DAILY, WEEKEND, AND HOLIDAY INTERNET EVANGELIZE TO THE WORLD MINISTRY

  February 12: Liar or Lord? Exodus 28:1–29:46; John 5:16–30 ; Song of Solomon 4:1–3 When Jesus made a defense of His healing on the Sabbath, He was upping the ante instead of defusing the situation: “My Father is working until now, and I am working” (John 5:17). For the Jews, such a claim was blasphemous. Not only was Jesus breaking the Sabbath, but He was also equating Himself with the Father and thus claiming to be God. He was presenting the people with a choice. Jesus provides compelling insight into His relationship with God. Jesus’ authority stems from His relationship with the Father, one of complete submission. In fact, He can do nothing on His own. Whatever the Father does, He does likewise. There is complete trust and openness—the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He is doing. Both the Father and the Son give life. But with authority, the Father has also given the Son judgment. Jesus presents His audience with an ultimatum as He carries out God’s will on earth: “...

  February 11: God’s Will: It’s Confusing Exodus 26–27; John 5:1–15; Song of Solomon 3:6–11 It’s sometimes difficult to understand why God does what He does or why He asks us to do certain things. God goes so far as to list precise materials and calculations in Exod 26 for the tabernacle—the portable temple the Hebrew people built for God in the wilderness. Nadab says, “Aaron, is it okay if I use leather for this curtain?” You can imagine the conversation: Aaron responds, “No, you know the rules. If God commands it, you have to do it. I don’t want another golden calf incident. I made that mistake once; I won’t make it twice.” “But there is more leather,” says Nadab. “I’m not having this discussion any longer,” Aaron says sternly. (“For an elder, you think he would know better,” Aaron says under his breath.) “Let’s just get the job done.” In this fictional scene, Aaron is rightfully frustrated because God does know better. Before we ask God, most of us know the answer, “Why?...

  February 10: Longing for the Ideal Exodus 24:1–25:40; John 4:43–54; Song of Solomon 3:3–5 Pastors avoid or over-interpret it. We’re often confused by it. But the Song of Solomon is in our Bible. Although we might stumble over the imagery (comparing a woman to a mare would hardly go down well in the modern world), we can’t help but be entranced by the idealism and the tender, rather racy relationship of the joyful couple. “ ‘Have you seen the one whom my heart loves?’ … I found him whom my heart loves. I held him, and I would not let him go” (Song 3:3–4). The lovers physically delight in each other and woo each other with loving words. Their relationship appeals to new and ideal—a picture of what God created marriage to be. We might brush off this poem like other romantic poetry and literature—outstanding but hardly plausible in our world, which would take pleasure over love. We further deconstruct the purity of the Song of Solomon based on the reality we experience (or a...

  February 8: It’s Standing Between You and God Exodus 19–20 ; John 4:1–26; Song of Solomon 2:14–17 There is nothing more frustrating than being ordered around. Few people take to a drill sergeant. Although we like to cite the Ten Commandments (Exod 20) because they’re the norm, the rebellious part of our spirits has trouble with them. If we’re honest with ourselves and take them the way Jesus did (Matt 5–7), we’re confronted with the fact that we’ve all violated them at some point or another. (I don’t know anyone who has always honored their father and mother.) If everyone lived by the Ten Commandments, the world would be peaceful. But again, we’re rebellious. The Ten Commandments reveal something about us: we’re weaker than we would like to believe. They also say something about our place before God: it’s not good—not without Jesus’ saving act that redeems us from our sins. In John 4:1–26, we see Jesus confront a woman at a well who, like us, is a commandment-breaker. Jesus t...

  February 7: Bread from Heaven and Water from a Rock Exodus 16–18; John 3:22–36; Song of Solomon 2:8–13 I said that I believed God would provide for me for many years, but I’m not sure I actually did. Somewhere inside, I was still convinced that I was on my own. It wasn’t until recently that I felt convicted about this, and God began working with me to make the necessary changes. As I was dealing with this, I started contemplating what trust issues might’ve looked like for the ancients. Noah must have seemed the craziest to his friends of nearly all biblical characters. But I think Moses faced some of the most significant interpersonal struggles involving trust. Over and over again, the people Moses is leading blame him for all their problems. And they rarely give him credit for his good attributes. God is faithful, though. Moses sees bread come from heaven (Exod 16) and water from a rock (Exod 17:1–7). And this really puts it in perspective: if God is capable of this kind of ...

  January 5: Decisions Are Vexing, but There’s an Answer Genesis 8–9; Matthew 7:12–8:34 ; Ecclesiastes 2:12–17 Finding the right path to take in life is an ongoing challenge. It’s easy to flail in the realm of possibility rather than face the realities in front of us. Waiting upon the Lord is no easy virtue. Jesus tells us, “Enter through the narrow gate because broad is the gate and spacious is the road that leads to destruction … narrow is the gate and constricted is the road that leads to life” ( Matt 7:13–14 ). Although these lines are a proclamation of how we enter God’s kingdom—how we choose salvation back—they’re also a proclamation of how we continue to live for God’s kingdom. Whatever decision we face, and whatever odds against us, there is only one solution: following God’s narrow path. He has a providential way, a primary way for us, and we are asked to follow it. When we do, we’re gifted with the understanding that God is using us in the way He saw most fitting t...

