BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “Now Deborah, a prophetess….was judging Israel at that time. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment.” Judges 4:4-5 ESV

The Church fellowship that I belong to has been unique in its recognition of the ministry of women since its founding in 1914. I remember our current national leader once saying, “God is an equal opportunity employer and so is the Assemblies of God.” As a result, women have been ordained into ministry well before “women’s rights” became a political issue.

This position was not based on some modern political philosophy but on the belief that the Old Testament Joel declared, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” (Joel 2:28 NIV)

In the New Testament we read, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28 ESV)

Throughout time women have been uniquely used by God in “His-story” as we see the plan of redemption being fulfilled.

Deborah is one of the “judges” or leaders of Israel before the time of the Kings. She was married and she was a prophetess. So, she had spiritual gifts and insight that were recognized by the people and they sought her God-given wisdom and direction.

When the time for battle came the Lord spoke through her to Barak to summon soldiers and go to war. He was willing if she went along. Perhaps the observation here is, it seems he was treating her as a “good luck charm” more than being obedient to the voice of the Lord spoken through her.

She said she would go, but he would forfeit the credit for the victory and it would go to a woman instead. What is of interest is that the story ends with another women, Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, who kills the enemy King when he seeks refuge inside of her tent. As the King is sound a sleep from his fatigue in battle, Jael takes a tent peg and hammer and drives it through his temple into the ground. (Talk about a splitting head ache!)

This victory in battle was immortalized with song recorded in Judges 5.

Two key points –

1-God in His sovereignty uses and empowers whom He chooses to accomplish His purposes

2 – In Christ is found true equality and the removal of the curse on male and female through the “fall.” The guidelines are found in God’s Word, not modern political agendas.

Prayer for today…. Lord, thank You for doing Your work through all those You choose and who trust in You. In You alone are the real barriers and categories of race, culture and status broken down.

What I am anticipating as my final campaign is over. I am pleased with an election victory and look forward to serving on the Fort Collins City Council. A new challenge and opportunity to the next step in my recovery. Within 24 hours of polls closing signs are down and life is beginning to return to normal. Except now, I begin my orientation to a new role of public service. I was honored to have youth represented in my campaign. Ryan Hanson, works in Senator Cory Gardner’s Fort Collins office and Juan Caro is a student at CSU.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” Psalm 95:1-3 ESV

In the psalms we find expressions of praise to the Lord, admonitions to praise the Lord, descriptions on how to praise the Lord, and the reason for our worship.

This psalm begins with an invitation to worship. It begins with the simple, “Come, let us sing to the Lord.” There is a dynamic that takes place in corporate praise that is not found in personal, private praise to the Lord. Both are important and not to be neglected. But each is different.

Corporate praise encourage us to enter in, to participate as a congregation of those whose hearts are focused on the Lord. What we find in corporate worship, is that regardless of our level of participation, the environment of worship can touch our lives and be a source of strength and encouragement.

Next we see how we are to praise the Lord. Quiet is appropriate and good at times. There are times of reflection, but here we see it is a call to be engaged and involved in expressing praise to God.

“Let us sing…Let us make a joyful noise….Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving….” These are all expressions that reveal a heart that is full and grateful.

Then we see the motivation behind the invitation and the exuberant expression of worship. Notice, the Lord is described as “the rock of our salvation.” He is “a great God.” He is a “great King above all gods.”

He is the foundation upon which we stand and He is the ruler over all. He is the One is above all others. As God’s people encountered daily the false gods and idols of the land, they were to be reminded that they are only wood and stone, the images made by human hands. When we worship, we know that there is none higher, there is none grater, there is none more holy.

This psalm also brings into focus our relationship with this great God and King over all.

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.” (Psalm 95:6,7 ESV)

Our God and our Maker is the One who cares for us and watches over us. That should cause us to sing and shout!

Prayer for today…. Lord, we give you the praise that You alone deserve. Help us to be reminded of Your greatness in the midst of our need.  Remind us of Your abundant supply, in our awareness of our insufficiency and Your care in the midst of our pain and suffering. As we focus on You in praise, we understand both who You are and who we are in relationship with You.

