Jesus' Frustration

Scripture:  I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” Mark 9:18-19 Observation: The disciples could not cast out the demon because they did not believe. Jesus was frustrated with their lack of faith. He wanted them to believe in him and trust him to do things. Application: I need to make sure I am praying and believing God for things in my life. I see some seemingly insurmountable obstacles ahead for our church They are not in my power to do, but I want to act in faith that God can do it. I think God is calling me to begin praying each week for God's provision. I am asking God to begin providing people for our chruch to love to Christ. Prayer: God, I believe you have called me and our church to abundance with you. Please help me to not be an unbelieving generation, nor listen to those who are from an unbelieving generation. The task ahead can only come out by prayer, by trust in Your power. Show me how to grow in my faith in trusting you for big things.

Leading People Where they Need, not Where they Want

Scripture: And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose...Exodus 32:25

Observation:   A study in contrasting leadership. Moses is up on the mountain with God, pleading for him to not destroy the people. While he is doing this, the people are down below, building a golden calf to worship. Who is leading the people to build the calf? Aaron, left in charge by Moses. On the one hand, you see Moses, a leader willing to do what the people need, not necessarily what they want. On the other hand, you see Aaron, willing to do what the people want, not what they need. The result is that 3,000 men were killed that day and a terrible plague fell on the people. All because Aaron failed to lead people to where they needed to go. 

Application:   Daily, I get to choose to lead like Moses or Aaron. I can go for the easy wins by playing to people's wants, or I can fight for the hard victories, helping people with what they need. The key to knowing the difference lies in time with God and prayer for the people. Moses genuinely longed to shepherd the people and fought for them with God. Seem things are worth fighting for. The people of God are one of them. I need to listen to the voice of God, spend time with him hearing his word, and pleading on behalf of the people. Then I need the courage to lovingly do what is right, not what is easy.

Prayer:   God, give me the courage of Moses. Give me the shepherd heart of Moses. Let my passion always center on what the people need, not just what they want. And give me the leadership to do this well.

Bearing Names to God

Scripture:         As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree.  And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders for remembrance. Exodus 28:11-12

Observation:    God is laying out the uniform that the high priest was to wear when he entered the presence of God.  Stones of remembrance once again play a part.  Aaron is to engrave 12 stones with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel.  That way, when he comes before the Lord, he bears their names.  It helps him remember he is a representative of the people, speaking to God about them.              

Application:    Twofold.  First, this confirms a growing sense in my heart that we are to be speaking to God about people before speaking to people about God.  That our decision to create prayer cards that we could write names of our friends we are asking God to bring to Christ was on target.  We need to bear the names of those around us to God.  This month, our staff will be taking those names that over 130 of our people submitted for prayer and praying weekly for them.

            Second, I sense that God is asking me to write the names of my wife and children on stones and each morning, take one with me as I go off to work.  This way, whenever I brush against that stone, I can pause and bear their name to God.

Prayer:             God, thanks for continuing to love and guide me.  Especially in the area of bearing people’s names to You.  Help me follow through with this and grow in seeing you answer prayer.

He Says What He Does and Does What He Says

Scripture:         And the Lord set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.”  And the next day the Lord did this thing. Exodus 9:5

Observation:    In the middle of the fifth plague God sent to pressure Pharaoh, Moses makes this simple statement.  God set a time and said something would happen.  Then he made that thing happen at that time.  Short and sweet.  God does whatever he wants and no purpose of his can be thwarted.         

Application:  If I believe this, why don’t I pray like it?  Why don’t I ask bigger things of the God who says what he is going to do, then does it every time?  Why do I limit my prayers to “Help me have a good day?”         

Prayer: I am asking you, God, to bring the people on my prayer card to faith in Christ.  I am asking because only you can do this thing, and if you say you will, you will.  I also ask that you give me the answer in my heart to a question I have been asking you.  Would you make it crazy clear. 

