Being Big and Strong Is Good, But It Has Nothing to Do with Being Courageous

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There are times in life when people need courage. The need for courage arises wherever bad leaders wield their strength to oppress regular people. Or, it arises from circumstances: sometimes, people have chosen to face danger, and sometimes it’s because danger has chosen them. We are often inspired by their courage; we hope that we ourselves could stay strong in the midst of adversity. The Bible’s message on this is pretty simple: You, too, can be Strong and Courageous, and it has nothing to do with your strength or resources.

[Moses said, as he handed the reins of leadership to Joshua] “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV)

An Exhortation We can Make; An Exhortation We Can Hear

As Moses transferred leadership to Joshua, this was his advice. The Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land, where the inhabitants appeared to be stronger than they felt themselves to be. They were leaving the familiar and going into the unknown. They were facing uncertainty, hardship, change, and difficulty. So in this sermon, Moses told them to be strong and courageous—and why? Was it because they had a better army? Stronger men? Better logistics?

No. Moses told them they could be courageous, not because of their OWN sufficiency, but because THE LORD was going before them, and He would never leave them or forsake them. Pretty good advice, based on an eternal foundation: don’t be courageous based on self-sufficiency or what you know; be courageous because of WHO you know.

The Source of Courageous

John’s epistle said that perfect love casts out fear, and that God is love. It stands to reason that any time we accept God’s love we can become fearless! Are you entering a season of uncertainty and Insecurity? Be strong and courageous, because the Lord is with you. Dealing with change? Be strong and courageous, because the Lord is with you. Having to battle disease or health issues? Then this is pretty good advice for you, too.

This verse doesn’t promise that the trouble will disappear, or that we can hope in circumstances; it tells us to be strong because GOD is with us. When we appropriate His presence by faith, it offers us calm in the storm and assurance in the valley of the shadow. In the places we feel most alone, He will never leave us.

In our greatest uncertainty, we can be sure of Him. We can take courage, not in our own strength and sufficiency, but in the Lord our God, who goes before us and stands beside us. As David said, “My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26) When your flesh and heart fail, fall in love with God. Be strong. Take courage from your Father, and be encouraged today!

The Cowardly Lion Could Have Used This

If you face uncertain times, and have to deal with fear,
The Bible has a word for you. I’m going to write it here:
Be strong, and be courageous, not because of what you know,
But because the Lord is with you everywhere you go.
Whatever happens in your life, wherever it may take you,
Your Father’s endless love will never leave you nor forsake you.
His love is warm and comforting; in fact, it is contagious.
Allow His strength to help you to be strong, and be courageous.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread
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The Soldiers Who Were Cowards Because They Felt Like, Well… Grasshoppers

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The well-known James Allen motivational quote said, “As a man thinketh, so is he.” His little book in 1903 said that our minds are powerful instruments that influence our actions and our destiny. (As A Man Thinketh) About the same time, Henry Ford said, “If you think you can, you’re right. And if you think you can’t, you are right.” The story we’re looking at today says it this way: Think Like Grasshoppers, Play Like Grasshoppers…

How We See It

“Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” (Numbers 13:30-33, NIV)

When the Hebrew spies returned from viewing the Promised Land, they were called upon to report back about what they had seen. Most of them were intimidated by who and what they saw there. They said they had seen Nephilim, who are defined in Genesis 6:4 as “sons of god and daughters of men”. No one knows exactly who the Nephilim were. You can’t build a race of warriors from a single verse, but perhaps the term was referring to some type of illicit antediluvian offspring of fallen angels and earthly women. Legend had it that these powerful beings descended from demons who impregnated human women.

Bear With Me, here

(This is speculation on my part, but I personally believe that there must have been a possibility that such unions occurred. If they did, there could have been some type of genetic contamination that happened before and during Noah’s lifetime. Although the presence of depravity in and of itself would justify mankind’s destruction, the Nephilim logically suggest another reason for God to exercise such severe judgement. It seems logical to me that part of the reason why God implemented the flood was to eliminate all traces of that genetic contamination from the earth. That logic also leads me to believe that the more men tinker with genetic mutation, the closer we are to God drawing the curtain on His creation. But I digress.)

A Less Than Inspiring Report

The Nephilim were mighty warriors, larger-than life characters against whom ten of the spies they felt they had no chance. (God did not seem to factor into their equation, by the way.) Only Joshua and Caleb believed that they could take possession of the land, but the other spies were unanimous in their insecurity. They said that they felt as small as grasshoppers in their own eyes, and that the citizens of the land viewed them in the same way. Coincidence? Perhaps James Allen nailed it: “As a man thinketh, so is he.”

