star,” which is Himself (Revelation 2:28). Jesus also said, “I am the Light of the world; he who follow me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). God is revealing His character to us through His Word and through His power seen in nature. He wants us to know Him and His Son, Jesus Christ. He wants us to respond with praise and worship. He wants us to live in the freedom of His presence, and not bound by fear.

Know this: whatever darkness you feel you are walking in right now, it cannot prevail in the presence of the Light. So, look to Him. Look to Jesus, the bright morning star, and watch as He turns those storm clouds into something beautiful and brilliant. He will help you when morning dawns . . . and nothing can stop Him! Praise the Lord!

Psalm 46

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8 Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Dear Lord, we praise You and thank You for who You are. You are mighty and powerful and nothing can stand in Your way. Help us to place our trust in You. Help us to live in Your presence with peace and gladness, even when the world is fearful. Remind us who You are, and let us not forget that we are Yours. Thank You, Jesus, for making the way for us to be in Your holy presence. We give You praise! In Jesus's name, Amen!

To Share or Not to Share

I often share God’s word with others. Maybe I send a picture or a verse or a thought to encourage or help someone along the way. Maybe you’ve done the same. Today, I was thinking about sharing a verse with someone. Do I share? Do I not share? That was my dilemma. The last time I shared with this person it was taken wrong and misused and misunderstood, so I was hesitant to share today. I feared that would happen again. I didn’t want what was meant for encouragement to be fuel for some misconceived idea. But no sooner than I had that thought did another thought occur to me. God says to us, “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). God’s word does its job! It fulfills His will.

I was also reminded of Pharaoh in the Exodus story. The LORD told Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let His people go. The LORD said, “But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go” (Exodus 4:12). And that’s exactly what happened; God’s word hardened Pharaoh’s heart, just like it was meant to do. The people suffered through the plagues that ensured due to Pharaoh’s hard heart, and they were terrified and feared death as they were pinned against the Red Sea by the Egyptian army. While this was difficult and scary for God’s people, in the midst of it all, The LORD was revealing Himself to both His people and to Egypt, and even to all of us who know this story. The LORD was showing His power and control over creation. He was revealing His strength to defeat the strongest army. He was making His presence known among His people. He was showing HIs tender care to protect and provide for His own. God revealed Himself through Pharaoh’s hard heart. God’s word did exactly what He wanted it to do. It allowed Him to make Himself known.

In life, it is never easy to walk through difficult circumstances. Life is tough. Times are hard. But if you are a child of God, He is there in your midst. Immanuel, God with us, is there. Jesus promised, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

What we have to understand is threefold: 1) Jesus is with us. We are not alone, not unnoticed by Him. So be encouraged to know He is with you in your trouble. 2) God reveals Himself through our circumstances. If you are going through something tough, then keep looking for Him. He is trying to show you something about Himself: His protection or provision, His love for you, HIs strength, His devotion. Be looking for His revealed character, and when you notice it, thank Him and hold onto it because that was specifically for you. 3) Sometimes God’s word softens hearts and people change. Praise God! But sometimes God’s word hardens hearts, like Pharaoh’s. Either way, His word will do its job. So, if you’ve been called to share His word, and you think that word will cause difficulty or strife, or even a hard heart, then be prayerful and share with grace, but by all means - share! Even though we don’t understand God’s logic at times, remember, a hardened heart may be the result God desires. However, that hardened heart may be the very thing that reveals the LORD’s tender love and care to someone else, so don’t be afraid to share. Let the LORD determine the outcome of His word. And hold onto the beautiful image of the fruitful, life-giving effects of God’s word found in Isaiah 55:8-13:

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts; Nor 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. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace. The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn bush, the cypress will come up, And instead of the nettle, the myrtle will come up, And it will be a memorial to the LORD For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.”

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Journaling Through John in July: John Chapter 4

Are You Thirsty?

Read: John chapter 4 and Isaiah 55:1-3

I have to admit: I don’t always feel like I belong. I’ve had a lot of people hurts over the years, which causes me not to open up to folks. I’m not usually the one reaching out to make friends. Being reserved is my attempt at self-protection. So the account of the woman at the well speaks to me. She’s had some hurts in her day too. Coming to the well alone is easier than dealing with the people. I get that in so many ways.

But there Jesus sat . . . waiting for her. He knew her hurts. He knew she avoided people. He didn’t avoid her. He came to that place for her.

Jesus doesn’t waste any time talking to her and immediately asks for a drink. Her response rings with sarcasm. She is accustomed to defending herself. But this doesn’t stop Jesus. He offers her “living water” and a “well of water springing up to eternal life” (v. 14). Their conversation moves to worshipping God and she tells him that when the Messiah comes, he will tell them all things. Surprisingly, Jesus confesses to her that He is the Messiah, the long awaited warrior king who would free the Jewish nation from oppression. So, the thirsty-souled woman and the well is the first to know in John’s gospel that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah. Imagine that!

I guess the disciples come up and spoil the moment she is having with Jesus, but he has already given her the water she needed, a sip from His well to quench her thirsty soul. She runs to town to share with everyone. I love the reversals Jesus brings in our lives. The one who was trying to avoid people is now running toward them, and her testimony bring them to Jesus.

Just one conversation with Jesus and she threw aside all her apprehension and reserve. All of the years of hurt and ridicule thrown at her by the townspeople didn’t stop her from running to them with the good news of the Messiah. None of that mattered in the light of Jesus. I can’t help but ask myself: Do I put aside past hurts to tell others about Jesus? My answer should be yes. If I’m truthful, I know I need to keep sipping from the well.

Isaiah 55 says, “Come, all you who are thirsty . . . Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?” We spend a lot of time doing things that don’t fill us up. We are all soul-thirsty, but the things of this world will never satisfy. Not material things or accomplishments of even people are able to satisfy our thirsty souls. No. It is Jesus alone. He is the living water. We all need our time alone with Jesus at the well. He is waiting for you. Won’t you join Him there?

Questions/Responses:

How are you like the woman at the well? How are you different from her?

What can you learn from her reaction to Jesus and His message?

In what ways are you soul-thirsty? Do you take those thirsty places to Jesus on a regular basis? Why or why not?

Take some time to pray about these things, remembering to thank Jesus for being our living water.

Journaling Through John in July: Chapter 3:17-36

Are You Standing in the Light?

Read: John chapter 3:17-36, Revelation 19:11-16, and Psalm 139 (again)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” This is the anthem of Christianity. We read it. We say it. We share it. But have we read beyond it? Verse 17 goes on to say that Jesus didn’t come to judge but to save, and we all feel good about that. Don’t we? In fact, there is this spirit of “you can’t judge me” in our culture. I saw a young man in a restaurant the other day with these words tattooed on the outer edge of his forearm so that people could easily read it: “You’re not my judge.” I wanted to walk up to him as his grandmother paid for their food and ask, “Do you know your judge and do you know the freedom He offers you?

John goes on to tell us that judgement is already in the world. The Light, which is Jesus, has come into the world, but those who love evil instead of the Light hide in the darkness for fear that they will be exposed. Deceit needs darkness to hide. It is the Light that exposes evil and brings truth. Jesus Christ came to earth and died on the cross so that we might live in His light. He who does not believe has been judged already because he is trying to hide his sin in the dark. The problem is that you can’t hide from God. Remember Psalm 139? The unbeliever isn’t hiding but simply refusing the offer of forgiveness, the offering of atonement that Jesus gave on the cross.

