14 October 2015

Scriptures:

• Romans 7
• Ezekiel 36
• 1 Kings 8:22-66
• Psalm 74

Observations:

In Romans, we see Paul getting very heavy with the concepts of sin and the law before migrating slightly to the separation of sin and self in a Christian and the struggle in the war to follow the law. In a nutshell, the ideas contained therein are thus: The law is good. Sin is disobedience to God. Without the law, sin would not have a form, as the definition of sin would not be preset, though the sinful nature would still be so. Before we were in Christ, we were slaves to our sin, following our sinful desires into contravention of the law. Our very self, by nature was sinful. Now that we, the Christians, are in Christ, we have died to our sinful selves and are resurrected in Christ, such that our self is not beholden to sin. Thus, it is through Christ that we are enabled to truly follow the law, though we still war with sin until we are gone from this mortal existence. From Christ comes the desire to follow the law, which is why Paul states his reasoning for knowing the law is good. Similarly, we can know our desire and actions to break the law are not of Christ, but of sin and, as Christians, because our selves are no longer shackled to sin, but to Christ, Paul argues that is it no longer our selves who sin, but it is the sin that dwells within us, warring against us. Thus, we can see the work of sanctification. If justification is Christ breaking our shackles to sin and forging our shackles to him, then sanctification is the warring against sin, reinforcing our ties with Christ and denying our sin the opportunity to act, which we are enabled to do only because we are no longer tied to our sin.

Not very nutshell-ish.

In Ezekiel, we see God prophesying to the land (the mountains, ravines, etc.) of Israel in response to neighbouring nations eyeing and mocking her, that the people of Israel would return and the land would once more grow fruitful. After that, God makes a promise to Israel, not because of their actions, but for the sake of his name, not only to restore the nation of Israel and make it bountiful, but to renew their spirits, that they might walk according to God and look upon their past sin and weep. Again, note that it is only through the renewal from God that we can separate from our sin and draw close to God.

In the 1 Kings passage, we see Solomon's prayer to the Lord, consecrating the temple and beseeching him to act fairly and benevolently to Israel and those who call upon his name. We then see his address to the nation and the massive sacrifice that was given at this time.

The psalm today is another one of Asaph. This time, he asks why God has forsaken Israel and for how much longer the punishment is to last. He reminds God of how other nations mock him, because his people are scattered and defeated and reminds him of his strength and asks that God would regard Israel once more and fight back against the mockers' claims.

Application:

We have two ideas here that I am seeing. Spiritual renewal and godliness being delivered solely by God, as shown in Romans and Ezekiel, even slightly in the psalm, is the first. The nature of God's interaction with Israel, as requested in 1 Kings and shown in Psalms and Ezekiel, is the second.

On the nature of God's interaction, we see in 1 Kings that Solomon asks that when Israel sins, that God might be gracious when they turn in repentance and seek him. Solomon breaks down a number of possible instances, including being exiled due to their sinfulness, in his prayer. Solomon knew that no one is perfect or righteous - that all would sin at some time or another. We are reminded of the Levitical law and the degree of perfection required by God and we are reminded of the accounts of the judges and of the exile, in that God punishes sin where he demands faithful obedience. We are also reminded of the cyclical nature of our sin, how sin repeats itself within lifetimes and across generations.

That is why this passage in Romans is so important - it serves to highlight that the cyclical nature of sin has been broken for all who cast their lot with Christ, that while sin may be present still, we are not beholden to it, but, rather, are equipped to combat it, having the spirit of Christ in us, which enables us to obey.

Prayer:

Lord, I thank you for your spirit, which enables me to combat sin. Help me to grow in you. Help me to overcome my sins, that I would be more like you. Help me in my devotion, that I would be more tightly bound to you than to my sin. Deal justly with me, Lord, but I also ask for mercy, such as you have given to me many times before. Thank you for your forgiveness.

