God doesn’t like it when we take a “Maybe God will change His mind about it” approach.  Ranks right up there with the “A little bit won’t be a problem”
nibbling at the boundaries of sin. 
God isn’t lukewarm about important matters and if He says it, He means it. 

A guy named Balaam learned it the hard way.  He was internationally renowned as a “diviner,” a spiritual guru whose prophetic services were sought when someone wanted to hear from a god and didn’t really care which god was speaking to him.  Yeah, we’re in the Old Testament today but don’t let that scare you.

Our God wanted to make it plain He had chosen to bless Israel.  The king of Moab, named Balak (not a God-fan) wanted Balaam to curse Israel out of fear.  What happens in Numbers 22-24 results in Balaam being the poster-boy for being a moral, ethical, and religious reprobate.

Balaam starts off okay (even though he doesn’t believe God is God, but only A god). 

Numbers 22:12 “But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.”   13 The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s officials, “Go back to your own country, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you.”

But then he begins to waver when outnumbered and outranked…and “incentivized”. 

“14 So the Moabite officials returned to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.” 15 Then Balak sent other officials, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. 16 They came to Balaam and said: “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, 17 because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me.” 18 But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the LORD my God. 19 Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the LORD will tell me.”

What??? Read that last line again.  What else?  Seriously, like God wasn’t clear enough?  Balaam knew he wasn’t supposed to go curse those whom God had blessed.   And he’s supposed to be a seer, a diviner, someone who can see spiritual things, but is blind as a bat.  God then permits him to go to prove the point…that even a donkey (whose liver would be read by such a diviner) is more of a seer of spiritual things.  Read Numbers 22:20-34 for the bizarre story of a talking donkey saving the life of this diviner by turning aside.

31 Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown. 32 The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.  33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.”  34 Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”  (Numbers 22:12-34)

The path of ignoring and rebelling against God is a reckless one whether you’re an internationally renowned diviner, a Congressman, a Hollywood celebrity, the CEO of Twitter, or anyone with a pulse.  Sometimes we are on a reckless path, displeasing God, hellbent on evildoing, but God, who is both merciful and just, may choose to stand in our way of self-destruction.

Let’s pray.  Lord Jesus sometimes it seems like the last ones to catch on are the ones who are the most blatantly reckless.  Those in their vicinity can point out that they are rebelling, but their eyes are so blind, their ears are so closed, that they will not accept any kind of insight that points to something other than what they want.   We praise You and thank You for the times You stand in the way of wickedness.  You stand in the way of reckless actions that would be self-destructive whether we see it or not.  You stand in the way of faithlessness which You do for our benefit.  Thank You for this weird story in the Bible to remind us that You do not change Your mind on critical matters of righteous living.  You are indeed sovereign, indeed holy, and indeed the only true God. Amen.

===

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2022 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.

Odd, isn’t it, that God would be preparing and protecting all of His people by sending one of His own into years of slavery and imprisonment?  In the strange plan of God, what must have seemed like Joseph’s string of bad luck was in fact the very preparation necessary for Joseph’s use to Pharaoh and the protection of God’s people.  Were it not for imprisonment for 3 men (cupbearer, baker, and Joseph), the Pharaoh’s cupbearer would not have had a testimony that involved dream interpretation.

Genesis 41:15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”  16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile…”

and he goes on to explain the dual dreams.

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do…”

and outlines the famine to come following years of abundance.

32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon. 33 “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36 This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.” 37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. (Gen. 41:15-37)

Time passes and the famine descends, but Egypt has grain…because of a long-lost brother who had been sold into slavery.  The time of reckoning arrives.

Genesis 45:4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.”

The nuances of the journey from point A to point B often make no sense to us in the flow of time.  To the baker, the cupbearer, Joseph, the people of Egypt, and Joseph’s family it might have seemed like nothing but bad luck, total injustice and a world broken beyond repair.  But God…preserves in surprising ways.

Thank you, Father, that Your plans reign supreme.  Ways that make no sense to us, yet in Your will because of Your perfect wisdom, these ways lead perfectly beyond the mountains that obscure our view to the outcome needed.  Thank You that You give us neither what we want nor what we deserve.  Thank You for Your mercy giving us what we need, that by Your grace we are saved! Your surprising outcomes are better than anything we, ourselves, could imagine and for this we give You glory.  Amen.

===

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2022 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.

