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In the days of the prophet Jeremiah, God’s chosen people had turned away to worship other gods. But God longed for His children to return and worship Him as the One True God. The Israelites had been warned for many years and now God used a foreign king as His tool for discipline and instruction.

Jeremiah 27:6
“Now I will hand all your countries over to My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.”

God reminded the people that He alone was almighty and in control of world events. But He also revealed their sinful pride as He required them to yield to His discipline in order to survive; “Bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and you will live” (Jeremiah 27:12). Many chose to die rather than to trust God and submit to His instruction.

Nebuchadnezzar did not even acknowledge God at this point in his life; and yet, God called him “My servant.” It was God’s plan to use this non-believing foreigner to teach His children some very important (and painful) lessons. God’s Hand of discipline is firm, but His Hand is always directed with a loving purpose. Pride was keeping His children away, and it needed to be removed by any tool available.

Being adopted into God’s family through the gift of Salvation is a one time event. Through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin, we receive His grace and become “a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). However, learning to truly live for God and become “conformed to the likeness of His Son” (Romans 8:29), is an on-going process which will last all the rest of our days.

There is so much our Heavenly Father desires for us to understand – so many lessons He wants us to learn – and yet, all the lessons seem nearly identical. He desires a continual and intimate fellowship; He wants us to learn to trust Him and love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30).

As we open our life to God’s teaching, we must allow Him to instruct us using the tools of His choice. His lessons are often taught using the most unlikely messengers and through the worst of circumstances, but His lessons always contain a lasting sweetness.

No matter what we face today, let’s look for the lesson God is teaching. Circumstances in our work, home, or even place of worship may often become hot with friction; but these sources of abrasion may very well be the tools God is using to mold us and draw us closer to His side…because He loves us and desires for us to learn to trust and love Him more. Let’s praise Him for His continued loving instruction. Let’s embrace the shaping process and be thankful for ALL the tools of The Teacher.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

The one hundred and fifty psalms in the Bible were written by several different people; we believe that David wrote many but certainly not all. The psalms were meant to be set to music and sung as a way of extolling the glory of God, but also as a way of expressing the deeply honest emotions which are certain to appear when one submits their life to the leading of God.

The psalms as given in the Bible represent longings, frustration, anger, confession, and praise of the individuals who wrote about three thousand years ago. Perhaps today psalms would sound like this:

A PSALM OF PRAISE

1. O Lord, I will praise you through all of my day;
for you have given me so many reasons to praise.

2. I will praise you when I rise;
for you have given me rest and breath.

3. I will praise when I eat my morning meal;
for you have given me time before my family goes their ways.

4. I will praise you when I drive my children to school;
for you have given resources and intellect for them to learn.

5. I will praise you when I work;
for you have given both ability and opportunity to produce.

6. I will praise you when I observe, though all too infrequent,
the beauty of the trees and grass, the river and the park;
for you have given a creation, though fallen, as a reminder of
your majesty and love.

7. I will praise you when I return home;
for you have given comfort and a loving wife.

8. I will praise you when I lay;
for you have given me warmth and peace.

9. Yes, Lord, I will praise you through all of my day;
and I will praise you for all of my days;
for you have given me so many reasons to praise.

10. I will praise you in my youth;
for you have given me strength and health and energy.

11. I will praise you in my mid years;
for you have given me family and understanding of your ways.

12. I will praise you in my aging;
for you have given guidance and protected me from selfish gain;

13. Lord, you are my love, my life, my all in all;
I will praise you at the end;
for you have given of yourself so I might live.

14. So I praise you all through my day and for all of my days;
for you have given me so many reasons to praise.

A PSALM OF LAMENT

1. Lord, the heavens and hills declare your glory;
but your people wail and cry in despair;
who can blame them for failing to see?

2. Who can blame the mother who fails to see your glory,
when her child is torn from her arms and beat?

3. Who can blame the father who fails to see your glory,
when he is unable to even feed his family?

4. Who can blame the children for failing to see your glory,
when their father leaves and their mothers dies an early, painful death?

5. Who can blame the nations for failing to see your glory,
when corruption, war, and disaster strips away all hope?

6. Who can blame your people for failing to see your glory,
when the stars do shine but evil and heartache reign?

7. Who can blame anyone for failing to see your glory,
when you allow all of this?

8. Oh Lord, return your glory to this land;
what is declared in the heavens declare again among your people.

9. It is not the time for a silent God who withholds direction;
your people are lost and wandering in need of a shepherd.

