SET ME ON FIRE
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16

I will be honest and share that I am not one to follow current events as well as I should. In fact, if it had not been for someone asking me my views on the uprisings in the Arab countries recently, I may not have known the full story. But as I began to read past online reports about the recent events, God began to show me something. Actually, God asked me a question, which I want to take the next five days to both explain and ask you. But let us start this week’s devotions in the country of Tunisia.
On December 17, 2010, Mohammad Bu Azizi, decided to make a point. Stories share that as he was unable to find a job and took to selling produce on the streets. Without any permit to do so, however, his scales were confiscated and produce thrown out by an agent, who then also slapped him in public. Disgraced and upset, Bu Azizi went to the local government building where he hoped to plead a case. Soon after, and ignored by the government, the young man poured gasoline on himself and set his body ablaze. It took this extreme act, though, for the government to listen. But it is in this extreme act that God began talking to me.
The question comes down to my fire. For years I have prayed that God would set me on fire and that I would be used to bring others to Him. And why not pray this? Growing up in Sunday school I would sing, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” Is this not what Jesus spoke of in Matthew 5:16? Jesus told you and me to let our light shine before men. I am not supposed to hide it under a bush, or let the devil blow it out as I have in the past, but rather let it shine. I am called by God to be the light of the world, the city on the hill that can be seen from miles away, drawing others to Him as a lighthouse steers ships to safety. So if I am called to be this, then the question is am I being this?
Reading about Mohammad Bu Azizi in the news stirs in me one question. In reality, he took a stand for his beliefs; he wanted his people and himself to stop being treated ill and be shown respect. He took that stand when he went to the government office and lit that match. And so now I must decide whether or not I too will take that stand. But my stand is a little different. I have no intention of physically bringing myself to the altar or in any way committing suicide. Instead, I have every intention of saying no to sin. As the government took advantage of his people, so sin and hell has taken advantage of God’s people. No more! I pour on me the oil of the Spirit and pray that in this action of striking the match, the fire of God will come on me to consume and place me as the beacon of light on the hill, that God says I am.
When John Wesley was asked why so many people would come to hear him speak, this was his response. “I set myself on fire and people come to watch me burn.” I pray, may this be true of you and me also. Oh God, set me on fire.

SURRENDER
“Don’t’ you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey – whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”
Romans 6:16

Yesterday I read about the widow that gave it all when she gave into the temple treasury (Mark 12:41-44). Today I want us to share along the same lines, but with a little more of an inside look at ourselves. God seems to use the basic things to drill me with His truth, and as I was reading concerning Twelve Step programs last night, He did it once again. I have been reading a book lately titled, Plan B, by Pete Wilson. While many of the thoughts I share today are what God showed me in reading this section, I do want to give credit where credit is due, and refer to his writing in today’s devotional.
A Twelve Step program is based on twelve steps, amazing I know. Step one is to admit that you have a problem. This problem could be drugs, alcohol, gambling, what have you. Step three, though, points to making a decision to turn our will and lives over to the care of a higher being, God. In essence, step three is about surrender. Consider this thought from Pete Wilson when he writes, “If you try to overcome your Plan B, your problem, your junk, your sin, on your own, it will beat you. Surrender your will, humble yourself, as scary as that is, and then another kind of life becomes possible.” Isn’t this other kind of life what we all want? The problem is that this other kind of life hinges on a major if/then statement. If we surrender to God, then we will know this life. But if we chose not to surrender to him, then we can only blame ourselves for where we are.
Let us consider this as we look at our text in Romans 6:16. By offering ourselves to our sin, we become slaves to that sin. It is the purpose of the slave master to beat us and break us down until we are nothing. This lack of identity and purpose leads us to believe that we are only a number or a robot, serving the same ill-treated functions until the day we die. But when we willingly surrender our life to God, our life then takes on a whole new outlook and purpose. When we surrender to God, we place ourselves in a position of being blessed and to know this other kind of life. We can admit all day long that we have a problem, but that problem will not get any better until we make the decision to turn our will and lives over to the care of God. On our own, we are weak. Like Pete says, our sin will continue to beat us repeatedly.
I understand I speak of sin and addictions often, but it is only because it is my desire that no one should perish under the weight of sin when there is a way out. God has made a way out from under this weight in the giving of His Son. And now He calls out to you and me to surrender. Surrender, though, is not a onetime thing, but rather a daily thing. Daily I must surrender my day to God. Daily I must surrender my desires to God. And daily I must surrender my heart to God. If I do not, then I am opening myself up to thievery of a slave master whose only desire is my destruction. In the knowledge of this fact, I right now, surrender myself to God again.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"
Matthew 25:40