In John 3 we learn that Jesus came as our savior to give His life for our sins, the humble servant who loves all. But in the scene from Revelation, we see Jesus as the warrior king coming to strike down those who oppose God. And what is His weapon? God’s word! It comes out of His mouth. Just as God spoke creation into being with “Let there be light,” Jesus will slay God’s enemies, the ones who stay in the darkness, with His word. What is worse: confessing before Jesus, the humble servant, while He offers forgiveness, or trying to hide from the warrior King whose words will always hit their mark? Those are our two choices. The scene of John 3 switches from the cross to John the Baptist. People are questioning him because Jesus is also baptizing. John admits that a man can only do what God gives him and he has been given the job of friend of the bridegroom. The focus of the wedding is not the friend of the groom. No. The focus is the bride and the groom. Jesus is the groom. Therefore, it is time for him, John, to step back and let Jesus take the stage.

John goes on to say that Jesus is from heaven and that His testimony is from heaven. He says that Jesus is sent by God and speaks God’s words. John the Baptist ends with this thought: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).

Believing + Obeying = Faith

The placement of this message isn’t coincidental. Think back. What did Jesus tell Nicodemus? Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God . . . unless one is born of water and spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God . . . As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life . . . whoever believes in Him shall not perish . . . but he who practices the truth comes to the Light. Like a moth to a flame, we who believe Jesus will be drawn to Him and will receive not only eternal life but also the Spirit of God who will come to us, here and now, to guide us and comfort us and strengthen us. We will not be alone because He will be with us. We will be the bride standing next to the groom, and that is a good place to be.

Questions/Responses:

Where do you see the spirit of “you can’t judge me” in our world?

Where do you need to allow the Lord shine His Light in your life? What changes do you think you will need to make in order to walk in the Light?

What connection does John the Baptist draw between believing and obeying? How does that look in your own life?

Pray. Confess where you know you are not living in His Light and ask for help. He is faithful and will help you.

Journaling Through John in July: Chapter 3:1-16

Are you looking to Jesus?

Read: Numbers 21:1-9 first, then John chapter 3:1-16.

John chapter 3 contains probably the most quoted verse in the Bible, John 3:16. But there is context here that I hope brings deeper understanding and appreciation for those all too familiar words.

Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the cover of night, not openly. He has questions, but probably doesn’t want to be a victim of the cancel culture forming around Jesus by the Pharisees, who were Nicodemus’s own friends and co-workers. I believe the tone of Nicodemus’s words is curiosity, not condemnation. So there must have been something in Nicodemus that was drawing him to believe. Jesus knew this and uses the word “believe” seven times from verses 11-21.

Jesus tells Nicodemus there is more going on than just a physical thing. There is spiritual work being done. Yes, we are physically born, but we must experience a spiritual birth as well and it is not something you can physically see. The Pharisees were so focused on what was right in front of them. They wanted a pillar of cloud by day and a fire by night like the Israelites exiting Egypt. Jesus tells Nicodemus, “we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (John 3:11-12). In other words, if you can’t believe what is right in front of you, you won’t believe what you can’t see.

Jesus points Nicodemus to a wilderness story found in Numbers 21:1-9. God is teaching the Israelites to rely on Him for all things, but they are continually complaining about their situation and “the miserable food.” God sends fiery serpents to their camp and many died. Moses intercedes for them and God instructs Moses to fashion a fiery serpent, place it on a standard, and hold it up for all to see. If those who are bit and doomed to die would simply look up to the fiery serpent on a standard, they would live. There was no physical reason for this to help. It was an act of faith. They believed God and then obeyed. That’s what healed them.

Jesus was trying to make Nicodemus understand a spiritual reality using the physical picture in Numbers. We have all been bitten by the fiery serpent of sin and are doomed to spiritual death. But God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to take on our sin and be placed on a cross and held up for all to see. And like the Israelites in the desert bitten by the snake and looking up, anyone who looks on Jesus and believes will not perish but have eternal life.

I am sure Nicodemus had no idea at the time of his late night conversation with Jesus what he was really saying. He didn’t receive his full answer until Jesus was crucified. But can you imagine the understanding that washed over Nicodemus when he saw Jesus hanging there lifted up for all to see? I imagine him weeping at the foot of the cross thinking look what God has done!

Numbers was a physical foreshadowing of the spiritual redemption Jesus would offer on the cross thousands of years later. The fiery serpents of sin are still among us, but all we need to do is believe God’s word and look up . . . to Jesus.

Questions/Responses:

In what ways do the events of Numbers 21:1-9 foreshadow Jesus on the cross?

Nicodemus came to Jesus with questions. The answer Jesus gave did not make sense until later. What questions do you have for the Lord? How can you position yourself to receive the answer, even if he hasn’t answered you yet?

The Israelites had the pillar of fire and the cloud as a physical representation that God was with them. Jesus told Nicodemus that the Holy Spirit moves like the wind, meaning you can’t physically see his movements. How is the presence of the Holy Spirit made evident in your life? How does that help you believe?

Take some time to pray about your questions, about the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life and about your faith.

Journaling Through John in July: John Chapter 2

Does Jesus Believe In You?

Read: John chapter 2 and Psalm 139.

This chapter begins with the first miracle of Jesus. He turned water into wine at a wedding. It was a miracle of both elements and time. A creation miracle! Wine doesn’t come from water and lots of time is needed. The intent of this miracle was partly to prove that the Son of God has power over His Father’s creation. And here is the thing: it was a quiet, low-key miracle. Only the disciples and the back room servants knew what happened.

Afterwards, Jesus, his brothers, his disciples, and his mother all traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover holiday. There, Jesus makes a scene in the Temple by driving out the vendors selling sacrifices in the outer court. He used a whip and sent them all packing! Can you imagine? When questioned by the authorities, who had probably Okayed this business, they asked for a sign revealing his authority to do this. His answer showed again His authority not just over the Temple but over creation: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). John confesses that it wasn’t until later, after Jesus was crucified and came back to life, that they realized the Temple Jesus spoke of was His own body raised to life. Again, it was a miracle that defied the laws of nature and showed power over creation.

The last three verses of chapter 2 reveal something that can be easily overlooked in the presence of these grand miracles. John tells us that “during the feast many believed in [Jesus’s] name” because of the signs He performed. I wish I knew what they were, but John doesn’t tell us. He only gives us the behind the scenes glimpse – water turned to wine and the understanding of the true Temple destroyed and built in three days - things the crowds knew nothing about.

Verse 23 tells us that many believed in Jesus because of the miracles performed for the crowds. But verse 24-25 reveals, “But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men . . . for He Himself knew what was in a man.” The word “entrusting” is the same word translated as “believed” in the first part of the sentence. It is a play on words. The crowds believed in Jesus, but Jesus didn’t believe in them . . . because He knew their hearts. Believing Jesus requires more than head knowledge, more than the temporary thrill of the excited moment. It requires your heart. Like the seed planted in rocky soil that springs up and then wilts in the sun, Jesus knew their belief would not last. Psalm 139 tells of God’s omnipresence and omniscience. God knows our actions, our thoughts, our plans, our words . . . even before they are spoken. “Behold, O LORD, You know it all,” the Psalmist confesses.

Jesus may have done miraculous things for the crowds, but it was to those closest to Him, the ones that gave Him their hearts, that he made the deeper revelations. The same is true for us today. The big events may be thrilling and we may believe that Jesus does great things, but it is in the quiet moments behind the scenes when we give Him our hearts that He gives Himself back to us.

Questions/Responses:

How do the miracles in chapter 2 tie into creation? What do they reveal about Jesus?

In our culture today, we often see Jesus as passive because He loves us. This is not the Jesus of the Temple scene revealed in chapter 2. Why did Jesus react this way to those selling items in the outer court? What does this tell you about Jesus? If you belong to Him, how do you think he will react to impure things in your own life?

Psalm 139 is popular to read in parts. We seldom read it as a whole. Taking in the context of the entire Psalm, what new things do you learn about God in Psalm 139?

Jesus revealed much more to those closest to Him because He knew their hearts desired Him. He believed in them. Take some time to consider your walk with Jesus? Are there things hindering your daily walk with Him? If so, what steps do you need to take to make more time for His Word or clean up areas of your life that keep you from Him?

