6 When they reach Dry Valley,
springs start flowing,
and the autumn rain fills it with pools of water.
7 Your people grow stronger,
and you, the God of gods, will be seen in Zion (Psalm 84:6-7 CEV).

Do you dread the heat of the summer? How hot does it get in the summer where you live? What uncomfortable things are associated with your summers? We long for relief from the summer’s heat. We long for refreshment from the rain.

The heat of the summer is dreaded in Palestine even today. There is virtually no rain in the Mediterranean from May to October. The heat in the summer is so oppressive that as a rule people rest under cover during the middle of the day. Even on the mountains where the temperature of the air is lower, the sun is even more unrelenting because of the lighter nature of the atmosphere.

The first word of advice given to visitors to the Mediterranean is to protect themselves from the sun. The human body is about three-quarters water. Water is found inside cells, within blood vessels, and in-between cells. Water is constantly lost during the day, but is replenished by increasing our fluid intake.

In the heat of the summer

The heat of summer takes its toll on the body. Even low levels of dehydration can cause headaches, lethargy and constipation. The continuous summer sun often causes sunstroke, vomiting and even a loss of intellectual and mental functions. If dehydration continues, internal organs like the kidneys, liver and brain, can undergo severe damage.

Dehydration causes your blood to become thicker and more concentrated. Your heart has a more difficult time pushing the blood through the cardiovascular system. To make up for the struggle, your heart increases its rate to maintain blood pressure. When the dehydrated body is pushed, the risk of exhaustion and collapse increases.

Dehydration is treated by replenishing the fluid level in the body. It is most effectively accomplished by drinking clear fluids such as water, clear broths, frozen water or ice pops, and sports drinks like Gatorade. Interestingly some drinks appear to be quenching our thirst and aiding hydration when actually the drinks add to the dehydrating effects. Alcohol, coffee and sodas are diuretics which actually remove water from the body. We have to be careful what fluids we put into the body.

God is not only concerned about the effects of the physical heat upon the physical body, He is aware that the spiritual body can be affected by spiritual heat.

Wandering in the wilderness

The absence of water creates a desert – a constant reminder of dangers, hardships and even death. But the desert also plays a symbolic role for God’s people. Because of Israel’s sins, “I will stretch out My hand against them, and wherever they live I will make the land a desolate waste, from the wilderness to Diblah. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 6:14 HCSB).

In the Bible many passages speak of actual physical deserts and wilderness areas. John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness. Jesus was led into the wilderness for forty days during His temptation experiences with Satan. But like the time of the Messiah in the wilderness, the desert is often used to the spiritually parched times in our lives where we are drawn to our relationship with God for the quenching of thirst.

The dangers presented by the desert to human survival can be a warning of what life becomes when God is banished from our lives. The desert can be a sign of the punishment that is awaiting those who are rebellious against God (Psalm 68:7). It can be the result of leadership gone astray (Jeremiah 12:10-11). It can speak of diving judgment and punishment (Isaiah 32:11-16).

Israel’s wandering in the wilderness for forty years speaks to the punishment received for sin. Yet even in the midst of the wilderness, God cares for Israel, nourishing them with manna and quail, quenching their thirst with water from a rock (Exodus 16:4, 13; 17:6).

Even in the desert, God provides

It is significant to realize that God is said to have found His people in the wilderness, in the desert. Deuteronomy records:

“He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He kept him as the apple of His eye” (Deuteronomy 32:10 ESV).

Centuries later, God will call them from the wilderness that separates them from each other and from His presence back to a pathway to Himself. “A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3 ESV). The gospel writers would later apply the passage to the ministry of John the Baptist in preparation for the coming Messiah (Matthew 3:3).

Are there geographical deserts that you have visited? What characteristics do you recall? What impression did they make upon you? Describe a time in your life that felt like you were in a desert. What caused it to feel that way? Did you find the experience to be both a time of struggle and a time of renewal?