I want to share something intimate with you today; something I am honestly still working through. This may come as a shock to you, but hear me out. As you know, I spent the greater portion of thirteen or so years caught up in some form or another with an addiction to pornography. It wasn't until I was left without a job and spouse that I was humbled enough to hear God and surrender the voids in my life to Him. But think about that, thirteen years of living a double life; of conning so many into thinking I was sold out for God when really I was living in a self-indulged hell. In March of 2001, following my six months of counseling with PureLife Ministries, I made a vow to God. For every year that the devil stole from me in this addiction, I would make it my goal to double for God's service. Right away, I felt called to be a beacon of light to those who were struggling with the same addictions. But as my life went on, I found myself with another problem, a failing marriage. As I went through in many ways an easy divorce, I then told God that I wanted to add to my mission in life the fact of helping others who may be struggling in marriage or maybe looking for help following a divorce. In fact, I wrote on the inside of my Bible the mission statement I felt God give me as I prayed. For the purpose of reaching the lost, and for the strengthening of the saints. These are words that I have strived to live by in each devotional, each talk, each phone call at whatever hour.
I must confess, though, that in addition to this change and this mission statement, I feel God has been bringing my attention to another area where maybe he is calling me, even if just for a season. You see, for so many years I supported the porn industry in my funding, viewing, websurfing, etc. While I never went to a club or spent the night with a prostitute, I still was a secret supporter of the business. But lately I have had this burning desire to do something in contrast to the things I did in the past. I have felt it is time to make a difference. Where once I supported the industry, I now feel God urging me strongly to help bring an end to human trafficking. A recent statistic estimates that 800,000 men, women, and children are trafficked yearly.* That is 800,000 people that are robbed of life because of the sin I promoted. I am not happy to know this statistic, but even more unhappy to know that I helped cause this statistic. What can I do? Can I go to these high risk and trafficked areas and pull them off the street? Maybe. Can I give funding to organizations that are already in motion? Yes. Can I pray for these people, both those trafficking and those being trafficked, that they will know Christ? You bet. And my desire is that I can do all three.
Yet the point I am trying to make today is not that you also have to share in my mission statement and my perhaps seasonal calling, but rather that you find yourself answering to the call that God has placed inside of you. There is an area in life that God has called you to, whether in giving, serving, or prayer. You also have been called to make a difference somewhere. Maybe God has called you to support a local church missionary, or a child who has no food, or to serve in a soup kitchen. The task is not measured on importance, but rather on obedience. I cannot sit back any longer and do nothing when I know that God is telling me to do something. So where is God calling you to make a difference?
When Jesus shared the story of the goats and sheep in Matthew 25, He left us to ponder where we stand. There were those who served the needs of others and questioned, "Lord, when were you sick, and tired, and naked, and hungry, and thirsty, and we took care of you?" His response was when they did it for others. These were the ones that God blessed. Yet there was another group who questioned when they saw this of their Lord and failed to help meet the needs. The response here was when they did not reach out to others. They failed to receive the blessing that could have been theirs. Now please hear me, I am not saying that we should do good only so that we can receive a blessing. We must do good because God tells us to, because we want to obey Him. The truth is that many are sick, and tired, and naked, and hungry, and thirsty, and we can help others. We can make a difference. I challenge you to think not about yourself for a moment, but to consider what God is placing in your heart. Where is He asking you to make a difference?

