There Really is a God!

8.31.2010

Ezekiel 14:23 23 They will console you, when you see their ways and their deeds, and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, declares the Lord God.” ESV

A quick read through Ezekiel 14 reveals that their ways and deeds will be amended and the consolation to others is the peace that comes through witnessing amended ways; and the knowledge that God caused it all to happen.

We tend to be just like the people of old and our God, like theirs, becomes nothing more than a supposed genie to be pulled out when the going gets rough. Religion is born in places like adversity, prison, and fox-holes. Religion is born when my wants outweigh my needs. Religion is born out of selfishness and self-preservation. But for people to go through God’s cleansing as described in Ezekiel 14, is to see changed lives that no longer try to manipulate God in to giving them what they think they want. God’s cleansing brings about repentance, holiness, and a fleeing from sin and selfishness into true obedient relationship that’s a marvel to see!

I purpose to be a person who brings consolation that God is working in my life and that what happens to me is something I can say with assurance that He did it (or caused it) for my good and with cause to effect holiness and righteousness in me. After all, isn’t that why we seek God anyway? Or are we just trying to get to Him to check off our list of wants…?

Father in Heaven,

You are working in my life and I ask to recognize it and respond to it carefully, consciously, and correctly. I pray that Your work in my life may cause others to be consoled and to say with their hearts, “There really is a God!”. Father, thank You for seeing through to completion the work You started in me the day I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord – in His Name I pray, amen.

A God I Can Get to Know

8.30.2010

Ezekiel 11:19-20 19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. ESV

This is probably one of the greatest promises in the entire Bible; the Lord will give us a heart of flesh and in place of a heart of stone. Stone hearts are hard hearts. Stone hearts are cold and lifeless. Stone hearts are un-teachable. God never intended for us to be robots and so the writers of the Old Testament recognized there was something missing in the whole God/man-equation. What was missing was real feeling, real emotion, and real relationship – not God through intermediaries, but God up close and individually personal.

My relationship with ‘God’ is not an organization although the church is somewhat organized. My relationship with ‘God’ is not through a book of rules. My relationship with ‘God’ is not by trying to be good to somehow earn His trust or His approval – my relationship with God is as with a friend; He calls me His son and allows me to call Him my Father. It is a living relationship with a living Being who cares that I live up to His standards but doesn’t club me when I don’t. He cares for me with a living love and is intimately and infinitely involved with my life that I may spend eternity with Him.

But what about sin, you ask. God is a God of correction and life, not of retribution and death. God confronts the sinner with this simple statement – Get to know Me and you’ll cease sinning because you’ll see that only I can perfectly and endlessly meet all of your needs for love, life and satisfaction. That’s a God I can get to know!

Father in Heaven,

Job one is getting to know You. Getting to know You is getting to have a heart of flesh in real relationship with You. Thank You for a new heart, a new life and for a real relationship with You through Jesus Christ and by Your Holy Spirit – amen.

Ezekiels Among Us

8.29.2010

Ezekiel 4:14 14 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never defiled myself. From my youth up till now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has tainted meat come into my mouth.” ESV

I’ll bet I know what you’re thinking – you’re thinking, he’s gonna tell us all that he’s defiled himself, and eaten tainted meat before – that’s what you’re thinking… Well, it’s true, I’ve defiled myself. (The tainted meat thing is more like some spoiled smoked salmon I ate for which I paid a heavy price at the wheel of the porcelain bus in the wee hours of the following morning – yikes!) I won’t go into detail on the defilement thing; my new conversation code: N-I-N! (No Information Necessary!)

I do know folks however whom I suspect have not defiled themselves. I know some folks with marvelously bright and clean character who’ve been virgins until the day they were married and have been clean both morally and mentally. I know everyone has their moments but there are some among us would be the Ezekiels who could say back to God, “Lord, that’s a load of crap! I can’t do that – even though You just told me too!” For that I would say thanks to a guy named Dave, a guy named Dean and a lady named Debbie – to name three - there are more... They walk among us and to my knowledge they’ve kept themselves pure; they’re some of today’s Ezekiels.

For me though, all I can do is live with who I once was and remember who I am – now. Through Christ, God has made me different and I need to always remember that. I am no longer who I once was although I’m not yet who I’ll be; but I’m on the right road. Today, the burden seemed heavier than usual but today is ending and God has faithfully loved me along the way with all of my flaws, faults, and filth (my mind has been taking a beating all day long.)

Father God,

It’s been nice to remember Your goodness and love and that You love us how we are right now – You’re not waiting for us to be better before You bless us with the bounty of Your love; we’re accepted right now, flawed, filthy and at fault. Thank You for Your marvelous grace and for the Ezekiels among us. Thank You for their impact in, and on, my life – in Jesus’ Name, amen.

