Thursday, November 30, 2017

day no. 14,283: the wicked do not wrestle with reality

Psalm 10
The ancients were not immune to the age old questions of, "why are bad things happening to good people if God is just?" and "why are good things happening to bad people if God is just?" concluding, "is God even good?" or "does God even exist?"

The wicked do not wrestle with the reality of God. They don't spend time contemplating His goodness or His justice. They boldly live in confidence that He is not real and that they have nothing to fear. They simply flex their indifference to their advantage and see it panning out time after time for their benefit. When the Pharisees wanted the praise of men, they got it. They received the reward they wanted. So it is here with the wicked.

The psalmist here reminds himself that God's patience should not be mistaken as weakness or indifference. While the wick may take a while to burn, rest assured there is a stick of dynamite waiting at the end of it. The saying goes that a watched pot never boils. Do not get such tunnel vision as to stare at the spark and forget to see down the line the stack of explosives that are waiting. Run it out and you will see the end of the wicked.

A Day is coming and is nearer with each passing day when the wicked will no longer be able to comfort themselves with thoughts of God being a myth. That same Day will provide the oppressed and fatherless with vindication and they will no longer be waiting patiently, but celebrating enthusiastically. Faith will become sight and the oppressed will be victorious. 

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

day no. 14,282: faith is believing God

Genesis 50:24-26
And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

While compiling a list of faithful acts of faithful men, the author of Hebrews when considering Joseph, thinks of this.

Hebrews 11:22
By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

Joseph believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

day no. 14,281: the King counseling his usurpers

Genesis 50:19-21
Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Joseph comforted them. 

Take a moment to consider the audacity of that sentence. Joseph is easing the guilt of those who abused him. In similar fashion, Jesus is a source of comfort for the ones who caused Him excruciating pain. Jesus eases the guilt of those broken by their treason against Him. He is the King counseling his usurpers. He is the Judge caring for the criminals. 

Monday, November 27, 2017

day no. 14,280: forty days of freaking out

Genesis 50:3
Forty days were required for it, for that is how many are required for embalming.

40 is typically a number in the Bible associated with testing. I can imagine for the 10 sons of Israel (sans Benjamin) these 40 days were filled with sorrow over the loss of their father and apprehension wondering what Joseph might do to them once he was through mourning.

Sunday, November 26, 2017

day no. 14,279: let them see their limitations

Psalm 9
This song begins with declarative statements suggesting a proper application. In other words, David begins at the end. He starts by saying what he is going to do in light of what he is about to say.

He then transitions from himself as the subject who is doing things to objective truths about God. God is a King who rules well. God is a Judge who judges rightly. He demonstrates this by rebuking the bad behavior of the wicked and blotting out the names of those who oppose Him. He is trusted by those who truly know Him because He is inherently trustworthy.

David for a moment is caught up in just declaring true things about God so much so that in vs. 11 he takes a break to say, "Are you guys hearing this? Am I the only one excited about this? Shout it from the rooftops! Go tell it on the mountain. Sing to Him loudly so that all can hear Who He is and what He's done!

David lastly transitions to asking God for grace. Having defined Who we're dealing with, David begins to deal with Him and asks God to look down upon His servant and send help. He asks this King, this Judge, to stand up and do something. Rise up, God. Flex Your godliness on my behalf. Put the fear of God into those who oppose me for in opposing me, they oppose You. Jesus knocked Saul off his horse and told him that his violence against Christians was warfare with God Himself. David asks God to remind the nations that they are but men. This stands as a fantastically simple, yet profoundly supernatural prayer. May men come to their senses and recognize what is true. Let them see their limitations and be humbled.

Saturday, November 25, 2017

day no. 14,278: royal blood

Genesis 49:10
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

In this blessing we see more detail concerning the serpent crusher. He will be a descendant of Judah, He will be a king to whom tribute will be given and He will be an authority over all peoples. Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah, the King of all kings to whom tribute was given by the wise men who visited Him and every knee in Heaven and on earth will bow before Him alone.

Friday, November 24, 2017

day no. 14,277: turned to my station

Psalm 8
This song is book-ended by the exclamation, "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your Name in all the earth!" We end where we began with giving God all of the credit and all of the glory for everything.

