The one needful thing

Imagine what it would be like to take over the leadership of a company where a great leader just retired. The new leader would no doubt have many apprehensions. There would be the tendency to compare oneself to the former leader and often feel inadequate. Those feelings would likely be even greater in proportion to the size of task you've been asked to assume.

This was the situation for Joshua. He served what some would say was the greatest leader in Israel's history. He served Moses, the man who met face to face with God; the one who received the 10 commandments from the hands of the Lord. Now Joshua was to take over. Consider how frightening this assignment might have been. Then consider as well how large a task this was. He was commissioned to take what could have been 2 million people into the Promised Land. The previous generation had failed to do this. Now the same fortified walls and giants confronted them as they would try again. Was Joshua up for the task? What would he need to be successful?

The answer we find in Joshua 1 is spectacular but simple. God comes to Joshua and multiple times tells him, "I will be with you". I will be with you, I will be with you, I will be with you.

Coupled with that statement, and really a logical consequence of its truth, God also tells Joshua repeatedly, "Be strong and courageous". Faced with a daunting task of leadership God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous because He would be with him. What does Joshua need to be successful? Only that God be with him and that believing this he remain strong and courageous in the face of the challenges that were sure to come.

Our reading in Psalm 121 echoes this thought. The psalm begins with a question which probably every human has asked some time in their life. "From where does my help come?" Faced with the challenges of our life and our desire to navigate them successfully we often ask from where our help will come. In verse 2 the answer comes with great clarity. "My help comes from the Lord, who made the heaven and the earth." Simple but spectacular as well is this answer. If you consider what it takes to create heaven and earth, and realize that your God is not only this Creator, but is the One who promises to be with you, then you can go forward with confidence in your God. Psalm 121:8 offers this great promise that can sustain us through ever challenge this life throws at us. "The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore." What a great promise!

Are you dealing with challenges in your life? Are you fearful that you may fail? Is that fear crippling you from moving forward? If so, remember the only thing you need to be successful is that the Lord, creator of heaven and earth, is with you. Cling to this promise and walk forward with strength and courage. May God grant us His grace to live courageously, confident that His presence is all we need.

Increasing Glory

At the end of the book of Deuteronomy we read these wonderful words regarding the life of Moses. In 34:10-12 we read, "And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharoah and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel."

We see in Moses a glory that at the time of writing Deuteronomy was not surpassed, but... at the close of this book one gets the sense that more glory is coming. The story isn't over; more chapters follow. The question is "would Moses' glory be surpassed"?

Anyone this side of calvary knows the answer to that question. Even in our reading today in Matthew 8 we saw a greater glory - even a glory that begins to eclipse Moses'. In that chapter we saw Jesus doing works that rival Moses'. In this chapter alone He heals a leper, heals a paralyzed servant by just speaking a word, heals a mother-in-law sick with a fever and many oppressed with demons, most notably the men of the Gadarenes. Jesus even calmed a storm merely by rebuking it. Those who experienced these miracles saw a brilliant glory. But there was more to come. Glory would be increasing!

Jesus continued His earthly ministry further displaying His glory, but the way He displayed it at the cross takes our breath away. It is so unexpected, but when taken in to one's understanding with the Spirit's aid, we see a magnificience of glory that makes Moses' glory seem barely discernible.

That same glory, the glory of Christ, is now available to shine through God's people. As we display the self-giving love of our Lord we saw on the cross to a world in need, glory shines forth. And when a world in darkness sees this light, many will be drawn to it. Isaiah 60 seems to speak of this. In verse 3 Isaiah says, "And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising."

All of this will be culminated in the day when the Lord fully dwells among His people. Again Isaiah alludes to it in verse 19-20. He says, "The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light, but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended."

Sometimes we focus too much on the darkness around us and it causes us to be discouraged. At those times we must step back and look at the story that is unfolding from God's perspective. Glory is increasing and will increase until it shines so much we will not need the sun nor the moon. Until that day comes we have the privilege of contributing to the light that is seen in our day. Ask the Lord right now to use you to shine His glory into the dark places of our world.

Grace Neglected

How good is our God to us! He is our Father, the One who created us, who makes and establishes us (Deut 32:6). He gives us a very special position, making us His people, His allotted heritage (Deut 32:9). He found us when we were in a desert land - in the howling waste of the wilderness - He encircled us, cared for us, even making us the "apple of His eye" (Deut 32:10). In danger He protects us (Deut 32:11), in confusion He guides us (Deut 32:12), in want He provides many times in miraculous ways (Deut 32:13). How deep is the Lord's grace to us!