Think of yourself as small and you will play small. If we feel like grasshoppers, we will act like grasshoppers. Others will see us as grasshoppers. But turn it around! Think of yourself as godly, and you will start to display godliness; if you see yourself as God’s handiwork, others will see you the same way. Put God in charge of things. You will reflect His character and be filled with His strength and courage. Think of it this way: you can go into battle with grasshoppers, or you can go into battle with the Lord of Hosts. Kinda changes the playing field doesn’t it?

Grasshopper Games

If you see yourself as small, then that is how you’ll play.
When you think you’re lost, then you will never find the way.
If you moan and say you can’t, then you are nothing like that ant
Who didn’t gripe and cry and rant
But moved the great big rubber tree plant.
Israel sent some spies to look into the promised land;
Ten of them came back and said, “Oh no! We’re under-manned!
We saw some great big Nephilim, and really, we are scared of them,
We felt like grasshoppers in their sight,
And ran from there in total fright!
They’re not the guys we want to fight!”

But Joshua and Caleb stood, and said, “Let’s take this land! We could!
The Lord of Hosts is on our side, and we don’t have to fear or hide,
Our army can go forth with pride, and we will never be denied!”
But Israel was quite dismayed at what the other spies had said:
The Promised land was long delayed because their leaders were afraid…
When you fear only God and know the work and plans are His,
THINK BIG!! And just be confident in who your LEADER is!

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here:https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread
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The Ransom for Sin Really IS a Matter of Life and Death

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Ransom is something we (hopefully) don’t have to think about too often. While it is usually reserved for kidnapping victims today, in ancient times ransom was requested fairly often. It was not unusual for captors to ask about it for prisoners of war, or anyone who was unfortunate enough to fall into the wrong hands. (Lest we think such practices outdated, don’t forget that Hamas kidnapped women and children to use them as bartering chips to trade for terrorists…) However it occurred, those holding the prisoner would request that a ransom be paid to free the captive. Captors commonly leveraged the grief or concern of prisoners’ families to extort money from the victim’s family or government. If the captive didn’t have enough resources to pay ransom, they were usually sold into slavery or killed.

In the Old Testament times, the Israelites were required to pay something like a ransom for sins, in the form of an offering. “And he brought the bull for the sin offering. Then Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering, and Moses killed it. Then he took the blood, and put some on the horns of the altar all around with his finger, and purified the altar. And he poured the blood at the base of the altar, and consecrated it, to make atonement for it.” (Leviticus 8:14-15, NIV)

The Only Way Out

I have wondered about sacrifices, the physical act of slaughtering a bull or a goat and burning it upon an altar. It was a messy, bloody business, certainly an uncivilized way to do church. And yet the Hebrew priests and people participated in all manner of animal sacrifices to atone for sin. Why? Because the justice system of the universe treated sin like a deadly disease (which it was), Sin always ends in death, and sacrifices reminded everyone of that grisly reality.

Very early on, in Genesis 2:17, God warned Adam about the forbidden tree: “in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Guess what? Adam and Eve didn’t die that day, but they both experienced the certainty of sin’s penalty thereafter. So have all of their descendants. In essence, mankind was kidnapped by sin in the garden, and Satan demanded the appropriate ransom.

A Harsh Penalty

In Romans 6:23, Paul reminds us that sin has a result: “for the wages of sin is death”. Leviticus 17:11 points out that Life of the flesh is in the blood. Sin is a life and death matter, and sacrifices provided a graphic reminder of sin’s penalty. Every time the Israelites killed an animal they were reminded that only death could satisfy the legal requirements for being disobedient. The ransom had to be paid.

There is no other way to deal with sin, and no way to get around it. Only by being sinless could someone avoid sin’s ultimate penalty, but no one could accomplish that, so God provided a temporary means for men to illustrate how that penalty would be paid until the permanent solution could occur. These temporary animal sacrifices helped prepare the way for the permanent necessary sacrifice that was to come. Sin required death for its participants, and the penalty was acknowledged through the sacrifices that were made.

A Permanent Problem Required a Permanent Solution

But sin required a more permanent solution, one on the cosmic scale that death demanded. It was only by the willing substitution of the perfect man that sin’s debt for mankind could be paid. It’s important to remember that Jesus was a volunteer, not a victim. As he said in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

To bring that statement home, you should take it personally: Sin and death kidnapped you, with the worst of intentions, and demanded that you pay the full price for all that you have done. You and I were held for ransom by death and needed full payment in order to be free from its clutches. But the Bible has some AMAZING NEWS! If you have been captured or held hostage by sin, the ransom has been paid! Your freedom has been secured.

