Wednesday, March 30, 2016

...to know whether
you love the LORD your God
with all your heart
         and with all your soul.
You shall walk after 
           the LORD your God
           and fear Him,
and keep His commandments
and obey His voice,
and you shall serve Him
        and cleave to Him.

              Deuteronomy 13. 3-4

(That will not just keep me busy today,
  but will change the trajectory of my life.
God calls us to be faithful.)

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

But you shall seek the place
which the LORD your God
will choose out of all of your tribes
          to put His name
and make His habitation there;
thither you shall go...

                   Deuteronomy 12. 5

(Wherever He leads today,
every direction,
every encounter,
every opportunity
to bring the name of Jesus there.)

Monday, March 28, 2016

You shall not be
        in dread of them,
for the LORD your God
     is in the midst of you,
a great and awesome God.

                 Deuteronomy 7. 21

(You are not alone.
God is at work in you
and through you
         in incredible ways.
Hold tight to God,
    not to fear.)

Sunday, March 27, 2016

And very early
on the first day of the week
they went to the tomb
when the sun had risen.
And they were saying to one another,
"Who will roll away the stone
for us from the door of the tomb?"
And looking up,
they saw that the stone was rolled back
-- it was very large.
And entering the tomb,
they saw a young man
sitting on the right side,
dressed in a white robe;
and they were amazed.
And he said to them,
"Do not be amazed;
you seek Jesus of Nazareth,
who was crucified.
He is risen,
           He is not here.

             Mark 16. 2-6

(He is risen.
He is risen indeed.
And nothing will
       ever the same.)

Saturday, March 26, 2016

have been crucified with Christ;
it is no longer I who live,
   but Christ who lives in me;
and the life I now live in the flesh
    I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me
       and gave Himself for me.

                      Galatians 2.20

(Easter is not just a holiday,
     but that we may walk
     in the newness of life.
Sin has lost its grip on me.)

Friday, March 25, 2016

So also the chief priests,
with the scribes and elders,
mocked Him, saying,
"He saved others;
He cannot save Himself.
He is the king of Israel;
let Him come down now
        from the cross,
and we will believe in Him.

                  Matthew 27. 41-42

(But if Jesus had come down
             from the cross,
if He had not died for our sins,
He would not be our Savior.
That is why He came,
because He loves you that much.
Without Good Friday,
   there would not be Easter.)

Thursday, March 24, 2016

O LORD God,
You have only begun
to show Your servant
    Your greatness
    and Your mighty hand...

                Deuteronomy 3. 24

(We have seen nothing yet.
God is mighty,
   but God is the Almighty.
God is able to do 
far more abundantly 
than we can ask or imagine.
Ephesians 3. 20)

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Do not be in dread
      or afraid of them.
The LORD your God
    who goes before you
will Himself fight for you,
just as He did for you
   in Egypt before your eyes,
and in the wilderness...
in all the way that you went
until you came to this place.

             Deuteronomy 1. 30-31

(Grasp the reality
of God's faithfulness
             even in this.
No matter how it appears,
God is bringing you through.
Something deeper is going on here.)

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

And He said to him,
             "Follow Me."
And he left everything,
and rose,
and followed Him.

                Luke 5. 27-28

(Leave that fear.
Leave that affection.
Leave even that direction.
Help me to get up
        and follow You into this,
however that looks like
  in my life today.)

Monday, March 21, 2016

...where there was no water
     for the people to drink.

                   Numbers 33. 14

(And God still brings us through.
When we follow Him fully,
God changes everything,
      even the impossible.)

Sunday, March 20, 2016

My soul clings to You,
Your right hand upholds me.

                     Psalm 63. 8

(His Presence makes
the radical difference
     in all I face
    and even how I see it.
God navigates me through.
I am not alone in this.)

Friday, March 18, 2016

The voice of one
       crying in the wilderness:
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make His paths straight.

                     Luke 3. 4

(May we be faithful to God
even in what appears to us
     as wilderness,
these places that look insignificant
            or hopeless,
      or without meaning.
God is doing a mighty work in us
                and through us
     in ways beyond our vision.
God has placed each of us
              strategically
for His profound purposes,
for His glory,
in His Name.
Even in this.)

Thursday, March 17, 2016

With God
    we shall do valiantly;
it is He
who will tread down our foes.

                 Psalm 60. 12

(Not "you can do it!"
       but God,
in whatever I may face today,
whatever I may fear.
How many times does He have to tell me:
             "I am with you.
              Do not be afraid.
              Do not attempt this alone.")

