Day 122: The Conflict with Conflict

Reading: Psalm 55:1-11

Confrontation can be a tricky, scary thing for some people. If anyone is like me, you run the opposite direction of it as quickly as you can. But God never intended us to run from conflict, but to handle it properly and according to His Word. In this Psalm we read how David handles conflict in the city and around him - prayerfully. We can relate to David even in today's world. There are ridiculous acts of crime and terrorism all around us. There are bombings, shootings, child molestations, kidnappings...all things full of strife and darkness. David recognizes this in his own time, and he prays for those things. They may be too big for us to handle alone, but we know that with God all things are possible. He can change a heart in the midst of conflict, and before we even think about engaging in conflict with others, we should always get God involved in prayer. Pray for the conflict around you and the conflict that directly involves you. Don't ever rush into it with haste.


Reading: John 3:1-21

Jesus gives us an example of how to handle conflict. He handles it with love. Nicodemus, a pharisee who asks Jesus about evidence of God sending Him to them, continues to challenge Jesus and His teaching. Jesus gently explains to Nicodemus the process of being born again so that one can enter the Kingdom of God. The entire bases of the gospels is love (agape). Jesus displays it well.
Approaching conflict with hate is doing nothing but feeding the fire of the argument. But approaching conflict with love is feeding the relationship. Even if you never see eye to eye on the subject, there was still a respectable way of handling the conflict at hand.
Coming at darkness with darkness doesn't create nothing more than darkness. The same goes with hate and evil. Both just make it worse. However, coming at darkness with light helps deplete the darkness. Coming at hate with love will feed the relationship, even if hate still holds on, the example was still planted. The same with good and evil.
Take Jesus' example through out His ministry and live an example of love. Just because you love someone doesn't mean you have to agree with them, but you don't feed the hate. Jesus was light that came into darkness. Be a light to someone today.


Reading: Joshua 21:20-22:34

Here we read about an example of why we should always approach conflict wisely and never in haste. Though the 2 and a half tribes that built up an alter looked bad and like it was going against the Lord's will, their motives were just the opposite of what the other tribes thought.
The others even prepared to go to war with these tribes, but wisely, decided to confront them and get answers for their alter building. Because they did this, they saved themselves from a great mistake, learning that the alter was to ensure their children always kept their faith.
We can learn a great deal from this. Instead of going behind backs and talking about conflict, we can just approach it wisely before jumping to conclusions. This can be an issue in the church especially and it is exactly what Satan uses to divide a church and cause havoc among the body. Always get the straight answer before telling your neighbor about your own conclusions. If you don't, you could start quite a war for no reason, and this doesn't only make you look bad, but the entire body of Christ.


Conflict can be such a puzzling and tricky thing to approach. But God lays out instructions and even examples of how to approach it wisely. Never jump to conclusions about your neighbor, as this could lead to division in the church for no reason at all, but talk it out with love. Follow Jesus' example when He had to confront the Pharisees. There is a biblical way to handle conflict and it is a biblical thing. Conflict is only bad when it is handled the wrong way. Educate yourself on God's way of handling it.



(Photo Credit: http://urshat.wordpress.com/tag/c-type-conflict/)

Day 121: When Surprised by God

Reading: Psalm 54:1-7

It's quite amazing how quickly attacks can come out of nowhere from people we don't even know. David knew this all too well, as we read about his experience in this Psalm. Though David ran from all sorts of opposition and was attacked from all directions, he did turn to the Lord to deliver and help him face his pursuers. As we see how David reacted to these hardships, we too, can turn to God for help. We can turn to Him whenever any surprise attack hits us. Whether it's people we know (or don't know), medical issues popping up, car repairs at the most inconvenient times, troubles at work you never saw coming, whatever it is, take it to the Lord to help you and give you the strength and words to make it through. He's delivered you before, whether you realize it or not, and He surely can do it again. Give those surprises to Him.


