Unlikely People

Readings for today: Genesis 38-40

Father, Your Word is living and active. It is sharper than any two-edged sword. It penetrates to the deepest places of my being. May Your Word take root, Father, and bear fruit for Your glory.

God works in the most unlikely of places. God uses the most unlikely of people. Tamar is a great example. She’s an outsider. It’s highly likely she was a Canaanite which means she’s not part of God’s chosen people. She most likely knows little to nothing about God. She is chosen by Judah to marry his firstborn son. Er is a wicked man. We aren’t told why. Perhaps he was abusive. Perhaps he was neglectful. Perhaps he was violent or hateful. Perhaps he despised the God of his fathers. Whatever his crime, it was worthy of death. She is then passed down to Onan. Not an uncommon practice in the Ancient Near East. The goal being the preservation of a bloodline. Onan rebels. His sin is not just sexual in nature. It actually shames the entire family. It disrupts the economic, social, and familial structure of Judah’s family. God judges him harshly and he too dies. Who knows how Tamar must have felt at this point? Did she feel like damaged goods? Did she feel used and abused? Did she feel cursed? Time drags on. Judah is clearly unwilling to take another chance on her. She is in danger of not only remaining widowed but childless which was a fate worse than death back then. So she does the most remarkable thing. She makes a plan. She waits for the opportune time. Her plan is risky but it’s all she’s got. Knowing Judah is lonely, she dresses as a sacred Canaanite prostitute – a common vocation in those days – and waits for him to come by. He hires her. Sleeps with her. She conceives and the rest is history. Really important history. Her son Perez will become the ancestor of kings like David and Solomon and eventually Jesus Himself. 

Recently, I was talking to a high school friend of mine. She and I haven’t seen each other since graduation. Back then I was not a Christian. I was sarcastic, arrogant, and often mean. I was a drunk, a college drop-out, and a fool. My life was going nowhere. When she found out I was a pastor, she was shocked. I’m not surprised. So are most people who knew me before I met Christ. You see, God met me in the most unlikely of places on the campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder. I still remember the exact spot where God ambushed me and changed my life. There was nothing redemptive about my life at the time. Nothing good. Certainly nothing godly. Of all the people God could have chosen, I had to be among the most unlikely of candidates. Certainly among the most unworthy. And yet God specializes in using the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. God used Tamar to confound Judah and perpetuate the eventual line of David. God is using Doug Resler to confound those who believe some are just too far gone to save and bring the message of the gospel to the ends of the earth. It’s amazing. 

What about you? Perhaps you feel a lot like Tamar? You’ve been abused. You’ve been mistreated or marginalized. Perhaps you feel like an outsider or an outcast. Maybe you even feel cursed. Maybe you resonate with my story? You’ve been the abuser. You’ve been proud and arrogant. You’ve enjoyed privilege and power but you’ve squandered it all and now your life is going nowhere fast. God is still at work, friends! In the most unlikely of people. In the most unlikely of places. At a time when you least expect it. That’s when God shows up. Don’t lose faith. Don’t lose hope. Don’t lose heart. 

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 41-43

The Sin of Revenge

Readings for today: Genesis 34-37

Father, the stories of the Old Testament seem so foreign to me. I struggle as I read about the choices Your people make. Then I think about my own choices and I realize I am no different. Teach me even through all the brokenness how to follow You.

The choices the children of Jacob make are deeply unsettling. Massacring an entire city? Selling their brother into slavery? It’s hard for me to connect to what’s going on or how any of this could be even remotely be connected to God. It’s hard for me to understand why God even puts up with them. Why He continues to reach out to Jacob and remain faithful to His promises? In my humanness, I think there must be a limit. There must be a point at which God will say, “No more!” That’s enough. You’ve gone too far. The fact that God continues to associate and even protect such a broken, dysfunctional family creates all sorts of questions for me. Questions about God’s character and nature. Questions about His purpose and intent. Questions about God’s wisdom. These can be scary questions on some level for me because I was taught never to question God. Furthermore, I was raised in a home where you never questioned authority. So the fact that these questions even pop into my mind can raise all kinds of fears. Thankfully, I learned years ago that God’s not scared of my questions. God’s a big boy and can handle anything I might throw at Him. All one has to do is look throughout the Scriptures and see how God invites His people to bring all of their hopes and fears, doubts and uncertainties, confusion and struggles to Him. The Psalms are filled with all kinds of questions. The Book of Job must not be forgotten with it’s honest, searching, probing questions of God’s justice and righteousness and goodness. This is what I love about the Christian faith. This is what I love about my relationship with God. But still I wrestle through these passages every year. 

One thing I have learned is to appreciate the cultural distance between the Ancient Near East in which Jacob and his family lived and the 21st century, Western culture in which I live. In those days, a family’s honor was everything. It was worth more than all their wealth or influence or power. In fact, it was the source of all those things. When Dinah is raped by Shechem, it’s important to note the language that is used to describe the act. Humiliation. Defilement. It’s not just a violent act done to someone they loved but a shameful act against their entire family. The shame is compounded by Shechem’s request to marry Dinah. And lest one have any sympathy at all for Shechem’s family, their true intentions are revealed when they discuss the economic impact of intermarriage. It’s clear their end goal is to eliminate Jacob and his clan altogether. This creates a blood feud between the two people groups and blood feuds in the Middle East – even to this day – are brutal. Jacob’s sons massacre the males in the city thus eliminating any potential future threat or retaliation. They carry off all the wealth of the city, including the women and children and assimilate them into their own clan. It’s as if Shechem and his family never existed. Jacob knows their actions could potentially create ripple effects that would spread throughout the region. It’s possible clan members have intermarried into other tribes or other people groups and would feel compelled to respond. But Jacob’s sons are unrepentant. The honor of their family and clan must come first.  

So how does such a story relate to me? In 21st century America? Well, if I am honest, the one thing that does resonate in this story is the impulse to retaliate. To seek revenge. To get back at those who hurt me. I don’t like feeling weak. I don’t like feeling shamed. I don’t like feeling wounded. So when these things happen to me, my first response is almost always to think of ways I can get back at the other person. Repay them for all the pain they have caused me. I scheme of ways I could respond. I have all sorts of dreams/fantasies of what I could say or do that would balance the scales. Make things even. Sure, I would never massacre an entire city but I have lost control of my anger at times and lashed out. When attacked personally or professionally, I have found myself responding in kind. Using the gifts I have and the resources I’ve been given and the power I hold to defend my honor and that of my family or those I love. Far too often, I have refused to turn the other cheek. The results are always the same. Violence begets violence. Pain begets more pain. Hurt people simply go on hurting people. What’s the answer? Forgiveness. Reconciliation. Letting go of my need to defend myself and instead laying down my pride and ego for the sake of the relationship. Some see this as weakness. What I’ve found is that it is the ultimate sign of strength. Only the truly strong can relinquish their need for vengeance. Only the truly strong can let go of their need to get back. Only the truly strong don’t need to defend themselves or their honor. Only the truly strong can put the welfare of others – including their enemies – above their own. 

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 38-40

Self-Righteousness

Readings for today: Genesis 30-33

All of us are righteous in our own eyes. All of us have a great capacity to justify our thoughts, decisions, feelings, and actions. It’s been said that “humanity’s ability to sin is only exceeded by her ability to rationalize away her sin.” I believe that with all my heart because I know my heart. I know how easy it is for me to blame-shift. I know how easy it is for me to shirk responsibility. I know how easy it is for me to justify my anger, frustration, hatred, bitterness, etc.

