2 Corinthians 4-5

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 2 Corinthians 4:6-7

Paul is assuring the Corinthian believers about the truth of the Gospel. The Gospel is all about God's glory through Jesus Christ. We as God's servants are not to try and claim glory for the effects of the Gospel in other people's lives. The truth is, none of us deserved to be rescued from our selfish, blinded life; so when we selfishly refuse to give out the Gospel - whether it's fear, sin, or apathy - the result is simply to deny life to one who desperately needs it. How can God use such sinful vessels as ourselves to show His saving glory? It's so everyone will know that salvation comes from God. We are not capable of anything in ourselves, but working and living in the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God can accomplish anything God wants for it. Let us never boast anything but the truth that we as sinful people are used to accomplish eternal Kingdom projects through His power.

Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD." Jeremiah 9:23-24

Mark 13-14

Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake--for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning-- lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake. Mark 13:33-37

Here Jesus is talking to the disciples about what the end times are going to look like. It is a subject that many people speculate about, but the emphasis He places on the timing of the end is not one event. It involves many vague generalities about the state of the world, but in this passage Jesus tells them multiple times, "be awake." Jesus says this three times just in this paragraph - it is the main theme He is trying to communicate. These events are not something to fear, but to live a life in view of eternity continually. If we live a life where we have nothing to be ashamed of before God then we have accomplished the goal Christ is giving to the disciples. It is a mentality that says I want God to be pleased with my life in all areas, and that way whenever He returns I will be found watching for His return.

Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. I John 3:2-3

Jeremiah 22-26

 Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. Jeremiah 23:5

Woe be to those who are set to feed God's people, but take no concern to do them good! Here is a word of comfort to the neglected sheep. Though only a remnant of God's flock is left, he will find them out, and they shall be brought to their former habitations. Christ is spoken of as a branch from David's family. He is righteous himself, and through him all his people are made righteous. Christ shall break the usurped power of Satan. All the spiritual seed of believing Abraham and praying Jacob shall be protected, and shall be saved from the guilt and dominion of sin. In the days of Christ's government in the soul, the soul dwells at ease. He is here spoken of as "the Lord our Righteousness." He is so our Righteousness as no creature could be. His obedience unto death is the justifying righteousness of believers, and their title to heavenly happiness. And their sanctification, as the source of all their personal obedience is the effect of their union with him, and of the supply of this Spirit. By this name every true believer shall call him, and call upon him. We have nothing to plead but this, Christ has died, yea, rather is risen again; and we have taken him for our Lord. This righteousness which he has wrought out to the satisfaction of law and justice, becomes ours; being a free gift given to us, through the Spirit of God, who puts it upon us, clothes us with it, enables us to lay hold upon it, and claim an interest in it. "The Lord our Righteousness" is a sweet name to a convinced sinner; to one that has felt the guilt of sin in his conscience; seen his need of that righteousness, and the worth of it. This great salvation is far more glorious than all former deliverances of his church. May our souls be gathered to Him, and be found in him.

- taken from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

Job 33-34

Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice.  Job 34:12


Elihu is speaking to Job on the fact that Job is seeking God to answer him concerning what sin he committed to have his entire life uprooted and destroyed. Elihu has a right concept of God's character, but ultimately fails to put it all together. Each of Job's friends rightly observe that God will not just act spitefully against any man, but will always act justly. Therefore Job must have sinned to deserve the punishment he received.

It is always dangerous to live our life based on any one concept of God. If you only focus on God's holiness then you miss God's love and mercy, or if you only follow that God is love then it allows you to potentially presume on God's grace because He does not punish for sin. The thought that I pulled from this passage is, these friends had right concepts of God, but missed the boat on the essence of God. It is so important to seek God and apply the knowledge of Him in every aspect of our lives. We will get things wrong, but it is important to continually seek after Him based on the Word of God.

