TAG! YOU’RE IT!
“He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.’”
Mark 16:15

Remember back to elementary school with me and you may remember playing ‘tag’. It seemed that outside of the common rule of trying not to be tagged, the rules varied a little when I played. In some circles tag backs were allowed, while in others they were not. Safety ports were also changeable, as well how you could be safe. When playing cartoon tag you could call out a cartoon and be safe, but then in freeze tag you were only eligible to play again once you had been set free from a fellow player. So many rules and methods, yet the game only had one common goal. If you were the tagger, tag someone. If you were the free bird, don’t get tagged.
For about a year now I have been tag-team teaching a group of third grades boys in Sunday School at church. Tomorrow is or last week together and as I think back over the weeks we have shared, I cannot help but also remember the lessons we have shared. All year long we have been talking about being God’s witnesses to the world we live in. Our memory verse has been Mark 16:15, “[Jesus] said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.’” I cannot read this verse without thinking that in some way Jesus was playing tag with His disciples. Let me explain.
Mark 16:15 is written just verses before Jesus is taken up into heaven (v 19). Already the disciples have seen Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons, walk on water, be transfigured, die on a cross and then be resurrected. This is Jesus’ final moments with His disciples; His pep-talk so to say. And in His conversation with them He tags them, saying, “Now it’s your turn. Go into all the world and tell others about me. Baptize them in My name. Drive out spirits in My name. Be unharmed by evil because of My name. Heal others in My name. This is it boys. Tag! You’re it!” The game was on and with these men who quite honestly played the game well, the world was changed.
While you and I may not have been there for Jesus to tag us physically and give us this charge, we still were given it. The disciples were tagged by Jesus and then tagged others. Those others tagged someone else, who tagged someone else, who tagged someone else, who eventually tagged the person who later tagged us. Now we are the tagger. Who will we tag? The thought I leave you with is the same thought that I leave myself with, and leave with my boys tomorrow. We already know the rules on how to play the game so now it becomes a matter of playing. Will we play the game well like the disciples? I wonder who we will tag.

AMAZING GRACE
“From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.”
John 1:16

If I was to say the name ‘John Newton’, what could you tell me about him? No, he is not the guy that founded the basis for gravity’s equation, nor the guy who invented Fig Newtons (although I love his cookies). John Newton was the author of what is termed as the most sung hymn of the Christian church, Amazing Grace. His story of knowing God’s grace is rich, however, and it is what I would like to share with you today.
I think that before we dive into his life we first must understand what grace really is. In John 1:16, John explains to us that from God’s fullness of grace we have received one blessing after another. This word ‘grace’ is the Greek word CHARIS, meaning of the merciful kindness by which God turns them to Christ, keeps them, strengthens them, and increases them in faith. It means quite a bit more than just unmerited favor or the cheap understanding we sometimes hold. And yet, God extends this grace to us in an effort to draw us near to Him and keep us near as well. It is not His desire that we go astray, so in grace He continues to reach His hands out to us even when we turn our backs on Him.
This truth can be seen in the life of John Newton. In 1743, Newton was captured by force and placed into the Royal Navy’s service, becoming a midshipman aboard the HMS Harwich. While trying to escape the vessel without permission for leave, he was caught and flogged in addition to being reduced in rank to that of a seaman. It is said that his betrothed at the time was a Christian and would pray daily for the Lord the make Himself real to John who wanted nothing to do with religion. Could this force and flogging be part of God’s plan?
John was later transferred to the Pegasus, a slave ship bound for West Africa. With repeated behavior problems, Newton was eventually left in West Africa under the supervision of a violate slave trader. The continued floggings and ill treatment worked to break John, but still not draw him any closer to God. In fact, it wasn’t until being taken off the island and placed aboard the Greyhound in 1748 that John finally broke down completely. On a return to England, the boat passed through a rough storm that threatened to overtake it. Newton awoke in the night and called out to God as he watched the ship fill with water. Doing all he could along with his crewmen to help the ship through the storm, the ship eventually drifted to safety. It was from this moment of God’s rescue in the storm that John began to read the Bible and other religious writings he was able to obtain. By the time the coast of Britain was reached, he had accepted Christ as his Savior.
Old habits die hard, though, and being in the slave trade for so long had taken its toll. Although he had made a confession on March 10, 1748, to stop using profanity, gambling, and drinking, he was not opposed to trading slaves. Three additional slave deliveries were made before Newton suffered a severe stroke in 1754. God continued to work on John Newton, which led to John coming to a realization that his business was wrong in God’s sight. With this realization, John began to understand the depth of God’s grace on his life, penning the words for a poem titled Amazing Grace in 1779. Later Newton was used in the abolishment of slavery before passing in 1804.
So what does all this mean for us? Amazing Grace was written to illustrate the forgiveness and redemption offered to all people regardless of the sins committed. God offers this same amazing grace to us all, no matter what despair we know. We may never have traded slaves, but have we not traded the statutes of God for moments of sin? It is for these moments that we can sing the words of John Newton and thank our Heavenly Father God that His amazing grace has saved a wretch like us. If not for His merciful turning us to Christ, keeping us, strengthening us, and building us in faith, we may still be lost in sin.