Blood Price

Think, today, as you draw each breath,
the wages for all your sin is death!
Whatever you think, and whatever you’ve planned
Is hostage, held by death’s demand.
You pled your case to the Righteous Judge,
But He said the Law just couldn’t budge,
So Jesus took your ransom cost
And satisfied it on His cross:
In spite of every mistake you’ve made,
When the Reaper swings his deadly blade,
In spite of the way you’ve disobeyed,
Great news! Your ransom has been paid!

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
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The Incredibly Dumb People Who Were Always Blessed but Never Satisfied

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Once there were some people who were never satisfied. They complained constantly and took offense at every slight. They weren’t happy, and they didn’t want anyone around them to be happy either. (Stop Me if You’ve Heard this Before…)

“As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” (Exodus 14:10-12, NIV)

Whining is Unbecoming

The Israelites under Moses’ leadership were a study in contrasts, and no matter what happened, it seems they were never satisfied. They were miraculously delivered from slavery, and yet were ready to go back to their old lives at the first sign of trouble. Then the Hebrews reversed their field and went from rejoicing to rebellion in Exodus 15:24 (“the people grumbled against Moses”), and again in Exodus 16:3 (“If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt!”). They saw miracles but lived in doubt. Insecurity plagued their every success, and they became unhappy, it seems, mere moments after being completely satisfied.

They followed Moses like [disobedient] children but then were ready to kill him in Exodus 17:4. Moses’ followers wanted leadership but rebelled against it early and often. They saw God’s hand at work in their lives in miraculous ways, and then forgot it almost immediately, expressing themselves in both public and private grumbling and complaining. Whatever the Israelites were intended to become, their constant whining prevented them from achieving it. They were blessed but not satisfied.

Perhaps the unifying characteristic of mankind is never having enough. So far in the Bible narrative, we see it over and over. Adam and Eve wanted more. Cain was unhappy about his status compared to his brother. The people around Noah wanted every evil thing, continually. The builders at Babel wanted a greater name, a higher place. And now, after miraculous deliverance from Egypt, the Israelites demanded more from Moses, and more from God.

Always a Long List

They hungered for the way things used to be, with appetites for things of the flesh rather than things of the Spirit. The Israelites blamed their leaders instead of having faith in the Lord. They longed for the comforts of slavery back in the fleshpots of Egypt, and kept turning away from the adventure of a life of faith. At times they wished they were back in bondage to Pharaoh—a god of this world—instead of walking in freedom with God.

Can you believe these guys? How could anybody be so stupid? They were given freedom; how could people be given the gift of freedom only to misuse it? How could they profess to have God in their lives and then totally forget about Him from time to time?

I’m sure you get it by now, but these guys are us. We are blessed but not satisfied; as God’s children we can walk in freedom with God, but often choose bondage to sin instead; we blame our leaders instead of following them; some vaguely hunger for spiritual maturity, but usually choose instead the temporary satisfaction of old habits and persistent, selfish sin. We criticize and marginalize rather than cooperate and build up. The journey of the inconsistent, immature, worldly, unfaithful Israelites is like a mirror given to us so that we can see how to walk with God. How are you doing? Learn. Walk. Be happy.

Satisfied With Less

There were folks who once received a blessing
But still lived life haphazardly transgressing–
Always stressing, then regressing, messing, needing some confessing,
Never addressing how distressing it was that they were not progressing…

They knew the Law! The Truth! The Life! The Way!
They followed God, who helped them not to stray,
And had the chance to see Him every day.
Why, they could go right up to Him and pray!

And yet! They usually treated Him casually,
Or intellectually, failing to really see
His depth emotionally, or how eternally He loved them personally.
They left their theology for some debauchery, followed some treachery,
Sinned with ubiquity, lived in iniquity–
How could this ever be?? Guess what?! It’s plain to see,
Reading antiquity, all of this history points right at you and me:
When all your choices and your opportunities have died,
Don’t be that guy who’s always blessed but never satisfied…

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread
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“To Obey is better Than Sacrifice.” But, Which of Those is Harder to DO?

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“If You Will” Is Part of the Covenant

“Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’” (Exodus 19:3-6, NKJV)

When God called Moses to lead the Hebrews out of slavery, He gave them the evidence of mighty works that literally changed their world. He covered them with grace and offered them His Presence. The Lord promised that they would be His own special treasure out of all the people on the earth. He delivered them from a lifetime of servitude to an ungodly master, and He formed a covenant with them that would last forever. Sound familiar? He did ask for something in return.

These verses contain an “if-then” clause, making the fulfilment of the promises somewhat conditional. God said, “If you will indeed OBEY My voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to me…” Apparently God really values obedience.

