Inside Out Living

The theme for this week is simplicity. This concept is brought out especially in the book of Ecclesiastes. We are not looking at simplicity as the ultimate goal of life during this week, for bringing pleasure to God is our greatest purpose. Rather we are studying and thinking about simplicity because of the many connections that exist between obediently following God, making wise decisions and living a simple life.

Today's Devotional:

God created sex (Gen 2:24-25) and blesses it in the proper context of a committed, loving marriage relationship. This book is a beautiful description of the intimate relationship that takes place between a husband and a wife.

Many have wondered how Solomon, the author of this book, could have written such a beautiful love poem considering his 700 wives and 300 concubines. It is most likely written about his relationship with his first wife, the daughter of Pharaoh. The playfulness and intimacy they share is reflective of a simpler time in Solomon’s reign before the building projects and rapid expansion of his wealth and influence. Solomon had it all – God’s blessing, money, wisdom, power, influence and women. And yet the more he had, the worse his relationship with God became.

Many lives have been complicated and pain compounded as a result of extramarital affairs. Not only is it an obedience issue, it makes for a far simpler life if we heed Proverbs 5:18, “Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.”

(Because devotionals didn't get posted over the Labor Day weekend this is the first of two devotionals for today)

Our God is a god of justice and righteousness who cannot allow sin to go unpunished. This has been very evident in the readings of the law where we see God’s high standards of holiness and moral living. However, our God is also “the merciful and gracious God.” He is “slow to anger and rich in unfailing love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). I think that the concept of the cities of refuge is a wonderful example of these character traits of God.

In the Noahic Covenant in Genesis 9, God declares that anyone who commits murder must be killed (Genesis 9:5b-6). Now in Joshua 20 we see God exercising grace and compassion on those who have killed unintentionally.

As Christian brothers and sisters we continue to live with a sin nature that creeps up on us now and then. Fortunately the Merciful and Gracious God who established the cities of refuge is that same God whom we can go to for grace and forgiveness when we sin.

The work of creation is one of the greatest evidences of God’s power. He uses it here to help Job understand how great the Almighty One is.

Many of us take God’s creation for granted and have lost sight of the magnitude of what God did. Mankind has become quite skilled at creating different things from automobiles to computers; we can make some pretty amazing stuff. However, no one has ever created something ex nihilo, or ‘out of nothing’ as God did. It is not as though God brought together the raw materials of the universe and followed the instruction manual. No, he simply spoke things into existence. His creative power is beyond all that we can imagine. “In the beginning God created…” (Gen. 1:1). God has always existed. We may not be able to fully comprehend this, and we certainly cannot create ex nihilo, but we can accept it and believe just as Job did (40:3-5).

Genesis 50:24 foreshadows the events of the book of Exodus as God led Israel out of Egypt. Joseph is speaking of a future time when God will lead His people back to the Promised Land. Why is it that Joseph can make this statement with any amount of confidence? It is because Joseph believes in the sovereignty of God. He experienced the hand of God in his own life and he was taught about the great promises God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, so he has no difficulty in knowing that God will act on His promises.

God’s sovereignty is part of the reason we can have hope for the future. God’s promises concerning the future would be meaningless if He is not sovereign. His ability to bring about His plan of redemption would be subject to failure if He wasn’t sovereign. Joseph did not worry over the future of Israel for he knew God’s sovereignty. Do you worry or fret over the future? We all do at times, but those who trust in a sovereign God are not consumed by such worry. What a blessing to know that God is in control of our future.

There are many important truths that are related to or find their origins in the sovereignty of God. In today’s reading I am struck by God’s provision for Jacob and his family. God demonstrated his faithfulness to Jacob by providing a way of escape during these terrible years of famine.

From time to time I will meet someone who doesn’t want to acknowledge that God is sovereign. They want to ignore that God is indeed ruler of His creation. However, at the same time they are praying for God to provide for their needs. Ignoring God’s sovereignty and asking for his provision is a contradiction for God’s ability to provide is dependent on His absolute sovereignty. If God were subject to some external force, then His ability to meet our needs would be limited. I hope you see that it isn’t a restriction of our freedom to believe in God’s sovereignty. To the contrary, His sovereignty allows us to trust in His promises, care and provision, which will truly set us free.

Joseph gives God full credit for ending up in Egypt and for his position as second only to Pharaoh. He recognizes that it was the hand of God in his life all this time. When Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, or when he was falsely accused and jailed by Potiphar, or when he was forgotten by Pharaoh’s cupbearer for two years, he knew that God’s hand was guiding his life.

Like Joseph, are you able to give God the glory for what he has done in your life? Joseph’s life was far from easy. There were good times and bad, but in it all, Joseph recognized that God was in control. Are you in a difficult stage of life? Do not despair, for God is in control. Is life seemingly perfect for you right now? Great, but don’t be proud, for all you have is from God. So no matter what stage of life you are in, you ought to give glory to God as Joseph did.