* http://www.jentezenfranklin.org/outreach/lifespeakers.php

LASHON HARA
"Do not go about spreading slander among your people."
Leviticus 19:16

Today I want to continue on in discussing our speech habits and introduce a new phrase to you. In fact, this phrase has become so real to me lately that I now find myself very cautious in what I say. The term is Lashon Hara, which in the Hebrew is translated as the evil tongue. In Jewish law, Lashon Hara is the prohibition of gossip. Unlike defaming a person, its focus is to use truth against a person, therefore slandering a person. While the Hebrew term Motzi Shem Ra may deal more with falsely spreading a bad name, Lashon Hara does the same by using the gossip of truth. Perhaps a better understanding still is that Lashon Hara says something in negative tense about a person, something previously unknown to others about a person, or something not intended to correct or improve something negative within a person, yet all the while using truth against a person. To understand this more so still, let us look at Numbers 12.
It is in Numbers 12 we read of an attack on Moses. Miriam and Aaron began to talk among themselves concerning the fact that Moses had taken a Cushite wife. This action caused contention within the family unit and the two questioned of each other, “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t He also spoken through us? (Num 12:2)” It was true that God did speak through Moses and did speak through Aaron and Miriam as well, but the fact was truth was being used in a negative way. God called all three to the Tent of Meeting and in the appearance of the pillar of cloud, spoke to Aaron and his sister. Because the two had spoken in truth against God’s anointed man, they had committed the sin of Lashon Hara. After the anger of the LORD burned against them, Miriam was left standing, leprous. Looking further at a penalty for committing Lashon Hara in the Talmud, it is believed that one can experience a version of tzaraath, which is defined as a skin disease. While Miriam’s disease was limited to only a week based on the pleading to God by her brothers (Num 12:11-13), Miriam still had to stay outside and secluded from the camp as punishment until the disease passed.
There are other examples of Lashon Hara in the Bible and reflect other punishments. The serpent committed this action in the Garden of Eden when he spoke slanderously against God (Gen 3:4-5). His punishment was the reducing to slithering around on his stomach. The gossip of Doeg, King Saul’s chief shepherd and head of the Sanhedrin, caused the massacre of Ahimelech and other priests of Nob (I Sam 22). The punishment for Doeg and Saul was the loss in battle against the Philistines.
The problem I have come to realize, though, is that Lashon Hara is everywhere. How many times in one day do I commit this action myself? Now remember, this is the use of truth in a negative way. This is going against Leviticus 19:16 and purposefully spreading slander and gossip. I find I do this in many simple conversations now that I am being made more aware of it. When talking about my ex-wife, I commit this action. In thinking back to how I spoke about my ex-wife when I was still married to her, and the secrets I would share with others, I committed this action. My mouth tells the gossip of things done by others not to bring praise to God, but rather to bring slander to God’s people. And does Proverbs 20:19 not read, “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.” The word gossip here is the same word for slander in Leviticus 19:16. The old cliché that says, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all,” is true. Never once has gossip or slander ever been considered ‘nice’ conversation.
While the full list of the laws in the Talmud is rather lengthy concerning Lashon Hara, it would be to our benefit to remember the following. This evil tongue is just that, evil. We should not make a habit to repeat anything about another, even if it is not negative, for it is still gossip. We also should stay clear of conversations where gossip and slander are being said. I realize that this may indeed delete a majority of speaking and listening for many of us, but is it not worth knowing that we are honoring God in our speech and listening? For me personally, I have made my prayer concerning this phrase to be one of conviction. When I am speaking it, I want God to convict me. When I am hearing it, I want God to convict me. I want the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart to be pleasing unto God constantly, as David himself prayed in Psalm 19:14. If I am serious about this, then I trust God will answer this prayer.

