Hosanna! Hosanna in the Highest!--Day 82 Through the Bible

                                      Spring is on the verge of "bursting out all over" in the mountains
                                                   surrounding Mt. Celo Church.  Palm Sunday will be observed in
                                                   many Christian churches this weekend.  Knowing about Jesus and
                                                   His resurrection is not the same as knowing Jesus and receiving the
                                                   Holy Spirit which assures us of our own resurrection. Don't miss
                                                   the resurrection to eternal life--believe on Him!
                                                


Tomorrow "Palm Sunday" will be celebrated in Christian churches.  Multitudes welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem as they cried, "Hosanna", Hosanna in the highest".  They spread their clothes and the branches of trees in His path, and "rolled out the red carpet" for Him.  However, in a few short days, many of these same people, no doubt, would be found in another crowd crying, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"

God knows us so well.  In today's scriptures in Deuteronomy, God cautioned Israel (as well as us) about the danger of forgetting Him and thinking that our blessings are because of our own power and our own hands. (Sound familiar?)  He reminded Israel that He led them, He brought water for them, He fed them.  In Psalm 37, He also reminds us to commit our way to Him, to trust also in Him, to rest in the Lord, to wait patiently on Him.  God does not choose us because of anything we have done or because we are great in any way (Deut. 7:7), "but because the Lord loves you" (verse 8).  Verse 6, "For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth".

God loves us so very much--we can never be reminded of this enough!  There are many in-depth studies we could do from these passages today.  This is just one: One day God "will repay us to (our) face".  Are we going to be ready for this face to face encounter with our Creator?  "He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face" (Deut. 7:10).  I do not want "payment" for what I have done in this life!  I certainly don't want "what I deserve".  I need mercy and forgiveness!  I have nothing of my own that is sufficient to save my life! And, I need a promise from God now, so that I can live in peace and have hope and know that when I stand before God, Jesus will be there with me acknowledging that He knows me--that the death penalty for my sins has been paid for with His blood!

 We cannot count on taking care of this sometime in the future.  When we come to understand how much God really loves us--we will not want to wait--even if we knew we would live well into our 90's!  "For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land" (Deut. 7:7)! Why would anyone put off being blessed by God?  From our study 2 days ago, we have this beautiful description of what God will do for us--now, at present: "They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures" (Psalm 36:8)!  And from Luke 1:50, "And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation".  We, in this generation, are included in this blessing.  It is a choice, and God even urges us to make the best choice:  "Choose life" (Deut. 30:19).  When we seek God with all our hearts and grow in coming to love Him with all our hearts, we will not find ourselves in the mob crying, "Crucify Him!"  Rather, our hearts will consistently recognize Him as King and we can say as Mary did in Luke 1:47, "My spirit (rejoices) in God my Savior"!  Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!

God's Greatest Desire - Day 81 Through the Bible

We are blessed to live in an area with many servant-heart people.  This beautiful, brilliant young woman - who speaks 4 languages fluently - would make a long drive from her internship near Mt. Celo Church on her day off to serve as a volunteer babysitter in our hometown so that the children's young mothers could study English. 

My Lessons and Applications from Today's Readings:  We have learned in our studies that the Bible says that the root cause of all sin is unbelief.  The Bible also shows that the root cause that propels the powerful, transformed life to glorify God is love - an all-encompassing, predominating love of the LORD.  God often takes His saints through great trials and sufferings in accomplishing His Will, His Plan.  Am I willing to do, to endure, whatever God calls me to in this life - out of love for Him?  Does God know that my relationship with Him - my love for Him - takes precedence over all else?  The Bible says THIS is God's greatest desire - that we love Him.

Loving Him Enough to Hear, Learn, Teach, Be Careful, Observe, Keep, Do - (Deuteronomy 5 and 6) These are God's commands to His people in regard to His statues, laws and commandments before they enter the Promised Land.  They are reminded that things will go well with them (OT Mosaic covenantal blessing, but see below for NT)...their days will be prolonged...they will be multiplied greatly IF they obey His laws. The laws are made to honor God and to protect His people.  Diligence is required (6:7) at all times...talking...sitting...walking...lying down...rising up - the warp and woof of our lives.  Obedience flows naturally when we love God with our whole being.

Loving Him is His Greatest Desire - The Shema - (Deut. 6:4-9) God's greatest desire from us is that we love Him with all of our heart, soul and strength.  This always touches me so deeply when I read of God asking us to love Him...not to work for Him (that will be a natural outflow of love)...just love Him.  All that we are reading from Genesis through Revelation is Holy, Almighty God working throughout history to bring sinful man into a redeemed state, able to dwell with, love, and adore Him through eternity.  His own Son confirms this in the NT (Matt 22:37-38): "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment."