Amen

13 October 2015

Scriptures:

• Romans 6
• Ezekiel 35
• 1 Kings 8:1-21
• Psalm 73

Observations:

In Romans, Paul is examining the question of grace and sinning that grace may come even more and  the question of sinning in that we are no longer under the law, but under grace. To the first, he writes that the one who has come to faith has been baptised into the death of Christ. Our old self was crucified with him that our sin would be counted as dead and obsolete. So, why would we, who are set free from sin, willingly come and enslave ourselves to sin again? Instead, we are to consider ourselves under the dominion of Christ, slaves to righteousness, as Paul writes, through obedience, being led to sanctification. He notes this is different from being under the law as we are not seeking our salvation by our works, but rather, our works flow from us because of our salvation.

In Ezekiel, we see God speaking out against Edom. Literally, he is speaking to Mt. Seir, which is on the border of Judah and Edom, but we can infer Edom from v15 and historical political geography. Edom's misstep is of perpetual enmity and conspiring to take advantage of Israel and Judah in their time of punishment. 

In 1 Kings, we see the  consecration of the temple and the coming of God to abide in it.

In the psalm today, we see Asaph writing, He begins, stating that God is good to the pure of heart, before bringing forward his conviction - how he, of a lesser pure heart, for a moment was envious of the wicked, how they seem to be well-fed and -dressed, with no apparent sickness or pains. He admits halfway through, though, that they will eventually receive their comeuppance and he closes, declaring his allegiance to and reliance upon God.

Application:

Looking at the Romans passage and the psalm, it is really easy to choose to sin, to forge a signature here, or make a small dirty business connection there. It is really easy to be cutthroat or corrupt. All it takes is a short-sighted desire for self-gratification and one can acquire practically anything one wants, provided one covers one's tracks well. I see that even as a student - It's really easy to cheat on a test or bluff a practical, but such things do not honour God.

Paul seems to make note of those individuals who will go and sin, but offer the excuse of grace and God's forgiveness as though it absolves them of their wrongdoing and guilt, for, after all, they have been justified and their slate is considered clean. And to this Paul asks where their allegiance lies. Does it lie within themselves or does it lie with Christ. If their allegiance lied with Christ, then would they not be motivated to obey? Instead, they are slaves to their sin, making performances of lawfulness to appear righteous, but motivated by their own desires.

It's really difficult and frustrating when I see men and women not of God, who are engaging in less-than-righteous affairs succeeding when there are many Godly individuals who are among the poorest and sickest of the world. I know I was not promised an easy life, as a Christian, but sometimes, I just want for things to be a bit more "fair".

But, like Asaph, I find my consolation in God. I rest and rely on him, knowing he will provide what is needed and will place me where my talents are most needed to the greatest performance of his glory.

Prayer:

God, sometimes it's not easy. Sometimes I sit and look at my peers wondering why I couldn't be better off or why I couldn't have a better X-situation or X-thing. Help me to be content with where I am. Help me to rely on you for my needs. I know you provide and I ask that that would be enough for me. And, as I grow in this, I ask that my wife would grow in this, too, that we would be at the same degree of contentment, relying on you for our well-being and peace.

Be with my parents. Give wisdom to all of us as to where you are calling them. Give peace and rest to them both as they navigate these stressful times.

Bless my middle brother as he prepares for finals and is applying for schools.

Remind my sister of who you are and bring to her eyes te light of where she is vs where she needs to be.

Be with my youngest brother as he continues to heal his broken arm.

There are a thousand other things to pray for, but I cannot list them all here. Be with every one of them.

Amen

12 October 2015

Scriptures:

• Romans 5:12-21
• Ezekiel 34
• 1 Kings 7
• Psalm 72

Observations:

In the Romans passage, we see a comparison being drawn between Adam and Jesus in that where Adam, being a human with no sin, sinned and brought sinfulness upon all of mankind, bringing judgment and death, but Jesus, being fully man and fully God with no sin, did not sin, but instead, bore the punishment for man, bringing justification and life after death.

In Ezekiel, we see a prophecy against the rulers of Israel and Judah in which they are compared to shepherds, fattening and clothing themselves off of the best of their herds while neglecting the weak and injured and allowing the flock to stray as it will. As a result, the Lord put himself against the rulers and would gather his flock himself, establishing before them a shepherd from the line of David (Remember, David was a shepherd boy before being anointed) under whom they would flourish.