SOON
“Behold, I am coming soon!...”
Revelation 22:12

I do not like the word ‘soon’. We’ll let me take that back, I do not like what soon always means. Working in customer service I find that I use this word often. When a client needs an update I find myself remarking that I will get back to him or her soon. In my mind that means I will do my research and call back within the next hour or so. However, to others, the word ‘soon’ may not imply such a speedy response. When I am on the other end and am the one asking for an update to my issue and hear the reply that the representative will get back to me soon, it can mean anywhere from an hour to a few days. There is no true measurement for the word ‘soon’ and that is the reason I do not like this word. I am looking for some constant and pinpointed and many times ‘soon’ is too vague for me.
The same is true in Scripture when the word ‘soon’ is used. To the Israelites who would be in Egyptian bondage, God spoke to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years” (Gen 15:13). At least the Israelites knew that they were going to be slaves for four hundred years. They had a definite number. But to the church in Revelation 22:12, the Lord says, “Behold, I am coming soon!” Soon? This revelation was written by John near the end of the first century and now here we are, almost two thousand years later, waiting for His return still. How long is soon? How many years must we wait for this return that was spoken of to be a ‘soon’ event?
I think back to my own life and the prophecies that have been spoken to me over the years. At around the age of ten it was prophesied that I would be a pastor. I took all the steps I felt God leading me in by going to seminary and getting the education of the Bible needed for this calling. But still, I have not been released into this passion. I have also received prophecies that I would remarry soon, move into new areas both physical and spiritual soon, and step into leadership soon. Yet I must admit that it seems like nothing has happened to bring these ‘soon’ words into place. Have I missed God? Was I hearing what I wanted to hear instead of the voice of God? Or could it be that God’s timing is different than mine? I even wonder if I would mess up God’s whole plan concerning my next steps if I knew the timeframe as opposed to the word ‘soon’.
We have no record in the Bible of any leaders within the Israelite slaves that tried to rise to power and free God’s chosen people before the four hundred year process was completed. But when the time was right, Moses came on the scene. I can only assume that it is the same with me. I can only ponder how much more trouble I would get myself in if I tried to play God and work from my definition of ‘soon’ as opposed to His. There are lessons that I need to learn before the prophecies can come true, and it would be wise of me to embrace them instead of trying to figure out how much longer until ‘soon’ comes around. While it may not be the answer I want since there is no definite date for the ending, it is the answer I am getting, and the answer I need to heed. Maybe like me, you too are wondering when ‘soon’ will be reality. I wish I could tell you, but for now I can only tell you…soon enough. Until then, let us run with passion toward our God and embrace all He has for us in this moment. Soon will come when God is ready.

