Scripture: (1 Sam 13:19-22 NKJV) Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, "Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears." {20} But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man's plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle; {21} and the charge for a sharpening was a pim for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to set the points of the goads. {22} So it came about, on the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.
Observation: Saul’s reign was not peaceful as he battled the Philistines and other nations that surrounded Israel. And while his beginning was promising, prophesying and making the right choices, little by little he began to decline in spirituality, in the respect that the people had for him, and in power.
The Philistines exerted enough control over the nations around them, including Israel, that they would not even allow them to have their own silversmiths so they would not make their own weapons; obviously, this was a problem for the Israelites as they tried to defend themselves.
Application: I read this story and immediately thought of what today’s world is doing in our homes by creating a thousand and one distractions so that we don’t spend any time “sharpening our swords,” that is, studying the Bible. I’m particularly concerned with parents who believe that sending their children to non-Adventist or even public schools is a good choice and will not affect their children adversely. It is as if the world has disarmed parents so when the battle for their children’s lives comes parents are totally unprepared for it.
I don’t want to take this image too far, but the reality is that unless we are studying God’s word, for ourselves, daily, as the battle lines are drawn and we’re called to fight the enemy of souls, we are in peril of losing the only battle that really matters and carrying our children to the same fate. Spend time each day with God’s Word, treasure it in your heart and mind, and see that your children enjoy the benefits of your study so they may follow your example and have their own swords sharpened and ready for the ultimate battle, the battle for their souls.
Prayer: Father, thank You for Your Word, the weapon You have given us to battle the forces of evil. Help us to keep it sharp and ready by studying it every day.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Loving Concern - March 30, 2009
Scripture: (1 Sam 9:5 NKJV) When they had come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, "Come, let us return, lest my father cease caring about the donkeys and become worried about us."
Observation: Saul’s father had asked him to find some donkeys that had ran away. After traveling throughout the territory for several days, Saul decided to go back home so that instead of worrying about the donkeys his father would start worrying about him. In looking for the donkeys someone suggested they consult Samuel, the prophet, and it was during this encounter that he was anointed the first king of Israel.
Application: Whatever we may think about Saul, from this story we can learn that he was a loving son who did not want to make his father worry about him. It seems that children reach a certain age and they gain or are given a certain amount of independence, which is a normal, natural step in their process of growing into adulthood. Parents, however, never gain independence from care and concern for their children. So two worlds collide – on the one hand children wanting their independence, and on the other hand parents still being concerned about their children. And where this becomes a challenge is where the children show no concern for the worrying they cause their parents. For instance, when kids go out without telling their parents where they’re going, when they plan to come back, without calling to check with their parents, etc. At home, their parents worry about their kids’ whereabouts, if they have been in an accident, if something has happened to them, etc.
The simple act of picking up the phone to call their parents show care and concern for them. This simple act, a few words, can not only bring peace to their parents but will also reassure them of their love for them.
Prayer: Father, may we demonstrate care and love to our parents not only in words but in caring actions toward them.
Observation: Saul’s father had asked him to find some donkeys that had ran away. After traveling throughout the territory for several days, Saul decided to go back home so that instead of worrying about the donkeys his father would start worrying about him. In looking for the donkeys someone suggested they consult Samuel, the prophet, and it was during this encounter that he was anointed the first king of Israel.
Application: Whatever we may think about Saul, from this story we can learn that he was a loving son who did not want to make his father worry about him. It seems that children reach a certain age and they gain or are given a certain amount of independence, which is a normal, natural step in their process of growing into adulthood. Parents, however, never gain independence from care and concern for their children. So two worlds collide – on the one hand children wanting their independence, and on the other hand parents still being concerned about their children. And where this becomes a challenge is where the children show no concern for the worrying they cause their parents. For instance, when kids go out without telling their parents where they’re going, when they plan to come back, without calling to check with their parents, etc. At home, their parents worry about their kids’ whereabouts, if they have been in an accident, if something has happened to them, etc.
The simple act of picking up the phone to call their parents show care and concern for them. This simple act, a few words, can not only bring peace to their parents but will also reassure them of their love for them.
Prayer: Father, may we demonstrate care and love to our parents not only in words but in caring actions toward them.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
It Happens to the Best - March 29, 2009
Scripture: Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. (1 Samuel 8:1-3 NKJV)
Observation: Samuel’s sons were corrupt and like other religious leaders at the time they took advantage of their position to exploit the people.
The Israelites, on the other hand, wanted to “keep up with the Joneses” and asked Samuel, the God-given leader of his time, to give them a king to reign over them. This obviously displeased Samuel. God, however, understood clearly that it wasn’t Samuel but God they were rejecting, and yet, God kindly tried to show them what they would get if they chose a human king for themselves instead of God.
Application: As I visited with a pastor-friend over the weekend, we talked about PKs – Pastors’ Kids. Even in the homes of the best of pastors, children have gone astray. Even in the home of a beloved, life-long prophet like Samuel, his children went bad.
How is it possible that from godly parents would come children who leave the church, some even leave God?
I recognize that it’s not always a single event or situation but rather a number of these which drive them to take those steps. Maybe it’s the “constant” moving from one church, one community, one school to another. Maybe it’s leaving friends behind and being put in the position of meeting new ones only to leave them again a few years later. Perhaps it was the school or series of schools they attended. Maybe it was the series of teachers and principals. Or maybe the church people, the conference, or what the view as “the church” in general. Or maybe it was us, their parents, who spent more time doing the work of the Lord than spending time with His and our children. Whatever it might be, we certainly recognize the challenges of our, and other, PKs, and how much pain their decisions cause us. I said to another pastor-friend that maybe God, considering the pressure and the challenges that PKs live under has a special dispensation of His grace for them. At least that is my hope and prayer for my own PKs.
Prayer: Father, I pray for our children, particularly PKs, who are targets of the enemy and sometimes even of members of the church family. May Your grace be sufficient for them, too.
Observation: Samuel’s sons were corrupt and like other religious leaders at the time they took advantage of their position to exploit the people.
The Israelites, on the other hand, wanted to “keep up with the Joneses” and asked Samuel, the God-given leader of his time, to give them a king to reign over them. This obviously displeased Samuel. God, however, understood clearly that it wasn’t Samuel but God they were rejecting, and yet, God kindly tried to show them what they would get if they chose a human king for themselves instead of God.
Application: As I visited with a pastor-friend over the weekend, we talked about PKs – Pastors’ Kids. Even in the homes of the best of pastors, children have gone astray. Even in the home of a beloved, life-long prophet like Samuel, his children went bad.
How is it possible that from godly parents would come children who leave the church, some even leave God?
I recognize that it’s not always a single event or situation but rather a number of these which drive them to take those steps. Maybe it’s the “constant” moving from one church, one community, one school to another. Maybe it’s leaving friends behind and being put in the position of meeting new ones only to leave them again a few years later. Perhaps it was the school or series of schools they attended. Maybe it was the series of teachers and principals. Or maybe the church people, the conference, or what the view as “the church” in general. Or maybe it was us, their parents, who spent more time doing the work of the Lord than spending time with His and our children. Whatever it might be, we certainly recognize the challenges of our, and other, PKs, and how much pain their decisions cause us. I said to another pastor-friend that maybe God, considering the pressure and the challenges that PKs live under has a special dispensation of His grace for them. At least that is my hope and prayer for my own PKs.
Prayer: Father, I pray for our children, particularly PKs, who are targets of the enemy and sometimes even of members of the church family. May Your grace be sufficient for them, too.
For This Child I Prayed - March 28, 2009
Scripture: For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 28Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.” So they worshiped the Lord there. (1 Samuel 1:27-28 NKJV)
Observation: The situation at home between Hannah and Penninah, Elkanah’s wives, was very tense. In a society where childlessness was seen as curse from God, or at least as God withholding his blessings from the woman, Penninah, who had several children, picked on barren Hannah, who must have felt singled out by God and others for unfair treatment.
But Hannah prayed and God granted her a son; in fact, later we read that she had three more sons and two daughters (1 Sam. 2:12). Hannah evidently was a praying woman who continued to do so not just until Samuel was born, but for her other children, for as long as she lived.
Application: Christian couples should most definitely pray for God’s gifts of children as to whether they should even have any or not. Once the mother is pregnant, the couple should redouble their prayers for life, health, and protection on both the mother and child. These prayers should not only be personal and silent, but together as a couple and audible – what a wonderful way for the growing baby inside the mother to get used to his or her parent’s voice but to hear them praying for them!
And praying for our children does not stop at their birth but must continue throughout their and our lives.
Prayer: Father, we pause right now to pray for our children. May they sense Your presence in their lives this day, and may they come to know You, love You, serve You, and share You all the days of their lives.
Observation: The situation at home between Hannah and Penninah, Elkanah’s wives, was very tense. In a society where childlessness was seen as curse from God, or at least as God withholding his blessings from the woman, Penninah, who had several children, picked on barren Hannah, who must have felt singled out by God and others for unfair treatment.
But Hannah prayed and God granted her a son; in fact, later we read that she had three more sons and two daughters (1 Sam. 2:12). Hannah evidently was a praying woman who continued to do so not just until Samuel was born, but for her other children, for as long as she lived.
Application: Christian couples should most definitely pray for God’s gifts of children as to whether they should even have any or not. Once the mother is pregnant, the couple should redouble their prayers for life, health, and protection on both the mother and child. These prayers should not only be personal and silent, but together as a couple and audible – what a wonderful way for the growing baby inside the mother to get used to his or her parent’s voice but to hear them praying for them!
And praying for our children does not stop at their birth but must continue throughout their and our lives.
Prayer: Father, we pause right now to pray for our children. May they sense Your presence in their lives this day, and may they come to know You, love You, serve You, and share You all the days of their lives.
Friday, March 27, 2009
The Other Woman in Your Marriage - March 27, 2009
Scripture: (Ruth 2:11-12 NKJV) And Boaz answered and said to her, "It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. {12} "The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge."
Observation: After the death of her husband and their sons, Naomi returned to her home land. While Orpah, one of her daughters-in-law went back to her own home and family, Ruth, her other daughter-in-law, chose to travel with Naomi and settle in Naomi’s home land, be forever part of her family, and to fully accept and worship her God. While they lived together Ruth was devoted to the care of Naomi and her attitude, actions, and devotion to service did not go unnoticed. In fact, Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi’s, noticed Ruth’s care and indirectly made provision to help them. It is in this setting that we read Boaz commending Ruth in our text for today.
Application: The close relationship between Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth is special but by no means unique. Many mothers-in-law have been have been specially loving, supportive, and kind to their sons or daughters-in-law, and in some cases they have had a closer relationship than with their own children. The same has been the case with daughters or sons-in-law toward their spouse’ parents.
I borrow the title today from a book by Christian psychologist H. Norman Wright he speaks about this relationship which could be most damaging to a couple’s relationship or a tremendous blessing to all. For some reason, mothers-in-law have one of the worse reputations – in some cases probably well-deserved, but in most it is probably totally unwarranted.
One way to change the negative dynamics is to make every effort to learn from the other person. My wife and my mother had a very good relationship in spite of a language barrier, and I credit both for it. My wife was always very kind and respectful of my mother, and she learned from her many of the things that I like and have since been cooking for me some of my favorite dishes. My mother was more than willing to share that information with Pam, but she also was careful not to usurp Pam’s place as the lady of the home and the one who holds first place in my life. In addition, both of them also were very generous with the time that I was able to spend with each and that we spent together.
So those are three very simple things that anyone can do to have the best of relationships with their in-laws: 1. Make every effort to learn from the other – family history, tradition, customs, recipes, etc.;
2. Show respect for the other person’s position in their own home.
3. Watch carefully the time spent with each, giving preference to your spouse first while not neglecting time with your own parents.
Prayer: Father, may we all be blessed with a loving, supportive relationship with our in-laws, whether they are our parents-in-law or our children-in-law, that we may have the type of relationships that will be uplifting to everyone in the family.
Observation: After the death of her husband and their sons, Naomi returned to her home land. While Orpah, one of her daughters-in-law went back to her own home and family, Ruth, her other daughter-in-law, chose to travel with Naomi and settle in Naomi’s home land, be forever part of her family, and to fully accept and worship her God. While they lived together Ruth was devoted to the care of Naomi and her attitude, actions, and devotion to service did not go unnoticed. In fact, Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi’s, noticed Ruth’s care and indirectly made provision to help them. It is in this setting that we read Boaz commending Ruth in our text for today.
Application: The close relationship between Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth is special but by no means unique. Many mothers-in-law have been have been specially loving, supportive, and kind to their sons or daughters-in-law, and in some cases they have had a closer relationship than with their own children. The same has been the case with daughters or sons-in-law toward their spouse’ parents.
I borrow the title today from a book by Christian psychologist H. Norman Wright he speaks about this relationship which could be most damaging to a couple’s relationship or a tremendous blessing to all. For some reason, mothers-in-law have one of the worse reputations – in some cases probably well-deserved, but in most it is probably totally unwarranted.
One way to change the negative dynamics is to make every effort to learn from the other person. My wife and my mother had a very good relationship in spite of a language barrier, and I credit both for it. My wife was always very kind and respectful of my mother, and she learned from her many of the things that I like and have since been cooking for me some of my favorite dishes. My mother was more than willing to share that information with Pam, but she also was careful not to usurp Pam’s place as the lady of the home and the one who holds first place in my life. In addition, both of them also were very generous with the time that I was able to spend with each and that we spent together.
So those are three very simple things that anyone can do to have the best of relationships with their in-laws: 1. Make every effort to learn from the other – family history, tradition, customs, recipes, etc.;
2. Show respect for the other person’s position in their own home.
3. Watch carefully the time spent with each, giving preference to your spouse first while not neglecting time with your own parents.
Prayer: Father, may we all be blessed with a loving, supportive relationship with our in-laws, whether they are our parents-in-law or our children-in-law, that we may have the type of relationships that will be uplifting to everyone in the family.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Oainful and Bitter - March 26, 2009
Scripture: (Ruth 1:20-21 NKJV) But she said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. {21} "I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?"
