Day 17/Chapter 17

I’ve reached the halfway point in my 34 days with the book of Deuteronomy. It has been a lot more interesting than I expected. I love watching and seeing how God provides and forms His people. He is trying so hard to create a people who love him with all their heart, soul, and strength (6:5).

Chapter 17 observations
(17:1-7) Chapter 17 continues that theme. God is working to keep His people’s focus on Him. He’s helping them be kingdom seekers. He doesn’t want them drifting away to worship other idols or be led astray. If anyone leads an Israelite astray, they are to investigate the matter thoroughly, have 2-3 witnesses, and stone the person to death. Why? God wants them to purge the evil from among them. This is how He had to work in this culture.

(17:8-13) We also learn that the Levites (the priests) can act in accordance with the appointed judge in cases that are too hard to handle. If contempt is shown towards the priest or judge the person is to be stoned.

(17:14-20) God obviously knows the Israelites will want to be like the other nations around them and be led by a king. So, in this section God gives them advice on picking a king. Choose only the king God selects. Sounds like some good advice! Then God shares what He wants the king to do. He wants the king to be very familiar with the law/His Word. He indicates that he wants the king to write the law and read it (vv.18-19). The promise, if the king does this, is that the king and his descendants will have a long and happy rule.

Day 16/Chapter 16

Chapter 16 observations
- This chapter divided up into six sections: vv.1-8, 9-12, 13-15, 16-17, 18-20, 21-22. There is a progression within each section; vv.1-17 deal with remembering what God has done, vv.18-20 deal with community relations, and vv.21-22 (this also includes 17:1) deal with the individual.
- Unleavened bread is called “the bread of affliction” in the fist section because it represents Israel’s time in Egypt and when God delivered them.
- The Israelites are to leave no leftovers in the morning when the sacrifice for Passover (v.4).
- Three times the people (the men) of Israel are to appear before God, the feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), Feast of Weeks (I think this is Pentecost), and Feast of Tabernacles.
- Judges and officials (v.18) are used in each of the Israel’s towns to help keep peace and bring justice to those who need it.
- In the last section (vv.21-22) God warns the people of turning to pagan practices (e.g., Asherah poles and sacred stones).

Comments
God, as we have seen already, is all about remembering. Here He establishes three big feasts/or parties. These times of celebration are a time for the community to come together and remember together what God has done. There is something powerful when people gather together with God as their reason for it. I can’t help but think of the church. We gather and remember what Christ has done and is still doing for us. We remember together, especially this time of year (Lent), the actions Jesus performed to deliver us from slavery to sin. As the hymn sings,
At the cross, at the cross where I fist saw the light
and the burden of my soul rolled away.
It was there by faith, I received my sight,
and now I am happy all the day.

Day 15/ Chapter 15

Chapter 15 observations
- Chapter 15 has three parts to it: 1. Debt every seven years/taking care of the poor among you (vv.1-11), 2. Servants every seven years (vv.12-18), 3. How to sacrifice the firstborn of your flock (vv.19-23).
- At the end of every seven years the Israelites were to forget about their debts with their fellow brothers. This seems to be limited to just within the Israelites (v.3).
- God wants there to be no poor among them. He wants every person taken care of.
- God says the Israelites, “will lend to many nations but borrow from none.” America should try that. Apparently God doesn’t want His people in debt to other nations (it might put them under another nation), but He does want them giving.
- God wants His people to be open to helping a poor brother or sister around them. He doesn’t want them to be penny-pinchers with their money, but generous. He wants them helping others.
- When someone becomes the Israelites servant/slave they are to allow that person (man/woman) the opportunity to go free in the seventh year. God asks them to go even one step further in that they are to supply this former servant with all kinds of supplies and send him off like Egypt sent off the Israelites (vv.14-15).
- It was important in setting aside animals from the flock for sacrifice that the animal be absolutely perfect. God want the absolute best set apart for Him.

Comments
God has a radical way of dealing with debt. What was He up to in regards to these commands? God was building Himself into their calendars for the long haul. What was God’s plan in all this? Freedom and forgiveness. You can see obvious parallels to what Jesus offers. Jesus came to cancel debts, but He also comes to proclaim freedom in the kingdom of God. He cancels our debt and frees us from slavery so we can choose to live life with Him. Are you ready to have your ear lobe pierced?

Day 14/Chapter 14

Chapter 14 observations

This next section of Deuteronomy is an interesting one. It falls into the additional requirements for the people of Israel. First and foremost they were to be God’s people and obey Him. I believe you could sum up the first section of Deuteronomy (chapters 4-11) with Jesus’ words in the Gospels. “Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.” That is the essence and message of God’s main requirement in Deuteronomy. This next section moves into the extra things to help the people love Him and their neighbors.

If I were to give a sermon over this section it would cover things like:
- Reasons to avoid copying pagan practices (i.e., what to think about the dead, how to memorialize them without idolizing them, what to eat, what not to eat).

- How to give and tithe to God. They were to give a tenth to the LORD and eat this tenth in His presence (the Tabernacle/Temple). Every three years they were to store up their tithes in a storehouse for the Levites (Priests), the alien, fatherless, and widows. So, you see a sense of helping and taking responsibility while giving. Giving was God’s way to teach His people to rely on Him and be thankful.

I guess you could argue that they were not tithing money and so I do not need to tithe money, but their culture and context was different than ours. Money for them would have been what their fields produced, the grain, the wine, the oil, along with the herding type animals they raised (i.e., sheep, goats, cows, etc.). If you don’t believe me that these things were just as good as money look at verse 25. It says they can exchange their tithe (their grains, cattle, oil) for silver (that’s money!). To give a tenth of these was to tithe their income. God wanted them doing this. He says in verse 23 that this will help them, “revere the LORD your God always.”

- I think I would then explore how we give and why. What is our purpose in giving? Why do we do it? Do we think of it as a learning experience? Do we think that tithing can teach us to trust God?

Think that would work as a sermon?

Day 13/Chapter 13

Introduction
I’m finding it hard to be consistent in this endeavor to spend time with Deuteronomy. I’m finding every reason not to have time to read. Sound familiar? I'm finding it even harder to write about it. Maybe that is because my writing skills are way above par and I can't put into words what I'm thinking. That is frustrating. You could probably reverse that too and find some truth! One thing I have discovered is that anything we set out to do on a consistent basis takes commitment and sacrifice. Give me persistence God!

Chapter 13 observations
- Verses 1 through 5 deals with how to handle a false prophet who would entice you to worship other gods.
- Verses 6 through 11 deals with how to handle family/friends who would lead you astray.
- According to verse 10, you are to stone any individual who would try and get you to worship another god.
- Verses 12 through 18 deal with how to handle a town’s/city’s rebellion. According to these verses they are to burn the city and everything in it and never rebuild it.

