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timewithgod.blog-city.com — May 2009
James 5 -- Why Faith Should Shine Out
The practical outworking of the faith James has said so much about seems to be in view in this final chapter. Our faith that God will provide will lead us to not hoard riches, for example. The point James seems to be making, according to
The practical outworking of the faith James has said so much about seems to be in view in this final chapter. Our faith that God will provide will lead us to not hoard riches, for example. The point James seems to be making, according to my commentary, is that when we have more than we need of material things, to the point that these things even begin to tarnish from not being used or are even damaged by moths from disuse, then we are wasting God's resources. How much better to have spent the money on others who do need such things.
Our faith is also most often best displayed in our patience, for dissatisfaction and boredom often result in grumbling and complaining. Instead, our witness should be happiness with our circumstances, knowing in faith that God is in full control of our circumstances, and in fact has us right where He wants us to be if we are in His will.
Our faith is perhaps most evident, though, in our reliance on God to intervene in our lives and the lives of others as a result of our prayers. What an amazing witness we share with non-believers when God answers prayers for healing!
Father, I pray that my faith will stand strong and that it will be a faith that I'm not afraid to tell others about, for what You have grown in me, particularly through adversity, You will use to draw others to You, and that will glorify You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
1 Chronicles 1-3 -- Make It So...
Solomon left Jerusalem and went to Gibeon. Long ago his father David had moved the Ark of the Covenant from there to Jerusalem where it resided in a tent. The tent that Moses had made, that had traveled from Mt Sinai through the desert an
Solomon left Jerusalem and went to Gibeon. Long ago his father David had moved the Ark of the Covenant from there to Jerusalem where it resided in a tent. The tent that Moses had made, that had traveled from Mt Sinai through the desert and then across the Promised Land was still in Gibeon. In front of it stood the bronze altar, where burnt offerings were still presented to God. Though the top of the Ark -- the Mercy Seat -- was where God was said to dwell, God had still chosen to have the Israelites present offerings at the Holy Meeting Tent in Gibeon.
Solomon must have felt surrounded by history as he knelt before the bronze altar and the meeting tent. How many times had Moses and Aaron stood before it as he now did?
How amazing it must have been, then, to later that night hear God telling him, "Ask for whatever you want Me to give you, Solomon."
How many thousands of things must have flashed through his mind? How many were quickly dismissed as attempts by Satan to have him as for the wrong things -- selfish things?
Solomon was meeting God. His first response was acknowledging God's kindness to his father, David -- whom God had called "a man after My own heart." Was Solomon remembering how his father had so often told him stories of crying out to God and receiving answers?
He continued, "Now, Lord God, may Your promises to my father David come true." God had promised David that his son Solomon would rule after him and that someone from that lineage would always rule on that throne. Since that was what God wanted for David, then perhaps this was Solomon's way of saying, "Your will be done, Father." All Solomon could then ask, before a pure and holy God, was wisdom to carry out what God had ordained already. After all, it's one thing to try to follow in your father's footsteps. It's quite another, though to walk where God WANTS you to walk.
God's answer was, "I will give you wisdom and knowledge."
We should never have to worry that we will be unable to complete a task that God has for us, for He equips us to do what He wills. Nothing is too hard for God.
My Bible's sidebar said, "Don't go to God with options and expect Him to choose one of your preferences. Go to Him with empty hands -- no hidden agendas, no crossed fingers, nothing behind your back. Go to Him with a willingness to do whatever He says. If you surrender your will, then He will 'equip you with everything good for doing His will.' It's a promise."
Father, make this so in my life all the more. Thanks for Your sweet promises today.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
2 Chronicles 4:1-7:10 What We Need To Hear In America Today
Solomon seems to be at the peak of his reign. He's taken 7 years to complete the Temple, fulfilling a promise God made to his father, David. At the dedication ceremony, he stood atop the 7.5'x7.5'x7.5' bronze stand where a
Solomon seems to be at the peak of his reign. He's taken 7 years to complete the Temple, fulfilling a promise God made to his father, David.