“But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ.” (Philippians. 2:25-30)

Oh, the mercy of God!  How grateful we ought to be for this.  Just when we think we can’t take any more disappointment, pain, or strife, God’s mercy opens the relief valve to spare us sorrow upon sorrow.  As we continue looking at But God… for Lent 2021, we can see that this relief involves a letting off of steam by the mercy of God before the heat of trials consumes us or blows us to smithereens. It is every bit the act of grace as it is forming our character through trials…and He does it all without breaking us beyond His ability to keep us together.

This isn’t a case of “God will never give you more than you can handle” which is unbiblical nonsense.  In fact, God will give you more than you can handle precisely so you’ll see you can’t handle things without Him. 

I’ve had a long season in my life like that.  Inexplicable but instructive.
And I’m not alone.
There are people in my circle of acquaintance who have had nothing but a decade-long series of trials and sorrows, illness and suffering, terrible losses.
I have marveled at the amplitude of the grace of God
to minister to the severity of their struggles. 
Illness, family trauma, nearly dead. 

To some in this world, it would seem as though they have a string of bad luck like none other.  But in reality, God has been strengthening their faith and giving them a testimony with the full power of God behind it.  If you feel so moved, please check out my friends Gerard and Jeannie Long’s ministry, “Awakening to God.” They also have a great app that I enjoy for daily Scripture encouragement on either iPhone or Android. Please let it encourage you through Lent 2021 and beyond.

Father, we lift our Christian brothers and sisters up to You, those who are struggling underneath the weight of so many sorrows.  Those who are despairing even of life. We ask Lord that out of the greatness of Your mercy, You would lift the oppression from them, You would mitigate the difficulties in their lives. We ask You to free them from struggles, and implore that You would offer healing where healing is needed, comfort where comfort would be like a drink of cool water, and that You would minister to them in the midst of their stresses.  We thank You that our troubles—while severe in our eyes here on earth—in view of eternity, they are light and momentary as Your Word proclaims.  We ask Lord that You would give us Your eyes to see divine perspective, to understand who You are and how our difficulties can point others to the need for a Savior in their lives too.  We thank You Lord that Your mercies are new every morning.  We need more of Jesus!  In His Name we pray. Amen.

===

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2022 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.

This year’s Lent Devotional Series “But God…” resumes tomorrow after today’s Sabbath rest to meditate and worship.

Today’s meditation focus:

God deserves worship because He is our powerful Creator.

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4:11)

“We were harassed at every turn– conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us.” (2 Corinthians 7:5-6 )

How anyone can read that Scripture and not see that the Bible is still relevant to our everyday is beyond me. Christians are—in fact—harassed at every turn.  It ranges from genuine persecution in some countries where faith in Jesus Christ is punishable by death …  to areas of the world in which Christians face imprisonment in reeducation camps …  to demands by authoritarian governments to compromise our beliefs …  all the way to the subtle–yet significant–situations of being deplatformed, shadow-banned, or sent to the back of Google’s search results, hidden so far down as to not be seen and therefore rendered unable to engage in commerce or simple evangelism. 

Being “too Christian” can get one fired from a job
or force one to be silent out of fear that will happen.

These things are evidence of conflicts from the outside and sad to say, it results in timid Christians, those burdened by understandable fears from within that undermine the Church overall.  We’ve become a Church that cowers in corners instead of standing boldly, proclaiming in public unashamed, offering our witness, a testimony to the difference our Risen Savior makes.  We’ve become a Church that compromises Biblical truth instead of standing firm on the Word of God. We do it because we don’t want the fierce blowback for being too Christian, too fundamentalist, too orthodox, too catholic, and too narrow.

All this harassment for what? 
For proclaiming good news? 
Stop and think about that.
It’s time for the Church to see that God still comforts the beleaguered!

Why does the world fear professing Christians so much? Why are we such a threat when all we’re doing is proclaiming a Savior for a problem we cannot address ourselves. Were it not for God…as we’re examining in the 2021 Lent devotions…the entire world would be without hope.

Take stock, my friends, of the world’s great animosity and hatred
shown toward those who stand to cause the least real harm. And ask yourself why.

We thank You Lord that You comfort those who are downcast and Your comfort is there when we most need it. We praise You for Your great mercy and kindness, Your love and forgiveness, and thank You for setting an example for us, Lord Jesus.  We see in Your life how to persevere all the way to a glorious finish and in You and by Your Spirit may we each be strengthened in the knowledge of You.  We are grateful You have walked this path ahead of us and You are even now beside us as we walk it too.  Thank You Lord Jesus. Amen.

