Author: BJ Armstrong

Ezekiel 40-42, John 14

In John 15, Jesus tells us to go and produce fruit.  I can do that.  In fact, I’ve been preparing my whole life.

• • I will work harder.
  • I will sell more.
  • I will get more followers.
  • I will grow bigger and be known.

Then, I can be as Jesus described and “produce much.”  Not really.  Those goals produce Americanized results.  Jesus is looking for something different.  Galatians 5 tells us that fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

• • I will serve more.
  • I will give generously.
  • I will mind my own affairs.
  • I will forgive fully – myself and others.

Now, there is only one way to maintain a life with those priorities.  “Remain in me,” Jesus says.  “Seek me, come to me.  Apart from me, you can do nothing.  But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!” John 15:7

Ezekiel 28-30, John 10

I read a lot of books. Most of them fall into the genres of self-help, business, or psychology.  My favorites combine all three.  There is nothing Godly about many of the books I read, except tangentially.  What does that mean?  It means the principles are Godly.  They all contain elements of wisdom from the Bible, but they strip out God.  They promise a simpler version of success,  highlighting all the things, a big life, without God. Its like jumping over the gate.  Why bother to open the door when you don’t have to?

John 10:1-3 (NLT) I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! 2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

Ezekiel 7-9, John 3

There are two methods for getting out of a traffic ticket.  One feigns humility, and the other begs forgiveness.  The first goes something like this, “you got me. I am an idiot.  I deserve far worse than your ticket.”   the second says, “Please don’t do this, I am so sorry.  My wife is going to kill me.  I have a newborn baby, and I’m trying to buy formula, and if you give me this ticket, I won’t be able to….” 

 Both methods are fake.  I have every intention of speeding again.  In fact, as soon as you, Mr. Police Officer, are out of sight, I will be blazing toward my destination.  If you don’t give me this ticket, I still won’t like you, and I will brag to my friends about how I bested you. 

Good police officers know these tricks.  I imagine them having a big file somewhere that tags us.  That way, when another cop pulls us over, he gets a picture of who we are.   Next time, it won’t be so easy.

Ezekiel 7-9 presents us with one of the most terrifying stories in the Bible.  It starts with God declaring that “the end is upon you!” ‘Now,’ He continues, “you will get my anger; I will judge you, I will punish you, and I will not spare you or have pity.”  If you have the audacity to keep reading, you will see doom, wrath, anger, judgment, violence, wickedness, pestilence, shame, and terror.

Reading through the horrifying list of proclamations against mankind has me looking for an out.  Should I fall on my knees?  Ask forgiveness?  “Just give me a minute, God, to explain myself.  There is a perfectly good reason for all of this…”  But it is too late.  There is no more time for excuses.  The executioners have gathered near (EZ 9:1)

Some, however, that will survive the wrath.  But who are they?  How do you separate those who truly love God from those who just want a get-out-of-jail-free card?  God has a way.

“Put a mark on the foreheads of the men that sigh and groan.”  God cuts straight to the heart with this directive.  Instead of saying, mark the men who ask for help, or mark the men who beg for mercy, he wants the ones that sigh and groan.  The others are desperate.  They got caught and are willing to do anything to save our butts.  I will say anything, do anything, and promise anything.  God knows this.

To root out the committed, He implemented a simple test that examines the character of men’s’ hearts.  Do they sigh and groan?  Do you know what that feels like?  Psalm 119:53 describes it as  “Hot indignation [that] seizes me, because of the wicked.” And, “My eyes shed streams of tears” because they ignore you (Psalm 119:136).  Those are both outward manifestations of pain, deep inside.  It’s not physical pain; it’s heartbreak.  It’s the kind of pain that drives us to our knees. Helpless, distressed, and desperate.  Matthew Henry says it this way: those who will receive the mark  “sigh in themselves as men in pain and distress, cry to God in prayer, as men in earnest, enormities that were abominations to God.”  Those last words get to it, “abominations to God.”  What are the marked so sick over?  The destruction of beauty, the eradication of love, and the elimination of hope.  These are the hallmarks of God himself.

Jeremiah 50-52, 2 Peter 3

The alarm is set for 4:00. It will come fast.  A loud and annoying siren is necessary to bring life to my body at that early hour.  I will not like it.  It will not be fun, but that is not the point.  The fun lives on the other side.  I have a flight to catch, and it leaves early.  The sunshine is beckoning.  I will do it.

Paul is sounding an alarm too.  His words and his tone in 2 Peter are written to get our attention.  While they may not come off loud and annoying, they are designed, he says, “to stimulate our minds.”  In other words, “wake up!”  It is time to focus and engage in his conversation.  Sure, you can snooze, but you will also lose.  Regression is real, but that is not the point.  You see, there is an opportunity, an experience awaiting our response.  Once energized with the Gospel, our minds bring peace and assurance, purity and blamelessness.  This is the new heaven and new earth that we are being called to.  But do not delay this opportunity is for a limited time only.  We have a flight to catch.