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:6-9

Psalm 48-50

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. Psalm 50:14-15


The Psalmist tells us God greatly delights in the praise of His children. Praise and obedience bring God's favor and give us that clear conscience that He hears our prayers. However, God makes a clear distinction between the man who obeys and praises, and the wicked who have no regard for His commandments. He tells us of the characteristics of evil men who presume upon His grace. A wise man fears God and keeps his commandments. He experiences God's deliverance, and the wicked only get destruction.

God's Word tells of His judgment and holiness, yet it also tells of His love and forbearance. It is not to simply say those without Christ deserve judgment because without Christ's sacrifice we would be in the same position - outside of a relationship with Him. It is for us to obey and praise Him for what He has done for us, and also to warn the wicked of the position they are in before God. It is a reminder of what we were without Christ, and the new creation we are in Him.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.   2 Corinthians 2:17

2 Samuel 1-4

Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions. 2 Samuel 1:23

In this verse David basically gives Saul and Jonathan's eulogy. It tells of David's true love he had for both of these men. David and Jonathan's love is one of the most famous stories of brotherly love, but David did love Saul as well. This was a man who sought to kill David multiple times. What a demonstration of the true meaning of love! You actually mourn for someone who literally tried to kill you.

This love is the same that Jesus showed to us in going to the cross. We were not grateful for His sacrifice in being separated from the Father (Romans 1:21), but in our sins continually turned away from Him. Today as followers of Him we are to show this love for all men and women. A self sacrificing love that puts others before us. It is one of the two great commands God gives - to love our neighbor as ourselves. It sounds so simple yet is one of the most difficult commands to obey. This type of love is one the world cannot produce because it only comes from the Holy Spirit. It's the reason why Christians should stand out in the crowd - at our work places and homes. It does not take huge steps, but a simple request of God how we can show His love on a daily basis.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35

Exodus 13-16

Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses. Exodus 14:31


Many people know this story from the Bible, but often times the simplest statements have the biggest impact. God told Moses what He was going to do, and to the children of Israel it probably seemed preposterous. What would it have been like on that day? You see the pillar of fire by night and know that the Lord is near, but here you are penned in by a seemingly impossible circumstance. You have God's chosen leader telling you to go into the sea only to see it divide for you to walk on DRY ground. It would have to have been a surreal situation in every way possible. God preserved His Word so that millennia later we could read of His deliverance, and have the same reaction spelled out for us in this verse.

How many times has God delivered us from impossible circumstances? I look back at times in my life when I thought it was too difficult or circumstances were overwhelming me. We so easily forget God's deliverance, but when we think back it can only make us stronger. Let each of us remember just one instance of God's deliverance so that it can focus us on truth. Our God is GREATER, STRONGER, and WISER than anything life throws at us.

You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! Psalm 22:23

Into His Image

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. - 2 Corinthians 3:18

The work of sanctification in our lives as believers in Christ is ongoing, never-ending until we are with Him for eternity in Heaven. God through the Holy Spirit is working to transform our minds, our method of living, our everyday choices, to reflect our identity as His child. 

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ  Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." Romans 6:1-14

Justification is our reality when we accept God's gift of Salvation, but sanctification is a life-long process requiring our participation. Philippians 2:12-13 says, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." God has given us all the tools we need to become more like His Son. 

The Holy Spirit lives in us and works in our lives to sanctify us. As we yield to Him, He will produce godly qualities in our life. "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16). He delivers us from sin's control in our hearts and makes us pure so we desire to do good. 

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldy passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age. Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." Titus 2:11-14

He transforms us. He changes us into His image - so we are able to accomplish His will and fulfill our God-ordained purpose.

Mark 11-12

Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." And the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him....And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." Mark 12:29-32, 34a


In highlighting some of the last moments of Jesus' ministry, Mark shows the growing hatred of the Pharisees and chief priests for Jesus' confrontation of their methods of religion. They repeatedly tried to trap Him with tricky questions so they could denounce Him before the people. The religious leaders had a real problem - they were afraid of what the people thought. In the midst of these parables Jesus gave the leaders, we find a story of (soon to be) believing faith. We do not know if he ever trusted Christ, but one can say he really wanted to hear Jesus' answer. The others simply tried to trap Him; this man responded to Jesus simply based on a desire to hear the truth. Jesus always quickly condemned the self-righteous and hypocrites, but the response to the scribe is commendation.

