Flee from the Wicked

Are you in need of rescue? Do you find yourself in a dangerous situation? Are you involved with the wrong kind of people? Have you gotten mixed up with people who are mean, cruel, hateful, or vengeful? Do you feel like there is no escape? Will you turn to the one who can rescue you?

There are more of us in bad situations than we like to admit. We may not associate with hardened criminals, but we do hang out with people who hold prejudices and can be hateful. Our friends may not appear dangerous on the surface but may subtly be a bad influence on us.

Though we do not have a choice in where we grow up, we do have a choice once we are adults. We may stay in the same town or county. Yet, we have the choice of continuing to maintain the same friendships or making new ones. In our disconnected society in which we spend far too much time on computers, tablets, or smart phones, that can be a challenge.

So, how do we go about reorienting ourselves and seeking new friendships? Our first step is to recognize our current situation. We can do so by asking God to open our eyes and reveal to us the true nature of our current friendships. We then ask God to guide us away from people who are cruel and unjust while guiding us to healthier relationships.

Some of us will desire to change the attitudes of our friends. Though that is a great goal, we must properly assess ourselves. If we are not equipped to influence them, it is better we step away until we are properly equipped. God can help us with that as well. Go to him with your plea to open your eyes, reveal the truth of your situation, and to remove you from a bad situation.

I pray we all ask God to open our eyes to see as he sees. I pray we ask God to remove us from bad situations. I pray each one of us will seek out healthy relationships by following God’s guidance. Open your eyes. See your situation. Ask for God’s help. Seek healthy relationships.

Psalm 71:4-5

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, 

from the grasp of the unjust and cruel. 

For you, O Lord, are my hope, 

my trust, O Lord, from my youth.

God’s Purpose

Do you consider yourself successful? Do you believe you are doing what you were meant to do? If not, what are you doing to determine what you were meant to do? Do you know you were designed for a specific purpose? Do you know that God formed you in the womb?

Many people in this world have no idea what they are meant to do. They wander through life randomly bouncing from on job to another, from one place to another, all the while feeling lost or unfulfilled. Yet, they have not sought the Creator to ask for their purpose to be revealed.

God very plainly tells Jeremiah what his purpose was. Though Jeremiah, much like Moses, attempted to argue with God, God quickly told him he was to do what he was told. Some of us would love to have our purpose so plainly laid before us. However, when the purpose God has for us is a major role, we may balk at it, too.

The best thing about doing what God designed us to do is that we please him. The next best thing is that we are pleased and feel as though we are not working at all. When we do what we are designed to do, it flows from us naturally with no struggle. It may still be challenging, but the challenge is so rewarding that we thrive in it.

Just as God tells Jeremiah, he knew us even before he formed us in the womb. He has set us apart for a purpose in his will, doing his work, in a way that is pleasing to him. We may not have the role of a prophet, but we have a role to fulfill. So, we should seek to fulfill the role God has for us and receive the blessings that come with it.

I pray we all know that God has always known us. I pray we know that God formed us in the womb. I pray each one of us seek to know God’s purpose for our lives and fulfill it. God knows you. God has always known you. God formed you. Seek God’s purpose for you. Fulfill God’s purpose for you.

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, 

and before you were born I consecrated you; 

I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”    

The Servant

What does being a servant mean to you? Do you think of someone who is a household servant? Do you think of a waiter or waitress? Do you think of a butler? Do you think of a chauffeur? Do you think of Jesus as a servant?

We, often, do not want to be a servant. We would much rather be the boss or commander or owner. We want to be in charge rather than being told what to do. Yet, we are called to be servants, just as Jesus was a servant.

Being a servant does not mean we must allow ourselves to be walked on by others. After all, Jesus was stern when needed. We are to be servants of God, following Jesus’ example. This means that we need to know what God wants us to do and do it. To know that we must know God.

Getting to know God requires us to read his Word, spend time in prayer, and listen for God to speak to us. Whoa! Listen for God to speak?! Yes. He may speak to us through others. He may speak to us through a sermon. He may speak to us by giving us thoughts we would never come up with on our own. As we learn to listen and hear God, we will learn what it is God desires us to do.