In 1 Kings, we see the description of the building of Solomon's palace. (Chapter 6 has the description of  the temple). I want to draw a quick comparison, though, between the two. Both are opulent and extravagant. As you read chapter 6, you cannot help but be awed by the sheer scale of its grandeur. Then you read chapter 7 and something feels just a little bit off. (Or at least I thought before reading it with a scrutinising eye)

• The temple was 60 cu. long, 20 cu. wide, and 30 cu. high.
• Solomon's palace was 100 cu. long, 50 cu. wide, and 30 cu. high

• The temple was paneled from floor to ceiling with carved cedar and the floor was of cypress
• The palace was of carved costly stone, lined with cedar

• The entire temple interior was overlaid with gold, including all the wooden carvings (cherubim, lilies, etc), doors and the floor. The Temple also had two pillars of cast bronze, with bronze details, a cast metal sea (think big artificial pond above ground) 10 cu. across and 5 cu. deep, which held 2000 baths of water, and a number of other bronze figures.
• The palace had a hall of pillars with a second story above it, three rows of windows along the rafters, and a cedar-finished hall of judgment.

• It took 7 years to build the temple
• It took 13 years to build the palace

Note: 1 cu. ~ 52 cm (comparison: a human is normally 3-4 cubits tall), 1 bath ~ 22 litres (I'm not 100% sure of this as I cannot get that volume for the sea with the measurements given. Mathematically, I'd estimate it at about 16.5-24.5 ml from this passage alone, if we assume 1 cu - 50 cm. Maybe Wikipedia had the units wrong and it's supposed to be 22 mil, which wouldn't make sense as a bath is supposed to be the largest liquid measure)

Yes, Solomon's palace was larger and took longer to build, but it had far less cost and expense. So, I would think my original perception, trying to capture the palace's splendour in comparison to the temple, was be misplaced. Solomon truly did give glory to God in his work at first.

In the psalm today, We see Solomon offering up a psalm, asking for the Lord's blessing.

Application:

Man, Solomon started off strong. He built a most excellent temple, constructed a pretty epic palace, and had the mindset that only through God could Israel be made great. It's such a pity he fell so hard, but more on that later.

I had a lot of fun doing some of the math here and yeah, the temple was pretty freaking spectacular. It's not for no reason that people came from neighbouring nations to gaze at the thing in awe. 

For me, it's kind of the same reason I enjoy going into old cathedrals. The architects then really wanted to show off, but notice how they showed off in building churches, not palaces. Their faith was such that they offered the very best they could in worship of God. As such, I would love to go on a cathedral tour of Europe and just marvel at the offerings of worship found in the buttresses and spires of some of these churches, ending in Barcelona at the Sagrada Familia (I really want to see that one).

Why don't we do that?

Why don't we offer the best of our work as an offering to God?

As a student, that means being diligent in my normal studies, but extra thorough in my study of God's word. In the future, as a doctor, that will obviously mean working in excellence, but how would that affect my time given directly to God? Would that be going and offering free, quality healthcare in an impoverished area? Would that mean setting up shop in a poor community or founding a hospital in such an area? I don't know, but I pray that I would be able to glorify God using my career in some such a way.

Prayer:

Lord, Thank you for this awesome time of worship, for the realisation of the importance of this time beforehand. Help me to honour and worship you by studying your word and help me to come to an understanding of how I might worship you in similar ways in the future.

Help me to grow and overcome my flaws, that I may give a good account of myself as a husband and do the same in my wife, that she would continue to grow in you, gaining in wisdom and Christlikeness as I seek to do the same.

Grant wisdom to my parents. Show them whether it is time to return or to stay.

Reveal yourself to my sister, confronting her current situation with your truth.

Be with those classmates and peers, past and present, who still do not know you and help me to come to a better understanding of you in the process, representing you as best as I can.

