Forgetting God | Job 8:11-14

Post by Ron Moore on May 18th, 2012

Job 8:11-14
Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without water? While still growing and uncut, they wither more quickly than grass. Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless. What they trust in is fragile; what they rely on is a spider’s web.

The words in today’s passage were spoken by Bildad–a “friend” of Job. But as the old saying goes, with friends like him, who needs enemies? While Job suffered, Bildad kept the ill-advised advice coming. But in the middle of his musings, he made a significant point: hopelessness is the inevitable product of leaving God out of your life.

The destiny, Bildad says, of those who leave God out of their lives is as fragile as a dried up reed that withers “more quickly than grass.” The things they rely on to provide security have the strength of a spider’s web. Any hope the godless may have perishes with them.

Unfortunately, the godless are not the only ones who struggle in this area. Forgetting God is the believer’s struggle. Self-assured and self-reliant, we go our own way doing our own thing. We believe that we are more than capable of handling life without God…until the bottom falls out…until we learn the hard way that trusting in ourselves is fragile…until we learn that what we trusted in fell apart like a spider’s web. Thank God for His gracious welcome back when we humbly return from the land of forgetfulness.

Father, forgive us for forgetting You. Forgive us for trusting in fragile things. Help us to keep our trust placed solely in You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Journey Thru the Bible:

Through the Bible in a Year:
Job 8-10

Through the New Testament in a Year:
Ephesians 6:10-24

Today on The Journey: More Than Words: Seeking Spiritual Protection (The Lord’s Prayer). Listen to today’s broadcast!

Check out Ron’s book–Ignite.

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Spiritual Fatigue | Job 6:11

Post by Ron Moore on May 17th, 2012

Job 6:11
What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient?

These words of Job are often on the lips of those going through difficult times. Loss, grief, and discouragement sap our strength. Hurt drives hope from our heart. When there is no forecast of a better tomorrow, waiting seems useless.

Maybe you can relate all too well to Job’s questions. You are presently experiencing spiritual fatigue. Hope is lost. With no possible remedy in sight, waiting on God seems to be out of the question. You feel like you need to take matters into your own hands; but you have exhausted all possible solutions.

I don’t say this glibly…Hang in there! Let’s pray these promises together.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (Isaiah 40:29)

My soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. He is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. (Psalm 62:5-6)

Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. (Isaiah 64:4)

Father, give strength to the spiritually exhausted today. Deliver an overflowing measure of hope to the hopeless heart. For those who are ready to give up, help them to wait for You, as You act on their behalf. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Journey Thru the Bible:

Through the Bible in a Year:
Job 4-7

Through the New Testament in a Year:
Ephesians 5:22–6:9

Today on The Journey: More Than Words: Living in Daily Dependence (The Lord’s Prayer). Listen to today’s broadcast!

Check out Ron’s book–Ignite.

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Declare His Praise | Job 1:20-22

Post by Ron Moore on May 16th, 2012

Job 1:20-22
At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Standing by the freshly dug grave, I watched the heavyhearted couple make their way up a steep hill. The father served as the lone pallbearer. Only one was needed to carry the casket holding the body of his infant son. He placed it on the nylon straps that would lower the small casket into the grave. What do you say to a couple who has lost a child? I remember only hugs and tears as we waited for the rest of the family to gather on the windy hillside.

I said a few words that seemed so inadequate. A relative spoke as well and I was thankful for his personal and comforting remarks. Then the father spoke. His words were emotional but strong; and right from Scripture. Over the sound of the wind blowing through the nearby trees he said, “The LORD gave and LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”

Here in this statement, first uttered by Job in his tragic loss, are words declaring the sovereignty of God and man’s only proper response. With broken hearts, tearful eyes and quivering lips, we acknowledge that God is the giver of our first breath and the One who determines our last. And even through our pain we declare His praise.

Father, thank You for the example of that young grieving father on the hillside who declared Your sovereignty. O God, when we stand in brokenness and pain, may we too declare Your praise. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

Journey Thru the Bible:

Through the Bible in a Year:
Job 1-3

Through the New Testament in a Year:
Ephesians 5:3–21

Today on The Journey: More Than Words: Submitting to God’s Sovereign Will (The Lord’s Prayer). Listen to today’s broadcast!

Check out Ron’s book–Ignite.

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Eternal Deliverance | Esther 9:28

Post by Ron Moore on May 15th, 2012

Esther 9:28
These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews—nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants.

Every year, a Jewish friend makes me Hamantascheni, a special cookie in the shape of Haman’s hat, to celebrate Purim. She is doing her part to make sure the memory of God’s deliverance does not die out among the Jewish descendants.

But this person is not just about Jewish traditions. She is one who has a vibrant trust in the Messiah as her Savior and Lord. Despite a debilitating disease that has confined her to a wheelchair, because of Jesus her chains are gone; she’s been set free! Her forefathers celebrated their physical deliverance; she celebrates her spiritual one.

How about you? Can you celebrate the deliverance that Jesus brings…the eternal deliverance from sin and brokenness and separation from God? Knowing Christ is something that “should never fail to be celebrated.”

Father thank You for the eternal deliverance that comes from Jesus! May we celebrate that freedom every day of our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Journey Thru the Bible:

Through the Bible in a Year:
Esther 8-10

Through the New Testament in a Year:
Ephesians 4:17–5:2

Today on The Journey: More Than Words: Living in Awe of God (The Lord’s Prayer). Listen to today’s broadcast!

Check out Ron’s book–Ignite.