Oops I Did it Again

I guess it makes sense that we should be obedient, but the Bible (not to mention all of our current headlines) is pretty much the story of how we have NOT obeyed Him, starting with Adam and Eve. Pharaoh had a pretty sweet deal, what with all the slaves to build stuff and serve him. Imagine if he had said, “I think I’ll obey this God of the Israelites. Maybe if I take good care of these chosen people and follow this God, I can get some of this blessing for me.” If Pharaoh had decided to OBEY God, perhaps his deal could have gotten even sweeter.

But “Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should OBEY him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:2)

He wasn’t willing to obey the Living God, and he came to an inglorious and ignominious end. (Yeah I know, how often do you get referred to by the word ‘ignominious’? But if you aren’t obedient, it could happen to you…)The practice of animal sacrifice was designed as a graphic reminder of sin’s penalty and it became a focal point for the Hebrew religion, and yet Samuel said, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To OBEY is better than sacrifice, and to hearken is better than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22)

I’m Sensing a Theme, Here

When rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall, the Levites under Nehemiah told all the people why they had come to such a desolate state. Their public ceremony praised God for his deliverance, and included this reminder: “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not OBEY your commands.” (Nehemiah 9:16) The whole Bible is full of examples of disobedience and consequences. “But wait”, you say. “Why are you talking so much about disobedience to me? I’m New Testament. I’m under Grace.”

Well, consider what Jesus said: “Anyone who loves me will OBEY my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” (John 14:23) Apparently faith always results in obedience. Do you believe in Jesus? Yes. Well, then, how’s that obedience thing going? Do you realize he even included obedience as an important part of the Great Commission? “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to OBEY everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

I’m a little worried sometime that we have cheapened Grace by emphasizing how free it is, while failing to remember that our faith should naturally result in our obedience to God. Have you seen God do something in your life? Do you say you have a relationship with Him? Well, just ask yourself one question: Are you obeying God? As you take spiritual inventory every now and then, it’s a great question to ask.

Two Testaments, One Word

Here’s something no one likes to say,
Or much less, DO. And that’s OBEY.
It’s what God told the Israelites
Would please Him more than sacrifice;
It’s just how Pharaoh wouldn’t bend
That brought his ignominious end…
And here’s a different thought, my friend:
Although your Testament is the New,
It also still applies to YOU.
But you protest: “That’s out-of-place!
I’m free! I’m covered up by Grace!
I disobey God now and then,
But really, Jesus is my friend!”

Well here’s what Jesus has to say:
“To obey is love, and to love, obey.
There really is no other way.”
Obey. Today and every day.
Read your Bible. All I’m sayin’
Is just that Jesus wasn’t playin’.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
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Slavery, Totally Reversed: How the Very Worst Day Became the Best. Day. Ever.

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Our Blogs during Easter focused on Passion week and the events that culminated in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Yesterday we talked about where it all started, in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. Now that we are a few days past Passion Week, I’d like to look back into the Old Testament at the larger narrative the Bible presents us. There are stories about slavery and redemption, conflict and love, and indeed about life and death that are connected to the Easter we just celebrated. For instance, Joseph’s jealous brothers sold him into slavery when he was just a teenager. It might have been better than killing him, but their actions still put him onto a difficult path in life and caused him great hardship. The Book of Genesis tells how Joseph overcame those hardships and grew in many ways beyond his circumstances. (Remember Potiphar’s wife? Prison? Pharaoh’s dreams?) As he languished in an Egyptian prison, do you think Joseph ever harbored bitterness against his brothers? Cursed his fate? Planned revenge, perhaps?

So, when a famine in Judea forced the brothers to Egypt seeking food, the plot thickened. The brothers found themselves under the authority of the one they had dismissed so cruelly. When they realized their position, they rightfully feared for their lives because Joseph had become a powerful man. His logical response would have been cruelty and vengeance, and very few would have blamed him if he had just done the worst things he could think of to brothers who had sold him out. But Joseph had another perspective, one that no one else saw coming…

A Different Perspective

“Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.” Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (Genesis 50:18-20, NKJV) Joseph’s brothers conspired to kill him, and for Joseph it looked like his worst day ever. But at the last minute they relented and sold him into slavery instead.

Although he began as a slave, he ended up as a powerful man in Egypt. His brothers fell on hard times, and when they traveled to Egypt seeking help, they unwittingly wound up under his authority. The story of Joseph could have easily been one of righteous vengeance. If he had reflected the cultural and moral values of his day, Joseph would have sought to make his brothers pay for what they had done. It would have only been logical for him to take out his anger upon them, and I don’t imagine anyone would have questioned his right to vengeance.