5 Antidotes to Fret and Envy of Evildoers (Psalm 37:1-4) - 1) Trust in the LORD 2) Do good 3) Dwell in the land (NT would be to dwell on His promises/His Word) 4) Feed on His faithfulness 5) Delight yourself in the LORD.  Proverbs 12:8 segues into this:  This good man will be considered wise; the evildoer (the perverse heart) will be despised.

Love That Produces Great Faith / Persevering Faith Among the Most Despised - (Luke 1:21-38) On a few Biblical NT women: We have read of the deep faith of Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, who had a more profound faith and knowledge than even the disciples (and she was chastised for it); of the depth of faith of the woman with the long illness who knew just touching the hem of Jesus' garment would make her well (but she, too, was chastised by the disciples); the determined trust of the Gentile woman who thought if she could just have the crumbs Jesus tossed out in His teachings, she would be saved (also chastised); of Mary Magdalene who had 7 demons cast out of her (and was herself an outcast),stays with Him at the crucifixion and is the first person with whom the risen Savior speaks; of "righteous" Elizabeth's son, the Forerunner of Christ, who will be beheaded for telling the truth to a drunk king - as a favor to his wife of incest; and now the very young virgin Mary, who is willing to bear the shame, outrage and disgrace of her society to serve her LORD faithfully with the courageous, immortal words: "Behold the maidservant of the LORD.  Let it be to me according to your word." This woman, "blessed and highly favored by God", will be as an outcast in her culture, will endure long tortuous travel near the time of birth which will be in a stable with animals, and will watch this Promised Son, without sin, be cruelly abused and crucified.  Her blessing comes later.  "Favored" in the NT does not equate with the meaning of that word in the world.  All of His people -often the despised, forsaken, outcast - are told that they are chosen, elect, and that they will share in His sufferings on this earth as well as His rewards eternally.  Great was their love for the Lord; greatly they were/are loved by Him.   We love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4: 19)

The grace of God reveals One who loves us so much as to have made Calvary possible, but who hates sin so much as to make Calvary necessary. - T.S. Mooney 

(for a wonderful story about T.S. Mooney told by Alistair Begg on Truth for Life)

To Know God is To Love God--Day 80 Through the Bible

                                      I always look forward to passing these daffodils on Hwy 80 South 
                                               near Mt. Celo Church.  God provides so much beauty for our enjoyment.
                                            He definitely "does all things well", and it is such a pleasure to worship Him!
                                         
What a wonderful study for today!  On a personal level, I think this 4th chapter of Deuteronomy may contain more information about God than perhaps any passage in the Bible.  I listed at least 30 statements concerning God from this one chapter.  (Any time we read about things God does, it helps keep what He does in perspective by keeping in mind that "God is love" (I John 4:8.) 

Psalm 36:7-9, would make an excellent passage to begin a prayer with.  The phrase "And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures" conveys a beautiful message regarding God's love for us.  The psalmists under the inspiration of God certainly had a way with words!

In today’s reading, Moses reminds us of a parent giving his children final instructions before leaving.  Moses was leaving—not to take a short trip--he would be going up on a mountain to die! No less than four times in this chapter does Moses tell Israel to “take heed” to what he is telling them.  Moses knows the people well after dealing with their carnality and lack of faith in God for forty years in the wilderness.  This calls to mind the fact that God also knows us well--even better than we know ourselves.  

One of Moses' big concerns was that the people would carve out idols for worship.  We are all born with the desire to worship--God placed that in us when He created us for His glory (Isaiah 43:7).  Moses reminded them twice in this chapter that they "saw no form" when they heard God's voice at Horeb.  Today, we see images involved in worship that include everything that Moses warned the Israelites not to make.  And today, we find many who recognize "Mother Nature" over God.   Moses told Israel in verse 19, to once again "take heed" and when they see the wonders of the heavens and "feel driven to worship them and serve them", to remember this: "the Lord your God has given (them) to all the people under the whole heaven as a heritage".  While we stand in awe of the creation, we are not to worship it. (How many cultures are known for worshiping the sun and moon?) We are not to fall prey to worshiping the creation rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25)!

The key to finding God is found in Deuteronomy 4:29.  In this passage, Israel is given hope for the time that would occur when they would be scattered among other nations because of their idolatrous practices:  "But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul".  God's purpose for our suffering is always to turn our hearts to Him.  This passage even includes a prophetic word concerning "the latter days":  "When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you. . ." (We might want to write that down somewhere!)

The Gospel of Luke brings another perspective to events surrounding Christ's birth.  I found a bit of humor in the account of Gabriel speaking to Zacharias in the temple.  Of course Zacharias was fearful when he saw the angel!  Gabriel delivered the message from God to him.  Zacharias responded with, "I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years".  Gabriel's answer is awesome:  "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God".  (I can just hear Gabriel adding, "so there!")  What a lesson for us!  We have such a human tendency to focus on ourselves, we would probably answer from a self-centered point of view just as Zacharias did--even in the presence of the angel Gabriel--the angel that stands in God's presence!  No wonder God says humility is so valuable (Proverbs 22:4)!

