PerryDox

Posted By PHall on May 23, 2013

A dear old lady at church when I was a teenager would always have a smile and encouraging word. She couldn’t hear, but loved coming. One day they discovered part of the hearing problem was about 8 feet of built up earwax. That might be a slight exaggeration. Once removed, the smile was even bigger! Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear” and I will add, must first clean out his ear wax so he can hear. What is keeping us from hearing? Tradition? Hurt? Ego? Peer Pressure? Sin? To perryphrase another popular saying, “First clean out the ear wax in your own ears before giving others their needed Q-tips.”

Category: Mark | No Comments »
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Posted By PHall on May 22, 2013

A HISTORY LESSON WITH SPIRITUAL APPLICATION – In 1755 the French-Indian war began. This war between Britain with their Colony allies and France with their Indian allies was fought mainly in the New World for dominance and control of the vast new lands. French power was ended in North America under the Treaty of Paris in 1763. For the colonies, they gained military experience and gained opposition to British rule due to the taxes and duties raised to help pay for the fighting. A short 13 years later is the famed Declaration of Independence. England lost North America by how they won North America. How we win spiritual battles against one another can often lead ultimately to lost spiritual wars.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (HCSB) (3) For though we live in the body, we do not wage war in an unspiritual way, (4) since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments (5) and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ.

Category: II Corinthians | No Comments »
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Posted By PHall on May 22, 2013

Certain cultural norms are more meaningful and worth emulating than others. Talking to our children before we die is definitely one of those. Before Moses dies, he blesses his “children” (Dt 33). Moses “looks at each tribe and prays for its well-being in the light of its characteristics, inclination, and capacities. The blessing, a poem like Jacob’s testament, is both prayer and prophecy” (Plaut, The Torah, p.1567). What is essential for us is not the individual blessings upon each tribe-child. The reason is we, unlike Moses, cannot bless our children with an inspired personal revelation. We can and should however, know our children well enough to help them predict their own future with comfort and forewarning. For us looking at Moses’ prayer blessing, what is important is the beginning and the end.

In the beginning of the blessing, Moses extols Yahweh by going back to their beginning at Mt. Sinai. It speaks of God’s power and closes with His majesty. God is powerful and frightening, appearing with 10,000 holy angels, with lightening from His right hand (33.2). God came with instruction as Israel assembles at His feet, receiving His words (33.3). And unlike the pagan world where the kings are also gods, in Israel the one true God is their King (33.5). God as King foreshadows the succession of the Son of God as King. Moses even uses an endearing term of affection for Israel used twice in the prayer blessing (33.5,26), once in the previous song (32.15), and once in Isaiah (44.2). He calls Israel, Jeshurun, “the upright one.” Israel is to be like their God. In the middle is the comforting covenantal truth, “Indeed He loves the people” (33.3).

In the end, we come back to God, the unique God (33.26), who “rides the heavens to your aid” (33.26). Focus intimately and intensely on the next phrase, “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (ESV). This dwelling place is a “refuge” (NET) or “safe resting-place” (BBE). God is our home! I repeat and shout, GOD IS OUR HOME! The result is “So Israel dwells securely” (33.28), is “untroubled” (33.28), “happy” (33.29), “saved” and unique – “who is like you, a people saved by the LORD?” (33.29).

When laying on my deathbed, I hope to be free enough in mind and body to talk to my children and bless them with final words. I want to remind them to keep the words of God, so they can be called Jeshurun, the upright one. I want to remind them they were raised in the Lord to live in the Lord. I am only a father, but God is their Father, and Jesus is their King. I love them deeply, but the Father, Son and Holy Spirit love them divinely deeply. They need to know this. They need to know God is their home. God keeps them happy and safe. And one last thing; I have told my wife already what my last words will be. “See you later.”

Prayer Challenge: It should be axiomatic that talking to our children about God on our deathbed will only be effective if we are talking to them already. Pray for a closer, spiritual relationship with our children so our last words will be a blessing.

Category: Deuteronony | No Comments »
Tags: Prayer, Praying through the Bible

Posted By PHall on May 17, 2013

One of the most poignant passages in 2 Kings (possibly all the Bible) is 17:15 – “They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves.” To “pursue” metaphorically means “became loyal to.” We become what we worship.