Matthew, Mark and Luke all record that Jesus, following His baptism, went into the desert to fast and pray. Forty days He spent contemplating His ministry and direction, fighting off the Devil’s wiles and temptations. The desert became a place of renewal as angels came and ministered to Jesus (Matthew 3:13 – 4:11).

The Promise of Autumn Rain

The draught continues into the weekend, but a cold front approaches our area by Sunday evening bringing a chance for showers and a drop in temperatures. We will have the complete forecast in fifteen minutes.

For God’s people of Israel, the desert areas of Palestine and the Sinai Peninsula were a vast expanse, mountainous terrain that burst from the Sea of the Mediterranean. Life in these lands was harsh, barren and treacherous. Even the necessities of life like food and water needed to be provided by God because the bounty of the land was scarce.

God’s people experienced the hardships of desert life. At times they were overwhelmed by the circumstances they met which left them feeling powerless and abandoned. “Why did you bring us out here to perish?” In the midst of their despair, God provided, teaching Israel that He could be leaned toward and counted upon.

Solomon’s insights

The wisdom of Solomon painted a beautiful image of love on the canvas of the Hebrew poetic book, the Song of Solomon. “Who is that coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved” (Song of Solomon 8:5 ESV)? The words that captured Solomon’s beloved also described Israel as God’s people came up out of the desert.

It is not by accident that many servants of God spent time in the desert. Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah, John the Baptist, Jesus and Paul all spent significant time in the desert before fulfilling their roles of leadership in God’s magnificent plan. The desert always proceeds the Promised Land.

It is also not by chance that today we journey through desert experiences – times of struggle, times of pain, the diagnosis of cancer, the break-up of a marriage, the failure of a business, the wayward child, the rebellious spirit inside. Circumstances and emotions, uncertainty and the lack of control push us to the end of our resources, the end of our abilities and the end of our rope.

God still uses the heat of a desert to touch lives. When temperatures soar, we look for a way out of the desert. We look for a redeemer.

God used the challenges and pains of desert life to teach the people to listen and trust. But He always promised relief.

Listen to the words of the Old Testament writers

He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil (Deuteronomy 11:14 ESV).

then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit (Leviticus 26:4 ESV).

to satisfy the waste and desolate land,
and to make the ground sprout with grass (Job 38:27 ESV)?

May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth (Psalm 72:6 ESV)!

Major prophets

And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures (Isaiah 30:23 ESV),

24 They do not say in their hearts,
    ‘Let us fear the Lord our God,
who gives the rain in its season,
    the autumn rain and the spring rain,
and keeps for us
    the weeks appointed for the harvest (Jeremiah 5:24 ESV)

When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain,
and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses (Jeremiah 10:13 ESV).

Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain?
Or can the heavens give showers?
Are you not he, O Lord our God?
We set our hope on you,
for you do all these things (Jeremiah 14:22 ESV).

Minor prophets

Ask rain from the Lord
in the season of the spring rain,
from the Lord who makes the storm clouds,
and he will give them showers of rain,
to everyone the vegetation in the field (Zechariah 10:1 ESV).

Sow for yourselves righteousness;
reap steadfast love;
break up your fallow ground,
for it is the time to seek the Lord,
that he may come and rain righteousness upon you (Hosea 10:12 ESV).

“Be glad, O children of Zion,
and rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given the early rain for your vindication;
he has poured down for you abundant rain,
the early and the latter rain, as before (Joel 2:23 ESV).

The Lord will send rain to refresh His people. Count upon it; He is faithful.

The Valley of Baka

Our deserts are not always made of physical sand.

The word “heat” is often used in connection with anger in the Scriptures: hot anger (Ex 11:8), hot displeasure (Deuteronomy 9:19), anger waxing hot (Psalm 85:3), and works that are neither hot nor cold (Revelation 3:15). We often speak about things done or said in anger, things that are done in “the heat of the moment.” Perhaps your desert is anger or another emotion that seems to cover over you like the ash of a volcano or the sands of the desert.

