Day 229: Now I See

John 9:24-41; 2 Chronicles 7; Malachi 4

The story of the blind man who Jesus made see continues. What I love is that this guy isn't really that informed or intelligent. The Pharisees ask him a bunch of questions and he basically answers with "All I know is that I used to be blind, but now I can see." He may not have answers to who Jesus is how exactly he was healed, he just knows that a miracle was worked and that it must have come from God. Sometimes Christians think that we have to know a lot in order to witness to others. This man is proof that all he (and we) needed to know was how the supernatural healing power of Jesus worked in his (and our) life. Jesus condemns the Pharisees because they claim they can see, and yet they are blind to who Jesus really is. He came to give sight to the blind, but those that say they can already see don't need Jesus, people like the Pharisees. All I know is, I lived blindly for a long time until I started opening the Bible and reading scripture. I still don't get it all and never will, but my eyes have been opened by the healing power and incredible words of The Lord.

God warns Solomon of the people's choice. Humans can choose to obey God and he will be able to bless them. Or they can choose to reject God and he will leave them. It was their choice; it is our choice. God doesn't force himself on us, never did, never will. That why being obedient is tough; our sin nature wants to pull us away. What God tells Solomon is that if the people reject him, other nations will think that all of it was a joke.  Sometimes I look at the Christian church, especially in America and it does seem like a joke. How are we living, risking, and sacrificing for our Lord? The problem is, many are not. We can combat that with reading his word and filling up all the spaces in our hearts and minds with his love rather than sinful things. We can fight this by joining with other believers and keeping each other accountable for living worshipful obedient lives. We can better love God if we surrender all we have to him. That's what God wanted from his people during Solomon's time, and that is what he wants from us today.

From Malachi: "But for you that honor my name, victory will shine like the sun with healing in its rays, and you will jump around like calves at play." There is such hope in the word of The Lord and the name of Jesus. I keep reminding myself: it is so worth it. God's promises, like this one, are things that we can hang on to to help us through times of trial, struggle, or spiritual slump. God does love us and has victory for us. That's something to believe in.

Day 228: Out of the Box

John 9:1-23; 2 Chronicles 6; Malachi 2:17-3:18

The poor guy had been blind his whole life, and it doesn't sound like he was a kid either. This was a grown man. The disciples ask Jesus why he was born that way. What if the reason was so that on this particular day, years into his life, on this road, Jesus could walk by and heal him? What if the decades that he had struggled were for this purpose only? Everyone thought it was because of a sin that the parents or he had committed, but it might actually have been so that God could work a miracle. We still see life this way: "God, why did I lose my job? How come he got sick? How could my house get repossessed? Why did they lose the baby?" Jesus heals. He doesn't enjoy seeing us in distress and pain; he could have left the blind man the way he was if that was how Jesus worked. But what if these difficult things in our life happen so that God can step in and do his work? Some might wonder, "But is that it? Just so God could work?" But does there need to be more? Isn't it enough that The Lord of the Universe paused on that road on that day to heal a man? Isn't it enough that The Lord of the Universe would place his hand in our lives to stir things up?

Over and over again in Solomon's prayer he says "Listen from your home in heaven." Sometimes humans like to build temples or boxes for God to live in. We say this is where God lives in my life and this is where he should stay. We put God in the "Sunday Morning" box. We put him in a "Just my Religion" box. We put God in an "Only When I Need Him" box. We put him in a "Denomination" box. The temple that Solomon built could very easily become one of those boxes. The place could have become the worshipped, rather than God being worshipped in that place. Solomon over and over says "from your home in heaven" maybe reminding himself and the people that God isn't confined to something build by human hands; even heaven cannot contain him (verse 18). I used to have God in a box. It was kind of like an "I'm a Christian" box. The problem was that that is all I was, a Christian. I didn't live my life any differently than someone who wasn't a Christian, except I got up earlier on Sunday mornings and gave some of my money to the church. I realized that I had limited God, put him a box made by my heart and life. God showed me that he cannot be contained, that he should not be contained. Now I'm trying to figure out how to live my life with God outside of the box and pervading my whole life. I still don't have it figured out, but at least I'm not putting God in a box anymore.

In Malachi, God warns the people that he will send his messenger (Jesus ) to purify the people. They had been thinking that God was fine with the evil they were doing. They believed that since the wicked were still happy and successful, that God was ok with it. That's not the case. God simply allows those who want their reward now to have it now, and those who want their reward for eternity, can enjoy it for the rest of time. However, God doesn't say, you've messed up once, and now you're done for. He reminds them "if you return to me, I will return to you." In this chapter, the main things that he talks about is how to stop robbing and disobeying him is with their money and wealth. He wants them to bring their ten percent to him, to sacrifice the first of their paycheck, as well as be faithful in marriage, tell the truth, and care for orphans and widows. The whole point is that "everyone will once again see the difference between those who obey me by doing right and those who reject me by doing wrong." The way we live our lives, deal with truth, spend our money, demonstrate how faithful we are to our Lord.

Day 227: Eternal Perspective

John 8:48-59; 2 Chronicles 5:2-14; Malachi 2:10-16

Jesus' message is certainly an unusual one. He tells the people that if they believe in him, they will never die, and that Abraham was happy to see him. The people are so confused: first, how is it that a person will never die? And secondly, Jesus is only 30 something, how could he have met Abraham who lived hundreds of years before? Jesus is revealing God's eternal perspective. Of course our bodies will die, but what if that isn't the important part? What if the more significant death is the death of our souls because of a lack of faith in Jesus? Something that I heard a while back is that our eternity doesn't start when we die, it starts the moment we trust in Jesus. Our eternity has already started, and Jesus was revealing what that kind of perspective looks like. I've been trying to figure out how to live my life in that way over the last several weeks. It's hard because everything around me screams temporal gain and earthly pleasure. Jesus is revealing that real life actually starts when we accept him for who he says he is and our earthly death doesn't matter much in the scheme of eternity.

