“Don’t Forget to Pray”

May 29, 2024

May 29, 2024

Read Joshua 9, Proverbs 24, 1 Corinthians 8

What’s something that you have neglected to pray about in your past? How did it turnout? Last year my son needed a vehicle and we knew we had to have it. So we went about looking for one, thought we had a great deal and bought it. But I forgot to pray about it. I took for granted that I needed to take this “trivial matter” to the Lord to see if that was the right vehicle for my son. You can guess the rest of the story I bet. We had problem after problem with it from the day we drove it off the car lot. Note to self, Don’t forget to pray.

The same thing happen to Israel in Joshua 9. No, they didn’t a lemon of a car, but they made a decision without seeking the Lord first. A group called the Gibeonites tricked Israel into thinking that they were from a far away land and not on the list of nations that God told them to wipe out. The deception was good, they pulled out all the stops and made food that seemed to be foreign and misled Israel. Verse 15 says, “The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not enquire of the LORD.”

This put Israel in a bad place. God had told them to wipe out the Gibeonites with all the other nations, but now they had made a vow to the Lord not to kill them and treat them as subjects.  These subjects would be a thorn in their side and bring temptation from other gods to Israel. It amazes me that how serious Israel took keeping their own vow to the Gibeonites. What if we acted this way today. Whatever we do and vow, don’t forget to pray!

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes do you notice?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Saw It Coming”

May 3, 2024

May 3, 2024

Read Deuteronomy 17, Psalm 148, Acts 26

Have you ever been in a situation where you saw something coming. I’m not saying you had a vision or that you are a prophet, but your wisdom and experience allowed you to see what was lying ahead. Maybe it was something you were going to go through or maybe you saw a family or someone you loved headed in a direction that was not good? What did you do? Did you try and stop the person from going through it?

In Deuteronomy 17 we find a passage where God tries to warn the nation of Israel about their future kings and leaders. “When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” 15 be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers” vv. 14-15. Moses continues to give them details about the future kings. “The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold” vv. 16-17. God warned the people to keep the king humble and not allow him to gain wealth and multiple wives. Is anyone else thinking of a certain king who fit this description? Solomon comes to mind for me.

Even further God tells the Israelites that the king must keep a copy of God’s Law with them and read it regularly. “When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20 and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel” vv. 18-20.

This is great advice for us today. If we find ourselves in a place of power and authority. We must remain humble and keep ourselves from being distracted by other things. We must remain faithful in reading and digesting God’s Word so that we will stay inside God’s blessings for our lives.

What else do you see in these chapters? What repeated words, phrases, or themes do you find here?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Spiritual Food”

April 24, 2024

April 24, 2024

Read Deuteronomy 8, Psalm 136-137, Acts 17

What’s your favorite food? Growing up mine was tacos. I could eat 4-5 as a kid easily. We all need a good diet of food to remain healthy and be able to have the energy to do the things we do each day. Have you ever thought about the concept of having spiritual food to provide you with the ability to serve the Lord and walk in your relationship with the Lord? Our spiritual food is like real food. We need a variety of different types to have a balanced diet of spiritual nourishment to live for the Lord. Here in Deuteronomy 8 Moses reminded the Israelites that while they lived on the Manna in the desert for forty years, they also were feed by something else more importantly. “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” v. 3. The Word of God is the main way we get our nourishment as spiritual food but there are other spiritual disciplines we can practice too! Practicing spiritual like prayer, fasting, witnessing, serving the church, Scripture memorization and meditation, Sabbath rest, worship are just a few of the things we can do to feed our soul and maintain the energy to do follow Christ.

Jesus said something like Moses said when he had finished his interaction with the woman at the well in Samaria. The disciples returned bringing food for Jesus but Jesus was no longer hungry, He had been filled up by something else. “Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” vv. 31-34. Jesus had been spiritual filled by serving the Lord and ministering to the Samaritan woman.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Journaling”

April 7, 2024

April 7, 2024

Read Numbers 27, Psalm 104-106

If you haven’t figured it out yet. I have been posting on social media and my blog my thoughts on the passages of Scripture that I read every day. This is a type of journaling I felt led to do at the beginning of the year when I started read through the Bible this year. Do you like to journal or record your thoughts down on paper or in some other format? I admit it’s not for everyone. There are benefits to journaling. You get to go back and review your thoughts over a period and see how you felt about a particular circumstance you were going through. Another benefit is to see how God worked through a time in your life or how He was actively involved in your life in the past.

