Pastor Bob DuPar
September 13, 2008

Journal Entry



Scripture

Isaiah 12:1-14:32; 2 Corinthians 13:1-14; Psalm 57:1-11; Proverbs 23:9-11

Observation

“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.”
Isaiah 14:12-15

Isaiah wrote this passage speaking of the King of Babylon, but Jesus also used verse 12 to describe Satan’s fall (Luke 10:18; Rev. 12:8–10). This is similar to when God also addressed Satan in His words to the serpent (Gen. 3:14, 15). Satan is the inspiration and energy behind worldly leaders who use their authority and power for wickedness. “Lucifer” means “shining one,” and many times it is translated as “morning star.” John MacArthur notes, “Tradition of the time saw the stars as representing gods battling among themselves for places of preeminence.”

Paul issues a tough but healthy challenge in 2 Corinthians 13:5,

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test?”

2 Corinthians 13:11 is a great closing verse as well as an excellent verse to live by,

“Finally, brothers… Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.”

Application

Anytime I choose to think or act against God’s will I can be assured that Satan is fueling my motivation. I need to examine and test myself daily – not to determine whether I’m still a Christian, but rather to confirm that I’m living “in the faith.” It’s all too easy to get off track and stop living what I believe in my heart and what I profess with my mouth. I need to live in healthy accountability with others and welcome their scrutiny and advice.

Prayer

“God, help me to live my life in openness and accountability before others. May I never be ‘above’ listening to the suggestions and correction of others. And, please grant me the wisdom to always hear Your voice over the roar of the world’s advice.”

Pastor Bob DuPar
September 12, 2008

Journal Entry



Scripture

Isaiah 10:1-11:16; 2 Corinthians 12:11-21; Psalm 56:1-13; Proverbs 23:6-8

Observation

Paul’s heart for the Corinthian church shines through the verses of 2 Corinthians 12,

“Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. …So I will gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well.” (vss. 14, 15)

Proverbs 23:6 is good advice,

“Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost.”

Application

Ministry is about “spending” our lives for the Lord. It’s about demonstrating to people that we care more about them then any material benefit we might derive from helping them.

Prayer

“God, help me to love people the way that You love them. Please grant me success in building relationships and gaining trust.”

Pastor Bob DuPar
September 11, 2008

Journal Entry



Scripture

Isaiah 8:1-9:21; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10; Psalm 55:1-23; Proverbs 23:4-5

Observation

Isaiah 8:19 is a great verse,

“When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?”

Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 gets my adrenaline going every time I read it; it brings me hope and excitement,

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. … For unto us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12:9 are a great reminder to me that God is not limited or hindered by my weaknesses and failures,

“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Application

I feel weak when I’m stretched and challenged beyond my comfort zone and physical ability. Yet, this is exactly the place where God can draw me in dependency upon Him. I resist God’s plan and pray for a life of strength and peace; but, I need to trust the sovereign purpose of the Lord and learn from the experiences He sends my way.

Prayer

“God, You know my need. You know the unspoken fears and challenges in my life. Would You grant me strength and patience as well as the ability to perceive Your leading.”

Pastor Bob DuPar
September 10, 2008

Journal Entry



Scripture

Isaiah 6:1-7:25; 2 Corinthians 11:16-33; Psalm 54:1-7; Proverbs 23:1-3

Observation

Isaiah’s vision of the Lord in chapter 6:1-8 moves me every time I read it,

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs… calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. ‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!”

Paul list of beatings and trials in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 is an impressive ministry resume! I am humbled by the description of trials which he endured. I can’t say that I have ever been persecuted in any of those ways or to that extreme.

Application

It’s not until we come into God’s presence that we realize the full extent of our sinfulness and need to be cleansed by Him. The application that I drew from this passage was my need to spend more time in God’s presence through reading His Word, praying, worshipping… Because often, when I’m not in His presence, I slip into sin and don’t realize its effect upon me or my true condition.

Also, when I read the description of what Paul endured for Christ and the sake of the gospel, I’m reminded of Hebrews 12:3-4,

“For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin.”

I have not suffered much as a Christian or in my “striving against sin.” I need to take inventory of my life and my witness and evaluate whether I am taking the stand which I should be taking.

Prayer

“Lord, Thank You again for forgiveness and the privilege of being used by You. Thank You for the glory that awaits me because of what Jesus secured through the cross.”

Pastor Bob DuPar
September 9, 2008

Journal Entry



Scripture

Isaiah 3:1-5:30; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15; Psalm 53:1-6; Proverbs 22:28-29

Observation

Isaiah 4:20-21 sounds like it was written as a commentary on our present world culture,

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.”

2 Corinthians 11:2-3 is an excellent reminder for every Christian that we are married to Christ and need to be faithfully devoted to Him,

“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

2 Corinthians 11: 14-15 reminds us of Satan’s deceptive tactics,

“For Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.”

Application

I need to make sure that I don’t consciously or unconsciously adopt the values and standards of the world because I live in a world that calls evil good, and up down. I need to keep God’s Word as my measure of absolute truth. I also need to be on guard against “angels of light” who preach a message that seems true. As John Ortberg says, “Sometimes something is only off by 10 degrees; but, we need to realize that that 10 degrees leads straight to hell.”

Prayer

“Lord, as I hide Your Word in my heart please give me wisdom to discern truth from error. Help me to live with sincere, pure devotion to You.”

Pastor Bob DuPar
September 8, 2008

Journal Entry



Scripture

Isaiah 1:1-2:22; 2 Corinthians 10:1-18; Psalm 52:1-9; Proverbs 22:26-27

Observation

I really liked Isaiah 2:16b-18,

“Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

Isaiah 2:22 is pretty blunt and to the point,

“Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?”

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 is a great reminder and call to action,

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

I found 2 Corinthians 10:10 humorous as it is the predicament of many a writer and speaker,

“For some say, ‘His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.”

Finally, I thought that 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 was great counsel,

“Let him who boasts boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.”

Application

When Isaiah talks about doing “right” he gives these examples: Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. I try and do right; but, to be honest, it’s been awhile since the “right” that I do involves any of these things. This list sounds similar to James’ description of pure religion in 1:27, “…to visit orphans and widows in their distress…”

I need to work on taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ. Spiritual warfare often begins in the mind.

Prayer

“Lord, thank You for equipping me with ‘divine power to demolish strongholds’ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Help me to use this power more often.”

Pastor Bob DuPar
September 7, 2008

Journal Entry



Scripture

Song Of Songs 5:1-8:14; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15; Psalm 51:1-19; Proverbs 22:24-25

Observation

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 has always been a tough passage for me,

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”


Application

I desire to grow in the area of giving. I need to trust God more to supply my need. I need to practice sowing more generously.

Prayer

“Lord, thank You that You have promised to supply all my need. Help me to trust You more and step out in faith more often.”