Monthly Archives: January 2012

Joy

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January 11: Genesis 27-28; Psalm 4; Luke 11

Joy

Scripture: Psalm (NIV) 4:7 You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.

Observation: The Psalmist realized that he had greater joy in his heart in the bad times then the godless had in their best times.

Application: The reality of this verse was made clear to me in Viet Nam. Taking a break and sitting beside the trail one afternoon I heard those around me laughing and looking at pictures of their girls and cars back home. It was then I realized that I had more joy right there in Viet Nam than they had in their good times back home! Wow!

Prayer: Lord, there is joy in serving you. There is joy in seeing you work through me. But best of all, there is the joy of your Presence! Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Sheep/Servant

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January 10: Genesis 25-26; Psalm 6; Luke 10

Sheep/Servant

Scripture: Genesis 26:32 And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had dug, and said unto him, We have found water.

Observation: How great it is to find water. The servants seemed to be excited. Their labors had been rewarded. They found what they had been looking for — what they had been digging for.

It is nice when one can live by a river of running water and enjoy its thirst-quenching, life-sustaining water. It is great when that water can be channeled to water herds and fields. However there are many wonderful places to live that do not border a river. For those willing to dig, those places too can enjoy the blessing of water.

Application: As this is true physically, how much more it is true spiritually. There are times when God leads us to the river’s edge. The shepherd in Psalm 23 led the sheep to "still" water where they could easily and safely drink. But our relationship to the Good Shepherd should grow beyond that of being a sheep. At some point in the process we become servants. The sheep must be led to where the water is, the servant should be able to "find" water. Servants find a way to bring water to the sheep. Sheep drink from the surface; servants can dig below the surface to rivers that flow much deeper.

Prayer: Lord, I am glad you are the Good Shepherd and I am, and will always be one of your sheep! Now, help me be a useful servant. Amen.

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!

The Big Picture

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January 9: Genesis 23-24; Luke 9

The Big Picture

Scripture: Luke 9:46 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.

Observation: If Jesus had been walking in the flesh, this surely would have frustrated him. Only two verses back He was explaining to them how He would be betrayed. He was preparing Himself for the single greatest act of serving in the history of creation. He was preparing to offer Himself as a sacrifice in payment for our sins. And here His disciples, having totally missed the big picture, are arguing about who will be the greatest! Instead of dealing with them out of frustration, Jesus makes it a teaching moment by having a small child stand before them emphasizing that it is the one who is the least who is really the greatest.

Families have stood around a casket arguing over who is going to get what is left behind totally missing the obvious that they too will die, and that what their relative left behind, they too will leave behind.

Parents who discipline their children out of frustration may get the undesirable activities to stop for the moment but they miss valuable opportunities to teach lessons that will shaped their children’s future.

Application: It is easy to ignore the big picture and focus on the specifics that affect me. But to properly deal with the specifics, I must keep the big picture in view.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, especially now in my senior years, help me to always see things in the light of eternity. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

That Place

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January 8: Genesis 20-22; Luke 8

That Place

Scripture: Genesis 22:14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”

Observation: It was not the place Abraham’s tent was pitched. It was not the place where the servants had been left along the trail as Abraham and his son, Isaac, moved toward the place God would show them. It was the place where Abraham was to make the most difficult sacrifice ever required of him. He went there to offer his son as a sacrifice, but just in time God stopped him. Then he saw a ram nearby caught in the thicket with which they made the sacrifice. That is the place Abraham named Jehovah-Jireh, The Lord will provide.

Application: If I want to claim God as my Jehovah-Jireh, my Provider, I must not be hesitant in making the sacrifices He requires of me. The place where I can claim my Jehovah-Jireh, is the place where I am willing to sacrifice what has value to me.

Prayer: Lord, you have already proved yourself faithful in sacrificing for me; now may I be faithful in sacrificing for you. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Urgency = Mercy

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January 7: Genesis 18-19; Psalm 3; Luke 7

Urgency = Mercy

Scripture: Genesis 19:16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them.

Observation: Lot was hesitant, and dragging his feet. There was so much that they would have liked to take with them. They were literally being pulled by their hands out of their home and out of the city of Sodom. The impatience of those pulling them from their home was really an expression of mercy in saving them from the judgment that was coming. Lot was unaware of the magnitude of the disaster coming.

The forest ranger with news of an approaching forest fire; the police officer with the news of a fast moving hurricane; the doctor with information about a fast growing cancer; each has a message of mercy that can come across in a very impatient manner. Patience is not the virtue needed in urgent situations.