Observation: In just a few verses we read of all the reverses that Ruth and her family suffered. First they had to leave their home and become immigrants in a foreign country. Then, she became a widow, and then her two sons also died. The last of her sorrow came when one of her daughters-in-law left her to go back to her own home. About the only bright moment in the midst of all this darkness was when her daughter-in-law, Ruth, chose to stay with her and travel back home with Naomi. Her bitter, painful experience led Naomi to ask that she be called Mara, reflecting the bitterness of her heart and life.
Application: My parents were married twenty-eight years until the afternoon, one early day in January, when my father suffered a massive heart attack that took his life and left my mother a widow. For twenty-eight years they lived together, traveled together, and managed to have and raise six children. The shock of her sudden change in her life and the loss of her life-partner plunged my mother into the darkness of pain and the bitterness of widowhood which caused her to loose more weight she should have and which cause her three children still at home to be very subdued and mask their own pain so they would not cause her any more pain than what she was already carrying in her heart and reflected in the black, mourning clothes she wore from then on and for over a year. The closeness of the relationship between a husband and wife is so strong that it has been compared to gluing two pieces of paper and then trying to separate them – it doesn’t happen without causing damage to one or both. And the longer a couple are married, the deeper their strong bond and their feelings toward one another; no wonder so many people pass on shortly after the death of their spouse – it is a separation some just simply cannot bear. At the same time, what a wonderful thing it is to live together in the strong bonds of love and marriage with the person closest to you, your spouse.
Prayer: Father, while the pain of the death of our spouse may come to us, I pray that our life together may be of such quality that we may live without regrets, and may the memories we’re building together carry us through the darkest, dreariest valleys of sorrow and pain.
Observation: In just a few verses we read of all the reverses that Ruth and her family suffered. First they had to leave their home and become immigrants in a foreign country. Then, she became a widow, and then her two sons also died. The last of her sorrow came when one of her daughters-in-law left her to go back to her own home. About the only bright moment in the midst of all this darkness was when her daughter-in-law, Ruth, chose to stay with her and travel back home with Naomi. Her bitter, painful experience led Naomi to ask that she be called Mara, reflecting the bitterness of her heart and life.
Application: My parents were married twenty-eight years until the afternoon, one early day in January, when my father suffered a massive heart attack that took his life and left my mother a widow. For twenty-eight years they lived together, traveled together, and managed to have and raise six children. The shock of her sudden change in her life and the loss of her life-partner plunged my mother into the darkness of pain and the bitterness of widowhood which caused her to loose more weight she should have and which cause her three children still at home to be very subdued and mask their own pain so they would not cause her any more pain than what she was already carrying in her heart and reflected in the black, mourning clothes she wore from then on and for over a year. The closeness of the relationship between a husband and wife is so strong that it has been compared to gluing two pieces of paper and then trying to separate them – it doesn’t happen without causing damage to one or both. And the longer a couple are married, the deeper their strong bond and their feelings toward one another; no wonder so many people pass on shortly after the death of their spouse – it is a separation some just simply cannot bear. At the same time, what a wonderful thing it is to live together in the strong bonds of love and marriage with the person closest to you, your spouse.
Prayer: Father, while the pain of the death of our spouse may come to us, I pray that our life together may be of such quality that we may live without regrets, and may the memories we’re building together carry us through the darkest, dreariest valleys of sorrow and pain.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Win Your Spouse Back - March 25, 2009
Scripture: (Judg 19:1-3 NKJV) And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. {2} But his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her father's house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there four whole months. {3} Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back, having his servant and a couple of donkeys with him. So she brought him into her father's house; and when the father of the young woman saw him, he was glad to meet him.
Observation: This is one of the strangest stories in the entire Bible. A Levite set out to win back the love of a woman, but when the men of the city wanted to have sex with the Levite, instead he gave them his woman for then to do with her as they wished. After an entire night of abuse, the woman died, the Levite took her home, cut her in pieces, and sent the pieces throughout Israel seeking justice.
When sin controls people, they will stop at nothing until their sinful desires are met. Not only were they trying to do what God calls unnatural (Romans 1) by having homosexual relations, but also by abusing this woman to the point of death.
On the other hand, if we can look for something positive in this story, it is the Levite’s actions and words to win this woman back related at the beginning of the story.
Application: Even though the woman played the harlot and left him the Levite went to look for her, to speak kindly to her, and to bring her back. These three steps can also be critically important to win your wife back after you have caused harm any kind of pain – like speaking harshly to her, being unkind to her, betraying her trust in you. Let’s look at the three steps:
1. He went after her. He took the initiative. In the same way, if you have done or said anything that hurt your spouse, don’t ignore it as if it would go away on its own, or don’t expect the other to forget it as if nothing had happened. Take the initiative to go to your spouse and make things right with them. Apologize, ask their forgiveness, make every effort to make things better in the future.
2. He spoke kindly to her. Don’t make things worse by denying what happened or by becoming defensive. A recognition of what you did and kind words can go a lot farther in the healing process.
3. He brought her back. It’s not enough to just get back to normal but to establish a new, better normal I your relationship with your spouse.
We can make our relationships better and win back our spouse, if we are sincere in our desire and honest with our feelings, and if our attitude and actions show them we indeed love them and want the best for them.
Prayer: Father, we praise You and thank You for your gift of our spouse; may we treat them accordingly.
Observation: This is one of the strangest stories in the entire Bible. A Levite set out to win back the love of a woman, but when the men of the city wanted to have sex with the Levite, instead he gave them his woman for then to do with her as they wished. After an entire night of abuse, the woman died, the Levite took her home, cut her in pieces, and sent the pieces throughout Israel seeking justice.
When sin controls people, they will stop at nothing until their sinful desires are met. Not only were they trying to do what God calls unnatural (Romans 1) by having homosexual relations, but also by abusing this woman to the point of death.
On the other hand, if we can look for something positive in this story, it is the Levite’s actions and words to win this woman back related at the beginning of the story.
Application: Even though the woman played the harlot and left him the Levite went to look for her, to speak kindly to her, and to bring her back. These three steps can also be critically important to win your wife back after you have caused harm any kind of pain – like speaking harshly to her, being unkind to her, betraying her trust in you. Let’s look at the three steps:
1. He went after her. He took the initiative. In the same way, if you have done or said anything that hurt your spouse, don’t ignore it as if it would go away on its own, or don’t expect the other to forget it as if nothing had happened. Take the initiative to go to your spouse and make things right with them. Apologize, ask their forgiveness, make every effort to make things better in the future.
2. He spoke kindly to her. Don’t make things worse by denying what happened or by becoming defensive. A recognition of what you did and kind words can go a lot farther in the healing process.
3. He brought her back. It’s not enough to just get back to normal but to establish a new, better normal I your relationship with your spouse.
We can make our relationships better and win back our spouse, if we are sincere in our desire and honest with our feelings, and if our attitude and actions show them we indeed love them and want the best for them.
Prayer: Father, we praise You and thank You for your gift of our spouse; may we treat them accordingly.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Listen to Your Parents - March 24, 2009
Scripture: (Judg 14:1-3 NKJV) Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. {2} So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, "I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife." {3} Then his father and mother said to him, "Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" And Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she pleases me well."
Observation: Samson became obsessed with a woman from Timnah and insisted, against his parent’s advice, that they get her for him. They objected because marriage with an unbeliever, in fact a pagan, was strictly forbidden. But Samson was insistent and his parents, who were obviously indulgent of their only son, gave in and made the appropriate arrangements for Samson to have her. Just reading the rest of the chapter tells us of the horrible results of such actions which eventually led to his involvement with a prostitute, Delilah, and to his capture and eventual demise.
Application: In our day we don’t have arranged marriages, at least in our western culture, and yet I can’t help but wonder how many people I personally know would be so much better off if they had only listened to their parents and of others I know right now who are going against the advice of family and friends totally ignoring their advice, their feelings, and their dislike of the person they are dating. It’s as if they believe that by stubbornly staying with that person they will force their family and friends to dismiss their concerns for their relationships and they will come to like, or even love the other person. In the PREPARE inventory I provide to couples contemplating marriage, one of the areas we look at is the parents and friends’ reaction to the couple’s relation. When their reaction is positive, the couple not only seems to do better but also, logically, they have one less thing to work on or worry about. The opposite is also true of the couples who don’t enjoy the support of their family or friends; it’s like fighting an uphill battle as they begin to form their new relationship and without the love and support of those closest to them.
While the family may not always be right in their feelings or opinions of your boyfriend or girlfriend, if there are negative feelings already going into the relationship, chances are that they won’t get any better later. Listen to what your family and friends are trying to tell you; they are trying to help you, and they may be saving you from a life of hardship and pain.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the wise counsel of family and friends. May we be attentive to what they have to tell us, specially if that has to do with following Your guidance and when it comes to those relationships which we hope will be life-lasting.
Observation: Samson became obsessed with a woman from Timnah and insisted, against his parent’s advice, that they get her for him. They objected because marriage with an unbeliever, in fact a pagan, was strictly forbidden. But Samson was insistent and his parents, who were obviously indulgent of their only son, gave in and made the appropriate arrangements for Samson to have her. Just reading the rest of the chapter tells us of the horrible results of such actions which eventually led to his involvement with a prostitute, Delilah, and to his capture and eventual demise.
Application: In our day we don’t have arranged marriages, at least in our western culture, and yet I can’t help but wonder how many people I personally know would be so much better off if they had only listened to their parents and of others I know right now who are going against the advice of family and friends totally ignoring their advice, their feelings, and their dislike of the person they are dating. It’s as if they believe that by stubbornly staying with that person they will force their family and friends to dismiss their concerns for their relationships and they will come to like, or even love the other person. In the PREPARE inventory I provide to couples contemplating marriage, one of the areas we look at is the parents and friends’ reaction to the couple’s relation. When their reaction is positive, the couple not only seems to do better but also, logically, they have one less thing to work on or worry about. The opposite is also true of the couples who don’t enjoy the support of their family or friends; it’s like fighting an uphill battle as they begin to form their new relationship and without the love and support of those closest to them.
While the family may not always be right in their feelings or opinions of your boyfriend or girlfriend, if there are negative feelings already going into the relationship, chances are that they won’t get any better later. Listen to what your family and friends are trying to tell you; they are trying to help you, and they may be saving you from a life of hardship and pain.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the wise counsel of family and friends. May we be attentive to what they have to tell us, specially if that has to do with following Your guidance and when it comes to those relationships which we hope will be life-lasting.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Careless Promises - March 23, 2009
Scripture: (Judg 11:30-31 NKJV) And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, "If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, {31} "then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering."
Observation: Jephthah led the Israelites to defeat the Ammonites, but before he went to war with them he asked God for the power, the strength, the ability to defeat them, and then promised that if he would indeed win he would present God an offering of the first thing that came out of the house. I’m not sure what he thought would come out – an cow, a goat? Or if he thought that maybe one servant might come out. But great was his distress when it was his only daughter who came out to greet him and to celebrate his victory and great her disappointment when instead of a great joy, her celebration turned into great sorrow.
Application: Just as careless as Jephthah was with his vow, so are many parents with the promises or threatened discipline. We have observed many parents, specially parents of small children, threaten discipline unless their children change their actions, but they do it in a way that the children know are vain words. Some count: “Jimmy stop that! One. . . two. . . two-and-a-half. . .” Children know that counting doesn’t really mean anything until it gets to three. Others would threaten by repeating themselves: “Sussy, come here. . . Sussy, I told you to come here. . . Sussy, I’m not going to tell you again, come here. . . Sussy, I’m getting upset, you better come here. . .” and on and on. Other parents use their staccato voice and the children’s names to show the escalation of their command: “Ronny pick up your toys. . . Ron, pick up your toys. . . Ronald, pick up your toys, Ronald Arthur, I told you to pick up your toys. . . RONALD ARTHUR SMITH YOU COME RIGHT NOW AND PICK UP YOUR TOYS OR I’M GOING TO. . .” It is finally at this point that children take their parents more seriously and begin to either move in the direction of complying or rebelling further to see how far they can push their parents.
When it comes to discipline, it’s best to follow these steps:
1. Set clear limits and consequences, according to the age and understanding capacity of each child.
2. If the child crosses the limit, apply discipline immediately. This does a number of things. First of all, you as the parent applies the discipline without losing your temper. Secondly, the child learns to comply with the pre-defined limits.
3. Immediately after applying discipline, reassure your children of your love for them.
In the same way, don’t make threats that will affect you or the rest of the family because you will end up punishing everyone else or you will find yourself in the position to break the threat. For instance, if your child comes home later than they should have and you tell them something like: “You’re not going anywhere for a month!”, you may have to stay at home for that month and therefore the entire family is punished with the transgressor.
On the other hand, don’t make promises you can’t keep. Don’t say, “if you get good grades I’ll buy you a new car,” when you may not be able to afford the car and all related expenses, and if your child does get good grades, then you may not be able to fulfill that promise and therefore give negative messages to your children, such as: My parents don’t keep their promises, it doesn’t matter if I do well in school, etc.
These things are part of what Jesus meant when He said, “Let your yes be yes and your no be no” (Mat. 5:37).
Prayer: Father, help us to make no promises or threats we cannot keep.
Observation: Jephthah led the Israelites to defeat the Ammonites, but before he went to war with them he asked God for the power, the strength, the ability to defeat them, and then promised that if he would indeed win he would present God an offering of the first thing that came out of the house. I’m not sure what he thought would come out – an cow, a goat? Or if he thought that maybe one servant might come out. But great was his distress when it was his only daughter who came out to greet him and to celebrate his victory and great her disappointment when instead of a great joy, her celebration turned into great sorrow.
Application: Just as careless as Jephthah was with his vow, so are many parents with the promises or threatened discipline. We have observed many parents, specially parents of small children, threaten discipline unless their children change their actions, but they do it in a way that the children know are vain words. Some count: “Jimmy stop that! One. . . two. . . two-and-a-half. . .” Children know that counting doesn’t really mean anything until it gets to three. Others would threaten by repeating themselves: “Sussy, come here. . . Sussy, I told you to come here. . . Sussy, I’m not going to tell you again, come here. . . Sussy, I’m getting upset, you better come here. . .” and on and on. Other parents use their staccato voice and the children’s names to show the escalation of their command: “Ronny pick up your toys. . . Ron, pick up your toys. . . Ronald, pick up your toys, Ronald Arthur, I told you to pick up your toys. . . RONALD ARTHUR SMITH YOU COME RIGHT NOW AND PICK UP YOUR TOYS OR I’M GOING TO. . .” It is finally at this point that children take their parents more seriously and begin to either move in the direction of complying or rebelling further to see how far they can push their parents.
