I Samuel 3:1 - 4:1 - The Lord Calls Samuel

I Samuel 3:1 - 4:1

19 Now Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and He let none of his words fail. 20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.

Message: The Lord Calls Samuel

Time: This book is a biography of Samuel's life and career up to his death. It took place over a period of about 110 years, stretching from the closing days of the judges, when Samuel was born (ca. 1120 BC) through the death of Saul (1011 BC).

What the Lord is Saying: Verse 1 seems to highlight a difference between the two sons of Eli and now Samuel. It states, "Now the boy Samuel" in contrast to the words of I Samuel 2 of his sons and "the report is not good" (2:24). The reality is those individuals who marked their lives consistently in growing up in the Lord and ministering to the Lord were rare. 

In this 2nd chapter the Lord calls Samuel and yet Samuel does not recognize the Lord. He thinks instead it is Eli. This happens 3 tunes through verse 8. Verse 7 says, "Samuel did not yet know the Lord." Then in verse 9, Eli instructs Samuel on how to answer the next time he hears the Lord. 

The Lord is speaking a word to Samuel and that word is He will curse Eli and his household. The issue was "because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he (Eli) did not rebuke them" (v.13). One problem was the sin and the other was the father not rebuking the sin. The sin needs to be called out and brought to the attention of others as not being acceptable. 

Samuel is now scared to tell Eli (v. 15), but eventually he does and Eli accepts it - "It is the Lord: let Him do what seems good to Him" (v. 19). It was not good for Eli, but he would accept it. As what is important is that it is good for the Lord. That's the crux of this. God will do what is best for Him in the moment. 

Thus:

• Samuel grew and the Lord was with him (v. 19)
• [he] let none of his words fail (v. 19)
• he was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord (v. 20)
• the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel (v. 21)
• the word of Samuel came to all Israel. (4:1)

The Lord speaks not simply alone himself, but uses people to speak through. This chapter chronicles the life of Samuel up to being a prophet. It started with his mother dedicated him to God's service and then he responded by growing up in the Lord. But even as God spoke to him, he did not hear Him as Lord. He needed instruction and Eli as a priest provided him that guidance and instruction so that next time the Lord called him, he heard. And then God asked him to do something and He replied and did it and in the process he became one God can count on. He grew to be a Prophet of the Lord and eventually one that speaks to all of the people. There is a progression here with many involved, his mother, a priest, and the Lord ultimately. 

Summary: Samuel, unlike Eli’s sons, is growing with the Lord God, as a prophet, and bringing God’s word to Israel. 

Promise: I need to take time daily to listen to God. 

Prayer: Father God, I am yours, created by You to not only live morally but to live always pleasing to You. Samuel modeled this and I pray my life now and going forward will be a life well lived according to the truth of who you are and who I am in You. I am to bring You glory. Like Eli’s sons though I am often so selfish and am only seeking what makes me feel good. I ask for strength each day, Your strength, so that I will be one that honors You. I ask this and come to You in the name of Jesus and because of Him. Amen 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

I Samuel 2 - Hannah's Song and Eli's Sons

I Samuel 2

The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;

And He will give strength to His king,

And will exalt the horn of His anointed. - verse 10

Message: Hannah's Song and Eli's Sons

Time: This book is a biography of Samuel's life and career up to his death. It took place over a period of about 110 years, stretching from the closing days of the judges, when Samuel was born (ca. 1120 BC) through the death of Saul (1011 BC).

What the Lord is Saying: Samuel is born with Hannah dedicating him to the Lord. Chapter 2 opens with Hannah's son, her prayer is an anthem of praise to God for the great God that He is and how He cares for his people and acts for them. He is sovereign and Lord of all. He is there for the poor and needy, "raises the poor from the dust, lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with nobles and inherit a seat of honor" (verse 8). 

Elkanah returns home to Ramah (v. 11) while Samuel stays with Eli at Shiloh. In verses 12-18 the sons of Eli are mentioned - Hophni and Phinehas (1:3), priests to the Lord and yet "worthless men; they did not know the Lord" (v. 12). Verse 13-17 describe their unjust ways. Rather than taking the fat of the offering from the worshipper and offering it to be burned on the altar of Jehovah (Leviticus 3:3-5) as a soothing aroma before the Lord, they instead took the fat themselves (v.16) showing they "despised the offering of the Lord" (v. 17). 

Hannah is given 3 more sons in birth and two daughters (v. 21) for her comfort and enjoyment, beyond Samuel who is dedicated to the Lord. 

Meanwhile the sons of Eli mistreat the women that are there to serve at the tabernacle (v.22). There is the contrast mentioned here between the unwholesome ways of Eli's sons and Samuel "growing in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men" (v. 26). 

In verse 27, "a man of God came to Eli." The term “man of God” we find applied to Moses and to different prophets some forty or more times in the Books of Judges, Samuel, and Kings (Ellicott's Commentary). This signifies the way in which God intercedes and speaks to certain people and has come to this man and therefore the man is expected to pass that along to his children. God "chose them from all of the tribes of Israel (v. 28)." This man of God pronounces a judgment of sort on Eli based upon the actions and irreverence of his sons and instead of the sons, he will raise a faithful priest (v. 35). 

Summary: Hannah praises God and then there is the contrast of Eli's sons who are worthless and do not follow the Lord compared to Samuel that is dedicated to the Lord for service. 

Promise: We need to always be serious about our following of the Lord and not ever grow complacent.

Prayer: God, you are sovereign and Lord. Thank you for calling Your people. May we always be faithful in following You and honoring You with our lives. And may I return to You praise and thanksgiving for all that you have done for me. Draw people to yourself. Call people to love and honor You always. I praise Your name. Thank for you for saving me.  

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

Acts 6:1-7 - God's Will and the External Call

Acts 6:1-7 - Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. 2 So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. 6 And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.

