Tuesday, February 10
Psalm 78:1-39 They forgot his works…. (v.11a)
I grew up in an attractive, modern church building. The pastors taught the words of God’s Word faithfully each week. I never had doubts about what God had said. I sat in light, surrounded by walls made of undecorated, colored panes of glass.
Later in life, I attended a church built a few years before I was born. The teachers there were also faithful to the Bible. But in this church, I was surrounded by stained glass pictures of the life of Jesus and many saints who had followed him. These reminded us that God had done more than talk. He had fed crowds, healed them, led them through all kinds of obstacles. He made promises and kept commitments. There were real deeds, filling the daily lives of real people. And there were names and dates on small signs all around us. These were testimonies and reminders to those of us who only heard their stories long afterwards.
Their testimonies called to us. “Don’t forget. God did more than talk. We saw him in action.”
Genesis 26:1-6, 12-33; Hebrews 13:17-25; John 7:53—8:11
Wednesday, February 11
Romans 12:1-8 Think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (v.3)
Rebekah told her son, Jacob, “Listen only to me.” Blind Isaac still could notice that the young man speaking to him at that moment sounded like Jacob but felt hairy like Esau. The two things did not match.
Pharisees objected that Jesus had no one else but himself witnessing for his identity. They ignored the confirming evidence of what God in heaven was saying and doing for His son, and had already said about him in in the Scriptures.
Paul took instruction from Deuteronomy 19:15, that a single witness was not enough to confirm a claim. We draw on the sound reason of Scripture to guide our steps. Those words do not pass away. But reason and understanding alone are not enough for anyone. We must also draw on the distinct, separate indications of the trust God grows in us through our memory and experiences of His faithfulness.
Genesis 27:1-29; Psalm 119:97-120; John 8:12-20
Thursday, February 12
Psalm 147 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. (v.4)
There are actual events, and there are headlines where we find out about those events. The events do not get repeated. They don’t need to be. They have happened. That’s enough. The headlines get repeated and passed from one person to another. People say they “know what happened” from the headlines, the descriptions, even if they were not witnesses to the unrepeatable, original events.
Esau wept when Isaac said he’d already given his blessing to someone else. The event was done. He could not repeat it. But Esau’s tears of anguish were real, new facts of life, even though he was only hearing a headline of history from his dad.
God made every individual star. He gave them individual names so we could talk about them and sort them out from each other. Even when those names get changed, ignored, or forgotten, the actual, original stars exist to be seen by all.
Our individual lives before God are the same.
Genesis 27:30-45; Psalm 83, 146; Romans 12:9-21; John 8:21-32
Friday, February 13
Genesis 27:46—28:4, 10-22 “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” (v.16)
My life has looked different to me from the opposite ends of it. As a child, I stared at the very church platform from which I would later marry my wife, a girl I had only known for a couple of years by then. I wanted to work at jobs that would fire me, or that I would abandon. Those transitions opened opportunities for me to meet people who became significant new friends, mentors who wrote entirely unexpected chapters in my life.
Seeing all of this now, I appreciate God was truly in my life, shaping my days in ways I did not recognize in the midst of the long journey. I hear St. Paul’s admonition (“The hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.”) with greater sobriety now.
The Lord was always in all the places of my life, whether I knew it or not.
Psalm 88; Romans 13:1-14; John 8:33-47
Saturday, February 14
John 8:47-59 “You have not known him. I know him.” (v.55a)
Today, lots of people have shared Valentine cards. Those cards have been given to people in all kinds of situations. There are very few, if any, that have been sent to strangers unmet and not known by the senders.
Jesus drew a distinction between those who knew of God, who knew lots of stories and history about God, but did not have any personal relationship with God. They knew about God as a milestone, a marker on the road, but not as one who had any authority over their steps. They heard and knew words, but did not know the one who had spoken them. They were happy to get a Valentine card in the mail. But they didn’t concern themselves with who had signed it.
It matters who has sent you mail. That’s how you sort out and discard junk mail and spam. You don’t want to respond to all of it. Say thanks for the Valentine cards from people who know you.
They’re the ones who love you.
Genesis 29:1-20; Psalms 87, 90; Romans 14:1-23
Sunday, February 15
2 Corinthians 3:7-18 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. (v.16 NIV)
All through life we find ourselves in situations that are difficult to understand and tough to deal with. These can be times wrought with anxiety and frustration, worry and perplexity. These are the times when we are trying so hard to figure out what to do, relying on our own intellect and common sense, and perhaps even seeking guidance from others, asking for advice and the wisdom of the world, but not finding peace with any of the answers. Seeing our problems only on the earthly level is like looking through a veil: vision is limited, fuzzy, dim.
“But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” When we receive Christ into our hearts, he lifts the veil from our hearts and eyes and we are no longer slaves to our sins, limited in love and understanding. We can rejoice that we see clearly and deeply through Jesus’ eyes. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Praise God for giving us new life and clear vision!
Proverbs 26:1-23; Psalms 148, 149, 150; Luke 9:18-27
Monday, February 16
Philippians 2:1-13 He humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross. (v.8)
Humility sometimes seems to be a lost word in today’s culture. Rarely do journalists writing about famous people describe their subjects as “humble.” More often we read of their great financial “success,” their brilliant minds, their “luck” at having been in the right place at the right time, their competitiveness or perhaps their sheer determination to accomplish their goals. Smart, savvy, strong, tough— these are often the admired characteristics. But what about humility? Why do so many people equate humility with weakness?
Perhaps because they have never met our Lord, nor known anyone filled with his Holy Spirit. The ultimate act of humility and obedience was Jesus going to the cross for us, being willing to die so that others might live. This was not an indication of weakness, but rather of supreme courage, strength, and love. Humility through obedience to his Father in heaven resulted in the greatest gift anyone could ever be given: eternal life through faith in Jesus.
Father, take us deeper in our love and understanding of You, and appreciation of the most humble act of all time, Your Son’s incarnation, death, and resurrection. May this inspire humility in us.
Proverbs 27:1-6, 10-12; Psalm 25; John 18:15-18, 25-27
Tuesday, February 17
John 18:28-38 And to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. (v.28b)
It’s so easy to spot hypocrisy in other people, isn’t it? In this passage we have a group of Jews intent on getting Jesus, an innocent man, murdered. These treacherous men with wicked hearts are very careful, however, not to break any of the ceremonial laws that would prevent their participating in worship at the temple or celebrating a feast. So, they stayed outside the palace of the Roman governor, as entering the house of a Gentile would cause a Jewish person to be ceremonially defiled. What hypocrites! Plot a murder but keep your hands clean.
Someone once said that the reason we can so readily see another person’s sin is because we have committed that sin ourselves. I believe this is often quite true. When I read this passage from John’s Gospel, I thought instantly of the blatant hypocrisy of these men. And then the Lord showed me instances in my own life when I have been quite hypocritical. This is humbling. This points up my own sinfulness and my need to confess, repent, and receive forgiveness.
Lord, when we see the sinfulness of others, turn our eyes inward and our hearts to You.
Proverbs 30:1-4, 24-33; Psalms 26, 28; Philippians 3:1-11