Solomon and the priests were having an intense worship service, singing and playing their hearts out, and offering tons of sacrifices to The Lord. In the midst of their worship, God's presence shows up and is so powerful they can't even be present because it is so awesome. What if when we worshiped, we praised God like his glory was filling the room, as if he was actually there? How would our worship be different? If we sit back and watch people in church it is amazing--God's presence really could be there and they act like they are looking at a menu deciding between mashed potatoes or beans. God's glory was so bright that the priests couldn't stay there to do their work, it was so overwhelming that their very presence in the room was difficult. I know I'm definitely going to try and think of this verse the next time I'm in worship. Maybe the words that I sing and the attitude of my heart will be different.

In Malachi, there are some tough words: God is angry because the people have broken their agreement and isn't pleased when they come crying to the altar. Why not? The example given is that the men have not been faithful to their wives, but I see that as being an example of living a life for self or being duplicitous. These people were coming to the altar, weeping, but their lives were not changed. They still worshiped other gods and were not living faithfully, probably in more ways than one. God doesn't want us to just come before him feeling bad, he wants us to come before him willing to be changed, different, transformed, faithful.

Day 226: What God Says

John 8:21-47; 2 Chronicles 2:17-5:1; Malachi 1:1-2:9

In this passage where Jesus is addressing the people, there are a lot of very significant passages that explain the way of God. First, Jesus says "If you don't have faith in me for who I am, you will die and your sins will not be forgiven." We have to believe that Jesus is who he says he is, not some watered-down, made up, more agreeable version. Why do we need forgiveness of our sins? Jesus states that "anyone who sins is a slave of sin." So how to we become free from sin? It's not by trying hard enough, but only "if the Son gives you freedom, you are free!" And finally, the people are claiming that God is their Father, that they really are his children and Jesus says: "if God were your Father, you would love me, because I came from God and only from him." I've heard people say they believe in God but not in Jesus. Jesus is saying that that is not possible. How can a person believe in something, but believe that part of what they say is false. Essentially that's what these people are saying: I believe in a God who is partially a liar, because while he may be the Creator of the universe, he's lying about Jesus. Interesting stuff.

These first few verses of Malachi are pretty tough. Basically God is angry at the priests for offering less than the best to God. They were offering sick or injured animals for sacrifices, probably keeping the best for themselves. That's like me offering God my half-hearted praise, what's leftover of my money rather than the first, or serving in the easiest way possible rather than what God has called me to do. People that do not offer God their best or give their best to him and lead others to do so, God considers them basically false prophets. These people are leading others to do the same, and so God makes them despicable to everyone who does obey God. We need to make sure that we are following what The Lord truly says. How do we do that? Well, we have to know what he actually says by reading his word. I hope and pray that you and I will recognize just how deserving The Lord is of the best of our time, money, and talents.

Day 225: One on One

John 8:1-20; 2 Chronicles 1:1-2:16; Zechariah 14

Wow, what a story of compassion and forgiveness. But something different in this story of the adulteress stands out. The Pharisees, the church leaders brought this woman and "made her stand in the middle of the crowd," revealing her sin to the multitude. They cared nothing for her pain, her dignity, her soul. They were only concerned about their pride and condemning Jesus. Jesus doesn't even address her until EVERYONE IS GONE. He doesn't call her out, embarrass her, harass her, condemn her. With Jesus, it's personal, quiet. The point of our faith, the point of the church is to love like Jesus. He doesn't tell her that her sin is ok, that she needs to go to church more, that she should give more money. He tells her the truth: that he won't condemn her but she should stop living in sin. But again, it's personal, one-on-one. As the church we need to be cautious about gossip or making people's sins public when they need to be just between them and Jesus.

Solomon asks for wisdom, and God is so proud. Why is God proud? Because Solomon was seeking something that was eternal, unseen, not of this earth. Solomon recognized what he needed most was not some earthly substance or power, but something supernatural.

In Zechariah, God promises that there will be a terrible time of war: people will be killed, women raped, homes robbed. It is going to be a devastating time before God comes back to rule. But, despite all that, if we have an eternal perspective, we have hope to look forward to. God will come back, rescue his people, and establish himself as the just and loving King. We don't need to be afraid, because the worst that can happen is that we die. No matter what, if we know and love and follow Jesus, we will get to be with him for eternity, and that is a way bigger deal.

Day 224: Tension over Jesus

John 7:25-52; 1 Chronicles 29; Zechariah 13

In these few verses, the tension about Jesus definitely picks up. Jesus tells everyone that he is the provider of life-giving water. He challenges the people and they are divided about who he is. It's the same today. People are divided because of their differences in opinion about who Jesus is. Some are divided because it is their opinion, others because they have studied scripture, but either way, Jesus' presence cannot be ignored.

Secondly, the high priests in this story are truly ridiculous. They send guards to arrest Jesus and when they report back without him, they scoff at the guards. They brag that "Not one of the chief priests or Pharisees has faith in him." That's not shocking considering that Jesus goes against everything they stand for like self-righteousness, personal gain, and legalism. What's sad is that they go on to say that "these people who don't know the Law are under God's curse anyway." They have the perspective that everyone else who is not a priest or Pharisee is worthless and their spiritual soul doesn't matter. That is absolutely unacceptable. "Church people" aren't the only ones that matter in God's eyes; in fact, Jesus puts down these very "churchy" people quite often. The scriptures are filled with love and compassion for those who don't know the Law: outcasts, sinners, widows, orphans, and prostitutes. These are the ones who know they need a savior, and while Jesus did come for everyone, these are the people who will draw near to him and drink of that life-giving water that he talks about.

God chose one of the youngest and most inexperienced to not only be king after David, but to build his holy temple. Why? Because God likes to prove his power by using a little to do a lot. And I love David's song of worship after they collected tons (literally) of gifts for the temple:

"But why should we be happy that we have given you these gifts? They belong to you and we have only given back what is already yours. We are only foreigners living here on earth for a while, just as our ancestors were. And we will soon be gone, like a shadow that suddenly disappears...Always make us eager to give, and help us to be faithful to you." David points out that they were so excited to give gifts to The Lord. Some people would ask, "why are they excited to give their money away?" David answers that question: because it all belongs to The Lord anyway, and to give it back to him as a sign of worship is an awesome thing to do. Secondly, why do earthly things matter? Collecting wealth for ourselves is silly because we are just here a moment and then we die, so what is the point of hanging on to this stuff? We should give it back to God where it can be multiplied and used better than if we keep it.