At the dedication ceremony, he stood atop the 7.5'x7.5'x7.5' bronze stand where all the people could see him; then he kneeled. He bowed down with his hands reaching to the sky and began to pray -- the most appropriate position for the leader of a people to assume.
His prayer first spoke of God's faithfulness in fulfilling promises and directing His people. Then, in verses 18-21, six times he asks God to hear or listen to the prayers of His people. Of course God could hear them. Solomon was really asking God to heed them.
As Solomon's prayer continued, I wondered if the people began to lift their heads and open their eyes and look at each other questioningly, for here they were, at their greatest moment since entering the Promised Land, and Solomon was praying about their defeat. He mentions sinning and falling away, invasion of their land by foreigners, and even captivity. That probably wasn't even on their radar screens. In each instance, he asks God to hear their prayers when they were repentant and when they face the Temple to pray.
It was quite a scene, I imagine -- a holy people bowed before their God, hearing their king speak of their future failure, spelled out word for word.
How different it seems in America right now. UNholiness seems to characterize everything now happening. God is not acknowledged and the achievements and potential of men are brought forth as our method for greatness. What a shame that we aren't hearing and acknowledging what the people in Solomon's day were acknowledging. At least for the Israelites there would be hope. The big requirement from the people so that God would bless is coming in tomorrow's reading. I'm glad You're making me wait, Father.
God, please convict our leaders of their sins of pride. Cause them to acknowledge their need of You and their own powerlessness. Do today what I will read tomorrow.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
2 Chronicles 7:11-9:31 Spiritually Rebuilding America
God emphasized national sin in 7:14 -- when a nation just decided to dump Him and go for something else. I'm sure He didn't like the prospect of national sin, but He knew the certainty of it. Yet despite that certainty, He offered
God emphasized national sin in 7:14 -- when a nation just decided to dump Him and go for something else. I'm sure He didn't like the prospect of national sin, but He knew the certainty of it. Yet despite that certainty, He offered grace: "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
The "healing" was rainfall, promised to relieve the drought He'd brought on to bring His people back to Him. It wouldn't be enough for the High Priest to attempt this "humbling and praying and penitence" on the Day Of Atonement. That was just one man. The entire nation had to decide that they were wrong and God was right. (I imagine that God would take care of the few foolish people who were far enough along the road to hell that the lights were starting to go out.)
I doubt that 10%, 40%, or even 60% would be enough of a majority or plurality to get God moving, though. The nation had to repent. In fact, He carried out what He promised and only a remnant was returned to the land.
In 7:17-20, God seems to be addressing Solomon individually, as their king, and it sure sounds like God is following what He's stated elsewhere in the Bible -- that with leadership comes responsibility, and failure is more costly at that level. Speaking individually to Solomon, He says, "You must not serve or worship other gods. If you do, I will take the Israelites out of My land, the land I have given them, AND I will leave this Temple that I have made holy." God was true to His word, as always.
Father, I pray for our president and the party in control of Congress right now. Father, they are choosing to worship Earth and man's supposed ability to re-engineer an entire planet when we can't even accurately predict the weather two days out. And they are walking us down the road away from You as they do so. Give them Your eyes for just one second, Father. Let them see this world and this nation as You see it. But first, let them see YOU. For when we have seen You, how can we ever be left the same? Our nation needs healing, Father. It would sure be easier to start from the top down.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
2 Chronicles 10-12 Saying No To Grace
I had a note in my Bible next to 10:15, pointing me back to what I'd read in 1 Kings 11:29 some time ago. It tells there how Solomon had taken a liking to a young officer named Jeroboam. The project-of-the-month for Solomon was fillin
I had a note in my Bible next to 10:15, pointing me back to what I'd read in 1 Kings 11:29 some time ago. It tells there how Solomon had taken a liking to a young officer named Jeroboam. The project-of-the-month for Solomon was filling in the walls around Jerusalem, and this young man was proving himself to be a great worker. Solomon took notice and put him in charge of workers from his tribe and from the tribe of Manasseh.