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

So Israel yoked himself
to Baal of Peoria.

              Numbers 25. 3

(Not just another worldview,
but a burden which changes you.
Jesus says,"Take My yoke
                      upon you,"
a yoke of strength and direction,
not enslavement and despair.
With Whom do I choose
                 to walk today?
Behold, I am with you.)


    

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

He who belittles his neighbor
                     lacks sense,
but a man of understanding
        remains silent.

                       Proverbs 11. 12

(Belittling anyone
  will come back to haunt you.
But he who loves his neighbor,
   through that kindness and grace,
God changes the world.)


Monday, March 14, 2016

For with God
   nothing will be impossible.

                Luke 1. 37

(Remember the first part
of this promise:  "With God."
Not just wishful thinking,
   but with the reality of God,
all things abound
       in the realm of possibility.)

Sunday, March 13, 2016

...and behold,
the rod of Aaron
    for the house of Levi
had sprouted
and put forth buds,
and produced blossoms,
and it bore ripe almonds.

                  Numbers 17. 8

(And sometimes,
God makes His way
           really obvious,
almonds for the picking,
          beyond explanation,
that which only God can do.
Seek God,
    not just an answer.)

Saturday, March 12, 2016

But I call upon God,
   and the LORD will save me.
...He will hear my voice,
He will deliver 
          my soul in safety
from the battle that I wage,
for many are arrayed 
              against me.

                 Psalm 55. 16-18

(Everyone struggles 
            with something,
but God is stronger still.
Call upon God,
   first response 
   not last resort.)

Friday, March 11, 2016

Behold,
       God is my helper;
the LORD is
   the upholder of my life.

                Psalm 54. 4

(No matter what.
Do I worship a God of ease
or the LORD God Almighty
   who provides His strength
   in impossible places?
I am not in this alone.)

Thursday, March 10, 2016

...a pleasing odor to the LORD.

                     Numbers 15. 10

(What does that look like today?
What choices can I make
        to bring Him glory,
even in this impossible situation?
Bring the name of Jesus there.
Even in this,
    His deep grace invades
    and permeates in ways
that no one would ever expect.)

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

The integrity of the upright
           guides them...

                      Proverbs 11. 3

(An inner strength
     rooted in daily practice,
an engraved path,
a deep reliance
    unaffected by crisis,
choosing the path of righteousness.
Live above reproach.
                    Even in this.)

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

...and there is nothing at all
   but this manna to look at.

                    Numbers 11. 6

(Grumbling makes us 
look right past
   the goodness of God.)

Monday, March 7, 2016

...according to the pattern
which the LORD
     had shown Moses.,.

                  Numbers 8. 4

(God will reveal
how to do this work
that He has placed before me,
according to His designs for it.
New patterns emerge
  that I have not seen before.)

Sunday, March 6, 2016

The LORD bless you
           and keep you:
The LORD make His face
      to shine upon you,  
      and be gracious to you:
The LORD lift up 
  His countenance upon you,
  and give you peace.

                   Numbers 6. 24-26

(Amen!)

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Walk about Zion,
go round about her,
number her towers,
consider well her ramparts,
go through her citadels,
that you may tell
   the next generation 
   that this is God,
our God for ever and ever.
He will be our guide for ever.

                    Psalm 48. 12-14

(There is no greater gift
than faithfulness to God
lived out fully 
            and passed on.
This is how 
the next generation knows
what is real:
    by what they see in you.)

Friday, March 4, 2016

...encamp
facing the tent of meeting
on every side.

               Numbers 2. 2

(May I pitch my tent
facing You 
in all things today,
in every detail,
and on every exposure.)

Thursday, March 3, 2016

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore
we will not fear
though the earth
              should change,
though the mountains
 shake in the heart of the sea...

                    Psalm 46. 1-2

(Seek God through 
    this overwhelming situation.
Dwell on His Presence.
Fear just blinds us
      to the reality of God.)

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

And they were on the road,
going up to Jerusalem,
and Jesus was walking
          ahead of them...

              Mark 10. 32

(Wherever you are,
you are not alone.
Jesus is going before you
        to guide you.
Show me Your way in this,
                    O LORD.)

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

...from evening to morning
     before the LORD continually.

                 Leviticus 24. 3

(Not just what I do,
not just my prayers,
         but my heart.
In His name
  and for His Kingdom.
No exclusions.)