May I Please Be Overwhelmed

8.28.2010

Ezekiel 3:15 15 And I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were dwelling by the Chebar canal, and I sat where they were dwelling. And I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days. ESV

After having read to this point in Ezekiel, I have to admit I’m feeling a little overwhelmed myself; wings and wheels and creatures and faces and a Voice – whew! (I don’t blame you Zeke!) So I wonder what he thought. I know how he felt – overwhelmed.

As I read the prophets and think about their lives, I realize that most of them were called to do and say things that – maybe – hadn’t yet entered their minds – except for the fact that they sounded hugely disappointed in the conduct and beliefs of their fellow countrymen. So it doesn’t surprise me that they were a little undone (Isaiah), a tad timid (Jeremiah) or plain old overwhelmed (Ezekiel) (not to mention Daniel and that John fell as a dead man). Divine visitations and calling can be very uncomfortable things. Trying telling your present-day countrymen that the god we call life, liberty, and happiness isn’t the God of the Bible; see how uncomfortable your reception is…

I can’t tell you the last time I read something in Scripture that blew me away to the point where I was overwhelmed. I’m too overwhelmed by the slow economy, foreclosure and the shenanigans of our current crop of government leaders who seem to have lost their minds somewhere along the road. In eternity it won’t matter one whit what they thought or what they did – all that will matter is how I responded to God no matter what someone else did or didn’t do. I think I’m under-whelmed at my lack of being overwhelmed at the awesomeness and presence of God in my life.

Father God,

You are overwhelming because we have never seen or been around anyone who comes even one atomic particle closer to Your infinite awesomeness; there is no one anywhere who can ever come close. But Lord, I want to draw close to You even at the risk of being overwhelmed for seven days (or more). When You deem I’m ready, may I please be overwhelmed…I ask that in Jesus’ Name, amen.

God’s Memory

8.27.2010

Jeremiah 52:31 31 And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he became king, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison.

If I did the math right, in the 37th year of exile Jehoiachin would’ve turned 55. After being raised in a royal family and ascending the throne during the first eighteen years of his life, Jehoiachin then spent the next thirty-seven in a Babylonian prison and was released in the year that he turned fifty-five. This guy is a bit of an enigma to me and I have to depend on commentaries to figure out who he is, but God knew him all along and God remembered him when he turned 55 years old; and Jehoiachin served in the court of pagan king until he died.

If God did that for Jehoiachin, what will he do for us? Jehoiachin did evil in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 24.9) What about you and I? God remembers us, looks after us, and doesn’t operate on the same time-table we do. (God doesn’t operate on a time-table at all – He only and ever operates out of love!) Whatever our circumstances and experiences, whether we count them as good or bad, God is in the midst of them and uses all of them to reveal Himself to us and He never forgets us – ever.

I am always touched by the account of Jehoiachin’s release from prison. I am always reminded when I read it of the goodness and kindness of God which leads me to repentance and strengthens my relationship with Him. I too am 55 years old this year and I too am full of expectation in God remembrance of me and that He has plenty for me to do until the day I die… then it’s off to heaven for the next round!

Father in Heaven,

You never stop working in me. You never rest in Your pursuit of my excellence which You orchestrate and create. You always remember and know just what I need to take me to the next step in my journey home. May I serve You with a glad and joyful heart today and may my life be a reflection of Your goodness and mercy to me in this, my fifty-fifth year – in Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

Daily Goodness

8.26.2010

3 John 11 11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. ESV

I can identify with brother John – he seemed to be a black and white sort of guy – whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. There didn’t seem to be much middle ground with John; kinda makes me wonder what his childhood looked like, what he thought of Zebedee, his dad. Makes me wonder what went through his head in those days with Jesus; he and his brother James weren’t called the Sons of Thunder for nothing.

I’m not sure John was as charismatic as Peter; I don’t think he was as thunderous as James, but it’s a sure thing that John confronted evil wherever he was and as long as he lived. I think he held a special place in Jesus’ heart.

I’m a black and white sort of person and tend to see things as either or. But life has a way of tempering that and like John I desire to see the differences in life clearly that I may live effectively for God. People who know me might call me a son of thunder as well – perhaps a few more years of tempering will help.

Whoever does good – that means as a reflex of life. If my reflex is to always react negatively or falsely then I will only remain thunderous and a passing nuisance. Thunder follows lightning and lightning is brilliant but for a moment. I desire for my life to shine but for more that just for moments; daily goodness and continued goodness accomplishes that… I think that’s where John ended up.

Father in Heaven,

I want to be like John in that I’d like to be used by You for as long as I live. I know and hear the echoes of thunder in my life and I see the brilliant but passing flashes of lightning as well. Lord let me not be momentary, but enduring. May my experiences temper me to be solid, faithful and lasting until You call me home – help me to be effective in Your Kingdom just like John – who wanted to be just like Jesus, and woke up one day to discover he was just himself in You. Amen.