Comments
This chapter sheds some light on the reasons Jesus’ antagonists wanted to stone Him. They were just following the words in Deuteronomy. Jesus’ presented such a radical picture of God that they thought He was “enticing them to serve other gods.” However, I think if they would have inquired, probed and investigated (v.14) Jesus’ words they would have discovered Truth in what He was saying. I believe there is consistency and logic in Jesus’ teachings about God. It’s just a matter of sitting down and “reasoning together”, as the prophet Isaiah would say, over His words.

Why do so many people just walk away from Him or not even consider Him in the first place? I just heard that more and more people in America are becoming “unreligious” and walking away from religion. Why? Maybe we need a fresh picture of God. A picture so radical that we would fall on our knees and repent and cry. So many individuals throughout the Gospels (e.g., lepers, sick, mistreated, sinners) were given a fresh perspective when they encountered the Person of Jesus Christ. I pray that you (myself included) would encounter His Person today.

Day 12/Chapter 12

Chapter 12 observations
- This chapter is about worship. About how to worship and how not to worship.
- God has specific instructions for how He wants the Israelites to worship. He does not want them to worship in the way the other nations do (v.4). As a matter of fact He wants everything related to their worship (e.g., altars, sacred stones, Asherah poles, idols) completely destroyed.
- Worship of God will take place in a place of God’s choosing.
- The “Name”, or God Himself, will dwell in that place (v.5).
- The rest of the chapter give some specific instructions related to worship.

Comments

Space can be sacred. It is to God. What makes a space sacred or special? In Deuteronomy 12 God is the one who sets apart space and makes it sacred. But, the Israelites are to do the same thing. They are to live in the reality of this sacred space. This is the message of verse 7, “There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the LORD your God has blessed you.”

Day 11/Chapter 11

Introduction
Took a break yesterday. Losing that hour to DLST has messed me up a little.

Chapter 11 observations
- We have more repetition and reminders of where the Israelites have been and where they are going.
- God wants the Israelites to love Him with everything they got and serve Him.
- Obedience to Him is so important because this group’s children were not witnesses to what God did in Egypt (v.2). So, they could easily forget about the LORD and serve other gods. Maybe this is why there is so much emphasis on remembering the past?
- This going in and taking the land God is going to give them requires strength from above through obedience to His commands (v.8).
- Verse 19 reminds us again of how important a role the family plays in Christian education. Parents are to take advantage of every opportunity to teach their children God’s commands.
- You have the way of the blessing and the way of the curse mentioned in verses 26-29. They are to proclaim the curse from Mount Ebal and the blessing from Mount Gerizim.

Comments
God is thinking ahead in these verses. He is thinking about Israel’s children. He knows firsthand how easily the people of Egypt forget about Him and move towards worshipping other gods. If it is that easy for them, imagine how easy it would be for Israelites born after the exodus from Egypt? God is worried, I think, about second-generation Israelites. Why? Because of their parents. Their parents struggled (read Exodus and you’ll see how much they struggled) to love God and obey Him fully. So, should it be any surprise that their children will do the exact same thing? God wants us to have a strong and vibrant faith because it sets the example for our children. God wants us to be teaching our children by example. Children learn by imitating, but they need an example of what to imitate. If we have nothing to put out as an example for them, then we shouldn’t expect a vibrant and strong faith from them.

Day 10/Chapter 10

Introduction
I thought there was a great picture of God’s heart and love in this chapter.

Chapter 10 observations
- The opening part of this chapter is God’s response to Moses’ prayer in chapter 9. He doesn’t destroy the Israelites like He wanted to do. Instead he has Moses cut two tablets out of rock and gives him the 10 Commandments again.
- What is with this whole notion of God wanting to destroy the Israelites, but changing His mind? Did He really want to destroy them or was this idea purely from Moses’ point of view? Can a man/woman change the mind of God? Was this just God “venting” to Moses about his frustrations with the Israelites and Moses took it the wrong way?
- The tribe of Levi is set apart to tend to the ark, pronounces blessings, and minister before the Lord (v.8). You find out when that happened here.
- Verses 12-22 is a beautiful passage. You have what God wants from the Israelites (e.g., respect Him, love Him whole-heartedly, love their neighbor).
- “To fear him,” is to respect and know He is God and King (v.12).
- “To walk in his ways,” is to live life in Him. “Walk” is used in Hebrew as an expression for “to live,” or “one’s life” (v.12).
- “To love him,” means to put God first and cherish Him (v.12). They are to try their best at this. Obviously their love will be qualitatively different from God’s love, but they are to love him in the best way they can.
- “To serve Him,” is to put love for Him into action (v.12).
- “To obey his commands,” is to show love for Him that is from the heart (v.13).

- This chapter ends with a section I titled “Why you should love God” (verses 14-22).

Day 9/Chapter 9

Introduction
This thirty-four day journey has been interesting. I didn’t think a book like Deuteronomy would speak to me as much, as say, the Gospel of John or James. I was wrong. You would be surprised at how relevant and interesting this book is.

Chapter 9 observations
- We are about ready to leave the desert and cross the Jordan River (v.1).
- The people on the other side are going to create some problems for the Israelites. However, if they will obey God and listen to Him, He will aid them in defeating their enemies.
- I always wondered why this land as the Promised Land? What was it about this land?
- A subtle reminder is given in verse 4 that God is not driving out these other nations because the Israelites are better than them (more righteous), it is because the other nations are so “wicked”. In other words, God doesn’t the Israelites to start thinking they are better because they are Israelites. The people favored by God. God actually refers to the Israelites as “stiff-necked people” throughout this chapter. Very similar to what Stephen said in Acts 7.
- I was unaware Moses did two 40 day fast without bread or water (v.9, v.18).

- Moses’ prayer for the stubborn Israelites can be found in verses 26-29. This is a prayer well worth studying. How does God respond to Moses’ prayer? That is in chapter 10.
- This is a good chapter for those interested in intercessory prayer. Moses talks about how he interceded on Aaron’s behalf and the Israelites behalf (vv.19-20).

Comments
Again we are recapping Israel’s history as we slowly move towards the Promise Land. There has been so much looking back and remembering in these first nine chapters. This somewhat flies in the face of what we teach and preach. We say look forward and forget the past. God says look forward while remembering the past. Apparently God and Moses, working together of course, feel the need to remind Israel of its history and where she has come from through the writing of Deuteronomy. This journey to the Promise Land has shaped and molded her. She has had the opportunity to draw near to God and see that He is all that He says He is.