7 The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

Message: God's Will and the External Call

Time: Clearly written by Luke, this book follows the lives of Peter and then Paul after Jesus' ascension into heaven. The book was completed about 62 AD as Paul sat in prison. It provides an account of the growth of the Church and spread from Jerusalem, from a small group of frightened believers in Jerusalem transformed into an empire-wide movement of people who had committed their lives to Jesus Christ, and it should help us to be bold and have zeal in our walks with God.

What the Lord is Saying: As I continue to look at and study this idea of God's will on my life. The study can encompass a specific will for me that may be different from others. This is my vocation will or what I will spend my days doing on this earth. Many of us grow up learning and going to school with the ambition that following school we will enter the work force or that education will prepare us for doing work once we exit that learning phase of our life. Besides entering the workforce, for some the work of raising children and teaching them will be that vocation. So as we grow, we seek to know how we will be serving people. The workforce I have seen embodies or includes the work of ministry as well as layperson vocations. But in all vocations, I believe there is ministry work. For some, like me, that time serving is part-time or indirect while the minister or church worker is more directly spending time in ministry throughout their day. 

Thus, in this calling there is an internal call or that which I come up with or sense God calling me into, but there is also an external call or the confirmation I receive from others. 

I am still determining from scripture the calling spoken of in the Bible that pertains to non-ministry vocations. Non-ministry work is identified in scripture but the calling to do ministry is definitely identified. For example:

I Corinthians 9:16 - For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.

I Timothy 3:1 - It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.

The calling, externally, is necessary because we are fallen creatures and our hearts can deceive us. Jeremiah 17:9 - “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick..."

Today's passage shows us that God does confirm a person's call through others in the church, other leaders as well as the congregation. Acts 6:1-7 mentions a specific need: providing food to widows. The leaders of the church had the entire congregation select 7 men to provide for this need. I previously looked at this passage as I considered the study and role of deacons. Acts seems to first identify a need and then select those to provide for that need. It seems we often operate in the church by selecting people to serve in the role of deacon and then work on identifying where they will serve. For example, recently several people in our Sunday school class identified that Pamela and I should be home group leaders. They believe we have a calling for this and possess abilities for this role. I think this is an example of external call as well as this passage in Acts of seeing a need and identifying those that will serve that need. Perhaps it would go further if we made these callings and service roles more official in these ways in the Body. Perhaps we need to look at all members with this in mind. It seems rather what we do is identify needs and wait for volunteers. 

Summary: In determining God's will, in addition to a person identifying for themselves where to serve, leaders and others around them, such as the congregation, also are involved in confirming this call. 

Promise: From Tabletalk - No matter our vocation, we should expect some kind of external confirmation that the vocation we desire is actually for us. Furthermore, we should be honest with friends and family regarding their vocations. We do not serve people well when we affirm their sense of internal call and yet it is obvious that they do not have the skills or aptitude for the vocation in question.

Prayer: Lord, there is always great joy in reading and studying Your word. It is always illuminating to me to read and discern what you are saying and how those words apply to our lives. I believe you give me this understanding through Your Holy Spirit but you also confirm it through the congregation and through leaders. Thank you for speaking to me and equipping me for the work of ministry. Thank you for helping me always see the importance of that work and how I need to always prepare myself to do that work. Your ways are clear and they make sense to how life is lived. 

I Corinthians 9:16 - God's Will and The Internal Call

I Corinthians 9:16 - For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.

Message: God's Will and the Internal Call

Time: Not the first, but 2nd letter to Corinthians, but the first to survive and to be considered authoritative. Written in AD 55, it was penned after Paul had reports of quarreling in this church he had previously visited. Paul covers a number of subjects, but all focus on the Christian's life in the church. 

What the Lord is Saying: I have noticed that the manner in which people believe God speaks to people today is often the difference between religions and even other denominations. For example, the LDS church takes the position that God still speaks today through prophets and apostles. But most protestants are Cessationists, believing that God spoke for a time to prophets and apostles, but in these latter days, after their death, He speaks to us objectively via the Bible and rather than prophets and apostles we have pastors, elders, and deacons today in service positions to the Lord. 

Reformed thinkers often speak of the Lord's calling on our lives as an internal call and external call, especially in regards to pastors. The internal call is personal, while the external call is a confirmation by the visible church (the church of this day made up of people we believe are the called ones of God). 

I Timothy 3:1 - It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.

Today's passage expresses Paul's call to preach the gospel voicing that this is call that he is under compulsion, meaning he must and really cannot not preach. I believe God placed a call on my life, a call to not go into full-time ministry, but instead to be a full-time layperson, working a job and ministering through that vocation and beyond it. 

I came to know the Lord at the age of 14, one month shy of my 15th birthday, on August 10, 1982 in the parking lot of Wendy's on Wyoming Blvd in Albuquerque, NM. I had handpicked a senior in the church youth group to help guide me through a prayer as we spoke in his car. Up to this point, different people had planted the seed in me, exposing me to the Gospel. People visited our home and shared the gospel to our family, a summer church camp experience, growing up listening to the pastor speak, and my mom, so at this point, I had understanding of the gospel, but I needed help sealing the deal. 

Looking back, I had grown up in church and yet my understanding of the gospel was limited. I always felt like people were talking about something that I only knew part of the information on. At that time, at that age, my fear was dying or not knowing what would happen to me when I die and seeing that Jesus had done it all for me was all I needed. Since then I have grown in my understanding of the Gospel and the truth of God. 

As I entered high school, the subject of "what do I want to be when I grow up" surfaced more and more. It was like I wanted a lightning strike on the wall to reveal the answer and yet I always went back to a message that the pastor at the time, Norm Boshoff, preached about knowing the will of God. He said that God has established parameters in our lives, or fence posts, and in that fence we have clues or rules that we must abide by in our lives, but within those fence posts there is freedom to determine what you need to do. And so the lightning strike or writing on the wall will probably not come, but I need to seek God, follow Him, and be guided by His truth. 

I would continue to wander down this path, even as I chose a major and then changed it when it got to hard and I failed too many classes. And even after I finished school and started working. I had a basic idea of what I should do - numbers and organizing information, but it took me a while to settle on it. I still feel like I'm evolving. I don't think I've ever really settled on anything as my career has been about numbers, but also consulting and organizing ideas. But through it all, I feel confident that I'm within the fence posts, not only at my secular job but even as I serve the Lord. 

Summary: God's call on a person's life does not have to only be a call to full-time ministry, but it is also a call for their vocation and to be a full-time lay person. 

Promise: Our desires, provided they do not contradict scripture, can help us discern the right course of action to take. 

Prayer: O Lord, I thank you for speaking to me all these years of my life, directing my path. It has not always been clear to me but I see now how you have confirmed my calling, an internal call most of the time, but also giving me confirmation of that call through teachers, pastors, aptitude tests, fellow colleagues, friends and other observers along the way. Thank you for the way you speak continually through your Spirit, through your Word, to me. Thank you for guiding my way and even now, continuing to illuminate my path in so many different ways. 

I Peter 2:9 - God's Royal Priesthood

I Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of Him, who has called you of darkness into His marvelous light. 

Message: God's Royal Priesthood

Time: Peter wrote to a group of people that probably included Jews and Christians at the time of probably AD 64, as the persecution of Christians by Nero was ramping up. It is thought Peter spent his final years in Rome. Peter calls people to root themselves in the perseverance and presence of Christ. 

What the Lord is Saying: The last 2 lessons have emphasized the principle of having a mediator. The old covenant had a priest, a person designated by God to be the mediator between God and man for the purpose of offering sacrifices and atoning for sin and entering the Holiest of Holies. But then in Christ, God provided atonement for all sin through the One that was fully man and yet equal with God. 

But, is it necessary to have these two distinct groups still - those that are deemed ordinary Christians while others are truly Spiritual Christians? There are distinctions for people have different roles, but another thing that happened 500 years ago in 1517 was this move to think of people at the same level spiritual, no matter their vocation. Thus, a laypersons service to God is equal to a ministers service to God. A layperson has the same access to God as a minister. 

The phrase that has come to describe this is "the priesthood of all believers" and is rooted in I Peter 2:9. 

I Peter 2:9 is a quote from Exodus 19:6 which states, "...and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel." This text is part of what we refer to now as the Mosaic Covenant. It is a conditional covenant which followed the unconditional Abrahamic covenant. That covenant established God's blessing on His people. The Mosaic covenant is God's expectation for His people. Works follows blessing is an important distinction. The Mosaic covenant established the Law of God, judgments and the governance of Law so that people knew how to approach God. The Abrahamic Covenant established that God will make Israel a great nation and would bless them and make them great to all the families of the earth. 

I Peter starts as a message in verse "to those who reside as aliens." Peter is speaking to all people set apart for the service of God - Jew and Gentile. And it is to these people that are attributed now the role of priests. We are all a royal priesthood. We are "choice and precious in the sight of God" in verse 4. And "built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood" in verse 5. And then culminates in verse 9 as "a chosen race." Chosen from all the peoples of the earth (Amos 3:2). 

What is our sacrifice? Ourselves. Romans 12:1 - "I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual services of worship." We proclaim His excellence, each of us, all of us. All of our lives are a service to Him: as neighbors, in our vocations, in our families. All Christians are alike. 

Summary: There is no distinction among believers. We are all a chosen race and all set apart as priests to proclaim the excellence of Him. 

Promise: No matter what you are called to do in life, God honors your service when you seek to love Him and other people through your work. 

Prayer: O Lord, as I read your word more and more, I see consistency and a God that has never changed. You have called people to be yours and we are all to serve you in the same way. Thank you for choosing. I pray that my life is a praise to You and is a life that does proclaim You. I pray that it is acceptable to You. I believe it is, not because of me, but because of Christ and His work in life and on the cross. What makes me acceptable to you is not my deeds but the forgiveness of my sin and then in response I live for You. Give me that strength and help me to continue to live for You each day I am on this earth. 

Isaiah 52:7 - Our Highest Calling

Isaiah 52:7 - How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

Message: Our Highest Calling

Time: Isaiah prophesied from 739–681 BC to a nation that had turned a deaf ear to the Lord. He wanted to see the nation of Judah return to serving God with humility and love for their neighbors. But he was called to pronounce judgments to on a people offering meaningless sacrifices in the Temple and committing injustices throughout the nation. It provides the most prophetic picture of Jesus in the entire Old Testament.

What the Lord is Saying: As I close out this month's issue, it has as usual taken me longer than expected. I haven't done a great job getting through the lessons these past 2 months. The first lessons on Baptism were engaging, but then I started reading daily from the Bible as well and the last two months have had some illness creep in and not been waking up in a timely manner to do stuff each day. After baptism were lesson's on the Lord's Supper, the other sacrament and then lessons on preaching or teaching God's word. 

Today's lesson is about the vocation of ordained pastors or ministers and how we think of them in our culture. I suppose I have always had a lot of respect for pastors. It is true that I wish the church took the bi-vocational role of pastor that the Mormon church takes rather than full-time pastors. I think there are many great people in our church body that could be the pastor as churches start focusing I think too great on rating churches based upon preaching and how good the sermon meets people's needs. I suppose I am similar in this way. We've now been at our church since November 2021 and we have yet to find a way to get plugged in. 

Pastors or priests in our culture are not viewed in high manner. I think of the show Young Sheldon we have watched recently. Mary, the mom, started out in the first almost 4 seasons involved in church and then got disengaged when she felt like the church was not welcoming her because her son got a girl pregnant. The culture portrays this but unfortunately rather accurately. But the pastor in that series was a person that was kind of not real bright and did not have a wife that was engaged in the church. It also showed a youth pastor that was possibly getting involved with Mary or tempted in that direction, giving the idea that authentic living is not a high standard. 

And yet we should have the highest respect for our preacher. What makes a preacher special is his calling to carry the message of the gospel to the Church. This is a significant vocation. In many ways he is our leader in carrying this message to God's people. And yet all of us has this mission. 

More recently I have been engaged in conversations with two pastors in Uganda and through my correspondence watching how they are involved in ministry to their body. It definitely goes beyond Sunday morning. They seem to be real active throughout the week in going to the people, to their homes, to their residence and having home group times with them. It is interesting to hear of their work. People are coming to faith in the process. I can't help but wonder how deep faith is in these interactions. But I am so impressed with their zeal and passion and commitment to God. 

And so today's verse is a fitting one: How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

This verse is a great anthem of the pastor and the high esteem and role we are to have towards him. And right now I am still of the opinion that this is a male vocation. 

Summary: We are to have a high value on our pastors and preachers who are our leaders in bringing the good news of the Gospel and God's word to the people. 

Promise: The highest calling that any of us will ever have is to be a witness to the gospel. Some of us are called to witness to the gospel full time as ordained preachers and teachers of God’s Word. Others of us will witness to the gospel in the course of fulfilling other vocations. Let us thank God for this high calling and ask Him to give us the courage to proclaim the gospel where He has put us.

Prayer: Thank you God for the high calling each of us has to proclaim the Gospel. Thank you for calling people to be your ambassadors for truth in sharing this with others through full-time ministry. Thank you for the missionaries as well as the pastors that are serving You. I appreciate those individuals I have had in my life. Help me to honor them more. Help us as the church to champion truth and not simply to show up to church with the hopes of entertaining our intellect but to be challenged and answer the call. I pray for me and my wife right now that we would seek to get involved in some way. 

John 1:43-51 - Jesus Reveals Himself To Nathanael

 John 1:43-51

43 The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” 50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Message: Jesus Reveals Himself to Nathanael

Time: John is not recorded as the author, but unanimous testimony of early Christians, like Iraneus in the 2nd century declare him the author. Plus, the eyewitness account give rise that he was one of the close knit disciples and Peter already penned through Mark (the Gospel of Mark), and James died soon after the resurrection, which leaves John. It is thought this book was written between 85 and 95 AD. The Deity of Christ is a striking quality of John's gospel.

What the Lord is Saying: 

Yesterday (Friday) I watched the video of the service my close friend and his wife had for their son who died unexpectedly from a drug overdose last Saturday. I hurt for my friends and since hearing of it from him on Sunday, my mind has been rushing back to them repeatedly, thinking about them and this loss. They spent the service talking of the problem we have in life with addictions. The addiction cost this young man's life. Beyond the addiction was mention of his laughter and friendship and listening ear and yet the young man found that life still needed coping. He had grown in his faith, yet the pull remained to get the high and in buying the stuff he got something from a dealer that he used and then died. It was unintentional, accidental, and yet a decision. One decision as my friends said in the service and in the service it was their petition to everyone to STOP with your addictions. And then they offered the substitute - Christ - our creator, who erased our sin and grants us life - eternal life. He is the only peace in the midst of the storms of life. 

Now, as I read this passage I read of Jesus on a mission. He goes into Galilee, finds Philip and says to him, Follow Me. Philip was one of the first Jesus called. The apostles have intrigued me always. Not much is written of them and yet Jesus called them to be with Him. He chose them. And John then mentions that Philip then went to his friend Nathaniel to say, "We have found him." We have found him, as if they had been searching, waiting, for Jesus. Nathanael was at first skeptical for Jesus had come out of Nazareth and wondered, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?, but still Philip said to him, Come and See. Come and take a look yourself. 

Nathaniel was then shaken because Jesus had already seen him even before Philip had reached out to him. What an interesting sequence. Jesus calls Nathanael and yet uses Philip in alerting Nathanael. Nathanael does not end up being one of the 12 apostles that Jesus calls. And yet this calling of this man is here. It is here to show us that Jesus is the answer for everyone - for those he calls to follow Him and for those he simply calls. Nathanael and Philip had a different mission or job to do and yet both were called by Him. Chosen. 

The tragedy that my friend has experienced and the life now gone of his son, from this earth, reminds me that God calls us all, not to simply sample Him but that our lives would be forever changed. In all of us is a need to be chosen. In Jesus we have been called. O God, may you show us all that all that we need is you. 

Promise: There is no other way to God than through Jesus. And with Jesus is the only peace. 

Prayer: Thank you Jesus for calling me and for the life that you have given me. But, even like my friend's son Kyle, sometimes I am like wheat, going back and forth in the wind. Thank you for their example for they truly love you and help the Kyle's of this world to free themselves from the hook of a feeling that is always only temporary and never completely satisfying. Free my son Derek from this hold, whatever the cost. Help us as parents to do the right thing and help our children as we can, but ultimately God you are in charge - you do the calling and choosing, we are simply the conduits you ask to be involved. Thank you for that, but to you be the glory. To you God. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of May is about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April was about salvation by grace alone; March about the sovereign providence of God; February was about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January was about the doctrine of God.