HIGHER LAW
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:9 KJV

God has been showing me something lately. Well maybe He has been trying to show this to me for a while but it has been more pronounced over the past two weeks. It was two weeks ago today that I went to hear a guest speaker at church and received a word from the Lord. In this prophecy it was spoken that God has a higher law than what I can see right away, and that this law will override what the world says about tough situations. At the time I heard this, I thought on it some. I thought about it in relation to my current situations and the things I want to see changed. I also thought about it in regards to the events that happened on my vacation. But it wasn’t until yesterday as I was praying that I really began to meditate on these words and hear more of what God meant.
In Isaiah 55:9 we read that God’s ways and thoughts are higher than our ways and thoughts. Looking at it from a practical standpoint, we may not see it the same way. So then, let me explain it the way God showed me through two illustrations. First, having recently been on an airplane with my children, I remember looking out the window with them and hearing my son say, “The cars look like ants outside.” It is true. When we are flying up over the landscape we see things in a whole new perspective. What may be a massive mountain in front of us becomes a tiny ant hill from that far above. And so it is for God and our situations. What appears to be something so massive in our eyes is nothing more than an anthill in God’s. This proves that physical perspective plays a great deal in God’s higher law.
Yet there is more. There is also the faith perspective. When I broke my leg in 1993 I was told I would need surgery in order to walk again. I never did get the surgery but rather trusted that God would heal my body. By faith I believed, prayed, and trusted in His ability to bring about a change. After two weeks I got so tired of leaning on my physical crutches that I through them off and began to walk again. The higher law of God here was that even though the doctor said I could not, God said I could. In Christ I was healed regardless of what my x-rays showed, and when my faith that God could heal me was extended, He did heal.
So what is the point to all this? Simple, God’s higher law is still at work. Right now I am facing situations like how can I become debt free when the economy is restrained? How can I move into the destiny God is calling me to? How can I give more in the offering? How can I, how can I, how can I! As God has shown me, so I now share with you. There is only one way…God’s higher law. When the world tells us we cannot, God tells us He can. When the world shows us one closed door after another, God opens doors for us that not even hell can stop. When the world puts up a roadblock, God carves a new path. God’s ways and thoughts are higher. This word ‘higher’ is the Hebrew word GABAHH, meaning high, lofty, tall, upward, and good sensed. So the next time you face a struggle preventing you from what God has told you, keep having faith and proclaim His truth. His higher law will prevail no matter what the enemy throws in your path.

IN THE FUTURE
"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."
James 4:13-14

I remember when the movie series Back to the Future came out and they showed some behind the scenes footage. As they were talking about the idea of what car to use to make the time machine, the director was sharing that while growing up he remembered the promise about making flying cars. He questioned, "What ever happened to that promise?" I must admit, I have wondered too. Granted I may never buy a flying car, I'd still like to know what happen to the idea and promise that flying cars would be common place by this time. More important to me than a flying car, though, is my own future. I question my next steps and have been questioning them even more so on this recent vacation I have been on.
Since my college years I have wanted to live in Texas. I remember one night while in the Prayer Gardens in college when God told me I would have a big ministry and therefore needed a big place to have it in, so Texas always stood out and became where I wanted to go. Following my marriage in 1998, I moved to Montana where my wife was already settled, and then moved to Tennessee in an effort to follow her dreams. Although I have lived in Tennessee for 13 years now, I have never considered it home. When the chance came to help my mom move from California to Texas this past week, I jumped at the opportunity. She was moving to the place I wanted to call home for so many years. And being here in Texas this week has been a series of ups and downs for me. I have no problem telling you that my morning walks have been filled with tears and emotion as I have prayed and asked God over and over these days, "When will it be my turn?" I am jealous because what became a dream come true for my family this week is still only a dream for me.
Growing up I remember hearing a song by the Christian trio First Call where the words said, "I may not know what the future holds but I know who holds the future." As cliche as these words may sound, they are becoming my understanding this week. In a simular sense, the words of James 4:13-14 are also being reminded as I pray. "Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." The simple truth is that I do not know the full extent of what my future holds. I know maybe a small fraction of what God will do through me from the words He has spoken and confirmed in my heart, but not being God I cannot say whether what I want to have happen will ever happen. I find myself then waiting in Godly limbo for His timing.
I have shared my desire to move with people and have heard them question why I just don't move now. There is a reason. God has not released me to move yet. James 4:13-14 is based not two key factors I believe, trust and obedience. I could go to Texas now, but I know that I would be out of God's will in moving at this point. I have to trust that God will pave a smooth road in His time which will include me being able to bring my children, have a job, a place to live, the whole works. Right now all I have is the desire; the dream. If I step ahead of God I will not find His peace, and I do not want to move even one step in life without God's peace.
As hard as trust in God can be, it is what I am called to at this point. Is staying in Tenessee really what I want? No, but it is what god is asking me to do right now until He works out all the details. And in some way, it may be what He is asking you to do also. Perhaps you have considered changing jobs, changing locations, or changing spouses. I challenge you to ask yourself the same question I have been asking of myself this week. Is this God's time? Today or tomorrow we could do it. We could spend a year and carry on business, make money, and enjoy a new life. But before we do all that we must ask God if it is the right time; His time. Remember, in His time all things are made perfect.