===

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2022 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.

God has an enemies list of people who set themselves against God—mock Him, ridicule Him, diminish Him, and brazenly flaunt sin in His face.  (Of course no one wants to think that God would have such a running account, but maybe we’d be wise to consider God’s holiness a bit more seriously.) These enemies of God may think that just because they get away with it today, no one is watching or God doesn’t even exist. Some who do this will go from bad to worse as God gives them over.  God, however, is patient and desires they turn from their wicked ways (2 Peter 3:9). 

Sad to say, many will never turn back to God.  They love sinning way too much.
God gives them what they want which bears a striking resemblance to what they deserve.

But God refines us. And discipline isn’t the same as hardening or judgment.

As we continue exploring “But God…” during Lent 2021 and the ways God helps us live with His peace in the midst of a difficult world, it’s helpful to see that bad things happening are not always indicative of our being enemies or not right with God. Sometimes it’s because we are living right with Him. The entire book of Job is about this very idea.

God has a discipline list for those He loves and wishes to refine.  He tests us, not because He needs to know the results.  We do.  We need to know that we will stand firm in adversity and that by faith, we will be rescued as His cherished people.  Our faith is proven strong not by receiving everything we want, but by holding on even when circumstances are confusing or painful.  God doesn’t leave us hanging by our own strength during these tests.  But He hears us and proves Himself (and by His grace, us!) to be faithful. And we learn just how reliably we belong to Him. Blessed Assurance!

Psalm 66:1 For the director of music. A song. A psalm. Shout for joy to God, all the earth!  2 Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. 3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. 4 All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name.” 5 Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind! 6 He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot– come, let us rejoice in him. 7 He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations– let not the rebellious rise up against him. 8 Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; 9 he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. 10 For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. 11 You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. 12 You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. 13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you– 14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble. 15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you and an offering of rams; I will offer bulls and goats. 16 Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. 17 I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. 18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; 19 but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. 20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

Father God, thank You so much that You’ve given us such a precious message of the Gospel to share with those who don’t know You. May we always be prepared to tell what Jesus Christ has done for us and the hope we have. We thank You that You do not reject our prayers, You do not withhold Your love, but rather You bring us safely to a place of abundance. We endure discipline and times of testing knowing that You are faithful to bring us through to eternal life in You. We praise You, Lord Jesus, Amen .

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2021 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.

It’s easy to feel like a forgotten man or woman.  Sometimes life just isn’t fair at all.  Into such a time, God gives us this reassurance that no hope in Him can ever be extinguished.  God rules.  End of story. While some men of evil intent may have temporary triumphs—which serve to harden their arrogance—in their story’s end, all men will be judged mortal and God will be known by His justice.  As we continue our look in devotionals for Lent 2021, “But God…” will never forget the needy, the oppressed, and the afflicted.  Those who look to Him for their hope and their help will never be forgotten.

Psalm 9:7 The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. 8 He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity. 9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. 11 Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done. 12 For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted. 13 LORD, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death, 14 that I may declare your praises in the gates of Daughter Zion, and there rejoice in your salvation. 15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden. 16 The LORD is known by his acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. 17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the nations that forget God.

18 But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish. 19 Arise, LORD, do not let mortals triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence. 20 Strike them with terror, LORD; let the nations know they are only mortal. (Psalm 9:7-20)         

Lord Jesus when our hope starts to fail, when the circumstances of this life oppress us and discourage us, remind us, Lord, that even though we are like flowers of the field… here today and gone tomorrow … You have no beginning and no end. We praise You and thank You that our hope founded in You is certain. It can never be extinguished.  We thank You that by Your grace, Your great mercy, and the forgiveness You purchased for us, we can enter into eternal life.  Help us to hold onto our courage, help us to remain hopeful, and help us to faithfully keep our eyes fixed on You, the Eternal God and Judge of nations. Amen.

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2022 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.

Today is Ash Wednesday and our devotional series “But God…” begins.  It’s also a reminder that God is not sleeping or ignorant of our pitiful state.  He is both angered at sin and compassionate towards those who are faithful to repent, suffering under the yoke of sin (whether their own bondage/ addiction patterns or the sins of others). 

In the City of Man, evil and sin have become mundane–background noise, a new normal, a baseline that humanity is perpetually redefining as okay.  In the words of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, we have been “defining deviancy down”.