When we observe the natural splendor of our created world, it should move our hearts to childlike wonder. As we grow older we often lose our capacity for awe and abandon. Here, David calls us to consider the expansive power and glory of an endless sky filled with numberless stars all fixed like nails where they have been hung. In light of all of this, who am I? How does God have time to consider me when He could just as easily sit back and enjoy the show before Him? Cascading waterfalls that never run out of water; planets endlessly spinning and orbiting in a precise, beautiful waltz; claps of thunder and strikes of lightning, etc… With all of that to watch, why would God turn His television to my station?

One can seemingly draw one of two conclusions from this. Either I am very important or God is. That is why we end where we began. David's conclusion in considering these facts is that God must be exceedingly great if He pays attention to little ol' me. Instead of an elevated sense of self-worth, David is led to an elevated sense of God's glory. God's name is worthy of all praise as evidenced by His attention to detail, even a humble data point like myself.

Thursday, November 23, 2017

day no. 14,276: our part in history

Genesis 48:15-16
“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys;
and in them let my name be carried on,
and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

God has placed in man a desire to see his name go on. As men made in His image, we desire to see a legacy expanding and stretching out over history in which we played a significant part. And a man's story is grafted into the story, if his ties return to God. In this way, we enter into a story larger than ourselves, longer than our progeny.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

day no. 14,275: no one plays the lottery unless everyone is playing the lottery

Have you ever noticed that no one plays the lottery unless everyone is playing the lottery? You can go years without even remembering that there is a lottery, but once the jackpot crosses a certain threshold it is all you hear about. Then everyone you know is buying a ticket because, "ya know, why not?" Most people do not play the lottery until most people are playing the lottery.

And so it seems also that most people who would call themselves Christians do not buy into broad cultural shifts unless everyone is buying into them. If we are not renewed in our minds, we ebb and flow with the tides. We are no more immune to throwing down $10 on a one in a trillion chance of winning $500 million than we are to buying into gender confusion and abortion culture IF we are not anchored to anything deeper.

Romans 12:2
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.

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

day no. 14,274: slippery when whet

Psalm 7
As much as David's flesh was in danger, his soul was also. The lion's claws were aiming deeper than his dermis. They were threatening to tear his heart and soul to shreds. It is a vulnerable/spectacular place to be when you can say in clean conscience like Job, "I did not do anything in this particular situation to deserve this. If I have, show me my error. I will repent. I will gladly lay down my arms if I am, in fact, in the wrong. But if I'm right, Lord, stand up now and fight! Bring hell, fire and brimstone. Bring fury and wrath and rage. I stand opposed to those who will not be opposed by You, God. Those who will not stand down when faced with their sin, those who pursue me without questioning their motives as I have asked You to reveal mine.

God feels indignation every day. That is a stunning thought. God cannot be deaf or blind. He hears every cry produced by persecuted people. He hears every injustice. He sees it all. He peers into the hearts and minds of those who delight in wickedness. He cannot turn away. All is before Him. And He patiently burns with rage as He restrains His fury for the day the dam breaks and the deluge of fire bursts forth to purify and refine. God whets His sword. It may surprise some to discover God has a sword. It may shock even more to find out He is sharpening it so that it delivers more deadly blows. Those who live by the sword will die by the sword of the Lord. Vengeance is His and while for the moment we see merciful calm, rest assured a torrent of violence is growing increasingly just behind the curtain of history's end.

Monday, November 20, 2017

day no. 14,273: livestock and land

Genesis 47:25
And they said, “You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh.”

It is a natural response for a man whose life has been saved to feel inclined to live indebted to the one who saved him. We see here that Joseph's (a la Pharaoh) wisdom has saved the lives of his subjects. While it cost them their livestock and land, what are possessions if one loses their life? In light of being saved, they beg to become bondservants, living in gratitude and service for the lives they will continue to possess. How much more should we who have been saved by Jesus Christ -- the better Joseph, the better Pharaoh -- earnestly seek opportunity to gladly and gratefully lay down our lives and livelihoods, our livestock and land, in order to serve and bring honor and glory to Him?

