February 21st - Exodus 5; James 3

Scripture: James 3:9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Observation: The words James writes here are eternally convicting. Although we as believers have the indwelling Holy Spirit, and through that the potential for controlling our tongues, we often do not use that resource to keep our mouth in check. James insists that this is not the way it should be. Our mouths are to be instruments of praise!

Application: Count me among those whose mouth says things I regret. As I grow in my faith, I become better in this. An important component has been who I choose to spend time with and the language they use. It is easy to fall into old bad habits, or to pick up things I shouldn't. I will spend more time in the Word, and through that will continue to be transformed. I will also work to keep accountable in my language with other believers.

Prayer: I pray Father for your forgiveness for the times I say things I shouldn't. I pray also for the wisdom to repair any previous damage caused by my tongue. Give me the grace to be gracious with those who have hurt me with their words as well. Amen.

February 20th - Exodus 4; James 2:14-26

Scripture: James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Observation: This is one of the passages that made Martin Luther dislike the book of James (with his focus on Grace). Luther saw a conflict between this set of passages and the theology of Paul (who wrote most of the NT books). With careful study and understanding of who the book of James was written for we can see there really is no conflict. Notice in vs. 14 that James never says the person actually has saving faith, but rather just makes that claim.

Application: Christianity is different from the other religions of the world because we are not a works righteousness faith - we cannot earn our entrance into heaven. Our salvation is a gift from God, He chose us before there was time. As believers though, we then are called to serve. Our service wells up from within us as a result of saving grace, not for saving grace. We should count it as a pleasure and joy to have the opportunity to serve in the name of Jesus!


Prayer: Sovereign God, thank you for your grace to save a sinner like me. I praise you that you allow me to work in your name, to serve others, to be the hands and feet of Christ to the world! Amen.

February 18th - Exodus 2; James 1:19-27

Scripture: James 1:19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

Observation: Verse 20 is the answer to the problem presented in vs. 19. The book of James is a very practical book, virtually all being direct application types of texts.

If we are talking we cannot listen, and we cannot hear from God. Our anger further blocks our ability to hear when God is trying to speak into our lives.

Application: Without questions I have had anger blind me and my big mouth hold back my spiritual development. Far too often in my life I have felt the sting of saying things I later regretted. As I have grown in my faith, I have become better at this, but I am still not above saying things I shouldn't from time to time.

Prayer: Father, forgive me for the many times I have said things I should not have in anger. Work in me to change me so that my mouth will not be what holds back my witness. Amen.

February 17th - Exodus 1; James 1:1-18

Scripture: James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

Observation: vs. 5 contains a type of Greek conditional that assumes that the people who are facing trials (in this instance) are lacking wisdom. They aren't needing a philosophical response so they can create a system to solve their problem. It is simpler than that. They need wisdom to see how to live right and avoid the paths of wickedness. In this context, wisdom is understanding the nature and purpose of the trial and knowing how to meet them victoriously.

vs. 6 leads us to understand that there is nothing that prevents God from giving wisdom to his people, but there may be a barrier within that person that keeps them from seeing God's wisdom for themselves.

Application: The thing that comes to mind is the dark corners of my life where I need to pray for wisdom. Wisdom to bring them to light so I may move beyond the trials I cause myself. It's one of those things I suspect we all have, stupid things we do and even know better. Yet we find ourselves committing the same mistakes, the same sins. Some of it is learning new processes. Some of it is being accountable.

Prayer: Lord, I praise you that you are willing to grant me the wisdom to move beyond my trials in life. Shine your light brightly into my life. Give me your wisdom to see. Amen.

February 11th - Lev. 15-17; Acts 18

Sorry I haven't been putting up my thoughts the last few days. I had a crazy weekend with a bunch of job search related things that was keeping me away from my computer. I've been keeping up with my readings, just not my postings!

Scripture: Leviticus 16:3 "This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on. 5 From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

Leviticus 16:20 "When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. 21 He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites--all their sins--and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. 22 The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert.



Observation: To this day, practicing Jews observe Yom Kippur ("Day of Attonement"). We see in these passages of Leviticus how different were things before Jesus came as our sacrifice. The common theme we see throughout Scripture is that God had a plan for our redemption all along, at any point in time. The main theme of the Bible is through God's love, His plan for our redemption.

Application: First I am thankful that I don't have to practice the various sacrifices and cleansing routines to be seen as clean by God. Jesus has taken the place of my scape goat. This doesn't mean that I shouldn't reflect (and repent!) on the sin in my life. Often I fall into the trap of thinking that my sins are private and only affect me. How full of pride and selfishness is that thinking! I need to be open and accountable about my sin. I need people to hold me accountable, and if I never share my sins, many things will never be known to keep me accountable on.

Prayer: God thank you for sending your Son as a permanent atonement for my sins. I know I am redeemed not by my works, but by Your grace and sacrifice. I pray that you will convict me of my sin, and give me the courage to bring my sins to light so I can move through and past them. Amen.

February 7th - Lev. 4-6, Acts 14

Scripture: Leviticus 4:1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Say to the Israelites: `When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands--

Observation: As you read Lev. 4 there are some interesting things to take note of. First there is a progression of level of sin which has a corresponding level of atonement. When the religious leader sins, you have the strongest level of atonement. We see too in the New Testament that pastors will stand and be accountable before God for those entrusted to their care.

