Daily Reading
Daily Thought
"Two-Face" is a Batman villain who flips a coin to choose. Heads he does good. Tails evil. When you can't trust someone half the time, you can't trust them anytime. Who knows which half is which?
Echad is Hebrew for "one." Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is echad. The Lord is One (Deuteronomy 6:4). The LORD: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Three. One. Echad.
Duplicity means two. Duplicity says, "I can't trust you." Honesty is a flip of the coin.
Echad is completely trustworthy. Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the people of Israel, saying, "This is what the Lord has commanded. If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth" (Numbers 30:1-2). What he says and what he does shall be echad, one and the same.
Daily Prayer
My God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Holy is Your Name. Always trustworthy, always true, always faithful. Made in Your image, in this I fell. May I be restored in integrity. May I be one as You are one.
God, may I live a life of transparency and truth. Since You see me even when I hide, it is ridiculous for me to be anything but honest, it is foolish for me to be anything but trustworthy. You know me inside and out, my deepest thoughts and intentions. May I reflect You. May my 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and my 'No,' 'No.'
Amen
Daily Reading
Daily Thought
The Lord said to Moses, "Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin" (Numbers 27:12-14). For forty years, Moses led a whiny, complaining tribe of Hebrews to the Promised Land. Then, within a stone's throw of their destination, Moses sinned, and God said, "You're not going in, Moses." Ever faithful, Moses passes the mantle of leadership to Joshua. Watch how, Numbers 27:18-21.
Moses leads, Joshua watches, verse 18: So the Lord said to Moses, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him."
Moses leads with Joshua by his side, verse 19: "Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight."
Joshua leads with Moses by his side, verse 20: "You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey."
Joshua leads, Moses watches, verse 21: "And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation."
That's leadership, and that how you pass it along to the next generation.
Daily Prayer
Father God, thank You for investing in me. You rescued me from sin and filled me with Your Holy Spirit. Now I am Your ambassador, declaring and displaying the good news of Jesus Christ to a lost world, desperately in need of salvation.
God, may I be holy, set apart for Your pleasure, for Your good news, for Your service on earth. May I do the same things I saw Your Son do, letting go of my will and my treasures, leading others to Your Kingdom, serving others in love.
Amen
Daily Reading
Daily Thought
Question: Is Balaam a good witch or a bad witch?
The New Testament makes it clear, Balaam is a bad witch. "They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing" (2Peter 2:15). "Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion" (Jude 1:11). "But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality" (Revelation 2:14).
At first, it would seem Balaam does well and obeys God. Balak, the king of the Moabites, needed outside help to attack the Israelites. By outside help, I mean supernatural, spiritual help, and he didn't care what kind of spirit. So Balak contracted Balaam, a prophet for hire, to curse the Israelites. However God met Balaam on his way to the king. The angel of the LORD, with a drawn sword in his hand, made it clear to Balaam, "Speak only the word that I tell you" (Numbers 22:31, 35). Balaam feared the sword of God more than the sword of Balak and obeyed. "Must I not take care to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?" "Did I not tell you, 'All that the Lord says, that I must do'?" (Numbers 23:12, 26) And finally, "Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, 'If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the Lord speaks, that will I speak'?" (Numbers 24:12-13). Those are good words, words we would do well to remember. So, rather than curse, Balaam blessed Israel.
Still, Balaam was committed to evil. Reading a few chapters ahead, we come to Numbers 31:16 and discover the deceit of Balaam, "Behold these [women], on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD." Balaam couldn't curse the Israelites, but he knew how to defile them. He seduced them with the women of Moab to worship Baal. What Balaam couldn't do by appealing to the demonic, he accomplished by appealing to the flesh. Balaam was a bad witch.
Daily Prayer
My Father, may I always obey you, no matter how costly. And obedience is costly. Your Son obeyed Your will and paid the price of the cross, bearing My sin. And obedience is rewarded. You gave Him the Name above all names, that at the Name of Jesus every knee would bow and every tongue confess Jesus Christ is Lord.
And obedience is costly. I offer my body a living sacrifices. And obedience is rewarded. Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your master's happiness. May I store up treasures in Your home, not mine.
Amen
Daily Reading
Daily Thought
Question: Why would God use a bronze serpent to heal the Israelites (Numbers 21:8-9) when a serpent usually represents Satan and evil?
Even more curious is Jesus's use of the imagery of the bronze serpent to illustrate his death on the cross: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up" (John 3:14). God had instructed Moses to make a serpent of bronze and put it on a pole where the people could see it. All who looked at the bronze serpent would be healed of the deadly bites of very real serpents. The serpent was placed in the midst of the camp, not in the tabernacle, because nobody is saved by keeping the law, but only by looking at the uplifted serpent, just as Christ is the only Savior of our sins. Each Israelite had to look at the serpent for himself. None could look on behalf of another. Salvation was individual and personal.
But why a serpent? The bronze serpent on the pole foreshadowed Jesus on the cross. As God used a serpent to heal the people of the venom of serpents, on the cross Jesus became sin to heal us of the deathly venom of sin.
Daily Prayer
My Savior, You and You alone came to my rescue. Only You could and only You would. Your love is so deep that you went to the cross because of and in spite of my rebellion. God, I repent. I turn away from the old way of life and I will follow You. Teach me what is right and good, and change me to love purity and live generously.
You not only saved me from my sins, but You made me holy. I'm different now, and it's a good different. I desire Your pleasure more than anything else. You are my Lord, my Savior, my God.
Amen
Daily Reading
Daily Thought
God delivered the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and all they have done is grumble and complain, sin and rebel. Now they are whining again. They are thirsty.
Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people quarreled with Moses and said, "Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink" (Numbers 20:2-5).
After all that God has done, more complaining? So, Moses asks a legitimate question, "Hear now, you rebels: must we bring water for you out of this rock?"
No! But he does anyway.
You would think we would learn, but we don't. On page 932 in my Bible, Jesus is in a garden. "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me." For 931 pages, the people have continued to grumble and complain, sin and rebel, just like the Israelites in the wilderness.
Legitimate question, "Must Jesus drink the cup?"
No. But he does anyway.
I get on my knees after years of grumbling and complaining, sinning and rebelling. "Jesus, save me."
Must he? "For by grace you have been saved..." (Ephesians 2:8).
No. But he does anyway.
Daily Prayer
Loving God, You show me your love in grace. I do not deserve it, I do not desire it even, and I certainly do not seek it. And then You die for me anyway. You take my sins on Yourself, you pay the price of justification, and You share Your righteousness with me. You adopt me as Your child, and I am co-heir with Christ.
How can I possibly not love You? I love because You first loved me.
Amen
Daily Reading
Daily Thought
Korah and his company were rebellious. God had listened to enough grumbling and complaining and punishment was near, so God warned Moses and Moses warned the nation of Israel, "Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins" (Numbers 16:26).
You may have heard it said, "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades."
...the ground under them split apart. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods.
It counts in wickedness, too. Get away!
Daily Prayer
Holy God, Your ways are perfect. Teach me to follow them. God may I have a heart that loves You, loves Your ways, and loves righteousness. May I have a heart that hates wickedness.
God, teach me not to flirt with sin. May I be convinced of its destruction and flee from it. Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- may those things consume my thoughts and fill my desires.
Amen
Daily Reading
Daily Thought
Over and over the people complain. The common theme, "Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?" (Numbers 14:3). We read this and we ask incredulously, how can these people ignore the memory of slavery in Egypt?
The same way you and I do.
Just as God had delivered Israel from their slavery of Egypt, he has delivered us from our slavery to sin. And yet, we want to go back. We want to go back to prison. It doesn't matter what God has accomplished, Christmas and Good Friday and Easter, God in the flesh, died on the cross, rose the third day. He delivered us from the misery of slavery to sin and Satan.
Despite all of that, we want to go back to our slavery. We prefer our sin. Somehow, in those moments when the flesh gets the upper hand, we think we had it better in Egypt. We deserve the punishment, the fire (Numbers 11:1) and the plague (Numbers 11:33).
But our God is patient. His grace provides us salvation. To the Israelites, a deliverer named Moses argued their case. Now, one better, Jesus, who gave his life for us.
Daily Prayer
My God, may I remember Your justice and also Your grace. May I reflect on Your holiness and Your love. I choose sin too often, and deserve slavery. But You are patient. Thank You. Thank You for Your Son who took my sins and pleads my case. That in His Name and by His blood, I have His righteousness.
Because of Jesus, may I be holy and righteous. May I love what is good and despise the rebellion that leads to slavery. May I live freely a life that displays Your goodness and glory.
Amen