When it comes to discipline, it’s best to follow these steps:
1. Set clear limits and consequences, according to the age and understanding capacity of each child.
2. If the child crosses the limit, apply discipline immediately. This does a number of things. First of all, you as the parent applies the discipline without losing your temper. Secondly, the child learns to comply with the pre-defined limits.
3. Immediately after applying discipline, reassure your children of your love for them.
In the same way, don’t make threats that will affect you or the rest of the family because you will end up punishing everyone else or you will find yourself in the position to break the threat. For instance, if your child comes home later than they should have and you tell them something like: “You’re not going anywhere for a month!”, you may have to stay at home for that month and therefore the entire family is punished with the transgressor.
On the other hand, don’t make promises you can’t keep. Don’t say, “if you get good grades I’ll buy you a new car,” when you may not be able to afford the car and all related expenses, and if your child does get good grades, then you may not be able to fulfill that promise and therefore give negative messages to your children, such as: My parents don’t keep their promises, it doesn’t matter if I do well in school, etc.
These things are part of what Jesus meant when He said, “Let your yes be yes and your no be no” (Mat. 5:37).
Prayer: Father, help us to make no promises or threats we cannot keep.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The Price of Power - March 22, 2009
Scripture: (Judg 9:4-6 NKJV) So they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men; and they followed him. {5} Then he went to his father's house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, because he hid himself. {6} And all the men of Shechem gathered together, all of Beth Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king beside the terebinth tree at the pillar that was in Shechem.
Observation: In previous chapters we learned of the Gideon and how he tested God with a fleece, how he destroyed Baals altar, and how he defeated the Midianites. But not all of Gideon’s experiences were positive. Toward the end of the last chapter we read he built an ephod in his town of Ophrah and people came there to worship and prostituted themselves and became a snare to Gideon’s family. Gideon had many wives so he also had many children, seventy of them. Abimelech emerged as the leader among Gideon’s children and did it by winning the support of the people of Shechem who paid him to become their king after which he killed all but one of his seventy brothers.
Application: Stories like this make me cringe to thin of how one person could deal with his brothers in that cruel way, and all for the sake of power and money. And yet, I personally know of two families where a brother has dealt in similar ways (except for killing them) with his siblings by robbing them of what rightly belongs to his siblings, by taking advantage of them, and by enriching himself at their expense. When it comes to money, some people will do anything they have to even if that means taking it from their own family members. What is the point of selling your soul for money while your siblings or those closest to you suffer? If the funds God gives us are not used to help others, then our selfishness will destroy something that is much more important and worth a lot more and that is our family relationships.
Prayer: Father, help us to never place material things over our family or any other person.
Observation: In previous chapters we learned of the Gideon and how he tested God with a fleece, how he destroyed Baals altar, and how he defeated the Midianites. But not all of Gideon’s experiences were positive. Toward the end of the last chapter we read he built an ephod in his town of Ophrah and people came there to worship and prostituted themselves and became a snare to Gideon’s family. Gideon had many wives so he also had many children, seventy of them. Abimelech emerged as the leader among Gideon’s children and did it by winning the support of the people of Shechem who paid him to become their king after which he killed all but one of his seventy brothers.
Application: Stories like this make me cringe to thin of how one person could deal with his brothers in that cruel way, and all for the sake of power and money. And yet, I personally know of two families where a brother has dealt in similar ways (except for killing them) with his siblings by robbing them of what rightly belongs to his siblings, by taking advantage of them, and by enriching himself at their expense. When it comes to money, some people will do anything they have to even if that means taking it from their own family members. What is the point of selling your soul for money while your siblings or those closest to you suffer? If the funds God gives us are not used to help others, then our selfishness will destroy something that is much more important and worth a lot more and that is our family relationships.
Prayer: Father, help us to never place material things over our family or any other person.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The Sword of the Lord - March 21, 2009
Scripture: (Judg 7:20 NKJV) Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers; they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing; and they cried, "The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!"
Observation: Gideon’s large army had been pruned down to a very small number, particularly when compared with the army of the Midianites. Then, they surrounded the Midianites and at the right moment they broke the pitchers, blew the trumpets, and lifted the torches at the same time as they shouted, “The sword of the Lord...” To the half-asleep Midianite army, the noise, sights, the lights must have seemed like millions, and that caused great panic and confusion which led to their great defeat. While on my last visit to Israel, several years ago, I remember our guide telling us that during the war with Syria over the Golan Heights, one lone Israeli tank operator did a very heroic feat. He would drive up to the ridge and fire against the Syrians, then drive down, move to another location, drive up the ridge, fire, and repeated the same action from several locations. Down below, on the Syrian side, they could see tanks going up and down and firing upon them and they though it was an entire combat unit, and those actions slowed down just enough for the Israeli army to come to the Golan Heights to defend that strategic site. I imagine something similar took place during the battle when Gideon led the Israelites against the Midianites. . . who knows, maybe the Israeli tank soldier remembered this battle and knew that even a few can win a battle over the most. Then again, it was God fighting on the side of Gideon and his army, not just the military tactics they employed.
Application: Today we’re enjoying family togetherness as our younger daughter, who studies at Andrews University in Michigan, is home for spring break. Our older daughter, who lives nearby, is joinging us, and the four of us plan to spend the day together. Those opportunities don’t come by too often nowadays, so we praise and than God for it. As I think of the battle of Gideon’s army, I can’t help but think of the battles we as parents have to fight for our children. The enemies of our children are great and many and at times we are overwhelmed and shaken to think of these seemly insurmountable foes. But maybe that’s why this story is here, to remind us as parents that we may be small and seemly powerless, but if we blow the trumpet and lift up the torch (God’s word), victory will be ours and our children’s. I would like to liken blowing the trumpet to our living testimony, and lifting the torch to studying the Bible – I suppose if you want to take the analogy further, you could say that breaking the pitchers is eliminating those negative influences that threaten to enslave us and our children. But we do know and must be fully convinced of is that the Battle is the Lord and we need to commit ourselves and our children to Him if we’re to gain the final victory.
I know the following passages are not directly related to what I just concluded, but they are very inspiring nonetheless.
“The leader whom God chose to overthrow the Midianites occupied no prominent position in Israel. He was not a ruler, a priest, or a Levite. He thought himself the least in his father's house. But God saw in him a man of courage and integrity. He was distrustful of himself and willing to follow the guidance of the Lord. God does not always choose for His work men of the greatest talents, but He selects those whom He can best use. "Before honor is humility." Proverbs 15:33. The Lord can work most effectually through those who are most sensible of their own insufficiency, and who will rely upon Him as their leader and source of strength. He will make them strong by uniting their weakness to His might, and wise by connecting their ignorance with His wisdom.
If they would cherish true humility, the Lord could do much more for His people; but there are few who can be trusted with any large measure of responsibility or success without becoming self-confident and forgetful of their dependence upon God. This is why, in choosing the instruments for His work, the Lord passes by those whom the world honors as great, talented, and brilliant. They are too often proud and self-sufficient. They feel competent to act without counsel from God.” {Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 553}
“The Lord is willing to do great things for us. We shall not gain the victory through numbers, but through the full surrender of the soul to Jesus. We are to go forward in His strength, trusting in the mighty God of Israel. There is a lesson for us in the story of Gideon's army. . . . The Lord is just as willing to work through human efforts now, and to accomplish great things through weak instrumentalities. {Ellen G. White, Conflict and Courage, p. 127}
Prayer: Father, give the courage to go through this conflict and win the final battle against your foe. But also give us the victory with and for our children that we together may enjoy the rewards of eternal life together.
Observation: Gideon’s large army had been pruned down to a very small number, particularly when compared with the army of the Midianites. Then, they surrounded the Midianites and at the right moment they broke the pitchers, blew the trumpets, and lifted the torches at the same time as they shouted, “The sword of the Lord...” To the half-asleep Midianite army, the noise, sights, the lights must have seemed like millions, and that caused great panic and confusion which led to their great defeat. While on my last visit to Israel, several years ago, I remember our guide telling us that during the war with Syria over the Golan Heights, one lone Israeli tank operator did a very heroic feat. He would drive up to the ridge and fire against the Syrians, then drive down, move to another location, drive up the ridge, fire, and repeated the same action from several locations. Down below, on the Syrian side, they could see tanks going up and down and firing upon them and they though it was an entire combat unit, and those actions slowed down just enough for the Israeli army to come to the Golan Heights to defend that strategic site. I imagine something similar took place during the battle when Gideon led the Israelites against the Midianites. . . who knows, maybe the Israeli tank soldier remembered this battle and knew that even a few can win a battle over the most. Then again, it was God fighting on the side of Gideon and his army, not just the military tactics they employed.
Application: Today we’re enjoying family togetherness as our younger daughter, who studies at Andrews University in Michigan, is home for spring break. Our older daughter, who lives nearby, is joinging us, and the four of us plan to spend the day together. Those opportunities don’t come by too often nowadays, so we praise and than God for it. As I think of the battle of Gideon’s army, I can’t help but think of the battles we as parents have to fight for our children. The enemies of our children are great and many and at times we are overwhelmed and shaken to think of these seemly insurmountable foes. But maybe that’s why this story is here, to remind us as parents that we may be small and seemly powerless, but if we blow the trumpet and lift up the torch (God’s word), victory will be ours and our children’s. I would like to liken blowing the trumpet to our living testimony, and lifting the torch to studying the Bible – I suppose if you want to take the analogy further, you could say that breaking the pitchers is eliminating those negative influences that threaten to enslave us and our children. But we do know and must be fully convinced of is that the Battle is the Lord and we need to commit ourselves and our children to Him if we’re to gain the final victory.
I know the following passages are not directly related to what I just concluded, but they are very inspiring nonetheless.
“The leader whom God chose to overthrow the Midianites occupied no prominent position in Israel. He was not a ruler, a priest, or a Levite. He thought himself the least in his father's house. But God saw in him a man of courage and integrity. He was distrustful of himself and willing to follow the guidance of the Lord. God does not always choose for His work men of the greatest talents, but He selects those whom He can best use. "Before honor is humility." Proverbs 15:33. The Lord can work most effectually through those who are most sensible of their own insufficiency, and who will rely upon Him as their leader and source of strength. He will make them strong by uniting their weakness to His might, and wise by connecting their ignorance with His wisdom.
If they would cherish true humility, the Lord could do much more for His people; but there are few who can be trusted with any large measure of responsibility or success without becoming self-confident and forgetful of their dependence upon God. This is why, in choosing the instruments for His work, the Lord passes by those whom the world honors as great, talented, and brilliant. They are too often proud and self-sufficient. They feel competent to act without counsel from God.” {Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 553}
“The Lord is willing to do great things for us. We shall not gain the victory through numbers, but through the full surrender of the soul to Jesus. We are to go forward in His strength, trusting in the mighty God of Israel. There is a lesson for us in the story of Gideon's army. . . . The Lord is just as willing to work through human efforts now, and to accomplish great things through weak instrumentalities. {Ellen G. White, Conflict and Courage, p. 127}
Prayer: Father, give the courage to go through this conflict and win the final battle against your foe. But also give us the victory with and for our children that we together may enjoy the rewards of eternal life together.
Friday, March 20, 2009
The Courage of a Woman - March 20, 2009
Scripture: (Judg 4:4-5 NKJV) Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time. {5} And she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
Observation: Deborah, a prophetess, was also the leader of Israel at the time. He called Barak to pursue Sisera, one of Israel’s enemies. At the end, Deborah and Jael, who killed Sisera in her tent, turned out to be the courageous heroines of this story
Application: This is one of those amazing stories of courage displayed not just by one but by two women of the Bible. There are homes where men are weak and easily led by others or by sins or habits that threaten to destroy their marriage, their family, their finances, and even the very men practicing them. It is at those times when a courageous woman has to take the reins of their home lest everyone and everything they have be consumed.
Every home has a clearly defined leader, even if the relationship between spouses is egalitarian. The bible’s ideal is that the man should have that headship since that is a reflection of the order in God’s universe and he serves as a reflection of God and the relationship of Christ as the husband and the church as His bride. Today’s reality is that some men are not that type of reflection and don’t demonstrate the correct pattern established by Christ. In addition, some women are raising a family with the absence of a husband or father of her children. In these cases, women can and must serve the role of headship in their homes in order to maintain it intact and thrive even under less than ideal circumstances.
Prayer: Father, bless the women who under difficult circumstances labor to keep their families intact and healthy. May they reflect faithfully the image of Christ in their lives.
Observation: Deborah, a prophetess, was also the leader of Israel at the time. He called Barak to pursue Sisera, one of Israel’s enemies. At the end, Deborah and Jael, who killed Sisera in her tent, turned out to be the courageous heroines of this story
Application: This is one of those amazing stories of courage displayed not just by one but by two women of the Bible. There are homes where men are weak and easily led by others or by sins or habits that threaten to destroy their marriage, their family, their finances, and even the very men practicing them. It is at those times when a courageous woman has to take the reins of their home lest everyone and everything they have be consumed.
Every home has a clearly defined leader, even if the relationship between spouses is egalitarian. The bible’s ideal is that the man should have that headship since that is a reflection of the order in God’s universe and he serves as a reflection of God and the relationship of Christ as the husband and the church as His bride. Today’s reality is that some men are not that type of reflection and don’t demonstrate the correct pattern established by Christ. In addition, some women are raising a family with the absence of a husband or father of her children. In these cases, women can and must serve the role of headship in their homes in order to maintain it intact and thrive even under less than ideal circumstances.
Prayer: Father, bless the women who under difficult circumstances labor to keep their families intact and healthy. May they reflect faithfully the image of Christ in their lives.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
In One Generation - March 19, 2009
Scripture: (Judg 2:10 NKJV) When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.
Observation: After the death of Joshua and the people of his generation had passed away, things changed very quickly in Israel, but not for the best. The rapid decline in their spirituality reflects the rapid abandonment of God’s will for them. First of all, the Israelites stopped their conquest of the Promised Land from going as far as God intended it should. Secondly, they left entire cities, and their inhabitants, alive and established relationships with them. And finally, they began to worship the Baals of the people of the land. This rapid decline is what God had tried to prevent by commanding them to destroy the people of the land, but in just one generation they went from following God to worshipping Baal.
