Writing on the Wall
Father, I think I overdid it today. It’s work that needed to be done but my body isn’t happy I did it! Help my mind to be sharper than my body is as we come together this evening. Amen.
Luke 11:14-23(<<click to read the passage)
The Finger…of…God!
Just reading those words sounds ominous, doesn’t it?
Those words are used three times in the Old Testament.
In Exodus 8:16–19, Moses and Aaron stood before Pharaoh demanding the release of the Israelites. When Pharaoh declined…again, God commanded Moses to tell Aaron to strike the ground with his staff and the dust – and that is just about all there was in the desert climate of Egypt – turned “into swarms of gnats throughout the land” v16
Interestingly enough Pharaoh’s magicians had been able to replicate the first two plagues – water to blood and causing frogs to come upon the land. But…that wasn’t what happened this time. They couldn’t pull it off and were scared and exclaimed, “This is the finger of God!” v19 It didn’t faze Pharaoh though.
Later in Exodus, the words are recorded in Exodus 31:18 and Deuteronomy 9:10 referring to the way God wrote the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone that were given to Moses.
The only time the phrase is used in the New Testament is here in Luke 11:20. Jesus is rebuking those accusing Him of driving out demons by the power of satan.
He speaks of the inability of a divided kingdom to stand. If satan’s power is driving out satan’s minions -his demons – then his kingdom will fall. So, Jesus proclaims,
“…if I drive out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has already come upon you.” v20
Ominous, indeed…for that is exactly what was happening. God’s kingdom had already come upon them! And they refused to acknowledge its coming!
There is one more instance of an ominous finger in the Bible. It doesn’t specifically say that it was God’s but the pronouncement of judgment upon Belshazzar, the wicked king of Babylon, was God, loud and clear.
Belshazzar had literally been partying with the sacred utensils from God’s holy temple in Jerusalem. In the middle of the “festivities”,
Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall… The king watched [and] His face turned pale…he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking. Daniel 5:5-6 (NLT)
The writing on the wall freaked everyone out but no one understood what it meant…until they called in God’s faithful servant, in exile, Daniel. And he explained it all.
“This is the inscription that was written, ‘mene, mene, tekel, upharsin’… This is the interpretation of the message: ‘mene’ – God has numbered the days of your kingdom and put an end to it; ‘tekel’ – you have been weighed on the scales [of righteousness] and found deficient; ‘peres’ – your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.” Daniel 5:25-28 (AMP)
The “writing on the wall” was plain for Jesus’ accusers to see – though they didn’t admit it and it is plain for us, as well. Our world is a mess. It has been for some time but with everything going on in our country alone, I would say that undoubtedly, the writing is clearly on the wall for us, too.
God’s kingdom is here and whether we like to admit it or not…our days are numbered. Each one of us must take a close look at ourselves and see if we were weighed on the scales of righteousness, would we be found righteous -because we acknowledge Jesus’ offer of salvation – or would be found deficient. A division is coming, again – whether we will admit it or not.
Upon which side of the division will you be found?
June 15th, 2020, Mon, 7:57 pm
Persistence Prevails!
A beautiful day of companionship today, Father. You have blessed me abundantly! I would pray that You would continue to bless the union that You ordained between Karen and myself, that we may continue to impact lives for Your kingdom, both together and as individuals. Amen.
Luke 11:5-13 (<<click to read the passage)
At times, there are things in life that just seem insurmountable. Goals and aspirations that at one point seemed attainable with a lot of hard work and a substantial amount of elbow grease, over time, become behemoths of anguishing frustration that drain us dry to the very core of our being. It is excruciating!
Some collapse beneath the load and turn their backs on all the lofty hopes and dreams to which they had aspired.
But for others? Persistence prevails.
Thoughts of giving up, of throwing in the towel, of backing down, of hoisting up a flag of surrender may pass through their minds but…persistence prevails. No matter how difficult, no matter how taunt their minds and hearts are…they refuse to capitulate. They will not cede to the enemy of defeat! Persistence prevails!
And in doing so they become the victors! They will be the conquerors receiving the wreath of laurels signifying their triumph over their adversaries!
Maybe you’ve been there. Maybe you know someone who has been or is there. It’s tough…but along that arduous journey, we don’t just benefit from reaching our desired destination, we also benefit from the journey itself.
In today’s passage, Jesus speaks of two friends. Friend number one has received an unexpected visitor and in desperation pleads with friend number two for help. It is late and number two is already in bed, his children with him. At first number two refuses to help but eventually – due to the persistence and boldness of number one’s pleas – he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
Jesus’ lesson was pressing for our persistence and boldness in prayer with God.
A note from my Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation states,
Persistence, or boldness, in prayer, overcomes our insensitivity, not God’s. To practice persistence does more to change our heart and mind than his, and it helps us understand and express the intensity of our need. Persistence in prayer helps us recognize God’s work.
“So I say to you, ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking, and you will find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking [persistently], receives; and he who keeps on seeking [persistently], finds; and to him who keeps on knocking [persistently], the door will be opened.” vs9-10 (AMP)
We dare not give up! We must not throw in the towel! We cannot back down! How can we even think of hoisting up a flag of surrender?!
…ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you…
…seek and keep on seeking, and you will find…
…knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
Persistence prevails!
God knows what we need…but often we really have no idea. We think we do but God doesn’t just want shallow, lightweight prayers – He wants to hear from us, sure! – but if we are seeking to draw close to Him in everything we are, we need to dig deeper. We need to strain. We need to put all we are into the endeavor. And in the end, we will do more than reach our destination. For our end will only be the beginning and the journey will be all the richer!
June 14th, 2020, Sun, 6:29 pm
Longsuffering
Father, I am grateful that progress was made in preparation for our Sunday service but mentally and emotionally this has been a very taxing day. May I keep in mind, Father, that “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)
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I am just going to leap from there…
I don’t know about you, but I am so, so weary of all that is going on right now, in our country in particular. And Lord, I also acknowledge that You see all these things and much more. You don’t just see the obvious, visible elements of the evil and wickedness that we are dealing with…You see into the hearts of minds of it all!
Hebrews 4:13 tells us,
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. (NLT)
There is so little compassion for one another. There is so little grace…and mercy…and most importantly love for one another. There is so little patience, there is so little long-suffering. But one thing there is in great supply – we are abundantly stocked with hatred. There is absolutely no shortage of selfishness.
I…beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3 (NKJV)
Christian! You who call yourselves by this title! Where are you? Where are the tell-tell signs of your faith? …lowliness…gentleness…longsuffering…love…unity…peace.
It’s hard enough to take from those who do not believe. But my heart is crushed when those who claim fellowship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, show these attributes in such limited amounts.
And why is that the case? Don’t we have an unlimited supply by which we can fill our parched and weary souls?
When God passed before Moses, He said of Himself,
“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth… Exodus 34:6 (NKJV)
Elsewhere the Bible states,
But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth. Psalm 86:15 (NKJV)
Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? Romans 2:4 (NKJV)
I tend to use more modern translations when I study and write but one word sticks out to me here – longsuffering. Others translate it slow to anger or patience, they are good words, too, but looooong…suf..fer…ing. Doesn’t that say so much more?
We tire of suffering. We despise suffering. We avoid it with all the effort and energy we can muster! But God? He…is longsuffering…
May we seek to be like Christ – no matter what anyone says or does.
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)
Meditate upon the words of the old hymn, O to Be Like Thee
O to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wand’ring sinners to find.
O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!
Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer, others to save.
June 11th, 2020, Thurs, 9:00 pm
Keep It Plugged!
1 I love you, Lord;
….you are my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
….my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
..He is my shield, the power that saves me,
….and my place of safety. Psalm 18:1-2 (NLT)
Luke 11:4b (<<click to read the passage)
I think I read the novel Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates, many years ago. It was written in 1865 by American author, Mary Mapes Dodge. There is a short story encompassed in the book about a Dutch boy who saves his country by putting his finger in a leaking dike. The boy stays there all night, despite the cold, until the adults of the village find him and make the necessary repairs.
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It seems like I’ve written about temptation before… But of course, we never have to deal with it…do we? Well, we might not have to deal with it every day – though somedays it seems like it is all we do!
I really do think that most days, temptation is lurking around every corner. If we are of a mind to, we can readily stop it dead in its tracks, a quick prayer, and it is vanquished. But there are those days that we allow that one itsy-bitsy indiscretion and it is like that Dutch boy pulling his finger out of the dike!
The Holy Spirit is always with us and is but a thought away. There is no reason why we should yield but that bent to sinning can deafen our ears. That is why we pray, “And lead us not into temptation [but rescue us from evil].’”
Here is an encouraging passage from 1 Corinthians 10:13,
No temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]; but God is faithful [to His word—He is compassionate and trustworthy], and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy]. (AMP)
You can do it! Just say “no” to whatever may be lurking around the corner. Emulate that Dutch boy and keep it plugged! Help is just a prayer away!
June 10th, 2020, Wed, 6:01 pm
Long Walk, Short Pier
You will show me the way of life,
….granting me the joy of your presence
….and the pleasures of living with you forever. Psalm 16:11 (NLT)
Luke 11:4 (<<click to read the passage)
Have you ever needed to forgive someone? That’s a rhetorical question if there ever was one! Every single person to ever walk the face of this earth has had to forgive – even Jesus, for that is why He came, to provide a means of forgiveness for us all.
If we are followers of Jesus, we are called to forgive. One might think that following in Jesus’ footsteps and being filled with His love and living out His love would make forgiveness a piece of cake…but it doesn’t. Forgiveness can be a challenge!
In my lifetime I have served at seven different churches. One I left because the senior pastor left. Another I was asked to leave, though no reason was ever given as to why. And a third one I left because the senior pastor thought I had what it took to be a senior pastor myself. He had a lot of faith in me, but I didn’t have a whole lot of faith in myself…so it hurt…a lot. I was frustrated. I was angry. I was confused. I felt like I had been sent out to take a long walk off a short pier.
Everything in my life seemed to come crashing down. I, in no way, felt that I was in any position to pastor a church. I was floundering and my long walk off the short pier had left me in cold water.
When it happened, I questioned everything. I questioned myself. I questioned the leadership above me. …and the worst thing I did was question my senior pastor. I put the blame for it all on him. And, honestly, I was the one that was wrong. He was looking out for my best interests, but I couldn’t see it.
In the end, after I had allowed God to work in my heart and mind, I could see clearly. And because I saw the way things really were, one of the first things I did was to forgive my pastor. There had been no ill will on his part, but he was the one I took my frustrations and pain out on. So, in my heart, I forgave him, and then I had to seek his forgiveness. In my anger and confusion, I had lashed out at the one person who believed in me…the one person, from a ministerial level that had had my back all the way. I can only imagine how much I hurt him…and he was a good man…a godly man.
Part of the model prayer that Jesus shared with His disciples made the stipulation that because we are forgiven by God that we must forgive each other.
And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us [who has offended or wronged us].
Lord Jesus, those memories seem so long ago but going through them once more brings to mind the utter respect and love I have for my former senior pastor. He is a man after Your own heart.
May we all forgive and enable ourselves to move on. All that I went through has made me who I am and enabled me to be where I am today.
And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. Romans 8:28 (AMP)
June 9th, 2020, Tues, 8:20 pm