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The Great Director | Esther 6:1-2

Post by Ron Moore on May 14th, 2012

Esther 6:1-2
That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him. It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

Was it indigestion? Or insomnia? Or was the king’s sleeplessness caused by a gnawing question about the significance of his leadership? Who knows what God used to keep the king awake and need a bedtime story about the history of his reign. But through the reading, the wide-awake king learned that a man named Mordecai had exposed an assassination plot and he decided to honor the man who saved his life.

In sweet irony, the king assigned wicked Haman, who was intent on killing Mordicai, to be the one to lead the honoring ceremony. Haman led Mordicai around the town singing the praises of the man he absolutely despised. God has a great sense of humor!

This passage is a reminder that God is at work in all the details of life. Think about it…God works through sleepless nights, flat tires, and cancelled flights. God is there when the baby won’t sleep, the car won’t start, and the bills won’t stop. Do you think it’s a coincidence that the job went away, the advancement didn’t come, or that another move is in the future? God is the Great Director and He has a great part for you to play.

Heavenly Father, I acknowledge that You are sovereign over all! You are at work in my doubt, disappointments, and sleepless nights. I trust You. Help me to trust You more. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Journey Thru the Bible:

Through the Bible in a Year:
Esther 5-7

Through the New Testament in a Year:
Ephesians 4:1–16

Today on The Journey: More Than Words: Demystifying Prayer (The Lord’s Prayer). Listen to today’s broadcast!

Check out Ron’s book–Ignite.

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Romans: Framework of Faith – Gift of God | May 13, 2012 Service

Post by Ron Moore on May 13th, 2012

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Romans 1:16-17
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

SIN (1:18-3:20)

Romans 3:10-11
As it is written, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.

SALVATION (3:21-5:21)

Romans 5:6-8
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

SANCTIFICATION (6:1-8:39)

The battle of the Christian life:
I have trusted in Christ. I love him. I want to follow hard after Christ and make an impact for him…and…I want to listen and at times follow my old master. I don’t have to give into him, but I want to. And that battle will rage within me until the day I die.

Romans 6:1
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?

Romans 6:15-16
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey —whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Slave (Doulos)

One whose will is swallowed up in the will of another.

One who is bound to another.

One who serves another to the disregard of his own interests.

Romans 6:17-18
But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

Have you accepted the Gospel wholeheartedly—inwardly and genuinely?

John 8:34-36
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Romans 6:19-22
I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

Sanctification:

Positional—God has set us free and set us apart.

Progressive—a progressive partnership with God that makes us more and more free from the control of our sinful nature and free to follow more closely to Jesus.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God offers a free gift—freely and graciously given. And that gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

He who supposes that Jesus Christ only lived and died and rose again in order to provide justification and forgiveness of sins for His people, has yet much to learn. Whether he knows it or not, his is dishonouring our blessed Lord, and making Him only a half Savior. The Lord Jesus has undertaken everything that His people’s souls require; not only to deliver them from the guilt of their sins by His atoning death, but from the dominion of their sins, by placing in their hearts the Holy Spirit; not only to justify them, but also to sanctify them.
-J. C. Ryle, Holiness

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Man’s Greatest Privilege | Esther 4:15-16

Post by Ron Moore on May 13th, 2012

Esther 4:15-16
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

Partnering with God is man’s greatest privilege – and it’s not for the faint of heart. God’s work is not insignificant stuff that we can take on as a hobby. It involves spiritual preparation. And it is not to be done alone. We need to know that others have our back.

Esther knew that asking the king to repeal the edict to annihilate the Jews might result in her death. In that day, you didn’t go before the king without a special invitation and then ask him to change his mind. So Esther declared a three-day fast for spiritual preparation and strength. Notice that Esther did not declare the fast as a guarantee for success. After the fast she would go to the king, and “if I perish, I perish.” What courage!

Partnering with God is man’s greatest privilege, and it’s not for the faint of heart. We need strength, courage and others to journey with us. And like Esther, we must resign ourselves to God’s sovereign plan.

Father, thank You for the privilege of partnering with You. Please give us the strength we need to do all You have called us to do. We leave the outcome to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Journey Thru the Bible:

Through the Bible in a Year:
Esther 3-4

Through the New Testament in a Year:
Ephesians 3

Check out Ron’s book–Ignite.

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A Strategic Position | Esther 4:14

Post by Ron Moore on May 12th, 2012

Esther 4:14
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Haman’s plan was not to just persecute the Jews; he set out to annihilate them. His hatred for Mordicai took such possession of his soul that he wanted Mordicai and all his people wiped from the face of the earth. Little did he know that Esther, the new queen, was a Jew. However, the position God gives us means nothing unless we use it for His purposes.

Mordicai’s words to Esther remind us that God will get His work accomplished. Although our refusal to participate may be detrimental to us, He’ll find someone else to get the job done. But God places us in specific positions for strategic purposes. The all-powerful God chooses to use people in His sovereign work.

There is no doubt about it. God has placed YOU in a strategic position. No one has been gifted and resourced like you. No one else on earth has your network of family and friends. God has placed you right where you are for such a time as this. God wants to use you to accomplish His work! Don’t sit still or remain silent.

Father, thank You for the privilege of partnering with You in eternal work. Give us the courage to stand up, speak out, and accomplish it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Journey Thru the Bible:

Through the Bible in a Year:
Esther 3-4

Through the New Testament in a Year:
Ephesians 3

Check out Ron’s book–Ignite.

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