Passionate for You

Scripture: Number 25; I Corinthians 13 [The Message]

The Orgy at Shittim (Numbers 25)

1-3 While Israel was camped at Shittim (Acacia Grove), the men began to have sex with the Moabite women. It started when the women invited the men to their sex-and-religion worship. They ate together and then worshiped their gods. Israel ended up joining in the worship of the Baal of Peor. God was furious, his anger blazing out against Israel. 4 God said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of Israel and kill them by hanging, leaving them publicly exposed in order to turn God’s anger away from Israel.”

5 Moses issued orders to the judges of Israel: “Each of you must execute the men under your jurisdiction who joined in the worship of Baal Peor.”

6-9 Just then, while everyone was weeping in penitence at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, an Israelite man, flaunting his behavior in front of Moses and the whole assembly, paraded a Midianite woman into his family tent. Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw what he was doing, grabbed his spear, and followed them into the tent. With one thrust he drove the spear through the two of them, the man of Israel and the woman, right through their private parts. That stopped the plague from continuing among the People of Israel. But 24,000 had already died.

10-13 God spoke to Moses: “Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has stopped my anger against the People of Israel. Because he was as zealous for my honor as I myself am, I didn’t kill all the People of Israel in my zeal. So tell him that I am making a Covenant-of-Peace with him. He and his descendants are joined in a covenant of eternal priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the People of Israel.”

14-15 The name of the man of Israel who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the head of the Simeonite family. And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.

16-18 God spoke to Moses: “From here on make the Midianites your enemies. Fight them tooth and nail. They turned out to be your enemies when they seduced you in the business of Peor and that woman Cozbi, daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed at the time of the plague in the matter of Peor.”

The Way of Love (I Corinthians)

1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. 3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end. 8-10Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

11When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

12We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

13But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Observation(s): Disobedience and arrogance; natural consequences for natural behavior (SIN); repentance of the group;  Eleazar zeal prompts G-d to turn His anger, but gives the Levites an eternal covenant.  It does not matter how nice I am, sophisticated, powerful, benevolent, truthful, etc.  Unless I have love it means nothing.  We see through rose-colored glasses; truth is relative as a human and what I say about G-d is inaccurate, because my picture of him is insufficient; I’m blind, but their will be a revelation and I will see clearly.  Three things will help towards seeing clearly: trust, hope and love, but the best is LOVE.

Application(s): Like Zimri do I flaunt myself and my sins (be they open or hidden) in defiance of G-d? Do I face the consequences of my sin, unlike Zimri? Am I on fire as Eleazar and make things right with Him? Am I displaying His love unconditionally and without prejudice?  Do I dare speak in G-d’s name when I have such a limited picture of who He is?

Prayer: Father, G-d, Thank you for your Word in 1 Corinthians 13:12, 13.  Allow my deaf ears to hear and my blurred vision to see you clearly and to know You.  Allow your Spirit to fill me with your trust, giving hope and showering me with love–and give me the tools to share your love with others.

Hack, Hack, Cough, Cough, Is that Smog, or is it Me?

Scripture: Mark 7:6-23

6-8Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right about frauds like you, hit the bull’s-eye in fact:

These people make a big show of saying the right thing,
but their heart isn’t in it.

They act like they are worshiping me,
but they don’t mean it.

They just use me as a cover
for teaching whatever suits their fancy,

Ditching God’s command
and taking up the latest fads.”

9-13He went on, “Well, good for you. You get rid of God’s command so you won’t be inconvenienced in following the religious fashions! Moses said, ‘Respect your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.’ But you weasel out of that by saying that it’s perfectly acceptable to say to father or mother, ‘Gift! What I owed you I’ve given as a gift to God,’ thus relieving yourselves of obligation to father or mother. You scratch out God’s Word and scrawl a whim in its place. You do a lot of things like this.”

14-15Jesus called the crowd together again and said, “Listen now, all of you— take this to heart. It’s not what you swallow that pollutes your life; it’s what you vomit—that’s the real pollution.”