Meeting with God

8.25.2010

2 John 9 9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. ESV

It is not hard for me to see the parallels between modern America and ancient Israel at the time of the fall of Jerusalem. In both nations, God was/is abandoned. The government abandoned God; the culture abandoned God. And in modern America we, just like ancient Israel, are trying desperately to find salvation in our government policies, our economy; in leisure and ease, and in just about everything but God. And it ain’t workin’…

When Jerusalem fell in 586 BC, God told His people that if they wanted to save their lives, they were to surrender to the Babylonians. That’s like telling rednecks in Texas to surrender to the Iranians. That’s like telling Tea Party conservatives to become liberals. Always, we have to make the decision to go to where God is regardless of what it seems we have to go through to get to Him. God was with the Babylonians – not in spirit nor in principle, but in divine discipline. And wherever there’s divine discipline, there’s foremost divine love and life. But God, they’re the horrid Babylonians! Yes, I know; jump in, the water’s fine!

God is seeking me to meet Him in all of my circumstances regardless of where they are or how I feel about them. If I’m willing to abide where He is, I will live with Him and His Son – that’s the bottom line. I think that is kind of what John was saying to the elect lady and her children. According to Jeremiah, the people who met God by surrendering to the Babylonians lived – the one’s who fled died.

Father God,

You show up in the strangest places. You show up where I don’t want to go and among people I do not like – and from there You bid me to come and join You. Help me God not to be intolerant but to go wherever You are and find You maybe even among those with whom I am loathe to associate. I will not limit Your boundaries and I will surrender to Who and Where You are – in Jesus’ Name, amen.

The Hard Way

8.24.2010

1 John 5:17 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. ESV

I’m not going to pretend that I understand completely what John is saying here – I don’t. But I think there is something to be learned – at least there is for me. In my mind sin is the act of demanding my own way and all the subsequent actions and attitudes that come from such a demand. It’s as old as Eden and the fall of Adam and Eve; they wanted their own way and got what they thought they wanted. I’m not sure of their repentance but I think they did, and I think we’ll see them in heaven – I think. I believe they saw the fruit of their actions and realized that having their own way was not what they really wanted.

All wrongdoing is sin; treading on people’s lives, living selfishly, demanding my preferences – these are a part of wrongdoing – but it isn’t the way to death. The way to death is settled unbelief. The only sin for which we cannot be forgiven is unbelief and there are those out there who live in, what I would call, settled (or resolute) unbelief. That is the way that leads to death; because it is the only way it can lead; it’s willful.

The good thing about sin (if there’s any redeeming value whatsoever) is that it sometimes tends to make us sorry for wanting our own way. Sometimes the thing (or things) we want so badly ends up being the thing (or things) we want to flee from. Sometimes the sorrow for our sin leads to us repentance having learned a painful lesson. Painful lessons leave their marks deep in our souls.

However – I don’t need to learn the hard way if I choose in Jesus to walk in the narrow way. All wrongdoing is sin but I don’t have to walk that way – I can walk in righteousness and self-control giving it all to the Lord and letting Him guide and control my life; He’s given me the freedom to choose not to sin; the choice is mine. I can sin out of ignorance and learn the lesson the hard way or I can listen to and learn from Him – the choice is mine.

Father in Heaven,

You always make a way out except for the one who refuses to take it. You put up with such stuff from me and yet in Your love You keep leading me to life and love me just as I am. Help me to be teachable and pliable in Your hands; help me to learn the lessons just by believing You and not having to learn the hard way. Thank You for Your love and for Your Spirit residing in me. Amen.

New True

8.23.2010

Jeremiah 31:33 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ESV

In 1 John 4, the apostle John assures us that God is love. He didn’t mean that God is an emotion or feeling, but that God Himself is the truest expression of love that we’ll ever know because God is Himself the truest expression of love.

Love is not law. Love can express itself through a law – thou shalt not kill; that’s an expression of love that says, control yourself and look out for the needs of others; but laws are not love; love is love. True love is not romance, although we love to see love that way. Romance tends to be selfish; how can I get what I want from this person? True love goes out of its way to show the deepest care and concern for the welfare of others and will do everything in its power to put the needs of others above its own. You cannot legislate that – it has to be an act of the will but it has to be motivated by something other than just the mind, will, and emotions; it has to be motivated by divine power and presence – and only God can do that.

When Jeremiah speaks of the new covenant, he’s speaking of God putting Himself into us by His Spirit in order that we may truly love. Without Him we are devoid of love and thereby unable to truly relate to others by which they are selflessly honored, royally respected, compassionately cherished, passionately protected, and heroically helped. We can only do that if God empowers us to do that by His love.

