Isaiah 6:1-7:25, 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, Psalms 54:1-7, Proverbs 23:1-3
Today is the 10th day of September welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is a joy as it is every day to be here together around the Global Campfire, just an oasis, an oasis in life that we can come to, allow the Scriptures to speak into our lives, know that we’re not alone and reorient ourselves for our day, our week, our month, our year, just reorient ourselves to God. And, so, let’s do that. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week and we’re moving our way into the book of Isaiah. I’d say we’re about 10%, 10% into the book of Isaiah, and I guess…if I’m guessing and we’re doing percentages we’re probably about 75% through the letter from Paul to the Corinthians, the one that we’re moving through, second Corinthians. So, let’s dive in. Isaiah 6 and 7 today.
Commentary:
Okay. So, we are far enough into the writings of the apostle Paul now and we spent time understanding his ministry in the book of Acts that we’ve kind of gotten to know him and maybe some of our assumptions about him have been reframed a little bit because you kind of come to the Bible with this idea that this early church was just a smooth sailing and the apostle Paul is responsible for so much of the New Testament that he was a revered apostle. And he is a revered apostle at this point but we can see that in the early days, I mean, he was struggling in all directions. And today we can see Paul squirming to some degree, because he’s defending himself and he’s defending himself in a way that he doesn’t want to be defending himself because defending himself in this way, which is boasting, like basically trying to measure up, like that really doesn’t produce…that doesn’t go anywhere good because he’s backed into a corner because of the “super-apostles” that are referred to in this letter. And we talked about that a couple of days ago as we were kinda getting into this territory in the letter that…I mean…Paul established these churches, but people were coming in behind Paul and sharing the gospel and some of these people had some pedigree, whether they were known as super-apostles at the time or not is unknown but it’s probably because they had some sort of direct association with Jesus in some sort of way that would give them this kind of credibility. And, so, it automatically makes Paul look less than. And man, this should start sounding familiar because we find ourselves in these the same kinds of situations where we’ve gotta measure up but the only way to measure up is…is to basically toot our own horn, like tell what we’ve done, how we measure up to and that’s where Paul is. And he's…he’s like, “Im a Hebrew just like they are. I’m an Israelite just like they are. I’m a descendent of Abram…Abraham just like they are. Are they the servants of Christ? I’m crazy for saying this but I am a bigger better servant of Christ because what I’ve had to go through. I’ve worked tirelessly. I’ve been thrown into prison more than they have. I’ve been beaten a lot more than they have. I’ve faced all of the things that you know I’ve faced.” So, we can get Paul a couple thousand years ago and go, “okay. I see what’s going on there but I also see that…I mean…that it’s still going on in the world, measuring up by comparing each other…comparing ourselves to somebody else is kind of the way of things. It doesn’t really lead anywhere, which is why Paul’s like, “I hate that I have to do this.” But the greater point here is that Paul is not having any type of smooth sailing. Like this inauguration of the Good News, this bringing of the gospel into the world, this sharing the story of Jesus isn't…like there’s nothing about it that’s easy for him. He has to endure. He is deeply committed enough to Jesus to do whatever he has to do.
And it’s not like Paul’s the only one that has to endure. Like if we just look at the Psalm that we read today. We have David on the run for his life from King Saul. He has been betrayed by somebody who saw him and betrayed his whereabouts. And, so, now he’s in a life and death situation as he was often. And, so he cries out, “come with your power. Rescue me. Defend me. Vindicate me with Your might. Hear me. Listen to the words of my mouth. Strangers are against me. They’re rising up. Violent people intend to kill me. They’re not listening to you, God. They don’t let you be their guide.” So, David’s enduring.
Like it’s so funny how we think that we have some sort of pass and we don’t have to learn to endure things, that we don’t have to wrestle with our faith or as Paul says in another of his letters, the letter to the Philippians, that we should “work out our salvation…work it out with fear and trembling.” It’s like really difficult to find in any story in the Bible that does not include endurance and perseverance and struggle. And Jesus, our Savior was like, “if the world hates you, you gotta remember it hated me first.”