17When he was back home after being with the crowd, his disciples said, “We don’t get it. Put it in plain language.”

18-19Jesus said, “Are you being willfully stupid? Don’t you see that what you swallow can’t contaminate you? It doesn’t enter your heart but your stomach, works its way through the intestines, and is finally flushed.” (That took care of dietary quibbling; Jesus was saying that all foods are fit to eat.)

20-23He went on: “It’s what comes out of a person that pollutes: obscenities, lusts, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness—all these are vomit from the heart. There is the source of your pollution.”

Observation(s): Pretense of the Pharisees–their self-righteousness, indignation and the like–Jesus is forthright with them and with the people that are near saying that we are essentially who we are by what we take in and then do, name a deadly sin plus a few more, and you have a recipe for sin, or what Jesus says, “Is the source of your pollution.”

Application(s): Do I say what I mean, and mean what I say? Do I put on a veil/mask in how I treat others (especially my family) in public v. private settings? Do I realize that my sin problem is in need of G-d?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for reminding me that I need You. Rid me of my polluted ways, I ask for your forgiveness, but more than that I ask that you send your Spirit to enable me to hear and see you in each of my interactions.

Living with Choices

Scripture: Numbers 20:11-12, 23-29 [The Message]

11 With that Moses raised his arm and slammed his staff against the rock—once, twice. Water poured out. Congregation and cattle drank.

12 God said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you didn’t trust me, didn’t treat me with holy reverence in front of the People of Israel, you two aren’t going to lead this company into the land that I am giving them.”

23-26 God said to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor at the border of Edom, “It’s time for Aaron to be gathered into the company of his ancestors. He will not enter the land I am giving to the People of Israel because you both rebelled against my orders at the Waters of Meribah. So take Aaron and his son Eleazar and lead them up Mount Hor. Remove Aaron’s clothes from him and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will be gathered there; Aaron will die.”

27-29 Moses obeyed God’s command. They climbed Mount Hor as the whole congregation watched. Moses took off Aaron’s clothes and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron died on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. The whole congregation, getting the news that Aaron had died, went into thirty days of mourning for him.

Observation(s): The consequence of Moses’ anger with the people and taking matters into his own hands, or rather the credit for providing their needs, was that Arron and he would not enter the land that G-d had promised. Moses, Eleazar and Aaron follow G-d though they know what will come. Moses obeys G-d, in the role he plays, as he watches his brother pass away. The Word is silent on Moses’ reaction, but the people mourn.

Application(s): Am I that secure with what G-d has in store for me (for good and for bad)? Do I obey without a hesitation? Does my disobedience have consequences, not only for me, but for my family as well? If I am rebellious, or take credit for something G-d has done not only do I suffer, but those around me suffer as well.

Prayer: G-d you know me better than I know myself. Forgive me where I’ve let my ego get in the way and I’ve not given you the credit or the glory. Have mercy on my family when I err. I love You.

Encouraging and Honest

Scripture: Psalm 29:11; Mark 4:1-2, 9-12,21-25, 33-34 [The Message]

Psalm 29:11 God makes his people strong.
God gives his people peace.

Mark 4 1-2 He went back to teaching by the sea. A crowd built up to such a great size that he had to get into an offshore boat, using the boat as a pulpit as the people pushed to the water’s edge. He taught by using stories, many stories.

9“Are you listening to this? Really listening?”

10-12When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories. He told them, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom—you know how it works. But to those who can’t see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive insight. These are people—

Whose eyes are open but don’t see a thing,
Whose ears are open but don’t understand a word,
Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven.”

Giving, Not Getting 21-22 Jesus went on: “Does anyone bring a lamp home and put it under a washtub or beneath the bed? Don’t you put it up on a table or on the mantel? We’re not keeping secrets, we’re telling them; we’re not hiding things, we’re bringing them out into the open.

23“Are you listening to this? Really listening?

24-25“Listen carefully to what I am saying—and be wary of the shrewd advice that tells you how to get ahead in the world on your own. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes.”