Application: I can attest to how fast things change, in one generation, when you abandon God. My mother’s parents were the first Seventh-day Adventist converts in the city of Bucaramanga, where we were born, in the country of Colombia, South America. When my mother was a young girl, her mother died leaving her husband to raise five young children by himself; my grandfather never remarried. Weighed down with the heavy responsibility and with a large hospital bill after his wife’s death, my grandfather, a very responsible man, made whatever payments he could on that hospital bill but in the process he didn’t return God’s tithe faithfully; shortly after that, he stopped going to church altogether. Eventually all but one of the children, including my mother, ended up out of the church (one died at a young age, still believing and living his faith). As a young lady, about to graduate from high school, my mother met my father, who together with his family was Roman Catholic. In order for my mother to be able to marry my father she “converted” to Catholicism; in her own words, while she did everything in her power to accept, believe, and practice her new religion, she confessed to me many years later that she never really could come to believe it because the seeds of Bible truth remained deeply ingrained in her heart. Nevertheless, she raised her children as Catholics, attending church every Sunday, and performing the rituals, or “sacraments,” required by the church such like infant baptism, “the First Communion,” “Confirmation,” etc.
As a young boy, after my first communion, I became quite active in the church and was chosen to be one of the altar boys in the church near to where we lived and where we worshiped regularly for many years. I remember as a young boy wearing my bath robe and standing before the kitchen sink, with a slice of bread, dipping a piece of it in a glass of orange juice mixed with some water, role-playing what I saw the priest do on the altar during mass – by the way, my own “mass” was not the best as the juice was too watered down, and the bread soaked in this mixture tasted horrible. If the priest had seen me doing this he probably would have said that even at an early age I demonstrated a vocation for the priesthood; I might say that even in the darkness was already beginning to show me a glimpse of the ministerial career I would one day follow.
In my family, all of us grew up catholic, and faithfully did the things required of good Catholics like repeating the prescribed prayers to Mary and to bow down before the many images found in churches, cathedrals, and even road side shrines. While my mother’s brother and his family were Adventists, we never completely understood what they were or why they lived like they did; we only knew they did strange things like not watch TV on Friday nights and Saturdays, or not eating what we considered to be delicacies and which now I myself find distasteful, even disgusting. It was only after the death of my father, and our move to the United States, that my mother returned to the Adventist faith and she and I were baptized the same day in a church in Silver Spring, Maryland.
As we reflect on our portion of the Scriptures for today, some may wonder how quickly the Israelites abandoned the faith of their fathers after all the powerful miracles He worked on their behalf. I witnessed how easy it is to do so as with my mother’s departure from the faith as in just a few short years she went from being a Sabbath-keeping, second-coming-expecting Christian, to a Sunday-keeping, idol worshipping Catholic, and as a result, with the birth of each of her children, we were one by one introduced to the worship of these idols and it became a simple part of our lives.
If we as parents can see how easily and quickly children learn, we would be so much more careful with our actions and words. I am amazed at parents who don’t bring their young children to church or those who have told me that they don’t want to force them to believe as they do but want to give their children the freedom to choose what to believe only to see how quickly their children abandon the faith their parents wish they would hold as their own. I’d like to encourage every parent to hold dear their faith and live it and teach it to their children from the time they are born that they may grow up in it from their earliest days; if we as parents don’t live our faith, we will quickly loose our children and many generations to come.
Prayer: Father, help us to live daily our faith and may we transmit it faithfully to our children and for generations to come.
Observation: After the death of Joshua and the people of his generation had passed away, things changed very quickly in Israel, but not for the best. The rapid decline in their spirituality reflects the rapid abandonment of God’s will for them. First of all, the Israelites stopped their conquest of the Promised Land from going as far as God intended it should. Secondly, they left entire cities, and their inhabitants, alive and established relationships with them. And finally, they began to worship the Baals of the people of the land. This rapid decline is what God had tried to prevent by commanding them to destroy the people of the land, but in just one generation they went from following God to worshipping Baal.
Application: I can attest to how fast things change, in one generation, when you abandon God. My mother’s parents were the first Seventh-day Adventist converts in the city of Bucaramanga, where we were born, in the country of Colombia, South America. When my mother was a young girl, her mother died leaving her husband to raise five young children by himself; my grandfather never remarried. Weighed down with the heavy responsibility and with a large hospital bill after his wife’s death, my grandfather, a very responsible man, made whatever payments he could on that hospital bill but in the process he didn’t return God’s tithe faithfully; shortly after that, he stopped going to church altogether. Eventually all but one of the children, including my mother, ended up out of the church (one died at a young age, still believing and living his faith). As a young lady, about to graduate from high school, my mother met my father, who together with his family was Roman Catholic. In order for my mother to be able to marry my father she “converted” to Catholicism; in her own words, while she did everything in her power to accept, believe, and practice her new religion, she confessed to me many years later that she never really could come to believe it because the seeds of Bible truth remained deeply ingrained in her heart. Nevertheless, she raised her children as Catholics, attending church every Sunday, and performing the rituals, or “sacraments,” required by the church such like infant baptism, “the First Communion,” “Confirmation,” etc.
As a young boy, after my first communion, I became quite active in the church and was chosen to be one of the altar boys in the church near to where we lived and where we worshiped regularly for many years. I remember as a young boy wearing my bath robe and standing before the kitchen sink, with a slice of bread, dipping a piece of it in a glass of orange juice mixed with some water, role-playing what I saw the priest do on the altar during mass – by the way, my own “mass” was not the best as the juice was too watered down, and the bread soaked in this mixture tasted horrible. If the priest had seen me doing this he probably would have said that even at an early age I demonstrated a vocation for the priesthood; I might say that even in the darkness was already beginning to show me a glimpse of the ministerial career I would one day follow.
In my family, all of us grew up catholic, and faithfully did the things required of good Catholics like repeating the prescribed prayers to Mary and to bow down before the many images found in churches, cathedrals, and even road side shrines. While my mother’s brother and his family were Adventists, we never completely understood what they were or why they lived like they did; we only knew they did strange things like not watch TV on Friday nights and Saturdays, or not eating what we considered to be delicacies and which now I myself find distasteful, even disgusting. It was only after the death of my father, and our move to the United States, that my mother returned to the Adventist faith and she and I were baptized the same day in a church in Silver Spring, Maryland.
As we reflect on our portion of the Scriptures for today, some may wonder how quickly the Israelites abandoned the faith of their fathers after all the powerful miracles He worked on their behalf. I witnessed how easy it is to do so as with my mother’s departure from the faith as in just a few short years she went from being a Sabbath-keeping, second-coming-expecting Christian, to a Sunday-keeping, idol worshipping Catholic, and as a result, with the birth of each of her children, we were one by one introduced to the worship of these idols and it became a simple part of our lives.
If we as parents can see how easily and quickly children learn, we would be so much more careful with our actions and words. I am amazed at parents who don’t bring their young children to church or those who have told me that they don’t want to force them to believe as they do but want to give their children the freedom to choose what to believe only to see how quickly their children abandon the faith their parents wish they would hold as their own. I’d like to encourage every parent to hold dear their faith and live it and teach it to their children from the time they are born that they may grow up in it from their earliest days; if we as parents don’t live our faith, we will quickly loose our children and many generations to come.
Prayer: Father, help us to live daily our faith and may we transmit it faithfully to our children and for generations to come.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Best Choice - March 18, 2009
Scripture: (Josh 24:14-15 NKJV) "Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! {15} "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
Observation: This is one of those well-known passages in the Bible and it comes in the latter part of Joshua’s life, as he recounts for the Israelites what God has done for them and again reminds them to not enter into relationships with the people of the land lest they “become a snare” for them. Here he challenges them with his own personal example. If, after all God has done for them, they still choose to worship other gods, so be it. Crazy as it seems, so be it. But as for me and my family, God forbid that I’d leave Him to worship worthless pieces of wood, stone, or metal. We will serve the Lord. It is his own example that leads the people to respond the way they did: (Josh 24:16-18 NKJV) So the people answered and said: "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; {17} "for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed. {18} "And the LORD drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God."
Application: We can never underestimate the power of our decisions on what other people, particularly our family, do. Joshua understood that, which is why, at the dusk of his life he challenged the children of Israel with the words of our text. We can challenge our children as often as we want to, but if our actions don’t match our words, the challenge will not only go unheeded, it could well drive them to make the opposite choice of what we would have wanted for them. That’s that mean that if we live correctly all the time (or at least most of the time), that our children will follow our steps all the time (or most of the time) as well? I wish I could tell you that is the case. The reality is that everyone has the same freedom of choice and even the most godly parents have experienced the pain of seeing their children leave the faith in which they were brought up and the God to whom they were dedicated as babies. As parents, however, we must consider that without a good example on our part the chances that they will choice a different path increase greatly. From our part, then, we must dedicate ourselves and our family to God, live uprightly with God’s help, pray for and with them daily, and then leave the rest to them and to God expecting that ultimately His grace will be sufficient for them, as it is for us.
Prayer: Father, in Your goodness you allow us to make our own choices. This day, we choose You as our God and Savior and ask that You come close to our children, that they may sense Your presence in their lives, and that they, too, choose You this day as their God, their Savior, and Lord of their lives.
Observation: This is one of those well-known passages in the Bible and it comes in the latter part of Joshua’s life, as he recounts for the Israelites what God has done for them and again reminds them to not enter into relationships with the people of the land lest they “become a snare” for them. Here he challenges them with his own personal example. If, after all God has done for them, they still choose to worship other gods, so be it. Crazy as it seems, so be it. But as for me and my family, God forbid that I’d leave Him to worship worthless pieces of wood, stone, or metal. We will serve the Lord. It is his own example that leads the people to respond the way they did: (Josh 24:16-18 NKJV) So the people answered and said: "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; {17} "for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed. {18} "And the LORD drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God."
Application: We can never underestimate the power of our decisions on what other people, particularly our family, do. Joshua understood that, which is why, at the dusk of his life he challenged the children of Israel with the words of our text. We can challenge our children as often as we want to, but if our actions don’t match our words, the challenge will not only go unheeded, it could well drive them to make the opposite choice of what we would have wanted for them. That’s that mean that if we live correctly all the time (or at least most of the time), that our children will follow our steps all the time (or most of the time) as well? I wish I could tell you that is the case. The reality is that everyone has the same freedom of choice and even the most godly parents have experienced the pain of seeing their children leave the faith in which they were brought up and the God to whom they were dedicated as babies. As parents, however, we must consider that without a good example on our part the chances that they will choice a different path increase greatly. From our part, then, we must dedicate ourselves and our family to God, live uprightly with God’s help, pray for and with them daily, and then leave the rest to them and to God expecting that ultimately His grace will be sufficient for them, as it is for us.
Prayer: Father, in Your goodness you allow us to make our own choices. This day, we choose You as our God and Savior and ask that You come close to our children, that they may sense Your presence in their lives, and that they, too, choose You this day as their God, their Savior, and Lord of their lives.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Unintentional Pain - March 17, 2009
Scripture: (Josh 20:3 NKJV) 'that the slayer who kills a person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
Observation: The cities of refuge were provided so that anyone who killed somebody else unintentionally would not be killed by the avenger but rather would be protected and live there until the death of the high priest. The symbolism with Jesus, our High Priest, as our refuge is very clear, so these cities were not only for physical refuge but would teach them of the spiritual provision God had made for our salvation in the form of His Son Jesus Christ.
Application: In every relationship, there will be times when one or the other will cause pain to the other, albeit unintentionally. The wonderful thing about committed relationships is that when that happens, the person who did it will be quick to apologize, and the injured person will be quick to forgive. This environment will provide a true refuge to both parties.
Prayer: Father, thank You for being our Refuge, and thank You for making of our home a place of refuge for all of us.
Observation: The cities of refuge were provided so that anyone who killed somebody else unintentionally would not be killed by the avenger but rather would be protected and live there until the death of the high priest. The symbolism with Jesus, our High Priest, as our refuge is very clear, so these cities were not only for physical refuge but would teach them of the spiritual provision God had made for our salvation in the form of His Son Jesus Christ.
Application: In every relationship, there will be times when one or the other will cause pain to the other, albeit unintentionally. The wonderful thing about committed relationships is that when that happens, the person who did it will be quick to apologize, and the injured person will be quick to forgive. This environment will provide a true refuge to both parties.
Prayer: Father, thank You for being our Refuge, and thank You for making of our home a place of refuge for all of us.
Monday, March 16, 2009
A Good Account - March 16, 2009
Scripture: (Josh 18:4-6 NKJV) "Pick out from among you three men for each tribe, and I will send them; they shall rise and go through the land, survey it according to their inheritance, and come back to me. {5} "And they shall divide it into seven parts. Judah shall remain in their territory on the south, and the house of Joseph shall remain in their territory on the north. {6} "You shall therefore survey the land in seven parts and bring the survey here to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.
Observation: As Joshua nears the end of his life, he wants to ensure that the land is conquered and settled properly, so he send men from every tribe to survey the land and then to divide it among the remaining tribes yet to be settled.
Application: Joshua was a very conscientious leader and wanted to make sure everything was done properly before his death. I think as Christians we must be careful with all our accounting, that we do things rightly, justly, and correctly. I’m thinking of at least a few areas:
1. Tithes and offerings. As much as we need to do things legally in this world, so much more with God. The tithe is ten percent of all our income and it belongs to God. In addition to the tithe, God expects us to be generous and give an additional amount of offerings.
2. Taxes. As much as we may dislike paying taxes, it is those funds that for the most part take care of the expenses of our country, state, city, or community where we live. We benefit from the taxes we pay and what others pay as well. We must be careful that taxes are paid properly and that we do everything legally.
3. Make sure the accounting of our funds is done carefully. We should make sure to reconcile the checking and savings accounts every month to make we have what we believe we do and not overdraw our accounts.
4. Budgeting is important to control our expenditures and save for future needs of the household.
We may not be accountants of hold a masters in business administration (MBA); however, simple accounting of our funds can save us a lot of headaches and will help us be faithful with the means God provides us for our sustenance.
