249 - "Godliness With No Power" 2 Chronicles 24-26; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15

Be still.  O My Soul. 

Do I know godliness with no power?

They have a form of godliness...looks good on paper.
Looks awful good in person, in speech, in action, in song.
But their lives deny the power of God.
Have nothing to do with such people.  That's II Timothy 3:5.
They act religious but reject the Power that could make them godly.

What happened to this king?
What happened to those we know who veer off?
"The gold becomes dim..."

King Joash appears more zealous to repair the Temple,
Than his father, Jehoida.
A form of godliness.  
This pious pristine prince murders his son in a fit of rage.
The prophets try to bring him back. II Chron 24:19.

Be careful who you surround yourself with.
"They made obeidance to King Joash."  II Chron 24:17.
The King who murdered his very own son.

A form of godliness denying the Power.
O God, what about my own life?
Where do I hold a form of godliness with no power?
Thank you for prophets and prayer and peace.

Psalm 34:14
O God, help me.
Turn from evil.
Do good.
Seek peace.
Pursue it.
Help me to see the forms of godliness,
with no power in my own life.

Photo Credit:  www.flickr/commons/HackingRiver

248 - "Rend Your Heart, Not Your Garments" 2 Chronicles 23; Joel 2-3; 2 Corinthians 10

                                                           

"Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
    “return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13     and rend your hearts and not your garments.”

Joel 2:13.

Return to the Lord your God,
    for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
    and he relents over disaster.
14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
    and leave a blessing behind him.

One of the lowest points of my life. 

I went to my friend Larry for help. 

He referred my impossible situation to God. 

He told me to go to another room and just listen.

He said I was way too frantic.  

Sitting alone in a very unfamiliar place, 

I randomly opened the Bible to the Book of Joel. 

I put my bony finger on the page and

it landed on Joel 2:13. 

I'll never forget the moment. The Presence of God. 

And the same thing happened tonight. 

Fighting back tears, I sat alone at a restaurant and read:

Joel 2:13.

And the rain came down on my soul. Poured down!

How do I rend this heart of mine?

PHOTO: The rain clouds are about to burst in my heart. 

247 - "Surrender To The Mystery" 2 Chronicles 22; Joel 1; 2 Corinthians 9

2 Chronicles 22:1  Jehosheba kidnapped Athaliah's son, one-year-old Joash, and protected his life.  Jehosheba hid Joash for 6 years from his queen mom in his mom's own castle.  His queen mom laid her eyes on her seven-year-old after six years---what did she think?  She was worried only for her own success.  And Joash, in his early years, trusts his God.  Amazing.  

These are horrendous stories.  66 LL says:  "Only when you see the moral evil in the human heart will you surrender to the mystery of My plan.  In this world, I am destroying moral evil in My people."  

One verse that convicts me of my own moral evils is found in Galatians. "Greed, loveless sex, frenzied grabs for happiness with no concern for how others are impacted, more interest in making one's point than listening to another's, an inability to give or receive love, the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival, ugly parodies of community like courtesy without connection, laughter without love, weeping without worship---these are moral evils."  Galatians 5:19-21 The Message.  

God, what are you saying to me as I walk through this life.  Oh LORD, help me to listen to your Voice. Give me courage to pass it on. Don't let me be guilty of letting this Message die out.  Get in touch with reality, Bev---and weep!  Am I in touch with reality today?  Really?  "My country's being invaded by an army invincible, past numbering.  Worship has been brought to a standstill.  Declare a holy fast."  Well, should we round up everyone in the country?  Judgment Day has come.   The Strong God has arrived.  Wonder why our communities, our country is not "taken" with the daily arrival of the Holy One? Every sunrise. His Strong Presence. How can we not believe? 

PHOTO: Sunrise.

246 - "There Is Something Worse Than Cancer & Bombs" 2 Chronicles 21; Obadiah 1; 2 Corinthians 8

Somewhere in my thinking, I believe I can get away with stuff.

I mean, I don't want to.

But it comes pouring out of me, shocking me to no end.

"As you have done, it shall be done to you;

your deeds shall return on your own head."

Obadiah 1:15

One of the commentaries shared it this way:

Sin, thus looked upon in the glass of the commandment, will appear exceedingly sinful. Those will have a great deal to answer for, who are idle spectators of the troubles of their neighbors, when able to be active helpers."

The glass of the commandment.  We see through the glass to read the promptings.  And the Word sees through the glass right back at us.  

 Chronicles 21:4 Jehoram killed all 6 of his brothers---courageous Elijah wrote him a prophetic letter about his upcoming painful and fatal disease.  Oh to have courage to stand up and speak against moral evil when God calls us to do so, not fixed on our good life.  

These are horrendous stories.  66 LL says:  "Only when you see the moral evil in the human heart will you surrender to the mystery of My plan.  In this world, I am destroying moral evil in My people."  There is moral evil in all of our hearts when we live to get our own way and determine what is best for us and live to get it.  "Greed, loveless sex, frenzied grabs for happiness with no concern for how others are impacted, more interest in making one's point than listening to another's, an inability to give or receive love, the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival, ugly parodies of community like courtesy without connection, laughter without love, weeping without worship---these are moral evils."  Galatians 5:19-21 The Message.  God, what are you saying to me as I walk through this life.  Oh LORD, help me to listen to your Voice.

PHOTO: Dallas, Texas. The glass of the commandments. 

245 - "Broken Alliances---Our Eyes Are On You" 2 Chronicles 19-20; 2 Corinthians 7

Jehoshaphat in full regal armor went to battle yet was protected by God.  
King Jehu who went disguised---who thought he was protected---an arrow slipped right into the joint of his armor.  You cannot outweigh outguess outdo our God.  Surrender and he will surround you.

Jehoshaphat was afraid. Like me.