Reading: John 2:1-25

Jesus had many surprising traits, as we read about in this section. He displayed this to many around Him right off the bat in His ministry.
His ability to enrich you. We see a surprising enrichment at the wedding Jesus and His disciples attended. Though the party had run out of wine, Jesus performs one of His very first miracles and turns bath water into the best wine. He didn't judge the people drinking the wine in the process. But by simply knowing there was a need, Jesus was able to fulfill that need and enrich those around Him.
In our own lives, when we bring our needs and worries to Jesus, He can enrich us by turning the bland, boring, dirty parts of our lives into refreshing, goodness. It is ironic this enriching miracle took place at a wedding, as that is also proof that Jesus can enrich a dull marriage in need of refreshing. What in your life needs to be enriched? Have you brought it to Jesus?

We also see how surprisingly passionate Jesus is in this reading. His outburst in the temple towards the people selling shows how passionate He is about His Father's house and purpose. He turned over the tables and chased them out with a whip. Money should never be the bottom line of the church. Though we are to be given the opportunity to give our tithes and offerings, sales and one's own gain on church grounds is definitely against Jesus' view of the church. We can see just how intolerant He is of it. When the focus is on money, there needs to be urgent and blatant reevaluation.

Jesus show just how important He is. Jesus tells the people in the temple that it will be rebuilt in three days after it is destroyed. Though this confuses and even insults people at the time, we know that Jesus is the new true Temple, as His body is the temple. God's dwelling place is symbolized by the temple. Many viewed Jesus as a great Teacher, but His significance was far greater, as He was the way to God.

We also see that Jesus was surprisingly realistic. Jesus is the only perfect man to walk the earth. He didn't easily trust everyone around Him, as He knew the faults of humankind. This can be a lesson to those of us who are always looking to have perfect human beings in our lives. I can't believe how many women put their lives on hold because they are waiting on that perfect man. (Sadly ladies, there are none.) But keep in mind that you are not perfect yourself. We waste energy and emotion, longing for the perfect spouse, perfect kids, perfect parents, perfect friends, and a perfect church, when in reality, that doesn't exist in this world. Jesus knew this too well. Though Jesus understood the balance between love, trust and openness and of the flawed human heart.


Reading: Joshua 19:1-21:19

There are many startling laws we read about in the Old Testament. Though they may be startling to us, back in the times of the Israelites forming new societies on the other side of the Jordan, these laws were perfectly normal and the way it was. One we read about today is the law that protects someone who was involved in accidental murder. It provides places those people can go, and they must be kept safe there until they are proven guilty. Now this law may be ok to us. Justice should be a big part of the Christian faith, and humane justice at that. Back in the times of the Israelites, however, this law could have been startling, especially coming from a God Who held such strong standards. But this goes to show that we have a God of justice, Who cares for us all individually, and wants the best from our lives.
God is on your side when you are following His will. He wants to protect and help you succeed in life. That is why He puts the rules in place, and our response to His love is to keep ourselves in check with those rules. It is how we can have the best life we can now.


God sure throws some surprising stuff our way at times. Life can also do this, as we face those surprises that aren't as fun. But we need to remember that we serve a God of wonderful, surprising attributes, Who cares deeply for us. We can take our worries and burdens to Him, and He will provide for us. He has our back when we follow His will. Go to Him, and let Him surprise you.



(Photo Credit: www.ligonier.org) 

Day 120: Taking Ownership

Reading: Proverbs 10:31-11:8

As Christians, we are given the gift of righteousness, however, just because we are given righteousness, we need to take ownership of it. We read a lot about the wicked vs. the righteous in Proverbs, and we can see the obvious one that God favors. When we are righteous and in a right relationship with both God and people, we get a package deal. With rigteousness comes:
Wisdom - As we read in Proverbs 10:31a, 32a, godly, righteous people speak words of wisdom and are helpful with their words.
Humility- In Proverbs 11:2, Pride is disgraceful, but humility brings wisdom. People full of humility put others and God before themselves.
Integrity - Proverbs 11:3a, 4b says that good people are guided by honesty and integrity, and that living by these things can save you from death.
Character - Proverbs 11:5a and 6a tells us that being a person of good character are guided and saved by their honest morals.