In a word, the wilderness or desert signifies what is uninhabited and uncultivated. Times in the desert are times when our way is unsure. Perhaps we are uncertain of God’s plan and purpose for our lives. It may be that we are unsure of the decisions that we need to make. Frightened by the darkness, unsure because of the sameness of the grains of sand or the heat of the sun, we find ourselves wandering, sometimes aimlessly, always cautiously.

It was in the desert that Jesus went for a time of prayer and fasting. It was during those times, times that were to be used for strengthening and intimate time with the Father that the Devil came firing his most severe temptations. The desert represents time when we are most vulnerable, most alone. Satan works hardest when we are weakest, when we are in the desert. The desert is synonymous with spiritual struggles and battles.

Perspective from the Psalms

Valleys and deserts are a part of the journey of life. David reminds us,

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me (Psalm 23:4 ESV).

Where can my strength be found? To whom do I look for help? Again the Psalmist is very clear in his instructions.

121 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore (Psalm 121 ESV).

It is critical to see that people who put their faith in the strength in God “pass through” the valley. God wants you to go beyond the valleys, not stay in them! There is relief on the other side.

Living Water

The Feast of Booths (known to some as the Feast of Tabernacles, and to the Hebrews as Sukkot) is the seventh and last festival on the biblical calendar. The feast was one of three Pilgrimage Festivals in Judaism – Passover (Pesach), Pentecost (Shavuot) and Tabernacles (Sukkot) – where the ancient Israelites living in Judah were to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. The feast lasted seven days in the Jewish month of Tishrei, in our September or October.

Few of the feasts of the Old Testament were as joyful a celebration at the Feast of Booths. It was the last of the fall festivals and was held at the end of the agricultural year when the grapes and olives were harvested in Israel. It was a time set aside to thank God for all of the year’s blessing and to pray for a good rainy season which lasted from October through March. The instructions for the festival can be found in the 23rd chapter of Leviticus.

Remember

The main reason for the feast was for the Israelites to remember their journey in the desert, in the wilderness from Egypt to Canaan when God made the people live in booths (Leviticus 23:33-43). During the time of the feast, each Israelite family was to construct a booth and live in it for a week. The booths were small, temporary shelters with thatched roofs made of palms and other plants. According to one interpretation of verse 41, the booths were decorated with different kinds of fruit that grew in Palestine. It was common to find grapes, olives, citron (a fruit that looks something like a large lemon) and a pomegranate.

The sukkah or booth was an incredible structure of beauty. It was fragrant, allowing in sun and star light, light being another symbol of the celebration. It was also frail. Rain could easily seep in and the structure was likely to blow over in high winds. The booths were to illustrate the transient and temporary nature of the shelters and of our earthly homes. The sukkah allows the Jewish people to rejoice in community and hospitality. Integral to the customs were inviting guests: the homeless, the old, the frail and the lonely.

Journey

In order to help them remember the wilderness journey, later Israelites added a water-pouring ceremony to recall the occasions were the Lord gave Israel water in the desert (Exodus 17:1-7 and Numbers 20:1-13. The ranking priest would draw water from the pool of Siloam and pour it into the basin near the altar in the temple.

The Gospel of John brings to our attention the preaching of Jesus in the outer courts of the Court of Women on Hoshanah Rabbah, the last day of the feast.

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:37-39 ESV).

By speaking about living water, Jesus made a connection between His presence and the Spirit that He would leave believers as a Gift and the water that was being remembered as a refreshing gift from God. In Isaiah the prophet mentions the “wells of salvation.” By later talking about being the Light, Jesus was once again referring to messianic prophecy that most would recognize. Saying “I am the Light” was like saying “I am the Shekinah, the pillar of fire.”

Belief

Notice that Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” This isn’t just about Jesus anymore, is it?

Moses often warned the Israelites not to forget the God who redeemed them from slavery once they were fat and happy in the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 8). Living in booths for a week reminded them that their success was completely dependent upon the grace of God.