10. Now is the time for the heavens to shine in the lives of your people,
for your people to be transformed, walk in your ways, and praise your name.

11. Now is the time for your voice to be heard with thunderous clarity,
for the paths to be strained until only one remains.

12. Hear our cry! Why will you not shine? Why will you not thunder and strain?
Who can blame us for failing to see?

13. And yet, Oh Lord, your glory does shine,
and I will trust in you, in you alone, though I fail to see.

From the psalms we learn about a posture of honesty before God. Yes we pray we will one day be able to “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4), but it is natural for portions of the journey to contain seasons of wrestling where we cry out for understanding. So whether we are in a season of praise or a season of lament, God is there and would love to hear our personal psalms.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

Our life in these mortal bodies will always fall short of God’s standard. From the moment sin entered the world, we’ve been unable to satisfy God’s requirement of perfection. But, knowing our weakness, God gave His Son as a sacrifice to make perfect those who believe; “By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14). Faith in the sacrifice of Jesus makes us perfect forever – this is the gracious gift of Salvation; “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith” (Ephesians 2:8).

The grace of God makes us perfect the moment we are saved; but, for the rest of our days on this earth, we are in the process of “being made holy.” This is why Paul, who freely writes about the gift of grace, can also exhort us to a life free of sin; “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires” (Romans 6:12). Paul understood that, though we have become “perfect forever,” we have also been called to a high standard of holiness. He therefore refers to his life after Salvation as a race to be won; “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me” (Philippians 3:12-14).

The picture of a well-conditioned athlete straining toward the finish line can be a wonderful motivator. However, when we press and strain toward the wrong goal – or with our own strength – we will soon become fatigued and discouraged. We are in a race, but we must allow Jesus to establish the goal as well as the route to be run. The goal of a Christian life must always be to produce fruit that glorifies God; “This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit” (John 15:8). And the route of fruit production must ALWAYS be through the vine of Christ.

John 15:4-5
“No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”

We are called to produce fruit by living a life of holiness and bringing glory and honor to God in all we do. However, fruit can only grow if we remain intimately attached to the vine – a branch cannot produce anything by itself! In our own strength we cannot produce holiness or ANYTHING esteemed by God. But when we allow the life of the vine to flow through our veins, we WILL produce a bounty of fruit.

Let’s attach firmly to the vine of Jesus Christ and allow Him to flow though every area of our life. Let’s live each day in the holy presence of God and produce baskets of fruit for His glory and honor. Let’s run to win the race as we press and strain toward the vine.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the message “The Mountain of Faith” we saw the faith of Abraham as God told him to climb the mountain and sacrifice Isaac. But, more importantly, we saw this as a picture of what it means to truly believe. Jesus said, “whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16), but true belief clearly implies a willingness to obediently follow.

The gift of eternal life is given to those who have faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin. This precious gift is never linked to a specific amount of faith; rather, the only requirement of the gospel is that our faith be genuine. In fact, Jesus stated that a small amount of faith can accomplish more than we can imagine.

Matthew 17:20
“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

This is amazing! Jesus used the example of a mustard seed because it was the smallest seed known. A few chapters later, He made a similar statement; “If you have faith and do not doubt…you can say to this mountain, ‘Go throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done” (Matthew 21:21). If we are a child of God then we have already been given sufficient faith by Jesus, “the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). There is therefore NO obstacle which cannot be cast aside!

Of course, genuine faith also implies an alignment with the will of God. Jesus even said, “He can do only what He sees His Father doing” (John 5:19). This is why we don’t see individuals moving physical mountains today – it’s not in the will of God. However, it’s most definitely in God’s will that we move all mountains which threaten to block our path toward Him or hinder His plan for our life.

If we really believe, we ought to be living our life according to His truth and the faith we have been given! Though we may face mountains in our job, relationships, finances, health, kids, or parents; though we may face temptations or addictions which appear impossible to conquer; though we may battle a low self esteem which says we can’t, we must believe the Word of God is true! “With God ALL things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Though we may not understand, we must believe, in faith, that God is infinitely greater than the bounds of our understanding. We are not walking alone and NO problem is beyond His ability to direct.