One day, a prophet met him on the road and passed along a message from God. He tore a brand new coat into 12 pieces and handed 10 of them to Jeroboam, telling him that God had picked him to rule over 10 tribes. It would be awhile before it would happen, though. God also made him an offer he shouldn't refuse: "I will always be with you if you do what I say is right. You must obey all My commands. If you obey My laws and commands as David did, I will be with you. I will make your family a lasting family of kings, as I did for David, AND give Israel to you."
Fast forward to chapter 10 and Solomon's son Rehoboam decides to show who's boss after Solomon died. He listened as Jeroboam asked that the building programs be discontinued, or at least slowed down, because the people were worn out. Rehoboam consulted his advisers. The older group told him to go along with the idea. But his buddies who were his age saw it as a test of his manhood, and with prideful counsel advised him against it. Guess who Rehoboam sided with? Rather than submit, all of the 10 tribes (except Judah and Benjamin) walked out, establishing Israel as a separate nation from Judah, with Jeroboam as their leader.
Jeroboam must have forgotten that coat and those promises, for as he began to rule, he dismissed all of the priests from the tribe of Levi, naming his own, and soon led his country into idol worship. How quickly we forget!
His contemporary, Rehoboam, who'd let his emotions overrule his logic, was left with a small kingdom, in order that God might fulfill His promises to David.
My commentary said that this is "an instance ... of prophecies being accomplished by the operation of human passions, and in the natural course of events. Men think that they are obeying their own wills and carrying out their own plans, UNCONSCIOUS that the matter is of God, and permitted and overruled BY HIM for the performance of His word."
Father, You create us and You know our inmost being. You know what turns us on and what motivates us. It's amazing to think that You ARE so sovereign that You can take that knowledge of us and use it for the furtherance of Your will and Your plan, whether what we're doing is, in the moment, for good or evil. How important it becomes, then, to strive to remain in Your will, for that will always lead to a better outcome for us. Help me do that, Father.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
2 Chronicles 13-16 Heading The Wrong Way?
God pointed me to three separate verses by three separate speakers this morning to show me a powerful life message.In 13:12, Judah's new king, Abijah, said, "Men, ... don't fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, because you w
God pointed me to three separate verses by three separate speakers this morning to show me a powerful life message.
In 13:12, Judah's new king, Abijah, said, "Men, ... don't fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, because you won't succeed."
In 15:2, Azariah, a prophet, said to King Asa, "The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you obey Him, you will find him, but if you leave him, He will leave you."
In 16:9, Hanani said to Asa, "The Lord searches all the earth for people who have given themselves COMPLETELY to Him. He wants to make them strong."
All combined, these words assure us that it's futile to fight against God. Instead, obedience to Him draws Him near. And He's actively seeking those who have given themselves completely to Him.
King Asa had pretty well done that, until the last years of his life. If he'd made it that far obeying God, why give up in the last stretch?? Perhaps he didn't take the time to examine his own spiritual walk. The sidebar in my Bible said, "Without self-examination, we atrophy from the Christian value system into something less. Not that we abandon the spiritual connection, but slowly, almost imperceptibly, we undo the moral knowledge to which we pledged ourselves. When once we redraw the line, there is less pressure against redrawing it, and less and less each time thereafter."
Father, I know You wanted a comeback from me, and I'm so glad You did. I had decided to fight against You, but thankfully You were much stronger than me! You left me so that I could discover what my life would be like without You, and through that I learned that You are with me when I'm with You. Thank You for making me into a man that You would search the world to find, not that I was at all deserving of it. Only through Your Son would I have a hope. Help me not to attempt to redraw the lines again.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
2 Chronicles 17-20 Show Your Sovereignty, Father
The sidebar in my Bible says, "Jehoshaphat feared and loved God. But he foolishly made an alliance with Ahab, the wicked king of Israel.... We live in an age in which everything is working against the things we hold dear. Think about
The sidebar in my Bible says, "Jehoshaphat feared and loved God. But he foolishly made an alliance with Ahab, the wicked king of Israel.... We live in an age in which everything is working against the things we hold dear. Think about it. What force in our society is working to help your kids remain true to principles the Bible sets forth in regard to sexual purity, honesty, loyalty, and the priority of character development? None! ... We don't live in a neutral world that beckons us to choose between right and wrong. The world we face everyday is one in which right has BECOME wrong... Paul realized that it required absolutely no effort on their part for believers to become like the world. They did not have to study or set goals or even make any plans to become worldly. All they had to do was get out in the world and live. If they took no precautions, it would be just a matter of time before they looked, acted, and thought just like the world."