The Refreshing Blessings from the Father

Isn’t that an important lesson for us to know today?

In our quest for Christianity to be relevant and real, have we forgotten to remember? Shouldn’t we set aside time to remember the One who is refreshing rain; living water, in a parched, dry land?

The Feast of Booths began with the wandering Israelites living in booths and the symbolism of God dwelling with them, showing His presence in their midst, providing for their needs by His grace. The fulfillment is seen in the book of Revelation when in a loud voice we hear the proclamation, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Revelation 21:3 ESV).

Be Different

Have you studied or read through the entire Sermon on the Mount before? Did it strike you different? Most of us have studied parts of the sermon – perhaps the beatitudes or the Lord’s Prayer. But most of us have not given a great deal […]

Read More
Count Your Blessings

Gipsy Smith, a famous evangelist in Great Britain of yesteryear, said of the blessings in this song, “Men sing it, boys whistle it and women rock their babies to sleep to it.”

Johnson Oatman, Jr., born April 21, 1856, was a citizen of Lumberton, N.J. His dad was a local merchant and just happened to be the best singer in town, with a rich, powerful voice. Young Johnson could not sing as well as his father and his father told everyone, “Don’t let Johnson sing.” The truth was the elder Oatman wanted his son to become a pastor in the Methodist church. The family sent young Johnson to finishing school and to seminary. Eventually Johnson was ordained in the Methodist Episcopal churches. The boy was uneasy and troubled, for he wanted to make some kind of contribution with music, just like his father.

Likewise, I can relate to wanting to please my father, can you? To this day I can remember as a seven-year old hearing my father tell his friends, “The boy couldn’t carry a tune in a number 10 washtub.” Our cherub choir had performed a couple of songs for the Sunday evening church worship service. I spent the rest of my life trying to prove my father wrong.

Johnson felt the same way.

Happy hymns

At 36, he realized that he did, without question, have a musical talent after all. He was able to write songs for other Christians to sing. Johnson had as his goal the challenge of writing a hymn every day. Eventually he had written 5,000 songs and was happy that in his musical compositions he had found a way to “preach the Gospel.”

Of all the songs Oatman wrote, Johnson seemed to claim as his own favorites, “No, Not One” and “Higher Ground.”

One of the last songs that he wrote, this particular hymn reflected his tedious process of making sure that each year he had written enough hymns. Oatman died in Norman, OK in 1922.

Perhaps you have guessed the famous and popular hymn written by Johnson Oatman, Count Your Blessings. Thinking about its words seems incredibly important at this time of year.

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Refrain

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, see what God hath done!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Tempest tossed

Do you know what a tempest is? A tempest is a storm at sea. Have you ever been caught in a storm at sea? Ocean, sea or water of any kind rarely invites my presence. But this past year, performing the marriage ceremony for my sister beckoned my service. Her marriage dreams included the exchanging of vows on the edge of the beach at Panama City. The wedding was to take place at 5:30 in the afternoon, about three hours after Hurricane Irma was to bombard the beach. We moved the time table forward, and the hour ceremony was given a “Reader’s Digest” touch in just a half-an-hour, and literally just steps ahead of the storm.

An older gentleman spectator said we should count our blessings that we averted the hurricane.

The wonderful encouragement to “Count your blessings” is often misused. Counting blessings does not mean you deny that you’re having problems. It does not mean to ignore your troubling emotions. The advice to “Cheer up and act like everything is fine” just doesn’t work! Turning a blind eye to the problem certainly doesn’t lead to lasting joy and peace. The hymn is actually encouraging us to acknowledge openly that we are “tempest-tossed.”

Angry waves, or God’s calm?

What is your tempest? Can you see it coming across the sea’s horizon? Have you determined to face it alone – or would it be smarter to “batten down the hatches” by bathing the circumstance in prayer?