Category: II Kings | No Comments »
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Posted By PHall on May 15, 2013

To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure I want to be as perfectly honest as this song reveals. I prefer the naïve hope of “I’ll Never Forsake My Lord” which promises “Though the tempter in efforts bold, Or in subtly as of old, Should essay to allure my soul – I’ll never forsake the Lord.” I prefer the kinship of Peter who promised “I will never deny You!” (Mt 26.35), echoed in “I’ll Be A Friend to Jesus.” It begins with “They tried my Lord and Savior” – which is when Peter was outside denying his Lord – and concludes by pledging, “I’ll be a friend to Jesus, My life for Him I’ll spend; I’ll be a friend to Jesus, Until my years shall end.” I wonder how many have sung those songs meaningfully, but forgot their full meaning and forsook their Lord, their friend?

The 2^nd song of Moses (Dt 32.1-43) is brutally honest, poetically reverent, historically accurate, prophetically truthful, and anchored by amazing grace. This praying song haunts the aware soul because it warns an unfaithful past can predict an unfaithful and forsaking future, where salvation comes only by God’s consistent character.

“Verse 1” (32.1-5) calls heaven and earth as witnesses declaring “The Rock – His work is perfect; and His ways are entirely just, A faithful God, without prejudice, He is right and true.” This perfection of God is both a warning and our only hope. “Verse 2” (32.5-9) decries that God’s children “are not His children” and begs them to recall “Isn’t He your Father and Creator.” “Verse 3” (32.10-14) recalls Israel’s pitiful beginning; afterwards which God “guarded him as the pupil of His eye” and “hovers over His young.” Then God feeds His inheritance with “honey from a rock.” “Verse 4” (32.15-18) reverses back to Israel’s abandonment and provocation of God by their sacrifices to demons. How depressing that they “forgot the God who bought you forth.” “Verses 5-7” (32.19-22; 23-25; 26-33) describes God’s vengeance, arrows, hunger, pestilence, plague, and where He “will unleash on them wild beasts with fangs.” More retaliation follows, tempered only by God’s desire to be honored. “Verse 7” glimmers hope: “The LORD will indeed vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants when He sees that their strength is gone and no one is left — slave or free.” “Verse 8” concludes God “will purity His land and His people” (32.43). God purifies through both vengeance and mercy.

Isaac Watts wrote in “Alas! and Did My Saviour Bleed,” “Would he devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?” Was its brutal honesty the cause of change to the less insulting, “for such a one as I?” I cannot imagine congregationally singing Moses’ second song. But neither do I want to lie when I sing “I’ll Never Forsake My Lord.” What is not naïve is that my only hope against myself, my past and my future, is God’s honor, faithfulness, mercy and grace. That is one song I love to sing and hope to sing eternally.

Prayer Challenge: Pray that we pay close attention to the words we sing, and not so quickly forget them once a new song is sung. Pray for honesty in confessing in song.

Category: Deuteronony | No Comments »
Tags: Prayer, Praying through the Bible

Posted By PHall on May 15, 2013

Category: Bible | No Comments »
Tags: Perryisms

Posted By PHall on May 14, 2013

Mary, the Mother of Jesus, gave only one command; and if we follow it, we will be doing well: “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2.5).

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Posted By PHall on May 8, 2013

True religion always puts God first, and when we put God first, we help others. God commands His people to use His blessings as blessings. The blessed are not fortunate because they are blessed, but because they give blessing to others. Religion has never been about God only, or sacrifices for the sake of sacrificing, of “doing church” for the sake of pleasing or appeasing God. Once we see the truth, we then see the true God; and then we see our true worship, and we practice pure religion (Jms 1.27).

The most amazing and meaningful realization to me about the Old Testament sacrifices was discovering how God used them to care for others. The priests and Levites got fed by God’s sacrifices. When God demanded the very best, the religious practice benefited those living off the sacrifices. When selfishness interjected itself, the sacrificers held back, thinking God Himself is selfish. They didn’t understand God nor did they hurt God; they hurt those God intended to help. They hurt those depending on their faithfulness, even their kindness. The sacrifices and tithing were acts of faithfulness to God, and of kindness to people.