- Attributes of Jesus - The Divine Nature of Christ meaning Jesus is God, the God-Man, God became man, The Human Nature of Christ Jesus has the qualities of man (hunger, needing rest, not knowing future events, being tempted), Jesus the Last Adam as Adam was our federal head in ushering all sin to man, Jesus makes all alive for those in Christ, Jesus the True Israel as Israel was called by God to be His true messenger, but Jesus is the one that truly fulfilled this call, Jesus the Messiah is the One that rescues and delivers His people

- The Word of Jesus - Obedience in Childhood reminds us that each day Jesus grew in obedience and favor with God, Obedience in Baptism showed Jesus fulfilled all righteousness, as John had been baptizing all new believers, Obedience in Temptation - like men called by God before, Jesus is tempted, but he resists and defends Himself with scripture, showing perfect obedience, Obedience under the Law as Christ was born under the Law, and kept the Law perfectly to redeem man, Obedience in Suffering as even in suffering Jesus learned obedience, a sinless man suffering for sinners, 

- His Titles - Christ Our Prophet, speaking for God, with divine inspiration, His words absolutely trustworthy and never fail to accomplish His purposes, Christ the Priest, clearing the way for human beings to approach the Father in heaven through prayer, Christ Our King is King of Kings, the last and final monarch of our lives for He did it all, 

- His Atonement - In Penal Substitution the penalty is paid by a substitute and Jesus paid the penalty of sin, once for all, and with Particular Atonement is the reminder that Jesus had me in my mind when He went to the cross, not everyone, but only those who will hear His voice. Christ Resurrected reminds me that only through the resurrection am I truly saved and sealed for eternity with Him by faith and now Christ Ascension whereby our King ascends to heaven to rule at the right hand of God and sends the Holy Spirit so that Christ can continue to be present with His people on earth. 

- His Encounters - Jesus called Philip and then he told Nathanael to come and see so he could see that Jesus reveals himself to Nathanael. 

The Man Who Pioneered Faith - Abraham, The Friend of God, Charles Swindoll Bible Study Guide

The Man Who Pioneered Faith

This Abraham study is about him being a friend of God. And it begins talking of Abram as being a pioneer of faith. His life was one of faith and simplicity. Colossians 2:6 -- Therefore as you have received (by faith) Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him (by faith). “Walk by faith, not by sight” the song goes. What does this look like? I trust Jesus Christ by faith. Faith is to trust or believe in God. This is simple and should be simple in our lives. Our lives begin in Christ with simplicity. 

I saw this text: Psalm 37:1-5: 

Do not fret because of evildoers,

Be not envious toward wrongdoers.

For they will wither quickly like the grass

And fade like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord and do good;

Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord;

And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

Let my life be about faith and living by faith and cultivating a life of faithfulness. 

Prayer: Oh Lord, I got started today on a journey with you and Abraham and his life to better understand you and better understand my life with You. I pray that my life is lived by faith. Help this to transcend me and in turn, help me to encourage others - here at home, online, everywhere. But I want to live by faith. And I want to know what this means each day to live a life by faith. 

The point is made that ‘faith expands understanding.’ God gave Abram promises - 

Now the Lord said to Abram,

“Go forth from your country,

And from your relatives

And from your father’s house,

To the land which I will show you; 

And I will make you a great nation,

And I will bless you,

And make your name great;

And so you shall be a blessing;

And I will bless those who bless you,

And the one who curses you I will curse.

And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” [Genesis 12:1-3]

Abram followed God before the promises seemed attainable. He followed. He loved the promise of land, but he loved more the promise of an heir. He didn’t know how it would occur as Sarai was barren. He thought it might be his servant that would be the heir, but God corrected him and said it would be “one who shall come forth from your own body.”

Prayer: Lord, I do want to follow You first. Not follow then wait for rewards. Let’s face it, you have already given me so much. 

Children follow - with a simplicity. Jesus made mention of this - “unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Abraham (“father of a multitude”) and Sarah (“princess”) seem to have this type of faith - throughout their lives. They would have a son, Isaac (“he laughs”) after God promises to them. 

Q: In whom or in what are you placing your trust? 

• It is supposed to be ‘in God’ but it feels more likely that my trust wallows back and forth between wanting to be in God and more likely in His blessings. I wonder if that is the same thing. At times, it is, but am I only happy and content if I have what I need and want? If I am in want - am i still trusting? 

Q: And what kind of eternal dividend will that investment yield? 

• The eternal dividend of trust in God yields peace with God and life with Him. Heaven should not be a surprise but should echo the life I am living now toward God. 

The faith that Abraham displayed in offering his son as a burnt offering, only to be stopped by the angel of the Lord prior, is a faith that very few have duplicated. One is the appearance of an audible intercession by the Lord that I do not encounter today. The other is sometimes not feeling like I experience these kind of tests. But also Abraham, while following God, anticipated God to intercede - so he seemed to anticipate God interceding. 

Encoutering death is something Abraham did when Sarah died and then he prepared for his own death. 

Q: How would I respond if I was told I had very little time to live? 

• I would want my family to be prepared for my passing. To be ready to go on without me. 

Q: If this was my last day, how would I live it? 

• Saying goodbye to those I have loved and have loved me. 

The Life of Abraham - Genesis 11-25

11 - Terah is his Abram’s father; Abram takes Sarai as wife and they settle in Haran with Terah and Sarai

12:1-3 - Abrahamic Covenant - “a great nation, I will bless you, and all the families shall be blessed.” Abram departs from Haran (w/ Lot - his nephew) at age 75 - possibly in Southern Turkey and now Harran and arrives in Shechem - 14 hours drive south of Harran today; Lord “I will give you this land” and Abram built an altar, then he went to Mountain east of Bethel, then to Negev; then to Egypt.

12:11-20 Encounters Pharaoh and misleads him, saying Sarai (beautiful) is his sister, leading to the Lord striking plagues onto Pharaoh, and his men escorted them away; Pharaoh, tho he does not follow God knows the plagues are from God. 

13:1-14 - They leave Egypt (w/ Lot) to the Negev, b/w Bethel and AI - Lot and Abram each had lots of flocks, herds, tents and so they decide it is best to separate for the land cannot sustain them both - Lot goes east to Sodom (valley of Jordan); Abraham settled in Canaan

13:15-18 - Lord says, “Look, all that you see is for you and your descendants” and he went to Hebron and built an altar

14:1-12 - Lot is removed,  he and his possessions, from Sodom; Abram rescues Lot

14:17-24 king of Salem, Melchizedek, blesses Abram; Abram takes nothing in return

15:1-5 - Abram receives a message from God through a vision; Eliezer, his servant will not be his heir, but one born of him. Your descendants will be counted like the stars. 

15:6-11 - Abram believe in the Lord and He reckoned to him as righteousness

15:12-15 - Your descendants will be strangers, enslaved and oppressed 400 years, but God will judge the nation they serve and they will come out with many possessions; Abram will live a long life.

15:18 - Lord made a covenant with Abram - “i have given this land to your descandants”

16:2 - Sarai tells Abram to go into Hagar (maid) to obtain children, 10 years after living in Canaan

16:5 - strife exists now b/w Sarai and Hagar

16:9-12 - Angel says to Hagar, “Return to Sarai and submit to her and I will greatly multiple your descendants. Your child will be called Ishmael. He will live to the east.”

16:16 - Abram is 86

17:1 - Abram is 99

17:2-8 - The Lord gives covenants to Abram - “I will multiply you exceedingly” and “You shall be the father of a multitude of nations.” Your name is now Abraham which means father of a multitude. “I will make you exceedingly fruitful” and “I will make nations of you” and “kings shall come forth from you” and “everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants” and “I will give you and your descendants the land of Canaan” 

17:9-14 - The Lord says, “You shall keep My covenant”; “You shall be circumcised as a sign of the covenant” and this includes servants

17:15-27 - Sarai is now Sarah (princess) and I will give you a son by her and bless her and Abraham laughed as he wondered how this would happen to Sarah who is 90. Lord said, “his name will be Isaac and I will also establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.” Ishmael will be blessed and made fruitful and become the father of 12 princes. BUT, my covenant will be with Isaac. Then Abraham circumcised himself, and all in his household.  

18:1-15 - Three appear before Abraham, thought to be 2 men and the Lord and Abraham prepares food for them. They are looking for Sarah to tell her that a son will be born to her at this time next year. Sarah laughs at this and then denies it for “Is anything too difficult for the Lord” is what is said

18:16-33 - Abraham intercedes for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and with God he sort of bargains for the fate of those in the city stating that if there are 50, then 40, then 30, then 20, even 10 righteous ones in all the city, then all the city will be spared. Before this God said that he is going their to decide the fate of those in the City. 

19:1-29 - 2 angels come to Sodom, and Lot welcomes them into his home, but the men of the City want those men in order to have relations with them. Lot pleads with them to not act in this evil manner, even offering his virgin daughters, but they insist. The angels intercede and strike these wicked men with blindness and then ask Lot to gather him and his family to spare them for the Lord has sent these men to destroy this city because of its wickedness. The angels say to Lot and his family to escape to the mountain, but Lot bargains with them and asks instead to go to the town of Zoar. Fire and brimstone then fell on Sodom and Gomorrah. After being told to not look back, Lot’s wife does indeed look back, and became a pillar of salt. It is said that God remembered Abraham in allowing Lot and his family to live.

19:30-38 - Lot’s daughters think that there are no men left to have children so they get their father drunk and lie with him in order to preserve the family. The first born gives birth to Moab (father of Moabites) and the younger to Ben-ammi (father of the sons of Ammon).

20 - Abraham goes to land of Negev, then to Gerar where he comes up king Abimelech and once again says Sarah is his sister. The Lord spoke to Abimelech and he called Abraham wondering why he would say this to him. Abraham thought there was no fear of God in this place and would kill him. Following this Abimelech gave Abraham sheep, oxen, male and female servants. Previously, having been made barren Abimelech’s wife because of this incident, Abraham intereceds for Abimelech and his wife and maids now bore children. 

21 - 3 things happen in this chapter. First, the birth of Isaac is mentioned and Sarah laughs because she and Abraham have bore children at an old age. Second, she sees Hagar, the mother of the child that was bore with Abraham and she wants Hagar to leave, stating that the offspring blessing is now reserved for Isaac. But the Lord says that while Hagar needs to leave, her offspring will still be blessed. So she leaves. Third, a treat is made between Abimelech and Abraham. Abimelech is the leader of the army and a covenant between him and Abraham is established. There is an episode of his servants seizing water from a well, but Abraham provides an offering for this it would seem to provide a sign that all is well between he and Abimelech. 

22 - This is the story of the offering of Isaac whereby God calls thim to make this offering. He must journey several days to the place of the offering, taking his son, a donkey and servants, and wood. The son wonders what the sacrifice will be and Isaac assures him that an offering will be provided. He leaves the servants once he arrives at the place and just as he is ready to slaughter his own son, God intercedes and perhaps Abraham hears the lesson that was needed hear - that Abraham is willing to forsake all for following the Lord. Immediately, a ram instead is provided for the sacrifice and Abraham builds an altar saying, “God will provide” and remains living in Beersheba. At the end fo the chapter, the offsprings of Abraham’s brothers is mentioned. 

23 - This chapter is about the burial place for Sarah, who has died at the age of 127. Abraham mourns for her, but spends time picking a burial place that is then promised to Abraham as a burial place. It is a cave.

24 - Abraham tells his servant where they are to go to find a wife for Isaac. After a long journey, and wanting to make a right decision, Abraham’s servant says that upon a woman coming who says to him, “Let down your jar that I may drink” will be the one. Immediately, Rachel appears and provides her jug for the servant to drink from. Rebekah had a brother Laban who provides a place to rest for Abraham’s servant. Rachel is a daughter of one of Abraham’s brothers - Nahor. Nahor hesitates in letting Rebekah go back with the servant, asking for her to stay 10 days, but then asks Rebekah and she says it is fine, so Rebekah then leaves and arrives at home and upon seeing Isaac in the field they are immediately wed. 

25 - After Sarah’s passing, Abraham takes another wife, Keturah and has more children. Abraham lived to the age of 175. Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave that I believe Sarah was also. 

Can I identify some of the struggles that Abraham faced? What is going on in my life right now and what struggles am I facing? 