Many years ago, my life was at a breaking point. My job was not going well. I could feel the walls closing in. Every conversation with those I reported to seemed to end in conflict. I felt helpless. I was discouraged. It took a huge effort just to get out of bed each day. Rather than own my responsibility for the condition I found myself in, I blamed others. I retreated emotionally and relationally from those I loved. I neglected my wife and children. I spent hours distracting myself. All to no avail. This went on for months. My wife grew more and more distant and angry and upset. My children bore the brunt of my frustration. And I justified every bit of it because I was hurt. I was misunderstood. I was being let down. Finally my wife sat me down for the hardest conversation we’ve ever had in our marriage. “I never thought I’d ever say this but I don’t like being married to you. You need to decide between me and your job. You have 24 hours.” Her words broke me. That night I wrestled with God. I yelled at Him. Shook my fists. Blamed Him for everything that had gone wrong. For hours I paced the floor, pouring out all my fears and frustrations at Him. He simply listened and waited. Eventually I exhausted myself and said, “God, I need your help. I’ve made a mess of my life. I’ve got nothing left. And I’m afraid I’m going to lose everything I hold dear.” God replied, “I know. I’m sitting in the middle of the mess with you. I’ve never left your side. I know you are afraid. I know you’ve failed. I know you’ve hurt those you love the most. But I can restore all things if you will simply hand your life over to me.” Thankfully, I did. It’s taken years but God has not only restored my marriage and my family and my career but He has given me so much more. 

I think about my story every time I read the story of Jacob. Jacob was a master manipulator. A schemer to the core. He justified all sorts of sin in his life. He stole from his brother. He lied to his father. He was a poor husband and father. He took advantage of his uncle. He even tried to cut deals with God. All in an effort to avoid responsibility. Avoid accountability. Avoid facing the music. Eventually things caught up to him. He was traveling back to the land of his father when he heard his brother was on the way to meet him. He had four hundred men with him. Jacob assumed a reckoning was coming so he did what he always did. He tried to buy his way out of it. He sent his brother gifts. Attempts at flattery. None of it worked. Finally, Jacob had no choice but send his family over the river. Now he was all alone. The walls were finally closing in. He had nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. God had him right where He wanted him. All night long, Jacob wrestled with God. We do not know what went through Jacob’s mind but if his experience was anything like my own, I am sure God confronted him all of his past sin and it broke him. Literally. Physically. He would walk with a limp for the rest of his life. But he was now free. 

What about you? Where do you find yourself justifying your sin? Justifying your hurt? Justifying your feelings? Justifying your behavior? Where do you find yourself making excuses? Blaming others? Avoiding responsibility? Self-righteousness is the most deadly of sins. Turn to the Lord. Wrestle with Him. Let Him break you so that He might restore all you have lost.  

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 34-37

Bargaining with God

Readings for today: Genesis 27-29

Father, open my eyes to the wonders of Your Word this morning so that I might hear Your voice and learn the truths You would teach me. 

Jacob is such a contrast to his grandfather. Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Jacob disbelieved God and would need to learn some hard lessons as a result. In both cases, God appears to them. In both cases, God makes promises to them. Yes, these promises must have seemed impossible at the time they were made. A promised child to a barren woman. Descendants outnumbering the sand on the seashore. Land for as far as the eyes could see. Prosperity. Abundance. Provision. Protection. The only difference is that Abraham received these promises by faith. He never doubted God would deliver. In fact, the Apostle Paul says, “No unbelief made Abraham waver concerns the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith and gave glory to God, fully convinced God was able to do what he had promised.” (Romans 4:20-21) 

Jacob, on the other hand, seeks to bargain with God. Listen to what he says in Genesis 28:20-22 again, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.” It’s almost humorous to read in retrospect. Does Jacob really believe he has a choice? God has just appeared miraculously to him in a dream and told him He would be with him. God told him He would keep him safe wherever he would go. God told him He would bring him back to the land. God told him He would not leave Jacob until He had accomplished all He had promised. Jacob takes what begins as an unconditional covenant of faithfulness from God and tries to turn into a conditional human contract with an “out” clause.

How many times have I done the same? How many times have I tried to bargain with God? How many times have I placed all sorts of conditions on His love and grace? To be honest, I am much more like Jacob than I am like Abraham. At the same time, I’ve been following Jesus for close to thirty years now and I find myself growing in trust. Growing in faith. Growing in my confidence that God can and will do what He has promised. I’ve seen miracles. I’ve seen God come through when I was sure all was lost. I’ve heard testimony after testimony of God’s faithful provision in some of the most desperate of circumstances. It’s one of the reasons I try to journal. I want to make sure to keep a record of where God has fulfilled His promises to me. As I read back over all the answered prayers, my heart is encouraged. My eyes are lifted up. Hope floods my soul and I find myself renewed yet again. Where has God been faithful to you? Where has God met you over the last two years during COVID? How have you experienced His abiding faithfulness and abundant provision in your life? 

 Readings for tomorrow: None

God’s Sovereignty

Readings for today: Genesis 24-26

One of the things I struggled with the most when I first started reading the Bible was reconciling how God could use such sinful, broken people to accomplish His plan. Why does God seem to overlook Abraham’s lying? Why does God turn Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt for a backwards glance and yet seemingly does nothing to Lot’s daughters when they rape their father to get pregnant? How could God allow Hagar and Ishmael to be treated so terribly by Sarah? And what are we to make of the conflict between Esau and Jacob which began before they were even born? These events seem to call God’s character into question. 

And yet, when I take a step back to reflect on my own life, I realize God’s still using sinful, broken people to accomplish His plan! I remember talking to a high school friend several years ago. We hadn’t seen each other since graduation. As we got caught up, she asked me what I did for a living. “I’m a pastor.” The stunned look on her face said it all. She and I were close in high school. She knew I was a drunk. She knew I was vulgar. She knew I was a liar. She knew I was arrogant and mean. Of all the careers she could have imagined me having back then, pastor wouldn’t have even made the list! Sure, you say, that was thirty years ago. A lot’s changed, right? You might be surprised. Yes, when Christ ambushed me at the University of Colorado in Boulder, my life was radically changed. But that doesn’t mean I became any less a sinner. Yes, the Holy Spirit entered my heart that day and began the process of sanctification but I am constantly amazed at how deep my sinful tendencies run. Yes, I have grown in so many ways and have become far more disciplined and self-controlled but my internal thoughts and feelings still reflect much of the corruption of the Fall. Does my failure to live up to my calling in Christ Jesus call God’s character into question?  

I don’t think so. In fact, I think God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He simply is doing in my life what He first did in Abraham’s life. He is sovereignly directing all things to serve the purpose of His will. His plan cannot be delayed. Cannot be detoured. Cannot be denied. God has chosen from the beginning to work His will through the creature made in His own image. God has chosen from the beginning to use sinful, broken creatures to bring about His will on earth as it is in heaven. God has chosen from the beginning to deposit the treasure of the gospel in weak and insecure and unfaithful people. That’s why the Apostle Paul will later call us “jars of clay.” Fragile. Chipped. Cracked pots through which God reveals His glory. It’s the most amazing thing. 

So back to the passage we read for today. When we read the text with the eyes of faith, we can see God at work. We see the guidance of God as He leads the servant of Abraham miraculously to Rebekah. (Reminds me of that great line from Casablanca where Bogart says, “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”) We see the hand of God present as Abraham settles his estate and dies peacefully among his people. His funeral, attended by his two boys, Ishmael and Isaac, must have been a tender scene. We see both Ishmael and Isaac receive the blessing of God as their families grow. We see God heal Rebekah’s barren womb in what will become a pattern throughout the Old Testament. We witness the sovereign choice of God to elect Jacob to carry on the promise even though Esau is the firstborn. We see Esau confirm that decision as he despises his birthright, selling it to Jacob for a bowl of stew. Finally, we see God renew His covenant with Isaac only to have him break faith just like his father had done. Time and time again we are reminded that unless God acts to preserve His promise, we are doomed. The human race is just too dysfunctional. Too prone to evil. To easily seduced by sin. This should challenge us as well as comfort us. So where is God challenging you today to follow His will? How is God comforting you in those areas where you fall short?

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 27-29

God Will Provide

Readings for today: Genesis 20–23

Father, there is always value in spending time in Your Word. You honor every precious moment. You speak through every single verse. There is a message for me each and every day. May I slow down long enough to listen to Your still, small voice as you speak to me today.

“God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” I have long wrestled with this verse. It has been an enigma to me. How could one walk with such faith? Did Abraham really believe what he was saying or was this wishful thinking? Is he just trying to buy time while he figures out another way? Is he just telling Isaac what he wants to hear because he cannot bring himself to tell him the truth? Did Abraham ever doubt his course of action? Did he ever wonder if he misheard God? What kind of man would even consider sacrificing his own son? Why would I ever consider such a person someone to emulate? Perhaps you’ve wrestled with some of these questions as well? 

