20-20 Blog

Scripture Focus:

Philippians 4:6–7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Observation:

These verses are very familiar to me. I’ve read them, memorized them, and tried to put them into practice: Don’t be anxious. Pray. Be thankful. The result? The overarching peace of God!

Application:

I have fairly good reason to be anxious right now, but God says, “No. Don’t be anxious. Pray. And don’t forget thanksgiving.” Thanksgiving—that’s the part I tend to forget. What if I were to pray, and then start thanking God for answering my prayers? I think that’s what he wants me to do—today.

Prayer:

Father God, would you supply my need? And, by the way, thank you so much for answering my prayers!

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Ecclesiastes 7:9 Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry,
For anger rests in the bosom of fools.

Ephesians 4:26–27 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.

Ephesians 4:31–32 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Observation:

Anger is spoken of in several of today’s passages. I don’t usually consider myself to be an angry person, yet it’s amazing what can bring out anger. Sometimes it’s not even another person. Sometimes it’s circumstances, like delays on the freeways, missing a turnoff, wasting half an hour driving around in an unfamiliar part of town, and having to reschedule an appointment because of it. Yes, all that happened to me this morning, and I felt very angry.

From today’s passages I can see that:
• Quick anger is a characteristic of a fool. Hmmm. Don’t want that.
• Be angry, and do not sin” seems to indicate that how we handle anger determines whether we sin or not
• If we don’t handle anger well, we give place to the devil.
• God wants us to put away wrath and anger (along with bitterness, evil speaking and malice).
• God wants us instead to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving.
• Remembering that God forgave me through Christ will bring much needed perspective.

Application:

Not much to say here except “Do it.” Let anger be a flare or signal that I need to stop and get my head straight.

Prayer:

Father God, you have forgiven me all. Help me to be as generous today.

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Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no one pursues,
But the righteous are bold as a lion.

Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare,
But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.

Observation:

The imagery in this verse is evocative. You have one set of people (the wicked) who are startled by their own shadows, retreating when no one is pursuing them, and you have the other side—the righteous who are as bold as a lion.

What makes the wicked flighty? What makes the righteous bold?

Part of the answer comes in a the next chapter of Proverbs: The fear of man brings a snare. There’s a lot we won’t do because of the fear of man. What would people think? What if I fail and look stupid? What if they don’t like me?

The antidote to that kind of thinking is found in the next phrase: but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe. It doesn’t say we’ll never fail, but we’ll be safe.

Application:

How often is the fear of man holding me back, keeping me from being as bold as a lion? How much could I accomplish if I would trust in the Lord? Wow! I want to be bold today!

Prayer:

Father God, fill me with your boldness today. May I approach each task you set before me with confidence, as I trust in you!

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Romans 14:10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Observation:

The context of this verse on judging is believers disagreeing about disputable matters. Paul doesn’t want us to waste time judging a brother because he or she does something culturally that doesn’t fit our exact definition of what a Christian should do. Paul reminds us that our job isn’t to judge others. That’s God’s job. In fact, we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, so perhaps we should use our energy to make sure we are clear before God in our own conscience.

Paul wants us to have a non-judgmental attitude toward our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Application:

Even though this passage is about disputable matters, I find that a similar principle applies to non-disputable matters. Yes, God wants us to discern sin and to warn others, but the manner in which we do it must not be judgmental. All I have to do is think about standing before the Judge of all the earth myself and I immediately realize I have no room for arrogance.

Prayer:

Father God, Let me not think judgmental thoughts about my brothers and sisters in Christ. May I remember that I will stand before you someday and give an account.

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2 Chronicles 7:11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king’s house; and Solomon successfully accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the house of the LORD and in his own house.

Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations” in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”

Observation:

Abraham and Solomon both had God-given dreams. God told Abraham he would be the father of many nations, when he was, as yet, childless. For Solomon, the dream was to build the temple and his own palace.

I remember hearing a sermon by Doug Wead years ago about the fact that God loves to give us dreams of a good future, and it’s true. You see it here for Abraham and Solomon, and you see it all through Scripture.

Romans 4:17 makes an amazing statement: God gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did. That means any dream he gives us, he can bring to pass, no matter how unlikely it may seem. In fact, God seems to particularly enjoy the impossible dreams!