He saw what he was up against. The impossible.
And he turned to God in prayer.  
May that be me, may it be you.

Standing in prayer.

"O Lord, are you not God in heaven? In your hand are power and might...
If disaster comes upon us----and it will,

the sword, judgment, pestilence, famine---

we will stand before You and cry out in our affliction 

and You will hear and save."  

2 Chron 20:9

"For we are powerless against this great horde

that is coming against us.

We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."

2 Chron 20:12

Wake up, o my soul. 

Someone called it "infinite pathos"----Make Room in your hearts, especially when grieved by offenses.  This is where doctrine hits rubber to the road.  I must find more room in the inn of my heart for each of you, and all whom I know.  

Jehoshaphat in full regal armor went to battle yet was protected by God.  
King Jehu who went disguised---who thought he was protected---an arrow slipped right into the joint of his armor.  You cannot outweigh outguess outdo our God.  Surrender and he will surround you.

Jehoshaphat was afraid. Like me.

Wake up, o my soul. 

"Live for your relational comfort, and your joy will be shallow and temporary.  It will not free you to love.  Live to know the truth of My Story of forgiving love, and you will be deeply unsettled by how profoundly you need forgiveness.  you will then suffer the slow death of your entitled demand that you be treated well.  But you will discover slowly burt surely, the power of My ongoing forgiveness and Presence to change you into a person who loves."  66LL sorrow produces repentance to salvation. Life. 2 Cor 7:10.

So, having these promises from God.
Beloved.
Let us cleanse ourselves from what controls us, what defiles us.
Perfect holiness in the fear of God. 2 Cor 7:1

It is right to be disconcerted over what bothers us about how we act wrongly.
His Right-Now Grace purifies.

"Holiness should be the object of our constant prayers." Matthew Henry

What has godly sorrow produced in you and in me?
Eagerness to clear ourselves.
Readiness to see justice done.
Living to love.
Longing to forgive.
2 Cor 7:11

PHOTO:  Infinite Pathos,

244 - "All Is Well In The Manner of Loss and Love" 2 Chronicles 17-18; 2 Corinthians 6

The sun rises on this brand spanking new day, new year. 
It's a gorgeous view outside of the window where I sit, trusting.
Do you need Courage to face some things today?
In any personal or public matter, anything that bothers you, seek help from God first.  My default is to try to fix it.  No! Give it up.  Go to God.  Whatever the loss, God is doing us good.  Appeal to God first.  "Our trials will prove our gain."  M. Henry

Victory. Wealth.  Power.  Jehoshaphat did it right, had it all.  Until...he united with an evil king. 

2 Chron 18:3 ~ I am as you are, as you wish, replies Jehoshaphat to the conniving king. Oh, what a truth that stings me, those times when I cannot stand up to another person who is clearly not following God. 

Jehoshaphat comes to his senses, comes to his knees. Surrenders. Breaks the alliance with the wicked king. May we have no share in evil. Would God stay angry with Jehoshaphat? I wonder if Jehoshaphat  wondered.   

"Let us be thankful for any losses which may have prevented the loss of our immortal souls.  Let us praise the LORD Who sought after us, and left us not to perish in our sins."  M. Henry

I am so beautifully "taken" with this quote---lifted up to the One Who allowed such loss in my life.  All is well in the manner of loss and Love.  

Jehoshaphat in full regal armor went to battle yet was protected by God.  
King Jehu who went disguised---who thought he was protected---an arrow slipped right into the joint of his armor.  You cannot outweigh outguess outdo our God.  Surrender and he will surround you.
Either we are moving toward good, toward God, or away.                                                                           

All these kings.  May we see how we are taking matters into our own hands.      

These chapters show the intentions of their hearts.  That Still Small Voice from yesterday, Today.  May we move toward Goodness.  The Lord longs to be good to each of you.  But if we do not want His Goodness . . .  What do we really want?  

Jezebel admonished her husband, the king who was sullen over a failed business deal.  The king who possessed no natural force of character as to move to openly rebel and seize the land. This landowner meant no disrespect---he followed his conscience---he couldn't sell his inheritance. Yet. This is not how we act as king, the obdurate Queen Jezebel derided.  Cheer up!  It's all good, as they say today.  Be positive.  And she goes on to say:  I'll take care of it and seal the deal, even if it means killing someone over it.  And Jezebel seals her ignominous fate. Yes, she did---Jezebel took a life.  And her king husband responded to Elijah's stern rebuke over such evil.  And God deferred the punishment to the children.  Oh my.  What do we want?

The sun rises on this brand spanking new day, new year. 
It's a gorgeous view outside of the window where I sit, trusting.
Do you need Courage to face some things today?
In any personal or public matter, anything that bothers you, seek help from God first.  My default is to try to fix it.  No! Give it up.  Go to God.  Whatever the loss, God is doing us good.  Appeal to God first.  "Our trials will prove our gain."  M. Henry

Victory. Wealth.  Power.  Jehoshaphat did it right, had it all.  Until...he united with an evil king. 

2 Chron 18:3 ~ I am as you are, as you wish, replies Jehoshaphat to the conniving king. Oh, what a truth that stings me, those times when I cannot stand up to another person who is clearly not following God. 

Jehoshaphat comes to his senses, comes to his knees. Surrenders. Breaks the alliance with the wicked king. May we have no share in evil. Would God stay angry with Jehoshaphat? I wonder if Jehoshaphat  wondered.   

But, in everything, commend yourself as a servant of God. 2 Cor 6:4.
And live aware of your impact on others. What stirs within you.

And look at things Unseen. Look off.

For, the Goodness of this God we serve can never be proven by the circumstances we face today. Good or bad. All the bad can never conquer the Goodness of God in all of our lives.  