Never Without a Story

33-34With many stories like these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity. He was never without a story when he spoke. When he was alone with his disciples, he went over everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots.

Observation(s): G-d looks out for His people–making them strong and giving peace. Jesus speaks candidly, spirit seekers are given insight into the Kingdom. Through His Son, the people were told stories at their level of understanding–for those who did not get it–whose eye’s and ears are not open to truth. J.C. stories are meant not only to inspire, but to get people to be open to the Kingdom. Many illustrations about the Kingdom. Jesus continually asks, “Are you listening…Really listening?” Jesus tells us that we are not keeping secrets, everything is brought into the open and use light and darkness.Application(s): Like the Father G-d, Son of G-d am I being an encourager–building people up and making people feel secure with themselves? When I speak or tell a story do I share in a way that people will get it? Am I listening, really listening to you Lord, or am I going my own way in my foolishness? What am I hiding from You, Lord and those that I care about?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being my encourager and giving me peace, help me to do the same for others. Send your Spirit to anoint my eyes and ears so that I may hear and do as You command. Forgive me where I have failed you, and for the things I attempt to hide in the dark. Thank you for loving me.

Forgiving Others’ and Myself

Scripture: Numbers 14:17-20 [The Message]

17 “Now, please, let the power of the Master expand, enlarge itself greatly, along the lines you have laid out earlier when you said,

18 God, slow to get angry and huge in loyal love,
forgiving iniquity and rebellion and sin;
Still, never just whitewashing sin.
But extending the fallout of parents’ sins
to children into the third,
even the fourth generation.

19 “Please forgive the wrongdoing of this people out of the extravagance of your loyal love just as all along, from the time they left Egypt, you have been forgiving this people.”

20 God said, “I forgive them, honoring your words.Observation(s): Moses pleads with G-d to reveal his power and to broaden it. G-d is slow to anger, loyal, forgiving, etc. G-d listens and acknowledges Moses’ pleading.

Application: Can I be like G-d and look past mistakes? How loyal am I? Do I forgive unconditionally? Am I slow to anger? Do I stand up for the right as Moses? Do I listen like G-d listens?

Prayer: God, forgive me where I’ve failed and not looked past mistakes of others and myself. Send your Spirit to work in me. I want to be true and loyal to Your Word. Give me the ability to not hold grudges and to be ever-patient, especially with my family.

Tried & True, Or Not!

Scripture: Numbers 13:1-2, 16, 27-33; Psalm 90:12-17

Scouting Out Canaan

1-2 God spoke to Moses: “Send men to scout out the country of Canaan that I am giving to the People of Israel. Send one man from each ancestral tribe, each one a tried-and-true leader in the tribe.”

16 These are the names of the men Moses sent to scout out the land. Moses gave Hoshea (Salvation) son of Nun a new name—Joshua (God-Saves).

27-29 “We went to the land to which you sent us and, oh! It does flow with milk and honey! Just look at this fruit! The only thing is that the people who live there are fierce, their cities are huge and well fortified. Worse yet, we saw descendants of the giant Anak. Amalekites are spread out in the Negev; Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites hold the hill country; and the Canaanites are established on the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan.”

30 Caleb interrupted, called for silence before Moses and said, “Let’s go up and take the land—now. We can do it.”

31-33 But the others said, “We can’t attack those people; they’re way stronger than we are.” They spread scary rumors among the People of Israel. They said, “We scouted out the land from one end to the other—it’s a land that swallows people whole. Everybody we saw was huge. Why, we even saw the Nephilim giants (the Anak giants come from the Nephilim). Alongside them we felt like grasshoppers. And they looked down on us as if we were grasshoppers.”

(Psalms)

12-17 Oh! Teach us to live well!
Teach us to live wisely and well!
Come back, God—how long do we have to wait?—
and treat your servants with kindness for a change.
Surprise us with love at daybreak;
then we’ll skip and dance all the day long.
Make up for the bad times with some good times;
we’ve seen enough evil to last a lifetime.
Let your servants see what you’re best at—
the ways you rule and bless your children.
And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us,
confirming the work that we do.
Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!

