Provisions for the journey

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

Blessings and best wishes,
Dr. Will

Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Devotions: Ps 12-14; 119:1-24; Exod 15:22-16:10; 1 Pet 2:1-10; Jn 15:1-11

Lord, help! I live in a culture saturated with lies and deception, filled with hard and false hearts. Cut off flatterers and boasting. Rise, Lord, to protect the oppressed and powerless. God’s promises are pure, like silver refined seven times. Guard us, Father, from this generation, as vileness is exalted among the people. I try to hang on, Lord, but I’m weakening; answer soon, I pray. For I have trusted in Your steadfast love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing to YHWH, because He has been bountiful to me! Only fools deny God’s existence; what else can the corrupt do? But God watches for those who are more discerning—and He finds few in this corrupt generation. When God comes, there will be widespread terror and panic among the godless; and how I long for His visitation! Then, all God’s people will rejoice. Blessed are all who know and follow God’s word. May I be steadfast in keeping Your statutes, Lord. I can keep my way pure by living according to Your word; I seek You with my whole heart. Do not let me stray from Your commands; I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You. I delight in going Your way, Lord; bless me with life, that I may celebrate Your goodness. I am a pilgrim on this earth, living my life toward You. Open my eyes, my ears, my mind and heart, that I may perceive rightly, and act by Your precepts. Your testimonies are my counselors, YHWH.

After God had destroyed Pharaoh’s forces in the sea, Moses led the people past Marah, with its bitter waters, to Elim, a palm oasis with twelve sweet springs of water. Next, they migrated into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Sinai. Again the people complained against Moses and YHWH, missing ‘the fleshpots of Egypt,’ where they recalled having plenty to eat. YHWH said to Moses, ‘Look: I will rain bread from heaven on the people. Have them gather enough for each day—not more or less. And on the sixth day, before the Sabbath, let them gather twice as much, since I will deliver no bread on Sabbaths.’ Moses and Aaron gave this word to the people, and pointed out that their grumbling was against God, not against His human agents. God manifested His glory before the people, in a cloud.

Peter wrote to the Diaspora: Put away all guile and malice, all insincerity, envy and slander. Crave pure spiritual milk, as if you were infants, so that by it you may grow up into salvation, for you have tasted the Lord’s kindness. Come to Jesus, that living Stone rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight. Like living stones, be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood and to offer spiritual sacrifices to God through the Messiah Jesus. As the scripture stands: ‘Behold, I Am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and he who believes in Him will not be put to shame.’ Therefore, He is precious to you who believe, but to unbelievers, 'The very stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone’ and ‘A stone that will make men stumble, a rock that will make them fall.’ They stumble because they disobey God’s word—just as they were destined to do. By contrast, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, so that you may declare the wonderful deeds of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were no people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy indeed.

On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus told His followers: ‘I Am the true Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch of Mine that bears no fruit, He removes; every fruitful branch, He prunes, so that it may bear more fruit. The words I have spoken have already made you clean. Now abide in Me and I in you. A branch cannot bear fruit by itself; it must abide in the vine; neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. I Am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, will bear much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If one does not abide in Me, he is cast out, a severed branch, and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples. As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. I have said these things to you so that My joy may be in you, and so that your joy may be complete.