Father in Heaven,

Thank You for the New Covenant by which You make our hearts Your home and by which You guide our lives in true love. True love needs no law – only Your power and presence. May I walk in the freedom of the New Covenant this day loving You and loving others by the Spirit of Christ in me – in His Name, amen.

Condition

8.22.2010

1 John 3:22 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. ESV

I know that some readers of these thoughts are too young to remember The Fiddler on the Roof. I didn’t realize the movie musical was produced in 1971. I think the Broadway production was around 1964. There – a bit of Hollywood history for you – don’t you feel better now?

A song in the move (Tradition) speaks of the tradition of the Jews in the late czarist days of Russia. The song depicts the traditions of these people and what they thought they were supposed to do, according to their traditions, to score points with God. I think the song was incorrectly written – I know it is for the believer; for the Christian it is not tradition but condition; it’s not just a matter of keeping the traditions of our faith but of meeting the conditions of God. And John spells that out for us by saying, “…and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him.” We receive God’s unconditional love in order to conditionally receive from Him by doing what He says.

My life in Christ is a mix of being and doing; John makes this point very clear; because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him. I must keep His commandments because He’s created me in Him to do so, and I must do what pleases Him by living out what I believe. The end result is I receive from Him what I need to continue to both be and do. However, receiving from Him is conditional and I must always remember that – my obedience to His command is what paves the way for me to receive His good gifts. This is authentic Christianity.

Father in Heaven,

Your conditions are our traditions – or at least they should be. The traditions I must keep are those of the saints who’ve gone before me who sought You earnestly, listened to You carefully, and obeyed You entirely. May these be true of my life in You – I pray in Jesus’ Name, amen.

Proof Text

8.21.2010

1 John 2:6 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. ESV

If ever there was a proof text, this is it – “…whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” It’s not a proof-text to fortify my own theological perspective; it’s a text that proves that who I say I am matches what I do. And it’s not just a proof text for me to prove myself to others; it’s for me because as I study the life of Jesus I should find myself imitating and emulating how He lived and what He stood for. If I’m not then I’m probably not abiding in Him as I ought – which means I’m probably not really abiding in Him at all. I’m not convinced there are gradations of abiding – either I am or I’m not.

Abiding in Jesus means accepting His lordship over me and accepting His presence in me; I’m to be focused solely and wholly upon Him at all times. That is abiding or living in Him. I abide in Baker City and accept the culture there. Baker City is my physical place of residence. My mail comes to Baker City; my friends all recognize and accept that Baker City is where I live. But they also need to see that as I walk and live in Baker City that I also walk and live in Jesus Christ spiritually and the overflow of His life in me dictates how I behave and speak. Whoever says he abides in Him ought to, by familiarity and intimacy with Him, walk in the same way in which He walked – fully submitted to God. There just ain’t that many folks around like that…

I need to realize the importance of such a truth. I need to walk as Jesus walked and talk as He talked because I’ll never be who I’m supposed to be if I don’t.

Father in Heaven,

There are texts in Scripture that prove who I am in You – this one is one. Help me to realize who I am in You and where I live – in You! Father may I be the man You’ve called me to be, and may others see the fruit of my residency – dwelling always in the realm and personality of Christ – in His Name, amen.

The Deadly Drug

8.19.2010

Jeremiah 45:5 5 And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the Lord. But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go.” ESV

I’m okay with that – my life as a prize of war wherever I may go. War robs; it’s a colossal distraction, a terrible waste of money, and resources; causing unspeakable pain and mental toil on those who suffer from it. Sadly, it’s all about having control. We all crave the deadly drug of control.

Jeremiah’s words to Baruch are, this day I believe, words to me from God; I’m not to seek after great things in this world – I’m to seek God and all that He has for me. I’m to seek Him to garner peace, joy, love, and such as those. I’m to focus on heaven while attending to my ways here on earth. I see no times of great economic recovery, I see no times of our economy reviving. I see times of great loss and difficulty for us and our children and their children.

But I am not to seek great things for myself. I so want to solve the house mess we find ourselves in but that doesn’t seem to be happening and the Lord gently reminds me through this verse today that owning a house, or losing a house, is not the sum total of life (as we Americans would have it to be); but my life in Him is…as He would have it to be…

Father in Heaven,

Today Lord, I’m offering it all and piling it up high,

On Your altar where the flames send it up to the sky;

And into heaven’s gates surrounding Your throne;

Laying it all at Your feet, because You are God Alone.

My life in Christ is my prize wherever I go

And my comfort in life – that’s all I need know.

Your way is best no matter what I want to think.

You plans will cause me to float when my mind says I’ll sink.

Worry and fear are both familiar to me,

But I’ll kill them by faith going where You lead and I cannot see.

Help me in faith to set it all aflame

And to rest in Your providence for that is Your Name.

Amen.