Recently, I’ve come to see this verse as the ultimate expression of Abraham’s faith. Abraham has this ability to take life as it comes. He walks with open hands before the Lord. He doesn’t cling to outcomes or conclusions or destinations. He began his journey with God without knowing where it would take him. He believed the promise of God for a son even though he had no idea of the timing. And here he is willing to offer his son as a burnt offering on a mountain God has yet to show him. He has no idea how this is all going to end. None of it made any sense. I’m sure it created all kinds of questions in his mind. But still he believes. He trusts God. He knows a promise has been made. A covenant has been established. God has committed Himself to Abraham and his descendants so somehow, someway this will all work out. The promise will not fail. Isaac cannot die on this mountain. Abraham walks by faith not by sight. He doesn’t have to solve this problem. He doesn’t have to come up with “plan B” in case God doesn’t come through. He lets go of his need to control the outcome. He lets go of his need to understand the mysteries of God. He lets go of his need to know the end of the story.

I am learning this same lesson in my life. The uncertainties of this last season have really caused me to slow down. To take each day as it comes. To not plan too far ahead. To let go of the need to figure things out. It’s actually okay to not know all God is up to. It’s actually okay to not understand all His ways. It’s actually okay to not know how all the things I’ve got going right now in my life will end. This is super challenging to me. It cuts against the grain of my natural way of doing things. I have always been the “man with the plan.” In fact, I don’t just have “plan B” but plans “C, D, E…all the way to Z!” I hate uncertainty. I get incredibly anxious when I am confused. I don’t like feeling out of control. So you can imagine how COVID has exacerbated these things to the nth degree! 

I’m learning to walk with open hands like Abraham. To trust that God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering. When the pandemic began, all my plans got thrown out the window. How in the world does one “pastor” remotely? How would our church respond to the crisis? How do I navigate the layers of conflict around public health policy, political hyper-partisanship, and ethnic tensions? How do I help people process the trauma and grief of the past two years? How can I cast a vision for the future of our ministry when I don’t even know what tomorrow may bring? How can I love my own family in the midst of our disagreements and divisions? I’ve wrestled with all these questions and more and what I’ve discovered is I don’t have to have all the answers. The more I slow down. The more I listen. The more I let go. The more I create space for God to step in and provide. And you know what? He has never once failed to show up! I’ve seen more miracles in the past year in my life and in my church family than I can count and it is all because God has proved faithful to provide the “lamb” for every single “burnt offering.” 

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 24-26

Relationship with God

Readings for today: Genesis 17-19 

Father, through Your Spirit, reveal more of Yourself to me as you did to Abraham. Deepen our friendship. Strengthen our bond. Grow the intimacy between us that I may learn to hear Your voice more clearly and discern Your will more completely in my life. 

What does it mean to have a relationship with God? Over the years I’ve heard many describe Christianity as a “relationship” not a “religion”, but do we really understand what that means? Are we prepared for all the implications? Are we ready to embrace the demands? Do we appreciate the incredible privilege and honor it is to be called a “friend of God?” 

James 2:23 says, “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness and he was called a friend of God.” This is an astonishing truth. Out of all the people on earth, God chose Abraham as His friend. God appeared to Abraham. Spoke to Abraham. Made promises to Abraham. Cut a covenant with Abraham. Revealed the depths of His sovereign will to Abraham. When we talk about friendship with God, this is what it looks like. It looks like Abraham talking with God. Walking with God. In the everyday. In the ordinary. Over the course of a lifetime. Notice where God meets Abraham in our text for today. Abraham is 99 years old. Sarah, his wife, is 89 years old. Presumably they’ve been walking with God for many, many years. They’ve taken incredible steps of faith. Leaving their ancestral home of Ur. Leaving their adopted home in Haran. Embracing a nomadic lifestyle. Trusting God to lead and guide them every step of the way. Though they have no son, they’ve clung to the promise God first made them in Haran that they would become a great nation. The father and mother of a multitude of people. Though they have no homeland, they’ve clung to the promise God made them to give them the land of Canaan. Though they’ve done nothing to earn God’s favor, they’ve clung to the promise God made them of an eternal covenant between Himself and their family for all generations. And because they believe God, He calls them friends. 

Friendship with God brings with it all sorts of privileges and responsibilities. Abraham has been blessed. He’s been protected. He’s prospered. His household has grown. He has power and influence in the region. He is the peer of kings. But he also has responsibilities. He must live a particular way. He must never take pride in his wealth. It is the Lord’s. He must keep God’s covenant and teach his children to do the same. He must circumcise all the males in his household as a sign of obedience. He must become a priest of sorts for the human race, interceding on their behalf like he does for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Essentially, Abraham is to be the new Adam. A man who walks with God, cares for creation, and exercises dominion over all God has given him. This is how God will fulfill His original promise to bless the nations of the earth through Abraham and his descendants. 

Now fast forward a few thousand years. I am a child of God. Justified by the Jesus’ death and resurrection. Regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Adopted as God’s own son. God has made me part of a new covenant He established for all who believe. I’ve been marked by baptism. I feast at His Table. I am now God’s friend. What privileges and responsibilities do I bear? Like Abraham, I’ve been blessed. I’ve been protected. I’ve prospered. My household has grown. My circle of friendships is wide and global. I’ve been given power and influence. But I also have responsibilities. I must submit every area of my life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I must never take pride in my wealth or power or position. I must keep God’s commands and teach my children to do the same. I must embrace humility and grace and forgiveness as a way of life. I must become a priest of sorts, interceding for my family, my church, my community, my country, and the world. I must walk with God, care for creation, and exercise dominion over all God has given me in a way that brings life and love and joy and peace to those around me. This is how God will fulfill His promise to bless the nations through me…a spiritual descendant of Abraham. What about you?

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 20-23

Hagar

Readings for today: Genesis 14-16

Father, through your Holy Spirit, open to me the wonders of Your Word. Teach me all that pertains to life and godliness that I may know You more deeply and experience You more intimately and serve You more faithfully. 

Hagar has always fascinated me. She probably was given to Abram while he was in Egypt. Perhaps as an exchange for Sarai when Pharaoh took her into his household. Maybe she was part of Sarai’s retinue when she left Pharaoh’s household. We’re not given the details. She would have been a young girl at the time. No rights. No voice. No status. She was a slave. The only reason we know her name at all is because of the role she is forced to play God’s salvation plan. She has no choice in the matter. When her mistress decides to take matters into her own hands and produce the promised heir through human means, Hagar is pressed into service. She is of child-bearing age presumably. She’s clearly demonstrated some measure of fertility already which is why Sarai would have chosen her and not another. Perhaps she even has other children? Again, we are not given to know. We only know she is given to Abram to be his concubine. A surrogate for Sarai who is barren.  

Barrenness was a curse in the ancient world. Women were valued almost exclusively by the number of heirs they could produce. The more children, the more honored. The less children, the less honored. No children? Shamed. Sarai lived with shame almost all her life. Though loved by her husband, she could not give him what he desired most. She was old now. Long past child-bearing years so the promise of God to their family must have felt like a cruel joke. Especially when it didn’t immediately come to pass. But Sarai wanted Abram to receive his reward so she does what any Ancient Near East matriarch who was barren would have done. She gives him her servant in her place. The goal being once the servant became pregnant and bore a child, they would be adopted as Abram and Sarai’s own. Predictably, when Hagar does get pregnant, her relationship with Sarai changes. Now she has power. She can give her master something her mistress cannot. Becoming pregnant elevates her status in the household. She’s almost on the same level now as her mistress and Sarai responds accordingly to re-establish her authority. She abuses Hagar and Hagar flees.  