Abraham: The life and times of Abraham is from age 75 to 175. Much of that is written about Abraham isn’t necessarily what he experiences but what others experience around him (Lot, Sarah, his servant) and besides this God bestows on Abram great gifts and providence. I suppose Abraham is challenged to listen to God and do what he says in offering his son Isaac. He also can’t believe that he can enter a town without lying. So he struggles with lying at times. He also sees his friends struggling and intercedes for them (christians living in Sodom and Gomorrah). He also has a wife that tells him to do a sin and he goes along with it.  

Me: So far my Christian life has been from 14 to 52. In that time one of the big things I’ve struggled with is anger. And I’ve also noticed I struggle with feeling a need to please others. And also feeling like I am never doing enough. In my walk with God, I often struggle wondering what more I can do. I feel that like God has provided me with alot and I’m not sure I’m taking care of others the way I need to do; so like Abraham what am I doing with the gifts He provides. The Lord will provide and does provide. I know I do good things and people tell me so, but still I wonder.  

Titus 2:11 - Is Grace Cooperative

Titus 2:11 - For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,

Message: Is Grace Cooperative?

Time: Paul is the author, written in AD 63. Paul went with Titus to the island of Crete and evangelized there before Paul left Titus there in a position of leadership. The book speaks of living right as guided by Truth.

What the Lord is Saying:

The issue: How free is the human will after the fall of Adam.

Humans beings are free to make choices. But our freedom is limited by our desires. Freedom is doing what we most want to do. Apart from God's grace, the only thing that we want to do is sin. In order to do what is truly good and pleasing to God, grace must change our hearts. It is only the regenerate person that understands the things of God.

I go back to an idea that I have been focusing on: the horizontal and the vertical. The horizontal is our life lived with one another and the life I live for myself. In this life there is freedom: each day there are choices to engage in good acts and bad acts as they relate to man's relationship to man. Much good has been done by men and women on this horizontal level. We should not ever diminish these acts. But there is the vertical - man's relationship with God. Without God's grace there is no vertical, only a horizontal. Grace brings the vertical into my life because sin removed the vertical. Without grace, I will only live on the horizontal. With grace, I can carry out the things of God. Thus, today's text states in Titus 2:11 - For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. Salvation is a God thing and it is needed to make me right vertically, right with God.

The debate that I have been looking at is - can man get to God on his own or must God intervene? And is this intervention completely by God or is man involved?

RC Sproul Message - Is Grace Cooperative - In this message RC Sproul begins his lecture by reciting a quote by Joseph Arminius in which he upholds the lost condition of man following Adam's sin or his sin and mentions that the only way man can be brought to salvation is through the act of grace into that person's life. He mentions that Arminius began as a pure Calvinist and Augustinian but then he got wrapped up in a debate with someone and in that process began to move further and further away from the reformed doctrine.

Early on he speaks of preventing grace and prevenient grace. "Pre" means before and "venient" - coming before so this is 'grace that comes before something." Grace comes before conversion. There are also those who look at internal grace and external grace. External grace is something that happens outside of ourselves, outside of our soul. Internal grace would be something that God does inside of us. For Arminius, grace is not limited to an external operation of the Holy Spirit, but also God's internal operation. However, he then goes to say that all persons have their own will and can refuse the call of the Holy Spirit. So even though it is internal (God doing something inside of us), it is not irresistible. He says the grace of regeneration is sufficient to convert. It is all a person needs to be liberated from spiritual bondage. The grace is enough. But it is not inherently efficient as it does not always affect conversion or regeneration. Thus, prevenient grace or grace that comes before man's choice to then choose whether or not he wants that grace.

Calvin however speaks that the calling of God is effectual. Here the Spirit effects what it intends and thus, it cannot be rejected. Thus, grace is internal and effectual. But for Arminius it is internal but can be rejected. Arminius says that if man does not submit to the grace, the fault lies with man. Pelagius would though deny this for Pelagius believes that God does not have to help a person be saved. But Arminius says that God does have to help, but man can reject. Arminius seeks to not make God accountable to people rejecting Him whereby with Calvin the onus is completely on God as to man being saved or not saved. While Arminius believes that the rejecting by man means that the fault rests on him, he also does not believe that the acceptance of man does not rest on man being virtuous. To believe this would mean that man has something to boast about and this would contradict what Paul says in Ephesians 2:9.

Arminius gave a famous example of a rich man coming to a beggar to offer him a gift. The beggar does nothing to earn the gift, and to receive it simply reaches out his had to accept the gift. But the beggar can also not reach out his hand and therefore be content in his position of being poor. Billy Graham even stated that God does 99% and man does 1% whereby reformers would say that for the drowning man, the person would drown and then God would pull him out of the water and resuscitate him to life.

After Arminius died in 1609, some of his disciples in the Synod of Dort were called upon to consider the five articles of Remonstrance. It was in response to these five articles that we received the five points of Calvinism.

[I was thinking of this question - most of the proof text I think about Calvinist thought, namely whether man is involved at all in salvation, comes from Paul's writings (and also Hebrews). Is it possible that Augustine and Calvin concluded their points on man having no place in saving man from Paul alone or is that line of thinking consistent throughout the Bible? Stated another way, is Jesus a Calvinist? Is God and the Old Testament writers Calvinist? This is a side-note question of mine. Some people have made the assertion that if we only follow the red letters or Jesus' words then we won't come to the conclusion of grace alone.]

RC Sproul Message - Born to Sin - In this message RC Sproul begins speaking about Jonathan Edwards and his book, Freedom of the Will, written in 1754. That book is very theological and philosophical and technical. It was written after Edwards had been removed from his church in Northampton and began a ministry to the Indians at Stockbridge (both in Massachusetts).