Day 8/Chapter 8

Chapter 8 observations
- The LORD does not want the Israelites to forget what He has done. Remembering Egypt is another central theme in this book.
- The time in the desert (the 40 yrs) was a period of testing for the Israelites. God wanted to see what was in their heart. In hard times our heart is revealed.
- Their time in the desert was a time of reliance upon God. They became hungry and had nothing to eat, so God fed them. Remember the manna and quail?
- The rest of the chapter encourages and warns the Israelites to not forget about God when things are going well. When their riches are increasing and they have food of their own, they better not forget about what God has done for them.

Comments

How important is remembering to our salvation journey? We each have a particular point or a particular time we received Jesus into our lives. From that time on things were different. We were awakened. We were led out of captivity. God did a wonderful work in us. I can’t help but see parallels between our stories and Israel’s story. If you think about it long enough, Israel’s story is our story too, because we have been grafted into the family of God. God has chosen us too. Our heritage, our story to remember, is the story of Israel.

What do you think about that

Day 7/Chapter 7

Introduction
I keep pressing on towards the goal. I’m on my seventh day of reading and reflecting on Deuteronomy. It has been a blessing. So far, reading these seven chapters of Deuteronomy has been kind of like a re-cap of the book of Exodus. You get this feeling God is sitting down in a chair telling this story to a new generation of followers. There has been a lot more excitement to this book than anticipated.

Chapter 7 observations
- The conquering of the Promise Land is going to be some work. They must completely destroy the groups of people totally. These different groups of people must be completely given over to the LORD.
- The Israelites are a treasured possession to God (v.6).
- Establishing Israel in the Promise Land is going to be a process. It is going to happen little by little. Would I have the patience for this?
- God’s plan for them is very smart and thought out. He isn’t driving all of the different groups out because wild animals would move in and take over parts of the Promise Land if He did (v.22).
- You see towards the end of this chapter that things can be “set apart” for destruction as much as they can for God. We talk of holiness as a person being “set apart” for God, but here you see and hear something a little different. Here the talk is of idols and what those idols will do if the Israelites do not completely destroy them.

Day 6/Chapter 6

Chapter 6 notes
- Why did Moses have to be the one who taught the Israelites God’s decrees and commands? Verse 1 tells us He was directed by the LORD God to do so.
- The shema (means “hear” in Hebrew) is found in vv.4-9.
- There is to be a constant talking about God’s commands and laws according to vv.7-9. Whether the language is literal or figurative the point is that we are always to be aware of and teaching them to others (e.g. our children).
- If the Israelites are asked by their children why they have such laws and decrees they are to tell them the story of their time in Egypt.
- Verse 25 caught my attention for a couple of reasons. In the New Testament, Jesus taught a righteousness that comes from God that was way above our human attempts to be righteous. Here it is implied that by following the laws of the LORD one can possess righteousness. Is that a right standing before God? Is that in regards to the relationship one has with God?

Observations
Again you see the important role teaching and educating one’s children plays. Over and over the Bible places an emphasis on the parents/leader of the household as being the primary Christian educator. I think families today put too much weight in the church to do this. We expect, and rightfully so, our children to go and learn about God at the church, but it cannot stop there. It must come home! We have to be striving to teach our children to obey God’s commands. How does that happen? It starts with us. We have to be following God and obeying. Maybe this is why so many parents today don’t want to teach their children. Maybe this is why parents expect the church to do something and educate their children. So, what role does the church play in all of this? The church is there to equip parents and resource them in teaching their children. Maybe some of you pastors out there could share with us how you equip parents through the church to teach their children God's Word?

Day 5/Chapter 5

Introduction
I’m up a little later than usual, but I’m up. It has been energizing to start each day with God’s Word. I can’t think of any better way to be “transformed by the renewing of your minds” than this. I’m now sitting down and preparing for the meat and potatoes of Deuteronomy. This should be interesting and good stuff.

Chapter 5 observations
- There continues to be a constant call from God to remember Egypt. Why is that? That was a bad experience for the Israelites. Why would they want to remember?
- We begin with a rehashing of the 10 Commandments (vv.7-21) that are found in Exodus chapter 20.
- The Commandments can be divided up into two categories: Those dealing with God (vv.7-15) and those dealing with neighbor (vv.16-21). Seeing them like this helps us understand how Jesus was able to sum them up when He said, “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.”
- The following verses give more detail in regards to how Moses received the Commandments and the people’s initial response. Things started well (v.27).
- “That there hearts would be inclined,” (v.29) is an interesting statement. The 10 Commandments weren’t just a list of “do’s” and “don’ts” to be followed outwardly, but obedience to them was to come from the heart. The heart being the will/spirit of a person.
- “Walk” (v.33) is used in Hebrew as an idiom for one’s way of life. It’s very similar to what John says in 1 John 1:7. In Deuteronomy the Israelites are encouraged to live life with God.

Comments
I’ve been thinking on the importance of the Israelites remembering Egypt. Why did God want them, and remind them so many times, to not forget about their time in Egypt? When we have bad experiences we want to put them behind us and move on. We don’t want to be reminded of them. That’s an individual thing though, this is a whole nation. God asks a whole nation to not forget their slavery and oppression in Egypt. What is God up to? Why the constant reminders? Do they have to look back to move ahead? Can’t they just forget about those painful memories and move on? Is there something more to this?

Day 4/Chapter 4

Chapter 4 observations
- Here we are introduced to the introduction of the laws and decrees of the Lord.
- Other nations will consider Israel wise and understanding if they keep the laws and decrees (v.6).
- There is a nearness to God that the Israelites have, the rest of the chapter reinforces that through reminders, which other nations do not.
- These laws and decrees are going to be respected among others (v.8).
- Moses asks the Israelites to teach these laws to their children and grandchildren.
- There is a constant reminder to remember the past. To remember the “iron smelting furnace” the Lord delivered His people from (v.20).
- There is also a constant call away from idolatry in verse 14-31.
- Moses asks the Israelites to make the decision with their hearts who they will follow. Will it be God or some idol made from human hands?
- If for some reason the Israelites fall into idolatry they can seek the Lord with all their heart and soul and find Him (v.29).
- God is mentioned as being merciful (v.31) and loving (v.37).
- The Israelites are to “take to heart” all that God has done for them (v.39).
- Keeping the laws and decrees is a must. Our theme of obedience continues in this chapter.
- It’s interesting that Moses is God’s go-to-man in bringing the law and decrees to the Israelites. Moses had to know God pretty well to understand why these laws and decrees were needed. You even get a sense that Moses was following these laws and decrees before them (v.5).
- This chapter concludes with Moses establishing several cities of refuge (vv.41-43) and some closing remarks regarding the context for the giving of the law (vv.44-49).

