2008-04-30 Wed 4:45a Guatemala City

Yesterday (Tue)
I met again with Pastor Pablo Melgar who viewed the INSTE video I made and he liked the vision of discipling his leaders himself, raising up spiritual children and grandchildren. We’ll have the leadership seminar in his church the last Sunday of next month, May 24th.

1 Chronicles 1-9
The battle is the Lord’s: Genealogies are pretty boring unless you know the stories behind the names. The only way to really get to know God is through His stories, reading the Bible daily, year after year, over and over and seeking Him in prayer. Then the genealogies become a revelation of His love, care and mission. Every now and then God inspires the chronicler to peek into the heart of someone who really wants to know God (like Jabez 1Cr.4:9-10), and we realize there’s more to life than just living and dieing—there’s prayer and walking with the Creator.

Life is also about much more than just winning battles—it’s about knowing the heart and flowing with the purpose of Him who gives us the victory. “…for they cried out to God in the battle. He heeded their prayer, because they put their trust in Him” (5:20). The families of Gad and Manasseh prayed and trusted God and he gave them victories “…because the war was God’s” (5:22). But three verses and 250 years later we find these same folks, who had once trusted in God, were totally destroyed because they had abandoned Him (5:25).

“So all Israel was recorded by genealogies, and indeed, they were inscribed in the book of the kings of Israel. But Judah was carried away captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness” (9:1). Life is about finishing well, leaving a godly legacy to guide our children and grandchildren. It’s not just winning a few great battles.

Prayer Power…
Father, thank you for your mighty hand to deliver us in time of need. But we want more than your hand, we want your heart. Thank you for drawing us in to Yourself. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 120 – “In my distress I cried to the Lord, and he heard me.” In this Psalm the distress is living with “impossible, lying” people who “hate peace”. There are times when God’s presence in prayer is our only solace.

Proverbs 30 – “Two things I request of You (deprive me not before I die): remove falsehood and lies far from me; and help me manage my resources without pride” (v7-9). Only by answer to prayer and humility can we be cleansed of lying and avarice.