Jeremiah 38, 39, 52, 1 Peter 2

1 peter 2 tells us to put away all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander.  What are they, exactly?

Malice – malice is the conscious and willful desire to hurt or harm others

Deceit – deliberately misleading or lying to others

Hypocrisy – pretending to be something you are not

Envy – desiring what others have

Slander – the act of making false, damaging statements about someone in order to harm their reputation

Is it possible to “put them away,” as Peter commands?  Maybe, for a minute.

It seems similar to catching a child picking his nose.  When I yell  “stop it,” he stops.  He will even obey for a while.  Then, once he discipline wears off and the discomfort returns, his natural self takes over.  The same is true for us.   I might be able to take the action of putting them away for a minute but if it is to persist over the long term, I must first replace the mindset with something else.

Peter tells us directly in verse 13.  He says,

Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 1 peter 1:13

2 Chronicles 34-35, 2 Corinthians 6

I often meet with people that are getting their real estate license.  As we talk, their eyes gleem with anticipation of the possibilities.  Maybe it’s the opportunity to be your own boss.  Some talk about helping families find the perfect home and others dream about becoming millionaires.  All of these are possible in the world of real estate sales.  Unfortunately, most will never make it.

I recently interviewed a young prospect.  After our conversation, my colleague asked, “do you think she will make it?”  “If she works hard, she will” was my reply.

Christians are like realtors.  They want all the rewards without any of the work.  Give me health and wealth and security, right?  I want to walk the streets paved with gold too.  Give me salvation and eternal life.  It’s easy to focus on these promises, then become disappointed when they do not arrive.

Not so fast, says Paul.  “You are not restricted by us.”  Meaning, your misfortune is not because we have not taught you.  In fact, we have led the way.  The problem is that “you are restricted in your own affections.”  In other words, you would rather get in your fancy car and go party then stay here than alter your plans and change your desires.

So, “If your emotional life is off kilter, if you feel far from God, stressed, anxious, and chronically mad, and you’re not becoming more of a person of love, then the odds are that something about the system of your life is poorly designed.” ~ Mark  Comer

Comer, John Mark. Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did. (p. 180). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Isaiah 41-44, 1 Cor 12

It’s easier to recognize someone else’s gift than it is to see my own

I’m often more envious of others’ gifts than I am thankful for my own

I’m disappointed when someone out-gifts me

People with developed spiritual gifts make it look easy

Discovering our spiritual gifts is incredibly exciting and simultaneously terrifying

Spiritual gifts are planned to meet a need in the world, somewhere

Spiritual gifts need to be developed

Developing one gift might reveal a new one

If your gift feels like a burden, you’re not using it appropriately

Using your gifts is worship.  It’s also pleasurable.

Spiritual gifts are designed to be used in conjunction with others

Spiritual gifts don’t retire, only people do

Sometimes, I want the gift someone else has

What am I missing?

Isaiah 30-35, 1 Corinthians 5-6

I grow weary of waiting. To be honest, I’m not even sure what I’m waiting for. God promises a life “to the full,” but I’m not feeling it. Worse yet, I see trouble on the horizon. The economy is unstable, health issues arise, relationships are strained, and I can’t sleep anymore. What do I do? I rush ahead, just like the Israelites.

The Israelites had their struggles. Constantly threatened by invasion, they were a small nation, vulnerable to being overpowered by neighboring armies. Exhausted from living in fear, they turned to Egypt for a solution. Egypt was powerful, with a vast army and a mighty Pharaoh. So, Israel sought an alliance.

They believed this alliance would protect them. Once the threat from their neighbors was gone, they could live freely. Better yet, they thought they’d thrive. After all, a good alliance brings new opportunities. But this wasn’t true. The Israelites had forgotten what happened before. Their previous alliance with Egypt didn’t bring protection and provision; it led to oppression and slavery. This is the prophet Isaiah’s warning: if they proceed with this alliance, they will face shame and humiliation (Isaiah 30:3).

Thankfully, Isaiah doesn’t leave Israel without a solution. He reminds them of the grace that awaits them—grace that is freely given and abundantly provided by God. This grace, Isaiah says, is beyond what they can imagine. It dispels darkness, heals wounds, and binds brokenness (Isaiah 30:26). More than that, it fills hearts with gladness and strikes fear into their enemies (Isaiah 30:29-31).

Isaiah’s words are just as relevant today. We see all kinds of alliances and quick fixes to our problems—money, medicine, and more. But none of them truly work. It is only through the love and grace of Jesus Christ that we find what we’re searching for if we remember Isaiah’s precious words:

“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.” (Isaiah 30:18)