When Mercy Leads to Hardness

Scripture:         But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.  Exodus 8:15

Observation:    Pharaoh is reacting to the plagues God sent to convince him to free the Israelites from slavery.  This plague happened to be the unleashing of millions of frogs.  Pharaoh pleads with Moses to remove the frogs, and he will let the people go.  Moses prays, God relents, and the frogs are gone.  Once the immediacy of the threat has passed, Pharaoh’s heart goes hard again.

            How often is this pattern repeated in our lives?  In the middle of crisis, we pray, we repent, we promise.  When the crisis passes, we forget our words, or worse, we harden our hearts.  Until the next crisis, that is. 

            Like Pharaoh, we especially do this with sin.  When we sin, and we are staring down the barrel of consequences, we will say anything to find a little mercy.  But does this brush with discipline change us?  Do we come out of it closer to God, more ready to listen?  Or does the mercy of God lead us to hardness?

Application:    I can see this in my life during my times of prayer.  In the middle of it, God will point out some sin, or call me to some action.  I wholeheartedly agree, and genuinely repent.  But then I get up.  Then the day fills.  And the words are forgotten.  

Prayer:             God, I pray today that you help me see that a respite does not mean a release from obeying and listening to you.  Help me remember in the dark the things you tell me in the light with you.  Open my heart today to recall things we have talked about, that I might keep a soft heart towards your words.

Carrying the Burden

Scripture:  In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” Genesis 42:21

Observation:    Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers when he was 17.  He was probably 39 when his brothers came to Joseph in power in Egypt.  This is a difference of 12 years.  When Joseph, unrecognized by his brothers, throws them in jail for three days under the charge of being spies, they quickly connect their present consequence from the earlier sin of selling their brother into slavery.  This means that the guilt from that act had lingered for 12 years.  I am not sure if this was something they thought about often, or if it just now entered their minds at this moment.  Unless they were completely cold hearted, I have to think that the guilt of what they had done to their brother weighed upon them and dogged them all those years.  Reuben points out his disagreement with the plan, so perhaps they had even argued among themselves.

Application:    Ultimately, God used for good what they had meant for evil.  Even their confession here, overheard by Joseph, was used by God.  But what stuns me is the reality that the guilt of unrepentant sin is not assuaged by time.  That 12 days, 12 months, 12 years later, the guilt of their actions haunts them.  I wonder what it was like to carry that weight with them for over a decade.   

Prayer:             God, I pray that you help me to confess sin quickly to you.  Help me not keep secrets that burden me, so that anytime something bad happens I am quick to think the two are connected.  Let me experience the freedom of unburdening myself with you and others.

The Practical Atheist Family

Scripture:         Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, Genesis 27:41

Observation:    Esau’s mother and brother conspire to swindle him out of the diving blessing from Isaac, to insure the divine blessing goes to the right brother, Jacob.  I feel sorry for this family.  Yes, in the end, it seems like the right man was chosen.  Yes, it seems people like Rebekah had noble goals.  Yes it seems the end was achieved, no matter the means.  But this is one dysfunctional family.  They all suffer from the same affliction—they trust themselves more than their faith.

            Rebekah trusted her schemes over her faith.

            Jacob trusted his mother and his ability to pull off a con more than his faith.

            Esau trusted his gut more than his faith.

            Isaac trusted his senses more than his faith.

Things “worked out” but I cannot help but wonder what God would have done with a family willing to stop and listen, to act with integrity and honesty. 

Application:   This family is a great example of what our church talked about Sunday.  Borrowing a phrase from Craig Groeschel, these people are “Practical Atheists.”  They believe in God, but none of them act like he exists. 

            I think my take away is simple:  I don’t want my family to be like this.  We give lip service to God, but then trust in our own selves instead of faith.

Prayer: God, protect my family from faithlessness.  Help us to see you.  I pray especially for our dinner devotional times.  They have been difficult lately, as we cannot seem to get far with them.  Would you help me lead these well?