Reading that God will take care of any false prophets is so encouraging to me. One of the things that frustrates me most are people who teach false things about salvation and Jesus. If people would read the Bible, they would likely be less deceived, but nonetheless, these false prophets are still able to attract followers. God will deal with them in the proper time, and for that I'm thankful.

The last part of this chapter in Zechariah sounds like God is striking down such a false prophet, or the anti-Christ. He then goes on to wipe out two-thirds of the population and then purifies the rest. Wow, that's a tragedy, two-thirds dead. However, those that remain will be tested (not fun) and purified so that they will worship The Lord completely. God is in complete control and has the power to do amazing and terrible things. I pray that should that time come in our lifetime that we would be as ready as we can to live, die, and serve The Lord.

Day 223: Appearances

John 7:1-24; 1 Chronicles 27-28; Zechariah 12

Here's why the world hates Jesus: because he tells them they do evil things. And he knows it. He recognizes that by pointing out the sinful things that humans do, by offending them with truth, they won't like him. But of course the point of revealing those things is to show them how much they need him and keep them from destructive behaviors.

Jesus also talks about the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders, what I always read as the religious people. He says that he tells the truth because he wants to honor God the Father, not himself. He points out that they do things on the Sabbath in order to follow the Law, but they are angry with Jesus for healing on the Sabbath because apparently that is different and not necessarily in the Law. He finishes by saying "Don't judge by appearances. Judge by what is right." There is a lot to learn in this statement and it could mean a whole mess of things. In the context of the scripture and how the Holy Spirit is speaking to my heart this morning, I think it means that we shouldn't judge based on the outward expression of people. It basically comes down to legalism. For instance, just because a person dresses up and goes to church doesn't mean they love Jesus with all their heart. In the same way that if a person doesn't dress up and may not even go, doesn't love Jesus with all their heart. Following Christ doesn't look the same for everyone and it is ridiculous to think that certain rules should be followed when Jesus clearly wasn't a man of rule following. It's kind of like baptism. The point isn't the water. The point is the life surrendered to the love and authority of Christ. But people get caught up in the process rather than the heart of that matter and that is where Jesus is saying they are wrong. For me, I choose to follow the example and words of Jesus. If I do that, I know I can't go wrong.

What an amazing display of leadership. I've written about it before, but again David shows great character in these chapters in Chronicles. He challenges the people to follow The Lord faithfully and support his son. He explains that everything is ready to build the temple, even though he doesn't get to build it. I think sometimes we think that if we don't get to do the honorable final project, then we don't want to help at all. I know my personality is like that; I'm kind of an "all or nothing" type person which can be both a good and bad thing. But David wasn't. He accepted he couldn't build the temple, so he served God and his people in every way possible besides that, and did an amazing job of encouraging and preparing Solomon and the people to carry out this important task.

In Zechariah, God gives the message that he is God! He stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth; he gave humans breath and life. If he wants to defend his people, he can do it! He even tells the people that when it seems completely hopeless and they are surrounded by every nation, he will still demonstrate his power with victory over the nations. Why we should doubt the Great I Am, the Creator, is crazy!

Day 222: Life Commitment

John 6:60-71; 1 Chronicles 25-26; Zechariah 11

The various followers of Jesus start to complain because Jesus' message is too difficult to understand. Essentially, they wanted something simple and easy. Jesus was challenging them too much. I'm so thankful that God requires great faith. Obtaining salvation is simple acceptance, but living the way Jesus calls us to live is not easy. It requires sacrifice, surrender, selflessness, and serving. This requires transformation. These followers of Jesus wanted a Sunday morning commitment, not a whole life commitment. Sadly, I look around and see the same thing in our churches today. People who don't want a difficult task, but as I've been trying to live my life the way Jesus calls me to do so, I'm realizing that while it is challenging and I will truly never master it this side of heaven, the reward is great.

What is interesting about these stories in Chronicles, is that we get to see a glimpse of how David ruled and why God considered him a "man after God's own heart." With each assignment, whether musician or guard, they asked God what he wanted. They didn't just step up and say, I should do this or that, but they found out from The Lord what he had created each person to do. We've all been given abilities and gifts, things that we are able to do really well. It is those things that are gifts from God and it is important to use them in the manner God intended. How do we know that? Ask him. We will be able to do more for the kingdom of God with our one spiritual gift, than if we attempt to do 10 things that we aren't very good at.

This passage in Zechariah is about leadership. A shepherd that doesn't care for his sheep properly is a worthless shepherd and his sheep are better off alone. God says that if leaders are going to get rich off their sheep, lead them to be slaughtered, and doesn't care about them, then he is going to get rid of the leaders. The sheep may wander off on their own, get hurt or eaten, but if the leader chose a path of greed and selfishness, then that is what is going to happen anyway. God's mercy is great, but he doesn't force it on anyone. What he wants are leaders who care for the strays and search for the young, who heal the sick and feed the hungry. Each of us need to learn to be leaders like that and follow leaders like that. It isn't easy being a good shepherd, but that is what God calls us to do--be like Jesus.

Day 221: Bread

John 6:25-59; 1 Chronicles 24; Zechariah 10

What I first notice about the exchange between Jesus and the people is that they are so caught up in the the literal. "Bread? We want some! Eat you? That's weird. Heaven? We know your parents." They simply could not grasp what Jesus was saying because they were so caught up in the earthly concepts. What they didn't have was an understanding of what the Father, through the scriptures had said that pointed to Jesus. Was Jesus literally bread that they were to eat? No, but bread was a huge part of their diet and Jesus is telling them that if they fill themselves with him, trusting in him, leaning on him, cultivating that relationship, they will never feel empty again. Jesus promises that to believe in him leads to eternal life. That is what is most important and sometimes we forget. We are only on this earth for a few decades, but we will spend eternity somewhere. Believing in Jesus ensures that we will spend forever with him, being filled completely, never hungry or thirsty again for anything.

