Deuteronomy 20:1; NASB When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you. Over the past few years my wife and I have gone out and participated in obstacle course races. If you don’t know what that is, you can do a quick search on the internet for “Spartan Race” or “Tough Mudder.” In these races, there are some fun obstacles, and some crazy ones. There are some you look at and think, “Oh, that will be fun.” Other ones I look at and think, “Why am I even out here? There’s no way I can do that!” In essence, I am defeated before the race even starts. I’ve forgotten about all the training I’ve done and the hard work I’ve put in to get ready, and I just get overwhelmed by the enormity of the circumstances and obstacles before me. In Deuteronomy 20, as Moses is giving final instructions, he has a chapter dedicated to war, and how Israel ought to act when caught in a wartime situation. Basically, the whole chapter is about making sure there is no unnecessary loss of life, limiting how many might die during war (notes from ESV Study Bible regarding this section). The first command given when it comes to war is this: don’t get overwhelmed and afraid of the armies or the size of armies that are before you. Don’t be afraid. God is with you. Let me tell you what I read in this passage. This is the BKV, the Brian Kammer Version: Israel, you are going to have times when you go to war. Not if….when. And know this, you will face other armies that are way larger than you are. You’re going to be tempted to be afraid. No, scratch that, you are going to be afraid. You are going to think it is impossible. You are going to believe death and defeat lay before you. Don’t believe it. Don’t give in to that thinking. Why? Because the God who rescued you from slavery to Egypt (which, by the way, you never thought you would get out of), and in the the process of that deliverance this same God completely defeated and destroyed the entire army of the Egyptians. This God….He is with you. If anyone should be afraid, it should be the other armies because the God of all gods and King of all kings fights for you, protects you, and defends you! Yeah, I know what you’re thinking right now. You’re glad for the regular versions of the Bible because they are a lot shorter. Me too. But make sure you see what God is telling His people. “‘I’ve got this,” God says, “and I’ve got you. Don’t worry and don’t be afraid.” Before any instructions on how to conduct themselves during war, Moses starts out with the most important thing: keep your eyes, heart, and mind focused on God. Don’t get overwhelmed by the obstacles that lay before you. God is much, much superior and greater than them. What obstacles do you see in life right now? What are things that maybe, just maybe bring about some fear? What is taking the place of confidence in God? Certainly you are not in a time of war right now, physically. But maybe you are going through an emotional war. Or a mental war, financial war, or maybe even a relational war. Can I tell you what Moses would tell you? (Of course I can, I’m the one writing the devotional) Don’t be afraid of those things! But you don’t know how long I’ve been fighting these things! You don’t know how insurmountable they are! You don’t know how many odds are stacked against me! You’re right….I don’t know. But I do know a God who is with us and fights for us. Let me be a little vulnerable with you. Everyday I wake up a little fearful about being a leader/pastor. Everyday I have doubts. Everyday I hear the voices that tell me I’m not good enough, that I don’t really matter, that there are better pastors out there. Every morning I battle with the thought that the church would be so much better with me out of the picture. It is taxing and tiring to face the same arguments everyday. And some days, I am overcome by the thoughts. I give in, I’m afraid. I want to crawl up into a ball and cower into a corner to hide from it all. But that is not what God has called me to do. And that is not how God has equipped me to face these fears. Time and time again I have seen God remind me of His presence during these times of doubt. So many times I have seen God fight for me and remind me, whether through the kind words of a friend, or through some action/result, that I am right where God wants me. And as I am right where God wants me, He is right there with me. Don’t get me wrong. Times of war are times of war. It is hard. You will have to fight. But fight for the right things. Above all, fight to, as the author of Hebrews so eloquently states it, let us continue to “look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” I know some of you are facing the worst things in life right now. The odds seemed stacked against you. The obstacles seem overwhelming and insurmountable. But before you give in, remember the charge Moses gave to Israel which is still so relevant to us today: do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you. -Pastor Brian
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Romans 12:10; NASB
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor I recently attended my nephew and nieces Junior High promotion/graduation. It was a great event, and I was a proud uncle of all they accomplished in their school. As the ceremony went on, it came time to call the names of each student, have them come across the stage and get their certificate. I remember as a parent, being proud of my own daughters, celebrating them. And this was no different. But then, something happened. They called the name of a young man. As he went to step forward, he fell to the ground. And then he just lay there. We weren’t sure if something happened, maybe he had a seizure, who knows. But people stood looking on for a minute. Finally some of the teachers came over to attend to this young man, to make sure he was ok, then help him back onto his feet. Everyone was worried, and then everyone applauded. He walked back to the starting point, and they called out his name again as though nothing had happened. Everyone was there to celebrate this young man. To support him. To make sure he didn’t feel bad about what happened, it was just an accident (turns out he had a walking boot on his foot for an injury and it either got caught on something or he slipped). But everyone in that auditorium felt the panic when he fell and lay there. And everyone felt relieved when he was able to get back on his feet and receive his certificate. Paul writes to the church, “be devoted to one another in brotherly love.” Literally he says, “with the love a parent has for a child, so love one another.” With the love a parent has for their own kids. Parents, how much do you love your kids? When was a time that you had the greatest joy or laughter spending time with your children? Putting their unbelievably amazing artworks and accomplishments