This is Election Day locally here in Fort Collins. We will know perhaps tonight, hopefully by tomorrow the outcome of the election. I appreciate the support and prayers of everyone. It has made a difference. This campaign has re-energized me, so this year has started off good, regardless of the outcome.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done?” Judges 2:1,2 ESV

After the death of Joshua, the tribes of Israel moved in to take possession of the promised land. But the accounts of complete victory are short-lived. The tribe of Judah was successful, the “house of Joseph” was successful. But when it came to the next tribes we read,

“Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its villages…Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer…Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron….. Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco…Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh…” (Judges 1:27,29-33 ESV)

The Israelites did not conquer but turned the inhabitants of the land into “forced labor.” At least for a time. We don’t know if they really “couldn’t” or just “wouldn’t” drive the people from the land. For the Lord had instructed them to do so and promised to help them in doing so.

What we do know is the Lord viewed their actions as acts of disobedience and breaking of the covenant the Lord made with the forefathers and had promised to fulfill through them. What they were not willing to to do, they would not be able to do.

 ^“So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” (Judges 2:3 ESV)

Even though God’s people respond initially in repentance and making scarifies, their persistence to serve only the Lord God was short-lived. They soon allowed the influence of the gods of the land to infiltrate their minds and then their hearts. Idolatry began to seep in and then came bondage to the people they had allow to live and enslave; they would cry out to the Lord and the Lord would send a leader (a judge) to bring them victory and peace for a season. That’s the story of the Book of Judges.

But as I considered the Canaanites as a “test” to God’s people, it made me think of the challenges believers face as we interface with “modern” culture. Is God testing us through the presence of the world system, as to our faithfulness to Him?

I think of the caution of the Apostle John, “Love not the world, neither the things that in the world…” (1 John 2:15) I think of the prayer of Jesus related to His followers, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.” (John 17:16 NIV)  Just before this Jesus’ petition was, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” (John 17:15 NIV)

We are called to be salt and light in a dark world. Let’s make sure our influence is greater on the world, than the world’s influence on us.

Prayer for today…. Lord we are tested daily, as to whose kingdom will shape our views, our attitudes, our actions. Give us sensitivity when the “ways of the world” are taking root in our hearts, help us to “pass the test” and always be found faithful to You.

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BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said,“Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?  Matthew 22:16-18

I can tell that I am in a political campaign mode, because passages of scripture like this one get my attention due to the “political” tension that is part of the story.

The preface to the question of the religious leaders is, “Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words.” (Matthew 22:15 ESV)

The political tactics of our day, can be seen in the Pharisees of old.  The Pharisees wanted to trick Jesus, but they approached him pretending to be sincere, but they were sincerely insincere. Jesus identifies their attitude as hypocrisy. He knew the flattery was just a “set up” to trick Him and to have a reason to accuse him.

Back in 2010 a devious young reporter from a small local newspaper took a page out of the Pharisee playbook. He called not just me, but a staffer at our Teen Challenge men’s program and acted like he was sincerely interest in the work of our organization. We found out he was “setting us” up to make an unfounded accusation to get himself some points with his editor and to try to disparage me and my campaign at the time. It is interesting that his “fake news” story resurfaced during my current City Council campaign.

Perhaps I needed to learn the lesson of, pause and ask the Lord for insight to know when hypocrisy is the order of the day and not sincere inquiry.

Jesus knowing the hearts of the Pharisee’s disciples, ended up putting them to the test. He asks for a coin. He asks them whose inscription is on the coin. When they reply Caesar, He gives the well know pronouncement, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” (Matthew 22:21)

That challenges us to be sincere in our dedication to the Lord. We need to do more than articulate words of commitment, we need to reflect our commitment through out lives. Do we understand that the image of God is imprinted on our hearts as much as an image is imprinted on a coin?

Our lives can be viewed as the “currency” that reveals our priorities because of where we invest ourselves. Jesus, reminded the Pharisees of the words of Isaiah, “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Matthew 15:8 NIV)

May we not be found to be sincerely, insincere when it comes to Christ’s lordship in our life.