And how do we respond to that grace? Many times we are like Israel. We take in all God's blessings and become fat, and instead of offering thanks and praise, we kick. We forsake the Lord who made us; we scoff at the Rock of our salvation (Deut 32:15). Like Israel we are "unmindful of the Rock that bore us, and ...forget the God who gave us birth" (Deut 32:18). In short, we neglect God's magnificient grace!

And where does that take us? For Israel it took them to a place of danger. The Lord said he would hide His face from them (Deut 32:20). Isaiah speaks of a separation between God and His people caused by their sin - a hiding of the face of God from His people so that He does not hear them (Isaiah 59:1-2). The Lord said He would pour out His anger upon them. As He had showered them with good things He could just as easily rain down His wrath upon them. He is, after all , the God who said, "See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand." Neglecting God and His grace is true folly which can only bring us increased heartache.

So what is the solution? Moses put it this way in Deut 32:46-47. He said, "Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess."

It is important for us who live in the land of plenty to beware. Just as Israel grew fat and neglected the Lord from whom every blessing flows, so can we fall into this trap. We must heed the words of Moses and realize there are great consequences for neglecting the Lord's grace. Instead of experiencing increasing measures of life which come from dwelling in the presence of our God, we can separate ourselves and experience the remnants of death. Oh Christian, let us be ever mindful ofGod's grace, ever praising Him for His goodness to undeserving sinners. And let us, by that grace, seek daily to walk in His ways, praying each day to the Lord: "Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes." (Psalm 119:135)

A Superior Prosperity

In Matthew 4, after fasting for 40 days, Jesus is tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread. Having not eaten for 40 days, this must have been a severe temptation to Jesus, but He did not give in. Instead He spoke these very instructive words: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."

With these words Jesus established the primacy of the Word even over one's food. Though physical food be ever so important to one's survival - in fact, at the top of the list of things we need, it does not trump our need for the Word and our giving attention to it. It is a thing to be desired and sought after certainly above things temporal and physical.

This message was heralded to the people of Israel throughout their days as well. In Deuteronomy 29:9 Moses instructs the people: "Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do." Israel should have known how important the Word of God was to their prosperity. The former generation had forsaken the Word and had suffered 40 years of wilderness wandering - 40 years of seeing day after day a generation of people sadly die. If they should have learned one thing during those days it should have been the importance of heeding the Word of God, for it was their life.

Now on the edge of entering the Promised Land, Moses reminds them again of the important of knowing and doing the Word of God. They would find it a superior prosperity to anything this world could offer. If they were diligent in keeping this Word they would experience the life and blessing God promised them through the covenant.

This message is echoed as well in Psalm 119 - the psalm which extols the virtue of the Word. In verse after the verse we see the benefit of the Word of God. In the verses we read today we saw how it brings comfort and hope in times of affliction. We saw how it encourages the heart of those who feel the "cords of wicked ensnaring them". We saw how it can lift up the soul of the sojourner, who is feeling alone in a foreign land. So good was the Word that the psalmist declared (vs. 72) that it is better than "thousands of gold and silver pieces".

Do you feel that way about the Word? Has God convinced you of its superior and supreme value? One way of knowing if you have been convinced of this is to look at your life and see if you, like the psalmist often did, cry out for the Lord to teach you His statutes. When you are convinced of their worth, you will instinctively plead with the Lord to help you understand and then live by His precious Word. It truly is the only way to experience a "superior prosperity" of your soul.

How about right now, crying out to the Lord with me: "Lord, teach us your statutes. Help us to know and keep your ways, for they are a treasure to us."

Curse or Blessing

Psalm 109 speaks of a man who loves to curse, who does not remember to show others kindness. His presence is not a blessing to others but in fact it is death. Verse 16 says that he pursues "the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death."

Because of this the psalmist prays that curse would come upon this man; that since he did not delight in bringing blessing to others, that curse would come upon him and blessing be far from him. Such is the nature of imprecatory prayer!

In Deuteronomy 21 we see curse coming to another man. In verse 22 it says, "And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance." Thus curse comes to the man, guilty of a crime, who is hung on a tree as punishment.