I pray we all seek to be a servant of God. I pray we follow the example Jesus demonstrated for us during his time on earth. I pray each one of us will listen for God to speak to us through various means, including others, sermons, and an inner voice. Be a servant of God. Follow Jesus’ example. Listen for God to speak. Walk the path God has for you.

Isaiah 42:1

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, 

my chosen, in whom my soul delights; 

I have put my spirit upon him; 

he will bring forth justice to the nations.

Fire of Jesus

Sometimes, Jesus says something so outlandish we don’t know how to take it. Is He using hyperbole? Is He speaking plainly? Are we to take Him literally? Or is He speaking in a parable? It is a challenge. The good news is, there are scholars who know the original language to help us out.

In today’s passage, Jesus is speaking both literally and parabolically. Let’s take the parabolical statement first. When He says He has a baptism to undertake, we all can likely understand that He was talking about His crucifixion. He had a horrible path ahead of Him while walking in the flesh.

The second part of the baptism sentence states Jesus is constrained until it is completed. It could be translated to say He is pressed until it is completed. The meaning is He is singularly focused on it. We might say today, He is laser focused. The point being, Jesus knew what His mission was and there was nothing that would stop Him from accomplishing it.

Now, let’s go back and visit that first sentence. Jesus says He came to cast fire upon the earth. In one respect, He did while He walked the earth. He started the fire of Christianity that would spread around the world. He also sent the Holy Spirit in the form of a fire. John Wesley’s heart was strangely warmed by the Holy Spirit and our can be, too.

Yet, there is a fire to come that will destroy this earth. 1 Peter 3:10 tells us the earth will be destroyed by fire and the heavens will pass away. Three verses later, Peter says we wait for the new heavens and new earth. Revelation 21:1 tells us there is a new heaven and a new earth because the first ones had passed away. Jesus is the one who will bring all this to pass when the Father says it is time.

I pray we all know this earth and everything in it will pass away. I pray we know that Jesus has already started the fire. I pray each one of us looks forward to the new heavens and new earth. This earth will pass away. Jesus started the fire. Jesus will return. Look forward to the new heavens and new earth.

Luke 12:49-50 “I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already ablaze! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!”

Being Watched

Have you performed before an audience? Did you play sports in school, playing your games in front a crowd? Did you play in the school band, performing in parades? Were you in school plays, performing on a stage? Have you considered you are being watched by many right now?

When we play sports, we don’t focus on the crowd. We are far more focused on what is happening in the game. Yet, we may notice the crowd during a break in the game. When in a marching band, we may notice the crowd a little more. While performing on stage, we may not be able to see the crowd.

We cannot see the cloud of witnesses who watch us now. In fact, we may not think about them at all, or we may not believe they are watching. Yet, the writer of Hebrews tells us we are surrounded by them. His reference to the witnesses follows his description of several faithful people in chapter 11, making them the witnesses he is speaking about.

However, if we think about it, we are also surrounded by witnesses walking this earth today. Every day we interact with others. Whether we realize it or not, they are watching us. They accumulate evidence from our actions and speech. They compile this information, assess it, and form their perception of the kind of person we are.

Though we are being watched, it does not mean we are to put on an act. If we do, we are a hypocrite. We are to be who we are yet cast away the sin that entangles us to be better. We are to focus on Jesus and what He has done for us. By focusing on Jesus and asking Him to remove our sin from our lives, we can become the person God intends for us to be.

I pray we all realize we are being watched. I pray we focus our attention on Jesus. I pray each one of us seeks to be the person God intends us to be and asks him to remove our sin from our lives. Know you are being watched. Focus on Jesus. Be who God intends you to be. Ask God to remove your sin.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Build Your Faith

How easily do you trust? Is your starting point to trust people until they prove they are untrustworthy? Or is your starting point to be skeptical until someone proves they are trustworthy? Have you done something that sounded crazy because your trusted the person who told you to do it?