Looking At Jesus

8.18.2010

John 20:29 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” ESV

What disarray the disciples and the women were in after the crucifixion of our Lord – they were an emotional train-wreck. Emotions can make messes. When emotions take over sometimes reason goes out the window; that’s why we need faith. But even with faith our intellect struggles trying to figure it out.

Jesus said to Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” It’s not that Thomas wasn’t blessed, it was just that Jesus wasn’t going to show Himself to others the same way He’d shown Himself to Thomas. Thomas was blessed; he got to see what we all want to see – or at least what we say we want to see…

Seeing forces us to come to terms with all of what Jesus said and did and acknowledge it to be true; and with that truth come to terms with all we’ve done and how all of that lines up to what He said. That’s when we get uncomfortable. Looking at Jesus and accepting all of who He is, is a lot like sticking our faces into the sun; we’re gonna see what nobody else sees, but it’s gonna burn like heck. Will the sight be worth the pain? (Correct answer: YES)

But, it isn’t really about seeing, it’s about believing; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. My believing is not based on sight but on the reality that invisible and unseen, Jesus is always with me – and because of that I am always with Him. I believe because He’s enabled me to believe and see the evidence of His presence in my world, my experiences, and in others. And that fact, in itself, forces me to come to terms with all of who He is, and all of who I am in Him. It’s about believing and responding according to my belief.

Jesus,

May the life You’ve given me be the life that blesses others who cannot see You, but see the evidence of You in me. It’s not about my behavior but about Your presence in me that causes me to say and do what You tell me to; and blesses others because I do what I do. May I do in Your Name today, amen.

When They Really Need a King

8.17.2010

John 19:19 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” ESV

In 1 Samuel 8, the people of Israel came to Samuel the prophet demanding a king to rule over them. They said, “Behold, you are old [and no longer useful] and your sons do not walk in your ways [like it was really working anyway]. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations [because it's working so well for them].” Samuel was devastated because they weren’t just asking for a king but were in effect rejecting God. They really wanted things their way. And God never stopped trying to get them to see things His way.

Roughly 1200 years later God once again attempted to woo His people back by sending His Son to represent Him to the people of Israel – the Jews. And now, when they really needed a King, they rejected Him . Funny, it took a despotic Roman ruler named Pilate, with enough sense to make an inscription and put it on the very cross the Jews used to reject their King that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” God never stopped telling them.

Jesus is still their King because not even death could stop His rulership and lordship over them. But Jesus doesn’t rule over unwilling hearts – at least not yet. When life serves us up dread, disaster, disease and death; and we see that we really need a King, Jesus is there to take His rightful place as our Savior and our Lord. Death could not stop Him and eternal love motivates Him to keep after us because we really need a King. God never quits.

I need a King. I need my King. I lay my life down in order to take up His because He is my King; and I am His subject. King Jesus takes care of His subjects and promises all the resources of Heaven in return. We may suffer death but even death, according to Him, cannot stop us because eternal life is something that just won’t go away.

Father in Heaven,

You have provided Help for me when I really needed a King. Your ways are not my ways but Your love is just what I need and carries me all of my days. Help me today my Sovereign; help me to live subjected to Your rule living safe in relationship with You no matter what happens because You’ve promised eternal life to me – amen.

The Tipping Point

08/16/10

2 Kings 24.3 3Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the LORD, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4and also for the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD would not pardon.

ESV

You know, sometimes you just reach a point. Maybe it's the straw that breaks the camel's back – or maybe you've just had enough; the faucet's dripped one too many times. And so when you reach the point you make a decision – I'm gonna break off the relationship; I'm gonna fix that stupid faucet; I'm gonna tell my boss how I really feel...

Interestingly, the point God gets to in this narrative in Jeremiah 24 is the result of someone who’s not even around anymore; his name was Manasseh, and he was the king two kings before the current one. They say the sins of the father's are passed along to the third and fourth generation. Manasseh was a bad dude who acted tyrannically, irresponsibly and brutally; and managed, without a whole lot of effort, to garner God's displeasure. Manasseh was the tipping point in the history of the southern kingdom.

However, Manasseh repented before he died but his repentance was (I think) a little too late and the damage he did reached a point where it was irreparable, irreversible, and the kingdom was by then, irredeemable. Manasseh's son Josiah was a remarkably godly king who did much good for the nation but again, because of Manasseh, the damage was already done. Sometimes what's done is done and the wheels of fortune are unstoppable. That's why Jeremiah had to deliver this message to the current king – Jehoiakim.

So what about the tipping point in my life – is there one; am I aware of it; and what is (or could) God (be) saying to me? I must be aware of the love of God but I also must be aware of His heart and His discipline. He loves me enough to forgive me but He loves me too much to let me continue in sin and rebellion. Additionally I must remember that my sins have a ripple-effect that spill over into the lives of the third and fourth generation.