DAY OF LIBERATION
"Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.'"
Exodus 14:13-14

Today I am in California getting ready for the second longest moving road trip I have ever driven. Back in 1998, shortly after getting married, I moved from Montana to Tennessee in search of a new start and a better job. This time, however, it is not I who is moving but rather helping. After probably upwards of fifty years, the Lord has spoken to my mother that it is time for her to move in order that she may walk in the next season of life He has destined for her. In a way, I look at her like a modern day Abraham, moving from her native land to a place that God has called her to. She has never been to the place she is moving to, never seen the city or driven the streets, and never even considered moving away from California before, but no matter how hard she fights it, she knows this is God's leading. So today she takes the next steps of moving into her Promise Land by moving to Texas.
I have a front row seat in watching her move into her Promise as one who will be driving in the caravan traveling east, and I am filled with excitement. I am eager to see what God does for her as she takes these steps of faith. I am anxious to see the way God moves as she walks in obedience. And along the way, I am excited to see the majesty of God's creation as we drive through His country. But what seems to thrill me the most is how this day, picked by God for the move, lines up with the Hebrew calendar. Today is the 12th of Tamuz, known as the Day of Liberation. It is on this day that Jews are reminded and celebrate the liberation from exile and sentencing of spiritual slavery that we have been under. I venture to say, though, that you do not need only be a Jew to celebrate today.
When the children of God stood on the banks of the Red Sea, with water to their front and Egyptians forces to their rear, they paniced. I do not blame them. Either you had to suddenly be a great swimmer or you faced being taken back to Egypt for more harsh punishment. But it was while they stood their in fear, maybe weighing their options in haste and looking for some sign of relief, that Moses stood up and said, "''Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.'" As Moses spoke, God acted, causing the Red Sea to split and a dry path to be formed which the Israelites crossed over on. When the Egyptians tried to follow down the same path, the waters that God held up in place were then released, washing the Egyptians away. God had indeed liberated Israel from Pharoah's hand.
This is the same promise God offers to us; a Day of Liberation. While Israel shows us the physical slavery and bondage of a nation, it is possible that you are under a bondage or a slave as well. Maybe you are standing on the bank of your own Red Sea and ahead of you is water and behind you is the enemy coming at you with vengence. I have good news for you. This is your personal Day of Liberation. This is the day that you break free from under the yoke that has been weighing you down and see the hand of God in your life. While you may not be traveling into another state or city, you are traveling into another area of freedom that the Lord has destined for you. Are you ready? Then stand firm and you will see the deliverance of the LORD. The enemy you see today you will never see again for the LORD will fight for you. Welcome into the land of your Promise. Welcome to Liberation

THE KINGDOM 'I' HAVE BUILT
"[King Nebuchadnezzar] said, 'Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?'"
Daniel 4:30

I think I may have it all figured out, the root of all sin that is. I think it all starts with pride. If you think about it, Eve was tricked into eating the apple because the serpent made her feel unworthy. Who was she to not be as wise and able as God? Surly if the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was good enough for God it should be good enough for her. So pride crept in and she bit and shared. But this is not the only sin based on pride. If you think about it, every sin we do is somehow related to pride. I tell a lie because I don't want to get in trouble. I become too proud to take the blame for my actions and receive my just punishment. What about gossip? Although what I’m saying may indeed be true, the fact remains that gossip is a sin. Yet I find myself using this method to elevate myself, which again sounds like pride to me. So then, if I know about pride and know it is a root of all sin, why do I find myself still coming face to face with it?
Let me explain what I am trying to say a little better. Yesterday I was finishing up the final chapters of Joyce Meyer's book, The Battlefield of the Mind. As I was reading, she began to mention an attitude and mindset that people have where, either voiced or not, they begin to see themselves better than others. As she went on explaining this I found my mind going down a deer path. I began to think of two men specifically that I know well. Sadly enough, God showed me that more than half of what I say about these two is negative. I speak ill and gossip behind their backs about their jobs, their relationships with God, their abilities, their...well the list keeps going. And then God reminded me of King Nebuchadnezzar and the events that changed his life.
In Daniel 4:19-27, the king shares with Daniel a dream that terrified him. Through Daniel's interpretation of the dream, we read that God had issued a decree against Nebuchadnezzar that he would live as a wild animal for seven years. His kingdom would indeed be restored, but not until he acknowledged that Heaven rules. Then Daniel gave a word of wisdom by stating to the king to repent now. We read no account of his repentance, but rather in verse 29 see that one year later, as the king was taking in the sights of his kingdom, pride caught up with him. "[King Nebuchadnezzar] said, 'Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?'" (Dan 4:30). It was all about the I's and my's. But as God is true, so the dream also came true, and with the words fresh off his lips, the king lived as a wild animal (Dan 4:28-34). Not until Nebuchadnezzar looked toward God, seven years later as foretold, did he come back to his right mind.
Commentator Matthew Henry gives some interesting thought to this passage by stating that "pride and self-conceit are sins that beset great men. They are apt to take that glory to themselves which is due to God only. While the proud word was in the king's mouth, the powerful word came from God. His understanding and his memory were gone, and all the powers of the rational soul were broken. How careful we ought to be, not to do anything which may provoke God to put us out of our senses! God resists the proud."
The point I want to make in this devotional today is not that of fear that you may turn into a wild beast, but rather that we would take a spiritual inventory of ourselves and see if we have any pride in us. If so, then would it not be wise to take the warning Daniel gave to the king and repent before God? This may be the hardest part, and I know it is not one I am truly looking forward to. But in addition to coming before God for forgiveness of my pride, I know that God has already told me that I need to seek forgiveness from these men also. Perhaps for me, this reminder of Nebuchadnezzar's fate is my warning, and perhaps me sharing the story again with you is yours. Whatever it may be, the warning still should be heeded. Let us seek forgiveness for our pride so that we do not fall into a fate worse off than that of King Nebuchadnezzar.