Hagar’s prospects would have been dim at best. Alone. Pregnant. A runaway slave. No money. No family. Nowhere to go. Egypt must have felt like it was on the other side of the world. But God sees her. God looks after her. He finds her by the spring on the way to Shur. And he makes this incredible promise to her. One that echoes the promise He made to Abram. Her offspring will also become a multitude. One that cannot be numbered. This is simply unprecedented in the Ancient Near East. God treating Hagar as an equal to Abram. It’s amazing and it reminds us yet again of what the Apostle Paul will later say, “God shows no partiality.” (Romans 2:11) Jew or Gentile. Israelite or Egyptian. Master or slave. Rich or poor. Head of the household or servant of the household. Man or woman. It doesn’t matter to God. He sees us. He knows us. He loves us. He looks after us. Just like He did Hagar. Just like He did Abram and Sarai. Is it messy at times? Yes. Is it confusing? Sure. Does it sometimes involve suffering? More often than we know. We are sinners after all. Our families are all dysfunctional on some level. Life in this world is never up and to the right. Hagar had to return and submit to Sarai in order to receive the promise. It wouldn’t be the last time she and Sarai would get tangled up. But God worked through the dysfunction of their relationship to bring about His perfect will. What about your life? Where has God met you? Seen you? Looked after you? Where have you experienced His provision and grace?

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 17-19

God’s Call

Readings for today: Genesis 12-13

Father, everything I need to know about a life of faith and my salvation is revealed in Your Word. It is sufficient for all my spiritual needs. Through your Holy Spirit, direct me to what You would have me see and have me learn today. 

I remember my last year at Princeton. All of my friends had passed their ordination exams. All of them were interviewing with different churches. All of us were praying for each other and talking about where the Lord might be leading us. Some felt drawn to particular places. Beaches. Mountains. Places they had always dreamed of living in. Some wanted to be close to home. Close to family. Close to those they loved. I too wanted these things if I am honest. At the same time, my wife and I felt very drawn to Genesis 12:1 - “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee…” As we read these words (not in the King James, mind you!), we realized God was calling us to walk with open hands and an open heart before Him. To let Him guide and direct our steps. To go wherever He might call. To place no limits on Him. So we looked at churches all over the United States. We sent resumes out to about thirty of them. We interviewed with three of them and had a fourth interview scheduled before God showed us the place He wanted us to go. A wonderful church called Overlook Presbyterian Church in the southern port city of Mobile, AL. 

We spent six great years there. We were embraced by the community. We built special friendships with the people in our congregation. They taught me almost everything I know about how to pastor well. I can still see them in my mind’s eye and my heart warms at the thought of them. I would mention their names but there really are too many to count and all of them had a deep impact on my life and my family. Then God’s call came to us again towards the beginning of 2008. It was just after we bought our first home. Just after we settled in for the long haul or so we thought at the time. We moved north to a little town called Sun Prairie outside of Madison, WI to plant a church. We spent two terrible years there. The worst years of our lives. It almost cost us our marriage. Almost cost us our family. I was broken in more ways than I could imagine. Some asked us if we had misheard God. Not at all. The Lord gives and takes away and He met us in the midst of that traumatic experience. He put some wonderful friends in our lives who ministered to us in ways I cannot even begin to describe. They loved us. Listened to us. Prayed with and for us. They were a sanctuary. A refuge. And it is largely because of them that we are still together and still in ministry today. Thankfully, God’s call came again at the end of 2009. We moved west. Back home to a little town near where both Kristi and I grew up called Parker, CO to pastor a great church called PEPC. We’ve had twelve amazing years here. We’ve been embraced by our church family. Put down deep roots in our community. Shared life with some incredible friends. Raised our kids. Watched God work miracles. The Lord has used PEPC to heal us. Encourage us. Strengthen us. Challenge us. We’ve grown in more ways than we could ever have imagined and we are thankful for God’s abiding presence every step of the way.

As I look back over my journey, I realize there is no way I could have planned it. There were so many twists and turns that only God could orchestrate. Some good. Some bad. Some ugly. Through it all, God was faithful to His promise to use all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose and I imagine Abram must have felt the same way. When he looked back on his journey from Ur to Haran with his father. From Haran to Canaan with his nephew. From Bethel to the Negev to Egypt and back again with Sarai before finally settling in Hebron. Abram had quite a journey. Especially at a time when it was dangerous, perhaps even foolish, to leave the safety and security of your home, family, clan, and tribe. Abram left it all to follow God’s will for his life. He left his business. Left his personal and professional network. Left his friendships. Left all that was familiar to go to the place God would show him. This is what stepping out in faith looked like for Abram…what does it look like for you? Where is God calling you to go? What is God calling you to leave behind? Are you willing to walk with open hands and an open heart before Him? Truly letting His Spirit guide and direct your steps?

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 14-16

A Mighty Man

Readings for today: Genesis 10-11

Father, your Word brings life. Life to my spirit. Life to my mind. Life to my heart. Life to my body. It reminds of my purpose which is to worship You and serve You and enjoy You forever. Through your Spirit share with me more deeply how to become the man You created me to be.  

Nimrod. A mighty hunter before the Lord. A legendary king. A powerful tribal warlord. The “first on earth to be a mighty man.” The man who founded Babel. Is he the architect of the tower? Is he the one who puts the plans together to build a ziggurat to the heavens? Does he convince the people they don’t need God? To build a monument to themselves? Is he one of the primary reasons they disobey the command to “be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth?” It wouldn’t surprise me. Even a cursory glance at human history reveals our tendency to fall for the strong man. The mighty man. The egotistical man. The narcissistic man. Who is lauded in our history books? Who is extolled for their leadership? I remember several years ago coming across a best-selling business book titled, “Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun” and thinking to myself, “surely, this isn’t serious?” Attila the Hun? One of the most brutal and terrifying kings in human history? This is the guy we’re supposed to emulate? And lest you think we’ve progressed beyond this myth in our modern era, consider how leaders like Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping or some of our own political leaders carry themselves? Consider how much we idolize celebrity or social influencers? Heck, even the church has bought into this leadership cult! I can’t tell you how many churches today are built around the narcissistic personality of the senior pastor and how many of them will fall by the wayside when such leaders inevitably fall. It’s brutal. I speak from personal experience. A significant part of my own ministry has been to go in and help clean up the mess these leaders leave behind. (Consider downloading The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast to learn about a recent example of one such leader’s fall from grace.)

So let’s assume Nimrod did lead the people to build the Tower of Babel. Let’s assume he used his power to bring order and security to their lives. Let’s assume he leveraged their common language and tribal connections to keep them together. Nimrod must have been a persuasive speaker. A charismatic leader. A man who could cast a vision. Tragically, his vision was not God’s vision. Instead of sending the people out to explore and fill the earth, he encourages them to stay together. Instead of caring and cultivating the earth so it would be fruitful, he leads them to the fertile plain of Shinar where they can settle down. Build a great city. Construct a mighty tower that would reach to the heavens. It makes perfect sense. It would be a symbol of safety and security. It would provide protection from the elements and the dangers of the world. It would give them a sense of place. A sense of connection. A sense of community. No matter how far they might wander from the city they had built, they could keep the tower in view and always find their way back home. 

Frankly this doesn’t sound all that bad until you take a step back and realize they were doing all these things without God! “And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.” (Gen. 11:5-6) This is the Garden of Eden all over again. Humanity wanting to be like God. Humanity choosing independence from God. Humanity rebelling against God’s explicit command. Thankfully, God refuses to let humanity persist in her sin. Just as He expelled Adam and Eve before they could eat of the Tree of Life and be trapped forever in their broken estate, He now confuses the languages of the people and scatters them over the face of the earth lest they become forever ensnared by their innate selfishness and narcissism.   

What about me? If I’m honest, I know I am no different than Nimrod. Given the right set of circumstances, I am confident I would fall for the same temptations. I have narcissistic tendencies. I can be as selfish and greedy and proud as the next person. My heart is an idol factory. My nature is ever inclined towards sin. My thoughts and attitudes and actions reflect the deep brokenness of my condition. I am not immune. So where have I gone astray? Where do I lead my family or my congregation astray? Where have I gone against the express will of God in my own life? What towers am I trying to build? Am I seeking to become an influencer? Build an online platform? Measure my success by the size of the church I serve? Am I operating out of a desire for safety and security? Am I seeking to build my home and my life and my community through my own effort apart from God? Or am I seeking God? Am I walking with open hands before Him? Am I following in His footsteps?  

