This was initially a post written for a fellow blogger’s site. I thought I’d re-post it here for you all as well.

I tend to be random with my bible reading plans. Well, at the end of April I finished what I had been reading and did not know where to go next, so I decided I’d take up a read-the-bible-in-a-year plan. This one I found to follow gives an OT reading each day followed by a Psalms, a gospel reading, and a NT reading. It’s different than I’ve followed before, but I’m liking it very much. In the last week, one of my readings was from Exodus 14 .

Perhaps you’re familiar with this story. The Israelites have long awaited deliverance from the hands of the Egyptians. God had mercifully saved Israel many years before through Joseph, but times had changed and years had passed and the Israelites were slaves to Pharaoh. God raised up Moses and Aaron to lead the people out and at last, after many plagues and hardships brought upon Egypt, Pharaoh has allowed the people to leave. Can you imagine the excitement and joy they felt? They were to be a free people, never to work under a slave-master’s control again. Here they were, camped by the sea with their first taste of freedom when word arrives that Pharaoh has changed his mind. He was coming, and coming with force. Verse 11: “They said to Moses, ‘Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?’”

Quickly their joy turned to fear. We are not immune to such behavior. How many times have we petitioned God for deliverance or freedom from something over and over only to get silence for so long, but finally God speaks and you think that your deliverance is soon. With excitement in your heart you look over the horizon to see… your worst nightmare.

Perhaps you’re familiar with “Murphy’s Law” (my name is Murphy, so I’m quite familiar with the statement) – Whatever CAN go wrong, WILL go wrong. It seems that the Israelites defaulted to such a code. Their immediate response to the report of Pharaoh’s approach was that of fear and defeat, yet it was by that very method that God was going to miraculously deliver His people and forever rid them of the fear of Pharaoh and his army.

Why, in the face of seeming defeat, do we choose to blame God instead of trust Him? Does he not tell us in Proverbs 3:5-6 to “trust him” with a promise that “He will direct our paths”? Does God not tell us in Romans 8:28 that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose?

It’s reasonable to ask, if our response is the same as the Israelites, in whom are we trusting: God? our leader? ourselves?

Trust in God, for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin – Romans 14:23.

I’ve been invited to guest-write for one of my favorite blogs to follow: Homileo. Visit his site, read around, and subscribe for updates.

I thouht I’d share this story with you:

Yesterday morning, I had decided that I was going to ride my bicycle to WW so I left out the front door at 8:11am by my watch. I knew it would be hard to make it by 9am, but I was willing to try the challenge anyway. Well, I know more than rode to the end of our driveway than I wrecked my bike. I was just focused on hurrying (usually a problem, right?) and was going too fast when I hit the gathered loose gravel at the end of the driveway. As I was turning to go onto the road, my back tire went left and I went down. I scraped up the palms of my hands pretty badly, my right knee and leg and right elbow with pretty minor abrasions.

I walked the bike up the hill to the house, walked to the back of the house to the bathroom to wash off my hands, and fainted. I aroused, made it to the toilet and sat only to faint again and fall to the floor. Jo says I woke once more and tried to stand, soaped up my left hand, turned on the water, and fainted to the floor yet a third time. At this point, I fell and rested against the wall. Jo attempted to speak to me and arouse me and quickly became scared because I wasn’t responding. She laid me down, raised my feet, placed a cool wash-rag onto my head and called mom and dad for backup.

To make a long story short, dad came over to watch our boys and Jo took me to a local walk-in clinic, or as a co-worker recently called it, “Doc-in-a-box”. Everything checked out and I’m fine. They cleaned and dressed my wounds and even updated my Teatnus shot (I think I may have been 14 or 15 when I had the last one).

On a side note, I went to high school with the woman who cleaned and dressed my wounds, though she was a few years behind me. I know it doesn’t necessarily mean the quality of care is better, but there is something very comforting and reassuring about having “home folk” take care of you when your sick and hurting, ya know? We had that pleasure last year when Aidan was born as well. It’s very nice and I appreciate it greatly.

It’s been an experience, but at least for this morning I didn’t just avoid going!

The scales here at home this morning tell me it’s time get back into the WW groove. I’ve slipped as far as I want to slip. I’ll see any area WW’s around the meeting room soon.

Because everyone loves a good list, I thought I’d create one. This past Sunday our church hosted its annual Homecoming service. We always have regular bible study, worship time (usually with a guest preacher (former pastor, youth minister, member who went on to ministerial service, etc.), we share lunch together outside under the trees, and then reconvene for an hour or so of celebration time where we share songs, poems, stories, etc. I’ve always loved Homecoming.

This past Sunday, I decided I’d share a couple of songs that I’ve loved to play for years and have played and sang multiple times. This has led me to think about all the songs that have meant so much to me that, though written by someone else, so explicitly speak the thoughts and feelings from deep within my soul. So, here goes my top 10 list of songs that I have enjoyed playing and singing over the past 10+ years (in no particular order):

1. Clumsy by Chris Rice
2. Two Sets of Jones’ by Big Tent Revival
3. Thief by Third Day
4. Come, Lord Jesus by Andrew Peterson
5. Martyrs and Theives by Jennifer Knapp
6. Boy Like Me, Man Like You by Rich Mullins
7. Surely God is with Us by Rich Mullins
8. Shifting Sand by Caedmon’s Call
9. Painting Pictures of Egypt by Sara Groves
10. High Noon by Andrew Peterson

I love so many by most of these artists, but here’s a pretty good top 10 list. I must wonder, what does my love for these songs say about me?

Are there any you’d add?

