When I read the instructions God gave Moses for sin offerings, I am astounded at the detail. And I think about Moses receiving these instructions from the Lord. I am jealous that Moses heard so clearly from God – his call, his leadership, how to get water, what God is going to do next… talking with God on the mountain, in the Tent of Meeting, etc. And then it occurs to me… Moses had to lead over a million people for 40 years in a desert on a camping trip that wouldn’t end. How else could he have done it without those close interactions with God? Maybe I shouldn’t be so jealous… If God is meeting me in the same way he met with Moses, I might need to be leading a million people on an excursion that is anything but easy. No thank you on that one! Okay – maybe I’m not so jealous!
However, I still seek to be close to God and hear his voice. As I read the first nine chapters of Leviticus, I see with the building of the tabernacle, a new practice of sacrifices. This practice had actually begun before the Israelites left Egypt. Each family sacrificed a lamb, putting the blood on their doorposts so that the angel of death would pass over them and not take their firstborn child. But on the mountain, God gave Moses some very particular instructions on how to build the tabernacle and how to sacrifice and when.
When the altar was built, it was to have four horns – one on each corner. And when sacrifices were made, blood was to be put on each of the horns before pouring the rest at the ground by the altar. In some ways, I think these horns represent the doorposts which spared the lives of their firstborn. By making sacrifices for their sins, the Israelites were trying to keep a clean record between them and God so that God would continue to lead them. During their ordination, in a carefully prescribed way, Aaron and his sons placed their hands on the head of the animal being sacrificed (Leviticus 8:22). I think it was to keep them close to fact that the animal was dying in their place – sin leads to death.
I wonder if sacrificing animals over and over lost its effect on them. Maybe it is kind of like trying to train a dog where they focus on the reward or what follows rather than on what you are trying to train them to do. For instance, if every time the dog messes on the floor you yell at him and take him outside, he may mess on the floor and then go stand at the door to go outside. Maybe sacrifices became that way for the people. They kept sinning because they could take the sacrifice to the altar and make atonement for the wrong done rather than quit sinning.
God is holy – we cannot come close to him in our sin. Jesus was our sacrifice – our sin lead to his death. I wonder if each time we sinned we had to come close enough to touch him while he was being put to death if that would make us less likely to sin again – at least in the same way. I wonder how common ‘repenting’ has become. Do we just take what Jesus did for granted and keep on sinning because grace abounds? (Romans 6:1) Or do we come close enough to touch him and truly understand what he did for us. “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” I John 3:6
I think that to be close to God means that I am very aware of what Jesus did for me and I am looking into his eyes when I repent of sin and I truly turn around and quit doing what I know offends God. I want to please him, not offend him. I do not want to take advantage of his grace. I want to be close to God.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Drilling Down to the TRUTH
In my NIV Bible, this section is entitled, “Laws of Justice and Mercy.” As I read this, I am thinking of words of Jesus in the Gospels, particularly the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew where Jesus begins his sentence with, “You have heard that it was said… but I say to you…” So I wonder how Jesus would be teaching this part of the Law as he spoke to the crowds. Justice and mercy seem to be at the very center of the heart of God so as I read these verses, I am paying close attention.
“Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness. Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.” Exodus 23:1-3
No problem. I’m not going to sit on a witness stand and make up false reports about something to get someone else in trouble. But I hear Jesus saying, “But I say to you…” and I think what about leaving out details when I’m telling someone how another person did something that hurt me. I want myself to look good in their eyes and the other person to look bad. I don’t outright lie, but I am not being totally honest. Maybe I’m not as innocent as I want the other to think I am. Maybe I had a role in what happened there as well. It seems to me that God wants the TRUTH. He wants us to be honest with ourselves as well as others. He wants us to admit our own guilt in a situation because in doing that, we are less likely to go back there and do the same thing again.
“If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wondering off, be sure to take it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure to help him with it.” Exodus 23:4-5
Really? Can’t I just let the person who has been treating me with contempt suffer under their own ‘stupidity’? “But I say to you… Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:44-45 Even when a person will not listen to my ‘wise counsel,’ Jesus would have me help them out of the mess they got themselves into. God wants us to show MERCY. He has been so very merciful to us and as his sons and daughters, he wants us to be merciful with others. Maybe sometime we will need someone to be merciful with us.
“Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death for I will not acquit the guilty.” Exodus 23:6-7
Again, no problem. I’m kind to the poor and I’m not going to lie about someone in court to have them put to death. But again Jesus says, “But I say unto you…” and I think about participating in gossip that may emotionally ‘put to death’ an innocent person. God says, “I will not acquit the guilty.” Exodus 23:7 Oh my! How easy it is to follow the crowd and ‘fry’ someone who has done upsetting things. It is important to God that even as we work at being truthful, we do it with LOVE. “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” Ephesians 4:15
Sometimes I get to thinking that Jesus ‘changed’ the law. But as I read this portion of Exodus where God is giving Moses the original Law, I am seeing God’s justice and mercy and love very clearly. I just need to look at it through the eyes of Jesus as he interpreted the Scriptures to the crowds who listened to him.
Father, forgive me for the times I have joined the crowd in putting someone else down and for the times I have tried to make myself look good in the eyes of others by leaving out some of the truth. Forgive me also for the times I have gloated over my enemy’s pain. Thank you that you do not give me what I deserve but have shown mercy and grace to me. Now open my eyes to see when I need to show mercy and grace to others. Help me to keep growing up in my spiritual journey with you. I love you, Lord.
“Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness. Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.” Exodus 23:1-3
No problem. I’m not going to sit on a witness stand and make up false reports about something to get someone else in trouble. But I hear Jesus saying, “But I say to you…” and I think what about leaving out details when I’m telling someone how another person did something that hurt me. I want myself to look good in their eyes and the other person to look bad. I don’t outright lie, but I am not being totally honest. Maybe I’m not as innocent as I want the other to think I am. Maybe I had a role in what happened there as well. It seems to me that God wants the TRUTH. He wants us to be honest with ourselves as well as others. He wants us to admit our own guilt in a situation because in doing that, we are less likely to go back there and do the same thing again.
“If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wondering off, be sure to take it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure to help him with it.” Exodus 23:4-5
Really? Can’t I just let the person who has been treating me with contempt suffer under their own ‘stupidity’? “But I say to you… Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:44-45 Even when a person will not listen to my ‘wise counsel,’ Jesus would have me help them out of the mess they got themselves into. God wants us to show MERCY. He has been so very merciful to us and as his sons and daughters, he wants us to be merciful with others. Maybe sometime we will need someone to be merciful with us.
“Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death for I will not acquit the guilty.” Exodus 23:6-7
Again, no problem. I’m kind to the poor and I’m not going to lie about someone in court to have them put to death. But again Jesus says, “But I say unto you…” and I think about participating in gossip that may emotionally ‘put to death’ an innocent person. God says, “I will not acquit the guilty.” Exodus 23:7 Oh my! How easy it is to follow the crowd and ‘fry’ someone who has done upsetting things. It is important to God that even as we work at being truthful, we do it with LOVE. “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” Ephesians 4:15
Sometimes I get to thinking that Jesus ‘changed’ the law. But as I read this portion of Exodus where God is giving Moses the original Law, I am seeing God’s justice and mercy and love very clearly. I just need to look at it through the eyes of Jesus as he interpreted the Scriptures to the crowds who listened to him.
Father, forgive me for the times I have joined the crowd in putting someone else down and for the times I have tried to make myself look good in the eyes of others by leaving out some of the truth. Forgive me also for the times I have gloated over my enemy’s pain. Thank you that you do not give me what I deserve but have shown mercy and grace to me. Now open my eyes to see when I need to show mercy and grace to others. Help me to keep growing up in my spiritual journey with you. I love you, Lord.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Free at Last
When Joseph invited his family to join him in Egypt during the famine, none of them dreamed that they would become enslaved by the Egyptians. It was to save them from sure death as the famine was severe over an extended area for seven years. Joseph did, however, just before he died make the request that when they leave Egypt, they take his bones with them. “But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear on oath and said, ‘God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.’” Genesis 50:24-25
Why would God need to come to their aid? Things were good. They had a place to keep their flocks. They had plenty to eat. What more could they want? But they were not in the Promised Land that God had told Abraham to set out for, that Isaac lived in, and that Jacob had returned to after working for Laban for his daughters Leah and Rachael. I wonder if God intended for them to stay in Egypt so long. Or did they linger there longer than they should have because it was comfortable and moving back to Canaan would be a hassle. As they prospered, the Egyptians began to fear them and enslaved them in order to control them. And now, indeed, God needed to rescue them to get them back on track for the Promised Land.