So, this resistance that we’re seeing in the life of Paul is happening from within the church against him as people are choosing their favorite leaders. And he has to endure this while being an example of Christ to everybody who is questioning him. This isn’t unlike John the Baptist faced. This is like…isn’t unlike what Jesus faced, this isn’t like…this isn’t unlike what most of the early church faced but we all face this. Like, this is human. Like to have resistance in our lives is part of the story of our humanity and no one ever claimed that it wasn’t. The Bible doesn’t claim that it’s not part of the story. In fact, it assures us that endurance in fact is a major part of the story. It’s a necessary part of life. We hate that but it’s a necessary part of life. You don’t grow strong without resistance. Like…like you can’t grow more muscles for your body without resistance. You can’t grow strong mentally without facing cognitive dissonance and wrestling through. You can’t grow spiritually strong without having to contend for it. And we’re well far enough into the Bible to have experienced stories of people who just completely caved, melted, buckled and fell apart. And we’re also privy to stories of people who were willing to endure until the very, very last nanosecond of their very very last breath.
So, I know like that…I know this has been a challenging year and it’s a challenging time but when is it not? Like when are we not facing some sort of challenge? And mostly we’re like praying for God to make it go away. And maybe we’re just missing the point altogether. Maybe we shouldn’t be praying for God to make it go away. Maybe we should be praying for God to make us stronger…like stronger in this, that like…like that what seems like it’s going to bowl us over today is going to seem like nothing a year from now so the things that once terrified us we just see as kind of normal because we endured, we have mastered, we have overcome, we are stronger than we were because we endured whatever was necessary. So, this resistance is not purposeless. Like it’s not just a waste of our time and a diminishment of our experience of life. It is actually making us wise and strong and resolute and confident in our God and bold in the message of faith. If you’ve endured and you’ve lived through it, then you have convictions that…well you have moral authority to speak about it in ways that are totally different than if it’s just a theoretical concept. What we have actually lived through and into is who we are. And, so, what story are we telling?
Prayer:
Father we invite You into that. Even as we see a couple of examples in the Scriptures today of endurance of difficulty of squirming even, trying to figure out how to navigate, how to navigate being compared which is so unhelpful. And, so, we take these lessons that we see in the Scriptures, these examples that we see in the Scriptures, and we realize they are Your guidance. These are examples. This is where the roads go. Holy Spirit come, open our eyes that we might see the path that we are walking and make the adjustments necessary. Make us stronger Lord, we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Hello DAB family this is a Prayer Warrior from Tennessee I’ve been listening for three years but this is the first time that I’ve called in. And to be honest I’ve I felt a little prompt in me to call for a while and just have been pushing back against that. Thank you, Brian and all the team that…that puts this thing together. It’s been such an encouragement to me, and I’ve been praying behind the scenes for this. I desperately could use prayer and my wife. My wife has been battling, what we’ve recently found out to be a chronic illness for the past nine years at least the nine years of our marriage and…and I’m worn out and she’s worn out and we’re struggling financially and there’s a lot that is weighing on my shoulders and I just need prayer is a restoration for me, for her, prayers for wisdom and for focus, prayers for provision for our family and protection from temptation to…for me to fall back into some past sin habits as coping mechanisms for everything that we’re going through. So, we’re just…appreciate your prayers for us during the season. I’m lifting up the…the prayer requests that come in and I’m trusting God is going to…to answer and hear but just feel so weary and I know he’s there but don’t feel Him at times and just I know I’m supposed to reach out to you guys. So, I thank you for your faithfulness and lifting up the prayer requests and know that I’m…I’m praying for you. God bless. Thank you.
[singing starts] Hallelujah He has one the victory. Hallelujah He has one it all for me. Death could not hold you down. You are the risen King. See what a Majesty. You are the risen King [singing stops]
I received a full day’s pay for one hours work
and a lot of people got upset and called the boss a jerk
but I’m thankful for his mercy his generosity’s great
because there’s nothing I’ve done to deserve such a fate
the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof
he says I am that I am when I give out my love
I rain on the righteous I rain on the thief
both of their problems and I give both of them relief
it’s not about them or the things that they do
my grace is sufficient for them and for you
I am the potter in you are the clay
complain all you want it will still be my way
nothing you’ve done is deserving of love
when I look what I see is my son from up above
his blood is your garment it’s his blood I see
he gave up his life to bring you to me
so sit back and relax secure in my grace
because if you know my son then you’re in the right place
complaining and grumbling are what humans do
some folks are happy but those folks are few
the prize goes to those who endure to the end
but all of you are my children and I love you Amen
thank you dear Lord I could never repay
I worked for one hour and got paid for the whole day
blindtony1016@gmail.com I’d like to give a shout out to my buddy bighearted Ben and his mother from Pennsylvania and I’d also like to give a shout out to Drew from the Bay Area haven’t heard from you in a while hope you’re still hanging in there brother. Know you’re all loved and prayed for daily. And once again Brian and the Hardin family thank you for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit to flow. Keep it flowing y’all. All right. Bye-bye.