Father in Heaven,

You are loving and forgiving but You are serious about godliness in my life. I don't know if I've reached the tipping point but I trust You to let me know if I have. Help me in the meantime to focus on Your heart and Your love that I may avoid a message like Jehoiakim got from Jeremiah – in Jesus' Name, amen.

Asking Questions Like Jeremiah Did

8.15.2010

Jeremiah 20:18 18 Why did I come out from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame? ESV

Hmmm, good question Jeremiah! Why did you? Sometimes it feels like that – that our days are all toil and sorrow and filled with shame. Sometimes it feels like we ought to give up and just go get plastered and live out the rest of our days in debauchery. Sometimes…

Jeremiah lived with the burden of sharing the Lord’s heart with his countrymen and they didn’t want to listen. The time was growing short and the Lord was executing justice against them and they just didn’t seem to care; sounds a lot like our day. Recently, a friend asked me if we should speak up and speak out against the evil in our day. My response: if God tells you to. But if He does, don’t be surprised that only a scant few will listen – our culture owns us. And don’t be surprised if you then start asking questions like Jeremiah did – Why did I come out from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame?

You and I, if we are called in Christ, are to make our ways and our days filled with this: “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:26) the only way to kill hate in this world is with the love of God and even then not everyone will make that choice. Politics ain’t gonna get’r done; neither is commerce, religion, or regulation. The only true power in this world is the love of God in us, which builds and protects our hearts.

Father in Heaven,

You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. You are the Solution and our only Hope. I pray for myself and my friend and for others in the family who frequently get overwhelmed by the stuff that we would find courage and hope in Your love and that we would set about to use our days to share the message of Your love with people who are too deceived into thinking there is some other way to find peace and fulfillment in this life. May we know that we know that we know Your Name – GOD – and then may our lives be lived out accordingly. To Your glory I pray in Jesus’ Name, amen.

The Divine Mystery Shopper

8.13.2010

John 15:2 2 Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ESV

There is a divine expectation that the believer bears fruit; that is what he’s created for in Christ, to bear fruit. The fruit he’s to bear looks like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5.23) the fruit he bears is fellowship, obedience, steadfastness, endurance, and community. The fruit he bears is what the world is starving for and does not often see. The fruit he bears is the fruit that nourishes and sustains souls in a world that is bleak and black, and bound for destruction. God is looking to give fruit to the world so that people may live to know Him.

So God takes a divinely keen interest in our lives as we profess to know Him and as we live out our lives before Him. God is like the Divine Mystery Shopper who looks at our lives and sees if we do what we say we do. And when He sees little or no fruit, He takes divine action in our circumstances to see to it that we do what we say we do. And sometimes, like ancient Israel, He cuts off persistent fruitlessness because He won’t waste His divine energy on persistent fruitlessness. God is looking for lasting fruit that will make a lasting difference.

And the ONLY WAY I can bear fruit is to live with Him – always. I must live with Him at work and in leisure. I must live with Him in peace and confrontation. I must attend to His word and serve others. My life – in order to bear fruit – must be all about Him – period. Too narrow, maybe. Too strict, maybe. Either way, it sure beats being cut off…

Father in Heaven,

You know that when I read John 15 I decide that I am going to bear more fruit – but Father, I can only do that as I abide in You; and I ask You to help me, empower me, and assist me, to do just that. May my life bear the fruit You choose and may I surrender my time (which is really the only resource I have) to You, for Your glory and the benefit of those around me – in Christ, amen.

Loving is Doing

8.12.2010

John 14:31 "...but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father." ESV

He will never steer me wrong; He will never lead me in a false direction. He will always lead me right to where I’m supposed to be and He will always direct me to do exactly as I am to do. That is God and that is His way. The upshot of all this is that people will ‘see’ that He is and that I love Him.

Following God may not look logical or, to us, even correct. But people are looking for what’s best for them. It may not be the best, but it’s the best for them. That’s where the rub comes in because God wants the best for us and knows the best for us but often His best (which is the best) is at odds with our own selfishness. But over and above what is best is the visible love for God that is shown when one obeys Him. It really doesn’t matter whether people love God or not; what really matters is that I demonstrate my love for God by doing as He has commanded me. That’s what’s important.

God desires that all men come to know Him and obey Him but He’s not so naïve as to believe that they will all do it – that’s why Jesus came to show us how it’s done. What’s important is to see the love Jesus had for the Father in doing all that He commanded and that love is to be evident in me by my obedience to God. Therefore I must say ‘no’ to everything in me that is opposed to God.

Father in Heaven,

Like attempting to get into shape, obeying You is a practice that I must practice every moment of every day of my brief life. And what is important is that You get the glory, and others see that, like Jesus, I love You. Father, may my love for You be demonstrated by all I do and may others see that I love You by doing what You say – I pray in Jesus’ Name, amen.