A Larger Plan

After all, he rose to a position of prominence in Egypt, and became a man with power and resources. After years of separation, his brothers found themselves far from home in Egypt, totally at his mercy. They feared the worst, that he would exact his rightful revenge upon them. Instead, he offered them grace because he believed God had a larger plan.

Joseph’s response was another example of the difference between man’s perception and God’s actions. Just as Joseph needed redemption because his brothers sold him into slavery, all of us need redemption because we are bound by the slavery of sin. Yet in a world afflicted with evil, God offers the possibility of good. Joseph’s answer offers perspective for us when bad things happen in a fallen world. We don’t always see it right away, but God can redeem even the worst things to accomplish something good.

Romans 8:28 says that He works “all things together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose.” It doesn’t say that only good will happen, or that all things will be ok. It doesn’t even say He will do it automatically for everyone.

Processing Differently

The secret of this oft-quoted verse is the same as the motivation behind Joseph’s statement to his brothers. It says that when you love God, and see yourself as called according to His purpose, you are able to process bad circumstances differently. You can operate in faith that God will turn trials into patience, bad circumstances into intimacy with Him and evil into good. That’s what Joseph believed. It’s also what Paul, James, and Peter taught in the early church.

As the foremost example of this, God took what is arguably the very worst day in human history (the day Christ was crucified) and turned it into the very best day in history (the day all men could be freed from the penalty of sin and redeemed!). Joseph may have been sold into slavery, but the Lord redeemed him for good. Isn’t the same thing true of us? We may have been trapped in the slavery of sin and death, but the Lord redeemed us out of bondage at the cross.

If God is able to transform the WORST day in history to the BEST day ever, then maybe it makes sense to trust Him with whatever happens to you today as well.

Tables Turned

Joseph’s jealous brothers almost had a plot to slay him;
Instead they sold him as a slave, just thinking to betray him.
When he rose to power, and they fell into his hand,
He could have exercised revenge by giving a command.
He told them, “Yes I know you didn’t treat me as you should,
But what you meant for evil, God has transformed into good.
It is the Lord Himself whose grace has given us this chance
To see His hand at work for us in every circumstance.”

The Lord, whose grace has given us the chance to live forever,
Has offered us eternal love no earthly thing can sever,
And turned the very worst of days into the Best. Day. Ever.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread
For the Kindle Edition, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Bo-Jackson-ebook/dp/B01K5Z0NLA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-2&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

Temptation Offer Its Fruits in Many Forms; But All is Not Gold That Glistens…

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Temptation comes in many forms, but perhaps nowhere has it been depicted any more accurately than in this account in the book of Genesis:.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” (Genesis 3:1-6, NIV)

An Archetype Worth Remembering

The account of man’s temptation and fall in the garden packs an incredible amount of truth into a very few words. Here are a few quick observations:

1) “Did God really say?” Twisting the truth is a sure path to ruin. It almost always opens the door to doubt, rationalization, and denial.

2) God gave man hundreds of fruits to say “yes” to and only ONE “no.” Man still chose the one wrong thing. We still do that today, don’t we? In the face of any number of blessings, we like what we like and we want what we want. Put another way, we will often choose selfishness and rebellion over love and obedience.

3) The story doesn’t tell us WHO added “and you must not touch it”. Eve could have been repeating what Adam told her. Men have always added their own burdens and interpretations to God’s command, starting with the first one. But perhaps adding more restriction to God’s statement made it easier to rationalize and therefore easier to break.

Lack of Presence Presents Opportunities

4) Adam was apparently off working or playing golf long enough for Eve to have a lengthy conversation with the serpent. The crafty serpent may have been hanging around for a while, biding his time. We often flirt with temptation a bit before accepting its invitation to dance. People rarely fall headlong into grievous sin; they sneak into it one step at a time, and everyone else is surprised when the marriage suddenly breaks up or the bigger theft occurs. Usually the temptation and response to it have been quietly growing over time…and so has the magnitude of sin. Like Bill Murray in “What About Bob?”, we take baby steps before we can take big steps.

5) The serpent was smart, and he went after both Eve and Adam very strategically. He tempted Eve by questioning the truth; the devious snake also offered her something tasty and “pleasing to the eye”. He attracted Eve with a desirable THING, something that appealed to her aesthetics AND her senses. Kinda like shopping. Or Pinterest. Women rise up in arms if anyone suggests that shopping is a sin, trust me on that one. But it relates to covetousness, and desiring things. Shopping in and of itself isn’t necessarily bad, but coveting something–desiring a thing, say, more than God–certainly is. That’s what drew Eve into sin.

Who’s in Charge?