In Zechariah, God reminds the people that he is the one who sends rains and so when we need life-giving sustenance, help, or blessing, we are to pray to him. He says that some people rely on idols and witchcraft, they attempt to find hope in fortune tellers, but those who do always come up empty and lost. To believe in those things is to reject our Maker, The Lord, and that makes him angry. By depending on idols we are ruining who our Creator made us to be, and that infuriates him. But God will punish the leaders who encourage or allow such pagan worship to occur. And when God's people fight, the scripture says that they will trample their enemies because He is with them. That gives me such hope and strength, to know that when I face an enemy, God is on my side. I'm not talking about human enemies necessarily; my enemies are things like apathy, neglect, ignorance, and selfishness. Those attitudes cause far more problems than any one person can. And so, God promises to strengthen me through himself. I can follow him and be victorious.

Day 220: A Little Bit In His Hands

John 6:1-24; 1 Chronicles 22:2-23:1; Zechariah 9

I've written about this miracle before, and I love this story. Jesus knew what would happen in order to feed the 5000 people. Yet he asked to see what kind of faith his disciples had. The food wasn't multiplied because the disciples started a team, or created a church program, or organized a fundraiser. They simply placed the little bit they had to offer into Jesus' hands and he blessed it. Sometimes we may feel like we have so little to offer this world with such big problems. Rather than doubt and complain or try to set up programs that we try to run, we need to just place things in the powerful hands of Jesus and watch him do his work.

Jesus then leaves. Why? Because he realized that these people would want to crown him king for his power and miracles. Jesus' purpose was not to be a king with riches on earth. The people wanted something they could see, but Jesus needed them to believe in something they couldn't see. Jesus' kingdom is in heaven and in our hearts until he returns again, to set up his kingdom on earth.

This story in Chronicles of David passing on the job of building the temple is so cool and such a great example for leaders to follow if they need to delegate or pass on their responsibilities to a successor. David appears very at peace about the fact that he doesn't get to build it. But instead of being angry or selfish, and just leaving nothing to his son, making it difficult for him to figure out, David gets everything ready and instructs Solomon. He collects the materials and workers and gives Solomon wonderful instruction and wisdom on living right and following The Lord. It's just a powerful image of kindness and care for leaders with followers as well as parents with children. We should raise our children in this same way, setting them up for success in building the kingdom of God.

Zechariah is giving a message from The Lord about end times. First he says that those who have stored up wealth will be stripped of it and will live in poverty. Good reminder that earthly riches don't last. Then he talks about how the Philistines, the enemies of God' people will become a part of the tribe of Judah, God's people. What will happen is life change. People who once rejected God will accept him and become a part of the family. I'm sure there would be some people who would be mad if their enemies were now their brothers and sisters and had to treat them as such. But really that is reason to rejoice; more people have come to be saved by God. Then it talks about Jesus coming and riding on a donkey--awesome. And finally, God talks about how he will rescue people from pits, protect them, and they will shine like jewels. But if Jesus will come to bring peace, rescue his people from pits, then there would have to be turmoil and darkness to rescue us from. In the end times, it is going to be rough to be a follower of Jesus. Our faith will truly be tested. May we seek God will all our hearts so that if that time comes in our lifetime, we are prepared to stand strong in The Lord.

Day 219: Redemption

John 5:19-47; 1 Chronicles 20:1-22:1; Zechariah 8

Jesus talks about his and the Father's ability to raise the dead to life. He is referring to both the dead in spirit and the dead literally. Believing in Jesus Christ wakes the spiritually dead up and one day all the dead in body will be raised to life. The point of all this is that God gives life. He takes what is lifeless, hopeless, broken, immobile, and gives it life, hope, wholeness, and purpose.

Jesus continues by talking about believing him. I've always thought it was crazy that the Jewish nation has not (for the majority) believed in Jesus as the Messiah. They are still waiting for their Savior who will lead them into victory through a literal battle and be an earthly king. They may have even read parts of the New Testament, but what Jesus says is that if you can't read the Old Testament and see and believe the mentions of Jesus, then reading the New won't help either. I pray that eyes and hearts are opened; Jesus is the Messiah, the one who saves, and there are many people who will testify to his power to raise them from the spiritual dead.

So why is counting people such a big deal? Why does David get in such big trouble for ordering his men to do this? Because taking account of the nation demonstrates greed and pride, a lack of trust in The Lord to provide. If David knew how many people he had and how many men could be in his army, then he would feel like he, himself, had the power to be a great ruler and warrior. However, God reserves the right to be our warrior and David needed to simply rely and trust in God for power. That's why God gets so angry, because David's greed makes him prideful and for a moment, David does not trust in God and disobeys. As a result, sadly, many people die. But God is merciful and does not completely wipe them out and David learns his lesson. It is simply a powerful story of faith vs. pride in one's own abilities.

Zechariah 8 is such an amazing example of God's restorative power. He says that he will rebuild and repopulate Jerusalem by bringing the captives out of the hands of their captors so that children will run in the streets and old men will sit around and talk. He promises to give them abundant crops. Despite the fact that they have not always been perfect, God loves them so much and says that he will provide for them in so many ways. But, he encourages them to live in love, with justice and peace, not in evil ways, but in holy ways. If the people live with peace and love and truth, not only will they be restored to their blessed city, but foreigners will want to join them too. I think that is a powerful image: when God is doing his work of redemption, people can't help but notice and want some. But if we live our lives as if we haven't been saved and redeemed, how are people going to recognize The Lord? God is so merciful and so giving, it is amazing the patience he has for his people.

Day 218: For Me?