Application: When God brings me into a place of urgency and demands instant obedience, it is not because He is impatient, but because He is merciful. It is to my harm when I ignore the urgency of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, as I grow in you, help me to respond quickly to your direction for my life. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

After this…

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January 6: Genesis 15-17; Luke 6

After this…

Scripture: Genesis (NIV) 15:1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

Observation: What a statement God made to Abram! No need to fear for God is promising to be his protection—and his reward. It is easy to claim that statement as God’s word to me and to overlook the rest of the verse. Yet the first two words are just as much the Word of God as the last

This statement of blessing, like other statements God made to Abram, came after Abram had done something that pleased God. It was God’s response to Abram. Abram’s actions had pleased God. Here it was Abram’s refusal to accept the riches of men offered as a reward for rescuing them. Abram wanted people to know that his riches came from God and not from man.

Application: It’s simple: if I want God’s blessings on my life, I should live a life that God wants to bless!

Prayer: Holy Spirit, check me when I overlook important parts of your Word while I hurry on to the portions that say what I want to hear. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Temporary/Permanent

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January 5: Genesis 12-14; Luke 5

Temporary/Permanent

Scripture: Genesis (NIV) 12:8 From there he went on towards the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.

Observation: As Abram (later renamed Abraham) moved in the direction God had directed we see in the wording of this verse the priority in his life. Abram “pitched” his tent but “built” his altar. His earthly living was in a “pitched” (temporary) residence but his worship was around a “built” (permanent) altar.

Many people today are working to build their house, but too willing to worship wherever it is convenient, strikes their fancy, or is where their parents worshipped. Some will even stay home from church to accomplish some project around their house.

Application: The songwriter put it well: “This world is not my home; I’m just a passing through…” The one “permanent” thing in my life is my relationship with God. I remember the words I have seen hanging on many walls: “Only one life, will soon be past; Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Prayer: Lord, help me live today with this truth in mind. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Gaining Strength

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January 4: Genesis 9-11; Luke 4

Gaining Strength

Scripture: Luke (NIV) 4:14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.

Observation: In the first three chapters of Luke we read that Jesus had been conceived by the Holy Spirit, greeted by the Holy Spirit, filled with the Holy Spirit, and led by the Holy Spirit. It is interesting that only after being tempted by Satan do we read that Jesus returned from the wilderness “in the power of the Spirit.”

Application: The opposition of weights against the muscles results in the strengthening of those muscles. Similarly the devils opposition and temptations can be used to increase my spiritual strength. That is probably why James (1:2) tells me to count it all joy when I fall into various temptations.

Prayer: Lord, living for you does not mean a trouble free life. But it does mean that you are with me and that the troubles will work for my good. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

It’s A Process

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January 3: Genesis 6-8; Luke 3

It’s A Process

Scripture: Luke (NIV) 3:21 ¶ When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened
22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry.

Observation: Jesus had been 12 years old when he accompanied his parents to the temple in Jerusalem. When his parents discovered he was missing on the return trip, they finally found him talking with the religious leaders in the temple. Jesus is now 30 years old. There have been 18 years of maturity and ministry preparation in the privacy of Joseph and Mary’s home and carpentry shop.

Application: Maturing takes time and it is difficult to measure the growth in a day by day evaluation. Progress is slow and in small steps. Much of it is done out of public sight and has to do with observing and interacting with mature friends. It’s a process that cannot be ignored nor thought unimportant. It brings great rewards.

Prayer: Lord, living for you is a daily journey that I learn by asking questions and watching the daily lives of others. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Slow Times

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January 2: Genesis 3-5; Luke 2

Slow Times

Scripture: Luke (NIV) 2:39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.
40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

Observation: After the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the visit to the temple, the escape into Egypt and return, Joseph and Mary settled into the routine of daily life. They had done all they could do and everything required of the Law, and now was the time of just living. It was family life with a small child, and with the brothers and sisters that were born into the family. It was time needed for Jesus to grow and develop.

Application: There have been times of waiting for God to give the next move. They were times of holding steady to the course God had set. They were times of God’s instruction and character building. They were not times to run, change course, or develop my own plan. They were times of growing in the natural circumstances of life.

Prayer: Lord, your timing is amazing. Thank you for helping me not to get discouraged in the “slow” times but learning to appreciate your Presence. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!