Prayer: Father, help us to be faithful in our accounting of Your gifts and to remember You first of all as we manage these funds.
Observation: As Joshua nears the end of his life, he wants to ensure that the land is conquered and settled properly, so he send men from every tribe to survey the land and then to divide it among the remaining tribes yet to be settled.
Application: Joshua was a very conscientious leader and wanted to make sure everything was done properly before his death. I think as Christians we must be careful with all our accounting, that we do things rightly, justly, and correctly. I’m thinking of at least a few areas:
1. Tithes and offerings. As much as we need to do things legally in this world, so much more with God. The tithe is ten percent of all our income and it belongs to God. In addition to the tithe, God expects us to be generous and give an additional amount of offerings.
2. Taxes. As much as we may dislike paying taxes, it is those funds that for the most part take care of the expenses of our country, state, city, or community where we live. We benefit from the taxes we pay and what others pay as well. We must be careful that taxes are paid properly and that we do everything legally.
3. Make sure the accounting of our funds is done carefully. We should make sure to reconcile the checking and savings accounts every month to make we have what we believe we do and not overdraw our accounts.
4. Budgeting is important to control our expenditures and save for future needs of the household.
We may not be accountants of hold a masters in business administration (MBA); however, simple accounting of our funds can save us a lot of headaches and will help us be faithful with the means God provides us for our sustenance.
Prayer: Father, help us to be faithful in our accounting of Your gifts and to remember You first of all as we manage these funds.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
When to Retire - March 15, 2009
Scripture: (Josh 14:7-11 NKJV) "I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. {8} "Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God. {9} "So Moses swore on that day, saying, 'Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children's forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.' {10} "And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. {11} "As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.
Observation: Joshua had been among the twelve spies Moses had sent to survey the Promised Land, and was one of the only two that came back with an encouraging report about it, cheering people on to go in and take it, as the Lord was giving it to them. When he spied out the land he was forty years old, and at the time of the writing of this chapter, he is eighty-five years old.
Application: At the age of forty, some people begin to wind down and to prepare for their retirement, whether physically or psychologically. In some countries, once a person reaches about fifty, companies begin to look at them as too old and look for ways to discharge them. Such was the case with my father. When my dad reached the age of forty-nine, the company he was working for approached him with a choice – either he retire with a good compensation package or get fired with nothing; he chose to “retire.” However, at that age he would not be able to sit still, so he got another job, but at the age of fifty it was very difficult to adapt to a new job and they let him go after a year. From that time, until his untimely death one year later at the age of fifty-one, he was unable to find another job. He was considered too old.
For a man who at fifty one is still young, being unable to find employment led to depression which led to early death. We now know that fifty is indeed still a young age and many good, productive years are still ahead. While there are times when we would like to be able to retire and do nothing, being actively involved in gainful employment or some activity will be healthier than to simply remain idle.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the opportunity to work, and for the health to do it. Help us to keep in mind that working is not punishment but a blessing.
Observation: Joshua had been among the twelve spies Moses had sent to survey the Promised Land, and was one of the only two that came back with an encouraging report about it, cheering people on to go in and take it, as the Lord was giving it to them. When he spied out the land he was forty years old, and at the time of the writing of this chapter, he is eighty-five years old.
Application: At the age of forty, some people begin to wind down and to prepare for their retirement, whether physically or psychologically. In some countries, once a person reaches about fifty, companies begin to look at them as too old and look for ways to discharge them. Such was the case with my father. When my dad reached the age of forty-nine, the company he was working for approached him with a choice – either he retire with a good compensation package or get fired with nothing; he chose to “retire.” However, at that age he would not be able to sit still, so he got another job, but at the age of fifty it was very difficult to adapt to a new job and they let him go after a year. From that time, until his untimely death one year later at the age of fifty-one, he was unable to find another job. He was considered too old.
For a man who at fifty one is still young, being unable to find employment led to depression which led to early death. We now know that fifty is indeed still a young age and many good, productive years are still ahead. While there are times when we would like to be able to retire and do nothing, being actively involved in gainful employment or some activity will be healthier than to simply remain idle.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the opportunity to work, and for the health to do it. Help us to keep in mind that working is not punishment but a blessing.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
More Time! - March 14, 2009
Scripture: (Josh 10:12-13 NKJV) Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: "Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon." {13} So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.
Observation: One of the most powerful miracles ever had just taken place after Joshua prayed that the sun would stand still; it is recorded that the sun indeed stood still for about a day. Then the kings that had joined to try to defeat Israel were captured and executed, and later buried. These wholesale destructions of entire cities is what has caused some to question God and even to come to be afraid of or bitter toward Him. We need to consider several things:
1. Israel had no home, and God wanted to provide them with a home of their own where they could live in peace and worship Him and become a witness to the whole world.
2. These nations had become so depraved by sin that their corrupting influence was not only spreading, but it could, and in some cases did, become a hindrance, a temptation, and a stumbling block to God’s people.
3. The way these people dealt with their own was dehumanizing and deadly. They had temple prostitutes, the women were treated as objects to abuse and mistreat, children were abused and at times offered to idols; God could not permit this abuse on the innocent to go on forever – or until they’d destroy themselves, but in the mean time generations of innocent people would suffer.
4. Without the presence of Israel as a nation, the world was rapidly becoming like the world before the flood, and even though Israel was not always faithful to God, its presence gave the rest of the world an opportunity to know God and gave them a lease on life.
In reality, these destructions were more an act of mercy than an act of anger on the part of God. Yes, He was angry with those nations and peoples, but yet they were also His children and by putting an end to their wickedness God was saving countless others yet unborn.
Application: In thinking about the sun standing still, I just recently I received an e-mail with a story (whether it is true or not, I don’t know), about the time when NASA scientists were working on plans for future launches when they ran into a problem. They entered all the information into the computer, but the computer could not compute correctly, it gave an error message, and the NASA people could not find out what the problem was, all they knew was that there was one day and about forty minutes missing that they could not account for. Apparently a Christian among them told them about this event, they changed their calculations and sure enough, they were only missing about forty minutes. Then the Christian told them of the time when King Hezekiah asked for a sign that he would be healed, and the sun went back what would be the equivalent of . . . forty minutes. Once that time was also accounted for, their calculations matched perfectly.
These stories remind me that God’s miraculous power on our behalf is still available to us as families and as couples. We may not get the sun to stand still, but maybe he will make the time that we have more manageable so we can spend time learning about Him and worshiping Him, time together as families, time with our children, time for work, time for leisure, time to evangelize, time to rest. And all along, God also helps us to deal with those things that are destroying our families – negative influences on our children, not spending enough time together, not spending enough time with God in prayer and for God in praise, not spending enough time to study His word, not spending enough time working for the salvation of others. We don’t need the miracle of more time; what we need is the miracle of learning how to manage properly the time that God already gives us every day. Much like we don’t understand how when we return God’s tithe we seem to have more than before, so when we dedicate our time to Him, He can help us accomplish more in the time we have than if we tried to manage it ourselves, without Him in it.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the time You give us. Help us to manage it wisely for You and others.
Observation: One of the most powerful miracles ever had just taken place after Joshua prayed that the sun would stand still; it is recorded that the sun indeed stood still for about a day. Then the kings that had joined to try to defeat Israel were captured and executed, and later buried. These wholesale destructions of entire cities is what has caused some to question God and even to come to be afraid of or bitter toward Him. We need to consider several things:
1. Israel had no home, and God wanted to provide them with a home of their own where they could live in peace and worship Him and become a witness to the whole world.
2. These nations had become so depraved by sin that their corrupting influence was not only spreading, but it could, and in some cases did, become a hindrance, a temptation, and a stumbling block to God’s people.
3. The way these people dealt with their own was dehumanizing and deadly. They had temple prostitutes, the women were treated as objects to abuse and mistreat, children were abused and at times offered to idols; God could not permit this abuse on the innocent to go on forever – or until they’d destroy themselves, but in the mean time generations of innocent people would suffer.
4. Without the presence of Israel as a nation, the world was rapidly becoming like the world before the flood, and even though Israel was not always faithful to God, its presence gave the rest of the world an opportunity to know God and gave them a lease on life.
In reality, these destructions were more an act of mercy than an act of anger on the part of God. Yes, He was angry with those nations and peoples, but yet they were also His children and by putting an end to their wickedness God was saving countless others yet unborn.
Application: In thinking about the sun standing still, I just recently I received an e-mail with a story (whether it is true or not, I don’t know), about the time when NASA scientists were working on plans for future launches when they ran into a problem. They entered all the information into the computer, but the computer could not compute correctly, it gave an error message, and the NASA people could not find out what the problem was, all they knew was that there was one day and about forty minutes missing that they could not account for. Apparently a Christian among them told them about this event, they changed their calculations and sure enough, they were only missing about forty minutes. Then the Christian told them of the time when King Hezekiah asked for a sign that he would be healed, and the sun went back what would be the equivalent of . . . forty minutes. Once that time was also accounted for, their calculations matched perfectly.
These stories remind me that God’s miraculous power on our behalf is still available to us as families and as couples. We may not get the sun to stand still, but maybe he will make the time that we have more manageable so we can spend time learning about Him and worshiping Him, time together as families, time with our children, time for work, time for leisure, time to evangelize, time to rest. And all along, God also helps us to deal with those things that are destroying our families – negative influences on our children, not spending enough time together, not spending enough time with God in prayer and for God in praise, not spending enough time to study His word, not spending enough time working for the salvation of others. We don’t need the miracle of more time; what we need is the miracle of learning how to manage properly the time that God already gives us every day. Much like we don’t understand how when we return God’s tithe we seem to have more than before, so when we dedicate our time to Him, He can help us accomplish more in the time we have than if we tried to manage it ourselves, without Him in it.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the time You give us. Help us to manage it wisely for You and others.
Friday, March 13, 2009
The Word To Everyone - March 13, 2009
Scripture: There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them. (Joshua 8:35 NKJV)
Observation: After the defeat at Ai, Joshua discovered and had to deal with Achan’s sin lest all of Israel would hear about it and learn to disregard God’s specific instructions concerning the people and the nations they were supposed to conquer and destroy.
In order to have a new beginning, Joshua read again the covenant God established with Israel. Today’s text makes it clear that these words were read before all, but it specifically mentions women, children (little ones) and foreigners. Passages like these should show us that God intended equal treatment to all.
Application: One of my favorite short stories, which eventually was made into a movie with Barbara Streisand, is Yentl, The yeshiva Boy, originally written by Issac Bashevis Singer. The story centers on a young girl who defies tradition by discussing and debating Jewish law and theology with her rabbi father. When he dies, she cuts her hair, dresses as a young man, and sets out to find a yeshiva where she can continue to study Talmud and live secretly as a male named Anshel. She has such hunger for learning that she sacrifices her female role, and even her love for her study partner, just so she can learn all she can from the wisdom of bible and other Jewish scholars.
I’m glad we have come such a long way from the days when women were relegated to a second place, some even farther back. I have had the privilege of meeting and learning from some very bright women and feel my life has been enriched by their knowledge, their wisdom, and their experience. Without those interactions, my life, my ministry, my future would have been cheated of many valuables treasures. I count my wife as one of the brightest, most talented, women and have seen how so many others, including me, have benefitted from her keen insights and talented guidance. I have worked with and known lady pastors whose ministry and learning has proved to be a great blessing to their husbands ministry and to their churches. I have sat in classrooms where lady teachers have shared true pearls of wisdom I have then shared with many others. What a shame, if all these ladies had had to be relegated to the role of servants, quietly going about menial tasks, never allowed to express their opinions or to teach or lead others, simply because society or culture dictated they had to or they couldn’t be as smart or learned as men!
Joshua taught the Bible (Moses’ words) to women, children, and foreigners, because before God we all are equal and must be treated thus. I pray for the day, soon I hope, when we will all learn to treat each other and give each other equal opportunities to learn and teach, follow and lead, listen and preach, serve and be served, as God intended; we all be the ones to be benefitted and blessed as a result.
Prayer: Father, You are the God of equality and fairness, righteousness and justice. Father, may we set aside the societal and cultural barriers that keep us from enjoying Your gifts through men and women for the benefit of Your people. And may we achieve, with your help, the equality with which You created us as male and female for it will ultimately be for our benefit and for Your honor and glory.
Observation: After the defeat at Ai, Joshua discovered and had to deal with Achan’s sin lest all of Israel would hear about it and learn to disregard God’s specific instructions concerning the people and the nations they were supposed to conquer and destroy.
In order to have a new beginning, Joshua read again the covenant God established with Israel. Today’s text makes it clear that these words were read before all, but it specifically mentions women, children (little ones) and foreigners. Passages like these should show us that God intended equal treatment to all.
Application: One of my favorite short stories, which eventually was made into a movie with Barbara Streisand, is Yentl, The yeshiva Boy, originally written by Issac Bashevis Singer. The story centers on a young girl who defies tradition by discussing and debating Jewish law and theology with her rabbi father. When he dies, she cuts her hair, dresses as a young man, and sets out to find a yeshiva where she can continue to study Talmud and live secretly as a male named Anshel. She has such hunger for learning that she sacrifices her female role, and even her love for her study partner, just so she can learn all she can from the wisdom of bible and other Jewish scholars.
I’m glad we have come such a long way from the days when women were relegated to a second place, some even farther back. I have had the privilege of meeting and learning from some very bright women and feel my life has been enriched by their knowledge, their wisdom, and their experience. Without those interactions, my life, my ministry, my future would have been cheated of many valuables treasures. I count my wife as one of the brightest, most talented, women and have seen how so many others, including me, have benefitted from her keen insights and talented guidance. I have worked with and known lady pastors whose ministry and learning has proved to be a great blessing to their husbands ministry and to their churches. I have sat in classrooms where lady teachers have shared true pearls of wisdom I have then shared with many others. What a shame, if all these ladies had had to be relegated to the role of servants, quietly going about menial tasks, never allowed to express their opinions or to teach or lead others, simply because society or culture dictated they had to or they couldn’t be as smart or learned as men!
Joshua taught the Bible (Moses’ words) to women, children, and foreigners, because before God we all are equal and must be treated thus. I pray for the day, soon I hope, when we will all learn to treat each other and give each other equal opportunities to learn and teach, follow and lead, listen and preach, serve and be served, as God intended; we all be the ones to be benefitted and blessed as a result.