Confession brings cleansing. Now that you've considering these things, take some time to confess what may be hindering you from a closer relationship with Christ. Pray about the things you’ve learned today.

Journaling Through John in July: John Chapter 1

Who do you say I am?

Read: John chapter 1 and Genesis 1.

The Word. The light. The Word became flesh. The only begotten from the Father. The way of the LORD. The One whom you do not know . . . who is among you. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit. The Son of God. Rabbi (teacher). Messiah (Christ). Him of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets wrote. The King of Israel.

Look at all the things said about Jesus in just chapter one! Amazing! This is not a complete list, just a beginning. Later in the Gospels, the disciples are recounting all the things the people had said about Jesus, so He asks them, “But who do you say that I am?” (Luke 9:20, Matthew 16:13, Mark 8:27).

The answer to that question shapes our life. It is the foundation on which we build. If we believe Jesus was a good man and a good teacher, then we will listen to some of what He says, especially when life is difficult and answers are needed. Of course, we may dismiss other lessons from Jesus if they don’t align with our core beliefs or the direction we desire to go. We will pick and choose his teachings if we think he is simply a good teacher.

If we see Jesus as savior, we will ask for His forgiveness and be thankful for what salvation offers. But, if He is only our savior, then our lives will look a lot like the world with a little bit of thankfulness sprinkled on top. We can know Jesus is the Son of God, but if we’ve never read the scriptures and contemplated who God is, then our thoughts will be shallow and simple.

John introduces his book with many facets of the character of Jesus. There are many more. Like a single cut crystal that casts many little rainbows when the sun shines through, we can see each one of the characteristics of Jesus as the scriptures unfold. In fact, Psalm 119:130 tells us this: “The unfolding of your word gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” John calls Jesus “the Word” in chapter one. As we literally unfold the pages of scripture to watch how the revelation of Jesus unfolds, we will see more and more of who Jesus is. More than teacher. More than savior.

“But who do you say that I am?” That question is directed specifically to you. Are you willing to unfold the scriptures, stand in the Light, and answer it?

Questions/Responses:

How do verses 1-5 and verse 14 tie into creation? What does this reveal about Jesus?

Verse 18 tells us that Jesus, the begotten, has explained God, the Father. What have you learned about God the Father from chapter one?

Where do you see Jesus responding individually to people? What do his individual responses reveal about Jesus? Who do you say Jesus is? Where do you feel your understanding is lacking?

Take some time to pray about what you've learned and what you want to learn.

Not now, Lord

Pulling the carpet back, I knew we were in trouble. My parents installed that carpet before I was born - golden shag over beautiful oak floors. After my parents’ divorce, my dad never upgraded the house. At 92 and needing memory care, Dad left me with the task. The carpet wasn’t the problem. Padding that used to be a soft spongy cushion was now just brick. It clung to the wood beneath. And it wasn’t coming up! After scraping for hours, I finally called Frank, my floor expert, to tell him the tragic news. “No worries,” he said. “I can do it.” I thought he would have some super-quick floor guy trick. He sent me a video a few days later of his process. Sharpen chisel. Scrape this way. Scrape that way. All the while, brick red shards fly through the air. Clear away shards. Do the next little section. On his hands and knees, with just a little chisel, he painstakingly scraped away all of the padding. I thought for sure he would be frustrated and annoyed, but he is an artist at heart. When it was finished, we talked. Frank said, “It took a while, but I enjoyed the process. These are beautiful floors.” The Lord used this hardened padding to reveal some things about my current struggle. Have you ever had something the Lord has nudged you to do, and yet you keep putting Him off? That’s me. All. The. Time. Sometimes I question: “Is that you Lord, or am I making this up?” Sometimes I rationalize: “Oh that doesn’t make any sense.” Sometimes I refuse: “Not now. I’ll do this other thing first.” But as time moves forward, my opportunity is gone. God’s nudges often have expiration dates, and immediate obedience is hard for me. In my struggle, the Lord led me to Hebrews 3:7: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, as in the day of trial in the wilderness. . .” If you hear His voice. . . I know I’ve heard His voice. Do not harden your hearts . . . Is that what I’m doing when I put God off with my “Not now” response? Later in Hebrews 3 we learn that a hardened heart comes from the deceitfulness of sin and from unbelief. I am challenged by this. What am I not believing the Lord for? Through prayer and the word, I realized that unbelief is a root that bears the fruit of disobedience. There are many branches that stem from unbelief, but fear is often the branch that grows from my unbelief and ripens into disobedience. Fear of my future. Fear that bad things will happen. Fear of the unknown. My dad, the keeper of the golden shag carpet, instilled in me the demanding sense to stick with what is safe, stick with what you know. But, my Father in heaven does not follow that principle. He often calls us out into the unknown, into places where we’ll be challenged, into new places that He will show us, but maybe not right now. He asks us to obey anyway. If we hold fast to Christ, we will get to that new place, but that requires faith in God. What is faith? First, we must believe Him. Then, we must obey. Believing + obeying = faith. There was a whole generation of Israelites who didn’t believe the Lord, even though they saw His glory and His miracles. Their unbelief led to fear and their fear ripened into disobedience. Their lack of faith hardened their hearts to God’s voice, and they died in the wilderness, never receiving their promised land. Their “not now” closed the door of opportunity the Lord was holding open for them on that day. I don’t want to be like them. I don’t want a hard heart. “Lord, help my unbelief!” is my cry. And my sweet savior brings me hope: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh . . .” (Ezekiel 36:26). Did you hear that? Like Frank scraping off the hardened padding to reveal beautiful oak floors that are clean and fresh, our Lord can remove our hardened hearts. The calluses built from years of “Not now, Lord” can be stripped clean and ready for what’s new. At creation, God looked over each day’s work and thought, “It is good.” I imagine Him looking back at us, His workmanship, after scraping away the hardened places in our hearts, and making us clean and beautiful and thinking, “It is very good!” This process requires believing and often immediate obedience, but our faith pleases the Lord. One day, we’ll get to stand with Him and look back over His work in our life, and together we’ll exclaim, “Isn’t it beautiful!” and our soft hearts will swell with joy at His glory shining over us. Lord, let it be!

From Grief to Joy

I was mad at the world, at coronavirus, at the news, media, politicians. You name it. I was mad. I went to bed mad. That’s never a good thing. Sleep eludes you when you’re mad. It was a fitful night, so by 4:00 A.M. I was ready to get up. What do you say to the Lord in your morning prayer time when you’re mad like that? I decided to just tell Him how mad, mad, mad I was. Like a dark thunder cloud, I dumped all of my mad on His listening ears. It felt good to get it out, but it didn’t solve anything. You need some resolution when you’re mad. “Lord, help me understand. Help me see clearly through all of this,” I pleaded. Instead of starting my new Bible study, (I just couldn’t that morning.) I decided to run through my scripture memory cards. When I flipped to Nehemiah 8:10, I stopped. “Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength,” God’s word says. Do not grieve. Yes, that’s what I was doing: grieving the loss of the world I knew. I think we all are grieving in our own way. Better to acknowledge your grief and move through it than be stuck there. Bitterness grows on stagnant grief. “For the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Do you know what makes our LORD joyful? Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus endured the cross “for the joy set before Him.” His joy was the completed work of God, the Father, our salvation. Jude 24 tells us Jesus will present us blameless before the Father with joy – a picture of our salvation. Our salvation brings Him joy! Knowing we are saved in our Lord Jesus Christ is our strength to persevere. Hold on to this truth! Do not grieve. These things are temporal, but your salvation is eternal. Do not grieve. Fix your eyes on the Lord, for He is good. Do not grieve. Others need the message and hope of salvation, so there is much work to be done. “Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Those words do not change the situations around me, but they sure do change the way I look at them, the way I look at myself. It is necessary to grieve, but we are not to anchor there. God is still moving and He is still calling us to follow Him. So, let us not beach in the shallows where the waters stagnate, but in the deeper waters where the current flows, let us move with our Lord, allowing our grief to be washed away in His love and redemption, for the joy of the Lord is our strength.