In the beginning, Moses was a reluctant leader. Who can blame him – 600,000 men plus women and children (probably well over a million all together) to manage on a long journey. How would you begin to manage that many people on a camping trip? There are not too many people who are confident enough to jump into that one and believe they can succeed. Moses tried to talk God out of his choice of him as leader. Finally God agreed to also send his brother Aaron to be his ‘mouthpiece’ and Moses set off to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
It took quite a few plagues to finally get Pharaoh’s cooperation. I wonder how much of it was for Pharaoh and how much was for the Israelites to gain confidence in Moses as their leader. After a rocky start with Pharaoh making it even harder on the Israelites, Moses did gain the confidence of the people. It was obvious that he had been sent by God and that God was working through him and they began to listen to his leadership. Pharaoh just didn’t know who he was up against. He thought he knew. After all, Moses had grown up in his own household. He was sure he could break Moses down and get him to give up. He ran pretty quickly after killing the Egyptian. But each plague was worse than the one before and eventually, it was obvious that Moses and his God were not going to give up.
The last plague was the death of all the first born children and livestock of the Egyptians. It broke down Pharaoh’s resolve to win and gave the Israelites the Passover Celebration to always remember what God had done for them. Fast forward to a Passover Celebration where Jesus and his disciples shared what we now call ‘The Last Supper’. Jesus became our Passover Lamb to set us free from the slavery of sin. Why then do so many of us continue to act as if we are still in bondage? Why are we so slow to accept and live out our freedom in Christ?
Moses, at God’s instruction, told the Israelites, “This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.” Exodus 13:9 I wonder, what is the sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead? We see this again in Deuteronomy when the commandments are given to Israel. “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:6-9
Another place the hand and forehead appears it in Revelation 13 only here it is the ‘Mark of the Beast’. “He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:16-17
As I ponder these verses, what seems to be present in each of these references to hand and forehead is that the idea or concept is first and foremost in our conscious thought – consuming us completely. Remembering Passover was remembering God’s salvation and remembering to live like a free person. God’s Laws were given to help us live like people free from sin. If they are first and foremost in our thoughts, we will act (hand) and think (forehead) like the free people we are. And even Satan knows that where our focus is, there our behavior will be as well. I wonder if the ‘Mark of the Beast’ is confidence and trust in the money of this world to save us rather than in God. Come to think of it, if we all lived with full confidence in God and followed his ways, money wouldn’t be necessary. Money is simply a tool for accounting what is yours and what is mine. If everything belongs to God and we all share everything we have in common, money wouldn’t be necessary! We could live like the free people God intends for us to be, no longer enslaved by our constant craving for worldly wealth.
Why would God need to come to their aid? Things were good. They had a place to keep their flocks. They had plenty to eat. What more could they want? But they were not in the Promised Land that God had told Abraham to set out for, that Isaac lived in, and that Jacob had returned to after working for Laban for his daughters Leah and Rachael. I wonder if God intended for them to stay in Egypt so long. Or did they linger there longer than they should have because it was comfortable and moving back to Canaan would be a hassle. As they prospered, the Egyptians began to fear them and enslaved them in order to control them. And now, indeed, God needed to rescue them to get them back on track for the Promised Land.
In the beginning, Moses was a reluctant leader. Who can blame him – 600,000 men plus women and children (probably well over a million all together) to manage on a long journey. How would you begin to manage that many people on a camping trip? There are not too many people who are confident enough to jump into that one and believe they can succeed. Moses tried to talk God out of his choice of him as leader. Finally God agreed to also send his brother Aaron to be his ‘mouthpiece’ and Moses set off to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
It took quite a few plagues to finally get Pharaoh’s cooperation. I wonder how much of it was for Pharaoh and how much was for the Israelites to gain confidence in Moses as their leader. After a rocky start with Pharaoh making it even harder on the Israelites, Moses did gain the confidence of the people. It was obvious that he had been sent by God and that God was working through him and they began to listen to his leadership. Pharaoh just didn’t know who he was up against. He thought he knew. After all, Moses had grown up in his own household. He was sure he could break Moses down and get him to give up. He ran pretty quickly after killing the Egyptian. But each plague was worse than the one before and eventually, it was obvious that Moses and his God were not going to give up.
The last plague was the death of all the first born children and livestock of the Egyptians. It broke down Pharaoh’s resolve to win and gave the Israelites the Passover Celebration to always remember what God had done for them. Fast forward to a Passover Celebration where Jesus and his disciples shared what we now call ‘The Last Supper’. Jesus became our Passover Lamb to set us free from the slavery of sin. Why then do so many of us continue to act as if we are still in bondage? Why are we so slow to accept and live out our freedom in Christ?
Moses, at God’s instruction, told the Israelites, “This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.” Exodus 13:9 I wonder, what is the sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead? We see this again in Deuteronomy when the commandments are given to Israel. “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:6-9
Another place the hand and forehead appears it in Revelation 13 only here it is the ‘Mark of the Beast’. “He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:16-17
As I ponder these verses, what seems to be present in each of these references to hand and forehead is that the idea or concept is first and foremost in our conscious thought – consuming us completely. Remembering Passover was remembering God’s salvation and remembering to live like a free person. God’s Laws were given to help us live like people free from sin. If they are first and foremost in our thoughts, we will act (hand) and think (forehead) like the free people we are. And even Satan knows that where our focus is, there our behavior will be as well. I wonder if the ‘Mark of the Beast’ is confidence and trust in the money of this world to save us rather than in God. Come to think of it, if we all lived with full confidence in God and followed his ways, money wouldn’t be necessary. Money is simply a tool for accounting what is yours and what is mine. If everything belongs to God and we all share everything we have in common, money wouldn’t be necessary! We could live like the free people God intends for us to be, no longer enslaved by our constant craving for worldly wealth.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Called and Sent
In almost no time after his conversion, Saul had the religious authorities in Damascus stirred up and calling for his death. The believers in ‘The Way’ helped him escape and he went to Jerusalem hoping to get acquainted with the disciples and Apostles there. Because of fear, they were not willing to invite him in. But there was a man named Barnabas who was willing to risk getting to know Saul. I wonder how or where he met Saul. Barnabas took him to the believers in Jerusalem and introduced him to them telling his story of conversion. Saul was then allowed to stay with them but in no time, he had stirred up the religious authorities in Jerusalem and had to be sent away because of a plot to kill him. So the believers sent Saul back to Tarsus.
How did Saul stir up the synagogue so quickly? Barely converted and he has had to leave two cities already because his life was threatened. It seems that his great knowledge of Scripture and prophecy allowed him to argue intelligently with the rulers. It may have been because they could not refute him in arguments that they tried to get rid of him physically. They did not want to believe what he believed, but they could not defend their views and interpretations of Scriptures. I can’t help but wonder if Saul’s presentation was a bit caustic as well or at least pushy.
Things settled down in Jerusalem and Samaria for a few years after Saul left. And then persecution increased greatly and believers were spread throughout the extended region as they moved to avoid being persecuted. They began to tell their new neighbors about their faith and more and more people began to believe in Jesus Christ and became his disciples. It seems the church grows faster under persecution – maybe because people don’t get too comfortable where they are at and move around a lot more meeting new people and sharing their faith.
“News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” Acts 11:22-26
Barnabas shows up again. He was a good teacher/evangelist in his own right. Many people were becoming believers. But Barnabas doesn’t say, “Look at me! See what I can do! I’m going to build a mega-church and name it after myself.” Instead, he goes and finds Saul because he sees an opportunity to mentor Saul. Saul, as a new believer, had a great story to tell. He had witnessed God’s mercy and forgiveness and he needed to tell others. But it seems that he did it in a very argumentative way and kept riling people up. Barnabas, on the other hand, seemed to have a gentle way about him. He was still in Jerusalem which would indicate he had figured out how to navigate the religious system and yet continue to teach and encourage others.
As I read between the lines, I wonder if Barnabas didn’t deliberately go after Saul in order to encourage him and teach him to be a good evangelist. Saul had all the head knowledge, but he didn’t know how to communicate it effectively. Barnabas was a good teacher and after mentoring Saul for a year in Antioch, Saul (also known as Paul) took off on the missionary journey of his life. The first leg of his journey, he and Barnabas went together. They made a good team. Barnabas likely picked up others to mentor along the way which later led to Paul and Barnabas going in different directions when they couldn’t agree on whether or not to take John Mark with them. Barnabas saw potential. Paul saw a problem.