Of course, this prefigures our Lord Jesus Christ, who Himself was hung on a tree. By this He was declared cursed, but in becoming a curse He was able to bring a blessing upon us. What a contrast to the first two examples we've cited. The first two cursed others and stole life from others. Their end was that they were cursed. But Christ, the righteous one, the blessed one, chose to become a curse, so that He might become a blessing to others. And that is what He has done! He turned the curse that we deserved into a blessing for us! For this we must be grateful and freely offer our praise to the Lord.

But we must do more! 1 Peter 3 offers further application. In 1 Peter 3:9f Peter says, "Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing, for 'whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.'"

Peter makes it clear that we are to reflect Jesus. Since He turned evil into a blessing to others, He now calls His followers, in whom He lives, to do likewise. So when confronted with those who curse - instead of wishing a curse upon them, ask the Lord to turn this curse into a blessing for others.

The Glory of Helplessness

It is a very human thing to want to portray strength, to want to show others that we are self-sufficient, in need of no one and nothing. In our reading today in Isaiah 47 we saw words which display this so clearly: "I am, and there is no one besides me; I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children." Babylon spoke such boastful words deluding herself of the realities of her condition. She would soon be cast down.

All of us as humans are apt to do this as a defense mechanism. Deep inside we feel a gnawing pang telling us of our inadequacy, our neediness. But the lost human soul tries to displace this inner feeling by denying it, by telling itself that all is well, by speaking words before others that lift oneself up.

But such a mechanism does not change the realities of the human condition. Masking those realities may make us feel good for a moment, but they can never heal the human soul. Believing a lie about oneself never leads to wholeness of being or living.

So what's the solution? Simply put, it is ceasing to resist the truth of our condition, our neediness, our helplessness. It is to "face the music" as they say. It is to receive the messages of truth which tend to knock us down before they lift us to the heights of glory.

When we do so, when we freely recognize our weakness, we are then in a place to cry out to the Lord. We see multiple examples of that in Psalm 107. Whether it is recognizing our loneliness - being without a home, or our bondage, or our lack of control of our life, or our sinfulness of heart, when we stop denying these realities and begin crying out to God, we find for the first time in our life that the healing begins.

You see when we deny the truth of our condition, when we try to maintain the image of strength, we never find release. We never find healing. But when we stop resisting the truth, and begin crying out to the Lord, we find a freedom in that. We find a release from the delusion that was keeping us bound.

It's funny how that works, but when we learn to rest in our condition, we find the peace, even the strength that previously alluded us. And now when we hear the voices of condemnation - often our own voice - we can smile and say, "Yes, it is true that I am needy. But I have a God who is sufficient. I have a God who fills me up, who is abundant in love and grace. I have given myself to Jesus who who is strong to lift me up."

Truly there is something healing in acknowledging our neediness and crying out to God. Until we do so, we keep the Lord's grace and abundant love at bay. We do that to our own peril.

Are you looking at yourself through God's lense, or are you still trying to maintain an image of strength? Cast off such folly, drink in the truth of your condition, cry out to the Lord, and receive His incredibly healing grace. There is truly glory in helplessness.

A God who speaks

We serve a God who speaks. In the opening chapters of our Bible we see this God speaking and bringing into being all that is. He speaks and day and night are created. He speaks and the sun, moon and myriad of stars take their places. He speaks and every creature from the lowly ant to the towering giraffe receive their being. Through speaking God shows Himself for who He is and what we observe is marvelous.

In Psalm 105 we are reminded of God speaking another way. This speech instead of being creative is used to curse. In verse 16 it records that God "summoned a famine on the land." In verse 31 God speaks and a swarm of flies come to plague the land of Egypt. In verse 34 God speaks and locusts come in such great number that they leave great devastation in the land. Again God's speech is something marvelous, showing Himself to both His people and the nations.

In Deuteronomy 18 we are introduced to yet another way God speaks to us. He speaks to us through His prophets. Moses was prominent among those voices, but in verses 15-18 he speaks of another prophet who would come after him. This prophet would have words put into his mouth by the Lord and he would faithfully speak them to the people. Moses says in verse 115 that the people are to listen to him.

And who is this prophet to which Moses points the people? It is none other than the Christ. Moses pointed the people to the ultimate voice of God - the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Even his command to listen to him is reminiscent of the same command spoken from heaven at Jesus' transfiguration. The Lord said, "This is my beloved Son, listen to Him."

And what is the message of THE Prophet? If we have to put a label on it we'd have to say it is a message of re-creation. As Isaiah foretold in his 45th chapter, verse 22, "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." This voice calls out to mankind to turn from their wicked ways, and turn toward the Savior. He will wash away their iniquity and begin restoring in them the Father's original design.