I want to share just a few of the 30 statements found in Deuteronomy that shine light on who God is:
--God destroyed those who followed false gods
--God is near to His people
--God's word is our wisdom and understanding
--His people may call on Him for whatever reason (I love this one!)
--We are to pass on the knowledge of God to our children and grandchildren (are we doing this?)
--God is angry when we do evil in His sight and it can result in our destruction
--God created man on earth
--There is no other God besides the Creator
--Keeping His commandments will result in things going well for us and for our children
--God is a merciful God; He will not forsake His people, destroy them, nor forsake His covenant with us

I trust you are coming to know God and His love for you in this study.  I hope you can join me in making these words in Psalms 116:13, personal for you:  "I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord"!

Go and Possess / Go and Tell - Day 79 Through the Bible

The first day of spring! - From last year's flowers - near Mt. Celo Church in the NC Blue Ridge Mountains

Go and Possess / Go and Tell /  Go and Preach - The OT and NT readings for today give commands that are similar, salient, and that complement each other at two very pivotal points in human history.  In Deuteronomy 1 and 2 Moses continues the recounting of the Exodus of the Israelites, their wilderness journey, and its triumphs and tragedies.  The 40 years are at an end, God's word that none of the people of that generation would enter the Promised Land except for Joshua and Caleb has been fulfilled.  All in that generation have died. Moses has been told he will soon "be gathered" to His people and not allowed to enter the Promised Land - also as God had said.  While God GIVES the land to the people, they have work to do.  Over and over they are told to GO, POSSESS it.  This means more struggles and battles, but with the promise of God's help and victory.  God places boundaries in this command of possession as well.  There are people God says not to harass, not to meddle with, not to dispossess - other people whom God blessed with land.  But this will be the Promised Land - the land God has preserved for His chosen people.  In  the NT in Mark 16, at the greatest moment in history (until the Second Coming), Christ - the promised Messiah has come, preached the gospel, been rejected, was crucified, and now has risen from the dead.  Of course, the Messiah's lineage is from the remnant of God's chosen people whom God has saved through the Exodus.  We will watch this miraculous, divine saving of a remnant of this people throughout our OT readings - for this purpose which we now read in the NT.  God has purposed and planned this from the foundation of the world, once again intervening to save His elect.  Christ's earthly mission is complete, and now we, as believers, are commissioned - GO, TELL / GO, PREACH  "the gospel to every creature (Mark 16: 5.15)  For other Great Commission verses: Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 24:46-47, Matthew 28:19, Matthew 9:37-38 , Isaiah 6:8 , Acts 1:8) Jesus says in John 20:21: “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”  

My Lessons/Applications: We are commissioned to possess the world with His gospel.  Salvation - the consequence of our work - belongs only to Him.

Yet For All That You Do Not Believe -  (Deut. 1:32 and Mark 16:14) in the OT and the NT readings we are told this.  Regardless of the miracles that God did in Egypt, in the Exodus, in the wilderness wanderings - still the people did not believe and continually reverted back to sin.  Regardless of all Jesus said, of all His miracles, of all His prophecies that were fulfilled - still the disciples did not believe -  until His ascension and their receiving of His Holy Spirit.

My Lessons/Application: Still we do not believe at times or become skeptical. "Yet for all that" - we, too, still revert back to sin.  Please read Hebrews 3 regarding the faithfulness of the Son and of Moses and our call to follow in that faithfulness and reject unbelief - the root of all sin.

A Quandary - Mark 16: 9-20 - One side of the debate says that Eusebius, the 4th C. historian and research show that verses 9 - 20 were a later addition to the gospel of Mark, that he oldest manuscript does not have these verses.  Supposedly a recent discovery of an even older manuscript has been found, but it seems they are still trying to verify authenticity.  They argue that drinking poison and handling snakes are not corroborated by other Scripture except for the Acts 28:3-6 account of Paul gathering sticks and being bitten by a snake and living, and possibly Luke 10:19.  The ending of Mark at verse 8 has also puzzled gospel scholars.  Many believe that Nero's persecution may have caused Mark to abandon his work, or that perhaps the ending was lost.  This is a greatly debated chapter.

Oswald Chambers on Mark 16:12: "After that He appeared in another form unto two of them."
"Jesus must appear to your friend as well as to you; no one can see Jesus with your eyes.  Severance takes place where one and not the other has seen Jesus.  You cannot bring your friend unless God brings him.  Have you seen Jesus?  Then you will want others to see Him too.  'And they went and told it unto the residue, neither believed they them.' You must tell, although they do not believe."