6) He not only offered her a pretty, tasty snack, he offered her the opportunity to supplant the authority in her life, promising “you will be like God.” No longer would she chafe under Adam’s (or even God’s) control, she could take this shortcut to moral independence. What a temptation! What woman could resist that? I’m sure her new knowledge and worldliness was appealing to Adam as well, since it offered him also the chance to “be like god”. This has been tempting to all men and women under anyone else’s control ever since.

7) Adam was tempted not by a thing, but by a now-knowledgeable, naked Eve who was now able to dangle her fruit in front of him in ways he’d never thought of… what man could resist that? (The biggest selling Sports Illustrated edition every year has nothing to do with sports. Just sayin’.).

The writer of Genesis created a depiction of temptation and sin that has endured not just for centuries, but for millennia! Not only is the Genesis story mythological and archetypical, it is also still applicable. We still get messages that encourage our independence and selfishness more than ever. The next time the crafty old serpent tempts you to question what God has said, be reminded of John 8:32: “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”

Aren’t You Tempted to Read This?

Somewhere in the Garden, Eve was left alone to hear
The devious, crafty Serpent as he whispered in her ear:
“Has God been over-bearing? Has He said you must not eat
Of the Tree of Good and Evil? I have heard its fruit is sweet!”
Then Eve embraced temptation, and a tiny bite was taken;
Her heart and eyes were opened, but eternity was shaken!
The Garden trembled that the Word of God had been forsaken…

Then Eve combined the fruit with all the new things that she knew,
And Adam fell under her spell, and soon was eating, too!
They suddenly knew many things, and suddenly felt shame;
And after that, the world they knew would never be the same.
Temptation still appears today, and offers us its fruit–
That thing on Pinterest that we want, or a beautiful birthday suit–
So if temptation comes your way, and craftily deceives,
Hold fast to things that Jesus taught, and be one who believes.
Sin can change your world just like with Adam’s. And with Eve’s.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread
For the Kindle Edition, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Bo-Jackson-ebook/dp/B01K5Z0NLA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-2&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

The Garden of Eden Held Many Trees and Only ONE Job: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

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My good friend Charlie Henderson worked for years in our company’s manufacturing facilities, and he is well-acquainted with both machine failure and human error. There are funny memes saying, “You only had ONE Job”, and I know Charlie heard that around the manufacturing plants all the time. One of his favorite sayings is, (especially when we see something that is patently ignorant or incredibly ill-conceived) “What could possibly go wrong??” You may be wondering what Charlie has to do with trees in the Garden, so I’ll try to connect the dots.

A Tale of Two Trees…

“Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:15-17 NKJV)

Actually, Way MORE than Two

When you first read the account of the fall, it’s easy to miss the significance of the trees. It’s easy to gloss over the ground rules, thinking yeah there was a test, and man failed. There were good trees and bad trees, and man ate from the bad one. But read the verses again. God told Adam, “You can eat of EVERY tree of the garden.”

How many trees do you suppose that covered? How many good trees could there be? I can picture an apple tree (it never says the forbidden fruit was an apple, by the way), pear trees, macadamia trees, peach trees, banana trees, plum trees, and chestnut trees… and oh yeah, there would be fig, grapefruit, mango, cashew, orange, date, olive, cherry, lemon, lime, pecan, avocado, coconut, almond, etc., etc.

And if the trees weren’t sufficient, God also gave man “every herb bearing seed”, so you’d have melons, berries, wheat, sugar cane, corn, you name it. If you allow for milk and eggs (which might be stretching things a bit) you could have peach cobbler with ice cream, pecan pie with whipped cream, chocolate cake with milk, and all kinds of culinary delights. Sure, there would have had to have been some trial and error (since recipes, ovens and refrigerators weren’t created yet) but the list of appetizing sustenance available to Adam and Eve was almost limitless in possibility.

One Tree, Though…

On the other hand, how many trees did God make off-limits? Just ONE. Just the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Do you see the disparity? God permitted far more than He denied. Human nature always wants to build a case based on the one restrictive thing rather than being grateful for the many permissible things in life.

Man could freely eat of many good things, but was forbidden only the… one… tree… (Charlie might ask here, “What could possibly go wrong?”) If God were just a legalist, there would have been many rules to follow and many bad things with consequences. We see that kind of structure later as man struggled in a fallen world, but in the Garden there were LOTS of good choices, and only one illegal choice.

What outcome for man was the Lord trying to suggest? Did he want you and me to live in harmony with him, walking eternally through His creation, or did He want us to die? God stacked the deck. He weighted the scales of justice in man’s favor. If the Garden of Eden tells us anything about God’s character, it is that He loves to bless His children, He provides abundantly, and He prefers grace and security over disobedience and death. All of that is still true.

