Pastor Bob DuPar
September 20, 2008

Journal Entry



Scripture

Isaiah 33:13-36:22; Galatians 5:13-26; Psalm 64:1-10; Proverbs 23:23

Observation

“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. …So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
Galatians 5:13, 16

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22-25

Application

Serving others! What a practical way to keep from degenerating into narcissism and living for ourselves. Paul wrote in Romans 6:1-2,

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue to sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

Grace is not an excuse to indulge our flesh; grace gives us the confidence to know that sin can never disqualify us from the race for the prize. Grace gives us the courage to get back up and keep running when we fall. Sin is an appetite. If I feed it, it will roar with increasing intensity; if I deny it and live by the Spirit, and for the Spirit, it will eventually lose its hold on me.

Prayer

“Lord, fill me with the fruit of Your Spirit. Fill me with Your desires and Your character. Guard me from indulging my sinful desires.”

Pastor Bob DuPar
September 19, 2008

Journal Entry



Scripture

Isaiah 30:12-33:12; Galatians 5:1-12; Psalm 63:1-11; Proverbs 23:22

Observation

The following verses really spoke to me in today’s reading:

“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” Isaiah 30:15

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
Galatians 5:6

“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?” Galatians 5:7

“O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
Psalm 63:1

Application

Galatians 5:6 is such a simple verse, but what a great goal as well – “faith expressing itself through love.” I wonder how often I express my faith with and through love. Jesus is the perfect example and model of faith lived out through love. I’m reminded of 1 Corinthians 13:1-3,

“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”

Prayer

“Lord, fill me with Your love. Open my eyes to see as You see. Teach me Your ways and use me for Your glory.”

Pastor Bob DuPar
September 18, 2008

Journal Entry



Scripture

Isaiah 28:14-30:11; Galatians 3:23-4:31; Psalm 62:1-12; Proverbs 23:19-21

Observation

“So this is what the Sovereign Lord says, ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.” Isaiah 28:16

“The Lord says: ‘These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men. …Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, ‘Who sees us? Who will know?’ You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, ‘He did not make me?’ Can the pot say of the potter, ‘He knows nothing?” Isaiah 29:13, 15-16

“Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.” Galatians 3:6-7

Finally, I loved Psalm 62:1-2,

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”

Application

If I make Jesus the foundation (cornerstone) of my life I will never regret it. Jesus is my cornerstone. But, I need to evaluate daily decisions to make sure that I am continually building upon Him and not my own “house of cards.” I often am that person who honors God with his lips but whose heart is far from God. Talk is a lot easier than action. I need to surround myself with people who will hold me accountable and who are seeking after the same goal themselves.

Prayer

“Lord, help me to find the rest You offer. May I find strength and protection as I take refuge in You.”

Pastor Bob DuPar
September 17, 2008

Journal Entry



Scripture

Isaiah 25:1-28:13; Galatians 3:10-22; Psalm 61:1-8; Proverbs 23:17-18

Observation

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast (“whose mind is stayed on Thee” KJV), because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.” Isaiah 26:3

What a promise!

I found Isaiah 26:10-11 to be both sad as well as an interesting insight on those who reject God,

“Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the Lord. O Lord, Your hand is lifted high, but they do not see it. Let them see Your zeal for Your people and be put to shame.”

Finally, I thought that Galatians 3:21b-22 was excellent,

“…If a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.”

Application

To be steadfast means to “stay” my mind on God – to make Him my focus, my goal, my obsession.
Isaiah 26:10 seems to infer that those who go on doing evil do so because they “regard not the majesty of the Lord.” The words of an old hymn come to mind: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth (including sin & wickedness) will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

Our task as Christians is to inform the world that as much as they think that they are “free” – free to live as they want, they are actually “prisoners of sin” (and ultimately Satan); and, the only way to become free is through faith in Jesus Christ.

Prayer

“Lord, please continually lead me to the Rock that is higher than me.”

Pastor Bob DuPar
September 16, 2008

Journal Entry



Scripture

Isaiah 22:1-24:23; Galatians 2:17-3:9; Psalm 60:1-12; Proverbs 23:15-16

Observation

Galatians 2:20-21 is one of my favorite passages,

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

And Galatians 2:6,

“Consider Abraham: He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Application

Is the life that I now live - lived out through faith in Jesus, and lived “for” Jesus? Or, is the life that I live pretty similar to my old life, but with Jesus “tacked on” for protection and blessing. Knowing Jesus ought to make a difference in my life. Knowing Jesus ought to transform my motivation and goal from living for myself to living for Him and His kingdom. My goal is to live like this everyday and not just some days.

Prayer

“God, help me to be consistent in my Christian walk. Grant me discipline and endurance to be obedient over the long haul and not just for temporary spurts. Thank You for Your patience, Your unconditional love, and Your energizing power.”

Pastor Bob DuPar
September 15, 2008

Journal Entry



Scripture

Isaiah 19:1-21:17; Galatians 2:1-16; Psalm 59:1-17; Proverbs 23:13-14

Observation

Two verses stood out to me today in the reading. First, Galatians 2:6,

“As for those who seemed to be important – whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance – those men added nothing to my message.”

The second verse was Galatians 2:16,

“Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.”

Application

God does not judge by external appearances because God sees the heart. I need to make an effort to get to know people beyond what I see initially on the surface.

Prayer

“God, thank You for loving me even though You know everything about me. Help me to extend the same grace to others which You have extended to me.”

Pastor Bob DuPar
September 14, 2008

Journal Entry



Scripture

Isaiah 15:1-18:7; Galatians 1:1-24; Psalm 58:1-11; Proverbs 23:12

Observation

Isaiah 17:10 caught my attention,

“You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress.”

Galatians 1:6-7 is a similar call to accountability,

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.”

Application

It’s so easy to distort the gospel or to forget the blessings of God in this age of relativism and enlightenment. We hear messages that sound very close to the truth. But, very close is not the same as completely true. And, God’s Word is absolute truth, completely reliable and trustworthy. I need to immerse myself in God’s Word daily so that I will be able to distinguish between truth and error, and be able to detect subtle messages of deception.

Prayer

“God, give me an unquenchable hunger for Your Word, an undying passion for Your truth and the strength and conviction to live according to Your perfect will each and every day.”