For Such A Time As This

Today's Reading: Psalm 91, Exodus 37, Esther 4, 1 Corinthians 9

Psalm 91 - 1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

One of my favorite pictures of God is the one painted by the psalmist in Psalm 91:1-2. Isn't is wonderful to think about God sheltering us in the shadow of His wing? The psalmist was very familiar with danger. This psalm talks about some of the challenges that he went through. But, he truly felt like he had nothing to fear when God was by his side.

God wants us to experience the peace that comes when we abide in Him. That can only happen if we trust Him with our life. He is worthy of placing all of our cares upon.

Exodus 37 - Exodus 37 tells the story of Bezalel's building of the ark, table, lampstand and altar. This man was truly gifted by God for the work that he was set apart for. It is interesting to see the details that went into building the tabernacle and the pieces of worship that were a part of the tabernacle.

Esther 4 - 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Esther 4 is one of the chapters of the Bible that people remember after reading. Mordecai has taken a very public and bold stance against the decision that was made by the monarchy. He would take a stand for the Jewish people, but his stand could not impact the decision that the monarch had made as much as Queen Esther could. he challenges Queen Esther to use the position that God has given her to make an impact on the king.

One of our primary roles as ambassadors of Christ is to take a stand for such a time as this. We need to look for opportunities to be spokespeople for Christ in each situation that we find ourselves in. Christ has put you in your home, your neighborhood, your friend group, your job, your club, your church, your sports, etc. for such a time as this.

1 Corinthians 9 - Paul spoke at length about Christian liberty in chapter eight. He uses chapter nine to show how he lives out Christian liberty in his own life. Paul was a man who saw his primary role as being a servant of Christ and a servant to others. He would give up Christian liberty in order to win others to Christ.

Maundy Thursday Service Tomorrow

Woodbury Community Church will have a Maundy Thursday service at 7:00 PM tomorrow night. It's going to be a special night of reflecting upon what Christ did for us on this night some 2000 years ago. We will have an extended time of worship, a short message entitled, To Be His Disciple, based on Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, and communion.

Woodbury Community Church is located at 2975 Pioneer Drive in Woodbury, MN.

Loving God

Today's Reading: Psalm 90, Exodus 35:30-36:38, Esther 3, 1 Corinthians 8

Psalm 90 - It amazes me how many men of God in the Bible were writers. Moses is best known as the champion that God used to deliver Israel from years of slavery in Egypt, but he is also the author of the first five books of the Bible, and this psalm. This Psalm would have been sung on multiple occasions by the children of Israel. It was a well known song, dealing with the mortality of man. Our years are few, and Moses wants us to be people who use our days well. It will take wisdom to walk in ways that delight the Lord. And wisdom is gained from Him.

Exodus 35:30-36:38 - I love this chapter! We met Bezalel and Oholiab a few chapters back. These were men who were set apart by the Holy Spirit to build God's tabernacle. They were gifted in craftsmanship. These chapters record the actual building of the tabernacle. The people are so joyful in the building of God's house, and are so generous in their giving, that in 36:6-7 we read, 6 So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, 7 for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.

Can you believe it! Our church is involved in a comprehensive campaign to do much needed repairs and updates on our building. It's been so cool to see our people respond with generous giving of the resources and time! We'll be finished with our projects in mid-May. Each step of the process brings more excitement. I can imagine how exciting the building of the tabernacle was for the people of Israel. They were involved in not just giving, but in the actual craftsmanship, just like our people have been. It's such an exciting thing.

Have you ever been part of a group where you have witnessed such generous giving? What was the experience like for you? If not, what do you think the experience might feel like?

Esther 3 - A wicked person with power is a terrible thing. Such was the case with Haman. This evil man sought to destroy the Jewish people. He is one more in a long line of people who have sought the destruction of God's chosen people. It's interesting that Mordecai chose not to bow down to Haman. There was no Jewish law expressly forbidding people honoring leaders this way, but Mordecai saw something in Haman that disgusted him. Mordecai was a good judge of character. Often times, those who are not honorable are given high positions. But, God exalts the humble in due time. That will happen in this story.

1 Corinthians 8 - Paul now turns his attention to teaching the church at Corinth about the importance of love. Love is more important than knowledge. There were many in the church at Corinth who had come out of pagan religion where idols were worshipped. Some had not. Those who had not, saw no harm in eating the leftover food that had been offered to idols. Because, after all, idols had no true power. They were not really gods. Those who felt this way, felt like they had superior knowledge and that the other Christians would just have to deal with it. Paul wanted those Christians to make sure that in their knowledge they didn't cause a weaker brother or sister to sin. Paul reasoned that he could eat food offered to idols without sinning, but not without hurting another brother or sister in Christ. So, he gave up his liberty to eat in order that others not be harmed.