Observation(s): G-d is looking for people who can lead, He is looking for people who have been tested. Moses sends 12. Fear (Overwhelmed) encapsulates the group with the exception of group; presentation before the entire body, Report on what they saw (false report); Caleb has tremendous confidence in what G-d can do.

Application(s): When I get overwhelmed do I cower, or do I stand up as Caleb, confident in what I can accomplish through my Father. Do I pass the test of leadership, or am I a sheep? Am I looking at my faith journey

Prayer: Lord, search me and work through me so that I may do your will, let me be like Caleb: assertive, truthful and faithful.

Being on the right Path

Scripture: Numbers 1:54, 2:34; Acts 24

(Numbers 1)

54 The People of Israel did everything that God commanded Moses. They did it all.

(Numbers 2)

34 The People of Israel did everything the way God commanded Moses: They camped under their respective flags; they marched by tribe with their ancestral families.

(Acts 24) Paul States His Defense

1-4 Within five days, the Chief Priest Ananias arrived with a contingent of leaders, along with Tertullus, a trial lawyer. They presented the governor with their case against Paul. When Paul was called before the court, Tertullus spoke for the prosecution: “Most Honorable Felix, we are most grateful in all times and places for your wise and gentle rule. We are much aware that it is because of you and you alone that we enjoy all this peace and gain daily profit from your reforms. I’m not going to tire you out with a long speech. I beg your kind indulgence in listening to me. I’ll be quite brief. 5-8“We’ve found this man time and again disturbing the peace, stirring up riots against Jews all over the world, the ringleader of a seditious sect called Nazarenes. He’s a real bad apple, I must say. We caught him trying to defile our holy Temple and arrested him. You’ll be able to verify all these accusations when you examine him yourself.”

9The Jews joined in: “Hear, hear! That’s right!”

10-13The governor motioned to Paul that it was now his turn. Paul said, “I count myself fortunate to be defending myself before you, Governor, knowing how fair-minded you’ve been in judging us all these years. I’ve been back in the country only twelve days—you can check out these dates easily enough. I came with the express purpose of worshiping in Jerusalem on Pentecost, and I’ve been minding my own business the whole time. Nobody can say they saw me arguing in the Temple or working up a crowd in the streets. Not one of their charges can be backed up with evidence or witnesses.

14-15“But I do freely admit this: In regard to the Way, which they malign as a dead-end street, I serve and worship the very same God served and worshiped by all our ancestors and embrace everything written in all our Scriptures. And I admit to living in hopeful anticipation that God will raise the dead, both the good and the bad. If that’s my crime, my accusers are just as guilty as I am.

16-19“Believe me, I do my level best to keep a clear conscience before God and my neighbors in everything I do. I’ve been out of the country for a number of years and now I’m back. While I was away, I took up a collection for the poor and brought that with me, along with offerings for the Temple. It was while making those offerings that they found me quietly at my prayers in the Temple. There was no crowd, there was no disturbance. It was some Jews from around Ephesus who started all this trouble. And you’ll notice they’re not here today. They’re cowards, too cowardly to accuse me in front of you.

20-21“So ask these others what crime they’ve caught me in. Don’t let them hide behind this smooth-talking Tertullus. The only thing they have on me is that one sentence I shouted out in the council: ‘It’s because I believe in the resurrection that I’ve been hauled into this court!’ Does that sound to you like grounds for a criminal case?”

22-23Felix shilly-shallied. He knew far more about the Way than he let on, and could have settled the case then and there. But uncertain of his best move politically, he played for time. “When Captain Lysias comes down, I’ll decide your case.” He gave orders to the centurion to keep Paul in custody, but to more or less give him the run of the place and not prevent his friends from helping him.

24-26A few days later Felix and his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, sent for Paul and listened to him talk about a life of believing in Jesus Christ. As Paul continued to insist on right relations with God and his people, about a life of moral discipline and the coming Judgment, Felix felt things getting a little too close for comfort and dismissed him. “That’s enough for today. I’ll call you back when it’s convenient.” At the same time he was secretly hoping that Paul would offer him a substantial bribe. These conversations were repeated frequently.