In Deuteronomy 26.12-15, Moses instructs the Israelites concerning tithes. In Jewish circles, this is called the Viddui Ma-aser, the “confession of tithing.” The recipient of tithing is God, but not only God. Yahweh commands, “When you have finished paying all the tenth” then “you are to give it to the Levite, the foreign resident, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied” (26.13). Notice this intriguingly incongruent list. The Levite was an Israelite worker for God. The foreign resident was a Gentile. The fatherless and widow were helpless Israelites, destitute through no fault of their own. They were the pious poor.

Following the giving, comes the praying (26.13-15). The prayer is one of confession, not of wrong, but of right, of religion done right. The prayer confesses the giving to help the needy. The prayer confesses “I have done all You have commanded me.” The prayer is also one of petition, “Look down from Your holy dwelling, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land You have given us as You swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey” (26.15).

The praying person recognizes God as the giver of all good things and these good things were given to bless others. Therefore he asks God to bless him based upon how he is blessing others. Is that a frightening prayer? Could we pray that prayer? Do we want God to bless us financially based upon how we financially bless others? If we are putting God first, then that prayer is itself a blessing, and not a burden. As Jesus said, “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20.35).

Prayer Challenge: Look at our blessings, look at our giving, look at our heart. Can we pray that God will bless us as we bless others? If not, start blessing so we can confess.

Category: Deuteronony | No Comments »
Tags: Prayer, Praying through the Bible

Posted By PHall on May 2, 2013

Category: Bible | 3 Comments »
Tags: Perryisms

Posted By PHall on May 2, 2013

Many things are beyond my comprehension, but one of the most simple is fully grasping how totally dependent upon God I am. Intellectually I know it, but I can get so busy working and providing for my family that I don’t think about it. How easy is it to think when I look at my paycheck, “I owe it to myself to spend it on me?” When most children are small, they know their parents provide for all their necessities, even without thinking about it. They do not worry the pantry will be empty. The concept of money is magical. When I told my kids, “I don’t have the money” they responded with incredulous glee, “Just go to the ATM!” As children get older, they get more want more independence. Some get jobs and money means self-sufficiency. And the delusion begins. Independence is an allusion for everyone, one that we too easily comprehend.

Moses instructs Israel to give to God the first fruits (Dt 26.2) which is the very best. God has always asked, demanded, and only accepted the top of the top. Why? “Because He is God” is true, but that is only looking at God as worthy of worship. “Because God has given us His best” is another truth, which looks at our relationship to God as recipients of His gifts and grace. What we give to God in the present is based upon what God has given us in the past, and how valuable we view that grace.

Consider the points of this Israelite prayer (Dt 26.5-10). Israel started off with nothing, just wandering, not even yet an “Israelite” (v.5). This Aramean family clan became something great and powerful from just a few people, in a land not theirs (v.5). Evil days came (v.6), and Israel called out to Yahweh (v.7) who saved them from affliction and slavery (v.8). Yahweh gave Israel a new land, even better than the one where they became great (v.9). The reason Israel gives the first of the land’s produce is because Israel’s whole history is one of total dependence (v.10).

Now make the application to ourselves. Spiritually we are nothing, wandering around in sin. God makes us special, His children, His holy nation. Even when bad times come, God hears our solicitations and saves us in ways only He can imagine. Finally, when life is over, our Benefactor gives us something greater than we ever possessed in this life; a new Promised Land.

Equally important to all the facts of the past, is the present, constant reminder of total dependence. Whenever an Israelite offered this gift to God, they reminded themselves that everything they have came from God. I need to remind myself too. It is too easy to be deluded. One day, I will fully understand how totally dependent I am upon God. But until then, I need to keep giving God my best, and reminding myself of everything.

Prayer Challenge: “Count Your Many Blessings” is easier to sing than to do. But our actions must accompany the song. Self-examine our time, money, gifts, attitude and pray that God will help us understand how totally dependent we truly are.

Category: Deuteronony | No Comments »
Tags: Prayer, Praying through the Bible