Prayer for today…. Lord, help us to say what we mean and mean what we say. Give us insight and understanding of our lives carrying Your imprint on us as a mark of ownership. Allow us to “spend”  and “invest” our lives on that which will bring dividends in eternity. 

I was back at Morning Star Assisted living for the chapel service today. It was good to be back after a three week absence, due to other Sunday obligations and travel. This is an appreciative group that has become very dear to me.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Matthew 21:28-30 ESV

We have all heard the saying, “actions speak louder than words.” The leadership adage that is related to his is, “under-promise and over-deliver.” In other words, it is better to do something that you did not commit to than to commit to it and fail to follow through.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had great understanding, but poor follow up and failed to practice for themselves what they instructed others to do. On another occasion Jesus instructed the people about the Scribes and Pharisees, “do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.” (Matthew 23:3 ESV)

The point of this parable was to show the Pharisees that “tax collectors and sinners” would enter into God’s kingdom ahead of them because even in their failure to express commitment, they had a change of heart that was demonstrated in obeying and following the Lord.

The Pharisees on the other hand, were those who loved the limelight, they like to tell others how to lives, but they did not follow their own teachings. They found ways to excuse themselves, to exempt themselves from the “law” they taught and even created.

That is the form of hypocrisy that many criticize in our political realm today. Whether religious lawmakers 2,000 years ago or civic lawmakers today, there is a glaring deficiency when someone believes that a law or practice or prohibition is good for others, but don’t want to be bound by that same standard.

Jesus’ simple, yet condemning question was, “which of the two did the will of the Father?” It seems sheepishly the religious leaders had to admit it was the first.

Perhaps John was reflecting back on this encounter when he would many years later write, “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:17 NIV) He didn’t say “knows the will of the Father” – he said, “does.” So once again in scripture we are confronted with the importance of our actions.

Whether we commit and follow through, or fail to commit and then “repent” and follow through, let’s be reminded that the “proof is in the….doing.”

Prayer for today…. Lord strengthen our resolve, to put into practice Your truth and to be those who will faithfully follow You, both in word and in deed.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard….Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius….” Matthew 20:1,10 ESV

This is a parable that reveals the Lord’s generous and gracious forgiveness to all who respond to His call. This parable Jesus tells is of a man who hires people at different times of the day. His offer is to pay a “denarius” if they will work in his vineyard.

Workers respond at different times of the day and when the day is over they all receive the agreed payment, one denarius. It would seem natural for those those who had worked throughout the day to be upset that they were treated equally to those who had only worked the last hour of the day. Human “justice” is about equity and fairness.

But Jesus is not explaining or focusing on the economics of labor relations. He is revealing the Father’s heart that none should perish, but all should come to repentance.

I am glad we have the account of the “thief on the cross” who near his final breathe ask to be received into Jesus kingdom. Jesus words were, “this day shall you be with me in paradise.” Talk about a “deathbed” conversion!

Jesus always challenges us to think and have attitudes that reveal the “supernatural” and not the natural thought processes of the human mind.

Those who serve the Lord faithfully can view Jesus actions as “unfair.” But if we share the mind of Christ and His love for all people it will transform our thinking and our attitude. No life is wasted that faithfully follows that Lord. I have know those who came to Christ later in life and their one regret was not having made their decision earlier, because they realize the “wasted” years living for self.

I have also observed those who felt that God’s gracious forgiveness wasn’t fair. “I have ignored the Lord all my life, it doesn’t seem right for me to come running to Him now!” I remember Dick Foth sharing about such an individual. Dick asked the person, “if you had a son who was living in rebellion and separated from you for years, but want to come home, would you be willing to accept him and welcome him home?” The man responded with an emphatic – yes!

The final questions of the master to the grumbling workers in this parable are telling, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?” (Matthew 20:15 ESV)

I am thankful that we all can be grateful for the Lord’s generosity to us and even to those who for years shun Him. We need to reassure others that the “doors of the ark of salvation” remain open.