John 5:1-18; 1 Chronicles 18-19; Zechariah 7

The sick man had been lame and crippled, for 38 years. For almost 4 decades he had been waiting by this pool, hoping to be healed! He had depended on human acts to save him--he needed someone else to move him because he couldn't move himself. His whole life he had relied on human strength, even human compassion to fix him, but it never worked. He had been there all those years. Jesus comes along and with a few words, and the man is completely well. We can try and try and wait and wait and hope and hope that our problems and sins will be fixed. We can work as hard as we want to and believe that we can improve, but nothing or no one besides Jesus can really truly heal us from the condition we find ourselves in. It may seem crazy, but the power of God is the power to transform and bring life where their was death and health where there was sickness, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

David was probably pretty wealthy and could have gotten greedy. But he shows in these chapters that he still honored and loved The Lord. When he is congratulated for his battle successes with a bunch of treasure, he gives all the gifts to The Lord along with the rest of what he had collected from other battles. He gave back to God what was God's. It is so important that we would do the same with our finances. Tithing should be the minimum. What many people that I've talked and Austin and I have experience ourselves, is that when finances get tough, there is always someway that things are provided for. We have seen how God provides exactly what they need. Now, this may not be exactly 212 dollars sent in the mail for a $212 bill, but God does come through when we rely on him. Maybe not in the exact timing we expect, but he loves us and wants to care for us.

In Zechariah, the people question God as to whether they should continue the ritual that they have always done. God responds by asking "did you really do it for me?" The point God is making here is that rituals and traditions in the church don't matter if they aren't done with a pure heart to honor and praise The Lord. I think of church who have been doing the same thing in their church for the last 100 years and wonder how much meaning those things still hold to the people. What does God really want us to do? (The million dollar question!) He tells them in the next breath: "See that justice is done and be kind and merciful to one another! Don't mistreat widows or orphans or foreigners or anyone who is poor, and stop making plans to hurt each other." That's it. Be merciful, care for the needy, and don't hurt each other. That's what our life and worship should be filled with, not rituals that don't matter. God, help us to get that right.

Day 217: Not Complaining

John 4:43-54; 1 Chronicles 17; Zechariah 6

David's heart is in the right place, he wants to do something honorable for The Lord. So why would God tell him no? God has a plan for each of our lives; he has given us gifts that enable us to carry out that plan. God has reasons for giving us the role in this world that we have. There are certain things that we are capable of because of God's gifts that others are not, and there are things that others can do that we cannot. If we try to do something that isn't in God's plan for us, we will struggle and we will take that away from someone who is made to do it. But if we recognize the role God has given us, we embrace it, and use our gifts to further God's kingdom and serve others, we will find ourselves fulfilled and blessed because we are being obedient to The Lord.

David, after being shot down about his idea to build the temple, but told that his descendants will be kings and his son will build the temple, doesn't go and complain to God that he doesn't get to do the honorable task of constructing them temple. He doesn't whine to the priest or his friends or get jealous. He recognizes God's sovereignty and sees the significance of God's promise to his descendants. He praises The Lord even though he was turned down. David is humbled and gives praise to God for who he is, what he has done, and what he promises to do. I know that I need to cultivate more of a heart of praise like David. That even when things don't go my way, I recognize God's power and worship him anyway.

Day 216: Tell Everyone!

John 4:27-42; 1 Chronicles 16:8-43; Zechariah 5

The story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman is so powerful. Jesus uses this opportunity to talk about spreading the message of eternal life. He tells the disciples that they will be sustained by obedience to God. He says that they may think they shouldn't be bold to share the gospel with people right away, to wait until the perfect time, but Jesus says that now is the perfect time. Then he tells them that not all of them will be the one to see people lead to faith in Christ, that some will simply plant the message in someone's mind and later, another person will see that fruit sprout in their heart and they actually accept it. The whole point of this is that now is the time to obey God and be messengers of Christ. Not later, not when we feel ready, right now. And whether the people we talk to about salvation accept Jesus and get saved or not isn't our job to determine, because some of us are destined to simply share the message and others will help them in accepting it.

The Samaritans first put their faith in Jesus because of the testimony of what the woman said. That's so awesome that because of her faith and her sharing, others were saved. But they didn't just stop there. They actually investigated Jesus to see what he had to say and they then believed in him because of him. We need to do the same. If we believe in Jesus simply because that's what our pastor says or because we've just always gone to church, then it is time to open our bibles and hear what Jesus actually has to say about himself. If you've never done that, I challenge you to; it will change your life.

In David's song of praise, over and over again it says to "tell everyone" or that "every nation" or "everyone on this earth" should sing or shout. This ties right into what we read in John about now being the time to share the gospel: who needs it now? Everyone. The point of this song of praise was to worship God, and part of that worship is telling every nation on earth about what God has done. It is simply obedience and an act of worship to share our faith with others.

Wow, the vision of the scroll is Zechariah is intimidating. I'm not perfect so of course I've lied and stolen before. It would be crazy to say that we haven't done those two "little" things. But here, the scroll is intended to put a curse on everyone who does those two things in the Lord's name. So everyone who lies or steals for the sake of the gospel will be cursed. To me, this sounds like false prophets or people who claim to be Christians, claim to want to help people, but change the message to suit themselves or their followers and take from people what rightfully belongs to God. God will have his justice on those people.

Day 215: Water that Satisfies

John 4:1-26; 1 Chronicles 15:1-16:7; Zechariah 4

Jews and Samaritans did not like each other. And yet, Jesus sits down with this Samaritan woman and shares the gospel message with her. Salvation through Jesus isn't just for the elite, just for those who have their life cleaned up, just for those who have read a lot of the Bible. The gospel is for everyone, even this woman who was living with a man that was not her husband and had been divorced 5 times. Jesus tells her that the water he gives will keep her satisfied forever. She appears to have been seeking something in her relationships, being married 5 times and now living with someone. The "water" of her life that she had been drinking left her unsatisfied, that's why kept trying to fill it with different relationships. But our relationship with Jesus and the eternity we are promised will never leave us unsatisfied. We will only want more, not out of need, but because Jesus' presence is so powerful.