Prayer: Father, You are the God of equality and fairness, righteousness and justice. Father, may we set aside the societal and cultural barriers that keep us from enjoying Your gifts through men and women for the benefit of Your people. And may we achieve, with your help, the equality with which You created us as male and female for it will ultimately be for our benefit and for Your honor and glory.
Spiritual Landmarks - March 12, 2009
Scripture: And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying: 2“Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, 3and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’” (Joshua 4:1-3 NKJV)
Observation: The Israelites finally get to cross the Jordan into the promised Land after forty years of walking around in the desert. Now God tells Joshua to command twelve men for each to carry one large stone from the middle of the river to be used for a memorial altar to be built inside the borders of their new homeland. The purpose God had in mind for this altar was that it would serve as a memorial, as a “talking point” with each generation, so that whenever children would ask about the reason for that pile of stones, they would be told about all the miracles worked in their favor from Egypt and all the way to their country.
Application: We don’t always make a big deal about some of the most special, important moments I n the spiritual life of a person, particularly a young person, but maybe we should. As Seventh-day Adventists, at least in some cultures, we feel that celebration is a bad thing to do, so we refrain from doing so.
To this day, some forty plus years later, I still remember some things about the rite of passage that young catholic children go through called “The First Communion.” I remember going to catechism studies in preparation, I remember my special first communion suit and candle, and I definitely remember the party and gifts afterward. Why not have a celebration every time a person, particularly a young person, is baptized!
Baptism is one of those spiritual landmarks that, as children look into it, gives us a great opportunity to tell them what God has done for us. Other spiritual landmarks are the Sabbath, a weekly opportunity, Thanksgiving (at least here in the United States and in Canada where it is a holiday), birthdays and anniversaries. We can also make a special time during communion to explain to young children about what this special service is all about. We could also celebrate each year on the anniversary of our baptism; it would be like a spiritual birthday of sorts. Any high spiritual moment should be marked with a celebration – the first time the person speaks to somebody about Jesus, the first person they lead to Christ and to baptism, their first Bible study with someone else, ordination as deacon/deaconess or church elder. For those who are called to the gospel ministry, ordination is a special spiritual landmark. For those getting married, that day is not only a special moment that marks the union of two people but it should also be a moment of spiritual renewal and thus another spiritual landmark. Look for special spiritual highlights and turn them into life landmarks to reflect on during the challenging or dark days which come to our lives at times; they become the anchors that keep us on solid ground.
Prayer: Father, thank You for all those high spiritual moments of our lives when You shows us a greater, brighter glimpse of You.
Observation: The Israelites finally get to cross the Jordan into the promised Land after forty years of walking around in the desert. Now God tells Joshua to command twelve men for each to carry one large stone from the middle of the river to be used for a memorial altar to be built inside the borders of their new homeland. The purpose God had in mind for this altar was that it would serve as a memorial, as a “talking point” with each generation, so that whenever children would ask about the reason for that pile of stones, they would be told about all the miracles worked in their favor from Egypt and all the way to their country.
Application: We don’t always make a big deal about some of the most special, important moments I n the spiritual life of a person, particularly a young person, but maybe we should. As Seventh-day Adventists, at least in some cultures, we feel that celebration is a bad thing to do, so we refrain from doing so.
To this day, some forty plus years later, I still remember some things about the rite of passage that young catholic children go through called “The First Communion.” I remember going to catechism studies in preparation, I remember my special first communion suit and candle, and I definitely remember the party and gifts afterward. Why not have a celebration every time a person, particularly a young person, is baptized!
Baptism is one of those spiritual landmarks that, as children look into it, gives us a great opportunity to tell them what God has done for us. Other spiritual landmarks are the Sabbath, a weekly opportunity, Thanksgiving (at least here in the United States and in Canada where it is a holiday), birthdays and anniversaries. We can also make a special time during communion to explain to young children about what this special service is all about. We could also celebrate each year on the anniversary of our baptism; it would be like a spiritual birthday of sorts. Any high spiritual moment should be marked with a celebration – the first time the person speaks to somebody about Jesus, the first person they lead to Christ and to baptism, their first Bible study with someone else, ordination as deacon/deaconess or church elder. For those who are called to the gospel ministry, ordination is a special spiritual landmark. For those getting married, that day is not only a special moment that marks the union of two people but it should also be a moment of spiritual renewal and thus another spiritual landmark. Look for special spiritual highlights and turn them into life landmarks to reflect on during the challenging or dark days which come to our lives at times; they become the anchors that keep us on solid ground.
Prayer: Father, thank You for all those high spiritual moments of our lives when You shows us a greater, brighter glimpse of You.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Go Up and Die - march 11, 2009
Scripture: Then the Lord spoke to Moses that very same day, saying: 49“Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, across from Jericho; view the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel as a possession; 50and die on the mountain which you ascend, and be gathered to your people, just as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. (Deuteronomy 32:48-50 NKJV)
Observation: Moses comes to the end of his career, and his life, his work of leading the Israelites out of Egypt and to the borders of the Promised Land finished, and yet he’s not allowed to go in with them. Now God tells Moses to take a look at the land from the top of Mount Nebo, and then he would die.
Application: I guess I find this story interesting because of how it has been rendered as it seems like God is telling Moses, “go ahead and die!”, as if it was in Moses’ power to die.
Today is my fifty-first birthday, the age my dad was when he died, thirty six years ago. I remember the morning of that day, we kissed him as we left him home, like we would normally do, only to come back home that afternoon to the news that he had died. His death, the result of a double, massive heart attack, came suddenly, unexpectedly. I guess I wonder what it might be like to know exactly when, if not how, one would die. I suppose if one was like Moses, we would not have any problems at all. . . just simply accept it. But which of us is like Moses! Maybe we would go through the stages of dying. Maybe we’d go into deep depression. . . which would make the dying process worse. Maybe we would do all in our power to make all possible arrangements for our belongings. Maybe we would have time to do all those things and visit all those places we had wanted to. But since we don’t have that choice, we need to live each day as if it were our last day, without regrets, particularly in our dealings with our loved ones.
Prayer: Father, help us to value each day as if it were the last one we’d be alive.
Observation: Moses comes to the end of his career, and his life, his work of leading the Israelites out of Egypt and to the borders of the Promised Land finished, and yet he’s not allowed to go in with them. Now God tells Moses to take a look at the land from the top of Mount Nebo, and then he would die.
Application: I guess I find this story interesting because of how it has been rendered as it seems like God is telling Moses, “go ahead and die!”, as if it was in Moses’ power to die.
Today is my fifty-first birthday, the age my dad was when he died, thirty six years ago. I remember the morning of that day, we kissed him as we left him home, like we would normally do, only to come back home that afternoon to the news that he had died. His death, the result of a double, massive heart attack, came suddenly, unexpectedly. I guess I wonder what it might be like to know exactly when, if not how, one would die. I suppose if one was like Moses, we would not have any problems at all. . . just simply accept it. But which of us is like Moses! Maybe we would go through the stages of dying. Maybe we’d go into deep depression. . . which would make the dying process worse. Maybe we would do all in our power to make all possible arrangements for our belongings. Maybe we would have time to do all those things and visit all those places we had wanted to. But since we don’t have that choice, we need to live each day as if it were our last day, without regrets, particularly in our dealings with our loved ones.
Prayer: Father, help us to value each day as if it were the last one we’d be alive.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Gather Before God - March 10, 2009
Scripture: (Deu 31:12-13 NKJV) "Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the LORD your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, {13} "and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess."
Observation: The closing words of Moses to the Israelites reflect his ongoing concern for their spiritual well-being. He understood that physical prosperity sometimes leads to spiritual declension, so he reminded them to meet on a regular basis with their families and even with the foreigners in their midst so they would be daily reminded of their God and of His power to deliver, protect, and provide.
Application: I think these words are the reflection of what we have come to know as daily worship. Sometimes, in the midst of our busy lives, we forget to set aside time to learn and teach, to pray to and to thank God for His goodness to us. And I find it interesting that God wants us to gather the family, but also those who may or may not know God so that they too will have an opportunity to come to know Him, worship Him, and serve Him.
Prayer: Father, on this day, we worship You and serve You, and pause to listen to Your voice as You direct us in our daily activities. May we hear You in everything we do, wherever we go.
Observation: The closing words of Moses to the Israelites reflect his ongoing concern for their spiritual well-being. He understood that physical prosperity sometimes leads to spiritual declension, so he reminded them to meet on a regular basis with their families and even with the foreigners in their midst so they would be daily reminded of their God and of His power to deliver, protect, and provide.
Application: I think these words are the reflection of what we have come to know as daily worship. Sometimes, in the midst of our busy lives, we forget to set aside time to learn and teach, to pray to and to thank God for His goodness to us. And I find it interesting that God wants us to gather the family, but also those who may or may not know God so that they too will have an opportunity to come to know Him, worship Him, and serve Him.
Prayer: Father, on this day, we worship You and serve You, and pause to listen to Your voice as You direct us in our daily activities. May we hear You in everything we do, wherever we go.
Monday, March 9, 2009
The Family Secret - March 9, 2009
Scripture: (Deu 29:29 NKJV) "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Observation: This is the concluding verse of this chapter after several chapters which contain the blessings and the curses Moses read to the Israelites at the border of the Promised Land. This verse refers to God’s blessing of revelation; he does not want us to remain ignorant but rather shows us what He knows we need to know. But what He tells us is not to be confined to us, they also belong to our children.
Application: Truth is to be passed on from one generation to the next, not hoarded as if we were the only ones who needed it or who should have it. And that truth is to be transmitted through word and action.
Prayer: Father, thank You for Your Word of truth. Help us to live it and teach it to our children and other generations to come.
Observation: This is the concluding verse of this chapter after several chapters which contain the blessings and the curses Moses read to the Israelites at the border of the Promised Land. This verse refers to God’s blessing of revelation; he does not want us to remain ignorant but rather shows us what He knows we need to know. But what He tells us is not to be confined to us, they also belong to our children.
Application: Truth is to be passed on from one generation to the next, not hoarded as if we were the only ones who needed it or who should have it. And that truth is to be transmitted through word and action.
Prayer: Father, thank You for Your Word of truth. Help us to live it and teach it to our children and other generations to come.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
The Head and Not the Tail - March 8, 2009
Scripture: “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God: 3“Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. 4“Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. (Deuteronomy 28:1-4 NKJV)
Observation: Chapter 27 contains a series of curses on those who transgress God’s laws. Chapter 28 contains the corresponding blessings on those who obey God’s commands. On our passage today, I particularly like the first words of vs. 9 - “The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself.” His promise is that when we accept Him as our God, He becomes our foundation and we will be established firmly on Him.
Application: I like the picture of God as our strong, firm, and everlasting foundation with us being built or our home being built on that firm foundation.
As I write these things, I am coming back from my nephew’s wedding. He was brought up with an alcoholic, physically abuse father. His mother, my sister, became an Adventist in his pre-adolescent years but later left the church. It’s a wonder that my nephew turned out as well as he has! In his late teens and early twenties, he experimented with different lifestyles and religious views. . . I have to confess I really don’t know what he believes – it’s a n eclectic mixture of eastern religions, Christianity, naturalistic views, personal observations, and who knows what else.
My nephew met and married a lovely young lady from a nice Buddhist family; yesterday they had a Buddhist wedding ceremony at mid-day, and later in the day they had a generic wedding (the description of the man who officiated) by an attorney friend who also happens to be a notary public and ca, therefore, officiate at wedding ceremonies.
I couldn’t help but think of all that took place yesterday, on Sabbath, as a young Buddhist girl officially married my former Adventist nephew, with whom she had been living, in a generic wedding ceremony. . . a short, generic service which reflected the beginning of their life together, at least officially, with the God of creation, the God who established marriage and the Sabbath, not invited to their wedding, or their lives, on this His holy day.
I wish them well. I wish them a long life of happiness and joy, health and prosperity. And yet, I can’t help but feel sadness at the beginning of a building of a new home without the firm foundation of God at the center.
Now, as I write these words, I hear again Moses telling the Israelites, “The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself.” Who is your foundation? Whose people are you? On Whom is you marriage, your family, being built?
Prayer: Father, our Lord and our Foundation, may we be built on You so we may be firmly established forever.
Observation: Chapter 27 contains a series of curses on those who transgress God’s laws. Chapter 28 contains the corresponding blessings on those who obey God’s commands. On our passage today, I particularly like the first words of vs. 9 - “The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself.” His promise is that when we accept Him as our God, He becomes our foundation and we will be established firmly on Him.
Application: I like the picture of God as our strong, firm, and everlasting foundation with us being built or our home being built on that firm foundation.
As I write these things, I am coming back from my nephew’s wedding. He was brought up with an alcoholic, physically abuse father. His mother, my sister, became an Adventist in his pre-adolescent years but later left the church. It’s a wonder that my nephew turned out as well as he has! In his late teens and early twenties, he experimented with different lifestyles and religious views. . . I have to confess I really don’t know what he believes – it’s a n eclectic mixture of eastern religions, Christianity, naturalistic views, personal observations, and who knows what else.
My nephew met and married a lovely young lady from a nice Buddhist family; yesterday they had a Buddhist wedding ceremony at mid-day, and later in the day they had a generic wedding (the description of the man who officiated) by an attorney friend who also happens to be a notary public and ca, therefore, officiate at wedding ceremonies.
I couldn’t help but think of all that took place yesterday, on Sabbath, as a young Buddhist girl officially married my former Adventist nephew, with whom she had been living, in a generic wedding ceremony. . . a short, generic service which reflected the beginning of their life together, at least officially, with the God of creation, the God who established marriage and the Sabbath, not invited to their wedding, or their lives, on this His holy day.
I wish them well. I wish them a long life of happiness and joy, health and prosperity. And yet, I can’t help but feel sadness at the beginning of a building of a new home without the firm foundation of God at the center.
Now, as I write these words, I hear again Moses telling the Israelites, “The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself.” Who is your foundation? Whose people are you? On Whom is you marriage, your family, being built?
Prayer: Father, our Lord and our Foundation, may we be built on You so we may be firmly established forever.