God obviously always can see the hearts of men, but He tells us that the man responded wisely. An important point is, even in the midst of men who hated Him, there was a story of a man who truly believed God's law. We know today how God responds to men based on His word. When we approach Him with a desire to know what He wants, then it will be revealed to us. There is no mystery to God in this regard, and there are a number of Scriptures that can be applied, but these ones stand out:

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. Romans 12:1-2

Jehovah-Rophi - Jeremiah 17-21

"Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed." - Jeremiah 17:14

It is the sole prerogative of God to remove spiritual disease. Natural disease may be instrumentally healed by men, but even then the honour is to be given to God who giveth virtue unto medicine, and bestoweth power unto the human frame to cast off disease. As for spiritual sicknesses, these remain with the great Physician alone; he claims it as his prerogative, "I kill and I make alive, I wound and I heal;" and one of the Lord's choice titles is Jehovah-Rophi, the Lord that healeth thee. "I will heal thee of thy wounds," is a promise which could not come from the lip of man, but only from the mouth of the eternal God. On this account the psalmist cried unto the Lord, "O Lord, heal me, for my bones are sore vexed," and again, "Heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee." For this, also, the godly praise the name of the Lord, saying, "He healeth all our diseases." He who made man can restore man; he who was at first the creator of our nature can new create it. What a transcendent comfort it is that in the person of Jesus "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily!" My soul, whatever thy disease may be, this great Physician can heal thee. If he be God, there can be no limit to his power. Come then with the blind eye of darkened understanding, come with the limping foot of wasted energy, come with the maimed hand of weak faith, the fever of an angry temper, or the ague of shivering despondency, come just as thou art, for he who is God can certainly restore thee of thy plague. None shall restrain the healing virtue which proceeds from Jesus our Lord. Legions of devils have been made to own the power of the beloved Physician, and never once has he been baffled. All his patients have been cured in the past and shall be in the future, and thou shalt be one among them, my friend, if thou wilt but rest thyself in him this night.

- taken from Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening

 

photo credit

Job 31-32

Elihu, alone of Job's four friends, is not condemned by God for his bad advice. We will have to read on to see the full measure of what he has to say, but he certainly gets off to a good start in Chapter 32. He decries the prevailing notion--to which he himself had subscribed--that age and wisdom go hand in hand. This is not to say that they cannot do so, but there is no automatic, direct correlation thus. Rather, "It is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding" (Job 32:8).

Elihu is upset with Job for what he sees as Job's self-justifying, and not God-justifying, ways. But he is also angry that Job's friends have not been able to show him the error of his ways. Elihu's premise is flawed--Job has not sinned against God and does not need to be rebuked--but he nevertheless raises some worthwhile points throughout his soliloquy. That you do not necessarily have to be aged in order to be wise, merely in relationship with God ... this is an encouraging thought!

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10).

Psalm 45-47

As far as I am aware, no one is sure exactly which king is getting married in Psalm 45. Rather than detract from the song, though, this anonymity amplifies the emotion that drips from every word. If we knew whose nuptials were being celebrated, we'd be irresistibly tempted to read biographical and historical context into this expression of unadulterated joy. As it is, we can allow ourselves to be swept up and carried away by the exuberance.

What more joyful refrain could there be than "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever" (Psalm 45:6)? God, who is Alpha and Omega, is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). And weddings are celebrations of earthly unions that resonate into eternity, and as we learn later in the Bible, they have specific, supernatural significance (Ephesians 5) too. Here that significance is prefigured; though the king was a historical person, he anticipates Jesus the King as well. "The nations will praise you for ever and ever" (Psalm 45:17). May it always be so!