WHO IS THIS UNCIRCUMCISED PHILISTINE?
“David asked the men standing near him, ‘What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?’”
I Samuel 17:26

Have you felt recently like you’re standing face to face with a giant of a problem? Maybe an unexpected bill is due or your car broke down. Perhaps you’re facing a medical problem where the cures and remedies just aren’t working. Whatever it is that keeps bouncing you from place to place, the fact is you are tired of it. I have spent the last few weeks praying for people in those type situations. You know the struggles. The friends whose marriage needs a breakthrough, the family trying to buy that new house but finding delays at every corner, and the couple whose child seems to never get physically better. It was while in prayer yesterday that God showed me a truth in the story of David and Goliath that I want to share with you who find yourselves in these stare downs with the giants. It is for you all that I write this devotional today.
I was listening to a sermon podcast by Pastor Larry Huch recently concerning his climb up a physical mountain in order to hunt bear. As one who has never hunted before, nor sure I want to, I was taking in the sights and sounds as he was describing them. And then he referenced the story of the young David in the field with his father’s sheep. As David was explaining to King Saul, he had seen his share of battles in the fields as he had taken down both a lion and a bear. The easy assumption to make, and one I have made in reading this account, is that David overcame these beasts with no problem. When you read it, doesn’t it sound like that? “’Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it’” (I Sam 17:34-35). What we don’t know from this passage is if David got hurt in the battle. Chances are he did get banged up a little, and maybe cut, scratched, and he quite possibly even had a few battle scars. The reason I point this out is because as our faith is put to the test we too may find it not such an easy battle. Remember, the enemy in cunning and will work to break our spirit and empty us of faith in what God can and will do. But we must not lose faith. When David fought these wild beasts he had faith in God for the skill and strength needed to find his victory.
So then, when David came bringing supplies to his brothers and saw with his own eyes the monstrous Goliath, he questioned the details. It was explained that this giant of the Philistines had been coming for days now, defying God and challenging the men of Israel. Yet even with the promised reward to be given by King Saul, no man found the boldness to attack the giant. When David was called into Saul’s tent for being overheard in his boldness toward the giant, David stated, “’Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him’” (I Sam 17:32).
To the men of Israel, Goliath was the problem that crippled them with fear. To David, Goliath was a roadblock between where Israel stood and where they were headed. The question begs even today for us, which of these is our view of Goliath? When David asked the men about Goliath he asked, “’Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?’” (I Sam 17:26). He had it right. He knew that Israel was afraid because they were looking at their own skills in battle as opposed to looking at God’s skills in battle. So then, when David stood physically before Goliath with a stick and a sling shot, he was really standing in the strength of the Lord in faith. Victory came to David not because of who David was, but because of who David was in the Lord.
In closing, I want to challenge you in how you see your enemy. Does the knowledge of a troubled marriage, unpaid bill, or medical illness paralyze you with fear? I can relate. But keep in mind that our giant is uncircumcised. This word bares two meaning, the first of which is obvious. But the deeper meaning relates to a pagan who has no relationship with God in his heart. If we know nothing else about Israel, we know that they are God’s chosen people. In accepting Christ as our Savoir, we have been adopted into this family. Although the lion and bear will come and perhaps scar us in battle, they along with the giant will fall for it is God who fights on our behalf. I encourage you to declare the words that David spoke as he ran out to take down Goliath. In the boldness of God’s strength, question “Who is this uncircumcised giant that he should defy this soldier of the living God?”