PHOTO:  The sun rising from my window Today. The Son rising in my heart Today.

243 - "Take Courage" 2 Chronicles 15-16; 2 Corinthians 5

And Asa's mantra: There is No One like God to help the powerless against the mighty. 2 Chron 15:11
The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 2 Chronicles 15:2

As soon as Asa heard the words of the prophet, he took courage and changed!  That's beautiful!  "He took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah..." 2 Chron 15:8.  I read as much as I can grab hold of. All the blogs, articles, books I read talk about deep change.  Here it is.  Deep waters of change in Asa's heart that caused him to no longer tread the way.  What really makes us change our direction.  Not just the behavior but the intentions of our heart.  I Cor 2:3-4 says it is the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit within us that changes everything.  Makes us no longer wish to engage in idle talk, idol worship.

What caused this Asa revival?  I mean, Asa had just faced the scare of his life.  The Cushite Invasion of one million men and 300 chariots coming against him.  That's daunting!  But Asa's response was not anything but beautiful:  ""Asa cried out to the LORD his God:  LORD, there is no one besides You to help the mighty and those without strength.  Help us, LORD our God, for we depend on You, and in Your name we have come against this large army.  Yahweh, You are our God.  2 Chron 14:11

The Spirit of God.  When uncountable, unpredictable, unimaginable things happen this day, this week, this year, may we call upon You.

PHOTO:  Tracer, the future generation.  Walking with a past generation.  His Pops.  One of the other grandkids today went with us to Six Flags. The 10-year-old rode every single roller coaster with great gusto. Most 10-year-olds would pass on The Tormenta. When these grandkids grow up, I hope they take courage. No matter what you come against, may they depend on God Alone.  Tracer, your dad and mom did when they first met you at 3 small pounds. Against the odds.  Here you are!  God bless!  Ezri, same with you, your Mom has taken courage from your birth to this very day. 

242 - “Do I Rely on the God of My Ancestors?” 2 Corinthians 13-14; 2 Corinthians 4

 

There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
Abijah - 400,000 able fighting men against 
Jeroboam - 800,000 able troops. 

No match!

But God's Hand was in this.

He routed the armies so that Abijah inflicted 500,000 casualties among Israel's able men. How can you see this and not believe that it was impossible!

The people of Judah were victorious because:

"They relied on the LORD, 
the God of their ancestors." 2 Chron 13: 18

And Abijah grew in strength. 
And he took courage.  
And his son, Asa, did what was good and right in the eyes of his God. 

Meanwhile, a prophet leads another prophet astray.  

Come home with me and eat bread, says the old prophet.  

What?! He leads the brand new prophet down the wrong road.  He wanted the prophet to do what was right and called him on it---it's just, he trapped him in it.  Not a good friend.  Not a great method.  Not a speck of holiness there.  And the brand new prophet, well, it costs him his life in I Kings 15.  And the old prophet, well, doesn't cost him any punishment that we see---he's still alive in his lie.  So, what's the point here?  The judgments of God is beyond us.  Yes, God has prohibited this new prophet not to eat or drink to show how he detested idolatry.  Yet, he slips by the invitation of a supposedly good old prophet.  Let's stay the course in our interior world and not listen to those outside voices.  What is God saying? How can we rely on the Lord in the midst of all that is going on in our lives.

PHOTO:  Sunrise on a modern-day war.  It is so scary to fight knowing you could lose your life.  Asa went against all the war odds.  

241 - "Is Your Life Established and Strong?" 2 Chronicles 10-12; 2 Corinthians 3

"When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him."  2Chron 12:1  He who is faithful with much will be held responsible.  Oh God!  They abandoned God, so He abandoned them.  The only people who will be in heaven are the ones who want to be there.  

It wasn't when things were going south for Rehoboam that he jumped ship.  Life was established.  Days proved strong.  No need for dependence on God.  Rehoboam's kingdom sailed smooth.  When no one is standing in our way, when God is not standing in our way.  When those we love allow us to live curved in, beneath our holy calling.  Who calls you on things in this life?  Am I willing to call my adult children, my trusted friends, my devoted family to their holy calling?  When we contently phlegmatically move through our days without thinking about what we are really doing, forgetting about God and His Ways.  We may feel.  We may look.  Established and Strong.  But are we, really?  

Either we are living dependent this day or abandoned to His way. Father, help us to name what we are doing in this life.  Call it what it really is, this day.  May we hold fast to You, Alone.  Hold on to the things that truly matter. 

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. 

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2 Cor 3:3-4

Written not with the usual ink.

Written with the finger of God, says one commentary.

Like the 10 Commandments.  Exodus 31:18

Written not on tablets of stone.

Written in their hearts by the Spirit of God.

Like the Law written in our hearts.  Jeremiah 31:31-33

Ellicott says one picture succeeds another in a dissolving view:

From hearts of flesh.  The letter begins to disapper and

the law written on tablets takes its place.

"The red-leaved tablets of the heart are like

waxen tables on which an iron stylus makes a deep mark,

an ineradicable scar.  Eaten into their heart."  Tatooed.  

Indelible traces on our inward lives.

"The river runs ceaselessly and its waters pass away,

but they bring down soil, which is deposited and makes firm land,

or perhaps they carry down grains of gold."  MacLaren's Expositions

Influencing others. Influencing ourselves way more.

PHOTO:  Zilker Botanical Garden.  We can get so lost in the beauty of things that we forget about God.  What will I do with this Christ?

240 - "Is Your Life Established and Smooth?" 2 Chronicles 10-12; 2 Corinthians 3

"When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him."  2Chron 12:1  He who is faithful with much will be held responsible.  Oh God!  They abandoned God, so He abandoned them.  The only people who will be in heaven are the ones who want to be there.  