Another thing to note, something fairly unfamiliar to our culture, is the idea of corporate sin. We see examples of this scattered throughout the OT, and the ramifications of this. I think that in our cultural context we distance ourselves from the idea of corporate sin through our strong independent upbringing. We loose the proper understanding of the impact it has on us. We are still affected by the sins of others.

Application: In my prayer life I need to become more aware of my sin and the sins of others that affect my life. I need to repent of personal sin, ask for grace and forgiveness. I need to lift up the other sins that affect me in a corporate way and ask for forgiveness there as well. I need to understand how this impacts me, and how deeply it distances me from our God.

Prayer: Just and True Father, we have pained you with our sins. I am a sinner. I ask for your forgiveness. I pray for your burden to make me away of unrevealed sins, and sins I might commit unintentionally. Thank you for Jesus who brings me back into right standing with you. Amen.

February 6th - Lev. 1-3; Acts 13

Scripture: Leviticus 1:3 " `If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to offer a male without defect. He must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that it will be acceptable to the LORD. 4 He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. 5 He is to slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and then Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 6 He is to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. 7 The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 Then Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the burning wood that is on the altar. 9 He is to wash the inner parts and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.


Observation: The book of Leviticus is one that many Christians breeze by in their scripture reading. It's strange, hard to understand, and much of it is removed from our faith practices. To really understand it you have to gain an understanding of the culture of that time (which I'm not about to begin trying to explain). Seminary opened my understanding of these passages greatly, but I still really struggle to fully understand them on all levels. One thing that I am certain for is that I am glad we no longer have the burden of these systems, that Jesus came as the ultimate sacrifice replacing the old ways.

Application: This passage certainly gives me an appreciation for the dedication of the Israelites. Without having had Jesus as an atonement for their sins, they had an elaborate system by which they were to make their relationship right with God, both individually and corporately. It is my hope that I can share this dedication without the need for the lengthy ritual. I want to find ways that I can regain my focus on the Cross without codifying it into law. We all need to find the way that brings our thoughts back to the Cross. The methods will differ from person to person, but finding what gets you there is important.

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for dieing on the Cross as an atonement for my sins. Thank you for your plan of redemption for your people. We praise you for your glory and your wisdom of this process, knowing that left to ourselves we would naturally move away from you, not towards you as you so deserve. Burden me to pursue pointing my thoughts toward the Cross. Trigger in me a focus that keeps you central without a legalistic system. Amen.

February 3rd - Ex. 35-26; Acts 10

Scripture: Exodus 35:4 Moses said to the whole Israelite community, "This is what the LORD has commanded: 5 From what you have, take an offering for the LORD. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the LORD an offering of gold, silver and bronze; 6 blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 7 ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows; acacia wood; 8 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 9 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.

Exodus 36:6 Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: "No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary." And so the people were restrained from bringing more, 7 because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.


Observation: It's a wonderful thing when the church leaders have to tell people to STOP giving! Moses puts out the call that those who are willing to contribute, and the response is overwhelming. The crazy thing is, we, the American Church, have the ability to do this. Unfortunately so many of us are unwilling to give up the little extra things for something so much greater. We bathe in luxury while giving our left overs to the church. Jesus had something to say about that. There is nothing wrong with enjoying nice things, it's about having the right priorities and taking care of what we need to take care of.

Application: Well there isn't much I can cut from my current life, we live with a very tight budget. But I have learned that God provides. We need to be good stewards with what we have. We learn elsewhere in scripture that as we handle the small things, more will be trusted to us. I don't think this is limited to just finances, but it has great application there.

I have relied upon His grace in my time of need, and I pray that someday I might be called among those who give so generously that we are asked to stop giving.

Prayer: Yahweh, I have relied upon in my time of need, and I pray that someday I might be called among those who give so generously that we are asked to stop (or reduce) giving. You are the Creator of all things, and I pray that I may be a good steward with what you trust me with. May I multiply what you trust me with. Amen.

February 2nd - Ex. 33-34; Ps. 16; Acts 9

I'm going to resist blogging Acts 9, which is one of my favorite passages, a passage I have preached from before. Saul's conversion to Paul is simply glorious though.

Scripture: Psalm 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

PS 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,

PS 16:10 because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

PS 16:11 You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Observation: We can find this passage of scripture quoted in Acts 2:25-28 that we read last week. The Psalmist has confidence in God being with him both in the present as well as in the future, beyond his time on Earth. This confidence was and is rooted in Jesus! We can have even greater confidence living on this side of the Cross, with the prophecies fulfilled. This confidence comes from a walk with God. It is something developed over time.

Application: This practice of journaling a set of devotions is a great practice to help us in our Walk with Christ. It will help us to grow in our confidence in the Lord. The best application from this passage for me at this point in life is to be continually challenged to find myself in the Word. To let God speak to me and through me through the Living Word.

Prayer: I praise oh God for your wisdom to write down your words for us to have from generation to generation. I pray for a hunger, a deep hunger, that I may have the desire to consume your word, to have it transform me. I praise you for how faithful you have been and will be to me. I thank you for your plan of redemption. Amen.