Comments
Attention parents! Parents don’t underestimate the role you play in your child’s faith development. It is huge! In fact, I would say the primary Christian educator for children is their parent(s). I think Moses would agree with that (v.9). Do we really follow and believe this today? Don’t we naturally lean towards the notion that we will just let the church do it? Sunday School is great, but if that is the only time your child is learning about God, I feel sorry for them. That’s a measly 1 hour a week. To put that in better perspective there are a 168 hours in a week and your child is spending 1 hour a week intentionally learning about God. That just doesn’t cut it. No wonder so many people are Biblically illiterate. It’s time to take responsibility for what God has given us.

So, how do we take back our role as the primary Christian educator in our households? This is something I’ll be thinking of as I read Deuteronomy.

Day 3/Chapter 3

Introduction
This morning it was a little harder to get things (e.g., my mind, body) going and functioning properly. I guess I’m not naturally a morning person. I would have loved to just turn the TV on and sit down and relax. As a matter of fact, I did turn the TV on and then off twice. This is the third straight morning I’ve woken up without an alarm. I don’t normally do that. What’s going on? It seems I’m receiving help from above to spend 34 days with the book of Deuteronomy.

Chapter 3 observations
- Chapter 3 breaks down nicely into three sections; Battle with Og (vv.1-11), the passing out of land (vv.12-20), the encouraging of Joshua by Moses (vv.21-29).
- Again the Israelites receive help from God in defeating and destroying the inhabitants of the Promised Land.
- Moses is told to not be afraid as they march into battle (v.2).
- In the last section Moses encourages Joshua. Moses will not be crossing the Jordan River and entering the land. It is unclear as to why that is, but I’m guessing the story will be picked up and explained a little later in the book or elsewhere in a different book. The only thing you can deduce from this chapter is that God was angry with Moses. Moses says in verse 26 that it is because of the Israelites. The phrase, “because of you” is spoken (cf.1:37) in reference to the Israelites.
- Joshua had been right by Moses and seen “with his own eyes” everything God had done. He was now getting ready to cross the Jordan and take the rest of the land.
- There is more work to be done in conquering and claiming the land. The Israelites still have a ways to go, they still have to cross the Jordan and take the cities.
- A very encouraging word is spoken to Joshua in verse 22, “the Lord your God himself will fight for you.”

Comments
Why so much violence and war? Was this the only way for the Israelites to inherit the Promised Land? I remember discussing this issue in my Old Testament classes at Indiana Wesleyan. Those verses about the Israelites destroying everything, including women and children (v.34) are hard to reconcile with a loving God. I think placing this story and other stories similar to it in the context of the time helps shed a little light on why the Israelites did this. War and violence was the norm of the time. If you wanted land you would go and have a bloody violent fight for it. There was no U.N. to keep peace and talk about things. So, it seems God is just speaking the language of the day through the Israelites and their actions. I bet God would have done this a different way if it was possible in this particular time and culture, but it wasn’t. I can’t help but wonder if so much fighting and victory puffed up the Israelites and made them feel invincible. Maybe that is what led to them turning their backs on God. Maybe they started thinking they didn’t need Him, that they could do it on their own.

It’s neat to see some of the interplay between Moses and Joshua in the last section. It seems they had a tight relationship with each other. Moses had a lot of trust and confidence in Joshua. I’m surprised there is not bitterness here. Moses truly was a humble man and he respected God’s decision to not let him enter the land. So, he is preparing and encouraging Joshua. He gives him hope and assurance. I hope you will be an encourager today to someone.

Day 2/Chapter 2

During the 40 days of Lent I’m saturating in the book of Deuteronomy. I’m on day 2 of this journey. Writing this down each day and blogging about it has helped keep me accountable (part of the reason I’m doing it).

Chapter 2 observations
- More sun and sand as the Israelites continue journeying through the desert.
- Moses truly was a man guided by God. Verse 1 is very personal, “as the Lord had directed me.” You see how involved God is in giving guidance throughout the rest of this chapter.
- God is specific in His instructions. He commands the Israelites and Moses to pass through certain lands and leave the people alone.
- A promise from last chapter is kept. God said, in chapter 1, that He was upset with this generation and none of them would see the Promised Land (v.35). That is fulfilled as chapter 2 unwinds.
- There is a process here of getting into the Promised Land. It isn’t as easy as just walking in and taking it. There are things to do and things not to do. There are fights to fight and fights not to fight. It’s a step by step process.
- God gives the King of the Heshbon over to the Israelites. God promises to spread the word about the Israelites to other nations. Other nations will respect them.
- Despite being told to engage King Heshbon in battle (v. 24), Moses tries sending a peace delegation. This doesn’t work and the Israelites end up destroying him, his family, and his people.

Comments
I was intrigued to see how “in-tune” Moses was with God. This chapter seemed more personal, like Moses’ diary or something. He knew the where and when of God’s plan. There’s even a sense of him being the only one aware of it (v. 1). I like this. Moses speaks of God like he knows Him. He speaks with confidence about who God is and how He directs. Do you hear of many people doing that today? I’m guessing what he did in verses 26-30 was a direct result of his relationship and friendship with God. God commanded the Israelites to engage King Heshbon in battle, but Moses tried bringing about peace first. Did he know God so well that he knew God would want this? Apparently God was ok with this. I pray God would allow me to know Him like this.

I would guess that verse 30 creates problems for some people when it credits God as the one who made King Heshbon’s heart stubborn. Reminds me of what Exodus says about Pharaoh. I bet Calvinist grin from ear-to-ear over this verse, it helps defend their doctrine of predestination. However, I ask the question, “was it God that did it or was it King Heshbon who did it by not responding to God and the peace offered him from Moses?” The latter, I believe, was what Moses wanted to communicate. Just like Pharaoh in Egypt, King Heshbon refused God and so his heart was hardened. It wouldn’t make sense to say King Heshbon never had a choice. We all have a choice, this is one of the freedoms given us in creation. So, today as I journey with God may my heart be as “in-tune” as Moses’ heart was. May I know Him and trust Him.

Day 1/Chapter 1

Introduction
Lent has begun. During this Lenten season, I have chosen to spend 34 days with the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy has 34 chapters, so I plan on reading/studying/reflecting on a chapter a day and posting it here. There are 40 days to Lent, so I have some grace in there if I miss a day. Always good to have grace. :-) First, Deuteronomy isn’t a book I would normally turn to but in light of how much the New Testament, and especially Jesus (it's how He fights against Satan during His temptation in the wilderness), use this book, I have decided to dive into it.

Chapter 1 observations
- Setting for the book is the desert.
- Verses 6-10 is the instructions of Moses for the Israelites to go and “take possession” of the Promised Land. The rest of the book will be preparing them for such a task.
- Verse 10 is a reminder of what God said He would do to Abraham (Genesis 15:5).
- A reminder is give again to the Israelites that they are like a son to God (Deut 1:31).
- Chapter 1 re-hashes Israel’s story (rescued from Egypt and led to Promised Land).
- The older Israelites generation has upset God because of their disobedience (v. 35). What did He want from them? An example is given in vv. 34-36. Caleb was a man who “wholeheartedly” followed the Lord.

Comments
Already I see how important obedience is to God and blessings that come from obeying. God wanted the Israelites to trust and obey while they were conquering the Promised Land. I have a hunch that these things (obedience & blessing) will be main themes throughout this book. I also sense how intimately the Lord God was involved in their lives and in their story. He has really joined with them in their journey and become their Father. Not that God wasn’t already the eternal Father, He just wasn’t their Father. He chose to be their Father. It looks like he could have chosen to be the Father of any Nation during this time period, but He chose Israel to be His firstborn.

He reminds them of the big things He did for them (Blessing them, rescued from Egypt, help in defeating enemies, disciplining them). How could they not listen to Him and not trust Him after all the amazing things He did for them? I don’t understand that. Was it laziness on their part, an unwilling heart, a stubborn heart, fear, rejection of God, or just plain human nature that kept them from going all the way in their obedience? What keeps us from following “wholeheartedly” today? There seems to be no middle ground in following Jesus. We cant’ just say a prayer and sit down. We must say a prayer and walk with Him. With God, it’s an all the way or nothing thing. A question emerges from this. Where’s the grace? Is there already grace there, but I’m just not aware of it?

Scripture Reflection 004

Read James 1:17 here or in your own Bible.

1. What does this verse teach about God?

2. How do we know what “good gifts” are?

3. How would you define a “good gift”?

4. What are some things we don’t normally think about as being gifts from God?

5. How does this help us in our battle against evil? Does it?

Scripture Reflection 003

Temptation

Read James 1:13-15 here or in your own Bible.

1. What do these verses suggests about Satan’s role in leading us astray?

2. Does he have a role?

3. Who, if anyone, does the blame for our sin fall upon?

4. Is this fair?

Scripture Reflection 002

Reflecting on Satan’s character and ways of deceiving

Welcome friends. Below you will find some guidance for studying Genesis 3:1-5 and Isaiah 14:12-14. Keep in mind that our enemy searches, like an empty-stomached lion, for Christians to eat. We need to be constantly on our guard, for ourselves and others, and on our knees in prayer as well as in the Word daily.

Some advice: Take your time this week (there are two passages this week), read and re-read the passages during your prayer time or lunch break, chew on them throughout the day, think about what is being said, and then try and work through a question or two. If you want to dive deeper, you can access some excellent free resources online to help you in studying these passages (i.e. www.blueletterbible.org).



Guidance for studying Genesis 3:1-5

1. Read through Genesis 3:1-5 here on in your own Bible. What tactic is the Serpent using here on Adam and Eve in regards to deceiving them? Can this tell us anything about Satan’s methods of attack? Do the names “Deceiver,” “Tempter,” and “Father of lies” serve him well here?

2. What is the first thing Satan questions when talking with Eve? Why does he do this? What is behind his question to Eve? Was this a well thought out question?

3. Was Satan’s promise of what would happen to Adam and Eve if they ate of the tree kept? If yes, was Satan really lying to them then?


Guidance for studying Isaiah 14:12-14

1. Read through Isaiah 14:12-14 here on in your own Bible. Some of the early church fathers believed this passage to be descriptive of Satan and his origins. Others (e.g., John Calvin, Martin Luther) believed it to be about human pride. What prohibits a person from entering into a relationship with Jesus, Satan or pride? Why?

2. How does the statement in verse 14 compare to the Serpent’s promise to Eve in Genesis 3:5? Why would such a thing be sin?

3. In what ways is Isaiah 14:12-14 helpful in regards to spiritual warfare? Is there anything we can learn from this passage?

Scripture Reflection 001

Reflecting on Satan’s ways of trying to deceive Jesus as seen in Matthew 4:1-11

Welcome Sunday School class to Thursday Thinking! I normally post something on Thursdays here, but I’m changing that up a bit for this discussion about the Devil and C.S. Lewis. I hope you find encouragement here to get into the Word and reflect upon it deeply. You know as well as I do how rewarding that can be! If you are unsure about what to do here, I have provided some guidance below. You can try and answer a set of questions, or you can take your time and do one question a day, or just one question period. this post will be up until next Sunday. Next Monday there will be a new post related to next week’s lesson. I hope you enjoy this as much as I’m going to!

Guidance for studying Matthew 4:1-11

1. Read through Matthew 4:1-11 here or in your own Bible and try and write down the different ways in which Satan tempts Jesus. What are they? What does this tell us about Satan’s methods of attack?

2. How does Jesus defend Himself against Satan’s attacks? Were you surprised at all in regards to the book of the Old Testament Jesus uses here? What does this tell us? How does this help us know what to do when we are under attack?

3. What do we learn about Satan and his character in all of this? What type of character does he possess?

4. Why do you think Satan used scripture when he was tempting Jesus? What does this tell us about him?

5. Why would Satan tempt Jesus to turn rocks into bread? What’s wrong with Jesus doing that? What is behind Satan’s schemes?

Here is a great book that will challenge the way you look at and think about disciple-making. Bill Hull, in his book The Disciple-making Church, strongly urges the church (people who have put their trust in Christ) to take on their God-assigned role in discipling others. Hull provides a clear definition of what he believes discipling to be:
The intentional training of disciples, with accountability,
on the basis of loving relationships (pg. 32).

From here, Hull launches into a full-scale investigation of the principles and preferences of the first Christian churches (e.g., the Jerusalem Church, the Mission Church at Antioch, and the Discipling Church at Ephesus). Each church is explored through out the book of Acts and Paul’s writings.

Hull contends a movement is needed from Christocentric leadership (Jesus as the leader), the style found throughout the Gospels, to churchocentric leadership (leadership team), is found in Acts and the epistles. The Christocentric model, though effective while Jesus ministered, is not the most effective model for making disciples today according to Hull. Hull points to five changes needing to take place in the church in order to be effective in making disciples. Hull believes these changes to be essential in order to keep discipleship a process that involves the whole church rather than an event involving one person. The direction the rest of the book takes is the “how-to” of implementing these changes. The following are the changes Hull suggests along with a short explanation of each (take from chapter 2 of The Disciple-making Church).

1. Leadership – A change from Christ leading Apostles to elders leading the congregation. While Christ was on earth, authority remained in one person. That person was Jesus Christ. When He ascended into heaven the leaders shared it. The Christocentric model is master-pupil. The master is Jesus, Himself, and anyone under him would be His pupil. The churchocentric model is elders-congregation. In this model disciple making is in the hands of the church. Hull points out that individuals cannot completely disciple another person. It must be done by the variety of gifted believers known as the church. Only the body of Christ can fully provide an environment capable of creating challenges and experiences a believer needs to grow into full maturity. Hull reminds us on page 36, “Anything that helps a person move forward in Him fits the label of discipling.”

2. Guidance – We move from Christ's personal presence to the Holy Spirit living in us. We also have the ministry of the Word, Prayer, and others. Our purpose is to serve God through an obedient lifestyle. Through obedience we come to know God and His leading. Part of this obedience to God involves being disciples and making disciples. When it comes to guidance in the church, the churchocentric model of leadership is a shared experience. Hull points out in the end of his book that guidance comes through elders (leaders) and their apprentices.

3. Training – Here we move from Christ preparing leaders alone to a leadership community engaged in multilevel training. This means the church is doing various things (e.g., small group Bible studies, special classes, Sunday school) to disciple and train future leaders. Where does discipling begin? According to Hull, discipling begins when a member of the discipling church makes contact with a person. Making disciples begins with introducing men and women to Christ.
Hull states three things that the church is:
1. A hospital for sinners.
2. A greenhouse for the growth of new believers.
3. A training center for the eager and well.

Church leadership should be engaged in three primary areas of training/discipling:
1. Preaching/teaching track (Come and see). The Word of God must be preached to the world. How will people hear if no one preaches?
2. Leadership track. Church needs zealots (or people dedicated to the vision of the church) to be produced. Their fire and passion will draw others.
3. Small-group track. This gives seekers and those hungry for God’s Word a chance to develop and grow.

4. Outreach – A move from individual evangelism to team evangelism. Each member of the body has different gifts and can more effectively reach the lost by working together. Evangelism is and must be shared by the church. The corporate witness of the church's love for one another creates a power and attraction that make verbalization a natural result (pg. 45). The Holy Spirit must be allowed to creatively work through different people to reach the lost. Evangelism is not a bounty hunter job and suffers if it is left to individuals (in that it isn’t as effective).

5. Pastoral care – Here movement is from Christ meeting the needs of all people to Christ meeting needs through gifts of the body. What Jesus was to the disciples, the disciples are to one another. Hull elaborates in chapter 11 on the role of a full-time pastor. There he suggests:
- A pastor is one who is committed to God’s Word and the studying of God’s Word.
- A pastor’s primary role is communicating God’s Word to others.
- Through Paul’s pastoral epistles (i.e., Timothy and Timothy 2) we learn a little more of what is expect of pastors. They teach, rebuke, correct, and train.
- Pastors also have the responsibility to develop faithful leaders (elders and deacons) in the church.

Hull’s book is very insightful and challenging in light of our individualistic society. Personally, he challenged my view of discipleship and how it is done by broadening it to include the entire church body (I previously thought of discipleship in terms of small groups and one-on-one meetings). I was right in regards to discipleship being intentional and a process but that is only a small part of discipleship. When we involve the whole church we make the kind of disciples Jesus asks us to make (Matt 28:19). To incorporate the church into the discipling of others is a challenge, especially when statistics say only twenty percent of church members actively involve themselves in serving God while the other eighty percent watch comfortably from the bleachers. How do we change this?

Hull holds in high esteem the church at Ephesus as an example.[1] By this time, the apostle Paul was able to hone his skills and gifts in disciple making. This model disciple-making church did a wonderful job of inviting people in and attracting people (come and see). This was followed by getting them all involved (come and follow me), and then handing over responsibility (come and be with me), and finally letting the reigns of power down so someone else could pick them up (remain in me and go and make disciples). Once implemented this would continue the disciple-making process Jesus commanded in the Great Commission.

To apply the principles gleaned from this book one must evaluate his/her own perception of discipleship and the church. Are the two separable? Can one be done without the other? What exactly is discipleship? How is it done? For me, answering questions like these has led to some brainstorming of ideas for implementing what I have learned into practical steps.

æ Set up church activities (e.g., fellowship dinners, small groups, cookouts, mentoring, Sunday school, mission trips, training seminars) that call all people into participation. If the Body of Christ is responsible for making more mature and fully developed disciples, then participation of everyone is essential. Sermons and teachings of the church must back this up and confirm it to all church members. So, maybe a good starting place is restructuring how one’s church views discipleship through sermons and teachings. If the majority of your church sees discipleship as primarily the leaders’ job and responsibility they need to be taught that all Christians have that responsibility. Maybe sermons on the book of Acts and the Epistles would be helpful.

æ Search for ways in which all people in your church can participate in discipling. Since discipleship covers everything the church does, what are some things currently being done or that could be done to incorporate more of the Body of Christ in the process? What are some things your church could do to utilize the spiritual gifts of others? Here are some discipling/ministry opportunities a pastor could make available:
§ Teachers for VBS, Sunday school, small groups, special seminars
§ Mechanical work (e.g., oil changes, minor tune ups, etc.) available to anyone needing it
§ “How to play golf” workshops taught by church members
§ Van drivers willing to pick up kids and teens needing rides to church
§ Sound and video technicians for worship service
§ Coffee makers for the Sunday School hour
§ Grounds keepers willing to serve by landscaping and/or mowing church yard

æ As a pastor one of my responsibilities is to look for/identify leaders (zealots if you want to call them that) on fire for God in my church to hand over responsibility to. These people need to be given responsibility. Investing in their lives allows the process of discipleship to continue, as they will in turn invest in someone else’s life. I guess you would call this leadership development. Hull provides an appendix in his book giving guidelines and expectations of such leaders that could be useful to encourage commitment from such leaders.

These are just a few of the practical ways I came up with to change the church’s approach to leadership, guidance, training, outreach, and pastoral care.

Bill Hull’s The Disciple-making Church is not a difficult scholarly read, but a down-to-earth and practical book. This book is a good launching pad for pastors wanting to further study principles of discipleship because it gives a complete summary of principles used by the early Church that is easy to follow and understand. I highly recommend to every pastor, layperson, and congregation member Bill Hull’s The Disciple-making Church.

[1] The church at Ephesus combines and synthesizes nicely the principles and preferences of the two churches (Jerusalem and Antioch) mentioned and studied earlier in Hull’s work (pg. 51-148).

R & R

It's been an exciting week. New President of the United States sworn in. New season of Lost began last night (I'm a huge fan!). How can the human mind keep up with everything? I'm trying not to do too much thinking (that comes easy!), so this post will be short.

I'm on vacation this week down in Tennessee. You can't beat the beauty of snow covered mountains. Yesterday we took the fam to Ripley's Aquarium. Walking under the sharks was the fav. I was surprised my daughter wasn't more afraid than she was. I think I would have been. I was holding her most of the time, so that might have helped calm her fears a bit. I couldn't help but feel like the shepherd in Psalm 23. For most of my adult life I've been trying to see and feel His presence, yesterday I was helping somebody else feel His presence and calm. That's a huge change in perspective.

So, have you ever been the shepherd of Psalm 23 to someone?

I change my mind

How do we begin to change and take on the new life we have in Christ after we receive Him? What is the first thing we should do? What role does the Spirit play in this life-long process of renovation?

The mind acts as the entry point for our way forward to Christ-likeness. The mind is such a powerful thing. Paul urges us to be "transformed by the renewing of our minds" in Romans 12. What does this mean? How does it work? We must begin by thinking correctly and logically about God and His Word. According to Dallas Willard, this leads to loving God. This way of thinking involves the filling of our minds with the truths of scripture and dwelling (i.e., meditating, studying, wrestling, and questioning) on the content and message of it.

I believe Paul gives some general direction, or a framework, in Philippians 4:8-9 for how we can begin to put this into daily practice and take our first step forward. I throw verse 9 in there because “thought” is supposed to be connected to action in Hebrew thinking. Here are some of the first nitty-gritty activities I would do.

Step #1 – Examine thoughts for an hour, a day, or a week. How? Keep a journal to keep track of thoughts throughout the day (or start a blog to do it!). I would try and write as many of my thoughts throughout the day down on paper. If images affect us as much as Dallas suggests, we need to jot down what we are watching and what kinds of things we are seeing in a day (e.g., TV shows, pictures, magazines, etc.).

Step #2 – After compiling a list of thoughts and images do some dissecting of those thoughts. Question what thoughts certain images, from TV to magazines, bring to your mind or how they make you feel and write them down. Question why they brought those feelings up or made you think that way? Take notice of the times of day, or day of the week that you had certain thoughts and write those down. Maybe all of this will lead to the discovery of a pattern for when you are most susceptible to sinful thinking and acting.

Step #3 – Come up with a plan of how you will try and avoid certain thoughts or images that would be sinful or hinder your relationship with Christ. The plans made here would be different for each person, but would center on the idea of being proactive in our spiritual formation and taking back our minds for the good they were intended for.

I’m a visually oriented learner and so I like to surround myself with pictures and images of Bible stories and characters. If I can see scripture or get an image of it in my head I’ll remember it forever. I love the icons of the Orthodox Church! I don’t pray to them, but I have found them to be a very helpful tool in the transformation of my mind. They bring scripture alive to me (the same goes for stained-glass windows) in a beautiful way. On the other side, because I am so affected by images, I have to be extremely careful and guard what I see.

Any thoughts?

Renovation of the heart

In my class this semester I am reading again (third time now) Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard (one of my all-time favorite authors!). I love the book and don't mind diving into it again. The book is deep enough that there's no way you can truly get all of what he's trying to say in just one read. I think Dallas has some God-given wisdom for our day and age on change and how we truly change as we walk with Jesus. If you get only one book to read this year as a serious book this is a eye-opener!

Here's a quick synopsis of the book.

In Renovation of the Heart, Dallas Willard explores spiritual growth and transformation in the lives of followers of Jesus. “We live from the heart,” Dallas writes in the introduction to his book (pg.13). The heart (will/spirit) is where our outlook on life, our choices, and our actions are formed. The problem is that our heart has curved in upon itself and, “has been formed by a world away from God.” (pg. 14) Dallas points out that Jesus came to change us from the inside out through a relationship with Him. Through constant fellowship with the Holy Spirit, God works a change in our heart. This is renovation of the heart and God is willing to renovate any heart submitted to Him. Dallas defines spiritual formation for the Christian as, “the Spirit-driven process of forming the inner world of the human self in such a way that it becomes like the inner being of Christ himself.” (pg.22)

In the following chapters (2-5), Dallas sets forth the basic human aspects that need renovation. The six basic aspects are: Thought (mind), feeling (mind), heart (will/spirit), body, social context, and soul. Explanations of each aspect follow. All human action flows out of our heart and this is why Jesus worked a change from within. Dallas sets forth the ideal life ordered by God and what it would look like: God, spirit, mind, soul, and then body. This is almost opposite for those living in darkness. Without God present in their lives, their life order looks like this: Body, soul, mind, spirit, God. To start the process of spiritual renovation, “our spirit (heart) must come alive to God,” Dallas writes (pg.41).

Dallas is quick to point out that spiritual renovation involves both human and Divine effort. We are to be diligent and persistent in our spiritual growth, but our mere human efforts will not bring about transformation, that is the job of the Holy Spirit working through the grace poured out on those who have accepted Jesus Christ into their lives by God the Father. We also learn the importance of coming face to face with who we are and how far we have fallen from God. Pride (which is taking things into our own hands), rooted in the heart, can keep/does keep many from embarking on spiritual renovation of the heart.

The following chapters (6-13) deal with a hands on approach to spiritual formation of the different aspects of humans (e.g., mind, heart, body, social context, and soul) and the processes involved in that transformation. Some important highlights from each chapter include: spiritual renovation begins with transformation of the mind (chp.6), mastering our feelings involves submission to God and acceptance that our feelings don’t have to be fulfilled (chp.7), “temptation to sin originate in desire,” (pg.154) and an enslaved heart will in turn enslave the mind (chp.8), our body is the primary target of temptation (chp.9), “spiritual formation is always profoundly social” (chp.10), the soul (which even God has) dictates everything in our life, this is why soul renovation is so important (chp.11). Chapters 12 and 13 focus on what a renovated heart looks like in our world, sanctification of believers, personal discipleship, and community discipleship.

I'm feeling like Santa!

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Hope you all have a great Christmas!

Fav Christmas Album

What is your favorite Christmas album(s)? I grew up listening to the Oak Ridge Boys Christmas tape (that’s right, a heavy plastic cassette tape). Dad always cranked it up on the way to grandmas. That was a classic album our whole family loved! All us kids, for the most part all grown up now, still like listening to it.

Another favorite Christmas album of mine is the Squirrel Nut Zippers Christmas album (called Christmas Caravan). If you haven’t ever heard of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, you are missing out on one of the most creative bands around. Their style? 1930’s style swing and jazz, I call it hot jazz. Their Christmas album became an instant classic the moment I laid ears on it. I still have some convincing to do with my wife on how great this one is, she’s stuck on the name being too weird, but I think she secretly likes it.

So, besides listening to a band that makes people scrunch up their face and say, “Squirrel Nut what?!?”, I’ve been chewing my way through Scot McKnight’s book on the mother of Jesus; The Real Mary. So far it has been a great book! Fairly short and an easy read too. It does a good job of revealing that Mary was a real person, like us, who struggled a bit (understatement) with her Son’s identity and mission. We are doing a special study on Mary in our Sunday School class the week before Christmas and this book has been an excellent preparation guide and provided plenty of fodder to keep the fire of my curiosity burning.

So, to close with my opening, what is your favorite Christmas album?

The Advent of my life

Well, four and a half years of youth ministry is behind me now. Youth ministry was an incredible learning experience for me and I’ll miss it and the wonderful people I built relationships with. However, like Christians looking forward to what’s to come during this Advent season, I’m looking forward to what’s to come as I transition into the direction I believe God has been nudging me. I have officially transitioned into a new area of ministry at my church, discipleship and sr. adult ministries. It probably sounds funny to some of my youth pastor friends that I’m moving from one end of the age spectrum to the other (I jokingly tell people I have a fountain of youth group now!), but it’s exactly what I have been wanting to do for a little while now.

One of the things I’ve begun to do in discipleship ministries is teaching on conversational prayer. This isn’t something new in that this concept of praying was developed fifty years ago by a woman named Rosalind Rinker, but it is new in that I’ve never heard of it or practiced it until I read her book this past summer. Her book, Prayer: Conversing with God, is an excellent guidebook if you want to pursue conversational prayer. It was even named by Christianity Today as the #1 book that has shaped evangelicals. She bases conversational prayer on Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:20, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am with them.”

Here is a summary of the three stories that led to Rosalind’s discovery of conversational prayer.

Story #1 – 15 years old and has a choice to go to a party or a cottage prayer meeting on a cold snowy night. Chooses the latter and is amazed by everyone praying. She feels she should pray out loud during prayer meeting but is scared to death to do it. She finally does it and feels Jesus’ presence in a special way. This teaches her that when you pray out loud with a group you can feel God’s presence in a special way. She understands Matt 18:20 better now.

Story #2 – Now not afraid to pray in public. Goes to a prayer meeting in China and realizes everyone is making little speeches to God, feels like she has to start her prayers in a special way, use lofty language, to top the person that just prayed. She talks about how easy it was for her to get distracted while someone else was praying. She gets a desire to pray in way that is different and more inclusive.

Story #3 – She is praying with a close friend and realizes while her friend is praying that her prayer has already been answered (praying for peace between a lady and her sister-in-law). So, she interrupts her friend’s prayer and says, “We thank you God for already answering that prayer. This lady has already forgiven her sister-in-law”. They both stop after this and a moment of revelation comes. What if they prayed one or two sentences and then stopped to let the other person add something to the prayer? What if they went back and forth for several minutes talking/praying over the same person and/or situation?

All of this leads her to discover conversational prayer. In a nutshell, here are the basics:

The basics to conversational prayer

1. Bring up one person and/or situation at a time.

2. Each person prays two or three sentences only about the particular person and/or situation. Everybody in the group will go back and forth praying only 2-3 sentences.

3. Only move on to next person and/or situation when you feel at rest, or peace, about the person and/or situation. It helps if you have person in the group act as the leader and when there is several seconds of silence the leader thanks God for hearing their prayers and closes in a final word of prayer. When the leader finishes, another individual in the group brings up another person and/or situation to pray for.

It really was a neat thing to be a part of a group that prayed conversationally. You are all involved and in-tune with one another and God’s Spirit. When you finish praying you feel as if you have really prayed thoroughly for the person. It’s an awesome experience! I think this would work for any age group and is also a great teacher of how to pray. If someone struggles praying aloud or in front of people (which most people do), this helps them overcome that fear and learn to pray. It’s easier to say 2-3 sentences of prayer than to pray for 3-5 minutes. I encourage you to buy the book and practice it!

You will be rewarded.

God's presence (part 4)

A big happy Thanksgiving Day to you all! After the meal tomorrow, I’ll be settling in to watch some Lions football. Who knows, we may even get to see the Detroit Lions keep their perfect season (ha!). I hope you enjoy the time with family and friends. We conclude this series on how we can experience God’s presence with the last step, a conversational relationship.

4. A Conversational Relationship
Before Jesus was crucified He told them (15:15 NIV),

I no longer call you servants,
because a servant does not know his master’s business.
Instead, I have called you friends,
for everything that I learned from my Father
I have made known to you.

What does it mean to be a friend of God? What does that involve? The answer leads us to the last way we can experience God’s presence. This is through a conversational relationship. Friends talk to one another; this is how Jesus revealed everything from the Father to His disciples in John 15. Since God is a Person, the question becomes, why wouldn’t He talk with us? Maybe we should ask ourselves if we even believe such a relationship with God is possible? Is it possible to come to a point where we are in a conversation with God and actually hear Him speaking on a regular basis? I think scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, presents an overwhelmingly convincing case that we can.

Example of a Conversation Relationship
One of the best examples of this is Abraham. His life can be read about in Genesis chapters 11 –25. He was called by God to leave his country and go to the land God would show him (12:1-3). God spoke to Abraham and told him he would be a great nation and a blessing to all the other nations (12:2-3). If you glance at Abraham’s life you see a pretty common occurrence, God speaking to him and Abraham speaking back. In fact, it is interesting that the New Testament holds Abraham up as the greatest example of what real faith in God is to look like. It is not Moses, or David, or any of the prophets (major and minor), it is Abraham. Why? Abraham didn’t have the Law, the written Word, or the Temple. So, what did he have? He had a conversational relationship with God. Abraham spoke to God and God spoke to Abraham. They communed on a regular basis with each other.

How?
So, how do we get to the place of having a conversational relationship with God? I think there are a couple of things we can do.
1. We need to learn how to talk with (not at) Him meaningfully. Maybe we start in our prayer life by learning how to pray conversationally. Maybe we pause after requests and listen for Him to answer.
2. We need to learn how to listen to Him and discern His voice. This will come with practice and patience. The longer we walk with Him the better we should be at getting to hear and discern His voice.

The greatest thing about all of this is that the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, the Comforter, is willing to help us. The great chink in the Enemy’s armor is that we were made to live like this. We were made to live in a conversational relationship with God. When I sold auto parts, the parts that were made for the vehicle fit it best. It may have taken some work to get them to fit, but they were made for that.

May you enjoy God and may He enjoy you!

Happy Thanksgiving!