It wasn't when things were going south for Rehoboam that he jumped ship.  Life was established.  Days proved strong.  No need for dependence on God.  Rehoboam's kingdom sailed smooth.  When no one is standing in our way, when God is not standing in our way.  When those we love allow us to live curved in, beneath our holy calling.  Who calls you on things in this life?  Am I willing to call my adult children, my trusted friends, my devoted family to their holy calling?  When we contently phlegmatically move through our days without thinking about what we are really doing, forgetting about God and His Ways.  We may feel.  We may look.  Established and Strong.  But are we, really?  

Either we are living dependent this day or abandoned to His way. Father, help us to name what we are doing in this life.  Call it what it really is, this day.  May we hold fast to You, Alone.  Hold on to the things that truly matter. 

We cannot be the same person we were today, yesterday.

Our depravity runs deep.

We are all curved in on ourselves.

Luther and Augustine both called it the inward curve.

And such confidence toward God.

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves.

But 

Our sufficiency is from God. 2 Cor 3:5

PHOTO:  Zilker Botanical Garden.  We can get so lost in the beauty of things that we forget about God.  What will I do with this Christ?

239 - "Our Ears Are Attentive to the Prayers Spoken in Pitch Black Darkness" 2 Chronicles 4-6; 2 Corinthians 1

Pitch black and Solomon hears the Voice of God responding to his prayer.
It took Solomon 7 years and it was done.  A house for God.  Finished.  Built in all its Glory.
And God shows up in total darkness, at night, and says: "I have heard your prayer." 
That one sentence so makes me want to go pray. 
He is listening to our every word, every thought before it is even spoken. 
And I just started crying.  Because. 
Solomon prayed.  And it was a beautiful prayer of dedication.
All about God's Providence, God's Perfect Grace.
No one had ever built a house for God.  This was known throughout the nation.

God's Eyes are Open; His Ears are Attentive to prayers made.
Stand tall and let Him lift our head.
Sin No More and let Him fill our empty hearts.
Fear the One we should.
Believe the Word that is so near.
Hope in the Mercy of God.
Walk in His Ways, the narrow path.
With our hands over our mouths, in awe of this Beautiful God!
Give Thanks.

And David ends with a prayer for Solomon. Psalm 72:6. May he be like rain falling on the fresh mown grass. An answer to the drought in so many lives.  This undertaking...

He did it for the glory and honour of God;

 this was his highest and ultimate end in it. 

It was for the name of the Lord God of Israel!

2 Chronicles 6:10

2 Corinthians 1: 1 - 6.  

God comforts us in our afflictions.
God delivers us from all of our afflictions.
And we bless Him for both comfort & deliverance.
Quiet this conscience of mine in this affliction in which I sit.
Calm the raging passions flooding my mind with how I think it should be.

One of the most unbelievable experiences I have had was when II Corinthians 1:8-10 happened to me.  I was burdened excessively, beyond my strength, so that I despaired even of life.  A troubled childhood, violence, gang rape, addictions, miscarriages, and then it happened---burdened excessively.  January 13, 2006.  "Indeed [I] had the sentence of death within so that I would not trust in [myse Post: Edit lf] but in God Who raises the dead."  II Cor. 1:8-9,  He did! And just months later, I would enter a cancer journey. Stage 2. 

Our ears are attentive to what God is speaking in all the dark nights. Help us, O God. 

PHOTO:  This is our land.  I lived in that town for most of my life.  Heal our land, O LORD~!

Oh Lord, let your word that you promised come true.  2 Chron 6:17

238 - "Think More About How I Am Relating to God and Others Than Getting My Life Together" 2 Chronicles 1-3; 1 Corinthians 16

1 Chronicles 2:2 - Solomon assigned seventy thousand common laborers, eighty thousand to work the quarries in the mountains, and thirty-six hundred foremen to manage the workforce, plus he fed them all.  153,000 workers to lead.  Unbelievable.  A stunning spectacular structure, a showcase for Sheer Wonder!  And even in Solomon's splendor like never seen before, there still is a satisfaction only God can provide.    

I love Solomon's humility in 2 Chronicles 2:6 - "And me, who am I to think I can build a house adequate for God... .  Yet, Solomon embraced the command.  I'm still wrestling through the "what is God's part," "what is our part" thing.  I think I don't think deeply enough.  I'm seeing that my selfishness is where I need to look more deeply into my motives for doing 'my part.'  Why am  I so driven to do the work of the ministry?  Why am I so frenetic in my goals to live right?  

The opening paragraph of the 2 Chronicles chapter in 66 LL speaks to me: 
"No matter what happens in our lives---- tornadoes, divorce, cancer, whatever----You want me to think more about how I'm relating to You and others than about how to get my life together.  And you want me to look deep inside, into my motives, to see if I'm really looking out for myself when I think I'm living for You."  I wonder if when I'm stuck on considering what is my part, if I'm really saying--- I'm concerned about getting my life together.  I've had a few too many people step on my toes in my lifetime.  Am I more concerned about what's happened to me than my own selfishness?  May we all deal with the deep issues God graciously brings to our minds this day, this week.  Romans 2:4 says it's the Kindness of our God that brings us to repentance.  Repentant Worship in the Temple.Huram-abi knew how to work with iron, stone, gold, silver, bronze, wood.  He could do it all---engravings.  But all I can think of this day is that I want some iron in my soul.  I'm far too flappable, malleable, slippery, flacid.  The Holy Spirit knows how to put that iron in my soul.  

Invigorate my soul , O God, 
so I can praise You well, 
use Your Decrees to put iron in my soul.  Psalm 119:175

I Cor 16:13
Watch!
Stand firm in the faith!
Be courageous!
Be strong!
Let all that you do be done in love!