ST. VALENTINE
"'A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.'"
John 13:34-35

It is approximated that 141 million Valentine's Day cards will be exchanged today, making this the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas. The problem is, however, that not many know the true story behind why we even celebrate this holiday. Valentine's Day is not a celebration of cupid and his magical arrows of love, or a trick by chocolate makers to tempt us into a moment of gorging, but in all actuality is a celebration of a martyr. We could even say it is the celebration of two martyrs, but in truth one is because of another. Let us travel back in time to the year 268 AD and open up to the story of St. Valentine.
Like the disciples, St. Valentine preached the love of Jesus Christ. But also like the disciples, he found himself obeying God rather than men. St. Valentine knew an edict had been passed that was to prevent the Gospel of Christ from going forward, yet still he preached this love of God that he had come to know firsthand. The law eventually caught up to him, and he was ushered into a Roman prison to await his death sentence. Nearly a year later that sentence would be carried out. However, in the final days of Valentine's life, the jailer approached him and in awe of his continued belief in God even though facing death, asked that Valentine please sit with his blind daughter and read her the stories of the saints who had gone before. Not only did Valentine agree to sit and read her, but God also opened the door for him to pray with and for this girl, Julia. On the day his sentence was to be carried out, February 14, 269 AD, Valentine prayed once more for Julia. As her faith grew, she found she now had the ability to physically see. She looked upon Valentine and declared the love of God she saw on this man. In the end, she read a final letter he had prepared just days before and had signed, "Your Valentine." From there we receive our holiday.
A man was martyred because he wanted share the love of Christ with others. Was he not doing what Christ has commanded of all of us? Have we not also been told to love one another? It is by love that men will know our allegiance to God. The love we share in our actions speaks louder than the love we share in the words 'I love you.' Christ loves us but He didn't just say it, he showed it. And Valentine wanted all to know of God's love, but he also didn't just say it, he lived it. He could have denied Christ and stopped speaking of love, but he could not. He was so overwhelmed by the truth of love that death did not matter.
It is easy for me to love those dear to me - my children, my family, my friends. But there are those who I should also love, and that love is tough. Are they exempt? No, I am called to love them also. So then, maybe my prayer for today should be that God would give me the ability to see all people through His eyes instead of my own. In seeing the people though His eyes, I then will see through eyes of love. Perhaps this is the prayer that St. Valentine prayed. Perhaps this is the prayer that transformed his life to the point where he would share in love the ways of God, even if in the end he like Christ also died for his beliefs. Instead of passing it over one more day, perhaps I should start now and exude the love of God in every part area of my life, and to every person my life touches.

GIVEN, NOT TAKEN
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:13

During the time of the Passover certain commands and restrictions were given by God in how the ceremony should go. In addition to setting the specific date, Numbers 9 also tells us that God advised the Israelites that they were to eat the lamb, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They were not to leave any remnants till morning, nor were any of the lamb’s bones to be broken (Num 9:11-12). So then, skipping ahead in time we see how Jesus Christ became the lamb sacrificed for us, and how His life was given freely as opposed to being taken forcefully.
The Bible records in John 19 that Jesus was crucified on the day of Preparation, meaning that the next day would be the Sabbath. Jewish culture, as stemmed from Numbers 9, did not allow for bodies to be left of the cross during the Sabbath. As such, the legs of those being crucified would be broken. Let me explain this a little more. As long as the one being crucified had strength in his legs he was able to push up against the cross and take deeper breathes. But with broken legs, that option was no longer there, therefore the victim would die from the inability to breathe deep, or breathe at all. John 19:33 states that when the Roman soldiers came to Jesus they found he was already dead and did not break His legs. They also left no part till morning as we read that Jesus was taken done and placed in a borrowed tomb before the Sabbath began.
Instead of Jesus’ life being taken from him, as were the lives of the thieves that hung next to Jesus, He willing gave Himself. And in giving of Himself, He proved He was the spotless lamb, void of defect, and true to the demands of the Passover lamb. Jesus was able to relate with us yet without sin. Jesus’ death marked the finishing of the power of sin. And Jesus’ final breathe after stating it was finished was given in love and with a definite purpose rather than stolen from him. So then, John 15:13 is true. Jesus’ love was greater in that He gave Himself by laying down His life.
I John 3:16 tells us, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” As we continue in our brief study of love this day before Valentine’s day, I want to ask you one question. Do you love Him back in return? If love is defined as the laying down of a life, and has been shown in His laying down of His life for us, then can we respond that we love in return? Have we with same purpose determined that we will give God our life? I write this asking you, but I ask it also of myself. I say it easily but it is a hard question to answer. Pieces of me I desire to hold back, but I know I must give it all. God may not be satisfied with chocolates this holiday, but He would be satisfied with my giving Him all of my life as He gave His all for me.

