When it comes to me and my activities, “no news is good news.” I’m glad I continue to be active and pain free! Debbie is a continuing a prolonged transition from being a case manager to being an “R.N. Resource Specialist”. This will lighten her work load and allow her to support and mentor other case managers based on her experience of 25 years of hospice care.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “The Israelites had done all the work following the Lord’s instructions to Moses. Moses inspected all the work and saw that they had followed the Lord’s instructions. So Moses blessed them.” Exodus 39:42,43 GW

When reading through Exodus it is easy to gloss over the final chapters of the book. After all, chapters 37-39 are mostly a repeat of chapters 28-30. I was reading the commentary on Exodus of a Jewish author that I respect highly and he seemed to dismiss these chapters as simply a repeat of the instructions the Lord gave to Moses.

So, why the repetition? Does the Lord delight in redundancy? What we must remember in scripture is what is repeated is of importance. From the beginning to the end of chapter 39 of Exodus you read, “They followed the Lord’s instructions to Moses.” Not just once, but seven times this phrase is repeated. After each aspect of building the tabernacle we find the conclusion, “They followed the Lord’s instructions to Moses.”

Then we have the culmination. Moses inspects the work, ensures everything is done properly according to the Lord’s instructions and then “blesses” the people and the workers. It is not just the effort that is blessed. It is not just the fact the project is completed. It had to be completed exactly as the Lord had instructed.

The true “grand finale” comes at the end of chapter 40 the final chapter in Exodus. Now it is Moses’ turn. As Moses assumes his responsibilities we read, “Moses followed the Lord’s instructions.” Once again we find this phrase repeated seven times, as the Lord instructs Moses to now set up the “tent.” The leader as well as the people are under the same mandate to obey the Lord’s instructions. (This is what later kept Moses from the Promised Land)

Then we read, “Finally, Moses finished the work. Then the column of smoke covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tent. Moses couldn’t go into the tent of meeting, because the smoke settled on it and the glory of the Lord filled the tent.” (Exodus 40:34-35 GW)

For a people who “got is wrong” so often and disobeyed and failed so frequently, it is important to know that they got this right. The instructions of building the tent or tabernacle was exactly as the Lord instructed. They heard and knew what they were to do and they did it. The result was the the blessing of the Lord and the Lord’s presence revealed in a powerful way.

While our obedience does not bring our salvation, it is evidence of our salvation. Paul declared, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9 NIV) But he goes on and reminds us, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV)

Obedience reveals our life in Christ and our love for Christ.. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15 ESV)

In the parable of the wise and foolish builders, Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24 NIV) If you want to stand firm, withstand the storms of life, then hold on to God’s Word and live by it. “For we walk by faith and not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

In the Upper Room as Jesus washed the disciple’s feet and told them about the importance of servanthood, He said, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:17)

Some of Paul’s final words to the Philippians were, “Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:9 NLT)

Often times we want the peace without the practice. But we realize that the blessing and abiding presence of the Lord comes from the “doing” more than just the “knowing.”

Perhaps the greatest summary comes from the words of the old hymn, “trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

Do I need to repeat that???

Greetings friends! I am pleased to be doing much better than anytime in the past two years. Back to working out and losing weight. Debbie is in the process of a job assignment change that will give her, hopefully, a lighter schedule and ease her into retirement. During the time all the family was together we took some family pictures. (Here is a sneak preview)

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear,  so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”  Genesis 28:20-22 ESV

The appearance of the Lord to Jacob at Bethel is of great significance. This is the time when the call of God that began with Abraham and then passed to Isaac is now passed to Jacob who would become known as Israel and the father of the twelve sons who would be the fathers of the twelves tribes of Israel.

Jacob’s “vow” is a response to the call and promise of the Lord. The Lord appears to him in a dream at the top of ladder reaching up to heaven and promises to give him the land where he is and to multiply his “seed” like the “dust of the earth” and be blessed of the Lord. The Lord then gives Jacob this reassurance,  “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 29:15 ESV)

This is an amazing promise and future for a man with no wife, no possessions and facing an uncertain future. Yet Jacob recognizes this divine encounter, sets up a stone as a marker of remembrance, pours oil over it and makes his vow to God.

Jacob is declaring, “if God does what He has promised, this is how I will respond, this is what I will do.” He vowed that, “the Lord will be my God.”  David declared, “You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you.” (Psalm 118:28 NIV)

Embracing the Lord as “your God” is far different than know about Him, or recognizing Him as being identified with a parent or pastor or friend. As we see in David’s words and in Jacobs vow, embracing the Lord as our God calls for an appropriate response. As a result, the Lord became known as “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

The evidence of Jacob fulfilling his pledge to God is “of all that you give me, I will give a full tenth to you.” I noticed that Jacob didn’t say, “of all that I acquire or earn.”  He recognized that all that would come to him in the form of wives, children, livestock, gold, silver, servants, etc. was from God.

