July 24 – The Raging River (Joshua 3:9-17)

“When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest.”
(Joshua 3:14-15)

IN WORD:
Have you ever wondered why God chose a harvest time for the Israelites to cross the Jordan into the Promised land? The Jordan is a less-than-formidable barrier for much of the year, and 40 years of wandering would have provided ample opportunity for them to cross at a more convenient time. But no, Moses’ death and the Israelite’s arrival on the eastern bank of the river took them to their boundary at exactly its highest moment. Why?
God wants us to follow His wisdom — His guidance, His timing, His purposes. But we often let our circumstances dictate the path we take. The circumstances are formidable? Then we go another direction. The situation is an easy one? Then we follow the path of least resistance. Those whose lives are guided by this dynamic are following the ways of the world. The ways of God will lead us to the Jordan at its highest level. He will promise us deliverance in our darkest moments. He will provide for our needs most abundantly in a barren land. He will be for us a God of the impossible.

IN DEED:
Do not let the currents of your circumstances dictate the direction you’ll take. That’s. God’s domain. His voice is to speak more loudly to us than the boundaries that box us in. We must learn to see Him as the un-constrained God, the God who is not limited by the gaping need of our situation or the restrictiveness of our circumstances.
Why does God work this way? Maybe simply because it brings Him greater glory. When we take only humanly possible steps, we give our humanity the credit. God alone can be praised for overcoming an impossibility. Miracles point to Him. Expect them. Ask for them. Never let the raging river drown out His voice.

“Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.” -Corrie Ten Boom-

July 23 – What If…? (Hebrews 11:1, 6)

“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”(Hebrews 11:1)

IN WORD:
You’ve prayed and tried to muster up faith. You’ve been through difficulties and tried to cultivate hope. You’ve read headlines and tried to maintain confidence. All the while, you’ve struggled with doubts. You’ve wondered if God will really come through, if trials really will be resolved, if circumstances really will work together for good. You’ve questioned God.
The human mind is filled with “what ifs.” “What if I’m interpreting God’s promises wrong?” “What if the Bible is mistaken?” What if my prayers aren’t answered?” “What if I’m not really saved?” Honest doubts nag at us, and they are relentless. Many of our “what ifs” are strategically suggested by the enemy of God; many of them are the natural thinking of a fallen flesh. Either way, we are restless within until we are able to rest in God.
That’s part of the reason for prayer — extended, persistent, worshipful prayer. It brings us from a place of doubt to a place of faith. Once we’re there, God can answer according to His Word. The time we spend crying out to God is not so much to convince Him as to convince us that He can and He will meet us in our needs. Our worship reminds us of who He is. And knowing who He is will nurture faith like nothing else.

IN DEED:
When you are faced with “what ifs,” how do you respond? Do you cultivate them, thinking of variable upon variable until everything that could possibly go wrong fills your mind? That is not the way of faith. God calls us into the kind of worship that will soak our minds in His unfailing power and love. Wisdom begins with a knowledge of who God is, and wisdom is often a prerequisite to faith. We cannot approach God in belief unless we have first determined that His will toward us is good. Only then can we be certain of what we do not see. Only then can we take hold of His promises. Only then will He reward those who earnestly seek Him.

“Faith is the sight of the inward eye.” -Alexander Maclaren-

July 22 – Satisfied Longings (Psalm 112)
“The longings of the wicked will come to nothing.”
(Psalm 112:10)

IN WORD:
Most of us don’t consider ourselves wicked. Neither do we consider ourselves righteous. No, as we perceive ourselves, we fall somewhere in between. We read of magnificent promises for the full Godward life and think of ourselves as below them. And we read of the ominous warnings to the wicked and think of ourselves as above them. Yet, the Bible doesn’t give us much information about a mediocre spirituality. It is always classifying people as either godly or ungodly, good or evil, holy or profane, saved or lost. In the Word, there is no middle ground.
Maybe that’s comforting for those who are sure they aren’t wicked or alarming for those who are sure they aren’t righteous. For those of us who know our own tendency to default to the sinful nature when we’re not specifically inspired otherwise, this verse drives us toward God’s righteousness. We don’t want this promise fulfilled in our lives. We want our longings to be good ones, validated by God Himself.
How can we be sure that our longings are godly? We can examine their source. What needs do they spring from? What purpose will they fulfill? If they exist to satisfy our own insecurities and plans, we need to reconsider them. They should spring from a love of God and His Word. When they do, they will be fulfilled. God has promised.