King Jehoshaphat had done better than most kings in Judah's history. He'd even sent teachers throughout the land to retrain the people in God's word. But then he allowed his son to marry King Ahab's daughter. He was drawn into compromises with the world. And before long he was going into a battle God had warned him about. But for God's care, he would not have survived.
I read this morning in a OneNewsNow.com email where "the world" is at it again against Christians. Miss California stands to lose her crown for her very respectful answer that she believes in Biblical marriage, while the beauty pageant judge who asked her the loaded question rants about her with hate speech to stir up the ratings of his blog site.
Father, it sure seems like the world is ramping up its attacks on Christians. In another time, her accuser would not have dared to even show his face. This world has its wheels coming off, and it seems that everyone is standing ready to be entertained when they do. Please reveal Your sovereignty in a huge way, Father -- as You did in Egypt for the Israelites. Show the world how wrong it is, not for our sake, but for the sake of Your Name.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
2 Chronicles 21-24 Fading In The Stretch
Boy, these chapters start getting ugly fast when Judah gets on its downhill slide. It's not a fun thing to read, but it's necessary, for it serves as a warning to us today.Joash became king when he was only 7 years old. Being ment
Boy, these chapters start getting ugly fast when Judah gets on its downhill slide. It's not a fun thing to read, but it's necessary, for it serves as a warning to us today.
Joash became king when he was only 7 years old. Being mentored by Jehoiada the priest while he was kept in hiding in the Temple for several years to protect his life, he started out well, even becoming impatient with the Levites for not collecting funds quickly enough to begin Temple repairs.
But Joash's mentor died while Joash was probably in his early forties and with that loss, Joash began his own downhill slide. He stopped worshiping in the Temple, and even began to worship Asherah idols. He even killed his mentor's son before being killed himself at age 47 by two of his own officers (whose mothers just happened to be from two nations that had always fought Israel -- Ammon and Moab).
My commentary said, "Because Joash forsook the Lord in the latter part of his life, all that he had done earlier was for NOTHING.... It is good to start well, but it is far more important to finish well. The Apostle John, knowing the tendency people have to "fade in the stretch," warns us to 'Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward."
Father, I realize that I'm in the latter part of my life. Tiredness comes more quickly, and it takes forced exercise to stay in shape. Help me to not tire doing Your will. Always give me strength in this area. Remind me that I'm not entitled to anything -- even my next breath. Instead, help me to cherish the time You give me and the strength You grant me. Help me not to fade in the stretch.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
2 Chronicles 25-28 No Buts...
My heart is saddened every time I hear this two-word phrase -- "but he..." Hears how it sounded this morning: "[King] Amaziah did what the Lord said was right, but he did not really want to obey Him."For whatever reaso
My heart is saddened every time I hear this two-word phrase -- "but he..." Hears how it sounded this morning: "[King] Amaziah did what the Lord said was right, but he did not really want to obey Him."
For whatever reason, King Amaziah felt obligated or badgered into obeying God. But his heart wasn't in it. He was doing it not because he wanted to, but because he felt that he had to. What was the eventual result? "Amaziah stopped obeying the Lord."
Another qualifier I hate to hear is "while": "[King] Uzziah obeyed God while Zechariah was alive, because he taught Uzziah how to respect and obey God." His mentor was one day no longer there to encourage him, and then we read: "But when Uzziah became powerful, his pride led him to ruin."