Amen

9 October 2015

Scripture:

• Romans 3:21-31
• Ezekiel 31
• 1 Kings 4
• Psalm 69

Observations:

In Romans, we see Paul showing that, through the sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of us all, there is now righteousness apart from the law, which is imputed upon those who believe in him. Our righteousness, then, is no longer bound to our adherence of the law, but our adherence to the personage of Christ, the faith derived therefrom leading us naturally in obedience.

In Ezekiel, we see Ezekiel prophesying to Egypt, reminding them of Assyria and its might, before reminding them of its fall, insinuating that that just as they are being likened to Assyria in their height, they will liken Assyria in their fall.

In 1 Kings, we see the establishment of the officers of Solomon's kingdom and the growth and prosperity of the nation.

In Psalm 69, we see David seeking God. He is coming forward, broken, dishonoured, oppressed, and is seeking for God to so much as turn his face towards him and hold his oppressors at bay, tat he may be saved and other glorify God.

Application:

I'm all kinds of off-balance today. The psalm really resonated with me on that count and the reminder from Romans that it is not my own performance, but Christ's actions that make me righteous has definitely helped put my soul more at ease.

Prayer:

God, I thank you for your word. I thank you for your peace that, even when I am knocked off-balance by my sins and feel tossed about and out of control, I am brought back to level ground and set on my feet to move forwards, growing once again in you.

Lord, I need forgiveness for my sins, even so early into the day, for I am a man of an impure mind and wild desires. Help me to restrain my mind and desires to what honours you, not what gratifies my flesh.

Grant my wife the strength to face her current obstacles. Give her the strength to endure and the courage to overcome.

Give my parents the wisdom they need to make their decision.

Amen

7 October 2015

Scriptures:

• Romans 2:17-3:8
• Ezekiel 28
• 1 Kings 2
• Psalm 67

Observations:

• Romans 2:25
• 1 Kings 2:1-3

In the Romans passage, Paul continues his comments to the Jews holding the teachings of the law over others. He asks them to consider themselves - the law they teach, do they themselves follow it? Circumcision filled with vanity is considered uncircumcision and uncircumcision filled with Godliness is considered circumcision. Paul also tackles a few key issues in the beginning of chapter 3:

• What's the merit of being a Jew or being circumcised? The Jews were entrusted with God's words.
• Does the faithlessness of those bearing God's name nullify God's faithfulness? No, God is true despite that all of us are liars - God is justified in his own words
• If our unrighteousness displays God's righteousness, isn't God being unrighteous in punishing us? Of course not. How else would God judge the world?
• If my lie/sin happens to glorify God, why am I still considered a sinner? To be answered later
• Why not do evil, that good would come of it? To be answered later

In Ezekiel, we see God speaking against Tyre and Sidon, rebuking Tyre for its pride and describing their falls.

In 1 Kings, we see David's last words to Solomon, his heir. We also see Solomon fulfilling his final wishes and taking a very firm stance in securing his throne (maybe slightly too firm, but that's just me)

In the psalm, we see exhortation for the people to praise God, asking his blessings and singing in general praise.

Application:

Well, seeing as I'm giving a talk in youth group on witnessing, the aspect of the Romans passage on following what you teach stood out to me. That and David's words to Solomon, encouraging him to be strong, be a man, and follow God, are what stand out. 

These two passages, though, actually play into each other rather well. If I follow after God, keeping his commands and loving his word, then I will be following what I teach. What's more, I will be equipped with the strength I need to be strong and be a man of God, despite what opposition may arise.

Prayer:

Lord, I want to thank you today for the amazing time of worship we had. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of leading it and, despite my shortcomings and sins, allowing me to join in worshipping with my peers. I continue to ask that you would soften my heart and fill me with your love, that I would overflow with praise to you spontaneously. I see my sins, Lord, and my need to overcome them, but I also ask for the heartbrokenness that comes with a sincere desire to repent from my ways. Help me to stop checking my emotions at the door, but to allow them to push me towards you in love, need, grief, guilt, sorrow, and joy.

Give me the wisdom I need for my daily endeavours and help me to navigate the waters of marriage while trying to stay afloat in school. Help me to manage my time for maximal studying and retention, that I would honour you with my work.