We don’t hear a lot about Barnabas, but what we do find in Acts is enough to know that he was very instrumental in getting Paul started in his life as a well known missionary. I like Barnabas. He was a peacemaker of sorts – convincing the disciples in Jerusalem to give Saul a chance and teaching Saul to become a bit gentler and kinder in his presentation. I wonder if we looked behind other great teachers and evangelists through the ages if we wouldn’t find a ‘Barnabas’ nearby mentoring each of them, helping them find their calling so they can be sent by the church to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the world.
How did Saul stir up the synagogue so quickly? Barely converted and he has had to leave two cities already because his life was threatened. It seems that his great knowledge of Scripture and prophecy allowed him to argue intelligently with the rulers. It may have been because they could not refute him in arguments that they tried to get rid of him physically. They did not want to believe what he believed, but they could not defend their views and interpretations of Scriptures. I can’t help but wonder if Saul’s presentation was a bit caustic as well or at least pushy.
Things settled down in Jerusalem and Samaria for a few years after Saul left. And then persecution increased greatly and believers were spread throughout the extended region as they moved to avoid being persecuted. They began to tell their new neighbors about their faith and more and more people began to believe in Jesus Christ and became his disciples. It seems the church grows faster under persecution – maybe because people don’t get too comfortable where they are at and move around a lot more meeting new people and sharing their faith.
“News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” Acts 11:22-26
Barnabas shows up again. He was a good teacher/evangelist in his own right. Many people were becoming believers. But Barnabas doesn’t say, “Look at me! See what I can do! I’m going to build a mega-church and name it after myself.” Instead, he goes and finds Saul because he sees an opportunity to mentor Saul. Saul, as a new believer, had a great story to tell. He had witnessed God’s mercy and forgiveness and he needed to tell others. But it seems that he did it in a very argumentative way and kept riling people up. Barnabas, on the other hand, seemed to have a gentle way about him. He was still in Jerusalem which would indicate he had figured out how to navigate the religious system and yet continue to teach and encourage others.
As I read between the lines, I wonder if Barnabas didn’t deliberately go after Saul in order to encourage him and teach him to be a good evangelist. Saul had all the head knowledge, but he didn’t know how to communicate it effectively. Barnabas was a good teacher and after mentoring Saul for a year in Antioch, Saul (also known as Paul) took off on the missionary journey of his life. The first leg of his journey, he and Barnabas went together. They made a good team. Barnabas likely picked up others to mentor along the way which later led to Paul and Barnabas going in different directions when they couldn’t agree on whether or not to take John Mark with them. Barnabas saw potential. Paul saw a problem.
We don’t hear a lot about Barnabas, but what we do find in Acts is enough to know that he was very instrumental in getting Paul started in his life as a well known missionary. I like Barnabas. He was a peacemaker of sorts – convincing the disciples in Jerusalem to give Saul a chance and teaching Saul to become a bit gentler and kinder in his presentation. I wonder if we looked behind other great teachers and evangelists through the ages if we wouldn’t find a ‘Barnabas’ nearby mentoring each of them, helping them find their calling so they can be sent by the church to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the world.
Monday, May 17, 2010
What If Ananias Said No
Anyone who has gone to Sunday School knows the story of Saul’s conversion. But how many of us are familiar with the name Ananias? When we tell the story of Saul, we briefly mention Ananias, but he is not the star of the show.
Ananias had a big decision to make. Would he do what God asked him to do? It was extremely dangerous. In fact, it could cost him his life. What if Saul was pretending in order to get the followers of Jesus to come out so he could catch them and have them thrown in prison or killed?
In a vision, the Lord told Ananias, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” Acts 9:11-12 This is a vision Ananias is operating out of. He is being asked to go meet with a person who is known for terrorizing the followers of Jesus. Not only that, he is being asked to place hands on this person to restore his sight!
I wonder if I awoke from a vision like that if I would get up and go or if I would spend the rest of the day wondering what I ate that made me have that kind of dream. If someone who was terrorizing me was struck blind, I might be happy that he would be hindered in his terrorizing. I might say, “God’s judgment is falling on him for what he is doing.”
Ananias needed a little more convincing, so the Lord said again, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Acts 9:15-16 The Lord not only told him to go, but he told him why it was so important. And in obedience to the Lord, Ananias got up and went. He did exactly as the Lord asked him to do in the vision.
“Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord – Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here – has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.” Acts 9:17-19 Saul had been struck blind, and heard a voice from heaven. He had been told to go into the city and wait. For a person who was used to ‘doing’, it must have been hard. He apparently was fasting and doing a lot of soul searching for a couple of days until Ananias came.
Saul was already very well educated in the Jewish traditions and laws. He became a powerful messenger of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, able to convince people from all different traditions that Jesus was the Christ who came to save them. Much of our New Testament is made up of his letters to churches he started throughout the Mediterranean area. What if Ananias had refused to go? What then would have become of Saul? Would he have died a cranky old man because he was blind?
And then there was Peter… he also had a vision. His vision was to eat from food that was considered unclean in the Jewish tradition. After that vision, he was told to go down to meet the people who had come to find him. They were servants of Cornelius. When Peter went as asked to, Cornelius and his whole household were saved. “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.” Acts 10:44-46
What if Peter had said no? At what point would the message of Jesus have gotten to those not from the Jewish tradition?
It is not that God could not have found another way, but because these men said ‘Yes’ to what the Lord asked them to do in a vision, God used them in powerful ways to advance his kingdom here on earth.
A bigger question I have is why God chose Ananias and Peter in those circumstances. Is it because he knew their hearts and knew that they would be willing to go? If so, then I wonder where my heart is at on the ‘willingness’ scale. If the Lord gave me a vision to go meet with a known terrorist, would I go? How much have I allowed God’s love for all the world – including detestable people – to fill me and make me ready to go when called? Peter didn’t start out at this point. He was arrogant, proud and blustery. But when he realized how much Jesus loved him in spite of all of that and after he failed miserably on his own, he was a changed man. And it was this changed man who was able to say, “yes, I’ll go,” when he was called.
How much am I allowing this same Jesus to change me? What will it take for me to become the humble servant that can say, “Here I am, Lord – send me!”
Ananias had a big decision to make. Would he do what God asked him to do? It was extremely dangerous. In fact, it could cost him his life. What if Saul was pretending in order to get the followers of Jesus to come out so he could catch them and have them thrown in prison or killed?
In a vision, the Lord told Ananias, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” Acts 9:11-12 This is a vision Ananias is operating out of. He is being asked to go meet with a person who is known for terrorizing the followers of Jesus. Not only that, he is being asked to place hands on this person to restore his sight!
I wonder if I awoke from a vision like that if I would get up and go or if I would spend the rest of the day wondering what I ate that made me have that kind of dream. If someone who was terrorizing me was struck blind, I might be happy that he would be hindered in his terrorizing. I might say, “God’s judgment is falling on him for what he is doing.”
Ananias needed a little more convincing, so the Lord said again, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Acts 9:15-16 The Lord not only told him to go, but he told him why it was so important. And in obedience to the Lord, Ananias got up and went. He did exactly as the Lord asked him to do in the vision.
“Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord – Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here – has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.” Acts 9:17-19 Saul had been struck blind, and heard a voice from heaven. He had been told to go into the city and wait. For a person who was used to ‘doing’, it must have been hard. He apparently was fasting and doing a lot of soul searching for a couple of days until Ananias came.
Saul was already very well educated in the Jewish traditions and laws. He became a powerful messenger of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, able to convince people from all different traditions that Jesus was the Christ who came to save them. Much of our New Testament is made up of his letters to churches he started throughout the Mediterranean area. What if Ananias had refused to go? What then would have become of Saul? Would he have died a cranky old man because he was blind?
And then there was Peter… he also had a vision. His vision was to eat from food that was considered unclean in the Jewish tradition. After that vision, he was told to go down to meet the people who had come to find him. They were servants of Cornelius. When Peter went as asked to, Cornelius and his whole household were saved. “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.” Acts 10:44-46
What if Peter had said no? At what point would the message of Jesus have gotten to those not from the Jewish tradition?
It is not that God could not have found another way, but because these men said ‘Yes’ to what the Lord asked them to do in a vision, God used them in powerful ways to advance his kingdom here on earth.
A bigger question I have is why God chose Ananias and Peter in those circumstances. Is it because he knew their hearts and knew that they would be willing to go? If so, then I wonder where my heart is at on the ‘willingness’ scale. If the Lord gave me a vision to go meet with a known terrorist, would I go? How much have I allowed God’s love for all the world – including detestable people – to fill me and make me ready to go when called? Peter didn’t start out at this point. He was arrogant, proud and blustery. But when he realized how much Jesus loved him in spite of all of that and after he failed miserably on his own, he was a changed man. And it was this changed man who was able to say, “yes, I’ll go,” when he was called.