1 Samuel 26-31

Saul's encounter with the medium at Endor is unsettling in many ways. The most obvious problem with Saul's visit is that God has forbidden His people to consult mediums (Leviticus 19:31). Indeed, it was for this reason that Saul himself had "expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land" (1 Sam 28:3). The more discomfiting element of this scene, at least for me, is the isolation and abject despair Saul felt that drove him to this radical step.

At the start of the chapter, Saul surveys the Philistine army arrayed against him and he fears a crushing defeat. So he does what anyone would do in a similar situation ... he turns to God for guidance. "But the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets" (1 Sam 28:6). How terrifying, how utterly alone you must feel when you seek God and are ignored.

When we read this story, though, we need to remember that unlike, say, David, Saul was not a man after God's own heart. In fact, Saul directly opposed David; "He remained [David's] enemy the rest of his days" (1 Sam 18:29). And yet even after devoting so much time and energy to opposing God, Saul could still have been reconciled to Him if true repentance and reconciliation were what he desired. But even in the end, Saul sought only his own glory and success, not God's. Is it any surprise, then, that his entreaties were viewed so unfavorably?

Exodus 9-12

Exodus 9-12 is one of the foundational passages of the history of the tribe of Israel. The conclusion of their Egyptian captivity and the institution of the Passover are watershed moments. But there is something deeply unsettling about the way Pharaoh figures into the story. At the conclusion of the seventh plague, Pharaoh sends for Moses and admits his wrongdoing and begs him to ask God to call off the hail. Yet "When Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart" (Exodus 9:27, 34). In this instance it appears that Pharaoh sinned under his own power, as it were; that is, by his own choosing.

Before the next plague strikes, however, God tells Moses, "'Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord'” (Exodus 10: 1-2). Here the situation is somewhat different. It seems that God has stacked the deck against Pharaoh; He has predetermined that Pharaoh will not grant Moses's request.

This seems somehow unfair. One could object that God is supernaturally preventing Pharaoh from being able to repent so that He has an excuse to hurt the people of Egypt (indeed, God says this is exactly what He is doing [Exodus 10: 1-2]). But to stop here would be to miss the point entirely. God is not punishing the Egyptians for the sake of inflicting pain. He is doing this because performing these signs brings Him glory. God's faithfulness is so great that not even the mighty Pharaoh, not even a multi-century enslavement, can prevent Him from redeeming His people. For the rest of time, people will be telling of God's magnificent power and His enduring mercy.

What about the abrogation of Pharaoh's free will? God establishes in the book of Job that human beings possess free will (for further consideration, I encourage you to read my piece on that subject here), but here He seems to suspend that will. I can think of two possible explanations for this phenomenon. One is the classic C.S. Lewis explanation, "There are two kinds of people in the end: Those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done'" (THE GREAT DIVORCE). Lewis was speaking about the mechanism by which people ended up in Hell, but the illustration applies equally well here; God foresees the future in which Pharaoh exercises his free will to continue ignoring Moses's entreaties, and He simply accelerates the process in the present. In this case, there really has been no infringement of will.

The other explanation is that God does indeed temporarily revoke Pharaoh's free will. But what of it? God has created the natural world and all the laws that govern it. It is certainly His right to suspend or alter those laws any time He chooses. Furthermore, we have already seen that God's purpose here is to glorify Himself. Supernatural intervention in the natural world for the purpose of bringing glory to God is common throughout the Old and New Testaments. If God wishes to glorify Himself, who are we to request that He refrain from doing so?

1 Corinthians 15-16

Why is it important that Jesus was seen in public after his resurrection? Paul writes, "He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born" (1 Cor 15: 4-8). Put simply, Jesus' public appearances validate the reality of his resurrection.

Later in the letter, Paul describes the importance of the resurrection to Christianity as a whole (1 Cor 15: 12-34). Or as Yale theologian Jaroslav Pelikan more succinctly stated, "If Christ is risen, then nothing else matters. If Christ is not risen, then nothing else matters." If the resurrection is of such great importance--and it is arguably the single most important tenet of Christianity--then we begin to see why Paul highlights the number of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances (something other New Testament writers do also).