UNFAILING
“Love never fails.”
I Corinthians 13:8a

“Love is in the air, everywhere I look around. Love is in the air, every sight and every sound.” Have you heard these words by John Paul Young before? It seems fitting as we are coming closer to Valentine’s day. All sorts of love songs are filling the radio waves, as well as pictures of cupid, hearts, and little stuffed animals hugging each other plastered in department store windows and such. But have we reduced Valentine’s day to simply hearts, chocolates, and a man in a diaper? For the next few days I want to focus on the topic of love and St. Valentine himself, and dispel the myths in order that we may gain truth. So let us first look, then, in I Corinthians 13.
Starting in verse 4, I am quite confident each one of us can state verbatim the characteristics of love. Love is patient, kind, not envious, boastful, or proud. Love is not known as rude or self-seeking, and true love in not easily angered or record keeping when wronged. Love rejoices in truth rather than in evil, and as such, it always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres. But then we read of a single characteristic that I think tops the list. Love never fails.
How can love never fail? Here we are giving love human characteristics and then we are told it does not fail. I am human and I do fail, more often that I care to admit also. But not love. For many years this idea confused me. And then, while studying in a personal quiet time with God back in college, God answered my question. He took me to I John 4:7-8. John speaks that we should love one another and that love comes from God. If we know God then we know love, but if we do not know God, then we do not know love. Then comes the cake-topper, “…because God is love.” So in essence, John and Paul, though writing at different times, are actually writing together and in tandem. Let me explain.
If God is love, according to John, and love is all these thing that Paul writes of, then can we not substitute the word ‘love’ in our I Corinthians passage with the word ‘God’? Let’s try it and see how it sounds and if it speaks truth. “GOD is patient, GOD is kind. HE does not envy, HE does not boast, HE is not proud. HE is not rude, HE is not self-seeking, HE is not easily angered, HE keeps no record of wrongs. GOD does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. HE always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. GOD never fails.” That sure sounds like my God, and that sounds like someone who never fails even when I do.
So where do we go from here? Once again the answer is easier to read than to perform. The answer is back in I John 4:7-8. We must first know God and know His love for us. We can never be everything in Him until we are able to know His love for us. The voids in life that we have can only be filled by His love. Not until we embrace His love for us will we be able to love others as we are urged in this passage. And not until we know His love, and walk in His character of love, will we be free of failing. John Paul Young in some ways had it right. Love is in the air, and that love is God. I urge you to grab hold of God and know a true, unfailing love.

IN THE WILDERNESS
"He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you."
Deuteronomy 8:15-16