Therefore, whatever your tempest, look at it closely. The smudges of God’s fingerprints  illuminate in front of the prayerful eye. His hand grasped it tightly from the very beginning.

In God’s hands, your tempest counts as a blessing. Go figure .

Counting your blessings appreciates, one-by-one, moment-by-moment, God’s involvement in daily life, “working all things together for good.” It understands that we have “every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). Genuine thanks and praise to God goes with openly unburdening ourselves before the listening ears of the “Father of compassion” and “God of all comfort,” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Today, count your blessings. Name them, one by one. It just may surprise you what the Lord has done.

Newspaper articles: Iron Shoes, rough, long, lonely, home

What do we do when the road is lonely?

Sometimes we need shoes made of iron.

We learned a very simple truth a few weeks ago.

God prepares us for a task by providing us with the right kind of shoes.

We concentrated on one verse of Scripture, Deuteronomy 33:25, Your sandals shall be iron and bronze; As your days, so shall your strength be. We have discussed what that passage might mean. We have asked questions for when the road gets rough, or when the road seems long. What if the road is lonely?

A. W. Tozer (1897 – 1963) was an American pastor, author, magazine editor and mentor. Tozer spent his last years of ministry in the province of Ontario, Canada. Buried in Akron, Ohio, he grave is marked with a simple epitaph: A.W.Tozer – A Man of God. In one of his books, he wrote,

Most of the world’s great souls have been lonely. Loneliness seems to be one price the saint must pay for his saintliness. In the morning of the world (or should we say, in that strange darkness that came soon after the dawn of man’s creation) that pious soul, Enoch, walked with God and was not, for God took him; and while it is not stated in so many words, a fair inference is that Enoch walked a path quite apart from his contemporaries.

Another lonely man was Noah who, of all the antediluvians, found grace in the sight of God; and every shred of evidence points to the aloneness of his life even while surrounded by his people.

Jesus said, “16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me” (Luke 21:16-17 NIV).

WHY IS THE ROAD SO LONELY?

The road for the believer is many times a lonely one. The road that follows Jesus’ endurance to the cross is one that is seldom busy. It can be a rough, long path. It can be a path that few choose to follow. And we so often want a path that is easy.

Last week made me feel lonely. The day was January 22, 2018. Eighteen people were wounded at Marshall County High School, just about 20 miles from the site of an earlier school tragedy in Paducah, Kentucky. A girl was pronounced dead at the scene. Another boy died at the hospital. The suspect was taken into custody by local officials. All were only fifteen.

Loneliness seems to be one price the saint must pay for his saintliness.

According to the Washington Enquirer, the shooting was the 10th incident of gunshots fired on the grounds of US schools in 2018. The next day newscasts focused on the ad nauseum investigations of a possible collusion with the Russians by President Trump, the horrific trial of ex-gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, and marches for women’s rights across the country. Have we really become so callused toward shootings that it doesn’t bother us anymore? Doesn’t anyone understand this isn’t an issue of too many guns, but of too little faith? Am I the only one that sees this connection?

In spite of the noise of the road, I feel surprisingly alone. The voice of God is not found in the riddling of bullets, the cries of the marching crowds, or the screams of the wounded and appalled victims.

Like Elijah, we hear the voice in a whisper. You are not alone. Others have not bowed their knees. I am still here.

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 NIV). Even though few choose to walk this path, you are not alone.

WHY IS LONELINESS SO DIFFICULT?

It is a challenge to feel lonely. Loneliness is difficult because we are tempted fiercely by the devil during these troubling times. But remember the biblical truth: Satan is a liar. Here are some of the lies:

1) Loneliness means I am alone. Satan’s huge lie to us is that we walk by ourselves, that no one chooses to walk with us.

2) No one understands. One reason temptation arises is because we don’t know many people who endure the same circumstances and burdens that we are carrying. If the enemy can make us believe that there really is no one who understands, it will tempt us to shut out others even more.