Trust can be tricky. We even have a saying, “Trust must be earned.” Yet, most of us grow up trusting our parents. As small children, we have an inherit trust of our parents. As we grow and experience being around others, we discover there are some we can trust and others we cannot.

Where does this leave us when it comes to trusting God? It can be challenging to trust someone you cannot see and interact with in the flesh. Yet, we can experience God and learn to trust him just as we learn to trust people. We are not to test God. However, we are to make requests of him. And just like our parents, sometimes God’s answer is no or not now. But as we experience him granting our requests, our trust in him grows.

The Israelites had to put their trust in God to rescue them. He honored their trust by leading them out of Egypt, parting the Red Sea so they could cross before the Egyptian soldiers caught up to them. They trusted the walls of Jericho would fall as they marched around them for seven days. Though there may have been some who weren’t convinced God would come through, the majority followed God’s direction, perhaps dragging the others along with them.

Trusting God is one of two pieces to our faith. We must first believe in God. Once we believe he exists and he is who he says he is, we add our trust in him to make up our faith. As our trust in him grows, our faith grows. We build our trust by experiencing his love, grace, mercy, and blessings. God has taken the first step. We must take the next step.

I pray we all believe in God. I pray we learn to trust God through our experiences with him. I pray each one of us build our faith in God by making requests and seeing him answer them. Believe in God. Trust God. Build your faith. Experience God’s love, grace, mercy, and blessings.

Hebrews 11:29-30 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days.

Restoration

Have you seen someone’s face shine? Have you seen the glow a pregnant woman has? Have you seen the eyes of someone light up when they see you? Have you noticed the look of a proud parent? Have you had one of looks from someone restore you?

Seeing someone’s face light up is a joy. It is especially joyful when we know their face lit up because they saw us. When our parent’s face shines with pride in us, it makes us feel good. That good feeling can be restorative and rise our spirits for quite a while.

The Psalmist is pleading with God to restore the Israelites. We, too, can ask God to restore us. He has promised to restore us. All we must do is turn away from our disobedience and ask. It sounds simple, but it is a real challenge. Too often, we like the things we do in disobedience.

When God’s face shines on us, it is more than that of a proud parent. His face shines with love and pride when we turn back to him. Not only that, but he saves us from the punishment we deserve for our disobedience. God does so out of his amazing grace and desire to reconcile us to him.

Think about it for just a moment. The God of all creation, the God who created the entire universe, the God who created us loves us so much that he is willing to forgive our shortcomings so we can be reconciled to him. He wants us to be with him forever. Are we willing to ask him to shine his face on us and restore us?

I pray we all know that God loves us. I pray we turn from our disobedience, turning back to God. I pray each one of us will ask God to shine his face on us and restore us to himself. God loves you. Turn from your disobedience. Turn to God. Ask God to shine on you. Ask him to restore you.

Psalm 80:19

Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; 

let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Release Your Burden

Have you prayed for others? Have you prayed for a group or people? Have you prayed for the church you attend? Have you prayed for your city? Have you prayed for your state? Have you prayed for your nation? Have you prayed for people in our nations?

Praying is important for all of us. Many of us pray for our immediate family, friends, and ourselves. We make requests for health, safety, financial well-being, and relationships. All of those are good reasons to pray that God be in the midst of them and bring about a good result.

But how often do we pray for people we don’t know? We see situations all around us that appear to be out of control or going badly. Do we pray for them? We should pray regularly for our schools, even if we have no children going to them. We should pray for our city and county governments, requesting God to guide them to do what is best for the people and in accordance with his plan.

We hear many people complaining about how our state or federal government is doing some things. We may be doing the same. Rather than complaining, we should pray for those situations. Asking God to guide our government leaders regularly is a good way to have positive changes come about.

The Psalmist cried out to God to save his people. We could make the same appeal to God today. Whether we realize it or not, we are under attack every day. Asking God to protect us, restore us, and for his will to be done is powerful. Not only are we asking God to act, but we are relinquishing control to him, relieving ourselves of the burden or worry we carry.

