January 13th - Day 13 - Alamo Ranch Community Church

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January 13th - Day 13

Job 35-37

January 13, 2020 • Jim McCracken

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January 13

Our Bible reading today is Job 35,36,37.

The young messenger, Elihu, in 6 chapters and three distinct speeches, was passionate, to say the least.

In his heart, he believed that the three friends of Job were wrong. “Suffering is not the proof of wickedness, but rather the proof of God being up to something in the life of that person and family.”

And Job had been wrong too. “Suffering in the life of those rightly related to God by faith was not the proof of an Almighty God simply wielding His random will without rhyme or reason.....or, that it was a sign of enmity with God. But instead, that particular suffering was a proof of God’s love...His grace for transforming a heart and life toward God at a new level.

Continuing in the text...Elihu’s words seem harsh at times. Listen to these stinging words to Job from young Elihu...” Will your wealth keep you from distress? Will all the force of your strength keep you from suffering?".., “ “turn from your wickedness...that is, from the vice of complaining against God...and start learning from your affliction” Job 36 ...Wow, some hard words...but necessary.

At the same time, Elihu’s words were full of substance. For instance, in Job 33, Elihu says, “God speaks to man in two ways."

He speaks through dreams and suffering....And, that suffering was for man’s good...not to punish him, but to save him...from pitfalls and judgment. Praise God for that...it reminds us of the Apostle Paul’s message in Romans 8:28...”For all things work together for good for those who love God..”

Another way we can know that Elihu’s words were in harmony with God’s work and will...read ahead to the last chapter and see where Job “repented” before God for his prideful questioning of God after Elihu’s exhortation to that end.

Early on in my Christian life, as a 19 yr old college sophomore, I was encouraged by my pastor, Paul Burleson, to get in the Word and stay in the Word. And I was taught from scripture that the Holy Spirit, (who indwelled me from the day of my conversion to Christ), that same Holy Spirit would infill me with the very life, love, and light of Christ and would always guide me into the truth. So, I would and still to this day, read the Bible anticipating the Spirit to point me to Christ (who is the truth) in those pages and help me to understand The will of God and empower me to live in harmony with the Lord.

So you ask me, “Jim, what do you see of Jesus in Elihu’s last speech to Job?” Well, I see and hear Jesus speaking to Nicodemus. Elihu had a hard message and he delivered it, trusting God with the result. Jesus told an enquiring Jewish religious leader, who had accumulated all the religious merit badges and community appreciation plaques that were offered and earned over years of a religious journey that took him to the top...leadership of the Sanhedrin....and Jesus told him that all those medals meant nothing with God...only a faith relationship with Jesus Christ would do...” the Son of Man must be lifted up and he that believes Him will have eternal life.” In other words, You must be born again...this time spiritually.

That’s a hard message for someone who was counting on all that he had done to get him into God’s favor. And Jesus left the result with the Father.

Elihu was telling the truth. Jesus was and ever will be the truth of eternal life. Jesus is always better.

January 1st - Day 1

January 1, 2020 • Jim McCracken • Genesis 1—3

Join our facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2183117951984132/?source_id=181918175166472 Our reading today (Gen chapters 1-3) reveals the description of God creating heaven and earth. And we will take a little closer look at it shortly. But the theme of creation begs the question, “When did creation, as described here, happen?” Most evolutionist scientists say life began on earth 3.5 billion yrs http://ago...or so. And that human ancestors began showing up 2-4 million years ago. But Creation scientists, those who believe the Biblical record of God creating everything in a literal 6 twenty-four hour period, date creation between 6 and 10,000 years ago. Quite a difference. Darwinian evolutionists say that Biblical Creationists are not scientists because their evidence is based on the “assumption of a cataclysmic flood” that happened once upon a time. Well, your Bible reading partner today believes that the biblical record is true...without error...including the record of the flood and Noah’s http://ark...and the final authority for our lives, inside and outside the church. So I am a “recent” creation dating man and not the billions of years proponent. And unlike the evolutionists, I believe that God created it all “out of nothing.” Awesome to think on http://...isn't it? Continuing from the text....”Who existed in the beginning of everything?” God!!! God was there, Father Son and Holy Spirit...whenever that was, God was there in the beginning. And our bibles say that God was doing http://something...he was creating the heavens (and all that was in them) and He was creating the earth (and all that was in and upon it.) In our reading today, the Bible says that after 6 days of creating, God finished that creation http://work...that included http://mankind...man and http://woman...for the purpose of doing life together with Him and by God’s power, taking responsible dominion for the earth and heavens and all therein to the glory and worship of God. All of that is a Wow! But remember a greater Wow of God creating something new with a “finishing” touch....2 Cor 5:17 The Apostle Paul said “If there be any man in Christ he is a “new creation”, old things have passed away and all things have been made new.” In Christ we are “new creations”http://....plus, still thinking on the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross and what Jesus said just before He breathed His last...”It is Finished”http://...jesus said “tetelestai”http://...it is paid and it is purchased http://...my sin debt is paid and my eternal home in heaven is purchased. God created the heavens and the http://earth...and then He finished. Later, God the Son made new creations out of all who believed on Him. And He said, “I'm finished...I did what the Father sent me to do...I satisfied the righteous judgment of God on sin by taking sin’s penalty upon my body so that those called and chosen could be saved eternally. And if you are like me when you're reading passages and verses in the Bible, such as, when it says “In the beginning” ( God created the heavens and the earth)...perhaps you asked, “Wonder what God was doing prior to creation, being the eternal being that He was and is? And then I am reminded of Ephesians 1:4 “God chose us in Christ (When?) “before the foundations of the world were laid.” That too is a huge Wow...I hope that you are believing the Lord with http://me...today...that makes us one of God’s chosen ones from before the beginning of time. Blows me away too. And makes me want to worship Him today with all of my heart. Thank You, Lord, Now Use us in any way You choose today.