My son is an avid viewer of the Discovery channel show, Man vs. Wild. As I wanted to spend some time with him last night, I decided to sit on the couch with him and watch an episode. In this account, the man was dropped out a plane in the remote Australian outback. His chore then was to live off the land until he found his way to civilization. Depending on the episode, this adventure normally consists of about two to three days in the wild.
As he made his way toward the coast, he fell upon a series of mountainous rocks and cliffs. Hoping from one ledge to another, he then came to a hidden cave where he found sitting water. By using charcoal that he had found in what looked like the remnant of a lightning strike, he was able to filter the water before finding it fit to drink. Going forward, however, he also found himself having to watch out for crocodiles, water snakes, and plenty of other challenges. In the end, the adventure led him through the desert and back to a place of green lush and civilization.
For a few days now, I have been feeling like I too was in a place like this desert; my own wilderness so to say. Although recently God had been talking to me and blessing me, I have found myself more so questioning now if God is still aware of me. This is a feeling that many have had I am sure. David expressed it in Psalm 23:4 when he referred to the valley of the shadow of death, and the Israelites lived through a physical wilderness for forty years on their journey to the Promised Land. But they all had one thing in common. They all were led through.
When Israel was receiving the second law in Deuteronomy, Moses reminded the people what they had come through. The nation of Israel had suffered the desert. Following the passing of the Red Sea, God allowed water to gush out of a rock. When the snakes plagued the people, God provided a healing method in their looking at the snake statue. God had allowed the people to have food to eat in the form of manna and quail, so as to not let them die of starvation. In all these tests, however, one thing was consistent. Deuteronomy 8:15 shares this truth - God led them through. He didn't just leave them in the desert, he brought them through.
Perhaps like me, you have found yourself in that same place. You feel like you are in the wilderness and are not sure when the exit will come or where it lies. But I want to encourage you with the same words that God has shown me recently. God will lead you through. God's desire is for your good fortune (Jer 29:11). Good fortune does not end with death in the desert, just as our adventurer was not stranded and left for dead in Australia. Therefore, there will be a day when you will no longer find yourself in the desert. The relief could come tomorrow, or it could come forty days from now. Until it comes, though, let us not give up or grow weary as we wait.

MARRIAGE VOWS
“When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.”
Ecclesiastes 5:4-5

I married my first wife on August 1, 1998. Before we married, we each took the time to write out the vows we wanted to say. For me, as one who enjoys researching and writing, this was a long process. I wanted to say just the right thing, and I wanted it to be from my heart as opposed to just standard words written out for me. In the end, I did add my own twist to the standard wording of for better or worse, richer or poorer, sickness and health, loving and cherishing till death do us part. But as I was cleaning out my closet last night, I stumbled upon some old pictures and memories from the wedding. It was at this point that I began to realize more deeply that I did not keep my vows.
It is normally in these quiet moments of reflection that God speaks the loudest to me. This time was no exception. As I felt the guilt for not keeping my marriage vow, I heard God ask, “What about your vow to me?” What? I was forced to think back and came to the conclusion that I have been living more sold out for God these past few years than ever before. But God didn’t let up. I heard Him ask me again. “What about the vows you have made to me and have not seemed to keep?” Again I was confused and had to think back. I jogged my memory and still couldn’t think of vows that I felt I had broken.
Then God began to share more intimately what He was referring to. Just as in my marriage I had made the covenant to be committed regardless of riches, health, or love in return, so also when I had accepted Christ as my Savior I made a vow with God that I would be committed to Him until the end. This covenant doesn’t end when it feels like God is far away, or when I am suffering financial struggles, or feeling the pains of sickness. And it also shouldn’t be increased when things are going well, and money is pouring in, or when health is great. When I asked Christ into my life as my Lord, I made a vow to Him that be it up or down, I would be committed till death. So then, have I kept my vow to God or have I unknowingly began to distance myself from God based on my actions and feelings that come with the waves of better or worse that ebb and flow?
As I contemplate the vow I have made with God, I am reminded of a song by Geoff Moore and the Distance. In the song The Vow, Geoff sings of his knowledge of himself and how he will falter due to his inadequacy. The end result then, is his need for God to help him in keeping his covenant. And this is where I found myself last night as God spoke with me. I faltered in my marriage; I didn’t keep my vows that I had originally stated I would do. The end result was divorce. How much more will I lose if I falter in my vows with God? As we read in Ecclesiastes 5:4, we should not delay in the vows we make with God. If I said I would, then I need to keep my vow. The reason being is seen in verse 5. It is better to not make a vow than to break a vow.
I do not want to break anymore vows. I especially do not want to break vows I have made unto God. Because of this alone, I find myself asking God for help in keeping my vow to Him. Do you feel the same? My life is an open book and I hope that in each page I share, God uses me as a tool. As I have poured out today the importance of a vow kept, maybe God has been talking to you and asking you the same question He posed to me. “What about your vow to me?” Are you able to answer in full confidence or do you, like me, see where the vows made have been compromised and need to be returned to? Now is the time to finish strong in the covenant to following Christ that we have made. God help us not to falter from the vows we have made to you.