The devotionals for this week are all about the sovereignty of God. The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology defines the Sovereignty of God as “The biblical teaching that God is king, supreme ruler, and lawgiver of the entire universe.”

It was a courageous choice full of integrity that landed Joseph in jail, but it was the sovereign hand of God that brought him out. Joseph had no ability to change his position. Through the series of events you read today, God brought about restoration for Joseph. However, it is not as though Joseph didn’t do anything. I see three key things Joseph did:

1) Joseph worked hard for the chief jailer,

2) Joseph exercised wisdom and the gift of interpreting dreams,

3) Joseph exercised patience, spending over two years in jail.

Indeed Joseph did his part and so did God. God orchestrated different meetings, gave dreams to people, and gave Joseph the wisdom and ability to interpret those dreams. Thus we see an important principle: God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility work hand in hand in our lives.

“I couldn’t do it, I just couldn’t do it,” Abraham said to Sarah. “Whatever do you mean, Abraham?” she asked. “Well, God asked me to offer up Isaac as a burnt offering and I just couldn’t do it,” he said.

Aren’t you glad your Bible doesn’t read that way? I have often wondered if it were my faith being tested, how the story would have turned out. Abraham had an extreme faith in God. It wasn’t that Abraham was calling God’s bluff or knew it was only a test. No, he was ready to do exactly what God asked of Him. Hebrews 11:19 says, “Abraham assumed that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again…”

Abraham had to trust God with Isaac’s life. Are you willing to do the same? Now, God isn’t asking you to physically sacrifice your life or the life of a loved one, but he is asking you to die to yourself and trust Him with your life.

You wouldn’t know by today’s reading that Lot “was a righteous man who was distressed by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day” (2 Peter 2:8). Peter gives us that insight to Lot’s heart. Have you ever felt like Lot? Are you worn down and beyond frustration with the world around you? Well, if you are, then fear not. As the verse that serves as our title for today says, the Lord knows how to rescue people. All hope is not lost because God will have the final say.

God provided a way of escape for Lot from the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah. God has also provided a way of escape for you from the wickedness of this world. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we have the confidence in knowing that we will be with the Father when we die, or even better, when Jesus returns. So, reader, do not despair, if you have trusted in Christ, your day of escape is coming. You will only have to endure the wickedness of this world for a short season before you can enjoy eternity with God.

In our church, we sing a song with that line it. As I think about what God asked Abram to do I thought about that song. Like many of you, I am prone to sing worship music without allowing the meaning of the words to sink in. Abram, as he was known at this point, embodied what this song is all about. God gave Abram a directive to go to a foreign land. He didn’t ask Abram to go or if he even wanted to go. God commanded Abram to go.
Amazingly enough, Abram responded in faith and obeyed God’s command. Genesis 12:1 reveals some of the magnitude of this move, “leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house…” Basically God told Abram to abandon all that he knew – every source of security and comfort and to stake his whole life on God.
It is hard to imagine a greater example of faith. If God were to tell you to go, would you go? Are you willing to step out in faith and stake your life on God and his promises? May you have faith like Abram to do just that.

This last year our family watched the animated movie Chicken Little. In that movie the lead character, Chicken Little, warns everyone in town that the sky is falling. Of course he is ridiculed for taking a stand on this issue. I think Noah may have felt somewhat like Chicken Little. 2 Peter 2:5 says that, “Noah warned the world of God’s righteous judgment.” Can you imagine the response Noah would have received from these wicked people?
Noah had faith in God. He was unfazed by the critics. He was undaunted by the challenge of building such a large boat (without the help of Home Depot!). Noah was the only one who heeded God’s warning. Noah acted in faith. He didn’t need God to prove anything. He believed in God’s Word and acted accordingly. Are you willing to listen to God’s Word and act accordingly? Or are you still waiting for God to prove himself? Exercising faith means to take God at His Word and act appropriately. May you be doers of the Word and not merely hearers of it.

The devotionals for this week center around the issue of faith. We will talk about our need for faith in God and we will look at examples of faith in the lives of Abel, Noah and Abraham. My prayer is that, by the end of this week, your faith would be strengthened and maybe even challenged a little bit.

God’s creation was perfect in every way, shape, and form, “God looked over all He had made, and He saw that it was excellent in every way…” (Gen. 1:31)
I have often pondered what life would be like if Adam and Eve had chosen obedience that day in the garden. I would imagine that Satan would have shown up the next day to tempt them again. After all, he is the deceiver and father of lies; he is in the business of tempting mankind.
However, no matter how many times I ponder this thought, the story never changes. On that fateful day, sin and death entered into the entire human race (Rom. 5:12). But by the grace of God that is not the whole story. In fact, you need not read past today’s reading to find hope for mankind. In God’s judgment upon the serpent is a foreshadowing of Jesus’ triumph over sin and death at the cross. The offspring or seed of the woman that will crush the serpent is the first mention of God’s redemptive plan for mankind. So, reader, take hope. There is more to the story, oh, and please keep reading.