Author Archives: lrbartel

Feb 12 2016
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Devos

During a national (or personal) crisis it pays to pray!

Praying hands2
I was reminded this morning in my Bible reading that it pays to seek the Lord’s help and guidance when faced with a crisis! This is an important principle during times of national (and international) crisis and leaders would do well not to forget it. But it is also important during times of personal emergencies! Here is one instance of the truth from the Bible…
 
Sennacherib had invaded Judah. He sent the Rabshakeh, a high-ranking Assyrian military officer, with an intimidating message of threat to Hezekiah, his leaders and the people of Judah. He blasphemed Jehovah and treated him as just another object of worship among the other nations Assyria had defeated. It was a time of national crisis… Assyria was the originator of military principle of “shock and awe” and was known for its cruel treatment of those it sought to vanquish.
 
Hezekiah received a threatening letter from the Rabshakeh… “He read it and went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: ‘Oh Lord of hosts, God of Israel… You are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth! Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the Living God… Now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone are the Lord!’ …
 
“Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: BECAUSE YOU HAVE PRAYED TO ME concerning Sennacherib, king of Assyria, this is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him… He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord! For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David!’”
 
And the result? Supernatural deliverance! “And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians! And when the people arose early in the morning, behold these were all dead bodies. Then Sennacherib, king of Assyria departed and returned home… And as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword.” (from Isaiah 37… read it for yourself.)
 
Hey, it pays to pray! We need to pray!!!
Feb 11 2016
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Devos

Hope… How does a Christian get it?

I just finished having “coffee with the Lord” this morning… Had a wonderful time of fellowship with Him in His word.  I’m just relishing a wonderful “blessing” I read that was given by Apostle Paul to the followers of Jesus in Rome.  (I have to admit, as a follower of Jesus myself, I claimed it as my own as well!)  Here it is…

Apostle Paul said, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope!” (Romans 15:13)

Now let me unpack the truth in that blessing a bit…

First of all, there is a vast difference between “hope” as the broader culture understands it today and the Bible’s perspective on “hope!”  Hope for most people today is what you longingly, and fervently wish would happen… It may not happen, but you want it to happen – in fact, it would be wonderful if it did happen.  That is NOT the biblical understanding of “hope!”  The Bible presents “hope” as a confident expectation…  For the believing Christian, “hope” is what is going to happen!  God promised!  Which leads to the next observation…

Apostle Paul said the “joy and peace” that comes along with “believing” comes from “the God of hope!”  God’s character is on the line!  He promised what is hoped for – and He will deliver on His promise.  The confident expectation is tied to God’s faithfulness!  He never fails!  All the promises of God find their emphatic “YES!” in Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:20)  And the result in our lives? … “Joy and peace” as we put our trust in Him… Hey, He promised it… it’s going to happen, regardless of the circumstances!

And it doesn’t happen because we clinch our fists, work up our trust-emotions, or try muster all of our spiritual resources to try and claim it… Paul’s blessing says, “by the power of the Holy Spirit” we “abound in hope!”  In other words, God works it within us – the Holy Spirit is at work within to produce it!

Oh, I don’t know about you, but I’m claiming those words in the Bible as my very own today!  We live in a world where the attacks by our spiritual enemy, Satan, the evil everywhere around us, the pressures of life, and the circumstances we face, militate against “hope” (whether it is the Biblical kind or “hope” by the broader culture’s definition).  I’m so glad “the God of hope” out there, and the Holy Spirit within, are working to produce it in my life! … Aren’t you?  Me?  Today I’m going to “rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and constant in prayer!” (Romans 12:12)

Feb 10 2016
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Devos

Victim or Victor? … Perspective is everything!

Bad things… unfair things happen to all of us! I’ve got a list I could give you right now! To dwell on those things, to fuss over them and brood over them, just makes you morose, bitter and mad! Perspective is everything!
 
Joseph in the Bible teaches that truth! Sold into slavery by jealous brothers. Then purchased as a common slave by Potiphar, an official of Pharoah, king of Egypt. He was seduced and then falsely accused when he resisted the sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife. Then he was jailed on the unjust accusation of sexual assault. To top it off, in prison he was forgotten by someone who promised to help him… He could have said, “I’ve been victimized every step of the way… over and over again!”
 
And yet, through it all, the Bible says, “God made him to prosper!”
 
Hatred for his brothers who sold him into slavery could have been an inflamed, festering wound in his life! But it wasn’t! Joseph set aside resentment, recognized the grace of God at work in spite of the injustices, sought to be a blessing in whatever circumstances he found himself, and moved on… And “God made him to prosper!”
 
And then Joseph is faced with an opportunity to “get even” – to make his brothers pay for the injustice done to him! Does he do it? No, instead here is what happened… “Joseph made himself known to his brothers… and he wept aloud! So joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come near to me, please… I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life… God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God!’” (From Genesis 45:1-8)
 
What generates this kind of perspective… Certainly not a victimization perspective! That kind of outlook only leads to bitterness, hatred and the determination to get vengeance. What Joseph demonstrates is a deep conviction in the sovereign, providential activity of God! A grace viewpoint of life! A faith filled life cup! The deep conviction that “All things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose”… and “If God is for us, who can be against us?”… and “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who love us!” (From Romans 8:28-39)
 
So I guess here is the lesson learned… We need to lay aside the resentment for all the injustices done to us and what seems to be grossly unfair, put our lives and circumstances in the Lord’s hands, rest in the confidence He is at work in our lives, and move on, determined to be a blessing to those around us, ready to forgive those who have wronged us with the grace that God provides! Don’t know about you, but I’m going to follow the example of Joseph (and Jesus)!
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