THE COMEBACKS
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
Romans 8:37

When it comes to sports, there are only a few that I will watch religiously on television. They include football, Nascar, and college basketball if my alma mater is playing or during March Madness. Other sports I find I would rather watch in person than on television. Last night, though, I was able to see my alma mater play their homecoming game. As I watched with my kids on the couch, I pointed out the section of seats where I would sit as a student. I laughed at the face painted students, remembering I used to do the same. And I felt the same emotion as they went into half time down by ten. They had been trailing all night and I wondered if they would be able to comeback. Then it happened. Following the half the team came out and looked refreshed, recharged, and ready to play. From the tip off to the last ticking seconds, my team held their opponent off and came back to win 81-73. They went from down by ten to win by eight. This was a much needed win and a great comeback to watch.
The Bible is full of comebacks; those who looked defeated but in the end came back stronger and brought a win for the heavens. I think about Samson who was deceived by a nagging girlfriend to tell the secret of his strength. She then used this secret against him and he became the reason for the Philistines laughter. But, when it looked like he was down for the count, God allowed him strength once more as he grabbed the pillars and brought the house down. What a comeback.
Or what about Saul who became Paul? It looked like the enemy was going win as Saul had gained so much power in being able to have Christ followers murdered for their beliefs. With letters from the high priest in hand, and his plans set to travel to the synagogues in Damascus, Christians hid in fear. But when it looked hopeless, God knocked Saul off his donkey and questioned why his was persecuting Him. This event set the stage for a great comeback as from it we have a majority of the New Testament.
But the greatest comeback in all history is that of Christ. Tortured, nailed on cross, and laid in a borrowed tomb, the enemy thought he had finally won. I’m sure they were even celebrating on the sidelines. However, the game was still being played; the final buzzer had not yet sounded. When hope seemed lost to ‘Team God’, ‘Team God’ came back. With the stone rolled away, and angels declaring His resurrection, Jesus Christ came back to life for the greatest comeback ever in history!
But the story doesn’t end here. Yours and my final buzzer has not yet sounded either. In my own game I went into the locker room at the half defeated by sin, questioning if I should even play the second half because I was down by so much. My enemy was so far ahead in points. The coach, though, saw untapped potential in me and fed me truth. “Daniel, you are more than a conqueror because of all of me that I have placed in you. Now go out there and play in my strength.” The game isn’t over yet, but I am on a second half hot streak. I’m coming back, and the enemy is losing.

