[48] You are witnesses of these things. [49] I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:48-49 NIV).
Jesus left us with a big job to do. We are his witnesses to the world. The message must be taken to all nations beginning in your hometown.
But we can’t do the job on our own. We need his power to be effective witnesses. Therefore Jesus tells us to wait and pray.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to fill and empower you. Pray for boldness. Pray for the words to say. Pray for open doors of opportunity.
Pray for God to be at work in those you talk to. Pray that they will be hungry for truth. Pray that they will be convicted of their need. Pray that God will be at work drawing them by his loving-kindness.
We are his witnesses. But we are not alone. Jesus has promised the Holy Spirit to be our helper and our guide. In his strength we can overcome our timidity and fear and be his witnesses.
Heavenly Father, fill me with your Holy Spirit. Empower me to be your witness. Open doors and make me sensitive to your leading. Fill me with love and compassion and help me to listen and serve. Give me the words that will point people to Jesus. Fill me today and use me. Amen.
“Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer” (Psalm 61:1, NIV).
Like the Psalmist, we often wonder if our prayers are getting through. We want to make sure we have God’s full attention. We cry out, “Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.”
Sometimes in the process of waiting for the answer “our hearts grow faint” (2). It is easy to get discouraged. It is easy to lose hope.
But know that God is listening. He is the rock we can stand upon (2). He is a place of refuge when we need a place to run to. He is a strong tower to protect us from our foes (3).
He is there to shelter us in his presence and his “wings” (4) are there to protect us and shield us from danger. There is no reason to fear.
We may feel alone, but we are never alone. We may wonder if anyone is listening, but he is always there. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t lose hope.
Open up your heart to God–pour it all out. He listens and he cares.
Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. You are the rock I run to. You are my strong tower. You are the one who shelters me, protects me. I pour out my heart to you and wait in your presence. Amen.
The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her (Judges 7:2 NIV).
God sized projects require leaning on God for wisdom—not relying on our own. God sized projects require trusting in his strength rather than our own. God sized projects require being prayerful and obedient even when the direction God gives goes against all conventional wisdom.
Conventional wisdom says, “assemble the largest army you can to defeat the enemy.” God in his wisdom said, “You have too many men.” He gives instructions to let the fearful men go back home. The army goes from 32,000 to 10,000. But there were still too many. So God gives further instructions that whittle down the army to 300. Just the right size to accomplish his will.
The temptation for Israel would be to boast in her military strength. God wanted to remind them that he is their strength. He wanted to show them that what really matters is not the strength of the army, but the strength of our God.
God accomplished the victory using 300 men. What a testimony to his power. What a testimony to His wisdom. When we trust in God’s strength and are obedient to his wise direction (however unconventional), we are blessed and he is glorified.
When you find yourself in a difficult place, look for God’s wisdom and strength. Sometimes he stretches our faith by giving us unconventional wisdom. Don’t be afraid. Trust him and obey and look with expectation to the victory he will bring.
Lord, I need your wisdom and your strength to carry it through. I trust you to be faithful to your promise. I look with expectation to the victory you will bring as I follow your instructions. Amen.
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” [13] “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian”(Judges 6:12-13 NIV).
The Bible often shows us that God sees the potential in us long before we do. Such was the case for Gideon. Based on what we read about Gideon, we might be tempted to see only his fears, his questions and his doubts. Gideon himself was surprised by God’s call: “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house” (Judges 6:15 -ESV).
Yet God saw Gideon’s potential. In complete contrast to Gideon’s confession of his weakness, God calls him “Mighty Warrior!” He reminds Gideon that he has no reason to doubt or fear. He is being called by God to lead the people of Israel. What matters is not his inability, but God’s ability. The one God chooses can depend on him to provide all they need to accomplish the task they are given. When God calls us to a task, we need only know that He is with us.
When you are tempted to focus on your failures and your weakness, open your heart in prayer to God. Pour out your questions, doubts and fears. Then be silent. Perhaps in the silence, you too will hear God’s affirming words. Allow him to rename you according to your God-given potential. Don’t be afraid of the future. Press ahead in God’s strength to accomplish your God given calling.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your call. Thank you for providing everything necessary to accomplish the tasks you have given. Give me the strength and courage this day to be a Mighty Warrior for you. When I feel inadequate or discouraged, remind me of the potential I have in you. I wait in quietness—ready for a new name, ready for affirming words. Walk with me today as together we accomplish the tasks you have given. Amen.
When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. [46] “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (Luke 22:45-46 NIV).
Facing denial, betrayal, mocking, scourging and a cruel painful death on a cross, Jesus went to his usual place to pray: The Mount of Olives. This solitary place was a regular place of refuge for Jesus where he would pour out his heart to the Father.
He was tempted, as we all are, to take the easy way out. But he didn’t give in to the temptation. Strengthened by an angel, he resisted and persevered in prayer.
He, like his disciples, was undoubtedly exhausted by sorrow from the difficulties of the past week, and the prospect of the future. But unlike the disciples who fell asleep, he pressed in to the heart of the father and found the strength that he needed to resist temptation and take the needed steps of obedience under the Father’s direction.
We all have times where we face temptation. We all have times where the circumstances we face seem overwhelming. There are times when what God calls us to do seems more than we are able to handle. In those times, Jesus example reminds us that the best thing we can do is go to our solitary place where we pour out our heart to the Father and look for his strength.
Father, when I am facing times of trial and temptation help me to run to you, to pour out my heart to you, to wait upon you. You are my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer, my Ever Present Help in Trouble. Fill me with joy, with peace and help me to overflow with hope. Amen.
Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the LORD’s commands (Judges 2:16-17 NIV).
What happens when God’s people turn away from God’s commands and do whatever is right in their own eyes? That seems to be the question that the writer of Judges is trying to answer. The answer? In short: Chaos. The pages of Judges are filled with missed opportunities, deceit, destruction, and death.
There is a pattern in Judges that we see over and over again and it is clearly laid out in chapter two verses twelve to nineteen. First the people forsake the LORD and worship the gods of the people around them. This arouses the LORD’s anger that results in God giving them over to their enemies. Because of their idolatry and sin, when they go out to fight, they end up fighting not only an opposing army, but the LORD himself (vs. 15). Eventually God’s people become distressed and begin to cry out to God. Then he sends a judge to rescue and save them from their enemies once again. Their gratitude for God’s saving action does not last long. Soon they drift off into idolatry and disobedience once again. When the judge dies, their disobedience and rebellion are taken to new heights. This triggers the cycle again. Each time, things only get worse and worse. If you understand this section, you get the point of Judges.
There is much to be learned from the cycles of disobedience and repentance found in Judges. The church has not been immune from these cycles. There are times of revival and religious fervor and there are times of compromise and drifting. There are times of repentance that are sometimes quickly forgotten as we drift back to our old ways and worship the gods of our culture. Perhaps it is a time for us to cry out to the LORD for his deliverance.
In our individual lives, drifting back into old patterns of disobedience comes easily. We are easily lured into compromise, just as they were in Judges. We must cry out to God in true repentance and seek his deliverance. We must walk in the fullness of his Spirit to break the old patterns and move forward into the abundant life he offers.
Judges is a powerful reminder of how easy it is to drift; how easy it is to compromise; how easy it is to miss out on God’s best for our lives. It is a reminder that “everyone doing what is right in their own eyes” is a recipe for chaos that causes hurt and harm. Open up your heart to Jesus. Cry out to him for deliverance and break the cycles of compromise.
Lord God, let my life be characterized by doing what is right in your eyes and not my own. Keep me focused and following you and not drifting off the way you set before me. Deliver me from the gods of this age and give me whole hearted devotion to you. Amen.
Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives, and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple (Luke 21:37-38).
The cross was drawing nearer and nearer. Ministry was taking place daily. After a day of teaching in the temple, Jesus finds one of his favorite places to pray. He gets away to the Mount of Olives to spend the night in fellowship with his Father through prayer.
Likely weary from a day of teaching and ministry, Jesus finds a solitary place—and as was his practice—he spends extended time in prayer. Clearly this is a pattern rooted in delight rather than duty—this is a time and place set apart to enjoy fellowship with his Father in prayer.
In so doing, Jesus once again reminds us of the importance of prayer. It was clearly a priority in his life, even when life was busy with ministry activity; even when life was stressful. Even when he must have been weary after a full day of teaching, he shows deep commitment to finding time to pray.
Surely Jesus commitment to pray is also a testimony to the delight Jesus found in prayer. Such commitment reveals a heart that is motivated by delight more than duty. Prayer is intimate fellowship with the Father: an opportunity to pour out his heart; an opportunity to listen; a time to be refreshed and refocused in preparation for the ministry of the coming day.
May you find the delight that Jesus did in finding a quiet place to pray. Enjoy time in the presence of the father. Pour out your heart, listen, be refreshed and refocused in the presence of the Father who loves you deeply and who also delights in such times of fellowship.