27After two years of this, Felix was replaced by Porcius Festus. Still playing up to the Jews and ignoring justice, Felix left Paul in prison.

Observation(s): Throughout both chapters in Numbers G-d is talking to Moses, giving him details on who is to assist him, who is to lead, who is to follow, who is to set up, who is to ….; I’m struck by the volume of people, and that is not all of them that are counted (only those males 20 years and older of each ancestor tribe). The people face the tabernacle inward (ch 2 verse 1-2); the Levites are the protectors of all things sacred. Finally the People do as G-d says through Moses. Putting asside all the numbers and people, I am questioning the words “The People of Israel did everything that G-d commanded….” In Acts I am struck by how Paul acknowledges scripture as the rule of his life, and is hopeful with anticipation for the future. Right conduct, and moral discipline are also themes in the trial of Paul. Felix seems to want to do the right thing, but doesn’t in the end.

Application(s): Like the Israelites am I doing everything G-d commands. Do I listen to the leaders around me, those who have been put over me? Better yet, am I doing my obedience by my sheer will, or am I doing it with the help of the Holy Spirit? I cannot serve Him effectively through sheer will. Am I like Felix? A follower and not a person of conviction like Paul. Do I serve, worship and embrace the Word?

Prayer: Lord, I know there is only one way to embrace your Word and to live according to your Way. That is asking you to send your Holy Spirit to change me.

Best Plans

{For February 16}

Scripture: Acts 23:1-24 [The Message]

1-3Paul surveyed the members of the council with a steady gaze, and then said his piece: “Friends, I’ve lived with a clear conscience before God all my life, up to this very moment.” That set the Chief Priest Ananias off. He ordered his aides to slap Paul in the face. Paul shot back, “God will slap you down! What a fake you are! You sit there and judge me by the Law and then break the Law by ordering me slapped around!”

4The aides were scandalized: “How dare you talk to God’s Chief Priest like that!”

5Paul acted surprised. “How was I to know he was Chief Priest? He doesn’t act like a Chief Priest. You’re right, the Scripture does say, ‘Don’t speak abusively to a ruler of the people.’ Sorry.”

6Paul, knowing some of the council was made up of Sadducees and others of Pharisees and how they hated each other, decided to exploit their antagonism: “Friends, I am a stalwart Pharisee from a long line of Pharisees. It’s because of my Pharisee convictions—the hope and resurrection of the dead—that I’ve been hauled into this court.”

7-9The moment he said this, the council split right down the middle, Pharisees and Sadducees going at each other in heated argument. Sadducees have nothing to do with a resurrection or angels or even a spirit. If they can’t see it, they don’t believe it. Pharisees believe it all. And so a huge and noisy quarrel broke out. Then some of the religion scholars on the Pharisee side shouted down the others: “We don’t find anything wrong with this man! And what if a spirit has spoken to him? Or maybe an angel? What if it turns out we’re fighting against God?”

10That was fuel on the fire. The quarrel flamed up and became so violent the captain was afraid they would tear Paul apart, limb from limb. He ordered the soldiers to get him out of there and escort him back to the safety of the barracks.

A Plot Against Paul

11That night the Master appeared to Paul: “It’s going to be all right. Everything is going to turn out for the best. You’ve been a good witness for me here in Jerusalem. Now you’re going to be my witness in Rome!” 12-15Next day the Jews worked up a plot against Paul. They took a solemn oath that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed him. Over forty of them ritually bound themselves to this murder pact and presented themselves to the high priests and religious leaders. “We’ve bound ourselves by a solemn oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul. But we need your help. Send a request from the council to the captain to bring Paul back so that you can investigate the charges in more detail. We’ll do the rest. Before he gets anywhere near you, we’ll have killed him. You won’t be involved.”

16-17Paul’s nephew, his sister’s son, overheard them plotting the ambush. He went immediately to the barracks and told Paul. Paul called over one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the captain. He has something important to tell him.”