Rich In Its Trade

8.11.2010

John 13:34-35 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” ESV

Love is one of the more maligned words in our vocabularies – we don’t know what it means and practice it poorly. For many, the word love means affection and yes, love is affection but it is so much more. For many love means romance and yes, love is partly romance but it is so much more. For many love is tolerance; and yes, love is tolerance, but it is so, so much more.

How does God love us? With affection, yes, with affection; with romance; yes, with romance; with tolerance; yes, with tolerance – but God loves us because God sees what we can become in Him. God purposed to create a perfect relationship with each of us so that we could have the perfect relationship with each other and thereby relate perfectly with His universe around us – but the lifeblood of it all is love.

Love is treating others the way we wish to be treated – not the façade we put on, but how we deeply, really, want to be treated. Love is always others-focused. Love is devoid of self. Love really is always patient and kind; love does not ever envy or boast; it is not ever arrogant or rude. It does not ever insist on its own way; it is not ever irritable or resentful; it does not ever rejoice at wrongdoing, but always and forever rejoices with the truth. Love magnificently bears all things, continually believes all things, steadfastly hopes all things, patiently endures all things. Love never ever ends (1 Co 13:4-8 ESV with my spin)

Father in Heaven,

You are love and Your children are born into love. Help me God through all of the pain in my life to learn to love and cut others slack as they learn to love as well. The currency of Your Kingdom is love and God I pray that I become rich in its trade – I pray in Jesus’ Name, amen.

What God Thinks

8.9.2010

Jeremiah 3:19 19 I said how I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me.

The God of the Broken Heart mourns the loss of His people. What God did for them, leading them all those years, He did in hope that they would love Him, trust Him, and obey Him. And now centuries later He is faced with the heart-rending task of giving them over. All because He thought they would respond to Him in love and call Him “Father” and follow Him wholeheartedly.

I wonder sometimes what God thinks I’ll do. I wonder if God puts me in situations where He thinks I’ll respond in love and dependency only to see me respond in rebellion. And then I wonder what He thinks. In Jeremiah, God shows Himself through His prophet to be vulnerable like a loving parent hoping the best for his child but having his hand forced to let go because the child refuses to go in the direction he thinks he should have. God’s people rejected His love and wanted to be like the nations around them – be careful what you wish for.

But lest I think God weak, I must remember that He is anything but and will, in love, chasten me for my stupidity. He’s promised to do that. Many think God too loving to send anyone to hell – to that I say, try Him and see; He is too loving to keep us from hell. From God we may not get what we deserve but we may get what we want. This is a perfect picture of a loving God with a broken heart watching the people He loves go after what they want…

Father in Heaven,

You know that I am learning the hard way what to want and what to avoid. Help me to surrender this day to Your will and to remember that You will give me over to what I want, if I persist. May I persist in following hard after You – in Jesus Name, amen.

The Theology of the Outcast

8.7.2010

John 9:31 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. ESV

What do you know? In all of your life experience, what have you picked up along the way of value, of truth; of life? What have you learned to do and to avoid? The theology of the outcast is this: we know that God does not listen to sinners, but is anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, God listens to him.

I find it noteworthy that the outcast says we’re to do two things: (1) worship God, and (2) do His will. The two are inseparable if we’re to have an audience with the Almighty. God doesn’t listen to those who doubt or don’t do. It is not by works that we are saved, it’s by faith; but our faith must be demonstrated by how we live – if we worship God, our lives must be a series of daily expressions of worship in all we do (1 Corinthians 10.31). If that doesn’t guide our behavior, I don’t know what would…sin and the silence of God, I guess.

The question I have to ask myself is does what I know – that God listens to the working worshiper – express itself in my relationships and behaviors? If I am the real deal, it certainly ought to.

Father in Heaven,

You aren’t interested in my opinions – only my obedience. You aren’t interested in what I know, You are watching my every move to see that I am in step with Your Spirit. Help me this day to live what I believe and to behave what I know; that You are God and I am not; and I am to worship You in all I do trusting that as I do, You will listen to me, love me, and help me. Amen.

Ingest and Digest

8.4.2010

John 6:53 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ESV

Wow! That’s a mouthful! I’ve always been fascinated with Jesus’ words here in John 6. I’ve come to the conclusion that this chapter in John is one of the most pivotal chapters in all of Scripture. And Jesus’ words here make no equivocation – either we accept Him on His terms or we go away – those are the only two choices. The metaphor that the Lord uses of eating His flesh and drinking His blood is graphic but He makes His point – either you ingest Me and I become in you on the molecular level, or you starve to death.