on the fridge to display for all to see, and to boast about your amazing little Michelangelo. To mourn with them as they are sad, sitting with them and holding them and affirming that this too shall pass. Or when was a time where you experienced the greatest fear? When was a time you were so concerned about them you couldn’t sleep until you knew they were ok? Because, even though my kids have grown into young adults, it never changes. I remember late one night we received a phone call from our daughter. Fear begins to mount up as you see the name on the phone and you begin to think the worst has happened. People say the best way to wake up is to know you overslept and have lost time. I think it is an unexpected phone call in the middle of the night. Turns out it was just a flat tire, and then my panic turned into grumbling because I had to wake up to fix a flat tire and complain, complain, complain. But at the end of the day, I was relieved because my baby was ok and I would do anything for her to keep it that way. And that is how we are supposed to view one another in our church family - as our own kids. Committed to them, devoted to them, loving them the way a parent loves their own kids. Will there be times of frustration? Sure. Will there be times of worry? Of course. Will there be times when you think back on and smile because it was such a great joy? Absolutely. Because, if you haven’t figured it out yet, the church is family. That is the biblical picture of the church. And Paul is reminding us we are supposed to have a love for one another that rivals the love a parent has for their child. So get out there and love like it has no end. Celebrate as others celebrate. Mourn with the one who mourns. Pick them up when they have seemed to fall down, making sure they are ok. Encourage them to keep trying and keep reaching. Because we all need one another. It’s what makes the church. The people, loving one another with a deep brotherly affection. -Pastor Brian Romans 11:33-36; NASB
33 Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? 35 Or who has first given to Him, that it would be paid back to him? 36 For from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. There are so many things in life I marvel at. I marvel at the fact that my little dachshund, with such tiny legs, can run so fast. How does she do it? I have much longer legs but I can’t keep up! I marvel at some magic tricks. I don’t get it. You can slow it down and show me where everything took place but oftentimes I still don’t see it. Like, honestly, how does the magician have a stranger write his name on a card and then it is found in a brand new deck of cards that is wrapped in plastic? I marvel at how easily I can get irritated while I drive. Really, Brian, what’s the rush? Anger doesn’t help anything, especially my outlook on life. Why not just enjoy the scenery or music or sky or anything else there to be marveled at instead of anger. I marvel at the fact that an individual or a family can have someone commit a horrible and unjust atrocity against them, and in time they can turn around and forgive the individual. Wow, right?! And then Paul reminds us of something truly astounding: the depth of the riches of the wisdom of God and the knowledge of God. The riches of these things. It is greater than Scrooge McDuck diving into his vault of billions of gold coins and swimming in it. And the depth of those riches. So deep that you would never reach the bottom. Think about that. Marvel at that. You and I can never exhaust the riches found in the wisdom and knowledge of God. And if that’s not enough (by the way, that alone is more than enough), Paul keeps going. His judgments are unsearchable, and his ways unfathomable. You cannot google to get an understanding of God’s judgments. There’s no wikipedia page for that. It’s beyond measurement or comprehension. And His ways unfathomable. A fathom is a unit of measure when it comes to the depth of water. It is about six feet. The deepest part of the ocean is the Marian Trench, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is 36,021 feet deep, or 6,033.5 fathoms. That’s deep. It is measurable. It comes out to roughly 7 miles deep. And yet God’s ways are deeper than can be measured. We haven’t come up with enough fathoms to reach the depths of the understanding of His ways. It is far beyond our comprehension. And then Paul writes this about God in 1 Timothy 6:15-16: He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. He lives in unapproachable light. Unapproachable. What in the world. I can’t even begin to comprehend that! I don’t even know what to say, or even try to describe. Paul’s words about the bigness of God are overwhelming. All to say this: the God of the Bible, the God we profess as Lord, the God we worship and live for….this God is beyond your understanding. He is bigger than anything you can ask or imagine or think of. He is simply greater than everything. And I write this to remind you. This financial struggle you are in right now, where you feel like you are drowning and there’s no way out. God is bigger than that. It doesn’t mean He is going to make riches come your way, or deliver you out of it. But He is there with you, holding you in His hands. The health struggle you are going through, where you feel overwhelmed and crushed and tired and ready to give up. God is bigger than that. It doesn’t mean He will bring healing. It doesn’t mean your health struggles are going to go away. But it does mean you are not alone, and at the end of the day when we find ourselves in Jesus, we know and believe that He has gone ahead of us and prepared a place for us where there is no more pain or dying (another thing God has done that is unbelievable!). That loneliness. The depression, anxiety, fear. The injustice that is done around the world. That ominous cloud of unknowingness that is oppressing you and making it difficult to make any decision or take a single step forward. God is bigger than that. God. Is. Bigger. Than. That. I can’t possibly begin to describe or define or explain the grand bigness of God. I can’t tell you about all His ways. I can tell you He is bigger than anything you are currently facing, or ever will face. I can tell you that He invites you to come and be with Him, to cast all your worries, burdens, and fears upon Him. I can tell you that He promises to never leave you. That even now, He has you in His hands. And I invite you, as I invite myself, to stop, sit down, take a deep breath and relax. Then to get lost in the greatness of our God; to lose ourselves and to be found in Him. To allow Him to bring the strength, the comfort, the healing, and the times of refreshment that only He can bring. Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! -Pastor Brian |
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