The first time David had tried to bring the sacred chest to Jerusalem, he basically went out and got it, didn't think about God's expectations, and one man ended up dead. This second time around, David understood his mistake, and had the roles filled with the proper servants. There were certain people that God had ordained to care for the temple, the chest, etc. God had created these people for a particular place of service and it was their duty, not anyone else's to carry it out. The same is true today. We each have been given a specific role by God to use to give him glory and honor his kingdom. However, if we try to do something we are not designed to do, it causes problems: we get burnt out, frustrated, criticized. However, if we do what God has designed us to do, it is refreshing, life-giving, energizing. This just shows the individual nature of our Lord: he cares about each of us separately, so he gives us individual roles to fill.

The Lord tells Zerubbabel, "don't depend on your own power or strength but on my Spirit." When we give up our efforts, our trials, our goals, for God's power and strength, we are able to accomplish so much more. Maybe not more in terms of the world's standards, but more of what really matters for eternity and in God's eyes.

Day 214: Imagine Jesus

John 3:22-36; 1 Chronicles 13-14; Zechariah 3

Wow, powerful words: "Jesus must become more important while I become less important." These words from John sum up my goal for my life. It's tough and I fail miserably a lot, but man, what an incredible witness for the power and significance of Jesus in our lives. If we can truly embrace such a philosophy that drives every thought and decision, our lives have meaning beyond the 70ish years we spend on this planet.

John goes on to say that basically, Jesus is all of God and has everything, including the power to offer salvation. If we have faith in Jesus, then we get to live in the grace and glory of God forever, but if we reject Jesus, then we will spend eternity suffering the consequences of our neglect. Serious stuff. Not narrow-minded thinking, but a way to be restored to the relationship we were meant to have with our creator and God.

David danced and praised The Lord with all his might. I definitely don't do that all the time in my times of worship. I often hold back for fear of looking silly or being perceived wrong. But there are times when I picture Jesus Christ, standing in front of me with his arms stretched out and it is in those moments when my heart breaks open and I sing praises to God with all that my soul possesses. What if, when we sang praises at church, we imagined that Jesus the Christ was standing at the front of the church? How would we sing then? Would we pay attention to the words better? Would our hearts be humbled, opened, softened?

David realizes "that The Lord had made him a powerful king of Israel for the good of his people." Why? For David's fame? To stoke his ego? To answer David's prayer to make him wealthy? No, it was for the good of the people. God put David in that place not for his own selfish gain, but to use that position to help the nation. It's the same reason God gives us various gifts--money, singing/playing, teaching, hospitality, leadership etc.--so that we might use those things not for ourselves but to help others.

I love the story of David in these next verses. Before each move, he asks God what he should do, and follows God's instructions exactly (even if they seem a bit strange). What if we started doing that? Asking God for guidance in everything--how we spend our money, how to raise our children, what career path to take--and then actually obeyed his whispers to our hearts. David was successful, not because of his own strength, and he recognized that; his victories were a result of God doing it for or with him.

In this vision in Zechariah, the stained clothes of Joshua are replaced by clean priestly clothes. In the next breath, God promises to forgive the entire nation in one day. Wow, God takes our filthy sin away completely, and in a moment, replaces it with fresh clothes, and not just clothes of a pauper or a servant, but clothes of a priest. We are valuable in God's eyes, and when we surrender to his leadership and his forgiveness, we can truly have a meaningful place in his kingdom.

Day 213: Spiritual Surgery

John 3:1-21; 1 Chronicles 12; Zechariah 2

From the very lips of Jesus we hear how to receive eternal life with God. Our spirits must be born again--actions and motions are not what get us to heaven or what saves us. Jesus points out that the way to salvation is not about anything we can do, but has everything to do with what God does (invisibly) inside of us. Then why do so many people work so hard to get into heaven? It's a matter of surgery on our hearts and souls, not the amount of good deeds we can do. This is often tough for me to accept because I'm a perfectionist; I expect myself to do the things that I know are right, being the most perfect person I can be. But I don't need to be perfect! If I was, I wouldn't need Jesus, and I know that I desperately need and want him.

David develops a huge following and everyone is happy. I think this is for one basic reason: God was on David's side, he lived like it, fought like it, led like it. When we have the blessing of God, when we are following his will, when we are living for him, people will see this and be drawn to us, not because of who we are, but because of God's presence in our lives. God's spirit is contagious.

When The Lord blesses, he BLESSES. God wants to give his children many good things. How do we receive those? Through obedience. In Zechariah, it talks about Jerusalem being so full of people and animals that it won't have borders. This will happen for two possible reasons: the people become obedient, or God simply has pity on them.  Nonetheless, God WANTS to bless people.

Day 212: Water to Wine

John 2; 1 Chronicles 10-11; Zechariah 1

It is interesting that Jesus' mother approaches him and simply says, hey, they are out of wine. She doesn't say that he needs to do something about it, but certainly implies it. How would she know that he had that kind of power since this was his first miracle? Nonetheless, she assumes that Jesus can and will do something. I'm sort of bugged by that, but maybe I shouldn't be. I don't want to simply assume what Jesus will and won't do in my life. He's God, he doesn't have to listen to me. He's not room service, a bellhop, a waiter. And yet, he performs the miracle anyway.

The second thing about this story that I find applicable is that Jesus takes plain water and turns it into the best wine. He is capable of the same with us: he can take our plain selves, our average abilities, and multiply them into something great and meaningful. The servants didn't do anything except obey; they didn't need special abilities in order to help with the water-to-wine process. God did that. But they did have to follow Christ's instructions. We too, if we want to see the water of our lives turned into something valuable, we need to obey.

Jesus saw (and sees) into people's hearts. It says that many put their faith in him, but he didn't give them any kind of power (like the Holy Spirit) because he knew they weren't ready for that yet. Jesus sees our hearts, he sees the struggles and insecurities, but he also sees the God-given potential. If we give him our hearts, he can do spiritual surgery on us and make us less like the world and more like him.

Chronicles talks again about David and Saul. Saul died because he disobeyed The Lord. He took his own life possibly because without the hope of The Lord, he knew he was lost. On the other hand, David was blessed by The Lord, mainly because he was obedient to God.