Readings for tomorrow: None

Re-Creation

Readings for today: Genesis 8-9, Psalm 12

Father, through Your Holy Spirit, reveal Yourself to me in the reading of Your Word. Show me Your heart. Show me Your character. Show me Your face that I may know you more. 

It’s striking to me how similar the language of Genesis 9 is to the language of Genesis 1 and yet it’s not exactly the same. I find myself pondering why that might be this morning. Take a moment and reflect on these passages again…

“And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:27-31) 

“And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.” (Genesis 9:1-7)

I imagine what I am seeing is the impact of the Fall. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever but His creation has suffered a mortal blow. The creature He made in His image – humanity – refuses to submit to His will, rejects the relationship God offers, and goes her own way. The results speak for themselves - “the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth…” (Genesis 8:21) How does this evil manifest itself? Violence. Fear. Dread. These things were not present initially when God entrusted creation into our hands. In the beginning, humanity lived in harmony with all God had made. Yes, they were called to “subdue the earth” and “have dominion” but one doesn’t get the sense that it was coercive or forced. God renews His call to Noah after the flood but the differences are stark. The creation mandate remains – “Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth” but then the reality of the brokenness of sin settles in. Noah and his family will subdue the earth and exercise dominion but it will be through fear and dread. The animals of the earth, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea will all run from them. They will resist even as they are given into their hands. The reality of violence is acknowledged as is the first mention of the principle of lex talionis or proportional justice. God seeking to restrain the violent impulses that drove humanity pre-flood into chaos. The flood was an act of re-creation. God turning loose the waters that existed at the beginning of time to reshape all He had originally made. The Garden is gone. Paradise is lost. The world is now a hostile, violent, dangerous place full of fear and dread. Noah and his family will have to fight to survive. 

So little has changed in the thousands of years since Noah first stepped off the ark. The world is still full of violence and fear and dread. It is full of hate and rage and greed. Humanity has made incredible progress technologically but has remained morally deficient. Human history provides plenty of empirical evidence for the doctrine of original sin and total depravity. Shoot, my own life provides the same! We just don’t want to submit. We refuse to humble ourselves before God. We will not relinquish our selfish hold on this world. Thankfully, God has not left us in our broken condition. He will not leave us in our fallen estate. I love how the Apostle Paul puts it in Ephesians 2, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility…and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.” (Ephesians 2:13-14, 16) Jesus Christ left His home in heaven to come to the “far country” of this world to reclaim those who were lost. His desire was to draw us close. Draw us into His loving embrace. He is so faithful, He will pursue every human being. He will chase down every lost soul. He will leave no one behind. How did humanity respond? The way we always do. We rejected Christ. We killed the Lord of glory rather than submit to His embrace. Jesus became a victim of violence. A victim of humanity’s fear and dread. A victim of humanity’s hostility to the will of God. And yet through His death, God brought an end to sin. He broke the power of death. He set us free from bondage to evil. He made a way back to Him. 

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 10-11

Favor with God

Readings for today: Genesis 6-7

Father, through your Holy Spirit, illumine my heart to the truths you want me to see today. Open the wonders of the Word to me in such a way that I will be challenged and equipped and more deeply converted to the gospel. 

“Noah found grace in the eyes of God.” (Gen. 6:8)

“Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation, and Noah walked with God.” (Gen. 6:9)

“And Noah did unto all that the Lord commanded him.” (Gen. 7:5)

“By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” (Heb. 11:7) 

I want to be like Noah. I want to be a person of faith. A person who is willing to forsake the ways of the world and cling to God. A person who is able to see beyond the horizons of this life to the life to come. A person who is able to pierce the veil of this earthly existence and peer into the heavenly realm. In past years, I’ve been struck by the evil of humanity described in this passage or the grief of God that caused Him to “repent” (!!!) that He had ever made humanity in the first place. I’ve wrestled over the identity of the Nephilim or tried to wrap my head around the “sons of God” having sexual relations with the “daughters of man.” Is this an early description of the crossbreeding that took place between Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals? Does it refer to the angelic beings who were cast out of heaven now taking human women as wives and bearing half-demonic offspring? Lots of questions to ponder for sure but this year I found myself drawn again to Noah. A man who found grace or favor in the eyes of God. A righteous man. A blameless man. A man who walked with God. A man who obeyed all God commanded him. And I want to be more like him. 

How does one become such a person? By faith. Noah believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. The writer of Hebrews teaches us that it is impossible to please God without faith for whoever would draw near to God must believe He exists and rewards those who seek Him. (Heb. 11:6) Noah trusted God at a time when faith was in short supply. He believed God in a time when not much was known about Him. God had not yet revealed Himself on Mt. Sinai. God had not yet shared with humanity His divine name. God had not yet given the Ten Commandments. God had not yet made His covenant with Abraham. It’s hard for me to fathom how Noah knew God much less walked with God. Did he hear the stories of his great-grandfather Enoch? One of the very few other people in the Bible who “walked with God?” Did he hear his grandfather tell of the day when Enoch was “taken?” Did his family talk about Enoch’s character and manner of life? Did Noah make it his goal emulate him? Clearly, Noah must have known something about God. Must have believed he at least existed. Must have had a heart to seek God. And we know from Jeremiah 29:13 that “if we seek God, we shall find Him, provided we seek Him with all of our hearts.” Perhaps this seeking of God was enough for Noah to be declared righteous and blameless in his generation.

What we do know is once God chose Noah, Noah obeyed Him completely. He built the ark. Gathered the animals. Prepared for the long days and nights ahead when the floods would come and everything he knew would be destroyed. Noah must have endured ridicule and scorn from his neighbors. The writer of Hebrews suggests Noah’s act of obedience was a deliberate move to condemn the ways of the world. A rejection of the wickedness of the people who surrounded him. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to watch the world drown in judgment. To close your doors to your neighbors and friends. To shut out your community as the rains came and the floodwaters rose. But that’s exactly what Noah did. He separated himself from the evil of those he lived among and escaped the wrath and judgment of God when it came upon the earth. 

What does it mean for me to find favor with God? What does it mean for me to be righteous and blameless and walk with God? What does it look like for me to obey all God has commanded me? I have the benefit of living on the far side of the resurrection. God is not some shadowy, largely unknown being. He has revealed Himself completely and fully in the Person of Jesus Christ so faith for me is trusting in the life, death, and resurrection of my Lord. Righteousness and blamelessness come from walking with Jesus through all the ups and downs of life. Obeying God means obeying all Jesus has commanded His disciples in the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. It means seeking Jesus with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Loving Him above all over loves. Serving Him above all else. Placing my entire life into His hands. By committing myself to Christ, I condemn the world with all it’s evil and wickedness and I become an heir to righteousness through adoption into God’s own family. 

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 8-9, Psalm 12

Where Art Thou?

Readings for today: Genesis 3-5

Father, through your Holy Spirit, open my eyes and heart that I may receive the gift of your Word today. Grant me wisdom and understanding so that I may know how to walk more fully in the light of the Lord. 

Where art thou? What a question from God. It’s not like God can’t see Adam and Eve crouching in the bushes behind their fig leaves. The Psalmist is clear that there is no place I can hide from God. If I climb to the highest of heavens, God is there. If I plunge into the depths of the earth, God is there. If I rise on the wings of the morning and settle on the far part of the sea, even there God is waiting for me. Nothing is hidden from Him so why this question? What is God after with Adam and Eve? What is God after with me? Where are you, Doug? Where’s your head? Where’s your heart? I am here waiting for you, Doug. Where are you? Why are you hiding? Why are you running? Why are you avoiding Me? Where are you, Doug? I miss our time together in the silence and solitude of each morning and evening. I miss our time together in worship. Where are you, Doug? 