How much am I allowing this same Jesus to change me? What will it take for me to become the humble servant that can say, “Here I am, Lord – send me!”
Saturday, May 15, 2010
A Heart of Compassion
Anyone who has ever tried to garden understands how insidious weeds can be. If you don’t keep them under control, they will choke out the flowers or vegetables you are trying to grow. Weeds grow faster than anything and reproduce in abundance. Jesus told a parable about weeds being sown by the enemy in a newly planted field of grain. The servants wanted to pull the weeds to get rid of them, but the owner told them, “No, because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.” Matthew 13:29-30
The weeds are given a time to grow, but their destruction will come. It is just a matter of time – and only so that the plants are not destroyed. Jesus told many parables to help us understand what the kingdom of heaven is like. This is one of those parables. There will come a time when the ‘weeds’ will be done away with forever. Surely we do not want to be weeds. But this and other parables Jesus taught cause many to ask who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’? We want a set of rules or steps to follow so we can be sure we are ‘in’.
Following Jesus isn’t always so ‘cut and dried’. Jesus spent a lot of time trying to help the people get past the many laws that defined holy living and get to the heart issues. Jesus said many times that it was just as wrong to think thoughts in your head as to do the things you thought of. In his ‘Sermon on the Mount’, Jesus redefined murder: “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” Matthew 5:22 He redefines paying someone back for a wrong they did: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn way from the one who wants to borrow from you.” Matthew 5:38-42 And he teaches us to love not only those who love us, but to love our enemies as well. He basically tells us that if we are going to be defined by the law, then we are going to need to be perfect in our following of the law.
Then he talks about heart issues. He tells us that people don’t understand what he is teaching because their hearts are calloused. So even if they hear the words or see the examples, they don’t understand what Jesus is teaching (Matthew 13). Hard hearts don’t have room for compassion for others.
Jesus shows compassion throughout his ministry. Even when he is in emotional pain because John the Baptist had been killed, he didn’t turn people away but had compassion on them and healed their sick (Matthew 14). And then he tells another story which gives us a very clear look at the criteria upon which we will be judged. Interestingly, it does not appear to be based on following the law perfectly. But rather, it is based on our compassion for others.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these bothers of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25 34-40
So it seems that once we love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves, we will be transformed into compassionate people. And that is the final test – the separating the sheep from the goats. Are we compassionate people, caring for the needs of others? In the end, that is the true fruit of a life changed by Jesus.
The weeds are given a time to grow, but their destruction will come. It is just a matter of time – and only so that the plants are not destroyed. Jesus told many parables to help us understand what the kingdom of heaven is like. This is one of those parables. There will come a time when the ‘weeds’ will be done away with forever. Surely we do not want to be weeds. But this and other parables Jesus taught cause many to ask who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’? We want a set of rules or steps to follow so we can be sure we are ‘in’.
Following Jesus isn’t always so ‘cut and dried’. Jesus spent a lot of time trying to help the people get past the many laws that defined holy living and get to the heart issues. Jesus said many times that it was just as wrong to think thoughts in your head as to do the things you thought of. In his ‘Sermon on the Mount’, Jesus redefined murder: “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” Matthew 5:22 He redefines paying someone back for a wrong they did: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn way from the one who wants to borrow from you.” Matthew 5:38-42 And he teaches us to love not only those who love us, but to love our enemies as well. He basically tells us that if we are going to be defined by the law, then we are going to need to be perfect in our following of the law.
Then he talks about heart issues. He tells us that people don’t understand what he is teaching because their hearts are calloused. So even if they hear the words or see the examples, they don’t understand what Jesus is teaching (Matthew 13). Hard hearts don’t have room for compassion for others.
Jesus shows compassion throughout his ministry. Even when he is in emotional pain because John the Baptist had been killed, he didn’t turn people away but had compassion on them and healed their sick (Matthew 14). And then he tells another story which gives us a very clear look at the criteria upon which we will be judged. Interestingly, it does not appear to be based on following the law perfectly. But rather, it is based on our compassion for others.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these bothers of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25 34-40
So it seems that once we love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves, we will be transformed into compassionate people. And that is the final test – the separating the sheep from the goats. Are we compassionate people, caring for the needs of others? In the end, that is the true fruit of a life changed by Jesus.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
God, Are You There?
How does God interact with his creation? And specifically, how does God interact with the human race? Did he put everything in motion and then walk away and let it go? Is he concerned with me?
Job and his friends work on these questions and more in the book of Job. It was a common belief that good things happen to the good and bad things happen to the bad. Many people think much that way today as well. It follows then that when something bad happens to you, you must have done something bad. Job’s friends are very sure of this and they pound Job with his need to repent. But throughout their discourse, Job maintains that he is innocent – that he hasn’t done anything deserving of this hardship that has come upon him.
Though much of what is said by his friends is ‘hot air’, we find them also recognizing God’s greatness in creating the world and the universe. These friends are astonished by Job’s boldness in asking for a hearing with God. They are sure he will be struck by lightning. Their view of God is a judge meting out sentences based on the behaviors of individuals. Therefore, it is obvious to them that Job has messed up big time. That is why he is being punished.
Job has had a good relationship with God up to this point. His view of God is a wise, loving, forgiving God who is his friend. He doesn’t understand why God has stepped back from him. And he demands to be heard and be able to state his case. At one point, he attributes all the things Satan has done to him to God asking why he is doing this to him (Job 19:1-20).
As I listen to Job’s well-meaning friends babble on, I wonder how they can be so hard on him. They are filled with platitudes and they desire for him to confess and get things right with God so God will withdraw his judgment on him. Uh-oh… I wonder how many times I have spouted platitudes to friends in need of encouragement. I wonder how many times I have misjudged the situation thinking I know why they are in the difficulty they are in and that if they would repent, they could get out of the mess.
Job, in the midst of all this hardship and even wishing he were never born, still breaks out in a strong faith statement. “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! Job 19:25-27 He longs for his close friendship with God to be restored.
After the friends have all had their say and Job denies their accusations, God shows up. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” Job 38:4 And, “Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it?” Job 38:12-13 What a colorful word picture of God and his creation!
I wonder if I were in Job’s place if I would be shrinking in my own estimation of myself as God describes creation and all that he does. For instance, he describes the storehouses of the snow and hail. Recently, it dawned on me just how efficiently and cost effective God is at moving water around on the earth. Have you ever thought about how much energy and resources it would take us to move even one good cloud’s worth of water? And he can get it to places we don’t have roads, railroads or any other access to as well. Awesome!
Then God asks a hard question, “Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? Job 40:8 Ouch! Anytime I question God’s sovereignty I am doing just this – thinking I am wiser than God – justifying myself. Along with Job, I find myself repenting, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know… Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Job 52:3b; 6
God, what can I say? You are totally awesome! You created the world and all that is in it. It all belongs to you and you have complete authority over it. Who am I to question you or your methods? I am humbled by your greatness and even more humbled by your mercy. Thank you for your love and your grace. May I never forget these things but rather, help me to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with you, my God (Micah 6:8).
Job and his friends work on these questions and more in the book of Job. It was a common belief that good things happen to the good and bad things happen to the bad. Many people think much that way today as well. It follows then that when something bad happens to you, you must have done something bad. Job’s friends are very sure of this and they pound Job with his need to repent. But throughout their discourse, Job maintains that he is innocent – that he hasn’t done anything deserving of this hardship that has come upon him.
Though much of what is said by his friends is ‘hot air’, we find them also recognizing God’s greatness in creating the world and the universe. These friends are astonished by Job’s boldness in asking for a hearing with God. They are sure he will be struck by lightning. Their view of God is a judge meting out sentences based on the behaviors of individuals. Therefore, it is obvious to them that Job has messed up big time. That is why he is being punished.
Job has had a good relationship with God up to this point. His view of God is a wise, loving, forgiving God who is his friend. He doesn’t understand why God has stepped back from him. And he demands to be heard and be able to state his case. At one point, he attributes all the things Satan has done to him to God asking why he is doing this to him (Job 19:1-20).
As I listen to Job’s well-meaning friends babble on, I wonder how they can be so hard on him. They are filled with platitudes and they desire for him to confess and get things right with God so God will withdraw his judgment on him. Uh-oh… I wonder how many times I have spouted platitudes to friends in need of encouragement. I wonder how many times I have misjudged the situation thinking I know why they are in the difficulty they are in and that if they would repent, they could get out of the mess.
