New Arrival

I'm so sorry I've been absent... things have been a little busy in our family. Our first grandson was born on Sunday, June 14th.

His name was chosen by his 2-1/2 yr-old sister. Her parents asked "What is baby brother's name?" "Toby!" was her unhesitating reply.

We are rejoicing in the birth of a healthy boy whose name, Tobias, means, "God is Great!" ("Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, thou hast perfected praise...") Thank you all so much for your prayers. I will be back with more posts after the first of July. May God continue to bless your time in his Word.

Attack Dogs, Nipping At My Heels

Friday, 5 June: I Chron.7:1-12; Prov.13:16; John 19:12-15

When Pilate allowed the trial of Jesus to get out of hand, he soon found himself overwhelmed and unable to turn the tide. It began simply enough... the Jewish religious leaders bothering him about some annoyance that Roman law forbade them to resolve themselves. Despite their political position, any respect he had for them had likely been whittled away by their self-righteousness and marked hypocrisy. We can take a warning from this... the world can often see more clearly than we do, the gaps between our profession and our faith.

As the scene wore on, the Jews became increasingly inflamed by Pilate's cool response. They were determined to convince him of the justice of their cause... and equally determined to have their way. He, on the other hand, found himself ever more concerned about the obvious innocence of their latest victim. It was one thing to avoid a riot and give them what they wanted, but quite another to condemn a clearly innocent man to a horrible death. A riot would cause trouble big for him with Caesar, but an unjust sentence would would ultimately make his job more difficult by further reducing his esteem with those he governed. In the end, his appeals for Jesus were drowned out by the now incensed crowd. He was left with little choice but to give them their way.

In my own life, how often have I too passively poked at sin that was dogging me? If a dog is pursuing, I'd better not just hope I can outrun it. I must turn and face it; rebuke it or ask it's owner to do so. The apostle Paul speaks many times about saying "NO!" to fleshly appetites; the first step must be a conscious, whole-hearted decision to do right. Then, Jude 9 gives the pattern for crying out to the Lord. When Michael the archangel was contending with Satan, he did not presume to rebuke the Prince of the power of the air himself, but said, "The Lord rebuke thee."

Humbling myself to make the Lord my refuge, pleading with Him to deliver me from the Enemy who is too strong for me... then alone will I find His victory.

Don't Let The Car Drive Itself

Thursday, 4 Jun: I Chron.6:54-81; Prov. 13:14-15; Jn. 19:1-11

The Jews accusation that Jesus "made himself the Son of God" struck fear into Pilate's heart. Throughout the trial, he had heard about Jesus's claims of being a king, which the Jews asserted was rebellion against Caesar. Pilate was unmoved by the evident bias in the accusations of the Jewish religious leaders. When his appeals for the apparent innocence of the young rabbi fell on deaf ears, Pilate's main concern was to avoid a ruckus that would bring Caesar's notice and displeasure.

But when they spoke about diety, it became another matter. Was it because of the Roman belief in many gods, who were believed to sometimes present themselves as mortals? Were his superstitions stirred by his wife's dreams, and her warning that he have nothing to do with "this just man"?

"Behold the man!" Was it a cry to make the Jews stop and think about what they were doing? Did he hope that if they observed the punishment Jesus had already suffered, they might be satisfied? Was he backpeddling, suddenly afraid of his prior indifference and the escalation of passions?

How often do I neglect, or run roughshod over my conscience and the conviction of the Holy Spirit? Whether driven by pride or passion--or just plain passivity--how great is the loss when I allow the momentum of circumstances to take me out of God's will! May I be willing to 'put on the brakes', and instantly, completely obey the direction of the Spirit.

Crooked or Straight?

Tuesday, 2 Jun; I Chron. 6:1-28; Prov.13:12; John 18:28-32

When Pilate asked the Jews what Jesus had done wrong, they retorted with a self-defensive question, "If he wasn't a malefactor (evildoer), we would not have delivered him up unto thee." Moral of the story... If you can't get a straight answer out of someone, they're probably up to something crooked!

The religious leaders' position and esteem in the eyes of their followers had been badly damaged by the light of truth. As Jesus taught the people with the authority of Scripture and the power of the Spirit, the hypocrisy of the Pharisees et al. was fully exposed. Their best plan for revenge was to kill this new threat, but they were forbidden by Roman law to do so. Their only hope was to trump up some kind of political charge, but they knew it would not withstand close scrutiny. Their manipulation of the system would only work if they could bluff and bluster their way through the process.

When confronted by spiritual truth, what is my response? Do I dodge the question, and defend myself by rehearsing my good works? When the Holy Spirit prompts me to speak to someone about their need of a Savior, do I offer up excuses about my busy-ness? Do I allow a person's appearance to provide a sputtering rationale about how unreceptive I think they might be? Lord, keep my heart plowing a straight furrow with You, and let my mouth be taught to speak accordingly!