The Safety That Lasts

Do you feel safe? Are you anxious and worried about the future? I know so many people who are just feeling unsafe right now. Anxiety and worry can fill thoughts, shape days, and rob joy. While washing hands, wearing masks, and social distancing might help our sense of safety, the truth is this isn’t the kind of safety we really need. No. Our true safety goes much deeper than that. There is a scene in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis that describes a spiritual safety we need to be aware of. “Aslan is a lion – the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh,” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion” . . . “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver . . . “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He the King, I tell you.” Jesus is our king, the lion of the tribe of Judah, and he isn’t safe either, but he is good. What do I mean by he isn’t safe? I think you must consider two things here. First, we are told throughout scripture to fear the LORD our God. He is a powerful creator, capable of anything. He has revealed Himself and called us to be His children, to follow Him. When we refuse His grace and sanctification through Jesus, when we refuse the goodness that He offers, He promises justice, and no doubt about it, we deserve it. The Bible warns in Hebrews 10:31, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” We don’t want to hear this though. No one wants to think about God’s justice. It isn’t a typical topic of Bible studies or Sunday morning sermons. Maybe that’s because people just want to feel “safe” and pastors and teachers don’t want to lose their audience. They will talk about God’s love all day long. That makes us feel “safe.” But here is the beautiful thing: God’s unsafe justice and His safe love are all wrapped up into one: Jesus on the cross. Think about it. “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God loved us and sent His Son, Jesus, to take our penalty, and He poured out His justice on Jesus instead of us. Love. Justice. Jesus. No wonder those who turn away from Him deserve His punishment. He offered the ultimate gift and they refused. If you have never seen Jesus in quite this way before, if you do not know Jesus as your savior from God’s justice, then take the time now to talk that out with God. He is offering it to you. He has already poured out the justice for your sins on Jesus. If you understand that and accept the free gift of grace and salvation that he offers, you will be saved: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). This is the ultimate safety, safety from God’s wrath, and no one can grant it except Jesus. Accepting His offer is the most important thing you will ever do in this life. When we are in a right relationship with God as His redeemed children, we are safe from His wrath, but that doesn’t mean He won’t put us in unsafe circumstances. Have you ever felt the Lord prompting you to tell someone about Jesus, someone you know doesn’t want to hear? You probably felt unsafe. How about money? Did giving that amount placed on your heart make you feel unsafe? Have you ever known to your core that you needed to speak up about that ungodly practice at work or among your friends, and felt unsafe to do it? Where is your “safe” line? Listen. Jesus never promised us we would be “safe” in this world. In fact, he promised quite the opposite: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18). “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Christians throughout history have been opposed, challenged, martyred. Unsafe! These things are foreign to us. We have lived in a culture of very little resistance for a long time. Our muscles to stand firm in our faith and proclaim the Gospel are weak and immature, but the time has come for us to exercise, gain strength, and grow. Here are some things you can do: 1) Put your trust and hope in Jesus alone. Continually remind yourself of this. Stay focused on Jesus. Turn off the TV. Open up your Bible. Our hope and eternal safety are in Him. 2) Study His Word daily. You can’t stand firm in God’s truths if you don’t know His Word. Know what God says, not just your favorite devotional or Bible teacher. Read His Word for yourself. Someone else’s interpretation might help you, but it can never replace the power of His words on your mind. Then, go and do what He says to the best of your ability. Struggle through it. If you goof up, start again. Don’t give up. Persevere. That’s how you grow in Christ. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of you faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work in you so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4). 3) Don’t be afraid to tell others about Christ or stand up for your Christian beliefs. Your words might make the difference between life and death for someone. You might make them uncomfortable. You might both feel “unsafe,” but better to feel unsafe than God’s wrath and justice for them, and the Lord’s disappointment in you. The devil is ramping up his campaign against us. We can see it all around. Now is not the time for the Church to hide behind a mask of indifference. Don’t be sidetracked by the cultural battles being fought around us. The enemy will use our emotions as a distraction, but having the mind of Christ will turn these into opportunities to reach out in wisdom and love. Our focus is Christ! We have been placed in this specific time for a specific reason. God chose you and put you here on purpose. He has something for you to do, someone for you to influence with His Good News. What an honor this is! Think about the multitude of Christians throughout history who longed to see the day Jesus would return. Many of the pieces are already in place. Let’s not shrink in fear, seeking a false safety. Let’s stand on the Rock, proclaim the Word of God, and watch Jesus be glorified. You, O child of the King, can do this!

Stepping Clear of the Emotional Trap

Do you ever let your emotions get the best of you? Aristotle told us long ago that people will respond with their emotions even when facts are more logical. The Bible says it this way: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). It’s true for me. I bet it’s true for you too. This is why advertisers and propagandists use emotional responses. They play our emotions so that we respond in particular ways. Emotions can be good things – love, joy, affection, but what happens when our emotions are used to manipulate us? 2020 has been filled with emotions. Between the pandemic and the riots, we’ve had a pretty emotional year. There is a philosophical term for how this emotional frenzy has evolved: Hegelian Dialectic. Here is how it works. A crisis is either used or created that usually pits one side against another. The reaction to this crisis is fueled so that emotions on both sides are stoked higher and higher, like adding fuel to a fire. (Notice how the emotions are used, not logic.) Then a response is created that will subdue the raging emotional fire, pushing one side further, while the other must concede. The response that is offered will be one that people would not have agreed to before, but because of the emotional turmoil, it is accepted and often a new normal is formed. Ultimately, the outcome is guided by the crisis-giver/revealer who had an intended goal all along. Sadly, the new normal has problems of its own so that the cycle continues allowing for more opportunities for crisis and further pushing. I’m sure you can see how the Hegelian Dialectic fashioned summer events. Mandating masks and defunding police are not things we would have considered in 2019. I share these physical events not to ruffle feathers, but to give you a clear picture because I would like to suggest that this philosophical idea of crisis-reaction-response first started in the spiritual realm, and is used by our enemy to lead us away from God. Consider Eve. In Genesis 1, God created the world and all the creatures, including man. In Genesis 2 God placed Adam over this new creation as a caretaker. Adam was given one rule: don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or you will die. When Eve encounters the serpent in Genesis 3, he poses a seemingly innocent question to Eve. It is meant to create a crisis: “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The serpent wants to draw attention to the one thing forbidden. Unaware of his game, she responds, “but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.” The crisis! She can’t eat from the tree! That’s terrible! And using an emotional appeal that fuels her need to feel included, the serpent offers a response: “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Eve wants to be like God. She wants to be wise. She wants to taste the fruit. And even though logic tells her not to do it, her emotions win. The serpent took the crisis, fueled her emotions, then pointed her to a response that appealed to her emotions, but led her away from God. Do you see how the serpent guided her response? The most pernicious thing about this whole encounter is that the enemy made it seem like he was helping her. Oh, the deceit! Our enemy, the devil, does this very same thing to us on a spiritual level. He takes a little crisis – an insult, a feeling of inadequacy, a bit of jealousy – and fuels the emotions. Maybe we ruminate on it or remember similar situations or some event adds to it. Whatever it is, his goal is to whip up our emotional reaction so that he can offer a deceitfully helpful response. And when the suggested response comes . . . we act on it. The response Satan offers is always counter-Christian because his goal is to lead you away from God. The crisis doesn’t matter as long as he moves you further from God to live in the flesh. Galatians 5 tells us that our flesh is against the Spirit: “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these.” These responses are the things Satan offers to us as a quick fix to satisfy our emotions. Instead of this, Paul encourages us to walk by the Spirit for “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). But here is the thing – these responses are usually not a quick fix. We must choose the fruit of the Spirit, and that means overriding the flaming emotions and opting out of the provided responses. Paul says, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25). In other words, we have ignored those quick-fix fleshly fruits and offer forgiveness, mercy, and grace - things that go against our emotions. Oh, this is not easy! But as Christians, we offer them anyway because we are called to do this. This is walking in the Spirit. We grow His fruit one decision at a time. This is defeating our enemy because we chose to step out of the trap and follow our Lord Jesus Christ. When you are faced with an emotional situation whether it is personal, social, or political, don’t fall for the enemy’s tactics. If you know to look for the trap, you can step clear of it and avoid getting ensnared. All you need to do is see the situation for what it is – a ploy to lead you away from the Lord. Then you can rely on the wisdom God offers in His word, and the strength of the Holy Spirit within you to step clear and walk with Him. His grace is sufficient for you and His power is made perfect in your weakness. You have everything you need to overcome. Praise the Lord!