It is easy to dismiss Jesus' resurrection as a hoax cooked up by his disappointed followers if they are the only ones to see him after he allegedly rose from the dead. But appearing to more than five hundred people at once? That is much harder to explain away as a fabrication. What's more, many of these people were still alive at the time of Paul's writing. If anyone in Corinth disputed the veracity of Paul's claims, they could simply track down the witnesses and interview them for themselves. No one brags about having witnesses to something that didn't happen; Paul's emphasis on how many people saw Jesus after his resurrection, and how many times Jesus was seen, is compelling evidence that the resurrection is real.

(For further consideration of this topic, I highly recommend Charles Dunn's phenomenal article "The Reality of the Resurrection," available here.)

Mark 9-10

Jesus tells his disciples, "For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us" (Mark 9:39). But consider the hypothetical false disciples Jesus rebukes in the Sermon on the Mount. "'Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?" Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers"'" (Matthew 7: 21-23). What a disconcerting image! The central question, then, seems to be what does it mean to do something in Jesus' name?

First, let's consider what doing something in Jesus' name is not. For instance, it is possible to claim to be doing something on God's behalf when you are really seeking your own glory. The sons of Sceva, a Jewish priest, were caught doing this in Acts 19. They "tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed" (Acts 19:13) but were beaten badly by the demon-possessed man for their trouble. You see, when it comes to our heart and our motives, there is no fooling God. "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve" (Jeremiah 17:10).

 Contrast their example with the woman who touched Jesus' clothes and was healed. Matthew tells us she touched the "edge" of the garment (Matthew 9:20). Remember that God long ago commanded the Israelites "To make tassels on the corners of your garments" (Numbers 15:38), and it was this part of Jesus' cloak that the sick woman touched. Why is that important? Because the woman knew Malachi 4:2, "The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays." The word "rays," sometimes also translated "wings," is the same word rendered as "tassels" in Numbers 15:38. The woman believed that Jesus was who he said he was and this led her to claim God's promise of healing from Malachi 4:2 by touching Jesus' cloak. And healed she was; Jesus turned, sought her out from the crowd, and told her, "Take heart, daughter ... your faith has healed you" (Matthew 9:22). In this way God was glorified, that His Son was recognized and worshiped for who he really was.

When we do things in Jesus' name, therefore, we are claiming God's promises that He might be glorified. God makes promises as a way of showing His faithfulness and as a way of bringing glory to Himself. When we claim these promises, we are acknowledging and even praising Him as a faithful, trustworthy, and sovereign God.

Jeremiah 12-16

Jeremiah begins this passage with a beleaguered complaint. "Yet I would speak to you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease" (Jer 12:1)? Without delay, Jeremiah brings up what might be called "The anti-health and wealth Gospel." The health and wealth Gospel is the teaching--often mocked and deservedly so--that God will shower you with material things because His chief desire is that you be happy and prosperous in this life. The anti-health and wealth Gospel, then, is the complaint that God seems to be favoring with material success those who do not profess and follow Him.

When you think about it, the anti-health and wealth Gospel really isn't the opposite of the health and wealth Gospel. In fact, there's actually no difference between the two at all. In the end, complaining about someone else's state is nothing more than a tacit expression of bitterness about your own. Jeremiah isn't upset that the wicked and faithless are doing well; he's upset that they're doing better than he is.

Jeremiah isn't the only Old Testament figure to voice complaints like these (see Job 21, Malachi 3). So how does God respond to him? By telling him that things are only going to get worse (Jer 12: 5-6). It's a similar answer to the one Job receives, and a superficially unsatisfying one at that. But when you dig deeper, it becomes clear that God is gently helping Jeremiah to recalibrate his perspective. God's enemies will be destroyed in the end (Jer 12: 7-17), and in the meantime, we need to spend a little less time worrying about the worldly balance sheet of our enemies and a little more time focusing on our own relationship with God. And if we want to have concern about our enemies' spiritual lives, that too is a commendable goal. Indeed, what could be more important than the spiritual welfare of ourselves and our (potential) brothers and sisters in Christ?

