One solid foundation

Monday, October 4, 2010

Devotions: Ps 106; Hos 14:1-9; Acts 22:30-23:11; Lk 6:39-49

Praise the Lord and give Him thanks, for His steadfast love endures forever. Lord, remember me when You show favor to Your people; let me see the prosperity of Your chosen ones. I am a sinner from a sinful people. Throughout history, God has chosen and blessed particular groups—beginning with the children of Israel. Although You brought them out from Egyptian bondage, they soon fell away; they made and worshiped a golden idol at Mt. Horeb; only Moses's intercession prevented God from executing the people and starting over. Again and again, this stiff-necked and rebellious people questioned, doubted, or forsook YHWH. His holy anger was kindled against them, and He let them fall into judgment. But God never abandoned His pwople; and He always kept His covenants with them. How kind, how blessed is YHWH, the God of Israel; let all His people praise the Lord! Amen.

Let Israel return to her God, for they have stumbled apart from Him. God will heal their faithlessness; He will love them freely, and they will flourish under His guidance and care. Let the wise hear and understand; let the discerning affirm that God and His ways are righteous. And let the upright walk in God's ways, while transgressors stumble in them.

Paul affirmed that he had persecuted the church and watched the coats of those who stoned Stephen to death. The mob cried out against him and threw dust into the air. The Roman tribune had Paul brought back into the barracks to protect him. The centurion in charge of him intended to interrogate Paul by having him scourged, but when Paul asked him if it was lawful for him to do this to a Roman citizen, the centurion reported the matter to the tribune, who spoke again with Paul: 'Are you a Roman citizen?' Paul said, 'Yes.' The tribune said, 'I bought my citizenship for a large sum.' And Paul answered, 'But I was born a citizen.' The next day, the tribune had Paul and those who accused him brought together so he could discern the reason for the Jews' accusations. Paul looked intently at the council and said, 'Brothers, I have lived before God in good conscience to this very day.' The High Priest Ananias commanded those near him to strike Paul on the mouth. Paul said to him, 'You whitewashed wall, may God strike you! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?' Those standing near Paul said to him, 'Would you revile God's high priest?' And Paul said, 'I didn't know, brothers, that he was the high priest. For it is written, "You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people." Perceiving that the Jewish council was divided between Sadducees and Pharisees, he cried out, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees, with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead I am on trial.' This claim started up a dissension among the council members—for the Sadducees say there is no resurrection; they also deny the existence of angels and spirits, while Pharisees affirm all three. Some of the scribes in the Pharisee party contended, 'We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?' As the debate became a heated conflict, the tribune had Paul taken from their midst by force, and returned him to the Roman barracks. The next night, the Lord stood beside Paul and said to him, 'Take courage, for as you have testified about Me at Jerusalem, so you must bear witness also in Rome.'

Jesus told His hearers this parable: 'Can a blind man lead another blind man? Won't they both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher; when everyone is fully instructed, they will be like their teacher. Why do you notice aspeck in your brother's eye, but overlook the log in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take that speck out of your eye" when you have a log in your own eye? Hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye; then you can see clearly to take out the speck in your brother's eye. No good tree bears bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is known by its own characteristic fruit. You can't harvest figs from thorn bushes, nor grapes from a bramble. Out of the good treasure of his heart, a good man produces good; and out of the evil treasure an evil man produces evil. For out of the overflow of the heart does the mouth speak. Why do you call me "Lord, Lord" when you don't do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and does them is like this: he is like a man who dug deep and built a house with its foundation on the rock; when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it was well built. But one who hears and does not do what I say is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; when the stream broke against that house, it fell immediately, and its ruin was complete.'