It’s a powerful question for reflection. It reminds me that God is ever seeking after me. Relentlessly pursuing me. He will not rest until He tracks me down. My heart is so prone to wander. I am so easily distracted. The cares and the worries of this world cause me a lot of anxiety. My desires can be all over the map. Physically, I am getting older and I can feel my body breaking down. I have more aches and pains than in previous years. The toll I’ve taken on my body is catching up to me. My shoulders ache. My back hurts. I can’t do the things I once was able to do. Mentally, I continue to grow but I too often fill my mind with all sorts of unnecessary things. I do not think on what is noble or true or righteous or good but instead I allow myself to get drawn into the anger and frustration and bitterness that plagues so much of our world. Emotionally, I am learning. As a young boy, I learned to bury my emotions as a coping mechanism and have spent my entire life feeling stunted as a result. I feel deeply but cannot seem to find ways to express it. I have a hard time shedding tears. I do not let myself get too up lest I become disappointed or too down lest I feel weak. I keep a tight rein on my emotions because I am not sure I am safe. Spiritually, I know my sin. It is ever before me. I know my failures before the Lord. I know I do things I ought not to do and don’t do things I should do. Where are you, Doug? 

One can easily see my natural bent to be self-critical. ;-) But the above certainly does not define me and does not tell the whole story. When answering this question before the Lord, I must also acknowledge the many ways I have grown in my life. Yes, my body is breaking down and yet I enjoy good health. I get a good night’s sleep. I exercise regularly. I eat well. I pay attention to how I physically feel. I maintain an active lifestyle. I want to honor God with my body. Mentally, I am sharp. I read the Bible daily. I read books that encourage and equip and help me think more deeply about my faith. I use my intellectual gifts to serve others and to build up the Body of Christ and I know God is pleased. Emotionally, I have come a long way. I am learning to express my feelings to those I love. I am learning to identify the lies I tell myself. I am becoming more comfortable with naming my feelings and talking about them. This, in turn, has helped me become a better listener. A more empathetic and sympathetic person. Someone who is emotionally safe for others. Spiritually, I am more like Christ than ever. God has done a great work in my life. He has drawn near to me as I have drawn near to Him. He has honored every moment spent in prayer and in His Word and in worship. He has literally re-shaped how I view the world. How I understand life. He has re-ordered my desires. These things are just as true for me as the self-critique. In fact, an honest look at my life would say they are more true of me. 

For many years, my prayer has been “less of me, Jesus, more of you.” I have longed to decrease so that Christ may increase in my life. The only way that can happen is by intentionally dwelling in God’s presence. By living my life ever before Him, I become who He created me to be. Becoming like Christ has nothing to do with my work, it is a byproduct of being present before God. Perhaps this is why I find God’s question to Adam so heartbreaking. Where are you, Adam? As a father, I know what it’s like to feel distant from one’s children. It’s the worst feeling in the world. To not know where they are physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. To not feel connected to the one you love most. God must have felt all these feelings and more when He asked the question and His hope was for Adam’s return. Sadly, Adam and Eve chose to blame-shift. They chose to justify themselves. They chose the path of sin. How different things would be if they had torn off those fig leaves, confessed their sin, and humbled themselves before God! How different things would be in my own life if I too would stop trying to hide and vulnerably, authentically, honestly approached my Savior.  

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 6-7

Glory

Readings for today: John 1:1-3, Psalm 8, Psalm 104

Father, through Your Holy Spirit, open Your Word to me that I may meet you face to face, hear your voice, learn what you would have me learn, and grow ever deeper in my faith. I pray this in the name of Jesus, amen. 

As I read these words, I look out the window of a home high above Grand Lake. It’s winter. The snow has been falling the entire time we’ve been here. Our family is on their annual post-Christmas vacation to the mountains of Colorado. The lake is large and deep. Significant portions have yet to freeze over. The trees are laden with several inches of snow. The ground covered and every morning we can see the tracks of the animals who’ve passed by in the night. The stars at night have been covered by the clouds but normally they blaze with a brilliance we cannot see from our home in Parker. There’s just something about coming up here that brings us closer to God. Closer to our Creator. Gets us in touch with the wonder of all He has made. And it brings new meaning to the words, “what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:4) 

When I pause in the silence and solitude of a winter morning with my family still asleep and consider the blessings God has poured into my life, I am in awe. I enjoy the love of a godly woman who’s been at my side for almost thirty years. I have deep friendships with my four children, two of whom are now adults and launching out on their own. I am blessed by the relationships I have with my parents, in-laws, siblings and their families. I am financially secure. My body is healthy and strong. My mind is clear. I have the privilege of serving as pastor for an amazing church, alongside spiritual leaders I admire, and work with a group of people I get to call friends. I get to teach aspiring pastors at a local seminary. I get to travel the world to preach the gospel and train church planters to go to places where the name of Jesus has never been heard. I get to serve our denomination in a variety of capacities as we seek God’s will for the future of our life together. My life is rich and full. This must be the “glory and honor” the Psalmist is talking about. It’s less about titles and achievements and more about relationships and the opportunities God gives us to serve in His Kingdom. 

What keeps me from pride? What keeps human beings humble before the Lord? Here again, the Psalmist provides the answer. “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more! Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 104:33-35) I keep my eyes focused on God. He gives and takes away. Surely I’ve had my dark moments along the way. Times when I wasn’t sure I could pay the bills. Times when my physical health wasn’t great. Times when my marriage was on the rocks. Times when my relationships with my children was strained to the point of breaking. Times when my professional career was in shambles. Yes, I’ve had my share of hard times. But in those moments, I discovered God at His most glorious! When I needed Him most, God was always there! Faithful. Steadfast. True. “In the beginning was the Word…” In our present darkness is the Word. At the end of all things will be the Word. He is the one who was and is and is to come! Place your trust in Him today!

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 3-5

Cultivation

Readings for today: Genesis 1-2

Father, by Your Holy Spirit, open Your Word to us that we may hear Your voice, learn what You would have us learn, and grow ever deeper in our faith. We pray this in the name of Jesus, amen. 

Human beings are made to cultivate. Cultivate the earth. Cultivate the Garden. Cultivate and care for all of life. In recent years, most of my focus has been on the creation story of Genesis one. The rhythm of morning and evening. Everything good and perfect. The Lord God speaking the universe into existence. Creating humanity in His own image. Giving us dominion over all He has made. Calling us to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. However, this year I decided to read the Bible in the old King James English. It translates the Hebrew “be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth…” That word “replenish” stuck with me as I turned the page and began reading chapter two. There it seems clear that humanity has a key role to play in cultivating all God has made. Everything was prepared. The ground was set. The seeds were planted. But nothing had yet grown because there had been no rain and “there was no man to work the ground.” (2:5) This does not mean that somehow God was helpless or too prideful to get His hands dirty, rather it suggests an invitation. A divine plan. God creating us for a purpose. To be the cultivators of all He has made. To be the stewards of all He has formed and fashioned. To care for the good and perfect world He has created. Remember, God is at rest. His work is complete. He now sits enthroned over all He has made and sends us – His servants – out to work according to His sovereign will. It is humanity’s job to work and keep the Garden. It is humanity’s job to name the animals the Lord God has made. It is humanity’s job to make sure the earth is continually replenished and tended and cultivated so that it will reflect the beauty and order and glory God intends.  

So what happened? When did we make the turn from cultivators to exploiters? From stewards to squatters? From those focused on caring and replenishing to those focused on using creation to satisfy our own selfishness and greed? We’ll read about that tomorrow in Genesis 3 but the stage is set here in chapter two. Humanity will only retain her divine vocation insofar as she submits to God. In every instance save one, humanity is able to enjoy the fruit of her labor. As she cultivates, she is nourished. As she stewards, she is fed. As she cares for all God has made, the Garden itself provides for all her needs. However, there is one tree humanity is to cultivate but never taste. There is one tree she is to steward but whose fruit she is to never eat. She is to care for this tree but never experience it’s delights. This is her single act of submission to God. It is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and it’s fruit is forbidden. Who knows how long Adam and Eve passed by this tree as they went about their daily chores? Days? Months? Years? Eons? We have no idea how long Adam and Eve cultivated and tended and replenished the earth under God’s direction. We only know there came a day when they stopped on their way to work. Listened to a crafty serpent. Gave into temptation. And all creation fell into ruin.

Thankfully, that is not the end of the story. In Jesus Christ, we see the 2nd Adam. Humanity as she should be. Perfectly submitted to the will of His Father. A Cultivator. A Steward. A Man who lived out His vocation to care for all God has made. Everywhere Jesus went, life seemed to flourish. The earth and all that was in it was replenished. Diseases were healed. Demons cast out. The unclean became clean. He cultivated humanity and restored her to her original vocation so that we, in turn, could cultivate others including creation itself. This has vast practical implications for our lives. Am I seeking to cultivate or exploit those around me? Am I stewarding the resources God has entrusted to me for the good of the world around me or am I using them for my own personal benefit? Am I seeking to care for the world? Make healthy and good choices? Build deep and strong relationships? Am I seeking to replenish the earth? Jesus summed it up simply when He said, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) If we are to fulfill our divine vocation to be cultivators of creation, we must commit ourselves to a life of service to those around us and the world in the name of Jesus.

Readings for tomorrow: John 1:1-3, Psalm 8, 104

Bible in a Year 2022

Happy New Year! Welcome to those who are returning for yet another walk-thru of the Bible and a special welcome to those who are new! We’re glad you’ve joined us! Greg Daniels and I have been blessed to lead this group for several years now and have loved having a front row seat to so many growing in their faith. God is good and He honors every single moment we spend with Him in His Word so with that in mind, here are a few suggestions as you begin to help you have a successful year…

1) Pray before reading each day. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you and reveal more of Himself to you through His Word. Ask Him for wisdom and understanding as you read and what it might be that He would have you take away each day.

2) Read devotionally. What does that mean? It means reading through the Bible like this is not intended to provide an in-depth study. Simply pay attention to what words or phrases stick out to you and prayerfully meditate on what God may be saying to you.

3) Journal. Journaling is a way of meditating and/or reflecting on what God may be saying to you. I’ve been doing it for years and it has been super helpful in helping me gather and focus my thoughts. In fact, many of the devotionals I write come straight out of my journal. It can also give you a record to look back on at the end of the year as to what God has shared with you.

4) Grace. Give yourself a lot of grace. Life happens. We all know that. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day or get bogged down in certain places…looking at you, Leviticus! ;-) Don’t be afraid to skip ahead if you get too far behind.

5) Ask any question God lays on your heart. Reading the Bible should raise all kinds of issues. There is a lot in there that is confusing. You might find yourself wrestling with all sorts of doubts or fears. This is normal. It happens to me almost every year. ;-) Ask your questions. Share your doubts. Don’t be afraid to talk about your struggles or confusion. This is a safe community to do that with.

6) Feel free to shoot Greg or myself any personal questions you may not want to share with the group. We’re here to help! (Statedclerk@epcwest.org or doug@pepc.org)

7) Be gentle and kind to each other. We all have a share in making this a safe group. Let’s make sure to be kind and gentle and encouraging in our responses to one another. Give people the space to struggle and be where they are on the journey. If things get too much, take a break, then dive back in.

Again, really thankful for the opportunity to take this journey with you, friends! Feel free to invite everyone you’re connected with to join us! The more, the merrier!

Happy New Year!

Doug

Come, Lord Jesus!

Readings for today: Zechariah 10-14, Malachi 1-4, Revelation 20-22

Come, Lord Jesus!” Echoing Paul’s famous phrase from 1 Corinthians 16:22 - “Maranatha” - John finishes his Revelation with what has become the heartcry of Christians for centuries. Come, Lord Jesus. Come soon. The vision John received has reached its climax. The new heavens and new earth have come. New Jerusalem has descended out of heaven. God in her midst. The gates are open continually for the nations of the earth to receive their blessing. The leaves of the trees that grow beside the river of God are for their healing. God has wiped away every tear. God has done away with every evil. There is no more crying or suffering or pain. God has made good on every promise. The Alpha has issued the final “Omega.” What was once broken is now whole. What was ruined has now been restored.  The incomplete has been brought to completion. It is truly finished. All things made new. 

The delay of the “parousia” (2nd coming of Jesus) has plagued Christians for centuries. Why does Jesus not return? What is He waiting for? Many Christians have believed He was coming back in their lifetimes. As they looked around at the evil and suffering in their world, they could not imagine things getting worse. Many believed they were seeing the four horsemen of Revelation storming all over the earth bringing war, disease, famine, and death. Such has been the lot of humanity since Cain first slew Abel all those years ago. The Apostles were no different. John, Paul, Peter, along with most of the Christians of the first century, believed Jesus was returning in their lifetimes. It colors some of their advice to the local churches they were writing to. Scholars suggest you can even see Paul grappling with this delay, especially in his correspondence with the Corinthians and Thessalonians. 

Why hasn’t Jesus returned? Our atheist friends suggest it’s because God doesn’t exist. The “Father” Jesus so faithfully believed in is a myth. Jesus, as good as He was, made a mistake. Others suggest it’s because the work of the church isn’t finished. The Great Commission has yet to come to completion. We haven’t preached the gospel to every tribe, tongue, and nation so not everyone has had a chance to hear the good news. Still others believe it’s because the events of Revelation have yet to come to pass. The anti-Christ has yet to be revealed and as bad as things may be, they will get much worse before the end. To be honest, I have no idea why Jesus hasn’t returned and can only assume it’s because His plan for this world has yet to reach it’s fulfillment. Time doesn’t pass for God like it does for us. While we are stuck in “chronological” time. Time as it ticks by. God exists in “Kairos” time. Time outside of time. Special time. Anointed time. The appropriate time. And only God knows where we stand according to His eternal clock.  

What we can know for sure is that Jesus promised He would come. No less than three separate times, He affirms this to John in the last chapter of Revelation.  

• "And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." (Rev. 22:7)

• "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." (Rev. 22:12-13)

• He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." (Rev. 22:20)

And what should our response be? To come to Jesus. “The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” (Revelation‬ ‭22:17‬) Don’t miss this! The movement goes both ways. God comes to us, we come to Him. God returns to us, we return to Him. God draws near to us, we draw near to Him. This is the pattern God has set since the first chapters of Genesis and it repeats itself here at the end of Revelation. This is God’s great desire. It is the primary message He’s been preaching through the entire Bible. It is the Word He longs for us to hear and receive and respond to by faith. So trust Him, friends! Accept His invitation! Believe in His name and receive the salvation He offers you by grace! 

Postscript: If you’ve been walking through the Bible in a Year with us...well done! You’ve made it! Congratulations! This is a significant milestone in your spiritual journey. What’s next? Do it again. And again. And again. Keep reading. Keep reflecting. Keep seeking to hear God’s voice through His Word. Email me if you would like to join us in 2022 (doug@pepc.org) or find us on Facebook under the group name “Bible in a Year 2022 with Doug and Greg.”

New Year’s Resolutions

Readings for today: Zechariah 7-9, Revelation 19

What are your resolutions for the coming year? The promises you are making yourself? Is it to eat better? Exercise more regularly? Is it to stop drinking? Stop smoking? Conquer some other addiction in your life? Is it to dream bigger? Start a new business? Launch out on a new career? Is it to try something new? Learn something you never thought you could? Is it to make more time for those you love? Slow down? Simplify? All of these are good. All of them have their place. But what would happen if we challenged ourselves to go deeper? To make our New Year’s Resolutions really count?

Listen to these words from the prophet Zechariah…”Thus says the Lord of hosts, render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” (Zechariah 8:9-10) What would it look like in the coming year if we took these words to heart? How much would our lives change if we clung to the truth over all the lies? Plucked up the courage to be kind and merciful in a world of anger, bitterness, and hate? What if we cared for the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, and the poor rather than spending so much time and energy and resources on ourselves? What if we refused to give in to the temptation to tear others down, take revenge, or devise any other kind of evil in our hearts? Imagine for a moment every single Christian in the world committing themselves to these two verses for 2022. Imagine 3 billion people or more truly seeking to live these words out on a daily basis. Do you not think the world would change?

Of course, we have to deal with the reality that we all struggle to keep our resolutions. Studies show four out of five people end up breaking the commitments they make for the new year. Fully one-third barely make it past the first month. Why? Because we are often trying to accomplish these goals through sheer will-power alone. We try to make these changes without help. Without accountability. Without relying on anyone’s strength but our own. This is where we always fall short. So where do we go to find the strength we need? I’m glad you asked! ;-) I love the words of the Psalmist, “Don’t put your confidence in powerful people (including yourself!); there is no help for you there. When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them. But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God.” (Psalms 146:3-5) Friends, God alone can give you the strength to change. He alone can give you the courage to keep your resolutions in the coming year. But they must be aligned with His will. They must be submitted to His way. And we must humbly surrender our lives into His hands.