Dear Heavenly Father, let me find the joy and delight of time spent in your presence. Like Jesus help me to find quiet places where I can spend time in fellowship with you. As I pour out my heart to you, refresh me and prepare me for the day. Refocus me, give me direction and empower me for the day ahead. Amen.
“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Josh 24:14-15 NIV).
They had, more or less, conquered the land. Nearing the end of his life and time of leadership, Joshua calls the people together. First he reminds them of the way God has been with them in giving them this land. He doesn’t hesitate to go into details. He concludes his review of God’s intervention on their behalf: “So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant” (24:13).
After reminding them how God had fulfilled his promises and had been faithful to the covenant, Joshua calls them to commitment: “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (24:14-15).
Already many had forgotten the law and the covenant; many had already fallen into idolatry. Joshua calls them to wholehearted devotion to God. As a good leader, he makes the first commitment; “as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD!” Yet he gives them the choice.
The people declare their intention to follow the LORD. But Joshua slows them down making sure they carefully consider their choice. He even taunts them, “You are not able to serve the LORD!” Joshua wants to make sure they understand the consequences. Still the people reaffirm their commitment to serve the LORD.
Then Joshua reminds them of the conditions of the covenant. He once again has the law read in the hearing of the people. Then he has a reaffirmation ceremony. He set up a stone of remembrance—a witness to the people of their commitment to God.
It is good to remember the blessings of God—to retrace our paths to see the footprints of God. It is good to seriously consider the cost of commitment. It is good to set up memorial markers (some record of our commitment). Most importantly, we must choose wisely and follow through on that commitment with God’s grace in the power of the Holy Spirit. Choose this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD!
Faithful God, let my heart be filled with gratitude because of your faithfulness to your promises. May gratitude lead to renewed commitment to follow you, to trust you, to obey you. Give me the grace I need for this day and the days to come. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! Amen.
“You know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you, if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God” (Joshua 23:14-16 ESV).
“Not one word of his promise has failed–they have all been fulfilled.” With these words, Joshua reminds the people of Israel of the faithfulness of God. God has been with them. He has fought for them. He has given them the land he promised.
God’s dealing with the Israelite people is a reminder of the trustworthiness of the promises God makes to his people. Despite the ups and downs of the people’s obedience, God’s promises do not fail. They are fulfilled.
This text is also a reminder that the promises have conditions. Failure to meet those conditions has consequences. “But just as all the good things have been fulfilled, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things . . . if you transgress the covenant.” Promises may appear to be unfulfilled, but often God is waiting for conditions to be met.
God never fails and his promises can be trusted. But we do often fail. Our procrastinated obedience or deliberate disobedience can make it seem that the promises are not being fulfilled. How quickly we forget the conditions of the promise. How often we “turn to the right or the left” (6). Delays may also be the result of other people who have yet to meet the conditions of obedience.
Through his promises, God has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3-4)–everything. But we often forget that God’s promises have conditions–and those must be met.
Love God and walk in his ways, don’t turn to the right or the left but do exactly as he says. Then plead the promises and pray with expectation. You will find that all his promises are faithful–and all his words will be fulfilled.
Faithful God, thank you for your commitment to uphold your promises. Help me to walk in obedience and not turn to the right or the left. Help me to to remember your promises and trust you to fulfill them. Fill me with hopeful expectation when a promise seems far from fulfillment. Amen.
And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their ancestors; not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not one of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass (Joshua 21:44-45).
God promised that if they would obey him, he would give the children of Israel the Land. While their obedience was far from perfect, God fully fulfilled his end of the bargain. Not one of all his good promises had failed; they all came to pass.
How like us, our obedience is usually far from perfect, yet God is always faithful. His promises are true. He never fails.
After years of struggle and battle in taking the land, now they were given rest in the Promised Land: rest from the battles, rest from the journey, and rest from their striving. They were finally home and at peace, now they can rest.
Jesus too, calls us to give up our striving and find rest in our relationship with him. Hear his words:
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Finding our home in his grace, we can stop striving in our own strength and power. Finding our security in being his dearly loved child, we are free to take up his yoke and learn from him. Giving up on our futile self-effort, we find rest; rest for our souls.
Heavenly Father, help me to stop striving in my own strength and find rest for my soul. I am weary and tired of carrying a heavy burden. Jesus, I take up your yoke and long to learn from you and your humble and gentle heart. Spirit, empower me that I might indeed find that the yoke is easy and the burden is light. Amen.
pastor jeff's neighborhood 