Songs of Hope in the Dark

It had been a sleepless night. Thoughts of coronavirus, food shortages, eLearning, and people I know who are now sick rolled through my mind. Just a few short weeks ago the virus was far away, but now it was on my doorstep robbing me of sleep and peace. As I laid in bed trying to sleep, I could hear the birds outside my window. They were beginning their morning chatter. Still exhausted, I rose anyway. I didn’t want to miss the morning concert. I threw on my robe, grabbed my cup of coffee, opened the window in my living room to make for better listening, and I plopped on the couch in the dark.

Did you know that the birds begin singing each morning before the sun rises? One bird, perched all alone, will sing out a few notes. Another bird of the same species, perched all alone, will answer. Then a new bird will call out from somewhere. A bird of that species will answer in the distance. On and on it goes until they are all awake and all singing. The sky is still dark. The sun has not even peaked the horizon, but the birds are in full chorus. The sky is liquid with silvery sounds. Beautiful!

I’ve enjoyed this phenomenon for years. I get up early to go sit and listen. I always imagine the birds are singing to the LORD, heralding the morn, praising Him for a new day and for His faithfulness. “Let all creation sing,” rings through my mind as I enjoy the symphony.

But as I sat on the couch this particular Sunday morning, I was struck by the symbolism offered in this daily occurrence. The birds sing while it is still dark. They sing knowing the morning will come. They don’t start singing after the sun has already risen. No, they sing before. They sing praising the Lord for what He will do. They sing in hope.

I couldn’t help but think about my church family, about Restoration’s first online service, about all the sweet words of encouragement, all the prayers being offered, all the ways that His people are singing right now. . . singing while it is still dark. Friends, these are dark times, but our Lord is faithful. He will prevail. The dark cannot stop the Light from getting through. Our singing, our praying, our sharing His good Word and the hope of the gospel is a symphony of praise to the Lord and to the world around us. I cannot help but think about Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Easter is on the way – a time of renewal, a promise of what is to come. The hope of Christ is particularly comforting when the world is crazy. So while we have the quiet time at home, let’s turn off our devices. Let’s open up His word and sit by His side and hear what He has to say. Things may seem dark, but we have Christ, the Light of the world! Let his word richly dwell in you. Fill your mind and your heart with Him. Then, sing on Church! Sing to wake the world to the good news that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father except through him. Our God is faithful. A new day will come! Let all creation sing!

Deuteronomy: Lessons to remember as we walk to the Promised Land - Chapters 33-34

CHAPTER 33-34:

Excitement and nervousness filled Layna as she laced up her walking boots and headed out on the Camino de Santiago, a 500 mile series of trails through Spain that follows ancient pilgrimage routes to Galatia and the tomb of St. James. Layna is the daughter of our family friends, Mike and Renee. This was her senior trip and she had skipped her graduation to go. I thought her parents were crazy. There were too many unknowns in my book. I tend to have roots instead of wings when it comes to this sort of thing. But Mike and Renee have always been the kind of parents to nurture both roots and wings in their children, so they made sure Layna had the opportunity to fulfill her dream. She was determined to walk the entire 500 miles in a month.

We walk for pleasure or for exercise, but this kind of walk is different. This is a commitment of the heart, mind, and will to accomplish a task that is full of grueling physical work, emotional roller coasters, and the unknown. As Layna stepped out into the Spanish sunshine that day, she had no idea what was ahead of her: pain, pleasure, heartbreak, the thrill of triumph. All were possibilities, but she was ready for whatever awaited ahead. I’m sure that’s how the Israelites felt as they stood on the edge of their own possibilities listening to the final words of Moses. Put yourself in their walking shoes as you listen to the blessings of Moses in chapter 33.

Remember, these words were not recorded by Moses but by Joshua after the death of Moses.
As you read, make a list of each tribe and a summarized version of their blessing.

Read Deuteronomy 33:1-29.

Is there anything that stood out to you about the blessings?

The ancient custom of a father blessing his children before he died was serious business. The blessings often told of the son’s character, his strengths and weaknesses. The blessing would reveal the father’s hope for the son and his thoughts about the son’s future. They were highly regarded by the people in the Old Testament because they were a sort of inheritance. Remember Esau and Jacob? Esau traded his inheritance, his father’s blessing, for a bowl of stew that Jacob had cooked. Esau had such low regard for the blessing his father Isaac would give to him that he felt a bowl of stew was worth more. The foreshadowing in this trade points to the trades the Israelites would make in the Promised Land – their blessings from God for the idols of the land.

God has blessings for you. What have you traded them for?

Esau, no matter how much he pleaded or cried, was unable to get his blessing back. As long as you have breath in your lungs, you can retrieve your blessing, even if you’ve traded it away. Jesus has redeemed it, bought it back, and he offers it to you.

How will you thank Him?

Read Deuteronomy 34:1-8.

Who buried Moses?

Why do you think God would bury him so that no man knows where his grave is located?

Read Jude 8-9.

Biblical authorities believe that the archangel Michael, who watches over Israel, was the one who buried Moses. He did this in order to keep his body hidden from Satan, who would have used it as an object of worship or for some other evil plan. Moses had been a powerful instrument of God, and it would have been easy to bait followers with his bones and then switch their hearts to worship Moses instead of God. As humans, it is our tendency to worship the created rather than the creator. God was preventing this bait-and-switch worship from happening.

Where do you see bait-and-switch worship happening in our culture?

Have you ever fallen for a bait-and-switch and ended up focused on something other than God? Explain your answer.

Read Deuteronomy 34:9-12.

What words describe how Moses knew God?

How are you able to know God in this way?

What are you thinking here at the end of the book?

So here we are. We have hiked to the end of Deuteronomy. I don’t know about you, but I feel like it is a little anticlimactic. Where is the big battle? The victory? The big hoorah at the end? I’m a little disappointed. Moses walks up into the mountains and is gone. And what are we left with? A promise of what can be possible, but the disappointing realization that the Israelites didn’t fully receive the blessings they were told could be theirs. They were like Esau and traded their blessings for something that gave immediate gratification but was far less valuable in the end.

I’ve jokingly said for years that I’m a mixed up soul because I have a romantic hope of the happy ending, but I am fully aware of the reality we live in. It often leaves me disappointed. But here is the thing: there is nothing to be disappointed in when we realize the physical journey of the Israelites is a picture of our spiritual journey with Christ. Moses is a foreshadowing of Christ. Moses took the Israelites out of Egypt. Christ takes us out of the world of sin that enslaves us. Moses led the Israelites in the wilderness to grow them and teach them how to rightly worship the LORD their God. Christ walks with us through our own “wilderness” of life and shows us how to live our lives for Him and be a reflection of His glory. Moses encouraged the Israelites to live in obedience in their actions, equipping them with all the laws that would help them. Christ encourages us to obey Him through faith, equipping us with His Word and His Holy Spirit to walk through the sanctification process as His redeemed people. While the Israelites had agreed to a covenant with God through the Law, we have agreed to a covenant with God through Jesus Christ. Ours is the better covenant. We get the big hoorah . . . if we listen. See what I mean? I'm the romantic and the realist!