If we desire to live the full life God intends – the life that honors Him with every move and even every breath – then God’s Word must become our foundation. Whatever problems we face, we must fall on our knees with humble submission to His will and seek His face in prayer. Then we must rise up and step forward without doubt, and, in His strength, believe we have been given the faith to move mountains.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

When Abraham was over eighty years old, God made him a wonderful promise: “A son coming from your own body will be your heir. Look up at the heavens and count the stars – so shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:4-5).

Many years went by without any indication that God would fulfill this promise. Finally, when Abraham was one hundred years old (and his wife, Sarah, was ninety) God fulfilled His promise through the birth of Isaac. But when Isaac was a young boy, God told Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son.

Genesis 22:2
“Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

We can’t even imagine receiving this type of command from God. Abraham loved Isaac; and Isaac also represented the fulfillment of God’s promise. But Abraham didn’t even question the apparent conflict between God’s promise and His command…he simply believed and obeyed. Abraham took Isaac and climbed the mountain, placed him on top of a pile of wood, and “took the knife to slay his son” (Genesis 22:10).

Many people speculate about the turmoil in Abraham’s mind during this time, but Scripture gives no indication that Abraham ever seemed anxious or concerned. He believed in God, believed His promises, and his faith never seemed to waver. As Abraham was about to kill his son, God stopped him and provided a ram as a substitute sacrifice (Genesis 22:13).

God put Abraham through an unimaginable test of faith…but why? The test wasn’t for God – surely God already knew of Abraham’s faith! It’s possible the test given in order to strengthen Abraham’s faith. God often tests us as a way of refining and drawing us closer to Himself. But I believe the main reason for Abraham being asked to climb the mountain was so we would have a clear picture of what it means to believe and trust God.

Belief is central to the gospel message. It is so important that God gave a picture through Abraham which allows us to truly understand what Jesus meant when He said; “whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

God is calling us to believe. He is calling us to a life of faith where we have such a strong assurance of His presence that He is all we need…all we value and hold dear. Let’s give ourselves completely to Him, without ANY reservation – let’s truly believe! Let’s give Him ALL our heart and be willing to sacrifice ALL for His glory and honor. Let’s once and for all climb the mountain of faith.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the message “Guard Against The Yeast” we saw how Jesus warned about allowing even a little hypocrisy to enter our life. When we compromise any area of our beliefs, we are in grave danger of allowing the compromise to spread “through the whole batch of dough” (Galatians 5:9).

In the days of Jeremiah, God warned the people of Jerusalem about the destruction which was coming unless they turned from their evil ways. But the people continued in their sin and refused to listen. God gave them many opportunities to repent, but they had become comfortable in their sin and were unwilling – possibly even unable – to change.

Jeremiah 13:22-23
“And if you ask yourself, ‘Why has this happened to me?’ – it is because of your many sins. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.”

One of the devastating results of sin is that it causes separation from God; and separation causes the defense against temptation to weaken. Unfortunately, a weakened defense makes it easier to continue in sin…causing further separation. The cycle of sin and separation had continued in Jerusalem until sin was viewed as normal behavior. The “yeast” had been mixed into every part of the dough and their conscience had become “seared as with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2).

We need to understand this when ministering to those who are lost. People without Jesus have a difficult (if not impossible) time recognizing their sin. What we may see as sinful, they see as normal behavior which has no need of change. Rather than attempting to correct their specific sins, we must share the love of Christ – His purpose and plan of forgiveness – and help lead them to faith in the Savior. Only Jesus can create true change; only His grace can reveal and remove sin.

However, we must also understand the perils of the sin cycle in our own life. Is there sin which we are beginning to view as “normal” behavior and allowing to hinder the joy of being in His presence? Is our sin forming “spots” which we now call ordinary and acceptable? Remember that sin causes separation which leads to more sin…and greater separation. This cycle must be recognized and stopped!

Although we may have wandered, all hunger for change is the conviction of the Holy Spirit who is calling us to repentance – calling us to respond to the love of Christ and keep our conscience from becoming seared. Let’s break the cycle of sin and return to a life which glorifies our Heavenly Father in ALL we do. Let’s never become so accustomed to sin that we develop the unchangeable spots of a leopard.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries