January 19, 2012

We Will Go, Worship, and Return (1/19)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Genesis 22-24.

“Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you’” (Genesis 22:5).

There is nothing particularly unusual about a father and son going somewhere to worship. Lots of people worship God. It is certainly commendable but not particularly unusual.

What makes Abraham’s plan remarkable are the circumstances. God told him to sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:2), and Abraham was prepared to do it (Genesis 22:6,9-10). Only an angel’s intervention prevented him from offering Isaac on the altar (Genesis 22:11-12). This demonstrates Abraham’s great faith and shows his trust in God’s promises and His commandments.
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January 18, 2012

He Appeared to Them to be Jesting (1/18)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Genesis 19-21.

The men who lived in Sodom were “wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord” (Genesis 13:13). So much so that the Lord determined to destroy the city. But first he sent two angels into the city to deliver the lone righteous man among them – Lot.

“Then the two men said to Lot, ‘Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the Lord that the Lord has sent us to destroy it” (Genesis 19:12-13).

Lot was now aware of the coming destruction, which gave him the chance to escape. He also had time to convince others to come with him and be saved.
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January 17, 2012

Joel Osteen, Homosexuals, and Heaven

Joel Osteen, the popular mega-church preacher known for proclaiming the gospel of prosperity, was interviewed recently by Oprah and asked if he believed homosexuals would be in heaven. Osteen stated his belief that they would. He then explained that while he believed homosexuality was described as a sin in the Bible, he did not believe it was any worse than any other sin. Therefore, his conclusion was that since those who commit other sins will be in heaven, then homosexuals must be there as well.
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January 17, 2012

Is Anything Too Difficult for the Lord? (1/17)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Genesis 16-18.

When the Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre (Genesis 18:1), He restated His promise that Abraham’s wife Sarah would bear him a son (Genesis 18:10; cf. Genesis 17:15-16). This would be one part of the fulfillment of the promises God made to Abraham when He first called him to leave his relatives for a place which God would show him (Genesis 12:1-3).

The difficulty in this promise – looking at it strictly through human eyes and ignoring the work of God – was that both Abraham and Sarah were past the age in which they could reasonably expect to have children (Genesis 18:11). So when Sarah overheard this promise, her reaction was one of skepticism.
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January 16, 2012

Be Prepared (1/16)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Genesis 12-15.

After Lot departed from Abram, he journeyed toward the valley of the Jordan and settled in Sodom (Genesis 13:11-12). When war broke out between the king of Sodom and his allies against Chedorlaomer and his allies, the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah were killed, their cities were looted, and Lot was among those taken captive (Genesis 14:10-12).

The report of this came to Abram. He immediately took action.

“When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan” (Genesis 14:14).

Lot’s capture which required his rescue was not something that could have been expected. But Abram was ready. He did not have to hire a mercenary force to pursue the army that took Lot. He had three hundred and eighteen men who were capable of fighting. He did not have to hastily train these men for battle. They were already trained.

The lesson for us to learn from Abram is that we should, as much as is possible, make preparations for the future. We can never be sure what tomorrow will hold (James 4:14), but we should strive to always be prepared to take care of our most basic responsibilities: providing for our own, helping those in need, serving the Lord, combatting sin and error, and teaching the gospel to others.

Use today to start making preparations for tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s reading: Genesis 16-18

[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]

Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.

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January 15, 2012

When Did the Lord Restore Job’s Fortunes? (1/15)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Job 40-42.

When we read the book of Job, we have an advantage that this man of old did not have – we know that he is greatly blessed in the end. Job began as a wealthy man with a large family, but all of that was quickly taken away. He then suffered – unjustly, as he contended – unsure of what would happen in the future.

God certainly did bless Job in the end. But it is interesting to see when He did so:

“The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had two-fold” (Job 42:10).

Job’s friends had unjustly accused him of wrongdoing, arguing that this was the cause of his suffering. They had also misrepresented God, affirming that He was acting against Job, rather than Satan who had been allowed to afflict him. It would have been easy for Job to hold a grudge against his friends. But he did not. Instead he prayed for them. And he did not forgive them after his suffering was over and he was able to put it behind him. He forgave his friends, then God restored his fortunes.

We need to have the attitude of forgiveness of which Jesus spoke:

“Then Peter came and said to Him, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven’” (Matthew 18:21-22).

If we have been wronged, we need to be willing to forgive, even before our unfortunate circumstances improve.

Tomorrow’s reading: Genesis 12-15

[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]

Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.

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January 14, 2012

"Where Were You When I Laid the Foundation of the Earth?" (1/14)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Job 38-39.

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it? On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7).

Man occupies a prominent place in God’s creation. In the beginning, God told Adam and Eve, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28). Yet many exaggerate the importance of man to the point where they forget God and view themselves as the ultimate standard and authority.

We need to remember what God was teaching Job in this question. No matter how important we think we might be, we are only here because God created us and the world around us. No matter how wise we believe we have become, our wisdom pales in comparison with God’s because His wisdom is behind all of the things in the natural world, even those things which we cannot comprehend.

God is the Creator. Therefore, all wisdom, blessings, and truth come from Him.

Tomorrow’s reading: Job 40-42

[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]

Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.

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