January 2nd - Day 2

January 2, 2020 • Jim McCracken

Join our facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2183117951984132/?source_id=181918175166472 January 2 I've entitled the reading in Gen chapters 4-7 “A Long Story of Sinning” It Ends with the terrible judgment of God upon the earth...a flood that would cover up the highest mountains created...a flood that would swallow up wicked mankind to the last http://person...except for one/Noah (the only man who believed God) he and his http://family...and a remnant of animals that would ride out the flood on the ark. **(I can't help but see the salvation of God through an http://ark...but I also see how it foreshadowed something far http://greater...god’s eternal salvation for believers through a http://cross...our Savior’s http://cross...jesus’ cross. Now, what about the Beginning of this long story of sinning...? It actually started in yesterday’s http://passage...but in these chapters, It’s the story of Adam and Eve’s firstborn, Cain, murdering his little brother, Abel. That was Definitely a sin story. But I believe the Primary Sin Story did not start at the murder scene. We might say, “It started on the way to church.” “Is that your prize lamb, Abel? “asked Eve. Abel answered, “Yes, mom. I'm excited about bringing my offering to the Lord. He deserves all of me, that is why I'm bringing the best of the lambs He has given to me. And let Him do with it as He wishes. Thanks, mom and dad, for teaching me to do life as a loving relationship that God initiated by His acceptance of the blood of an innocent lamb to cover my sins like He covered yours.” “What a chump my little brother is,” Cain silently mumbled to himself.” “He could have brought any other lamb, and no one would have ever known.” Apparently Abel followed his parent’s teaching about how to truly worship God by http://faith...which basically means worshipping Him as He requires...(Let’s listen to the requirement for true worship that the apostle Paul shared with Rome’s believers in Rom. 12:1...”I beseech you, therefore, brethren by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies/your life as a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service of worship.” ) That’s how Abel came to worship. But Cain did not. Cain did not bring the “first and best” fruit of his labor and life to http://god...he kept the best for himself and gave God the leftovers. Some say that God rejected Cain’s offering of worship because it was not a blood sacrifice. Sounds good at first and I could sure tie that into the Perfect Blood Sacrifice of Jesus for http://sin...except for one http://thing...later the perfect law of God included offerings of plants and produce for fellowship offerings and specifically for poor Israelites who could not afford to bring an award-winning lamb on the Day of http://atonement....they were allowed to bring some wheat flour and trust the blood sacrifice made by the high priest and the sprinkling of such blood upon the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies for the atonement for their sins. God refused Cain’s offering of worship not because the offering was not a lamb, but because Cain’s heart was not totally God’s. At best Cain was pretending, just going through the motions. There have been many in the line of Cain. For the first 19 years of my life that was me. But unlike the character in the song by the Platters, “The Great Pretender”, I was not left alone in my shame. Jesus came after me and changed my life.

January 3rd - Day 3

January 3, 2020 • Jim McCracken

Join our facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2183117951984132/?source_id=181918175166472 January 3 Today’s Bible reading is Gen. chapters 8-11. We come to the end of the life and ministry of the patriarch, Noah. We read a fascinating story of how God made sure that the testimony of Himself and Noah reached around the http://world...by replacing the one and only language on earth, with many different http://languages...and scattering the people who built the Tower that came to be known as the Tower of Babel to the far reaches of the http://earth...for the spreading of the good news of God everywhere. And by the time you get there in the biblical record, Noah has been dead 350 years. I can't help but imagine that Noah’s grandkids lined up for years to ask their granddad, “Tell us one more time about those 75 years it took you to build the ark that saved mom and dad and you and nana and the rest of the family from the terrible flood. And tell us some more details about the 378 days on the ark. It had to be http://hard...was it exciting?” And I can only imagine that the man who walked with God for so long, responded, “Let me tell you about what GOD did.” “God came to me...I didn't come to Him. God told me what He was going to do in the world, and honored me by inviting me to join Him in the work. God gave me a job to do. Now listen closely...I didn't tell God what I could do for Him to help accomplish His purposes. I was quiet and attentive to His instructions. And with His help, I began and finished the work He called me to do with Him. And when that task was over, God gave me another one to do with http://him...and it may sound strange to you, but that next job was “to wait on Him” http://...for what??? **to do what only He could do...**end the flooding. And at the end of the flooding, God continued to “remember” me...(and the word “remember” means more than just recognizing my http://existence...it means that God kept His http://promise...he saved me and my family from His terrible http://judgment)...and you want to know something else?... God blessed me and mine even when I forgot Him. What an awesome God we have!” And had Noah known the patriarch David, he might have shared these words that God gave to him: Psalm 115:11-13 “O you who fear the http://lord...trust in the http://lord...he’s our hope and our http://shield...and He will always “remember” us ( be committed to us) and bless http://us...both great and small.” What a foreshadowing of how God works in our lives today through Christ our Lord. He chooses us in Christ, and not the other way around. HE shows us favor (grace) to believe Him and follow Him with all of our heart. HE shuts us up with Himself (like He did with Noah when the flood began to http://rise)...when times of great stress begin to rise, He shuts us up with Himself so that we have to trust Him for the next steps. Oh, and HE causes the wind to blow, the wind of the Spirit who rejuvenates our hope for the future, whatever God plans. Ezekiel speaks of the Big 3: Noah, Daniel, and Job. I think Noah would have deferred to his descendants: Moses, David, and Jesus, the God who made it http://all...the Lord who saves us through the cross and the resurrection to the uttermost. Thank you, http://noah...your life message inspires us to believe http://god...and today We will worship Jesus with you!