Sunday, November 19, 2017

day no. 14,272: unless they are hard pressed

Psalm 6
The word endure or persevere used in Scripture literally means, "remain under." It is being under fire, in the moment, in the trial, and remaining faithful to God. Few things prove to be more difficult than remaining under. Almost every instinct we possess pushes us to find a way to get out from under whatever is pressing in on us. But grapes do not produce wine unless they are pressed hard.

Here the Psalmist wrestles with nearly every common question a believer might ask while they remain under pressure: is this angry rebuke, is it loving discipline, it this going on longer than it needs to be, is this what life is now, is there any end in sight, can You hear me, Lord? etc…

But the Psalmist is sustained by God and even in the midst of all these questions and the continued pressure of remaining under great difficulty, a statement of faith and trust is produced: I know You hear me and I trust You will deliver me.  I know the mouths of those who mock will be stopped by the grace and strength of the Lord. I know. Even while everything else would say differently, I know. I believe. That is faith. That is perseverance. That is remaining under the grace of the Spirit of God while enduring under pressure.

Saturday, November 18, 2017

day no. 14,271: the main character?

Genesis 46:28
He had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to show the way before him in Goshen, and they came into the land of Goshen.

As much as can be and has been said of Joseph, as much has been overlooked of Judah. The last 1/4 of Genesis makes clear the main character is not merely Joseph, but Judah, from whom the Messiah would share lineage. Go back and read the "Joseph" narrative and you will find Judah, by name, appearing steadily.

Friday, November 17, 2017

day no. 14,270: all of Israel out of Egypt

Genesis 46:27
And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two. All the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.

Not a single person belonging to the family of Israel was left behind. Everyone went to Egypt. Going forward, anyone who looks back at Israel as the source of their namesake will have a heritage interwoven with Egypt. Years later, God will draw another Joseph to carry His Son to Egypt in order to protect Him from destruction in Israel and then call Him back out of Egypt to deliver His people from their bondage.

Thursday, November 16, 2017

day no. 14,269: far away by contrast, close by compassion

Psalm 5
Lord, You hear everything. Nothing escapes Your attention. No sound goes unheard, no sight goes unseen. In the midst of all You have on Your plate today, please consider my situation. Please don't let my voice be swallowed up or drowned out. You are not just the King of all kings and God of all gods, you are my King and my God. This is the God to Whom I lift my voice this morning. A God Who can hear me; a God far away by contrast, but close by compassion; a God above anything, but involved in everything; a God mighty to save and merciful to rescue.

Just as my hope of deliverance is found in Your all seeing eye, so my assurance that justice will be given to those who defy You is also found in the fact of Your seeing it. You know the flatterer's heart, You see the liar's intentions. You see and You know. I can rest assured in my safety and my enemies' destruction.

No one is safe without You. 
Everyone with You is safe. 
And You know the difference.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

day no. 14,268: God knows and that's enough for me

Psalm 4
God, it's me again. You've heard me before. Hear me again today. I am in trouble. Please help! It feels like no one else gets it and that no one else understands. I feel all alone. Everyone else seems to have it all together even though they live in sin while I feel like I'm falling apart even though I'm living for You.

God is setting me apart. He is consecrating me, making me holy, like Him, altogether different than everything else around me. I know He hears His suffering servants' cry for justice and justification.

I find myself becoming upset when I consider how few follow God and it's the right response. But it is enough for me to know that God knows. I don't have to defend myself and scrap and claw to look like I'm right. I know I'm right because I'm following God and He's always right.

Lots of people want God to bless them, but few people actually want God. Even when they get what they think they want like money, fame, power, a good buzz, an orgasm, popularity, etc… I know I have something better. Everything comes to an end… eventually. Except the One Who has no beginning. He alone endures forever and all those who place their trust in Him will have all eternity to consider themselves wise.

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

day no. 14,267: another everyday miracle

Things like sleep, as simple and as assumed as they are for our day to day lives speak loudly to our need to be sustained and kept. we cannot keep ourselves. we must sleep. If we resist, we go crazy or we die. We have to lay down, shut our eyes and let whatever happens to us happen. We must. It is the design of God and there is no getting around it. The fact that we so reliably wake up more often than not is amazing and another everyday miracle we take for granted. We get sick, we get better. we go to bed, we wake up. we get cut, we heal. we get sore, we get stronger. We close our eyes and open them again and the world is still there, as if it depended not on us at all and was quite content with or without us.... and yet we're invited to enter in and be MORE involved and interested by this simple, understated fact of normal, everyday life.