IN DEED:
Everyone has longings. Most of them are morally neutral. The real question we should have about them is where they come from.
God has assured us in His Word that desires coming out of a self-centered, amoral heart will be utterly frustrated. They will never be fulfilled in any lasting sense, because there is a fundamental principle in this universe: God’s heart rules.
Is your heart in line with God’s? Do you love Him? Do you love His Word, His will, and His ways? Then it’s certain: Your longings will be satisfied.

“O Lord our God, grant us grace to desire Thee with our whole heart.” -St. Anselm-

July 21 – Blessings Forever (Psalm 112)

“Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.”(Psalm 112:6)

IN WORD:
The promises for those who delight in God’s commands are astounding. Anyone making us such promises today would be greeted with our deepest suspicions. But we know the Source of this promise. He is no slick salesman. This promise is the Word of the living God, our absolute anchor in a world of inconsistencies.
What does God promise those who have found that unlikely combination of fear and delight (v.1)? Blessed descendants (v.2); lasting prosperity (v.3); light even in the worst times (v.4); goodness (v.5); freedom from fear (v.7); security & victory (v.8); and honor (v.9). The extravagance of the promise overwhelms us. We’re ready to sign on the dotted line.
What’s the catch? The catch is a heart that fears God without dreading Him; a heart that wants His holiness rather than fleeing from it. The fallen nature finds God’s Word restricting and confining, a difficult limit imposed on freedom-loving impulses. The godly nature, on the other hand, loves God’s Word — even its hardest stumbling blocks. It may not find His Word easy or comfortable, but it finds the prospect of Christlikeness compelling and ultimately worthwhile. It pursues holiness with a passion. Like the blessed 4th Beatitude, it is driven by a craving for righteousness (Matt. 5:6). The hunger and thirst of the one who is fascinated and delighted with God will be filled.

IN DEED:
Who would not want such promises to be theirs? Only the highly cynical, who doubt that God can accomplish a radical change of the heart’s desires within them. In their final analysis of the offer, the condition of righteousness is too prohibitive. They know themselves too well, and God not well enough. They give it up as hopeless.
We cannot afford to pass up such treasures. Blessings upon us and our descendants? Security and freedom from anxiety? We must ask God to put His delight in our hearts. It’s the only way to His ultimate blessing.

“All earthly delights are but ‘streams;’ but God is the ocean.”
-Jonathan Edwards-

July 20 – Supernatural Delight (Psalm 112)

“Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.”(Psalm 112:1)

IN WORD:
The greatest turning point in a person’s life is when salvation comes by grace through faith. Even so, many people struggle endlessly with the remnants of the sinful nature. Failure upon failure casts many of us into a sort of spiritual despair. We know we’re saved, but we can’t seem to live like it. We’re a living contradiction.
The greatest turning point in a believer’s life — after salvation, that is — is when pursuing God’s righteousness changes from an obligation to a delight. Trying to be holy always results in failure after failure. Falling in love with a righteous God results in progress. Failures still happen, but there’s a noticeably different approach to them. Instead of obsessing about shortcomings, we begin to obsess about God’s goodness. We can put sin behind us as the exception when we press on into our love for a holy God. Our focus is taken off of our works and placed appropriately on our Savior. Law no longer consumes us; grace does.
That doesn’t mean that the rules for living a godly life become less relevant. It means only that our method of growth changes. Instead of trying to eliminate all unrighteousness with legalistic rules, we focus our faith instead on the Righteous One. A fascination with His goodness has remarkable power to change us. A dread of the Law has none.

IN DEED:
There’s no question that God calls us to live a holy life, and there’s no question that God’s righteous standards are to be our standards as well. The only issue is how to attain our growth. Is it by hyper vigilance toward an unattainable Law or by a delightful fascination with the One who is holy? The standards of the two are not incompatible; but the power each one wields definitely is. No one has been made righteous by strict legalities (Galatians 3:11). The Law cannot impart life (Galatians 3:21).
How do we acquire this delight? Through faith, through prayer, and through the Holy Spirit of the delightful One. You can do the humanly impossible: Enjoy His commands.