Application:

Make sure your dream is from God. Once you have prayed through it and you’re sure it’s not just your wishing, then don’t let anything stand in your way. Believe for it like God does—as though it already exists, when it doesn’t as yet.

Prayer:

Abba Father, you’ve given me a dream. Sometimes it’s hard to keep a positive, believing attitude when I look at the facts, so help me to keep my eyes on the dream and put my faith and hope in you to complete the job you’ve started.

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Psalm 95:11, 14 For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You.

Observation:

Everything belongs to God. All things come from God. When we give to God, we’re only giving him what he first gave to us.

Application:

It’s easy to fall into the delusion that I own things. When I own something, I carefully protect it and often want to horde it. When I’m aware that God owns it, I feel a lot more generous and open handed. More like a steward, which is what God tells us we are in Matthew 18.

Prayer:

Abba Father, Everything I have is yours. What a freeing thought! Help me to be a steward of what you own, for your honor and glory!

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2 Samuel 13:13 So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”
Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
Matthew 23:25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.

Observation:

I see such a contrast between the story of David and Bathsheba and David’s reaction to Nathan the prophet found in 2 Samuel 12 and the Pharisees Jesus encountered in Matthew 23.

David sinned. The Pharisees sinned. When the prophet confronted David with his sin, David reacted with humility and sorrow, realizing that he had not just sinned against Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, but against God. When Jesus confronted the Pharisees about their sin, they remained stubborn and proud and thought themselves to be righteous.

Application:

We all sin. That’s a given. But how we respond to the person or word of God that confronts us with our sin is very telling. It’s the difference between a true child of God and someone who’s just pretending.

Prayer:

Oh, God—may I be like David. Tender of heart. Open to your rebuke. Willing to humble myself before you in sorrow for my sin.

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Matthew 20:30 And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!”
Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

Observation:

The statement by Jesus always amazes me. “What do you want Me to do for you?” It makes me wonder how I would respond to the question. What would I ask for? But I can’t forget what came before this. The blind men heard that Jesus was coming by and they cried out to him, unwilling to be side-tracked by the bystanders. The blind men insisted that they wanted to talk to Jesus.

Application:

When I have a need, am I willing to cry out to Jesus and refuse to be side tracked? And even more, have I thought of what I will say when Jesus asks me what I want?

Prayer:

Abba Father, you are so willing to meet my needs. Thank you for taking the time to stop and listen to me and answer my prayers.

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1 Chronicles 16:1, 4 Then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. And [David] appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the Lord God of Israel.

Observation:

There’s a principle of sacrifice in the Bible—the giving up of something to give it to God. In the Old Testament, sacrifices were tangible and intangible. Sheep, bulls, and goats were offered literally on an altar. There were also sacrifices of time, energy, and focus to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the God .

In the New Testament Jesus became our sacrifice, which sufficed once and for all. No longer do we need to sacrifice animals to cleanse ourselves from sin—Jesus did that for us, praise God! But the intangible sacrifices are still there. Sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise.

Why is it called a sacrifice to take the time to praise and thank God? Perhaps it’s because we give our time and attention and praise to God instead of being focused on ourselves.

Application:

Do I take the time to thank and praise God for the many blessings he has given me, and for the sheer delight of who he is? Not nearly enough. This passage made me realize how selfish I’ve been. I think it’s time for a little sacrifice.

Prayer:

Abba Father, I’m so grateful to you for sending your son, Jesus, as the sacrifice for my sins! Thank you. You’re awesome!

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1 Samuel 25:41 Then [Abigail] arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”

Observation:

When I read this verse today I thought it might be fun to try it out on my husband Charlie, just as a joke. How would he react if I bowed down to the ground before him and said, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”? I could just imagine his chuckles of amusement.

But then it struck me—whoa! That’s exactly what Jesus did at the last supper! He bowed before his disciples and washed their dirty feet one by one. And here’s what Jesus said when he was done:

“Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’ feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (John 13:12–17)

In another passage Jesus says this:
“Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.” (Matthew 20:26)

Application:

Having a servant attitude is not an option. It’s part of kingdom living. Abigail expressed her servant heart by bowing down to the ground and saying she was willing to do anything. I might not bow to the ground or use the same expression, but my heart attitude needs to be the same: “What do you want me to do, Lord? I’ll do whatever you say!”

Prayer:

Abba Father, today is a new opportunity to serve. May I truly have a servant’s heart in whatever I do. Amen

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