Zechariah is talking to the people of Israel and said, don't be stubborn like your ancestors. We too have past generations to learn from. God wants to bless with good things, but if we are too stubborn to obey, accept him as the leader of our lives, then we are going to struggle through the same things that our ancestors did. Let's make the choices that the selfish people in our past didn't. Let's love The Lord with all of our hearts, let's serve him with devotion, let's have real compassion on the orphans, widows, and the hurting.

Day 211: Investigate & Be Transformed

John 1:35-51; 1 Chronicles 9; Haggai 1-2

In John, we see the unique responses of the various disciples as they are being called by Jesus. First, the phrase "come and see" is used several times, by Jesus and others. The concept is that these people need to check it out, investigate it, get their nose in it. The true, life-altering power of Jesus isn't something someone can tell you about and believe it, I think it has to be something you investigate and experience for yourself. Secondly, is Andrew's response. The first thing he did was to run and tell his brother about the Messiah. I definitely need to work on this: talking about Jesus with others. He wasn't afraid of what his brother would think because he believed with all his heart that Jesus was it. Then you have Nathanael, who questions the origins of Jesus. "What good can come from a place like Nazareth?" He's skeptical until Jesus proves himself. He came and saw, investigated it, and was ultimately transformed.

The people of Judah were taken as prisoners to Babylonia because they disobeyed God. We will be prisoners of whatever we focus on besides Jesus. It doesn't matter if it is our image, friends, sports, substances, lifestyle--it will capture us because we were not meant to be disobedient to God. When they finally got back to Jerusalem, there were certain roles to be filled at the temple. What is interesting about some of them is that they were to be on duty day and night. Protecting God's house was not a part time shindig, it was a full time responsibility. Our faith needs to be a full time thing, not just a part time job when trials come.

In Haggai, God is upset because the people were so focused on their fancy house rather than God's house. I sort of equate this to American Christians who are so focused on our own lives that we don't seem to care about the rest of the church or the things that God cares about like the poor, the hungry, the sick. Our energies need to shift from gathering stuff for ourselves to building up the kingdom of God, just as Haggai shared with the people of Jerusalem. It's hard, but if we are truly going to follow the Lord's call for our lives, then we need to stop making our lives more comfortable and look outward at those in need of physical things as well as the message of Jesus.

God continues in Haggai by saying that he will shake the nations, that all gold and silver will return to him, because it is his anyway, that he will be there with the people to rebuild the temple. While God's anger is fierce and powerful, his promises to help and restore are just as powerful. But, he wants us to rely on him. He sent hardships on the people in order that they would turn back to him, and apparently in Haggai's time, they didn't do a great job of doing that. Perhaps that's why we go through hardships in this life; they are opportunities for us to turn back and trust in God.

Day 210: Great Justice, Greater Love

John 1:19-34; 1 Chronicles 7-8; Zephaniah 3

John does not make much of himself. He makes much of The Lord. Being a Christian, being a child of God, being saved, is not about us, but it is actually about God. Sometimes I read scripture and all I think about is how it applies to me. However, scripture is really about who God is and how he feels about his creation.

The wrath and justice of God is so powerful and dangerous. In Zephaniah it talks about how the people of Jerusalem were sinning and disobeying God. He would destroy it and all nations who are disobedient to him. But in that punishment, purification will happen. He will purify the languages so they cannot be used to blaspheme or curse, but instead to praise. He will do away with the arrogant, but save the humble and they will be able to rest without fear. Those that love The Lord will rest peacefully, they will have no enemies, and will have no need to worry. God promises that he will wipe out his children's enemies and we will have no more troubles. Yes, God's wrath is so terrifying and powerful; but his love, grace, and redemption are even more amazing. God loves the outcasts and the crippled; he loves the humble and the servants. Those are the people that God will go to great lengths to save and protect. We need to be obedient to this God who is capable of so much destruction as well as so much love. He is worthy of our complete devotion and reverent worship.

Day 209: Word

John 1:1-18; 1 Chronicles 5-6; Zephaniah 2

The beginning of John always confused me a little bit. Why call Jesus "the Word? The reason was in the meaning and significance of the word 'Word.' To Jews, the 'word' was an agent of creation, as seen in Psalm 33:6: "The Lord made the heavens and the earth and everything in them by his word." The 'word' is the source of God's message, and God's standard of holiness: "I treasure your word above all else; it keeps me from sinning against you" (Psalm 119:11). The 'word' was something very significant and Jesus was the physical manifestation of that word. To the Greeks, who were also in the audience, it meant a principle of thought or reason. The Greeks were all about thinking and reasoning, and so the 'word' being God and being with God, was something they could begin to understand and connect with.

When we put our faith in The Lord, we don't just become servants or slaves or menial workers in the kingdom. We become his children. We have so much value in God's eyes that when we turn from our wicked and selfish ways, we are adopted as his very beloved children. To me, that means a lot, because I need to be loved dearly, and God loves me more than I could ever soak up from him.

In Chronicles it talks about a lot of generational stuff which is hard to read, but tucked in here and there are little bits of story that are interesting. In these chapters it talks about how some of the tribes started worshiping gods of the pagans, and so God sent a pagan army to capture them and lead them away. God's people disobeyed him, turned from him, and so they faced consequences. The same is true today. If we start worshipping money, eventually it will destroy us and leave us with nothing. If we start worshipping fame, it too will come up empty and we will be left as slaves. Only worshipping the true Lord will our worship be fruitful.

Zephaniah warns: God will "fiercely attack. Then every god on this earth will shrink to nothing, and everyone of every nation will bow down to [him], right where they are." First of all, I wouldn't mess around with God. He means business. Secondly, I am loved by this God who has authority over all the idols of this world. Wow. I'm glad I'm on God's side, in his family, and saved by his grace.

Day 208: Test Your Faith

2 Corinthians 13; 1 Chronicles 3-4; Zephaniah 1

Paul tells the Corinthians to test their faith and find out if they are really true to it. He doesn't say exactly how to do that, but I suppose to test your faith would mean to do or think something that is out of your comfort zone. To step out in faith means to be bold, so I suppose it could be something like that. I think we all need to do that once in a while: test our faith in order to see if Christ really is living in us or we are driven by something else.