Job, in the midst of all this hardship and even wishing he were never born, still breaks out in a strong faith statement. “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! Job 19:25-27 He longs for his close friendship with God to be restored.
After the friends have all had their say and Job denies their accusations, God shows up. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” Job 38:4 And, “Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it?” Job 38:12-13 What a colorful word picture of God and his creation!
I wonder if I were in Job’s place if I would be shrinking in my own estimation of myself as God describes creation and all that he does. For instance, he describes the storehouses of the snow and hail. Recently, it dawned on me just how efficiently and cost effective God is at moving water around on the earth. Have you ever thought about how much energy and resources it would take us to move even one good cloud’s worth of water? And he can get it to places we don’t have roads, railroads or any other access to as well. Awesome!
Then God asks a hard question, “Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? Job 40:8 Ouch! Anytime I question God’s sovereignty I am doing just this – thinking I am wiser than God – justifying myself. Along with Job, I find myself repenting, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know… Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Job 52:3b; 6
God, what can I say? You are totally awesome! You created the world and all that is in it. It all belongs to you and you have complete authority over it. Who am I to question you or your methods? I am humbled by your greatness and even more humbled by your mercy. Thank you for your love and your grace. May I never forget these things but rather, help me to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with you, my God (Micah 6:8).
Monday, May 10, 2010
God Intended it for Good
Joseph had big dreams. He shared them with his brothers and his father. They didn’t like his dreams. “We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” Genesis 37:7 And, “This time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” Genesis 37:9
Okay, maybe some dreams are meant to be kept to ourselves. Sharing these particular dreams did not endear him to his brothers. In fact, they hated him. It didn’t help that their father doted on him and favored him above the others. The brothers found Joseph completely unbearable. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have liked him too much either. But that was immaturity. And God provided plenty of opportunity for Joseph to grow up.
Out of their anger and hatred, the brothers sold Joseph into slavery. Joseph must have become very responsible and organized because he moved right up the ranks to being in charge of his owner’s whole household. When Potiphar’s wife was turned down by Joseph (many times), she lied about him and that got him thrown into prison. He did nothing to deserve this, yet there he was – once again busted. “But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.” Genesis 39:20-21 Again, Joseph showed himself to be useful and soon was in charge of the prison.
From the prison, Joseph was able to interpret dreams – those of the cupbearer and of the baker and then of Pharaoh. Pharaoh was quite pleased with Joseph’s wisdom and put him in charge of all of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. Joseph stored up grain for seven years and then dispersed it for the next seven years. When his brothers came to him for grain, he was able to care for them. Though he didn’t let them know who he was at first, he did on their second trip. And after toying with them a bit, he finally told them who he was. He was able to move his whole family down to Egypt to care for them during the famine.
I wonder… Did God put it in the mind of the brothers to sell Joseph to the traveling Ishmaelites? Or did God say, “This can work too.” What would have happened if Joseph had sported a bad attitude whining and refusing to work? What if Joseph had given in to Potiphar’s wife?
So many things could have turned out bad here. Yet we are told the Lord was with Joseph – even in his rough times. And when his brothers feared for their lives, Joseph said, “’You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.’ And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.” Genesis 50:20-21
I really don’t know whether God ‘orchestrated’ this whole thing or whether he kept taking bad things and because Joseph trusted him and worked with him, he made them turn out good. But I’m not sure I need to answer that question. It has been around for many generations and many books have been written on the topic. Yet, no one really has an answer. What I do find in this story of Joseph is that no matter what my circumstances, I can trust God and work with him. He will use it to his honor and glory and possibly the saving of many lives.
God has the big picture and I may never know in my lifetime why some things happen or how they are used for God’s good. But I don’t need to know that. What I need to know is that God is good and I can trust him. I have seen him take some of the hardest things in my life and use them for good purposes. Just as weather helps greenhouse plants become stronger, so life circumstances give me opportunity to become a better person with stronger faith.
“But now, this is what the Lord says – he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned: the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the holy One of Israel, your Savior.” Isaiah 43:1-3
The promise is not that we won’t have any hard times. Rather the promise is that God will be with us no matter what we go through. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
I am free to live without fear knowing that my God has the big picture and he is able to take anything I am willing to give him and use it to his honor and glory, whether that is difficult times or good times.
Okay, maybe some dreams are meant to be kept to ourselves. Sharing these particular dreams did not endear him to his brothers. In fact, they hated him. It didn’t help that their father doted on him and favored him above the others. The brothers found Joseph completely unbearable. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have liked him too much either. But that was immaturity. And God provided plenty of opportunity for Joseph to grow up.
Out of their anger and hatred, the brothers sold Joseph into slavery. Joseph must have become very responsible and organized because he moved right up the ranks to being in charge of his owner’s whole household. When Potiphar’s wife was turned down by Joseph (many times), she lied about him and that got him thrown into prison. He did nothing to deserve this, yet there he was – once again busted. “But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.” Genesis 39:20-21 Again, Joseph showed himself to be useful and soon was in charge of the prison.
From the prison, Joseph was able to interpret dreams – those of the cupbearer and of the baker and then of Pharaoh. Pharaoh was quite pleased with Joseph’s wisdom and put him in charge of all of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. Joseph stored up grain for seven years and then dispersed it for the next seven years. When his brothers came to him for grain, he was able to care for them. Though he didn’t let them know who he was at first, he did on their second trip. And after toying with them a bit, he finally told them who he was. He was able to move his whole family down to Egypt to care for them during the famine.
I wonder… Did God put it in the mind of the brothers to sell Joseph to the traveling Ishmaelites? Or did God say, “This can work too.” What would have happened if Joseph had sported a bad attitude whining and refusing to work? What if Joseph had given in to Potiphar’s wife?
So many things could have turned out bad here. Yet we are told the Lord was with Joseph – even in his rough times. And when his brothers feared for their lives, Joseph said, “’You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.’ And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.” Genesis 50:20-21
I really don’t know whether God ‘orchestrated’ this whole thing or whether he kept taking bad things and because Joseph trusted him and worked with him, he made them turn out good. But I’m not sure I need to answer that question. It has been around for many generations and many books have been written on the topic. Yet, no one really has an answer. What I do find in this story of Joseph is that no matter what my circumstances, I can trust God and work with him. He will use it to his honor and glory and possibly the saving of many lives.
God has the big picture and I may never know in my lifetime why some things happen or how they are used for God’s good. But I don’t need to know that. What I need to know is that God is good and I can trust him. I have seen him take some of the hardest things in my life and use them for good purposes. Just as weather helps greenhouse plants become stronger, so life circumstances give me opportunity to become a better person with stronger faith.
“But now, this is what the Lord says – he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned: the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the holy One of Israel, your Savior.” Isaiah 43:1-3
The promise is not that we won’t have any hard times. Rather the promise is that God will be with us no matter what we go through. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
I am free to live without fear knowing that my God has the big picture and he is able to take anything I am willing to give him and use it to his honor and glory, whether that is difficult times or good times.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
What Gate? How Do We Get In?
“Enter in through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14
We live in a time when pretty much anything goes. Even in many of our churches we back off what we believe the Bible teaches and refuse to teach on Scripture that contains hard teachings. We’ve dumbed down our classrooms so anyone can ‘succeed’ and we’ve dumbed down our faith so anyone can participate. This “narrow gate” referred to in Matthew is not taught about very often. Is it because we don’t know what the gate is? Or is it because we have not found it ourselves? Is it hidden? Or do we just not want to see it because we don’t like what it takes to get through it? Do we believe there is life on the other side of this gate? Or do we think we have all the life we need without going there?
Moses knew his time was short. He delivered one last address to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land. “Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach… the word is very near you, it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it… See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess… This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Deuteronomy 30:11; 14-16; 19-20
Maybe the problem is that we have wrongly defined life and prosperity! Maybe the reason we miss the gate is because we have so many things we carry with us that we call life and prosperity that we are sure that isn’t the right gate because we can’t fit through it.
Many interpret this narrow gate as being “Salvation.” Say the 'sinner’s prayer' and through the gate you go. I struggle with this because I see so many people who after dong this are still carrying around a lot of baggage and nothing really changes for them. They still are not ‘living’ but rather they are going through the motions of life. Get up, go to work, come home, watch TV, go to bed. Second verse, the same as the first. A little bit louder and a whole lot worse. They are looking forward to retirement when they can ‘vacation’ away the rest of their life. Somehow, I’m not sure they went through the narrow gate.