Have you taken ownership of the righteousness that is given to you? If not, how can you do that today?


Reading: John 1:29-51

Jesus offers all kinds of gifts to us. He has given us the promise that all things are possible through Him, and that we need not feel guilty or powerless with Him. Taking ownership of these facts can be tough, but are indeed facts that we need to take to heart.
When we see Jesus come around after John the Baptist points people towards him, we see a myriad of men approach Him, calling Him many excellent titles, from Messiah to Rabbi to the One whom Moses and the prophets wrote about. Many of Jesus' disciples go on to do great things in the history of the Christian church, as we see how much Simon Peter influenced its gain. Others simply pointed others to Him, bringing friends and family to Him to meet Him.
When we take ownership of what Jesus has brought to us, we too can do these great things. Some of us may do great things like Peter in shaping the history of the church, and others will also do great things in inviting a neighbor, friend, family member to Jesus.
We need to remember the promises Jesus gave to us and the gifts He gives to us to do just these things. Have you been able to take ownership of His promises and His power? Do so today, so that you may go and do amazing things for His name!


Reading: Joshua 17:1-18:28

Here we read of a tangible example of taking ownership or possession of something God has given us. Joshua asks the people why they are standing around and not taking possession of the land God has given them. Many times, we are like these people, too fearful to take ownership of our gifts. To make this more applicable to us, consider an area of your personal life that you haven't claimed victory in yet. Maybe it's your job, your career plans, your love life, etc. What is that one thing in your life that isn't quite given fully to God because of your fears? Are you too scared to give most of your life to Him because you're afraid the fun will end? God provides the most fulfilling life you'll ever get, and not giving those areas you cling to to Him, will result in you missing out. Just like the people not taking possession of the land that was given to them because the opposition was strong, we fail to take possession of God's power and the ability it has to work wonders in all areas of our lives.
What power are you putting higher than God's power? Do you have more faith that God can fulfill you more than you know how to fulfill yourself? Take possession of His power. Thrive on His power. Allow Him to take your life, and give you fulfillment in it.


Though as Christians we are given many, many gifts from God, we need to take ownership of them. Just because we now have the power of God on our side, we still need to take ownership of it. Giving God areas of our life to work His fulfillment in may be scary and maybe we just don't feel like giving Him power over our jobs, careers, love lives, futures dreams, because we are fearful in what He'll do with it. But He has proven Himself to be good, always. So why do you fear? Give Him the power over those things you cling to, and He'll fulfill your life better than you even know how. Take ownership of His power, His name, His love.


 (Photo Credit: http://www.allgeektips.com/2013/04/how-to-take-ownership-of-files-even-system-files/)

Day 118: Go Hard

Reading: Psalm 52:1-9

David was always thinking and visioning. He always strove to keep things improving and at peace. Even when David faced hardship and setbacks, he turned to God and trusted in Him. In the midst of chaos, David could keep putting forth the passion and vision of his heart, and put his full trust in God's mercy and love. We can take great example from David when it came to flourishing through the storms and chaos of life. Many times we just want to throw in the towel when hard stuff comes, but David took it and learned from it, then applied it. When we follow this example of David in the hard times, and be like the "flourishing olive tree in the house of God," we can be a blessing to those around us, as well as a strong asset to God. Take those hardships and grow from them. Apply those lessons to your life and continue to flourish in God's grace, not letting the opposition get you down.