This is the mentality of the author of Psalm 105 and 106. The psalmist goes back over the history of Israel and looks at the highlights of their journey. There are good and bad things mentioned. Times of disobedience and times when God’s providence prevailed. The psalm opens with these verses; “Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 2 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts” vv. 1-2. It starts with Abraham and then with Jacob. Next, we see the journey to Egypt mentioned and some of the 10 plagues that God brought down on Egypt. “He sent darkness and made the land dark—   for had they not rebelled against his words? 29 He turned their waters into blood, causing their fish to die. 30 Their land teemed with frogs, which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers” vv. 28-30. In Psalm 106 we find more of the negative journaling that reminded Israel of their disobedience and sin. “But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel. 14 In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wasteland they put God to the test” vv. 13-14. The golden calf was mentioned and also when the earth opened up and swallowed some rebellious Israelites for opposing Moses. “The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it buried the company of Abiram” v. 17.

Good or bad, what are some things that you could journal about and return to at a later date to help you remember and appreciate the things that God has brought you through or that you have experienced?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Worship”

March 22, 2024

March 22, 2024

Read Numbers 11, Psalm 81, Mark 5

Everybody worships something. Some worship various things in creation like trees, mountains, statues, or other carved items. Others worship ideas like science, a political agenda, or saving the planet, or protecting animals. Some may even worship another person, Taylor Swift, a football coach, or a famed actor or actress. Most people just simply worship themselves. They are the ruler of their own domain.

Psalm 81 is a psalm of praise to God. “Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob! 2 Begin the music, strike the tambourine, play the melodious harp and lyre” vv. 1-2. As a reminder worship is much more than playing or singing a song. Worship can include what we devote our time, thoughts, or focus our efforts upon. We should worship God and Him alone, this is the first commandment. We can worship God for who He is (His character and nature) and we can worship God for what good things He has done.

God warns the people of Israel, “Hear, O my people, and I will warn you— if you would but listen to me, O Israel! 9 You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to an alien god. 10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it” vv. 8-10. We need to continually check ourselves and see if we are putting anything before the Lord in priority. Unknowingly we can allow things to creep in slowly into our lives and take a prominent hold in our life.

What else do you see in these chapters? What stands out to you? What words, phrases, themes or images speak to you most from the Scripture? Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Think About Such Things”

March 13, 2024

March 13, 2024

Read Numbers 2, Psalm 72, Philippians 4

Have you heard the saying, “You are what you eat?” Perhaps an even better saying might be “You are what you think.” Let me first say that I’m not talking about some type of New Age manifestation thing where whatever you think you will bring it to pass in your life. That’s not possible and it’s a dangerous practice that I believe dips into the spiritual world of the occult or the prosperity gospel. I’m referring to our mental state and how we think about the things we do. Would you consider yourself more of a pessimist or optimist? Do you think in a more negative or positive manner? Most people tend to think about the negative. This is why negative political ads seem to work with us, because we can identify better with the negative side. A survey years ago said that the average adult has about 60,000 thoughts a day. And of the 60,000 thoughts 45,000 are negative ones. Three of every four thoughts we have on average are negative. We have to work harder to think in a positive light.

The apostle Paul was on to something when he wrote the last few paragraphs of his letter to the Christians at Philippi. He encourages the Christians to, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” v. 8. You might push back and say something like, “It’s easy to think positive when you are famous church letter with all the influence.” But nothing could be further from the truth. When Paul wrote this letter he was in jail. He was not the popular person we thought. The only reason people wanted to see Paul was to kill him or throw him in jail. Despite everything that Paul endured he was able to think about the good and not the bad because of his relationship with God through Jesus.

The famous verse 13 in Philippians 4, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” is the conclusion to Paul’s secret of how he was able to focus on the good and noble things. “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” vv. 11-12. Again, Paul’s secret was, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” v. 13.

What else do you see in these three chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Protection”

March 4, 2024

March 4, 2024

Read Leviticus 20, Psalm 64, Ephesians 1

People spend a lot of money on things that will keep them safe. They buy guns or other personal protective products. I recently heard a interview with Dr. Jeff Myers from Summit Ministries who went to Israel for a solidarity mission after the October 6 Hamas attacks on Israel. He said every house near the border of Gaza had a safe room, the parents made it their kids’ room so they could go to them in a time of crisis. Other people find security or protection in other things like money or obtaining power. These are some of the ways that people choose to protect themselves. The best protection we can have is from God.