Of this Prophet another word has gone out that needs to be heeded. In Isaiah 45:23 we read, "By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: "To my every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance." Indeed a word has gone out which will not return unfulfilled. Even as Paul said in Philippians 2 that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Our communicating God has sent out this powerful world and it is far better to bend the knee to a Savior, then to bend the knee to our Judge.

Praise the Lord we have a God who communicates, and whose word is powerful. May we every moment give heed to that word, may we daily meditate on its truth, and may we, believing in its power share it with all God brings to cross our path.

American idols

In Deuteronomy 17 God gives instructions to Israel regarding a king. He tells them that it is permissible to set a king over them, provided that that king is taken from their brothers. Then the Lord gives very important counsel for the king. In verse 16-17 He says, "Only he (the king) must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, 'You shall never return that way again.' And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself silver and gold."

With this instruction the Lord is identifying three very popular idols that potentially can steal away the king's affections. Horses represent the idol of power; wives the idol of pleasure; silver and gold the idol of possesssions - a list not that uncommon throughout the ages. In fact, we'd have to say these are American idols as well. These things (power, pleasure and possessions) have a way of exercising control over our hearts and in time causing us to drift from the Lord.

The antidote to this is found in verse 18-20. The Lord declares, "And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutesx, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel." The antidote is to be a man of the Word; to daily seek its counsel, learning the fear of the Lord which is really learning to let God be Lord of our life and nothing else.

The fact is the human heart is an 'idol factory". We continually manufacture idols who will serve our desires. In Isaiah 44 the prophet shows how foolish that practice is. Though we do not manufacture idols out of wood, our creation of idols is just as foolish. Our idols like the idols of Isaiah's day are lifeless creations. They do not speak, nor move, nor do they life within them. In fact, they are really apt to suck the life out of those who worship them. Isaiah calls them a "lie", which can only delude the heart and lead it astray.

Instead of manufacturing our own idols we should allow the Word to direct us to Christ. In Him we will find a power, a possession and a source of pleasure that will satisfy our deepest soul needs both now and into eternity. Nothing on this earth can provide what the human heart needs most. We must look to the Word which will point us to the Living Word, Jesus Christ. May God give us wisdom to eschew all manmade idols and to follow hard after Christ.

Why God blesses us...

Though an ancient text, Deuteronomy 15 offers the modern Christian great insight into life, especially into how we should view the blessing of God in our life. So why does God bless us - particularly materially? Allow me to draw two answers from the text.

The first answer is that God blesses us so that we might offer worship to Him. From verses 19 and following (and many other passages) we see that God wants us to offer to Him our first and best. When the Lord blesses us materially, we ought to view that blessing as an opportunity to worship God - to show Him that we value Him above the gift or blessing. And how do we do this? We offer to Him our firstfruits. Before we take and use any of His blessings, we give to Him the first part. But it must be said that we don't give him any part, we give Him the first and the best. To offer God the damaged or maimed wouldn't be worship at all. But to offer Him what might have been most useful to us shows that we value Him above all.

The second answer is that God blesses us so that we might provide for others. In verse 10 Moses records this: " You shall give to him (the poor) freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.' Have you ever thought about the blessing of God in your life this way - that it is His means of providing for others in your world. It is His means of displaying the glory of His self-giving love as you freely give to meet the needs of others.

James S. Stewart wrote, "One main function of the face of suffering that we encounter all around us is to be a perpetual challenge to us to be cooperating with a burden-bearing God and to be giving ourselves in consecrated service for the healing of this broken earth." Even Moses records the Lord's words that "...there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy, to the poor, in your land."

And what might be the motivation for our responding positively to this instruction? Moses offers his readers this: "You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today" (vs. 15). Our motivation to aid the poor and give freely of the blessing God has given is that we were once poor ourselves. WE were the poor upon whom God looked with favor. He saw us in our need and bondage and was moved with compassion to give not only of His excess, but to give sacrificially to meet our need.

Now He calls us to continue that work in our world. God wants to continue to show Himself a God of self-giving love, and He wants to do this through you. Have you considered this ? Have you thought about God's blessings in your life as a means of worship to God and service to His creatures? When you do, and begin to live it out, you will find those blessings all the more sweeter. May God's grace flow more freely through all of us.

