Reprove me not in Your wrath

*Joshua 23-24

*Psalms 38

*Acts 10                                 

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            Today’s readings have such important, landmark verses and concepts in them that we’ll be bouncing around in all of them.  First, let’s talk about discipline.  I grew up (many years ago) in an age that believed in physical discipline; in a time that folks believed that if you lacked proper direction then a firm impetus on the posterior would propel you properly towards the direction of righteousness.  I was personally propelled towards righteousness on a number of occasions, but I have to confess that it was always deserved and always administered fairly.  Even so, when I was younger I did my absolute best to avoid being punished: I shoved books down the back of my pants once, I remember hiding my father’s belts on at least one occasion, and I took long extended walks to the river hoping that the extra time would cause my offenses to be forgotten.  It was rather silly, really, the foolishness of a selfish child.    Thinking back to some of those instances really made the Psalms reading today resonate within me.

            In our Psalms reading, it says in 38:1: “…O Yahweh, reprove me not in Your wrath, And discipline me not in Your burning anger. ” (LSB).  This is David asking for a “cool off” time, for correction with justice rather than wrath which could destroy him; not an avoidance of punishment but temperance in it’s administration.  In v3-8 he freely confesses his sin, and is asking God to correct him, but in a manner which allows growth.  This sentiment  is echoed beautifully in Jeremiah 10:24, when the prophet says “Discipline me, O Yahweh, but with justice; Not with Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing. ” (LSB).  The purpose of discipline is to correct behavior, but know also that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10) is not an idle statement.  If you believe that your heavenly Father loves you, you will understand that the expression of that love is to correct your behavior at times before you continue in a course that will lead you to destruction. 

            Hebrews 12:6 says “FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE FLOGS EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.” (LSB).  It is the expectation that our heavenly Father will correct His children, in love, to prevent us from engaging in activities that will lead to our destruction.  That’s just what a good dad does.  The discipline of God can come in many forms; a painful conscience, an unrest in our soul when we know that we’ve done wrong, or even a more tangible and physical discipline.  Is it going to always be comfortable, and in a manner that we prefer?  Usually not.  If we are NOT receiving that corrective discipline though, we should be very concerned and ask ourself “why?”.  I’ve heard it said that God usually gently guides his children, but I can tell you truly that sometimes he picks them up by the throat and the short hairs (as in my case) until they listen.  Do not run from, or dread, the life saving corrective discipline from our Father in heaven who loves you.  Embrace it, and take to heart the lesson He is trying to teach. 

            When the Israelites, in our last chapters of Joshua reading this morning, are getting their last instructions and guidance from their leader Joshua before he dies they are reminded of all of the blessings that God has given them, and then warned of this very thing in Joshua 23 “…15 And it will be that just as all the good words which Yahweh your God spoke to you have come upon you, so Yahweh will bring upon you all the calamitous words, until He has destroyed you from off this good land which Yahweh your God has given you. 16 When you trespass against the covenant of Yahweh your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of Yahweh will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which He has given you.”  (LSB).

            Then, Joshua tells the children of Israel that they have a choice, but clarifies his choice in one of the most beautiful (and most quoted) verses in the Bible, located in Joshua 24:15: “If it is evil in your sight to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh.”  (LSB).

            In our reading of Acts 10 today, there is a landmark moment, a fulfillment of prophecy so huge that to give it proper scale of importance this entire chapter should be in huge bold font with giant exclamation points at the beginning and the end of the chapter.  Every time you turn to this section in the Bible, you should hear the trumpets of angels sounding in your head, it’s that important.  For the first time in recorded history, in this chapter, salvation is offered to the gentiles!  That’s the majority of us, unless you’ve got some remote biological link to Abraham.  This is in a direct fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 49:6 where it is written: “He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to cause the preserved ones of Israel to return; I will also give You as a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.‘” (LSB).

            I will point out something that most folks conveniently overlook.  This guy Cornelius, in addition to being a gentile (a Roman centurion, specifically), was “a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the people and prayed to God continually” (Acts 10:2, LSB).  He was a devout man, he practiced tzedakah (look it up, please!) and enacted God’s justice to the people, and prayed constantly.  This is what got God’s attention, because God sees the heart of a man.  This was not a random choice.  In Acts 10:4 the angel of God says “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.”  This is a guy who put his money where his mouth was, and his wallet where his heart was.  We should emulate his actions to the best of our abilities, if we desire to please our God.

            After the events detailed earlier in the chapter, Peter goes on to say at the beginning of what could be considered his 4th recorded sermon in  Acts 10:34 “I most truly comprehend now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the one who fears him and does righteousness is welcome to Him.” (LSB).  He then finishes this sermon, as the holy spirit falls upon all those listening to his words, as the Jewish believers who came with him were astounded that gentiles had received the gift of the holy spirit, by asking “Can anyone refuse water for these to be baptized who have received the holy spirit just as we did?”

            Today, with the overwhelming number of gentiles who profess to be Christians, we kind of take it for granted, but before THIS SPECIFIC MOMENT in history: salvation was for the Jewish people alone, the chosen people of God.  This was the exact moment in time when God clarified for all humanity: it’s not who your father was (genealogically), but who your Father is (in your heart) that matters.  This is what God has been saying from the beginning, in Deuteronomy 6:4-5, but now the gift of salvation is being offered up to all the nations, to all those who fear God and do righteousness (again, please go look up tzedakah for a clarification on this), to those who seek and accept the discipline of our Father.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Did you ever try to avoid being disciplined (by God or men), and what were the results?

Think of a time when you received divine discipline.  What was the result?

Have your alms ascended as a memorial to God, or are they stacked up in your bank as a memorial to your own greed?

PRAYER

Father God, please discipline me gently and allow me to receive the instruction that is offered through it.  Correct me when my course goes astray, and forgive me of my many shortcomings.  Help me to reflect your love and character to all of Your creation.  Thank you for all of the blessings, and especially for sending us Jesus and his words of instruction.  In his name, Amen.

SGL.26.Schedule (1)Download

Delight in the LORD Part II

Joshua 21-22

Psalm 37

Acts 9

-Devotion by Emilee Christian (MO)

Two years ago, I wrote a devotion for Seek Grow Love on one of my favorite Psalms, Psalms 37. I’m going to re-post the devotion today, but this time share some context about what was going on in my life the night I wrote it. 

I was supposed to have dinner with my brother and his wife, who happens to be one of my best friends. She was in the early stages of her first pregnancy after a long fertility struggle. That morning I received a text from my brother saying dinner was going to be pushed until later in the evening. In the afternoon, he sent a text cancelling dinner. When I asked if everything was alright, I didn’t get a response….and I knew. I knew they had lost the baby. I buried myself under 20 pounds of weighted blanket and slept for two hours. It was one of the top five worst nights of my life. I knew they were hurting. I kept flashing back to this memory of when my brother and I were really little, playing dress up, and he got his foot cut from one of the cheap plastic high heels. I remember seeing him bleeding, running over to him and calling out for a parent to come help. I wanted to run to him now, but I couldn’t. I knew they needed space. 

After my nap, I called my dad to see if he’d heard anything from them. He thought I was being overdramatic and convinced me to get something to eat. About an hour later he called, saying he got a text from my brother about them having a miscarriage. 

By this time, I still had a devotion to write. On that sad, desperate night, this is what came out of my heart: 

Almost the entirety of Act 7 is Stephen’s response to the charges brought against him from our previous reading. Stephen gives a beautiful sermon, outlining the history of the Israelite people. His sermon shows how time after time, the Israelites were unfaithful and persecuted the prophets. He asks the leaders of the high council when they will stop resisting the truth. Stephen forms a sound argument with the tools of a great orator utilizing ethos, logos and pathos. However, I want to just focus on one small line today.

Stephen retells the story of when Moses went to Mount Sinai and the Israelites rebelled. He says the Israelites, “made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed and celebrated over this thing they had made.” (Acts 7:41 NLT). Celebrated this thing they had made. That caught my attention.

How often do we get carried away with our own success? How often do we put value in material things? How often do we forget Christ’s words to seek first the Kingdom of God? (Matt 6:33). We live in an age where knowledge, entertainment, and relationships are literally at our fingertips. Not to sound like a broken record, but it is so easy to get wrapped up in our own lives, the things we can make, things we can buy. God needs to be made a priority in our lives. He is someone we need to communicate with daily, thank and praise. Otherwise, we run the risk of celebrating over the things we have made and turning those things into idols.

These things may not be physical. They also may not always be bad or wrong. Sometimes the thing we are trying to make is a dream or notion of something. Maybe a job promotion, an engagement, a family. It’s when these desires become our only focus a problem occurs. The Greek term used in Stephen’s statement is the word euphrainó which literally means to “cheer, make merry.” Our happiness should not be placed solely in these things.

The Israelites made the golden calf when Moses went to talk to God at Mount Sinai. Moses was their leader and connection to God. Suddenly, to the Israelites, God felt distant. It is then they began to see what joy they could offer themselves and celebrate with their own idols. Sometimes, God may feel distant. At times we may face periods of loneliness, sadness, even anger. When this happens, we MUST heed the words in Psalms 37:4 “Take delight in the LORD.”

The rest of that verse in Psalms offers us a promise: “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” I am not saying God always answers prayers for those who put their true delight in following Him. He does not. I know many godly people who have given their lives in faithfulness to Him and still face difficulty and unanswered prayers. However, I do sincerely believe when we start to delight in the LORD, when we celebrate Him, something in our hearts begins to change. We still have dreams and goals, but our heart’s desire becomes wanting a true connection with God, a deep relationship with our creator, the one who gave us those very dreams we have.

Several times in my life I have felt defeated, lost, and alone. I have had to grieve lost dreams, goals, relationships. I’ve had to mourn a life I imagined for myself. The lyrics to Phil Stacey’s song “You’re Not Shaken” describes this feeling of helplessness perfectly: “When every little thing that I have dreamed would be/ Just slips away like water through my hand.” That’s what brokenness can feel like at times. Like reaching out your hand and trying to cling to something that isn’t there. In these moments it’s imperative we take our delight in the LORD. Slowly, He will fix our gaze on something better than what we had lost. Even when that thing we lost was good.

Here’s a link to a playlist of some of my favorite songs when dealing with loss and grief:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3QAs1OUWTnwSbRClTaV51T”

One year, three months, and twenty-four days later I sent the following text message to my dad after meeting my brother’s newborn daughter for the first time.

“She is so cute and soooo snuggly. I heard you might be going over later tonight. Ben and Becca are amazing parents. Ben gave me his phone and I took pictures of all three of them together. Watching them read to her, I had to hold back tears. It was truly a moment that shows joy comes in the morning.”

Reflection Questions: 

  1. What is something in your life that could easily become a distraction from taking delight in the LORD?
  2. How can you ensure your heart is in the right place even when dealing with grief and sadness? 
  3. Is there a time in your life you experienced loss, took refuge and delight in the LORD and experienced joy in the morning? If so, I encourage you to share with someone this week. God’s good deeds deserve to be praised and told over and over again! 

Prayer: 

Dear God, 

You are so so good. Thank You for stories like Ben and Becca’s. Thank You for the life of this promised little baby. Thank You for this reminder of Your faithfulness. May I take refuge and delight in You, and may You guide and guard my path. 

In Christ’s name,

Amen

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

Learning from Philip

Joshua 19-20

Psalm 37

*Acts 8

-Devotion by Stephanie Fletcher (MN)


There is a lot going on in this chapter, but I am going to focus on the last section of Philip and the Eunuch. There are 3 main things that stick out to me reading through this story that I want to share some thoughts on.


First is how open Philip is to hearing the voice of God and the movings of the Holy Spirit. That last section starts (Acts 8:26) with an angel of the Lord directing him where to go, followed by the Holy Spirit giving him specific directions on talking to a specific person, and finally at the end, “the Lord snatched Philip away” to move him to the next place he wanted him to minister. All of those instances seem amazing to me. There have been times in my life that I have felt clear direction and would even say that I heard God speaking to me, but these instances with Philip are still awesome to me. Whether this was unusual for him or not, every instance of hearing God’s direction – through an angel or the Spirit – is pretty amazing. And the final instance of being snatched away to a new place is beyond my full comprehension because I just have never seen or experienced that. Maybe this had happened to Philip before, but I like his reaction. After what sounds like to me to be teleportation, he just keeps going on sharing the Good News of Jesus in the town he ended up in and every town on his way to the next place. It definitely seems like he was tuned in to God and following His leading well.