Monday, November 13, 2017

day no. 14,266: baptism 5k

5,000 days ago today I was baptized at Cornerstone Church of Ames by Pastor Tom Nesbitt. I have experienced new challenges and old problems, but have seen God faithfully producing His will in me and through me. Grateful for Good News that only gets better daily.

Sunday, November 12, 2017

day no. 14,265: God never sleeps

Psalm 3
The accusation is either that David is too bad to be saved OR that David's God is too weak to save anyone and either way, everywhere David looks or listens, he hears the pessimistic prophecies of those who wish him the worst. They hope he is beyond saving in particular or that His God is incapable of saving in general.

Yet David insists that God is his shield and shelter. He takes refuge in the God they all say is too holy to notice David or too impotent to rescue him. David raises his cry and aims it like an archer at the throne of heaven. He directs his pleas to the holy city where God alone makes His residence. David expects God to be there, where the holy things are AND he expects God to hear him, even there. David expects his cries to be heard and heeded by a holy and gracious God.

David is a man who can only run so far until he needs to rest. And God allows His saints to find rest in their races. He expects them to be found running and resting, sustained by His strength. Awake and watching, yet sleeping and resting. Nothing is more vulnerable than being asleep. You are protected in that dangerous place by Him. God does not protect His saints by keeping them beyond the reach of needing sleep, He allows them to rest knowing that their God never sleeps.

David fully expects God to wreck His enemies. David has so aligned himself with God that his enemies are God's enemies and vice versa. David delights in the destruction of the unrepentant wicked and the deliverance of the repentant sinner.

The saint will feast forever at the wedding supper of the Lamb while the wicked will have their teeth broken from their jaws. Saints will chew on a feast of meat while sinners will gnash on their just desserts.

If anyone can save, it's God. If anyone will be saved, it will be by God. If salvation is possible, it will be brought to pass by God. If salvation is offered, it will be a gift, a blessing, an undeserved, unmerited, merciful, gracious work of the Lord Almighty.

Saturday, November 11, 2017

day no. 14,264: a land of everlasting and exhaustive joy

Genesis 45:20
Have no concern for your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.

We are called to similar pilgrimage. Where we are going has everything we could ever need. Why waste time dilly dallying with trinkets and toys when a land of everlasting and exhaustive joy awaits? Why hinder your arrival by dragging heavy, burdensome baggage? Leave your hurts, your shame, your achievement, your trophies, and anything else that would keep your feet from sprinting for a glorious home awaits those who run the race set before them.

Friday, November 10, 2017

day no. 14,263: but he knew them

Genesis 45:3-5
And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. 4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life."

Joseph appeared to his brothers. He had been in their midst but they did not recognize him. But he knew them. And he chose to reveal himself to them. This revelation produced shock and sheepish back stepping to which Joseph replied, "Come near, please." 

One day another son of God would be treated shamefully in order to save his brothers. He too would walk among them, back from dead, without their knowledge until He revealed Himself to them. They didn't recognize Him, but He knew them. And even after all that had been done against Him, He chose to reveal Himself to His sinful brothers -- just like Joseph - a type and shadow of the Christ who would come.

Thursday, November 9, 2017

day no. 14,262: the pot shaking its formed fists

Psalm 2
Why do nations rage and why do people push back against Heaven so violently? Because Heaven has opinions about how things are going on earth and we often see those as mean-spirited, restrictive shackles designed to keep us from self-actualizing. At its worst, it is a spirit that would dare proclaim that God is hamstringing us because He is worried that we may overtake Him if we were allowed to reach our full potential. Perhaps we would be King of the hill and He'd be out of a gig.

But vs. 4 makes it clear, that God is not shaken by these empty threats. In fact, He laughs. The ridiculousness of the pot shaking its formed fists at the Potter is more than enough to produce a chuckle. But His romp quickly transforms into rage when He opens His mouth to shout, "The earth is mine and whoever I make its King is truly King indeed!!! My Son will inherit the world and all will bow before Him, either in fearful expectation of death for treason or joyful expectation of living under His rule. He is a living safety for those who worship Him and a death sentence for those who war with Him."

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

day no. 14,261: under the heat of the Son

Psalm 1
The blessed man is first defined by what he doesn't do. He doesn't orient his life around worldly advice, he doesn't anchor his aspirations around his sinful inclinations, and he doesn't find rest in his ability to poke holes in whatever he is being told to do.

Rather, he is defined by his delight in the Law of the Lord. He orients his days, anchors his heart and finds security in something outside himself, something permanent, unshakable, indomitable: the Law of the living Lord and he dedicates his mind to mulling it over day and night and all the time in between. He has developed the habit of seeing and interpreting the world through the lens of the Creator's wisdom.

Now that we know what he does, the Psalmist transitions to explaining what he is like. When a man lives this way, it looks like something. In this case, a faithful, sturdy tree rooted near streams of living water that allow it to thrive and produce fruit that serves as a blessing to others. It is not shriveling up, it is maturing in sturdiness.

Just to be clear, the Psalmist wants to clarify that the man who does all of things that the man of God does not do (see vs. 1) looks like something.  In this case, it looks like chaff that the wind drives away. It has not root and it produces no fruit. It is tossed to and fro by the winds of change without any landmarks to secure its place.

In the end, the rootless will die under the heat of the Son while the faithful will survive and use His rays to produce fruit for His glory, the good of everyone else and the glorification of the tree.

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

day no. 14,260: the lion from the tribe of Judah

Genesis 44:33
Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers.

At this point, as far as Judah knows, Benjamin actually stole the cup. And yet, he offers to take his place and substitute himself in order to set Benjamin free. Years later, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, would offer to take the place of those He knew for a fact were guilty so that they could go free.

Monday, November 6, 2017

day no. 14,259: spring in Judah

Genesis 43:9
I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

Judah's heart is being transformed by the Holy Spirit to substitute himself for his brother. He is pledging his loyalty to protecting Benjamin and that Benjamin's fate would now be tied to his. If Benjamin perishes, so will Judah. But this is only the beginning of Judah's transformation. There are more extravagant evidences of Gospel inspiration yet to come.

Sunday, November 5, 2017

day no. 14,258: do you hear what i hear?

Genesis 42:23-24
They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 Then he turned away from them and wept.

How differently we would speak about others if we knew that they knew what we were saying about them.

Saturday, November 4, 2017

day no. 14,257: happy birthday, Rocco!!!

Happy Birthday, Rocketsauce!!! You are such a special little dude. You are always smiling. You love making people laugh and you are comfortable being the center of attention. You are loved by everyone who knows you. You sleep and eat like a straight up boss. You climb on everything, yet haven't had any major disasters falling as of yet. I love you little man. You love being held. You hate watching your mommy leave. You like it when I make your breath go, "bah-bah-bah-bah-bah" by vibrating my hand over your mouth. You love sitting on the couch and looking at the picture albums of our family. You enjoy chasing your siblings and being chased by them. You make people think that having kids will be a delight. You are an answer to prayer and I am excited to teach you about our God! I love you Rocco, happy 2nd birthday!

day no. 14,257 continued... ripe for rotten

I recently came across the phrase, "when you think you're ripe, you're rotting and when you think you're green, you're ripening."

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Those we think that they've arrived still have a long way to go while those who see the long road ahead have in many ways already arrived.

Friday, November 3, 2017

day no. 14,256: a better Joseph

Genesis 41:57
Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.

Joseph was lifted up in order that the lowly might find temporary satisfaction for their stomaches. God would one day lift up another Son of Israel in order that all those who would draw near to Him would find salvation and eternal satisfaction for their souls.

Thursday, November 2, 2017

day no. 14,255: soap opera grade amnesia

Genesis 40:23
Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

The cupbearer's good fortune produced amnesia. We see here the difficulty of mourning with those who mourn when one is, in fact, rejoicing.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

day no. 14,254: because He said so

Genesis 39:21, 23
But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.

The skeptic again finds fodder to feed their exception. If the Lord is with Joseph, why allow him to be mistreated by his brothers, sold as a slave, tempted by sin, falsely accused by sinners, etc…? With love like this, who needs hate? But God does not here address these complaints, but rather affirms His presence and purposes in being with the ones the world often mistreats.