Today was a good workout day for me. After a morning walk with the dog, I rode my bike to the fitness center for a workout. After lunch and some rest I headed to the swimming pool a good workout in the water. After some weeks of illness and feeling plateaued in my recovery, I believe that I can see some signs of gaining strength and greater stability. Perhaps the day of “full recovery” is getting closer!

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “At night I remember my songs. I think and I ask myself: “Will the Lord reject us forever?  Will he never be kind to us again? Is his love gone forever? Has he stopped speaking for all time? Has God forgotten mercy? Is he too angry to pity us?”  Psalm 77:6-9

The reality of life is that when we are facing difficult times, times of challenge and days of ongoing agony, it is easy to feel that God is distant…or worse that we have been abandoned.

While our faith and trust in God is a key to dealing with difficulties and discouragement, it can also be the source of our discouragement. As the psalmist begins, he reflects on days of joy, days of singing, days when the Lord undoubtedly seemed close. Now the Lord seems far away.

The thoughts of the psalmist have echoed in the minds of people down through the ages. “Lord am I rejected? Am I still loved? Are you angry? Where is your mercy? Where is your voice of comfort and assurance?

The reality is that our faith doesn’t spare us from such times of doubt and questioning. We have seen and heard what God has done in the past and want to believe that He always does the same thing, in the same way at the same time. But He doesn’t! The principles are constant, but they are formulas.

Psalm 77 seems like two different Psalms, because we find a change, a pivot point that begins in verse 11.

“I remember what the Lord did; I remember the miracles you did long ago. I think about all the things you did and consider your deeds.” (Psa. 77:11,12)

The psalmist moves from consternation to contemplation. He changes the down spiral of his emotion in what we would call today a “Stop! Think!” strategy. Instead of staying in the rut of what God is not doing,  he begins to reflect on what the Lord has done in His faithfulness.

That Psalm ends with a reflection and recitation of how the Lord lead and provided for His people. How He divinely provided and how He used human leadership. But before the psalmist recites the details of God’s faithfulness, he provides for us a good summary of what we need to focus on…

“God, your ways are holy. No god is as great as our God. You are the God who does miracles; you have shown people your power. By your power you have saved your people….” (Psa. 77:13-15)

We find here an affirmation of God’s greatness, His miracles, His power that has saved and will save His people. It seems that psalmist is concluding that regardless of how I feel, this is what I know and after all…. “where could I go but to the the Lord?”

I felt I had a good productive day today. After my Chiropractor appointment, I was able to get caught up on some office work. The I had a phone conversation and an afternoon meeting about some future possibilities. It is good to know that I still have years of usefulness ahead and hope to re-engage soon in some areas that match my abilities and passion.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Obey the commands of the Lord your God, living as he has commanded you and respecting him.  The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with rivers and pools of water, with springs that flow in the valleys and hills, a land that has wheat and barley, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil, and honey.  It is a land where you will have plenty of food, where you will have everything you need, where the rocks are iron, and where you can dig copper out of the hills.”  Deuteronomy 8:6-9

Deuteronomy is more than a recitation of the law for a new generation. It was Moses farewell address and his last act of leadership to prepare God’s people to enter the promised land. Moses knew he was not going to enter the land and was preparing Joshua to assume his leadership position. He could have just “faded into the sunset” a resentful old man from all the hardships he endured. Instead, he demonstrates true integrity and leadership to do his best to prepare the new generation to inherit the land promised to their forefathers. The dream was becoming a reality, but the challenges remained.

Moses communicates the purpose for the wandering in the wilderness. He could have summarized it by saying, “we were waiting for the grumblers to die.” But the lessons were not just for the past generation, but for the present generation. “…He wanted to know what was in your heart. He wanted to know if you would obey his commands. He took away your pride when he let you get hungry, and then he fed you with manna… During these forty years, your clothes did not wear out, and your feet did not swell.” (Deu. 8:2-4)

The wilderness was not just a waiting ground, it was a testing ground a training ground. Sometimes we believe we are ready to move in a new direction to accomplish something great in our life or for God. But often we need some preparation. We need to  know what it takes to be victorious and if we are “up to the task.”

Moses communicates the promise for the future. As Moses describes the richness of what awaits in the promised land, it had to create a sense of anticipation in the hearts of the Children of Israel. He told them it is a land where, “you will have everything you need.” After forty years in the wilderness, they had to have been eager and ready to move forward.

Good leaders are able to paint compelling pictures of what the future will hold if a mission or task is successful. There may be battles that will need to be won to secure the “prize” or “promise” but when you are able to see the reward that is ahead, it serves as a powerful motivation.

Moses communicates the power for success. “…today remember that the Lord your God goes in before you to destroy them like a fire that burns things up. He will defeat them ahead of you, and you will force them out and destroy them quickly, just as the Lord has said.…the Lord your God will force them out ahead of you, to keep his promise to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”. (Deu. 9:3,5)

Victory would come through trusting and obeying the Lord. As the Lord brought down the Egyptians He would bring down the nations in Canaan as a judgment against them. The Lord warned the people, that they would be successful not because of their goodness or ability, but because of the Lord’s power and faithfulness to fulfill His promise.

Moses communicates the penalty for disobedience.  “If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship them and bow down to them, I warn you today that you will be destroyed. Just as the Lord destroyed the other nations for you, you can be destroyed if you do not obey the Lord your God.” (Deu. 8:19,20)

The Lord was bringing His people into the land to fulfill His promise to their forefathers. But they had to be the “people of the land of promise.” They were not to be just freed slaves, they were not to be like the people the Lord would drive from the land. They were to be and live as the people of the Holy God. They were to trust, obey and honor.

I believe leaders can learn from Moses. I believe we can all learn that what we are able to accomplish, does not come from our own ability or strength. It comes from God’s faithfulness. The key to entering the “promise” is trusting the Lord and wholeheartedly serving Him.

Today I enjoyed a visit from Carey Coffey the Executive Director of Teen Challenge of the Rocky Mountains. It was good to connect and hear of some reports of what is happening in the various programs. After lunch and a nap, I followed up on some job opportunities and got ready for an HOA Board meeting this evening. With the way my day went, I actually missed my normal workout routine.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “The important thing is faith—the kind of faith that works through love”. Galatians 5:6

Paul is confronting a false “good news” that was challenging the Galatians that related to the importance of following the law. The focal point of the contention was over circumcision. Circumcision was an important part of God’s covenant with Abraham. It would be a physical  sign of his offspring that would be as numerous as the stars. However, as a requirement for being right with God, it wasn’t necessary.

As I consider this, I am reminded of the friendship connection I made with the wife of Denver’s premier Rabbi. She was a State Senator and I supported her in maintaining funding for circumcision for children on Medicaid even though it was viewed by many as waste of money.

Outside of any present day medical pros and cons, we do know it is not an important matter when it comes to our spiritual life. We are “made right with God through faith in Christ and no obeying the law.”

As Paul continues his discourse he says what really matters is, “faith, expressing itself through love.” Our love for others is our faith in action. Faith does not result in arrogance, but in humble gratitude for what Christ has done for us. Some of the Galatians were missing the point and seemed to feel, “great no law, no rules.” Paul become emphatic he says,

God called you to be free, but do not use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful self. Serve each other with love. (Gal. 5:13)

Sin is self-centered, Christ is other-centered. The law brings people into bondage and discouragement, faith brings hope and freedom to serve Christ and others through love.

Faith in Christ allows the words of the prophet to be fulfilled, “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” (Heb. 10:16)

To this end Paul says, “Live by following the Spirit. Then you will not do what your sinful selves want… But if the Spirit is leading you, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:16-18)

God’s Spirit in us, gives us the strength to do what the law is not able to do…live right with God. And that “seed” of the Spirit in our life produces a harvest of fruit,

“…the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control..Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their own sinful selves. They have given up their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do. We get our new life from the Spirit, so we should follow the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-25)

Faith, hope and love…that is what really matters, and that is what trust in Christ brings into our life.

We had an overcast, but comfortable day today. I had my Monday Chiropractor appointment then made it home in time for our routine window cleaning. I have tried my hand at walking with one crutch, just to test my strength. I am getting closer.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “…we know that a person is made right with God not by following the law, but by trusting in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus, that we might be made right with God because we trusted in Christ. It is not because we followed the law, because no one can be made right with God by following the law.” Galatians 2:16

This verse is one of the most straight forward statements about how we are “made right with God.”  It is not by following “the law” doing what we think is right or even trying to follow the “Ten Commandments.” We are made right with God through “trusting in Jesus Christ.” This simplicity is not intended to be narrow and rigid, but clear and concise.