Some Things Never Change

Unfortunately, what we learn about man’s character is also still true. We are easily bored, prone to dissatisfaction, willful, subject to temptation, and usually disobedient. Like Adam and Eve, we are drawn to eat forbidden fruit while surrounded by a feast, tempted to partake of temporary tidbits while sitting at a table with eternal bread.

Interesting that temporary and tempt both start with the same 4 letters—the tidbits of temptation are always temporary—and trust me, the tidbits always leave a bitter taste. If you want to live a fruitful life, then focus today on all of the many good things God has provided, and walk with Him. There could be some peach cobbler and ice cream ahead.

All those Trees…

Is religion more than just a bunch of do’s and don’ts?
Is God only satisfied with way more wills than won’ts?
Are we just a bunch of fools for following a bunch of rules,
And is religion any more than God in heaven, keeping score?
Consider this: in Eden, for as far as he could see
Adam had the right to eat from every single tree.
There was no fruit or bounty God restricted or kept hidden;
One tree alone from hundreds had the fruit that was forbidden.
And so it is with God, who never wanted to distress us:
He offers countless choices for the ways He wants to bless us!
We can live apart from God, and chase our every whim;
Or we can do the simplest, smartest thing by choosing Him.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

You Are a Leader Whether You Like It or Not; SO, You Better Walk the Walk

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There is often a disconnect in today’s world between public persona and private behavior. The illusion of social (and other) media allows our leaders to say one thing and be another. The Apostle Paul had a different take: “Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.” (Philippians 3:17 NKJV) Paul’s statement recognizes that there are two kinds of people. People who talk, and people who walk. (That principle is eloquently reflected by the Sundance Kid when he said, “Keep talking there, Butch. That’s what you’re good at.”)

Walk in the Right Pattern

My freshman year at Southwest Texas State University in 1972 I was on a Navigator team of five guys who were committed to making disciples. The Navigators are an international ministry founded by Dawson Trotman back in 1933. The book “Daws: A Man Who Trusted God” (by Betty Skinner) tells the story of how Dawson recognized a need to go deeper than “hit and run” evangelism to build disciple-making relationships.

The Navigators have been accused of being too radical, and have even been called a cult. Their military-like commitment to training and discipleship can seem radical to some outside of their ministry, I guess. From the inside, I found them to be a group of sincere, authentic guys who helped teach me how to live out my faith. They spoke often about “walking the walk” rather than just “talking the talk.”

Walking With Focus

Our group worked together daily on being not just believers but disciples. Part of our commitment was that we wouldn’t date if we were on the team because we were going to be investing our time in making disciples, not spending it on dating. It was a big challenge for all of us on a campus where there were four girls in the student population for every guy. I still think SWT had the prettiest girls in the whole state.

When the guys on the team would talk about “heart problems”—spiritual challenges that got in and messed with your head—avoiding temptation from female companionship always made the top of the list. The girls at the BSU (Baptist Student Union) teased us by calling us the “Never daters”, and for most of my freshman year, we didn’t. (That Spring I was released from my “no dating” pledge because the team was in transition, and I got involved with Campus Crusade, where, of course, there were girls…)

Walking on Campus

But for most of my freshman year, David Sneller, Bill Henry, Randy Dietz, and Tommy Ledbetter spent time showing me how to do evangelism in the dorms, conduct Bible Studies, and memorize Scripture. We did service projects (we helped my parents move one weekend, painted someone’s house another, and did various acts of service as a team…)

It wasn’t all just militant discipleship. They were a fun and engaging team. We played intramural football together, went canoeing down the Guadalupe, and hung out. What I discovered, and what I could SEE was that these guys didn’t just TALK about the Bible; they really tried to apply it in their lives every day.

Walking on Campus

I’m not gonna lie, the no-dating thing was hard for all of us, but in many ways life was simpler. We were on a mission. (Ha, as I write this, I still can’t believe we really did that. So if you are skeptical I understand, but it made sense at the time and it was really a very rewarding year!). Here in Philippians, Paul was so secure in his walk that he offered himself as a pattern to follow.

I’m thinking there are very few folks whose actions allow them to do that… But the guys on our Navigator team at SWTSU in 1972 were guys like that. They were authentic, transparent men who walked the walk. Dave Sneller told me my first week on campus, “If you really want to be accountable this year, spend the first few days standing on the Quad wearing a big sign. Have the sign say, If you want to see what a Christian really looks like, watch me”.

I, for one, didn’t have the courage to do that, but imagine the help you’d get if you did, and the accountability you would create by saying, I am the pattern—watch me.

Walk Wherever You Are

Gives a whole new meaning to “Here’s your sign”, doesn’t it? Christian, where’s YOUR sign? Is anyone watching you? Have you offered yourself as a pattern to anyone? I learned a lot about following Jesus from those guys. In fact, I have been incredibly blessed with authentic people throughout my life who have helped me understand about walking with God.