Serious About Marriage - March 7, 2009
Scripture: “If any man takes a wife, and goes in to her, and detests her, 14and charges her with shameful conduct, and brings a bad name on her, and says, ‘I took this woman, and when I came to her I found she was not a virgin,’ 15then the father and mother of the young woman shall take and bring out the evidence of the young woman’s virginity to the elders of the city at the gate. 16And the young woman’s father shall say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man as wife, and he detests her. 17Now he has charged her with shameful conduct, saying, “I found your daughter was not a virgin,” and yet these are the evidences of my daughter’s virginity.’ And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. 18Then the elders of that city shall take that man and punish him; 19and they shall fine him one hundred shekels of silver and give them to the father of the young woman, because he has brought a bad name on a virgin of Israel. And she shall be his wife; he cannot divorce her all his days. (Deuteronomy 22:12-19 NKJV)
Observation: This chapter contains several regulations concerning marriage and/or sexual relations; these can be summarized as follows:
vs. 22 - speaks of adultery, sex with a married person, for which both guilty parties were to be put to death.
vs. 23-24 - Refers to a woman betrothed to a man but who has sex with another man - even if she claims that she was raped, it is evident it was consentual and therefore both must die.
vs. 25-27 - If a girl is betrothed to a man, and another man rapes her, he must be put to death.
vs. 28-29 - If a man forces a young woman to have sex with him, he must marry her.
vs. 30 - a man can’t marry his father’s wife.
The section I read today is vs. 13-19. By itself, this passage raises several questions and challenges:
1. The man is not pleased with his wife, so he finds something to complain against her (vs. 13-14), and lies about her.
2. The parents had to “play it” safe by keeping “proof” of her virginity in the form of stained bed sheets.
3. The man is punished and forced to remain married to his wife (vs. 18-19).
Application: As I look at this section of Scripture, I guess what bothers and saddens me the most is the poor wife, for several reasons:
1. First of all, her husband is not pleased with her. Her self-worth must have hit rock bottom.
2. He finds something to accuse her of. Her integrity and purity are questioned in public.
3. After her husband is found out lying, she’s forced to remain with him. I can imagine that if he wasn’t pleased with her before, he sure was not any happier after, either. I wonder what her life was like afterwards?
I know this process was written to protect the woman from false accusations by a frustrated husband, but I can’t help but wish more positive steps had been specified to protect her from further abuse.
When we look through critical eyes, we will find fault in everything our spouse does. Allowing that critical spirit to fester will eventually lead to a desire to leave them or to the actual act of leaving them by divorcing them or by shamefully committing adultery. That’s why it is so important that we dismiss negative thoughts immediately before they lead us to want to leave our spouse and cross the fence thinking the other grass is greener only to find it is astro-turf, synthetic, and bad for the digestion.
Prayer: Father, help us to always look for and find the good in our spouses and to refuse to foster negative thoughts about them.
Observation: This chapter contains several regulations concerning marriage and/or sexual relations; these can be summarized as follows:
vs. 22 - speaks of adultery, sex with a married person, for which both guilty parties were to be put to death.
vs. 23-24 - Refers to a woman betrothed to a man but who has sex with another man - even if she claims that she was raped, it is evident it was consentual and therefore both must die.
vs. 25-27 - If a girl is betrothed to a man, and another man rapes her, he must be put to death.
vs. 28-29 - If a man forces a young woman to have sex with him, he must marry her.
vs. 30 - a man can’t marry his father’s wife.
The section I read today is vs. 13-19. By itself, this passage raises several questions and challenges:
1. The man is not pleased with his wife, so he finds something to complain against her (vs. 13-14), and lies about her.
2. The parents had to “play it” safe by keeping “proof” of her virginity in the form of stained bed sheets.
3. The man is punished and forced to remain married to his wife (vs. 18-19).
Application: As I look at this section of Scripture, I guess what bothers and saddens me the most is the poor wife, for several reasons:
1. First of all, her husband is not pleased with her. Her self-worth must have hit rock bottom.
2. He finds something to accuse her of. Her integrity and purity are questioned in public.
3. After her husband is found out lying, she’s forced to remain with him. I can imagine that if he wasn’t pleased with her before, he sure was not any happier after, either. I wonder what her life was like afterwards?
I know this process was written to protect the woman from false accusations by a frustrated husband, but I can’t help but wish more positive steps had been specified to protect her from further abuse.
When we look through critical eyes, we will find fault in everything our spouse does. Allowing that critical spirit to fester will eventually lead to a desire to leave them or to the actual act of leaving them by divorcing them or by shamefully committing adultery. That’s why it is so important that we dismiss negative thoughts immediately before they lead us to want to leave our spouse and cross the fence thinking the other grass is greener only to find it is astro-turf, synthetic, and bad for the digestion.
Prayer: Father, help us to always look for and find the good in our spouses and to refuse to foster negative thoughts about them.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Family Before War - March 6, 2009
Scripture: (Deu 20:5-7 NKJV) "Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying: 'What man is there who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it. {6} 'Also what man is there who has planted a vineyard and has not eaten of it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man eat of it. {7} 'And what man is there who is betrothed to a woman and has not married her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man marry her.'
Observation: While there was going to be war for a long time in the process of taking over the Promised Land, God wanted to ensure the protection and continuation of the marriage institution and of the families that would be left behind that they not be left destitute. The SDABC explains: “Betrothed a wife. This exemption was an act of consideration so that the man might not die without having children to perpetuate his name and interests. This exemption lasted one year (ch. 24:5). The three exemptions noted in vs. 5–7 could not fail to have a beneficial effect on the economy of the nation. They were an important alleviation of the insecurity and utterly disturbing effects of war upon the entire life of a people.”
Application: As important as it was to go in and conquer the land God was given the Israelites, God also made provision for the care of the families that they not be left destitute. Is that less important today? We may not decide to join the military and go into war, and yet, in this world we go into battle every day. The point is that we need to care for our loved ones, our families, and make provision for them in case anything were to happen to us while we’re gone to work, or travel, or to do whatever we are leaving home to do.
Prayer: Father, help us to always make provision for our loved ones.
Observation: While there was going to be war for a long time in the process of taking over the Promised Land, God wanted to ensure the protection and continuation of the marriage institution and of the families that would be left behind that they not be left destitute. The SDABC explains: “Betrothed a wife. This exemption was an act of consideration so that the man might not die without having children to perpetuate his name and interests. This exemption lasted one year (ch. 24:5). The three exemptions noted in vs. 5–7 could not fail to have a beneficial effect on the economy of the nation. They were an important alleviation of the insecurity and utterly disturbing effects of war upon the entire life of a people.”
Application: As important as it was to go in and conquer the land God was given the Israelites, God also made provision for the care of the families that they not be left destitute. Is that less important today? We may not decide to join the military and go into war, and yet, in this world we go into battle every day. The point is that we need to care for our loved ones, our families, and make provision for them in case anything were to happen to us while we’re gone to work, or travel, or to do whatever we are leaving home to do.
Prayer: Father, help us to always make provision for our loved ones.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Avoid Wicked Customs - March 5, 2009
Date: 3/5/09 Page: 72
Title: Avoid Wicked Customs Topic: Family, Children, Sin
Scripture: “When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. 10There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. 13You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. 14For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14 NKJV)
Observation: As strange as it may seem, this is the reason why God ordered the Israelites to destroy and obliterate the people living in the Promised Land, because if they didn’t, the Israelites would end up adopting their customs and practices and would end up worshiping other gods. The sad reality is that that’s exactly what ended up happening, which is the reason God had to allow them to be taken into captivity and eventually had to establish the church in their place.
Application: While the saying goes, “While in Rome, do as Romans do,” that is not what we ought to do with our lives and with our children lest they pick up the customs of the people and end up idolaters and lost. This is the reason why we are told to guard the senses, which are the avenues to the mind.
Prayer: Father, may You bless us with Your protection and may You bless our children with your direction.
Title: Avoid Wicked Customs Topic: Family, Children, Sin
Scripture: “When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. 10There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. 13You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. 14For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14 NKJV)
Observation: As strange as it may seem, this is the reason why God ordered the Israelites to destroy and obliterate the people living in the Promised Land, because if they didn’t, the Israelites would end up adopting their customs and practices and would end up worshiping other gods. The sad reality is that that’s exactly what ended up happening, which is the reason God had to allow them to be taken into captivity and eventually had to establish the church in their place.
Application: While the saying goes, “While in Rome, do as Romans do,” that is not what we ought to do with our lives and with our children lest they pick up the customs of the people and end up idolaters and lost. This is the reason why we are told to guard the senses, which are the avenues to the mind.
Prayer: Father, may You bless us with Your protection and may You bless our children with your direction.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
The Art of Mourning - March 4, 2009
Scripture: (Deu 14:1-2 NKJV) "You are the children of the LORD your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave the front of your head for the dead. {2} "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
Observation: The other nations had peculiar and superstitious beliefs about dying and the dead. Some even worshiped dead spirits. The precise significance of the rituals mentioned here (Deut. 14:1)—laceration and shaving the head for the dead—is unknown today. But cutting oneself was a sign of mourning (cf. Jer. 16:6; 41:5; 47:5; 48:37). However, it is clear that these practices reflected beliefs about the dead that conflicted with faith in the Lord, the ultimate Source of life. Therefore when a loved one died, the Israelites were to demonstrate their faith in the Lord by refraining from these pagan practices. Today Christians may demonstrate even greater faith when a believing loved one dies (cf. 1 Thes. 4:13-18).
Application: I think mourning is more an art than a science; and yet, many want to deal with it as a science, allowing only a certain amount of time for the person to be done with it, or a disease that needs to be treated with medication. While we need to make provision for cultural differences, what I do know is that we need to mourn in a healthy way.
During my years as a hospice chaplain I witnessed the death of all my patients and saw how their loved ones mourned and learned more of the importance of appropriate mourning. One thing I always tell people is to not medicate themselves or their loved ones as that will delay or interrupt the healing process which mourning provides. Among those who use alcohol I also recommend they stay away from it at least for four weeks so they can grieve appropriately and not artificially.
We can say definitely that hurting oneself is not appropriate. As we read above, God did not want His people to follow the customs of the people around them by cutting themselves. There are many other and better ways to mourn appropriately such as talking to others about their loved one, journaling their experience, invest time to help others, and many more. When a loved one dies of a terminal disease, many times their loved ones get involved in causes that raise funds for research and treatment of the same in order to benefit others suffering from the same. Look for positive ways to manage your grief.
Prayer: Father, when the loss of a loved one touches us, help us to know how to mourn them appropriately and in a healthy way.
Observation: The other nations had peculiar and superstitious beliefs about dying and the dead. Some even worshiped dead spirits. The precise significance of the rituals mentioned here (Deut. 14:1)—laceration and shaving the head for the dead—is unknown today. But cutting oneself was a sign of mourning (cf. Jer. 16:6; 41:5; 47:5; 48:37). However, it is clear that these practices reflected beliefs about the dead that conflicted with faith in the Lord, the ultimate Source of life. Therefore when a loved one died, the Israelites were to demonstrate their faith in the Lord by refraining from these pagan practices. Today Christians may demonstrate even greater faith when a believing loved one dies (cf. 1 Thes. 4:13-18).
Application: I think mourning is more an art than a science; and yet, many want to deal with it as a science, allowing only a certain amount of time for the person to be done with it, or a disease that needs to be treated with medication. While we need to make provision for cultural differences, what I do know is that we need to mourn in a healthy way.
During my years as a hospice chaplain I witnessed the death of all my patients and saw how their loved ones mourned and learned more of the importance of appropriate mourning. One thing I always tell people is to not medicate themselves or their loved ones as that will delay or interrupt the healing process which mourning provides. Among those who use alcohol I also recommend they stay away from it at least for four weeks so they can grieve appropriately and not artificially.
We can say definitely that hurting oneself is not appropriate. As we read above, God did not want His people to follow the customs of the people around them by cutting themselves. There are many other and better ways to mourn appropriately such as talking to others about their loved one, journaling their experience, invest time to help others, and many more. When a loved one dies of a terminal disease, many times their loved ones get involved in causes that raise funds for research and treatment of the same in order to benefit others suffering from the same. Look for positive ways to manage your grief.
Prayer: Father, when the loss of a loved one touches us, help us to know how to mourn them appropriately and in a healthy way.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
To Orphan, Widow, and Foreigner - March 3, 2009
Scripture: For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God and awesome warrior who is unbiased and takes no bribe, 18who acts justly toward orphan and widow, and who loves resident foreigners, giving them food and clothing. 19You, therefore, love the resident foreigner because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:18 NET)
Observation: In these verses - from 10:12 to 10:22, we find an exhortation to love God and love people, which the two principles on which the ten commandments are also based. In fact, we could safely say that most if not all of what the Bible is about is those two guiding principles – love God and love people, for God’s sake. In the verses for today, God declares His greatness and reminds the Israelites that because they were delivered from Egyptian bondage they should treat the foreigner kindly. These passages also remind them that God is Judge and He will not overlook mistreatment of the widow, the orphan, or the foreigner.
Application: Several years ago we helped a dear friend of ours get relocated from Florida to Wisconsin where the opportunities for work were better for her, her daughter, and her mother. The Lord blessed us as within a couple of weeks we found her employment, an apartment, and a car. A couple of months later, they invited a lady to come up from Florida so they could help her as well, and they also asked me to see if I could help this lady, particularly since she was a member of my church (Adventist); since my friends were not Adventist they though I would be more inclined to help their friend if they told me she was Adventist, although I would have help anyway.
When her friend arrived from Florida, she went to live with my friends. We helped her to find employment and we saw that she had transportation to church every Sabbath. One Sabbath she came to me crying because of how she was being treated by my friends. They were charging her for the rental of one room more than they were paying for the rent for the entire apartment. I became furious and confronted them with this unjust treatment after we had helped them, at our cost, and without asking them for anything. Their response was basically, “it’s not your business; we’ll take care of this problem ourselves.” When things got worse, we helped this lady find another place to live and even had to go to the police because my friends were holding some of her things.