Reading: Luke 24:36-53

We can be encouraged that Jesus is alive and with us today. Though many have their doubts, as the disciples in this reading do, Jesus proves Himself to them. He challenges them to carry on the Word and the good news of His grace. He blesses them and opens their eyes to the scriptures as He ascends into heaven, leaving the disciples and His followers to take the next step. Jesus has left us with a very important challenge and call. We are to take His message to all nations. Though this challenge seems like the end of the story, it is merely the end of part of the series. We are the next chapter, the plan A in a message with no plan B. Knowing that God is depending on us to carry out His message is huge, but we are never alone. He promises the Holy Spirit and to give us the words when we need them, as well as to never leave us.
We need to get out there and go hard for Him, expressing this great joy to everyone. The disciples were bursting with joy after Jesus ascended into heaven, and they worshiped Him. May we find the same awe and joy in Him today as those disciples felt then, as we feel empowered to go and proclaim His message everywhere to everyone.


Reading: Joshua 13:1-14:15

Though Joshua was near the end of his life, as God said he had lived a long and prosperous life, but there was still much land to be taken. One thing we learn by many great people in the Bible and throughout history is that the ones who go hard for Christ are the ones who will always have an unfinished agenda. If you think about it, all Christians who strive to get the good news out and pass it from nation to nation will have unfinished agendas, but they will leave a legacy to keep it going after them. I think of this in the instance of our pastor who passed away last week. He had a sold out, passion for reaching the lost. He challenged his congregation to be the light and follow the light. And now that he has passed on, our congregation has taken these directions very seriously, as we revision and let go of the things that aren't helping our mission of reaching the lost. This take growing pains and there will always be unhappy people, wanting the old ways, but in the end the impact will be so great that it won't matter. Lost people will be reached in our community because of the legacy our leader left for us.
The same went for Moses as he passed his legacy on the Caleb and Joshua, and the same will go for them when they pass in our reading. But great leaders will never finish their agendas, however, they will pass it down and keep the ball rolling. Go hard to be the example to keep that ball rolling.


How do you go hard for God? In the midst of struggles and opposition, do you continue to be a flourishing, fruitful vessel for Him? When you feel like all hope is lost and that you just can't carry on, remember what Jesus did, and the challenge He laid out for us as He went up into heaven. And though Joshua was at the end of his life, he left the legacy of continuing to take the land. Good leader and people that go hard will be a strong influence to keep the ball rolling for God. Go hard and leave that legacy!


(Photo/Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5IPf6d_02g)

Day 117: Hope in Victory

Reading: Psalm 51:10-19

This honest and heartfelt prayer from David can relate to all of us. We can follow this example daily and pray these words in the midst of our sin. David not only has cried out for forgiveness, but he has now cried out to defeat his sin. When we mess up, we tend to feel far from God and His ways. We see David is longing to hold on to that here. God is never far from us, nor do we lose our salvation because of our sins, but we can distance ourselves from God, and we can lose the joy of our salvation. David cries out to cling to those things, and when we make this our prayer daily, we can experience the joy of salvation and the presence of the Holy Spirit each day, not because they are far from us, but because we are more open to them. Make this adding your prayer today and experience the joy and presence of God in the midst of dark times.

Reading: Luke 24:1-35

You can imagine the defeat the disciples and followers of Jesus felt after His death. They were without a leader and seemingly without hope. But in this reading, we see a huge turn of events. When the women approach the tomb to anoint Jesus' body with the spices they had prepared, they discover His body is gone. An angel is there, and tells them not to seek the living among the dead. As the women recall what Jesus told everyone about rising from the dead, they see that the prophesy has come true.
The disciples probably felt as if their dreams had died when Jesus died. They were probably crushed and didn't know what the next step was. I can't help but reflect on this past week for me and my church family, as we have lost a great leader of our church to pancreatic cancer. Not to compare him to Jesus (as he would not like this at all), but many of us have felt unsure of the future and the direction to go in next. But when the disciples see Jesus living, an even break bread with Him, they see that God indeed takes brokenness and hopelessness and turns it into the ultimate dream. As a church family, we can fall apart and go our own ways, or we can stand together and keep the dream alive and continue on the path God has laid out for us.
Though we face times that feel like our dreams and hopes have died, we can see just how powerful God is and that in Him all things are possible. When hard times come in the church, we must stand united, as we see how communion unifies the church. I believe Jesus had a great purpose in breaking bread with the disciples after this dark time in their lives, but shown that hope is greatly restored. When we break bread, we remember the hope we have in God.
Take heart when your dreams die. Jesus has made the ultimate victory for us and we can find hope in Him no matter what defeat we may feel. Cling to Him and His victory.