Did you know that Google has some old books available to read for free online? You can even download them as a .pdf file! Amazing, this thing the internet…

One of the items on my reading list for the year is to read at least one work from a Puritan author. Thanks to Google, I’ve been reading a book by Richard Baxter , A Call to the Unconverted to Turn and Live. This book is short (120 pages – I thought it might be a good start for reading old, dead guys), but so far it is incredible. Here’s a quote I’d like to share describing what a “wicked man” – one who is not saved and therefore has not experienced the regenerating work of God’s Holy Spirit – is:

How sobering! I must wonder how much of my heart is similar to the description above. How much of my church? Evangelicalism in America today?

Let us all examine our hearts, repent of sin where needed, and turn to God and live. Praise be to our loving, gracious, and merciful God…

Check out this new blog site: Devotional Christian.

It’s your one-stop “shopping” for online devotionals. Check them out! They’re also listed on my”Links” page.

Part 3 of 3

Peter stated that he was ready to die for Jesus. Jesus showed him that he wasn’t yet prepared for what was to come. Are you ready?

In John 13:31-38, we see a Peter that I think many of us can relate to.

“(37) ‘But why can’t I come now, Lord?’ he asked. ‘I am ready to die for you.’ (38) Jesus answered, ‘Die for me? No, before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.’”

Peter thought he knew about the Messiah and what Jesus was supposed to do while here on earth. He was passionate for this cause. As a result, he was not prepared for what was about to happen. Contrary to his statement in verse 37, Peter was not ready to follow Jesus and, in fact, Matthew’s gospel account records that Peter swore with the third denial and immediately the rooster crowed. It was then the words of Jesus “flashed through Peter’s mind: ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.’ And he (Peter) went away, crying bitterly.”

Not much later in the story we find Peter preaching with boldness on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), healing (Acts 3:6), and being a large part of the early church including writing two books of the New Testament (1st and 2nd Peter). The later boldness of Peter was not present on the night of Jesus’ arrest, trial, beatings, and later crucifixion. What we do see is a Peter who “wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:75).

It seems to me that Peter had to be broken to be useful. All the false ideas and perceptions he had about Jesus had to be taken away. He had to see Jesus NOT as Peter thought he would be, but as he truly was. He had to be able to see Jesus not as Messiah son of David, a military leader and ruler King, but as Messiah son of Joseph, the suffering Messiah and Savior foretold in Isaiah 53.

Do you come to Jesus (church, prayer, the bible) with your expectations of Him?

Do we come with an idea of what His works are supposed to look like?

Or, do you simply come to Jesus and submit your life and your will to His authority and the authority of His word?

Part 2 of 3

Peter was certainly passionate. Many times he was the first to take a chance, the first disciple to offer an opinion. In this case, however, his passion clouded his ability to see and understand Jesus.

In John 13:31-38, we see a Peter that I think many of us can relate to.

In verse 37 Peter proclaims, “‘But why can’t I come now, Lord?’ he asked. ‘I am ready to die for you.’”

Certainly Peter was full of passion. We see that displayed in his life time and time again: walking on the water, cutting off Malchus’s ear, and proclaiming here that he was ready to die for Jesus. It seems likely to me that Peter had his sword close by. After all, it’s recorded that they went from the upper room directly to the garden where Jesus was arrested. His statement here in 37 indicates that he was ready for battle.

Here’s the problem: Jesus didn’t come to fight a war. His “glory” to come wasn’t any glory imaginable by human standards. His “glory” was to come by way of the humiliating, cursed Roman cross. Peter wasn’t prepared for this. While he was “ready to die” for Jesus in battle, he wasn’t prepared to simply follow Jesus to death.

Peter was passionate, but for the cause – not for following the Savior.

If you have passion, zeal, enthusiasm: is it for a specific cause or is it for following a risen Savior?

To be continued…

Part 1 of 3

Peter didn’t get it. He missed the point. Jesus was talking and Peter was so focused on what he thought he knew, he only heard the part that fit into his preconceived ideas.

In John 13:31-38, we see a Peter that I think many of us can relate to.

Jesus and the disciples had just finished their passover meal together and prior to the meal Jesus had washed each of the disciples’ feet. During the passover meal, Jesus reported to the group that one of them would betray him. He identified Judas in verse 26 and in 27 told him to “Hurry. Do it now.”

In verse 31 Jesus begins by saying it was time for him to “enter into (his) my glory”. I’m no Greek scholar and I find many translations of this passage to be confusing. I’m choosing the NLT because it seems more clear and it reads with a much more personal tone. That having been said, I’m sure there’s more than one argument against my thinking on this verse. But, clues from Peter’s responses later in this chapter and then again in the garden when he cuts off Malchus’s ear, lead me to believe that through all the confusion of talk of betrayal, etc. at the passover meal, Peter thinks Jesus is saying that it’s time for the uprising. After all, Jesus was supposed to be the conquering Messiah, the son of David, was he not? Yet, if that were the case, Peter had no understanding why Jesus would be saying it was time for him to go away and yet Peter could not follow. That didn’t fit into Peter’s “Messiah” paradigm.

Peter seemed to be letting his ideas about Jesus, about what Peter expected Jesus to do, get in the way of who Jesus actually was and the purpose he came to fulfill… do we do the same?

To be continued…

Please visit the Consuming Worship blog by Jeff Miller.

Jeff began a series entitled “Worship Wednesday” a few weeks ago and invited some of his readers to write a guest post for “What Worship Means to Me”. I volunteered to write and he has graciously accepted and has posted my response today. Please visit Consuming Worship and look around his site. I’m sure he would be more than happy to gain new readers and subscribers!