SNAKE-EATER
“Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.”
Exodus 7:12

When Moses was standing before the burning bush, God gave him two signs showing His might. The first was displayed when Moses laid his staff down on the desert sand. Instantly his staff turned into a snake. As Moses went to pick it back up by its tail, the snake turned back into a staff. A second sign was displayed when Moses placed his hand inside his cloak. When he pulled it out, his hand looked as though it had been infected with a leprous disease. These signs were only a forecast of what God would unleash upon Egypt in the days to come.
It was now, as Moses and Aaron stood before the Pharaoh requesting the release of the Israelites, that the first of God’s signs would be seen by Egypt. Aaron placed his staff on the floor of Pharaoh’s kingdom and the staff became a snake. Unmoved, Pharaoh called his magicians to him to repeat this ‘trick’. Sure enough, the staffs of the Egyptian magicians also turned into snakes. But there was one difference. The staff of Aaron which was now in snake form slithering on the ground ate the snakes of the magicians.
It is easy to quickly read over this verse. And why not? Pharaoh saw it first hand and even he looked over the incident. But we should not overlook this verse. It is in this verse that we see a marker of God’s strength. It is from this verse that the plagues stem. Beginning with this verse, Egypt starts to fall. It is from this verse that God wants to get our attention. The snake of God’s servant devoured the snakes of the enemy. So then, the acts of God through us should overtake the acts performed by our enemy.
All power in heaven and on earth has been given to the Lord, according to Matthew 28:18. But He has given us His power. This is not so that we can boast or become great in our own eyes, but rather that God can be glorified through us and people brought to a relationship with Him. Moses was not able to transform a staff into a snake on his own. It was done through God’s power. Pharaoh’s magicians were also not able to perform this ‘trick’ on their own strength. They too were assisted, but by the enemy, the devil. In the end, however, God’s power was greater than the devil’s as was seen by the snake of God’s elect devouring the snakes of the enemy.
Let us consider what we can gleam from this verse for it is in the Bible for a reason. It is written for us so that once again we may realize God’s strength. John 16:33 tells us God has overcome the world. Will we have trouble? Yes. We will be put in positions where we will face our own Pharaohs and magicians. But with God on our side, as we place the staff down, we too will see His might as He devours and eats our enemy. The singing duo of Hall and Oates may have sung about a “Maneater”, but my God is a snake-eater.

OVERTAKEN AND LIBERATED
“All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God.”
Deuteronomy 28:2

As a lover of history, especially the historic events related to World War II, I find myself drawn to reading articles or stories of Holocaust survivors. Without going into a full history lesson, I want to share a brief overview of historic events related to the liberation of Nazi concentration camps. In July 1944, Soviet forces were the first to approach Majdanek, outside of Lublin, Poland. The march on the Germans by the Soviets caught them off guard, therefore allowing the Russian army to see the extent of death being used by their enemy. But this liberation was only one of many. In the months to follow, additional camps in Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka were also overtaken by Soviet forces before they finally liberated Auschwitz in January 1945. As the Allies continued to work together liberating additional camps in the Baltic states and Poland, Germany soon realized they were being overtaken with massive efforts. Shortly thereafter, Germany surrendered.
In Deuteronomy 28, Moses challenges the people of Israel with words concerning blessing. Moses spoke that if they fully obeyed the Lord and followed His commands, then He would set His people above all nations. But then he continued and spoke that all these blessings of God would come on the people and accompany them. Another version uses the term ‘overtake them’. In practicality, just as the Allied forces overtook Germany, so God would send His blessings to overtake those who walked in obedience to Him. Let us look at two examples of this truth.
The first example that comes to my mind is Joseph. Granted, Joseph suffered many things in his younger years before finding himself in the position of second in command, but look at Genesis 39:3-4a. “When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant…” Did you catch that? The Lord blessed Joseph in everything he did. Why? Because Joseph obeyed and served God in everything he did. The blessings of God overtook Joseph because he lived his life in obedience to God alone. Although he lived in a foreign land, he did not forsake his God. God’s blessings came upon Joseph and when the time was right, his liberation from prison also came and he was promoted to a place of prominence.
But let us also look at another example from the time after Moses’ words were spoken. If we look into the book of Ruth, we find that God used Boaz as a means of blessing for Ruth and Naomi. Ruth 2:15-16 shares that Boaz gave orders to his men to pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up. Ruth and Naomi had little, and as such, Ruth went and found the approval of Boaz to glean in his field. Basically, Ruth was given the approval to go behind the workers and gather any leftover grain. Boaz, then, instructed his men to purposefully leave larger portions behind that she then would glean and use for food. By using Boaz, blessings overtook Ruth.
I want to be in a position where blessings come upon me. I want to be in a place where I am overtaken by God’s hand of blessing and liberated from the enemy of lack and bondage. But, this cannot happen if I am not walking in obedience to God. The examples of Joseph and Ruth show that God’s blessing can overtake us. True, God will bless us with what we need out of His love for us, but I don’t want just enough. I want blessings to overtake me. And I want to see blessings overtake you. Let us then put ourselves in a place where this can happen; where we can be overtaken and liberated. Let us walk in full obedience to God.