“The righteousness of Jesus is the righteousness of a Godward relationship of trust, dependence, receptivity.”
-Michael Ramsey-

July 19 – Guilty Fear (Leviticus 26:14-17)

“The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.”(Proverbs 28:1)

IN WORD:
Saul was relentless in his hatred for David. David demonstrated on numerous occasions that he meant no harm to Saul and would wait patiently for God’s plan, whatever it might be. But Saul was disturbed by an ungodly, jealous fear. He thought David’s popularity was his greatest threat. He wanted to maintain his throne, whether it was God’s will or not. And he would use any treacherous means to do it.
Those who have an evil disposition toward others are often imprisoned by their paranoia. It hounds them relentlessly wherever they go. They make the mistake of thinking that others are as manipulative and ill-willed as they are, and that assumption keeps them in constant fear of everyone. There is no rest for them, only flight. A guilty conscience has no peace.
Those who are pure in heart, however, have nothing to fear. They assume the goodwill of others because they have it in themselves. They trust the power of God to protect and establish them because they have seen His power at work within their own hearts. They are not worried about the judgment of God because they know His righteousness, and they are not worried about the judgments of men because they know God’s love. A clear conscience is always at peace, and it feels the power of the Almighty.

IN DEED:
Much of the anxiety we feel is the product of a restless guilt deep within. We don’t trust God because we’re convinced we have failed Him. Our conscience will not let us rest. And we cannot trust anyone else, either. We are jumpy and paranoid, ready to flee. We are sure our sins, however large or small, will find us out.
What is the remedy? The cleansing that comes from the One we flee. He pursues us, but not for vengeance. It’s for redemption. He wants to replace our guilty conscience with a heart at peace. Trust Him. Let Him make you bold before Him. His righteousness is freely offered to you.

“A guilty mind can be eased by nothing but repentance.”
-Benjamin Whichcote-

July 18 – Called to be Comforters (Ecclesiastes 4:1-3)

IN WORD:
Solomon’s wisdom in Ecclesiastes is a biting, bitter assessment of life as it is “under the sun” (1:3). It does not take into account the intervention of a redeeming God that gives purpose to all things. No, this is what life with a distant God looks like; in this picture, “everything is meaningless” (1:2). So when this teacher looks at the oppressed — the widows, orphans, and captives found in every society in every era — he sees no comforter. There is no one on their side.
God sees the same situation. We are told that He is “a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows” (Psalm 68:5). But more than that, He is constantly calling His people to take care of those who are needy. The people of God are never to be the oppressors, but are always to side with the oppressed. We are to work for their justice, sacrifice for their welfare, and provide for their needs. We may have various political, social, or spiritual philosophies on how that is to be done, and we may argue over which institution is best equipped to meet the needs. But there is one scriptural principle that we cannot argue with if we believe God’s Word: It is our job to show God’s compassion for those who need it.
Think of the commands. In the Law of Moses, God always made provision for widows, orphans, and others in need. Proverbs tells us that whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for God (14:31) and that God will not answer the prayers of those who neglect the poor (21:13). And unless we think God’s concern for the needy is an Old Testament phenomenon, consider James: Real faith always involves looking after widows and orphans (1:27).

IN DEED:
How do you treat the poor and oppressed? Your answer is essentially a barometer of your relationship with God. You can measure the degree to which your heart beats with His by your visible, active concern for the needy. Solomon’s observation that the poor have no comforter begs for a response. God calls His people to be that response.

“When we turn our backs on the poor, we turn them on Jesus Christ.” -Mother Teresa-

July 17 – Measured Words (Ecclesiastes 5:1-3)

“Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God.”(Ecclesiastes 5:2)

IN WORD:
If you had an appointment to confer with the president in the Oval Office, would you prepare? Would you plan what you were going to say before you saw him, or would you just play it by ear? All but the most reckless and careless of us would consider our words wisely. We’d realize we’re meeting with someone who has the power to change things. We’d think about what we want changed.
But we rarely approach God that way. Perhaps it’s our awareness that our time with Him is unlimited. Perhaps we’ve heard so many pastors and teachers tell us that even our smallest concerns are His concerns. Perhaps we’ve interpreted His generous time and detailed care as reasons that prayer can be casual. If so, we’ve misunderstood. God does give us unlimited time, and He does care about the details. But prayer is anything but casual.
Jesus rebuked both religious hypocrites and pagans for their many words. Maybe He was honing in on their annoying repetitions, but He also pointed out their false idea that many words get God’s ear (Matthew 6:7). He also warned that we will be accountable for every careless word we’ve spoken (Matthew 12:36). And we can assume that His standards for prayer are probably not lower than His standards for conversation.

IN DEED:
God encourages us to come to His throne with boldness and confidence (Hebrews 4:16). But He does not encourage us to come to His throne with carelessness. Our words in prayer carry incredible weight. They should be well considered.
Perhaps a good approach to prayer would be to take Solomon’s advice. After all, God surely has more important information to share with us than we have to share with Him. Yes, He wants to hear our desires. He also wants us to listen to His. Both are extremely important.

“When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words be without heart.” -John Bunyan-

July 16 – Our Deepest Love (Job 1:13-22)

“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”(Job 1:21)

IN WORD:
No, Job wasn’t thrilled with this turn of events. He made no effort to mask his grief. He was not just being stoic, and he certainly was not a Pollyanna. He was devastated, and he couldn’t hide it. But in his devastation, he remembered the character of God. He remembered that all things he had ever been given were gifts from a merciful hand. He had never really gotten attached.
That’s the problem in many of our trials. The things or people that are threatened are deeper attachments to us than the Lord Himself is. With many of our loves — whether they be possessions, people, places, or positions — we would almost rather lose God than lose them. We live with a sense of permanence in this world, and when that permanence is shaken, our security is shattered.
God has a better plan for us. He wants us to love the people He has placed in our lives and to appreciate his gifts, but He does not want us to lose sight of Him. In a crisis, when our world is shattered, He wants to be the foundation that never moves. If we’ve built on that foundation, we can say along with Job: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart” (vs. 21). We will remember that we will be what He wants us to be — nothing more, nothing less. We will live as though our lives are not ours, but His. And He can do whatever He wants with them — even if it’s tragic.

IN DEED:
It’s hard to maintain such an attitude. We have our agendas. We are filled with dreams and goals, attachments and loves. We have constructed our lives with all of the things we think we need most and many of the things that will comfort us. And when God lets His archenemy take one or all of those things away, we think our lives have been shattered.
The wise heart does not get overly attached to the things of God, but only to God. Measure your attachments with honesty. When you are enduring a trial, consider the value of your losses compared with the glory of God’s name. And let His name be praised.

“Our Heavenly Father never takes anything from His children unless He means to give them something better.”
-George Muller-

July 15 – Grief and Worship (Job 1:13-22)

“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship.”(Job 1:20)

IN WORD:
What is your response when your trials are most severe? If you’re like most, worship is not your first reaction. In fact, we often criticize God, question His goodness, and ask pointed questions about why this had to happen to us — a whole ritual of self-pity — long before we come to a place of true worship.
Worship was Job’s first reaction. His livelihood (i.e., his oxen and donkeys) had been stolen. His transportation (i.e., his camels) had been stolen. And his children (i.e., his legacy) had been killed. All of this in one day! And Job’s first reaction, after his initial shock and grief, was not anger, not questions, and not apostasy. It was worship. He violated every psychologist’s formula for the stages of grief.
How could Job do such a thing? Did he know he was under a divine microscope? No, the questions he and his friends wrestle with in the ensuing chapters indicate that he had no idea what was going on. Did he assume that his sins had finally caught up with him? No, he maintained his righteousness throughout the book. So how could he worship? He knew deep down in his heart, two essential facts that most of us question from time to time: (1) God is sovereign, and (2) God is good. Those were givens. Job could worship because whatever was happening, it was under the sovereign hand of a really good God. He didn’t know why bad things were happening, but he knew who watched over him. And despite circumstances, that One who watches over him is worthy.

IN DEED:
It goes against our human nature, doesn’t it? When our lives fall apart, we’re inclined to accuse God of not living up to His end of the bargain. Job remembered that he was not in a bargaining position — never had been. All he had received from God was from His mercy. He knew that the fact that it was now gone had nothing to do with God’s character. When our trials weigh heavily upon us — even when crisis strikes — remember the unchanging, merciful nature of God.

“His love in times past forbids me to think, He’ll leave me at last in trouble to sink.” -John Newton-