We come to God through Christ, Paul wrote to Timothy and said, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…” (1 Timothy 2:5 ESV) Through Christ alone, by faith alone. Why is that “good news”? It is good news because, we don’t have to do the impossible (be perfect) to right with God. It is good news because faith in Christ is the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter your background, income level, position in society or education, where you live on the earth or anything else. The same plan for all people.

In the opening verses of Galatians, Paul declares the blessing of salvation through Christ, “Jesus gave himself for our sins to free us from this evil world we live in, as God the Father planned.” (Gal. 1:4) When we are “right with God” through Christ, we are free from the judgment of sin that comes in this world and we are given the power and grace to overcome the sin in this world. Paul said, “…I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself to save me.” (Gal. 2:20) That is the source of our strength.

When we trust Christ we identify with Him in His death and in His resurrection. Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ…” (Gal. 2:20) Jesus told His disciples, “Because I live you too shall live.”  (John 14:19)

When we in trust Christ we anticipate our destiny in Him. Jesus said, “…I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you may be where I am.“ (John 14:3) I also like hope-filled declaration of I Thessalonians 4:17  “Then we will be with the Lord forever.“

There are many things that happen that people describe as, “good news.” But having confidence that we are “right with God” through trusting Jesus and that we have “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow” is the good news that really matters.

The work on our basement remodel actually started today. We are excited about this project and look forward to the finished product. I got out early and did some work with our rose bushes and growth around the house, this evening it will be time for me to get out and mow the grass. Debbie and I did get to go to “On the Border” for one or our rare Mexican meals out. (Thanks Prime Timers for the gift certificate)

Today, I finally started on the project of cataloging past CaringBridge entries. It has hard to believe we are beginning our third year of daily posts. These daily devotionals had their genesis in the CaringBridge posts that Debbie began when I was first hospitalized and she realized that my illness was going to be a major challenge for us all.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “I tried to understand all this, but it was too hard for me to see until I went to the Temple of God...I am always with you; you have held my hand. You guide me with your advice, and later you will receive me in honor. I have no one in heaven but you; I want nothing on earth besides you. My body and my mind may become weak,but God is my strength. He is mine forever.” Psalm 73:16,23-26 (NCV)

Psalm 73 is one of my favorite Psalms. We often wrestle with the question, “why do bad things happen to good people?” But what we see in scripture is the struggle with “why do good things happen to bad people…why do they prosper?” That is the struggle we see in the first verses of Psalm 73.

Here is how the Psalmist Asaph describes what he observes about the wicked, “They are not suffering; they are healthy and strong. They don’t have troubles like the rest of us; they don’t have problems like other people. They wear pride like a necklace and put on violence as their clothing. They are looking for profits and do not control their selfish desires. They make fun of others and speak evil; proudly they speak of hurting others. They brag to the sky. They say that they own the earth.” (Psa. 73:9)

Do  you know someone like that? Does someone come to mind when you read those words? What is important is when we focus too much on others and what we don’t understand it affects our thinking and our attitude. Even though the Psalmist affirms God’s goodness he also says, “But I had almost stopped believing; I had almost lost my faith because I was jealous of proud people. I saw wicked people doing well.” (Psa. 73:2,3)

The Psalmist began to question why he lived the life he did. Why did he continue to live a life of discipline and continue to do what was right? All of this began to make an impact on his mind and emotions until….“He went to he temple.” In God’s House his perspective was changed. His understanding was enlightened and His faith was strengthened. He saw the truth… “Those who are far from God will die; you destroy those who are unfaithful. But I am close to God, and that is good.” (Psa. 73:27,28)

The Psalmist affirms that God’s presence is constant, His counsel is faithful and God’s plan is glorious. Whether in heaven or on earth the Lord is the rock that gives us strength and shelter that provides for us the protection we need. When I read the words of the Psalmist, I am reminded of the of the security and confidence the Lord provides for our living and our dying.

That is why the Psalmist says, “my body and mind may become weak, but God is my strength…” The God of our present, is our  God of our future and our eternity. That is something that sets people who place their faith in the Lord apart from others. Our responsibility is to keep our eyes on the Lord, to understand the strength we receive from being in God’s House and to resolve, “it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.” (Psa. 73:28 ESV)

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [carry it on to completion] until the day of Jesus Christ..”  Philippians 1:6

Today, I attended the car show that the Timberline Church Men’s Ministry sponsored. It was an enjoyable event with lots of great cars. It was actually one of my first car shows to attend. There was a variety of cars from antiques, to muscle cars to custom cars. What got my attention was some of the comments from the car owners as the trophies were handed out for the various categories.

One of the car owners commented about the number of years they had their 1957 Chevy before they even started the restoration process and then told the number of years it took to get it into the shape they planned. Another just said, “I have too much money in that car!” Others shared about the time and commitment that went into their project. Others commented about those who helped with doing the body paint or the upholstery.

All of this got my attention about the Lord’s work in our lives. Car restoration takes patience, perseverance, time, money and the help of others. And one of the most important elements is the restorer has a picture in their mind of the finished product.

I am reminded of 1 John 3:2 “…we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.“

We may not fully comprehend or appreciate the “finished product” of our life, but the Lord does, and that is what is important. What we can be assured of is that we belong to Him and He will work on us and in us and through us to accomplish His purposes.

I am also encouraged when I think, it is never too late for the process to begin. The rust and ruin of some cars may seem to be too great. To some it is useless, to others it is, “rusty gold.” I am thankful that the Lord does not look at us as we are, but He looks at us for what we can become in Him. That is why He chose some unlikely men to follow Him and to be His disciples and to be those who would change the world.

I am thankful the Lord “carries on His work.” He keeps at it, engages others, pays the cost and takes the time until we are at home in His presence.

Whatever has damaged your life, whatever needs to be restored, you can be confident that there is a master restorer who desires to work in your life to bring you to the place of full beauty, value and potential.

I called this day my “pastoral visitation” day. I took the opportunity to visit some friends and get updates on how they are doing with their health challenges. This included a trip to Denver. I did get by to visit my mom, whom I hadn’t seen for a couple of weeks.

One the way home I set a new record for trying to navigate the challenge of weekend traffic. It took must just under two and a half hours to get back to Fort Collins mostly relying on back roads and frontage roads. I believe I only traveled about ten miles on I-25.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…  But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe me, and because you did not honor me as holy before the people, you will not lead them into the land I will give them.” Numbers 20:12

I have to admit it. I feel sorry for Moses. The grumblers got to him. Moses spent a lot of time with his face on the ground interceding for God not to strike the people dead for their grumbling and lack of trust.

Once again we find the people complaining about not having water. Although in the hot wilderness water is like gold, it is not as though Moses was not aware of the problem and needed the people to call it to his attention and then badger him about it with them once again saying, “we would be better off dead….or we had it so good in Egypt.”

The Lord instructed Moses to “speak to the rock….” But here is what happened. The description of Moses actions are important, “Now listen to me, you [rebels!] Do you want us to bring water out of this rock?”  Then Moses lifted his hand and hit the rock twice with his stick. Water began pouring out…” (Numbers 20:10,11)

Moses was angry and I would say rightly so, or at least it is easy to understand his frustration and the pressure he felt. Earlier in the wanderings the Lord provided water when Moses struck a rock; but just “speaking” to a rock? I recall reading some years ago that in the wilderness pools of water would collect in rock formations and an experienced shepherd would know how to find that source and then break the rock open to release the water.

Moses had been a shepherd for 40 years. It was part of his resume that qualified him to lead this unruly group. But when he drew attention away from the Lord and took actions that were based on his knowledge and experience, it lead to the Lord’s judgment.

The Lord’s words to Moses are as insightful as Moses’ words to the people. The Lord said, “Because you did not believe me, and because you did not honor me as holy before the people, you will not lead them into the land I will give them.”

As a result we see that Aaron died on Mount Hor and there his son Eleazar became the priest. Then we see Moses was give the opportunity to view the promised land from Mount Nebo, before he died. It was there he anointed Joshua as his successor.

As I reflect on Moses life, I consider the following…

Moses’ “sin” did not change his character. “Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3) I don’t believe it changed God’s view or estimate of his value in God’s eyes.

Moses status is honored at the transfiguration. During Jesus ministry He took, Peter, James and John to the mountain top. “Then Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus.” (Matt. 17:3) Failures are not fatal and disobedience does not determined destiny. I remember someone pointed out, “Moses made it to the promised land after all!”

Moses shows us the greatest leaders have their weaknesses. Human leaders after all are…..human. They have their own challenges and shortcomings and need to have the help of others. In Moses we see Aaron by his side. We read the account of his father-in-law instructing him on how to appoint leaders over groups of people to lighten his burden. Later we see how the Lord selected seventy elders to help Moses in the ministry to God’s people. “…the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied…” (Numbers 11:25)

Moses shows us no one is indispensable. Joshua as leader and Eleazar the priest became those who would lead God’s people into the promised land. Throughout history the Lord has continued to raise up leaders and those uniquely and divinely used by Him. I recall years ago a well know evangelist making the claim, “if this ministry fails the cause of world missions will be greatly damaged.” Shortly after that sin brought his ministry to an end and the cause of Christ continued to expand throughout the world.

Moses shows leaders the need to trust and honor the Lord. It is easy to create “super-star” ministers out of those uniquely gifted and fruitful. Those individuals have greater responsibility with their gifts, which include walking humbly before the Lord and continually pointing people to see the greatness of God.  It is interesting how John the Baptist, the prophet who would prepare the way for Jesus said, who Jesus commended with these words, “…among those born of women there is no one greater than John…” (Matt. 7:28) said, “he must increase, I must decrease.”

What is true for Moses is true for us all. Whether that is overcoming our own failures and moving forward, whether it is understanding our own limitations and weakness, whether it is understanding how the Lord desires to use us for His purposes and our need to consistently and faithfully trust and honor Him.

I visited Twyla Osler, for my medical massage today. My neck and shoulders needed the workout. I was glad for the improvement, but it threw off my plans for an immediate workout at the fitness center. I was able to get in my afternoon swim, which is proving to be helpful. Even though progress has seemed to slow, I believe I can look to next year at this time as a time of full recovery!

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “That night all the people in the camp began crying loudly. All the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron, and all the people said to them, “We wish we had died in Egypt or in this desert. Why is the Lord bringing us to this land to be killed with swords? Our wives and children will be taken away. We would be better off going back to Egypt.” They said to each other, “Let’s choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”  Numbers 14:1-4

If the exodus was taking place today, when the Children of Israel scouted out the promised land, there would have been a sign with a red circle and a diagonal line with the words, “No Grumblers Allowed.”

One thing the Children of Israel learned as slaves was how to grumble and complain. It was the cry of  God’s people that compelled Him to appear to Moses in the Wilderness and send him back to Egypt. The Lord said to Moses,

“I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…”(Exodus 3:6-8)

As we move through the exodus and the journey to the borders of the promised land, we can observe that their immediate response to any difficulty was to immediately complain, grumble and anticipate the worst. This was regardless of the miracles they saw as the Lord brought the plagues on Egypt.

They complained at the Red Sea, they complained at the waters of Marah, they complained about their food, Mariam and Aaron complained about Moses and his wife, they complained about the obstacles of conquering the promised land, a man named Korah with 250 other men complained about the leadership of Moses. When the Lord judged these men, the people complained and grumbled against Moses for “killing the Lord’s people.”

Perhaps we can say, “it is easier to take the slaves out of bondage than to take the bondage out of the slaves.” Regardless of the miracles they saw and even the judgment of the Lord on those who rebelled, they refused to fear the Lord and to trust Him to be their deliverer and provider.

The result was the slaves did not occupy the land. They wandered in the desert until all the men of the exodus 20 years and older died. The promised land was occupied by the generation that grew up in the wilderness, who learned to follow and trust the Lord.

This history is important for us today. Paul points this out in his letter to the Church at Corinth:

 “And these things happened as examples for us, to stop us from wanting evil things as those people did.…We must not test Christ as some of them did; they were killed by snakes. Do not complain as some of them did; they were killed by the angel that destroys. The things that happened to those people are examples.” (1 Corinthians 10:6-11)

Difficult times, times of trial are times of testing and temptation. Will we lose heart, complain, focus on the present or will we trust, maintain our courage and keep our eyes on the prize? It is interesting that in this context we find the familiar verse that says, “The only temptation that has come to you is that which everyone has. But you can trust God, who will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, he will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to stand it.” (1  Cor. 10:13)

As we face the troubles of life, we will be tempted to turn from trusting the Lord and to disobey His commands, complain, give in to fear, focus on the present, mistake temporal needs as the most important needs of our life. But just as the Lord parted the waters of the Red Sea, He is able to make a “way of escape” if we look for it. Remember Paul’s words,

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? …No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”                          (Romans 8:35,37)

When troubles come, we can respond as slaves or as conquerors. Slaves are powerless and feel abandoned, they just complain and grumble and return to old patterns and lifestyles. But Christ gives us strength to do….to do what we can, to do what we need to…to be overcomers.