Matthew follows this teaching with Jesus’ words, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit… Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:15-17; 20-21
I wonder if the narrow gate is ‘wisdom’. Wisdom comes from spending time with God, seeking him and following after him with our whole being – doing his will. When we ‘wise up’ we find that we don’t need to carry around everything we hold on to so tightly because he is faithful to provide for us anything we need. As we drop all the baggage, we find we can fit through that narrow gate that we thought was just a crack in the wall the first time we went by. And when we let go of everything, we find freedom and real life on the other side. Our fruit we bear is not bank accounts and IRA’s, but rather witnessing to what Christ has done for us and giving to the poor and needy and helping those who are in distress. As I read through the Bible, so many encounters with God are regarding caring for the widows, the fatherless, the poor, and seeking justice for those who are wronged. As we get close to God’s heart, those things become important to us as well.
I wonder if the reason it is so hard to get through the gate is that we are so slow to let go of ‘things’ and ‘mind-sets’ so that we can be free to accept what Christ offers – everything we need to navigate this life and join him in the next! We need to redefine ‘life’ so we can see the gate that takes us there. Yes, admitting we have sinned and fall short of his glory and accepting the grace he offers us through Jesus’ Christ is the first step. But if we are really going the whole way in, we are in for some big changes in our lives. Surprisingly, if we are willing, we feel lighter and experience more freedom as we let go of all the things we held on to so tightly before. In fact, we might wonder why we thought we needed them so badly.
We live in a time when pretty much anything goes. Even in many of our churches we back off what we believe the Bible teaches and refuse to teach on Scripture that contains hard teachings. We’ve dumbed down our classrooms so anyone can ‘succeed’ and we’ve dumbed down our faith so anyone can participate. This “narrow gate” referred to in Matthew is not taught about very often. Is it because we don’t know what the gate is? Or is it because we have not found it ourselves? Is it hidden? Or do we just not want to see it because we don’t like what it takes to get through it? Do we believe there is life on the other side of this gate? Or do we think we have all the life we need without going there?
Moses knew his time was short. He delivered one last address to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land. “Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach… the word is very near you, it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it… See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess… This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Deuteronomy 30:11; 14-16; 19-20
Maybe the problem is that we have wrongly defined life and prosperity! Maybe the reason we miss the gate is because we have so many things we carry with us that we call life and prosperity that we are sure that isn’t the right gate because we can’t fit through it.
Many interpret this narrow gate as being “Salvation.” Say the 'sinner’s prayer' and through the gate you go. I struggle with this because I see so many people who after dong this are still carrying around a lot of baggage and nothing really changes for them. They still are not ‘living’ but rather they are going through the motions of life. Get up, go to work, come home, watch TV, go to bed. Second verse, the same as the first. A little bit louder and a whole lot worse. They are looking forward to retirement when they can ‘vacation’ away the rest of their life. Somehow, I’m not sure they went through the narrow gate.
Matthew follows this teaching with Jesus’ words, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit… Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:15-17; 20-21
I wonder if the narrow gate is ‘wisdom’. Wisdom comes from spending time with God, seeking him and following after him with our whole being – doing his will. When we ‘wise up’ we find that we don’t need to carry around everything we hold on to so tightly because he is faithful to provide for us anything we need. As we drop all the baggage, we find we can fit through that narrow gate that we thought was just a crack in the wall the first time we went by. And when we let go of everything, we find freedom and real life on the other side. Our fruit we bear is not bank accounts and IRA’s, but rather witnessing to what Christ has done for us and giving to the poor and needy and helping those who are in distress. As I read through the Bible, so many encounters with God are regarding caring for the widows, the fatherless, the poor, and seeking justice for those who are wronged. As we get close to God’s heart, those things become important to us as well.
I wonder if the reason it is so hard to get through the gate is that we are so slow to let go of ‘things’ and ‘mind-sets’ so that we can be free to accept what Christ offers – everything we need to navigate this life and join him in the next! We need to redefine ‘life’ so we can see the gate that takes us there. Yes, admitting we have sinned and fall short of his glory and accepting the grace he offers us through Jesus’ Christ is the first step. But if we are really going the whole way in, we are in for some big changes in our lives. Surprisingly, if we are willing, we feel lighter and experience more freedom as we let go of all the things we held on to so tightly before. In fact, we might wonder why we thought we needed them so badly.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Time, Grace, Food and a Cup of Cold Water
“The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Psalm 14:2-3 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." Romans 3:23
It is a good thing, when a baby cries to let its mother know it is in need of food, a diaper change or just the touch of another human being. But as the baby grows, they begin to understand that they can use that cry to control others until at the age of two they are shouting “Mine!” and “No!” and “Give me…!” Some grow through that and become less demanding, some do not. But we all maintain a good dose of self-focus. And our culture adds to the problem by teaching us to always ask, “What’s in it for me?”
For some who come to Christ, the change is dramatic – at least at first. For many, it is not as obvious. But those who walk with God, who spend time reading his Word and meditating on it, who allow the Holy Spirit to speak into their lives, are on a journey that takes a lifetime, and while the changes may not be noticeable at first, snapshots through the years show a continuing maturing in Christ. As we study and get to know the heart of God, we become more like that heart. We ask ourselves, “What is it that is important to God?” because that is what needs to become important to us.
David is studying God’s heart in Psalm 15. “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellow man, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.” Psalm 15:1-5
Generally, people who do not feel loved show no love to others. Instead, they continue to demand from others to fill their need to be loved. And if that need is not met on some level, they become angry people out to hurt others. Unfortunately, other human beings are not capable of perfect love. We always fall short. Even those we love most we let down from time to time.
But David found perfect love in his Lord. “Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:5-11
David found his strength, his joy, his pleasure and his security in the Lord. As I find my security in the Lord and draw from his perfect love that never runs out, I am free to love others. I am not so concerned with whether my needs are being met because my Father meets all of my needs according to his glorious riches (Philippians 4:19). And I become more like the righteous person David describes in Psalm 15. I don’t get there because I decide I’m going to be good and just do it. I get there because of God’s grace. “…and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:24 Jesus was the ultimate expression of God’s love for us. Through Jesus, God has made a way for us to be with him forever.
Spending time with God shows me how much I am loved and what his grace has done for me. When I know I am so loved by him, I cannot help but love others and begin to have more grace with them. In my mind, that is what maturing in our faith is all about… understanding the heart of God and becoming more like him. When I understand how much he loves me and has to give me, I don’t need to hoard what I have but can freely share – time, grace, food, and a cup of cold water to the thirsty.
It is a good thing, when a baby cries to let its mother know it is in need of food, a diaper change or just the touch of another human being. But as the baby grows, they begin to understand that they can use that cry to control others until at the age of two they are shouting “Mine!” and “No!” and “Give me…!” Some grow through that and become less demanding, some do not. But we all maintain a good dose of self-focus. And our culture adds to the problem by teaching us to always ask, “What’s in it for me?”
For some who come to Christ, the change is dramatic – at least at first. For many, it is not as obvious. But those who walk with God, who spend time reading his Word and meditating on it, who allow the Holy Spirit to speak into their lives, are on a journey that takes a lifetime, and while the changes may not be noticeable at first, snapshots through the years show a continuing maturing in Christ. As we study and get to know the heart of God, we become more like that heart. We ask ourselves, “What is it that is important to God?” because that is what needs to become important to us.
David is studying God’s heart in Psalm 15. “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellow man, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.” Psalm 15:1-5
Generally, people who do not feel loved show no love to others. Instead, they continue to demand from others to fill their need to be loved. And if that need is not met on some level, they become angry people out to hurt others. Unfortunately, other human beings are not capable of perfect love. We always fall short. Even those we love most we let down from time to time.
But David found perfect love in his Lord. “Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:5-11
David found his strength, his joy, his pleasure and his security in the Lord. As I find my security in the Lord and draw from his perfect love that never runs out, I am free to love others. I am not so concerned with whether my needs are being met because my Father meets all of my needs according to his glorious riches (Philippians 4:19). And I become more like the righteous person David describes in Psalm 15. I don’t get there because I decide I’m going to be good and just do it. I get there because of God’s grace. “…and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:24 Jesus was the ultimate expression of God’s love for us. Through Jesus, God has made a way for us to be with him forever.
Spending time with God shows me how much I am loved and what his grace has done for me. When I know I am so loved by him, I cannot help but love others and begin to have more grace with them. In my mind, that is what maturing in our faith is all about… understanding the heart of God and becoming more like him. When I understand how much he loves me and has to give me, I don’t need to hoard what I have but can freely share – time, grace, food, and a cup of cold water to the thirsty.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Hold Nothing Back
“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’”
“’Here I am,’ he replied.”
“Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.’” Genesis 22:1-2
There are those who do not believe in God or believe that the Bible is his inspired word simply based on these verses. What kind of God would ask a man to sacrifice his son? This was the son that was the promise of a nation of people more numerous than the sand or the stars. The problem is that they do not read on to see what God is doing. God is working out his plan for salvation over many generations. When we try to put the entirety of God into our lifetime, well, it simply doesn’t fit.
Two words keep coming to mind – trust and sovereignty. I found these in Abraham, Job, David and the Apostles this morning.
Abraham set out the very next morning and he took Isaac, some wood, fire and a knife. God led the way and he went on a 3-day journey. (Some believe that where he ended up was near where Jesus was crucified.) As he left his servants and continued on with just Isaac, Abraham said, “We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Genesis 22:5 I wonder what Abraham was thinking. God had promised him a nation through Isaac. Now he was asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.
We know that Abraham was not afraid to ask God to reconsider. Just read his conversation regarding the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:23-33). But this time he didn’t argue. It seems that he trusted that God in his sovereignty knew what he was doing and he just kept doing what God told him to do. As he was placing the wood on the altar, he answered Isaac’s question about the sacrifice by saying, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” He must have had tears streaming down his face as he bound Isaac and placed him on the altar.
As he raised his knife, God spoke the words Abraham had been waiting and hoping for. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’ Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.” Genesis 22:12-13 What joy he must have experienced in releasing his son and putting the ram God provided in his place!
It seems like a faint reflection of what was to come many generations later as Jesus was hung on the cross instead of me. God did sacrifice his son. I was the ram caught in the thicket of sin – unable to live a holy life on my own. Through Jesus, God reached down and untangled me from the thicket and set me free, leading me to fresh green grass and a stream of clean water. And my Good Shepherd watches over me and when I get too close to the thicket, he gently prods me with his rod to move away from the danger and back to the good things he has for me.
Job, in his suffering, was also learning trust in God and the sovereignty of God. As he answers his friends, he looks at what nature teaches us and says, “Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind… To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.” Job 12:10; 13 Job doesn’t understand why he has lost everything and is suffering, but he understands God is sovereign.
David wrestles with difficult things in life, and then says, “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me.” Psalm 13:5-6 “Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.” Psalm 16:5 David is trusting in the sovereignty of God.
The Apostles continue preaching and teaching and find themselves in jail. “But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. ‘Go and stand in the temple courts,’ he said, ‘and tell the people the full message of this new life.’” Acts 5:19-20 And they did. They were flogged and then released because Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, assured the council of God’s sovereignty. “For if their purpose or activity is of human hands, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” Acts 5:38-39 The Apostles trusted God with their lives. They would do what they were told by God and it was up to God if they lived or died.
I wonder if I was tested to the extent that Abraham, Job, David and the Apostles were, would I be able to put everything I have on the line including my life and hold nothing back. God did big things through all of these people because they held nothing back from God. Do I trust God and his sovereignty to work out his good plan through the generations even if I can’t see what he is doing right now?
Oh Lord, examine my heart and my ways and show me if there is anything I am holding back from you. Help me to take every blessing you have poured out on me and give back to you with an open hand, trusting you completely to work out your sovereign will in my life.
“’Here I am,’ he replied.”
“Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.’” Genesis 22:1-2
There are those who do not believe in God or believe that the Bible is his inspired word simply based on these verses. What kind of God would ask a man to sacrifice his son? This was the son that was the promise of a nation of people more numerous than the sand or the stars. The problem is that they do not read on to see what God is doing. God is working out his plan for salvation over many generations. When we try to put the entirety of God into our lifetime, well, it simply doesn’t fit.
Two words keep coming to mind – trust and sovereignty. I found these in Abraham, Job, David and the Apostles this morning.
Abraham set out the very next morning and he took Isaac, some wood, fire and a knife. God led the way and he went on a 3-day journey. (Some believe that where he ended up was near where Jesus was crucified.) As he left his servants and continued on with just Isaac, Abraham said, “We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Genesis 22:5 I wonder what Abraham was thinking. God had promised him a nation through Isaac. Now he was asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.
We know that Abraham was not afraid to ask God to reconsider. Just read his conversation regarding the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:23-33). But this time he didn’t argue. It seems that he trusted that God in his sovereignty knew what he was doing and he just kept doing what God told him to do. As he was placing the wood on the altar, he answered Isaac’s question about the sacrifice by saying, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” He must have had tears streaming down his face as he bound Isaac and placed him on the altar.
As he raised his knife, God spoke the words Abraham had been waiting and hoping for. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’ Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.” Genesis 22:12-13 What joy he must have experienced in releasing his son and putting the ram God provided in his place!
It seems like a faint reflection of what was to come many generations later as Jesus was hung on the cross instead of me. God did sacrifice his son. I was the ram caught in the thicket of sin – unable to live a holy life on my own. Through Jesus, God reached down and untangled me from the thicket and set me free, leading me to fresh green grass and a stream of clean water. And my Good Shepherd watches over me and when I get too close to the thicket, he gently prods me with his rod to move away from the danger and back to the good things he has for me.
Job, in his suffering, was also learning trust in God and the sovereignty of God. As he answers his friends, he looks at what nature teaches us and says, “Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind… To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.” Job 12:10; 13 Job doesn’t understand why he has lost everything and is suffering, but he understands God is sovereign.
David wrestles with difficult things in life, and then says, “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me.” Psalm 13:5-6 “Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.” Psalm 16:5 David is trusting in the sovereignty of God.
The Apostles continue preaching and teaching and find themselves in jail. “But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. ‘Go and stand in the temple courts,’ he said, ‘and tell the people the full message of this new life.’” Acts 5:19-20 And they did. They were flogged and then released because Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, assured the council of God’s sovereignty. “For if their purpose or activity is of human hands, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” Acts 5:38-39 The Apostles trusted God with their lives. They would do what they were told by God and it was up to God if they lived or died.
I wonder if I was tested to the extent that Abraham, Job, David and the Apostles were, would I be able to put everything I have on the line including my life and hold nothing back. God did big things through all of these people because they held nothing back from God. Do I trust God and his sovereignty to work out his good plan through the generations even if I can’t see what he is doing right now?
Oh Lord, examine my heart and my ways and show me if there is anything I am holding back from you. Help me to take every blessing you have poured out on me and give back to you with an open hand, trusting you completely to work out your sovereign will in my life.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Blameless Before God
“In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.” Job 1:1-3
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he mediates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3
In this glimpse of Scripture, we see that the righteous prosper. It is a nice tidy box. Be good and honor God and everything will go well for you and you will prosper.
Only there is a slight problem. Within one day, Job lost his children, all his animals, and almost all of his servants. “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’” Job 1:20-21 The big question then that Job’s friends ask is, “Job, where did you mess up? What did you do to have God’s wrath turned on you? Surely you must have sinned because the righteous prosper.”
“O Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me ‘God will not deliver him.’ But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. Arise, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.” Psalm 3:1-8
The Psalmist is obviously in a bad way – enemies on every side. Only God can deliver his people from the hands of these enemies. Yet, he lies down to sleep and wakes again because the Lord sustains him.
This box of prosperity doesn’t quite fit. Both are choosing to walk with God. Both are in a bad way. Where is the prosperity?
Both cry out to God and speak truthfully from the anguish in their hearts. In their anguish, they remind God, “If I perish, you’ll miss me because I won’t be here to praise you.” Job says, “The eye that now sees me will see me no longer; you will look for me, but I will be no more.” Job 7:8 and David says, “No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?” Psalm 6:5
After they mourn their pain and discomfort, both end up praising God. Job says, “The name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:21 and David says, “I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” Psalm 7:17
Both Job and David recognize God's righteousness. They do not believe that only the righteous prosper in worldly wealth and physical well being. But they understand that the righteous prosper in their walk with God. They understand that God has authority and wisdom and power. They trust that he will do what is best. They don’t have to like their circumstances – they are truthful with their grief, but that doesn’t keep them from trusting God.
So many people walk away from God, blaming him for all the bad in their lives. Is it because the church has put God in a box saying only the righteous prosper in this world? I want to let him out of that box. I live in a real world with real problems. I can’t deny that. But God is a personal God who loves me and will walk with me through whatever the circumstances are. He will sustain me.
Oh God, open my eyes to see that you alone are God. There is no other. “He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.” Job 9:8-10
I don’t need to understand everything that God does or doesn’t do. He is God. It’s comforting and freeing to know that I don’t have to figure out how to manipulate God in order to prosper. I can trust him and his love for me no matter what my circumstances on this earth are. As Paul says, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he mediates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3
In this glimpse of Scripture, we see that the righteous prosper. It is a nice tidy box. Be good and honor God and everything will go well for you and you will prosper.