Psalm 64 is a psalm of David. It is a prayer for protection from his enemies. David asks God to “hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from that noisy crowd of evildoers” v. 2. David sees their motives, “They plot injustice and say, We have devised a perfect plan!” v. 6. But then the final verses of this psalm David reminded himself that the wicked will not get away with their plans. God will protect him. “But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be struck down” v. 7. David knows the wicked schemes will only come back on themselves. “He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn” v. 8. We should take comfort in knowing that nothing can happen to us without God’s knowledge and permission. We might seem to be in trouble or to lose, but in the end God will have the victory and if we are his children, we will too.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stick out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

Complete Unity

January 17, 2024

January 17, 2024

Read Genesis 17, Psalm 17, John 17

One thing our culture loves to do right now is divide us. We are constantly bombarded with polls telling us how most people feel who identify with a particular identity group. In election years we are over-saturated with political ads attacking the other side. We are conditioned to think more about how a person differs from us that we are alike. In Christianity we even squabble and fight over our differences. You may have seen the meme that says why are there 45,000 different denominations and suggests that the differences should lead them to not being trusted. This is a gross overestimation of the numbers.  There is actually just a couple dozen different denominations. The numbers get inflated when they count churches from different counties of the same denomination. Pastor Mike Winger of the YouTube channel “Bible Thinker” does a great job explaining this in detail. Even still, we have our differences.

In John 17 we find the prayer that Jesus prayed after He had observed the Passover Meal with his disciples, and He teaches them about what it means to serve one another. Jesus prays for three different people in this prayer. First, He prays for himself. Knowing what He will soon face Jesus prays that He will glorify and thanks God for giving him everything.

The next subject of Jesus’ prayer was His disciples. Jesus spent the most time praying for those who He had walked and talked with over the years. Jesus prays “protect them from the evil one” v. 15 and He also prays “that they too may be truly sanctified” v. 19. Sanctification is the process of becoming more Christlike. More inline with the God of the Bible and His teachings. It is something that does not come all at once, it is a process over our lifetime. The longer we walk with the Lord the more we reflect Christ.

Third, Jesus prayed for “for those who will believe in me through their message” v. 20.  Jesus prayed “that they may be one as we are one” v. 22.  One of the areas we can strive to grow in sanctification is our unity. We learn to deal with each other’s warts and personal imperfections and strive in unity as Christ would want us to be. Why is unity so important? Jesus gives the reason, “to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” v. 23. Our unity brings a powerful evangelistic pull to the gospel message. What can you and I do to bring the body of Christ into unity?

What else do you see in these three chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stick out to you?
Write your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

Misconceptions

October 10, 2011

A  few days ago a question was posed to students in a secular student alliance club  at a local high school in my area.   The question was “What will it take for you to believe in the existence of a god?”  Answers begin to come it and last I checked there was 230 comments on the question.  As I read through the answers and discussion that followed I noticed how misconceptions about God, the Bible, and Church can keep many people from having a theistic worldview and from trusting in the Christian worldview.  Here’s what  I mean.

One student answered, “To believe in the existence of an all-powerful god with the general well-being of humans in mind as most universalizing religions do, I would have to see evidence of a world with less… ‘bad’…”  I believe this student has a misunderstanding of why the world is bad.  Perhaps he thinks God is not great enough to create people who are perfect, or that perhaps God is to blame for the bad in the world.  This is clearly a misunderstanding of the free will that God gives us as humans and the sinful nature that we are born with.  God doesn’t create evil, he only makes it possible.  This is a misunderstanding of human nature.

I have already covered the misconception about faith, it you missed it you can click here to read about it.

Another student says “For me to worship that entity in addition to believing it exists, I’d also need evidence of the power of prayer, heaven, or hell”  Among other things, this student is looking at the power of prayer as a possible proof.  What do most people think about prayer?  Is it like a magic genie where God grants you whatever you want?  Do we as Christians push this thought by our words and actions?  We know God answers prayer, but we know that He doesn’t always answer them how we want.  We also know what the Bible says that we pray we must pray in Jesus name and that we must align our requests with the holy scriptures.