My personal experience, sadly enough, has been that many times those who receive the blessing of coming to America where they have been helped by others, instead of helping others, particularly newcomers to the United States, will mistreat, take advantage of, or abuse their own countrymen or other foreigners. Inasmuch as I was angry with this injustice, God is even more angry that foreigners, orphans, or widows are treated unjustly and will see that His justice is passed against all offenders. But doesn’t that also mean that when we don’t act correctly toward our wife and children is as if we are abusing the orphan and the widow? Instead of caring for those we should love we’re neglecting them or mistreating them even though God calls us to love them? Let’s make sure that our wife and children are not emotional or physical orphans and widows; love them, treat them kindly, and take good care of them.
Prayer: Father, thank You for treating us better than we deserve. Bless us that we may be a blessing to others, those nearest to us, but also those who don’t have someone to show them our love.
Observation: In these verses - from 10:12 to 10:22, we find an exhortation to love God and love people, which the two principles on which the ten commandments are also based. In fact, we could safely say that most if not all of what the Bible is about is those two guiding principles – love God and love people, for God’s sake. In the verses for today, God declares His greatness and reminds the Israelites that because they were delivered from Egyptian bondage they should treat the foreigner kindly. These passages also remind them that God is Judge and He will not overlook mistreatment of the widow, the orphan, or the foreigner.
Application: Several years ago we helped a dear friend of ours get relocated from Florida to Wisconsin where the opportunities for work were better for her, her daughter, and her mother. The Lord blessed us as within a couple of weeks we found her employment, an apartment, and a car. A couple of months later, they invited a lady to come up from Florida so they could help her as well, and they also asked me to see if I could help this lady, particularly since she was a member of my church (Adventist); since my friends were not Adventist they though I would be more inclined to help their friend if they told me she was Adventist, although I would have help anyway.
When her friend arrived from Florida, she went to live with my friends. We helped her to find employment and we saw that she had transportation to church every Sabbath. One Sabbath she came to me crying because of how she was being treated by my friends. They were charging her for the rental of one room more than they were paying for the rent for the entire apartment. I became furious and confronted them with this unjust treatment after we had helped them, at our cost, and without asking them for anything. Their response was basically, “it’s not your business; we’ll take care of this problem ourselves.” When things got worse, we helped this lady find another place to live and even had to go to the police because my friends were holding some of her things.
My personal experience, sadly enough, has been that many times those who receive the blessing of coming to America where they have been helped by others, instead of helping others, particularly newcomers to the United States, will mistreat, take advantage of, or abuse their own countrymen or other foreigners. Inasmuch as I was angry with this injustice, God is even more angry that foreigners, orphans, or widows are treated unjustly and will see that His justice is passed against all offenders. But doesn’t that also mean that when we don’t act correctly toward our wife and children is as if we are abusing the orphan and the widow? Instead of caring for those we should love we’re neglecting them or mistreating them even though God calls us to love them? Let’s make sure that our wife and children are not emotional or physical orphans and widows; love them, treat them kindly, and take good care of them.
Prayer: Father, thank You for treating us better than we deserve. Bless us that we may be a blessing to others, those nearest to us, but also those who don’t have someone to show them our love.
Monday, March 2, 2009
An Immigrant's Heart - March 2, 2009
Scripture: “So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 11houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full—12then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. 14You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you 15(for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 6:10-15 NKJV)
Observation: God knows the temptation the Israelites would have, going into the land He was giving them, to simply move in and forget He had given it to them. Moses challenges to keep their heart true to the Giver and not just simply take the gift, and the Giver, for granted.
Application: As an immigrant, I can identify with the Israelites. I grew up in Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia, on the northwest corner of South America. We grew up in a middle class family, all of us six children studied and graduated from high school, a privilege not everyone in the country enjoys even today. One of my brothers went on to college and to a successful career in radio and television broadcasting and as a journalist and book critic. Another one of my brothers was a police officer for many years and has been in the Air Force for many more.
When we left Bogotá to come to the United States, Bogotá’s population was about 2 ½ million people, more than most if not all cities in Mid-America. Our first home was in Takoma Park, Maryland, at that time the site of the General Conference, and just miles from Washington D.C. For me, living in that area was almost surreal, like living a dream. With my mother and younger brother, we would visit the monuments and museums, we would ride the bus whenever it would take us up and down the streets of that beautiful city, and all along we were in awe of its cleanliness and gorgeous architecture. I remember one Sunday ne notices a crowd gathered in front of a church, so we came close to see what was happening, and there, coming out of the church, was the president of the United States, Gerald Ford. Unbelievable! These three newcomers to the US, and here we got to see in person, though briefly and from quite a distance, the president of this great nation. On another occasion, while I was working at the Capital Hilton Hotel, just three blocks from the White House, I was asked to open and close the curtain for a program presented by the Gridiron Club. While I did it, up on the stage, barely 3 feet away from me, there stood Mrs. Ford, wife of the president of the United States, and her husband, the president, was just on the other side of the room. Mrs. Henry Kissinger, and a lot of other politicians and powerful people were also there. . . I LOVE THIS COUNTRY! :)
Little by little we got ourselves situated, got an apartment, bought furniture and clothes, attended college, got married, and continued life like everybody else. We became part of the people, part of the culture, part of the nation, citizens of this country, contributing to its economy and well being, voting, exercising our rights, enjoying our privileges, respecting its laws.
Today’s Bible reading reminds me that all we have and all we are is God’s gift to us. As immigrants, we have been given a great gift, the privilege of coming to this country. Personally, I’m grateful because here I received my faith, my family, and my education. Here we have been able to live and succeed, work and rest, travel and see many wonderful things. And yet I must pause to remember that the homes where we have lived have been built and lived in by others, the jobs I have had were pioneered by others, the education I have has been provided by others. That’s what God wants us to remember. To have the heart of an immigrant and be grateful for all we have and are because we have benefitted from the work of those who came before us, and because God has been the One to provide it all for us. May we never forget His generosity and turn away from Him Who gives us all.
Prayer: father, at this moment we pause to thank You for all You have given us. Help us to always be thankful for all Your generosity.
Observation: God knows the temptation the Israelites would have, going into the land He was giving them, to simply move in and forget He had given it to them. Moses challenges to keep their heart true to the Giver and not just simply take the gift, and the Giver, for granted.
Application: As an immigrant, I can identify with the Israelites. I grew up in Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia, on the northwest corner of South America. We grew up in a middle class family, all of us six children studied and graduated from high school, a privilege not everyone in the country enjoys even today. One of my brothers went on to college and to a successful career in radio and television broadcasting and as a journalist and book critic. Another one of my brothers was a police officer for many years and has been in the Air Force for many more.
When we left Bogotá to come to the United States, Bogotá’s population was about 2 ½ million people, more than most if not all cities in Mid-America. Our first home was in Takoma Park, Maryland, at that time the site of the General Conference, and just miles from Washington D.C. For me, living in that area was almost surreal, like living a dream. With my mother and younger brother, we would visit the monuments and museums, we would ride the bus whenever it would take us up and down the streets of that beautiful city, and all along we were in awe of its cleanliness and gorgeous architecture. I remember one Sunday ne notices a crowd gathered in front of a church, so we came close to see what was happening, and there, coming out of the church, was the president of the United States, Gerald Ford. Unbelievable! These three newcomers to the US, and here we got to see in person, though briefly and from quite a distance, the president of this great nation. On another occasion, while I was working at the Capital Hilton Hotel, just three blocks from the White House, I was asked to open and close the curtain for a program presented by the Gridiron Club. While I did it, up on the stage, barely 3 feet away from me, there stood Mrs. Ford, wife of the president of the United States, and her husband, the president, was just on the other side of the room. Mrs. Henry Kissinger, and a lot of other politicians and powerful people were also there. . . I LOVE THIS COUNTRY! :)
Little by little we got ourselves situated, got an apartment, bought furniture and clothes, attended college, got married, and continued life like everybody else. We became part of the people, part of the culture, part of the nation, citizens of this country, contributing to its economy and well being, voting, exercising our rights, enjoying our privileges, respecting its laws.
Today’s Bible reading reminds me that all we have and all we are is God’s gift to us. As immigrants, we have been given a great gift, the privilege of coming to this country. Personally, I’m grateful because here I received my faith, my family, and my education. Here we have been able to live and succeed, work and rest, travel and see many wonderful things. And yet I must pause to remember that the homes where we have lived have been built and lived in by others, the jobs I have had were pioneered by others, the education I have has been provided by others. That’s what God wants us to remember. To have the heart of an immigrant and be grateful for all we have and are because we have benefitted from the work of those who came before us, and because God has been the One to provide it all for us. May we never forget His generosity and turn away from Him Who gives us all.
Prayer: father, at this moment we pause to thank You for all You have given us. Help us to always be thankful for all Your generosity.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Talk About Miracles! - March 1, 2009
Scripture: Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren, 10 especially concerning the day you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’ (Deuteronomy 4:9-10 NKJV)
Observation: Moses will not be going into the Promised Land with the Israelites, so he and God continue to prepare them for what they will encounter and what they should watch out for. For forty years God had been their Guide, their Protector, their Provider, their Miracle-worker, and yet there were times when they complained and quarreled, bickered and murmured. Now Moses is telling them that as they go into that land flowing with Milk and Honey God would still be with them, and His miracles and blessings would continue every day; so he warns them to not look at those miracles as the result of their own efforts and thus forget God. He tells them to look at all the powerful displays of God’s love for them and to tell their children and their children’s children so they too would develop an appreciation and love for God.
Application: I arrived at the airport and went to the electronic ticket dispenser. There were no lines and things moved fast, until I got my tickets with the words “No Seat Assignment.” I know what that means: The plane is over-booked by the airlines, and I happen to be one of the “lucky” ones to have no seat, unless someone else doesn’t show up in time for departure and I can have their seat. Since I had a short lay-over and a connecting flight, I was not particularly excited about the prospect of having to wait for another flight and another connection and arriving at my destination in the middle of the night. Fortunately, I did get my seat on the plane leaving Minneapolis and on the one leaving from one of the busiest airports in the world, Hartsfield in Atlanta, and after the more than four hours flight to Ontario, California, I arrived a few earlier than expected.
During the time I was flying, so were hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of passengers around the world, hundreds of thousands of airplanes, large and small, suspended in the air by the miracles of gravity and aerodynamics, thousands of pilots whose brains and skills guided those planes safely to their destination, millions of workers on the grounds, billions of computational decisions on auto-pilots, radar equipment, reservation servers, just to make sure that I, one of millions of people traveling, would arrive safely and on time at my destination. While on the air, my plane was just one of thousands flying above, below, and around ours, all safely traversing the skies to their destinations.
Each time I travel I marvel at all these miracles! We may say it is modern technology; and it is. I marvel that God gave us such incredible brains to create this modern technology. I marvel that while anything could happen at any time and planes do crash and people do die I am alive today, after having flown over five thousand miles in one day, after being surrounded by thousands of people in two different airports, after driving on roads congested with traffic in two different states, after so many things that could have gone wrong I am safe and alive to see a new day! And what God, through Moses, asks me to do is to not forget Him through these miracles and instead build idols to modern technology, to order and safety, to the airline industry or to my GPS. Praise God, I’m alive and safe, because He loves me and wants me to experience a new day with friends and family. Praise God, I can witness for Him one more day through my words and my actions. Praise God, that I can pass these words on to someone who may not have come to know Him yet so they too may see Him in all the miracles of daily life.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the miracles of safety in long journeys across the country or across the world or across the street. Thank You for the miracle of life in a flower, in a bird, in a child. Thank You for breath, and water, and air, and sight. Than you for food and shelter and clothing and a job. Thank You for all Your miracles for us, simply because You rejoice in our happiness. Todya I praise You for being You.
Observation: Moses will not be going into the Promised Land with the Israelites, so he and God continue to prepare them for what they will encounter and what they should watch out for. For forty years God had been their Guide, their Protector, their Provider, their Miracle-worker, and yet there were times when they complained and quarreled, bickered and murmured. Now Moses is telling them that as they go into that land flowing with Milk and Honey God would still be with them, and His miracles and blessings would continue every day; so he warns them to not look at those miracles as the result of their own efforts and thus forget God. He tells them to look at all the powerful displays of God’s love for them and to tell their children and their children’s children so they too would develop an appreciation and love for God.
Application: I arrived at the airport and went to the electronic ticket dispenser. There were no lines and things moved fast, until I got my tickets with the words “No Seat Assignment.” I know what that means: The plane is over-booked by the airlines, and I happen to be one of the “lucky” ones to have no seat, unless someone else doesn’t show up in time for departure and I can have their seat. Since I had a short lay-over and a connecting flight, I was not particularly excited about the prospect of having to wait for another flight and another connection and arriving at my destination in the middle of the night. Fortunately, I did get my seat on the plane leaving Minneapolis and on the one leaving from one of the busiest airports in the world, Hartsfield in Atlanta, and after the more than four hours flight to Ontario, California, I arrived a few earlier than expected.
During the time I was flying, so were hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of passengers around the world, hundreds of thousands of airplanes, large and small, suspended in the air by the miracles of gravity and aerodynamics, thousands of pilots whose brains and skills guided those planes safely to their destination, millions of workers on the grounds, billions of computational decisions on auto-pilots, radar equipment, reservation servers, just to make sure that I, one of millions of people traveling, would arrive safely and on time at my destination. While on the air, my plane was just one of thousands flying above, below, and around ours, all safely traversing the skies to their destinations.
Each time I travel I marvel at all these miracles! We may say it is modern technology; and it is. I marvel that God gave us such incredible brains to create this modern technology. I marvel that while anything could happen at any time and planes do crash and people do die I am alive today, after having flown over five thousand miles in one day, after being surrounded by thousands of people in two different airports, after driving on roads congested with traffic in two different states, after so many things that could have gone wrong I am safe and alive to see a new day! And what God, through Moses, asks me to do is to not forget Him through these miracles and instead build idols to modern technology, to order and safety, to the airline industry or to my GPS. Praise God, I’m alive and safe, because He loves me and wants me to experience a new day with friends and family. Praise God, I can witness for Him one more day through my words and my actions. Praise God, that I can pass these words on to someone who may not have come to know Him yet so they too may see Him in all the miracles of daily life.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the miracles of safety in long journeys across the country or across the world or across the street. Thank You for the miracle of life in a flower, in a bird, in a child. Thank You for breath, and water, and air, and sight. Than you for food and shelter and clothing and a job. Thank You for all Your miracles for us, simply because You rejoice in our happiness. Todya I praise You for being You.
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