I love what he wrote in verse three: 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.

Tonight is the Wednesday of Holy Week. I have been thinking today about my own level of love for God. On that Wednesday night, so many years ago, Jesus must have reflected upon what He was about to do for us. He was a few hours away from going to the cross. I'm struck with the fact that I don't love God as much as I should. I'm reminded of Therese of Avila's quote from the 1500's:

Oh God, I don’t love you, I don’t even want to love you, but I want to want to love you.”

May we want to love God, and beyond that, love Him as Paul talks about in verse three!

The Importance of Purity

Today's Reading: Psalm 89, Exodus 35:1-29, Esther 2, 1 Corinthians 7

Psalm 89 - The third book of the Psalms ends with a maskil by Ethan the Ezrahite. The psalm speaks about the promise that God made David that his kingdom would be forever. Ethan wonders why God has turned His back on His covenant with David. God had not. The covenant that He made with David would be fulfilled in Jesus. This third book of the Psalms has been full of sorrow. The children of Israel had walked away from God, and they were paying the price. Ethan reaffirms his faith that God will work on behalf of the people of Israel.

Exodus 35:1-29 - The Children of Israel have a very different response when Moses comes down from the mountain this time. They are ready to obey the law of the Lord. It is with great joy that the people make preparations to build the tabernacle. This is a beautiful picture of what happens when we follow God's desires and come together as one.

Esther 2 - The story of Esther continues with the king realizing that he needed to find a new wife. All of the beautiful young virgins in the land were brought to the king. Esther was one of them. God had her in this kingdom for such a time as this. She found favor in the sight of the king, and the king loved her more than any woman in the land. This would be important if God was going to move the heart of the king to compassion.

1 Corinthians 7 - Paul gives the church strong warnings regarding sexual desire in 1 Corinthians 7. In this chapter he lays out an argument for staying single, but for marrying rather than burning in sexual desire. Then he talks about the importance of intimacy in the marriage relationship. The Church at Corinth really struggled in the area of sexuality, and Paul wanted them to get things right in the area of sexual love. This is some of the most important teaching on human sexuality that you will find in the Bible.

God's Patience

Today's Reading: Psalm 88, Exodus 34, Esther 1, 1 Corinthians 6

Psalm 88 - This is another of the psalms of lament. The Sons of Korah write about a time where they felt the heavy hand of God upon their lives. They equate their feeling to that of dying. The psalmists plead with the Lord to spare their lives so that they might continue to serve the Lord. What is so interesting about this Psalm is that there is no place where the authors state their belief that God will rescue them or strengthen them.

There are times in life where our struggles seem so difficult that it is tough to imagine that we will ever come out of it. God was no less able to deliver in this Psalm than in any other, but there is no mention of God's deliverance. I believe that this Psalm was written in one of those dark nights of the soul in the lives of the writers. God is faithful even in our darkest of days.

Exodus 34 - Moses meets with God for forty days and nights as God once again writes the Ten Commandments on the stone tablets and establishes His covenant with His people. The amazing thing that happens in this chapter is that Moses' face begins to glow. When he spends time with God, the people know it, because His face literally reflects God's glory. He begins to cover his face with a veil in between meetings with God. What a special relationship Moses had with the Lord. The people did not become impatient this time. They believed that Moses would come back down from the mountain. They did not turn to false gods.

I'm glad God was patient with a stubborn people. He reflects that patience today as well. If you have breath today, thank God for another chance to live for Him, and vow to follow Him and only Him today.

Esther 1 - The book of Esther is one of the Old Testament's most interesting books. It is in this book that we get the phrase that we were put here for "such a time as this."

The first chapter of Esther shows us the moral backdrop that Esther found herself thrust into. King Ahasuerus was a wicked man. Married to Queen Vashti, the two monarchs found themselves living in luxury. The king loved excess. He and his Queen hosted a party that lasted 180 days. Towards the end of the celebration, the King asked his wife to come show off her beauty to the men of the kingdom. She refused, and he became enraged. This began a series of events that God used to rescue His people.

1 Corinthians 6 - Paul continues to teach the church at Corinth the dangers of sexual immorality. Remember, this is a church that was rife with sexual sin. Paul let's the church no in no uncertain terms the danger of choosing to walk in a manner of sexual sin. This type of sin will destroy not only a person, but can destroy a church and a family.