The book of Hebrews does a great job comparing the old covenant given to Moses on Mount Sinai with the covenant offered to us by Jesus in the Last Supper in Matthew 26:28 and explained in Hebrews 8. The New Covenant that Christ offers is ratified once and for all with his perfect blood. No need for continual sacrifice because God’s own Son was the ultimate atoning sacrifice for our sins. Hoorah! But the warnings are still there. We have a choice to make – blessing or curse, life or death. This is our reality. Will you choose life?

As I walk through this life as a child of God, sometimes I am like Layna setting off on a new adventure and excited with the expectations of things to come. Sometimes I get weary with the work and I want to make a trade like Esau and the Israelites. Sadly, sometimes I do trade my blessings for things far less fulfilling. When that happens and I realize the mess I’ve made, my only option is to repent, find my way back to Jesus, and be thankful for my better covenant and the fact that I can choose life.
God’s mercy is full of restoration.

Deuteronomy was a call to be faithful. That call is still being made today. Our call is to remain faithful to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are still called to love, to remember, to fear, to obey, and to teach. Our reward is still the promise of blessing. We may not always know what our future holds on this journey, but we can always know the One who walks with us, and we can always know the Promised Land awaits. Our happy ending is possible because our hope is in Christ. Won’t you walk with Him? My prayer is that you will. Amen!

Lesson to Remember: Our hope is in Christ.

A Way to Walk: We are not guaranteed a smooth journey in life. We are guaranteed that our Savior will be with us no matter the course. Jesus will be the most steadfast Rock in your life. He will never leave you, never forsake you. Cling to Him. He will see you home.

Post Script:
If you have taken the time to read this, know that I am completely humbled. Our days are busy and there are many other Bible teachers who are far more eloquent, knowledgeable, and engaging. This has truly been an exercise in my personal walk of faithfulness. God has called me to write, but I often trade that blessing for what seems to be more pressing things to do - like dishes and laundry. The truth is nothing is more important than what we do for Christ. This Bible study is my gift to Him. I do not know how He might use it, or what need it might fill for you, but I am extremely grateful to be part of His work. My hope is in Christ. I pray that your faithfulness will continually grow as you purposefully walk with Jesus, and that you'll remember the lessons learned in Deuteronomy. I'll leave you with the Shema prayer found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5:
"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." Amen!

Jennifer

Deuteronomy: Lessons to remember as you walk to the Promised Land - Chapter 32

CHAPTER 32:

Do you have a favorite song? Maybe it is a song with a catchy chorus that you like to sing. Or maybe it has a good beat and makes you want to dance. My favorite song to listen to always seems to change. And I definitely have specific songs I like to listen to at certain times – cleaning the house or exercising or relaxing. Some people never really pay attention to the words in a song. For them, it is all about the music. My husband is one of those people. I, on the other hand, dissect the words and look for meaning. There was one song years ago that really left me at odds. The beat of the song was very hypnotic and I loved it, but the words suggested things that were against my Christian beliefs. It was total Human Secularism. I decided not to listen to it, and even when it came on the radio, I would turn the station.

Words matter. They seep into our minds and influence our thinking, our actions, our attitudes. That’s what the Song of Moses was meant to do: help the Israelite’s remember the LORD and follow Him. Moses wrote three songs that are captured in scripture. Exodus 15 celebrates and commemorates the Red Sea crossing and escape from Egypt. Psalm 90 is a prayer to God asking Him to have mercy on frail humans living in a sin-cursed world. Deuteronomy 32 is a prophetic song about the apostasy that will befall Israel, the judgement of God, and their restoration. Remember, God commanded the Israelites to write this song and teach it to their sons so that it would be a witness for God against them.
As you read today, pay attention to the phrase “the Rock” as a reference to God. The Song of Moses is divided into clear sections. We will be giving each section a subtitle or a #comment to summarize it.

Read Deuteronomy 32:1-2.

Who is called to listen?

Give these verses a title or a #comment to summarize them.

Read Deuteronomy 32:3-4.

List the characteristics of God mentioned here.

Give these verses a title or a #comment.

Read Deuteronomy 32:5-6.

Based on these verses, how are the Israelites different from God?

Give this section a title or #comment.

Read Deuteronomy 32: 7-9.

What is God’s portion?

You are His when you are in Christ! Does it surprise you that you are included as part of God’s portion?

Give these verses a title or #comment.

Read Deuteronomy 32:10-13a.

God compares His protection of Israel to an ___________________.

What images does He use to describe this protection?

How has God protected you in a similar way?

Give a title or #comment for this section.

Read Deuteronomy 32:13b-14.

What does God provide for His people?

How has God provided for you?

Give a title or #comment.

If your Bible translation uses the name Jeshurun in these verses, know that it refers to Israel.

Read Deuteronomy 32:15-18.

What is Israel’s response to God?

What causes them to turn away?

In your prosperity, have you neglected the LORD in any way? If so, how?

Give a title or #comment for this section.

Read Deuteronomy 32: 19-25.

How does God respond to Israel’s apostasy?

Is there hope for them even in their sin? If so, what is it?

Read Deuteronomy 32: 26-27.

According to these verses, why does God not totally abandon Israel?

Give a title or #comment.

Read Deuteronomy 32:28-31.

What do the nations lack?

What is it that God wants?

Read Deuteronomy 32:28-33.

Where do the enemies of Israel get their fruit?

Give a title or #comment as a summary for verses 28-33.

Read Deuteronomy 32:34-43.

List the characteristics of God found here.

Why will Israel and the nations rejoice in verse 43?

Who is the atonement? (Think New Testament- Colossians 1:19-20.)

Give a title or #comment.

Give a title or #comment.

The reversal that brings atonement and rejoicing is Jesus. His death on the cross is the atonement for sins, and he will come again to cleanse the earth of evil and rule all the nations during his millennial reign from the seat of Israel, bringing rejoicing for everyone. This officially ends the Song of Moses. He still needs to give his blessings to the tribes. We will see that in Chapter 33. Meanwhile, let’s see what happens after the song is over.

Read Deuteronomy 32:44-52.

This law is not an idle word, it is _______________ to those who listen.

What was Moses instructed to do after he gave this word to the people?

Give a title or #comment for this section.

This song was meant to commemorate what had happened and remind the Israelites what to do. They were to teach their children so they, too, would fear God and obey His commands. What do we do to teach our children about Jesus? Many of us take our young ones to church in hopes that they will learn. This is good but it’s not enough. Like Deuteronomy 6 instructed, we need to be teaching our kids at home. The family is always the first and most prominent teacher in a child’s life, despite what modern educational ideas would make you think. Teach them diligently. Talk to them. Keep God’s word on hand. Keep it in your forethoughts. Let it be how your home functions. That’s what the LORD tells us to do in Deuteronomy 6.

Do you feel you adequately tech the younger people around you? Why or why not?

How could you improve upon this?

Does your own household run according to biblical principles? Why or why not?

What do you do well when it comes to teaching and running your home biblically?

What areas need improvement?

What steps can you take to improve?

I read a book several years ago by Ken Ham titled Already Gone. It gave research on how many young people leave the church as soon as they can and their reasons for leaving. It also outlined some ways you can prevent this from happening in your own family. It is worth the read, if you are interested.

One of the main reasons people leave the church is because they don’t believe the Bible to be true. It is just a book of stories and myths, outrageous tales full of metaphors, and not the truth in their minds. There are myriad reasons for this thinking, but a main reason is the science they’ve been taught in school and in the world that seems to contradict the Bible’s claims. Science is presented as rational, measurable, predictable. It seems safe and more concrete to them, and the Bible doesn’t fit into this predictable world. If your child is in the public school system, the will be taught a worldview based on human secularism from pre-K to 12th grade. If they go to college, this will further their indoctrination. Many young people who walk into college with a sort-of okay view of the Bible, walk out as atheists. If you intend to counter this view, you will need some good arguments that employ reason. You will need logic. The fancy name for this is apologetics. There are many great apologetic ministries out there. Answers in Genesis is one of my favorites. They even have a museum and theme park in Kentucky. Check AIG out here.