Over the course of my life, I have learned about authenticity from my parents, teachers and friends I had in high school, and of course that Navigator team in 1972… After college, I have found accountability from guys in Young Life like Mark Krimm, Dave Martin, Joey Turner and Christian Hemberger. I have also found loving accountability from my lovely wife, who has shown me more about Jesus than anyone else I’ve ever known. If Paul’s message means anything to us, then he is saying: be a pattern. I would enlarge upon that by saying, No, wait: you already ARE a pattern. Be a good one

Walk the Talk

Paul told the Philippians that his life was a sample
Of how to walk with God, and they should follow his example.
“Talk is cheap” the Proverb says, and when you get right to it,
There are lots of folks who talk, but never really do it.
So here’s another Proverb for the ones who talk the talk:
If you are going to say it, then you better walk the walk.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

Contemplation is Something You Should Contemplate

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How important is contemplation these days? Do you ever spend much time just thinking about meaningful stuff? In a modern world, perhaps that notion seems unrealistic. But today, looking back upon Easter and Passion Week, I thought we should do a little contemplation about contemplation.

Along those lines, Jesus told Philip something that deserves some contemplation. “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.” (John 14:10-11 NASB)

Contemplate The Need for Proof

Philip asked Jesus for proof: “show us the Father, and it will be enough.” It was a moment like in the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy wanted to go home. The Wizard told her that, really, all she had to do was click the heels of the ruby slippers on her feet and say “There’s no place like home!”. Just do that, and she’d be back in Kansas! It turned out that she really had everything she needed right there, but she didn’t realize it. By asking Jesus for proof, it seems that Philip was in the same situation! He already had everything he needed right in front of him… But he wanted more.

As you contemplate that, it brings up an interesting question: Do WE ever keep asking for an answer when God has already given us one? Do we ever seek more proof when God has already provided more than enough? Two things here:

Reflecting the Spirit

1) Jesus performed the works he did (miracles) not because he had magical super powers, but because he was in the Father, abiding in him. He was so intimately connected to God that He did what God would do. It’s another way of describing “walking in the Spirit”. He was uniquely yielded and empowered, and his life reflected the results of having the Father in him. If what Jesus taught was true, then ours could reflect that as well.

Andrew Murray’s devotional Book, “Abide in Christ” (http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/murray/5f00.0562/5f00.0562.c.htm) offers a 31 day exercise in abiding that teaches how to do just that. Going through it is an enriching exercise that offers an antidote to the hustle and bustle of our “modern” world.

Deflecting the Reflecting

Since contemplation and time alone with God are part of the means to abide in Him, here’s a thought. If I was Satan, I would make contemplation and quiet time a thing of the past. I’d offer distractions to deflect God’s followers from reflection. I would fill the hours that were once available for reflection and connection with music, media and busy-ness.

If I was Satan, I’d provide music 24/7, sound-canceling headphones, 180+ channels on television, plus thousands more on the internet. I’d create fantasy-world games that could distract from real-world possibilities. Perhaps I could present “super” heroes who fight cosmic, cataclysmic battles with arch-villains as the fate of the world hung in the balance. If I were Satan, I’d fill people’s time with Pinterest, social media, Twitter, Snapchat, celebrities, and Facebook. They could argue about politics and extend hate to others they don’t even know… I would provide so much mental distraction that there would be no time for contemplation… I’d do that because I know that busy minds will never be intimately connected with the Father.

Words or Works?

2) What is keeping you from living by faith, and from doing the kind of works Jesus did? I’m sure Philip thought Jesus was an amazing guy, but apparently, he wasn’t yet completely convinced– and his lack of belief was holding him back from being amazing himself. Jesus said in John 14:12, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

I think we often limit ourselves because we aren’t sold out enough. We don’t really believe that Jesus was who he said he was. Put your faith to work, and invest a little quiet contemplation in who Jesus was. So, how do we get that information? I’d say if we want to know about the man John called “the Word”, we might try taking a little journey through THE WORD. Jesus said his words and works proved who he was. Either believe Jesus’ words, or believe his works. Perhaps if you contemplate HIS, it will impact YOURS…

Contemplation Template

Perhaps you could allow me just a small interrogation:
How often does your day include some quiet contemplation?
Spend some time with Jesus, have some two-way conversation;
Allow yourself to feel the Holy Spirit’s inspiration!
Search the Scriptures for him; do a small investigation,
Reflecting on his character and seeking calibration.
Get to know him well enough to do some imitation:
You’ll find that Christ in You is a creative combination!




To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread