Merry Christmas

forwarded from my friend Jeff Z.  So much for Black Friday and keeping up with the Jones'.  Help us Lord.  Really.

Judges.... read on!

Gideon, The Judge

We continue to read the book of Judges.  Monday our into and yesterday 1-3; today 4-6; thursday 7-9; Friday 10-12; and Saturday 13-16.

What sticks out to me major is the consistency of the children of Israel to FORGET THEIR GOD.  What does this look like?  The worship and gratitude and zeal for the God who consistently went before them was forgotten by the generations that came up.  We hear the same story of how America has gotten away from her roots just a few generations ago in the founding of our nation.  The results are always chastisement from God.  God sends a conquering nation to overtake the Jews and the people then begin to groan and feel the need for God.  It is often times only in our trouble that we begin to seek God.  Not always though.  Some turn to drugs, sex, deviance...and others turn to desperate measures like gambling and fall susceptible to desperate schemes from predators promising great returns on investments and the like.  Yet God offers only one solution to be freed from the clutches of gluttonous idolatry and forgetting and forsaking God.  Turning to Him with repentant tears.  God ALWAYS raised up a deliverer in the case of the Jews....over and over and over again he raised up 11 judges; Deborah, Gideon, Sampson....and others to help a hardened people out of the messes they made.

One final note of observation in the text.  Every time the Jews were judged by God and overtaken by a foreign land, the texts speaks that the people were captive, "for 8 years"; "for 7 years"; for "18 years."  This spoke to me greatly.  We often underestimate the power of our choices and the reciprocal effects of the "payback" of bad choices.  We can sweep under the rug or dismiss sinful behaviors, but it could equate to a marriage of struggling for 8 years.  Or losing a house through foreclosure after a 12 year struggle to "just maintain."  Often the judgements of God are looked at like tough times or unfortunate happenings only because we don't understand what a jealous God He is and how he will send calamity on His people only to desire to bring them into greater places of prospering.

I challenge each of us today to TURN FULLY TO THE LORD.  Forsake our "good strategies" and trade them in for divine surrender to Jesus!

Stuart

Titus and Judges

Having a great weekend.  I have been encouraged by all the emails, posts and conversations that have centered around the Word lately.  I wanted to keep us on pace and I can hardly do it myself!  Yesterday we were to finish up the into to the book of Titus, and then read the entire book of Titus today.  Monday we will be studying the book of Judges.  Into study on Monday and then three chapters a day, Sunday off.

Hope the reading continues to stir you to action! 

Peace,

Stuart

2 Timothy

As we finish up 2 Timothy we can't help but to see the man of God, Apostle Paul, getting ready for the cold season in his dank dungeon cell.  Imprisoned for constantly preaching the gospel of Jesus.  Paul was pouring out his heart to spiritual son Timothy, pleading for a final visit from Timothy, asking for a coat that would help in the cold prison, and constantly making reference to how Timothy could defend and preserve the true, authentic faith of Jesus.

Just yesterday I heard a preacher say that dehydration is due to lack of water.  The only way for the body to function is to refill with more water, there is no other trick about it.  His next sentence was that spiritual dehydration comes from not having enough Bible reading in our spirit.  The only way for the spirit to function is to refill with more Bible.  I am finding this so true.  One day without being in the Lord I begin to get anxious.  Two days and my family begins to notice. Three days and the whole world can tell.  How we need to hydrate ourselves with the mighty and wonderful Word of God.  This Jewel of a living book is available to all of us in America, and how we need to focus and prioritize our lives to keep in the Word and have the Word into us.  There is no surprise that our conduct and attitudes waiver often because we are not hydrating our spirit....feeding it and causing it to prosper in the Light of Life!

Thanks for sharing with us in 2 Timothy...we have enjoyed it thoroughly.  Be sure to continue to post your great observations.  Today we will move onto Titus.  Studying a background you can check out http://www.abideinchrist.com/messages/titintro.html.  Background study then is today and on Friday we can hit all of Titus in one reading.  Look for an email tomorrow for further instruction on our reading choice for Saturday and next week!


Stuart

1st Timothy

Today we are reading the introduction of 1st Timothy.  A good site for some background info is linked here: http://www.abideinchrist.com/messages/1timintr.html

We finished up Joshua and loved every bit of it.  What a word that book spoke about us leaving a land and possessing the thing that GOD spoke to us.  We are to look at Nation Israel and the Biblical Old Testament as EXAMPLES of how we should and should not walk in these days.  God teaches us so much by the successes and failures of others if we will only watch and see the results.

We will begin reading 1st Timothy ch. 1-3 on Tuesday and 4-6 on Wednesday.  Thursday we will look to do background reading on 2nd Timothy and we will go from there!

Have a great week- Stuart

Mundane Reading- Hot Nugget!

