Tag: daily devotional

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A Gift for Moses


Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land I promised with an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
I said I would give it to their descendants.
I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you may not go there.”
As the LORD had predicted, the LORD’s servant Moses died in Moab. He was buried in
a valley in Moab, near Beth Peor. Even today no one knows where his grave is.
Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eyesight never became poor,
and he never lost his physical strength.”
Deuteronomy 34:4-7

As I read this passage. . . .the final glimpse of the life of Moses . . . I am struck with the
tenderness of God toward His servant Moses. Perhaps “death” does not seem to be a tender part of the human story, but the way God Himself cared for Moses in his final days of life is permeated with His Love, Tenderness, and Understanding of Moses’ unique Story with Him.

God Himself led Moses to a mountaintop, where he could see the Land he had spent 40 years reaching. Forty years of physically and spiritually leading a nation that God had chosen for His Own eternal Purposes had brought Moses to this Moment. It may not have been the Moment he had imagined, with “the rest of the Story” literally within sight. He had probably had his own hopes and vision of what life would be in that Land of God’s choosing. He may have imagined himself standing on that Promised Land, seeing it . . . walking it . . . living in it with the nation God had chosen him to lead.

But God, in His tender Mercy, led Moses to the “best view” that his tired eyes could take into his mind, spirit, and heart. He was looking at the “Promise” God had ordained. He was looking at it in the Presence of God Himself. What words may have been exchanged as he and God, together, looked. Did God point out regions where His People would live . . .places that would become part of their story. . . where Jerusalem would sit for thousands of years to come. . .within sight of the humble village where Messiah would be born. . .

God was rewarding and blessing Moses in that precious Time together. One-on-one. . .
bringing a sweet, tender closure to a man born a slave, raised as a Prince in the house of
Pharoah, and leading God’s People to the place He had ordained and promised from The
Beginning.

At last, God gave him rest . . . in His Presence.

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Changing the Focus

“Those who want to save their lives will lose them.
But those who lose their lives for Me,
will find them.”
Matthew 16:25

What would it require to save your own life? Wouldn’t it require a total focus on yourself?
Your circumstances, your risks, your possibilities to save yourself, and anyone or anything that might give you a chance to survive would likely capture your entire focus. Panic would set in as you frantically look for anything that might save you from being swallowed up by the danger.

Even using another person to be able to save yourself from death would become a very real
consideration in order to survive. Most of us battle with thoughts of not being enough, doing enough, not knowing enough. And looming before us is the thing that gives us faith to take the next step of the Journey We don’t want to die in our wilderness! So we may grab onto the “hope-giver” on our path. . . and hang on for dear life… Even if what we’re clinging to for survival is another human being who is also frantic to survive.

Jesus knew the dangers for human beings on this earth. Desperation to live can mean
grabbing onto anything that floats by . . . even if it’s another human being.

Our desire to survive is deeply ingrained in us. We look for any means of escape from our peril. We hate being afraid. We hate suffering. We hate facing our own death. Jesus understood that about us. He had temptations to save His own life from the death He knew was ahead for Him. He struggled . . . even to the point of sweating blood.

Jesus calls us to follow Him. Wherever that might lead. Whatever it costs us personally. It’s
serious business. It’s scary. It may cost us everything.

But to walk that Path with Him, and to know His nearness as we walk together, is worth all of the unknown’s along the way.

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Changing the Focus

“Those who want to save their lives will lose them.
But those who lose their lives for Me,
will find them.”
Matthew 16:25

What would it require to save your own life? Wouldn’t it require a total focus on yourself?
Your circumstances, your risks, your possibilities to save yourself, and anyone or anything that might give you a chance to survive would likely capture your entire focus. Panic would set in as you frantically look for anything that might save you from being swallowed up by the danger. Even using another person to be able to save yourself from death would become a very real consideration in order to survive.

Most of us battle with thoughts of not being enough, doing enough, not knowing enough. And looming before us is the thing that gives us faith to take the next step of the Journey We don’t want to die in our wilderness! So we may grab onto the “hope-giver” on our path. . . and hang on for dear life… Even if what we’re clinging to for survival is another human being who is also frantic to survive.

