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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Sunday, 9 July 2023:
Isaiah 66:1, 2 – Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
God is not looking for massive church building programs financed by debt to bring glory to His name on earth. He desires humble and contrite spirits who tremble at His word. Churches in America spend far more money on building debt than they do on missionaries or anything else. Meanwhile, the average church giver ‘tithes’ just over 2% while spending 47-56% of their income on debt payments (debt.org). Add taxes to debt, and there is not much left for giving. However, most tragic is that the church as a whole seems to have stopped ‘trembling’ at God’s word – “Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19) According to LifeWay Research only 19% of regular church goers read the Bible every day, and about 25 percent read the Bible a few times a week (although Barna says the average American home owns 4.4 Bibles). Meanwhile, consider the stats from Barna Group below:
“When it comes to Americans and their TV sets, Christians might be a little more tuned-in to the culture than to those they are called to evangelize away from the things of this world. In fact, Christians who practice their faith watch more TV than non-Christians. Take a look at how many hours the following groups of Americans spend watching TV on a daily basis.
- Practicing Protestants − 3.1 hours
- Practicing Catholics − 3.5 hours
- Adherents to faiths other than Christianity − 2.6 hours
- Atheists and agnostics − 2.7 hours
- Women − 3.4 hours
- Men − 3.0 hours
- Elderly (69 and older) − 4.4 hours
- Boomers (ages 50-68) − 3.8 hours
- Gen-Xers (ages 31-49) − 2.5 hours
- Millennials (ages 18-30) − 2.7 hours”
Ironically, after examining the numbers, one might conclude that Christians and older generation Americans could be acculturated by TV trends more than their non-Christian and younger counterparts.
Attending church also has little to do with blocking out worldly influences via broadcast waves. “Interestingly, church attendance seems to make little difference in the number of viewing hours,” Barna reports. “Those who attend church within the past week, those who attended within the past month and those who have not attended at all within the past six months all watch an average of 3.2 hours per day.” In general 74 percent of Americans watch at least some TV every day, with 51 percent watching one to three hours, 44 percent watching four or more hours, and 30 percent watching five or more hours per day. Are we disciples of Christ or disciples of culture? No one can follow two teachers.
From Henry T. Blackaby – “Do you tremble when God speaks? When was the last time you were physically affected by the reality that almighty God just spoke directly to you? John lost all physical strength when God spoke to him (Rev. 1:17); Paul fell to the ground when Christ met him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:4); Moses trembled when God spoke to him (Acts 7:32); and Peter, when he realized who Jesus was, “fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”? (Luke 5:8). Have you lost your sense of awe that the Creator still chooses to speak to you, His creation? Do you approach the reading of your Bible with a holy expectation, listening for the life-changing words that God has for you that day? Scripture says that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10). There are things you will see and hear out of your fear and reverence for God that you will not experience in any other way. As you study your Bible, you may sense that God has something to say directly to you through the verses you are reading. Take a moment to consider the awesome reality that the God who spoke and created a universe is now speaking to you. If Jesus could speak and raise the dead, calm a storm, cast out demons, and heal the incurable, then what effect might a word from Him have upon your life? The possibilities should cause you to tremble! The next time you open God’s Word, do so with a sense of holy expectation.”
Isaiah 66:5 – Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word: Your brothers who hate you and cast you out for my name’s sake have said, “Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy;” but it is they who shall be put to shame.
Those who truly follow God have always been and always will be hated by those who are self-righteous.
Isaiah 66:18 — For I know their works and their thoughts…
Others can see your actions, but God knows your heart and your thoughts behind those actions. God knows who really loves Him and who doesn’t. No outward activities can fool God.
Isaiah 66:19-21 – …and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD. And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the LORD.
God’s plan includes people from every nation. Nationalism, racism and other “-isms” should never divide the church, nor should the church get involved in such forms of false pride. Christians have no business getting involved in either the glorification or condemnation of any demographic group. Sex, race, nationality, cultural heritage, etc, are not virtues. We should see to groups of people – Christians, and those we desire to be Christians, all reconciled to the family of Christ.
Psalm 77:11 — I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
In times of trouble and doubt, it is good to remember what God has done for His people and for you in life; count your many blessings. When you begin to doubt God’s faithfulness, remember His perfect record of love and faithfulness. God is always good, loving, and faithful.
Psalm 78:4 – We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
God expects you to tell your children (or children you know) all that you have seen God do in your lifetime as a witness to His glory.
Psalm 78:5-7 — Teach… children that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.
God expects parents to teach their children to trust and obey God. Jesus said that our mission on earth was to make disciples (not just believers). Your first responsibility of discipleship is within your own family.
Psalm 78:7 — …so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments….
Believers believe Jesus is the Son of God, but disciples don’t just believe, they follow and obey Jesus, dedicating all their lives to Jesus. Jesus has appointed us to make disciples who obey – “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19, 20)
Psalm 78:11 – They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them.
Forgetting what God has done leads you to depart from Him.
Psalm 78:20 – He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?
You selfishly depart from God when you selfishly want more than He provides or when you don’t wait patiently and confidently for Him to provide.
Psalm 78:34-37 — When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly…. But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.
Many people obey God only out of fear or hope for reward, but God demands obedience motivated by love. God knows the difference between selfishly motivated worship and unselfish worship and service. Outwardly, they may look the same to other people, but God judges the heart behind the deeds. God is not fooled like people are.
Psalm 78:52 – Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
God is the Good Shepherd. (see Psalm 23; John 10)
Psalm 78:67-68 — He rejected the tent of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves.
God judges once faithful people no longer useful to His mission. Past fidelity does not make up for today’s infidelity. It is today that matters, and it is not how you start that matters by how you finish the race.
Psalm 78:72 — With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.
Good leaders require both character and competence. They must be both ethical (by God’s definition) and good at what they do, skilled. Many leaders are talented, with large personalities, but lack integrity. High competency often overshadows bad character in the eyes of the public, with unfortunate consequences.
Considering the teachings of Psalm 78, God’s history of discipline within your family and your church should teach you the futility of sin and rebellion.
Proverbs 9:4-6 — “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says, “Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”
The doors are open to wisdom, along with the Kingdom of God, for anyone who would enter in and abide there. Foolishness and judgment are not a random curse but a choice.
Proverbs 9:9 – Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
An essential trait for character development is being teachable.
Proverbs 9:10 — The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
If you don’t know the truth of God, you will misinterpret everything else and experience the natural consequences. Insanity is not having a grip on reality. The highest form of insanity is believing you can understand something apart from its context to the Creator and His purposes and principles.
Proverbs 9:13 – The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing.
Folly is characterized as loud, undisciplined, ignorant, boastful, and boisterous. How much differently is wisdom described in verses 1-6. They both call from the highest point of the city, inviting you to join them. Who will you join? Or, will you try to hangout with both? Notice those who follow folly posses the same character traits described above.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 9 July 2023: Today, share with someone what God has done in your life and the truth of the Gospel.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 