One of my favorite sermons on believing the Bible is by Voddie Baucham titled “Why I Choose to Believe the Bible.” Originally from Texas, he is now the Dean of Theology at African Christian University in Zambia. He has a statement of faith that he uses to defend his belief, and he breaks this statement down, explaining each part with logic and historical facts. It is a great explanation, and the statement of faith is worth memorizing. I’ve found it useful on quite a few occasions as an apologetic tool. Here is the link to the sermon.

Having some apologetic reasoning in your tool kit is important because another reason people walk away from the church is the lack of answers. They have questions that don’t get answered at church. Maybe they don’t feel they can ask. Maybe folks don’t know how to answer, and “just have faith” is not enough. When the world seems to have answers and the church doesn’t, then why stay? Can you blame them?

I’ve worked with young people for over 28 years in many capacities. Most of my time has been with middle school children. They are curious creatures. They have questions, really good ones. And I’ve found that when you open the door to conversation, they will usually ask them. My open Q and A sessions at FCA meetings and summer camp discussions have sometimes challenged me. I’ve had to be willing to study and have answers readily available. I’ve had to be willing to do some research and thinking when I don’t have the answers. I’ve had to have courage to answer questions biblically, even when the answer differs from the world and isn’t what they wanted to hear. Even when these answers are seasoned with salt and delivered with compassion, they aren’t always well received. It’s hard when the world says one thing and God says another. It takes courage and strength for both the asker and the answer giver.

Over and over, the book of Deuteronomy has commanded listeners to teach the next generation. It is important that we do this. It is our obligation. We must teach in wisdom and with compassion remembering that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,” knowing that apostasy is always one generation away (Proverbs 1:7). Start while they are young. By the time children reach 8th grade, their minds are usually already set, maybe not firmly, but pretty congealed in one way of thinking.

Don’t let Moses’ song of apostasy be a witness against them. Teach them so they can sing the victory song of Moses and be included with the overcomers. Teach them so they too will love the LORD and know that “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Deuteronomy 32:29 says, “Would that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would discern their future.” This is what God desires – that we know and understand, that we have His wisdom.

It is increasingly difficult for anyone to follow the Lord if they do not have a good understanding of what they believe and why they believe it. Young people can’t stand strong if all they get is an hour or two of teaching at church each week, but the rest of their time is filled with the ideals of the world. It will create a divided heart, and divided hearts are easily conquered. As parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, and just friends of young people, we must do our part to renew their minds so that they know the good, pleasing, perfect will of God.

Lesson to Remember: God gives wisdom that brings life.

A Way to Walk: Find ways to reach out to the young people in your life. Kindle those relationships with respect and compassion as you help them work through the smoke created by the burning untruths of the world. Love them. Teach them.

Deuteronomy: Lessons to remember as you walk to the Promised Land - Chapter 31

CHAPTER 31:

There it was. It loomed on the hill making my stomach knot in anticipation. Conquering my fear of heights by completing the high ropes course had not been on the list of things to do when I signed up to help the youth group during their summer team building adventure. But, there I was staring up at the monstrously high obstacle course. Ladders. Ropes. Wobbly plank bridges 30 feet in the air. The dreaded zip line at the end. My heart melted. Surely I could find some other way to be a good role model.

Helmet on, harness tightened, and rope attached, I climbed up the flight of steps to the first obstacle. Wanda and I were probably not the best match for each other that day. She was just as afraid as I was. But at least she could still talk. “Learned any new Bible verses lately?” she asked, trying to distract us both. I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of her question. Yes. I was working on new verse, Jude 25-25: “To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to Him be glory, honor, power, and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Keep me from falling? Isn’t God funny? His words encouraged me, gave me strength and courage to not be afraid as I repeated them over and over that day. That’s what the Israelites were going to need as they entered the Promised Land. There was struggle in front on them. More important than the physical struggle to overthrow the people would be the struggle to remain faithful to the LORD. God was letting them know over and over that what they needed was Him. And He promised to be with them.

Read Deuteronomy 31:1-8.

Who will cross ahead of the Israelites into the land and destroy the nations?

What does God command them to do in verse 5?

What does He command them to do in verse 6?

What does Moses call Joshua to do in verse 7?

Verse 8 reminds them again to be strong and courageous, to not fear and not be dismayed. Dismay means to lose your courage or your resolve to do something. In other words, to give up. If someone keeps telling you to be strong and have courage and don’t give up, then you can assume whatever you are about to do is going to be really difficult.

Read Deuteronomy 31:9-13.

Who did Moses give the written law, the book of Deuteronomy to, and what did he instruct them to do with it?

How often were they to read the book?

What was the purpose of reading the book?


Have you ever thought of this as a reason to read the Bible? Why or why not?
What happens in your life when you don’t know the Word or have forgotten what it says?

Read Deuteronomy 31:14-15.

Moses called Joshua into the tent of meeting to stand before the presence of the LORD. His appearance in the pillar of cloud signaled God’s confirmation of Joshua as the replacement for Moses. God had some things that He wanted Joshua to hear – mainly what was going to happen to Israel. Maybe this was meant to be a disclaimer for Joshua. I’m sure that leaders often question themselves and become discouraged when their people don’t follow. Perhaps God wanted Joshua to know that their coming apostasy was not his fault.

Read Deuteronomy 31:16-21.

Verse 19 gives a reason for the song that Moses is going to give to the people. (This is in chapter 32.) What is his reason?

Verse 20 reveals when the apostasy will happen. What will bring about the Israelite’s turning away from God?

Isn’t this the truth? When we are well taken care of, we don’t seem to seek the Lord as much. Where do you see this happening in your own life?

As the Judge in heaven, the LORD is establishing witnesses against the Israelites and their breach of contract. Who will be the witnesses?

Read Deuteronomy 31:23-30.

Let’s face it. We have the same problem as the Israelites. We put other things in front of God. We have idols. Webster’s dictionary defines idol as “an object of extreme devotion.” I completed Kelly Minter’s Bible study, No Other Gods, several years ago, and to my surprise, I realized I was my biggest idol. Me. I am extremely devoted to myself. In this culture that cries, “It’s all about you,” narcissism is the heart of most of the messages we consume. It is hard to resist the thought patterns that pull us away from God and toward ourselves. It is a subtle trick, easily disregarded and always dangerous.

There is another subtle trick lurking in the shadows that we need to be aware of as well. You know one of the things the LORD kept warning the Israelites about was the act of mixing other worship into their worship of Him. For example, God did not even want the Asher pole beside the altar in Deuteronomy 16:21. He knows that mixed worship will result in half-hearted worship, and eventually no worship at all.

Today, concepts from Buddhism, Hinduism, pantheism, and others are working their way into Christianity. One example is the idea of mindfulness. You see a lot about it nowadays. Headlines of magazines. Workshops in your work place. Schools teaching how to practice mindfulness as a calming and focusing technique. While the qualities of being calm and focused are needed, the practice of mindfulness is a Buddhist principle.

I’ve noticed that many people follow Mindful Christianity Today on Facebook. Their mission statement says, “Mindful Christianity is the spiritual discipline of paying attention on purpose with the goal of being acutely aware of experiencing Christ’s presence.” Paying attention to what on purpose? This is really a fancy word for “focus,” which is a key concept/practice in Buddhism. It is what you do when you meditate. Being acutely aware of experiencing Christ’s presence? This too is part of meditation, reaching the state of enlightenment or nirvana, which is difficult to explain in words, according to Buddhist followers. A sort of out-of-body, other-worldly experience where you become one with a presence bigger than yourself. Do right. Be good. Be useful. Don’t hurt others. Know the bad will end some day. It is a works-based religion.