PHOTO:  Put iron in my soul

237 - "God Understands Every Plan and Thought" 1 Chronicles 28-29; 1 Corinthians 15:29-58

                                                     

I Chronicles 28:20. A close member of our family passed away in his sweet sleep Memorial morning. Committed to God and the Church. Dedicated to his family. Determined to do the work of the Lord at home, at church, wherever. So, today's reading is a memorial to a man who spent his days in search of truth---and found it.

"My son, know the God of your father and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. Be careful now, for the LORD has chosen you...be strong and do it." I Chron 28:9-10.

So, my son, "be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." I Chron 28:20.

And these words are penned by King David who began his journey as a shepherd boy, not looking for greatness, but responding to a cause.  His journey is dotted with moments of greatness with no armor to face a giant, in a cave sparing his father-in-law, or in a valley honoring the House of Saul.  This same man, marked with moments of wretchedness, loving his son Absalom more than God's will, taking another man's wife and setting up his demise.  

This elderly King, who just wrote Calm and Quiet my soul like a weaned child, this king ends his life well.  Oh! It's what we all hope for.  The day we live for. 

This letter to Corinth ends with resurrection.
Without this hope that 
what has begun in this life for you and for me
will be brought to completion in the next,
then we would have no confidence in what we see.
There is no full revelation of God here.
The unfolding story goes on.
Will I trust in this trial that
the Unfolding of God is going forth.
I Cor 15:10 by the grace of God,
I am what I am.

1 Cor 15:31-32. We are convinced of our own resurrection and yours---guaranteed by the resurrected Messiah Jesus. It is always resurrection that undergirds what we do and what we say and how we live.

1 Cor 15:34 Think straight. Awaken to the holiness of life.
 

PHOTO: The sun sets on the corridor of our lives. May we end our lives well.

236 -"Found Trusting and Not Found Wanting" 1 Chronicles 26-27; 1 Corinthians 15:1-28

No magic formulas in this galaxy. 1 Chron 27:23 ~ David learns to never "count" his kingdom again.  Yesterday, it was Satan standing up to move David..  Today, it's David standing up to say, no more.  And Joab decides to "count" his people and Israel paid for it, big time.

There's a mess I'm right in the middle of---counting sheep---and parts of me say, "No More."  
Yet parts of me keep mulling over the current scenario ... and I wonder why I cannot get it off of my mind.  
And God knew I would be reading this passage, while this incident reads my mind through my waking day.  

And in chapter 27, what happens that pertains to this "thorn in my flesh?"  Found:  Mighty Men of Valor. O God, that's it.  I want to be found mighty in You not mighty in society.  I Chron 26:32~ found trusting, not found wanting: for every matter that concerns God!  So what if Satan sends incessant thoughts all day.  They have no home here.  Wisdom!  Courage!  Strength!  Holy Energy!  Constancy of mind!  God is moving powerfully in my weakness.

 Have Mercy, God!  May we not claim this day the right to define our lives and write our own scripts.  "So many 'goods' seem more desireable than the good of knowing, honoring, revealing, serving, and pleasing God." 66 LL.  So what will I value this day?  I will soon find out what my goals really are by the way I live today.  My prayer for you and me---make us holy as You Are, for you are holy and we are not.

And may the sound in the tops of the going in the tops of the mulberry trees, direct us "to attend to God's motions both in His Providence and in the influences of His Spirit." 

Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. I Cor 9:26. 

Quietly, I need to take care of my business.

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." I Cor 15:58

All because of the Resurrection.  It's doctrine that changes every facet of our lives. 

The Resurrection has great effect on believers. The doctrine should change every facet of our lives. 

Here is Paul directing a carnal Corinth church. Not the loveliest of crowds.

Paul asks the Corinthian church to do three things: (1) be steadfast, (2) be immovable, and (3) always abound in the work of the Lord.

Stable. Standing. Sure. Settled. Steadfast. Situated smack dab in the will of God. Hold fast in your faith. 

PHOTO:  Tracer, the future generation.  Walking with a past generation.  His Pops in Spring 2023.                  No matter what you come against, may you depend on God Alone.  Your dad and mom did when they first met you at 3 small pounds. Against the odds.  Here you are!  God bless!  

Photo Credit:  Smithsonian.  Milky Way Galaxy.  www.flickr/commons

235 - "Do The Work Before You Today" 1 Chronicles 23-25; 1 Corinthians 14:21-40

                               

"David was old and full of days."  I Chron 23:1.  And my ears perk up.  Because I am full of 20,000 days.  He made Solomon his son king over Israel.  So, here's the son acceptable in the eyes of God no more, no less than his father---a man after God's own heart.  May we all do the work before us today, fitting together, because we are:  letters of Christ, 2 Corinthians 3:2. 

1 Chronicles 25:9 - 24 men are part of this remnant and they are needed to worship God in the temple.  Each had 12 sons and brothers.  Amazing plan.  Fast Forward.  Each of us is part of that chosen remant today.  Part of God's Plan A.  Romans 11:5 - a "chosen remnant of grace" for this moment to worship our God.  Repentant Worship! 

Why is it I think we are judged by how we grow our own kingdoms?

I don't see life that way anymore.

Randy Alcorn writes: "Let's face together what Satan can do to us.

Lie down face to face with your spouse and

wake up shoulder to shoulder.

Dispatched to serve.

May God's Kingdom Come Quickly and

may He find us faithful."

"Go after a Life of Love as if your life depended on it---because it does."  I Cor 14:1.

So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. 