Only there is a slight problem. Within one day, Job lost his children, all his animals, and almost all of his servants. “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’” Job 1:20-21 The big question then that Job’s friends ask is, “Job, where did you mess up? What did you do to have God’s wrath turned on you? Surely you must have sinned because the righteous prosper.”
“O Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me ‘God will not deliver him.’ But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. Arise, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.” Psalm 3:1-8
The Psalmist is obviously in a bad way – enemies on every side. Only God can deliver his people from the hands of these enemies. Yet, he lies down to sleep and wakes again because the Lord sustains him.
This box of prosperity doesn’t quite fit. Both are choosing to walk with God. Both are in a bad way. Where is the prosperity?
Both cry out to God and speak truthfully from the anguish in their hearts. In their anguish, they remind God, “If I perish, you’ll miss me because I won’t be here to praise you.” Job says, “The eye that now sees me will see me no longer; you will look for me, but I will be no more.” Job 7:8 and David says, “No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?” Psalm 6:5
After they mourn their pain and discomfort, both end up praising God. Job says, “The name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:21 and David says, “I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” Psalm 7:17
Both Job and David recognize God's righteousness. They do not believe that only the righteous prosper in worldly wealth and physical well being. But they understand that the righteous prosper in their walk with God. They understand that God has authority and wisdom and power. They trust that he will do what is best. They don’t have to like their circumstances – they are truthful with their grief, but that doesn’t keep them from trusting God.
So many people walk away from God, blaming him for all the bad in their lives. Is it because the church has put God in a box saying only the righteous prosper in this world? I want to let him out of that box. I live in a real world with real problems. I can’t deny that. But God is a personal God who loves me and will walk with me through whatever the circumstances are. He will sustain me.
Oh God, open my eyes to see that you alone are God. There is no other. “He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.” Job 9:8-10
I don’t need to understand everything that God does or doesn’t do. He is God. It’s comforting and freeing to know that I don’t have to figure out how to manipulate God in order to prosper. I can trust him and his love for me no matter what my circumstances on this earth are. As Paul says, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Beauty Marred by Sin
In the spring, the trees are filled with new fresh green leaves. No bugs have chewed on them, no dust or dirt has accumulated on them. They are beautiful and unmarred. When I wonder about the creation of the world, I think it must have been like spring – all the fresh, new growth with no damage from insects, disease, too many hot days in a row, etc.
“God saw all that he had made and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day.” Genesis 1:31
Adam and Eve were created into this fresh, new environment. This new man and woman were unmarred. They were in the Garden of Eden which had been planted by God. It must have been amazing! They were given only one rule. “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17 (Only one rule and they couldn’t keep it.)
As we watch Adam and Eve take the forbidden fruit and eat it, we can learn so much about ourselves and about God. Adam and Eve did not know anything about living in a sinful world. Their world was free from sin. God walked with them in the Garden and things were good. So we can get a pretty good look at what happens when sin comes.
First, there was a temptation. When there is a rule, there is a temptation to break the rule. Once a rule is established, the decision must be made whether to obey the rule or not obey the rule. How did Eve and then Adam get tangled up in their thinking and end up disobeying the one rule they had?
The serpent asked the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1 First he overstated the rule to make it sound absurd.
“The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” Genesis 3:2-3 Eve corrects the serpent’s overstatement. She obviously knows what God said.
But the serpent doesn’t leave it there. He takes what she knows to be true and twists it a bit causing Eve to doubt God. “’You will not surely die,’ the serpent said to the woman. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” Genesis 3:4-5 Now Eve has a decision to make. She loves who God is and thinks it would be wonderful to be just like him, knowing good and evil. Was God holding out on her? Was he keeping her from being that good so he could have more power than her? This slightly twisted adjustment to thinking made it possible for Eve to break the rule and invite her husband to join her.
The first thing that happened with their ‘open eyes’ was that they realized they were naked and they felt something new – shame. Then God showed up and they felt something else new – fear! They hid. But God didn’t say, “Oh well,” and leave. He called out to them, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:9 God still seeks us out today and calls to us, “Where are you?” “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20 From Genesis to Revelation, God is inviting us into relationship with him.
Adam and Eve, because of their shame and fear, tried to place the blame outside of themselves and the decisions they made. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. The list is growing… shame… fear… blaming. Then God responds by giving out consequences. To the serpent, “Cursed are you… You will crawl and eat dust… And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers…” Genesis 3:14-15 To the woman, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing… Your desire will be for your husband and he will rule over you.” Genesis 3:16 And to Adam, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life… By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food… and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:17-19
And then the Lord made garments for them out of animal skins (first animal sacrifice to atone the sin of man) and “banished them from the Garden of Eden,” Genesis 3:23 For the first time, they were separated from God. They had been deceived into thinking they would become like God and in the end, they had become sinful and were now separated from God.
I wonder if Eve could have that conversation again with the serpent if it would go differently. I wonder if I had been in her shoes if I would have decided differently. Then I look at how many decisions I make every day. And I wonder how many of them are based on twisted truth and/or misinformation. Suddenly, I realize how much I need God’s Spirit within me to be reminded of the real truth that I already know. God is good. He can be trusted. I don’t have to compete with him for knowledge. When I think I know better than God, I don’t; and following my own way will only lead to more troubles.
Following God’s rules leads to peace, trust, and good relationship with God. Not following them leads to consequences I would rather not face. Oh Father, burn your rules in my heart that every decision I make would bring honor and glory to you. Open my eyes to see your truth and keep me from being deceived.
“God saw all that he had made and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day.” Genesis 1:31
Adam and Eve were created into this fresh, new environment. This new man and woman were unmarred. They were in the Garden of Eden which had been planted by God. It must have been amazing! They were given only one rule. “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17 (Only one rule and they couldn’t keep it.)
As we watch Adam and Eve take the forbidden fruit and eat it, we can learn so much about ourselves and about God. Adam and Eve did not know anything about living in a sinful world. Their world was free from sin. God walked with them in the Garden and things were good. So we can get a pretty good look at what happens when sin comes.
First, there was a temptation. When there is a rule, there is a temptation to break the rule. Once a rule is established, the decision must be made whether to obey the rule or not obey the rule. How did Eve and then Adam get tangled up in their thinking and end up disobeying the one rule they had?
The serpent asked the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1 First he overstated the rule to make it sound absurd.
“The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” Genesis 3:2-3 Eve corrects the serpent’s overstatement. She obviously knows what God said.
But the serpent doesn’t leave it there. He takes what she knows to be true and twists it a bit causing Eve to doubt God. “’You will not surely die,’ the serpent said to the woman. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” Genesis 3:4-5 Now Eve has a decision to make. She loves who God is and thinks it would be wonderful to be just like him, knowing good and evil. Was God holding out on her? Was he keeping her from being that good so he could have more power than her? This slightly twisted adjustment to thinking made it possible for Eve to break the rule and invite her husband to join her.
The first thing that happened with their ‘open eyes’ was that they realized they were naked and they felt something new – shame. Then God showed up and they felt something else new – fear! They hid. But God didn’t say, “Oh well,” and leave. He called out to them, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:9 God still seeks us out today and calls to us, “Where are you?” “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20 From Genesis to Revelation, God is inviting us into relationship with him.
Adam and Eve, because of their shame and fear, tried to place the blame outside of themselves and the decisions they made. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. The list is growing… shame… fear… blaming. Then God responds by giving out consequences. To the serpent, “Cursed are you… You will crawl and eat dust… And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers…” Genesis 3:14-15 To the woman, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing… Your desire will be for your husband and he will rule over you.” Genesis 3:16 And to Adam, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life… By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food… and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:17-19
And then the Lord made garments for them out of animal skins (first animal sacrifice to atone the sin of man) and “banished them from the Garden of Eden,” Genesis 3:23 For the first time, they were separated from God. They had been deceived into thinking they would become like God and in the end, they had become sinful and were now separated from God.
I wonder if Eve could have that conversation again with the serpent if it would go differently. I wonder if I had been in her shoes if I would have decided differently. Then I look at how many decisions I make every day. And I wonder how many of them are based on twisted truth and/or misinformation. Suddenly, I realize how much I need God’s Spirit within me to be reminded of the real truth that I already know. God is good. He can be trusted. I don’t have to compete with him for knowledge. When I think I know better than God, I don’t; and following my own way will only lead to more troubles.
Following God’s rules leads to peace, trust, and good relationship with God. Not following them leads to consequences I would rather not face. Oh Father, burn your rules in my heart that every decision I make would bring honor and glory to you. Open my eyes to see your truth and keep me from being deceived.
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