Religious Intolerance

A reading of Deuteronomy 13 may leave one wondering about the love of God. Instructing God's people to put to death the prophet who suggests we "go after other gods" may seem a bit harsh to our modern sensibilities. Even worse is the instruction to do the same to your brother, or son, or daughter, or even your wife or friend. Imagine actually carrying this out! This is serious stuff. Nor did the instruction end there. The Lord, through Moses, taught that if a city had such worthless fellows in it who suggested they "follow after other gods", an investigation should be made, and if found to be true, the city was to be leveled. God seems to be pretty serious about having a people who are fully devoted to Him.

Now in our day which touts religious tolerance as a primal virtue, it might be easy to focus on the harshness of these orders and overlook some very important points. Consider the following:

1. This instruction was given to the people of God. God was interested in having a people who were wholly devoted to Him. To have a people who worshipped a plethora of gods was to diminsh the uniqueness of this people, not to say anything about the uniqueness of their God. They had been "redeemed" by the Lord. They had been bought out of slavery through the Lord's strong arm. This was a people, gathered to the Lord, given the express purpose of making His glories known throughout the earth. To allow the confusion of "religious tolerance" within this people was to make them unsuitable for the purposes God had for them. It was actually to take away the only source of blessing to the nations as well.

2. Secondly, to allow unfaithfulness in the land, was to place this people under the anger of God. Deut 13:17 relates "that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, as He swor to your fathers, if you obey the voice of the Lord..." This turning from His anger was in response to Israel taking decisive action against idolatry in their midst, but it clearly shows that God's anger will be upon His people when they play the harlot with other gods. That is not a position we should want anyone to remain under.

3. Thirdly, defection from God is the crime of all crimes. It is the foundation of all other crimes in a nation. When a person or nation rebels against the rule of God, the rule of personal desire takes over, and in a land where personal desire reigns you are apt to find all manner of crimes being perpetuated against one another. The 10 commandments seem to suggest that when we fail to follow the first four Godward commandments, then we open the floodgates of sin among mankind. Families disintegrate, murder and adultery become more common, as does lying, stealing and coveting. Romans 1 shows the same progression.

So, perhaps in light of the above, what might be considered "religious intolerance" is really the loving instruction of a God who truly has the best interest of His people in mind. It is simiar to the parent who lays upon his child a severe discipline because the parent deeply wants the child to know fullness of life and not end up making mistakes that will have damaging consequences all their life.

Our God is a loving and merciful God. Sometimes His love and mercies are severe, but that severity, rather than make us question His love, should convince us of the depth of His love. Know today, people of God, that the love of your heavenly Father is immeasurably deep - deep enough to insist on religious intolerance among His people.

Looking into the Son

William G. T. Shedd once said, "Will the eagle that has soared in the open sky, that has gazed into the sun, endure to dwell in the dark cavern of the bat? If the vision of God were glorious to our minds, wouldn't a return to the things of earth be reluctant?"
Is your vision of God glorious? It won't be if you are one who "makes God in your own image" - if you create a God who suits your desires. But if you allow God's Word to show you a vision of God, chances are you will see something dazzling that will catch your eye for eternity.
Our passages today offered us glimpses of that glory. Consider the following:
1. Psalm 97:2-3 - Clouds and thick darkness are all around Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him and burns up His adversaries all around.
2. Psalm 97:5 - The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.
3. Psalm 97:9 - For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
4. Psalm 98: 1-2 - O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things! His right hand and HIs holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made known His salvation; He has revealed HIs righteousness in the sight of the nations.
5. Isaiah 40:7-8 - The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass.
6. Isaiah 40:11 - He will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
7. Isaiah 40: 12-18 - Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.... All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?
8. Isaiah 40:225-28 - Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
9. Isaiah 40:26 - Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of His might, and because He is strong in power not one is missing.

10. Isaiah 40:28-29 - Have you not known? Have you not heart? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of heaven and of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength.

Take a moment or more and dwell in the light of the glory of our Lord as revealed in His Word, and as you do this day by day, you will find the things of earth, so diminished in glory, will not attract you like your God. May this vision of God also keep you from the idols of this world which may glitter for a moment but have no lasting glory. God help us to keep our focus, always looking into the glorious Son.

15 Years to Live

In Isaiah 38 we encounter a sick Hezekiah who is at the point of death. Isaiah the prophet comes to him and tells him to set his house in order because he would be dying soon. Confronted with his imminent death, Hezekiah does what many of us might do: he prays to the Lord presumably to ask for an extension of life.