This was followed by another version of "but he" -- "[King] Jotham did what the Lord said was right ... but the people continued doing wrong." Our faith is more than just living a life of avoiding sin. It is pleasing to God when we let our lives witness to others, bringing them to Him.
There's a song that's popular now on Air1 that speaks of going through the motions. The words remind me of watching my son run track this past year, seeing him run anywhere from two to six laps around the track with no desire to even attempt to win -- simply going through the motions, completing his assignment. There was no "heart" in it.
God wants us to have our hearts in it. He'd rather be able to say, "He obeyed the Lord, period." No buts, no whiles.
Eleven years ago, my good friend and spiritual mentor moved away. Aside from losing that day-to-day contact and closeness, what scared me the most was the possibility that, like Uzziah, I might regress to what I'd once been like. You see, there was a positive pressure there, much like electronics labs use positive pressure to prevent outside contamination. Once that pressure was not present, I didn't know what would happen.
God spoke to me through another friend who encouraged me. He said I certainly had it within me to remain strong. The Holy Spirit was there, and He would help.
I've heard it said that character is what you do when no one else will ever find out. God was developing character in me by removing my props. He wanted to show me that I had taken to heart what He'd been teaching me. Had that move not occurred, I might have never gained the closer relationship with God that developed over the years. Like Amaziah, I might have just been going through the motions.
Father, thank You for the pain those years ago that You used to strengthen my relationship with You. Thank You for causing me to want to never go back to where I'd been -- to want more than anything else to keep my connection to You vital and alive for my sake.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
2 Chronicles 29-31 Staying Open For Business
I wonder what it must have been like. For months, business had been slow -- too slow to pay the help or the utilities. Only a few crossed the threshold to come in. Most managed barely a glance as they passed on the street. One
I wonder what it must have been like. For months, business had been slow -- too slow to pay the help or the utilities. Only a few crossed the threshold to come in. Most managed barely a glance as they passed on the street. One by one, employees left to find other work for better pay. Then finally, the last one out turned out the lights and locked the doors.
Years passed, and soon graffiti showed up on the doors. Several times kids had tried to pry open the doors, damaging the exterior. Inside, a layer of dust an inch thick had collected on everything.
Then one day a new guy was put in charge. He searched for and found the keys, still hanging where they'd been left decades before. With tentative movements, he unlocked the damaged front doors and the hinges protested loudly from the rust that had set in. A must smell wafted out, and a group of workers filed in to begin repairs as mice scurried away to find cover. Hezekiah was the new king, and the Temple, long closed, was opened once more.
It's hard to imagine the dwelling place of the Almighty, in His favored city, locked up and disrespected with graffiti. But that's how low the Jewish nation had sunk. But God showed me this morning that the scenes in these chapters are a metaphor for the heart. I'd pretty much done the same thing to His residence within me at one point. My heart probably resembled the locked, must building more than I'd care to admit.
What Hezekiah did in the following chapters also fits well when applied to the heart:
1) First, the doors had to be opened. That came from the Lord's use of just one man.
2) Hezekiah commanded the Levites: "Make yourselves ready for the Lord's service." They had to clean up their own lives, to be able to do what God called them to do.
3) "Remove from the Temple everything that makes it impure." Our hearts are now God's Temple. WOW, what that says about our hearts!
4) Things had been removed from the Temple. They were part of what made it usable for worship, and they were returned. In my life, during the last few years of college, I'd very seldom gone to church. Bible study and quiet times were non-existent. Prayer was only offered as a last resort. Those things had to be put back into my life, at the heart level.
So what had caused this terrible calamity? One sentence in verse 7 said it all: "They let the fire go out." The altar fire required constant refueling. The lamps in the Temple needed oil. Oil is often seen as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. In our own lives, when we squelch the Holy Spirit, the fire does almost go out.
How amazing it is that we can become so blinded by sin that we let things regress to such a state!
Father, this so reminded me of how insensitive I'd allowed myself to become to Your movement in my life. I don't want to ever go there again. Help me to keep the fire lit and the doors open.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
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