The next thing that stands out to me in this passage is the Eunuch’s response to Philip asking if he understands what he is reading – “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” On one side of things, I see his humility here. Sometimes I think we have been raised in this world to try to be too independent. To feel that we should be able to figure things out for ourselves and to not seek help. But the Eunuch here is just open and honest and completely willing to have someone help explain things to him. I think of my daughter, who once she learns something, believes herself to be an expert on the subject. My husband and I frequently have to remind her that while she is learning a lot, in most instances, the adults in her life still know more than her and she needs to continue to listen to advice and direction. Even when we think we know what passages of Scripture are about, we can still benefit from hearing someone else instruct on them. Maybe giving a different perspective than you are used to, or maybe truly learning something completely new. But we have to be open to being instructed. And then on the flip side, there have to be those willing to instruct! Again here, I appreciate Philip following God’s leading and being a person who is out there instructing people about the Good News of Jesus.


The final piece that stands out to me in this story is how the Eunuch responds to the Good News. He sees water and says “Why can’t I be baptized?” No hesitation, no waiting to have more information, just someone who is ready to go all in after hearing about Christ. I think this resonates with me because as someone raised in the church, I was probably baptized later in life than most in similar situations. I kept waiting, finding reasons to say, “not now.” At the time, the reasons I gave were that I wanted to make sure my decision was my own, that I wasn’t being influenced because someone else I knew was getting baptized, or because someone else had suggested it, but in looking back, I can see that there was pride there and I isolated myself through that. I wanted there to be no doubt that decision I made was because I believed it and not because of anyone else’s actions. In the end, I very clearly made my choice because of what someone else had shared. And I am thankful for that because it broke the pride that I had built up and led me to say it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks of this – I want to be baptized. I didn’t and don’t have a perfect understanding of things – I am still learning, I am still struggling with a variety of things, but I am not alone. If you are waiting for the perfect time or to have things all figured out first –there isn’t one, and you don’t need to. If you believe, why shouldn’t you be baptized?

Reflection Questions

  1. How open are you to the Spirit’s leading? Would you be willing to change your plans for today if you felt the Spirit urging you to “Go” – talk to that neighbor, write that text, initiate that conversation, go out into “the desert” to be shown what to do next?
  2. How have you grown by listening to someone else’s explanation of Scripture? Where do you go when you have a question about what you find in the Bible? To whom and how can you share what you are learning from Scripture?
  3. What do Scriptures teach about baptism? Have you been baptized? If not, why not?

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for the gift of Your Scriptures which have been used for thousands of years to draw people to You and Your plan of salvation. Help me to read, meditate, be instructed in, discuss, share and live them well. Thank You for Jesus, your great Son, servant, and Christ who was prophesied throughout the Old Testament, shared in the gospels and explained by Philip and Peter and John and those who teach me, too. May I be rooted in the truth of Your word and led by Your Spirit to do the work You want me to do. Help me be faithful to You always.

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

Focus

Joshua 17-18

Psalm 36

*Acts 7

-Devotion by Stephanie Fletcher (MN)

One thing that surprised me recently when our church was going through a study of Acts, was thinking about the timeline. I don’t know that I ever realized (or maybe I just forgot), that Stephen’s story doesn’t take place just right after Jesus ascends into heaven and the Holy Spirit is poured out. Depending on different sources I looked at, it was 5-7 years later that Stephen’s story here in Acts 6-7 takes place.

Why that sticks out to me here is that when Stephen gets into a debate with some men, and they are essentially embarrassed and then get people to lie about him in order that he can be arrested, it isn’t happening right in time after Jesus’ ministry. It is years later, but groups of people are still seeming to be freshly bothered by the impact of his ministry. This isn’t something that died down – it only got stronger through the faithfulness of those in the early church.

So Stephen is falsely accused, and does he go into a heated defense of himself? Nope. He launches into a history lesson of the people who accuse him, reminding them of God’s relationship and covenant with the Jews over time, and of the failures too of these people. And then he says to them

51 “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! 52 Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. 53 You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.” (Acts 7:51-53)

Never in his defense is Stephen trying to argue for himself. Through all of it, he is focused on God’s righteousness and as this group stones him, he is rewarded by getting to see the glory of God and Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand.

And despite this stoning, Stephen’s final words are “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” which is so reminiscent of Jesus’ words of “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

This is such a great example and reminder of forgiveness and loving others that are treating you wrong/hold different beliefs. Advice that I have heard before when dealing with difficult people is to ignore them or not focus on what they are doing and God will “make it right” or enact justice in the end. But Stephen didn’t try to ignore the fact that they were stoning him. Instead, he chose to ask for them to not have his death on their hands which is just so much more loving than the concept of not taking things into your own hands but still looking forward to people receiving “justice” for wrongdoing. As he was literally murdered, he asked for them to be forgiven. Can we offer this much love to people in our lives that probably aren’t trying to murder us, but are doing things that we don’t like?

Reflection Questions

  1. What impresses you about Stephen?
  2. What do you do when you feel you are being falsely accused? What happens when we are quick to defend ourself?
  3. What can we learn from what God allowed Stephen to see and share right before his death?
  4. Why do you think Stephen chose to forgive them? What do you think is the hardest part of forgiving someone who has/is hurting you? Pray about who God wants to see you forgive.

Prayer

Dear Lord God, I thank You for Your Son Jesus, and his follower Stephen. Forgive me of the times I have not shown the faithfulness, wisdom, courage, love and forgiveness Stephen displayed. Help me forgive, Father, so I can be forgiven. I pray for Your Spirit and wisdom to guide my decisions and words. May I be focused on You and not myself. Show me how You want me to be a faithful witness of You and Your Son today and in the future, and help me do it whatever the cost.

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

Rumblings of Discontent

Joshua 15-16

Psalm 36

Acts 6

-Devotion by Stephanie Fletcher (MN)

Looking at the start of Acts 6, we see how as the church was growing, and growing quickly, there were “rumblings of discontent.” It goes into a specific issue that we might not directly deal with in our church, but I think everyone can understand discontentedness.


As numbers grow – in anything you are doing, not just church – it is harder to get everyone on the same page and not have some people who are upset with how things are going. Sometimes discontent can grow when there are a lot of people with differing opinions. There may not necessarily be something wrong, but one person wants to do things one way and another person a different way. Sometimes it grows when there is an issue, and it seems like that is what is happening here.


As the early church grew larger, the apostles weren’t able to keep up with all the things that go into the different aspects of church. I think this is something we see today. Pastors have a lot put on them to be in charge, overseeing their congregation. But realistically, they can’t oversee all aspects of ministry.


In chapter 6 of Acts, we see how the apostles, having been gifted in this way, wanted to be able to continue focusing on praying and teaching, but recognized that there are other needs that are out there that need to be met. So they put together a group of people who were well respected, full of the Spirit and wisdom to oversee this area of need (daily distribution of food).


Though we may not have this specific programming in our churches today, and our churches may not even have the same format, we can see how one pastor in many cases, can’t do all the work of the church on their own. Delegation can be a wonderful thing, but it means that there need to be qualified and willing people to let the church continue to do the work of the church.


Do we seek that in our churches today – to make sure that good work is being done without overburdening one person, or one group of people? How can you personally look to serve to ease someone else’s burden?


We will get into Stephen tomorrow as his story continues into chapter 7.


Reflection Questions

  1. “Do we seek that in our churches today – to make sure that good work is being done without overburdening one person, or one group of people? How can you personally look to serve to ease someone else’s burden?” What needs do you see that you can help meet?
  2. If you were seeking someone “full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom” what would you be looking for? What does it take to have a good reputation? In what ways can you work on improving your own reputation? Do you think others regard you as “full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom”? Why or why not? What could be done to increase your measures of Holy Spirit and wisdom?
  3. Where else have you seen the benefit of delegating and sharing the load – in Scripture and in your life?

PRAYER

Dear God, I thank You for creating the church! It is not without its challenges, but it is a beautiful way You have given for Your children to come together as a body to love and worship You, follow Your Son and prepare for his return, while loving and strengthening believers, and being a light to the world. Show me how you want me to serve, and perhaps where you want me to let others serve. I ask for more of Your Spirit and wisdom to do well the jobs you want me to do. Working together, help us be a church that brings glory and honor to You in what we do and how we do it. In Your precious Son’s name I pray, Amen.

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

Claiming Your Inheritance

*Joshua 13-14

Psalm 35

Acts 5

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            In our Joshua reading today, we see once again one of the primary reasons that the Israelites were seemingly obsessed with lineage: all of those “who begat who begat who” passages that we come across in scripture.  The reason is, put simply, that’s where you got your inheritance, if you were a Jew.  That’s how you knew what your inheritance even was.  Your inheritance, to some degree, affected the level of your wealth, your occupation, everything.  Let’s say you wanted to be a fisherman; well, if your inheritance of land doesn’t have a large body of water with fish in it, you might want to consider shepherding as an option.  If you wanted to be a priest, you’d have to prove that Aaron was an ancestor of yours at some point.  Joshua 13 breaks down a number of these very specific physical inheritances for the Israelites, which were non-negotiable and non-transferrable.

            When you have been especially faithful though, and when you have the gumption to ask for it, sometimes you can receive an extra portion; this is what happens in Josh 14:6-15 (and continuing  on some in chapter 15, as far as some of the details go) when Caleb approaches Joshua and says specifically “So now, give me this hill country about which Yahweh spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps Yahweh will be with me, and I will dispossess them as Yahweh has spoken.” (Josh 14:12, LSB).  It then goes on to say: “Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb…because he fully followed Yahweh the God of Israel.” (Josh 14:14, LSB).  Read the whole section carefully, starting when he approaches Joshua.

            If you have not read yesterday’s devotion, you should go back and do it now because we’re going to talk for just a little bit more about giants; also called “the Anakim” or “the sons of Anak” (among other things).  Josh 14:15 gives us a big (no pun intended) clue here, when it says “Now the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba; for Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim…”  (that’s from the LSB version, also note that Kiriath means “city”, so “City of Arba”).

            Let’s consider for a moment.  The only giant whose height and size we know fully in scripture is Goliath of Gath, and he stood approximately 9′ 9″ according to the masoretic text (which I tend to agree with, on the basis of their impeccable and zealous exactly accurate transmission of the scriptures).  In contrast to this, the Septuagint, some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the historian Josephus place his height at approximately 6′ 9″ (due to a textual transmission discrepancy between the Hebrew and the Greek).  If you have any historical knowledge of the Masoretes and their almost psychotic zeal for accurately reproducing scripture, you’ll understand why I favor that first number of 9′ 9″.  We also know that Og (one of the Rephaim, another group described as giants) the king of Bashan’s iron bed was 13.5′ long by 6’wide (see Deut 3:11), and that seems logically like it’d be a little too much empty head or foot space if you were just under 7′ tall, but pretty reasonable if you were around 10′-13′ tall.  King Og is mentioned briefly in Josh 13:31.

            So we don’t actually know how big this Arba fellow was, but we DO know that he was “the greatest among the Anakim”.  So, let’s just say “really really big”.  I could speculate that he was most likely well over 10′ tall, probably by a large portion, but that’s just speculation.  The point is, he was really a big guy.  So when Caleb asks for this special inheritance, it’s with the understanding that “Hey, even though I’m 85 years old now, I’m going to go whip the biggest giant there is, and take his land.  Also, any offspring of his who are also giants, I’ll whip them too, and take their land as well.” (that’s clearly paraphrased, but spot on accurate, the bit about the offspring is noted in chapter 15).  So what’s the point of this little digression into speculation and size?

            The point is this: it’s not always easy to claim your inheritance.  Sometimes, it’s going to take a bit of gumption, and maybe a scrap.  You may have to be bold, and brave, and act with what some might call “temerity”.  Sometimes, you have to look at the biggest guy there is and go “Yea, I can take that guy.”, and if you’re Caleb, that’s not always going to be a metaphor.  In our case, it might be (or it might not, who knows?).

            In Matt 25:34 it explains that our inheritance as followers of Ha’Mashiach (The Anointed One, or The Christ)  provided that we obey God’s word, is the Kingdom of God.  Please take a moment and read the words of our King in Matthew 25:31-46.  This plainly explains to us that not our lineage, but our actions, will qualify us for our inheritance, the Kingdom of God.  Jesus tells us that to actively seek our inheritance, the Kingdom of God, should be first in our priorities (Matt 6:33), and that all the other stuff will be taken care of.

            As gentiles, we should be very cognizant of the fact that we will have to qualify for our inheritance, it doesn’t matter what your lineage is.  Note I didn’t say earn, nothing that we could ever do would be enough to enter in to the Kingdom of God, but to even qualify for consideration we need to represent the character of God correctly to our fellow creation, to enact tzedakah (look it up) and love our neighbor as ourself, and to successfully love YHVH God with all our heart, soul, and might.   Sometimes as Christians, we tend to think we should be meek and quiet, but we know that James has written “you have not because you ask not” (James 4:2).

            It may be that at times we have to act with temerity. We know that there are things that can disqualify us from our inheritance (1 Cor 6:9-11), so we must fight tooth and nail against the enemy who tries to present these things to us as desirable. We WILL have to fight giants, whether real or metaphorical.  You are going to have to go through some things, in order to qualify.  It doesn’t matter though, because nothing compares; no suffering which you may have to endure will in any way compare to the glory of the Kingdom of God (Rom 8:18).  Be like Caleb, in other words, and go boldly to claim your inheritance.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. What is it that you dread?  If you are afraid of something that is hampering your obedience whether it’s  a situation, a person, a conversation, starting an action, stopping an action, changing a habit, whatever it might be – that is your giant.  Of course it’s scary, now go fight it.  You need to identify it for yourself first though (we tend to be really good at pretending it’s not there).
  2. What things have you allowed into your life that you are seeking first, instead of your inheritance (The Kingdom), and how can you change that?
  3. Think for a moment about what steps you can take that would assist you in qualifying for entry into the Kingdom?  List out 3, and then implement them into your routine.

PRAYER

Father God, thank you.  All of these things I have, they have come from Your hand.  Please help me, lead me and guide me, grant me wisdom and humility, and if it is Your will allow me to enter into Your kingdom.  Grant me my inheritance Lord, and help me to be a servant who pleases.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

“Here There Be Giants”

*Joshua 11-12

*Psalm 35

*Acts 4

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            As we start off in Acts 4 today, the priests, the captain of the guard, and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John “greatly agitated” because they were teaching and proclaiming in Jesus (Yeshua) the resurrection from the dead.  If you recall the breakdown of the “4 Philosophies” at that time, the Sadducees were “A priestly and aristocratic group who accepted only the written Torah (Pentateuch) as authoritative, rejected the oral law, and did not believe in resurrection or an afterlife.” So of course they were greatly agitated, because as a group they did not believe in resurrection…”So they were sad, you see?”  (that bad joke was stolen from Sean Finnegan’s wonderful and highly recommended podcast on Restitutio.org, which you really should give a listen to, seriously).

            The chapter goes on to tell that the religious authorities of the day grabbed them, detained them and questioned them fiercely, then released them but not before threatening them to stop talking about such things.  Their response is telling: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to hear you rather than God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19, LSB).  Bear in mind, these were not just some guys, these were the religious leaders of the day, the authorities, the high priest (and his descendants, Acts 4:6) and represented the final say in spiritual matters at the time.  It’s no wonder that they were marvelling at their confidence (Acts 4:13), this sort of behavior was unheard of amongst the Jews, you just didn’t defy the priests typically. 

            After they are released, they went to their own people and offered praise to God.  Please pay special attention to their wording, because it clearly defines the doctrine of the earliest church here in Acts 4: 24-31.  Without belaboring this beyond the last 2 days devotionals, please note that there is a clear delineation here, and a tiered level of authority that is clearly demonstrated with God (YHVH, the Creator, the Most High God)  in authority over His servant Yeshua, Ha’Mashiach (Jesus, the Christ, the Anointed One) who is in turn in authority over his servants, us (the ecclesia, or church).  We serve God through Yeshua, His servant and our King, whom God has anointed and established over humanity.  This is repeated throughout scripture and succinctly restated in 1 Cor 11:3.  It is highly problematic to insist on any other doctrinal statement, at least if you don’t want to stand in opposition to scripture.  Peter and John confidently stood firmly against the religious giants of their day, the religious authorities who had gotten off course, and continued to speak the word of God.  We face our own giants today, don’t we?

            Here’s an interesting thing.  Even if you have a map, even if you plan your route well, even if you have a compass; if you get even just a tiny bit off course you don’t end up where you wanted.  A matter of just 1 degree off, and you could end up hundreds of miles away from where you wanted to be.  The farther you go, the greater the error becomes.  In my youth, I had gotten off course (see the Feb 5th devotional for some of the sordid details).  I was in genuine fear for my life, because I was facing giants, and I knew that I could not win.  I had resigned in my mind that the best I could hope for was to inflict maximum damage in return on my way into death and was quite prepared to do so.  Psalms 35 really reminds me of that time, and of the mercy of God, who saved me.  I won’t go into detail here, but know that this Psalm is an intensely personal one for me because it accurately sums up a time when I faced giants, and lived.  Not by my actions, but by the grace of God alone and because God intervened in ways I could not have predicted or understood to remove the threat from my path (literally and physically, in some instances).  Then, in an overwhelming display of unwarranted love, he corrected my path.  I don’t even have the words to express my appreciation.  Praise God!

            As we dip into our Joshua reading today, we’re going to focus on a couple things that a lot of folks just skim over.  Remember the old song, “12 men went to Canaan land (10 were bad and 2 were good!)”?  That story is detailed in Numbers 13 and 14, and gives us a bit more understanding.  In Num 13:33 it says “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” (LSB).  There’s a very simple and straightforward reason for this, and it’s because those guys were giants!  So who were the Nephilim?  Great question!  Flip back over to Genesis 6:4 where it says: “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them…” (LSB)**.  So the Nephilim were the offspring of “the sons of God” (ie, angels or some other form of heavenly being which God created) and humans, according to scripture.  **For an extremely interesting apocryphal account of this, read the book of Enoch (it’s quoted in the book of Jude, but didn’t make it into the cut for “canonical”).

            So, when the Israelites encounter ACTUAL GIANTS on the way in to the promised land, they got scared, rebelled, and as a result ended up wandering in the wilderness for another 40 years until the voices of dissension had (quite literally) died out (see Num 13&14 for the full story).  In Joshua 12, we’ve returned after 40 years to “try again”.  Now, when the Israelites are doing as God commanded and taking the promised land, it states: “Then Joshua…cut off the Anakim…(and) devoted them to destruction.  There were no Anakim left…only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod some remained” (Joshua 12:21-22, LSB).  In Josh 12:4, “Og king of Bashan” seems to be another one, “one of the remnant of the Rephaim”.  Remember where Goliath was from, by the way? See there (I slipped in another cross reference)?  Do you think he was larger or smaller than the others of his kind like him? Trivia aside though, the point is: this time they obeyed God, and they succeeded. 

            My point in bringing up these things is this: in our lives, sometimes we are given tasks that seem daunting.  Sometimes, we are called upon to fight giants.  Giants are, by their very nature, big and scary.  Many times they will stand and taunt us.  I’d point out in counterpoint that we’ve got a great big God; much bigger than any giant, and He fights for us, when we are doing His will.  It doesn’t matter how big your particular giant is, God is bigger.  As I write this devotion, it is the Sabbath before Easter Sunday.  When I consider the overwhelming love and power of our God, and the generous offer of salvation to us gentiles, I am truly humbled.  When I think about what His Anointed One suffered on my account, I am overwhelmed.  When God raised up His servant Jesus again, it let me know that there is no giant that can overwhelm me.  I may go down into the dirt, but I will stand again.  God has this.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Did you ever realize, or even think about, where the actual biblical “giants” came from?
  2. Each of us have our own metaphorical “giants”.  What are yours?
  3. How many times has God conquered a giant for you; a problem you just couldn’t see a way around, a danger that you couldn’t escape, an intimidating moral dilemma?  Reflect on them all for a moment, and consider the goodness of God.
  4. Why is it that when we see a “giant” we forget how big God is sometimes?

PRAYER

Father God, Creator and Sustainer of all life, thank you.  Please help me to remember that I am not my own and that you bought me, and that the price paid for me was far too high.  Please forgive me when I am scared, and give me the strength to do your will, even if it’s to conquer giants.  Thank you for sending Yeshua, my King.  Thank you for life, breath, and all things.  In Jesus name, Amen.

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

Jesus, the Servant of God

*Joshua 9-10

*Psalm 34

*Acts 3                              

 -Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)    

   Without belaboring the point too much beyond yesterday’s devotion on Acts 2, we see again in Acts 3 the clear doctrinal understanding of the earliest church in Peter’s 2nd sermon after Pentecost.  “11 And as he held Peter and John, all the people, being greatly amazed, ran together to them in Solomon’s portico. 12 And when Peter saw this, he answered the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed by this? Why do you stare at us, as if we had made him walk by our own power or godliness? 13 The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus …15…whom God raised from among the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 And by trusting in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the trust that is through his name has given him this perfect health, as you all can see.” (REV). 

            Miracles are being performed through Peter and John, the servants of Jesus the Christ, who is himself the servant of God, whom God has glorified.  There is one God (Mark 12:29-31, Deut 6: 4-5) and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2:5) and “3… the head of every man is Christ, … and the head of Christ is God. ” (1 Cor 11:3, REV).  So according to scriptures, our “corporate flowchart” looks exactly like this:

God >Jesus >The Church. 

There is never once an implied equality in this flowchart throughout scripture: we are the servants of Jesus the Christ, who is himself the servant of God.  To state anything else is to change the scriptures, which cannot be broken (John 10:35). 

            The Jews understood very well that all blessings come from God.  Keep in mind that once they leave the fiercely monotheistic folks in Israel and the message begins to get spread to the gentiles the immediate reaction from the gentiles when they see miracles is to say “the gods have become like men and come down to us!” (Acts 14:11), because that is a theme that is repeated constantly in their mythology (see the greek mythological stories of: Philemon and Baucis, Zeus and Semele, Hermes and Phanes, to name just a very few).  As more and more of these gentile converts are brought into the church, they brought their mythologies with them and began to change the narrative from “The God who gives blessings to men” to “the God who becomes man and performs blessings” starting especially in the 4th century when the gentiles became dominant numerically in the church. Please note the reaction and horror of the servants of the Christ when this occurs in Acts 14.

            Moving on to our reading in Joshua 9-10, there are a couple key things to take away today.  Firstly, whether or not you agree with how the Gibeonites acted (craftily), because they did so enabled them to survive.  Granted, they became indentured servants, but they lived.  Had they not acted craftily their only other survivable option was relocation (see Josh 9:24 for their rationale on their actions).  Secondly, because the Jews had sworn by Yahweh to them, they acted in good faith and protected them when their neighboring kingdoms decided to attack them.  It should be noted that during this defense of the Gibeonites,  God himself took part in the battle; causing the sun to stand still for a time (Josh 9:13), and destroying the majority of the opposing armies with large hailstones (Josh 9:11).  It should also be noted that the book of Jashar is mentioned in Josh 9:13 (and also in 2 Sam 1:18), a lost non-canonical book of the old testament.

            Psalms 34 has an interesting header beneath the chapter number in my bible.  It says “Of David.  When he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him away and he departed“.  This is in itself one of those just really weird stories you come across occasionally in old testament, and takes place in 1 Sam 21:10-15.  When you look, it is actually talking about Ahimelech (with an h) in 1-9, tells the story of how David grabs Goliath’s sword, and then feigned madness before Achish.  It’s just one of those really weird one-off stories that seems as if it may be incomplete.

            Psalms 34:1-3 (REV) states: “1 I will bless Yahweh at all times. His song of praise will always be in my mouth. 2 My soul will boast in Yahweh. May the afflicted hear it and may they rejoice! 3 Oh magnify Yahweh with me! Let’s exalt his name together!”  The words of David, the man of God.  We are often afflicted by the trials of life, and tend to forget that we are to give thanks at all times, and that the trials that we are going through are probably God’s way of developing us and purifying us so that we can be better servants (James 1:2-4).

Psalms 34: 4-9 (REV) states: “4 I sought Yahweh, and he answered me, yes, he delivered me from all my fears. 5 Look to him and be radiant. Then their faces will never be ashamed. 6 This afflicted person cried out and Yahweh heard him, and delivered him out of all his distress. 7 The angel of Yahweh encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 8 Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good. Blessed is the person who seeks refuge in him. 9 Fear Yahweh, O you his holy ones, for those who fear him have no lack.”.  Like David, God delivered me as well.  I would venture to say that at some point He delivered you, too.  I love the poetry of v5, it reminds me of the times when Moses was in the presence of God and when he returned his face was glowing.  The hedge of protection we pray over people at times is clearly illustrated in v7.  I can say truly that I have tasted and seen that Yahweh is good, I am alive because of it.

Psalms 34: 10-15 (REV): “11 Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of Yahweh. 12 Who is the person who desires life, loving many days to see good?13 Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Turn away from evil and do good. Seek peace, and pursue it. 15 Yahweh’s eyes are toward the righteous. Yes, his ears listen to their cry for help. “.  This is a blueprint set of verses on how to live a long life.  Do you want to live?  Well:  Fear Yahweh, turn away from evil, do good.  Seek peace and pursue it.  When you do these things, God’s eyes are towards you and He will hear you when you cry out.

Psalms 34:16-22 “16 Yahweh’s face is against those who do evil, to destroy the memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out and Yahweh hears, and delivers them out of all their distresses. 18 Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart and he delivers those who have a crushed spirit. 19 Many evils happen to a righteous person, but Yahweh delivers him out of them all. 20 He keeps watch over all of his bones. Not one of them is broken. 21 Evil will kill a wicked person. Yes, those who hate a righteous person will suffer punishment. 22 Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants. Indeed, none of those who seek refuge in him will suffer punishment.”  This set of passages warns clearly that God is against those who do evil, and will destroy them so thoroughly that even their memory will be gone from the earth.  The one who does evil and hates the righteous will suffer punishment, but Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants.  As proof, consider Jesus the Christ, the servant of Yahweh, whom God has glorified and redeemed from the dead. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. The book of Acts is filled with miracles that God performed through His servants.  Can you recall any miracles that have happened in your lifetime?
  2. When miracles occurred in your lifetime, did you notice if you were trying to seek God with your whole heart at the time?  Consider this.
  3. Can you think of a time when God saved you from an impossible situation, and did you consider why at the time?

PRAYER

Father God, my creator and my sustainer, thank you for my life.  Please guide me and protect me, keep me from looking upon evil and keep my lips from speaking deceit.  Help me to be a servant that pleases you.  Please work miracles through me, may all of your creation offer you praise and glory.  Thank you, in Jesus name, Amen.

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

A Man Attested by God

*Joshua 7-8

Psalm 34

*Acts 2                            

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            There’s one very critical point that we often (and intentionally at times) overlook that’s clearly highlighted in our Joshua 7-8 reading this morning: if you don’t listen to and obey God, you should have no reasonable expectation that God will bless you (quite the opposite, in fact).  Romans 8:31 states “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (ESV), but keep in mind that the converse is also quite true as well: “If God is against you, who can save?”.  Just think about it; it’s illogical to assume God’s favor if you are not living according to God’s expectations, so “…consider your ways.” (Hag 1:7).

            Now let’s move on to 1st century Jerusalem, where we find the apostles and believers gathered, about 120 people,  praying constantly (Acts 1:13-15).   I’ve recently heard a theory by Dr Roy Blizzard (who actually took part in the archaeological excavation of this site in 1968) that states that they were probably meeting on the Temple stairs near one of the cleansing pools (called Mikveh or Mikvah), and based on the size of the assembly (and comparing it to the average dwelling size in Jerusalem at this time), I believe that may be correct.  Dr Blizzard postulates that “house” in this instance referred to “The House” (as in “of God”, ie, the Temple).  The Southern Steps, specifically, were a significant meeting and teaching place.  These steps were about 200 feet wide and featured a raised platform on the side, known as the “Rabbi Steps” or Teaching Steps, where Jesus and other rabbis are believed to have taught and given announcements to crowds, so it doesn’t seem unreasonable to me. 

            Furthermore, The Royal Stoa, a massive public meeting building located just above the Southern Stairs, functioned as the primary gathering area for large assemblies, such as the estimated 30,000 to 100,000 people who may have gathered for the event of Pentecost, so this may be the “upper room” referred to. The stairs themselves were designed with uneven widths to prevent running and maintain decorum, while the broad landing and adjacent Mikvehs (ritual baths filled with “living water” brought in via aquaduct from the pools near Bethlehem) facilitated large-scale gatherings, teaching sessions, and baptisms for pilgrims entering the Temple Mount.  So, if this is correct, there’s a very good chance that when Peter in his 1st sermon said “Repent and be baptized…”, he was actually pointing at one of these Mikveh.

            Acts 2:1-4 is one of the most impressive and amazing demonstrations of the holy spirit ever displayed.  When they then began to speak the word of God, the people (who were from all over) heard the words in their own language, and they were all amazed.  This is the promise fulfilled from John 15:26-27: “But when the helper comes that I will send to you from the Father, the spirit of truth that comes from the Father, it will testify about me, and you also must testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.” (REV translation).

            So we can see a couple key points that need to be reiterated: 1-Jesus will send the helper from the father, 2-it is a “spirit of truth” that comes from the father and it will testify about Jesus, and 3-you also must testify.  So when Peter, filled with this spirit of truth, stands up to do just that (testify) in his first recorded sermon, we should really pay close attention as this constitutes the  earliest (and most accurate) “doctrines” of the church here in Acts 2:22-24.  

            Peter, filled with the spirit of truth, the holy spirit, preaches to his fellow Jews: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man…”.   Peter  explains that this man Jesus was “pointed out to you by God by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did through him…”.  God performed those miracles, through Jesus, and then God raised him up.  According to Peter, Jesus was not the “God-man” as men began to theorize in the late 4th century, but was in fact “God’s man” as explained and prophesied in scriptures from the beginning of creation.   The Christ, or anointed one.

              Now pay attention because this is important:  Looking through the scriptures we see that from the beginning God has told us of Messiah: that the seed of the woman shall crush the serpent (Gen 3:15), that God will raise up a prophet like Moses from among your brothers (Duet 18:18), who will be a descendant of David (2 Sam 7:12).  This does show a progressive revelation through scriptures: human, Israelite human, Israelite human descended from David (in that order, note that each additional revelation shows clarification without changing the base information).  The Jews understood this completely, because the Shema (Deut 6:4,5) was given to them early on, and it was quoted by Jesus later in Mark 12:29 as the “Most Important Commandment”.  The only problem comes when we go beyond what is written, and add theories to the scriptures that aren’t there to start.

            To become a member of the original church, in the book of Acts, here are the requirements (in their totality): “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the holy spirit.’ ” (Acts 2:38 REV).  Let me break that down for you: 1- Repent, 2- be baptized (in the name of Jesus the Christ), and 3- receive the gift of the holy spirit (the spirit of truth).  That is it, full stop.

            Recently it was just a “membership sunday” at one of the churches I attend here locally.  To join as a member, you had to agree with all of their articles of faith.  Here are the first 2 on the list (of 14): WE BELIEVE 1: In the verbal inspiration of the bible (ok, check, strongly agree, no problem). 2-In one God eternally existing as 3 persons namely the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Um..where does it say that?).  Here’s the thing; I love these guys, but I just don’t see that second one written explicitly (or even conceptually) in scripture.  In my own personal interpretation of the scriptures, agreeing with item 1 precludes agreement with item 2.  I think that these folks are truly my brothers and sisters, because they seek to serve God to the best of their ability and strive to live a holy life, but I disagree (in love) with some of their interpretation of scripture.  I also feel as if I am already a member of the church, based on what Acts says, but I can’t be a member of their church (and that’s a little bit hurtful).

            Another church I attend on the Sabbath has told me something similar.  WHY? The bible clearly lays out what we need to do in Acts 2 to become members of the church (3 steps). We need to restore our faith to that of the original church, the faith “once for all delivered” (Jude 1:3), and take the traditions that we’ve added away (Mark 7:7).  PLEASE note that if you disagree with anything I’ve pointed out: I am just a man, your brother in Christ.  What you believe is between you and God.  I tell you with love that you will however at some point answer to our God, and He is seeking people who will worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24), so it behooves each of us to study scriptures, divide them wisely, and live in a manner which glorifies God.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. To repent is to not only regret actions, but to change course.  If we keep committing the same sins, we have not changed our course.  To repent is the first requirement of being a part of the church, so ask yourself: have you fully repented?
  2. Have you received the gift of the holy spirit?  If so, in what manner did it manifest? (this could be a whole series of study sessions on it’s own)
  3. Has reading scriptures ever changed the way you believed about something? 

PRAYER

Father God, Thank you.  Please cleanse my heart of wrongdoing, please help me to circumcise my heart before You, and grant me the spirit of truth to teach me.  Father, please grant me wisdom, and humility, and allow me to be a servant who pleases his master.  In Jesus’ name, amen.  

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload

Acts

Joshua 5-6

Psalm 33

Acts 1

-Devotion by John Railton (IN)

Both the US and Israel have fought some amazingly strategic and successful battles in recent times, but none have been so strategic and successful as Israel’s victory over the city of Jericho! Who would have thought marching around the city every day, and then seven times on day seven would have brought the walls tumbling down? Some believe the city was built upon a fault, and that the marching disrupted the stability of the earth. Could be! Of course, it was God’s strategy, God’s instructions, God’s victory! It’s one of the most amazing and most loved battle stories in the Bible. We also see here the fulfillment of the promise two spies had made to Rahab, to save her and all her people that were safely within her home. They had offered her salvation, upon adherence to the terms. She followed it exactly, and they were saved.

Read again Psalm 33. Notice again we’re commanded to worship the LORD in numerous ways. Consider again the reasons he’s worthy! His word is right! He is always faithful! He loves righteousness! The earth is full of his love! He created merely by speaking his word! His plans stand firm! He watches over those who fear him! I suppose we’re all impatient at times, but we can always trust God will absolutely do as he says. It doesn’t matter how long it may take; He will always do as he says. Here are the last three verses, “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you!” (Psalm 33:20-22)

Acts 1 is a beautiful introduction to a new era. It was written by Dr. Luke, who had also written the gospel of Luke. In the gospel he had reported all that Jesus began to do and to teach. He now reports much of the history of the very early church, especially featuring two great apostles – Peter and Paul. We’ll here note just a few highlights from chapter 1.

Verse 3 tells us what Jesus did with his followers for the 40 days he remained on earth after his resurrection. He spoke about the Kingdom of God. That should come as no surprise. The good news of the Kingdom of God (sometimes referred to as the Kingdom of Heaven – same thing) was his absolute favorite topic. He began his ministry preaching the KOG, continued his ministry preaching the KOG, and wrapped up his ministry focusing on the KOG! We ought to follow his lead in our ministry today. In fact, I would suggest that any gospel message that does not focus on the KOG is inadequate, incomplete, and insufficient.

Verses 4-8 include a lot. He told his men to stay in Jerusalem until they were baptized (filled, immersed) with the holy spirit. In a sense that is the power of God, and it would enable them to be witnesses for Jesus. Numerous other purposes for the holy spirit are given, especially in the book of John. Verse 6 is interesting. It’s no surprise his disciples asked if he would immediately restore the kingdom to Israel, because it must have seemed that’s all he talked about. Again, this would suggest the meat of our ministry and message must focus on the KOG! Verse 8 is for all intents and purposes, an outline of the book of Acts.

Verses 9-11 report the ascension of Jesus into heaven, and the promise that this same Jesus would return in the same manner. That is as sure a promise as any. Every New Testament writer at least mentions the return of Jesus. Verses 12-14 then make note that his men returned to Jerusalem (as instructed) and that they joined together constantly in prayer. This would suggest their dedication to the Lord and the task at hand. They must have been at a loss, with Jesus disappearing on them, and needed direction. The rest of the chapter talks about the foolish reaction of Judas when he realized what he’d done, as well as Pater’s recommendation they they replace Judas with another.

Reflection Questions

  1. Have you ever fought a battle, enjoyed a victory, and felt the Lord was behind it all?
  2. Following the lead of Psalm 33, name some of your own observations as to why God is worthy of our worship. What are some specific ways you worship?
  3. If the book of Acts is about the acts of the Apostles, or perhaps the acts of Jesus through his apostles, what acts for the Lord are you doing? If someone wrote about your ministry, what would be included?      

Prayer    

“Heavenly Father, thank you for the victories we can have when we trust and obey you. Help me to worship you in numerous ways, in new ways. Thank you for the hope of the Kingdom of God! Thank you for those who shared that good news with me and those who’ve taught me about it. Use me to do that for others. Help me to be an agent for your coming kingdom. Help me to be a witness for Jesus, for the message of the kingdom. Help me to bring it into conversations. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen!”  

SGL.2026.CalendarDownload