Perhaps to his surprise, but certainly to his delight, Hezekiah's life is extended by fifteen years. You can imagine what a relief that might have been to him, but it also might have been a weight on him as he considered the next fifteen years. How would he use those years? With what "works" would he want to occupy his hours?

If this were you, how would you answer those questions? If you knew you had 15 years and not a day more, how would you use those days? Would you do anything differently from what you are doing now? With what works would you occupy your time? You may want to try to answer those questions before you read on.

Later in the chapter we gain a glimpse into how Hezekiah answered those questions. In verses 18-19 Hezekiah writes, "For Sheol does not thank you; death does not praise you; those who go down to the pit do not hope for your faithfulness. The living, the living, he thanks you, as I do this day; the father makes known to the children your faithfulness."

Now at first glance Hezekiah's words don't ring true. Do those who die in the Lord not give thanks? Do they not offer praise to their God? All that we understand from Scripture seems to indicate that we do offer praise and thanks and worship to God throughout eternity. So how could Hezekiah say that we do not?

A closer look reveals that Hezekiah is speaking of offering thanks and praise to God before men. The last phrase of verse 19 takes us there. "...The father makes know to the children your faithfulness." Hezekiah is saying that death stops that flow of thanks and praise to God whereby others, especially our children, are able to gain benefit and themselves learn to thank and praise the Lord.

So from this what do we learn about how Hezekiah would use his final 15 years? Though I am sure this passage doesn't answer the question fully, it certainly shouts out that Hezekiah would see to make known the faithfulness of God to his children and his children's children. He would seek to use his days to point others to the grace, mercy and love of the Lord.

Did that answer feature prominently in your answer to the question? If you knew God had given you 15 years and not a day more, would you give yourself, in every circumstance of life, to point others to Christ? Would you seek to offer thanks and praise to God in such a way that others would come to know His faithfulness? Would you give yourself to pointing future generations to the Christ who is life and gives life in abundance?

Hopefully, that is what your focus of life is right now, and that the notice of fifteen years remaining would mean no change at all in your focus and lifestyle. May the Lord help us to live this day in light of the brevity of life, and invest our energies in those things that will last.

Been there, done that!

In my 18 plus years as Children's Pastor one of the comments that made me very sad was a comment made to my request to help out with the ministry to children. The comment was, "Been there, done that!" With this comment the person was saying that they had worked with children in the past, and that they were done with it. They were passing on the task of working with children to the younger generation.

This comment made me sad because it seemed to miss out on the heart of God for children. As I read the Scriptures, especially the Old Testament I see over and over how God is interested in the children; how He wants them to receive the Word of truth.

No passage is clearer about this than the one we read in Deuteronomy 6. Now on the plains of Moab, Moses gathers the people and gives them instruction. The previous generation had failed, so Moses was instructing the people so that they would not fail again. And as you read the instruction you can't help but see how concerned he is for the children.

In verse 2 Moses writes, "...that you may fear the Lord your God , you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long."

Again in verse 4-7, after giving the "Great Commandment" to love the Lord their God with their all, Moses goes on to say, "You shall teach them (the commandments) diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

Still later in verse 20 Moses anticipates a conversation with the children. He says, "When your son asks you in time to come, 'What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord your God has commanded you?' Then you say say to your son, 'We were Pharoah's slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.'" Over and over again the Lord shows His concern for children. They are indeed near and dear to His heart.

Even in Psalm 89 the opening words hit the same theme. The psalmist declared, "I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make know your faithfulness to all generations." And why was the psalmist so eager to share with other generations? Because he had found a God who was like none other. In verse 6 he states, "For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him?"

This is the same God we saw in Revelation 4 who is so awesome that the living creatures continuously declare, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come." And if that were not enough, the 24 elders chime in as well saying, "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."

In light of such a God, is it possible to say, "Been there, done that"? Would it not be our delight to share the glories of this God not only with children but with all those with whom we have contact? Thus, you can understand my sadness. When I look at the treasure we have in Christ, and then look at the treasure we have in the "little ones" I can't help but want to see those two treasures united. To give children an understanding of the marvels of our God, and to know that such knowledge can transform their lives for good, leads me to always have a heart for children. I can never say, "Been there, done that" until the Lord takes me home. In fact, my responsibility to pass on the gospel never ends until the Lord takes me home.

May the Lord refresh our vision of His greatness, so that with eagerness we want to share His glories with every generation as the Lord gives us strength.