Reading: Joshua 11:1-12:24

It is clearly evident that God wanted these people to have this land. The whole, crazy journey and battles fought prove just how much He wanted them to have it. We read of another string of battles that Joshua fights and wins to take control over the land, just as God told Moses to do. This entire story can sure give us hope that if God wants us to do something, or to have something, He'll give us the victories to get there.
When we put this reading together with the Luke reading, we can clearly see that anything is possible through Christ, and if it is His will, then His will will surely be done. When we are on track for Him, we have nothing to fear because we are the tool of His grand plan. We are simply following His direction and guidance, and He'll take care of the rest. Don't sweat His will.


We can take heart in the midst of broken dreams and lost hope. As we read about the ultimate victory we have in Jesus as He rose from the dead, we can press on with the dreams He lays out for us, and they turn out much better than our own plans. When we sin, we can turn to Him to regain victory, as David cries out in Psalms. We can take confidence from Joshua's many victories over the kings of the land God intended for the Israelites. We shall not fear when we are walking on His side. 


(Photo Credit: http://thereforenow.com/2013/06/faith-is-the-overcoming-victory-1-john-54-5/)

Day 116: Foundation of Faith

Reading: Proverbs 10:21-30

In Proverbs, we've seen comparisons of people who live right and who live wrong. Here we see the fools vs. the wise, and the righteous vs. the wicked. As we read through the 9 verses of this reading alone, we can see the benefits and warnings of living in either camp. There are promises for the both too. God promises that the words of the wise will encourage others, but fools will be destroyed by their lack of common sense. How sadly true this is when we see certain situations today.
We also read that doing wrong is only fun for a fool, but living wisely is fun for the smart. How do you measure up to this statement?
Another very truthful verse in this reading is looking at the foundations of the fool and the wise. Only a righteous person will have a firm foundation in the Lord when the storms of life try to overtake them, but the wicked will be easily swept away.
Heed these many truths and analyze which side of the proverb you land on. Then play it out in your own life. Do you find yourself a food and doing wrong things all the time, or a wise person who does what is right?


Reading: Luke 23:26-56

We see the ultimate righteousness play out in the reading of Jesus' death and sacrifice. No matter how scorned and mocked Jesus was, He had to continue on with this burden in order to save us. Though the soldiers mocked Him and told them to save Himself, He couldn't listen to them, because He was in fact dying for them and us, and all of humanity. We see the dialogue play out between Jesus and the thieves on the crosses on either side of Him. One thief mocked Him, as the soldiers were, but the other realized this righteousness that was playing out and showed his faith in Jesus. Because of that, Jesus told him that he would be in paradise with Him that evening.
We also see an act of faith with the women follow Jesus after He is taken from the cross after His death and go to prepare spices and ointments to anoint His body with. I couldn't imagine the thoughts that were cast towards them in that setting. I'm sure it was like when Peter felt he had to deny Jesus because of all the judgment going on around him, but these ladies stuck close to Jesus.
The question is where will you be when the judgement takes place because of Jesus? Will you be mocking Him as the soldiers did? Maybe you'll be in awe of His righteousness and come to a huge realization as the thief on the cross did. Or perhaps you're a loyal follower who will stick with Him through the thick and thin as the women did.


Reading: Joshua 9:16-10:43

Joshua saw a lot of huge success in his days because of the solid faith he stood on. His faith came because of his strong relationship and council in the Lord, not because of what he did for the Lord. Joshua probably faced fears many times throughout his journey and in leading the people, but he always was reassured by God and he always reassured his people to "be strong and courageous". This took great faith, and it takes great faith when we face unsure times in our lives. Because of the trust and reliance Joshua had in the Lord, his faith was great. God used him for many great things, like taking over kingdoms and towns, not so he could get faith, but because of his great faith. Faith is not generated by the things we do, but because of it, we can do great things. Standing solid in Christ can give you great faith and remembering that He is with you creates even greater faith, but never work to gain faith through your actions.


