Trust. Obey. There is no other Way.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014 Devotions: Ps 121-26; Ex 5:1-6:1; 1 Cor 14:20-40; Mk 9:42-50 I raise my eyes to the hills, pondering where my help comes from—it comes from YHWH, Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; He never flags, never dozes off, never falls asleep. He Is our Keeper on our right hand. YHWH will protect us from all evil; He guards our going forth and coming home, forever. I am always glad to be called to worship in God's house with His people. And Jerusalem is God's special city, where the tribes of YHWH take aliyah, going up assemble before the Lord. It is the place of divine judgment and worship. Let us continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem—may they prosper, may they have peace. So, YHWH, I lift my eyes and my heart to You, as a child to a loved parent or a servant to a great master. Have mercy on us, YHWH, for we have had a carload of contempt; we are sated on the scorn of the privileged, the contempt of the proud. If YHWH had not been our Advocate and Protector, when people set against us, they'd have swallowed us alive and their anger would have swept us away. Blessed is YHWH, Who has kept us from their talons and fangs; like a bird set free from snares, we have escaped. Like Mt. Zion, we cannot be moved; by His grace, we abide forever. As the sheltering mountains surround Jerusalem, just so is YHWH around His people, now and always. Wickedness shall not rule God's people or His territory. Peace be upon the Israel of God! When He has restored our fortunes, we were like people walking in a dream: our mouths overflowed with merry laughter, our tongues launched shouts of joy. YHWH has done great things, and we are glad. Restore our flow, Lord, like watercourses in the Negev; may those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy, coming home bearing the harvest springing from God's faithfulness. When Moses and Aaron first conveyed God's message to the Egyptian king, Pharaoh said, 'Who is YHWH, that I should heed his voice and let Israel go? I don't know this YHWH, and I won't let Israel go.' Moses and Aaron repeated their demand, but Pharaoh accused them of interrupting the Israelites' labors, and sent them away. Then Pharaoh summoned the taskmasters and foremen supervising the Israelites' forced labors. He told them they would command the workers to supply for themselves the straw needed to make the mud bricks they used—and their quota would not be reduced—these lazy people are demanding to leave their work to sacrifice to their god. Let heavier work be laid on them and pay no regard to their lying words.' So the people were scattered abroad gathering stubble; the people were harassed, and their foremen were beaten when they could not duplicate their production in the face of these harsher conditions. The foremen complained to Pharaoh, but he repeated his command: no straw, same quota, or you will be punished harshly. So the foremen confronted Moses and Aaron: 'May YHWH look upon you and judge because you have made us offensive to Pharaoh and his servants; you have put a sword in their hand to kill us.' And Moses turned to the Lord, praying, 'YHWH, why have You done evil to this people. Why did You send me to them? For since I came as You directed and spoke to Pharaoh, he has done more evil to this people, and You have not delivered them at all.' But YHWH said to Moses, 'Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.' Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians: Don't be childish in your thinking; think with maturity! It is written in Scripture, 'By men of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen, says the Lord.' So tongues are not a sign for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the who church assembles and all speak in tongues, any outsiders or unbelievers in the meeting will think you are crazy, won't they? But if all prophesy, the outsider will be convicted and called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God Is really among you. So, brothers and sisters, what now? When you assemble, one has a hymn, another a lesson, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. If any speak in tongues, let there be only two or three and each in turn, and let someone interpret what has been uttered. If there is no one to interpret, let each keep silence in church, and speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another nearby, let the first speaker fall silent. You can all prophesy, one by one, so that all may learn and be encouraged; the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. And women should remain silent in the assembly, as in all the assemblies of the saints. As the law requires, they should remain subordinate. If they have a question, let them discuss it with their husbands at home. It is shameful for a woman to speak in church. Did the word of God originate with you, or are you the only ones it has reached? I think not. If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, he should acknowledge that what I am writing to you is commanded by God. And if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. So, brothers and sisters, earnestly desire to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues; but all things should be done decently and in order. Jesus said: 'Whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in Me to sin, it would be better for that person if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast so into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off: it is better to live maimed than to keep both hands and go to hell, to unquenchable fire. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off: it is better to live lame than to go to hell with both feet intact. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; better that you enter God's kingdom with one eye than to have both eyes and be cast into hell, where the worm never dies and the fire is never quenched. Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if it loses its saltiness, you cannot restore its savor and virtue. Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.'