Hi DAB community I’m calling in I’ve been a longtime listener. I’ve been feeling more led that I should be calling in more frequently. I’ve only called in three times in 15 years. So, I wanted to come up with a name though that was fitting based on what the Lord thinks of me and not what I think of me. So, I’ve thought long and hard. I reviewed…actually I spent some time reviewing journaling that I’ve done over the past two decades and really the themes are, you know, longing to live into and through my identity in Christ, really to understand who He says that I am and not living under condemnation because it’s so easy to just be myself up, and to stop turning to food instead of God in times of stress and all times. That’s my vice. So, the name I’ve chosen is Princess Warrior Karen. So, let us pray. Lord God I pray that I and all in the Daily Audio Bible family, not only come to know our identity in Christ but we will walk and live into it and out of it. Help us to truly live as forgiven in love sinners made whole by Christ. Help us to know that we are warriors. You have and will prepare us for every battle. O Lord so often we walk around defeated not because we are but because we failed to armor up. Today Lord help us to live as the prince or princess warriors that we are, protect us from the enemy, help us to walk away from the idols whatever they may be – food, drugs, lust, alcohol - that bind us Lord and help us to walk in Your freedom. This is Princess Warrior Karen saying armor up all.
Hey family this is Work in Progress here in California. Please pray for our state. It’s on fire. My parents just evacuated the…my childhood home up in the mountains. Fire’s kind of pressing in and there’s already been some little communities, little town called the Big Creek, I don’t think there’s anything left of it. I think the fire swept through their and fire’s…communities like Shaver Lake are also like…well…they’re burning and…and people are fleeing. And so far, it sounds like people are…are safe for the most part but I just pray that these fires are extinguished. And, so, if you could do that, I would appreciate it. We would all appreciate it. We still got a lot of fire season left and we do need…we need the Lord’s miraculous hand to put these fires out. So, thank you.
Hey, DABbers this is Slave of Jesus in North Carolina. Alright Holy Spirit was roll. So, I’m gonna maybe finish testimony but also give some praise reports. I don’t do that very often. You know, hard-core atheist and I’ll…I’ll take the title prayer warrior. But, you know, coming to the DAB as an atheist I had never prayed. I mean…I think I’d only heard a few graces from the Catholic family across the street when I ate dinner at their house, but I just listened to the DAB and we had, you know, some old-school prayer warriors like from Maryland and Oklahoma City and we had a cop from Georgia and this guy Drew from the Bay area and a teacher in LA but there are whole bunch of others but they were calling in praying for people. And, so, I just kind of emulated them and I just started praying for every single caller as many people do who don’t even call in and I would just ask before, you know start praying, I’d ask the Holy Spirit and just what do I need to say about this and I’d start my prayers and I pray alongside with those. So, those are my first couple years of the DAB. I’ve been able to see my younger daughter come to Christ and even got baptized last year. I stopped calling my wife and oldest daughter atheists and lo and behold within a year they both had medical steers and they told me face-to-face they are not atheists but I can’t even tell you all the changes that have happened in my life from not having the having a single Bible to theirs Bible Daily Audio Bible everywhere Bibles everywhere in my house and again it’s not your outward appearance it’s…it’s your inward but all the DVDs that were R-rated are gone. I mean here’s the best example or praise report. The other day my wife who would normally make me shut off all my Christian music asked Alexa to play “you say” and she started singing the song “you say” and then my younger daughter started singing with her “you say”. And for those of you who know the long story that is a huge praise report. So, love you all. Have a great day.
Good morning DAB family this is Summon Solomon from Hydro Bird India. I pray the sister who has…she has…one her of her sons lapsed into drugs. My son only the most-high can give you the most high and look to the most high for your highs. And there is nothing so rewarding as to have the favor of the Lord and you can feel the favor wash over you. And I pray the anointing of God be strong in your life so that you don’t relapse into drugs ever again. And I can give you my yes, my word, that…that the life in which God is there, whose God is present is in ever present reality is far far better than that…than that which drugs can give you. Please don’t take the drug you get a little used to it and you need more of the drug each time. If not each time after some price you need some more of the drug to give you the same high. So, I pray you stop using drugs and I pray for meaningful relationships to come your way so you can be bolstered by the relationship…