A student that I have been talking with recently made this comment, “The holy scriptures that people study today are translations of the originals (which we don’t have) and as we all know, things are always lost in translation.”  he went on to add “the original documents were written centuries after the stories that they depict took place. Doesn’t this make you wonder about the validity of the words that you’re studying?”  This student has received some faulty information that I have seen before.  Unfortunately there are people who want to misrepresent the truth, on both sides of the debate I might add.

There were some great questions and comments made by the students, some of them I could see are genuinely searching God and welcomed any thoughts by the Christians that interacted with them.

So what do you do to clean up the misconceptions?  Here are a few suggestions.  Know what the truth is for yourself.  Do the research, look at the evidence, and be able to communicate with others the evidence in a way that is easy and makes sense.  You should also know what others are saying against the truth and be prepared to respond to it.  Winston Churchill once said “In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.”   For those who know the truth and yet try to cover it up or repress it, do the most damage.

It is amazing to me how many people have already made up their mind about  the validity of the Bible, but have never read more than a few chapters of it for themselves.  I do understand why some may have difficulties with it.  Miracles for example may be one reason.  In the near weeks we will look at the miracles within the Bible.  Maybe they even read through it once completely, and think that they have a good grasp on it, that might be more dangerous.  I’ve been reading and studying it for about 25 years now and I have much to learn of it myself.

As always questions, comments, and discussions welcome.

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Posted by John Weldon

Leadership Principle #7 Say Your Prayers…

February 18, 2010

Leaders take their followers to prayer before God.  Prayer Changes things, even the mind-set of God.

Well after Moses was up on the mountain God tells him what the people are doing and tells him to go down the mountain to deal with them.  God told Moses that he would wipeout all the people and make a great nation out of the descendants of Moses.  Moses does what every good leader would do next.  Moses prayed to God to save his people.  He took them before the Lord in a way as to stand in the gap for them and to intercede for them when they were not able or ready to go to the Lord.

Leaders pray for their followers, there Bible study groups, their parents and families and intercede for them to the Lord.  The reason Moses prayed for them was that he cared for them.  They were under his care and his control.  This came first nature to Moses because of the things we have seen from him and his past.  Moses had just spent the last 40 years in the desert tending sheep, he was a shepherd to the people too.  Just as we know a shepherd keeps his sheep out of danger from wild animals and other hazards, so does a shepherd of the flock on God look after his people who God has given care over.

 As leaders, teachers, and ministers of the gospel of Jesus we know that there are many dangers in the world that can take hold of God’s sheep and entrap them into places where there is little hope of escape.  It is our job to look after them in ways to keep them safe from harm.

 One of the biggest ways to do that is to pray for them.  The older I get the more I learn to be a silent prayer warrior for those under my shepherd staff of leadership.  As I have grown in my knowledge of prayer and become more consistent in the practice of it, the more I am confident that it should be a first response rather than a last resort.

 The book of James shows us some basic principles of a godly and effective prayer life.  I would encourage you to read it and notice the following principles.

  • Pray with expectation that God will answer your prayers in His way.
  • Is there any sin in your life that would keep your prayers from being heard?
  • How earnestly do you pray?  How often do you pray to God?
  • Don’t just pray by yourself, involve the many to join you in prayer.
  • Pray for those when God puts them on your heart.  Don’t wait.

 There are so many great examples of others that went before the Lord and prayed for the people of God to wake up, to move, to stop sinning, to work together, to stand firm, and more for the Lord.

 Moses prayed for God’s mercy to be on the people and for him to “relent” his decision to destroy them all.  (v.11-13)  In verse 14 it tells us that God did relent in his decision to destroy them all.  This can not be over looked here.  Do you understand that the prayer of one man brought earnestly before the Lord caused God to relent of his decision for the people.  Know that when you go before the Lord that God listens to your plea for the people you are praying for and he will respond to you as well.

 I am learning currently in a situation that I am going through right now that those prayers will often take a great deal of patience and waiting on the Lord and His timing.  Often I want to jump ahead and try to do things in my own power and way, but I know God has called me into a season of prayer for the students I am over and I am asking God to move in their life and for them to get serious about their faith.   I must trust God’s plan for each of them and His timing is perfect.

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Posted by John Weldon