In Zephaniah, we see a very angry God and we hear of the incredible destruction that will happen to those who do not obey him. He doesn't leave anyone out, and it makes sense because we have all sinned against him and deserve punishment. Those that worship other gods, who abuse their power, who don't believe in God Almighty, who trust in their own wealth--according to the scripture, those are the ones that have to fear the day that God will do this. But God is not unjust. I'm sure we will get to that in the next couple of chapters.

Day 207: Weakness & Strength

2 Corinthians 12; 1 Chronicles 1-2; Habakkuk 3

The more I follow Christ, the more I realize just how many issues I have and how weak I really am. Paul said that he is "glad to be weak or insulted or mistreated or to have troubles or sufferings, if it is for Christ." It is in our weakness that God can be strong. That is a weird and tough concept to understand. When I am weak, then I am strong? It doesn't make logical sense. But if we look at scripture and the stories of all the people that God worked miracles through, they weren't high and mighty, they weren't perfect people, they all had insecurities. God took these people who were such unlikely candidates for leadership and miracles and worked crazy things through them. The more we realize our weaknesses, the more God can work through them. And, if it is for Christ, we can learn to be glad in our sufferings. With an eternal perspective, such an attitude it possible.

I love th ending of Habakkuk:
"Fig trees may no longer bloom, or vineyards produce grapes; olive trees may be fruitless, and harvest time a failure; sheep pens may be empty, and cattle stalls vacant--but I will still celebrate because The Lord God saves me. The Lord gives me strength. He makes my feet as sure as those of a deer, and he helps me to stand on the mountains."

This just shows that even in the midst of hardship, we are still to praise God. Earthly prosperity is not a measure of God's love for us or even of how well we are living our lives. Instead, our faith in our Lord is the true measure of who we are.

Day 206: Suffering is Better

2 Corinthians 11; 2 Kings 25; Habakkuk 2

Paul was trying to make sure that people were believing the Jesus he knew, not a made of version of another "Christian" religion or something they created in their head to fit their lives. When we, and the Corinthians, decide to believe in a different version of Jesus, then we are not worshipping the Jesus who has the power to save. We become our own god because of our creative power. We even risk worshipping Satan because he tries to disguise himself, as verse 14 points out: "Even Satan tries to make himself look like an angel of light." This is why reading scripture with our own two eyes and our heart searching for truth is better than any church sermon. Pastors and preachers are human and can be guilty of making the message of Jesus something it is not. And instead of relying on him or her to teach us, we need to hear it from the very mouth of God, his word.

Paul also brags about how much he has been beaten and in jail and persecuted. He basically is saying (reluctantly) that he is a more devoted follower than the other fake apostles. Wow, if the scale on which we will be judged as how good a follower of Jesus we are is how much suffering we face because of our faith, then I'm a terrible follower! That's something I've been thinking a lot about, simply, how devoted am I? Am I willing to create conflict, to walk into conversations that will be difficult, to help people that may hurt me in return? Paul definitely was and he knew that that was what God wanted. He really truly was willing to risk everything for the sake of Jesus. Are we?

In 2 Kings, those who do not believe in God want to destroy everything that has to do with him. They burned the temple and broke pieces made for worship. They had no respect for The Lord and so none of that mattered except in the value that it would earn. The same is true today. People want to destroy the Christian faith and our God. We need to recognize it for what it is: a battle. But not against the people themselves, but against the dark ruler of this earthly world and his demons. Prayer, justice, and love are our weapons and The Lord of the Universe is our defender. We have nothing to fear, but we have to be brave enough to step out and risk suffering.

In Habakkuk it talks about how God will doom those who live for the world, who treat people unjustly, who seek to acquire wealth, who worship idols. However, there is one verse that is so filled with hope and awesomeness: "Just as water fills the sea, the land will be filled with people who know and honor The Lord." We are not alone! Many will come to know him!

Day 205: Fight

2 Corinthians 10; 2 Kings 23:35-24:20; Habakkuk 1

Paul says, "we live in this world, but we don't act like its people" and that they fight battles not with weapons but with the power of God. First, this is a call to be different from the world. That seems to be a message I keep hearing over and over. As followers of Christ, our lives should have a different purpose, a different goal, and a different look than those who do not love Jesus. Why? Because if we truly love and serve The Lord, then our priorities shift from wealth, status, family, etc., to faith, justice, and eternity. Secondly, he talks about the battles. Our battles should not be physical, but instead freeing people from their pride, opening eyes, and breaking down barriers. Our battle is fought with truth and love, not with physical means. Any "Christian" who acts in violence is not a true follower of The Lord. That's not to say that a Christian can't be a soldier for our country, because God says that there is a time for war and encouraged several people in scripture to fight. But our day to day lives need to be a battle against sin and against hard hearts.

The people of Judah and Jerusalem had made God so mad, that he finally turned his back on them. But didn't we think that God would never leave for forsake us? God didn't leave, he didn't abandon them, he just turned his back, meaning that he was going to refuse to help them. They chose to live in such a way that demonstrated that they didn't respect God or seem to care about him, and so he decided he wouldn't waste his efforts, accept their choice, and instead would let them follow the path that they had chosen, which led to destruction and slavery.

This still seems like a relevant prayer:
"How long before you save us from all this violence? Why do you make me watch such terrible injustice? Why do you allow violence, lawlessness, crime, and cruelty to spread everywhere? Laws cannot be enforced; justice is always the loser; criminals crowd out honest people and twist the laws around...Even if you were told, you would never believe what's taking place now." Habakkuk 1:2b-5
With the all the underground sex slavery, abortions, bombings, injustices that are happening it is hard not to cry out to God. And we certainly should. But as mentioned above, part of being a follower of Christ is living differently. Want to live differently? Here's an opportunity: fight against the things of this world that are terrible and horrifying. Fight against sex slavery, fight against abortion, fight against injustice. That's one way of how we live set apart. It is going to be tough, and we will face criticism (even from other Christians), but we have to be bold.