3) A loving God wouldn’t let me take such a road. That same loving God walked with His own Son down the loneliest road ever known to man. 4) I must not have enough faith. Loneliness is not hopelessness. It does not lead to defeat. It is not an indication of a lack of faith. Although we may feel alone, we are never really abandoned.

Jesus wondered if his disciples, both then and now, understood his message. 32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace” (John 16:31-33 NIV).

You can find peace. Remember, you have shoes fitted for your feet that are up for the task. Even if the road seems lonely.

Newspaper articles: Iron Shoes, rough, long, lonely, home

Do you make resolutions for the new year? If you do, you are certainly not alone. According to Forbes magazine as many as 45% of Americans make promises of change for the coming year. For perspective, the Super Bowl, the most watched television event – the one that drives commercials and spending in unimaginable ways – draws only about a third of all Americans. While resolutions are on our minds, they aren’t always in our hearts. This year, instead of thinking about resolutions, let’s think about how God prepares us for this year’s journey by fitting us with right kind of shoes – sometimes even iron shoes.

What are the most relentlessly promised resolutions? According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology published by the University of Scranton, the top ten resolutions, in order, are losing weight, getting organized, spending less and saving more money, enjoying life to the fullest, staying fit and healthy, learning something new and exciting, quitting smoking, helping others achieve their dreams, falling in love and spending more time with the family.

But for all our good intentions, the same study reveals that only about 8% actually keep the resolution for more than six months. Why do so many fail at goal-setting and keeping? More importantly – are there keys for success shared by the 8%?

I have resolved that this year I will make no resolutions. Let me tell you a story that got me thinking.

Not too long ago, I needed to buy a new pair of tennis shoes.

I went down to the shoe store and told the clerk I needed tennis shoes. He said, “What kind of tennis shoes do you need?” He was right. There were all kinds of tennis shoes. There were tennis shoes for baseball, cross country, track, basketball, biking and working out. There were even tennis shoes for tennis. I had to know what kind of tennis shoes I needed.

What kind of shoes are you wearing? It kind of depends on what you are planning to do, doesn’t it? The matter of shoes is important. Our shoes help prepare us for the task.

God prepares us for a task by providing us with the right kind of shoes.

We are going to start the year by remembering a very simple lesson. God prepares us for a task by providing us with the right kind of shoes. Would you believe that there are times that He provides us with iron shoes?

There is an obscure passage of Scripture in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy that deserves our attention for the next few weeks. It is a verse that is not easily translated. The passage of Scripture is Deuteronomy 33:25. The New International Version translates it this way:

The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days.

Many of the translations of the Bible give it a similar flavor. But look at how the New King James Version translates the verse. “Your sandals shall be iron and bronze; As your days, so shall your strength be.”

The truth is either translation is appropriate. The question is, in context which makes the most sense? The Hebrew language is made up of only consonants. The vowels come from the context and traditions of the oral language. Just like the English consonants “R” and “D” could produce “red” or “read” – two very different concepts, the same is true in the Hebrew language.

Oswald Chambers, author of several devotional books including “My Utmost for His Highest,” writes, “Every path that leads to heaven is trodden by willing feet. No one is ever driven to paradise. The real test of a saint is not one’s willingness to preach the gospel, but one’s willingness to do something like washing feet – that is, being willing to do those things which seem unimportant but count as everything do God.”

As I look into 2018, I wonder what has God prepared my feet to do. I am reminded of three lessons.

First, God is always strengthening my feet. One of my favorite verses of scripture is a small verse in a small book from a minor prophet, Habakkuk. “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights” (Habakkuk 3:19 NIV). The concept of God making our feet like the feet of a deer is common in the Old Testament (2 Samuel 22:32-35; Psalm 18:33-36, Psalm 121:2-5, etc.).

God makes our feet like the feet of a hind. A hind is a red female deer and is the most sure-footed mountain animal in all of God’s creation. Hind’s feet are skinny, and as such can move effortlessly through rough and steep mountainous terrain without stumbling. God equips us to overcome adversity and difficult roadblocks. Though the situation may seem rocky, the Lord will equip you so that you don’t stumble and that you press on your journey with consistency.