Jesus knew the dangers for human beings on this earth. Desperation to live can mean
grabbing onto anything that floats by . . . even if it’s another human being.

Our desire to survive is deeply ingrained in us. We look for any means of escape from our peril. We hate being afraid. We hate suffering. We hate facing our own death. Jesus understood that about us. He had temptations to save His own life from the death He knew was ahead forHim. He struggled . . . even to the point of sweating blood.

Jesus calls us to follow Him. Wherever that might lead. Whatever it costs us personally. It’s
serious business. It’s scary. It may cost us everything.

But to walk that Path with Him, and to know His nearness as we walk together, is worth all of the unknown’s along the way.

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Desert Thunder

“Sing to God; make music to praise his name.
Make a highway for him to ride through the deserts.
The Lord is His name. Celebrate in His presence.
The God who is in His holy dwelling place is
the Father of the fatherless
and the Defender of widows.”

Psalm 68:4-5

I will never forget the “thunder” I heard in the desert. It was the thunder of a camel race. I
heard it long before I saw where the “thunder” was coming from. The camel riders in their
flowing white robes and ornate headdresses were heard before they were seen. Clouds of sand dust filled the air. The race eminated power, both of camel and rider. In the unbroken desert sands, the powerful camels and the billowing robes of the riders were nothing less than a jaw-dropping drama that seemed to come right out of a movie. Crowds of people lining the sandy raceway were going wild in the excitement. The thunderous power created a deafening sound that caused all of the spectators to move far back from the path of the ground-shaking racers.

The Psalmist captures a glimpse of such a scene. . . but the race is not one of human nor
beastly power.

The Rider is God Himself. All-powerful, all-mighty, focused, fully present, and thundering
through Time.

We become aware of His Presence through a strange, distant sound , , , before we see the
cloud surrounding Him as He comes our way. When we realize Who is in the Cloud, we
instinctively step back, because there is awesome Power in the middle of that moving cloud of sand dust.

In the most desolate, desert places and times of our lives, we feel alone, unprotected, and
have experienced great losses, like the “fatherless” and “widows” in this verse, Then, we hear something… a Sound grabs our attention, and we begin to see the Cloud moving our direction. The Rider comes into our sight . . . into our lives. He chooses to come.

He is not focusing on a trophy for winning a race. He has come, not for the praises of the
powerful. He comes to those who are unprotected . . . unloved . . . alone in this world, no matter how that Reality became theirs . . . His coming into our worlds is not for trophies, or accolades of the rich and famous. . . He is not focused on Himself. His Focus is not on the spectator crowds watching Him from the sidelines. . . at a safe distance from Him.

His focus is on those who are most unseen. . . most unprotected . . . most alone. . . most
vulnerable . . . Those who feel the most unable to offer Him anything of value in this world.

He comes to those who grab onto Him in the desperation of knowing that they have nothing to offer but themselves. Those who, out of great sorrow, know that He has come for them.

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Desert Thunder

“Sing to God; make music to praise his name.
Make a highway for him to ride through the deserts.
The Lord is His name. Celebrate in His presence.
The God who is in His holy dwelling place is
the Father of the fatherless
and the Defender of widows.”
Psalm 68:4-5

I will never forget the “thunder” I heard in the desert. It was the thunder of a camel race. I
heard it long before I saw where the “thunder” was coming from. The camel riders in their
flowing white robes and ornate headdresses were heard before they were seen. Clouds of sand dust filled the air. The race eminated power, both of camel and rider. In the unbroken desert sands, the powerful camels and the billowing robes of the riders were nothing less than a jaw-dropping drama that seemed to come right out of a movie. Crowds of people lining the sandy raceway were going wild in the excitement. The thunderous power created a deafening sound that caused all of the spectators to move far back from the path of the ground-shaking racers.

The Psalmist captures a glimpse of such a scene. . . but the race is not one of human nor
beastly power.

The Rider is God Himself. All-powerful, all-mighty, focused, fully present, and thundering
through Time.

We become aware of His Presence through a strange, distant sound , , , before we see the
cloud surrounding Him as He comes our way. When we realize Who is in the Cloud, we
instinctively step back, because there is awesome Power in the middle of that moving cloud of sand dust.

In the most desolate, desert places and times of our lives, we feel alone, unprotected, and
have experienced great losses, like the “fatherless” and “widows” in this verse, Then, we hear something… a Sound grabs our attention, and we begin to see the Cloud moving our direction.

The Rider comes into our sight . . . into our lives. He chooses to come.

He is not focusing on a trophy for winning a race. He has come, not for the praises of the
powerful. He comes to those who are unprotected . . . unloved . . . alone in this world, no matter how that Reality became theirs . . . His coming into our worlds is not for trophies, or accolades of the rich and famous. . . He is not focused on Himself. His Focus is not on the spectator crowds watching Him from the sidelines. . . at a safe distance from Him.

His focus is on those who are most unseen. . . most unprotected . . . most alone. . . most
vulnerable . . . Those who feel the most unable to offer Him anything of value in this world.

He comes to those who grab onto Him in the desperation of knowing that they have nothing to offer but themselves. Those who, out of great sorrow, know that He has come for them.

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Playing the Faith Crowd Game?

“They were united with Moses by baptism in the Cloud and in the Sea.
All of them ate the same spiritual food,
And all of them drank the same spiritual drink.
They drank from the spiritual rock that went with them,
And that Rock was Christ.
Yet . . .(here’s the kicker)
God was not pleased with most of them,
So their dead bodies were scattered over the desert.”

They’d done it all . . . and they’d done it together. The dramatic deliverance from
slavery in Egypt, the Cloud of God on the mountain top, the 10 Laws written by the
finger of God that they were to follow, the 40 years of walking through the endless
desert following a Cloud and Fire, the Sea splitting to allow them to walk through safely
into their Promised Land, and then seeing that Sea wiping out the entire Egyptian army
that had been in hot pursuit of them.

The miracles that God had done for them were unprecedented in all of history. And He
had done it for them because they were truly His People.

Never before, never since, was there such a long-lasting miracle unfolding for the
people God had chosen to be His Own. Sharing such miraculous and faith-building
experiences together had helped to form them into a nation, with a great mission to the
world. God had His Plan for them.

When God does things that only He can do with a people, or a person who He has
chosen, there are lots of people who want to be part of the experience. They want to fit
in with that “Chosen” crowd through which God is moving. They want to be part of the
“fireworks” and the action. They want to be chosen.

But if they have not been chosen by God for carrying out His Plans, or if they are just
looking for a new emotional thrill, God will orchestrate events to sift out those who have
chosen themselves. God looks for people whose hearts belong to Him. They may
have blended in with those God has chosen, may have learned “the walk” and “the
talk”, but God cares about their heart. Blending in with the “faith crowd” can work for a
time, but eventually the Truth will become clear and the performers will fade away.

The ‘Next New Thing’ will come along, but God knows each heart involved. The heart
He looks for is one that has truly surrendered everything because of the love that moves
each to follow Him however He leads, regardless of who is or is not watching or doing it
with you. All that matters is what HE sees in your heart, and that you truly belong to
Him. . .no matter what. You are His.

In your heart of hearts, why are you following Him?

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Celestial Production

“The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky displays what His hands have made.
One day tells a story to the next.
One night shares knowledge with the next.”

Psalm 19:1-2

When I look up into the sky, especially at night or during an amazing sunset, I can’t say that I
imagined the above conversation shooting back and forth up there. Story-telling, heavenly
displays for all to see and hear!

What would a heavenly declaration be like? I’m sure it wouldn’t be missed by anyone. A
“declaration” is a verbal announcement of Truth. What’s the theme of the declaration? God’s Glory! When you look up into the black night sky, especially, and focus on all the visual action taking place, it’s mezmerizing. A Light Show that you don’t want to miss. . . not even a blink! Constant movement. And every tiny sparkle or shooting star or glow radiating out is by God’s own Hand. Illuminated….sparkling…..shooting through the sky….creating images as stars move into place and shine through the night. Nothing man-made can even begin to compare.

The Conversation uses individual stars, and entire galaxies of the universe. That captivating
Moon glows larger than any other shimmering point up there.

But there’s a Story being told. And the Story has a universal point. . . The Story the heavens
are telling is all about God, and how He made it all. That night sky is telling His Story. Those
heavenly bodies are not just showing off, or causing “Oooh’s” and “Ahhh’s” from earthlings.
They are all telling God’s Story. The Story of the Glory of God. And the Sky is the Display of
what God’s Hands have made. Each Day tells its story to the next day.

This is not sleepy, dreamy, warm and fuzzy feelings or Bedtime Stories. This is a seamless,
brilliantly written and perfectly-orchestrated living production, staged in the Universe itself.

  • Story Written by God
  • Stage Design: God Set Design: God
  • Creator: God
  • Orchestrated by God Production Concept: God
  • Produced by God Credits: All God
  • Directed & written by God
  • Night Sky: God
  • Technical Director: God
  • Funded by God
  • Heaven’s Declaration: God
  • Moon’s Lighting: God
  • Goosebumps by God
  • Theme Music: Composed by God
  • Twinkling Stars: God
  • Shooting Stars: God Galaxy
  • Designs: God
  • Copyright unnecessary
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Neighbors

“We should all be concerned about our neighbor
and the good things that will build his faith.”
Romans 15:2

It’s usually the people with whom we have the most contact that also cause the biggest “rubs” in our lives. Neighbors may fit into that category at times. Paul likely knew how neighbors can affect each other…in good ways and bad ways. Though he was often on the move, unless he was in exile on a deserted island, he likely had experienced a “neighbor.”

In our first home, our neighbor was a sweet, old woman who had never had kids. Our three
busy little boys were “interesting” to her. One day, in the midst of making a cake, I realized I
had no eggs, and called my neighbor to ask if I could borrow two. My two-year-old was
“helping” me, seated on the counter watching the mixing process. My neighbor popped in,
handed me the two eggs and went back to her house. My little helper soon climbed down and disappeared as I was mixing in the borrowed eggs. I assumed he had better things to do.

Then my phone rang. It was my neighbor. “Did you get the eggs, Jan?”

I asked, “What eggs?”

She said, “The two eggs Seth came to get from me, because you had broken the first two.”
As the little guy appeared through the back door, carefully holding the two eggs in his little
hands, my sweet neighbor and I shared a delighted laugh.

Nothing profound, nor deeply meaningful. But it was a sweet moment provided by a little boy who had innocently created a special memory shared by two neighbors.

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What’s Going on Here?

When Jesus entered the Temple courts,
he began to drive out those who were selling.
“It is written,” he said to them,
“‘My house will be ‘a House of Prayer’;
but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.”
Luke 19:45-46

In Jesus’ time, the Temple was the hub of the life of God’s people. Massive. Gleaming white
stones. A sacred space teeming with life. The “Crown Jewel” of the People of God. Animal
sacrifices were happening all the time, as the worshippers came with their gifts.

But the practical parts of that worship and sacrifice meant that there was also “business” going on: Doves and lambs that qualified for sacrifice were bought and sold. The aroma of incense, filled the air. Tables laden with articles needed by the worshippers . . . many of whom had come from great distance, needing practical items as well. Outside the sacred space of the Temple, the courts and surrounding area were filled with the visitors and worshippers, and sellers connected with the “Crown Jewel” of Jerusalem. . . and the biggest celebration.

Jesus had begun going there from nearby Bethlehem as an 8-day-old infant for His dedication to God by his parents. Then every year, they traveled all the way from Nazareth. Friends, neighbors and relatives were usually making the trip together on foot, along with the animals they would sacrifice.

Imagine a public event in a big city when the streets are barricaded due to the teeming crowds of friends and families. And strangers. In our world, these type of scenes are almost solely secular events, and it’s a madhouse of sights, smells, music, eating, drinking, shouting. Adding to the atmosphere was the presence of the military of the Roman Empire in all their power, arrogance, and cruel oppression of the worshippers of God.