  January 1: Beginnings Genesis 1–2 ; Matthew 1–2; Ecclesiastes 1:1–5 In the beginning, God subdues the most significant symbol of chaos in the ancient world: the waters. He also created light—something that the ancients thought ruled everything. Even darkness, which they deeply feared, is now led by Him. The ancients were in the middle, asking, “God, where are you in the midst of this chaotic world?” He answers them with a story about beginnings. In this story, we find that God establishes the order in a chaotic world. He rules other gods. He leads the light. He oversees the night. It’s as if God said, “Why are you afraid? I’m here. I’m working it out.” Matthew 1–2 gives us another beginning—a child born in humble circumstances. But it’s through this child, Jesus, that the world itself was first created. And that’s not all: in Him and through Him, everything is brought together. Chaos is made orderly: “Because all things in the heavens and on earth were created by him himse...

  January 2: Scripture for War or Peace? Genesis 3–4; Matthew 3–4 ; Ecclesiastes 1:6–11 Like many people, I use Scripture to defend my views. But so does Satan. In Matthew 4, the devil says: "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you'" ( Matt 4:6 , citing Psa 91:11–12 ). In turn, Jesus responds with Scripture, "Again, it is written, 'You are not to put the Lord your God to the test'" ( Matt 4:7 , citing Deut 6:16 , coupled with Isa 7:12 ). While the devil used Scripture for his own purposes, Jesus used them for God's. This teaches us that Scripture alone isn't enough: it must be contextualized and balanced with other Scripture. This story raises the question, "Will we use Scripture to defend our own positions, or use it to defend God's?" It's easy to quote Scripture only to defend our personal theological position. Sometimes we are too focused on bei...

  Morning, January 1 Go To Evening Reading “They did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.” — Joshua 5:12 Israel’s weary wanderings were all over, and the promised rest was attained. No more moving tents, fiery serpents, fierce Amalekites, and howling wildernesses: they came to the land which flowed with milk and honey and ate the old corn of the land. Perhaps this year, beloved Christian reader, this may be thy case or mine. Joyful is the prospect, and if faith is in active exercise, it will yield unalloyed delight. To be with Jesus in the rest which remaineth for the people of God is a cheering hope indeed, and to expect this glory so soon is a double bliss. Unbelief shudders at the Jordan, which still rolls between us and the goodly land, but let us rest assured that we have already experienced more ills than death at its worst can cause us. Let us banish every fearful thought and rejoice with exceeding great joy, in the prospect that this year we shall begin ...

  December 31: From Beginning to End Lamentations 4:1–5:22 ; Romans 16:1–27 ; Proverbs 31:10–31 Endings are always difficult. But when they’re new beginnings, they’re revitalizing. At the end of Paul’s letter to the Romans, we see Paul the apostle and Paul the empathetic and concerned pastor. Paul knows that if dissension or temptation rules over the Roman Church, they will fail in their ministry, so he warns them ( Rom 16:17–19 ) and offers them a word of hope: “And in a short time the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” ( Rom 16:20 ). Here, Paul is echoing God’s words to Adam, Eve, and the serpent after the fall, when, instead of carrying out God’s request to bring order to creation (as He had done in the beginning), humanity turned from Him, defacing His image ( Gen 1:1–2, 27–28; 3:14–20 ). But while Gen 3:15 merely depicts Satan biting the heel of humanity and being struck on the head in return ( Gen 3:15 ), Paul ...

  December 29: The Grace of God Shines Through Lamentations 1:1–2:22 ; Romans 15:8–21; Proverbs 30:1–33 I was once asked why the Bible is so brutal—why it depicts things like babies being killed and war. It’s true; the Bible has many moments of darkness and violence. But these depictions of the rawness of humanity—in all its ungratefulness and depravity—demonstrate how much people need God. And more than that, through these moments, the Bible shows how much people need a savior. The book of Lamentations is brimming with sorrow and gnashing of teeth. Little hope can be found in this book. The prophet weeps and moans over his fallen nation, over watching Jerusalem crumble. In this poetic work, we see people who don’t follow the God who loves them dearly and so badly yearns to see them return to Him. “How desolate the city sits that was full of people! She has become like a widow, once great among the nations! Like a woman of nobility in the provinces, she has become a forced labo...

  December 13: Sage Advice Jeremiah 25:1–26:24; Romans 4:1–24; Proverbs 19:1–29 Proverbs is full of sage advice, and some examples deserve special attention. No words could better describe the concept expressed here: “Better a poor person walking in integrity than one who is perverse in his speech and is a fool” (Prov 19:1). When times get tough—especially when the money runs out—integrity is often the first thing we sacrifice. Yet only those who have truly lived in poverty understand the trials it brings. We can’t begin to know how to act if we have nothing. For this reason, we should mentally prepare for times of want. In doing so, we might better gauge whether we’re conducting ourselves appropriately in times of plenty. I heard of a man who chose to live as a homeless person so that he could understand their plight. It’s easy for the rich person to call such an act foolish, but how much did that man learn as he was challenged to maintain his integrity during challenging tim...