Second, my greatest task is to share the story of the Gospel with my own words. Interestingly, when we are told that our feet become like deer in the mountains, and that God will not let our foot slip – and that He watches over us night and day, we are told also How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns” (Isaiah 52:7)!

Finally, God provides you with shoes for battle, sometimes even iron shoes. Your job includes doing battle with the devil. Paul says it like this, Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6:14-16 NIV).

No need for resolutions for this year. Look at how God is preparing your feet. But never forget: sometimes we need iron shoes.

studies, words

An interesting story from the Bible itself captures the majority of opinions about Bible studies and understanding the Bible. Philip comes across a ruler trying to figure out what a part of the Old Testament was talking about. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The ruler quickly replies, “How can I unless someone helps me?” (Acts 8:30-31).

Many people approach reading the Bible with some real hesitancy and fear. Even if I begin to read the Bible, is there any chance at all that I will understand it?  The Barna Group, a religious polling organization headed by former Gallup leader George Barna, recently teamed with American Bible Society to conduct a survey about the state of the Bible in America. The 2014 survey found, among other things, that people are reading the Bible less because they don’t have enough time, they have difficulty understanding what they read, and they don’t see a connection between reading the Bible and how they live.

Like many books, the Bible can be as easier to comprehend if a plan is followed. Bible studies provide the structure and design necessary to understand the Scriptures. Let’s look at three strategies that can be used to facilitate understanding the Bible and three investments that the reader must make.

The first strategy in Bible studies is to decide the purpose in reading. 

For what reason do you turn the pages of Scripture today? Do you want to get an overview of what is taking place in Biblical history?  Do you want to really study and learn facts that you never knew before?  Are you seeking to read the Bible to improve your Christian walk or draw you closer to God? Are you looking for some inspirational or devotional words to encourage the day?

Eternal philosopher, and part-time  New York Yankee catcher, Yogi Berra is quoted as saying, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might not get there.” If you don’t know what you want from Bible study, you might not get there.

A second strategy for Bible studies is to get a grasp on the context of the passage.

Discover as much as you can about the author of the book and his perspective and relationship to God. Challenge yourself to find out about the circumstances of the readers. Recognize the type of literature that is being studied – poetry, history, admonition, prophecy – because the context of each will vary.

The third and final strategy is to develop a laser-sharp focus.

What spiritual truths were being taught to the original readers by this Scripture? Are there spiritual truths that can be applied to living today? What does God want to develop or change in your life by the reading of this passage? When you answer those questions, your study becomes piercing and focused.

Because the book is more than just a record of history, the reader must make an investment if a clear focus is to be obtained. The first investment necessary is time. Reading and studying the Bible should be done on a regular basis. The amount of time is not as important as its consistency. Invest time in a regular schedule of reading the Bible, and a sufficient amount of time to allow God to speak through His Word.

Next, one should be willing to invest energy. The Psalmist writes “May I experience your compassion, so I might live! For I find delight in your law” (Psalm 119:77 NIV). Scriptures proclaimed by God intend to give us learning and instruction (Romans 15:4 NET). Then it makes sense to invest energy into reading in order to have hope.

Finally, understanding the Bible requires an investment of the heart. “With my whole heart I have sought you; oh, let me not wander from your commandments” (Psalm 119:10 NIV). With a simple strategy blended with personal investment, the Bible will come alive and be a lamp to your feet and a light to your path.

Koinonia Bible Studies: study at your level

Koinonia Bible Studies provides Bible studies that are flexible enough to meet almost every need. The individual can study through the lessons at several levels from brief, devotional thoughts to in-depth  biblical studies. Also the lessons are ideal for small group meetings in a home or a more traditional adult Bible study held at church. In addition, several devotional books are available to provide a daily touch into God’s Word. The result of studying is a firm foundation upon which consistent living is built.