Making the trip to the Temple in Jerusalem was something very, very special. Not a fair, not a carnival, not an entertainment event. . . its purpose was to worship and sacrifice to the One True God of the nation of Israel. Yet it’s easy to imagine the atmosphere of multitudes of people together for an event unique to the nation of Israel. Add to that the presence of Roman military, and it’s easy to imagine the “holy” purpose getting lost in the chaos.

Into this scene, comes Jesus. He could see his birthplace of Bethlehem, a few miles from the Temple Mount. The sacrifices and worship was taking place. He could also see the few miles of pastureland between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, where the finest quality of lambs were cared for by the best shepherds. These were the fields of lambs destined for sacrifice, above which Heaven’s angels had sung of the birth of the God’s Son. These were the finest quality lambs that were destined to be led through the Sheep’s Gate, nearest the Temple, and sacrificed for the sins of the people. This crowd of noisy people, buying, selling, keeping track of their children, keeping track of the sacrifice lambs they had brought with them were teeming on the Temple Mount.

Jesus knew that He, born in a sheep’s fold in Bethlehem, within sight of the Temple Mount,
would lay down His life . . . the Perfect Sacrifice . . . for the sins of the world.

Try to imagine the sights and chaos He took in, knowing all that had brought Him to this point in time. He knew what was to unfold very, very soon. He would be the One Perfect Sacrifice, led to the slaughter, to take away the sins of the whole world. The time was short.
In the midst of His own people completely engulfed in the chaos of what was a Sacred Space, a Sacred Moment in Time, when The Sacred Lamb would die a brutal, prolonged death as the One Holy Sacrifice Lamb for the sins of the whole world, is it any wonder that He experienced His Godly Anger for what that Space had become. Turning over the tables of “stuff” in the face of what He was about to do for all the world, . . . is it any wonder?

What would He say if He walked into our churches today? Knowing what His Sacrifice cost Him, what His Sacrifice accomplished for us as our only hope of spending eternity with Him, would He hear thanksgiving from our hearts and lips? Would He see money being exchanged for His Purposes? As acts of Worship for Him? Or for our own benefit? Would He experience a holy sense of awe from us for the privilege of being in His Presence? Would He walk through the clusters of Believers and hear hearts of gratitude . . . or even recognition of His Presence? Would they be there for “the show?” Would He call us by name?

Would we know Him?

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In the Courtroom

“That is why He is always able to save those who come to God through Him.
He can do this because he always lives and intercedes for them.”
Hebrews 7:25

Last year I had an experience I’ve never had before. I was called to testify in a trial for a
shooting I had witnessed two years earlier. In the weeks leading up to this trial, I found myself re-living the experience again and again in my mind. Though I witnessed something that had lasted only a few minutes, the seriousness of my testimony weighed heavily on me. I was not to be acting on the side of “interceding” for an action of an innocent person, but rather speaking words that would support a proof of guilt. The experience had been difficult to process, and reliving it in my mind was emotionally and mentally troubling.

When I consider the role that Jesus has taken in my life concerning my own sin and guilt, it is very sobering. Entering God’s Courtroom in my imagined “trial” is sobering. Not knowing who may be there to give testimony for or against me makes my mind and heart go in many
directions. What might be said? What did I do? What is true? What is false? What might
happen to me, either way? Who might be there, to accuse or defend? Is there anyone who will stand in my defense?

When we take a serious look at our own lives, as if on trial in a courtroom, what do we know will likely be exposed? What do we wish we had done differently? What do we fear may be the repercussions of a “guilty” verdict? What will happen to me? Who can help me?

Jesus is that One . . . the Only One . . . Who chooses to stand between “the guilty” and the
“Judge.” He is not there in a “Role” that can be hired, negotiated, bribed or bought. He is
there as One knowing exactly what we have done…the Eye Witness. He knows our guilt. He
knows The Judge, and His highest of standards and Laws.

He knows all the Truth. And He knows from experience the Penalty and punishment that a “guilty” verdict will bring. Yet He was innocent.

When the Hammer is poised to come down with a “guilty” verdict, fully deserved, Jesus turns to us, looks us in the eye, and asks, “Will you accept the forgiveness I offer you through giving my own life for you? Will you give Me your life, and follow Me from now on?”

What is your answer?