234 - "Pursue Love No Matter What Pains or Prayers It Costs” 1 Chronicles 20-22; 1 Corinthians 14:1-20

I've sinned greatly by doing this.
I beg You, my God, to take away my guilt.
I have done a very foolish thing: to number my fighting men.
I Chronicles 21:8

Ownership!
Oh! That we all respond like this king of old when we stumble down paths that were never ever meant to be.  Joab tried to talk David out of numbering his fighting men.  Joab knew it was wrong; David knew it was wrong.  But, the King's word overruled his subject.  Trumped by an evil thought. Stunned by a very Good God, David responded with a swift surrendered heart.  And, it was the time when kings go out to war.  David did not join in the season and his heart is captured by his surroundings.  May we be at the right place at the right time with blinders on to this world of ours tugging at the skirts of our hearts.

DEAR GOD, PLEASE CHANGE ME IN ONE OF MY 10,000 MOMENTS IN THE SEASON WHEN KINGS GO OUT TO WAR:  Quicken my heart to be as swift a runner as this seasoned heart of David, the king after Your very own heart.  Oh God!  Change me!

Do not miss this!  

Follow after love.  I Cor 14:1.
Pursue it.

Matthew Henry says that the original word, "diokete," signifies a singular concern to obtain it.  Get this into your life on any terms---"whatever pains or prayers it may cost." 

"In whatever you fail, see you do not miss this; the principal of all graces is worth your getting at any rate."  Matthew Henry.

Something so Beautiful about the Love Chapter and now this invitation to follow after Love itself.  And just what does that look like in this little life of mine? 
PHOTO:  Sitting on the rocks. Contemplating staying where I am and letting go and not letting life run me over. 

233 - ”One Ounce of Love is More Than Moving Mountains” 1 Chronicles 17-19; 1 Corinthians 13

  

   

I. am. nothing. I Corinthians 13:2

One ounce of charity is more than moving mountains.
He is going to disown us if we deny what is going on in our lives.
You can't stand some people.
You avoid your mom.
You don't want to relate to the throw-aways,
especially to the elderly, like me.
We are quick to serve---sometimes.
Let's go feed the homeless and do our part.
Your hands may be open and your heart may be closed.
If you have no true love for God and goodwill to man,
the most costly things you do in life will avail you nothing.
Even suffering.  Even martyrdom.
"The outward carriage may be plausible,
when the inward principle is very bad.”
Our principle may work us up to the hardest,
but we might never embrace the True Love.
Do we feel the "sacred heat" in our hearts?
Do I enter into the secrets of my own heart?
Do I treat others with ill will
in open defiance to the law of love?

These beautiful gifts. The Grace of Love.
Patience. Kindness. Faith-filled. Sacrificial. I Cor 13:1-3.
Never self-seeking to the hurt or neglect of others.
Most scholars agree that what is meant by "charity" in this chapter is not our "common use" of the word *love*.  

"Love in its fullest meaning is True Love to God and man." Matthew Henry. Volumes could be penned about the glorious gifts of love.  For it looks like Christ and nothing can contain all the words that could have been written about Him.  

In our day, love looks like wide-open hands, lavish-generous acts, beautiful encouraging words.  But.  Without Love, all our good behavior accounts us for nothing.  Noisy gongs.  Clanging cymbals.  Shallow words.  Empty lives.  We sit to eat and fellowship; we stand to live hollow ways.  It is a heart issue:  everything, all-encompassing, done from Love to God and goodwill to all men.  

We cannot withhold our hearts from God, from our husband, from our children, from our families, from our friends, from our ministry, from our church, from our neighbors, from our world nor from any stranger.  If we do, we live a delusion, "looking for acceptance and reward for our good works which is as scanty and defective as they are corrupt and selfish."  Matthew Henry

Oh! to live a life of Divine Love!  It is our calling.  A call to never give up loving.  

Matthew Henry posed the question: "Let us ask whether this Divine love dwells in our hearts. Has this principle guided us into becoming behavior to all men? Are we willing to lay aside selfish objects and aims? Here is a call to watchfulness, diligence, and prayer."

"Now we see in a mirror dimly, bur then face to face. Now, I know in part; then, I shalll know fully, even as I have been fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12. Fully Known.

PHOTO: Sunrise on the Lake. This Grace of Love. Clean slate every rise. 

232 - "Let The Younger and Older Sons Grow Up in Me to the Maturity of their Compassionate Father" Psalm 87-88; 1 Corinthians 12

  

I embrace this place where Divine Providence has me. It's not where I thought I'd spend my last days.

I Cor. 12 - Gifts! ... But now I want to lay out a far better way for you ...  The Way of Love is found in the next chapter, I Cor 13. 

But I seek Christ not chief places. I long to remain faithful to the trust and Gifts God had placed in me. I Cor 12:28. 

Psalm 88 - God, you're my last chance of the day. I spend the night on my knees before you ...
Take notes on the trouble I'm in ... 
You turned my friends against me ...
Blinded by tears of pain and frustration ...
My only friend left is Darkness ...
Pain.
Frustration.
What do I do with that?

You put the arrogant ocean in its place 
You put your arrogant child in moments like today
that I may see into my heart.

I've thought a whole lot this year about the story of the Prodigal Son.  In his book about the prodigal, Henri Nouwen writes:  "Can I let the younger and older son grow in me to the maturity of the compassionate father?"  The father is who I must become, he writes.  As the father deals with his own anger and loneliness, his anger turns to solitude and his loneliness turns to gratitude.  I am that younger and older brother.  Frustration.  Anger.  Pain.   Can you grow both of my sides into a compassion that moves into the lives of others in the midst of my own mess?. 

PHOTO: A son I believe who will grow up with a compassionate heart.

231 - "The Nearness of God is My Good" Psalm 73, 85, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

 God, I reflect daily on what I'm doing with my life. 

Even though I'm a little older, do not forsake me.
I never used to be this evaluative.  (well, maybe...)
Receive my thoughts that I may find Your Grace in the traces of today.  

