Author Archives: chadzaucha

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Joshua 21:1-22:20; Luke 20:1-26; Psalm 89:1-13; Proverbs 13:15-16.

Joshua 22:15-18 (NIV)
When they went to Gilead–to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh–they said to them: [16] “The whole assembly of the Lord says: ‘How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now? [17] Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the Lord! [18] And are you now turning away from the Lord?
” ‘If you rebel against the Lord today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel.

Much to learn from this passage.  The other tribes of Israel made some very wrong assumptions about the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.  They assumed that their brothers were worshiping idols. Based upon this conclusion, they ready to go to war against them.  But they learned that their assumptions were completely wrong.  How quick we can be to jump to wrong conclusions, especially about our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Seek the truth.  Listen carefully.  Don’t make assumptions.  Don’t jump to conclusions.  Give grace.

“How do we present the radical message of Christ in a church that has catered to the religious demands of the nominally committed?  In other words, if we have gathered people into congregations by appeasing their appetites and desires, how can we help them deal with the fact that their problems in life and character–even “in church”–are primarily caused by living to get what they want?  How can the cross and self-denial become the central fact in a prosperous, consumer culture (9).”

Thou shalt not steal.

Josh sharing the love of Jesus while on second base.

Here is today’s Bible reading: Joshua 19:1-20:9; Luke 19:28-48; Psalm 88:1-18; Proverbs 13:12-14.

Luke 19:40 (NIV)
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

The purpose of all creation, even the stones, is to worship God.  As those created in God’s Image, we have been given the role of lead worshipers.  Did you live a life of worship today?  Did your thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions proclaim the greatness of our God?

Here is today’s Bible reading: Joshua 16:1-18:28; Luke 19:1-27; Psalm 87:1-7; Proverbs 13:11.

Luke 19:8 (NIV)  
    But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Zacchaeus didn’t just confess his sin, he repented.  That is a lost dimension in today’s Gospel presentations.  We are called to not only confess that our lives are headed in the wrong direction, but practically go in the opposite direction.  Confession is easy.  Repentance is hard.  But it is a core truth of the Gospel. 

Here is today’s Bible reading: Joshua 15:1-63l Luke 18:18-43; Psalm 86:1-17; Proverbs 13:9-10.

Luke 18:22-23 (NIV) 
    When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
    [23] When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.

What would make you sad if God required you to give it up?  Could this be an idol in your life?  God will not share our allegiance with idols.  He demands and deserves to be worshiped wholeheartedly. 

Psalm 86:11-12 (NIV) 
    Teach me your way, O Lord,
        and I will walk in your truth;
    give me an undivided heart,
        that I may fear your name.
    [12] I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
        I will glorify your name forever.

“Paul says to note God’s severity.  Mark it down.  Remember it.  Consider it.  But we are disobedient.  Because God’s severity is not as warm and fuzzy as God’s kindness, we not only don’t study or contemplate it, but we don’t even note it.  We live in a day and age when, from pre-seminary all the way through seminary, prospective pastors are fed the pabulum of church growth.  Then once they hit the playing field of ministry they are fed it more and more.  From books to classes to seminars to conferences, the church is absolutely consumed with growing at all costs.  Forget whether the members of our churches have any real depth or substance to them; we just want to be able to measure and count the three Bs:  buildings, budgets, and butts in the seat.  The Bible does say a few things about churches and growing in those ways, but today this has become the prevailing mind-set of ministry in evangelicalism, and it is a biblically perverted, missionally distorted mind-set.

This avoidance of the difficult things of Scripture–of sinfulness and hell and God’s notable severity–is idolatrous and cowardly.  If a man or a woman who teaches the Scriptures is afraid to explain to you the severity of God, they have betrayed you, and they love their ego more than they love you.”  Matt Chandler in The Explicit Gospel, pg. 41.

Here is today’s Bible reading: Joshua 13:1-14:15; Luke 18:1-17; Psalm 85:1-13; Proverbs 13:7-8.

Joshua 14:10-12 (NIV) 

“Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! [11] I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. [12] Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”

I love this passage!  Caleb is 80 years old, and he’s not done fighting.  “Let me at ’em”, he says.  He is as wholehearted in his commitment to God and His promises as he was 40 years ago.  No wonder God blessed him.  I want to age like that.  

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Joshua 11:1-12:24; Luke 17:11-37; Psalm 84:1-12; Proverbs 13:5-6.

Psalm 84:5 (NIV)
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

This world is not our home.  Why do we work so hard trying to make it so?  We were made for pilgrimage–a journey to our eternal home.  The journey requires that we travel light.  I know I am trying to carry too much.  How about you?