Prayer for today…. Lord how great is Your love! We see it in this parable that You desire all to respond to Your call. Help us to be those who not only work “for” You, but “with” You in making that message of hope known to others.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Matthew 19:30 ESV

In yet another verse we run into the concept of the stark difference between the views of people in this world and the priorities of heaven. We admire success and wealth and achievement and position. All of these are commendable and deserve honor and respect, but they are not the sum total of life.

I like that statement, “It is what you learn after you know it all that makes the difference.” We could say, “It is what you achieve after you have achieved it all that makes the difference.” There are those who have sought the limelight and life on the pedestal only to find out that it didn’t deliver what was promised. An empty life before success, is an empty life with success.

In this passage, Jesus is talking about the difficulty of those who trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God. The disciples would fit perfectly into our modern era because their response is, “they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” (Matthew 19:25 ESV)

It is often observed that one of the great surprises of heaven is those who are not there and those that are. Eternal life is not earned in this life. It is God’s gift, God’s grace. God is the “great equalizer.”

In her hospice work, Debbie has provided care for the “down and out” and the “up and out.” Those who had very little and those who were people of means and status in the community. She has observed that “death is the great equalizer.” When the end comes the process is the same regardless of the money you have and the achievements that have come to you in this life.

Jesus’ response to His disciples is an interesting one, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26 ESV) You can be rich and famous and inherit eternal life if you follow Christ and trust in Him and you can be poor and forgotten and miss eternal life if you believe that your own merits or lot in life make you acceptable to God.

The key is “who or in what do you trust?” more than what have you earned or achieved. In this passage Peter not to miss the opportunity points out to Jesus what they have “sacrificed” for His sake. Instead of a rebuke, Jesus actually provides reassurance and promises the disciples their positions of authority in heaven because of their faithfulness.

Our challenge is not to seek to be “first” in the world, but “first” in God’s kingdom.

Prayer for today…. Lord we give You thanks for the way You challenge our focus and priorities. Help us to live in this world as those who have their eyes on the next.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “…when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others….when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.”  Matthew 6:2,5 ESV

Rick Warren begins his best-selling book, “The Purpose Driven Life” by stating, “It’s not all about you!” So much of our life can focus on ourselves. Our own goals, our own possessions, our own status. Jesus’ teaching on giving and praying could be summarized by borrowing Warren’s statement, “It’s not all about you!” 

His introductory warning is, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1 ESV)

That which we do in worship of the Lord and in service to the Lord is to strengthen our relationship with the Lord and our obedience to Him. We are to exalt the Lord and not ourselves. We are to make the Lord big in they eyes of people and not ourselves.

I’m not sure if there is a specific parallel in our world today, with the practice of the “super-spiritual” scribes and pharisees of Jesus day. But we can learn that the basic concept is the Lord is the one who sees our hearts and our actions. The impact we make on others and for God’s kingdom does not go without notice of the Lord.

It is like Jesus offers a choice. You can have your reward from people or from God. You can be big in the eyes of people or the eyes of God.

We also need to remember that what impresses people, may not impress God. For example, when someone with great means makes a large gift, it may not be that much of a sacrifice compared to little given by someone of lesser means. Jesus said, “I do not accept glory from human beings….” (Matthew 5:41 NIV) We are reminded, “What is highly valued by people is deeply offensive to God.” (Luke 16:15 CEB)

When it comes to prayer we are reminded it is not the eloquence of words, but the sincerity of the heart that moves the hand of God. There are times that I have been moved by the most simple, yet sincere prayers. I believe God is too.

My attention is drawn to the motivation Jesus condemns, “to be seen by others” “to be praised by others.” If we are respected and praise by others out of faithfulness to the Lord, that is one thing. But to be those who prioritize the favor of people over to the sacrifice of the favor of God is different. Let’s seek to always be those who live in and seek the Lord’s favor.

Prayer for today…. Lord help us to seek the private power over the public righteousness that comes when we seek to please you and not others. Allow our actions to be driven by a desire to be faithful to you, even when they are not pleasing to others. While there may not be modern Pharisees in our world, we are reminded in these verses about the values of Your kingdom.