I do sometimes feel like I've been a beast before You. Nevertheless!
I am continually with You. You have taken hold of my right hand. 
With Your Counsel You will guide me. 
Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, 
I desire nothing on earth. 
My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the Strength of my heart. 
Psalm 73:22-24.

Psalm 73:27 is the prayer of my heart this day:

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good.

With all my hearth and strength, 
help me, this day, this circumstance, to make You my Refuge.
Not the solution to my problems.
Not the resolution of life's issues.
Not the crowning achievements that come our way.
May I find Refuge and Solace in You Alone.  "Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup."  I Cor 11:58.  Steer clear of every kind of idolatry.  Don't bow down to the idols of others.  Don't do it.  Live tall.  Live well.  Live deep.  May our confidence be in God that we can change.  "Only in dark nights will hope burn bright enough to sustain your faith and release your love."  66LL

PHOTO:  The Quarries Lake where I go to reflect about my life.

230 - "God Speaks & Summons" Psalm 48-50; 1 Corinthians 11:1-16

   

This is our God.

He will guide us.

We will tell the next generation.

This is our God.

Psalm 48:18

Psalm 50:1-2 God speaks and summons From the rising of the sun to its setting! Perfect in Beauty is God Who pours out. Our God comes and calls to deliver all!! Yes, this God looks down from heaven, from the most holy high place. And what does He see Any who seek. Corrupt?? Not 1. When God speaks twice, we do very well to listen. Matthew Henry's commentary speaks of the comparison to a hammer. Strokes must be repeated. Show us how bad! Speak to us! Hard to see! Arrogance!! 

Can the Potter remake this clay into another vessel.

What if it pleases God to leave me where I am?

Jeremiah 18:2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me saying,  “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. 

Why do I think things have to be a certain way?
I mean, God brought together Hosea and a wife of ill repute.
I mean, God gave calamities to Joseph and Job, one right after another.
Why do I think I will escape the uncomfortable in this life?
Can God not do with me as He wills.  On the shelf.  On the pedestal.
It's not for me to decide.

 PHOTO: Outside my car window tonight as the world speeds by me. God sees. God calls. God comes. Simply amazing!

229 - "Be Still As The Stars" Psalm 45-47; 1 Corinthians 10:19-33

What an introduction! I am God! Be still. Know this! Such a beautiful way to introduce the offer. Take this comfort: I am with you. I am for you. That is what you use to answer your fear. Psalm 46:10 

The Hebrew word for "be still" means to let it fall; let the concerns hang down. Then, slack off, especially your hands. No exertion needed. Leave the matter with God. Oh! The Providence in all our problems. Oh! The Power in what we contemplate. Oh! That introduction! Take the comfort! 

“Because of God's immense generosity and grace, we don't have to dissect and scrutinize every action to see if it will pass muster." But the point is not to just get by. We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well. And our Beautiful God’s Kindness will lead us to repentance. Romans 2:4. Hold fast to Him!  "Either cling to Me as I AM orreshape Me into who you want Me to be."          Larry Crabb

The stakes are high to find a place for my Lord and not try to make Him fit into my life, my expectations, my rights. And it didn't matter how hard Paul or Peter fell.  They preached to themselves the Gospel of Grace as Tripp called it:  "Today in your private, life-interpreting conversation, will you preach to self the gospel of God's grace?"

PHOTO:  California coast. Still as the stars. Mysterious as royalty.

228 - 1 Chronicles 16; Psalm 42, 44. 1 Corinthians 10:1-18

I just sat at this riverbank to watch the metallic sun set,

and I asked this question of the God we adore:

Who am I, O Lord God, that you have brought me this far?

I so want things to be different than they are.

I've hit a place I never expected to be.

As I sat and listened to the God Who creates out of nothing,

I heard t.h.i.s.

Hope in me, not the change in circumstance.

Live in the Mystery of My Metallic Love.

Seek the Lord and His strength;

Seek His face continually.

I Chron 16:11

Not His Hand.

His Face.
He understands.

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”   Psalm 42:1-2

Here is a looking glass into faith and sense.
Faith begins with holy desires toward God.
Holy love for God is our chief good.
Sense complains of the darkness of the present afflictions
aggravated by the good former times memories.
David's soul pants for God, not for the ordinances of God.
He wants more and more because he has stated and is now wanton.
David knows he can never rest, short of the living God.
Where is my God?

We must be on guard so that we never get caught up in wanting our own way as the Israelites did. “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; He'll never let you be pushed past your limit; He'll always be there to help you come through it.” I Cor 10:13

PHOTO:  The Quarries Lake. Seen a thousand sunsets here. Sought a lot of God here. 

226 - “Not This Way” 1 Chronicles 10-12; 1 Corinthians 8

 

The valiant men stripped Saul of his head and armor. I Chronicles 10:8.  On a mount separating two unfriendly regions. And Saul's body is hung on the fence.  No more breath. I stood there on Mount Gilboa where you can see as far as the eye stretches both east and west. I stood at the spot where they hung Saul's body. And I so wondered as I stood there what it would have been like to have a father-in-law that wreaked so much havoc on you; and I wondered what it was like to live in those days.  Did they struggle with being invisible or independent.  Did they try to manage their lives to just make things work.  And the words of Saul haunt me---you remember the dancing in the street party where the women sang to Saul and he contemplated:  "They have ascribed unto David ten thousands but to me they have ascribed thousands."  I Sam 18:6-9.  From that day and forward to his very death, Saul never dealt with what really went on in his own soul.  May I deal this day with these misgivings that plague me. I struggle with everyone having a place, a space, an ace in the hold.  Things are not that tidy for me.  May we be a people known for surrender.  May I repent of anything that is not dependence on my Lord. 