Edwards deals with the question - "What is the will anyway?" Philosophers often looked at the mind, the affections, and the will OR the mind, the heart, and the will. Edwards felt it was important to distinguish between the mind or thinking and the will or choosing. He says they are interrelated. In analyzing the will, the making of human decisions or choices, he looked first at the law of causality. Causality is every effect must have a cause. Thus, he analyzed human choices as effects with causes. The choices we make are made for a reason and the mind supplies the reason. Thus, the choices we make are what we deem to be good for us, though, Edwards use of the word good isn't necessarily morality, but rather good is what is pleasing to us. Thus, the good is what is most pleasing to me, at this moment, and to choose what I want. Thus, this is the role of desire in the making of choices. The mind deems a particular action to be good and pleasing to us. For example, when one is hungry, those hunger pains alert the mind and then the mind through choosing decides to eat, in order to meet the need of hunger, in order to please himself.

Edwards states that all choices are caused by something. They don't just happen. And what causes choices are inclinations. Thus, choices are motivated or driven by inclinations. Edwards understood that as humans we are complex. At times, we have very complex desires and motives within our lives. Paul reverberates this idea in Romans 7:19 - For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do. What Paul seems to be saying that in him are competing desires and competing inclinations. In Christ is the desire to always do those things that honor God, but in his flesh is desires contrary to the Spirit and sometimes I follow these desires. Edwards might say to Paul that at the time of your choice to sin, you have a stronger desire to not do what is pleasing to God than you have in yourself to please God. Thus, there is a conflict of inclinations. Thus, Edwards states that we always choose according to the strongest inclination at the moment.

This is not determinism which is being controlled by external forces that coerce us, such as our environment and place in which we live and grow up. Atheists believe in determinism, meaning we are a product of our environment. What Edwards is focused on instead is self-determination in which the choices we make are determined by us. What Edwards is getting at is our choices are determined by us and my desires and what my mind deems to be most good for me at the moment. There is a desire continuum we have. Some desires are strong while others are mild. Thus freedom is the power to choose according to your inclinations.

For example, the doctor may recommend and I may agree that I need to lose 30 pounds as losing pounds has a myriad of positive outcomes. But, my desire to lose those pounds varies from moment to moment. After eating a thanksgiving meal I have no desires to eat more and want to lose pounds, but when I am hungry and a chocolate sundae is presented before me, my desire for that sundae is greater than my desire to lose weight. Thus, the desire continuum. We have different degrees of desires, but without an inclination there wouldn't be a choice is what Edwards argues.

Yet, Edwards is arguing with pagan philosophers and even other theologians which might say that the will is not indifferent, but has a prior bent, disposition or inclination. To be really free it would have an equal means to go to the right or the left. Edwards says an indifferent choice is an irrational concept. If I choose one thing over another for no other reason whatsoever, like choosing which way to go at a fork in the road with no reason to choose either way, how would that have any moral significance. Intent is essential to a moral decision, to a voluntary act. To be a moral decision, there has to be a reason or intent. But he says the idea of an indifferent choice is a nonsensical concept.

What Edwards is most famous for is his distinction between our natural ability and our moral ability. This is similar to Augustinian's distinction between free will and liberty. Edwards says, "We have the natural ability to make choices." We have natural ability that is not coerced by outside forces. What we lack, according to Edwards, is the moral ability to choose the things of God. Because in the fall, we lost our disposition, our desire, our inclination for God. We don't choose God because we don't want him. We cannot choose what we do not want. We have no natural inclination for the things of God until the Holy Spirit creates that in our soul. Thus back to the vertical, Edwards is stating that we lack, on our own, the ability to see that God is what we need the most in our lives, and in turn meets us on the vertical, on our own. The only way our heart is inclined to the things of God is God coming to us and once God comes, we cannot resist Him. Thus, grace is not cooperative.

Summary: On the horizontal, man is capable of making choices, based upon his inclinations and desires. The problem is that apart from grace, we only desires the things of this world, the things that do not save us, that are not of salvation, that therefore are not of God. To do the things of God, God must intervene in our lives and this intervention is not resisting. If God calls us, we will respond.

Promise: Paul says that the grace of God has brought salvation to all people, thus God has saved all sorts of people. The gospel must be preached to all people.

Prayer: Father, your word is alive and true. I seek truth. Even as I spend time talking to people that are coming from a myriad of faiths, I want to make sure that the truth of who you are and how salvation happens or how I am made to be free from sin happens. Guide me into truth always. Thank you for saving me and making me whole and giving me new life. I live now in obedience to You and I do not want that to ever be muddy or unclear. You are my God and I am yours. You love me and in response I love You and others and want You to be in the life of all others I am near. Save. Save people. Keep on saving people. 

My Utmost for His Highest - October 26 - What is a Missionary?

As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. —John 20:21

A missionary is one sent by Jesus Christ as He was sent by God. The great dominant note is not the needs of men, but the command of Jesus. The source of our inspiration in work for God is behind, not before. The tendency to-day is to put the inspiration ahead, to sweep everything in front of us and bring it all out to our conception of success. In the New Testament the inspiration is put behind us, the Lord Jesus. The ideal is to be true to Him, to carry out His enterprises.

Personal attachment to the Lord Jesus and His point of view is the one thing that must not be overlooked. In missionary enterprise the great danger is that God’s call is effaced by the needs of the people until human sympathy absolutely overwhelms the meaning of being sent by Jesus. The needs are so enormous, the conditions so perplexing, that every power of mind falters and fails. We forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary enterprise is not first the elevation of the people, nor the education of the people, nor their needs; but first and foremost the command of Jesus Christ — “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.”

When looking back on the lives of men and women of God the tendency is to say — “What wonderfully astute wisdom they had! How perfectly they understood all God wanted!” The astute mind behind is the Mind of God, not human wisdom at all. We give credit to human wisdom when we should give credit to the Divine guidance of God through childlike people who were foolish enough to trust God’s wisdom and the supernatural equipment of God.

My Thoughts

• Chambers continues to help me embrace the idea that "to God be the Glory", not man. We give humans too much credit.