Deuteronomy, a book worthy to be read day and night

In his prologue to Deuteronomy, William Tyndale writes, "This is a book worthy to be read day and night and never to be out of hands. For it is the most excellent of all the books of Moses. It is easy also and light and a very pure gospel..., a preaching of faith and love: deducing the love to God out of faith, and the love of a man's neighbor out of the love of God."

An Example of How To Read Scripture Before The Congregation

Please watch and listen to the reading of 1 Kings 19:1-19 (in the ESV) from the 9 min to the 15 min point here. I blogged about this sermon with the title Elijah Blew It. It is about the lowest point of Elijah's life and ministry as a prophet of God. See what you might learn about how to read Scripture meaningfully in church. It took 6 minutes to read these 19 verses:

Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.[a]13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 15 And the Lordsaid to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 17 And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat...

Learn Leadership From a Pagan King (Jonah 3:5-9)

It is interesting that Nineveh’s king, a pagan ruler, exemplified godly leadership, by humbling himself before God and his people (Jon 3:6-9). The king did not think of himself, his dignity or his privileges. He approached God with a deep sense of sinfulness, in shame and sorrow for sin.

“This is how things should be. Leaders are supposed to lead in spiritual and moral matters, although it is precisely those who lead that often find it most difficult to accept responsibility. It is hard to stand at the peak of the pyramid and admit your weaknesses. It is tough, when everyone’s eyes are on you, not to hide your sins. But in Nineveh, repentance began ‘from the greatest’ and proceeded ‘to the least of them’” (Jon 3:5b). “This should be the process in every context. Leaders and all who are looked up to need to set an example by leading others in the ways of God. (1) They should be the first to accept criticism, (2) the first to examine their ways, (3) the first to admit their own faults and (4) to correct them. A people, a church or a family will seldom be better than its leaders. Good leaders will strive for spiritual and moral perfection, and will seek purity of motive and action.” (Numerals mine.)

This quote about leadership is an excerpt from Prophet on the Run by Baruch Maoz. It is my favorite quote of the book, though it is not the main theme of Jonah. - See more at: Aren't We Christians All Jonahs?

Questions For The New Year

A new year just seems like a good time for reflection, for self-evaluation, for New Year's Resolutions, for change and for looking and planning ahead.

Here are some "tough probing" questions (from Don Whitney) to ask prayerfully in the presence of God.

1. What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?
2. What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?
3. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?
4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?
5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?
6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?
7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?
8. What's the most important way you will, by God's grace, try to make this year different from last year?
9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?
10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?

Paul Tripp says that we often need to commit to live in the small moments of our daily lives. We need 10,000 little moments to bring forth significant change (rather than expecting one big dramatic personal decision to bring forth change):

• 10,000 moments of sin confessed and sin forsaken

• 10,000 moments of humble submission

• 10,000 choice points of obedience

• 10,000 times of forsaking the kingdom of self and running toward the kingdom of God

• 10,000 moments of foolishness exposed and wisdom gained

• 10,000 moments of personal insight and conviction

• 10,000 moments where we abandon worship of the creation and give ourselves to worship of the Creator.

Resolutions? No!  Spiritual Depression by Martyn-Lloyd Jones is a book for all Christians—for the daily spiritual depressions we all face this side of heaven. He ends his second chapter with these challenging and refreshing words:

Would you like to be rid of this spiritual depression? The first thing you have to do is to say farewell now once and forever to your past. Realize that it has been covered and blotted out in Christ. Never look back at your sins again. Say: 'It is finished, it is covered by the Blood of Christ.' That is your first step. Take that and finish with yourself and all this talk about goodness, and look to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only then that true happiness and joy are possible for you. What you need is not to make resolutions to live a better life, to start fasting and sweating and praying. No! You just begin to say:

I rest my faith on Him alone

Who died for my transgressions to atone.