Be with my wife right now. Help her to use some of today to relax, unwind, and spend time with you. Help her to come to the cause of her back and abdominal issues, that it may be treated. 

Give my parents the necessary wisdom and reveal to us where your will dictates they go right now.

In your name I pray,

Amen

6 October 2015

Scriptures:

• Romans 2:1-16
• Ezekiel 27
• 1 Kings 1:28-53
• Psalm 66

Observations:

In the Romans passage, Paul is speaking to those who claim the law and judge others therefrom. Those who seek God will find him. Those who seek themselves will receive their just dues, for righteousness does not come from hearing or knowing the law, but from obeying it.

In Ezekiel, we see, once more, the downfall of Tyre, as the mercantile exploits of Tyre are recounted in exquisite detail, before its abrupt fall.

In 1 Kings, we see the actions of David and his council to Adonijah's presumption.

In the psalm today, we see the psalmist praising God for his might and deeds, for how he has taken Israel through many tribulations into a place of well-being. So, we see the psalmist promising a sacrifice to God out of the sheer joy and praise he has to offer to God.

Application:

Honesty, I really want the joy of the psalmist. To be able to step out and make a grand gesture of praise because I want to is awesome. 

Of course, there's nothing stopping me but myself and my thousand hangups.

What was that part in the Romans passage about seeking God genuinely? (Rom 2:14-15)

So, as one who knows God and knows the law, should not my life and praise be even more honouring to God?

Prayer:

Lord, my outward life needs work. Of course, that also means my inward life needs work. 

I don't want to be a hypocrite, proclaiming your greatness while not allowing it to impact my heart. Instead, Lord, permit your word and your love to impact my heart even more greatly than in the past, that, from the overflow of gratitude and love, my words and actions would speak of you, proclaiming your works to those around me.

Teach and allow me to trust you more deeply.

Amen

5 October 2015

Scriptures:

• Romans 1:18-32
• Ezekiel 26
• 1 Kings 1:1-27
• Psalm 65

Observations:

The Romans passage is very much like the Ezekiel passages we've been seeing, wherein a people who starts off with evidence that God exists, yet turns away from God and, therefore, is given over to their depravity.

The Ezekiel passage prophesies the fall of Tyre in the siege of Nebuchadnezzar as punishment for Tyre's seeking of gain through Israel's fall. Looking at the prophesy and the history, I expected that Nebuchanezzar's siege would have sacked and ruined Tyre, but it only attacked the mainland half (which is the part mentioned) of Tyre, driving most everyone out and into the island half of the city. Alexander the Great brought Tyre to its eventual, complete demise.

In 1 Kings, we have David nearing his death. At this time, another of his sons decided to set himself up as the next king without David's knowledge. So, we see Nathan, the prophet, and Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, who was supposed to be the next king, coming to bring this issue to David.

The psalm today is praising God for his goodness, his providence, and his might, describing how the earth itself gives praise to God.

Application:

The only application I see from these passages is another admonishment to be aware of my standing with God. Where do I stand? Am I indulging myself in illicit things, devoting myself to false idols, absorbing myself in the wrong ideas or uses of time?

I'm tired and becoming increasingly so. Medical school is excellent, but it takes so much out of me that I find myself cutting corners to get some time to myself. I need to use my time appropriately and effectively, if I want to make it anywhere.

Prayer:

God, give me wisdom. I know I have sinned in a number of ways, lust, anger, bitterness, and I need your forgiveness. I see myself beginning to enter a spiral of selfishness again and I don't want that to happen. Help me to be completely satisfied in you and to trust in you for my energy and strength each day. Let me not grow weary from the studies I should be engaged with and give me the motivation to use my time more responsibly. I cannot afford to be slack in any manner.

Be with my wife, too. Help her to encourage me in my studies and to not be disappointed, drained, or feel abandoned by my need to study and help me to know when to put the books away to best serve her.

Give my parents the wisdom they need for this moment. If there's any insight you wish to come from me, please show me.

Also, show my wife and I where you're planning for us to serve.

Bring my sister back to you, Lord.

Amen