A Father's Protection

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(Numbers 23:13) An Balak said to [Balaam], "Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them [Israel]. You shall see only a fraction of them ... then curse them for me from there."

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The enemy's plan was to show Balaam only a pre-selected fraction ("faction"?) of the nation that foreshadowed the Church). From that imperfect perspective, the enemy would suggest secret omens or "privileged spiritual insights" that could then be used to justify insults and attacks. The Lord, of course, revealed reality, which in the correct context, successfully contradicted the enemy's view.

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Any individual follower of Christ is a work in process, as is any collection of believers. Since we're all on the road to wholeness, each of us is, therefore, vulnerable to the enemy's taunts, tantrums, and attempted curses. But when we keep our focus on God's grace and His larger purposes, the Church is a fierce yet beckoning and beautiful force for life and peace in this dark world.

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Father, when the enemy compels me to be dismayed by my slow progress or by other people's apparent slowness, help me to recognize there my anxiety is coming from. The enemy whispers insinuations that discourage. But Your voice brings truth and hope--You build faith. Heavenly Dad, I am so grateful to be Your beloved son!

Big Breakfasts!

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(Psalm 90:14) Satisfy us in the morning with Your steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

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To be satiated and fully satisfied after having been hungry is a privilege of living in prosperity. And our hungry-satisfied-hungry cycle is a shadow--an evidence--of an important spiritual reality: Only God's steadfast, unwavering love for us can satisfy our otherwise disturbed, disquieted, dissatisfied souls. Each day we hunger to remember His love, and our unguarded, unrestricted acceptance of His love fully satisfies us,. The earlier in the day (and the earlier in life) that we re-embrace this, the fuller our rejoicing will be throughout the remainder of the day.

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How can I become fully satisfied by His steadfast love? By accepting the good motives behind His good works and commands (Psalm 103:7). We discover that His words transcend all our afflictions just as His works eventually overpower evil (Psalm 90:15-17). As powerful and secure as our afflictions claim to be, God's love can still satisfy us ... even in tough conditions!

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Lord, I love Your boldness and confidence. You allow us to witness tough stuff so we can be even more certain of Your steadfast love. In defiance to my fear, I receive Your love. I accept Your love unconditionally. In doing that, I watch fear gets its legs knocked away, its heart unnerved, and its great lie exposed. Thank You for this breakfast of champions!

The Good, Old Guards

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(Numbers 8:25,26) And from the ages of fifty years they shall withdraw from the duty of the service ... they minister to their brothers in the tent of meeting by keeping guard ...

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This obsolete law still suggests an interesting principle: while people in their energetic prime are responsible for doing the work, the elderly still have significant roles. Normally, guards excel in physical power, but in the kingdom, their greater strength is in using their senses to evaluate health and risk. As these guards aged, they became more obviously dependent on spiritual insight over their natural hearing, sight, and force.

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This is a great reminder of the value of prayer over personal self-confidence. Sadly, the closing comments about the Old Testament priests showed that through their self-confidence, they chose to become deaf, blind, dull-hearted, and unhealed (Acts 28:25-28). Observing their poor example, I want to learn to be watchful and attentive to the Holy Spirit. I want to better discern people's heart and God's wisdom.

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Lord, I heed Your counsel to Your Church: I'm aware of my desperate condition when I stray from Your will and Your wisdom. I ask You to refine me as gold. Heal my ears to I recognize Your voice and anoint my eyes so I see Your image in people and Your works in my circumstances. Teach me to be a good, prayerful guard.

Deliverable Goods

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(Numbers 6:24-26) The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

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This blessing was required. When the priests of the Old Covenant spoke these words regularly over the people, they all developed a mindset of expecting good things and grace from God. They remembered that God delighted in doting on His people. These words kept their hearts, minds, souls, and strength rooted in reality.

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Here under the New Covenant we are a nation of both kings and priests (Revelation 1:5,6), and the blessings are much closer and more accessible. The improved clarity is greater than the gap between a radio with poor reception and HD, 3D, surround-sound Omnimax. Yet nothing's changed: in any situation I can know without a doubt that God loves me and delights in pouring grace into my life anytime, anywhere.

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Lord, I'm amazed that You delight in looking at me, despite my shortcomings and immaturities. I'm amazed that you eagerly wait to bless me with Your grace. Now, in Your cross, I see the perfection of love, and I now join the ranks of recovering wounders who are learning to become better conveyers of Your grace. Thank You.

Patient Persuasion

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(Acts 26:28) And [King] Agrippa said to Paul, "In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?"

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This comment is not necessarily a question but a declaration: "In a short time you would persuade me to be a Christian." And Paul's response makes his patient purpose more obvious. Whether it takes a short time (as seemed to be the case here) or whether it might take a long time, Paul wanted everyone--kings and peasants alike--to discover the love of Christ, and Paul was ready to live a life a patient, persistent compassion so that might happen.

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Like Paul, who demonstrated love consistently throughout his relationships (Ephesians 20:18), I, too, aim to be a consistent persuasion in people's lives. At the beginning of any relationship, I can't predict how long it will last or what journeys we'll end up taking together. Nonetheless, "with all humility, tears, and trials" (Ephesians 20:19), however long the relationship might last, I want the Holy Spirit to be able to use my life as strong persuasion of hope in Christ.

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Lord, by faith in Your Word, I believe that You want to use me to "open people's eyes...so they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by trusting in You" (Acts 25:18). You did this in me, so I know You can do this for others.

Figuring Out Our GPS

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(Psalm 13:3) Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death...

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Here, David maps his transition from mind-numbing panic to joyful peace. He begins by cataloguing his complaints, and then taking his greatest fears directly to God. In verse three, we witness his transformation. Abandoning his distress over his personal losses, he resists the advantages his enemy would gain if God doesn't prevail. Everything shifted when God gave light to David's eyes so he could see the larger context of his life.

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After Jesus revealed His kingdom (gave light to our eyes), we see our lives in an even greater context: We don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). This light changes our perspective on our present as well as our past and future, as God's light changed David's perspective (Psalm 13:5,6).

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Jesus, my Lord and my God, because I have trusted in Your steadfast love (past), my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation (future). I will sing to the Lord (future) because You have dealt bountifully with me (past) (verses 5,6). Because only Your Word and Kingdom is eternal, I rest in You.

Initiation and Hazing

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(Leviticus 16:30) For on this day shall atonement be made to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins.

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Here we see God's awareness of the otherwise hidden damages from sin. So people could be absolutely liberated from guilt and hidden shame, God provided this means of mental, emotional, and spiritual relief. He arranged for every citizen to know that every sin of theirs was fully atoned for and that each of them were perfectly clean before God. What an unusually joyful society that must have been!

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This annual day of atonement was a huge gift from God to people, even though it was overshadowed by the perfection of the cross. to survive and thrive, God knew that people needed to be free from this guilt. How eager God is to be merciful! I am in awe of God's love: He understood and cared and provided when I was still locked in my ignorance, denial, indifference, and rebellion. Wow!

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Lord, I feel like I won the biggest lottery ever...but far better. The fact that You, the Innocent One, atoned for me, the Guilty One, greatly humbles me. The fact that You, the Great Initiator, the Great Inviter arranged for my acceptance thrills me. I had been the Great Rejecter, but no more! I'm so happy to receive Your grace!

Facing Ignorance

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(Acts 17:30,31) The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man He has appointed, and of this He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead."

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Ignorance is a beloved excuse, and God removed it. The people listening to Paul could no longer honestly deny having heard that God holds them responsible for their decisions--even after escaping to the grave. In other words, because of the resurrection demonstration, death is not the final escape from responsibility or judgment. On a fixed day, all humanity will be called back to account for themselves.

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I've found that "what if" thinking (typically the first step out of ignorance) leads to either fear or hope, depending on whether I'm trusting the faithfulness of God's Word. Then my "What if" thinking leads to "What is" thinking, and this marks--hopefully--my renewed commitment to honest, realistic investigations of truth. And honest truth-seeking (I believe) always leads to Jesus Christ. This revelation always leads to repentance from dead works and repentance into the joy of serving the living God (Hebrews 9:14).

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Lord, I want my preoccupation throughout life to be Your love. I want to respond to You with alacrity and I want to be directed continually by Your grace (and not by my old habits of trying to flee from You or to change You). Like You, may I be patient during tested with hardships, merciful when tested with power, and responsible when tested with temptation.

Bad Means = Bad Ends

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(Leviticus 10:1,2) Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censor and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord ... and fire came out from before the Lord ... and they died before the Lord.

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Presumably, this could have been the best day of Aaron's life because he and his sons were dedicating the tabernacle. Instead, his sons did the right thing in the wrong way, and died for it. Details do matter, motives matter, and goals matter. As priests, Nadab, Abihu, and Aaron were leaders, and sin in leadership is especially serious (we're all leaders for some seasons). Sin in leadership produces sin in people. Whether their carelessness was born from indifference or drunkenness (as the text suggests), God knew that far worse activities were sure to follow.

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This reminds me that the end, even if the goal is good, is never accomplished with the assistance of wrong means. The freedom of truth can never be established by lies, just as purity can never be achieved through increasing corruption. After this, Aaron and his two remaining sons, Ithamar and Eleazar, might have cowered from God's call, but in the end of this chapter, we see that whenever it is remotely possible, even when deviating from God's commands, God chooses mercy and grace over judgment (James 5:20; 1 Peter 4:1-8).

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Lord, search me and know me. See if there are any wicked motives or corrupt expediencies in my life. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I choose to worship You in Spirit and in truth instead of being intoxicated with my own ambitions. Thank You for delivering us from even the fear of death.

Life Giving, Literally

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(Acts 15:26) ... men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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This was the only commendation provided for these believers. These men were sent out with the mission of settling another church's minds because others had confused them with strange religious burdens. Although these men were prophets capable of encouraging believers with truth (15:31, 32) what made them believable and worthy of attention was their pure commitment to serving Jesus Christ as their Lord.

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To risk my life for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ is not a secret giving up on life or a stubborn indifference to danger. It is calculation to do the right thing even when the urge to self-preserve is mounting into a noisy panic. The commitment to love any person and all people joyfully and fully--despite opposition--is uniquely Christian. It's the opposite purpose of a suicide bombers or thieves.

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Lord, my desire to preserve my life is very strong--it's part of how you created us. You've also called me to a higher quality of living. May my life, like these guys, be defined by how I choose to live. When my accuser attacks, may I conquer by the power of Your own cross, by the testimony of my walk and words, and by loving You above my own survival (Revelation 12:10,11).

Slippery Snipes

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(Psalm 15:1,3) O Lord, who shall [travel and reside with You]? He who ... does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor nor takes up a reproach against his friend.

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Slander is one of the trademark practices of Satan, our adversary and accuser. That word means spying for the sake of finding excuses to accuse and oppose. Scripture also describes slander as being smooth and slippery. It's alluring. It's easy. It's like a delicious drink that glides gently through one's mouth. And it's wrong.

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This harmful talk seems like trying to grip a greased handrail: it promises to promote justice and stability but ends up eventually toppling the slanderer (verse 5). When I'm tempted to slander or accuse or reproach someone--regardless of how truthful it seems at first--I'll try to imagine being that person's advocate instead. That'll probably move me to intercessory and effective prayer (1 John 3:22-24).

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Savior, thank You that even when my adversary fairly accused me, You still loved me and were my advocate. I would much prefer to be like You. Please help me to excel in advocating for all people in my life, especially those whom the adversary tries to bribe me to target. I don't want to be his messenger ... I want to be Yours.

The Good Life

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(Psalm 16:2, 4a) I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You." ... The sorrows of those who run after [acquire] another god shall multiply ...

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This prayer teaches people much. David rose from being one of the most insignificant children of a primitive nation to a cultural, political, and spiritual superstar on top of the international community--and in these verses he publishes the secret to his value system. It was all or nothing. Once he experienced and received God's love and grace, nothing else had value.

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By recognizing that no one is good but God (Luke 18:19), I am not devaluing people. Instead, I'm starting to recognize how greatly God treasures all of us (Matthew 13:46). I also discover that only God's gifts and purposes have value (Luke 11:13; 12:32). Indeed, whoever says to Jesus Christ "You are my Lord" learns that instead of limiting us, He gives us all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17).

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My Lord, like You did for David, teach me to construct my life responsibly with Your value system. After Your fire of judgment tests my works, I want to rejoice because I used Your ways and means to define myself and to make my mark in history. When my life is summarized, may it be agreed: "He loved God and people very well" (Luke 6:35,36; 10:27).