So when Mindful Christianity Today posts things like “Once you’ve been in the dark, you learn to appreciate everything that shines,” it doesn’t sound unchristian. There are biblical concepts there – dark, light. You must measure this statement next to the Word of God. Does God say we will sometimes be in dark places? Yes. Our hearts are dark. Evil is dark. Darkness is the lack of the presence of God. Does scripture say “appreciate everything that shines?” Lucifer shines. His name even contains light (luc). Should we appreciate him? If we are talking spiritual darkness and spiritual light, the only light is that of Christ, the Word of God. 2 Peter 1:19 tells us to pay attention to the Word, which is “a lamp shining in dark places.” Everything that seems shiny to us is not necessarily the truth of God.

This statement does uphold the ideals of Buddhism: life has a lot of suffering, suffering will end, and keep an attitude of compassion. But, without a direct connection to Christ and God’s Word, this is not a Christian statement. It is just a feel-good thought. There is nothing wrong with that, but don’t let that feel-good thought be your focus for worship. If you do, you’ll be worshipping the creation instead of the Creator, and that is idol worship. That was the mistake the Israelites made; they mixed their worship of the LORD God with the worship of created things, until eventually they filtered God out and all that was left of their worship was an idol.

This is what broke God’s heart. This is what brought evil upon them and made His face turn away. God does not change. He still does not want mixed worship. We must be diligent to keep our focus on Him and on His Word, His truth. Don’t let the feel-good filtered words of the world blind you from the fullness of His character.

“Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face.” (Deuteronomy 7:9-10)

Friends, pay attention! Don’t fall asleep. The enemy will use words to trick us, just like he tricked Eve in the garden with word play. As we grow closer to the ends of time, it will be increasingly important for you to be aware of the words people use, especially in connection with the Word of God. You will need to read the Word and be aware of what He says so that you can identify the subtle word play of the enemy that makes us believe lies. A one-world religion is prophesied for the end and mingling other religions with Christianity is just one way of diluting God’s truth and getting mind’s ready for what is to come. Don’t be like the five foolish virgins in Matthew 25. They fell asleep, didn’t prepare ahead of time by finding oil for their lamp, and missed walking through the open door. Be prepared. Know God’s Word. Teach it to your children. It will be the oil in your lamp when the world is dark. It will be the light that gets you to the open door to be with Him. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Love the LORD. Remember what He has done. Fear Him for He is awesome and powerful. Obey His word. Teach others. Be blessed.

Lesson to Remember: God gives us His Word to bring us strength and encouragement.

A Way to Walk: God’s Word is your lifeline. Choose life! Choose Him every day. Pay attention to the ways the world attempts to steal you away from Him.

Deuteronomy: Lessons to remember as you walk to the Promised Land - Chapter 30

CHAPTER 30:

I have never been very good at making decisions. Having too many choices just increases the difficulty for me. My daughter has always been my deciding factor. Which pillow do I buy? What color looks best? Should I choose this dress or that one? Sara’s ability to pick just the right thing has been a blessing to me. Recently, however, she had a taste of my world. When trying to pick out colors to paint her new house, Sara was completely undecided. And do you blame her? Have you seen the color choices at your local home improvement store? Even after you narrow your thoughts down to grey or blue or green, you still have to choose which shade. It is a harrowing experience! But secretly, I’m glad to know it isn’t just me having all the trouble deciding. It did me good to watch her indecision. I am sorry, though, that I was no help!

Have you ever been faced with a decision that held many different choices? If so, when?

Do you like lots of choices, or are you more inclined to be overwhelmed by too many choices? Why is that?

Chapter 29 predicted that the Israelites would follow other gods when they entered the Promised Land. They would leave the LORD and worship other gods. They would suffer from the curses brought on by their wandering hearts. It was a downer chapter, but here we are at Chapter 30. Spoiler Alert: Restoration is on the way!

Read Deuteronomy 30:1-5.

Verse 1-2 starts with a “when” statement. Fill in the blanks of this summarized version.

When all these things have happened, the _________________ and the ______________, and you ___________________ all these things in the places where you are banished, and you _____________ to the LORD and _____________ Him with all your heart . . .

Verse 3 contains the “then” statement. After all of this has happened and they return and obey the LORD, what then will He do? (Look for 5 things.)

God promises restoration! After all of that, He guarantees He will take them back when they return to Him.

Read Deuteronomy 30:6.

The Covenant of Circumcision was given to Abraham in Genesis 17. God had promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations, they he would be very fruitful, and that He was giving Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan. He promised to be their God. The sign of the covenant was the circumcision of all males. It was an outward sign of a physical promise. But this circumcision in Deuteronomy 30:6 is a promise of a spiritual nature. The LORD promises to do the circumcising in this case, cutting away all the things that cause us to love other things and chase after other gods, such as material and sensual things. They will only become idols in our lives.

When it came to these verses about circumcising the heart, my momma would always say, “It’s a bloody mess!” And she is right. Getting rid of all those deep-rooted things in our hearts that make us go astray is a bloody mess. (Said with my best British accent.) It isn’t easy, and it takes time for healing to happen. It takes time to have a heart for the Lord.

Look back at verse 6. What is the benefit of this circumcision?

Read Deuteronomy 30:7-9.

Where will the curses go when the Israelites return to the LORD?

List the things that God will cause to prosper in their lives?

What will the LORD do when all of this happens?

I’ve always loved the NIV picture in Zephaniah 3:17 of God rejoicing over Israel’s return and her triumph, which is found in Him: “The LORD your God is with you; He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Can you imagine the Lord rejoicing and singing over you? For some reason, we tend to have this image of God in our minds of a stoic, unemotional grandfather. But this isn’t Him at all! He is moved by our love and devotion, moved to sing. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to hear that song!

Read Deuteronomy 30:10.

List the two “if” statements found here.

If they return, all of these blessings will occur. What can you imagine will happen if they don’t return to Him?

Is He just in giving the curses if they don’t return? Why or why not?

Is He just in giving us curses if we never choose Him? Why or why not?

Read Deuteronomy 30:11-14.

Is the commandment difficult, according to verse 11? Why or why not?

Paul does a great job explaining these very verses. Read Romans 10:3-13.

People try to establish their own rightness before God by obeying rules and expectations, by checking off all the little boxes but this is futile. Who is the end of all of these efforts?

What must we do to be part of His righteousness?

What is the difference between a man who practices righteousness based on the law and a man whose righteousness is based on faith?

What did you learn from verses 6-9?

What is important about the heart and the mouth?

What is important to remember from verses 11-13?

John 1:1-4 and verse 14 tell us that Jesus is the Word. He was with God in the beginning and was God. He became flesh and made his dwelling among us. He is near to us. He is in our hearts. He does help us obey. We have the One the Israelites didn’t yet know. Praise the Lord!

Read Deuteronomy 30:15-20.

What two choices are set before the Israelites and before us?

Who did Moses call to be the witnesses for this covenant?

According to verse 20, what two things must you do to choose life?

Our God is a just God. He is also a God who loves His people. We see His justice and His love collide on the cross, for it is there that justice for our sins was paid in full, and it is there that the blood of our Savior was shed out of love for us.
He has made our heavenly inheritance possible, so when it comes to making choices, this should be a no-brainer. Choose life! You only need to do two simple things to make this choice: love and obey. That’s it. That’s all it takes. He has given you everything you need and He promises to be near. Love God. Choose life. It’s what you were created for.

Lesson to Remember: God restores.

A Way to Walk: Walk in love and obedience and with thankfulness to the Lord. All is not perfect here on earth, but we can begin the restoration process now by allowing His Word and His Holy Spirit to teach us. We can grow in sanctification knowing that our heavenly inheritance awaits.