Jacob would give a tenth (or a tithe) of all he gained in recognition of God’s blessing, provision and Lordship. He would do it as an act of worship. Even though what he gained would take 20 years and come through hard work, challenges and overcoming obstacles.

These concepts have come to be viewed as principles of stewardship. While that is appropriate, it is important to see how our response to the Lord is a matter of Lordship. It goes beyond “financial management” and involves matters of faith, trust and a commitment to the One who is my God. After Jacob encounter the Lord at Bethel his life was never the same. That is true today when anyone encounters the grace and forgiveness Christ offers and embraces the destiny the Lord has for each of us. It happens when we embrace the Lord as “my God.”

Here we are on day three of a New Year, 2019. We used to live our life when we were young in years, now it seems marked by decades. Although as I get older, I revert to a “year at a time.” We had a good time with all of our family, the cousins connected, made it to the mountains and downtown Denver to enjoy all that Colorado has to offer. Our grandchildren also visited Fort Logan National Cemetery where Debbie’s parents are buried.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY….  “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:14 NIV

Paul’s personal commitment to “finish well” is often a cause for reflection when a New Year arrives. Especially verse 13, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead…”  Our lives, especially our spiritual life is not be lived in the past or rest on what we have “accomplished” or “conquered” as we grow as followers of Christ. We are to remember that we have not yet arrived, but there is a goal that we must keep in focus.

Undoubtedly in Paul’s day, the analogy was most likely to that of a runner getting to the finish line. That is why the God’s Word translation uses the words, “I lengthen my stride” for the NIV phrase, “straining toward what is ahead.”

If Paul lived today perhaps he would use a football analogy. As we watch NFL games and college bowl games, it is impressive to note running backs who refuse to be knocked down and even when hit or “tied up” keep pushing forward to get to the goal line. They provide a vivid present-day  picture of “straining toward what is ahead.”

In football and in our spiritual life, we must remember there is a goal to be attained. But our spiritual life and destiny is far more significant than one touchdown in a game or even a championship victory that is soon forgotten when the next season arrives.

Paul once again makes a point of connection when he writes to the Corinthians about the dedication to “win the prize.” “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (1 Corinthians 9:25 NIV)

We can observe that reaching our goal requires effort. I believe there is an adage about “nothing of value is easily attained.” While our spiritual life is not about what we can do in our own strength, we must remember that our growth doesn’t happen by “accident.” Like gravity, the natural pull on our hearts and minds is “downward.” We must be vigilant we must focused. That is why we speak of “spiritual disciplines” in relationship to spiritual development.

But unlike a runner whose main challenge is himself, in football you have an opponent whose all out effort is to keep you from reaching the goal line. That is something that we often neglect to remember. We do face opposition in our spiritual life. Some of it does come from our own propensities, or unique struggles. Some it comes from the mindset and focus of the world around us. And yes, it does come from spiritual dark forces who are at work in our world.

Just as we have an opponent, we also have a “team on our side.” I like this aspect of the football analogy. No running back faces the opposition on their own. They have teammates who block for them and they learn to “follow their blockers.” We do have the Holy Spirit who helps us. Strengthens us. Guides us. Just was we face unseen dark forces, we must remember there are unseen angelic forces that are for us to help and “cheer us” on.

The key to reaching the goal is to focus on “what is ahead.” Paul says, “forgetting what is behind….” No football player who breaks out on a long run, slows down or stops to look back to see how far they have come. You will often see the frustration and disappointment of a player who is stop just short of the goal line after running for 40 or 50 yards. In our spiritual life we can build on the past, but we don’t live in the the past.

Reaching the goal is a cause for celebration. Touchdown celebrations have become a football tradition and expression of individual creativity and team unity. I think of the “joy in heaven” (Luke 15:7) when an individual commits their life to Christ. I think of the celebration that scripture pictures in our eternal home. Heaven is a place of joy, worship and celebration. And there is no penalty for “excessive celebration!”

Pressing toward the goal, gives our life meaning and purpose. If you have “nothing to live for” your life loses its focus and is found “tackled” by (in the words of old hymn) “all the vain things that charm me most.”  A life lived with Christ, for Christ allows us to move forward in life with meaning, purpose and focus regardless of the stage of life or the challenges of life that face us in a New Year.

When I ponder this verse in Philippians, I always think of the words of a song based on the life of the Apostle Paul that Debbie used to sing. The resolve of the Christian life was reflected in the lyric, “In Jesus name I press on!”