Serving God

New Guest: Like this one, most posts are devotional; those related to CAR BIZ can be found by searching for that title. You might start with 'Welcome,' the first post in the archives, dated November 12, 2008, where I introduce myself and the blog. As you read, I encourage you to add in any reflections or comments you may have.

Blessings and best wishes,
Dr. Will

Monday, March 22, 2010
Devotions: Ps 31, 35; Exod 4:10-31; 1 Cor 14:1-19; Mk 9:30-41

Lord, I seek refuge in You; keep me from shame; into Your hand I commit my spirit, my Redeemer, my faithful God. I will rejoice and be glad for Your steadfast love. I fail when I sin; I thrive when I trust and obey. My adversaries scorn me, because they can see I am old and feeble; but they overlook the Power in my life. Blessed is YHWH, Who has wondrously shown His love for me. Let all the saints adore our God; I will be strong and take courage, and wait for the Lord. Let God contend on my behalf, and let Him judge and sentence my enemies. My soul rejoices and I am secure in God’s love. Vindicate me, O Lord my God, according to your righteousness. Put my enemies to shame and confusion. Let all who desire my vindication celebrate; great is YHWH, Who delights in the welfare of His servants.

Moses continued to object when God called him to deliver the Israelites from Egypt. ‘My Lord, I am not eloquent—I am slow of speech and tongue.’ God replied, ‘Who made man’s mouth? Who determines human speech, hearing or sight? I, I the Lord do this. So go! I will be with your mouth; I will teach you what to say.’ Moses still begged God to send someone else. And YHWH became angry against Moses: ‘So: there is Aaron the Levite, your brother. He can speak well, and he is already on his way here to meet you. His heart will be glad to see you. You will speak to him and tell him what to say, and you will be as God to him. Take this rod in your hand, to do the signs of power that will validate your mission.’ So Moses returned to his father-in-law, and asked permission to return to Egypt. Jethro blessed him and sent him on his way, affirming that YHWH was behind the mission.’ Moses took his wife and sons and started back toward Egypt, carrying the rod of God in his hand. God continued to prepare Moses: ‘Do before Pharaoh all the miracles I have put in your power; I will harden his heart, and he will be unwilling to let the people go. But you will tell Pharaoh, “This is what YHWH says: “Israel is My first-born son, and I tell you to let My son go that he may serve Me. If you refuse, I will kill your first-born son.” As they were traveling, YHWH met Moses and his family at a lodging place along the route, and Moses faced death at God’s hand. Zipporah took a flint knife and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ genitals with it, saying “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me.” And for this, God relented and let Moses alone—when Zipporah referred to circumcision. YHWH directed Aaron to go into the wilderness to meet Moses, and they met near the mountain of God. Moses briefed Aaron, and they went together to the elders of Israel. Aaron spoke what YHWH had said to Moses and acted out the signs of power God had empowered, and the people believed; they bowed their heads and worshiped God.

Paul’s spiritual counsel continues: Aim first for love and earnestly desire the Spirit’s gifts, particularly prophecy—it’s the gift that’s most effective in evangelism. Tongues address God in mysteries. But one who prophesies edifies and encourages others, and consolidates their faith. Speak tongues only if someone can interpret, and edify the church. Think it over: if I come to you speaking in tongues, you gain nothing unless there is also a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching with the message. If an lifeless instrument sounds an uncertain note, no one can recognize the melody. If the bugle sounds unclearly, no one is sure when to prepare for battle. So it is with you: if you speak a foreign word, you speak into the air; no one knows what you are saying. All the world’s languages have meaning, but only to those who understand them, and unknown speech alienates one from another. Since you desire Spiritual manifestations, seek those that edify the church. One who speaks tongues should pray for the power to interpret. Praying in tongues edifies one’s spirit, but fails to touch the mind. We should seek to pray with spirit and with mind, and to sing with spirit and with mind also. If you bless in the Spirit, no one can express the ‘Amen’ to your blessing unless he understands what you have said. I speak in tongues more than any of you, but in church, I would rather speak five intelligible words, useful for instruction of others, than ten thousand words in a tongue known only to God.

After healing the demon-possessed boy, Jesus led His disciples through Galilee, seeking solitude so He could focus on teaching them: ‘The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will kill Him; and when He is killed, after three days, He will rise.’ They didn’t understand His meaning, and were afraid to ask for further explanation. When they stopped in Capernaum, Jesus asked what the disciples had been discussing along the way—they had been debating about which of them was the greatest. Jesus sat them down to teach them; He said, ‘Anyone who would be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ Jesus took a child and put it among them, and said, ‘Whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me, but Him Who sent Me.’ John told Jesus, ‘Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not forbid him, for no one who does a mighty work in My name will be able soon after to speak evil of Me. Whoever is not against us is for us! For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the Messiah’s name will be no means lose his reward.’