Paul also takes time in this chapter to talk about exercising spiritual freedom in areas that are not profitable to him, and how this is not do his advantage.

Pure People

Today's Reading: Psalm 87, Exodus 33, Nehemiah 13, 1 Corinthians 5

Psalm 87 - Psalm 87 celebrates the city of Zion (Jerusalem) and the God who has chosen to dwell there (Jehovah). The Sons of Korah, as worship leaders for the people, wanted the people to recognize how blessed they were to be the chosen people of God. If you are a Christian today, you too should celebrate that Christ has chosen you. He has paved the way for you to become a son or daughter of Christ, forgiving your sins and reconciling you unto a relationship with the Father.

Exodus 33 - The relationship that Moses had with God was an extraordinary one. He spoke with God as a man speaks with a friend. The Children of Israel must have been blown away by the daily display of Moses talking with God. As Moses met with God, signaled by the pillar of cloud descending upon the tent of meeting, God met with His friend. That's right, like King David, centuries later, Moses was a friend of God. May we also be a friend of God. We have access to God through prayer. Take it. Spend time with God. He desires friendship with you.

Nehemiah 13 - The book of Nehemiah ends with the final reforms that Nehemiah would bring to Israel. I'm struck by Nehemiah's absolute commitment to making sure that the people didn't make the mistakes or fall into the same sins as they had in the past. He quickly confronts sin in this passage. He exhorts the people to live holy, set apart lives. They are not to follow in the ways of their pagan neighbors. They are not to marry their pagan neighbors. They are not to desecrate the temple by working on the Sabbath or selling their wares outside of it. He is quick to point out the sin of the nation and make definitive steps to correct the sinful actions of the people. He ends this chapter, and the book of Nehemiah with this prayer: Remember me, O my God, for good. Now, that's how I want to be remembered by God!

1 Corinthians 5 - Sexual immorality has no place in the body of Christ. Paul has heard about a specific case that was being tolerated in the Corinthian church. The man who was involved in immorality with his stepmother was actually boasting about his conquest! Apparently, the Corinthian church had done nothing to stop the behavior. Paul warns them that tolerating such behavior could destroy the entire church. It was important that this man be disciplined and asked to leave the local body of believers. Paul gives one of the strongest arguments in all of Scripture for church discipline in verses 9-13, which says, 9I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13God judges those outside. Purge the evil person from among you.

To Be Like Christ

Today's Reading: Psalm 86, Exodus 32, Nehemiah 12:27-47, 1 Corinthians 4

Psalm 86 - 15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. What do you think of when you think about God? A. W. Tozer once said, "What comes to mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you." I think for many of us, we think about fear when we think about God. We fear His wrath. We fear His response to our wicked hearts. We fear His short fuse.

But, that is an incorrect view of God. Psalm 86:15 reveals a beautiful truth about God. God is merciful and gracious. He is slow to anger. He is abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. This means that God's fuse isn't short. He is slow to anger. When we give God cause to anger, be sure that He experiences it. But, He also understands us. He understands His creation better that we understand ourselves. He understands the struggle with sin that we have. He understands the temptation that we face. He understands the distractions in our lie. God is so good.

Exodus 32 - Exodus 32 is the sad story of the quick decline of the Children of Israel. God had so graciously delivered them from the hand of the Egyptians and when Moses was on the Mountain of God longer than the people expected, they assumed the worst and turned to the worship of an idol. It's interesting that they broke commandment one as soon as they began to lose faith in their leadership.

Moses' conversation with God is an interesting one as he intercedes on behalf of the people with God. This is the role of the priests. The priests would one make atonement for the people. This is what Moses did for the people.

Nehemiah 12:27-47 - There are certain times when I read the Bible when I think, "I wish that I could be an eyewitness of this event." The dedication of the walls of Jerusalem is one such event. This was such a momentous event to the people of Israel. I love the way that the Jewish people celebrated events like this. There was so much music. In this case, there were a few choirs singing on different parts of the walls. I would have loved to have heard what that sounded like.

1 Corinthians 4 - 16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me. 17 That is why I sent 5 you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, 6 as I teach them everywhere in every church.

What an incredible example of discipleship! When I think about discipleship, I think about encouraging people to walk like Christ. Paul was so in tune with the Lord, that he could, with good conscious write, "be imitators of me." Why? Because, Paul imitated the Lord.

But, Paul didn't stop there. He then told the people to look to Timothy as an example. Timothy also followed Christ. Timothy had been discipled by Paul, and was a good example of what it meant to follow Christ. Paul's hope was that this dysfunctional church would become full of people who could write similar things. When we live like Christ, the world becomes a different place.