As we continue on a reading journey through the book of Joshua what sticks out to my mind more than anything through the middle to late chapters is how the Bible goes on and on about the settling of the land of Canaan.  At first glance I just wanted to race through it and move to a spiritual truth or a more inspiring section.  Yet I felt almost guilty for doing so.  My thoughts led me to that because think about all the nation had been through.  Walking around for 40 years and that on top of 400 years of slavery in Egypt.  I felt that although knowing where Judah would be settling or the tribe of Benjamin at first glance was not that interesting, recognizing all these people had been through, I read line by line to just acknowledge......  THEY MADE IT.  Squeezed in, in the middle of all this historical mid eastern geography lesson is a true nugget.  The scripture reads: "Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass." Joshua 21:45.   Now that is a truth for the ages.  GOD DID WHAT HE SAID.  ALL OF IT.  So many of us will cut out of reading the genealogy portions of scripture, but I tell you, I am learning, there are nuggets tucked away for all those who dig in the Word.  This scripture encouraged me to ask myself."What has God said to me?"  In my "wilderness wanderings," I hear the Lord speaking to me and our church that we have got to go through a land to get to a land.  When I started walking this journey of church planting 8 years ago I thought I would be inhabiting my "Canaan."  Instead I was walking around clueless eating manna from Heaven.  That may sound good to you, but I said the same thing the Israeli kids said in my journey of faith, "what is this?".  That is the literal translation of the word "manna".  I find that it is awesome to be in God's miracle provision but when you get thirsty and there is not water fountain, it can be stressful.  God did for me what He did for Israel, and now I feel like God is speaking to us as a church that He is not "giving" us the land, but it is ours to take now.  We will have to fight for it.  The manna is going to stop falling.  In one day, manna ceased to fall for Israel....but God had provided through the provision of the labor of other nations for Israel to feed off of.  This next season for us I feel will be a fighting season.  Not sure what that looks like, but it isn't wandering.  That is great.  I am ready to "cross over".  Even greater is the example before me in the Word that says, "all came to pass."  I am living in expectancy more than ever for the Lord to give us this land ready for the harvest even now.  Pray for our new building as we look to inhabit that in January....looks like we got to fight to find it first!

Stu

Homeland Security: Old School

Shock and Awe or Shocking Hail?  Which would you prefer for protection as a nation in the days ahead?  Many would take the U.S. military, but I will take hailstones thank you.  Studying through the book of Joshua through chapter 12 we notice that Israel and Joshua only failed twice up to this point.  Both times it was, "but they did not ask council of the Lord." 9:14.  The scripture that is a basic overall trustworthy truth is, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance." Psalm 33:12.  This is a "nice" scripture.  It is a feel good scripture.  Making sure we quote it on veterans and memorial day.  But the truth is, that the nation that fears the Lord will truly have the backing of the Most High.  I read a startling quote about Joshua and the Israeli nation as they crossed the Jordan and began to take over lands that were established by other countries.  I think in God's sovereignty, these nations used their people power, finance and abilities to build just so God's people could come and occupy.  Israel wandered for 40 years in circles because of their unrelenting disobedience, but as Joshua was raised up, the people finally were able to inherit the promise.  As they went forward to "take the land", they did have to fight for it.  In one scene, a nation calls together other nations to protect the raiding band of Israelites to protect their city interest.  What would happen?  The city had been there for years, the other nations had settled and established strength and allies to fight a wandering "terrorist" group.  Terrorist?  No.  God's backing, yes.  As the battle began, the Bible reads, "and it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died.  There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword." 10:11.

Wow.  Homeland Security or Hailstones?  I'll take the Lord's backing thank you.  Let's pray for our leaders.  How the nation rejoices when the righteous rule.  God lead our nation, our leaders....to follow you.  We recognize we are nothing without your protection. 

Love-  Stu

This Week's Reading (Joshua)

We will be reading the book of Joshua.  Steve Vereen picked this one.  Glad to have Kerri joining with us in the reading.  It has been so good and challenging to have accountability and group study in the Word.  I am convinced that the Devil more than anything tries the hardest to keep us out of God's Word and the prayer closet.  If we can read the WORD the enemy is going to shake and quake, because it is ALIVE AND ACTIVE.  For an introductory help you can read (http://www.abideinchrist.com/messages/josintro.html ).  Steve, if you could post the Blue Letter Bible site URL that would help for those who would prefer an audio intro.  Tuesday we will read chapter 1-3; Wed: 4-6; Thurs: 7-9; Fri: 10-12 and Saturday: 13-16.  Let's get into the Word so the WORD can get into us.

PS-  when I was 16 years old, I remember being at my grandma Hazel's house.  I was a new driver....ready to leave a family gathering at Christmas.  I will never forget when my Uncle Johnny coming down the driveway and meeting by my car.  He interrupted my quick exit and pulled out a card of his for business.  He had written something on the back and flipped it over to share it with me.  It said, " This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." JOSHUA 1:8-9.  Johnny then handed me that card.  I think I kept it in my wallet for over 12 years before it finally eroded.  How I wish I had laminated it!  My uncle passed away two days ago.  This reading will be special to me as I remember John Alvin Royall through every daily reading.  Thank you Uncle Johnny for sharing with me the truth, even before I was "ready" to receive it.  Your witness seed did bear fruit in my heart and I will see you again soon face to face.  You have finished the race, now receive your reward.  Love you dear brother.  Stuart