Job 29-30

Who am I to comment on Job's circumstance and words? I run the risk of sounding just like Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. 
I know this, He loves me. What He has for me is beneficial and further it is far better than what I deserve, eternal hell. 

Psalms 42-44

Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!Why do you hide your face?Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our belly clings to the ground.Rise up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love! 44:23-26 

We've all been here, right? In the midst of a trial, in the depth a valley, we may feel helpless. We even may feel as though God has forgotten us, shelved us.
What is the truth of the matter? Is God asleep? No. We need only read early chapters of Psalms to see declarations of His unwavering dedication to His creation. Consider a passage we read earlier this week. In Exodus we saw God's plan to exhibit His might through hardening Pharoh's heart. So often we can not see beyond the edge of the valley, but He can. So often we can not see the benefit, the value, of the plan. The moment feels unbearable.
Here is where faith is pivotal. Faith is complete confidence and trust in someone or something we neither see or feel.

Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love! 44:26 

This verse wonderfully exhibits this faith.
1) God's motive is to redeem us!
2) He does it through steadfast love!
Let us always seek the truth, our Savior, no matter the circumstance.

1 Samuel 21-25

What motivates a person's words and actions? These five chapters are rich with both selfish, sinful motives and humble, Godly motives.

For Self 

Saul spoke and acted out of pride.  Saul ignored undeniable truth from a man of God, Ahimelech. 

Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and captain over your bodyguard, and honored in your house? Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.” 22:14-15 

Doeg spoke and acted out of ambition. He perceived an opportunity to advance his own position. 

And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, 22:7 

Nabal spoke and acted out of entitlement. He demanded order and hierarchy ensuring his profits without disruption.

And Nabal answered David's servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?” 25:10-11

 Selfish motives are characterized by a lack of understanding and vision. They may seem justified in the moment, but are exposed for their fault over time.

For God 

David, Ahimelech, Abigail each came to clear decision points. They could choose self or God. The choice would not necessarily ensure physical safety. In the verses above, 22:14-15, as well as those below there is a clear declaration of God's authority and direct involvement. 

Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, ‘I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord's anointed.’ 24:10 

And when the Lord has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince over Israel, my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord working salvation himself. And when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.” 25:30-31

Let our day be characterized by humble, Godly motives.

Exodus 5-8

I must admit, today's Bible reading is so familiar. I found myself reading the verses passively. I read the chapters twice to find that "ah-ha" moment. Certainly the context is captivating--the plight of the people, the high stakes confrontation with Pharoh, and the miraculous signs from God. There is no question of His sovereignty here.
It did not hit me until I prayed with my youngest for his breakfast this morning. As we thanked God for His provision it unfolded inside of me, my gratitude for providing a declaration of that sovereignty. It is no minor thing that we serve the one true God. It is no minor thing that His unwavering authority that He asserted in the time of Moses He asserts today in our lives. I am truly grateful that I can engage my day knowing that He is in control of all things, that all I have is from and in Him. Praise The Lord!

1 Corinthians 13-14

I continue to enjoy our bible reading plan. The grouping of chapters is thoughtfully beneficial. Consider today's reading. Chapter 13 is a prominent passage concerning love. These eloquent verses establish the centrality of love in our lives and what love looks like in application.

But all things should be done decently and in order. 14:40

Now contrast chapter 14; here Paul writes about order, for example, the proper use of tongues and prophesy. He emphasizes motive and instructs how to achieve benefit for everyone.
Paul insightfully emphasizes love in chapter 13 before addressing the topics of chapter 14 so that the recipients of this wisdom have the proper perspective. The topics of chapter 14 can be dividing without proper context. That context is love--love is our motive. Love is our perspective on all things.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 13:1-3 

Jeremiah 7-11 & Mark 7-8

Jeremiah 7-11

Wow, what a weighty chunk of scripture. God's verdict for the people's severe condition brought me to a rather still, quiet place. 