I pray we all continue to pray. I pray we ask God to guide our government leaders in their decisions. I pray each one of us make our requests to God and relieve ourselves of our burdens. Pray continually. Make your requests to God. Give your concerns to him. Relieve yourself of your burdens.

Psalm 80:1-2

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, 

you who lead Joseph like a flock! 

You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth 

before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. 

Stir up your might, 

and come to save us!

God’s Vineyard

Have you ever put in a garden? Did you harvest the vegetables from your garden? Have you planted a large flower bed? Did you enjoy seeing the flowers you planted bloom? How would you feel if you had gotten no vegetables from your garden, or the flowers never bloomed?

Planting a garden is hard work. There is the preparing the ground by tilling, hoeing, and fertilizing. Once the ground is prepared, you plant the seeds, water them, and hoe out the weeds. You work for weeks or months to harvest the vegetables. Flower beds are similar.

Now apply planting a garden or flower bed as analog for God working in this world. He planted Israel to be his vineyard. Throughout the centuries they obeyed, turned away, returned to God, disobeyed again, and the cycle went on. During times of obedience, they reaped the blessings of God. During their times of disobedience, they were punished by defeat and exile.

After Jesus came, God planted his church. Much like Israel, the church has gone through cycles of obedience with reward and disobedience with punishment. If the church, the global church, desires to reap the blessings of God, it must turn back to God. This includes preaching God’s Word clear and making God’s point, rather than twisting the message to what we want to hear. It includes being willing to give up our desires, listen for God to speak, and follow his guidance.

Perhaps we should ponder whether God is happy with what he is reaping from today’s church. Maybe we should discern whether he is reaping rotten grapes or good grapes. Are we following Jesus’ example and His guidance? If we are, we should expect God’s blessings to shower down. If they don’t, we should reevaluate ourselves and how well we are following Him.

I pray we all know that God has planted good seed. I pray we seek to produce a good crop. I pray each one of us will evaluate ourselves and the church to discern how well we are fulfilling God’s expectations. God has planted good seed. God expects a good crop. Evaluate yourself. Evaluate the church.

Isaiah 5:1

I will sing for my beloved 

my love song concerning his vineyard: 

My beloved had a vineyard 

on a very fertile hill.

A Voice Cries Out

Have you ever been in a wilderness? Have you walked through a forest? Have you walked in a jungle? Have you been in a desert? Have you been in a densely populated city? Do you view your entire world as a wilderness? Do you think you should? Why or why not?

When we a wilderness, the word can mean different types of environments to different people. In general, when the Bible speaks of a wilderness, it means a harsh environment in which there is very little growth. The wilderness in Israel was mostly a rocky desert.

For Isaiah, there was a desert between Babylon and Jerusalem. The Jews were exiled in Babylon and would cross the desert to return to Jerusalem. Isaiah was prophesying to the Jews that God was going to break them free of their exile. His means of doing so would be different than when they were set free from Egypt, but no less miraculous.

But this passage is referred to in the gospels when speaking of John the Baptist. In his case, he was crying out near the Jordan river, speaking of the coming Messiah. He was telling everyone who would listen that they were going to be set free from their sin. He was telling them to prepare their hearts for something new that God was doing.

So, where is our wilderness? It may be in our workplaces, our families, the city we live in, or anywhere we are. We need to think about the definition as the Bible uses the word and see if there is growth around us. In today’s world, there is very little growth when it comes to following Jesus. Therefore, we need to be a good representative of His and tell others about Him. We need to encourage others to grow in their faith, which does not mean thinking like we think. For we also need to grow in our faith.

I pray we all think about the wilderness we live in. I pray we encourage others to come to Jesus. I pray each one of us encourage others to grow in their faith while growing in our own. See the wilderness. Be the voice crying out. Encourage others. Speak of Jesus. Grow in your faith.

Isaiah 40:3

A voice cries out: 

“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; 

make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”