Where do you stand? Is the ground you stand on full of wisdom and righteousness, or foolishness and wickedness? Do you rely on Christ and have great faith in Him, or do you go it alone? Will your foundation crumble when you face the storms of life, or do you have a solid ground in Christ to keep your head up? Are you a faithful follower, or a crowd-pleasing mocker? A solid ground is important in life. Consider what makes up your foundation, and if it will crumble when a few raindrops hit it.


(Photo Credit: http://christian-lifeme.blogspot.com/2010/04/foundation-for-faith-gods-word.html)

Day 115: The Switch

Reading: Psalm 51: 1-9

As we read about the process David goes through after his affair with Bathsheba in this Psalm, I'm sure many of us can relate when we look at the sin in our own lives. We can learn a few things from David's response, however.
First off, David runs to the right place after he sins. He runs right to God and lays out his heart. Many times, people will turn to more sin, or drugs, or any other coping strategy that suites them. But when we run to God, we are promised He will be there, with unfailing love and open-arms, waiting to help us make it better and to grow from it.
Secondly, David confesses his sin. He puts it all out there for God to hear. And though we know that God knows all about our lives, there is a huge portion of the healing process that occurs in the confession part of our sin. When we can embrace it, we can learn to let it go. When we try to hide or cover up our sin, we will find ourselves with a hanging guilt and run other places to feel better. Put it all out there for God, even though He already knows.
David also cries out for mercy and to be cleansed. We need to do the same in the midst of sin. When we realize the power of God's mercy and the healing He can give, we will find ourselves starting to come back to normal life before our sin. God will wipe out the sin we confess and repent from. He will turn away from it, and wipe the slate clean when we bring it to Him.
We see a result of our confession when we experience the joy God places back in our lives. He wants to restore us, but we need to be willing. When we have the ability to bring our sins to Him, He will forgive. We then can experience a full love and joy after sin.


Reading: Luke 22:63-23:25

We can see clearly how Jesus took our place in this reading. A tangible example is when He changes places with Barabbas. Even though Jesus was a perfect man, living a life of absolutely no sin or lack of faith, He is the One Who took our place with scorning and insults, then to be led on to an excruciating death in order for us to be saved from the sins we have. We've read this story twice before in our reading plan, but each time we need to realize just how great this love was that was poured out for us, so that we may have the opportunity to have life. The punishment we should have taken was taken by Jesus, Who was guilty of nothing. But without His sacrifice, we could not come to God and break away from the rituals and traditions of the Old Testament culture. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, cleansing us of our wrongs.
Take time to thank Him today for His amazing love and gift.


Reading: Joshua 8:1-9:15

There is an example in this reading that shows us how God takes our sins and failures and turns them into good. We read how the Israelites finally take over the land of Ai, a feat they could not accomplish in the past. God however, takes this past failure and turns it into a victory, giving over the land to the Israelites. How many times do we get to see God do this in our lives? Maybe you used to party and get drunk, but now that you've seen this fault in your life and have moved on from it, you are able to talk to kids who want to fall into the same mistakes. It doesn't matter what it is, but it matters that God can turn it into a victory. God can swap out our sins and turn them into a blessing for us and others. Just giving Him that power can turn lives around. As we read about how the Israelites took over Ai, we can see the concrete example of how God works past our failures and fears. Just allow Him to take those and turn them into something great.


God is able to swap out the messes in our lives for blessing. When we fail miserably, we can just run to Him and confess, then He will restore us and cleanse us. We see how He did that with His Son on the cross. Jesus swapped with us so that we may have the opportunity to choose life. God can swap our fears and past failures into future victories, used to spread His work.


(Photo Credit: http://www.southernsoftware.com/blog/2011/07/21/our-faith-2/)