What does that look like practically? How does that work itself out in our day to day? You’ve heard me say it before but I will definitely say it again (and again and again and again)…

1) Spend time with God every day. Intentionally place yourself before Him and ask God to help you look at your life and the world around you through His eyes. (In fact, you can sign up with us to read through the Bible again next year! Love to have you join us for yet another run through!)

2) Gather with a local church family in corporate worship each week. Put it on your schedule right now. Before all the activities and opportunities begin to crowd God out. God promises to meet His people wherever two or three or more are gathered in His name.

3) Find a small group of friends to intentionally pursue Jesus with. Pursue relationships of authenticity and transparency and accountability. Deep spiritual friendships don’t happen by accident. They require intentionality and sacrifice.

4) Find a place to serve. Inside the church. Outside the church. Both. Find a way to get involved in God’s mission to reach the lost and to teach others all He has commanded us as believers. We were created to carry God’s image to the ends of the earth. Get in touch with why you were made.

Recently in some devotional reading, I ran across this great quote from 20th century Christian missionary and statesman, Frank Laubach… “If anybody were to ask me how to find God I should say at once, hunt out the deepest need you can find and forget all about your own comfort while you try to meet that need. Talk to God about it and He will meet you there. You will know it.” I believe this with all my heart because I have seen and experienced it with my own eyes. When I have gotten engaged in God’s mission in the world, I have found Him waiting for me there. My faith grows. My heart breaks. My eyes fill with tears. And I realize God is changing me. Giving me His heart of compassion. His heart of love. His heart of mercy. And I am overwhelmed with deep thankfulness. This thankfulness spills over into my everyday life. I become a better husband and father. A wiser pastor. A more faithful friend.

So take a pic of those verses from Zechariah. Print them out. Write them in your journal. Put them on your Home Screen. Do whatever it takes to plant them deep within your heart and watch God go to work in and through your life in the coming year.

Readings for tomorrow: Zechariah 10-14, Malachi 1-4, Revelation 20-22

Yahweh Remembers

Readings for today: Zechariah 1-6, Revelation 17-18

Zechariah literally means “Yahweh Remembers.” And it’s an appropriate name when one considers the main message of the book. Despite all that has happened to Israel, Yahweh has not forgotten her. He has not forgotten her in her exile. Not abandoned her to destruction. Not left her for another people. He is still her God and she is still His people. Zechariah most likely returned from exile with his grandfather Iddo and father Berechiah. He came from a lineage of priests and in addition to this leadership mantle, was called by God to serve as a prophet alongside the much older Haggai. Whereas Haggai’s prophetic message had a convicting tone, Zechariah’s was more encouraging. 

“Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts...” (Zechariah 1:3)

“And the Lord answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. So the angel who talked with me said to me, 'Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion.” (Zechariah 1:13-14)

“Therefore, thus says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the Lord of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. Cry out again, Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.” (Zechariah‬ ‭1:16-17)‬

“Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.” (Zechariah 2:4-5)

“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. And the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem." (Zechariah‬ ‭2:10-12‬)

“And the angel said to those who were standing before him, "Remove the filthy garments from him." And to him he said, "Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments...Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.” (Zechariah‬ ‭3:4, 7‬)

“Then he said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!” (Zechariah‬ ‭4:6-7‬)

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, "Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” (Zechariah‬ ‭6:12-13‬)

These are among the most glorious promises Israel has ever received. They speak of honor and blessing and restoration. They refer to the rebuilding of the Temple. The restoration of the priesthood. The glory of the worship that will once again fill the Lord’s house. God is raising up political leaders like Zerubbabel and religious leaders like Joshua to guide and direct God’s people to carry out the work God has planned for them. They will again be a light to the nations and will bless the people of the earth. Every obstacle that might rise in their path, God Himself will lay low. Most of all, God’s name will once again receive the glory it deserves.

It is easy at times to feel forgotten. It is easy at times to believe God has somehow abandoned us. When we experience pain and hardship. Suffering and struggle. Trials and temptation. It is easy to lose sight of God in the midst of it all. Zechariah reminds us God never forgets. God never abandons or forsakes us. He never leave us on our own. He is always with us. He will complete the work He began in us. He bring to pass the plans He has for us. He never fails. He is always faithful. No matter what you may be facing today, God is with you. The Lord of hosts is on your side. Trust Him. Believe Him. Lean on Him for strength. Remember what He said to Zerubbabel. Not by might. Not by power. But by My Spirit, says the Lord! 

Readings for tomorrow: Zechariah 7-9, Revelation 19

The Call to Humility

Readings for today: Habakkuk 3, Zephaniah 1-3, Haggai 1-2, Revelation 15-16

I met a man once who gave up a six figure income here in the US to return to his native country of Rwanda where he did not draw a salary for three straight years. He went from being in the top 1% of the world’s wealthiest people to the bottom 1% of the world’s poor. He gave us security and safety to live in danger and place his family at risk. He gave up power and influence and privilege in one of the world’s most significant NGO’s to work among those who have been forgotten. When I expressed my admiration for such a sacrifice, his response was confusion. “What sacrifice?” he said. “My life is not my own. My life has never been my own. My life is in the hands of God to do with as He wills.” This, friends, is true humility. 

“But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord...” (Zephaniah‬ ‭3:12‬) It is hard to overstate the importance of humility to the Christian faith. Humility is what keeps us grounded before the Lord. Humility is what keeps us dependent on Him. Humility is what opens our hands and our hearts, allowing us to release those things in which we too often place our trust. Wealth. Health. Power. Privilege. Status. Authority. Pride. We are fools to place our trust in these things and yet it is so hard to resist temptation. We who have so much actually fall prey to our own desires. Our ability to gratify those desires instantaneously only serves to tighten our bonds. Thinking we are free, we choose to become slaves and there’s nothing more pitiful than a free man or woman choosing to remain in bondage. Nothing more heartbreaking than sitting in a cell with the door wide open, refusing to leave. This is the state we find ourselves in today. Our culture has made Self a “god” and the result is entitlement. Narcissism. Selfishness. Greed. Self-protection. And far too many of us worship at this altar. 

So how do we resist this temptation? How can we uproot Self out of the center of our lives and re-focus our devotion around God? Humility. The fundamental recognition that my life is not my own. My future is not mine to determine. My hopes are not set on the limited horizons of this world. My happiness does not come from chasing temporal pleasures. Humility honors God as sovereign over all of life, including my own. Humility submits. Humility surrenders. Humility bows before the God of the universe and willingly entrusts Him with all that we are and all that we have. This is the secret that my friend understood. He owned nothing. Not his house. Not his salary. Not his job. Not his family. Not his lifestyle. Not his degrees. Not his professional success. Not his future. None of it was his to hold onto. All of it came from God and all of it was used by God as He wills for His good pleasure. So when God called him to leave Colorado Springs and move to Kigali to help his people recover from the genocide, he went. No questions asked. The Master called. My friend answered. The King issued a command. My friend obeyed. The Father made an appeal. My friend responded in faith. Though life has been much harder. Much more difficult. Much more painful and heartbreaking. He has no regrets.  

Humility. Not just an attitude of the heart. Not just a thought process in the mind. But a way of life. It means holding onto the things of this world loosely, knowing the Lord may require them at any time. It means holding onto our hopes and dreams loosely, knowing the Lord may change course at any time. It means holding onto even our pain and heartbreaks and suffering loosely, knowing the Lord often leads His people through such experiences to teach them of His sufficiency. It means holding onto our strength and safety and security loosely, knowing the Lord may demand even our lives at any time. 

Now all this may sound very scary. Very frightening if this has not been your path. Here’s the good news. God doesn’t ask for blind obedience. He doesn’t require us to step into the great unknown. He gives this promise to all who walk humbly before Him...“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes," says the Lord.” (‭Zephaniah‬ ‭3:17-20‬) God can be trusted. God is true to His Word. His faithfulness never ends. His love never fails. Simply believe and let God take you by the hand today. 

Readings for tomorrow: Zechariah 1-6, Revelation 17-18