Author Archives: chadzaucha

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Exodus 37:1-38:31; Matthew 28:1-20; Psalm 34:11-22; Proverbs 9:9-10.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This passage defines the mission of the church:  make disciples.  It isn’t enough to attract attenders (even if there are thousands of them) or even make converts. The mandate is to make disciples:  fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.  Making disciples is laborious.  It is a long process with no shortcuts.  There is no substitute for time and personal investment.  Are you a disciple?  Is your church making disciples?   How are you involved in the process of making disciples?

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Exodus 35:10-36:38; Matthew 27:32-66; Psalm 34:1-10; Proverbs 9:7-8.

Psalm 34:5 (NIV)
Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.

Isn’t this exactly what we talked about yesterday?!  Very cool.

Matthew 27:52-53 (NIV)
The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. [53] They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

Uhhhh.  Wow.  Did you know this?  There are some stories to be told here.

Exodus 36:5-7 (NIV)
and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done.”
[6] Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, [7] because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.

That is awesome.  When God’s people join together and give generously, great things happen.

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Exodus 34:1-35:9; Matthew 27:15-31; Psalm 33:12-22; Proverbs 9:1-6.

I was most struck today by the Exodus passage and how Moses’ face was radiant after being in the presence of God.  May my face radiate God’s glory.

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Exodus 32:1-33:23; Matthew 26:69-27:14; Psalm 33:1-11; Proverbs 8:32-36.

Matthew 27:14 (NIV)
But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge–to the great amazement of the governor.

I am an overly sensitive and defensive person.  I hate to be criticized.  I desperately want to be right and to be viewed as right.  I am way to quick to tell my side of the story and why I am right and you are wrong.   I am sure that this is driven by insecurity.  Not so with Jesus.  He was so confident and sure of who He was and what the Father was doing that there was no need to defend Himself.  He kept His mouth closed and trusted His Father.  May I do the same.

Josh and Anna participated in the Heart and Sole 5K hosted by the American Heart Association at our church.

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Exodus 30:11-31:18; Matthew 26:47-68; Psalm 32:1-11; Proverbs 8:27-31.

Psalm 32:3-5 (NIV)
When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
[4] For day and night
your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
Selah
[5] Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord”–
and you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
Selah

Sin brings guilt that causes us to want to hide from God and others (remember Adam and Eve and their fig leaves?).  This guilt is a cancer that eats away at us from the inside out.  The cure is confession of sin to God and to trusted brothers and sisters in Christ.  James 5:16 (NIV)  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  One of the exciting ways I see our church growing is in humility that leads to confession of sin.  As a result, people are being set free and experiencing intimacy with God and each other.

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Exodus 29:1-30:10; Matthew 26:14-46; Psalm 31:19-24; Proverbs 8:14-26.

Matthew 26:40-41 (NIV)
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. [41] “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

If there was ever a well-intentioned, sleeping disciple it is me.  My head is about to burst with knowledge about prayer, yet I find it so hard to pray.  Too often I would rather read a book about prayer than actually pray.  Why?  Because prayer is warfare and warfare is violent, hard work.  Left to ourselves, we will take the path of ease and least resistance which does not include prayer.  But fortunately, we are not left to ourselves.  Jesus not only modeled warfare prayer for us in the Garden of Gethsemane, but He empowers us to follow in His footsteps today.  Jesus, make me the prayer warrior you intend me to be.

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Exodus 28:1-43; Matthew 25:31-26:13; Psalm 31:9-18; Proverbs 8:12-13.

Proverbs 8:13 (NIV)
To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.

Most of the time I dislike sin.  But sometimes I like it.  But how often do I HATE it?  Do I try to see how close I can get to the line of sin without crossing it, or do I run away from that line as fast as I can?  I can’t love God and love sin.  In what areas have I become too tolerant and too comfortable with sin?

Beautiful rain in Ojai today.

Here is today’s Bible reading: Exodus 26:1-27:21; Matthew 25:1-30; Psalm 31:1-8
Proverbs 8:1-11.

Matthew 25:13 (NIV)
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

What does it mean to “keep watch?”  The two parables that surround this verse talk about living your life in such a way that you expect the master to return at any moment.  There is a state of readiness.  Life is lived with the long view of eternity and not the short view of instant gratification.  How is God challenging you to keep watch?  In what way is the temporal distracting you from the eternal?  Are you living today as if He could return at any moment?

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Exodus 23:14-25:40; Matthew 24:29-51; Psalm 30:1-12; Proverbs 7:24-27.

Psalm 30:5 (NIV) weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

It is guaranteed for God’s children that their weeping will not last forever.  This season of darkness will pass and the light of morning will come.  With the change of season comes renewed joy.  If you find yourself in a time of weeping, hold on.  Morning is coming, and so is your joy.