Correct me, O Lord, but in justice; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing. 10:24  

This verse especially impacted me.
From my study Bible notes, the verb correct, which means "to discipline" or "to instruct," has as its goal conformity to the word and will of God. Jeremiah pleaded with the Lord to deal with the nation according to His justice, but withhold His anger.
A couple thoughts... Jeremiah is speaking in first person, owning the verdict. That is real leadership. God, who is blameless, could have responded in anger, being fully justified. It is a clear picture of our  corrupt state and His own sovereign state.

Mark 7-8 

There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. 7:15 

And he cautioned them, saying, "Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." 8:15 

It's easy to villainize the Pharisees and Herod to the point of caricature. They could be disregarded as one-dimensional props in a play. Yet, they were real people just like you and I. Considering the two verses above we are more alike than we may be willing to admit. 
In contrast, how encouraging are the following verses! 

When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?”They said to him, “Twelve.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 8:19-20 

He takes our meager, insufficient selves and does truly miraculous work.

Psalm 39-41

What do we do in the face of suffering? It's easy to fall into self-pity, self-righteous anger, or even despair. But David, as he so often does, shows us another way. He turns to the Lord in song. "'Have mercy on me, Lord; heal me, for I have sinned against you'" (Psalm 41:4). David knows that whatever injustices have perpetrated against him, nothing compares to his sin against the holy and blameless God.

One way in which David models a godly response to persecution is his perspective. He doesn't frame it as a them-against-me issue. Instead, he recognizes that his chief responsibility is his relationship with God. His relationship with his persecutors is secondary. As for judgment and retribution, that is God's domain exclusively. David knows better than to usurp Him; he contents himself with supplication and praise instead. Once again, there is much we can learn from David's inspirational example!

1 Samuel 16-20

Everybody likes an underdog. And is there any bigger underdog story than David versus Goliath? Goliath is the fearsome champion of the Philistine army; David has no impressive fortune, reputation, or pedigree. And while there's a strong argument that translation errors and other transmission miscues have blown the vaunted height difference out of proportion (very likely David and Goliath were the same height as my wife and me), they were nevertheless a starkly mismatched pair.

But should we really be surprised that the underdog won this contest? And while we're challenging assumptions ... was David really the underdog here? Saul certainly thinks so. "'You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth'" (1 Samuel 17:33). But God tells Samuel, "'The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart'" (1 Samuel 16:7), and we know from a few chapters back that David is a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).

Lastly, look at the banner each man flies. While Goliath boasts of his strength and military prowess, David declares, "'You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel'" (1 Samuel 17:45). Taken all together, then, it would appear that Goliath never stood a chance! But we have the benefit of hindsight and familiarity with the Israelites' story; the fact remains that David's great victory first and foremost gives glory to God.

Exodus 1-4

Why is faith so difficult? Consider Moses's encounter with God at the burning bush. We know that Moses believes exactly to whom he is speaking, for "He hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God" (Exodus 3:6). You might expect that this certainty of his interlocutor's identity would remove Moses's reluctance to obey, but if anything it seems to feed his doubts. Moses asks God for a sign he can bring to the Israelites to lend authority to his message (this in addition to God's name). And God, for his part, graciously gives Moses not one but three signs.

But was Moses asking for the signs for the Israelites' benefit or for his own? Even after God appears to him and performs wonders that he might believe, Moses still tries to get out of what he has been charged with doing. Twice he makes excuses for why he should not go, even to the point of inciting God's anger against him (Exodus 4:10, 13-14).

To the Israelites' credit, they listen to what Moses has to say, see the wonders he has to perform, and believe in the message they have received (Exodus 4: 29-31). But we know from reading on in the Old Testament that this is a turbulent, short-lived obedience. Is faith so easily shed authentic faith at all?

In the end, we can take comfort from the fact that the Israelites' fickleness--in which we share all too fully!--was not unforeseen by God. And more than that, much more than that, our disobedience is not unforgiven. "He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11: 26-27). So writes the author of the book of Hebrews about Moses. Not a bad epitaph at all!

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6).