"The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you." -- Psalm 9:9-10

Our readings today include one of the most disturbing accounts in all of Scripture:  Abraham preparing to sacrifice his son Isaac as an offering to God.  It's inconceivable that God would ask this of a person, and I do not understand the demand in the story.  But in the end, God stops Abraham from going through with it, and provides a substitute ram for the offering instead.  Because of that experience, Abraham called the place "The Lord Will Provide".  The Psalm echoes the sentiment, reminding the reader that the Lord has never forsaken those who seek him.  Abraham was truly one who sought to follow the will of God.

Sometimes following God seems to make little sense.  But when you seek him with your whole heart and your whole being, you will be surprised at how God finds you.  Seeking and following the will of God makes no sense only to the one who does not seek and does not follow.  May you always be a seeker!

Readings:  Genesis 20:1-22:24; Matthew 7:15-29; Psalm 9:1-12a; Proverbs 2:16-22

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." -- Matthew 6:12

Here we have the classic "Golden Rule".  It is the one shared by almost every religion in the world.  It is the ethic that even atheists it seems can get behind.  C.S. Lewis illustrates it beautifully in his book Mere Christianity, when he argues against moral relativism.  He says basically (I'm paraphrasing here)  that moral relativism works for one until someone's morality works against them.  In other words, I may be okay with the act of stealing and don't feel as though I should be labeled a criminal for it-- until someone steals from me-- then I find the whole thing outrageously wrong.  You could use any number of examples to illustrate it, but the point remains: if you wouldn't want it done to you, don't do it-- it's wrong.  There are absolutes in this world.  It's not all relative.

Readings:  Genesis 18:20-19:38; Matthew 6:25-7:14; Psalm 8:1-9; Proverbs 2:6-15

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." -- Matthew 6:1

Some read this and think we are not to be seen or known for good things we do.  I believe that to be a misreading of the text.  What it comes down to is the motivation for your 'acts of righteousness'.  Matthew tells us not to do them before others in order to be seen by them.  In other words, check the motive.  Are you doing good so that others can see how good you are, or are you doing good regardless of whether others see you or not?  Modeling righteousness can be instructive and inspiring.  But if it's motivated by human pride-- hoping for, or expecting accolades, then how righteous is it?

Readings:  Genesis 16:1-18:19; Matthew 6:1-24; Psalm 7:1-17; Proverbs 2:1-5

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." -- Matthew 5:43-45

This is a tough one.  To love an enemy-- say some random person from a country that is an "enemy" of your country-- could be fairly easy because you don't know the person and they don't know you.  Rather it's the idea of a person some distance away.  If we were enemies with Antarcticans, we could say, "while our countries or continents are at war, I love the Antarctican people."  But to love someone closer to home who hates you, wishes harm to you and your family-- how do you love them?  Fighting hate with hate doesn't work.  Fighting hate with love can change the world.  Does someone have an example of this kind of love in action?  Please share.

Readings:  Genesis 13:5-15:21; Matthew 5:27-48; Psalm 6:1-10; Proverbs 1:29-33

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Niether do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." -- Matthew 5:14-16

More than anything, it is fear that keeps people from doing what God calls them to do.  Especially when it comes to being visible in front of people, fear has a tendency to keep us lost in the crowd.  We say we don't want to draw attention to ourselves.  We say we don't want to be different from others.  We let the "crazy ones" be the ones people watch... but this text challenges us about all that.  God has given you gifts to use for his purpose, and while it doesn't necessarily mean being in front of crowds speaking or performing, it does mean being seen by others for who you are.  There's no need to hide your true self.  It's the light that God gave uniquely to you.  Let it shine!

Readings: Genesis 11:1-13:4; Matthew 5:1-26; Psalm 5:1-12; Proverbs 1:24-28 

"Come follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. -- Matthew 4:19-20

Isn't it amazing that these fishermen would "at once" drop their nets and follow Jesus?  What was it-- his magnetism?  His charisma?  Did he have them in a trance?  Did he offer them a lot of money?  Most likely, Peter and Andrew knew about Jesus.  They knew him not as a savior, but as a rabbi.  In that day, the rabbi was the rock star.  The rabbi was the position in society most coveted and respected.  And for a rabbi to say "follow me" was a tremendous honor.  It meant you were receiving an invitation to apprentice to become one yourself.  Fishermen weren't typically qualified to follow a rabbi.  So I can imagine these two thinking, "this is our shot-- let's take it now!"  If you want to hear more about this, check out Nooma's video titled "Dust".

Readings:  Genesis 8:1-10:32; Matthew 4:12-25; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 1:20-23

"After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.'" -- Matthew 3:2-3

What images we have in today's readings!  In one sense they are contradictory, and in another they mirror themselves.  In the Old Testament, we have Noah building the Ark and preparing for the flood, and in the New Testament, we have Jesus being tempted in the wilderness after his baptism.  These are different in that with Noah, you have a man thrown into seemingly insane action.  With Jesus, you have a man thrown into seemingly insane inaction.  Noah must have looked like a crazy man using all his power and energy in building the Ark in the beautiful weather-- preparing for the end of the world.  And Jesus, who is about to starve, seems crazy to refuse to use any of his power to feed himself.  It's crazy action vs. crazy inaction.  

On the other hand, they mirror each other because they both are obedient to God to a point that we would be greatly challenged if called upon ourselves.  Noah begins building in the sunshine trusting God's word and provision.  Jesus refuses to exercise his power, trusting God's word and provision.  Jesus knows that just because he can do something, doesn't mean he necessarily should.  These readings should give us pause next time we are about to impulsively do anything.  

What is God calling you to do, or refrain from doing?  Is your temptation to act in a way that is contradictory to God's will (Jesus' temptation), or is your temptation to refrain from a work that God is calling you to be about (Noah's example)?

Readings: Genesis 5:1-7:24; Matthew 3:7-4:11; Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 1:10-19