God reaches a point where He says, “Enough!”  And yet even in His righteous judgment, He puts a limit on His punishment, reins on His wrath, and He shields humanity from the full force of the tsunami of the wages of sin: death.

Not so in one instance the Bible gives us as a learning lesson about the horror of sin and the incredible value of a remnant.  Were it not for a “But God…” we would not be here today.

Genesis 7: 17 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18 The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits. 21 Every living thing that moved on land perished– birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. 24 The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.

Genesis 8:1 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. 2 Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. 3 The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, 4 and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible. 6 After forty days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark 7 and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. 9 But the dove could find nowhere to perch because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark. 10 He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. 11 When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth. (Genesis 7:17-8:11)

But God remembered…

Let’s pray,
Forgive us, Lord, for not considering sin as seriously as You do.  Forgive us for the times we trust in man and live by the dictates of the City of Man instead of the higher standard of the ways of God.  Thank You for not giving us what we deserve.  Thank You, that but for Your creating a remnant for Yourself, remembering Noah and all with him in the ark, none of mankind would be here to be saved.  Thank You for the great love shown to us in Christ and pattern this provides for salvation by His blood. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2022 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2021. This year’s devotional series focuses on how to live between two worlds while holding onto your faith.

What are these two worlds?
City of Man which exists as a world of troubles, injustice, and strife. 
City of God in which every tear will be wiped away,
everything will be made right, and all troubles will end. 

What’s a Christian to do right now
to live in the City of Man as a resident of the City of God? 
Endure.  That’s about all we can do. 
Persevere.  That’s what the Bible instructs us to do. 
Remain faithful.  That’s what it takes. 

Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace:  But God.

Gracious living in a broken world requires wisdom.
Come pray with me as we seek God’s wisdom in this matter.

Listen and let this worship song written by Paul Baloche about God’s grace minister to your spirit

But for Your grace I could not be saved
But for Your grace I would go my way
I’m forever grateful
That You have been faithful to me, Lord
For Your amazing grace
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I’m found
Was blind but now I see

But for Your grace I could not be saved
But for Your grace I would go my way
I’m forever grateful
That You have been faithful to me, Lord
For Your amazing grace
For Your amazing grace
For Your amazing grace

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2021 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.

If, as I asserted previously, there is discernment of hills to die on and ones to die to, I’d like to offer this pattern which mirrors the thoughts of Gavin Ortlund in his book “Finding the Right Hills to Die On” about issues that chronically divide the Church.   Summarized by Challies : In theological triage, Ortlund identifies four ranks of doctrines:

• “First-rank doctrines are those that are essential to the gospel itself.
• Second-rank doctrines are urgent for the health and practice of the church to such a degree that they tend to be the cause of separation at the level of local church, denomination, and/or ministry.
• Third-rank doctrines are important to Christian theology, but not important enough to be the basis for separation.
• Fourth-rank doctrines are unimportant to our gospel witness and ministry collaboration.”

I would like to suggest Ortlund’s ideas can be applied to the intersection of faith and politics as well. This is incredibly important for any Christian trying to live his or her faith in the public square, being in the world but not of it. Or as Scripture says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is– His good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2).

It’s important because we’re not supposed to be keeping the aquarium clean but fishing for men.  That happens only when we engage with others who do not know Jesus…and that’s the public square.

Our faith should not be private since that’s not the Gospel way.

Our first priority should be what is essential… the character of God, the Gospel’s meaning, and the Great Commission of Jesus Christ (free proclamation as His command).  Without these the Gospel is meaningless and our faith is in vain.

Our second priority should be those items urgent to the Gospel meaning and proclamation as a human endeavor, our witness itself.

Our third priority are items of importance to Christians but aren’t necessary to fulfill the Great Commission.

And our fourth rank might be those things unimportant to Gospel witness and for earthly social benefit alone.

Pairing those ideas with what I wrote in 2013 about Understanding the Christian Right, Understanding the Christian Left, and Bad Company, I’d like to suggest that we read 1 Corinthians 15:1-19 in light of “First Things.”

1 Corinthians 15:1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.  2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them– yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. 12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.  18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Lord Jesus, thank You that our hope is not in vain.  We praise You for the Gospel of Your saving grace, the redemption of mankind by Your shed blood.  Keep our hearts focused on items of first importance, for Your glory’s sake.  Amen.