Jesus isn’t advocating cannibalism but He is urging us to take Him into our lives as we would take in food, that as our bodies ingest and digest food, it becomes part of us – in the same way He becomes part of us; His life, presence, and power become us. When we eat something it goes beyond the senses in a way that our senses can only be a precursor. We must ‘eat’ Jesus in order that He becomes more than a texture, a sensation, an odor, sight, or sound.

Even the Lord’s metaphor falls short on us – but it’s no excuse not to take Him in and digest Him in our hearts so that all we are becomes who He is… When Jesus says, “Eat Me” He means it!

Lord God,

This one stretches me because I can’t fully express what I think I see other than to say to You, let me feast on all of who You are and what You’ve done. Let me delight in our moments together and fully digest You in my heart so that I may become all that You’ve created me to be in You; it’s the only way to take You in… amen.

My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less

8.3.2010

John 5.45b Moses, on whom you have set your hope. ESV

A person could take a valuable diamond and glue it to a plastic finger ring – to which we all might ask, ‘Have you lost your mind!?’ To take something valuable and place it on something worthless shows little respect or understanding of the valuable; and misplaced value in the worthless.

Hope is an intangible but valuable thing and all of us hope for something. Our current president ran his campaign on the value of hope. He hopes for a political system to cure all that is wrong in our country – as he sees it. We all hope for something. The Jews hoped that by following the rules they would gain right standing with God. The problem was their rule-keeping oppressed people and God doesn’t care for that at all. Jesus pointed out the error of placing their hope on a faulty setting. That’s when thing began to get interesting.

I have long placed my hope on cultural settings because I was taught to do that. I was taught early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. What I didn’t realize was that not only can my settings be faulty, but so can my hope. Politics don’t bring hope and neither does my culture – unless my culture is godliness.

Lately, in this unstable economy, culture, and turbulent political scene, I am learning this lesson:

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus’ Name.

On Christ the Solid Rock I stand

All other ground is sinking sand

All other ground is sinking sand.*

Father God,

Thank You for true hope based on Christ – priceless and eternal; amen.

* Edward Mote - circa 1834

With Real Scars He Prayed Real Prayers

8.2.2010

2 Chronicles 33:13 13 He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. ESV

Manasseh is a bit of an enigma to me – first he leads his nation astray and then he leads them back to God. First he establishes false religion, then he repents and reinstates true religion. All it took was getting the crap kicked out of him by the king of Assyria and a trip to Babylon. With real scars he prayed real prayers.

Sometimes our choices look so good but in reality they’re so bad. Sometimes we think our ship has come in only to find it’s run aground. Sometimes our own arrogance and pride pave the road to colossal humiliation. Sometimes our colossal humiliation causes us to pray and repent – Wow! What a concept!

I want to hate Manasseh for what he initially did to the nation after the reign of his father Hezekiah. But I love the fact that in his humiliation he didn’t harden, he softened to the things of the Lord. He learned his lesson after all…

A fool is someone who refuses to learn the lesson. The only mistakes I make are when I determine not to learn from my mistakes. My ego and pride can be a curse but they can be a blessing when wounded and scarred they cause me to return again to God. Pain often does one of two things: harden or help.

Father in Heaven,

You loved Manasseh and so You caused him to suffer for his own choices. I know that You love me and I know that You will cause me to see the error of my ways and help me to see the rescue in Yours. Father, I need Your help and I pray that You not stay Your hand in helping me to get it. I offer up my mistakes and with the scars left from the hooks in my flesh, I pray for Your deliverance and for Your correction – in Jesus’ Name, amen.

The Best Thing I Could Ever Receive

8.1.2010

John 3:27 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. ESV

Think about your life and the things in your life – your highs, your lows; your agonies, your ecstasies. If what John says is true then everything that happens in your life is a gift from God or a divine enablement to do His will.

In the context of the discussion (John 3.25-36) John’s disciples were making the point that Jesus was (apparently) gaining in popularity while John’s popularity (apparently) was waning; at least that’s the way they saw it, and they perceived it as a bad thing. But John’s response is crucial because he seems to accept what has been given to him as from heaven and thereby the best he could have…ever.

If what I receive in life, be it popularity or humiliation, is from heaven, then it truly is the best thing I could ever receive as long as I realize and respect where it comes from. I must remember and give glory to Him who controls my every breath because He is infinitely and intimately involved in my entire being that I may accomplish His will for me in my brief span of years. And He relentlessly gives me what I need to succeed – always! For that, all I can say is “Thank You!”

Father in Heaven,

You truly give to each of Your children everything they need to succeed in life; not worldly life, Lord; heaven’s life. Your goal for us is that we be adapted on earth for life in heaven; life there that is dramatically different than what we experience here – O God, help me to get it and to adapt as I ‘watch’ and learn from Your saints in the Scripture and as I learn in Jesus how to receive all the things that are from You – I pray in His Name, amen.