18The centurion brought him to the captain and said, “The prisoner Paul asked me to bring this young man to you. He said he has something urgent to tell you.”

19The captain took him by the arm and led him aside privately. “What is it? What do you have to tell me?”

20-21Paul’s nephew said, “The Jews have worked up a plot against Paul. They’re going to ask you to bring Paul to the council first thing in the morning on the pretext that they want to investigate the charges against him in more detail. But it’s a trick to get him out of your safekeeping so they can murder him. Right now there are more than forty men lying in ambush for him. They’ve all taken a vow to neither eat nor drink until they’ve killed him. The ambush is set—all they’re waiting for is for you to send him over.”

22The captain dismissed the nephew with a warning: “Don’t breathe a word of this to a soul.”

23-24The captain called up two centurions. “Get two hundred soldiers ready to go immediately to Caesarea. Also seventy cavalry and two hundred light infantry. I want them ready to march by nine o’clock tonight. And you’ll need a couple of mules for Paul and his gear. We’re going to present this man safe and sound to Governor Felix.”

Observation(s): Paul speaks his mind, he is not ashamed to call him himself a follower of the Way. He is logical and sharp–and calls it the way he sees it. Theological debate: Can we only believe in what we see, or is possible to believe in Angels, the Spirit, etc. Treachery is planned, but not without G-d’s protection of putting people in the right places.

Application(s): G-d always has a plan. He knows the beginning to the end. My question–am I following Him as Paul did? So that I can hear His voice clearly–knowing that it is going to turn out for the best and that He is leading me (verse 11).

Prayer: Lord, thank you for protecting me from the mob and for giving me the right words at the right time. Help me to have the faith of Paul and to continue to be a witness for You.

Sing a Song

{For February 14-15}

Scripture: Psalm 24-26 [The Message]

Psalm 24

A David Psalm

1-2 God claims Earth and everything in it, God claims World and all who live on it.
He built it on Ocean foundations,
laid it out on River girders.

3-4 Who can climb Mount God?
Who can scale the holy north-face?
Only the clean-handed,
only the pure-hearted;
Men who won’t cheat,
women who won’t seduce.

5-6 God is at their side;
with God’s help they make it.
This, Jacob, is what happens
to God-seekers, God-questers.

7 Wake up, you sleepyhead city!
Wake up, you sleepyhead people!
King-Glory is ready to enter.

8 Who is this King-Glory?
God, armed
and battle-ready.

9 Wake up, you sleepyhead city!
Wake up, you sleepyhead people!
King-Glory is ready to enter.

10 Who is this King-Glory?
God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
he is King-Glory.

Psalm 25

A David Psalm

1-2 My head is high, God, held high; I’m looking to you, God;
No hangdog skulking for me.

3 I’ve thrown in my lot with you;
You won’t embarrass me, will you?
Or let my enemies get the best of me? Don’t embarrass any of us
Who went out on a limb for you.
It’s the traitors who should be humiliated.

4 Show me how you work, God;
School me in your ways.

5 Take me by the hand;
Lead me down the path of truth.
You are my Savior, aren’t you?

6 Mark the milestones of your mercy and love, God;
Rebuild the ancient landmarks!

7 Forget that I sowed wild oats;
Mark me with your sign of love.
Plan only the best for me, God!

8 God is fair and just;
He corrects the misdirected,
Sends them in the right direction.

9 He gives the rejects his hand,
And leads them step-by-step.

10 From now on every road you travel
Will take you to God.
Follow the Covenant signs;
Read the charted directions.

11 Keep up your reputation, God;
Forgive my bad life;
It’s been a very bad life.

12 My question: What are God-worshipers like?
Your answer: Arrows aimed at God’s bull’s-eye.

13 They settle down in a promising place;
Their kids inherit a prosperous farm.

14 God-friendship is for God-worshipers;
They are the ones he confides in.

15 If I keep my eyes on God,
I won’t trip over my own feet.

16 Look at me and help me!
I’m all alone and in big trouble.

17 My heart and kidneys are fighting each other;
Call a truce to this civil war.

18 Take a hard look at my life of hard labor,
Then lift this ton of sin.

19 Do you see how many people
Have it in for me?
How viciously they hate me?

20 Keep watch over me and keep me out of trouble;
Don’t let me down when I run to you.

21 Use all your skill to put me together;
I wait to see your finished product.

22 God, give your people a break
From this run of bad luck.

Psalm 26

A David Psalm

1 Clear my name, God; I’ve kept an honest shop.
I’ve thrown in my lot with you, God, and
I’m not budging.

2 Examine me, God, from head to foot,
order your battery of tests.
Make sure I’m fit
inside and out

3 So I never lose
sight of your love,
But keep in step with you,
never missing a beat.

4-5 I don’t hang out with tricksters,
I don’t pal around with thugs;
I hate that pack of gangsters,
I don’t deal with double-dealers.

6-7 I scrub my hands with purest soap,
then join hands with the others in the great circle,
dancing around your altar, God,
Singing God-songs at the top of my lungs,
telling God-stories.

8-10 God, I love living with you;
your house glows with your glory.
When it’s time for spring cleaning,
don’t sweep me out with the quacks and crooks,
Men with bags of dirty tricks,
women with purses stuffed with bribe-money.

11-12 You know I’ve been aboveboard with you;
now be aboveboard with me.
I’m on the level with you, God;
I bless you every chance I get.

Observation(s): David opens up about how he feels about the One. David wants everyone to know that G-d has laid it all out from the beginning, He can take us to the right path, save us from our enemies. He is our judge (Psalm 26) and salvation (Psalm 25), we can make it if we continue to seek Him (Psalm 24:5-6). This is a psalm or a song, so David is giving a testimony of his Heavenly Father. David knows that he has a problem. He needs to get close to G-d. What does a friend of G-d look like?

Application(s): Do I recognize Him as my foundation? Like David, I’m I continually seeking and acknowledging Him? He is the way and the truth. He is my judge and salvation. Do I praise Him? Am I seeking to give my testimony? Am I a friend to G-d?

Prayer: Father, G-d, Thank you for opening my eyes and ears to Your way. Continue to guide and show me your path with the help of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for not only being my judge, but for being my friend. Give me the courage of David to share my testimony of your goodness.

It’s not about me!

Scripture: Acts 20:1-2, 24, 28, 32, 33-36 (The Message)

1-2 “With things back to normal, Paul called the disciples together and encouraged them to keep up the good work…he gave constant encouragement, lifting their spirits and charging them with fresh hope.

24 “What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God.

28“Now it’s up to you. Be on your toes—both for yourselves and your congregation of sheep. The Holy Spirit has put you in charge of these people—God’s people they are—to guard and protect them. God himself thought they were worth dying for.

32“Now I’m turning you over to God, our marvelous God whose gracious Word can make you into what he wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends.

33-35“I’ve never, as you so well know, had any taste for wealth or fashion. With these bare hands I took care of my own basic needs and those who worked with me. In everything I’ve done, I have demonstrated to you how necessary it is to work on behalf of the weak and not exploit them. You’ll not likely go wrong here if you keep remembering that our Master said, ‘You’re far happier giving than getting.’”

36″Then Paul went down on his knees, all of them kneeling with him, and prayed…”

Observation(s): Paul’s commitment to serving G-d. Paul established a framework for how we are to operate: share the good news, take care of the weak, be self-sufficient when necessary, and build people up and give them hope. G-d’s, if we allow Him, word will transform us. Happiness is in giving, not receiving. Prayer life is important.

Application(s): Everything I do in His name must be done prayerfully. Am I committed to sharing the good news? Have I built someone up with hope lately? Am I finding ways to not be a burden to others, while constantly taking in the Word to fill me up? Am I giving back to others, especially my family: my wife and children?

Prayer: Lord, I pray that your Holy Spirit comes into me today. Transform me into your creature–mold me, and make me into what You want. Help me to remember that it’s not about me, it is about You and it is about your kids. Thank you for your Word.