I wrestle today, my LORD, with this mantra of Saul. Someone I trusted with my heart once told me: We will see who is right by the results of your life and church growth. I didn't think it was right then nor now. We are here for your glory, not numbers and prestige. Saul wanted to be somebody better and greater than David.  Father, help me to put on the full armor of God not just a shiny armor of protection.  Clothe me in this chink that I may learn to think better than this.  Thank you for detaching us from anything that makes us want to look for credit and praise for ourselves. 

PHOTO: you can see Myles and Myles from 30 Feet in the air. I could see Myles and Myles on top of Mount Gilboa. Burger King was killed, and David was distraught for a very unbelievable reason concerning the enemy of his soul.

225 - "God Takes Notice of You" 1 Chronicles 7-9; 1 Corinthians 7:17-40

    

Took a long walk tonight along these tracks behind our high school

thinking hard about life.

Wondering about these lists of people.

Wondering about my own life.

Does God notice? 

Do we go from sea to sea to follow Him?

Do we cross the river and go to the ends of the earth?

And why do we come?

Do we follow Him for loaves or love?

My life is not mine to control;

it is not for me to direct my steps.

Come Lord Jesus,

walk with us and help us leave our names on the Good List.

Disgrace.                                                                                                                                                      Idolatry.                                                                                                                                              Fruitfulness.                                                                                                                                       Faithfulness.
Men of Might. I Chron 7:2
Honorable kings.
First fathers.
Sons of Jacob.
Minglers.
Inconveniencers.
Great breaches.
Great wealth.
Strong cities.
God's Providence.
God's Promises.
Burdens carried old.
Houses of mourning.
Shattered families.
Sure promises.
Virtuous women.
Mighty militia.
Chief of princes.
Illustrious men.
Buried in oblivion.
Low ebbs in time.
Swords of injustice.
Pedigree higher
Numerous issues
One man's posterity
Covenants forever
Place in the sacred
Taken notice by God.

Divine Providence has called me.  And that makes all the difference in how I view this life of mine.

"Our comfort and happiness depend on what we are to Christ, not what we are in the world."  Matthew Henry.  But this celebrity society where I live wants me to be somebody special.  This ministry world where I live says leave a mega mark on the Kingdom of God.  And what if my life is ordinary and holy?

Make it our amibition to lead a quiet life.  Abiding where we have been placed by Divine Providence.

"Only as the Lord has distributed to each man, as God has called each, so let him walk."  I Cor 7:17.  "Let each man stay in that calling in which he was called."  I Cor 7:20.  "You were bought with a price.  Don't become servants of men."  I Cor 7:23.

PHOTO:  Sauntered on these railroad tracks behind the high school where I taught. We lived a stone's throw down the tracks. So powerful when the train bursts through yet no one notices me.  Yet, my God notices.

224 - “How to Win the War on Your Soul” 1 Chronicles 4-6 I Corinthians 7:1-15

224 You may be a brave warrior, a famous person, or a head of a successful family---all the reasons for success in our world today. But what did you do with your soul? #60000thoughts #talkingtomyself 

                                                              

Warriors.  The Famous.  The Heads.  They all look good on paper.  But God looks at their hearts.  And He is looking at my heart and yours.  This very day.  

I may not know all the right things to win the battle but I know how to win the war on my soul.  Satan has no hand, no snatch, no grip, no clutch.  None.  May that Warrior Spirit from within rise up to fight our battles this day, forward!

I am reminded of the NT verse: What does it profit you if you gain the whole world and lose your soul? 1 Chronicles 5:24-25. "But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors and prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land."

It is our privilege to be content with where and how and who and when God calls.  "God has called us in peace."  I Cor 7:15.  

PHOTO: Outside my classroom window of 14 years where I stopped to pray each day. I walked away from it May 2022 because of the stress of it all in a 10-hour per day job with no breaks. I have missed it way more than I dreamed but not for the reasons I left. This year has been one of the hardest years of my life. May I not ask for a thing before I utter the awe in prayer.  They were brave warriors, famous men, and heads of their families. All the measures of success in the eyes of this world.  But what did they do with their souls? 

223 - "Draw Near to God for the Joy of Encounter Before We Ask Him For A Thing" 1 Chronicles 1-3; 6.

                                                                

Genealogies. What do they really mean?  In a day where the seams of my heart are ripping apart, what can I take-away from this Word of God today. 

 God put these chronicles of men in the Bible for a good reason.  Profitable to us.  That's what the Bible calls every single word. So, we should read and not skip.  Therefore, don't leave it out.  This pedigree is attached to places; these people are attached to God. The Providence of God.   Keeping up generations of men.  Preserving degenerate scores of men.  God could "ease the burden under which it groans, but the divine patience lets the trees that cumber the ground not only grow, but propagate."  .
Matthew Henry

I think it so "off" that holy people have unholy children.  But here it is.  Josiah and Jehoakah.  One generation of holiness passes ... and another generation of despicable horror ensues.  There are times, I've felt so responsible.  But, here it is.  Holiness isn't passed down like jewels.  Holiness is bought with a pearl of great price.  And John 5:28-29 says all who are in their graves will hear His Voice one day calling them to rise in resurrection, in judgment. Those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.  

"We are now come to the register of the children of Israel, that distinguished people, who were to dwell alone, and not be reckoned among the nations. But now, in Christ, all are welcome to his salvation who come to him; all have equal privileges according to their faith in him, their love and devotedness to him." There is no better thing than a life spent to His Glory. M. Henry

May our prayers draw us near to God for the sheer joy of encounter before we ask Him for a thing. L. Crabb

PHOTO: Outside my classroom window of 14 years where I stopped to pray each day. I walked away from it last May 2022 because of the stress of it all in a 10-hour per day job with no breaks. I have missed it this year way more than I dreamed but not for the reasons I left. 2022 was one of the hardest years of my life. But wait, every year I say is hard. May I not ask for a thing before I utter the awe in prayer.